SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 VOLUME 15 NO. 38VOLUME 15 NO. 38 
broker lic. #01514230 | source: CoreLogic, Freddie Mac, Bankrate 
Jan Greteman 626.975.4033 
jan@jangreteman.com 
jangreteman.com #01943630 
Judy Webb-Martin 626.688.2273 
jwmartin@dppre.com #00541631 
Katie Orth 626.688.0418 
korth@dppre.com #00942500 
Your Story. Your Home. Your Team. 
Together Stronger. 
THE 
WEBB-MARTIN GROUP 
SOLD $100,000+ OVER LIST PRICE WITH MULTIPLE OFFERS 
IN ESCROW 
JUST SOLD 
500 North Michillinda Avenue 
Sierra Madre, 91024 
615-617 West Montecito Avenue 
Sierra Madre, 91024 
500NMichillinda.com615-617WMontecito.com7 Beds | 5.5 Baths | 6,588 sf | 50,113 sf lot 
6 Beds | 3 Baths | 4,316 sf | 17,508 sf lot 
The Hoover Estate 
Character Craftsman Triplex Sold at $2,067,300 
Listed at $3,750,000 
We're doing very well for our clients in 
buying and selling homes. 
Call us today for a free home assessment 
with no obligations. 
LOOKING FOR THE 
SHARPEST PENCIL IN THE 
REAL ESTATE BOX? 
CALL US! 
LET US DO YOUR HOMEWORK 
JUST LISTED 
650 North Holliston Avenue 
Pasadena, 91106 
2 Beds | 1 Bath | 960 sf | 5,200 sf lot 
1921 Spanish Listed at $629,000 
SIERRA MADRE'S 
HIGH FLYING MAYOR 
“Stop me if I’m not making sense.” 
This certainly is not what you want to hear from your Associate 
City Planner, but considering the dilemma of having an 
inconsistent General Plan and Zoning Map, and a plethora of 
possible legal implications on top of it, you can understand Joshua 
Wolf ’s standpoint when trying to simplify Sierra Madre’s difficult 
situation into digestible chunks. 
Mr. Wolf was tasked with such a challenge as he gave a presentation 
on the proposed General Plan Amendment 21-01 before CityCouncil, an item which was continued from July 2021. 
During this first meeting for City Council since summer break, 
and this first session indoors since 2020 that didn’t include BradyBunch boxes and asking folks to “unmute,” many questions were 
asked, many concerns were raised, and there certainly was enough 
confusion to go around. 
On the table before them sat General Plan Amendment 21-01 and 
a Zone Change consideration to correct the land use designations 
of unique parcels in the amended 2015 General Plan Land Use 
Map to match the existing limitations on such parcels. (cont. pg 3) 
Friday, Mayor Arizmendi participated in a ride-along with pilots from F.A.S.T 
(Foothill Air Support Team). F.A.S.T assists public safety by providing air sup-
port to Sierra Madre and many other nearby cities. Pilot Corralez and Sgt.
Sharma provided an informative experience of the program for the Mayor as 
they flew over surrounding areas. 
By Susan Henderson 
On Saturday, September 11, 2021, somethingterrible happened in Sierra Madre. Accordingto eyewitnesses, 20-30 residents took it uponthemselves to trespass on private residentialproperty in protest against the allegeddestruction of the Wistaria Vine. 
One overzealous neighbor started the entireugly chain of events to unfold. On Saturdayshe noticed that gardeners were pruningparts of the vine and she is alleged to have 
gone to the property and taken pictures of 
the discarded branches. Those pictures were 
then posted on Social Media and resulted in 
people swarming the property. The hysteriaspread and at one point city officials werecalled. 
The problem was that the crowd was actingon a rumor that someone was “cutting down”
the vine and that simply was not true. The 
gardeners were pruning parts of the 25 ton 
plant. However, the crowd created enoughfear that the gardener stopped working, citystaff was called out and a decision was made 
to clear the property of the trespassers and 
stop all activity that day. 
Needless to say, the sight of so many upsetpeople storming private property was quitedisturbing to the new owners. “I was reallyscared”, said Vicky Mak who had just purchasedthe property. Her sister Wendy was onsite andwitnessed the entire event. 
The vitriolic reaction was due to the spreadof misinformation on social media and 
misinterpreted pictures and verbal reports. The 
hysteria did not end that day and continued 
with very negative posts on Facebook includingone suggesting illegal activity, “....we could have 
drones hovering over their house all weekend….”. 
Tee shirts were made up seemingly instantly.
As a result, The Maks were subjected to avery unwelcoming and un-Sierra Madre likereception.
