SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

‘GIVE ME 3’ GOES 
INTO EFFECT

VOLUME 8 NO. 38

RAPID RESPONSE BY SMFD AVERTS DISASTER


New law sets specific 
distance for vehicles 
and cyclists

 Almost a year ago today, 
Governor Jerry Brown signed 
into law a bill that clearly defines 
what is expected of motorists as 
it relates to ‘sharing the road’. 
That bill went into effect on 
Sunday, September 14, 2014.

 Assembly Bill 1371 was backed 
by the California Bicycling 
Coalition and was authored by 
Assemblyman Steven Bradford 
of Gardena. Its official name 
is the Three Feet for Safety Act. 
It requires drivers who pass 
cyclists to keep their vehicles 3 
feet away. 

The bill also makes allowances 
for vehicles in heavy traffic or if 
extraordinary road conditions 
make keeping that distance 
impossible. Then, drivers 
must “slow to a speed that is 
reasonable and prudent”. The 
new law states that under such 
circumstances, vehicles should 
only pass when the bicyclist is 
out of ‘dangers way’.

Motorists who do not follow 
the law are subject to fines 
that range from $35 to $154 
per incident. A collision with 
a cyclist that causes injury to 
violating the law, the fine is 
$220. 

In the City of Sierra Madre, this 
law is of particular importance 
for residents to adhere to as 
the town is a popular spot 
for cyclists, especially on the 
weekend.

 S. Henderson/MVNews

SIERRA MADRE ROSE FLOAT 
ASSOCIATION APPLICATIONS FOR 
PRINCESSES/AMBASSADORS AVAILABLE

 SMRFA is once again seeking 
applications for the position of 
Princess/Ambassador. 

 This year we are searching 
for four (4) Princesses and/or 
Ambassadors will not only have 
the honor of riding on the Sierra 
Madre float, but will have the 
pleasure of speaking to the Sierra 
Madre City Council and local 
service organizations and clubs. 
In addition, they will assist with 
float decorating and contribute 
to publicity opportunities. 
Princesses/Ambassadors 
will have a very exciting and 
educational year.

Application Guidelines and 
Process:

 1) Applicants must be 15 to 18 
years old, have a 3.0 grade average 
and be a resident of Sierra Madre.

 2) Applications may be picked 
up at City Hall, your High School 
or downloaded from the Sierra 
Madre Rose Float Association 
website:

www.smrosefloat.org

 3) Applications must be 
received at the SMRFA post 
office box by Friday, October 
10th, 2014. Applications 
submitted later than October 
10th will not be accepted.

 4) Applicants must be able 
to attend judging interviews on 
Sunday, October 12th, between 
1:30 PM and 3:45 PM. at the 
Sierra Madre Lodge, 33 E. Sierra 
Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. No 
parents please.

 5) Princess Coronation 
Dinner and Ceremony will be 
held Sunday, October 19th, 
2:00 PM at the Lodge. Tickets 
are $5.00 for friends and family 
(candidates are free). Tickets 
will be available at the door. 
Refreshments will be served.

 For more further information 
or questions, please contact 
Donna Sutcliffe at 626-355-8579.

 On Monday afternoon, with temperatures 
exceeding 100 degrees, the Sierra Madre Fire 
Department responded to a call in the 600 
block of Sierra Meadows. Upon arrival they 
found arcing electrical wires that quickly 
spread to a brush fire that burned 1/4 of an 
acre. Residents in very close proximity were 
allowed to return to their homes and the 
streets were reopened to the public by early 
evening. There were no injuries or property 
damage. 

 The county was under a Red Flag Warning 
because of the extreme heat and dry 
conditions and the quick response by the 
Fire Department kept the vegetation fire 
from spreading. The fire was burning uphill 
on Auburn next to the Auburn debris basin.

Mutual aid was received from Arcadia 
and Pasadena Fire Departments and the 
California Department of Forestry also 
assisted with containment. Southern 
California Edison had power restored from 
the downed transformer within hours.

