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SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2016VOLUME 10 NO. 23SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2016 VOLUME 10 NO. 40 PASADENA MAN DIES IN CONFRONTATION WITH POLICE A Pasadena man died early Friday morning after being tased by police as they tried to subdue, what they said was a, knife-wielding suspect —by afternoon the situation had a crowd of protesters demanding answers. According to police, officers responded to a domestic disturbance call in the 200 Block of East Orange Grove Blvd., at about 2:20 a.m. and encountered an African American male adult armed with a knife. At press time, the suspect’s name was not given pending an investigation according to a press statement by police. Although, protesters Friday afternoon said the man’s name was Reginald Thomas. known in community as J.R. Police shot Thomas with a Taser after they said he did not comply with officer’s orders and attempted to re-enter an occupied apartment at the location. Witnesses described Thomas as mentally ill and no stranger to police. A small group of residents, including Black Lives Matter activists gathered at the scene, which later grew into a crowd. Many said Thomas called police himself asking for help. Police said after restraining Thomas, the officers observed him not breathing at which time CPR and life saving measures were implemented. The officers continued CPR until the arrival of Pasadena fire paramedics who continued to render aid. Despite the efforts Thomas died at the scene, they said. Police also said there were no firearms involved in the situation as early reports has suggested. D. Lee/MVNews SIERRA MADRE CERT GRADUATES 27 NEW MEMBERS The Sierra Madre Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) graduated 27 new members on Saturday, September 17th from their CERT Basic Training class. The training, which took place over two Saturdays and three nights, is a 25 hour FEMA certified course. The class is designed to ensure citizens have the basic skills to act safely while assisting themselves, their families, and neighbors during a major disaster, until emergency services are available. Included among the students was CERT’s youngest graduate and the first to graduate from Sierra Madre’s Teen CERT program, thirteen year old Katherine Gjerde who completed the entire adult course. In addition to the 27 graduates there were another 17 students who completed at least a portion of their CERT training. The participants were mainly from Sierra Madre but also included students from Alhambra, Altadena, Arcadia, Glendora, Los Angeles, Monrovia, Pasadena, San Gabriel, Santa Fe Springs, and South Pasadena. The largest training exercise ever, with 75 people involved, included half a dozen firefighters from the Sierra Madre Volunteer Fire Department, 15 members of Sierra Madre CERT running the Incident Command Post, and nearly two dozen “victims” from Sierra Madre Middle School’s Service Club suffering from an array of cuts and bruises, severe burns, arterial bleeds, a broken arm, and even a severe head wound resulting in “death”. Special thanks went to Sierra Madre resident Nichole Rinker of www.fancyfacez.com for providing the moulage (makeup) services. Photographic documentation of the event was provided by Gary Hood and Steve Wylie, including the use of a drone to get a birds-eye view of what was taking place. CERT also expresses gratitude to Bruce Inman and Chris Cimino for allowing the use of the Sierra Madre City Yard behind Sierra Vista Park for the disaster exercise, and also to the Sierra Madre Community Services Department and the Sierra Madre YMCA for making the Youth Activity Center available for classroom training. Lunch after the exercise was provided by Wayne Williams of Professional Advisory Services in Arcadia. Following that there was a written test and evaluation, and then the graduates were awarded FEMA certificates by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department volunteer CERT Instructor Dudley Rainey. As part of the training, graduates received a CERT backpack with their personal protection equipment. This was made possible by a generous last-minute grant from the Sierra Madre Community Foundation, and Brenda Hunemiller, the Area D Coordinator for the Los Angeles County Office of Civil Defense/Disaster Management. The Sierra Madre CERT program, which has now trained over 150 members, got its start in Sierra Madre in 2009 under the guidance of Caroline Brown, Gary Hood, and Mike Kinney, and operates under the direction of the Sierra Madre Fire Department. CERT’s purpose is to educate citizens for emergency preparedness and to assist the City of Sierra Madre when called out by the Fire Department. As part of educating the citizens of Sierra Madre in disaster preparedness, CERT distributes