Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 21, 2015

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Mountain View News Saturday, February 21, 2015 


Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis

CITY OF SIERRA MADRE / VOLUNTEER IMPACT SOFTWARE 
AVAILABLE TO SM COMMUNITY GROUPS 

“Eat – Sleep – Scoot 
– Repeat!”

Saw six deer ambling down 
Alegria early Tuesday 
morning. They sniffed and 
nibbled, turned right up 
Mountain Trail, wandered 
through turtle park and leapt 
up the hillside. The very 
hillside where my son fell into 
a patch of poison ivy (oak?) 
and burst into a misery the 
likes of which he had never 
imagined. Calamine lotion 
didn’t do nearly enough and 
he and I sat out the wedding 
of one of his cousins because 
he was too miserable to get 
out of the car. Good times!

 The fig trees are showing 
tiny green leaves at the ends 
of their branches, and the 
tomatoes on my volunteer 
tomato, which came out of 
nowhere, is five feet high and 
growing, are getting bigger. 
Camellias are blooming all 
over town, we still haven’t 
trimmed back our roses and the naval oranges 
this year have never tasted so sweet. We are 
scanning the skies for rain while, somewhat 
guiltily, enjoying the sunshine and mild 
weather. If only we could figure out a way to get 
all that snow out of Boston and plop it down on 
our mountains, the drought problem would be 
solved, and it would help those poor people back 
there who are spending all their time shivering 
and shoveling.

 We’re sure you’ve noticed them around town 
the last few years, people in the eight to twelve 
age group hurtling down our streets on Razor 
scooters. They’re wearing helmets, which is 
good because that’s the law in Sierra Madre, 
and heading for school with the speed of light. 
Those babies are fast! Walking Sierra Madre 
this week my favorite Valentine and walking 
buddy, John, and I took a serious look into 
the window at Left Coast Scooters at 183 W. 
Sierra Madre Blvd. right next to Sierra Madre 
Pizza Company, and discovered a whole new 
world! Chatting with Jim Edwards, owner of 
Left Coast Scooters, I discovered that scooters 
seem to have boldly gone where skateboards 
used to go. Scooters, as seen at Left Coast, 
are gorgeous in iridescent peacock colors, and 
scooter seekers can custom build their own 
scooter or go for a “complete” which is a pre-
built scooter. Left Coast was full of young 
gentlemen in the aforementioned 8-12 age 
group, who were helping Jim out with all sorts 
of useful information while we chatted. 

 Just to fill you in, the Razor scooter is a 
compact folding kick scooter, which was first 
distributed by The Sharper Image in 1999 and 
became extremely popular in the next year or 
so. The hot brands are Envy, District Freestyle 
Scooter, Dominator and several others which 
are available at Left Coast, along with some 
great t-shirts, accessories, and the latest scooter 
magazines.

 Jim Edwards opened the doors to Left Coast 
last November and tailors his hours there to 
work around his other business, which is 
being a General Contractor. He lives close 
by in Hastings Ranch and his son (10) and 
daughter (12) are in our local schools. His 
hours fit school schedules, too, when all his 
young clients can come hang out and see what 
everybody’s riding. This new breed of scooter 
is built much tougher than the original Razor 
scooters, specially designed to take abuse, like 
jumping and skatepark riding. There’s a whole 
world of competition for scooter lovers, too. 
Locally, scooters are welcome at the skatepark 
on Bonita in Arcadia, Monrovia skatepark on 
East Olive, and Duarte skatepark on Central. 
Sierra Madre frowns upon scooter riders 
zipping through the central business area, but 
pretty much elsewhere, scooter kids are good 
to go. Yes, helmets, elbow and kneepads are 
enforced at the skateparks, which seems like a 
very good idea.

 Who’s riding scooters? Jim says he gets kids as 
young as 5 right up to about 16 or so and they are 
really bonded to their scooters. Watching them 
ride in and out of Left Coast made me think of 
horseback riders in close order dressage work. 
The scooters are extremely maneuverable, the 
riders are fearless, and Left Coast is a popular 
after-school hang for local scooter guys and a gal 
or two. How much are we talking about here? 
Well, let’s say a good one starts at $100 and goes 
up from there. 

 Jim is looking to host more scooter events 
and he will be donating prizes to the Sierra 
Madre Elementary School Jog-a-thon, which 
is planned for Friday, February 27th from 8:00 
a.m. to noon on the SME Field. Go on in and say 
hi! Left Coast is open Mondays from 2:00-6:00; 
Tuesday-Friday: 3:00-6:00; Saturday Noon-6:00 
and Sunday by appointment only. You can give 
Jim a call at 626-705-4120.

 Lent has begun, looking toward Easter, 
and here’s a new thought I came across this 
morning: Instead of giving up something for 
Lent, how about giving something to someone 
in need instead? Just saying!

Dear Sierra Madre Community Group Members,

Sierra Madre is happy to announce a new volunteer database 
made specifically for non-profit community groups and 
organizations. The new Volunteer Impact database is now 
available for Sierra Madre non-profit community groups 
to use. Volunteer Impact is a forum, for all Sierra Madre 
community groups, to announce volunteer opportunities 
to existing volunteers and the general public. If your group 
is hosting a specific event and is in need of volunteers, you 
can now post about the event on Volunteer Impact and 
those interested in volunteering can sign up. Additionally, 
Volunteer Impact keeps a log of each volunteers’ hours 
worked and allows the community group easy access to it. 

