HAZARDOUS WEATHER ADVISORY PAGE B1


SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2016

VOLUME 10 NO. 25


SIERRA MADRE - CALIFORNIA’S 9TH SAFEST CITY

 One thing that all Sierra Madre residents 
boast about is the quality of life of this foothill 
village. A major contributing factor is the city 
safe environment for children, families, and the 
elderly. Residents work hard to maintain those 
characteristics, and this week the city as granted 
an honor which all can be proud of, especially 
the city’s Police and Fire Departments. 
Sierra Madre has been named California’s 9th 
safest city, up from No. 24 on the last list. 
According to Safewise, ”..all of the cities on the 
list have more than 11,000 residents. Over 50 
percent of California’s safest cities had fewer 
than 20 violent crimes during the FBI’s most 
recent reporting period, and 17 of the 20 cities 
reported zero incidents of murder. In 75 percent 
of these cities, the chance of falling victim to a 
violent crime is less than one in 1,000. With half 
of our cities making their second appearance on 
the list, safety is more than a priority — it’s a 
way of life....”. 

To identify the 10 safest cities in California, 
Safewise reviewed the most recent FBI Crime 
Report statistics from 2014, along with 
population data. Here are the 2016 Top Ten Safe 
Cities in California:

1. Imperial Previous rank: 2

2. Rancho Santa Margarita Previous rank: 3

3. Aliso Viejo Previous rank: 4

4. Laguna Woods Previous rank: 6

5. Moorpark Previous rank: 23

6. Hillsborough Previous rank: 1

7. Palos Verdes Estates Previous rank: 15

8. Moraga Previous rank: 8

9. Sierra Madre Previous rank: 24

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.17 

Property Crimes per 1,000: 8.30 


10. Mission Viejo Previous rank: 14 


To see the complete list, go to: http://www.safewise.
com/blog/safest-cities-california-2016/


A LOCAL TREASURE: DAVID “D. LESTER” WILLIAMS 

By Donna Packer 

On Tuesday night, Sierra Madre Mayor Gene Goss 
presented Creative Arts Group long-time family 
member, David Williams, with a City of Sierra 
Madre Certificate of Recognition for his generous 
contributions to our community. 

 “David Williams.” Think you don’t know him? If 
you are a resident of Sierra Madre you have almost 
certainly benefitted from this renaissance man. A 
renowned artist, his metal sculptures are displayed 
prominently throughout area public spaces as well as 
Sierra Madre - the fisherman sculpture at City Hall and 
the brightly colored abstract sculpture, “Pachinko” 
in front of Creative Arts Group. A passionate 
promoter of the arts in our foothill village, Williams’ 
accomplishments speak louder than any words. 

 An avid supporter of the non-profit art center, 
Creative Arts Group, Williams came to that 
organization more than 40 years ago, initially as an 
artist and instructor in art welding and later as an 
ImaginArt instructor. This multi-talented artist and 
jack-of-all-trades has worked tirelessly to keep this 
community art center open, doing upkeep and making 
repairs large and small, from upgrading the facility’s 
roof to filling paper towel dispensers. Lighting shows 
and festival events, keeping kilns working, maintaining 
and replacing the sump pump and drains, renovating 
the facility kitchen, constructing cubbies for student 
work and maintaining sprinklers are just a few of the 
too numerous to list projects he does. He anticipates 
potential issues and addresses them before they become 
problems. He is a master of creative solutions – turning 
stained glass panels into office doors, a utilitarian wall 
into a tribute to past and present donors, and building 
light poles with pulley systems for hanging banners. 
He does all of this and so much more on his own time, 
weekdays and weekends, and late into the evening, 
never asking or expecting compensation. He is always 
ready to do whatever he can to assist artists with their 
displays, help the teachers with whatever they need and 
keep everything in the office in good working order. 
It is his dedication that makes classes run smoothly 
and has kept the doors open at Creative Arts Group 
continuously for 50+ years. In addition to maintaining 
the facility, Williams works with and mentors youth 
such as the boy scouts and others who have done 
projects and community service at the art center. 

 If you or your child has ever taken a class at Creative 
Arts Group, engaged in a free art project in the park, 
participated in a free art project tied to the social 
science curriculum at Sierra Madre Elementary School, 
shopped at the CAG gallery or the annual art festival, 
attended an artist reception or show, built a scarecrow 
or simply enjoyed the creativity of your neighbors, you 
have benefitted from the passion, the goodwill and 
community spirit of this unassuming and talented 
man, working behind the scenes without fanfare or 
accolades. Truly a treasure of Sierra Madre. 

