Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 23, 2015

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Mountain View News Saturday, May 23, 2015 

SUSAN Henderson

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side by Deanne Davis


W.W.Y.D?

“With thunder rumbling and rain pouring down, Kentucky Derby 
winner, American Pharoah cruised to the lead early and easily won 
the Preakness Stakes on Saturday!” 

Richard Rosenblatt The Associated Press – May 17, 2015

 And who was onboard? Sierra Madre’s own Victor Espinoza! 
Congratulations, Victor! We’re all crossing our fingers for the 
Belmont Stakes on June 6th. Victor could be the first Triple Crown 
winning jockey since 1978. He’s the first jockey to have a third try 
at the Triple Crown, winning the Derby and Preakness with War 
Emblem in 2002 and again with California Chrome last year. “I hope 
the third one is the charm,” he said. We hope 
so, too, Victor!

 We were in Chico this past weekend 
to attend our granddaughter, Ashley’s, 
graduation from nursing school at Chico 
State University. She is an RN now and we are 
so proud. “Today Decides Tomorrow!” was 
proclaimed in huge letters above the heads 
of the over 2,000 graduates as they received 
their diplomas. The nursing school there is 
among the top ten in the Nation, which we 
certainly didn’t know. Came away with an 
amazing statement from the speaker, Lain I. 
Hensley, who is a Chico graduate, resident, 
met his wife there and is the head of Odyssey 
Teams, which develops philanthropic team-
building programs for large corporations. 
Here’s what he said, “Up to now, you’ve been 
having lessons and then taking a test. Now 
you’ll be in real life where you have the test 
and then the lesson comes, and if you don’t 
get the lesson the first time, you’ll have the 
test again and again till you do!” He also 
said, “I am in the presence of greatness!” 
Looking out at all those eager young faces, 
filled with hope and confidence, he was absolutely right.

 Pat Alcorn’s “Letter to the Editor” in last week’s Mountain Views 
News struck a familiar note with us. Pat was talking about the 
“proposal put forth at the May 12th City Council meeting to close 
the Community Services Department and in lieu of putting the issue 
of closing the library altogether with a ballot measure which is a 
State requirement, library services could be limited to two part-time 
employees with a severe cutback of library hours.” Pat went on to 
relate several experiences of Sierra Madreans who love the library, 
met many friends at the library, and mentioned Meg Waite Clayton, 
who has four best-selling novels with a fifth on the way, who decided 
to become an author after joining the summer reading program as 
an 11-year old, introduced to children’s classics by our librarians and 
discovered the joys of reading at our library. As Pat Alcorn said, 
“libraries change lives.” They really do!

 Our family, including 12-year old and 7-year old daughters and 
a 4-year old son, came to Sierra Madre in 1967. We knew nobody 
but soon met Fay Angus (another Sierra Madre author) who lived 
just below the house we rented. We found the library almost 
immediately, which, at that time, was open all day and evening. We 
met Mary Tumilty, who was a force of nature! Mary knew all about 
every book in there and was ready with 
suggestions about what to read next, what 
was new, what was exciting, authors I had 
never heard of, but tried at her suggestion. 
I’ve mentioned before that Mary arranged 
for our 12-year old Leah to take books (under 
Mary’s supervision) out of the adult section. 
Libraries have fallen upon hard times, I 
fear, now that all the world’s information is 
available on the internet and can be googled 
in seconds. But going to the library was such 
a wonderful thing to do. It was filled with 
friends who were reading newspapers from 
other places, children’s programs that were 
fabulous. There were high schoolers at all the 
tables working on papers, doing research on 
esoteric topics...and a little research on each 
other, too. A lot of dates were made at the 
library! We never missed the used book sales 
and came home with so many treasures. We 
need our library, dear friends and neighbors. 
We think a lot of you agree, too, as there are 
“Love My Library” signs all over town.

 Instead of thinking about closing or 
cutting back on our library, let’s all become a 
Friend of the Library and make it more successful and popular than 
ever. We’re Friends. You be one, too!

 Big weekend coming up! The Mt. Wilson Trail Race on Saturday 
with the Kids Fun Run starting at 7:45 a.m. Looking forward to all 
the Memorial Day celebrations, honoring our veterans on Monday. 
Go to everything! You’ll be glad you did.

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

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

What Would You Do?

 That is the $1 million dollar question 
in Sierra Madre these days. What would 
you do, or more specifically, what do you 
want our city leaders to do---for you?

