Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, March 4, 2017

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Mountain View News Saturday, March 4, 2017 

Last Candidate Forum Held before Election 

Police Still 
Looking 
for Missing 
Elderly Man

Metro to Hold 626 Golden 
Streets Event this Sunday


By Dean Lee

 Candidates running for 
Pasadena City Council Districts 
3, 5 and 7 held their last debate 
ahead of Tuesday’s election —
issues ranged from legalized 
marijuana to clean energy.

 And, although he is running 
unopposed, District 3 
Councilmember John Kennedy 
took part in the debate held Feb. 
23 at Throop Church saying he 
thought it best. 

 “It was important for me to be 
here because this is serious work 
that I believe many for you are 
engaged in, he said. 

He added that his goal was 
to unite the city into “one 
Pasadena.”

 “If you look to your right and 
look to your left, you will notice 
that there are not a lot of African 
Americans in this room.” He 
said. “That is a problem in terms 
of sustainability, so I invite all 
of the candidates and those in 
the room, in terms of building 
coalition, to reach out to 
everyone and bring them under 
the umbrella of sustainability 
and moving towards zero waste 
in our community.”

 In relation to sustainability, 
the candidates were asked if 
they would support the city 
transitioning to 100 percent 
renewable energy by 2035, why 
or why not? 

 In the race for Districts 7 
Bryan Witt twisted the question 
saying that first the city could 
not rely on federal funding 
because of the new Presidential 
administration.

 “I see that the new Trump 
administration and some of the 
issues of sanctuary cities we may 
find ourselves cut off from some 
funding,” he said. “It looks like 
it might be $34 million. So, we 
want to try and do as much as 
we can locally to solve all of 
these problems without having 
to go to Washington with our 
hat in our hand.”

 He said the city needs to 
create its own banking system 
something he said works in 
other cities such as Oakland.

Sheena Tahilramani quickly 
said she supported the idea but 
cautioned on cost and feasibility. 
“We need to look at what impact 
that will have on our larger 
budget.” Tahilramani worked as 
chief of staff to Karl Rove.

 Phil Hosp, a lawyer, also 
favored the idea but questioned 
the money involved, “We need 
to look at how much it would 
jack up the rates.” 

 Incumbent Andy Wilson said 
the city was making progress 
including the number of homes 
adding solar power. Attorney 
Alejandro Menchaca said he 
favored getting a panel of experts 
to research the issue. 

 Districts 5 incumbent Victor 
Gordo said the issue was 
complex, “the reality is we will 
get, with the state, to 50 percent 
by 2030.”

 Districts 5 candidates Kristal 
Lopez Padly a writer and Aida 
Morales an activist both made 
similar comments as the others. 

 With the exception of Witt, 
all of the candidates for 5 and 
7 favored keeping a current 
zoning rule that prohibits 
medical marijuana dispensaries 
in the city. 

 “I’m absolutely in favor of lifting 
the ban,” Witt said to cheers 
from the audience. “I think there 
is an institutional hysteria when 
it comes to the use of cannabis.” 

 Kennedy said he had not 
decided if the city should allow 
medical marijuana use. 

 Candidates simply anwered 
“yes” to whether climate 
change was a pressing issue 
to all levels of government. 
Only Tahilramani passed on 
answering the question.

 
On the one year anniversary 
of the Foothill Gold Line 
Extension grand opening, 
Metro will hold the Metro 
Open Streets Program 626 
Golden Streets, a once.in.a.
lifetime opportunity this 
Sunday to walk, bike, run, 
skate, scoot, dance and play 
on over 18 miles of car.free 
open streets.

 This free family.friendly 
event will connect much 
of the (626) area code, 
linking seven Foothill 
cities and six Gold Line 
stations. The festivities will 
kick off at 8:45am with an 
official Opening Ceremony 
at Mission St./Meridian 
Ave. in South Pasadena 
featuring special guests, 
giveaways, a free bike raffle, 
performances, and start of 
the Train Run Challenge 
, the San Gabriel Valley’s 
first 7.city, point.to.point 
half marathon from South 
Pasadena to Duarte.

 Attendees can start and stop 
at any point along the route, 
and explore as much or as 
little of the event route as 
they wish Along the 18 plus 
mile route, check out activity 
zones where you can enjoy 
live music, free fitness and 
dance classes, pop.up art 
installations, kids play zones 
and more. Participants are 
encouraged to travel across 
the event route by foot, bike, 
skates, skateboard, scooter, 
penny farthing, or any other 
type of human.powered 
vehicle.

