Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 4, 2016

6

Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 4, 2016 

MAY: TIME TO REMEMBER AND 

HONOR OUR FALLEN HEROES

ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER

For the period of Sunday, May 22nd, through Saturday, 
May 28th, the Police Department responded to 1,013 calls 
for service of which 172 required formal investigations. 
The following is a summary report of the major incidents 
handled by the Department during this period.

Sunday, May 22:

At approximately 6:05 a.m., an officer responded to Si Hai 
Restaurant, 713 West Duarte Road, regarding a burglary 
report. An investigation revealed an unknown male 
suspect shattered the glass of the front door by unknown 
means, made entry to the business and stole money from 
the cash register. The investigation is ongoing.

 Around 2:38 p.m., an officer responded to Walgreens, 
140 East Live Oak Avenue, regarding the report of a 
robbery. An investigation revealed a male suspect placed 
$177 worth of baby formula in a shopping basket and 
exited the store without paying. When confronted by a 
store employee, the suspect yelled to a female suspect in 
a vehicle “get the gun”. The suspects fled the scene. The 
investigation is ongoing.

 Suspect 1 is described as a black male, 20 to 30-years-
old, approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall with a thin build. 
Suspect 2 is described as a black female approximately 
25-years-old. The suspect vehicle is described as an older 
model green four-door sedan.

Monday, May 23:

At approximately 6:59 a.m., an officer was dispatched to 
the 76 Gas Station, 701 West Huntington Drive, regarding 
a burglary report. An investigation revealed an unknown 
suspect(s) pried open a storage shed located on the 
property and stole several chainsaws worth $3,800. No 
suspects were seen and no witnesses were located.

 At about 8:53 p.m., officers received a license plate reader 
notification of a stolen vehicle in the area of Huntington 
Drive and Fifth Avenue. Officers located the vehicle and 
conducted a traffic stop. The driver was contacted and an 
investigation revealed he also had an outstanding warrant 
for his arrest. The 56-year-old male from Los Angeles and 
his 54-year-old female passenger from West Hollywood 
were both arrested and transported to the Arcadia City 
Jail for booking.

 At approximately 10:30 p.m., an officer responded 
to Westfield Santa Anita, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, 
regarding a vehicle burglary report. An investigation 
revealed, the victim returned to her car to find that the 
driver side door lock had been punched and the in-dash 
stereo had been stolen. No suspects were seen and no 
witnesses were located. The investigation is ongoing.

Wednesday, May 25:

6. At approximately 4:19 a.m., an officer initiated a 
consensual contact with a subject walking eastbound on 
the 400 block of Santa Clara Avenue. An investigation 
revealed the suspect was in possession of a dagger he had 
concealed in his waistband. The 28-year-old male from 
Monrovia was arrested and transported to the Arcadia 
City Jail for booking.

 

7. Just after 2:33 p.m., an officer responded to Burlington 
Coat Factory, 1201 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding a 
petty theft report. A loss prevention specialist witnessed 
the suspect conceal numerous items in his backpack before 
exiting the store, failing to make payment. The 46-year-
old male from Pasadena was located in a nearby parking 
garage with the stolen merchandise. He was arrested and 
transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

8. At approximately 9:34 p.m., an officer was dispatched to 
CVS Pharmacy, 1401 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding a 
theft report. An investigation revealed a suspect distracted 
a pharmacist by asking for a consultation while a second 
suspect jumped over the counter and placed several bottles 
of prescription medication in a bag. Both suspects fled 
through an emergency exit. The investigation is ongoing.

 Suspect 1 is described as a male adult approximately 
25-years-old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 130 pounds. Suspect 
2 is described as a male adult approximately 25-years-old, 
5 feet 7 inches tall and 160 pounds. 

Thursday, May 26: 

9. Just after 12:04 p.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop 
on a vehicle near the intersection of Camino Real Avenue 
and Eighth Avenue for missing a rear license plate. Upon 
contacting the driver, the officer discovered the 24-year-
old male from El Monte was in possession of a large 
amount of methamphetamine and stolen mail. He and 
his 25-year-old female passenger, also from El Monte, 
were arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for 
booking.

Friday, May 27:

10. At approximately 1:51 a.m., an officer conducted a 
traffic stop on a vehicle near the intersection of Santa Anita 
Avenue and Huntington Drive for an equipment violation. 
Upon contacting the driver, the officer detected the smell 
of marijuana. An investigation revealed the driver was 
in possession of a large amount of marijuana along with 
methamphetamine and a meth pipe. The 26-year-old 
male from Arcadia was arrested and transported to the 
Arcadia City Jail for booking.

