STAY SAFE......STAY COOL.....WEAR A MASK! 


VOLUME 14 NO. 31

 SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2020 


CITY ALLOCATES MORE GRANT 
MONEY FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES

POOL FINES COMING AS 

MOSQUITOS ON RISE

By Kevin McGuire

Finding yourself swatting your neck or shooing pesky critters 
away from your ears more than normal this summer? The 
increase in mosquito activity could be due to unmaintained 
pools in Sierra Madre.

With summer 2020 falling in the midst of a pandemic, many 
kids can’t have friends over for a good old-fashioned game 
of Marco Polo and adults are cutting out famous pool parties. 
In some cases, lack of pool use has led to lack of proper 
maintenance, causing algae to grow and setting up the perfect 
breeding ground for mosquitos. 

Well, citations could be coming soon to residents who fail 
to meet pool maintenance standards, as City Council unanimously 
passed an ordinance during their regular scheduled 
meeting on Tuesday, July 28. 

The ordinance, recommended by the San Gabriel Valley 
Council of Governments (SGVCOG), provides formal procedures 
and increased code-enforcement authority to help 
with mosquito abatement and the decrease of unmaintained 
residential pools. The City will team up with the San Gabriel 
Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District (the District) to 
help locate high-mosquito areas. 

A first-time code violation could lead to a $100 fine, followed 
by $200 for a second violation and $500 for a third. 

In 2019, the District surveyed 7,486 pools in the San Gabriel 
Valley and found that 1,348 (18%) did not meet standards and 
could possibly be breeding grounds for mosquitos. In just one 
month, an unmaintained pool can produce 3 million mosquitos, 
causing a health risk to the community, according to the 
District’s website (sgvmosquito.org). 

Mosquitos have been known to carry disease and viruses such 
as West Nile Virus, Zika Virus, Chikungunya and Dengue. At 
this time, the CDC has not seen a connection between mosquitos 
and the spread of COVID-19. 

So How Can We Prevent a Mosquito Invasion?

Since mosquitos can breed in just a small amount of standing 
water, even those without a pool can check around yards for 
standing water such as water-filled buckets and containers, 
rooftop puddles and bird baths. Even if you only have a kiddie 
pool, you should dump out water after each use. 

For larger above ground and built-in pools, a working pump, 
filtration system and scheduled chemical treatment is needed 
for a “Clean and Functional” option to prevent algae and 
mosquito breeding. If you are looking to restore your pool to 
a functioning state, you could get a short-term pesticide treatment. 
The SGVMVCD will work will work with residents for 
up to six-months if they are serious about achieving a long-
term solution to pool issues. 

If you are keeping your pool completely “Empty and Dry,” you 
may set up an inspection with the District, either in-person or 
through photographs. Keeping a pool dry for long periods of 
time can cause structural damage and is not recommended. If 
you have a non-functional, partially filled pool, topminnows 
can be provided free from the District. They help control 
mosquito larvae, along with scheduled health checks. 

If the District contacts you about your pool condition, you 
can respond one of three ways.

1. Text a photo to 626-314-6066.

2. E-mail a photo to SwimmingPool@sgvmosquito.org.

3. Or, schedule an inspection by calling or texting
626-314-6066. 

Related story on page 7

Small businesses in Sierra Madre 
may qualify for a second round of 
grant money through the Sierra 
Madre Cares Initiative, as a result 
of the ever-lingering COVID-19 
pandemic that has shut-down some 
businesses, while crippling others. 

Back in May 2020, 44 local business 
qualified for assistance and received 
funds from the Community Development 
Block Grant (CDBG) program. 
Each business received $3,000 
of the available $141,280 in funding. 
Now, the second round will consist 
of leftover funds of $9,280 from the 
last grant and an additional $42,300 
from the CDBG. 

In order to qualify for this round, 
businesses will have to provide a 
more descriptive narrative of their 
hardship as a result of the Safer at 
Home order. The process is a bit 
more competitive, though the same 
businesses who qualified for the first 
round, may seek to apply for the second 
round as well. 

In order to qualify, businesses must 
be “brick and mortar” with no more 
than 50 full-time employees and 
can’t have any current code violations. 
Businesses with no storefront, 
home-based businesses, bail bond 
services and pawn shops do not 
qualify. 

Recommended usage of funds includes 
paying employees, rent assistance, 
expanding to outdoor dining, 
and marketing efforts. Business owners 
can’t use funds for own personal 
use such as paying off non-business-
related credit debt, home repairs or 
for political purposes. 

City Council unanimously authorized 
the second round of the grant 
program during their last City Council 
meeting before summer break on 
July 28, 2020. You can apply for the 
grant by visiting the Sierra Madre 
website at cityofsierramadre.com/
cityhall/city_manager_s_office/
sierra_madre_cares. 


MEANWHILE.....CITY COUNCIL SEEKS 
SPACE IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

As with many of us during these unprecedented times, being outdoors 
provides an escape from the reality of Safer-at-Home orders. 
Many of us long to get away from Zoom meetings and the worry of 
questionable events going on in our home-life backgrounds. 

Sierra Madre City Council also seeks to break free from their “Brady 
Bunch” boxes, unexpected dog barks, kid antics, fake paradise backgrounds 
and Hawaiian shirt garb and venture outside into the real 
world. 

But how do you pull off an outside meeting? You can’t just plug in 
microphones into the nearest palm tree. Plus, there are sun issues to 
deal with, traffic noise, birds flying overhead who might not be happy 
with the latest Kersting Court renovation plans, and let’s not forget 
mosquitos. Did we mention mosquitos? (see Mosquito article). 

Well, these are the possible dilemmas the City Management staff will 
try to figure out while Council is out on their August hiatus. Imagine: 
an outdoor City Council meeting which the public could attend, with 
everyone seated a safe distance apart, masks required, and the first 
chance for a an actual in-person public comment session since March 
2020. Who’s on mic sanitizer duty? 

A team of experts have been assembled to tackle this arduous task 
and hopefully answer the many lingering questions. The team includes 
IT personnel, Community Services, Public Works, 
and audio/video equipment vendors, because you still have 
to broadcast this monumental event live and in stereo for 
viewers on Channel 3 and the City’s website. 

And what about attendance? People do miss outdoor events, 
what if Arcadia, Monrovia, and Pasadena get wind of this? 
It may turn out to be Sierra Madre’s version of Woodstock! 
As long as Mayor John Capoccia doesn’t start belting out 
Arlo Guthrie tunes, I guess we’ll be OK. 

The team has already determined that sound quality and 
WiFi will be a few of the bigger challenges. So, an approximate 
cost of $650 goes to Montebello Speaker Repair 
for equipment and support for starters. The band shell in 
Memorial Park may work for better acoustics, in case the 
Guthrie tune does happen, but a venue has yet to be set. 

The idea is still in the brainstorming phase, but the event 
could happen as early as September. My only question is, 
will there be food trucks? Mmm…grilled cheese. Can we 
have a vote?

K. McGuire/MVNews

Photo courtesy City of Sierra Madre