SIERRA MADRE EDITION

 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2019 

VOLUME 13 NO. 5


CITY ADDRESSES PROPOSED FIRE DEPARTMENT REORGANIZATION IN OPEN 
TOWN HALL - SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING By Kevin McGuire/MVNews

Emotions were prevelant during a special Town Hall 
Forum /Council Meeting Monday night while discussing 
the fate of the Sierra Madre Fire Department. Anger, fear, 
sadness and surprise were some of the feelings expressed by 
residents, along with current and former fire personnel in 
the Q&A format hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and 
moderated by Director of the Chamber, Susan Henderson. 
The council noticed a Special Meeting in conjunction with 
this event so that all five council members could attend. 
The council sat among the residents and made themselves 
available to answer questions.

 The forum was triggered after the City Council received 
backlash over their initial meeting on January 8, 2019 
where they approved a non-binding term sheet with the 
City of Arcadia in hopes of receiving fire suppression and 
related services and the chance to qualify for automatic 
aid from the Verdugo System. Though the benefits of 
automatic aid would include receiving three fire engines, 
two fire trucks, one Battalion Chief, and one Rescue 
Ambulance to “working fire” calls, the deal would also call 
for a reorganizing off the Sierra Madre Fire Department—
in essence, the elimination of one Fire Chief position, three 
Fire Captain positions, three Fire Engineer positions, and 
all part-time Fire Engineer and Firefighter positions. 

 Over 80 percent of emergency calls in Sierra Madre are 
for ambulance services, but with this reorganization plan in 
place, paramedics and EMTs would now rely on Arcadia to 
provide the accompanying fire truck and personnel. 

 `A handful of residents and fire personnel attended 
and spoke at the January 8 meeting. Though some showed 
support for Sierra Madre qualifying for automatic aid, 
many residents expressed concern over losing the fire truck 
and staff. Many felt the decision was being pushed through 
quickly by City Council and Fire Department personnel 
expressed feeling “blindsided” by the pronouncement. 

 Soon after the January 8 meeting, concerned citizens 
took to the local papers and social media and, as awareness 
grew, the demand for more discussion grew along with it. 
Hence, the town hall forum which drew a standing-room-
only crowd and lasted around two hours with the City 
Manager and all Council Members on hand to add some 
clarity, answer questions and issue apologies. 

 Susan Henderson asked for civility and kept things 
orderly with a two-minute limit to questions/statements at 
the podium. Prior to opening the forum, City Manager 
Gabriel Engeland started things off with a presentation, 
and tackled some of the most frequent asked questions.



So Where Do We Stand Now?

According to the City Manager’s presentation, Sierra 
Madre has a current reciprocal automatic aid (dispatched 
automatically) agreement with Los Angeles County Engine 
66.The fire department responds to calls to the Chantry 
Flat area in Arcadia, and Engine 66 responds to Sierra 
Madre jurisdiction (Municipal boundary). Sierra Madre 
also has a mutual aid (dispatched upon request) agreement 
with Angeles National Forest for battling wildland fires 
(not structure fires). 

 Many of the surrounding cities have an automatic aid 
agreement with the Verdugo System. Sierra Madre does 
not. Neighboring cities do respond to the City if requested, 
but are not required to do so. It is mutual aid in practice. 
For example, Verdugo dispatched engines to assist in the 
2008 blaze on Mt. Wilson because local fire staff at the time 
was overwhelmed. But surround cities have expressed 
displeasure in having to bail out Sierra Madre, according 
to the City Manager. “Our neighbors have made it 
abundantly clear that we need to quit abusing the system,” 
Engeland noted during his presentation. “They made it 
clear that we have to look like them, that we need to be 
a career department and that they are tired of providing 
charity to us and their tax payers paying to put out our 
fires.” Engeland also pointed out that mutual aid is based 
on reciprocity and Sierra Madre currently does not leave its 
jurisdiction to return help to neighboring cities that have 
helped them. 

