Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 3, 2014

SECTION B

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY & THE STATE

JANE FULLER: Musical Artist & Educational Crusader

By Christopher Nyerges

FOOTHILL EXTENSION: 

Pasadena to Azusa Update

Work on the 11.5-mile Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Pasadena to Azusa continues on 
time and on budget. This month, crews are completing two more at-grade crossings (Myrtle Ave 
in Monrovia and San Gabriel Ave in Azusa); leaving only three of the 14 at-grade crossings to be 
completed. Work is now underway on all three - Magnolia Ave and Mountain Ave in Monrovia 
and Virginia Ave in Azusa. Mountain Ave will be closing for approximately eight months total 
(in phases), to allow crews to not only complete the grade crossing work, but also reconstruct the 
intersection of Mountain Ave and Duarte Rd to improve safety and visibility.

Construction has started on all six stations, and canopy structures are now installed at the three 
westernmost stations - Arcadia, Monrovia and Duarte. Nearly all of the project's two dozen bridge 
structures are now complete and light rail track is being installed west of Irwindale. The Overhead 
Catenary System poles are starting to be put in place, and miles of soundwalls and retaining walls 
are now installed. See the chart below for details about wall construction progress.

Recently, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the Construction Authority’s 
request for noise mitigation for intersections near sensitive receptors (like homes, schools, hospitals, 
etc.) in the portion of the project that only has light rail. The CPUC approved installation of shrouds 
around the crossing bells to direct the noise down to the intersection, as well as the silencing of the 
bells once the gates are in the horizontal position, for the following at-grade crossings: Mayflower 
Ave, Magnolia Ave, California Ave, Mountain Ave and Buena Vista St. These measures have worked 
well in cities along the current operational Gold Line. The Construction Authority has submitted 
a request to implement similar measures at crossings in the city of Azusa, where the light rail is 
within a shared corridor with BNSF Railway. A decision is forthcoming.


Sierra Madre resident Jane Fuller 
is a musical artist who’s also on 
a crusade to increase America’s 
educational level.

Fuller was interested in music 
from an early age, and began piano 
lesson at age 10. Eventually, she 
was given a guitar and she’s played 
it ever since. She began by playing 
guitar at Mass, and eventually, 
began playing guitar for the 
masses.

When she went to college, she was 
majoring in music, but one day her 
father asked her how she expected 
to make a living as a musician. Her 
father suggested that with a music 
degree, she might end up with a job 
washing dishes. 

 ”Actually,” says Jane with a smile, 
“if I did get that music degree, 
there would have been jobs out 
there, teaching, etc. But I knew my 
dad was very concerned about my 
welfare and security, and I changed 
my major to creative writing. My 
dad approved, telling me that you 
could get more jobs with a writing 
degree. And as much as I hate to 
admit my dad was right, I did get 
more job offers from my writing 
background.”

Twenty-some years ago, Fuller 
began teaching grammar school, 
and she still teaches. She loves 
teaching with the grammar school 
students, and it has inspired her 
songs and her upcoming book.

Fuller’s most recent CD is called 
“Someone to Listen.” She explains 
that her favorite song on the CD 
is “It’s Because of You.” “This one 
was inspired by a boy who I taught 
Kindergarten through second 
grade, and he struggled terribly 
with reading, and wasn’t getting 
support at home. Then, one day in 
second grade he started decoding 
letters and I could see that he had 
a breakthrough. He got excited and 
said ‘I’m reading, huh, teacher?’ 
And I said, yeah you are, and he got 
very quiet and his eyes glowed and 
he said ‘its because of you.’ That 
incident inspired that song.”

Fuller explains that when she 
writes, the music usually comes 
first and then the words come to 
her. She often has a theme, and she 
thinks of each song in a CD as the 
chapters to a book. 

Fuller thinks of her latest, 
“Someone to Listen,” as a book 
with each song being a chapter. 

Fuller’s ongoing project, to be 
finished soon, is a book tentatively 
titled “Someone to Listen.” She 
thinks that the subtitle will be 
“Things you can do to improve 
education that don’t cost a cent.”

The book will cater to teachers, 
parents, and anyone learning 
something new.

“When people say to spend more 
money on education, I think that 
the real solution to our educational 
problems is not spending more 
money, but to re-discover what 
teaching is all about. Of course 
the individual has to want to 
learn, but the teacher can be very 
inspirational in the goal,” says 
Fuller, who wants to pass along in 
her book many of the solutions for 
meaningful learning. Part of the 
solution involves teamwork (with 
parents, and the community), and 
re-discovering the library. She 
points out that we have so many 
resources available to us today 
that we all should be learning new 
useful things all the time.

 “The teachers and parents need 
to get the student to see that it 
really feels good to master a skill 
and to learn,” says the educational 
crusader Jane Fuller.

