SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2015

VOLUME 9 NO. 6

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR & ONE PROUD GRANDPA!

ARCADIA CITY COUNCIL UPHOLDS PLANNING 
COMMISSION DECISION

 VFW Commander Dave Loera, Sr., Sierra Madre’s 
2014 Citizen Of The Year was honored on Saturday 
evening by the Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce 
for his outstanding contributions to the community. 

 Family, friends and admirers attended the event 
which was held in the Sierra Madre Room.

 Congresswoman Judy Chu attended and spoke of 
Dave’s contributions and leadership on the efforts 
to bring a Veteran’s Health Center to PCC. She 
presented Loera with a Congressional Proclamation. 
Assemblymember Chris Holden, State Board of 
Equalization Chairman Jerome Horton, State Senator 
Carol Liu and Sierra Madre Mayor John Haradebian 
also recognized Loera for his service to the community, 

 The entire Sierra Madre City Council, with the 
exception of Councilwoman Denise Delmar who sent 
her regrets and was unable to attend due to illness, was 
in attendnce,. Members of VFW 3208 presented the 
colors for the evening. Dinner was prepared by the 
Peppertree Grill and a ‘sweet’ presentation was made 
by Poppy Cake Baking Company.

 Above, Dave Loera and his three grandchildren, and 
below, left to right, SM Councilman John Cappoccia, 
SMCC Board members Carol Canterbury, Susan 
Henderson(rear),Councilmembers Rachelle Arizmendi 
and Gene Goss, Honoree Dave Loera and his wife Terri, 
Sierra Madre Mayor John Harabedian and SMCC 
President Ed Chen. Photos by Bill Coburn


This home with a beautiful view of the mountains in the backdrop, will soon be replaced with a 6,500 
sq. ft., two story ‘McMansion Photo by J. Schmidt/MVNews

By Joan Schmidt and Susan Henderson

The Highlands area of Arcadia is a very attractive 
and desirable location to live, laced with homes 
built in the 50’s and 60’s reflecting the popular 
ranch style of the period.

 Today, however, it is a community divided, the 
most recent conflict over the demolition of two 
properties, 29 East Orange Grove Boulevard and 
1600 Highland Avenue. These two properties were 
sold and plans were submitted to the Highlands 
Homeowners Architectural Review Board in 
December. Both applications were denied by the 
Board in an effort to preserve the character of the 
area. 

 The owners/builders then went to the Arcadia 
Planning Commission who reviewed the projected 
plans, ignored the architectural review board, and 
gave their approval, despite public outcry.

 The matter reached the boiling point at the 
February 3rd Arcadia City Council Meeting, 
where residents on both sides of the issue spoke. 
Speakers against the projects want to preserve the 
character of the area, while those supporting the 
character cited such things as the recent increase 
of property values.

 Resident Tim Burch “You can’t ignore what the 
cumulative effects of the last three years have been, 
with 30 new homes, the average size of which is 
over 5,000 square feet, You are going forward in 
a way as a city that is permanently altering the 
character of that neighborhood.”

Supporters of the project do not see that as an 
issue. One speaker suggested that the building of 
multi-million dollar, 5,000 square foot homes is a 
plus for the area.

 Councilman Roger Chandler noted that property 
values had jumped 51% from 2013 to 2014.

 The council’s votes were not unanimous - For the 
29 East Orange Grove Ave. home, the City Council 
denied the appeal by a 4-1 vote. Mayor Pro Tem 
Gary Kovacic voted the lone “no”. 

 For the 1600 Highland Ave., the City Council 
also denied the appeal by a 3-2 vote. Mr. Kovacic 
and Council Member Tom Beck voted “no”. 

 The those voting for the projects said both 
were incompliance with current Arcadia zoning 
ordinances and that both have been deemed 
exempt from CEQA (California Environmental 
Quality Act.)


Inside this week: 

PASADENA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRCT SUPERINTENDENT BRIAN MCDONALD Ed.D AND 
CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER JOHN PAPPALARDO, Ed.D. ANNOUNCE DR. PAPPALARDO’S 
DEPARTURE FROM DISTRICT

Pasadena, CA--- Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Brian McDonald, Ed.D. 
and Chief Finance Officer John Pappalardo, Ed.D. have announced that Dr. Pappalardo will be leaving 
the District to pursue a new opportunity. His resignation from PUSD was effective February 5, 2015.

“I am proud of all that has been accomplished during my time with Pasadena Unified,” said Dr. 
Pappalardo. “We weathered many storms due to the reduced revenue received from the state during 
the Great Recession but we managed to still provide a quality education for all PUSD students.”

Since joining PUSD in March 2009, Dr. Pappalardo has guided the district through tremendous 
financial pressure and economic uncertainty as funding from the state was drastically reduced. During 
his tenure, the district achieved clear audits, a signal of sound fiscal management. Dr. Pappalardo has 
also been acting as Chief Facilities Officer since 2013 supervising the maintenance and operations of 
the district as well as overseeing the construction of district facilities under Measure TT.

“I thank John for his service to the children and staff of PUSD,” said PUSD Superintendent Dr. Brian 
McDonald. “The executive leadership positions held by Dr. Pappalardo are critical to the effective 
operation of a school district.”

PUSD will begin the search for a new Chief Finance Officer and Chief Facilities Officer immediately. 

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING TO 
CONSIDER R-1 ZONING ORDINANCE 
AMENDMENTS

Sierra Madre, CA. – February 2, 2015 - The Planning Commission 
will be holding a public hearing to consider amendments to the R-1 
Single Family Residential Zoning Ordinance regarding revisions 
to the maximum allowable floor area based on lot size, changes 
to the conditional use permit (CUP) square footage threshold, 
elimination of the existing minimum floor area requirement, and 
a new requirement for a conditional use permit to allow any 2nd 
story addition or new construction proposing a second story, and 
limiting any second story to no greater than 75% of the first floor, 
including the garage.

