Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 21, 2015

4

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 21, 2015 

Working Group Opposes 
SR-710 Tunnel Option


Teacher 
Pleads to 
Falsely 
Imprisoning 
Teenagers

 

 Multiple transportation 
options focused on moving 
people, not vehicles, is the best 
approach to help complete 
the State Route 710 project, 
according to recommendations 
included in a report recently 
forwarded by the City’s SR-710 
Alternatives Working Group to 
Mayor Bill Bogaard and City 
Manager Michael J. Beck. 

 In a letter dated March 9, 2015, 
the Working Group concluded 
“a priority of any proposal 
should be on moving people, 
rather than vehicles.” Other 
important priorities identified 
included ensuring “consistency 
with Pasadena’s General Plan, 
enhancing travel options for 
underserved communities, 
improving safety, minimizing 
environmental impacts, 
reducing surface street traffic 
and providing transportation 
choices to the public,” the 
Working Group noted. 

 The Working Group began 
meeting in September 2014. 
Members include Stephen 
Acker, Geoffrey Baum, Joel 
Bryant, Alan Clelland, Sarah 
Gavit, David Grannis, and 
Jennifer Higginbotham. The 
group identified the following 
specific recommendations that 
the project should concentrate 
on: Light Rail Transit (LRT); 
Expanded Bus Service; 
Local Street Network (LSN) 
Improvements and Bicycle 
Transit 

 The March 9 letter said the 
tunnel option “is not a preferred 
alternative for Pasadena.” 

 The SR710 Working Group 
Letter reads, “Whether the 
tunnel proposal would reduce 
congestion and north-south 
corridor travel times rather than 
simply shift existing traffic onto 
a newly created route without 
measurable improvements to 
the network or positive impact 
on local traffic in Pasadena 
could not be determined,” the 
group noted. 

 Metro has released the SR-710 
Draft Environmental Impact 
Report /Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIR) and is now 
accepting comments on it. 
Go to http://www.metro.net/
projects/sr-710-conversations 
for more information. 

 Metro will conduct a public 
hearing on the DEIR in 
Pasadena on Tuesday, April 14, 
at the Pasadena Convention 
Center, 300 E. Green Street. 
Map viewing will be from 5-6 
p.m., followed by the public 
hearing from 6-9 p.m. 

 The day before Metro’s meeting, 
the Pasadena City Council will 
include a discussion about the 
project and the DEIR during its 
Monday, April 13, 2015 meeting, 
also to be held at the Pasadena 
Convention Center, beginning 
at 6:30 p.m. Both meetings 
will be recorded by Pasadena 
Media, www.pasadenamedia.
org for broadcast on KPAS, the 
government cable access TV 
station, available on Ch. 99 for 
AT&T U-verse subscribers and 
Ch. 3 for Charter. The meetings 
will be streamed on Pasadena 
Media’s website and the City’s 
website at www.cityofpasadena.
net/Media. 

 The group urged the Mayor 
and City Manager to consider 
including their alternatives in 
the City’s official response back 
to Metro for the DEIR.

 A former high school teacher 
pleaded no contest Thursday to 
falsely imprisoning students in 
their car while they drove over 
a weekend through Altadena, 
the Los Angeles County District 
Attorney’s Office announced.

According to Deputy District 
Attorney Melanie Buccat, 
Arroyo Pacific Academy teacher 
John Edward Maust, entered 
the plea to two felony counts of 
false imprisonment by violence. 

 Los Angeles County Superior 
Court Judge Elaine Lu of the 
Pasadena Branch immediately 
sentenced Maust to five years 
formal probation, 180 days of 
community service and more 
than 50 Alcoholics Anonymous 
sessions.

 Maust also was ordered to 
one year of counseling and to 
stay away from the victims. 
Additionally, he is prohibited 
from consuming any alcohol 
while on probation according to 
the ruling. 

