PASADENA EDITION

 SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2018 


VOLUME 12 NO. 18

Candidate 
in PCC 
President 
Search 

Drops Out

Vice President Mike 
Pence Visits JPL


Candidate forums canceled

 Pasadena City College 
officials said Friday that Dr. 
Cliff Davis, vice chancellor 
of the Ozark Technical 
Community College System 
in Springfield, Mo., and 
president of the Ozarks 
Technical College Table 
Rock campus, dropped out 
as the last candidate for PCC 
president, forcing the school 
to start the search over. 

 In a letter to students faculty 
and staff Friday the school 
said two forums scheduled 
Monday at noon and 5 p.m. 
have been canceled.

 In a special meeting Friday 
morning the PCC Board of 
Trustees voted to negotiate 
a contract to keep current 
President Dr. Rajen Vurdien 
through June 2019.

 A new president search 
time line was also approved 
starting June 13 with the 
board approving the selection 
of an executive search firm 
and job announcement; 
September 7 Application 
packages due to the college; 
October 17 Board of Trustees 
select candidates to interview; 
November 10 Candidates 
interviewed and top two or 
three selected; December 
10-11 Finalists meet the 
students faculty and staff on 
campus and December 19 
with the board selection of 
superintendent/president.

 The board also approved the 
creation of a committee to 
review, suggest changes to, or 
update its bylaws governing 
the executive search process. 
The committee will consist 
of tree members each of 
the Board of Trustees, 
tenured faculty, managers 
and classified staff. Board 
members said they expect 
work by the committee to be 
completed before June 6.

Vice President Mike Pence 3rd from right. 

Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

 Vice President Mike Pence 
toured the birthplace of 
numerous past, present and 
future space missions at 
the agency’s Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory in Pasadena, 
California. Pence made the 
visit one week before today’s 
scheduled launch of Mars 
InSight lander. 

 The afternoon visit by the 
Vice President, his wife, 
Karen, and daughter Charlotte, 
included a stop in JPL’s Mission 
Control, where engineers will 
communicate with NASA’s 
Interior Exploration using 
Seismic Investigations, Geodesy 
and Heat Transport (InSight). 
The Mars lander is scheduled to 
launch Saturday, May 5, from 
Vandenberg Air Force Base in 
California. InSight will be the 
first interplanetary mission 
ever to launch from the West 
Coast, and is the first-ever 
mission to study the interior of 
Mars.

 The Mission Control 
building, a National Historic 
Landmark, has served as a 
hub for communications with 
countless spacecraft since 1964, 
including some of NASA’s 
Apollo Moon missions, the 
twin Voyager spacecraft at the 
edge of our solar system, and 
the Cassini mission to Saturn. 
From here, Charlotte Pence 
had an opportunity to send 
commands giving the Mars 
Curiosity rover a day’s worth 
of science activities. The signal 
took about seven minutes to 
travel the 80 million miles to 
reach Curiosity, which has 
been roaming the Red Planet 
for almost six years.

 “We were honored to show 
the Vice President, who has a 
strong commitment to space 
exploration, some of our special 
sites and space missions,” said 
JPL Director Michael Watkins. 
“With JPL’s rich history, 
which includes designing 
and building America’s first 
satellite for launch in 1958, 
and with our cutting-edge 
scientific capabilities, we stand 
ready to advance exploration 
as we move forward into our 
revitalized space age.”

 The tour included a stop at 
the JPL Mars Yard, an outdoor 
test facility that simulates the 
Martian landscape. There, the 
Pence family tried their hands 
at maneuvering a test Mars 
rover. They also visited the 
Spacecraft Assembly Facility, 
where the Mars 2020 mission 
hardware is being assembled. 
Mars 2020 will search for signs 
of habitability in Mars’ ancient 
past and signs of past microbial 
life.

 The Vice President, who chairs 
the National Space Council, was 
accompanied on the tour by 
Watkins, JPL Deputy Director 
Larry James, Mars Exploration 
Program Director Fuk Li, 
Caltech President Thomas 
Rosenbaum, National Space 
Council Executive Secretary 
Scott Pace, and Jim Ellis, chair 
of the NASA Space Council 
Users Advisory Group. Caltech 
manages JPL for NASA.

