Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, April 14, 2018

3


Mountain View News Saturday, April 14, 2018 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE

After Election Commentary


“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole 
day.” Henry D. Thoreau

“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” 
Friedrich Nietzsche

“Walking is good for solving problems – it’s like the 
feet are little psychiatrists.”

Pepper Giardino

Yes, friends and neighbors, I’m walking a little 
more these days now that my shiny new knee and I 
have learned, thanks to the fine folks at Functional 
Physical Therapy, how to live with each other. For 
example, I got in to Creative Arts Group to check 
out their new collection, entitled: RE: Imagination 
– Art Uncommon – A collection of works created 
with upcycled materials. This show will be 
available until April 27th and you’ll be astonished 
by what you’ll see. Collage art featuring piano 
pieces, pages from dictionaries, twine, an oatmeal 
box, fish fossils, miniature table legs, a hand-blown 
egg, wood, wire, tarpaper, metal hinges, discarded 
corrugated board and on and on. Artists Kate 
Carvellas, Margo Farrin, Ixchel Marina, Leslie 
Plunkett, D. Lester Williams, Jeannine Savedra and 
Tom Tomlinson have created beauty where you 
wouldn’t think to find any. What is that old saying? 
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure?” This 
is exactly what you’ll see. The picture I’ve added 
here is of “Endgame” by Kate Carvellas and is 
composed of boxes she found, chess pieces, nuts, 
bolts and other found objects. Take a few minutes 
and check this out. Creative Arts Group is a Sierra 
Madre Treasure.

 Another Sierra Madre Treasure is our Playhouse. 
Daughter, Leah, son-in-law, Chuck and I joined 
quite a few other Sierra Madreans Monday, 
March 26th, for a free reading of a play by Donald 
Margulies, American playwright and professor 
of English and Theater Studies at Yale University. 
In 2000 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama 
for his play, Dinner With Friends, which is what 
we saw. Christian Lebano, Artistic Director of the 
Playhouse, was one of four actors portraying two 
couples, longtime friends, one of whose marriages 
has just collapsed. Perched on chairs with just a 
few wine glasses as props, these four professionals 
delivered a full-fledged play. Amazing what one 
can do with talent! Lots of funny lines, i.e., “Tom 
is in love with a stewardess? That is so tacky!” and 
describing the art produced by Tom’s wife, Beth, 
“I’d call it impressionistic neo-psychotic.” Anyway, 
we had a great time and are looking forward to the 
next Playhouse offering: The Immigrant, by Mark 
Harelik. This was our first time to attend one of 
these free readings but it definitely won’t be our 
last. Watch for these things, guys, they’re great!

 Got the most terrific flyer in the mail a week or 
so ago, featuring on one side, a picture of Faubourg 
Chef Anthony Bar with three of his signature 
dishes AND coupons for a free wine tasting, a free 
social hour item, and free goodies for home sellers 
and home buyers...which brings me to what was on 
the other side of this flyer: A nice picture of Ricky 
Budiono, who, along with Chef Anthony Bar, 
is the owner of Faubourg. Ricky is a realtor with 
Dilbeck Estates and is a good friend. With Chef 
Bar expertly handling Faubourg, Ricky has been 
able to pursue his other career, that of a realtor. I 
discovered that Ricky was born in Hong Kong and 
he speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese 
and also Indonesian. He is very involved with 
Sierra Madre Congregational Church and, in fact, 
his serious rededication to his real estate business 
came about when his mentor at Congregational, 
John Stothers, told him he was wasting his gifts by 
not concentrating on what he loved best. Enjoyed 
a really nice glass of merlot and it took all my 
will power...or maybe it was my “won’t” power to 
resist one of the happy hour goodies. Like this one: 
Chevre Chaud – Melted goat cheese, caramelized 
apples, sliced almonds, pesto with toasted country 
bread. Ricky was also very persuasive about his 
Apple Tarte Tatin but, as I had stuffed myself with 
hummus and pita bread at Corfu the night before 
during the second, but by no means the last, Trivia 
Night at Corfu, I resisted. If you haven’t been in to 
Faubourg, where I saw friend, Arne Kalm, savoring 
a latte, you need to go. The days are warmer, you 
can sit outside and enjoy a nice glass of merlot like 
I did, and treat yourself to one of the Social Hour 
items, like Le Petit Burger, grass-fed Angus beef, 
caramelized onions, tomato, house-made mayo, 
Swiss cheese, house-made charcoal brioche bun. 
Social Hour is daily from 4-6. They’ve got Tiramisu, 
too...