According to Los Angeles 
County Public Information 
Officer, Ricardo Santiago, on 
June 7, 2014, three teenagers, 
two of whom attended Arroyo 
Pacific Academy where Maust 
taught, were driving when 
they saw the defendant in his 
driveway. After the victims 
stopped to talk to him, Maust 
got into the back seat and told 
one of the victims to drive, the 
prosecutor said.

 During the drive, Maust took 
out a pocket knife and began 
waving it around at which point 
the driver pulled the car over 
and two of the victims were 
able to exit. When the driver 
attempted to also exit, Maust 
placed him in a choke hold 
with the pocket knife up to him 
and demanded that he be taken 
to a fast food restaurant, the 
prosecutor added.

 After the victim complied, he 
drove the defendant home and 
Maust fled from the vehicle, 
according to the prosecutor.

 The case was investigated by 
the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s 
Department, Altadena Station.

Pasadena police use of force simulator

Highly Critical Police Audit Released

By Dean Lee

 Pasadena Police Chief 
Phillip Sanchez defended 
his department Monday 
afternoon to the city’s Public 
Safety Committee after an 
audit released in January said 
the department had weak 
policies regarding criminal 
investigations, a serious lack of 
formal training for detectives 
and serious flaws in the 
department’s records.

 Although Sanchez said there 
were several areas of concern 
including potential violations of 
protocols, practices and policies 
he said the audit did not suggest 
Pasadena police officers were 
rogue.

 “What the report doesn’t spell 
out, that we know for a fact, is 
that nobody was placed in prison 
wrongfully without probable 
cause or judicial review,” he said. 
“Search warrants were signed 
by judges and reviewed by the 
district attorney office. So those 
kinds of checks and balances are 
in place.”

 Criminal Investigations 
Division Commander John 
Perez said officers go through a 
“detective school.”

 “They learn all the new 
investigative principles and 
technology that we offer,” he 
said. 

Perez also said of the 58 
audit recommendations, the 
department has begun to 
implement or implemented 
51 of them. “We did not wait 
for the audit to make critical 
changes to our operations,” he 
said. 

 Sanchez said of the remaining 
seven findings, “they will 
require additional investigation 
but have not fallen by the 
wayside and we are committed 
to following through with 
those.” 

 Councilmember John Kennedy 
said the proper systems were not 
in place to prevent egregious 
conduct. 

 “If there is a lack of training, 
lack of oversight, lack of 
accountability and so forth 
in the detective division of 
the police department, then 
we must contemplate that 
these problems may also exist 
elsewhere in the department,” 
he said.

 Vice Mayor Jacque Robinson 
also called the audit finding 
alarming. 

 The independent audit, 
conducted by the Veritas 
Assurance Group, of homicide 
investigations, non-homicide 
investigations and personnel 
investigations calls out 
increasing public scrutiny 
including the officer-involved 
shootings of Le Roy Barnes in 
2009, Sherwin Williams in 2010 
and Kendrec McDade in 2012.

 The finding ranged from 
how police data is managed, 
to training management and 
gathering evidence during 
criminal investigations. The 
audit also suggested Sanchez 
conduct regular audits of 
high risk functions including, 
“officer involved shooting 
investigations; detective 
operations; search warrants; 
arrest booking and charging 
reports; gang enforcement; the 
control and use of Informants; 
and, deployment, command 
and administrative functions.” 

 Sanchez said the report cost 
$190,000, “I believe that was 
money well spent for a variety 
of reasons,” he said including 
the additional audits. Sanchez 
also said in the last four years, 
the department has reported 
twice a year to Public Safety 
Committee over “officers’ use of 
force.” 

 The Public Safety Committee 
took no action on the audit 
report.

Healthy 
Market to 
Hold Grand 
Opening

 
The public is invited to the 
grand opening of Pasadena’s 
first neighborhood store 
to adopt the California 
Department of Public 
Health’s (CDPH) Healthy 
Retail Program format. The 
grand opening is from 11 
a.m. to 1 p.m., today, at Rio 
Meat Market & Restaurant, 
2029 N. Fair Oaks Ave. 

