Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 6, 2014

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Mountain View News Saturday, September 6, 2014 


Sierra Madre Police Blotter

WALKING SIERRA MADREÉThe Social Side By Deanne Davis

ÒEverybody should believe in something. I believe IÕll have another coffee.Ó 

Author Unknown

 Obviously this unknown author has visited Beantown, where the 
coffee is fantastic, the wi-fi is free, and they open at 5:30 in the morning! 
We love Beantown, like just about everybody else in Sierra Madre. ItÕs 
the place to meet friends, hang out and read the paper, sit on the couches 
with little kids and play games and just generally enjoy life. Matt has 
enlarged the seating by adding another table and bench-type seating 
on the north wall and extending to the front window. DonÕt you love 
the cafŽ curtains! They came in when a TV pilot, which didnÕt quite 
make it into the schedule, filmed here in town. Remember? We became 
ÒBreezy Shore, New Jersey, Est. 1858.Ó

 Beantown isnÕt just about coffee, friends and neighbors. ItÕs so much 
more! Every day the Beantown chefs create fresh cookies, pastries, 
cinnamon rolls, muffins, scones and other goodies. They make their 
own soups, quiches and nowÉ Drum roll please: Gourmet Burgers! 
My burger loving buddy, John, and I went in to check out the burgers 
a week or so ago and weÕll be going back! We had The Classic Burger, 
lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo, cheddar cheese (I got pepper jack 
instead) on a toasted white brioche bun. For another .75 you could add 
bacon or guacamole. We felt that was gilding the lily, though, and just 
had The Classic as it comes. Oh man, was that good! You can have your 
burger with their Angus 80/20 burger blend or turkey or their Black 
Bean Veggie Burger. Check these out: The Beantown Burger, which 
includes their special black bean and corn topping, pepper jack cheese, 
lettuce and tomato with chipotle mayo. ThereÕs the Fire Roasted Pepper 
Burger with fire roasted red bell pepper, the Mushroom & Swiss, the 
Hawaiian, the Western Burger with fried onions, bacon, bbq sauce, 
cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. If you havenÕt been in for a 
Gourmet Burger, you gotta go!

 I asked Matt, that would be owner Matt Krantz, what made him 
decide to try Gourmet Burgers and he said the town needed a great 
burger and they already had this amazing grill that they used for 
chicken and stuff and so he thought heÕd give it a try!. Great decision! 
Each of the patties is hand formed with special seasonings added, which 
is probably why itÕs so good.

 In addition to burgers, Beantown offers Panini and other specialty 
sandwiches, wraps, seasonal salads like Spring Almond, Cashew 
Chicken, Greek and the ever popular Tuna or ChefÕs Salad. And then 
thereÕs breakfast. Folks stand in line for the Breakfast Burrito: scrambled 
eggs, potatoes, onion, bell pepper, cheese and fresh salsa with bacon or 
sausage or the Bean Town Bowl Ð which is pretty much the same as the 
Breakfast Burrito except in a bowl instead of a tortilla. The oatmeal 
is outstanding with almonds and raisins, thereÕs breakfast quiche and 
fresh fruit. You could enjoy something absolutely wonderful every meal 
of your day!

 And thereÕs world famous FosselmanÕs ice cream, which has been 
around since 1919, and a variety of blended frozen drinks.

 But MattÕs not finished yet. He feels that variety in the menu is a good 
thing and new items are coming soon. With the baristas in front and the 
chefs in the back, he feels there are many exciting new things to bring to 
our community. Speaking of which, Matt and the Beantown staff know 
a lot of us by our first name and they appreciate their regular customers 
and those who canÕt start their day without a cup of Beantown coffee 
and a little something to nibble on.

 The coffee, unique to Beantown, is from Klatch, whose founder and 
roastmaster, Mike Perry, combined a chemical engineering degree 
and mentoring with other coffee greats such as Alfred Peet and Carl 
Deidrich to achieve a blend of science and flavor that he calls ÒPeak of 
Flavor.Ó Matt has a great working relationship with Klatch, another 
family business, close by in San Dimas. Mike and Matt are on a first 
name basis and if Beantown finds they have a special need, Klatch folks 
can make a run to Sierra Madre. Klatch is essentially another small 
vendor, which are the kinds Matt really likes to partner with, feeling 
that smaller vendors need to support each other.

