Sharp Increases in Influenza Activity in Los Angeles County....Pg. 5 


SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2014 
VOLUME 8 NO. 2JOE AND JACQUIE PERGOLA CHOSEN AS 
KOERBER WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION


2013 SIERRA MADRE CITIZENS OF THE YEAR 


Joe and Jacquie 
Pergola have been 
named 2013 Citizens 
of the Year by 
the Sierra Madre 
Chamber of Commerce, 
announced 
by Ed Chen, 
Chamber President 
earlier this week. 

The couple has exemplified 
the spirit 
of volunteerism in 
our community 
for many years including 
their many 
years of service and 
contributions to 
organizations such 
as the Creative Arts 
Group and The Sierra 
Madre Kiwanis 
Club. (partial 
listing) 

The announcement 
was made on 
Wednesday and 
came as a total surprise 
to the Pergolas. 
A bouquet of 
flowers was presented 
by Chamber 
Board Vice President 
Noah Green 
at the Podley Real 
Estate office where 
Jacquie works. Joe 
had been lured 
there under a very 
creative pretense. 

The Sierra Madre 
Chamber has honored 
a Citizen of the 
Year annually since 
1966. Nominees are submitted from the community and selected by the Chamber Board. There have been 49 other recipients 
of this honor including, Marlene Enmark (2012), Richard Mays (2011), Glenn and Amy Putnam (2010), Dr. Paul 
and Louise Neiby (2009), Angel Throop (2008), Pete Siberell (2007), Bud Switzer (2006), John Grijalva (2005), and Hank 
Landsberg (2004). 

The award will be presented on Saturday, January 25, 2014, at 6 pm at The Peppertree Grill – 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra 
Madre, Ca. 91024. Tickets are on sale for $30 each and are available for purchase online at www.sierramadrechamber.
com or in person at Bean Town, The Bottle Shop or Savor The Flavor.

 For more information contact the Chamber at (626) 355-5111 or visit the Chamber’s website at www.SierraMadreChamber.
com. 

Surprising the Pergolas,center, are from left to right Chamber Board Members Janette 
Ledea, Noah Green and Carol Canterbury. Photo by S. Henderson, MVNews


A BIG THANK YOU FROM 
THE BIG ONE’S CREW! 

The Sierra Madre Rose Float Association wants to thank the community for 
its support in building this year’s award winning float, “Catching the Big 
One”! It takes many people with different talents to make it happen. 

Many kept our tummies full during our decorating week, including 

Beantown, The Burger Shack, Mountain Views News, Rotary, Kiwanis, Casa 
del Rey, Albertsons, The Bottle Shop, Hansen’s and the many individuals who brought goodies. Thanks also go to those 
who took a turn at the grill including Rena & Jason Williams, Halcyon Koerber and John Harabedian. 

We appreciate the ongoing assistance we receive from the City including police support, timely tree trimming on Sierra 
Madre Blvd. to allow the float to travel safely and much help from the Public Works Department. We are grateful for the 
overnight security at Kersting Court provided by 3 of the SMPD Volunteers. 

This year it was great to have help from several City Council members: John Harabedian, John Carpoccia and Chris 
Koerber – your presence at our float barn meant a lot. 

Our float operators enjoyed extra rest with the loan of an RV on December 31st, parked in the parade formation area. 
Thank you Pat & Jim. 

A special thank you to Verizon for providing us internet access, so 
we could utilize our brand new online scheduling program onsite, 
and Alisa Unell for spending countless hours as our program 
administrator and troubleshooter. To those who took the time to 
sign up online, thanks for your patience; we plan to do this again. 

Publicity is essential. Thank you to Mountain Views News, The 
Sierra Madre Weekly and Diane Medina from Channel 7 News for 
getting the word out when we really needed it. 

Our thank you list is not all-inclusive, but please know how much 
your contributions were valued. 

Of course, none of this would be possible without financial 
contributions from our many loyal supporters. 

Thank you so much!! 


Councilman pledges to complete 
his term “to the best 
of his ability” despite personal 
challenges that compel 
his resignation. Notes the 
importance of the water rate 
increase in order to place 
Sierra Madre Water Department 
on “solid financial 
footing” 

In the second surprising announcement 
by a sitting Sierra 
Madre City Councilman in the last 
ten days, Councilman Chris Koerber 
has announced that he too 
will not seek re-election. He joins 
Former Mayor and Councilman 
Josh Moran who made a similar 
announcement last week. 

In a statement released on Wednesday, Koerber said, “I will not be running for 
re-election for Sierra Madre City Council in April, 2014. When I pulled papers on 
December 17, 2013 to run for re-election little did I know that, in the next 10 days, 
two members of my family would be diagnosed with very serious medical conditions. 
Obviously the possibility of my being called out-of-state, on short notice for 
an indeterminate length of time, is extremely high. 

If I were to be re-elected, I’d be unable to put my full attention to the needs of the 
City for the next four years. Also, I do not want to be in the situation of leaving my 
elected position early. That would be unfair to the fine folks of Sierra Madre.

I have been blessed and honored to serve the citizens of Sierra Madre for the last 
two years. I have met so many caring and genuinely nice folks! 

I pledge to finish my term to the best of my ability. This will include City issues like 
the extremely important water rate increase scheduled for February 1, 2014 that 
will put our Water Department on a solid financial footing.
I make this decision not to run with a heavy heart, but family comes first. Thank 
you, Sierra Madre.”

 Koerber, who originally won the seat to fill the unexpired term of Former 
Mayor Joe Mosca. During his tenure on the council, Koerber was often the lone 
dissenting vote, adhering to his belief in fiscal conservatism. And, although 
he has been known to abhor raising taxes, after thoroughly reviewing the city’s 
water department and its finances, he recognized the need for the proposed rate 
increase. In his withdrawal letter, he noticeably makes that point, possibly in an 
effort to discourage residents from opposing the increase.

 His announcement has stunned many in the community however, as with Josh 
Moran, many have also expressed their respect for both men yielding to their 
family responsibilities. His withdrawal from the race leaves the decision of the 
remaining incumbent, Mayor Nancy Walsh, still open for speculation as the 
final date for filing is Monday, January 13, 2014. S. Henderson/MVNews 

MAYOR WALSH TO DELIVER 
STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS AT 
SIERRA MADRE KIWANIS CLUB 


Tuesday, January 14, 2014 


The Lodge (Formerly the Masonic Temple)
33 E. Sierra Madre Blvd.,
Sierra Madre 


Lunch will be served at noon - $10 
The program will begin at 12:40
and is FREE 
CALL 626-355-0728 for lunch 
reservations 



WANT YOUR LOCAL NEWS AS IT HAPPENS? 
Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/mountainviewsnews or Twitter 
@mtnviewsnews or check in at www.mtnviewsnews.com for the latest breaking news! 
Read The Paper Online At: www.mtnviewsnews.com