11. At about 3:53a.m., officers responded to Arcadia 
Methodist Hospital, 300 West Huntington Drive, 
regarding a subject who refused to leave. The officers 
contacted the subject and asked him to leave. The subject 
repeatedly refused. When officers attempted to detain the 
subject for trespassing, he willfully and forcefully resisted. 
The 22-year-old male from Duarte was ultimately arrested 
and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 

12. At around 6:41 p.m., an officer responded to the 1400 
block of Lovell Avenue regarding a residential burglary. 
An investigation revealed an unknown suspect(s) gained 
entry into the residence through an unlocked window. 
The residence was ransacked and the victim’s dog, a 
medium black and white Akita/American Eskimo mixed 
breed, was missing. The investigation is ongoing. 

Saturday, May 28:

13. At about 11:03 a.m., officers received a license plate 
reader notification of a stolen vehicle in the area of 
Huntington Drive and Fifth Avenue. Officers located 
the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The driver was 
contacted and an investigation revealed he was also 
driving with a suspended license. His passenger had two 
outstanding warrants for her arrest. The 30-year-old 
male from El Monte and the 40-year-old female from 
Los Angeles were both arrested and transported to the 
Arcadia City Jail for booking.

 

14. Just after 3:56 p.m., an officer responded to AT&T 
Wireless, 425 North Santa Anita Avenue, regarding a 
grand theft report. An investigation revealed the suspect 
entered the store and looked around. He then took two 
Apple iPads from a display case and ran out of the store 
failing to make payment. He entered an awaiting vehicle 
and fled the scene. The investigation is ongoing. The 
suspect is described as a male, 21 to 25-years-old, 5 feet 10 
inches tall and heavy set. The suspect vehicle is described 
as a newer model black sedan.


By Joan Schmidt

May is one of my favorite 
months. Singing birds 
awake us in the morning; 
new blooming flowers, mild 
weather and more daylight. 
But the main reason is May 
recognizes our fallen heroes 
who protect us.

 Peace officers are honored 
first. On May 18th at the Los 
Angeles County Sheriff’s 
Star Center in Whittier, 
the following names were 
added to the Memorial 
Wall: Downey Police Officer 
Ricardo “Ricky” Galvez, 
EOW: 8 Nov 2015; LAPD Officer Ralph Miover, 
EOW: 11 Apr 1925; Monterey Park PD Officer 
William Guidera, EOW: 9 Sep 1927; LASD Deputy 
Otto Ellinger, EOW: 8 Dec 1934; LAPD Lt. Arthur 
Bethel, EOW: 13 Jul 1941; LASD Sgt. Thomas Fonte, 
2 Oct 1990.

 Monday we celebrated Memorial Day, which 
began as “Decoration Day”; families went to 
cemeteries and placed flowers on loved ones’ graves. 
Can you believe TWENTY-FOUR communities 
nationwide claim to be the birthplace of the first 
Memorial Day celebration? Officially President 
Lyndon Johnson on behalf of the United States 
Government sanctioned Waterloo, New York as the 
“official” birthplace because of their observance in 
May 1866. (On line, visit “Memorial Day Origen” 
and you will find 23 other early observances!)

 We attended four special events in conjunction 
with Memorial Day. Saturday Supervisor 
Antonovich held his 19th Annual Veterans Fair 
at Arcadia County Park. 150+ exhibits provided 
services (free haircuts, manicures, health screenings) 
and information for Veterans; also live music, food 
vendors, children’s area, and Wall of Remembrance. 
Retired Brigadier General Ruth Wong was there 
and MC was Channel 4’s Fritz Coleman. Other 
highlights were the Lutheran HS ROTC Color 
Guard; an outstanding Army Band, and recognition 
of Veterans Gene Glasco, Irving Montenegro and 
Nate Brogan.

 Later in the day was the Unveiling and Dedication 
of the Arcadia Viet Nam Monument at Arcadia 
County Park. First I must THANK Navy Veteran 
and Arcadia City Clerk Gene Glasco for his vision 
of a monument for the fourteen Arcadians who lost 
their lives in Nam. About a year ago, he mentioned 
this to Supervisor Antonovich who thought it 
was a wonderful idea and Arcadia County Park 
was the perfect site. There were SO MANY kind 
donors who helped this happen. At the ceremony, 
both Gene and Congresswomen Chu mentioned 

continued on page 8

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE DAY CAMP 

AND SPORTS CAMP!

The Recreation and Community Services Department 
offers the Outdoor Adventure Day Camp at Wilderness 
Park with 8 weeks starting June 20 to August 12. There 
is still availability for all weeks of day camp. Each camp 
features a variety of fun summer activities for youth ages 
5-12. 

