Mountain Views News          Saturday, December 6, 2014

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Mountain View News Saturday, December 6, 2014 

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis

CITY OF SIERRA MADRE TURF 

REMOVAL REBATE PROGRAM


Sierra Madre, CA. – December 4, 2014 – 

 Starting on Monday, December 8, 2014, the City 
of Sierra Madre will begin accepting applications for 
a Turf Removal Rebate Program. Property owners 
may be eligible to receive a rebate of $1.00 per square 
foot of turf that is removed. The maximum rebate is 
$1,000 per property owner. 

 Applications are available at City Hall, and 
applications will be processed on a “first come, first 
served basis.” 

 There is a total of $48,000 in grant funds available. 
To be eligible, rebates are only available for turf 
removed from private property yard areas visible 
from the street. Rebates do not apply to parkways or 
back yards. The rebates are not retroactive, meaning 
that the program does not apply to properties where 
turf has already been removed. There are additional 
regulations, which are available in full at City Hall 
and on the City’s website. 

 Applications are available on the City’s website at 
www.cityofsierramadre.com, but applications must 
be submitted in person to City Hall. Emailed or 
faxed applications will not be accepted. 

 For additional information, please visit City Hall 
on Monday to Thursday from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, or 
call (626) 355-7135.

SIERRA MADRE FIREFIGHTERS BALL

The Firefighter’s Ball will be held on December 
6th at St. Rita Parish O’Malley Hall from 8:00 PM 
to Midnight. The annual festivity that began in 
1921 isa sponsored by the Sierra Madre Volunteer 
Firefighters’ Association and will host live 
entertainment, refreshments, and spirits.

 Attendees are encouraged to bring a new, 
unwrapped gift to donate to the U.S. Marine Corp’s 
“Toys for Tots” program.

 Tickets to the ball are $5.00 each; however, 
contributions of any amount are sincerely 
appreciated. Ticket sales and donations from the 
Ball finance S.M.V.F.A. sponsored events such as 
the Christmas Eve visit from Santa and stocking 
distribution, the Easter Egg Hunt, continued 
sponsorship of youth athletic teams, and more.

“I THINK I CAN!” SIERRA 
MADRE ROSE PARADE 
FLOAT THEME

 “I Think I Can!” is less than a month away 
from its New Year’s Day cruise down Colorado 
Blvd., and the princesses who will be aboard 
are lovely and accomplished young women. 
I met Kristine Kuhn, Britney Stone, Kayla 
Rice and Alexi Vate today at Attitude! It 
was pouring! Yes, Rain! Right here in Sierra 
Madre! The girls had just been guest speakers 
at a Rotary luncheon and all four of them, 
though cold and somewhat damp about the 
ankles could not have been more charming. 

 Our princesses enjoyed a reunion with 
Marvin Dieguez, owner of Attitude!, the store 
which has provided the girls’ Rose Parade 
outfits each year for most of the twelve years 
he’s been part of Sierra Madre. Marvin is 
happy to give our princesses whatever they 
would like in the way of something beautiful. 
That means no price range to observe! The 
hardest part is finding just the right dress and 
the right color for four young women of very 
different heights and sizes. He will special 
order or do whatever it takes to make sure our 
princesses look as lovely as possible. Donna 
Sutcliffe, the Rose Float Association’s official 
princess wrangler brings the girls in and they 
are free to follow their fashion hearts; and as 
Marvin is right on top of fashion trends, and 
attends fashion showings, Attitude! has what 
is hot and happening now. Yes, skinny jeans, 
jeggings, and tunics are still the look that 
works.

 Have you been in to Attitude! lately? 
They have some beautiful things: Sweaters, 
scarves, jeans, dresses, and handbags…. Oh 
my, the handbags! Listen, folks, Christmas 
is coming and Attitude! could be the answer 
for a lot of the names on your list. Marvin 
hand creates every bag in his store. He works 
with leather, upholstery fabric, canvas and just 
about anything you can think of. These are 
gorgeous! Trust me! Marvin learned the craft 
from his Dad and spends much of his free time 
creating these beautiful pieces, which have 
been featured at Fred Segal and a number of 
other upscale stores and boutiques. If you have 
a fabric or a design in mind, he can custom 
create just for you.

 The store is decorated for Christmas with 
original décor pieces by Marvin – a wall 
of lights with tiny birdhouses perched on 
branches of yarn, antlered reindeer bearing 
wreaths, ornaments in the front windows in a 
unique design, a little Christmas music on the 
stereo and shopping feels like a pleasure again.

