PASADENA EDITION

 SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2019 

VOLUME 13 NO.13

Arrests Made 
in Insurance 
Fraud Scheme

 City Strengthens Tenant Protections

Pacific Asia Museum 
Appoints New Director

 The city council voted 
unanimously Monday night 
to amend the city’s Tenant 
Protection

Ordinance to “include situations 
in which eligible tenants are 
displaced —resulting from large 
rent increase, lease termination, 
or eviction— in connection 
with a change in ownership of 
the rental property.” 

 Other changes included, that 
a new property owner would 
be required to comply with 
tenant protection if a large rent 
increase, lease termination or 
eviction is issued to tenants 
within 18 months after the 
date of change in property 
ownership.

 According to city staff, “A rent 
increase will be considered to be 
large if it exceeds CPI +

5 percent in a 12-month period.” 

 A second modification 
increases the relocation 
allowance amount to 2.5 times 
the HUD Fair Market Rent. 
Currently, the relocation 
allowance base amount is twice 
HUD.

 A third modification require 
owners to pay relocation 
allowance to tenants who have 
maintained

continuous tenancy for a 
minimum period of 10 years. 
Each additional year of tenancy 
after 10 years would qualify 
the tenant for an increase of 
10 percent, with a max of 200 
percent, 20 or more years of 
tenancy. 

 “We’ve given the staff, sort 
of, an impossible task here,” 
Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek 
said. “Because we asked them 
to try and find some equity in 
some of the more potentially 
outrageous cases to try and 
not to do rent control because 
there wasn’t an appetite on the 
council to have a rent control 
ordinance”

 He continued, “But to at least 
in some of the more egregious 
cases to try and mitigate that 
in a fair way to both property 
owners and to renters.” 

 Both Councilmembers, Gene 
Masuda and Victor Gordo 
said they worried about 
consequences of rents below 
market values. Masuda said he 
thinks many landlords would 
immediately raise rents to 
market values if they passed 
the new restrictions. Pasadena 
Senior Project Manager James 
Wong said the city did not have 
data on the number of units 
below market value. 

 Gordo said he also worried 
that tenants that were close to 
occupying a units for 10 years 
could be evicted because of that.

 Eligible tenants must be in 
good standing with incomes not 
exceeding 140 percent of the Los 
Angeles County area median 
income. For a 2-bedroom unit, 
the current relocation allowance 
is $3,326. The moving expense 
allowance is currently $1,199 for 
adult households and $3,608 for 
households with dependents, 
disabled or senior members. 

 During public comments many 
people told stories of themselves 
or others unable to pay rent 
because of skyrocketing rents. 
Many said it is common to pay 
half their salaries to rent. Others 
said that 56 percent of Pasadena 
are renters.

Some called the modifications a 
way to deceive the public away 
from a true rent control laws.

 Councilmember Margaret 
McAustin called for a solution 
of building more housing units 
in the city.

 Councilmember Tyron 
Hampton, who made the 
motion, also asked that staff 
to return in 12 months with 
additional data on rental 
housing increases in the city, 
including how many units are 
below market value.

 
Following an international 
search, the USC Pacific Asia 
Museum and USC Provost’s 
Office announced today 
the appointment of cultural 
historian, Dr. Bethany 
Montagano as USC PAM’s 
next director.

 A visionary and creative 
museum curator, Dr. 
Montagano comes to USC 
PAM from the Skirball 
Cultural Center in Los 
Angeles, where she served as 
senior Curator. For the past 
three years, she originated 
major art, photography and 
fashion exhibitions designed 
to advance the Skirball’s 
mission to inspire visitors 
to create a more just society. 
She curated Pop for the 
People: Roy Lichtenstein 
in L.A., Black is Beautiful: 
The Photography of Kwame 
Brathwaite and most 
recently Fearless Fashion: 
Rudi Gernreich, where she 
worked with Humberto 
Leon of Opening Ceremony 
and Kenzo to bring this 
values driven fashion 
exhibition to life.