In a lengthy Skype interview with Ms. Mak 
who currently lives in San Francisco, and 
a follow up meeting and walk thru of the 
residence and grounds with her sister who livesnearby, this writer, who has also been chair and/
or co-chair of the Wistaria Festival for at least 
the last 10 years and is very knowledgeable in allthings Wistaria, was able to see firsthand what 
was being done. The Vine is definitely not beingdestroyed. 
What Happened 
The truth is, prior to even purchasing theproperty Ms. Mak was aware of the Vine’shistory. “We know how special this place is.
We are well aware of the significance of thehouse”, she said. 
It was discovered in July by the City of SierraMadre that there was a water leak on the propertyand a notice was placed on the door. Uponinvestigation it was discovered that the vine hadgrown ‘under’ the house creating not only thebreach of the water line but also an unsanitaryhaven for expired rodents. After review of the 
situation by the experts, instructions were givento the gardener how to clear the underbrushand cut back the necessary parts of the vineto ‘redirect’ part of its growth patterns. This 
was also important because the weight of thevine was beginning to sink the roof of the patio 
area and compromise the metaltrellises that anchored it in 
several places. 
In the vine’s history it hasalready destroyed the originalhome, growing into the wallsand fireplace and causing the 
roof to collapse. Only good 
maintenance will keep it from 
spreading beyond the toleranceof the structures it attaches to. 
Timeline of Events 
In March of this year, the first visit was madeto Sierra Madre City Hall by the potential buyerresearching any city ordinances, etc. regardingboth the vine and the house. 
In April, the property was purchased. 
In May, according to Vincent Gonzalez, SierraMadre’s Director of Planning and CommunityPreservation, Ms. Mak requested an applicationfor a “Historic Resource Evaluation”, completedand returned it to the city in June.
In July, Mr. and Mrs. Solt, the previous ownersmoved out of the house and Ms. Mak beganpreparing her new home for her family which 
includes two children. In fact, Ms. Mak had 
invested in an Arborist, Botanist and LandscapeArchitect in order to properly maintain theVine early on. 
Upkeep Is No Easy Nor Inexpensive Task 
Over the years, experts have been brought infrom CalTech, Occidental, and CalPoly Pomona.
Correct pruning and other maintenance are 
a necessity to keep the vine healthy and Ms. 
Mak’s engagement of an arborist, botanist andlandscape designer shortly after she bought theproperty demonstrates her desire to maintainthe vine and make certain its ‘growth patterns’are beneficial to the vine itself and the property. 
She shared the landscape design plans withthis author who can now attest to the fact that 
the plans will not diminish the vine’s ability toretain its current standing in the Book of WorldRecords. Further, if our climate allows, the Vineshould be in good shape for the 2022 Festivalsomething Ms. Mak is looking forward to. 
What’s Next? 
Sierra Madre is a town known for its 
community spirit and family-like atmosphere.
Perhaps, in an effort to make certain itswelcoming reputation remains intact, thosewho violated that private property should 
think about how to show this family whatSierra Madre is really like. A small, close-knit 
community! We need a really big WelcomeWagon effort to help the Mak’s put last week’sfrightening episode behind them. 
Pictured Above: The Vine in full bloom in 2018 
(file photo) The purple box is a portion that waspruned on Saturday. The inset photo was taken 
on Tuesday. The green foliage is the vine when itis not blooming. Photo by S. Henderson 
Note: 
In 1994, the vine was officially entered into theGuinness Book of World Records. According tothe definitive history of the Vine, penned by thelate Sierra Madre Historian Phyllis Chapman,
“The Guinness Book of World Records has 
named the Vine the World’s largest floweringplant. It is estimated that at the height of bloom ithas 1.5 million blossoms with 40 blossoms per sq.
ft., weighs 250 tons and has branches that extend500 feet. Wistaria is a member of the pea familythough its seeds resemble a flat bean. Seed podsburst open in the summer. The plant is deciduous,
losing its leaves in the winter. Wistaria seeds werebrought from China by Marco Polo in the 13th 
century. A complete History of the Vine can be 
read at: http://mtnviewsnews.com/v13/htm/n11/ 
p13.htm 
WISTARIA HYSTERIA Rumors of the destruction of the sacred Sierra Madre Chinese Wistaria Vine are just not true.
“We have no intention of tearing down the Vine”, says Wendy Mak 
COUNCIL APPROVES GENERAL 
PLAN AMENDMENT AND ZONE 
CHANGE - AGREES TO ADDRESS 
PROPERTIES DESIGNATED FOR 
LOWER DENSITY By Kevin McGuire 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 VOLUME 15 NO. 38VOLUME 15 NO. 38 
broker lic. #01514230 | source: CoreLogic, Freddie Mac, Bankrate 
Jan Greteman 626.975.4033 
jan@jangreteman.com 
jangreteman.com #01943630 
Judy Webb-Martin 626.688.2273 
jwmartin@dppre.com #00541631 
Katie Orth 626.688.0418 
korth@dppre.com #00942500 
Your Story. Your Home. Your Team. 
