Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, January 28, 2017

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

SECTION B

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

ADVISORY: SHERIFF JIM MCDONNELL WELCOMES 
THE CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT COMMISSION - ANOTHER 
BRIDGE TO THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE


As Sheriff, I was an early and vocal supporter 
of a Civilian Oversight Commission for the Los 
Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. I firmly 
believe we need and want another bridge to the 
communities we serve.

 The Civilian Oversight Commission will allow 
the people of L.A. County to participate in the 
process as we seek resolution to some of the most 
challenging criminal justice issues of our time.

 This includes those who feel wronged or violated 
by law enforcement. But this also includes those 
whose lives have been saved by the Los Angeles 
County Sheriff’s Department.

 Our Department is very large and the 
responsibilities are extremely diverse. Our 
deputies made contact with more than two 
million people last year and responded to 
thousands of calls for service.

 Members of the Civilian Oversight Commission 
are key advisors and will bring much needed, and 
welcomed, outside expertise and points of view. 
The public’s trust in the LASD will be stronger 
and more effective and our Department will be 
viewed with greater trust with the additional 
layer of accountability from this Commission.

 I am confident, ours can be a partnership that 
becomes a national model that shows citizens 
and the police can put party politics and special 
interests aside and roll-up their sleeves, speak 
with respect and get the job done.

 While police use of force is part of the national 
dialogue, so should be the need for local, state 
and federal resources to deal with the prevalence 
of mental illness and drug addiction that impact 
the safety of our community and our officers.

 While police accountability is questioned 
by some, we have the opportunity to be the 
national model of transparency with the 
layers of accountability our department has 
implemented.

 Those layers begin with recruiting, hiring, 
training, supervision, management, our 
systems, policies and procedures, our Audit 
& Accountability Bureau, our Constitutional 
Policing Advisors, our Executive Leadership 
Team, the Office of the Inspector General and 
now the Civilian Oversight Commission. It is 
all about leadership and working hard to be the 
very best that we can be every day.

 I ask you share community concerns with 
us freely. When we are wrong, we will own it, 
acknowledge it and fix it, but when we perform 
our duties in a manner that demonstrates the 
courage, compassion and commitment the 
overwhelming majority of our people do every 
day, I ask you acknowledge that as well.

 When you see we are struggling for appropriate 
resources in order to accomplish our goals 
by providing the best possible service for the 
communities we are privileged to serve, we ask 
you advocate for us as well. We need your help 
and welcome your partnership.

 I also understand the credibility of our work 
together requires a high level of independence 
for both the Commission and the LASD.

 As Sheriff, I have a responsibility to the voters 
of a county of 10 million people and I intend 
fulfill that responsibility. My job is to provide 
leadership to an exceptional organization of 
men and women who believe in our mission of 
constitutional policing and risk their lives in 
furtherance of that mission. I have set the bar 
high and hold all of our employees to a very 
high standard. I am accountable to the over 10 
million residents of Los Angeles County for the 
conduct and performance of the LASD and I 
take that responsibility very seriously.

 However, having your insight and expertise 
will be invaluable.

 You will provide the perspectives that are 
representative of all the diverse communities of 
Los Angeles County.

 Having strong points of view and a candid 
relationship built upon respect is good. It is 
healthy.

 Being heard, being respectful and moving 
forward is a good way to start this journey 
together. We have the opportunity to set the 
tone and agenda that will truly define 21st 
century constitutional policing.

 We can embody the kind of professionalism to 
focus on getting things done, but doing so in the 
best interests of 10 million Los Angeles residents, 
and not the self-interests of one or a few.

 We already work with independent oversight. 
The LASD has accomplished a lot of good work 
with the Office of the Inspector General with 
whom we have a strong and open working 
relationship.

 I look forward to working with an exceptional 
group of professionals who make-up the Civilian 
Oversight Commission.

FOOTHILL GOLD LINE UPDATE: 

GLENDORA TO MONTCLAIR UPDATE

By Habib F. Balian 

Ahead of the upcoming October 
groundbreaking, crews are out this week 
conducting geologic tests at key locations along 
the Glendora to Montclair extension to evaluate 
soil conditions. This work is part of the on-going 
effort underway to prepare the $1.3 billion 
project for construction, including finalizing 
the advanced conceptual engineering with 
our partner cities and other key stakeholders. 
The photos below show the crew collecting soil 
data with 100-foot deep borings in Glendora, 
near the Grand Avenue/Foothill Boulevard 
intersection (left) and Lone Hill Avenue (right). 
These are two of the two dozen locations along 
the future project where structures will likely 
be built or renovated.

