SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2019 

VOLUME 13 NO. 31

Find a lender & get pre-approvedChoose an agent.
Choose a house & make an offer.
Schedule an inspection.
The lender schedules an appraisal.
Negotiate any repairs requested after 
receiving the inspectors report.
Sign escrow instructions.
Sign loan documents.
Conduct a final walk-through within 
five days of closing escrow.
The loan funds & the deed is recorded.
Collect keys from agent.
Move in.
Jan Greteman 626.975.4033jan@jangreteman.com 
jangreteman.com #01943630 
Judy Webb-Martin 626.688.2273jwmartin@dppre.com #00541631Katie Orth 626.688.0418korth@dppre.com #00942500The 
Homebuying 
ProcessWho We are:
Residents & business owners 
of Sierra Madre selling real estate 
since 1975 & proudly giving back 
to the community.
Your Story.
Your Home.
Your Team.
Together Stronger.
30 N. Baldwin Avenue, Sierra Madre 91024Contact Us for a FREEProperty Assessment.
THEWEBB-MARTIN GROUP
RESIDENTS OF SIERRA COTTAGES NOW LIVING WITH FEAR AND 
UNCERTAINTY OVER PENDING SALE


Tenants of the iconic canyon community learn of 
possible evictions or unmanageable rent increases

 The listing describes it as a "Once In A Lifetime Opportunity", calling the 
15 units "whimsical cottages" in "serene magical surroundings". The sale 
price is shown as $4.9 million dollars, and the discovery that the property 
that had only listed on Zillow for 24 days was in escrow, has sent the tenants 
of this complex into a justifiable panic.

 The residents, which include persons who have lived there more than 30 
years, seniors and the disabled are now faced with having to move from 
their homes and enter a rental market that is limited and expensive and 
will most likely, not be in Sierra Madre. 

 Speculation is that the new owners, with a new mortgage of almost 5 million 
dollars, will ask all tenants to leave and increase the rents accordingly. 
It is assumed that with the property changing hands soon, and the state's 
mandatory 60 day notice, current tenants may be expected to vacate as 
early as October, 2019.

 The speed to which the sale may move forward may also be enhanced 
by the fact that the California Senate Advanced AB 1482, a statewide rent 
control bill that includes a provision that would only allow landlords to 
evict tenants with “just cause". Examples of just cause include failing to 
pay rent, causing a nuisance, and “criminal activity by the tenant on the 
premises.” The bill, which has already been passed by the Assembly, is 
sponsored by Assemblymember David Chiu of San Francisco, also protects 
tenants from rent gouging and would have the largest impact on cities 
that don’t already have rent control laws. Sierra Madre does not have any rent control laws.

The sale of the property, which has not changed hands in over 30 years according to the agent representing the sellers. is more the result of a change in 
the owners circumstances rather than a desire to make a profit in a ever changing real estate market. According to the seller's agent, the current owners 
were a married couple. The husband passed away and apparently retaining ownership of the complex was no longer feasible for the widow. 

 Nevertheless, the reality of being evicted and looking for a new place to live in today's rental market is frightening. For long time residents, especially 
those on a fixed income, it will be next to impossible to find a comparaable place to live in terms of their existing rent. The sale will impact 15 families, 
19 people who very well may have to say goodbye to their beloved Sierra Madre.

 No one is certain what will happen next but the Sierra Court community is anxious to hear from the new owners. Efforts to reach the buyers representative 
were unsuccessful at press time. In the meantime, fear and anxiety fill each and every day for the current tenants of the place also described as a 
place of "overall peaceful ambiance". S. Henderson/MVNews

IN THE EYE OF THE TIGER:

Sierra Madreans Jerry and Dottie Burnett 
honored by Occidental College

SAVE THE DATE

AUGUST 6, 2019

Last year the Sierra Madre Police Department 
deployed teams that visited individual block 
parties within the city. Your participation was 
well received citywide, making the evening 
very successful. All teams rotated each event 
to ensure that all residents could meet the entire 
department without leaving their party!

If you are part of a Neighborhood Watch team, 
please contact your block captain or if you are 
not part of a team, you can contact me so we can accommodate your block party. The 
date again is, Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 5:00PM. 

We are looking forward to visiting neighborhoods throughout the city on another 
fantastic National Night Out!

For more information, please feel free to contact:

CSO Lou Oronoz @ 626/355-4596 or loronoz@cityofsierramadre.com with any 
questions. 


Jerry and Dottie Burnett who had recently celebrated 
their 65th wedding anniversary were recently honored by 
their alma mater, Occidental College during its Alumni 
Weekend.

They were awarded the “Auld Lang Syne” Award established 
by the Occidental Alumni Association and the “Fifty 
Year Club” in 1954 and is given annually to a member(s) 
of the Fifty Year Club in recognition of his or her unswerving 
loyalty to Occidental College and the principles for 
which Oxy stands. 

Dottie has served on the Fifty Year Club and two terms on 
the Alumni Board of Governors. She has co-chaired her 
reunion committees and has been President of the Gamma 
Theta Sorority Alumnae Board for over 20 years. 

Jerry has served on multiple reunion committees and the 
steering committee for Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s reunion 
events. They have taken part in College events celebrating 
graduating seniors, and have remained involved on campus 
ever since they were students. 

Their journey actually began at Occidental where Dottie's 
was a freshman year in 1950, and Jerry was a sophomore. 
He graduated in 1953 and she graduated in 1954. They 
married immediately after her graduation from “Oxy” and 
just prior to Jerry going into the U.S.Army. 

Sierra Madre residents since 1967, the couple have two 
sons, Bob and Brian, daughters in law Rosemary and Kay, 
and three granddaughters, Amanda, Paige, and Karina. 
Both are currently very active in Sierra Madre civic affairs, 
most notably Dottie with the Creative Arts Group and Jerry 
with the Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club. 


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