The Planning Commission meeting will be held on February 19, 
2015, at 7:00 p.m., in the City Council Chambers at the Sierra 
Madre City Hall located at 232 West Sierra Madre Blvd. The 
meeting is open to the public and there will be opportunities to 
make comments. Information regarding the draft amendments is 
available on the Planning and Community Preservation page on 
the City’s website at www.cityofsierramadre.com, at the Planning 
and Community Preservation Department counter at City Hall, 
and at the City’s Library. 

CALENDAR Pg. 2

SIERRA MADRE NEWS 
Pg. 3

 PASADENA/ALTADENA

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AROUND SGV 

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ARCADIA NEWS 

MONROVIA/DUARTE 
Pg. 6

EDUCATION & YOUTH

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FOOD & DRINK

Peter Dills 

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City of Sierra Madre

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

From: The City of Sierra Madre

Subject: MUNICIPAL CODE TEXT AMENDMENT 15-01 
(MCTA 15-01) 

Applicant: City of Sierra Madre

Project Location: Properties in the City of Sierra Madre, County of 
Los Angeles, State of California

The City of Sierra Madre gives notice, pursuant to State of California law, that 
the Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing to consider an Ordinance 
amending Chapter 17.20 (“R-1 One Family Residential”), Sections 17.20.025 
(“Conditionally Permitted Uses”), 17.20.125 (“Allowable Gross Floor Area”), and 
17.20.135 (“Gross Floor Area”), and repealing Section 17.20.130

(“Minimum Dwelling Floor Area”) in order to adjust the ratio of floor area of 
new construction to lot size and enhance the application of conditional use permit 
requirements. 

DATE AND TIME OF HEARING PLACE OF HEARING

City of Sierra Madre City of Sierra Madre

Planning Commission meeting City Council Chambers

Thursday, February 19, 2015 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

(Hearing begins at 7:00 p.m.) Sierra Madre, CA 

All interested persons may attend this meeting and the Planning Commission will 
hear them with respect thereto.

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The project qualifies for an exemption 
from the California Environmental Quality Act review pursuant to Title 14, 
Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Code of Regulations as it can be seen with 
certainty that there is no possibility the adoption of this Ordinance may have a 
significant effect on the environment, because it will impose greater limitations 
on development in the City and protect the aesthetic character of Sierra Madre, 
thereby serving to reduce potential significant adverse environmental impacts. 

APPEAL: The decision of the Planning Commission is subject to a 10-day appeal 
period to the City Council. If in the future anyone wishes to challenge the decision 
of the Planning Commission in court, one may be limited to raising the issues 
that were raised or presented in written correspondence delivered to the Planning 
Commission at, or before, the scheduled public hearing. For further information 
on this subject, please contact the Development Services Department at (626) 355-
7138.

45TH ANNUAL FRIENDS OF THE SIERRA MADRE 
LIBRARY WINE AND CUISINE TASTING

HEALTHY LIVING

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With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, there is no 
better gift than tickets to the 45th Annual Friends 
of the Sierra Madre Library Wine and Cuisine 
Tasting. This year’s event will be held Friday 
evening, February 20, 2015, at Alverno Villa, 675 
West Highland Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA. Quality 
wines from a number of award winning wineries 
and tastings from many fine local restaurants and 
gourmet markets will be offered. 

 You and your Valentine will be entertained 
with music and magic. Steve Silverman, from 
the Magic Castle is back by popular demand. 
Siverman has performed nationwide in a variety 
of venues and his sophisticated sleight of hand has 
been enjoyed by hundreds of people. He creates 
much of the magic he performs, and his ideas and 
effects have been featured in a number of magic 
books and periodicals. Silverman will be joined 
by another long standing magician member of the 
Magic Castle in Hollywood who is also a Sierra 
Madre resident, Steve Rockwell. Mr. Rockwell 
has a strong interest in sleight of hand magic and 
community support and this year will mark his 
fourth appearance at the wine tasting.

 Tickets to the Premier Event are $80 and allow 
you early admission at 6:00PM. You will be 
treated to a wine tasting with Johnny Stange who 
is a well-known sommelier, specially selected hors 
d’oeuvres, gourmet chocolates and a unique raffle. 
Tickets to the Premier Event are limited to 100 
guests and are going fast so act quickly to enjoy 
these exceptional activities. Tickets to the Main 
Event are $60 and provide admission at 7:00PM. 
We are limiting the number of tickets sold to 400 
to add to your enjoyment. Tickets to both the 
Premier Event and Main Event are on sale at the 
Sierra Madre Library, the Bottle Shop, Savor the 
Flavor, and Arnold’s Frontier Hardware.

 A silent auction will again be offering lovely 
original and unique artwork, services, tickets to 
special events, restaurant vouchers, and many 
other gift ideas. For a delightful evening of enjoying 
fine wines, tasty food, and lively entertainment 
amidst the company of friends, joins us at Alverno 
Villa on February 20, 2015. The Friends of the 
Sierra Madre Library is a non-profit organization 
and all proceeds benefit the Sierra Madre Library. 
For more information visit our website at www.
sierramadrelibraryfriends.org, or call the library 
at 626 355-7186.

BEST FRIENDS

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 ARTS & 

 ENTERTAINMENT

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GOOD LIFE

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BUSINESS NEWS 

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THE WORLD AROUND 
US Pg. 14

OPINION Pg. 15

LEGAL NOTICES 

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