SIERRA MADRE EDITION

 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2019 

VOLUME 13 NO. 6

RAINFALL WELCOME BUT MUDSLIDES ARE A 
CAUTION! Photo by Tom Gage/Sierra Madre

FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE PROVISION OF 
OUTSIDE FIRE RESPONSE SERVICES TO SIERRA 
MADRE COMMISSIONED By Kevin McGuire

Arcadia City Council, led by Mayor Sho Tay, 
approved a feasibility study to be conducted to weigh 
the pros and cons of providing fire suppression 
services to the City of Sierra Madre. The request 
for the study came from the management staff of 
Sierra Madre after the two cities met for multiple 
discussions on the subject and a non-binding 
term sheet, laying out the terms and conditions of 
arrangement, was approved on January 8, 2019. 

 The goal from the side of Sierra Madre is to become 
included in the Verdugo System’s unified response 
(automatic aid). For many years, Sierra Madre relied 
on an all-volunteer fire department which triggered 
their non-inclusion in the automatic aid system. As 
a result, the city has relied on requesting assistance 
from area cities including Arcadia, Monrovia and 
Pasadena as part of a mutual aid program not 
bound by any legal contract or agreement. 

 Sierra Madre has, in recent years, transitioned 
its Engine 41 fire personnel in hopes to reach a 
fully functioning “Class 1” paid department. As of 
February 1, 2019, they moved one step closer by 
adding two more fire engineers to their current staff. 
But, if an agreement is reached with Arcadia and 
approved, Arcadia would provide fire suppression 
services and assist EMS to all areas of Sierra Madre, 
and Sierra Madre, in turn, would reorganize its 
own fire department which would include the 
elimination of one Fire Chief position, three Fire 
Captain positions, three Fire Engineer positions, 
and all part-time Fire Engineer and Firefighter 
positions. This part of the plan sparked quite a bit of 
stir and outrage in the Sierra Madre community.

 The thought of losing fire personnel and relying 
on Arcadia to respond to calls in Sierra Madre, 
along with accused “lack of transparency” by the 
City Council, caused many residents to take to social 
media to express their concerns and displeasure. As 
a result, on January 28, Sierra Madre Chamber of 
Commerce hosted a town hall forum for citizens 
to voice their opinions and ask questions of the 
Council and City Management—which brings us 
to this next step, a feasibility study approved by 
Arcadia City Council. But it was not a unanimous 
approval. Longtime Arcadia Council Member 
Roger Chandler was a “no” vote. 

 But, prior to the vote, two members of the Sierra 
Madre community spoke to the Council opposing 
this proposed move by the two neighboring cities. 
First up was former Sierra Madre Mayor Glenn 
Lambdin. “You’re going to have to sell to your 
public we’re going to provide the same service to 
Sierra Madre, who pays no taxes in Arcadia, and 
we’re going to do it for one quarter of the cost that 
we charge Arcadia residents,” Lambdin suggested. 
“It’s not fair to Arcadia to take on Sierra Madre’s 
financial burdens. The best interest for Sierra Madre 
is to have its own, fully-staffed, fully-qualified, fire 
department that’s capable of getting in with the 
Verdugo auto aid. Once we get to that place, we 
can reciprocate some of the generous service you 
have given to our community,” Lambdin said. 

 Allen Hodge, a 30-year paramedic serving Sierra 
Madre also voiced concerns. “The proposed plan 
calls for the elimination of Sierra Madre Engine 41. 
What that means is the amount of fire engines in 
Sierra Madre and North Arcadia will be cut from 
two to one,” Hodge said. “Engine 107 will double 
their call volume and Arcadia Fire will have three-
square miles, 11,000 residents and 1,000 to 1,200 
calls without an increase in personnel, and fire 
apparatus,” he added. Hodge also pointed out 
the danger a delayed response time can cause, 
increasing the chances fires will grow out of control. 
“It’s not worth the risk on the residents who depend 
on them,” Hodge said. 

