Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 16, 2015

6

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 16, 2015 


Pasadena 
News Briefs

Dr. Eric Walsh 
Files Charges 
against 
Georgia 
Department 
of Health


New Rules 
Govern 
Council 
Meetings

MTA and ARTS Buses 
Collide

 A female Metropolitan 
Transportation Authority bus 
driver was hurt early Thursday 
morning during a crash with a 
Pasadena ARTS bus. 

 According to reports the 
MTA bus rear-ended an ARTS 
bus shortly before 7 a.m. at Fair 
Oaks Avenue and Washington. 
Pasadena Fire spokeswoman 
Lisa Derderian said the female 
driver was transported to a 
local hospital with moderate 
injuries. 

 No one else was reported 
injured and it was unclear if 
any other passengers were on 
the buses. 

Judge Orders Release 
of South Pasadena 
Teenagers

 Two teenagers arrested 
last month for an alleged plot 
to murder other students and 
staff at South Pasadena High 
School were ordered released 
by a judge Tuesday. The two, 
aged 17 and 16 have been in 
police custody since Aug. 18.

 The teens will remain under 
house arrest until their next 
court appearance Oct. 30.

 They were both charged 
with making criminal threats, 
conspiracy to commit murder 
and conspiracy to commit 
assault with a deadly weapon 
according to reports.

 The teens have denied all 
charges. They were arrested 
after a police investigation 
uncovered a failed mass school 
shooting plot. 

 Their names are being 
withheld because of their ages.

Pizzeria Opens in 
Historic Building 

 800 Degrees Neapolitan 
Pizza opened Friday at 2-8 
E Colorado Blvd a building 
designed in 1929 by John 
C. Austin, the architect 
responsible for the Griffith 
Observatory, Los Angeles 
City Hall and the Shrine 
Auditorium according to a 
news release.

 “Pasadena has been on 
our radar from day one,” 
800 Degrees founder chef 
Anthony Carron said in the 
statement. “It has such a great 
sense of community and we’re 
very excited to be in such a 
gorgeous, historic venue.”

 The dining area is registered 
on the National Registry of 
Historic Places.

By Dean Lee

 The city council voted 
unanimously Monday night to 
change the rules that govern 
their meetings including adding 
an official speaker card policy 
and modify the way items are 
placed on the agenda.

 “We added a speaker card policy 
that talks about speaker cards 
being received at a meeting, not 
ahead of a meeting, not a week 
in advance of a meeting but 
at the meeting no earlier than 
5:30 p.m. for a regular meeting 
or, any time after the start of a 
meeting up to the consideration 
of the item,” City Clerk Mark 
Jomsky said.

 According to the Brown Act, 
California’s open-meetings 
law, public speakers do not 
have to give their name, 
address, telephone number 
or association. The new rule 
does not say speaker cards are 
mandatory.

 Jomsky said speaker cards 
may be submitted to the City 
Clerk or Sergeant at Arms. He 
also said that public comment 
on matters not on the agenda is 
still limited to 20 minutes at the 
beginning of the meeting, but 
would continue, if necessary, 
after all other business of the 
meeting has concluded.

 Speaker comments are still 
limited to no more than 3 
minutes each.

 There were also a number of 
changes to the way an item may 
be placed on a future agenda 
including by a written request 
by any current city council 
member. 

 “If a councilmember is 
insistent,” councilmember 
Terry Tornek said. “[if a 
councilmember is dissatisfied] 
with an indeterminate length, 
let’s say, I want it now then it 
goes to [submitted to the city 
clerk or mayor].”

 Jomsky said after being 
submitted in writing the 
requested item for discussion 
would go on an agenda within 
45 days for a vote to be placed 
on a future agenda. 

 Councilmember Steve 
Madison said the new rule is 
more like a call to review; it does 
not place the merits of an item 
on the agenda, but the call for 
discussion.

 Other changes include that the 
mayor can directly place items 
on the agenda and that the city 
attorney is now involved in 
preparing the agenda. 

By Dean Lee

 Former Pasadena Heath 
Director Dr. Eric Walsh 
filed discrimination charges 
Tuesday against the Georgia 
Department of Health 
after the job offer to head 
the six-county state public 
health department was 
rescinded in May after public 
sermons given by him in 
Altadena, condemning gays 
and Muslims, surfaced on 
YouTube.

 “Terminating me for my 
beliefs was discriminatory, 
retaliatory, or both,” Walsh 
said in a letter to the Georgia 
Commission on Equal 
Opportunity. “My employer 
terminated me before my 
first day on the job. Thus, my 
employer would have been 
discriminating against me as 
a job applicant even if it had 
not yet hired me, by refusing 
to hire me due to my religious 
beliefs.”

 He went on to say, “My 
employer publicly announced 
my termination causing 
me to be blacklisted from 
employment in my field.”

 Walsh said two senior Georgia 
Department of Health officials 
unintentionally sent him a 
voicemail laughing as they 
discussed how to terminate 
him.