You can learn about Jane Fuller’s 
musical appearances at www.
janefuller.com. If you’re interested 
in her CDs, she suggests you go to 
CDBaby.com to get a download or 
hardcopy of her CDs.


TEMPLE CITY SHERIFF’S STATION CRIME TRENDS

 The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Temple Station is proud to provide premier law 
enforcement services to the following cities and communities: Bradbury, Duarte, Rosemead, South 
El Monte and Temple City; and the unincorporated areas of South San Gabriel, El Monte, Monrovia, 
Arcadia, Duarte, East Pasadena, and North San Gabriel. Statistics for the month of March have been 
plotted by our crime analyst, which provides an overview of reported crimes. Based on the statistics, 
please take the time to evaluate your personal, home and business security plans. 

 Residential, commercial and vehicle burglary rates continue to rise within our jurisdiction. Tips 
and information provided each month are provided to help keep you and your property safe. It can 
only be truly effective when you use the information at home and within your businesses. Currently, 
crime trends show an influx of thefts involving automotive batteries, wood pallets and auto burglaries. 
Temple Station actively researches and employs available technology to help the patrol deputies in 
the field, but we need you to join in and do your part to minimize your vulnerability of becoming a 
victim. Besides being alert and observant of activities in your neighborhoods and business districts, 
communicate. Talk to your neighbors. Attend neighborhood watch meetings and other community 
forums. Accurate and timely information is vital to identifying and apprehending criminals. Write 
down serial numbers and/or take pictures of valuable property. Keep documents, which are included 
with computers and other big ticket items which have model and serial numbers. It is important 
when criminals are found in possession of property that might be stolen for us to quickly and 
accurately identify the rightful owners. The trend of stealing automotive type batteries is on the rise. 
Etch your initials or other symbol unique to you on the battery case. It is not recommended to place 
numbers on your property such as social security numbers because they could be used in identity 
theft schemes. 

 With the cost of energy rising, many of us are inclined to open windows rather than use air conditioners 
and coolers during warmer temperatures. Please do not forget to lock them when you leave. If you 
intend to leave them open while sleeping, consider attaching a bell or something that will alert you 
if someone tampers or tries to make entry. Again, retail tool outlets and home improvement centers 
offer battery powered devices, which attach quite easily to doors and windows and emit a loud shrill 
when activated. Contact and impact activated devices are available at a reasonable cost. As with any 
alarm system it offers no guaranty, but the loud noise could be enough to ward off an intruder. While 
the Sheriff’s Department does not endorse or recommend any particular brand, shop alarm or home 
monitoring companies like “simpli safe” for a security system that fits into most budgets. 

 If you are reading this article you have taken the first step in the fight against crime. Please call us if 
you are interested in information about our Station Volunteer or Reserve Deputy Sheriff programs. 
Information and communication is paramount to keep all of us informed about what is going on 
in your community, consider subscribing to “Nixle.” To register or obtain more information go to 
http://www.nixle.com/. 

 If you need to report an incident, would like additional information or have suggestions concerning 
crime prevention or neighborhood/business watch programs, please call Temple Station at (626) 285-
7171 or dial 9-1-1 for an emergency.

TEMPLE STATION MARCH 2014

 

Bradbury 

Duarte 

Rosemead

So. El Monte 

Temple City 

Rape 

0

0

2

0

1

0

Robbery

0

1

7

5

1

0

Assault

0

1

10

6

4

4

Residential Burglary

0

7

12

5

14

13

Commercial Burglary

0

0

10

17

2

3

Grand Theft

0

1

9

11

8

2

GTA

0

3

10

16

4

6

Vehicle Burglary

0

2

17

21

3

27






Unincorp. Areas 
SSG/EMC, MAD, 
EPAS/NSG

ALTADENA TOWN COUNCIL 
REP APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE Deadline to file is May 16

The Altadena Town Council Election Committee has made 
available Candidate Applications for this years’ Census Tract 
Representative Election slated for Saturday, June 7th.

The unincorporated town of Altadena has eight census 
tracts, each with two Town Council representatives taking 
an alternating two-year term. The Council meets on the third 
Tuesday of each month at the Altadena Community Center, 
and is the voice of the community to the county supervisor, law 
enforcement and various utilities

Applications can be downloaded from AltadenaElection.org, 
AltadenaPoint.com, Altadenapatch.com and the Altadena Town 
Council website at AltadenaTownCouncil.org. Hard copies are 
available at the Altadena Community Center- 730 E. Altadena 
Dr. Altadena, CA 91001

The deadline for filing candidate applications is May 16th, 4:30 
pm

Continuous candidate and election information throughout the 
election cycle can be found at AltadenaElection.org

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