Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, December 10, 2016

4

SOUTH PASADENA - SAN MARINO

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 10, 2016 

South Pasadena State 
of the City Address

Heightened State of 
Awareness on Transit 
System Gold Line

San Marino Crowel Library 
Rose Pruning Workshop

 
Ron Serven, (pictured) 
Environmental Services 
Manager/City Arborist for 
the City of San Marino, will 
conduct his 24nd annual 
rose pruning workshop on 
Saturday January 7 at the 
Crowell Public Library, 
and give even the most 
inexperienced gardeners 
the knowledge to promote 
healthy, beautiful rose 
blooming when spring 
comes around. Learn the 
techniques in one two-hour 
session and be ready to work 
in companionship with 
nature.

 A former City Parks 
Division Manager, Ron’s 
expertise with roses is still 
visible throughout the city, 
particularly at beautiful Lacy 
Park. Many rose lovers have 
benefited from and attended 
repeat performances 
of Ron’s workshop at 
Crowell Library. He will 
demonstrate optimum rose 
pruning techniques and 
answer questions from the 
audience, such as what to do 
in cold weather, or how to 
deal with irregular rainfall. 
Those who attend will be 
ready to go out into their 
own yards the very same day 
to get the job done. Rose 
pruning promotes healthy 
roses and abundant blooms 
in the spring. Increasing air 
circulation can help prevent 
disease. 

 Attendees will get a better 
sense of how Mother Nature 
works and will soon be 
spending some enjoyable 
time in their home gardens, 
armed with the knowledge 
to keep it thriving and 
beautiful.

 The workshop is free 
and runs 9:00-11:00 a.m., 
reservations are not required, 
questions, please call the 
library (626) 300-0777, 
extension 579. The library 
is located 1890 Huntington 
Drive, San Marino.

 

 Throughout the past 
year, South Pasadena City 
Council and staff prioritized 
environmental stewardship 
and governmental efficiency. 

 Mayor Diana Mahmud and 
the City of South Pasadena 
(City) invite residents and 
community members to 
consider the results of this 
focus at the 2016 State of the 
City Address on Wednesday, 
December 14, at 6:00 pm, 
in the Library Community 
Room, 1115 El Centro Street. 
You are invited to honor 
some of those contributions, 
as we reflect on the year that 
was.

 The program will include 
a presentation by Mayor 
Diana Mahmud, with a 
short reception to follow. 
Free parking for the event is 
available in both the South 
Pasadena Unified School 
District Office parking 
lot, 1020 El Centro Street, 
and the Meridian Mission 
Parking Garage, 805 South 
Meridian Avenue. Street 
parking around South 
Pasadena Public Library, 
1100 Oxley Street, is also 
available on a first-come, 
first-served basis.

 For more information on 
the 2016 State of the City 
Address, please contact 
the Management Services 
Department at (626) 
403-7210 or cmoffice@
southpasadenaca.gov.

 
All Los Angeles County 
Sheriff’s Department (LASD) 
personnel are maintaining a 
heightened state of situational 
awareness and remain vigilant 
after uncorroborated threats 
were made to the LA County 
mass transit system. The LASD 
is the contracted policing 
agency for LA Metro. 

 You will see an increased 
visible sheriff’s deputy 
presence. Metro passengers 
may have their bags checked. 
Our LASD K-9 detection 
teams are deployed, especially 
at transit stations. However, 
what you DON’T see is just 
as important as what you do 
see. We will have undercover 
operations underway as well. 
Special Weapons, Bomb Squad 
and Hazardous Materials 
Teams are forward-deployed. 
We have a team embedded with 
the regional Joint Terrorism 
Taskforce.

 The LASD’s Special Operations 
Division, Transit Policing 
Division, and concerned 
North Patrol Division stations 
are in direct contact with the 
LASD Criminal Intelligence 
Bureau in focusing on counter 
terrorism and enhanced public 
safety efforts. The Emergency 
Operations Bureau and 
Department Operations Center 
are also monitoring for any 
potential new information or 
developments.

 “Working with our law 
enforcement partners, the FBI 
has found no evidence that the 
threat made to the Los Angeles 
Metro Red Line [Monday] is 
credible. Based on significant 
similarities, law enforcement 
partners also believe the 
anonymous caller may have, on 
a previous occasion, reported 
threats that did not materialize. 
The Joint Terrorism Task 
Force (JTTF) will continue 
to investigate to determine 
the identity of the caller and 
will continue to evaluate 
information developed from 
investigative efforts.

 Any individual who 
knowingly provides false 
threat information to law 
enforcement, which can often 
result in a tactical response 
and the costly deployment 
of government resources, is 
subject to prosecution.

 The Los Angeles County 
Sheriff’s Department and Los 
Angeles Police Department 
remain on a heightened state 
of awareness with increased 
directed patrol deployments 
where deemed necessary. Both 
agencies report that they have 
not experienced any significant 
problems or disruptions on the 
Los Angeles transit systems.

 We continue to urge the 
public to remain vigilant and 
to report activity they consider 
to be suspicious to the FBI, or 
by dialing 911. In addition, the 
Los Angeles Police Department 
can be reached toll free at 
1-800-A-THREAT (1-800-284-
7328) or via the iWatch app at 
iWatchLA.org.

 Partner to prevent or report 
crime by contacting your local 
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s 
Department station or if you 
wish to remain Anonymous, call 
LA Crime Stoppers by dialing 
800-222-TIPS (8477), use your 
smartphone by downloading 
the “P3 Tips” mobile app for 
FREE or “P3 Mobile” for the 
hearing impaired, or using the 
websitelacrimestoppers.org.