 This is a shared database created for all Sierra Madre non-
profit organizations. If a non-profit community group or 
organization is interested in operating a private database, 
there is an option to create and maintain a separate database 
for an annual cost of $300/per database.

 A staff member would like to attend one of your meetings, 
to better explain this new database and to answer any 
questions you may have. In the meantime, if you have any 
questions please feel free to contact me. 

Thank you

Miguel Hernandez

Human Resources Analyst

City of Sierra Madre

232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

Sierra Madre, CA 91024

(626) 355-7135 ext. 330

(626) 355-2251 Fax

mhernandez@cityofsierramadre.com

www.cityofsierramadre.com

City of Sierra Madre

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

From: The City of Sierra Madre

Subject: CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION TO EXTEND AN INTERIM MORATORIUM ORDINANCE 
PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 65858 ON THE DEMOLITION, IN PART 
OR IN WHOLE, OF SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES AND DUPLEXES CONSTRUCTED PRIOR TO 
A DESIGNATED DATE AND DECLARING THE URGENCY THEREOF

On January 27, 2015, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 1360-U, an Urgency Ordinance of the City Council of the City of 
Sierra Madre, establishing an Interim Moratorium Ordinance pursuant to Government Code Section 65858, on the demolition, in 
part or in whole, of single-family homes and duplexes that were constructed prior to December 31, 1940. Government Code 65858 
a provision of State Planning and Zoning law authorizes an urgency zoning ordinance to prevent development related actions which 
may be inconsistent with a plan under development, such as the General Plan Update that would require amendments to the R-1 
Zoning Ordinance, and the historic resources survey that could identify potential resources and result in more detailed review of 
structures prior to demolition. Ordinance 1360-U expires on March 13, 2015, and the City Council will consider extending it for an 
additional 6 months (until September 23, 2015.) 

All interested parties may attend this meeting and the City Council will hear them with respect thereto. If you have any questions, 
please contact the Planning and Community Preservation Department at 626-355-7138 and ask to speak to either Leticia Cardoso, 
Acting Planning Director, or Anne McIntosh, Project Planner.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING PLACE OF HEARING

City of Sierra Madre City of Sierra Madre

City Council meeting City Council Chambers

Tuesday, February 24, 2015 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

(Meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.) Sierra Madre, CA 


Sierra Madre Police Blotter

During the week of Sunday, February 8th, to 
Sunday, February 15th, the Sierra Madre Police 
Department responded to approximately 306 calls 
for service.

Monday, February 9th

At 7:10 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 
100 Block of East Sierra Madre regarding a hit 
and run traffic collision. Upon arrival, Officers 
discovered that a vehicle parked along the street 
was struck and damaged by an unknown vehicle. 
Officers were unable to obtain any witnesses. 
By law, the driver of any vehicle involved in 
an accident resulting only in damage to any 
property, including vehicles, shall immediately 
stop at the nearest location that will not impede 
traffic or jeopardize the safety of other motorists 
and leave in a conspicuous place on the vehicle 
or property damaged a written notice giving the 
name and address of the driver and notify the 
Police Department within the city wherein the 
collision occurred. This case has been forwarded 
to the Detectives Bureau. 

Tuesday, February 10th

 At 1:43 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 
300 Block of Acacia Street regarding a residential 
burglary. Upon arrival Officers were informed 
by the victims that at around 11 am, the house 
was left locked and secured. Upon returning 
home at around 1:30 pm, the victim realized she 
could not find her cell phone that was left in the 
home and upon calling it, the cell went straight 
to voicemail. While looking for the phone, the 
victims went upstairs to search for it, when they 
then discovered the upstairs bedrooms had been 
ransacked. The victims went downstairs and 
checked all points of entry and discovered the 
lock for the family room sliding glass door had 
been removed. It was immediately discovered 
that numerous jewelry items and coin collection 
had been stolen. This case has been forwarded to 
the Detectives Bureau. 

Thursday, February 12th

 At 2:52 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to 
the station lobby to take a theft report about 
an incident that occurred in January. Officers 
were informed by the victim that back on 
January 22nd, he bid on an item on an online 
selling site. The victim won the item in the 
bid and paid the suspect over $500 plus $16 
for shipping. On January 27th, the victim 
received a package, which was fully intact and 
firmly sealed with packing tape, but the item he 
bought was not in the box. Upon contacting the 
suspect, he informed the victim that he placed 
the item in the box and that he was lying about 
not receiving the product. This case has been 
forwarded to the Detectives Bureau.

Sunday, February 15th 

 At 3:56 am, Sierra Madre Police conducted a 
traffic stop on a vehicle that was not compliant 
to code. Officers approached the driver, and 
immediately noticed she was nervous and had 
obvious burn marks around her lips. As Officers 
requested the driver to exit the vehicle to allow 
them to conduct the investigation out of a high 
traffic area, Officers noticed a small glass pipe in 
the driver’s side door panel. Upon questioning if 
the vehicle contained anything illegal, the driver 
informed them that there was not. Officers 
inspected the vehicle and discovered a glass 
smoking pipe and a plastic container containing 
cocaine. Based on the Officer’s findings, the 
driver was placed under arrest and the vehicle 
was towed. While being processed, Officers 
discovered an additional glass pipe inside the 
driver’s shoe. The driver was subsequently 
booked and cited. 

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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