Happy Hanukkah


VOLUME 6 NO 50

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

THE SPIRIT OF GIVING


POLICE OFFICERS AND CITY SIGN 

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.....FINALLY

By Bill Coburn

The City Council approved a Memorandum 
of Understanding with the 
Sierra Madre Police Association (PA) 
regarding terms and conditions of employment 
at Tuesday’s Council meeting. 
The agreement runs through June 
30, 2015. This is the first agreement 
between the PA and the city since the 
year 2000.

 Sierra Madre Police Chief Larry Giannone, 
said the following about the 
agreement, which was approved as 
part of the Consent Calendar for the 
meeting, “This is the first comprehensive 
MOU in over a decade and I want 
to thank the negotiation teams from 
both the City and the Police Association 
for coming to an agreement which 
did not include any raises. Taking over 
as the new Chief I felt it was important 
to have the MOU in place so as a Department 
we can move forward to continue 
to provide quality police services 
for the community, without having to 
worry about misconstrued working 
conditions behind the scenes.” Chief 
Giannone, as department head for the 
City, is not a member of the PA.

 According to the Agenda posted on 
the City website, the agreement incorporates 
changes and clarifying language 
to the 2000 document that the 
Council imposed in December, 2011. 
It inserts new language identifying sections 
of the Personnel Rules and Regulations 
that apply to PA members, when 
complaints are removed from the personnel 
file (consistent with the penal 
code), and it inserts a section regarding 
the California Public Employees’ Pension 
Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA).

 It also inserts the exact language from 
the Personnel Rules and Regulations 
regarding the Educational Program/
Tuition Reimbursement. It reduces the 
officers’ Uniform Stipend from $80/
month to $55/month; and the City 
agrees to provide job related safety 
equipment. The new MOU bases seniority 
for those in the association on 
the length of time of uninterrupted service 
of an employee rather than rank. 
It also provides $30,000 for the length 
of the contract for payment of time and 
a half for an officer who is held over 
because another employee has called in 
sick, and provides that “day trades” can 
be done within the 28-day work rather 
than the 14-day pay period.

 The agreement also clarifies that to receive 
the “finder’s fee” for recommending 
a newly hired officer, the employee 
must be identified on the employment 
application. Adjusts how employees 
are paid for special security detail and 
criminal court, and increases Training 
Officer, Detective, and Traffic stipends 
from $250 to $275.

 It includes language from the Personnel 
Rules and Regulations regarding 
sick leave and jury leave and court appearances. 
Regarding outside employment, 
it adjusts the verbiage so that 
employees must notify the department 
when there is a change in job responsibilities 
or classification and/or if an 
employee discontinues his/her employment 
with an outside agency. 

 According to the staff report, the 
agreement as presented will not provide 
significant increases in costs nor 
significant savings to the adopted balanced 
2011-2013 fiscal budget.

 In a statement issued after the meeting, 
Council member Chris Koerber 
sent out a press release about the 
agreement. “I’m pleased that the PA 
worked so diligently with the City’s 
negotiating team to reach this accord. 
In spite of the extremely tight budget 
outlook for Sierra Madre, both sides 
exemplified the teamwork necessary 
to reach this mutually beneficial agreement. 
This new MOU is another step 
in keeping Sierra Madre ‘Sierra Madre.’ 
Neighborhood policing, done through 
our own Police Department, will continue 
to be one of the cornerstones of 
our mountain village.”


Sierra Madre Firefighter Todd Conrad (left) and Chief Steve Heydorff 
(right) are joined by S/Sgt. Andrew Marsella of USMC and Mayor Josh 
Moran at the 2nd Annual Sierra Madre Volunteer Firefighter Association’s 
Ball last Saturday where they also collected toys for the US 
Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots program. Photo by B. Coburn

Later in the week, SMPOA President Ed Delcoure joins fellow officers 
in presenting Christmas gifts to special students at SM Middle School.

SIERRA MADRE CITIZEN OF THE 
YEAR NOMINATIONS SOUGHT

 The Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the 2012 
Citizen of the Year. To be eligible, a person must be a resident of Sierra Madre. 
The accomplishment(s) or project(s) for which they are being nominated must 
have been of benefit to the community of Sierra Madre and (cont. on page 3)


THE VILLAGE OF EASTWICKE

A Very Special Place In The Heart of Sierra Madre by Ron Cooper

 Almost hidden in the courtyard of the 
Renaissance Plaza you will encounter a 
scene straight out of a Norman Rockwell 
painting. The sculpted image of an 
elderly man wearing a traditional red 
and white Santa’s cap is seated next to a 
woman on a bench. They are both staring 
intently at a book that is being held in 
the gentleman’s lap. Another sculpted 
image of a large dog drinking from a 
fountain can also be seen. An open door 
adorned with handmade wreathes and a 
warm glow beckons you to enter. 

 The Village of Eastwicke is one of those 
places that you would expect to find on a 
weekend getaway to some remote, exotic 
location. A place like Solvang or Ojai, for 
instance. But, for those of us fortunate 
enough to live in Sierra Madre, it’s right 
here in our own backyard. Located at 38 
West Sierra Madre Boulevard, directly 
across from Kersting Court, right in the 
heart of our downtown business district. 

 Susan Reib is the artist whose creative 
genius has transformed this art gallery 
and gift shop into a world of visual 
enchantment, steeped rich in both color 
and texture. 

 On a recent visit I was admiring Susan’s 
amazing ability to turn an ordinary 
river rock into a lifelike resemblance 
of a family pet, or an animal that you 
might expect to see in the wild. On this 
particular visit a family of owls stared 
back at me from a tabletop display. 

 Dogs and cats. Wolves and raccoons. 
Rabbits and even a life sized peacock can 
all be seen in Susan’s forest-like setting. 
Created in large part from logs she had 
gathered shortly after the windstorm 
that ravaged so much Sierra Madre 
last year on November 30th. Each of 
these animals have been hand painted 
personally by Susan. Thousands of 
brush strokes are required to bring each 
animal to life. Her creations along with 
more information can also be found at 

 The Village of Eastwicke will be open 
late each evening throughout the holiday 
season. If you’ve never been there you’re 
in for a real treat! In addition to her pet 
stones you will also find many other gift 
items, such as jewelry, clothing, stuffed 
animals, candles and incense. The list of 
cool things goes on and on!

 This holiday season, and throughout 
the year, I plan to take advantage of our 
local merchants and all they have to 
offer. I hope that you will, too! Susan and 
her little dog Joey wanted me to wish 
everyone a very Merry Christmas and a 
Happy New Year! 


PUSD ISSUES STATEMENT ON NEWTOWN SHOOTINGS.....Page 9

This Week’s Highlights: 

Calendar Page 2

Sierra Madre News Page 3

Pasadena/Altadena Page 4

Around San Gabriel Valley Page 5

Arcadia Page 6

Monrovia/Duarte Page 7

Holiday Happenings Page 8

Education and Youth Page 9

Good Food & Drink Page 10

Best Friends Page 11

Sports Page 11

Arts/Health Page 12

Homes & Property Page 13 

The Good Life Page 14

Business Today Page 15

Left Turn/Right Turn Page 16

Opinion Page 17

Legal Notices Pages 18-21

SIERRA MADRE NEWS

AROUND SG Valley

3

5

Sierra Madre Search and Rescue

ARCADIA NEWS

6

PASADENA/ALTADENA

4

MONROVIA/DUARTE

6

Council Flips Then Flops on 710 
Proposal