 The Sports Camp is held at Dana Gym, 1401 S. First 
Avenue, Arcadia and offers three weeks starting July 25 to 
August 12. Weeks one and three are for youth ages 5-10 
and week two is for youth ages 11-15. This camp utilizes 
the school’s athletic facilities and features a variety of 
fun sports activities for youth including swimming, flag 
football, basketball, softball, soccer, volleyball and other 
fun group games. Each week there are two excursions and 
two swim days. 

 Both day and sports camps are $112 per week. To get a 
copy of the summer “Buzz” stop by our office, 375 Campus 
Drive; Arcadia City Hall, 240 W. Huntington Drive; or the 
Arcadia Public Library, 20 W. Duarte Road. To register 
in person come by our office or you can go to the city’s 
website at www.arcadiaCA.gov under the Recreation 
and Community Services Department to download a 
copy. The “Buzz” also displays programs and classes for 
the 2016 summer season in our new, more user-friendly 
format for you and your family. Do you want to know what 
the “Buzz” is about in Arcadia? Pick up the latest copy 
of “The Peacock Buzz” to find out! For more questions, 
please contact the Recreation Department at 626.574.5113.

About the City of Arcadia

Nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, 
Arcadia is an 11.38 square mile community with a 
population of just over 56,000. Located approximately 20 
miles east of downtown Los Angeles, Arcadia is known 
for combining small-town charm with the conveniences 
and amenities of a mid-size city. Arcadia is a full-service 
charter city governed by a five-member City Council, 
elected at large. Recognized for exceptional education and 
recreation opportunities and beautiful neighborhoods, 
Arcadia is also defined as the “Community of Homes” and 
has twice been designated the “Best City in California in 
which to Raise Kids” by Business Week Magazine.


WELLFIELD WATER 
TREATMENT FACILITY 
EXPERIENCED AN 
ELECTRICAL FAILURE 
LAST WEEK RESULTING 
IN A WATER SYSTEM 
MALFUNCTION

Last week, the City experienced an electrical 
failure at our Wellfield located at 2655 South 
Myrtle Avenue. We had received reports of 
water running into the street at the location, and 
when our staff arrived on scene, we found that 
our Water Treatment Towers 3 and 4 had gone 
into an electrical shutdown, which left water 
overflowing out of the facility.

 Our staff, including Water Production 
Manager Paul Zampiello, and Water Production 
Operator Alonzo Alatorre, responded to the 
scene and immediately took control of the 
situation. After turning off the pumps and 
stabilizing the overall operations, our team 
troubleshot the issue and eventually determined 
that the system backup battery unit experienced 
a failure. We are conducting additional research 
to determine how to prevent the situation from 
happening again in the short term, and on a 
longer term basis, we are certainly looking 
forward to upgrading the overall electrical 
system at the Wellfield as part of the Monrovia 
Renewal project! Kudos and thanks going out 
to our water production team for their expert 
handling of this difficult situation!

 

EWMP GROUP MET THIS 
PAST WEEK TO DISCUSS 
FORMATION OF A JOINT 
POWERS AUTHORITY, NEXT 
STEPS AGREED UPON

Last week, Monrovia hosted a meeting which 
was attended by the city manager’s from each 
of cities included in our Enhanced Watershed 
Management Plan (EWMP), along with 
representatives from Los Angeles County. 
At the meeting, we presented an overview 
presentation of the options available as it relates 
to the possibility of forming a joint powers 
authority (JPA) to coordinate the execution of 
certain EWMP projects, along with ongoing 
maintenance related activities.

 It is important to note that as part of our 
ongoing efforts to address the MS4 Permit 
requirements outlined in our EWMP document, 
we are continuing to advocate for policy change 
to ease the financial burden of complying with 
the currently mandated regulations. However, 
we are simultaneously working on developing 
and executing affordable and cost-effective MS4 
Permit compliance related activities, one of 
which we have identified as forming a JPA for our 
EWMP group. There is no financial obligation 
associated with forming the JPA, and forming 
such an entity would create the mechanism 
through which large-scale regional storm water 
capital projects could be built and maintained on 
an ongoing basis, once we have determined what 
exactly it is that we will be required to construct.

 For additional information regarding issues 
surrounding storm water regulations, please visit 
the City’s website at: http://www.cityofmonrovia.
org/publicworks/page/stormwater-management

 

CITY WORKING WITH 
THE MAIN SAN GABRIEL 
BASIN WATERMASTER 
TO DEVELOP UPDATED 
WATER CONSERVATION 
TARGETS PURSUANT 
TO THE GOVERNOR’S 
NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER 
REGARDING WATER 
CONSERVATION

Last week, staff engaged in discussion with the 
Main San Gabriel Watermaster (Watermaster) 
regarding the process through which we would 
be developing updated water conservation 
targets pursuant to the Governor’s recently 
issued executive order. Given the process as 
outlined in the attached fact sheet issued by the 
State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), 
the City, along with all of the other jurisdictions 
governed by the Watermaster, are working 
to develop a consistent and unified response 
from the Main Basin. To that end, we will be 
working closely with the Watermaster to develop 
a realistic self-certification for our ongoing water 
conservation levels.

