Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 23, 2013

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 23, 2013 


Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Log

REMEMBRANCES

Doria Mae McDonald

Search and rescue activity in our local area continues at a very modest level with the Sierra Madre 
Search and Rescue (SMSR) Team responding to three calls for assistance in February. 

Injured Hiker, Big Santa Anita Canyon, Chantry Flat: The Team received a page at 1:00 p.m. on 
February 7th to respond on reports of a hiker with an injured ankle near Sturtevant Falls. Search 
and rescue team members were joined at the Chantry parking lot by responding fire department 
units from Los Angeles County and Sierra Madre. A unified command was established and rescuers 
began making their way to the subject’s reported location. Crews on scene assessed the hiker’s 
injuries and determined that they were not serious. A LA County Fired Department helicopter 
responding to the incident was cancelled and a ground-based litter wheel out was initiated. The 
operation was secured at 2:00 p.m. and all units released from the incident.

Stranded Hiker, Eaton Canyon: At 6:30 p.m. on the 17th, SMSR responded to a mutual aid 
request from Altadena Mountain Rescue to assist in the technical rescue of a hiker stranded on 
a ridge above Eaton Canyon. The hiker had become separated from his hiking companion and 
reached a point along the ridge where he could neither ascend or descend safely. The hiker’s cell 
phone became invaluable not only in communicating with rescuers, but by using the light from the 
phone’s screen he was able to provide a visual clue to his location. A small light source can often 
stand out easily against a very dark mountainside at night. Rescuers used a series of rope systems 
to reach the hiker and bring him to a safe location and walk him out to the trailhead. The rescue 
was secured at 10:09 p.m. 

Rescuers would like to remind hikers that off-trail travel in our local mountains can often present 
significant challenges to the unprepared. Steep cliffs, loose rock, poison oak and other hazards can 
easily turn a fun day in the mountains into an unpleasant or even life threatening situation. Cell 
phone coverage is very limited or non-existent in many areas. 

For over 60 years the all-volunteer Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team has been responding 
to calls for help in the local mountains and beyond. Funded entirely by private donations, SMSR 
provides a range of public programs on wilderness safety in addition to its search and rescue 
activities. The Team never charges for any of its services. 

For more information, including how to arrange a wilderness safety demonstration for your school 
or group, visit www.smsr.org.


Doria was born in Los Angeles on May 20, 1920.

Her family included her parents, George and 
Mabel McDonald, her sister Mary and her 
brother, Henry. Doria grew up in the Los Angeles 
area, attended South Pasadena and San Marino 
schools and graduated college at USC. Her 
profession was human resources. 

 Doria served most of her career with the University 
of California and retired relatively early 
at age 55 as Director of Human Resources for 
UCLA Medical Center. She broke many glass 
ceilings during her distinguished career! 

 Her early retirement enabled her to travel the 
world for many years while still devoting huge 
amounts of time to her family and various volunteer 
organizations. 

 She moved to Sierra Madre in 1977 where she 
lived for the rest of her life. 

 Doria always remained very close to and deeply supportive of her extended family, most of which 
was in Sierra Madre. She was an incredible role model to her family. She gave so much to others 
including years of volunteering with Meals on Wheels and Women at Work. She also was a member 
and held a number of offices within the San Marino Chapter of PEO.

 Doria died peacefully on March 9, 2013. She is survived by her nieces Cecile Goodwin of Sierra 
Madre and Jeanette Martin of San Marino; her four grand nieces, three grand nephews and four 
great grand nephews. 

 We shall miss her dearly. A small family burial service was held grave side on March 18, 2013. In 
lieu of flowers her family asks that you contribute to Women at Work in Pasadena, The American 
Cancer Society or the UCSF Memory and Aging Center.

IRENE KUDIRKA

June 21, 1927 - March 13, 2013


Sierra Madre Police Blotter

Our dear mother, Irene Kudirka, passed away on March 13, 
2013, at the age of 85.

Irene was born in Kybartas, Lithuania on June 21, 1927. Together 
with her parents, Andreas and Berta Giedrys and older brother, 
Eugene, Irene moved to Kaunas, Lithuania where she spent her 
youth and attended school.

During the Second World War, her father was a wartime prisoner 
at the Kaunas 9th Fort Prison. After her father was released, 
the family relocated to Augsburg, Germany and resided in the 
displaced persons' camp,"Haunstetten". There she graduated 
from Saint Theresa's Catholic Girls High School.

Irene emigrated to America in 1949, and lived in Brooklyn, New 
York with her parents. In 1951 she married George Kudirka, MD, while he completed his residency 
in family practice. Later, they resided in various states while her husband completed his military 
service. In 1951 they settled in Mason City, Illinois, where they resided for over fifty years raising a 
family of five children; four sons, George, Tom, Tony, John, and one daughter Daina. All children 
are graduates of higher education; three sons earning medical degrees, MD, and one son with two 
Masters Degrees in public administration and international business. Their daughter attained a BS 
in Nursing.

Irene Kudirka resided the last five years in Sierra Madre, California. Her husband, Dr. George 
Kudirka, passed away October 14, 2011, and is buried in Mason City, IL. They were married for 60 
years.

Irene is survived by (4) sons, George Kudirka (Beth) grandsons Chris & Taylor of Tuscaloosa, AL., 
Tom Kudirka of Santa Monica, CA., granddaughter Magalie, Anthony Kudirka (Lori) grandson 
Adam, granddaughter Lauren of Milford, MI., John Kudirka grandsons Connor & Lukas, granddaughter 
Lexi of Thousand Oaks, CA., and a daughter, Daina Kudirka Shuster (Mark) granddaughters 
Sterling & Kiki, grandson Alec of Arcadia, CA.

