Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, April 13, 2019

6

ALTADENA - SOUTH PASADENA - SAN MARINO

Mountain View News Saturday, April 13, 2019 

Volunteer with the Parks and 
Public Works Department

South Pasadena: Take the 
Community Budget Survey

Library Carnegie Stage 
to Feast on during the 
Eclectic Music Festival

 

 San Marino is seeking 
volunteers to assist with 
rose pruning, sidewalk 
inspection and identifying 
tree vacancies. This is 
a great opportunity for 
individuals to learn about 
their community and gain 
work experience. The City’s 
Volunteer Program helps 
the community and teaches 
participants more about our 
city projects.

Rose Pruning

 Support your local 
community and help the 
city keep the Lacy Park 
rose gardens blooming! 
If roses are pruned now 
during the cold season, 
they will blossom in the 
spring with vibrant colors. 
No experience is necessary. 
Volunteers will be taught 
easy pruning methods. 
Enjoy the outdoors while 
learning about roses and 
how to properly prune.

Sidewalk Inspection

 Work together to improve 
our streets and fix our 
sidewalks. Take pride in our 
streets and help volunteer 
to keep the city’s sidewalks 
hazard free. Volunteers 
will inspect sidewalks in 
preparation of the city’s 
street rehabilitation project. 
They will identify new 
sidewalk hazards and update 
the citywide sidewalk 
assessment.

Tree Vacancies

 Take pride in the city’s 
tree preservation plan 
and volunteer to help 
protect city trees. Enjoy the 
outdoors, learn about the 
tree preservation plan and 
volunteer to report locations 
where the city can plant or 
replant trees.

 The volunteer manual 
and application are located 
on the city’s website at: 
cityofsanmarino.org. 

 Please contact the 
Parks and Public Works 
Department at (626) 300-
0765 or email PublicWorks@
CityofSanMarino.org 
to learn how the City’s 
volunteers are helping the 
community and spending 
time outdoors. 

 The City of South 
Pasadena is facing budget 
deficits in the next several 
years ranging from $500,000 
a year to $1 million a year or 
more.

 Your input will help your 
elected representatives 
make decisions on a series 
of potential solutions to 
close the deficit and ensure 
financial sustainability 
to maintain and improve 
the quality of life in South 
Pasadena.

 Before taking the survey, 
please take a few minutes to 
read a budget presentation 
with background and 
detailed information on 
the City’s five-year budget 
forecast.

 The survey and budget 
presentation can be found at 
southpasadenaca.gov

 
Three generous helpings 
of spicy, flavorful musical 
goodness will be served to 
guests on the Library ‘Carnegie 
Stage’ Concert for the 11th 
Annual Eclectic Music Festival 
on Saturday, April 27 in South 
Pasadena. The highly regarded 
Carnegie Stage in the Library 
Community Room located 
at 1115 El Centro Street 
has presented more than 40 
dynamic performances over the 
past decade, including a bevy 
of GRAMMY winners. The 
2019 Carnegie Stage concert 
will again utilize the popular 
recipe.

 Doors will open at 3 pm. 
No tickets or reservations are 
necessary, but seating is limited 
and “festival style” (first come, 
first seated). Refreshments 
will be provided by the South 
Pasadena Woman’s Club and 
CDs by the musical artists will 
be available for purchase.

 4 pm—Julia Vari—
International recording artist 
Julia Vari has enchanted 
audiences around the globe 
for nearly a decade, including 
recent performances at Mexico 
City’s National Auditorium, 
the CARIFESTA International 
Festival in Haiti, Clamores 
Theater in Madrid, National 
Arts Center in Ottawa, and 
UCLA’s Semel Auditorium. 
Vari’s two Jazz/World music 
album releases, “Adoro” and 
“Lumea,” both topped the Latin 
American Jazz/World music 
charts, allowing Vari to share 
the stage and collaborate with 
GRAMMY award-winning 
artists Arturo Sandoval, 
Armando Manzanero, and 
Francisco Cespedes. In 2018 
Julia played a scintillating set of 
Spanish and English language 
ballads and torch songs for the 
Latinx Literary Love-In in the 
Library Community Room.