 The City is not reorganizing the fire department at this 
time. Currently, Sierra Madre is looking to conduct a study 
to see if getting into an automatic aid agreement is feasible, 
practically and financially. Arcadia has yet to approve the 
study. If the study is approved, it’s just one step in many 
that has to be completed. One other step is to bring the 
current department up to career standards. On Tuesday, 
two additional engineers passed their test bringing the 
department to acceptable standards staff wise. 

 Engeland pointed out that Sierra Madre has been on 
talks on the topic of automatic aid over the last decade. 

Where Does the Community Stand?

Dozens of residents chose to voice their opinions, 
concerns, and ask questions—and did so calmly and 
organized. Former Mayor Glenn Lambdin was the first 
to speak to the full house in attendance. “I believe that the 
way this was handled on January 8th damaged public trust 
and confidence. Sadly, I think our fire department was 
blindsided the way this was presented,” he said. Lambdin 
suggested rescinding the second part of the January 8th 
recommendation to Council calling for the reorganization 
of the fire department and called for Mayor Denise Del 
Mar to show her support for the department.

Longtime Sierra Madre resident Bruce Jones was a member 
of the volunteer fire department, a cherished staple in the 
community for many years. “What I would like to suggest 
is that we reconvene the Public Safety Committee and we 
give more thoughtful consideration to this issue because it’s 
a big issue,” Jones stated. He feels a committee would allow 
for more public input from citizens.

 Resident Phil Cannon suggested the City Council and 
Fire Department get together and produce a cost-benefit 
analysis of the alternatives to reorganizing the department. 
“It would be crystal clear to the people that live here what 
the alternatives are, what it might cost us and what good it’s 
going to do,” Cannon said. 

 Paramedic Chuck Curry pointed out the importance 
of having paramedics and fire engine answering calls from 
the same station. “We have that right now in the city. That’s 
the best emergency medical service you can get,” Curry 
noted. “The idea of an ambulance going on scene and 
waiting for fire engine coming from another city, that can 
make the difference in a person’s outcome,” he added.

 In the most emotional talk of the night, resident Beth 
Copti spoke of the tragic fire that took the life of her neighbor 
on the 300 block of North Lima Avenue on January 17, 
2019. “I could have never imagined that something like 
that could have happened in my own town, let alone my 
own neighbor,” Copti said. The police and fire department 
arrived promptly as they have for other emergency calls 
in the area, Copti noted. “Our fire department was there. 
They did their very best. They asked the right questions. 
They cared very much about the person inside. I just don’t 
get the feeling that every other city is going to care as much 
about our own citizens as our own personnel,” she said. 
The fatal fire was also responded to by the cities of Arcadia, 
Monrovia and Pasadena. 

 Many spoke out in support of the fire department and 
paramedics, while others questioned whether the possible 
cuts are part of a budget-saving agenda. Mayor Pro Tem 
John Harabedian acknowledged that money is always a 
factor, but said safety is the main concern here. He also 
offered an apology on the way the City Council handled 
the previous meeting on this subject on January 8. “To the 
extent the fire fighters felt blindsided…personal apology 
from you Council,” Harabedian said. “It in no way was our 
intention…totally sorry. You’re our full-time employees. 
You still are. No employee has been eliminated. No position 
has been eliminated,” he confirmed. Harabedian said a cost 
analysis would be the next step and acknowledged the 
need for the Council to be more transparent. 

 Harabedian, along with Council Members John 
Capoccia and Gene Goss, offered their phone numbers 
to attendees and encouraged them to call on any further 
questions they had about the automatic aid plan and the 
future of the fire department in Sierra Madre. Will another 
town hall forum happen in the future? That is to be 
determined as well. 