 Pence previews NASA’s 
next Mars mission 
scheduled to launch today

Golf Course Could Become City Park

By Dean Lee

 Pasadena City Manager 
Steve Mermell confirmed 
Friday that city officials were 
in talks with Los Angeles 
County over a possible 
takeover of Eaton Canyon 
Golf Course —if approved, 
they would close the nine 
hole course in East Pasadena 
to be used as park space. 

 “The county approached 
the city and said they were 
interested in transferring 
[Eaton Canyon Golf 
Course] —and if the city was 
interested in taking it over as 
a golf course?” Mermell said. 
“We are interested in it as a 
park only.”

 He said they were in the very 
early stages of discussions, 
“nothing has been finalized, 
nothing has gone to the 
county board of supervisors. 
Its all conceptual at this 
point.”

 “There would have to be 
a covenant that says its for 
open space, we’re not going 
to use it to build homes,” 
Mermell said.

 He said there still needed 
to be an environmental 
report as well as a series of 
community meeting. The 
issue would also need a vote 
from the city council to move 
forward. 

 “I’m hopeful that in less 
than a year, we will get to 
a decision point. If the city 
were to get the land we 
would engage in a master 
plan process with the 
community in what they 
would want to see for the 
area,” he said. “But a golf 
course is off the table.”

 Mermell said that the city 
would lose money keeping 
it as a golf course. He said 
the course had been losing 
money and that is why the 
county is looking to offload 
it.

 “We will never again have 
the opportunity to acquire 
that much parkland. That 
would be a great get for the 
city,” he said.

 Neighbors in the area had 
rumored the idea of soccer 
fields something Mermell 
did not rule out.

Celebrate 
Cinco 
de Mayo 
Responsibly





 In order to reduce motorcycle 
crashes and save lives, the 
Pasadena Police Department 
and the California Office of 
Traffic Safety (OTS) are teaming 
up with the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration 
(NHTSA) this month for the 
annual Motorcycle Safety 
Awareness campaign to 
help save lives on our 
roadways. The awareness 
campaign aims to 
educate vehicle drivers 
and motorcyclists on 
how each motorist can be 
more aware of the other, 
creating safer roads 
and saving lives in the 
process. 

 Pasadena Police 
Department will join law 
enforcement throughout 
the state to step up 
enforcement along with 
awareness efforts to lower 
motorcycle deaths and 
injuries during the May 
campaign. Officers will 
have a special emphasis 
this month on enforcing 
all traffic violations 
by both motorists and 
motorcyclist deploying 
Saturation Patrols on 
May 11, and May 12.

 Pasadena Police 
Department has these 
general tips to drivers 
on how to prevent a fatal 
crash with a motorcycle:

Though a motorcycle is 
a small vehicle, motorist 
can do their part by 
sharing the road.

Always us a turn signal 
when changing lanes or 
merging with traffic.

If you see a motorcycle 
with a signal on, be 
careful: motorcycle 
signals are often non-
canceling and could 
have been forgotten. 
Always ensure that the 
motorcycle is turning 
before proceeding.

Stay alert, check all mirrors 
and blind spots for motorcycles 
before changing lanes or 
merging with traffic.

Always allow more following 
distance, follow at a safe 
distance when behind a 
motorcycle. This gives them 
more time to maneuver or stop 
in an emergency.

Never drive distracted or 
impaired.

Motorcyclists can increase their 
safety by following these steps:

Wear a DOT-compliant helmet 
and other protective gear.

Ride safely when lane sharing 
and always proceed at safe 
speeds.

Obey all traffic laws and be 
properly licensed.

Use turn signals at every lane 
change or turn.

Wear brightly colored clothes 
and reflective tape to increase 
visibility.

Ride safely when lane sharing 
and always proceed at safe 
speeds.

Never ride distracted or 
impaired.