Together Stronger. 
THE 
WEBB-MARTIN GROUP 
SOLD $100,000+ OVER LIST PRICE WITH MULTIPLE OFFERS 
IN ESCROW 
JUST SOLD 
500 North Michillinda Avenue 
Sierra Madre, 91024 
615-617 West Montecito Avenue 
Sierra Madre, 91024 
500NMichillinda.com615-617WMontecito.com7 Beds | 5.5 Baths | 6,588 sf | 50,113 sf lot 
6 Beds | 3 Baths | 4,316 sf | 17,508 sf lot 
The Hoover Estate 
Character Craftsman Triplex Sold at $2,067,300 
Listed at $3,750,000 
We're doing very well for our clients in 
buying and selling homes. 
Call us today for a free home assessment 
with no obligations. 
LOOKING FOR THE 
SHARPEST PENCIL IN THE 
REAL ESTATE BOX? 
CALL US! 
LET US DO YOUR HOMEWORK 
JUST LISTED 
650 North Holliston Avenue 
Pasadena, 91106 
2 Beds | 1 Bath | 960 sf | 5,200 sf lot 
1921 Spanish Listed at $629,000 
SIERRA MADRE'S 
HIGH FLYING MAYOR 
“Stop me if I’m not making sense.” 
This certainly is not what you want to hear from your Associate 
City Planner, but considering the dilemma of having an 
inconsistent General Plan and Zoning Map, and a plethora of 
possible legal implications on top of it, you can understand Joshua 
Wolf ’s standpoint when trying to simplify Sierra Madre’s difficult 
situation into digestible chunks. 
Mr. Wolf was tasked with such a challenge as he gave a presentation 
on the proposed General Plan Amendment 21-01 before CityCouncil, an item which was continued from July 2021. 
During this first meeting for City Council since summer break, 
and this first session indoors since 2020 that didn’t include BradyBunch boxes and asking folks to “unmute,” many questions were 
asked, many concerns were raised, and there certainly was enough 
confusion to go around. 
On the table before them sat General Plan Amendment 21-01 and 
a Zone Change consideration to correct the land use designations 
of unique parcels in the amended 2015 General Plan Land Use 
Map to match the existing limitations on such parcels. (cont. pg 3) 
Friday, Mayor Arizmendi participated in a ride-along with pilots from F.A.S.T 
(Foothill Air Support Team). F.A.S.T assists public safety by providing air sup-
port to Sierra Madre and many other nearby cities. Pilot Corralez and Sgt.
Sharma provided an informative experience of the program for the Mayor as 
they flew over surrounding areas. 
By Susan Henderson 
On Saturday, September 11, 2021, somethingterrible happened in Sierra Madre. Accordingto eyewitnesses, 20-30 residents took it uponthemselves to trespass on private residentialproperty in protest against the allegeddestruction of the Wistaria Vine. 
One overzealous neighbor started the entireugly chain of events to unfold. On Saturdayshe noticed that gardeners were pruningparts of the vine and she is alleged to have 
gone to the property and taken pictures of 
the discarded branches. Those pictures were 
then posted on Social Media and resulted in 
people swarming the property. The hysteriaspread and at one point city officials werecalled. 
The problem was that the crowd was actingon a rumor that someone was “cutting down”
the vine and that simply was not true. The 
gardeners were pruning parts of the 25 ton 
plant. However, the crowd created enoughfear that the gardener stopped working, citystaff was called out and a decision was made 
to clear the property of the trespassers and 
stop all activity that day. 
Needless to say, the sight of so many upsetpeople storming private property was quitedisturbing to the new owners. “I was reallyscared”, said Vicky Mak who had just purchasedthe property. Her sister Wendy was onsite andwitnessed the entire event. 
The vitriolic reaction was due to the spreadof misinformation on social media and 
misinterpreted pictures and verbal reports. The 
hysteria did not end that day and continued 
with very negative posts on Facebook includingone suggesting illegal activity, “....we could have 
drones hovering over their house all weekend….”. 
Tee shirts were made up seemingly instantly.
As a result, The Maks were subjected to avery unwelcoming and un-Sierra Madre likereception.