 If You See Something, Say 
Something

Mayor Diana Mahmud

Covered California 
Representative will be 

at The Crowell Library

San Marino Snow Day is Jan. 14

 Bring your family for a day 
of fun in “Snow Marino!” 

 Fifty tons of snow will be 
delivered at Lacy Park 10 
am - 2 pm for sledding, 
throwing snowballs, and 
making snowmen. Parents 
are invited to watch their 
children play in the snow! 
Pre-sale Wristbands will be 
available starting December 
12 at the Recreation 
Department 

(open Monday-Thursday, 8 
am-5 pm) for ages 2 yrs. to 
adults for $7 each. On the day 
of the event, wristbands will 
be $9 each. Children 1 and 
under are free. Wristband 
sales are final.

 

 Representatives from Covered 
California will be at the Crowell 
library in San Marino this 
Sunday and December, 11 and 
18, January 8, 15, 22 and 29. 

 Californians who need health 
insurance will find new ways 
to shop for coverage and new 
ways to save in 2017 now that 
open enrollment has begun. 

 Most consumers will see a 
lower co pay for their primary 
care visits, and urgent care 
costs in every plan will be the 
same as the primary care visit, 
helping consumers save up to 
$55 per visit.

 Consumers in Silver, Gold 
and Platinum plans will pay a 
flat co pay for emergency room 
visits in 2017 without having 
to satisfy a deductible, which 
could help them save thousands 
of dollars.

 These improvements for 
2017 build on features already 
in place that help make care 
more affordable for Covered 
California enrollees. Most 
outpatient services in Silver, 
Gold and Platinum plans are 
not subject to a deductible, 
including primary care visits, 
specialist visits, lab tests, X-rays 
and imaging. Even consumers 
in Covered California’s most 
affordable Bronze plans are able 
to see their doctor or a specialist 
three times before the visits are 
subject to the deductible.

 “We know health care is 
expensive, so we took steps to 
make sure consumers who do 
buy coverage get the care they 
need without having to first 
meet their full deductible,” Lee 
said.

 For more information visit 
coveredca.com.

Crowell library is located 1890 
Huntington Drive.


Community 
Meeting on 
Urban Forest

 South Pasadena Beautiful 
is hosting a presentation 
Tuesday night regarding the 
City forestry, street lighting, 
traffic signals and median 
landscaping. The City is in 
the process of updating the 
Landscape and Lighting 
Maintenance District which 
funds the operation and 
maintenance of all these 
items. 

 South Pasadena is proud to 
be a part of Tree City USA, 
an Arbor Day Foundation 
program recognizing cities 
that support a healthy tree 
canopy. The benefits of a 
robust urban forest include 
cleaner air, improved storm 
water management, energy 
savings, increased property 
values, and commercial 
activity. Many of South 
Pasadena’s trees are in the 
later stages of their life 
cycle which requires more 
pruning, removal, and 
eventually replacement. 
While the maintenance cost 
has risen, the assessment 
rate has not changed since 
1996. 

 A South Pasadena 
Community Meeting is 
being held on Tuesday, 
December 13 at 6:30 pm 
in the Orange Grove Mid-
Level Meeting Room at 
Orange Grove Park located 
at 815 Mission Street. 
This meeting will provide 
information regarding the 
function of the District, 
as well as the proposed 
assessment updates. Please 
plan to attend to learn about 
the assessment update. 

 For more information call 
(626) 403-7200

Legislation Passed in 
House to End Clawback of 
National Guard Bonuses

 

 Last week, Rep. Adam Schiff 
(D-CA), the Ranking Member 
of the House Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence, 
released the following 
statement after a measure 
that included in the National 
Defense Authorization Act 
to permanently halt efforts to 
claw back reenlistment bonuses 
and benefits paid to California 
National Guard soldiers a 
decade ago was passed with 
broad bipartisan support in the 
House:

 “The bipartisan legislation we 
passed today should give Guard 
members the confidence they 
need that if they accepted a 
bonus in good faith, they won’t 
have to pay it back, and if they 
did so already, the soldiers will 
be repaid. It’s rare for a deeply 
divided Congress to move 
quickly on any issue, but with 
only a few weeks left in the 
year, we wanted to pass this 
legislation before the Holiday 
season. Even now that the 
bill has passed, we will keep a 
watchful eye on the Pentagon 
and if any further relief is 
necessary, we stand ready to act 
again.”

 This provision passed 
today mirrors legislation that 
the members of Congress 
introduced earlier in this 
month to require the Pentagon 
to suspend all collection efforts 
and establish a streamlined 
process to provide financial 
relief for affected service 
members. According to the 
Pentagon, almost 10,000 
members of the Army National 
Guard may have received 
improper benefits from 2004 to 
2010.

 The language in the NDAA 
prevents the Army from 
recouping those funds from 
any service members who 
unknowingly received them 
during that time period. It also 
requires the Army to reimburse 
any soldier who has already 
repaid the government, and to 
notify credit agencies that any 
debt previously reported was 
invalid.

 The bill would not cover 
National Guard members 
who engaged in fraud or 
misrepresentation. The Senate 
is expected to vote on the 
NDAA in the coming days.

San Marino Discussion of City 
Election Date Change

 

 The City Council discussion 
regarding Senate Bill 415 
“Voter Participation” and 
how it will change the City’s 
election date has been moved 
and will now take place at 
the meeting on December 
14, at 6:00 p.m. San Marino 
City Hall 2200 Huntington 
Drive.


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