Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, November 6, 2021

Mountain Views News 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2021 SECTION B 

ABILITYFIRST OPENS 'FLAGSHIP' 

LA County Public Health 

LAWRENCE L. FRANK CENTER 


The Chef Knows By Peter Dills 
DILLS WINE PICKS FOR YOUR TURKEY (A BIT EARLY) 

I have noticed Thanksgiving shoppers out 
and about, smart!!! Get the shopping out of 
the way. 

Thanksgiving is upon us and it is my sworn 
duty to come up with a handful of wines 
that will go with a traditional oven baked 
turkey /smoked turkey, even the duck 
substitution will go well with my list. First, 
sorry in advance for all my chardonnay 
loving readers (see blow for my apology) 
A high-acid, low-tannin Pinot, with bright 
cherry and cranberry flavors over rich spices, can do right by almost all the exuberant side 
dishes any turkey might require. San Simeon makes a marvelous Pinot Noir under $20 it 
is a winner.

 
My second choice, though, isn’t a 

surprise, at least if you love bubbles like I do. Two California Sparklers that I enjoy, Domaine 
Carneros Brut ($30) from the house of Taittinger, I have said that this wine from California 
comes as close to a ‘real” champagne that I’ve had, I picked up a bottle recently at Vons 
and it will also go great with Prime Rib. Newsweek Magazine selected the Roederer Estate 
their value for the new millennium and I agree, when I am shopping for that $20 wine it is 
my go to choice. 

How about a Rose, my friend Matt Plunkrock, wine steward par excellence recommends 
the AIX is hails from the south of France/Provence. 

Last but not least do consider a Cabernet, a favorite side kick of Prime Rib for years, our 
own Maddalena has an outstanding one and the price of $15 is perfect for the holidays, who 
does Prime Rib on Thanksgiving? I must admit the Dills household has been doing it for 
years. 

My Chardonnay apology, all that sauce, butter, gravy will absolutely kill any hope of your 
favorite buttery Oaky Chardonnay, though I defend your right to drink what you like to 
drink at any holiday party! 

San Simeon Pinot Noir 

Maddalena Cabernet 

Domaine Carneros Brut 

AIX Rose 

Roederer Estate 

All available at your local Vons 

Join me this Sunday afternoon at 3 PM on AM 830 Radio 

Following its historic merger with FVO 
Solutions, Inc. Last year, AbilityFirst marked 
another milestone with the grand opening 
of its Pasadena “flagship” location, the 
AbilityFirst Lawrence L. Frank Center, on 
Thursday. 

 The nonprofit, which provides programs 
and services to help children and adults with 
disabilities reach their full potential, recently 
raised $6 million for its capital campaign– 
“Building Independence, Celebrating 
Community” during a time when many 
fundraising efforts were on hold for 
nonprofit organizations across the country 
due to the pandemic. The funds have been 
used to complete the planned renovations 
of AbilityFirst’s aging mid-century modern 
center in Pasadena and the AbilityFirst 
Long Beach Center, which is still under 
construction.

 “It is an exciting day for AbilityFirst as we 
have just completed the planned renovations 
on the Lawrence L. Frank Center in Pasadena, 
which is one of the two buildings that are part 
of the $6 million capital campaign, ‘Building 
Independence, Celebrating Community.’” 
said Keri Castañeda, Chief Operations 
Officer of AbilityFirst. The second building 
is the AbilityFirst Long Beach Center. “The 
Lawrence L. Frank Center is the central hub 
for AbilityFirst’s expanding ExploreAbility, 
College to Career and After-school programs 
for children and adults with developmental 
disabilities, so we are thrilled with the 
opportunity to upgrade our facilities.” 

 A formal presentation featuring welcome 
remarks was given, along with resolutions 
from legislators.

 “It’s good encouraging the community to get 
involved with AbilityFirst, but also educating 
my colleagues about the amazing work 
being done here,” said Los Angeles County 
Supervisor Kathryn Barger, “And, as long as 
I am in office, AbilityFirst will always have a 
champion working to help them in any way 
that I can!”

 The grandson of Lawrence L. Frank and 
AbilityFirst board member and co-chair 
of the capital campaign, Richard R. Frank, 
was in attendance and shared his remarks 
at the podium. “We just look around and 
know that it’s Calvin Straub and our dad’s 
fingerprints all over the architecture here. 
It’s particularly gratifying and rewarding 
that we’ve been able to bring this building 
forward and get it ready for the next 50 years. 
It’s a real delight to see it today and to have 
the project finished.”