 5:15 pm-- The David Plenn 
Band will bring back another 
exciting collection of songs 
played by a stellar group of 
musicians. Touches of rock, 
folk, blues, jazz, and even 
country run throughout David’s 
songs which sparkle with his 
slide guitar playing.

 David got his start in the music 
business when he was signed 
to A&M Records as a 16 year-
old. In the years that followed, 
his songs appeared on albums 
that have sold 3 million (Kenny 
Loggins’ “Nightwatch”), 1.5 
million (“Kenny Loggins’ 
Live!)”, 1 million (“One 
Moment in Time” featuring 
Whitney Houston), and a 
half million (Robert Cray’s 
“Midnight Stroll”). Popular 
TV shows also featured his 
songs (Touched by an Angel, 
Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose 
Place, and others). David will 
be playing two of those songs 
on the Library Carnegie Stage 
this year.

 6:30 pm, GRAMMY- winner 
Luciana Souza & Otmaro 
Ruiz, a highly distinguished 
Venezuelan pianist will 
captivate the Carnegie Stage. 
Born in Brazil, Luciana 
grew up in a family of 
Bossa Nova innovators. As 
a leader, Luciana has been 
releasing acclaimed recordings 
since 2002, including six 
GRAMMY-nominated records. 
Ms. Souza has performed with 
Herbie Hancock on his “The 
River—The Joni Letters,” the 
GRAMMY-winning Album 
of the Year for 2007. She has 
also worked with Paul Simon, 
James Taylor, Bobby McFerrin, 
and many others.

 Otmaro Ruiz is a pianist, 
composer, and arranger who 
began his musical studies at 
age eight on piano, classical 
guitar, harmony, and aesthetics. 
In 1989 Ruiz moved to 
LA where he finished his 
academic training at CalArts 
with a master’s degree in jazz 
performance in 1993. He began 
recording with Alex Acuna 
and later Arturo Sandoval, 
followed by a world tour 
supporting Gino Vannelli. 
Since then he’s transitioned 
into the new millennium with 
acoustic piano and electronic 
keyboard playing with Rock 
icons Robbie Robertson and 
Jon Anderson from Yes. In 
addition, he’s also played with 
Herb Alpert, Tito Puente, Steve 
Winwood, and Fusion giant 
John McLaughlin.

 The Library Carnegie Stage’ 
concert is able to be presented 
because of the partnership 
between the City of South 
Pasadena, the South Pasadena 
Public Library, the Friends 
of the South Pasadena Public 
Library, the Lucille and 
Edward R. Roybal Foundation, 
South Pasadena Chamber 
of Commerce, The Bissell 
House Bed & Breakfast, 
The Eclectic Friends of the 
Arts of South Pasadena, 
The Rotary Club of South 
Pasadena, and the Woman’s 
Club of South Pasadena. 
Special thanks to Brad 
Colerick & Ximena Dussan/
DeepMix Entertainment, Jeff 
Burke, 210eastsound, Kurtis 
Nakagawa, Tim Carruth, 
and Jimmy O’Balles. More 
information about the Eclectic 
Music Festival is located at: 
theeclectic.rocks or about the 
library call 626 403-7350.

 San Marino Compost Giveaway

 A free compost giveaway 
self-serve event will be held 
on Saturday, April 27th 
from 9 a.m. until noon at 
Lacy Park in the west end 
parking lot. Bring your own 
sturdy containers. There is 
a 30-gallon limit during the 
first hour and no limit from 
10 a.m. until noon, or while 
supplies last. Plastic bags are 
not allowed. Bring your 
ID card or Athens bill. For 
more information, contact 
Ed Chen at (626) 703-9726 
or chen@athensservices.
com. or Dana Hang, 
Administrative Analyst at 
(626) 300-0789 or dhang@
cityofsanmarino.org.

Athens Recycling Facility Tour

 
The City of San Marino, 
in cooperation with Athens 
Services, Inc., is offering an 
opportunity for residents 
to visit the recycling 
facility that manages all 
trash collected in the City. 
The trip will take place on 
Saturday, April 20th from 10 
a.m. to noon. Registration 
and transportation will 
be provided through the 
Recreation Department. The 
bus will depart promptly 
at 9:30 a.m. from the Lacy 
Park Scout House located 
on the west side of the park. 
Arrive by 9:15 am to ensure 
you you don’t miss the bus 
departure. Please call (626) 
403-2200 for additional 
details/reservations. 
Space is limited. If you 
have additional questions 
regarding the tour or other 
related trash/recycling items 
you can call Dana Hang, 
Administrative Analyst at 
(626) 300-0765 or dhang@
cityofsanmarino.org.

