VOLUME 6 NO 40

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012

HAVE YOU SEEN THE TOWN’S NEWEST RESIDENT’S? 2012 Scarecrow Festival Gets Underway 
The Foothill Creative Arts Group gave birth to a new and 
‘creative’ idea that is certain to bring visitors to town and 
hopefully give local retailers a boost. As advertised over 
the last month or so, the first ever Sierra Madre Scarecrow 
Festival began on October 1st. Cute, clever, scary and creative 
characters can be seen all over town and will be on display 
throughout the month. There were two primary categories, 
Residential and Business. On Friday evening, an awards 
ceremony was held at the Creative Arts Group headquarters 
and the following awards were presented: The festival was 
funded by the Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club. 

Residential Awards:

Scariest:

1st Place was a tie

 Van Fox and Jean Sudbury

 Bob and Rosemary Burnett

3rd Place The Murray Family

Most Humorous:

1st Place Ginny Liskow

2nd Place Shannon Vandevelde

3rd Place Mary Talwar

Business Awards: 

Best Representation of the Business

1st Place Leonora Moss

2nd Place Sierra Madre Public Library - above left

3rd Place Foothill Home Care Partners - above right. Honorable Mention: The Episcopal Church of the Ascension

Prudential Realty, Savor the Flavor, Mail Box & Postal, Sierra Madre Garden Club, Podley Realty. 
There are more than 50 entries around town. Drive around and meet your new neighbors!

CITY ATTORNEY TO REPORT 
ON POLICE OFFICERS 
ASSOCIATION’S THREATENED 
LITIGATION

 
On the heels of residents receiving 
a very informative flyer from 
the Sierra Madre Police Officers 
Association on the Department, 
the city attorney announced, via 
the agenda for this Tuesday’s 
City Council Meeting, that a report 
would be publicly given on 
“Anticipated Litigation”. It goes 
on to state that “A point has been 
reached where, in the opinion of the 
City Council/Agency on the advice 
of it (sic) legal counsel, based on the 
below-described existing facts and 
circumstances, there is a significant 
exposure to litigation against the 
City Council/Agency.

 Receipt of Claim pursuant to Tort 
Claims Act or other written communication 
from Sierra Madre 
Police Officer’s Association threatening 
litigation (copy available for 
public inspection in the City Manager’s 
Office)” 
This information was released on 
Friday and at press time, no additional 
information was available. 
It appears that this may be the 
continuation of the complaint filed 
in June earlier this year, when the 
SMPOA filed a claim against Sierra 
Madre regarding allegations 
that the city had failed to pay officers 
overtime pay during the 2011 
holidays. (See Mountain Views 
News story from July, 2012. Go 
to: http://mtnviewsnews.com/v06/
htm/n30/index.htm) 
At Tuesday’s meeting the public 
will hear the results of closed session 
discussions from the City Attorney. 
The council will meet on 
Tuesday, October 9th at 6:30 p.m. 
in council chambers. Also on the 
agenda will be a possible ‘second 
unit amnesty program’. Homeowners 
recently received a notice 
from the city regarding reporting 
of ‘second units’, i.e., guest houses, 
rental units, on the property. 


CALIFORNIA’S SECOND GOLD RUSH 
– THE RISE OF THE CITRUS INDUSTRY

 
If you missed it the last time, you have a second chance to see this interesting 
program! By special request, local resident Joe Feeney will present his talk on 
the rise of the citrus industry, called California’s second gold rush, and how 
this economic juggarnaut enabled the rapid growth of Southern California 
following WWII. 

Feeney, who has been in the Huntington Westerners history organization for 
twenty years and 
on the board for 
four years says, “I 
have been collecting 
orange crate labels 
for 30 years. It was 
through collecting 
them that I got 
interested in the 
fascinating history of 
the citrus industry. 
At one time, Los 
Angeles County was 
the highest dollar 
volume agricultural 
county in the United 
States, due largely 
to navel orange 
production. 


“The citrus industry revolutionized Southern California, but this change didn’t 
happen overnight or without difficulties. This is a great story, and it is our 
historical biography too! My talk will have plenty of pictures of the early citrus 
industry, some of Sierra Madre, and plenty of images of the beautiful crate label 
art.”

Feeney has been on the board of directors of the historic “Campo de Cahuenga” 
for the last twenty years; and was vice president of the “Civil War Roundtable of 
Baton Rouge” for two years. He has an M.A. from L.S.U. in political philosophy. 
Joe’s family moved to Sierra Madre in 1962, into the Wistaria house. 


The program will be presented Thursday, October 18th at 7:30 at the Hart House 
in Memorial Park in Sierra Madre. Admission is free, light refreshment will be 
served. The program is sponsored by the Sierra Madre Historical Preservation 
Society. For more info email SMHPS@outlook.com. 


Joe Feeney


This Week’s Highlights: 

Guess Who’s Back?............................Page 11

Calendar Page 2

Sierra Madre News Page 3

Pasadena/Altadena Page 4

Around San Gabriel Valley Page 5

Education and Youth Page 6 
Good Food & Drink Page 7 
Best Friends/Sports Page 8 

Arts/Health Page 9

Homes & Property Page 10 
The Good Life Page 11

Business Today Page 12

Left Turn/Right Turn Page 13

Ballot Box - Election 2012 Page 13

Opinion Page 14 
Legals Page 15-17 
F.Y.I. Page 18

SIERRA MADRE NEWS

AROUND SG Valley

3

5

Cal Fire Says: 2 Ways Out

ARCADIA NEWS

6

PASADENA/ALTADENA

4

MONROVIA/DUARTE

7

Rose Queen & Court


Read The Paper Online At: www.mtnviewsnews.com