Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, October 13, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, October 13, 2018 

City of Sierra Madre

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE

From: The City of Sierra Madre

Subject: Second Unit Ordinance Amendment Omitting Periodic Inspection Requirement 

Applicant: City of Sierra Madre

Project Location: Properties in the City of Sierra Madre, County of Los Angeles, State of California

The City of Sierra Madre gives notice, pursuant to State of California law, that the City Council will conduct a second 
reading of Ordinance 1404 at the October 23, 2018 City Council Meeting at 6:30 PM in the City Council Chambers at 
232 West Sierra Madre Boulevard. All interested persons may attend this meeting and the City Council will them with 
respect thereto. 

On October 9, 2018 the City Council introduce for first reading, recommending adoption of Ordinance 1404 
amending Title 17-Zoning of the Sierra Madre Municipal Code, Chapter 17.22-Second Units, by amending Section 
17.22.130-Recordation, omitting the periodic inspection requirement for a second unit permit. 

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The adoption of this ordinance qualifies for an exemption from the California 
Environmental Quality Act review pursuant to Title 14, Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Code of Regulations as it 
can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the adoption of this Ordinance may have a significant effect on the 
environment, because omitting the regulatory requirement to conduct periodic inspections in order to build a second unit is 
not likely to result in additional construction beyond that already permissible. Therefore, the City Council concludes that 
the amendments to Chapter 17.22 will not have a significant effect on the environment. 

APPEAL: If in the future anyone wishes to challenge the decision of the City Council in court, one may be limited to 
raising the issues that were raised or presented in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at, or before, the 
scheduled public hearing. For further information on this subject, please contact the Sierra Madre Police Department at 
(626) 355-1414.

WALKING SIERRA MADRE... The Social Side By Deanne Davis


Walking Sierra Madre...The Social Side

Deanne Davis

September 19, 2018

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies...The 
man who never reads lives only one.” 

George R. R. Martin

“The more that you read, the more things you will 
know. 

The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” 
Dr. Seuss

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free!” 
Frederick Douglass

 While reading my way through the September 
8th issue of the Mountain Views News, I happened 
on “Jeff’s Book Pics” by Jeff Brown. I always check 
to see what Jeff has been reading as he’s always got 
something interesting he’s reviewing and, a couple 
of times, it’s been a book of mine. In addition to 
“Leadership: In Turbulent Times’ by Doris Kearns 
Goodwin and “Becoming” by Michelle Obama, 
Jeff reviewed Anne Bogel’s book, “I’d Rather 
Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the 
Reading Life.” 

 “For so many people, reading isn’t just a hobby or 
a way to pass the time,” Anne says, “ – it’s a lifestyle. 
Our books shape us, define us, enchant us, and 
even sometimes infuriate us. Our books are a part 
of who we are as people, and we can’t imagine life 
without them.”

 When I was about 8 years old, my mother and 
her best friend, Florene, had taken me and Florene’s 
two children, Glen and Marsha to the beach to 
spend the day. I was lying on my towel squinting 
against the sun and reading. Glen and Marsha 
were in the water but I could have cared less. I 
was reading. My mother said to me, “You’ll never 
have any character lines on your face because you 
never stop reading long enough to develop any 
character!” I wittily replied, “Huh?” and continued 
reading. Well, I’ve developed plenty of character 
lines and have never stopped reading. When we 
were first married, John discovered that I read 
constantly and I even brought several books on 
our honeymoon. He got used to the fact that I 
had a book propped up in the kitchen, one in the 
dressing room and had several on my nightstand. 
He read mostly technical journals when we first 
met and eventually married, but subscriptions to 
everything IEEE puts out eventually loses it’s charm 
when one’s life partner reads one amusing passages 
from Fannie Flagg’s “Standing In The Rainbow” or 
death defying excerpts from John Caldwell’s book, 
“Desperate Voyage,” like the one below, especially 
when we had actually MET John Caldwell!

 “From Perlas to Galapagos, and from Galapagos 
on west, I had uttered such curses as I doubt have 
ever been heard over the keel of a ship. In every 
squall, gale, calm, cloudburst, and contrary current, 
I had unloosed a flood of invective to shame a mule 
skinner. But more than that...in the height of my 
extremities I had profaned God Himself. On many 
an occasion I became so bold as to defy Him, deny 
Him, and swear I would profess atheism all the 
rest of my life. I even invited Him on deck – man 
to man – anything but the obstructing persecution 
of the elements, anything but the slow crawl when 
I wanted speed. And now, lost, foodless, without 
instruments, I humbly bent my knees to the deck 
and laid my folded hands upon the cabin. With eyes 
raised, I read off a most heartfelt forgiveness and 
piteous appeal to Pagan’s real Captain.” Now I ask 
you, doesn’t that beat the heck out of what’s doing 
with transducers?