The funeral for Irene Kudirka will take place at St. Casimir's Lithuanian Catholic Church on Thursday, 
March 21st at 11AM. She will be buried in Mason City, Illinois on Tuesday, March 26th, 2013.

The Kudirka Family.

 For the period March 11-17, 2013

Monday March 11, 2013

At 3:30pm, a traffic collision occurred at the intersection of Sierra Madre Boulevard and Mountain 
Trail Avenue when an eastbound vehicle failed to stop for the posted stop sign. That impact 
caused the second vehicle to collide with the bus bench shelter at the southeast corner. One party 
complained of pain and was transported to the hospital by fire department personnel. 

Wednesday March 13, 2013

Palo Alto Police contacted SMPD regarding a fraud investigation being conducted in their city. A 
business in Palo Alto reported four fraudulent checks drawn on their account in late 2012. The Palo 
Alto investigation revealed that the fraudulent checks had been deposited in an ATM at the Sierra 
Madre Branch of the Bank of America. 

SMPD has assumed investigative responsibility for the matter. Surveillance video has been acquired 
and information on two suspects with addresses in Los Angeles obtained. The investigation is 
continuing.

Saturday March 16, 2013

At 8:30pm, a vehicle travelling north on Lima Avenue from Orange Grove Avenue collided with a 
vehicle parked at the curb. The driver stated that she did not see the vehicle prior to the collision. 
She located the owner of the parked vehicle and ensured that a police report was completed. The 
driver was not injured in the incident. 

City of Sierra Madre

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

From: The City of Sierra Madre

Subject: MUNICIPAL CODE TEXT AMENDMENT 12-03 (MCTA 12-03) 

Applicant: City of Sierra Madre

Project Location: Properties in the City of Sierra Madre, County of Los Angeles, State of California

The City of Sierra Madre gives notice, pursuant to State of California law, that the City Council will conduct a public 
hearing to consider an Ordinance amending the development standards for single-family residences in the City. The 
following chapters of the Municipal Code are proposed to be amended: 1) Chapter 17.20 (“R-1 One Family Residential 
Zone”) regarding various definitions (attic, habitable attic space, bedroom, driveway, gross and net floor area, flag lot, and 
front lot line), permitted uses, floor area calculation, setbacks, building floor area calculation, height, and parking, among 
others; and 2) Chapter 17.68 (“Parking”) regarding parking requirements, tandem parking, and pavement of parking areas 
associated with single-family residential uses subject to R-1 development standards. At their meeting on March 7, 2013, 
the Planning Commission recommended approval of MCTA 12-03 to the City Council. 

DATE AND TIME OF HEARING PLACE OF HEARING

City of Sierra Madre City of Sierra Madre

City Council meeting City Council Chambers

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

(Hearing begins at 6:30 p.m.) Sierra Madre, CA 

All interested persons may attend this meeting and the City Council will hear them with respect thereto.

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The project qualifies for a Negative Declaration pursuant to the provisions of 
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 

APPEAL: If in the future anyone wishes to challenge the decision of the City Council in court, one may be limited to raising 
the issues that were raised or presented in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at, or before, the scheduled 
public hearing. For further information on this subject, please contact the Development Services Department at (626) 355-
7135.


TREES TOPIC OF APRIL GARDEN CLUB MEETING

Tree Damage and the Great 2011 San Gabriel 
Valley Windstorm: Predestined or Preventable? 
Arboretum Botanical Information Consultant 
Frank McDonough looks at trees destroyed or 
damaged by the 100-year windstorm and comes 
up with some surprising conclusions. Highlighting 
recent studies of the physics of tree failure, 
Mr. McDonough will explain what they mean 
for our trees and safety. We will find out why 
some species of trees were untouched while others 
failed; how thinning, lacing, and topping can 
make a tree more vulnerable to failure; how to 
choose and plant a tree to increase its chances 
of standing up to the wind; one planting mistake 
that will almost always doom a tree; and how to 
determine which one of your trees should be removed 
before it kills you.

Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Garden botanist 
Frank McDonough graduated with a botany 
degree from Cal Poly Pomona and has worked in 
the horticultural industry for over 30 years. He 
is a certified California Nursery Professional and 
holds a California Pest Control Advisors License. 
With the Arboretum since 1998, he answers 
thousands of plant-related questions from government, 
business, and private individuals. Frank 
uses the Arboretum's vast store of horticultural 
literature, his Internet search skills, and his own 
30 years of experience as a nurseryman and botanist 
to track down the answers. From "what's eating 
my plant?" to "what evidence would a man-
eating plant leave?” the riddles he must solve 
are as varied as the residents of the county he 
serves. He has appeared as an expert on the DIY 
channel, the Gardening Channel and the History 
Channel. As a professor at California State 
University Dominguez Hills he taught a televised 
college course on gardening called “Gardens of 
California” viewed by over 98,000 people weekly 
on channel 36 in Los Angeles and channel 64 in 
Pasadena. 

Anyone interested in learning about trees or gardening 
in general is invited to attend the April 8 
meeting of the Sierra Madre Garden Club. Dinner 
begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the program 
at 7:15 p.m. The catered dinner is $10 and reservations 
for dinner must be made by April 4, at 
626-836-4945. There is no charge for attending 
only the program. Location: Hart Park House, 
Memorial Park, 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra 
Madre, CA 91024. For more information, call the 
reservation number or visit www.smgarden.org.