 Originally from Orange County, Matt spent some time at PCC and 
a couple of other college type places. His degree is in Commercial 
Photography, working with builders and architects and doing packaging 
for coffee companies. Matt has owned Beantown for eight years now. 
It took a while to get into the black, but Beantown is a success, thanks 
to his great staff and the community. Matt and his wife, Kathleen, have 
two little people, a 2-1/2 year old daughter and a new baby, a 4 month 
old little guy. Kathleen is a busy person herself, being a Bakery Manager 
for Bristol Farms Corporation. Thinking he had a few hours left in his 
week, Matt has a new business going, Sierra Filtration, which is home 
water filtration systems. After Matt got through telling me whatÕs going 
on with our water heater, which, apparently, is rapidly filling up with all 
sorts of stuff from our water, I think weÕre going to have to check that 
out, too! 

 ThereÕs a phone order line: 626-355-1596! Open M-W: 5:30 a.m.-
9:00 p.m.; Th-Sat: 5:30 a.m.-
10:00 p.m.; Sun. 6:00 a.m.-
10:00 a.m. TheyÕre at 45 No. 
Baldwin, but you already 
know that!

 

My book: ÒA Tablespoon 
of Love, A Tablespoon of 
LaughterÓ is available on 
Amazon.com; or at https://
www.createspace.com/4561071

During the week of Sunday, August 24th to Sunday, August 31st, the 
Sierra Madre Police Department responded to approximately 368 calls 
for service.

Sunday, August 24th

 At 7:15 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 700 block of Skyland 
Dr. regarding an animal bite. Upon arrival, Officers were informed 
by the victim that while he was out walking his dog near Skyland 
and Idlehour, he came across a couple walking their two dogs. As the 
victim approached the other dogs, one of the dogs broke free from the 
owner and charged his dog. As the victim tried to protect his dog, he 
was bitten on the leg by the dog. The owners regained control of the 
attacking dog and stated to the victim the dog was up to date on all 
its shots, then fled. The couple was described as a Male Hispanic aged 
about 60 years with a height of 5Õ7Ó and a Female Hispanic aged about 
early 50s with a height of 5Õ5Ó to 5Õ7Ó. The attacking dog was described 
to as a Rottweiler/Pit bull mix that was tan in color. This case has been 
forwarded to the Detectives Bureau. 

Tuesday, August 26th

 At 6:55 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 100 block of North 
Lima St regarding an auto burglary. Officers were informed by the 
victim that he parked and locked his vehicle at around 5 pm the 
previous day in the carport area. When he had returned to his vehicle 
Tuesday morning, he noticed the right front passenger window had 
been smashed. The victim inspected his vehicle and reported some of 
his property missing. This case has been forwarded to the Detectives 
Bureau. 

Wednesday, August 27th

 At 6:18 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the station lobby 
regarding a petty theft report. Officers were informed by the victim 
that on August 25th, they received a citation for a missing 2015 
registration tab. Knowing that they had placed their registration tab 
on their vehicle back in March, the victims then realized their vehicle 
registration tab was stolen off of the vehicle. This case has been 
forwarded to the Detectives Bureau. 

Friday, August 29th 

 At 8:00 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the station lobby 
regarding a petty theft report. Officers were informed by the victim 
that on August 28th, when she arrived home to her residence in the area 
of the 400 block of North Sunnyside Avenue, she noticed that the glass 
lantern located on her front patio was missing. As the victim looked 
around her residence, she came across several pieces of mail belonging 
to the 300 block of N. Lima St. on her lawn which she turned into the 
Police. The estimated value of the stolen property was placed around 
$30.00.

Saturday, August 30th

 At 1:00 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 200 block of East 
Grandview Avenue regarding a vandalism report. Officers were 
informed by the victim that on August 28th, he parked his vehicle in 
front of his residence. The next day he returned to his vehicle and 
noticed several raw eggs had been thrown at his driverÕs side rear 
passenger door, along with several eggs shells located beneath his 
truck. The victim then washed his truck, noticing several scratches in 
the areas the eggs had hit his vehicle. This case has been forwarded to 
the Detectives Bureau. 