1939 SIERRA MADRE PAINTING IS COMING UP 
FOR SALE - YOUR HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Here’s a one-of-a-kind find for those of us who 
love Sierra Madre and its history – a large original 
1939 watercolor depicting Lizzie’s Trail Inn and the 
Richardson House (see the attached photo) – which 
has a wonderful story behind it. The late 1930s were 
still hard times in the U.S., and the artist, Jere Dreier, 
exchanged this painting for a chicken & ravioli 
dinner! Four years earlier Lizzie herself had fallen 
into ill health, and had sold the business to Thelma 
and Robert Orme, the aunt and uncle of Maurice 
Orme. Elsie, Maurice’s 
mother, who had worked 
for Lizzie, took over 
running the restaurant. 
We very recently lost 
our beloved Maurice, 
who was a fixture at our 
museums on Saturdays, 
telling visitors about his 
memories of living in 
the Richardson House 
and wielding a broom at 
Lizzie’s. We will tell you 
more about Maurice in 
our upcoming summer 
newsletter.

 This painting, which was 
Maurice’s pride and joy, has been kindly donated by 
Maurice’s family and will be offered for sale at the 
silent auction at our upcoming Annual Chicken & 
Ravioli Dinner event June 25th. The details about 
that event and where to purchase tickets are below. 

 We will be offering other items of historical 
interest at the silent auction:

 A 1922 fountain pen with a 14K solid gold nib. 
This discovery was from the stock of a pen shop that 
went out of business many decades ago, and it was 
never sold. This pen was donated by internationally-
known antique pen expert and collector Fred Krinke, 
who owns the Fountain Pen Shop in Monrovia. You 
may have seen him on the Huell Howser show. Fred, 
who grew up in Sierra Madre, and whose family 
even has a little street in town named after them, 
has completely serviced it, and installed a brand-
new ink bladder, so it’s as pristine as the day it was 
manufactured. Its market value is $120.

 A commemorative plate, which was not for sale in 
the U.S., from the Danish pottery Bing & Grøndahl. 
If that name doesn’t ring a bell, you will definitely 
recognize their distinctive style when you see it. 
Their blue-on-white work is the darling of collectors. 
This one depicts the torch of the 1984 Los Angeles 
Olympics with distinctive L.A. buildings, including 
City Hall, in the background.

 A very large signed art 
poster by esteemed artist 
Charles Bragg. This poster 
is valued at $150 online, 
and its rich colors would 
make it the focal point of 
any room.

 We will also be offering 
several Waterford crystal 
items and even one 
Baccarat piece.

 And lots more! Funds 
from the silent auction 
will go towards our 
programs and projects and 
our museums. 

Here are the details:

 

 Lizzie’s Tail Inn Famous Chicken & Ravioli 
Dinner and Annual Meeting

The museums will be open!

Saturday, June 25th

5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Mount Wilson Trail Park

189 East Mira Monte

Tickets ($30) are on sale at:

Arnold’s Frontier Hardware

Sierra Madre Public Library

Lizzie’s Trail Inn Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to noon.

 No tickets will be for sale at the event. Purchase 
your tickets by the Monday before, as we need to 
know our meal count in advance. 


YOUR YARD CAN BE BEAUTIFUL AND WATER-WISE 


Sierra Madre, CA. – June 17, 
2016 – You can have a beautiful 
yard while saving water and 
money. To learn how, stop by 
the Sierra Madre Public Library 
on Saturday, June 25 at 10:00 
am when Kelly Hanna, founder 
of Plant Goddess Landscaping 
in Sierra Madre, will show 
you how to create beautiful, 
sustainable, water efficient 
landscaping. 

 Hanna has been designing 
and installing California 
friendly, award-winning 
gardens for more than 15 
years. She focuses on water 
conservation, soil building, 
rainwater harvesting, and 
sustainable landscape design. 
Hanna’s work features a variety 
of water-wise plant pallets 
using California native plants, 
succulents, and Mediterranean 
plants that are climate 
appropriate for Southern 
California, in particular the San 
Gabriel Valley. 

 As a bonus, James Carlson, 
from the City of Sierra 
Madre, will briefly review 
the City’s water conservation 
accomplishments and goals. 
He’ll chat about watershed 
quality objectives, and talk for 
a short time about saving trees 
during our prolonged drought 
conditions, especially this 
summer.

 Read, Discover, Connect 
@ Sierra Madre Public 
Library, 440 W. Sierra Madre 
Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 
91024, Phone 626-355-7186, 
Text 626-662.1254, www.
cityofsierramadre.com/
services/library/

 Read, Discover, Connect @ 
Sierra Madre Public Library, 
440 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., 
Sierra Madre, CA 91024, 626-
355-7186, Text 626-662-1254, 
www.cityofsierramadre.com/
services/library

James Carson, 

City of Sierra Madre


Kelly Hanna, founder of Plant 
Goddess Landscaping in Sierra 
Madre

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com