 As director of USC 
PAM, Dr. Montagano will 
assume leadership of the 
first university affiliated art 
museum dedicated to the 
arts and cultures of Asia 
and the Pacific Islands, 
holding an extraordinary 
collection of 17,000 objects. 
After a seventeen month 
closure for a seismic 
retrofit to strengthen the 
building, the museum 
reopened in December 
2017 with updated galleries, 
a new museum store and 
secondary branding. Its 
most recent exhibitions have 
traveled internationally and 
nationally.

 Interim Director, Selma 
Holo, who led the search 
committee comprised of 
USC administrators, faculty 
and artists, said, “Bethany 
brings to USC PAM an 
extraordinary knowledge 
in cultural curation, as well 
as museum management. 
She has done amazing work 
at the Skirball in bringing 
cross cultural exhibitions, 
something that is at the heart 
of USC PAM’s mission of 
intercultural understanding. 
Bethany is a seasoned 
museum professional, and 
a dynamic leading force in 
the museum field. We are 
thrilled to have her start.”

 Dr. Montagano said, “I 
hope to bring a strong sense 
of inclusivity and access 
to the USC Pacific Asia 
Museum and ensure that all 
feel honored and welcome at 
the Museum.”

 USC Provost, Michael 
Quick adds, “This is an 
exciting time for the USC 
Pacific Asia Museum, the 
first U.S. university museum 
exclusively dedicated to the 
arts of Asia and the Pacific 
Islands. We are sure that 
Dr. Montagano’s energy and 
expertise in the museum 
field will revitalize the 
exhibitions, programs, and 
cultural outreach.”

 Dr. Montagano earned her 
Bachelor of Arts degree in 
Asian Studies, and studied 
at Kansai Gaidai University 
in Osaka Japan. She has a 
master’s degree in Museum 
Studies and earned her 
doctorate in American 
History with an emphasis 
on gender, race and cultural 
representation from the 
University of Notre Dame. 
Dr. Montagano played 
a formidable role in the 
opening of the Smithsonian 
National Museum of 
African American History 
and Culture. Currently, 
she is senior Curator of the 
Skirball Cultural Center, she 
will assume her post at the 
USC Pacific Asia Museum 
on May 9.

 Five people were arrested 
at five different locations last 
week including Pasadena, 
stemming from a coordinated 
police search warrant over 
a structure fire October 9, 
2017 at Kustom Built, an 
automotive customization 
and repair shop in the city of 
Monrovia. 

 On Monday the Los Angeles 
County District Attorney’s 
Office filed 10 felony counts 
including conspiracy to 
commit arson, arson of a 
structure, arson of property, 
conspiracy to commit 
insurance fraud, and using a 
device to accelerate a fire on 
defendants Alan Sosa, Delmy 
Diaz and Daniel Garcia. 

 To date, over $200,000 in 
insurance claims have been 
filed for the vehicles that were 
in the auto shop. The total 
loss as a result of the fire and 
criminal activity is estimated 
at over $4 million. Insurance 
adjusters calculated this 
estimate in the early stages of 
the investigation. The estimate 
included the total loss of the 
structure, which contained 
five separate businesses. The 
structure sits vacant to this 
day.

 Sosa is currently being 
held at Los Angeles County 
Sheriff’s Department with bail 
set at $425,000. Garcia's bail is 
currently set at $1.425 million. 
Diaz' bail set at $425,000. 
Their next scheduled court 
appearance will be on April 
11 at Pasadena Courthouse in 
Department D.

 “Investigators with the 
Verdugo Arson Task Force 
led a thorough and sustained 
investigation, collaborating 
with several partner agencies. 
This fire devastated several 
local businesses, so to see 
the individuals responsible 
be formally charged is very 
rewarding. Our communities 
are very fortunate to have this 
well-organized and highly-
capable task force working 
hard on our behalves,” said 
Monrovia Fire Chief Brad 
Dover.

