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


VOLUME 14 NO. 32

 SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2020 

CITY HOLDS 'SAFE' MATER DOLOROSA RETREAT 
CENTER DEVELOPMENT PROJECT COMMUNITY 
WORKSHOPS

broker lic. #01514230 | source: CoreLogic, Freddie Mac, BankrateTHEWEBB-MARTIN GROUPJan Greteman 626.975.4033jan@jangreteman.com 
jangreteman.com #01943630Judy Webb-Martin 626.688.2273jwmartin@dppre.com #00541631 
Katie Orth 626.688.0418korth@dppre.com #00942500We are active and doing business 
safely and successfully. Call us today 
if you are looking to buy or sell!
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Recently Sold162 East Sierra Madre Blvd – represented the seller1115 Cordova – represented the buyer451 Camillo Drive – represented the seller690 Oak Crest Drive - represented the buyer381 Mariposa Avenue #B – represented the seller118 East Laurel Avenue #C – represented the seller60 Rancho Road – represented the buyer381 Montecito #B – represented the seller230 West Montecito AvenueSierra Madre 91024Listed at $818,000230WMontecito.com3 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,152 sf901 Cabrillo Drive #32ADuarte 91010Listed at $379,000901Cabrillo32A.com 
2 Beds | 1 Bath | 832 sf
SOLDMULTIPLE OFFERSIN ESCROWMULTIPLE OFFERS180 South Michillinda Avenue 
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SOLDMULTIPLE OFFERS
STEVE SCIURBA, 

KENSINGTON SENIOR 
LIVING EXECUTIVE AND 
FORMER SIERRA MADRE 
CHAMBER PRESIDENT 
TAKES NEW POSITION

 
Steve Sciurba, best known around 
town for his position with The 
Kensington Senior Living facility 
from the day its doors opened in 
2014, has taken a new position with 
more responsibility at another facility. 
Also known for his leadership at the Sierra Madre 
Chamber of Commerce as President and Board Member 
for several years, he was extremely committed to 
helping the town in any way he could.

 With his departure last month, The Kensington has 
added Amber Brooksher as the Director of Community 
Relations (abrooksher@kensingtonsl.com) to Executive 
Director CC DeGraff's management team. 

 Sierra Madreans will miss Steve's thoughtfulness and 
generosity to the city's events and organizations. 

Many expressed their thanks for his years of service!

Keeping with its pledge of transparency 
on development issues, he City of Sierra 
Madre successfully held a series of 
public workshops on the current status 
of the Mater Dolorosa Retreat Project 
(Monastery Development) on the city's 
Tennis Courts on August 4th. There 
were 3 workshops with a maximum attendance 
of 20 people each. Attendees 
were required to make reservations in 
advance, wear masks and remain socially 
distanced.

The following day, the City repeated the 
workshop using the virtual platform 
Zoom for those who were unable to attend 
the in-person gatherings. The estimate 
of participation at the online event 
is around 70.

Presenters at both included Mayor John 
Capoccia, City Manager Gabe Engeland, 
Sierra Madre Development and 
Preservation Services Director Victor 
Gonzales, Mater Dolorosa 

Photo courtesy Tevin Voong

Representative Cameron Thornton 
and Lisa Brownfield from MIG as the 
facilitator.

At this point the proprosed project consists 
of 42 single family homes ranging 
in square footage from 2600 - 3800 
square feet.

At each of the workshops, community 
concerns were basically the same. What 
will be the impact of the surrounding 
homes, the sizes of the homes, the impact 
on the environment, and concerns 
over increased traffic and noise. 

Engeland reassured the audiences that 
this was the very beginning stages of the 
projects development and changes were 
certain to address many of the expressed 
concerns.

He also indicated that there would be 
additional community forums all along 
the way.

The city will post the complete Zoom 
presentation on its website at:

http://www.cityofsierramadre.com/
cityhall/city_manager_s_office/
transparency/monastery_development

MVNews

NOTICE OF 

NOMINEES FOR 

PUBLIC OFFICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN 
that the following persons have 
been nominated for the offices designated to be filled at 
the General Municipal Election to be held in the City 
of Sierra Madre on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Nomination 
papers have been forwarded to the Los Angeles 
County Clerk’s Office for verification of voter signatures.

FOR MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL – 4 YEARS Vote for no more than two (2)

(Names listed in Alphabetical Order)

 Andy Bencosme - Neighborhood Realtor/

Community Services Commissioner

 Kelly Kriebs - Corporate Attorney

 Robert Parkhurst - Environment Management 

Consultant

 Kurt Richter – Retired Business Manager

 Josefina Riley – Program Manager/Businesswoman

FOR MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL – 2 YEARS Vote for no more than one (1)

(Names listed in Alphabetical Order)

 Edward T. Garcia – Economist / Finance Consultant

 David Loera – Independent Insurance Investigator 

 Tracey Verhoeven – Small Business Owner

FOR CITY TREASURER – 4 YEARS 
Vote for no more than one (1)

 Michael Amerio – Incumbent

 

For City Clerk – 4 Years Vote for no more than one (1)

 No nomination received.

MEASURES TO BE VOTED ON:

 Shall the office of the City Clerk be appointive? YES / NO

For more information please call Laura Aguilar, Assistant City 
Clerk, Elections Official, at (626) 355-7135 or via e-mail at 
LAguilar@cityofsierramadre.com 

Laura Aguilar

Assistant City Clerk, Elections Official

Posted: 5:00 pm, August 7, 2020


HOW IS SIERRA MADRE RESPONDING 
THE THE 2020 CENSUS? 

Yes, in the midst of a Pandemic, the U.S. Census must be taken. It says so right 
in the Constitution. Why? Because your government needs to know how many 
people it has to serve.

The census has nothing to do with politics, despite the fact that the results are used 
as a basis to gaurantee fair representation in Congress. The census does not seek 
any information that is not readily available these days on the internet. 

What the census does do is gaurantee that when your money, i.e., federal funds are 
distributed, for roads, transportation, disaster, etc., it is done in a fair and equitable 
manner for your city, county and state. Under counts in the census can really cause 
a community to be shortchanged.

For those who were in Sierra Madre during the last natural disaster, the 2011 
Windstorm, you may remember how, due to the reported population of the town, 
not the amount of damage done, federal assistance was allocated. Sierra Madre 
was a small town and every dollar of both state and federal funding was allocated 
based upon the stated population.

Therefore, it is in everyone's best interest to participate in the 2020 Census, especially 
in small towns like Sierra Madre. Given the current circumstances, i.e., COVID-
19, it is a very good idea to complete the census either online or via telephne 
in order to avoid a Census Taker knocking on your do.

So how has Sierra Madre responded so far? 

National Response: 63.1%

California Response Rate: 64.5

LA County Response Rate: 59.6

SIERRA MADRE 72.7

Arcadia 67.1

Monrovia 68.3

Duarte 67.7

Pasadena 65.7

South Pasadena 74.6

Bradbury 55.6

For more information on how to respond go 
to:

https://2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond.
html