informative material at numerous city events. Funding for Sierra Madre CERT is made possible through grants from the Los Angeles County Office of Disaster Management, Rotary Club, Sierra Madre Civic Club, Sierra Madre Community Foundation, the Sierra Madre Woman’s Club, plus numerous other donations from businesses and private entities. CERT also holds a fundraiser each year selling glow sticks on Halloween. For information about CERT, our monthly meetings, or the next Sierra Madre CERT class, check our website www.sierramadreemergency.org or send an email to info@sierramadrecert.org. Robert Gjerde, President SIERRA MADRE NEWS BRIEFS From City Manager's Report STONEGATE The Planning and Community Preservation Department is continuing to review the resubmitted applications for Hillside Development Permits and Conditional Use Permits for properties within the Stonegate development. The Department received resubmittals the week of May 9, 2016 consisting of Lots 7, 21, and 22, resubmittals the week of June 6, 2016 for Lots 1 and 2, and resubmittals the week of August 1, 2016 for lots 16, 17, 19, 25, and 26.A submittal for Lot 23 was received on September 15, 2016. The plans are in various stages of review by staff to determine if the applications are complete and to confirm if staff comments were addressed since the last submittal prior to being scheduled before the Planning Commission at a noticed public hearing. YOUTH SPORTS FIELD USE MEETING On October 12th at 6:30 p.m. the Community Services Committee will hold a special meeting in the Council Chambers to allow the public to give input or concerns regarding the new Field Use Agreement between the various youth sports leagues. ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION UPHOLDS STAFF DECISION At Wednesday evening’s EENR Commission meeting the Commission heard comments from four individuals regarding an appeal of Director Inman’s decision to remove the ficus tree in front of 85 South Baldwin. Attendance at the meeting was unusually large, with all apparently there to hear the discussion about the tree. After lengthy discussion, the Commission voted 4-0 (& one abstention) to uphold staff’s recommendation. Under the provisions of Municipal Code Chapter 2.68 the appellants have 10 calendar days to appeal the Commission’s decision to the City Council. COUNCIL SEEKS INPUT FROM RESIDENTS ON THE SELECTION OF THE NEXT CITY MANAGER The City of Sierra Madre will soon begin its search to replace retiring City Manager Elaine Aguilar. To that end, the council, at its regular meeting expressed a desire to hear from the community exactly what characteristics they would like to see in Sierra Madre's next CM. According to the City's website, "As the administrative head of city government, the city manager is appointed by the City Council to enforce municipal laws, direct daily operations of the City, make recommendations to the Council, prepare and observe the municipal budget, appoint and supervise all City department heads and employees, and supervise the operation of all City departments. The city manager is responsible for implementing policies adopted by the City Council, preparing and submitting the annual budget, and administering the day-to-day operations of the City. Like most cities in California, Sierra Madre is a general law city run under the “council-manager” form of government. A general law city is one which operates under laws and rules established by the State of California. The council-manager form of government is similar to that of a private company’s board of directors and CEO. The council-manager form is the system of local government that combines the strong political leadership of elected officials in the form of a council or other governing body, with the strong managerial experience of an appointed local government manager. This establishes a representative system where all power is concentrated in the elected council who then hires a professionally trained manager to oversee the delivery of public services." In addition, the person who is selected must be able to work with the citizens of Sierra Madre, thus the council wishes to hear from you1 The importance of selecting the person who is qualified to fill the position cannot be understated, as the next City Manager will have to immediately fill 3 key positions, The Director of Public Safety (Police Chief), The Director of Public Works, and the Assistant City Manager. Anyone interested in sharing their views on the selection of the individual and/ or on the process for selection, should come to council meeting on October 11, 2016 at 6:30 pm . MVNews 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Mountain Views News 80 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. #327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.604.4548 www.mtnviewsnews.com |