 Books can infuriate us. Yes, indeed, I read the first 
chapter of “Fifty Shades of Grey” and threw it in the 
trash. Thoroughly enjoyed the recent movie, “Book 
Club,” with Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice 
Bergen and so forth, but was dismayed when the 
book Jane Fonda forced on her friends was “Fifty 
Shades of Grey!” 

 I read “Forever Amber” by Kathleen Winsor as 
a pre-teen and it made such an impression on me 
that I forbade my own pre-teen daughter, Leah, 
ever to read it as it was just too sexy. It was pretty 
racy, even making the Black Plague sound hot and 
bothered, but nothing like what’s being published 
now. She still hasn’t read it. 

 “Little Women,” “Gone With The Wind,” 
“Lonesome Dove,” “Tom Sawyer,” “Huckleberry 
Finn,” anything and everything by Pat Conroy, 
including his cookbook. And my favorite team, 
Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child...these guys 
created FBI Special Agent A X L Pendergast, one 
of the quirkiest, most enigmatic, wealthy, brilliant 
persons ever drawn on a page. Jack London, C. 
S. Lewis, John Steinbeck, Amy Tan, and about a 
hundred others are my favorite authors. Recently 
read and thoroughly enjoyed: “A Gentleman in 
Moscow” by Amor Towles. 

 Childhood favorites, all “The Black Stallion” 
books by Walter Farley, “Misty of Chincoteague” by 
Marguerite Henry, “Lassie,” “Lad: A Dog” I loved 
them all. “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” Reading, friends 
and neighbors, never gets old. What book made 
you fall in love with reading?

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 

Kindle books of all sorts and hardcover “Tablespoon 
of Love” are on there, as is “Star of Wonder.”

 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

KATIE Tse..........This and That


HALLOWEEN --AGAIN

 It’s that time of year again. 
Time for me to recycle my 
Halloween article. But this 
time I updated more than 
I usually do, so I don’t feel 
like a total slacker, just a 
moderate slacker...

 Well, we’ve come to the longest holiday of the 
year --Halloween. Why is Halloween the longest 
holiday? This is due primarily to its position in 
the calendar. We haven’t had a big holiday since 
the Fourth of July, 
and even that might 
not have been so 
big. Maybe you had 
a barbeque and put 
up some flags, but 
that’s probably about 
it. Before the Fourth 
of July, it was Easter. 
And depending on 
what your family is 
like, that might not 
have been big, either. 
That takes us back 
to St. Patrick’s Day. 
Again, usually not a 
huge deal. 

 Before that was 
Valentine’s Day, a 
holiday you either 
love or hate. I’m 
convinced that 
more people hate 
Valentine’s Day than love it. Even people who have 
someone in their life might stress about finding 
the perfect dinner reservations and making sure 
that they live up to the other person’s expectations. 
(My husband and I usually stay home and prepare 
some indulgent thing like ribs for dinner. We’ve 
even given up ordering food to go. We tried that 
one year at a popular local ribs place, and they ran 
out of ribs!! Lesson learned.)

 This is all to say that by the time we come around 
to Halloween, we haven’t had a really great party-
throwing holiday since New Year’s. And that was 
so long ago! We’re starved for festivity. We’ve 
been looking forward to it since the stores packed 
away their Fourth of July decorations. (I forget, do 
they put stuff out for Labor Day? What would it 
be? Not flags, right? A big sign that says “Work” 
with a red line through it?). Yes, by now we’ve 
been marinating in Halloween themed decor for 
the last month or so. We’re primed for it.

 What are other reasons Halloween is such a 
beloved holiday of the masses? Namely because 
it’s not sentimental. Even people who despise the 
holiday season because they do not have someone 
to share it with still love Halloween, or at least 
tolerate it. Halloween doesn’t come with baggage. 
You never put on a costume or decorate your lawn 
with skeletons and wistfully imagine the perfect 
man or woman 
sharing this special 
experience with 
you. (Okay, maybe 
you might. But you 
must admit it’s worse 
at Thanksgiving, 
Christmas, 
New Year’s, and 
Valentine’s.)

 There are no 
tender songs like 
“I’ll be home for 
Halloween,” or “Have 
Yourself a Merry 
Little Halloween” 
to tug at your heart 
strings. People don’t 
send personalized 
Halloween cards 
with their family 
in matching ghoul 
outfits. (Again, I 
can’t speak for everyone, but I think the majority 
of families don’t do this.)

