THE MOUNTAIN VIEWS NEWS SAYS VOTE YES OF MEASURE UUT 


SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2014 
VOLUME 8 NO. 12Editorial: 
MEASURE 
UUT: YOUR 
CITY, YOURCHOICE,
PART II 
with Waterworks to run the municipal pool, contracted parkmaintenance, building inspections and plan-check. When 
open positions are filled, job responsibilities are reviewed 
and broadened, and then candidates are sought with skills 
and experience to supplement and enhance evolvingresponsibilities, further increasing efficiency. 
Going forward, I’m always looking for ways to decrease 
expenses. While I’m confident that incremental 
improvements can be made, Further substantial cuts areimpractical without contracting out major departments.
Yes, other cities have taken such steps as contracting care, given its suspicious nature and 
RESIDENTS EVACUATED 
AS SIERRA MADRE POLICE 
RESPOND TO SUSPICIOUS 
PACKAGE By Susan Henderson

 On Wednesday evening at approxi-


By John Capoccia,
Member of Sierra 
Madre City Council 

In my first article, I gave 

some background on 

the Users Utility Tax.

This week I’ll review 

Sierra Madre’s various 

departments, what theydo and how your tax dollars are spent, and I’ll discuss thepossibilities for cuts. The following week I’ll also examine 
the prospects for other sources of revenue should MeasureUUT fail, personnel costs, and I’ll discuss some other risk 
factors. 

But first, a little more background: Measure U, whenapproved by the voters in 2008, specified that the UUTwould be raised in three steps in three consecutive years – to 
8% in 2008, 10% in 2009, and 12% in 2010. Measure U wasaccompanied by a companion Measure UA, which called fora non-binding recommendation that the increase in UUT be 
used only for public safety. Prior to what would have been 
an increase to 12% increase in 2010, the City Council votedto suspend the increase, and keep the UUT at 10%. They alsofurther reduced the rate to 9% for water and sewer, to avoidcreating a windfall as a result of imminent water rate hikes.
UUT revenue has been fairly level since. From the timeMeasure U passed, the increased expenditures for publicsafety have exceeded the revenue provided by Measure

U. This has been verified annually by the UUT AdvisoryCommittee, and documented in our audited ComprehensiveAnnual Financial Report (CAFR). The difference was made 
up by belt-tightening in the General Fund. 
Your City Council and staff continued to hold the line 
on expenses. In 2011 the windstorm hit, with a resultant 
clean-up expense of over $600,000. The dissolution of the 
Community Redevelopment Agency also caused a loss of 
revenue. The Council could have voted to raise the tax to 
the voter-authorized 12%, but chose belt-tightening instead. 

To reduce expenses, your city leadership did several things.
Departments were reorganized to improve efficiency. 
Personnel costs costs were reduced by avoiding backfillingnew positions and reducing part-time hours. We contracted 

Fire, Police and Library, but what’s right for others is notnecessarily right for us. 

Sierra Madre’s General Fund provides for Police, Fire/
Paramedic, Library, Public Works, Recreation and 
Community Services. The General Fund also covers 
expenses such as Administration, Information Technology, 
Fleet Management, Facility Management, Finance, ElectedOfficials and Elections, and Legal 

The General Fund breakdown by department is as follows 
from the 2013/2014 budget: 

Police $3,616,537Administrative $1,703,373Fire/Paramedic $1,335,654 
Library $ 811,304Public Works $ 357,265Community Services $ 256,561 

Approximately 67% of the total is for personnel expenses. 

If the current UUT is allowed to sunset, there’s no othermeaningful source of revenue to replace what’s lost. We’llhave to do one of the following: Cut 13% across the board, 
make selective cuts that total $1,000,000 annually, oroutsource one or more departments. 

Let’s review each of our major departments, starting with 
Community Services. Since this is Sierra Madre’s smallest 
department, there’s not much that can be mined for savings.
The department coordinates major events such as the MountWilson Trail Race, Fourth of July Parade, Concerts in thePark and other events. It coordinates and sponsors programs 
and contract classes such as tennis lessons and adult 
softball, coordinates with the youth sports organizationssuch as Little League and Girls Softball. It manages park 
activities and facilities reservations, assists with Senior 
programs and oversees the Water Works pool program.
Our Community Services Commission recently completedSierra Madre’s Parks Master Plan. Even with current 
funding levels, we’re not able to implement many of the high 
priority recommendations. I’m not in favor of substantial 
reductions to the Community Services, and I believe themajority of Sierra Madre’s citizens would agree. It could be 
argued that more volunteerism could reduce the (cont. pg. 4) 

mately 9 p.m., the Sierra Madre Police immediately called on mutual aid 
Department received a call from a from Arcadia and Monrovia Police 
resident who was concerned about an departments to assist with evacuations 
unidentified suspicious backpack that and traffic. 
had been left on his mailbox.SMPD quickly set up a perimeter 

 Upon arrival, the SMPD determined around the object and began the evacthat 
the item warranted handling with uation of the complex (cont. pg. 4) 

RICHARD 
JOHNSON 
CHOSEN AS 
2014 SIERRA 
MADRE OLDER 
AMERICAN OF 
THE YEAR 


Sierra Madre, CA. - March 20, 2014 - 
The City of Sierra Madre Community 
Services Department and the Senior 
Community Commission are happy 
to announce that Richard ‘Dick’ 
Johnson has been selected as the 2014 
Sierra Madre Older American of the 
Year. 