 Rep. Judy Chu introduced 
the San Gabriel Mountains 
Foothills and Rivers Protection 
Act Wednesday to expand 
the San Gabriel Mountains 
National Monument, establish 
a National Recreation Area 
(NRA) along the foothills and 
San Gabriel River corridor, and 
designate over 30,000 acres 
of protected wilderness and 
45.5 miles of protected rivers 
in Southern California. This 
bill would expand the borders 
of the San Gabriel Mountains 
National Monument to include 
the western Angeles National 
Forest. It also establishes an 
NRA to enhance conservation, 
increase access for all 
communities by connecting 
park poor areas to open space, 
and improve the management 
of the area through improved 
resources, education, and public 
engagement. The 15,878 acres 
of expanded wilderness and 
15,191 acres of new wilderness 
areas will benefit from the 
highest form of protection of 
any federal wildland. These 
areas of untouched nature 
will remain open to hiking, 
camping, and other recreation 
activities encouraged in 
the San Gabriel Mountains 
National Monument, but 
commercial activities and 
motorized vehicles will be 
prohibited in order to prevent 
over-development, pollution, 
and habitat destruction. 
Private property and other 
existing rights and claims will 
be unchanged. In the Senate, 
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) 
introduced a companion bill. 
Rep. Chu released the following 
statement:

 “The Los Angeles area is one of 
the most park poor areas of the 
country, despite the presence of 
the gorgeous rivers, forests, and 
mountains of the San Gabriels 
just to the north. President 
Obama’s National Monument 
designation increased access 
to and opportunities for 
learning and exploring in the 
mountains, but so much land 
remains to be preserved so that 
more people can experience 
our area’s unique gifts of nature. 
That is why I am proud to work 
with Senator Harris to advance 
the San Gabriel Mountains 
Foothills and Rivers Protection 
Act. This legislation represents 
the next step in protecting and 
connecting the San Gabriel 
Mountains, and will preserve 
thousands of acres of land and 
water for future generations.”

 A summary of the bill can be 
found at: chu.house.gov.

Legislation 
to Protect 
San Gabriel 
Mountains


Pasadena College is Again 
Aspen Top Ten College

 Pasadena City College was 
named last week as one of 10 
finalists for the 2019 Aspen 
Prize for Community College 
Excellence, the nation’s 
signature recognition of 
high achievement and 
performance in America’s 
community colleges.

 Awarded every two years 
since 2011, the Prize 
recognizes institutions that 
achieve high and improving 
student outcomes, selected 
from over 1,000 community 
colleges nationwide. 
Focused solely on student 
access and success, the 
Aspen Prize recognizes 
community colleges with 
exceptional achievements in 
four areas:

Student learning;

Certificate and degree 
completion while in 
community college and after 
transferring to a four-year 
institution;

Employment and earnings 
rates after graduation; and

Access for and success of 
minority and low-income 
students.

 “It is a tremendous honor for 
our college to be recognized 
by the Aspen Institute – for 
the second time in a row,” 
said Rajen Vurdien, Ph.D., 
superintendent/president of 
Pasadena City College. “Our 
faculty, staff, and students 
have been working together 
as never before to accelerate 
completion, enhance equity 
in our education, and break 
down barriers to success. 
This nomination is clear 
proof that our work is paying 
off.”

 “Pasadena City College 
has taken great strides 
to ensure that students 
learn what they need to be 
successful not only while in 
community college but also 
after they transfer to a four-
year university,” said Joshua 
Wyner, Executive Director 
of the Aspen Institute’s 
College Excellence Program. 
“Faculty are at the center 
of making improvements, 
working to ensure that 
the college’s very diverse 
students receive a uniformly 
high-quality education.”