 There are also the cost concerns for two cities 
with tight budgets and money woes. The city of 
Arcadia announced at the same meeting that they 
are declaring a fiscal emergency after a general fund 
mid-year budget review. Sierra Madre is footing 
the bill for this initial study for $20,000, a study 
which may last into the summer. More studies 
may be needed in the future. In addition, the city 
is offering Arcadia $800,000 for fire response 
services for Year 1. The study would determine if 
that amount is sufficient to cover Arcadia’s costs. 
At the January 28th forum, Sierra Madre Pro Tem 
John Harabedian expressed great concern on how 
the city would continue to pay for a fully-staffed 
fire department and pay them wages comparable to 
surrounding cities. 

 Though Arcadia Council approved the study, 
Council Member Tom Beck had some concerns. 
“When we first discussed this amongst ourselves, I 
thought we were just going to do fire suppression 
and guesstimating a few calls a month,” Beck 
said. “Then I spoke to a former fire chief from 
Sierra Madre who gave the figure ‘we’re expecting 
Arcadia to roll out 800 times a year.’ That’s a lot of 
calls. Sooner or later someone is going to get hurt. 
Something is going to happen. Something bad,” 
Beck warned. 

 Sierra Madre resident, Barbara Vellturo, quoted 
even higher numbers mentioned by Beck in an 
email she sent to Arcadia City Council. “The 
Sierra Madre engine has consistently responded 
to over 1,000 calls per year—two years ago it was 
over 1200 calls,” Vellturo noted. “The total time for 
the engine on a medical call from dispatch to clear 
probably averages 20-30 minutes, depending on 
the circumstances. If this proposal were accepted, 
the Arcadia engine would be away from, and 
unavailable to, Arcadia for more than 300 hours a 
year, not including travel time. ANY emergency, 
whether medical or fire, during those hours, would 
be handled by an engine response from further 
away. There is NO conceivable way this would leave 
the citizens of Arcadia as safe as they are now!” 
Vellturo wrote. 

 Council Member Roger Chandler said he’s been 
down this road before with the city of Sierra Madre. 
“Sierra Madre is a great town. It’s supposed to be one 
of the safest in California to live in. It is absolutely 
unique,” Chandler pointed out. “All that being said, 
it still doesn’t do what needs to be done once and 
for all. The city of Sierra Madre needs to step up to 
the plate; they need to tax themselves in order to 
create a totally professional police department and a 
totally professional fire department. This particular 
proposal is a waste of time,” Chandler said. 

 Despite Chandler’s “no” the vote carried 4-1 and 
was approved. The results of the study are expected 
to provide direction to Arcadia and Sierra Madre’s 
negotiations staff regarding the next course of 
action. But, for now, Sierra Madre is set with a 
fully-staffed, paid fire department that will continue 
to receive assistance from obliging neighbors as 
needed. 


ARCADIA DECLARES FISCAL EMERGENCY - 
BUDGET CUTS MAY HURT CITY SERVICES

Arcadia City Council will be looking at budget-
cutting options as they prepare for Fiscal Year 2019-
20 after making certain fiscal emergency findings 
with respect to the General Fund. 

After an analysis of expenditures and revenues, it 
was determined that expenditures are projected 
to be approximately $231, 000 above the adopted 
General Fund budget and revenues are expected 
to lower by about $1.2 million. Part of the reason 
is due to a lower amount of sales tax and building 
construction permits received than expected. 
Some is due to new software being installed which 
initially caused a delay for companies entering 
receipts. Hotel taxes in the city were also about 
14% flatter than expected. These low revenues 
paired with increase costs of services are causing 
great challenges moving forward for Arcadia. As a 
result of the review process, City Council adopted 
Resolution 7242 and declared a fiscal emergency. 

Though the city has been able to adequately meet 
the service levels and needs their community has 
come to expect, based on current expenditures and 
revenues, they may no longer be able to maintain 
certain services in the near future. So, how deep 
is the hole? Well, the long range financial forecast 
shows that the General Fund is facing an $8 million 
structural deficit over the next 10 years. Right now 
they sit at a $4.5 million deficit. 

Where Will the Cuts Come From?