Golden Streets was first 
envisioned by AQMD Board 
Member and South Pasadena 
City Mayor Michael 
Cacciotti, “who recognized 
the once-in-a-lifetime 
opportunity to do something 
truly special in conjunction 
with the opening of the 
Foothill Gold Line Extension 
to Azusa.” Particapating 
cities include San Marino, 
Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, 
Irwindale, Azusa, and South 
Pasadena.

 The event is a partnership 
with Bike San Gabriel Valley 
(BikeSGV).

 BikeSGV is a community.
based organization 
committed to realizing a 
more bicycle, pedestrian 
and transit.friendly San 
Gabriel Valley, and lead 
organizer of this open 
streets event. BikeSGV offers 
programs and advocates for 
the development of people 
friendly streets and a more 
active, transit-friendly 
SGV. BikeSGV offers FREE 
year.round programming, 
including; SGV Bicycle 
Education Center (Low.
cost bicycles, repairs, 
and workshops); Cycling 
Without Age; Bike Train 
& Rides (Monthly Rides in 
30 SGV cities); Women on 
Wheels; Free Bike Classes 
(Learn to Bike, Active 
Commuting and Safety) and 
Volunteer Opportunities. 
For more information visit 
bikesgv.org.

 Route closures go into effect 
5:00am – Organizers will 
begin partial/full closures 
to event streets to secure 
route, with closures in full 
effect by 7:00 a.m. The 
route re-open to cars 3:00 
pm – Sections of route fully 
closed to automobiles will 
begin to re-open to vehicular 
traffic. Exceptions include 
the Mission St. hub between 
Fremont and Meridian in 
South Pasadena (closed 
until 5pm), Duarte Rd. 
between Village and 
Highland in Duarte (closed 
until 4pm), and 1st Street in 
Arcadia (closed until 3pm). 

 The Pasadena Police 
Department is seeking the 
public’s help locate a senior 
missing since February 7. The 
elderly man is Dawud Qayyim 
Karriem, Black male, 87 years 
old, 5’7, and approximately 
140 pounds. 

 Karriem is commonly called 
“Al” by friends and family. 
Karriem has poor eyesight, 
but otherwise is described as 
healthy and active. He does 
not own a car but frequently 
takes walks in Pasadena 
utilizing a cane. It is unknown 
what he was wearing at the 
time he went missing. Karriem 
was last seen at his residence 
in Pasadena by neighbors on 
Feb. 2.

 The family has said that 
Karriem has never gone 
missing before and it is 
unusual for him to be away 
from his home for such a long 
period of time. Foul play has 
not been ruled out and there 
is concern for Mr. Karriem’s 
welfare. 

 Anyone with information 
regarding Karriem’s 
whereabouts, should 
contact the Pasadena Police 
Department at (626) 744-4241.

For the Love 
of Women 
Benefit at 
Brookside


Descanso Gardens Expands 
Cherry Blossom Festival

 The organization 
Soroptinist of Altadena-
Pasadena will hold their 2nd 
annual Making a Difference 
Benefit Luncheon, “For the 
Love of Women” Sunday 
March 11 at Brookside at 
the Rose Bowl. 

 The event will honor the 
work of extraordinary 
women in the community, 
hear from honoree, Lena 
Kennedy, organizer, So 
Cal Women’s Health 
Conference and Expo, 
founder Community 
Women-Vital Voices. 
Honoree and Guest 
Speakers, Vital-Voices, 
Senator Carol Liu and from 
former Pasadena Library 
Director Jan Sanders. The 
work of two important 
agencies who address the 
needs of the under-served 
women and families of 
our community will be 
rewarded. Don’t miss this 
rare opportunity to see 
and hear from leaders all 
dawning one stage for a 
pivotal event.

 Vendor Shop n’ Mingle 
opens at noon Luncheon 
served at 1:00 pm Raffle and 
Easter Parade of Hats and 
Bags. Seats start at $55.00 
per person. Purchase online 
at soroptimistaltapas.org. 

 All proceeds benefit 
Soroptimist International 
of Altadena-Pasadena 
charities including Door of 
Hope, The Women’s Room 
at Friends In Deed and 
Scholarships for Deserving 
Women.

 Brookside is located 1133 
Rosemont Ave. Pasadena. 

 For more information call 
Brenda Sharp at (626) 398-
5667. 

Protesters 

Call for 
Sanctuary City

 Hundreds of people in 
Pasadena marched in the 
streets Monday calling on 
the city council to declare 
Pasadena a Sanctuary City 
and not to enter into any 
agreements between Federal 
immigration officials and 
Pasadena police. “We want 
our communities to be safe 
and not in fear,” protesters 
said.