From left to right: Santo Riboli, Cathy Riboli, Steve Riboli, Wine Enthusiast writer Matt Kettmann 
RIBOLIFAMILYOFSANANTONIOWINERYACCEPTSWINEENTHUSIAST’S“AMERICANWINERYOFTHEYEAR“AWARDATWINESTARAWARDS(LosAngeles,Calif.)–California’sRibolifamily,ofthe historicSanAntonioWineryindowntownLosAngeles,
receivedWineEnthusiast’sprestigiousWineStarAwardfor“AmericanWineryoftheYear”attheNobuEdenRocinMiamiBeachMonday . Theblack-tiegalahonorsinnovatorsandstalwartswhoareshapingthepresentand future of the wine, spirits and beer industry .
The 102-year-oldSanAntonioWineryhasbeenabelovedfixtureintheLosAngelescommunitybringingthetasteofCaliforniaandItaly’sfinestwinestothegreaterareaandacrossthecountry. Knownforrevolutionizingthewineindustrybycreatingabroadrangeofwinesincludingtheultra-successful StellaRosacollection,andSanSimeonandMaddalenawines,amongothers ,RiboliFamilyofSanAntonioWineryisaprimeexampleofathrivingfamilybusinessoffourgenerations.Theirabilitytoadaptandcontinetoinnovatewiththetimesandappealtoanever-changingdemographicofnationalwinedrinkershasmadethemoneofthe most successful wineries in the United States.
“My brothers Steve, Santo, and I would like to dedicate this award to our parents . Stefano and MaddalenaRiboli, or Nonno and Nonna as we affectionally call them, who are now 97 and 96 years old,” said vicepresident Cathy Riboli, as she received the award onstage. “From pioneering the tasting room concept tobecoming the first winery to open a restaurant in California , our parents have made some amazing strides inthe wine industry and continue to inspire us daily with new ideas.”
TestamenttotheRibolifamily’ssuccessisitsabilitytoinnovate.Asidefromits estatevineyardscoveringmorethan1,000acresacross California’sCentralCoast ,thefamilyhasalsobuilta state-of-the-art,
energy-efficientwineryinPasoRobles,withanadjacenteventscenterscheduledtoopenJanuary2019.“It’sanevolutionstory,”saidAnthonyRiboli,afourth-generationvintnerandgreat-grandnephewofSanto
Fromlefttoright:SantoRiboli,CathyRiboli,SteveRiboli,WineEnthusiastwriterMattKettmannRIBOLIFAMILYOFSANANTONIOWINERYACCEPTSWINEENTHUSIAST’S“AMERICANWINERYOFTHEYEAR“AWARDATWINESTARAWARDS(LosAngeles,Calif.)–California’sRibolifamily,ofthe historicSanAntonioWineryindowntownLosAngeles,
receivedWineEnthusiast’sprestigiousWineStarAwardfor“AmericanWineryoftheYear”attheNobuEdenRocinMiamiBeachMonday . Theblack-tiegalahonorsinnovatorsandstalwartswhoareshapingthepresentand future of the wine, spirits and beer industry .
The 102-year-oldSanAntonioWineryhasbeenabelovedfixtureintheLosAngelescommunitybringingthetasteofCaliforniaandItaly’sfinestwinestothegreaterareaandacrossthecountry. Knownforrevolutionizingthewineindustrybycreatingabroadrangeofwinesincludingtheultra-successful StellaRosacollection,andSanSimeonandMaddalenawines,amongothers ,RiboliFamilyofSanAntonioWineryisaprimeexampleofathrivingfamilybusinessoffourgenerations.Theirabilitytoadaptandcontinetoinnovatewiththetimesandappealtoanever-changingdemographicofnationalwinedrinkershasmadethemoneofthe most successful wineries in the United States.
“My brothers Steve, Santo, and I would like to dedicate this award to our parents . Stefano and MaddalenaRiboli, or Nonno and Nonna as we affectionally call them, who are now 97 and 96 years old,” said vicepresident Cathy Riboli, as she received the award onstage. “From pioneering the tasting room concept tobecoming the first winery to open a restaurant in California , our parents have made some amazing strides inthe wine industry and continue to inspire us daily with new ideas.”
TestamenttotheRibolifamily’ssuccessisitsabilitytoinnovate.Asidefromits estatevineyardscoveringmorethan1,000acresacross California’sCentralCoast ,thefamilyhasalsobuilta state-of-the-art,
energy-efficientwineryinPasoRobles,withanadjacenteventscenterscheduledtoopenJanuary2019.“saidAnthonyRiboli,afourth-generationvintnerandgreat-grandnephewofSanto
SIERRA MADRE SEARCH AND RESCUE 

Sierra Madre Search and Rescue puts the 2018 year in review as it prepares for 2019. 