 As most residents are well aware, or 
should be, the City of Sierra Madre is 
facing two major, critical crises right now. 
The first of course is water. We don’t have 
any, nor does the state and what we are 
currently relying on doesn’t meet our 
expectations. That’s not a problem that 
we can fix. Mother Nature will fix that 
problem, or not.

 The second problem is maintaining our 
idyllic village with all of its services and not enough money to pay 
for them. The problem is balancing the city’s budget while yet 
providing the kind of services expected of this toney village with a 
shortage of revenue that is rapidly diminishing. Our revenue will 
be short approximately -$700,000 for fiscal year 2015-2016, which 
begins July 1st, and will increase to approximately $1 million 
dollar deficit in the next fiscal year.

 Over the last few weeks, our elected officials and city manager 
have reached out to the community to ask residents what should be 
done. It’s simple, while the City of Sierra Madre is not bankrupt, 
we cannot fund our existing services with the funds available, so 
what should we do?

 Why? Well just in case you have been on vacation the last 
couple of years, voters in Sierra Madre voted down a measure that 
would have kept our Utility Users Tax at 10% (the current rate). 
Instead, they defeated the measure and our existing UUT begins 
declining on July 1st. Instead of receiving 10% in taxes, we will 
receive 8% and the following year 6% where it is scheduled to 
remain. Residents who pay the UUT, and that is everyone who 
pays a gas, water, electric, telephone and cable bill will pay a little 
less. Problem is, by so doing they, we will lose a lot.

 What’s at stake? Well the three largest expenses the city has 
out of the General Fund are the costs of Public Safety (Police, 
Fire and Paramedics) and the Sierra Madre Library. Other 
departments such as Public Works will also have to be cut and 
we will probably have to ‘contract out’ everything from the Police 
and Fire Departments to our fresh air in order to survive. I don’t 
know about you, but I do NOT want to loose any of the services we 
currently have AND I am willing to do whatever is necessary to 
make that happen. (Actually I want the level of services restored to 
where they were before the latest cost cutting measures.)

 The other day I noticed something that maybe an indication of 
where our town is going. Because of budget cuts, Public Works has 
been taking cost cutting measures to repair the city’s sidewalks. 
At first it was plugging uneven sidewalks with hideous looking 
asphalt, and then it was sanding the concrete down to make it 
level. Take a look at this picture and you can see what I mea

 It isn’t the discolored, although level sidewalk, it’s what is almost 
faded away. Prior to the ‘sanding’, there used to be an imprint that 
read, “City of Sierra Madre”. Look inside the box in the photo, 
it now reads ‘City of Sierra Madre’. Is that indicative of what is 
happening to our town? Are we letting it just fade away? (By the 
way, I don’t know any sidewalks in the most neglected parts of LA 
that look like this.)

 The answer to that question is in the hands of every resident, as 
the future of this town depends on what our city leaders do. And, 
our city leaders, who we elected, will do what the residents want, 
IF THE RESIDENTS SPEAK UP. 

 The question raised earlier is what would you do? And that’s 
what our leaders need to know. Do we contract out city services? 
Do we layoff more staff and reduce even further existing services? 
Do we live off our reserves while we find a solution? Is the solution 
more cuts or ways to increase revenue or both? 

 If this was your household and you found your income wasn’t 
sufficient, would you turn off your utilities, sell your car and quit 
eating or would you take a second job?

 In the case of Sierra Madre what to do is up to the citizenry. After 
all, we moved here because of the city’s character and services. 
Call the police, they are there - pronto! Same for our paramedics 
and firefighters. We have our own SAFE parks to enjoy and our 
own Library and much more. This is what we wanted when we 
moved here or it is why we stay if you were born here, so we need 
to figure out how to keep those services we value so much.

 Now is the time to take a good look at what is going on and let 
your voice be heard. It will make a difference. You don’t have to 
go to a council meeting. There are other ways to be heard. On 
May 28th the city has set up a webinar where you can learn more 
about our current budget crisis. On June 6th there will be a Town 
Hall meeting on the budget. You can also go to the city’s website, 
www.cityofsierramadre.com, and get more information. The 
information is there for you to see. The city’s financial records are 
certified every year by an outside auditor. Our city staff are honest, 
hardworking people with the utmost integrity. No one is hiding 
anything. Take a look and decide what you would do, what you 
want your city council to do and then, LET THEM KNOW! 