PWP Meeting 
on Water 
Rates Change

 Pasadena Water and Power is 
proposing important changes 
to our water rates, and would 
like feedback. Attend an 
upcoming community meeting 
on Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 
p.m. at Robinson Park OR 
Thursday, April 25 at 6:30PM 
at PCC Community Education 
Center. 

 At a meeting in February 
PWP presented the proposed 
water rate adjustments to the 
Municipal Services Committee 
and recommended the City 
Council to consider adopting 
the following proposed water 
rate adjustments:

Eliminate the rate differentials 
in the Distribution and 
Customer (“D&C”) Charge, 
Commodity Charge, and the 
Capital Improvement Charge 
(“CIC”) for customers located 
outside the city limits to be 
effective June 1, 2019;

Eliminate the winter and 
summer (“seasonal”) rate 
differentials in the Commodity 
and CIC charges for all 
customers to be effective 
August 1;

Increase the D&C Charge for 
all customers which would 
increase the system average 
rate by 5.7% to generate 
annual revenue of $3.4 million 
to be effective August 1;

Increase the D&C Charge for 
all customers which would 
increase the system average 
by 5.8% to generate annual 
revenue of $3.7 million to be 
effective July 1, 2020; and,

Increase the Commodity 
Charge which would increase 
the system average by 0.7% 
to generate annual revenue of 
$0.5 million to be effective 
July 1, 2020.

 Staff is recommending that a 
Public Hearing be set on May 
13 at 7 PM to receive public 
comment on the proposed 
changes to the water rates 
and that the City Council 
take action to implement the 
changes at that time.

 For more information visit: 
cityofpasadena.net/water-and-
power/waterrateadjustment.

New Pasadena Public Health 
Outreach Response Team

 
The Pasadena 
Public Health 
Department 
(PPHD), in 
partnership with 
Pasadena Fire 
Department, has 
launched the Pasadena Outreach Response 
Team (PORT). This project is supported through 
a grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health 
Services Administration (SAMHSA) for a 
period of five years. PORT’s goal is to identify 
individuals impacted by chronic homelessness 
and, through supportive services and case 
management, assist them in moving off the 
streets into permanent housing. 

 The grant funding received by PPHD has 
allowed staff to develop and implement a 
creative and innovative approach to managing 
the growing needs for both individuals and 
families experiencing homelessness. The project 
incorporates validated, evidence-based practices 
tailored to the needs of Pasadena’s homeless 
population. PORT is a partnership between 
City departments and community providers to 
help homeless 
individuals 
overcome
the issues 
contributing 
to their 
homelessness.

PORT 
is a 
street-
based 
approach that engages, assesses, 
serves and provides links to housing 
opportunities for those experiencing 
chronic homelessness, severe mental 
illness, substance use disorders, 
physical disabilities and complex 
chronic health conditions. The PORT 
team is comprised of a case manager 
(social worker), public health nurse, 
firefighter, and an outreach worker 
from Union Station Homeless Services. 
Since its inception in late 2018, PORT 
has enrolled 107 individuals, ranging 
from ages 20-79.

 According to the City of Pasadena 
2018 Homeless Count, there has 
been a significant increase in the 
number of individuals experiencing 
homelessness, especially among 
older adults. At the time of the count, 
there were 677 people experiencing 
homelessness, which was an 18% 
increase from the count in 2017 (575) 
and a 28% increase from 2016 (530).

 “Homelessness is a public health 
issue,” said Michael Johnson, Director of 
Pasadena’s Public Health Department. “Due 
to its complex nature and the urgent need to 
address the health and social disparities faced by 
the homeless population, innovative approaches 
are needed to facilitate access to vital services, 
such as medical care, mental health and 
behavioral care, and social services.” 

PORT Street-Based Services include:

·Outreach

·Intensive case management

·Basic health screenings

·Linkage to housing programs

·Supportive services

 For more information on PORT contact 
PPHD’s Social and Mental Health Division at 
(626) 744-6339.


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