 “I’m so proud that the 
prestigious Aspen Institute 
has recognized the concrete 
benefits that Pasadena 
City College brings to our 
students,” said Dr. Anthony 
R. Fellow, president of the 
Board of Trustees of the 
Pasadena Area Community 
College District. “We have 
demonstrated time and 
again the economic benefits 
the college brings to our 
students, their families, 
and our region. This 
nomination highlights these 
achievements for the entire 
country to see.”

 Pasadena City College, also 
named a 2017 Aspen Prize 
Finalist, stands out as one of 
the nation’s top community 
colleges for many reasons, 
including:

Impressive transfer practices 
that include specialized 
advising for students who 
aim to transfer to a four-year 
college, leading to a rate of 
transfer to four-year colleges 
that is eight percentage 
points above the national 
average (33 percent).

Among students who 
transfer, over half achieve 
a bachelor’s degree within 
six years of having entered 
community college, well 
above the national average 
(42 percent).

A strong focus on improving 
outcomes for low-income 
students and students of 
color that includes scaled 
faculty efforts to identify 
and address gaps in course 
success to college-wide 
efforts to increase diversity 
within faculty ranks.

Dedicated services for 
large numbers of war 
veterans, including a newly-
remodeled resource center, 
and a transition course 
designed specifically for Iraq 
and Afghanistan veterans.


JPL Curiosity Tastes Sample 
in ‘Clay-Bearing Unit’

 

 Scientists working with 
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover 
have been excited to explore 
a region called “the clay-
bearing unit” since before the 
spacecraft launched. Now, 
the rover has finally tasted its 
first sample from this part of 
Mount Sharp. Curiosity drilled 
a piece of bedrock nicknamed 
“Aberlady” on Saturday, April 6 
(the 2,370th Martian day, or sol, 
of the mission), and delivered 
the sample to its internal 
mineralogy lab on Wednesday, 
April 10 (Sol 2374).

 The rover’s drill chewed easily 
through the rock, unlike some 
of the tougher targets it faced 
nearby on Vera Rubin Ridge. It 
was so soft, in fact, that the drill 
didn’t need to use its percussive 
technique, which is helpful for 
snagging samples from harder 
rock. This was the mission’s first 
sample obtained using only 
rotation of the drill bit.

 “Curiosity has been on the 
road for nearly seven years,” 
said Curiosity Project Manager 
Jim Erickson of NASA’s Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory in 
Pasadena, California. “Finally 
drilling at the clay-bearing unit 
is a major milestone in our 
journey up Mount Sharp.”

 Scientists are eager to analyze 
the sample for traces of clay 
minerals because they usually 
form in water. NASA’s Mars 
Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) 
spied a strong clay “signal” here 
long before Curiosity landed in 
2012. Pinpointing the source 
of that signal could help the 
science team understand if 
a wetter Martian era shaped 
this layer of Mount Sharp, the 
3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) 
mountain Curiosity has been 
climbing.

 Curiosity has discovered clay 
minerals in mudstones all along 
its journey. These mudstones 
formed as river sediment 
settled within ancient lakes 
nearly 3.5 billion years ago. As 
with water elsewhere on Mars, 
the lakes eventually dried up.

 The clay beacon seen from 
space brought the rover here, 
but the region clearly has 
several other stories to tell. 
Now that Curiosity is searching 
this area, scientists can peer 
around as geological tourists, 
finding a landscape both 
ancient and new. There are 
several kinds of bedrock and 
sand, including active sand 
ripples that have shifted in the 
past year. Pebbles are scattered 
everywhere — are they eroding 
from the local bedrock? Several 
eye-catching landmarks, such 
as “Knockfarril Hill,” stick out 
as well.

 “Each layer of this mountain 
is a puzzle piece,” said Curiosity 
Project Scientist Ashwin 
Vasavada of JPL. “They each 
hold clues to a different era in 
Martian history. We’re excited 
to see what this first sample 
tells us about the ancient 
environment, especially about 
water.”

 The Aberlady sample will give 
the team a starting point for 
thinking about the clay-bearing 
unit. They plan to drill several 
more times over the course of 
the next year. That will help 
them understand what makes 
this region different from the 
ridge behind it and an area with 
a sulfate signal up higher on the 
mountain.

 More information about 
Curiosity is at: mars.nasa.gov/
msl.

 More information about Mars 
is at: mars.nasa.gov.


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