SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2014

VOLUME 8 NO. 33

BREAKING NEWS:

ARCADIA HOME 
INVASION ROBBERY

On August 15, 2014 at approximately 
10:56 PM, Arcadia Police Officers 
responded to the 600 Block of West 
Lemon Avenue to investigate the sounds 
of a male and female screaming for help.

Officers contacted three Arcadia 
residents who were victims of a home 
invasion robbery. The victims stated 
three suspects entered the residence 
through an unlocked rear window. 
However, they only saw two of the 
suspects and heard the third suspect. 
One of the suspects was armed with a 
dark colored handgun.

The suspects took the victims to an 
upstairs bed room where they were 
forced to lie face down on the floor. One 
of the suspects held the victims at gun 
point while the other two ransacked 
the house. When the suspect was not 
watching, the victims got up, raced to 
the window, pushed out the screen, and 
jumped onto the roof. The victims the 
jumped from the roof to the front yard 
where they were screaming for help.

The surrounding area was checked, but 
the suspects were not located. The two 
suspects that were seen were described 
as adult Black males, one wearing a red 
hoodie and the other wearing a black 
hoodie. Two of the victims were injured 
after jumping from the roof and were 
transported to a locate hospital for 
medical treatment. The loss is unknown 
at this time.

The investigation is continuing by 
Arcadia Police Department Detectives. 
Anyone with information is asked to call 
the Arcadia Police Department at 626-
574-5150. You can also submit crime tips 
and information via text, phone, or web 
to LA Regional Crime Stoppers, 800-
222-TIPS (8477).

COUNCIL APPROVES 
BUILDING MORATORIUM 
EXTENSION Ordinance on Pg. 3


A FOND, BUT SAD FAREWELL

Sierra Madre’s Beloved Finance Director Says Goodbye

 For our final concert For the final concert of 2014, we invite you to 
come on out and join Sierra Madre Music for an exciting evening 
of Top 40/ Rock ‘n’ Roll featuring their young, talented rock star 
students! They will be p...erforming a two hour show alongside 
their exceptional faculty playing songs for all generations to enjoy! 
This is the cream of the crop of our local talent so don’t miss a 
chance to see them before they get signed and leave on a world tour! 
B be sure to get there early to secure a spot! Please note: no alcohol is 
allowed in Memorial Park. FOOD VENDING: Ice Princess Truck. 

Karin Schnaider, Sierra Madre’s Finance 
Director since 2006,(center), publicly 
announced that she will be moving with 
her family to Northern California due to 
her husband’s professional commitment.

 During her tenure, Karin has been 
responsible for bringing the town’s 
financial records up to date, including 
overseeing the completion of the previous 
administration’s delinquent audits, 3 
years in 18 months, and completing all 
subsequent audits in a timely manner. As 
one of the many people who spoke highly 
of her at Tuesday’s council meeting said, 
“Karin has kept the city’s financial house 
in order”. She has also been reponsible 
for the City receiving multiple awards 
for the accounting practices that were 
implemented under her leadership.

 While we will miss her dearly, she has 
already accepted a job as the Finance 
Director for the City of Benicia. Our loss 
is a wonderful gain for Benicia. 

Above she poses with the council and city 
attorney and city manager, as well as 
her sons. Photo courtesy City of Sierra 
Madre.

EVERY DROP COUNTS! 

 If you would like to report water waste you can now do so on 
the City’s website or by emailing water@cityofsierramadre.com. 
Please describe how water is being wasted, include the location, 
and a photo if available. We will then send a courtesy notice to 
the property so the issue can be fixed. Every drop counts! 

 Send an Email to water@cityofsierramadre.com OR use the 
form on the city’s website: www.cityofsierramadre.com 

 Describe how water is being wasted, include location, and 
photo if available. 

Inside this week: 

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side

By Deanne Davis

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, 
food and medicine for the soul.” 

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/luther_burbank.html” 

Luther Burbank

“A wedding isn’t a celebration until you add the flowers!” 

Walking Sierra Madre, it’s pretty safe to say that we’re a 
community of gardeners who love our flowers. In any 
one block you can find a Mediterranean garden with 
stones and succulents; next door, azaleas and gardenias 
followed by sunflowers, geraniums, roses, lilacs, 
lavender, bougainvillea in every shade imaginable, and 
pretty much any other lovely thing that’s part of the 
botanical family. 