 Descanso Gardens will again 
welcome springtime with 
its annual Cherry Blossom 
Festival. Due to overwhelming 
popularity, the festival will 
expand to two weekends, 
including today and Sunday 
and March 11-12. Reservations 
must be made in advance at 
descansogardens.org.

 “Over the last several years, 
the flowering cherry trees have 
been stars of the spring show at 
Descanso Gardens,” said David 
R. Brown, Descanso Gardens 
executive director. “Last year, 
the Cherry Blossom Festival 
weekend was the single busiest 
of the entire year, and we are 
pleased to be able to extend 
the festival to two weekends. 
While cherry blossom viewing 
and spring partying beneath 
the flowering trees originated in 
Japan, people of all cultures and 
traditions enjoy the stunningly 
beautiful display of white and 
pink flowering trees popping 
against the dark green of the 
camellia and oak forest.”

 As always, this year’s celebration 
will feature entertainment, 
Japanese cuisine, origami and 
more. Activities include the 
following and are free with 
admission unless noted: Cherry 
Tree Sale. March 4 & 5 only, 10 
am to 4pm. Shop early: These 
flowering trees sell out fast! 
Discovery Stations. All days, 
10am to 4pm. Learn about 
cherry trees and related plants 
at these exploration tables.

 Cherry Blossom Walk. All days, 
11am & 2pm. Take a guided 
walk with our experts and learn 
about cherry blossoms and 
other flowering trees.

 Origami. All days, 11am to 
3pm. Try the traditional art of 
paper folding with help from 
experts.

 Camellia Lounge. All days, 
10am to 4pm. Purchase 
Japanese-influenced cuisine, 
including tempura and sushi 
selections. Beverages and 
snacks in Japanese Garden tea 
house, full menu on main lawn.

 Performance by Minyo 
Station. Saturday, March 4, 
11am, 1 pm & 3 pm. Minyo 
Station presents a jazzy style of 
Japanese folk music that blends 
Minyo, traditional Japanese 
music, with various genres of 
Western music. Performance 
by June Kuramoto. Sunday, 
March 5, 11am, 1 pm & 3 pm. 
June Kuramoto performs on the 
koto, the national instrument 
of Japan. A classically-trained 
musician, she is a founding 
member of the Japanese-
American fusion ensemble 
“Hiroshima.”

 Performance by On Ensemble. 
Saturday, March 11 & Sunday, 
March 12, 11am, 1 pm & 3 pm. 
On Ensemble (pronounced 
“Ohn”) is at the forefront of a 
growing artistic movement in 
the taiko (Japanese ensemble 
drumming) world. On 
Ensemble has made a name for 
itself by infusing the powerful 
rhythms of taiko with overtone 
singing, odd meter grooves and 
soaring melodies.

 For more information call 
(818) 949 -4200 or visit 
descansogardens.org.

Free Events Roundup at the 
Pasadena Senior Center

Pet of the 
Week

There is something for 
everyone in February at the 
Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. 
Holly St. You do not have to be a 
member to attend. Some events 
require advance reservations. 

 Tax Time – Wednesdays 
and Fridays through April 
14, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. 
Representatives from the 
AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide 
program will assist low- to 
middle-income seniors ages 50 
and older in preparing their 
federal income tax returns. 
Appointments are required: 
626-795-4331. Please note there 
is no age limit for this service.

 Citizenship Classes – 
Wednesdays through May 17, 
from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Make your 
dreams come true by attending 
these sessions to become a U.S. 
citizen! The first classes cover 
some of the American history 
and U.S. government questions 
on the citizenship exam along 
with discussions about the 
rights and responsibilities of 
citizenship. The four remaining 
classes cover more questions on 
the exam as well as strategies 
for completing the application 
for citizenship and having a 
successful interview.

 Friday Movie Matinees 
– Fridays, March 10 and 17, 
at 1 p.m. Everyone enjoys 
movies and the pleasures they 
bring. March 10: “The Quiet 
Man” (1952, NR) starring John 
Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. 
An Irish-born American boxer 
returns to the town of his birth 
with hopes of burying his past 
and settling down, then falls in 
love with a high-spirited young 
woman with a brutish brother. 
March 17: “Thoroughly Modern 
Millie” (1967, G) starring Mary 
Tyler Moore and Julie Andrews. 
Two recent transplants to the 
Big Apple in the 1920s find 
excitement and adventure, but 
not quite what they expected.

Cardmaking Workshop – 
Monday, March 6, from noon 
to 2 p.m. Surprise a special 
someone with a personalized, 
handmade greeting card. 
Whether it’s happy birthday, 
happy holidays, thank you, 
thinking of you or other 
sentiment, you’ll create a 
decorative card in your own 
unique style and have fun 
discovering your creativity 
while workshop leaders help 
you bring your ideas to life. All 
materials will be provided. 