 “I’ll sign the letter and then 
scan it in and attach it and 
just, you know, let him know.” 
Said the department’s CFO 
Kate Pfirman in a transcript. 
“And I’m gonna be very -- I’m 
gonna try to come off as very 
cold, because I don’t want to 
say very much. --If I try to 
make it warm -- I’ve thought 
that through -- it’s gonna just 
not -- there’s no warm way to 
say it anyway.”

 The sermons, given by Walsh 
in Altadena, expressing his 
Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, 
surfaced after students were 
opposed to him being selected 
as a speaker at this year’s 
Commencement ceremony 
for Pasadena City College. 
Walsh ultimately designed, 
over the scandal, in May as the 
Director of Public Health for 
the City of Pasadena. 

 According to documents, 
he was hired by the Georgia 
Department of Health on May 
5 as the new District Health 
Director pending further 
background checks. Walsh 
said he was later fired by them 
on May, 16.

Dr. Eric Walsh

Glimmer of Hope for El Niño 
as Conditions Strengthen

Museum 
to Protect 
Collections 
from 
Earthquakes

 
The Institute of Museum 
and Library Services (IMLS) 
awarded $83,095 to USC 
Pacific Asia Museum (USC 
PAM). The museum will use 
the grant funds to upgrade the 
museum’s collections storage 
area officials announced last 
week.

 This is the fourth phase of a 
long-term project to protect 
the museum’s collection 
from the effects of seismic 
activity, expand collections 
storage capacity, improve 
collections storage conditions 
and increase accessibility. 
The museum’s collection is 
an essential resource to the 
community through the 
museum’s exhibitions and 
public programs. With this 
new funding the museum will 
be able to retrofit two sections 
of the museum’s onsite 
collections storage facilities 
for long-term care and 
stabilization of 1,065 objects.

 “Our grants are highly 
competitive.” said IMLS 
Director Susan H. Hildreth. 
“Receiving a grant from IMLS 
is significant achievement, and 
we congratulate USC Pacific 
Asia Museum for being among 
the 2014 IMLS museum 
grantees.”

 IMLS museum grants 
support a wide variety of 
projects that create learning 
experiences, strengthen 
community communities, care 
for collections and provide 
broad public access. 

 IMLS has supported 
the museum’s project to 
significantly improve the 
collections storage since 2009. 
In 2009-2011, the museum 
stabilized its collection of 
ceramics and other three-
dimensional works in its 
lower-level storage facility. 
In 2012-2014 the museum 
provided new seismic mounts 
for all three-dimensional 
works of art on display in the 
permanent collection galleries, 
securing freestanding cases 
against seismic activity and 
reinforcing glass shelving with 
Plexiglas.

 “This project will benefit the 
museum, its audiences and 
the field by providing optimal 
storage conditions to protect 
and preserve the museum’s 
significant historical, cultural 
and artistic legacy benefiting 
future generations,” said USC 
PAM Director Christina Yu 
Yu, PhD.

The image shows Kelvin waves of high sea level crossing the 
Pacific Ocean at the equator. The waves can be related to El Niño 
events. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Dallas Raines Recognized 
by LA County Supervisors

 
New images from the Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory released 
last week now show the 
possibility for a modest El Niño 
comeback that could bring 
much needed wet weather to 
the region. 

 According to local 
JPL scientists, including 
Climatologist Bill Patzert, the 
latest sea-level-height data from 
the NASA/European Ocean 
Surface Topography Mission 
(OSTM)/Jason-2 satellite 
mission show a pair of eastward-
moving waves of higher sea 
level, known as Kelvin waves, 
in the Pacific Ocean -- the third 
such pair of waves this year. 
Now crossing the central and 
eastern equatorial Pacific, these 
warm waves appear as the large 
area of higher-than-normal sea 
surface heights (warmer-than-
normal ocean temperatures) 
hugging the equator between 
120 degrees west and the 
International Dateline. The 
Kelvin waves are traveling 
eastward and should arrive off 
Ecuador in late September and 
early October.

 A series of larger atmospheric 
“west wind bursts” from 
February through May 2014 
triggered an earlier series of 
Kelvin waves that raised hopes 
of a significant El Niño event. 
Just as the warming of the 
eastern equatorial Pacific by 
these waves dissipated, damping 
expectations for an El Niño this 
year, these latest Kelvin waves 
have appeared, resuscitating 
hopes for a late arrival of the 
event.

 Patzert said it’s too early to 
know for sure, but he would not 
be surprised if the latest Kelvin 
waves are the “last hurrah” 
for this much-hoped-for El 
Niño. “Since February 2014, 
the prospect of an El Niño has 
waxed and waned. This late 
in the season, the best we can 
expect is a weak to moderate 
event. What comes next is not 
yet clear. But for the drought-
plagued American West, the 
possibility of a badly needed 
drenching is fading,” Patzert 
said.