 Visiting Lisa Cardella, the genius designer behind 
Ixora Floral Studio, is so cool. Where did the name 
come from? “Everyone seems to ask where I came up 
with the name ‘Ixora’ for the business. It is actually 
a subtropical flower that comes in pretty coral and 
yellow.” 

 If you haven’t seen it, Ixora is on Montecito, across 
the street from Chris, (a really great guy who is the 
heart and soul of Sierra Madre Independent Honda 
Service) and next door to The Shabby Dog, Boutique 
and Groomers. Lisa’s studio is a peaceful place where 
clients can sit down and put themselves into her 
capable hands. The exact right thing to say is, “Here’s 
my budget and I want you to handle everything!” She 
can and she will! Lisa is delighted to work with anyone 
to make their dream come true.

 Lisa’s degree is in Ornamental Horticulture and she’s 
been making beautiful things happen since about 1997. 
She was with Jacob Maarse for several years. Jacob was 
Pasadena’s premiere florist and a Sierra Madre resident 
for many years, growing quite a number of the roses 
he used in the business right here at his house. His 
son, Hank, is now at the Maarse helm. Lisa’s parents, 
Richard and Mary Ann, built her a tiny studio next to their house up in the 
Canyon and she was off and running, planning events of all sorts, from small 
and intimate to absolutely enormous. It didn’t take long to outgrow the tiny 
studio in the Canyon and Lisa’s been there on Montecito ever since, with 
another Ixora Studio at the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles. 

 Asking Lisa what she’s been up to lately, I can just say it was huge! An heiress 
(whose name we can’t mention, but you’d know who she is!) was married at 
a private estate in Malibu and Lisa did everything, creating the exact fantasy 
the bride had imagined.. Her favorite events are those where she can plan 
and deliver the entire affair, taking the color palette through the linens, props, 
lighting and, of course, flowers. Weddings these days are much more what 
you’d call amazing occasions than was the practice a few years ago. Budgets of 
$100,00 plus are not unusual! 

 Asking what her most unusual wedding was, Lisa laughed and said she 
worked with a mom with an Asian background who planned her daughter’s 
whole wedding. Lisa never once met the bride. What the mom absolutely had 
to have was a number of life-size peacocks, the taxidermy kind, hidden all 
around the wedding site in the shrubbery. These guys were for luck, according 
to the mom, and she would only be happy if her daughter, who wouldn’t have 
liked them at all, couldn’t see them and didn’t 
know they were there. Lisa pulled it off! The 
mom could see their little heads peering out of 
the bushes, she was extremely happy and the 
bride never knew.

 Trends do change, by the way. Not long 
ago, it was glitz, glitter, rhinestones, bling and 
bedazzle on everything. Currently, sparkle 
seems to have toned down and textures and 
colors are more what’s happening now.

 Lisa plans large events here in her studio on 
Montecito but still has time for small bouquets 
and occasions, in combination with the 
downtown studio. She can work with anyone’s 
budget, whether it’s small or enormous and she 
loves challenges. Her favorite event? Weddings! 
Definitely weddings. Each wedding is different, 
but each is beautiful. Want an English country 
garden? No problem! One of her recent wedding 
challenges: A circus theme, centerpieces being 
vintage clowns among flowers, ride tickets on 
the tables and popcorn boxes all over! Now, if 
she can make a circus wedding work, there’s just 
nothing she can’t do for you!

 Ixora Florist Studio, 35 East Montecito 
– that’s on the east side of Baldwin. 626-355-
0040. Take a look at Lisa’s website to see some 
of her designs: HYPERLINK “http://www.
ixoraflorist.com/” \t “_blank” http://www.
ixoraflorist.com and http://ixorafloralstudio.blogspot.com 

“When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, 
and a lily with the other.” Chinese Proverb

My book: “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter”

is available on Amazon.com; or at https://www.createspace.com/4561071

CALENDAR Pg. 2

SIERRA MADRE NEWS

 Pg. 3

PASADENA/ALTADENA

 Pg. 4

ARCADIA NEWS 

MONROVIA/DUARTE 

 Pg. 5


EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Pg. 6

FOOD & DRINK

 Pg. 7

BEST FRIENDS

 Pg. 8

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

 Pg. 9

THE GOOD LIFE

Rich Johnson is back! Pg. 10

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Pg. 11

SECTION B 

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Pg. B1

 BUSINESS NEWS Pg. B2

 OPINION Pg. B3

 LEGALS Pg. B4

SMTV CHANNEL 98

 Pg. .B5