 A Toast to the Joys of Music 
– Tuesdays, March 7 to 28, 
from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tom 
Campbell will play guitar and 
sing songs in the Senior Center 
Lounge. Stop by and enjoy his 
covers of traditional country, 
country rock, blues, folk, gospel 
and classic rock originally made 
famous by Willie Nelson, Merle 
Haggard, Vince Gill, Elvis 
Presley, B.B. King, Neil Young, 
The Grateful Dead, The Rolling 
Stones and many more.

 Smart Phones, Tablets and 
Computers – Any Questions? 
– Tuesdays and Thursdays, 
March 7 to 30, from 10 to 11 
a.m. Get the answers you need 
about technology devices, 
whether you own them already 
or are considering a purchase. 
Learning how to text, check 
voicemail, set an alarm, navigate 
the Internet and download apps 
is easier than you may think! 

 Estate Planning/Long 
Term Care – Thursday, March 
9, at 10 a.m. Learn about the 
financial tools necessary for 
creating retirement income 
for the rest of your life, how 
to maximize Social Security 
benefits and how to avoid 
common retirement risks.

 Pasadena Symphony: 
Random Acts of Music – Friday, 
March 10, at 7 p.m. A string 
quartet of Pasadena Symphony 
musicians will perform classical 
and contemporary favorites. 
Please sign up at the Welcome 
Desk. 

 The Pasadena Senior Center 
is an independent, nonprofit 
organization for people ages 
50 and older.and older in a 
welcoming environment.

 
Daisy (A413219) is a 1-year-
old, spayed female, tricolor 
rat terrier mix with a winning 
personality. Daisy loves 
everyone she meets and can’t 
wait to find a forever family 
to call her own. Whether she’s 
greeting a staff member at the 
kennel door or curling up in a 
volunteer’s lap for a relaxing 
snooze, Daisy always wants 
affection. Daisy bonded closely 
with 1-year-old Chihuahua 
mix Scout (A413217) in her 
previous home, and, although 
she’d be happy in any new 
adopter’s home, she would 
enjoy finding a new family 
together with Scout.

 The adoption fee for dogs is 
$125, which includes the spay 
or neuter surgery, microchip, 
and vaccinations.

 New adopters will receive a 
complimentary health-and-
wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well 
as a goody bag filled with 
information about how to care 
for your pet.

 Call the Pasadena Humane 
Society & SPCA at (626) 792-
7151 to ask about A413219, or 
visit at 361 S. Raymond Ave. 
in Pasadena. Adoption hours 
are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; 9 
a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through 
Friday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Saturday.

 Pets may not be available for 
adoption and cannot be held 
for potential adopters by phone 
calls or email. Directions and 
photos of all pets can be found 
at pasadenahumane.org.

Get Your 
Career Life 
in Order

PUSD Seeks 
Applicants 
for Seats on 
Measure TT 
Committee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Pasadena Unified School 
District (PUSD) Board of 
Education seeks applicants 
to fill two vacant seats on its 
Measure TT Citizens Oversight 
Committee. The volunteer 
committee is responsible 
for monitoring project 
management and expenditures 
for the $350 million local school 
facilities bond passed by voters 
in November of 2008.

 State law requires that the 
members of the Citizens 
Oversight Committee include 
parents, representatives from 
the business community, 
senior citizen groups, taxpayer 
organizations, and individuals 
experienced in finance and 
construction.

 Applicants must complete 
an application available at 
www.measurett.org or the 
Facilities Office located at 740 
W. Woodbury Road, Pasadena, 
CA.

The application and résumé 
must be submitted no later than 
4:00 p.m. on March 14, 2017:

 Via mail to Chief of Facilities, 
Pasadena Unified School 
District, 740 W. Woodbury 
Road, Pasadena, CA 91103

Via email to zendejas.nadia@
pusd.us.

 Author Tana Session will 
discuss her books, Inside the 
Revolving Door: Chronicles 
from the Human Resources 
Department and Get Your 
Career Life in Order, a step-
by-step career management 
and job hunting self-help 
guidebook at the Pasadena 
Public Library. Books will 
be available for sale and 
signing. To sign up, call 
(626) 744-7262.

Wednesday, March 29 at 
7 p.m. at Hastings Branch 
3325 E Orange Grove 
Blvd, Pasadena. For More 
information call (626) 744-
7262.

 Applications must be 
submitted by 4:00 p.m. 
March 14

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