 Tuesday Trivia at Corfu was harder this week, 
but I actually knew about four things so I’m good 
to go! Rich Johnson is working day and night on his 
questions, like this one: Who was the first president 
ever to ride in a car, an airplane, a submarine? 
Answer: All the same guy: Teddy Roosevelt! 
Nobody got that one. 

 Spring is a great time to walk Sierra Madre... 
flowers abound!

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 

Kindle books of all sorts and hardcover Tablespoon 
of Love are on there!

Star of Wonder the CD is now on TuneCore! Take 
a look!

 Blog: www.authordeanne.com

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

TO VOTE OR NOT TO VOTE, THAT IS THE QUESTION

I remember when I was a child, I was told by 
teachers, relatives and anyone around me that one 
day I would be able to vote, and that would be one 
of the most important rights I was given. When 
did that ideology change?

 Over the years I have seen voting become a 
non-entity. I have heard many reasons: My vote 
doesn’t count anyway, I don’t have time, I’m not 
registered, I moved and I didn’t register. On and 
on the excuses pile up.

 You may believe your vote doesn’t count, but it 
does. Your candidate may not win, but you cast 
your vote, you made your choice. It counts. You 
must persevere. Do your due diligence, research 
the issues, stay informed. If you have children, you 
must realize casting your vote is for their future. 
You must set an example for them. Tell them how 
important this single right is.

 Too busy? Voting is easier today then ever. You 
can do an absentee vote sent to you long before any 
election. Filling it out, stamping it, and mailing it 
makes sure what you feel is recognized. Staying 
in touch with your community, doing your own 
research enables you to make clear choices. What 
more could you ask? Voting has to be a priority. 
It’s not like joining a club that meets an hour each 
week, or expects you to give volunteer time. That’s 
a story for another day.

 Not registered? Didn’t reregister when you 
moved? Several problems here. It is so easy to 
register or reregister online. Most of us go online 
daily so what is the problem? You are the problem. 
You have to care about what happens in your 
community, your state, your nation. When did 
you stop caring? There is also the problem that 
when you don’t reregister, your name stays on the 
rolls of your last residence. That only enables the 
use of your name in voter fraud. Is that what you 
want?

 I’m sure none of this will change your mind. 

 There are more important things for you to do. 
What those are, only you can determine. The next 
election is coming soon. Take the time to register 
if you need to do so. Keep up with daily news. 
Make it important. It is, after all, one of the most 
important rights you have. Don’t lose it.

Judy Gold, Sierra Madre

SIERRA MADRE ELECTION STATEMENT



I would like to thank the people of Sierra Madre for 
their thoughtful consideration my candidacy. It has 
been an honor for me to get to meet, and hear the 
concerns of, so many dedicated and caring people. 
We are lucky to have so many engaged citizens. 
While I was not successful in my bid for the City 
Council, I will continue to volunteer and serve the 
community in any way possible. I will also continue 
to be accessible and open to dialogue to all members 
of the Sierra Madre Family. 

 I want to also thank and congratulate Gene Goss, 
Rachelle Arizmendi and Denise Delmar. They have 
dedicated their time, expertise and passion to serve 
the City and deserve a lot of respect for all that they 
have accomplished. It has been a positive, respectful 
campaign on all sides and I thank them for that. 