 Mayor Bill Bogaard and 
Pasadena Health Officer 
Dr. Ying-Ying Goh are the 
event’s keynote speakers 
along with store owner 
Esthela Borja, who will 
share her inspiring story 
and vision for providing 
healthier food options in 
Northwest Pasadena. A 
ribbon-cutting follows. 

 The Healthy Retail Program 
demonstrates a commitment 
that neighborhood stores 
have invested in providing 
affordable and healthier 
food and meal options. 
The program is part of a 
statewide movement called 
“Champions for Change,” 
that seeks to improve the 
health status of low-income 
Californians by supporting 
fruit and vegetable 
consumption and increased 
physical activity.

 “We want to empower 
families to choose healthier 
foods that can contribute 
to better health,” Dr. Goh 
said. “Rio Meat Market 
& Restaurant is a great 
example of a local store 
creating dialogue with the 
community to increase 
access to nutritious foods.” 

 Local businesses 
interested in receiving 
free technical assistance as 
part of the Healthy Retail 
Program should contact 
Mary Urtecho- Garcia at 
mugarcia@cityofpasadena.
net. The PPHD Nutrition 
& Physical Activity Program 
is funded by the CDPH 
Nutrition Education and 
Obesity Prevention Branch. 

Mayoral Debate to be Held 
at the Convention Center

Free March Events at the 
Pasadena Senior Center


Pet of the 
Week

 There is something for 
everyone in March at the 
Pasadena Senior Center, 85 
E. Holly St. All events listed 
are free.

You do not have to be a 
member to attend. Some 
events require advance 
reservations as noted.

Memory Games – Tuesdays, 
March 24 to April 14, at 
1 p.m. Exercise your brain 
with memory games and 
work on an art project to 
enhance your mind and 
memory. Reservations are 
required: 626-685-6733.

Ageless Benefits of Exercise 
– Thursday, March 26, at 
10 a.m. Learn how simple 
exercise can benefit your total 
health. A 20-minute chair 
exercise session will focus 
on flexibility and balance. 
Presented by Huntington 
Hospital.

 Book Club at the Center -- 
Friday, March 27, at 1 p.m. 
Read Boys in the Boat by 
Daniel James Brown and then 
join other members of the 
Senior Center Book Club for 
a discussion. The nonfiction 
book tells the story of the 
American rowing team that 
stunned the world at Hitler’s 
1936 Berlin Olympics. For 
more information call Judy 
Starlight at 626-685-6706.

 For more information visit 
www.pasadenaseniorcenter.
org or call 626-795-4331.


Tornek

Robinson

 

 
The public is invited to attend 
a live, televised debate between 
Pasadena’s mayoral candidates 
Jacque Robinson and Terry 
Tornek that will be moderated 
by Larry Mantle, the host of 
89.3 FM KPCC’s AirTalk radio 
show. The event will be held 
at the Pasadena Convention 
Center Ballroom, 300 E. Green 
Street, beginning at 7:00 p.m., 
Tuesday, April 7, 2015.

 Pasadena Councilmembers 
Tornek and Robinson are in the 
run-off election for Pasadena’s 
Office of Mayor after receiving 
the highest percentage of 
votes in the March 10 primary 
race, with no single candidate 
receiving more than 50% 
percent of the total votes. The 
run-off election is April 21, 
2015. The winner will be the 
first directly elected mayor for 
Pasadena in 16 years and only 
the second directly elected 
mayor in the City’s history.

 Questions will be provided 
in several formats, including 
questions submitted by the 
homeowner groups and 
neighborhood associations 
throughout Pasadena. 
Questions will also come from 
person-on-the-street interviews 
conducted by producers 
from the Arroyo Channel 
and questions submitted 
by the public via social 
media platforms Twitter and 
Facebook.