 Scientists warn that 
unless these developing 
weak-to-modest El Niño 
conditions strengthen, the 
drought-stricken American 
West shouldn't expect any 
relief.


Pet of the 
Week


Supervisor Antonovich with Dallas Raines

 

 At the Board of Supervisors 
meeting Tuesday , Supervisor 
Michael D. Antonovich 
recognized KABC-7 
Meteorologist Dallas Raines 
for 30 years in television 
news.

 A resident of La Cañada/
Flintridge, Dallas is an award-
winning meteorologist who 
is certified by the American 
Meteorological Society. He 
is a graduate of Florida State 
University, where he studied 
broadcast journalism and 
earth science.

 Prior to joining KABC-
7 in 1984, he was in charge 
of CNN’s national weather 
center. Today, Dallas is 
the Chief Meteorologist 
at KABC-7 and can be 
seen weekday afternoons 
delivering the weather at 
4,5,6, and 11 pm.

Free October Events at 
Pasadena Senior Center

 Wally is a 10-year-old Shih 
Tzu. He enjoys attention, 
being held and treats. This 
older fellow would love to 
find a loving home.

 Wally’s adoption fee is 
$125, which includes his 
neuter surgery, a microchip, 
the first set of vaccinations, 
as well as a free follow-
up health check at a 
participating vet. He also 
qualifies for our “Seniors 
for Seniors” program in 
which his adoption fee is 
waived for eligible adopters 
60 years old and older. 
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 to ask about 
A364756, 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. 

 There is something for 
everyone in October at the 
Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. 
Holly St. You do not have to be a 
member to attend. Some events 
require advance reservations as 
noted.

- Caregiver Education and 
Support Group – Wednesdays, 
Oct. 1 and 15, from 1 to 2:30 
p.m. This twice-monthly group 
provides information, resources 
and emotional support for 
caregivers. The group meets the 
first and third Wednesday of 
every month.

- Exercises for Chronic Lower 
Back Pain – Thursday, Oct. 2, 
at 10 a.m. Chronic lower back 
pain affects many seniors and 
can cause serious impairment in 
daily functioning and activities. 
Learn how specific exercises 
can strengthen muscles to help 
seniors cope and avoid this 
common issue. Presented by 
Vincent Physical Therapy. 

- Friday Movie Matinees – 
Fridays, Oct. 3, 10 and 17, at 1 
p.m. Movies can take us to other 
places and times like nothing 
else. Oct. 3: “Seven” (1995, 
R) starring Brad Pitt, Morgan 
Freeman and Kevin Spacey. 
Oct, 10: “Mrs. Doubtfire” 
(1993, PG-13) starring Robin 
Williams and Sally Field. Oct. 
17: “Hairspray” (2007, PG) 
starring John Travolta, Queen 
Latifah and Nikki Blonsky.

- Intergenerational Garden 
Club at the Center – Oct. 3, 
7, 13, 15, 17 and 21, from 
9:30 to 11 a.m. Students from 
Westridge School for Girls will 
join volunteers to help maintain 
the grounds surrounding 
the Pasadena Senior Center, 
including the front entrance 
and the patio. A special project 
will be a small cactus garden 
in the patio area. To volunteer, 
call 626-675-6706 or email 
raulm@pasadenaseniorcenter.
org. Be sure to bring your own 
gardening tools and gloves.

- Cardmaking Workshop – 
Monday, Oct. 6, from noon 
to 2 p.m. Surprise a special 
someone with a personalized, 
handmade greeting card. 
Whether it’s happy birthday, 
thank you, thinking of you 
or any other sentiment, you’ll 
create a decorative card in your 
own unique style and have fun 
discovering your creativity 
while workshop leaders help 
you bring your ideas to life. All 
materials will be provided.

- Coin Collectors Workshop – 
Monday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. Coin 
expert Charles Leathem will 
evaluate coins and provide tips 
on the best ways to sell them 
and how to learn more about 
their history. The first 10 people 
who register at the Welcome 
Desk will receive free books 
about coins.

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 
crewmembers. 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.


Sherif’s to 
Partake in 
Chili Cook-Off

Class offerings days and nights weekly

Station Schedule 

Citizen Journalism Training

Wednesday Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 

Orientation & Tour

Wednesday Oct. 1 at 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Studio Camera & Floor Manager

Wednesday Oct. 1 at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Basic Editing - Session 1

Wednesday Oct. 1 at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Intro to Field Production

Thursday Oct. 2 at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

 Join Altadena Station 
personnel as we participate in 
this year “Fun in the Sun Chili 
Cook-Off”. The event will be 
held on Saturday, October 4th, 
2014 from 11am-4pm at 26983 
Tapia Canyon Road, Castaic, 
CA 91384. Come out, have 
a great time and get to know 
your local Sheriff’s Deputies. 
For more info on this event 
contact Deputy Michael Spina 
at mjspina@lasd.org.