Email the countil members at:

John Capoccia, Mayor jcapoccia@cityofsierramadre.com 
Gene Goss, Mayor Pro Tem ggoss@cityofsierramadre.com

Rachelle Arizmendi,Member rarizmendi@cityofsierramadre.com

 Denise Delmar, Member ddelmar@cityofsierrmadre.com

John Harabedian, Member jharabedian@cityofsierramadre.com

 Oh, just in case you want to know, I do not want any further cuts 
to city services. I do not want our city employees worrying about 
their jobs (unless they stop doing them - smile). I do want to keep 
our Police, Fire, Paramedics and Library. I don’t want to contract 
out anything! And, I am willing to do what is necessary. I voted 
for sustaining the UUT at 10% and I will support that if it comes 
up again BECAUSE - I don’t want out of control development, I 
don’t want any large retailers or employers in town, and I don’t 
want to wait an hour for a police officer or sheriff to show up when 
I call about a burglar. (I have a personal story on that one.). All of 
the things mentioned above will increase our revenue levels but 
at what cost to our quality of life? It will also make Sierra Madre 
just like everywhere else. AND I DON’T WANT THAT. Do you?

 So to answer the question, What Would You Do? I would use 
reserves for a year up to $750,000 (we have about $6 million in 
reserves for the next disaster), and put the UUT back on the ballot 
in 2016. That’s what I would do. What about you?


Susan Henderson,

Publisher/Editor

Mountain Views News

SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER

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.

Sunday, May 10th through Sunday, May 17th 

During the week of Sunday, May 10th, to Sunday, May 17th, the 
Sierra Madre Police Department responded to approximately 300 
calls for service.

Monday, May 11th

 At 8:10 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the Sierra Madre 
Elementary school regarding a vandalism report. Upon arrival, 
Officers were informed that staff had discovered a broken window 
to one of the classrooms, damaged toy equipment, and graffiti. It 
was also discovered that one of the gates leading to the campus had 
been jammed open so that the gate would not lock. Officers noted 
a vandalism report was taken just within the last month pertaining 
the campus. This case has been forwarded to the Detective Bureau.

 

Thursday, May 14th 

At 11:09 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 600 block of 
Woodland Drive regarding a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, Officers 
were informed by the victim that the evening prior, she parked 
her vehicle in the parking lot of a market located on the 500 block 
of Woodland Dr. The victim stated to Officers she made sure to 
lock and secure her vehicle before leaving. Upon returning in 
the morning around 11, she discovered her vehicle was missing. 
The victim was in possession of both sets of keys and was current 
on her payment, and never gave anyone permission to drive her 
vehicle. The father of the victim informed Officers he had last 
seen the vehicle that morning at around 8 am. This case has been 
forwarded to the Detective Bureau. 

Sunday, May 17th 

At 6:56 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the corner of Sierra 
Madre Blvd and Sunnyside Ave regarding the theft of six storage 
boxes. Upon arrival Officers were informed by the victim that 
she was in the area presenting a youth academy class, and upon 
completing the class, her assistant moved the six storage boxes and 
placed them near the street next to the victim’s vehicle. The victim 
stated the storage boxes were left unattended for about 20 minutes, 
and when she came to her vehicle the boxes were missing. The 
boxes were described as being fabric covered with two blue, two 
purple, and two red boxes. The boxes contained equipment used to 
teach her class as well as several hundred dollars in cash collected 
that night from her class. Estimated loss was valued at over $900. 
This case has been forwarded to the Detective Bureau. 


SIERRA MADRE PUBLIC 
TRANSPORTATION CHANGES

 Changes to the Sierra Madre Dial-A-Ride and fixed route Gateway 
Coach services take effect June 1. 2015. Dial-A-Ride services in Sierra 
Madre will operate Monday through Friday from 8:00am – 10:30am 
and 2:00pm – 5:00pm. Dial-A-Ride services are available to Sierra 
Madre residents that are 62 years of age or older, or have a signed form 
by a physician attesting to a disability that hinders mobility. The cost 
of a one-way fare is $2.00. Dial-A-Ride travels up to 2 miles outside the 
City, however on Tuesdays one can travel as far east as Duarte’s City 
of Hope andon Thursdays one can travel as far west as Huntington 
Memorial Hospital. Dial-A-Ride users must submit an application 
prior to using the service for the first time.

 The Gateway Coach fixed route services operates Monday through 
Friday from 11:00am – 2:00pm. The Gateway Coach is free for anyone 
to use and does not require an application. The Gateway Coach stops 
at various points throughout the City including City parks, the library, 
City Hall, Senior Center, and schools. In addition the Gateway Coach 
stops in Hastings Ranch. 

 To download a copy of the Sierra Madre Public Transportation 
Map, please visit www.cityofsierramadre.com/transportation. For 
additional information contact 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,