Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, May 13, 2017

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Mountain View News Saturday, May 13, 2017 

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis

SIERRA MADRE'S NEW POLICE CHIEF-JOE ORTIZ


“God could not be everywhere and therefore, He 
made mothers.”

Rudyard Kipling

“Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of 
compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet 
as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of 
love.” Stevie Wonder

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day! You still have time to 
get your mom or your wife (who is the mother of 
your children) a card, some flowers, something 
to let these amazing women know you appreciate 
them. You’ll be glad you did. Trader Joe’s has nifty, 
very affordable orchid plants, bouquets, too... just 
saying. 

 It rained on the Art Fair! Has that ever happened 
before? Usually it’s blisteringly hot but I don’t think 
rain dampened the enthusiasm of all the folks who 
flocked into town to take a look and, hopefully, buy 
a whole lot of lovely things. And we were delighted 
to see more rain. 

 Speaking of art, a while back, I talked about 
Alexia and Ariana Saigh, graduates of our own 
Gooden School, who are amazing young women 
and spectacular artists. Got a note from their mom 
updating me on their latest achievements and just 
had to share. Alexia is now a freshman and Ariana 
a junior at Mayfield Senior High School.

 Alexia wants to be an Imagineer, you know, like 
Walt Disney Imagineering, those folks who are 
the creative force behind Walt Disney Parks and 
Resorts that dream up, design and build all the 
Disney theme parks, resorts, attractions, cruise 
ships and so forth. “Imagineering” combines 
imagination with engineering. Imagineers bring 
art and science together to turn fantasy into reality. 
Pretty cool, huh! And as Alexia is a whiz at math 
and, obviously, an exceptional artist, this seems like 
a path tailor-made for her talents.

 Ariana has branched out into photography 
and wants to enroll in film school. The sisters 
have won several awards in various contests again 
this year recognizing their artistic achievement 
in photography and are winners in the 2017 
Scholastic Art and Achievement Contest, the 
37th (2017) Photographer’s Forum High School 
Photography Contest, America’s Kids Photography 
Contest, and the National Geographic Kids 
Photography Contest.

 The girls also entered the Scholastic Art and 
Writing Contest, the nation’s first and most 
prestigious educational contest concentrating 
on literary and visual arts, dating back almost a 
century to 1923. Out of over 320,000 entries this 
year, only a small fraction received awards from the 
blind jury. For photography, Alexia received five 
Honorable Mentions, and Ariana won four Gold 
Keys, five Silver Keys, and one Honorable Mention. 
Notable past winners include Andy Warhol, Sylvia 
Plath, Zac Posen, and Lena Dunham, so they’re in 
pretty good company, I’d say!

 Petunia’s on Baldwin is carrying a line of the 
girls’ greeting cards and you can also see Alexia’s 
National Geographic winning photograph, 
“Archway to Cesky Krumlov,” matted and framed 
for sale, which she is holding in this picture. 

 It’s thrilling to me to encounter exceptional 
young people such as Alexia and Ariana. Gives 
me hope! Stop in and take a look at their greeting 
cards, they are exquisite and you’ll be delighted to 
send them to friends and family all over the place. 
Petunia’s has nifty earrings, too, which we gave 
our daughters, Patti and Leah, to thank them for 
organizing our 50th anniversary party.

 An interesting thing to think about doing on 
June 11th, A Sunday Afternoon Concert in the 
Dome at the Mt. Wilson Observatory! Who knew! 
Tickets are $50 with proceeds supporting the Mt. 
Wilson Institute. For information: www.mtwilson.
edu/concerts.org Acoustics are amazing and there’s 
a post-concert reception with the artists. Go for the 
music and the view! 

 Was sad to see that Sierra Madre’s own most 
favorite jockey and Triple Crown winner, Victor 
Espinoza’s, mount, Gormley, finished sixth in the 
Kentucky Derby. 

 The chili cook-off is tonight with Peter Dills 
judging! Happy Mother’s Day, all you moms out 
there!

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of 
Laughter” is now available at

 Sunrise Books + Coffee at Pasadena First Church 
of the Nazarene – just down the road on Sierra 
Madre Blvd.

 Kindle readers, give yourself the gift of: 

 Noah & The Unicorns...A Fanciful Tale! It’s on 
Amazon.com on my book page!

 Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@
playwrightdd

City Hall was packed to capacity on Wednesday night when Sierra Madre honored its 47th Police 
Chief, Joe Ortiz. The audience was filled with supporters of Chief Ortiz including former SMPD 
Chiefs (retired) Larry Giannone and Marilyn Diaz and members of the LA County Sheriff's 
Department, the SMPD and SMPD Volunteers, the Arcadia, Monrovia, Azusa, El Monte, 
Pasadena, Alhambra, Glendora and South 
Pasadena Police Departments and the Sierra 
Madre community witnessed the swearing 
in of Ortiz. The Honorable Judge Donna 
Hollingsworth administered the Oath of Office. 
Newly appointed Captain Donna Cayson was 
the MC for the evening.

 City Manager Gabe Engeland welcomed the 
Chief to his new position and Ortiz was 'pinned' 
by his wife Shawna and sons Dillan and 
Damien (pictured above). Monsignor Richard 
Krekelberg, Pastor of St. Rita Church in Sierra 
Madre provided the Invocation. 

 Chief Ortiz received a standing ovation at the 
end of his remarks, the biggest hug and welcom 
a community could give! 

MVNews/ Photos By Dave Felt (above) and 
City of Sierra Madre


4TH OF JULY GRAND MARSHAL NAMED

The volunteers of the Sierra Madre 4th of July Committee are pleased and excited to announce that 
the 2017 Fourth of July Parade Grand Marshal will be Sierra 
Madre’s very own Derek Podrebarac. 

“The Grand Marshal is a person or persons whose efforts over 
a long period of time has been beneficial to the community of 
Sierra Madre. The title of Grand Marshal is intended to honor 
a person or persons’ volume of work, dedication and overall 
enhancements to our community.” Derek is an inspiring 
leader and volunteer and has demonstrated time and time 
again he is the Spirit of Sierra Madre, giving every time he 
can. 

Derek Podrebarac who has spent the last 17 years calling 
Sierra Madre home with his family grew up in the San Gabriel 
Valley, born in Pasadena, growing up in La Crescenta, living 
in South Pasadena and Monrovia and then Serra Madre. 
Derek exemplifies what it means to be a true Sierra Madrean through his passion for giving back 
to his community. In addition to his position as a Real Estate Agent for Podley Properties, the 
impacts of Derek’s volunteer efforts are felt throughout numerous organizations. He is frequent 
volunteer at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, regularly giving blood to save the lives of those who 
rely upon his rare blood type. A tireless advocate for others in need, Derek volunteers for Habitat 
for Humanity, having previously used his vacation time to help rebuild homes in the aftermath 
of Hurricane Katrina, and more recently Habitat for Humanity projects in Mississippi. He has 
generously donated his time to homeless shelters in Pasadena, and is an active leader in his local 
church. Derek’s passion for baseball has led him to become a devoted leader with Sierra Madre 
Little League, having coached and managed baseball teams in the league for the past 7 years, often 
contributing his talents and energy to multiple teams and age groups simultaneously. 

continued on page 3 

GRAND MARSHAL (cont. from page 1)

He has given selflessly of his time to improve youth sports in our community for children of all ages 
and abilities. In fact, he organized and now heads up the Challenger Division for SMLL, a Little 
League division designed for special needs children. In addition, he currently serves on the Board 
of Directors for the league. Derek also serves as a mentor to even more youth athletes through his 
coaching efforts at Maranatha High School and other High School baseball programs throughout 
our region. His motivation for serving his community stems from the pleasure he takes in meeting 
and getting to know new people and their interests. In addition to being a dedicated husband, 
father and friend to many, Derek is a kind, generous, and whole-heartedly devoted contributor 
to our town, and a shining example of the sort of person who makes Sierra Madre such a magical 
place to live.


SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER

During this time period, the Sierra Madre Police 
Department responded to approximately 256 day and 
night time calls for service. 

Wednesday, May 3 

At about 2:25 p.m., a vehicle stop was made for a 
vehicle traveling southbound in the northbound lanes 
at Santa Anita and Sierra Madre Blvd. During the 
investigation officers discovered that the driver was 
driving on a suspended license. Further investigation 
revealed narcotics and drug paraphernalia inside the 
vehicle. The driver was arrested and transported 
to Pasadena Jail, the vehicle was impounded. Case 
referred to DA’s office for filing. 

Thursday, May 4 

Officers were dispatched at about 6:00 p.m. to the 
700 block of Brookside Lane regarding the theft 
of a bronze statue. An unknown suspect(s) stole a 
bronze statue from the residence sometime between 
4/20/2017 and 5/4/2017. The total loss was estimated 
at $2,000.00. Case to Detectives

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