 The event will be televised 
by Pasadena Media, which 
oversees the Public, Education 
and Government (PEG) cable 
television stations serving 
Pasadena. The debate will 
be simulcast on the Arroyo 
Channel, the community 
access station and KPAS, the 
government access station. 
KPAS is available on Channel 
3 and the Arroyo Channel 
is seen on Channel 32 for 
Charter subscribers. KPAS 
and the Arroyo Channel are 
both available on the AT&T 
U-Verse platform on Channel 
99/Pasadena.

 The event will be streamed live 
on the websites for Pasadena 
Media, www.pasadenamedia.tv 
and the City’s website at www.
cityofpasadena.net/Media. The 
debate will be re-broadcast 
prior to the election.

 Mantle has been the host of 
AirTalk on KPCC since April of 
1985. AirTalk, online at www.
scpr.org/programs/AirTalk, 
is the longest continuously 
running daily talk program in 
the Los Angeles radio market. 
Mr. Mantle is one of Southern 
California’s most respected and 
well-known journalists and 
radio broadcasters.

 Seating will be available on a 
first-come basis beginning at 
6:30 p.m. The debate will last 
at least 60 minutes, followed 
by a brief meet-and-greet 
opportunity by the candidates 
with audience members.

 The Pasadena Convention 
Center, www.visitpasadena.
com, is providing forum space. 
The League of Women Voters, 
Pasadena area, www.lwv-pa.org 
will lend assistance in preparing 
the questions for the candidates.

 Larry Mantle, host of 
KPCC’s AirTalk Show, 
will serve as moderator

 Cowboy is a one-year-old 
male gray and white pit 
bull terrier mix. He still has 
puppy energy, so he loves 
to play and go for walks. 
Cowboy is affectionate and 
sweet and would do well 
in a household that is very 
active. Cowboy is already 
neutered which means he 
would be free to go home 
with you today! 

 The regular dog adoption 
fee is $125 which includes 
the spay or neuter surgery, 
microchip, vaccinations, 
and a free follow-up health 
check at a participating vet.

 New adopters will receive 
complimentary health and 
wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well 
as a goody bag filled with 
information on how to care 
for your pet. 

 Call the Pasadena 
Humane Society & SPCA 
at 626.792.7151 or visit at 
361 S. Raymond Ave. in 
Pasadena. Adoption hours 
are 11-4 Sunday, 9-5 Tuesday 
–Friday, 9-4 Saturday. Pets 
may not be available for 
adoption and cannot be 
held for potential adopters 
from phone calls or email. 
Directions and photos of all 
pets can be found at www.
pasadenahumane.org.

Learn How to Produce 
Your Own TV Show

 
New Citizen Journalism 
training starts Wednesday 
nights, learn how to report 
news using social media 
skills.

 With the opening of 
the new Pasadena Media 
studios at 150 S. Los Robles 
Ave, they are offering free 
television-training programs 
for producers. Plan to attend 
an orientation to discover 
the right classes for you. 
Producers’ Training teaches 
how to produce shows for 
The Arroyo Channel. Studio 
Production/ Equipment 
training is also offered to 
volunteer crew members. In 
addition, on-going training 
will soon be available in 
citizen journalism and 
digital film groups. Call the 
office (626) 794-8585 or go 
to PASADENAMEDIA.ORG 
and explore what Pasadena 
Media has to offer.

Learn Steps 
to Citizenship 

Class offerings days and nights weekly

Station Schedule 

Producer Training

Monday March 23, at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Pasadena Media Social Hour

Tuesday March 24, at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Producer’s Training

Wednesday April 1, at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Intro to Field Production

Thursday April 2, at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Orientation & Tour

Monday April 6, at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

 Learn about Citizenship 
and Administrative Relief. 
Learn what immigration 
programs are available 
which you or someone 
you know might qualify 
for. Presented by Asian 
Americans Advancing 
Justice Saturday, March 28, 
10 a.m. – noon, Central 
Library/Donald Wright 
Auditorium, 285 E. Walnut 
St.