SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016

VOLUME 10 NO. 5

CLEM AND NINA BARTOLAI 
CHOSEN AS SIERRA MADRE’S 
2015 CITIZENS OF THE YEAR 
Saturday, January 30, 2016 
The Sierra Madre Room 
611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
6:00 p.m. Happy Hour 
7:00 p.m. Dinner and Awards Ceremony 
Tickets: $30 per person/$275 per table of 10 
No Host Bar 
Tickets Available at The Bottle Shop/Bean Town and Savor The Flavor or 
Call the Chamber at 626-355-5111 
Photo courtesy Bill Coburn/Sierramadrenews.net 
“JUST TELL US THE TRUTH, WE’LL 
GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEED”

By Susan Henderson

 As word spread quickly regarding 
the city’s police shortage 
Sierra Madre residents began 
speaking up. Telephone 
calls, emails and Facebook 
posts seemed to carry a common 
thread. Having the story 
of the city’s police shortage discussed 
over the LA County airwaves 
was not a good idea. 

It was reported in last week’s 
Mountain Views News and 
other local papers and run on 
network television stations that 
there were not enough police 
officers employed by the city to 
patrol Sierra Madre 24/7.

“I was listening to one of the local 
TV stations and I heard that 
the city didn’t have police after 6 
pm and I was angry. I was angry 
because the news was now 
out there and every thief in the 
county will know that we are a 
sitting target.”, said one resident 
who asked us to withhold 
publishing her name. 

Another resident named Gary 
expressed his frustration because 
he feels as though city 
staff has not been honest in 
their dealings with the public. 
“Why wasn’t the seriousness 
brought to our attention 
before the whole world found 
out? We don’t want the Sheriff 
here, so we’ll give the city what 
they need but they have to start 
being more transparent. Just 
tell us the truth and we’ll give 
you what you need”, he said 
in a statement directed at city 
government. 

His comment struck a nerve 
with other residents who overheard 
him in Poppy Cake Bakery 
Wednesday morning and 
several joined in the conversation 
which quickly turned to 
Measure UUT that will be on 
the April Municipal Election 
ballot.

The measure asks voters to increase 
the current Utility Users 
tax to 10%. It is currently 
at 8% and scheduled to reduce 
to 6% on July 1st. If the measure 
fails, the city will not have 
sufficient funds to support its 
Police and Fire Services, leaving 
Sierra Madre no alternative 
other than to contract out 
to the Sheriff’s Department on 
a permanent basis. (No other 
agency has expressed an interest 
in entering into a contract 
with Sierra Madre.)

City Manager Elaine Aguilar 
acknowledged that the retirement 
of 3 officers at the end of 
2015 and losing several other 
officers to better paying and/or 
more secure jobs has become a 
problem.

“Chief Gianonne has been trying 
to recruit new officers from 
the academy but we are just not 
attracting new officers.”

Although Sierra Madre is currently 
one of the safest cities 
in California and officers who 
patrol the city are not faced 
with the same level of violence 
and dangerous situations as 
in larger, better paying cities, 
a big contributor to the reluctance 
of potential new hires 
is the uncertainty of whether 
or not the Sierra Madre Police 
Department will be dismantled 
and contracted out. News of the 
city’s possible new relationship 
with the Arcadia PD did not allay 
any of those fears noted another 
resident.

 At Tuesday’s council meeting, 
the subject of temporarily 
contracting out to the Arcadia 
PD for additional coverage was 
taken off the consent agenda 
because the City of Arcadia 
had not yet responded to Sierra 
Madre’s offer. The offer is to 
have Arcadia PD cover Sierra 
Madre during shifts when no 
SMPD are available.

 Whether or not the city will 
be able to maintain its independent 
police department will be 
dependent on what happens 
with Measure UUT in April. 
With every candidate unopposed, 
voter turnout, or the 
lack thereof will be critical.

 During the discussion in the 
local bakery, lifelong resident 
and businessman Joe Feeney is 
not a fan of increased taxes bu 
is absolutely against contracting 
out Police and Fire Services. 
“We can cut other things 
but not our Police and Fire 
Departments!” 