Local Firefighters Also Dispatched 
to the King Fire

 Sierra Madre OES Engine 281 with Captain 
Mike Goth, Engineer Ted Walters and 
Firefighters Greg Konduralyan and Joshua 
Martinez were dispatched Wednesday 
morning as part of Strike Team 1800A to 
assist with the King Fire in Tulare County. 
The team also included engines from 
Arcadia, Monrovia, Montebello and San 
Bernardino County.

 At press time, the fire had burned more 
than 76,000 acres and was 10% contained. 
According to Cal Fire (http://cdfdata.
fire.ca.gov/), there were more than 5,000 
firefighters battling the blaze.

 Also on Wednesday, Wayne Allen 
Huntsman, 37, was arrested and charged 
with deliberately setting the fire that has 
driven nearly 2,800 people from their homes. 
News reports state that he is being held on 

 $10 million bail. 

Photo and Story S. Henderson/MVNews

Interaction between a mylar 
balloon and power line likely 
started fire.

DEVELOPERS OF MATER DOLOROSA RESIDENTIAL 
SUBDIVISION DISTRIBUTE SUMMARY OF IDEAS

EVERY DROP 
COUNTS! 

Residents need to be aware 
of the new restrictions on 
watering. 

 Even-numbered 
addresses are limited to 
landscape irrigation on 
Mondays and Thursdays. 
Odd-numbered addresses 
and addresses ending in 
fractions are limited to 
landscape irrigation on 
Tuesdays and Fridays. 

 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. 

 You can also send 
an Email to water@
cityofsierramadre.com 
OR use the form on the 
city’s website: www.
cityofsierramadre.com 

 

Inside this week: 

 City Manager Elaine Aguilar disclosed 
in this week’s report to the council and 
community that New Urban West, Inc. 
(NUWI), developers for the proposed Mater 
Dolorosa housing project had provided 
the city with a document titled, “Early 
Thoughts”. It is, according to Aguilar, “a 
summary of the developer’s preliminary 
ideas, concepts and principles” for the 
proposed development. The project will be 
built on an 88 acre expanse of land which 
houses one of the city’s most beautiful 
landmarks, the Mater Dolorosa Passionist 
Retreat Center (aka, The Monastery), if 
approved..

 The existence of the proposed project on 
North Sunnyside was disclosed in 2013 
by the Mountain Views News (http://
mtnviewsnews.com/v07/htm/n46/index.
htm) and has been met with stiff opposition 
by the community. Earlier this year, in 
an official statement from the Passionist 
Fathers Retreat Center’s Board of Directors 
it was announced that the scope of the 
project would not exceed 50 homes, (http://
mtnviewsnews.com/v08/htm/n22/index.
htm). That pronouncment did not soften 
the public’s reaction to building houses on 
the site. 

 In late 2013, residents opposed to the 
development organized a group called, 
“Stop The Monastery Housing Project” 
(http://www.stopmonasteryhousingproject.
com). Supporters of the group have signs 
posted on lawns all over Sierra Madre. 
Many of the issues that concern opponents 
are mentioned in the new document which 
is available for public view at City Hall.

 In a letter dated September 18th to Mayor 
John Harabedian, Tom Zanic, Partner and 
Senior Vice President of NUWI states that 
the Passionist Father’s goal is, “..raising 
funds to care for their aging clergy by selling 
their surplus property” and that his group 
has the “challenging task of balancing the 
needs of Sierra Madre and the needs of the 
Passionists”. It should be noted that earlier 
this year in an attempt to save the property 
and address the Order’s financial needs, 
Matthew Bryant disclosed that his group, 
Stop The Monastery Housing Project, had 
offered the Monastery 10 million dollars 
for the land in order to create a “win, win 
situation with open space”, but that offer 
was deemed inadequate.

 In the prospectus the developers list 
“Benefits to Sierra Madre” as an increased 
property tax base, and more than a million 
dollars in development impact fees. It also 
promises “no new water use” and goes on to 
give a brief explanation as to how that can 
happen.