 Finally I want to thank all of my supporters who 
helped throughout the campaign. Without them, I 
could not have taken this on. Their encouragement 
and support has been invaluable. And of course, 
my wife Julie and our sons have been extremely 
supportive. Running for office is a family endeavor. 
They get dragged into it whether they wanted to or 
not. I am so lucky to have a family that was willing 
to make this commitment with me. I love them very 
much. 

Thank you all! It’s great to live in Sierra Madre! 

 About Andy – Andy Bencosme is the Managing 
Broker of Century 21 Village Realty in Sierra 
Madre, CA. He also currently serves as the Chair 
of the Community Services Commission in Sierra 
Madre among other volunteer activities. Andy was 
born in Queens, NY and is the son of Dominican 
parents. Andy attended Queens College, where 
he earned a B.A. in History. Andy earned an MBA 
degree from Saint Leo University in Florida, where 
he was a High School Teacher in Marion County. 
Andy moved to California in 1997 and worked for 
the Internet Service Provider EarthLink managing 
their Technical Support Call Centers nationwide. In 
2003, Andy moved into Real Estate full time and has 
been working for Century 21 Village Realty in Sierra 
Madre since then.

 
STARTING A NEW BUSINESS ? 
FILE YOUR DBA HERE 
Doing Business As, 
Fictitious Business Name Filing 
Obtain Street Address - Business Stationary - Flyers 
Rubber Stamps - Business Cards - Mailing Service 
80 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre 
626-836-6675 
SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER


During this period, the Sierra Madre Police Department 
responded to approximately 342 day and night time calls 
for service. 

Sunday, April 1 

 At about 5:10PM, officers responded to the area of 
Highland Ave and Mountain Trail Ave for a report of a 
man who jumped in front of a car. A man matching the 
description was located at Sierra Pl and Sierra Madre Blvd. 
The man was contacted and attempted to flee. The man 
was apprehended, and transported to a local hospital for 
observation. 

8:45PM 

 Officers responded to a call of a male and female fighting 
and glass breaking. Upon arrival, officers attempted to 
make contact with a female who was uncooperative. After 
hours of negotiating with the female, officers were able to 
make entry into the residence to verify that no one at the 
location was injured 

Monday, April 2 

 At about 1:21AM, officers were dispatched to the 00 
block of W. Sierra Madre Blvd. regarding a male punching 
customers and the bartender. The male was asked to leave 
the location and refused. The male left before officers 
arrived and was located walking down the street. The male 
was arrested for battery and for being drunk in public 

Case referred to the Pasadena DA’s office 

9:34AM 

 A report of transients loitering in the area of the 400 
block of W. Sierra Madre Bl. a female subject was contacted 
and found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia. 
The female gave a fraudulent name and date of birth to 
officers. The female also had two outstanding warrants. 
The female was arrested and transported to the Pasadena 
jail for booking. 

Case referred to the Pasadena DA’s office 

Tuesday, April 3 

 Two subjects who were possibly under the influence 
of unknown substances were in the 300 block of W. 
Sierra Madre Bl at about 6:49AM. Upon contact by the 
officers, it was revealed that the subject had an outside 
agency warrant, was in violation of a court order and 
was in possession of methamphetamine. The subject was 
transported and booked at the Pasadena Jail before being 
transported and booked at the Inmate Reception Center 
in Los Angeles. 

Thursday, April 5 

 Officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Auburn 
Ave. at about 12:25PM. An arrest for domestic battery 
was made after an altercation between a male and female 
that resided at that location. Officers determined that 
the male and female were cohabitants and the male had 
caused a physical injury to the female during the course 
of an argument, which had occurred two minutes prior 
to the arrival of the officers. The male was determined to 
be the primary aggressor and was arrested for domestic 
battery, then transported to an area hospital for medical 
clearance prior to his booking at the Pasadena Jail. 

Case referred to the Pasadena DA’s office 


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