RESCUE LOG SIERRA MADRE 
SEARCH AND RESCUE


City of Sierra Madre

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

From: The City of Sierra Madre

Subject: SUMMARY ORDINANCE NO. 1375:

 MUNICIPAL CODE TEXT AMENDMENT 15-05 (MCTA 15-05) 

Applicant: City of Sierra Madre

Project Location: Properties in the City of Sierra Madre, County of Los Angeles, 
State of California

On January 26, 2016 the City Council of the City of Sierra Madre introduced for first reading Ordinance No. 
1375 amending Chapters 17.20 (“R-1 One Family Residential”) Section 17.20.053 (“Angle Plane”), Subsection 
17.20.050.A.2 (“Front Yard Setbacks Greater Than 25 Feet”), and adding Section 17.20.115 (“Flag Lots and 
Exclusive Access Easements Prohibited”); amending Chapter 17.48 (“Development Standards”) Section 
17.48.020 (“Height of Penthouses and Roof Structures”) and repealing Section 17.48.080 (“Modified Front 
Yard Cul-de-Sac”); amending Chapter 17.60 (“Variances and Conditional Use Permits”) Section 17.60.040 
(“Conditional Use Permits—Burden of Proof”), Section 17.60.041 (“Additional Burden of Proof for Permits 
for Certain Noted Projects”) and Subsection 17.60.055.B (“Public Notice”). The changes include revisions 
to the conditional use permit findings, minor conditional use permit noticing requirements, clarification of 
prevailing front yard setback requirements, specifying chimneys as a permitted encroachment into the angle 
plane setback requirement, establishment of a maximum allowable height for chimneys, elimination of flag 
lots and exclusive access easements on newly created or reconfigured lots, and elimination of the modified 
front yard setback for cul-de-sacs. The City Council will conduct a second reading of Ordinance 1375 at the 
February 9, 2016 City Council Meeting at 6:30 PM, in the City Council Chambers at 232 W. Sierra Madre 
Boulevard. 

This summary is published pursuant to Government Code Section 36933(c)(1) and a full and complete 
certified copy of the text of Ordinance 1371 is available at the Sierra Madre City Manager’s Office located at 
City of Sierra Madre City Hall, 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA. For further information on this 
subject, please contact the Planning and Community Preservation Department at (626) 355-7138.

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The project qualifies for an exemption from the California 
Environmental Quality Act review pursuant to Title 14, Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Code of 
Regulations as it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the adoption of this Ordinance may 
have a significant effect on the environment, because it will impose greater limitations on development in the 
City and protect the aesthetic character of Sierra Madre, thereby serving to reduce potential significant adverse 
environmental impacts. 

APPEAL: If in the future anyone wishes to challenge the decision of the City Council in court, one may 
be limited to raising the issues that were raised or presented in written correspondence delivered to the City 
Council at, or before, the scheduled public hearing. For further information on this subject, please contact the 
Planning and Community Preservation Department at (626) 355-7138.

2015 was a busy year for the 
Sierra Madre Search and 
Rescue (SMSR) Team. While 
December was a slow month 
with the Team responding to 
only three calls for assistance, 
the total count of operations 
for the year was 114. These calls 
allowed the Team to provide 
assistance to 164 individuals 
and 3 dogs lost or injured in the 
mountains. Over 3,890 hours 
of time were logged by Team 
members while on these calls. 

 In addition to actual search 
and rescue calls, Team 
members contributed over 
6,800 hours in support of the 
Team’s mission. This included 
19 public preventative search 
and rescue (PSAR) events 
where Team members 
discuss wilderness safety 
and preparedness with scout 
groups, schools, and other 
community groups. Members 
participated in just under 4,500 
hours of training covering a 
broad array of SAR disciplines 
necessary to maintain the 
high level of proficiency 
required to safely perform 
the Team’s mission. In total, 
Team members contributed 
over 10,700 hours of official 
time in support of the Team 
not counting unofficial 
time spent by individual 
Team members maintaining 
their readiness. The pace of 
operations has picked up in 
the first part of January with 
the Team responding to 4 
calls for assistance over the 
January 9-10 weekend alone. 