 Referred to as ‘preliminary’ in nature, the 
document superficially touches on most of 
the concerns that have been expressed by 
the community over the last ten months. 
Members of the city council have each 
received a copy of the plan for review.

 When the Mater Dolorosa Passionist 
Retreat Center was incorporated in 2004, 
one of their immediate goals was to “evaluate 
and enhance the property to support the 
retreat ministry, Passionist Community 
life, and Holy Cross Province”. In order to 
develop the property and maintain their 
goals, whatever is constructed must support 
that serene and reflective environment. 
From 1932 to 1991 the land included the 
home of the Passionist Father’s Monastery. 
(The Monastery was destroyed by the 1991 
Sierra Madre Earthquake and ultimately 
demolished.) The retreat center was built 
in 1949 and is still very much in use. The 
housing proposal will not interfere with 
those activities says the developer.

 NUWI makes a commitment of “Putting 
Sierra Madre First”, “Open Dialogue” 
and “Keeping Promises”. As the process 
continues, the public will certainly test 
which of those commitments are adhered to.

S. Henderson/MVNews

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

PASADENA HEALTH DEPT. CONFIRMS FIVE WEST NILE VIRUS CASES

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Pg. 11

PASADENA, Calif.—The Pasadena Public Health 
Department today announced that tests have confirmed five 
human cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) this month in its 
jurisdiction. The last case of WNV previously confirmed by 
the Pasadena Public Health Department was in December 
2012.

 WNV is transmitted through the bite of an infected 
mosquito. Signs and symptoms may include fever, body aches, 
rash, nausea, vomiting, and headache. Up to about 80 percent 
of people infected have no apparent symptoms and can go 
undiagnosed, according to the Centers for Disease Control. 
Severe cases, while rare, can include brain inflammation, 
paralysis or death.

 For more information on WNV, visit:

 Centers for Disease Control www.cdc.gov/westnile

 California’s West Nile Virus website http://westnile.ca.gov

 The Pasadena Public Health Department, www.
cityofpasadena.net/PublicHealth, recommends that anyone 
exhibiting symptoms or who suspects they might have WNV 
should seek immediate medical care.

To protect against WNV, it is important that the public 
take the following precautions to prevent the breeding of 
mosquitoes and to prevent being bitten:

 Empty all standing water in containers left outside

Keep swimming pools clean with all circulation and filtration 
equipment operational and drain water from pool covers

Check for mosquito larvae in still water sources such as bird 
baths and ponds

 Wear insect repellants containing DEET

 Avoid areas likely to be inhabited by mosquitoes at dawn 
and dusk

 Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors

 Check window and door screens for holes

 Report dead birds and squirrels to the West Nile Virus 
and Dead Bird Hotline at (877) 968-2473 or online at http://
westnile.ca.gov

 The proportion of mosquitoes infected with WNV is at 
the highest level ever detected in California, health officials 
said. The risk of infection is also highest at this time of year, 
especially during summer weather and drought conditions.

 Health Department staff travel throughout the City at least 
once a week to treat gutters, puddles, pools, and other free-
standing water sources water that serve as prime breeding 
grounds for mosquitoes. The Department also collaborates 
with the Pasadena Police Department to use police helicopters 
to look for stagnant pools and green standing water.

 For vector control information; to receive free mosquito fish 
to prevent breeding, or to report a green pool or still water 
source, call the Department’s Environmental Health Division 
at (626) 744-6004.

 Stay connected to the City of Pasadena! Visit us online 
at visit www.cityofpasadena.net; follow us on Twitter @
PasadenaGov, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.
com/cityofpasadena. Or call the Citizen Service Center, 8 
a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at (626) 744-7311.

SECTION B 

AROUND SGV Pg. B1

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Pg. B2

 BUSINESS NEWS Pg. B3

 OPINION Pg. B4

 LEGAL NOTICES Pg. B5