 Originally from Guatemala, Marvin arrived 
in the United States at 17, and realized he 
needed to learn English as fast as possible and 
with the help of radio, television and other 
sources it didn’t take long. Marvin and his 
family are Sierra Madre residents. Wife, KiKi, 
is an ER nurse at Huntington Memorial. Sons 
Mihali, Ari and Jeffrey are students at Sierra 
Madre schools and all heavily involved in 
soccer and other seasonal sports. Marvin 
considers his yearly contribution of the 
princess dresses to be a labor of love. He 
supports numerous other local organizations 
and, in fact, a fundraiser was in progress the 
day I visited, where a percentage of sales was 
set aside for one of the area schools. Attitude! 
has been a participant in several fashion shows, 
one at Santa Anita Racetrack! Marvin would 
enjoy doing more of those, he confided.

 Take a few minutes to look in at Attitude! 
You’ll find something for yourself and bring 
that Christmas list with you. Marvin has 
jewelry, sunglasses, and whatever you need to 
accessorize and, yes, guys, he’ll help you find 
just the right thing for the special lady in your 
life.

 Attitude! 90 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., across 
the driveway from Bank of the West. You 
can shop Tuesday-Thursday 10-5, Friday & 
Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 10-4. Phone is 
355-3929. 

 

ALTERNATIVE GIFT FAIR & BOUTIQUE

Sierra Madre United Methodist Church is holding its 
annual Christmas Alternative Gift Fair & Boutique 
on Sunday, December 7, 2014 from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 
p.m. Celebrate the spirit of the holiday season with 
a gift that truly “gives back.” Your donations help 
support the relief efforts of local organizations such 
as San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity, Friends 
in Deed, and Foothill Unity Center, and global efforts 
such as Heifer International, Imagine No Malaria, 
Church World Service, and missionary programs 
in Mexico. Sales from the popular handcrafted gift 
boutique will benefit Family Promise of San Gabriel 
Valley. Fair Trade items from the Ten Thousand 
Villages Store will also be available. Enjoy free 
refreshments while you browse. 

 The Church is located at 695 W. Sierra Madre 
Blvd. in Sierra Madre. Call 626-355-0629 for more 
information.


Sierra Madre Police Blotter

During the week of Sunday, November 23rd, 
to Sunday, November 30th, the Sierra Madre 
Police Department responded to approximately 
296 calls for service.

Thursday, November 27th

 At 2:51 am, Sierra Madre Police responded 
to the intersection of Grandview Avenue and 
Foothill Avenue regarding a possible Arson. 
When Officers arrived on scene, they were 
approached by two witnesses. The young 
men informed Officers that just as they were 
leaving their home and began walking West 
on Grandview, they heard explosion. When 
they looked towards the direction of the 
explosion, they saw six individuals running 
from the area, all in different directions. The 
young men investigated more and saw that the 
brush near the flood control was on fire. One 
of the young men ran home to retrieve a fire 
extinguisher, while the other stayed, called the 
fire department and notified a nearby resident 
that there was a fire close to the property. The 
fire was extinguished by the Fire Department 
and no property damage was reported. During 
further investigation, a Sierra Madre Fire 
Captain located a destructive device. This case 
has been forwarded to the Detectives Bureau. 

Friday, November 28th

 At 1:00 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to 
W. Sierra Madre Blvd. regarding a disturbance 
at a local bar. When Officers arrived, they 
were informed by an employee of the bar that 
two men who had been drinking in the bar, 
suddenly became upset and began yelling at 
him and fellow patrons. The two men started 
yelling at a group of men, at which one point 
one of the yelling men slapped a man in the 
group. The group and employee escorted 
both of the men out of the bar and called the 
police. As Officers questioned both the men, it 
became clear that they were highly intoxicated 
as they slurred their speech and struggled to 
keep their balance. As Officers attempted to 
talk to one of the men, he continually yelled 
and cursed at the patrons located within the 
bar and became uncooperative with Officers. 
The second man also became uncooperative 
and after a short struggle with Officers, both 
men were placed under arrest and cited for 
public intoxication. 

Friday, November 28th

 At 9:34 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to 
the 30 East Block of Mira Monte Ave. regarding 
a vandalism report. When Officers arrived, 
they were informed by the victim that upon 
returning from the store, she noticed paint had 
been thrown on the front of her house. Officers 
noticed paint on the front walls and front of 
the residence, as well as paint leading down 
the residence’s walkway. This case has been 
forwarded to the Detectives Bureau. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com