Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 2, 2015

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Mountain View News Saturday, May 2, 2015 

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side by Deanne Davis

SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER

“The soft sound of rain…exquisite purple droplets,

The Jacaranda tree weeps wet purple kisses,

A welcome shower of love…royal messengers of Spring.” 

Jade Celeste

 The Jacarandas are blooming and they are fabulous. 
All over town there are purple clouds of blossoms and 
my arborist walking partner, John, and I are anticipating 
the moment when all the trees on our street are in lavish 
bloom. Yes, I know we then track the fallen ‘wet purple 
kisses’ in the house, but that’s a small detail when looking 
up at them is such a pleasure.

 I’ve just gotten back from Texas, friends and neighbors, 
where I spent ten days with family there, youngest daughter, 
Crissy, her husband and their two little girls, seven year old 
Jessie and four year old Emily. Emily is absolutely positive 
that unicorns are real and informed us, while I was mixing 
up pumpkin pancakes, that, “If you give a unicorn a 
pancake, he will eat the plate!” Visited Jessie’s school where 
she’s a First Grader, Wally W. Watkins Elementary, while 
we were there, and were so delighted with the sign we 
saw on the wall: “We are each unique and beautiful, but 
together we are a masterpiece.” Nice. 

 About pumpkin pancakes…we love them and have 
enjoyed them at CoCo’s, Mimi’s, Dish Restaurant, and 
every brand of mix available from Trader Joe’s, Cost Plus 
World Market, and wherever else I found it. I’ve tried so 
many recipes, but the bottom line has always been kind of “meh” 
“blah” “eh” or “What were you thinking!” But I had never come 
across the mix we had in Texas, which is Target’s house brand, 
Archer Farms Pumpkin Pancake Mix. It was great! Now I have to 
see if our local Target carries it, too.

 OK, back to being in Texas, where they tell you constantly they 
are in a drought, have been in a drought, and will always be in a 
drought. Now, being from here, we know what drought looks like, 
and it doesn’t look a thing like the Dallas area of Texas! While I was 
there, we had torrential rains, hail, tornado watches, flash flooding 
and more rain. Construction of housing developments is going on 
everywhere and I don’t see how they can build anything as all these 
fields, littered with earth-moving equipment, are giant morasses of 
mud! And it’s green there. Green like you can’t believe! There are 
ducks all over the place, floating in ponds and lakes…water, water, 
everywhere! The bluebonnets – Texas state flower – were blooming 
and folks were plowing through the mud to take pictures. That’s the 
kind of drought we need to have! They even flush their toilets!

 We had rain here last Saturday but not enough to make a dent in 
our dry, I’m afraid. It’s time to feed our citrus trees, time for you to 
feed yours, too…just saying…and I figured Tuesday morning that it 
would be easy as the ground would still be wet from Saturday’s rain. 
Heavy sigh…it wasn’t.

 The Art Fair is this weekend and we can’t wait to 
see all the beautiful things, new artists, new concepts 
and ideas that will be covering Memorial Park. We are 
crossing our fingers hoping that David Van Noppen, 
the glass blower, will be back. His Venetian-style 
glass sculptures of bowls, vases, vegetables, flowers, 
and hanging gardens took my breath away and I’ve 
been waiting all year to buy one of his gorgeous 
pumpkins. Featured artist, Frank Yee’s, Bonsais will 
be spectacular. There are special activities for kids, 
food trucks, live music. It’s 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on 
Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. As it 
will all benefit our own Sierra Madre Public Library, 
why not plan to buy your Mother’s Day present. You’ll 
see something wonderful there, guaranteed!

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “Tablespoon of Love, Tablespoon of Laughter” is 
available there… 

During the week of Sunday, April 19th, to Sunday, April 26th, the Sierra 
Madre Police Department responded to approximately 324 calls for 
service.

Monday, April 20th

At 2:52 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the station lobby to take a 
report regarding use of another person’s identity. The victim informed 
Officers that they received notification that $700 had been withdrawn 
from their bank account using their ATM information, even though the 
victim had possession of his ATM card at the time. The victim canceled 
the card and notified his bank. This case has been forwarded to the 
Detective Bureau.

Tuesday, April 21st

At 8:15 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the station lobby to take 
a report regarding the use of another person’s identity. The victim 
informed Officers that when he attempted to file his tax return online, 
he received notification that his request was rejected due to his personal 
information already being used to file a tax return for this year. The 
victim has no knowledge of who may have used his information. This 
case has been forwarded to the Detective Bureau. 

Saturday, April 25th

At 10:41 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the station lobby to take 
a report regarding a possible domestic dispute. Officers were informed 
by the victim that the day prior, she was hiking with her short-term 
boyfriend at a local trail when he started to rough house with her and 
pretend box her, and hit her several times on her shoulder. When the 
victim told the man to stop, he continued. The victim stated she felt 
threatened, and ultimately punched the man in the face in an effort to 
make him stop. She was then struck in the back by the man causing her 
to receive a significant bruise. Upset, the victim returned to her vehicle 
and the man followed. As she was driving away, the victim stated the 
man smashed her rear windshield with his hand. Upon interviewing 
the man, he stated the windshield was broken because his girlfriend 
had unintentionally backed up into him and he hit the windshield with 
his hand in an effort to make the vehicle stop and denied any physical 
altercation. Officers determined the man was the main aggressor of the 
altercation. The woman refused to pursue charges against the man, but 
requested he be required to replace the windshield. This case has been 
forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for filing and review. 