 Based on the discussions that have occurred 
to date, we anticipate that the self-certification 
analysis should be completed by mid-June 2016, 
and we will of course keep everyone informed as 
to our progress moving forward.

DUARTE USD YEARS OF SERVICE & 

RETIREMENT RECOGNITION 2016

(Duarte, CA) – Duarte Unified School 
District honored staff at the annual Years 
of Service and Retirement Recognition 
Reception held on May 24, 2016. 

 Among the retirees were Deputy 
Superintendent, Miriam de la Flor-Fox, 
Assistant Superintendent of Educational 
Services, Kaye Ekstrand, and Maintenance, 
Operations and Transportation Director, 
Ermias Bitow.

 It was December 28, 1979 when Miriam 
was first hired in Duarte USD as a substitute 
teacher while she was earning her teaching 
credential. During her 36 year career in the 
district, Miriam was a classroom teacher, 
outreach consultant, site-based coordinator 
and principal at Beardslee, Royal Oaks and 
Northview. In 2010, she became the Director 
of Personnel. She quickly rose to the position 
of Assistant Superintendent and then Deputy 
Superintendent. She lives in Duarte and 
will continue to be an active member of the 
community. 

 “Miriam has profoundly influenced policy, 
practices, and of course contract language, 
I will remember her as a class act,” said 
Superintendent Allan Mucerino.

 Miriam has received numerous 
commendations over the years, and she 
is highly regarded as a strong leader who 
demonstrated diligence, humility and love.

 Kaye Ekstrand came to Duarte USD in 
2009 as the Director of Child Development 
after a successful career as an early 
elementary teacher and principal in Walnut 
Valley. “Kaye proved to be a sincere, honest 
and gifted educator who has always led by 
putting children first,” said Superintendent 
Mucerino.

 Kaye’s retirement plans include teaching at 
the university level and spending time with 
her grandchildren. 

 Ermias Bitow joined the Duarte USD 
family in 1978 as a school bus driver. During 
his 38 years with Duarte Unified, Ermias 
has managed the Performing Arts Center, 
delivered the district mail, served as the 
district’s safety coordinator, managed the 
custodial staff, and seen to the smooth 
operation of our schools. 

 “Ermias is the epitome of a team player. He 
works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure 
the success of the organization. We’ve come 
to rely on his hard work, loyalty and good 
judgment,” said Chief Facilities Officer Brad 
Patterson.

 Congratulations were also offered to the 
following employees for their dedicated 
service to our district:

 

Classified Honorees:

10 Years

Brenda Gonzalez, Constance Jole, Sharon 
Khaladjzadeh, Amrtha Salibian, Paul 
Verbiscar, Zoe Chapjian, Lupe Mendoza, 
Asmik Yaghjian, Steve Lucero & Ken 
Vongphaseng

15 Years 

Leila Guiragossian, Olga Gamboa, Jesus 
Pinones, Joanne Roswell & Nina Thompson

20 Years 

Luz Sanchez, John Camarena, Elizabeth 
Chaidez & Javier Gil

25 Years 

Martha Lopez, Kim Clark, Miriam 
Hernandez & Ginny Jones

30 Years

Sharon wade, Blanca Zalamea & Carleen 
Bretz

Certificated Honorees: 

10 Years

Jennifer Hopson, Tanja Bughman, Garry 
Prado, John Opara, John Albright, Joel 
Jimenez, Swadha Sharma, Irene Sunabe, 
Margaret Beauvais, Stephanie Minardi & 
Vishal Velusamy

15 Years

Eugen Teran, Abigail Cano, Jennifer 
O’Donnell, Analen Sykeh, Carrie Chiu, 
Rasheedah Gates, Lori Hansen-Keita & Ruth 
Kidd

20 Years

Balbir Thind, Laura Thomas, Louise Bayer, 
Jesus Gil, Katherine Logsdon, Terri Mesko, 
Marge Bloom & Eric Jenkins

Retirement Recognition:

 Classified: Janis Allen, Ermias Bitow, 
Marilyn Bradley, Carleen Bretz, Elizabeth 
Chaidez, Dolores Gonzalez & Laura Marzluft

 Certificated: Janet Edberg, Kaye Ekstrand 
& Miriam de la Flor-Fox