According to a report generated by City Manager 
Dominic Lazzaretto, Administrative Service 
Director Hue Quach, and Assistant to the City 
Manager, Michael Bruckner, cuts make affect the 
following: Neighborhood Police Patrols

 911 Emergency Response Times, and 
Fire Protection and Life Saving Services.

All this coming at the same time the City received 
a request from the city of Sierra Madre for fire 
suppression services. In fact, in order to balance 
the budget in Arcadia, the city may cut two dozen 
police, firefighters and paramedics. Not good for a 
city that has seen an increase in home break-ins and 
property crimes in recent times.

 Another consideration is the increase in 
pension costs after the city implemented pension 
and benefit reforms in 2011. “The pension 
system is correcting itself in a good way, it’s 
making it more conservative, it’s making it more 
fiscally responsible,” according to City Manager 
Dominic Lazzaretto, “Every time they are more 
conservative, the bill that comes due to the cities 
is increased significantly. Where they use to expect 
lots of growth in the system, they are now relying 
on more money up front,” he said. 

 Despite the budget woes, Arcadia is expected to 
allot funds for both capital improvements, such as 
road repair, and equipment replacement. 

 In addition to cuts to city services, the community 
can also expect to see a measure on the next ballot 
for an increase in the city’s sales tax. 

 “We feel that it’s necessary to declare a fiscal 
emergency,” Lazzaretto said. “It’s not something 
that brings me any joy to ask you to do, but it’s 
something we need to do. As a community, we need 
to deal with this one way or another. We need to 
either raise revenues or change the service policy we 
have.”

 The adoption of Resolution 7242 was unanimous. 
The Council will meet in the future to discuss what 
the plans of action will be in regards to the budget 
deficit. K. McGuire/MVNews

REMEMBRANCE JUDY (EVEREST) HARFMAN TROUTT


Judy (Everest) Harfman Troutt, a long time Sierra Madre resident passed 
away of a heart attack in her home on January 23, 2019 at the age of 76. 
She was born October 3, 1942 in Los Angeles, CA. Judy is survived by her 
husband of almost 32 years, Allen Troutt, her children; Kathryn Harfman 
of Pearblossom, CA, Jennifer Harfman Kenyon (Brett) of Sierra Madre and 
Carrie Harfman Bell (Carston) of Sierra Madre, step sons; Allen Troutt of 
Arcadia, CA and Daniel Troutt of Altadena, CA, grandchildren; Charlcie 
Harfman Bibian (Manny), Ryan Kenyon, Dylan Kenyon, Colby Kenyon, 
Cody Bell, and Faith Troutt, And two great grandchildren; Colton and 
Rachel Bibian. She was preceded in death by her daughter Kaleen Harfman 
who passed away in 2012.

 Judy was a stay at home mom who in 1973 started a support group called 
Parents with Heart for families with children born with heart defects. She 
designed and published a cookbook with friends and family that is still being 
used today. The support group was able to raise enough money to create a 
“Crash Cart” that was dedicated to Kaleen and used at Huntington Hospital. 
Judy participated in Sierra Madre Elementary Schools’ “Extravaganza” for 
several years for the PTA which she was involved in. Judy later became 
involved in the Sierra Madre Girls Softball Association when Kathy started 
playing. At the time there were not enough coaches and while Judy knew nothing about the rules and regulations of girls 
softball, she quickly learned and brought her team to all-star championships many times over. When Kathy graduated 
to senior division, Judy continued in junior division coaching Jenny. Judy enjoyed softball so much that her and her 
then husband, Dennis Harfman, joined a co-ed slo-pitch league. Judy had been a graduate of Pasadena High School, 
class of 1960. For many years she was on the reunion committee and helped plan many of their milestone reunions.
As her girls got older, she started working outside of the home. One of the places of note was Toy and Patio, a 
nostalgic Sierra Madre business. She was a bookkeeper by trade who ultimately ended up at Buffums Department 
Store as the office manager, where she met her current husband Allen Troutt. 

 After retirement Judy and Allen spent many vacations going to some of her favorite places like Idyllwild, CA 

and Pismo Beach, CA. They took a road trip to Missouri where her brother-in-law lived and also went to Oregon. 
She was an avid reader and loved doing crossword puzzles, playing Scrabble and spending time with her family. 
Services will be held at Bethany Christian Church on Saturday February 16, 2019 at 11:00am with a reception 
to follow immediately after. 

 In lieu of flowers, donations could be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or the American Heart Association.


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