 Then there’s the aspect of dressing up that some 
people are into. Personally, I don’t go in for this, but 
a lot of adults do. I work at a school, and it’s kind 
of expected that I’ll dress up as something. But I’m 
not a classroom teacher, so I usually pass on the 
whole costume thing. The kids always ask me what 
I’ll be, and I tell them “A speech teacher.” “But that’s 
what you are everyday!” they say. I nod, “Exactly.” 
Maybe this year I’ll give in and do something. 
That’s a big “maybe.” But if not, I have my trusty 
shirt that I wear but one day a year. It says, “This 
IS my Halloween costume.” I know, I’m a humbug.

 But if you are not a humbug. then more power 
to you! I hope you have a fun Halloween, not for a 
couple weeks yet, but who’s counting days anyway. 


ST. RITA FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL


Next weekend, St. Rita School will host their annual 
Fall Harvest Festival. This is a family friendly, fun 
and exciting way to spend your days! The weekend 
starts off on Friday night with Beer, Brats and Bingo 
from 6:00-10:00 in O’Malley Hall. This event brings 
together parishoners, members of the community 
and parents as they gather to enjoy some great 
Oktoberfest style food and drinks, and of course try 
their hand at the $1 Bingo games! New to this year’s 
event will be the highly anticipated Stein Holding 
Contest! Come and test your stein holding strength 
and endurance! Beer, Brats and Bingo is an adults 
only event, but also on site will be our FREE Kid’s 
Night Out! We will have dinner, games, crafts,a live 
DJ and movies on the meadow to keep the children 
entertained while the parents enjoy themselves 
close by!

 Saturday’s festivities kick off at 12:30pm. St. 
Rita School’s west campus transforms itself from a 
school yard into an amazing Fall Festival. There are 
game booths from each classroom, multiple food 
booths, and a beer garden featuring the football 
games. In addition, live entertainment continues 
all day with Johnny Starr and the Galaxy headlining 
for the evening! There are many rides for kids of 
all ages, including an amazing new aerial ride. 
While you’re there, be sure to stop by the auction 
tents for items such as cabin getaways, spa retreats 
and sporting events, just to name a few! And you 
wouldn’t want to leave without making sure you’ve 
picked up a raffle ticket! Our grand prize is $4,000 
cash or a year’s free tuition!

 St. Rita’s annual Harvest Festival is a wonderful, 
family friendly event that you are sure to have 
a great time attending. Please come and enjoy 
wonderful food, drinks and entertainment all 
while supporting St. Rita School. The Harvest 
Festival runs from 12:30-9:30pm on Saturday, 
October 20, 2018 and is located at 322 Baldwin 
Avenue. 

SIERRA MADRE LIBRARY AND PLAYHOUSE 
PARTNER FOR HALLOWEEN FUN

“We are an institution educating the Southern California community for more than 35 years” 
Our school opens its doors to welcome students of all grade levels in our integral education system. 
Pre-K, Kindergarten, Elementary, Jr. High and High School 
The classes are taught in Spanish 
The academic year is from September - June 
9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. (Saturdays only) 
Headquarters (Saturday Only): Foothill Oaks Academy 
822 Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010 
Correspondence: P.O. Box 5332, Whittier, CA 90607-5332 
Email: laescuelaargentina@gmail.com 
. Registration forms are available for printing on our website at: www.leala.org. 
For more information call: 
(562) 548-9528 . (562) 324-1077 
Official titles recognized in Argentina and other countries who 
have treaties of educational reciprocity with Argentina 
(Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, México, Paraguay & Uruguay) 
SleepyHollowLIB FINAL (2) 
Just in time for Halloween, join the fun of 
Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy 
Hollow and Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven, 
presented by the Sierra Madre Playhouse. 
Appropriately atmospheric and spooky for 
the season, the radio play with live sound 
effects, will chill and thrill on Tuesday, Oct. 
30 at 5:00 pm. at the Sierra Madre Public 
Library.

The old-time radio drama, is performed 
by the Sierra Madre Playhouse AKT 
Academy, a company of young artists in 
residence at Sierra Madre Playhouse under 
the direction of Alison Kalmus. They’ll be 
joined in this performance by special guest 
Sierra Madre Playhouse Artistic Director 
Christian Lebano. 

 Read, Discover, Connect @ Sierra Madre 
Public Library, 440 W. Sierra Madre 
Blvd. Sierra Madre, CA 91024, (626) 
355-7186, Text (626) 662-1254, www.
cityofsierramadre.com/services/library

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