At their meeting last night, the Construction 
Authority board of directors reviewed and 
approved an updated schedule and workplan 
for the Glendora to Montclair project. The 
updated schedule is based on the extensive 
planning done to date, and a more complete 
understanding that the next segment is really 
two major construction projects in one – with 
the freight and Metrolink relocations occurring 
first, and then the light rail system construction. 
The updated schedule forecasts substantial 
completion in late-2025/early-2026, two years 
later than the preliminary schedule (developed 
and approved earlier in the planning process) 
and also includes the Construction Authority 
spending the first year of work relocating 
utilities and conducting other pre-construction 
activities. As part of the review last night, 
the board also approved an updated project 
estimate, which confirmed the construction 
costs in the 2015 estimate remain accurate. The 
updated estimate includes an increase of $118 
million, attributable to the costs associated 
with two more years of work, escalation and 
new prevailing and minimum wage laws. The 
overall scope remains consistent. 

We anticipate hiring the Alignment design-
build contractor in late 2018. At that time, 
the schedule and estimate will once again 
be reviewed in response to the final bid and 
workplan.

THE SHEN YUN EXPERIENCE:

SPELLBINDING AND A MUST-SEE


By Joan Schmidt

Surely you saw the ads on television for “Shen Yun”, 
a few moments of mindboggling dance/acrobatics, 
gorgeous costumes and the promise of a glimpse into 
5000 years of Chinese culture. Three years ago, we 
had the privilege to attend in Los Angeles and I am 
thrilled to report the show is coming to Claremont 
Bridges Auditorium in Pomona March 31-April 2, 
2017. Please call 888-974-3698 for ticket info or www.
shenyunperformingarts.org/support .

 Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded with the 
mission to restore 5000 years of divinely inspired 
Chinese culture, which has been mostly destroyed 
under Communist rule. In fact, you couldn’t find 
a show like Shen Yun in China today! I cannot even 
imagine what this experience would be to anyone of 
Chinese background-to have your culture so shared 
and appreciated on such a grand scale. It’s also worth 
noting that Shen Yun Performing Arts Inc. is a nonprofit 
organization under Section 501(c) (3). (Please visit 
their website www.shenyunperformingarts.org/
support. )

 To understand the show’s purpose, translate “Shen 
Yun”. The Chinese character “Shen” is a general term 
for “divine” or “divine being”. In China’s rich 5000 year 
history, are thousands of rich stories entwined with 
hundreds of deities, Buddhas, and Taoist immortals 
who play different roles. The second character “Yun” 
is the overall manner of a dancer, a dancer’s style 
and the meaning behind his or her movements. The 
combination of these two characters exemplifies what 
the program is all about.

 With an idea of “Shen Yun”, one now must look at 
Classical Chinese Dance. It is one way 5000 years of 
Chinese culture has been passed down and retained. 
This dance form began with traditional aesthetics 
among the people, in imperial courts and through 
ancient plays. Over thousands of years, it has been 
continually organized and refined until it evolved into 
the vast, systematic and distinctly Chinese dance form. 
Chinese Classic Dance has its own training in basic 
skills, physical expression, postures, leaps, flips, spins 
and difficult tumbling techniques. 

 The Shen Yun Program is of two parts, each with 
eleven acts enhanced by an awesome Orchestra that 
blends the world’s greatest classical music traditions, 
Chinese and Western, utilizing Ancient Chinese 
instruments such as the erhu and pipa. There are also 
a few vocal soloists, and on the screen are the lyrics in 
both languages. These soloists are searching for the 
meaning of life and perform at integral parts of the 
program. Prior to each act, two narrators come on 
stage to give a short preview (one or two sentences) of 
what is to come. 

 Each act is accompanied by a full-width backdrop 
that provided animation of mountain and village 
scenes, countryside landscapes, palaces and much 
more! The costumes are brightly colored, and I can’t 
imagine how so many dancers are in sync as in the use 
of scarfs. The first selection, Descending to the World’s 
backdrop has clouds and it’s mindboggling how these 
‘figures” come off the backdrop onto the stage and 
vice versa. Bob said they have to be in perfect sync to 
be dancing on the stage one minute then dance to the 
back of it and then be part of the backdrop.

 Hope to see you at the Performance!


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