In a lengthy Skype interview with Ms. Mak 
who currently lives in San Francisco, and 
a follow up meeting and walk thru of the 
residence and grounds with her sister who livesnearby, this writer, who has also been chair and/
or co-chair of the Wistaria Festival for at least 
the last 10 years and is very knowledgeable in allthings Wistaria, was able to see firsthand what 
was being done. The Vine is definitely not beingdestroyed. 
What Happened 
The truth is, prior to even purchasing theproperty Ms. Mak was aware of the Vine’shistory. “We know how special this place is.
We are well aware of the significance of thehouse”, she said. 
It was discovered in July by the City of SierraMadre that there was a water leak on the propertyand a notice was placed on the door. Uponinvestigation it was discovered that the vine hadgrown ‘under’ the house creating not only thebreach of the water line but also an unsanitaryhaven for expired rodents. After review of the 
situation by the experts, instructions were givento the gardener how to clear the underbrushand cut back the necessary parts of the vineto ‘redirect’ part of its growth patterns. This 
was also important because the weight of thevine was beginning to sink the roof of the patio 
area and compromise the metaltrellises that anchored it in 
several places. 
In the vine’s history it hasalready destroyed the originalhome, growing into the wallsand fireplace and causing the 
roof to collapse. Only good 
maintenance will keep it from 
spreading beyond the toleranceof the structures it attaches to. 
Timeline of Events 
In March of this year, the first visit was madeto Sierra Madre City Hall by the potential buyerresearching any city ordinances, etc. regardingboth the vine and the house. 
In April, the property was purchased. 
In May, according to Vincent Gonzalez, SierraMadre’s Director of Planning and CommunityPreservation, Ms. Mak requested an applicationfor a “Historic Resource Evaluation”, completedand returned it to the city in June.
In July, Mr. and Mrs. Solt, the previous ownersmoved out of the house and Ms. Mak beganpreparing her new home for her family which 
includes two children. In fact, Ms. Mak had 
invested in an Arborist, Botanist and LandscapeArchitect in order to properly maintain theVine early on. 
Upkeep Is No Easy Nor Inexpensive Task 
Over the years, experts have been brought infrom CalTech, Occidental, and CalPoly Pomona.
Correct pruning and other maintenance are 
a necessity to keep the vine healthy and Ms. 
Mak’s engagement of an arborist, botanist andlandscape designer shortly after she bought theproperty demonstrates her desire to maintainthe vine and make certain its ‘growth patterns’are beneficial to the vine itself and the property. 
She shared the landscape design plans withthis author who can now attest to the fact that 
the plans will not diminish the vine’s ability toretain its current standing in the Book of WorldRecords. Further, if our climate allows, the Vineshould be in good shape for the 2022 Festivalsomething Ms. Mak is looking forward to. 
What’s Next? 
Sierra Madre is a town known for its 
community spirit and family-like atmosphere.
Perhaps, in an effort to make certain itswelcoming reputation remains intact, thosewho violated that private property should 
think about how to show this family whatSierra Madre is really like. A small, close-knit 
community! We need a really big WelcomeWagon effort to help the Mak’s put last week’sfrightening episode behind them. 
Pictured Above: The Vine in full bloom in 2018 
(file photo) The purple box is a portion that waspruned on Saturday. The inset photo was taken 
on Tuesday. The green foliage is the vine when itis not blooming. Photo by S. Henderson 
Note: 
In 1994, the vine was officially entered into theGuinness Book of World Records. According tothe definitive history of the Vine, penned by thelate Sierra Madre Historian Phyllis Chapman,
“The Guinness Book of World Records has 
named the Vine the World’s largest floweringplant. It is estimated that at the height of bloom ithas 1.5 million blossoms with 40 blossoms per sq.
ft., weighs 250 tons and has branches that extend500 feet. Wistaria is a member of the pea familythough its seeds resemble a flat bean. Seed podsburst open in the summer. The plant is deciduous,
losing its leaves in the winter. Wistaria seeds werebrought from China by Marco Polo in the 13th 
century. A complete History of the Vine can be 
read at: http://mtnviewsnews.com/v13/htm/n11/ 
p13.htm 
WISTARIA HYSTERIA Rumors of the destruction of the sacred Sierra Madre Chinese Wistaria Vine are just not true.
“We have no intention of tearing down the Vine”, says Wendy Mak 
COUNCIL APPROVES GENERAL 
PLAN AMENDMENT AND ZONE 
CHANGE - AGREES TO ADDRESS 
PROPERTIES DESIGNATED FOR 
LOWER DENSITY By Kevin McGuire 
REMEMB 


Walter Cailleteau, DVM Free Exam! 
927 N. Michillinda Ave. For New Clients 
Pasadena, CA 91107 Bring this coupon to save! 
(626) 351-8863