 The Office of Traffic Safety 
encourages all riders, new 
and experienced, to enroll in 
the California Motorcyclist 
Safety Program (CMSP). The 
CMSP was developed in July 
1987 and has training sites 
throughout the state. The 
CMSP trains approximately 
60,000 motorcyclists per year 
and has trained more than 1.1 
million motorcycle riders. For 
more information, or to find 
a training site near you, visit 
californiamotorcyclist.com.

 The Motorcycle Safety 
Saturation Patrols are funded 
by a grant from the California 
Office of Traffic Safety, through 
the National Highway Traffic 
Safety. 


Motorcycle 
Awareness 
Month

 In the United States, the 
Cinco de Mayo holiday is often 
associated with parties and 
alcohol. If you’re celebrating 
with friends and family this 
weekend, remember that at the 
end of the night, you need to 
have a safe and sober ride home. 
Police, Sheriff and the CHP will 
be out in force looking for the 
telltale signs of impaired driving 
this weekend.

 In the rush to prepare for a 
night out, it’s easy to forget the 
most important Cinco de Mayo 
plan of all: designating a sober 
driver. Going out for a night 
of drinking without a plan for 
getting home safely is a recipe 
for disaster.

 Pasadena Police Department 
will deploy additional officers on 
special DUI Saturation Patrols 
specifically to stop and arrest 
drivers showing signs of alcohol 
or drug impairment during the 
hours of 6:00 PM and 3:00 AM., 
in areas with history of DUI 
crashes and DUI arrests.

 Pasadena Police Department 
supports the new effort from the 
Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) 
that aims to educate all drivers 
that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean 
Booze.” If you take prescription 
drugs, particularly those with a 
driving or operating machinery 
warning on the label, you 
might be impaired enough to 
get a DUI. Marijuana use can 
also be impairing, especially in 
combination with alcohol or 
other drugs, and can result in a 
DUI.

 There are many other ways to 
ensure a safe ride home besides 
relying on a friend. The OTS 
DDVIP app is now available 
for free download on iOS and 
Android devices. The app offers 
enhanced features, allowing 
users to search all participating 
bars and restaurants throughout 
California. Additionally, the app 
users can easily order a sober 
ride from Uber or Lyft.

 This enforcement effort is 
funded by a grant from the 
California Office of Traffic Safety, 
through the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, 
and remember - Report Drunk 
Drivers - call 911.

Metro Bike Share Looking 
for Input on Stations 

CALENDAR Pg. 2

MORE PASADENA NEWS

 Pg. 3

 Metro is constantly looking to improve the bike share system 
and is interested in relocating some stations in Pasadena to better 
serve residents and visitors. To give your input, visit: bikeshare.
metro.net/suggest-a-location.

 The average station size is approximately 50 feet in length. 
Some stations may be smaller or larger. Stations may be placed in 
parking lanes, plazas or open areas that do not impact circulation

What are the station siting criteria?

We are searching for locations on streets, sidewalks or plazas that 
provide:

Connectivity – Connections to transit hubs and key destinations 
create a network.

Space Availability – Wider sidewalks and parking spaces are great 
locations.

Accessibility – Stations should be visible from the street and easy, 
safe and comfortable to get to.

Sun – Sunny spots are best since stations run on solar power.

Demand and Support – Stations should be located where there is 
high demand.

Convenient & Close to Bike Lanes – Stations should be as close 
as possible to key destinations and placed along streets with bike 
lanes or where riding is comfortable.

 The deadline for comments is Friday, May 18.

SAN MARINO/SO. PAS

Pg. 4

SIERRA MADRE Pg. 5

ARCADIA Pg. 6

MONROVIA 

EDUCATION/YOUTH

Pg. 7

FOOD & DRINK Pg. 8

THE GOOD LIFE Pg. 9

WORLD AROUND US 

 Pg. 10

 BEST FRIENDS Pg. 11


SECTION B: 

AROUND SAN GABRIEL 
VALLEYB1

THE ARTS B2

BUSINESS NEWS

B3

OPINIONB4

LEGAL NOTICES B5


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