Sixty-seven years after its founding, Sierra Madre Search 
and Rescue (SMS&R) continues to stand ready to serve 
any members of the community that find themselves 
in the wilderness and in need of help. In order to do this 
members take part in a constant cycle of reviewing their 
work and training for the future. As the new year turns 
over SMS&R is looking back at 2018 and preparing for 
2019. 

 In 2018 SMS&R responded to 85 operations and assisted 
98 subjects. Forty-six of these operations were searches. 
Thirty-nine of the operations were rescues. The majority of 
the subjects the team assisted were hikers, but in 2018 they 
also aided 4 mountain bikers, 3 dogs, and 2 Alzheimer’s 
patients. In 2018 the team responded in mutual aide to 
other search and rescue teams 17 times. Some of these 
calls were in neighboring Altadena, but other calls took the 
team as far away as Santa Barbara and Alpine County. The 
team also provided medical support for 3 trail races, and 
conducted 7 wilderness safety classes for Boy Scout troops 
and other community groups. 

 Every operation the team responded to was reviewed 
and critiqued as part of the team’s continual efforts to 
provide quality aide to those in need. After every operation 
the participating members take time to review the event 
before they head back home. (cont.inued on page 2)

RIBOLI FAMILY OF SAN ANTONIO WINERY ACCEPTS 
WINE ENTHUSIAST’S “AMERICAN WINERY OF THE 
YEAR“ AWARD AT WINE STAR AWARDS


(Los Angeles, Calif.) – California’s Riboli family, of 
the historic San Antonio Winery in downtown Los 
Angeles, received Wine Enthusiast’s prestigious 
Wine Star Award for “American Winery of the 
Year” at the Nobu Eden Roc in Miami Beach 
Monday. The black-tie gala honors innovators and 
stalwarts who are shaping the present and future 
of the wine, spirits and beer industry. 

 The 102-year-old San Antonio Winery has been 
a beloved fixture in the Los Angeles community 
bringing the taste of California and Italy’s finest 
wines to the greater area and across the country. 
Known for revolutionizing the wine industry by 
creating a broad range of wines including the ultra-
successful Stella Rosa collection, and San Simeon 
and Maddalena wines, among others, Riboli 
Family of San Antonio Winery is a prime example 
of a thriving family business of four generations. 
Their ability to adapt and contine to innovate 
with the times and appeal to an ever-changing 
demographic of national wine drinkers has made 
them one of the most successful wineries in the 
United States. 

 “My brothers Steve, Santo, and I would like to 
dedicate this award to our parents. Stefano and 
Maddalena Riboli, or Nonno and Nonna as we 
affectionally call them, who are now 97 and 96 
years old,” said vice president Cathy Riboli, as she 
received the award onstage. “From pioneering the 
tasting room concept to becoming the first winery 
to open a restaurant in California, our parents have 
made some amazing strides in the wine industry 
and continue to inspire us daily with new ideas.”

 Testament to the Riboli family’s success is its 
ability to innovate. Aside from its estate vineyards 
covering more than 1,000 acres across California’s 
Central Coast, the family has also built a state-of-
the-art, energy-efficient winery in Paso Robles, 
with an adjacent events center scheduled to open 
January 2019. “It’s an evolution story,” said Anthony 
Riboli, a fourth-generation vintner and great-
grandnephew of Santo Cambianica. “It’s what my 
grandparents [Stefano and Maddalena Riboli] 
taught us: reinventing what you’re doing and never 
sitting back and saying, ‘It’s good enough.’”

 Tradition, expertise and family values have been 

RIBOLI FAMILY Continued on Page 3


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