Mr. Johnson’s contributions to the community have been numerous over the 
years including his service as Chairman for the Annual Art Fair, President of the 
Historical Preservation Society, and a Library Board Trustee. In addition, he has 
volunteered for the local AYSO, coached Sierra Madre Little League and Pony 
League teams, and presently serves as a Board of Trustee for the Sierra Madre 
United Methodist Church. 

Each year the President of the United States, the Governor of California and the 
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors designate the month of May as Older 
American Month. In recognition of Dick Johnson’s dedicated volunteer service 
to the community, Sierra Madre will be honoring him at a local reception held at 
the Hart Park House Senior Center on Friday, May 2, 2014 from 4:30-6:00 PM. 

For more information on the Older American Reception or on how you can 
assist with honoring Dick Johnson, please contact the Senior Services Desk at 

(626) 355-7394. 
Inside this week: 

CALENDAR Pg. 2 

WISTARIA 2014 Pg. 3 

SIERRA MADRE NEWS 
Pg. 4 

PASADENA/ALTADENA 
Pg. 5 

FOOD & DRINK 

Pg. 6 

THE GOOD LIFE Pg. 7 

LEFT/RIGHT TURN 
Pg. 8 

BUSINESS NEWS 
Pg. 8 

SMTV Channel 98 
Program Guide Pg. 9 

LEGAL NOTICES Pg. 10 

We’d like to 
hear from you!
What’s on YOUR 
Mind? 
Contact us at: editor@ 
mtnviewsnews.com 
or www.facebook.com/
mountainviewsnews AND 
Twitter: #mtnviewsnews 
ELECTION COVERAGE 
On April 8, 2014, voters in Sierra Madre will go to the polls and select three people from 
a field of four to sit on the City Council. They will also vote on a local ballot measure to 
extend the city’s current User Utility Tax Ordinance. 
The Mountain Views News will provide our readers with comprehensive coverage of 
this election. Each week, as we have done in the past, we will profile the candidates and 
give each of the candidates the opportunity to introduce themselves to our readers by 
answering the following questions: 
1. Why are you running for City Council? 
2. What are you going to do for Sierra 
Madre? 
3. How do you plan on accomplishing 
your goals? 
(All candidates are being asked to 
answer the same questions and their 
answers will be published unedited.) 
The paper will also review the pros 
and cons of the proposed User Utility 
Tax Ordinance. 
The schedule will be as follows: 
March 29th Candidate Forum Review 
It is our sincere hope that each candidate will submit their answers so that we can share 
them with our readers. A separate letter has been sent to each candidate asking them to 
participate. 
In addition to the candidate spotlights, we will attempt to cover the various forums 
sponsored by local organizations. Where possible, the unedited video of these forums 
will be broadcast on the papers website. 
Our reporting on this election will be as fair and objective as possible. However, please 
keep in mind that our columnists are always free to share their opinions. Their opinions 
are their opinions and may or may not reflect the position of the paper. This is true in all 
things, not just this election. 
We will also provide for you the calendar of important dates regarding the election. It 
is our goal to do whatever we can to help you make an informed decision on April 8, 2014. 
Susan Henderson, Publisher and Editor 
CANDIDATE FOR SIERRA MADRE CITY COUNCIL: 
GENE GOSS 

If you have ever walked on the field below the Monastery at sunset, or hiked up Mt. Wilson Trail, or rode 
in the back of a Little League pickup in the 4th of July Parade, you would know why I am running for 
City Council. I love this town and I want to preserve all that is so wonderful about it. To this end, I offer 
a unique combination of qualities: 


Commitment, Independence and Experience.
In terms of Commitment, my wife Lisa and I have lived in town 19 years, 14 years on Sierra Keys Dr., 
five houses down from the Monastery field, where we still have many friends, and five years on Ramona 
Avenue. We have been raising a son here for 11 years. This is his home town. We plan to retire here and 
hope that our son may someday raise his family here. My longevity here in town and my experience as a 
parent sets me apart in terms of my understanding of our community. 


In terms of Independence, 
I will not accept campaign contributions from political organizations, developers, law firms, labor unions 
or any other organization. I only accept contributions from individuals, friends and family members. You 


can be assured that my first allegiance is to our town…and only our town.
In terms of Experience, I have qualifications which are directly applicable to 
work on the Council. For 23 years I have been a Government Professor at 
Long Beach City College. Government is my expertise. I served as a College 
Department Head and successfully managed a large staff during hard economic 
times. I am a Trustee on the Sierra Madre Public Library Board and I have 
participated in the Library Strategic Planning Process. This is my 7th year as 
a Coach and Manager in Sierra Madre Little League. I have volunteered more 
than 1000 hours working with our community’s youth. I founded and Chair 
our town’s newest Non-Profit, Village Vine Online. 

My campaign is focused on the following priorities: 

Fiscal policy: I will insist on innovations to reduce costs in all City 
Departments. 


Public safety: I will fight to maintain our own police department and 
properly fund the fire department and paramedics. 


Infrastructure: I will push for plans to upgrade our water mains, streets, 
sidewalks and tree trimming. 


Development: I will work to protect the Monastery field from irresponsible 
development. 


I am endorsed by the Pasadena Star News, Sierra Madre News.Net, our 
Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and seven former Mayors, our current Citizens 
of the Year and nine former Citizens of the Year, our current Sierra Madre 
Older American of the Year, the Chair of the Library Board of Trustees, the 
President of the Sierra Madre Historical Preservation Society, the Chair of 
the Mount Wilson Trail Race, the Chair of the San Gabriel Valley Municipal 
Water District, United Teachers of Pasadena, and many other leaders in our 
community. 


You can learn more about me at my web site: www.GeneGoss.com 
I’d be honored by your vote on April 8th. 



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