 The recent change in our 
weather has brought us the 
more typical winter conditions 
we haven’t seen for the past 
several years. Southern 
California has a very wide 
range of climate zones and it 
is not unusual for our local 
mountains to experience 
significant snow and rain as 
well as very low temperatures. 
There is no way you can pack 
for every contingency, but you 
should ensure that you are 
prepared for the conditions 
and are carrying and know 
how to use, key basic survival 
items including; a map, 
insulated/waterproof clothing, 
a headlamp or flashlight, 
communication or signaling 
device, sun/eye protection, 
first aid supplies, fire starter, 
food/water, emergency shelter, 
and a knife or multi-tool.

 Don’t forget to always let 
someone know where you 
are going and when you will 
be home. Do not push too 
hard and exceed your physical 
abilities or experience. The 
mountains will wait for you!

The Team extends our 
thanks to our partner 
emergency services agencies 
including; Sierra Madre Fire 
Department, Sierra Madre 
Police Department, LA County 
Fire Department, Los Angeles 
County Sheriff’s Department, 
the US Forest Service, and 
our fellow SAR teams. 

 Most importantly, we’d 
like to extend our sincere 
thanks to the residents of 
Sierra Madre and those that 
support the Team and enable 
us to help those in need. 

 For over 60 years the all-
volunteer Sierra Madre 
Search and Rescue team 
has been responding to 
calls for help in the local 
mountains and beyond. 
Funded entirely by private 
donations, SMSR provides a 
range of public programs on 
wilderness safety in addition 
to its search and rescue 
activities. The Team never 
charges for any of its services. 

 

 For more information, 
including how to arrange 
a wilderness safety 
demonstration for your school 
or group, visit www.smsr.org.

 

CALENDAR Pg. 2

SIERRA MADRE NEWS

 Pg. 3

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY Pg. 5

PASADENA/ALTADENA

 Pg. 6

ARCADIA NEWS Pg. 7 
MONROVIA/DUARTE Pg. 7

EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Pg. 8

BEST FRIENDS

 Pg. 9

HEALTHY & FOOD

 Pg. 10

THE GOOD LIFE

 Pg. 11

City of Sierra Madre

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

From: The City of Sierra Madre

Subject: Summary Ordinance No. 1371:

THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED MUNICIPAL CODE TEXT AMENDMENT 15-04, ESTABLISHING 
ORDINANCE 1371, AMENDING TITLE 17, CHAPTER 17.10 (MARIJUANA CULTIVATION AND 
MARIJUANA DISPENSARY) OF THE SIERRA MADRE MUNICIPAL CODE

Applicant: City of Sierra Madre

Project Location: Properties in the City of Sierra Madre, County of Los Angeles, State of California

On January 26, 2016, the City Council of the City of Sierra Madre introduced for second reading Ordinance 
1371 amending Chapter 17.10 of the Municipal Code, establish local control measures prohibiting the growing 
of live plants, cultivation, processing, testing, transporting, and distribution of marijuana as a business in 
all zones. The purpose of Municipal Code Text Amendment 15-04 is to further an objective of the City of 
Sierra Madre’s 2007 Ordinance No. 1266, prohibiting in all zones marijuana dispensaries which involves 
the distribution of drugs or other substances which is illegal to distribute or possess under federal law. The 
proposed Ordinance complies with the requirements of Assembly Bills 243 and 266, and Senate Bill 643, 
each containing key provisions of the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act.

The Ordinance was approved upon specified Health and Safety Code finding 11362.777(b)(3) and pursuant to 
Government Code Section 36937, and becomes effective on February 22, 2016. This summary is published 
pursuant to Government Code Section 36933(c)(1) and a full and complete certified copy of the text of 
Ordinance 1371 is available at the Sierra Madre City Manager’s Office located at City of Sierra Madre City 
Hall, 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA. For further information on this subject, please contact 
the Planning and Community Preservation Department at (626) 355-7138.

THE ARTS

 Pg. 12

BUSINES NEWS & TRENDS

 Pg. 13

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Pg. 14

OPINION

 Pg. 15

LEGAL NOTICES 
Pg. 17