Sunday, August 31st 

 At 6:45 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 70 block of North 
Lima St. regarding a woman screaming for help. As Officers arrived 
they came across a male subject standing in the drive way. The male 
informed Officers that he and his girlfriend had an argument over her 
drinking habits. When questioned by Officers how he sustained blood 
and scratches on his forearms and hands, the male chose to answer 
that it was only an argument. Officers noticed the male was highly 
intoxicated. As Officers progressed up the driveway, they were met 
with a female subject holding a young infant. Officers immediately 
noticed swelling and redness to the left side of her face and neck, 
along with a bruise under her left eye. She informed Officers she and 
her boyfriend got into an argument over his drinking and financial 
issues, which escalated to him hitting her. Several hours later, when 
she noticed the bruise under her eye, she confronted the male, and 
they began to argue again. The male struck her twice more, and she 
fled to the bathroom locking the door and began screaming for help. 
Through investigation, Officers determined the male to be the main 
aggressor and placed the man under arrest. The male was booked and 
charged with Domestic Violence by inflicting corporal injury. 

Bean TownÕs Matt Krantz


HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAIN CONSERVANCY

 Look to our hills! You will see over 1400 acres 
of undeveloped land that has been acquired or 
set aside with the assurance that no parcel will 
ever be sold or developed. 

 The Sierra Madre Mountain Conservancy 
is celebrating its 25th birthday! Founded 
in 1989, the result of a casual conversation 
between then mayor Bruce Crow and Caroline 
Brown followed by a formal proposal by then 
Councilman George Maurer, it was the first 
local mountain conservancy to be established 
in the San Gabriel Valley. Its purpose is to 
contribute to the preservation of Sierra MadreÕs 
hillsides which provide protection from 
flooding and erosion, wildlife habitat, a portion 
of our watershed, and life-enhancing views. 
The Conservancy acquires land as permanent 
open space in three different ways: 1) voluntary 
donation by the owner, 2) purchase of the land 
at an appraised fair market value price mutually 
agreeable to the seller and the Conservancy, and 
3) a binding conservation easement by which the 
landowner, while retaining ownership, agrees 
to permanently maintain the land exclusively 
for conservation. Governance is provided by a 
Board of Directors which currently numbers 
eight, all residents of Sierra Madre.

 On August 12th, the City Council presented 
a proclamation to the Conservancy recognizing 
and endorsing September 27th as National 
Public Lands Day. The Conservancy takes this 
date as its appropriate birth day.

 Please celebrate with us as we celebrate 25 
years of donations and acquisitions to protect 
and preserve our hillsides!

SIERRA MADRE CITY HAPPENINGS

Street Closure - N. Mountain Trail

 Construction continues on the 
replacement of the existing water main in 
North Mountain Trail Avenue. The existing 
main was installed in 1928 and has been 
subject to multiple serious leakage incidents 
in recent years.

 Motorists are advised to take alternate 
routes. Construction activity will take place 
weekdays between 7 AM and 4 PM and the 
project is expected to be complete October 
8. The Contractor will make provisions 
for trash pickup and vehicular access for 
residents of the project area. 

 While every effort will be made to minimize 
inconveniences to neighboring residents, 
some impacts are unavoidable. The Water 
Department apologizes in advance for those 
inconveniences and asks for community 
patience with the project. The result will be a 
more reliable water distribution system. 

Legal Guardian Workshop

 Friday, September 26 from 6:30pm to 
8:30pm, Sierra Madre Recreation Center 

 During this workshop you will discover 
the 6 most common mistakes in naming a 
guardian, how to choose the right guardian 
for your children, how to make sure your 
assests are available to the people youÕve 
named to care for your children, and 
why a Will alone is not simply enough. 
You will also leave with fully executed 
legal documents naming guardians for 
your children. Please reserve your spot by 
September 22 by calling 626-355-4000 or go 
to www.guardianworkshop.com/rsvp. 

 Legal advice provided and any legal 
relationship resulting from the Legal 
Guardian Workshop is the sole responsibility 
of Attorney Marc Garlett. The City of Sierra 
Madre has no responsibility or liability for 
any legal advice or client relationship which 
may or may not result from participation in 
the Legal Guardian Workshop. 

Senior Health Screenings

Saturday, September 20 from 9am-12pm

Hart Park House located at 222 W. Sierra 
Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024

 Hosted by the Senior Community 
Commission and City of Sierra Madre 
Community Services Department, this 
event provides a variety of free to low cost 
health screenings and services for seniors 
age 55 and older. DonÕt miss the opportunity 
to receive these free or low cost services. 
Screenings are drop in and appointments 
do not need to be made. Screenings include: 
blood pressure, body mass index, hearing, 
memory, balance, acupuncture, flu shots and 
low vision. For more information contact 
the Hart Park House at 626-355-7394.