SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2021 

VOLUME 15 NO. 06VOLUME 15 NO. 06

broker lic. #01514230 | source: CoreLogic, Freddie Mac, BankrateJan 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!
Your Story. Your Home. Your Team.
Together Stronger.
We're still here for you! We can 
show you homes and meet with 
you over video.
THEWEBB-MARTIN GROUPProvides big changes to 
certain property tax rulesPROPOSITION 19•Proposition 19 builds off of Proposition13, passed in 1978, which limits propertytaxes to 1% of a home’s value, basedon the year the house was purchased.
Proposition 13 also restricts the amountthat taxable value can go up every yearto 2%, even if a home’s market valueincreases much more.
•Currently, as soon as residents move to anew home after living in their old home fora long time, their property tax increases bya lot—this is the issue that Proposition 19seeks to address.
•Proposition 19 allows homeowners who are55 or older to transfer the taxable value oftheir old house to a new, more expensivehome, thereby avoiding the big jump in 
property taxes they would otherwise face.
This is designed to encourage seniors toenter the real estate market.
•Disabled homeowners and wildfire/
disaster victims would receive the benefitas well. The rules under Proposition 19extend to every county in the state, andhomeowners could take advantage of thebreak as many as three times when theydecide to move.
•Proposition 19 also changes taxreassessments on inherited properties.
Currently, homes are not reassessed whentransferred to heirs, so any propertythat is benefitting from the low tax ratescreated by Proposition 13 would continueto benefit if a parent passes the propertyto a child.
•However, Proposition 19 makes it no longer 
possible for inherited homes to maintain thesame low property tax rate enjoyed prior 
to the inheritance, if the heir does not move 
into it as a primary residence. Children who 
inherit their parents’ home, but only intend 
to keep it as a second home or rent it out, 
would see a big increase in property taxes 
under Proposition 19.
CALL FOR 
MORE INFO213 North Hermosa Avenue 
Sierra Madre, 910243 Beds | 1.75 Baths | 1,140 sf 
Listed for: $725,000
NEW LISTING
KERSTING COURT 

REMODEL BEGINS 

Construction in Kersting Court is scheduled to begin February 
4, 2021 and is expected to continue through the month of April, 
2021. The sidewalk around the project site will be closed, please 
observe the sidewalk closed signs and use alternate routes. The 
parking area on the north side of the street will be open during 
most of the project, however, the south side parking area of Kersting 
Court is expected to be closed throughout the construction 
period. During the resurfacing of the parking area, this section 
will also be blocked to through traffic.

The project stems from years of input from the public and the 
Community Services Commission, resulting in numerous discussions 
by the City Council. Los Angeles County Supervisor 
Kathryn Barger contributed $300,000 in grant funds for the refresh 
in Kersting Court. Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi said, “we 
are very grateful for Supervisor Barger’s grant. To say we are excited 
about the ground breaking of our Kersting Court refresh 
is an understatement. After years of community input and hard 
work from the Community Services Commission, the Council 
has approved the project. I know our residents are ready to 
welcome the new design to the heart of our downtown Sierra 
Madre.”

The project consists of new ADA accessible and open-seating 
areas, a stage for events, lighting, drinking fountain and new 
landscaping. The iconic Bell Tower, the flag pole and the pepper 
trees will remain. The parking area will receive new stamped 
colored asphalt, two new ADA-compliant parking stalls, and 
raised crosswalks. Due to the size of the project, the City is following 
the Low Impact Development Ordinance and will be installing 
a storm water catchment basin under the parking area 
to control storm water and allow ground absorption.

The project is scheduled to begin Thursday, February 4, 2021 
with preparation for demolition and the installation of a construction 
fence. The project is scheduled for approximately 60 
working days, and is expected to end in late April, 2021.

Any questions or concerns, can be directed to Public Works Director 
Chris Cimino at (626) 355-7135 or via e-mail at CCimino@
cityofsierramadre.com

SM 4TH OF JULY ART CONTEST – 
GOING ON NOW!

The Sierra Madre 4th of July Committee is Calling on All Local 
Artists of all ages to display for us your fun, focused and zaney artwork 
for the 2021 Sierra Madre 4th of July t-shirts. Together let’s 
show our USA spirit and Sierra Madre pride as we showcase the 
winning art work on t-shirts, post-ers and social media throughout 
this year’s events. 

If you are an artist of any age and love Sierra Madre and its historic 
traditions, get your creativity flowing and give designing a 
try while following these simple guidelines:

•Subject Matter/Design: Your design and illustration should reflect 
this year's theme: #SMStrong #SMThrives

•Medium: Any medium is welcome (crayon, watercolor, digital
etc.) as long as the design is color-ful. Use dense colors if possible 
— they look best!

•No Words: Because we add title, date, etc., during the printing
process, please do not include any words in your artwork.

•Size and Dimension: Designs should be no bigger than 8" wide
x 10" deep with a half-inch margin all around the art ("portrait"
layout, or "landscape" layout OK). Scale sizes are ok; for instance,
art-work 5 1/2" wide x 8 1/2" deep would also work.

•Include Contact Information: Make sure that the name, age,
and contact information (email and phone number) of the artist.
The winning artist will be contacted by the committee for further
in-formation.

•Deadline: SUBMIT your design by Monday, March 1, 2021,
to the Sierra Madre 4th of July Commit-tee PO Box 1073 Sierra
Madre CA 91024 or email to us at 4thofjulysierramadre@gmail.
com or even DM us on Facebook. The 4th of July Committee will
be reviewing entries at the March 2, 2021 meet-ing. Any and all
submissions may be displayed on our web site, printed on t-shirts
for sale or used by the SM 4th of July Committee for its purposes.


YEARS 
2007-2021 
ln§ide The Mountain View§ 􀀒ew§ Thi§ Week. 
One Book One City Page 2 Around San Gabriel Valley .... Page 7 
Around Sierra Madre .............. Page 3 Education and Youth ............ Page 8 
Community Calendar .............. Page 4 The Good Life ...................... Page 10 
Pasadena News This Week .... Page 5 Best Friends ......................... Page 11 
Arcadia/Monrovia News .......... Page 6 Opinion ................................. Page 12 
Altadena/South Pasadena ...... Page 6 Legal Notices......................... Page 13 
LA COUNTY ISSUES DISTEMPER WARNING FOR WILDLIFE...............Page 11