Sunday, April 26th

At 12:25 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the area of 300 East 
Laurel regarding a disturbance report. Upon arrival, Officers were 
met with the homeowner who claimed his spouse had broken into 
his home and threatened him. Officers observed the shattered glass 
doorway upon entering the home and located the spouse in the home’s 
bathroom. Officer were able to detain the spouse without any incident. 
Upon interviewing the homeowner, he informed Officers that he was 
married to his spouse but recently things had been getting bad. He 
obtained a restraining order against his wife, but several months later 
allowed her to move back in. When things started to get bad again, he 
served his spouse with divorce papers and things escalated over the 
next couple of days. He stated he heard pounding on his back door, and 
upon investigating he discovered his spouse throwing a brick through 
the door to gain access. An altercation ensued and when his spouse 
threatened him with a weapon, the homeowner called police. The 
spouse refused to be interviewed by Officers. The spouse was taken into 
custody and released to Pasadena Jail. This case has been forwarded to 
the Pasadena District Attorney’s Office. 

 


COMMUNITY YARD SALE

The City of Sierra Madre Senior Community Commission is hosting 
the 5th Annual Community Yard Sale on Saturday, June 6, 2015 
from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. located in the Sierra Vista Park (611 
E. Sierra Madre Blvd). Community organizations and members are 
invited to come together with their neighbors to participate in a 
community yard sale. The fee for a selling space is $30.00 and a yard 
sale permit does not need to be purchased; proceeds will benefit 
senior programs and activities. If you would like to participate in 
the Community Yard Sale, you must register in person at the City 
Hall, 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.. The Community Yard Sale will 
encompass the west parking lot and basketball court in Sierra Vista 
Park. The deadline to register is Thursday, May 28 or until spaces 
are filled. Spots are filled on a first come, first serve basis. For more 
information please call the Community Services Department at 
(626) 355-7135.

FIRECRACKER FUN RUN REGISTRATION STARTS MAY 4, 2015

The Spero Foundation will be hosting their fifth annual “Fire Cracker Fun Run” as part of the Sierra Madre Fourth of July Festivities. 
This is an “unofficial 5K event,” but a running clock is provided. We welcome runners and walkers of all ages. Walkers with strollers 
and dogs on leashes are encouraged to participate as this is a true community event!

The Firecracker Fun Run is held on Saturday, July 4, 2015. Check-in and registration is at Kersting Court from 7:00am-7:45am the 
morning of the race. The race begins at 8:00am.

Registration is available online at www.cityofsierramadre.com/onlineregistration and begins Monday, May 4, 2015. Prior to June 15th 
registration costs for adults are $21.00 and youth under 10 are $16.00. After June 15th the cost is $26.00 per entry regardless of age. If 
you pre-register online before June 15, you will be guaranteed a t-shirt. For registrations taken June 15 or after, race t-shirts are available 
until supplies run out.

All participants will receive a custom 2015 Firecracker Fun Run medal! Also as a new twist- this year there will be awards for the “Best-
Showing” of RED, WHITE & BLUE- so show your support for the Stars and Stripes. We highly encourage everyone to dress up and 
show their patriotism with the most creative outfit possible.

The Spero Foundation was formed in 2009 to raise awareness, bringing hope to people in need. In the last year the Foundation has 
donated over $28,000 to support local community programs and delivered over 50 food baskets during the holiday season to families 
in our own community. 100% of the proceeds from this event will support their Holiday Food Basket Program. Hope is not our wish…
it is our goal.

Register online: www.cityofsierramadre.com/onlineregistration 

Fourth of July Website: www.sierramadre4thofjuly.com

KNOW YOUR W’S:


NO 

WATERING

WEDNESDAYS 

& WEEKENDS

PLEASE CONSERVE 

REDUCE OUTDOOR WATERING

SIERRA MADRE WATER DEPARTMENT

PARADE 
REGISTRATION

 The Sierra Madre 4th of July 
Parade is an annual tradition 
that is an integral part of the 
Sierra Madre community! 
This hometown parade 
features community members, 
organizations, classic cars, a 
marching band, kids on their 
decorated bikes and so much 
more. Join us for the 2015 
parade on Saturday, July 4, 
from 10:00am – 12:00 pm. The 
parade route will begin at the 
corner of Sierra Madre Blvd. 
and Sunnyside Avenue, and 
will travel the length of Sierra 
Madre Blvd. to Sierra Vista 
Park.

 Parade participation is open 
to all; young, young-at-heart, 
and everything in between. 
There is NO FEE to participate 
in the parade this year thanks 
to a sponsorship from the 
The Kensington. If you are 
interested in participating in 
the 4th of July parade, please 
visit the 4th of July Website for 
online registration. 

https://sierramadre4thofjuly.
wordpress.com/parade/

 Parade registration opens 
Friday, May 1st and all 
applications must be submitted 
by Monday, June 1st. Due 
to staging concerns, no late 
entries will be accepted. Please 
make sure to fill out all fields 
and hit the submit button!

 For questions regarding parade 
registration please contact 
the 4th of July Committee 
at 4thofjulysierramadre@
gmail.com or the Community 
Services Department at 
626.355.7135


TURF REMOVAL REBATE PROGRAM

There is still funding for the 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.