 Legislators in attendance included: Los 
Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, 
Pasadena Councilmember Gene Masuda 
(District 4), Susana Porras of Pasadena 
Councilmember John J. Kennedy (District 
3), Field Representative Ann Hickanbottom 
from Assemblymember’s Chris Holden’s 
office, and Field Representative Dominick 
Correy from Senator Anthony Portantino’s 
office, who were also given tours of the 
updated center in Pasadena. 

VACCINATION VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS NOW 
IN EFFECT: PUBLIC HEALTH ENCOURAGES CHILDREN 
VACCINATIONS AGAINST COVID-19 

Beginning Thursday, proof of full vaccination and photo ID for indoor entry into bars, breweries,
wineries, distilleries, nightclubs, and lounges for all patrons and employees goes into effect. Patronsnow need to be fully vaccinated to be indoors at any of these establishments. 

Next week, on November 8, the City of Los Angeles’ vaccine verification program, called SafePassLA,
goes into effect, and will require proof of full vaccination for entry into the indoor portions ofrestaurants, bars, coffee shops, breweries, wineries, gyms, spas, nail salons, barbershops, movietheaters, shopping malls, and entertainment and recreation venues. This includes indoor portions ofCity facilities such as LA City Hall, senior centers, recreation centers, and service centers. 

Public Health will be working closely with the City of LA to educate businesses and residents on therequirements of the SafePassLA program throughout the upcoming month and will unveil a virtualtraining and certificate program for LA City businesses next week. 

The Biden administration has announced a January 4 deadline for the full vaccination of workers,
including non-clinical employees and contractors, at healthcare facilities funded by the Centers forMedicare and Medicaid Services. These facilities may grant certain medical or religious exemptionsto employees, but employees will not be able to choose a testing option as an alternative to beingvaccinated. Yesterday, the administration set the same deadline for full vaccination of workers atbusinesses with more than 100 employees. Businesses may offer their employees an option involving 
routine testing and mandatory masking. 

These targeted mandates are all aimed at ensuring that in health facilities, workspaces, and publicspaces, where the risk of transmission is higher, everyone is fully vaccinated. With powerful and safevaccines, this is the surest manner of quickly reducing spread and allowing for continued economic 
recovery. 

Many parents were relieved when earlier this week, the CDC endorsed the use of the Pfizer vaccine inchildren aged 5 to 11 years old. There are many good reasons to vaccinate children in this age group:
in addition to the fact that COVID-19 infection can lead to hospitalization, death, inflammatorysyndromes, and long-term symptoms in pediatric populations, children can transmit the virus atleast as efficiently as adults. In L.A. County, an estimated 900,000 children between the ages of 5 
and 11 are eligible for vaccinations. Vaccination has been shown to be 91% effective in preventing 
infection in this age group with only mild side effects. 

Children getting vaccinated need to bring with them a consent form signed by an adult responsiblefor the child – and that consent form can be signed by the adult at the vaccination site. At somevaccination sites, including those run by Public Health, children under 16 must be accompanied byan adult. You do not need to show identification in order to get a vaccine, nor do you need to be aUnited States citizen to be vaccinated. 

For this week, we encourage parents to call ahead of time to providers to be sure they received pediatricdoses and are able to offer vaccines to children 5-11. All six of the Public Health community sites havealready begun vaccinating children and parents can bring their children in without appointments. 

Unvaccinated people are 7 times more likely to get infected and 27 times more likely to be hospitalizedthan vaccinated people. 

An important strategy for preventing a significant surge this winter is planning for safe holiday 
gatherings. For this Thanksgiving, which is in three weeks, it’s best if everyone who is eligible getsvaccinated. If this isn’t possible, Public Health recommends staying local until everyone in yourhouse is fully vaccinated, and if possible, have gatherings outdoors. Keep gatherings small, and ifunvaccinated or high-risk people are present, including older adults and people with weakened 
immune systems, wear face masks indoors when not eating or drinking, and outdoors if it’s crowded.
In these situations, it’s also a good idea to keep a distance between non-household members whileeating, especially if you’re eating indoors. And if possible, have guests verify a negative test beforegathering. 

To find a vaccination site near you, make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more,
visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish). If youdon’t have internet access, can’t use a computer, or you’re over 65, you can call 1-833-540-0473 forhelp finding an appointment, connecting to free transportation to and from a vaccination site, orscheduling a home-visit if you are homebound. 

COVID 19 ONE YEAR LATER: 

WHERE WE ARE NOW - 11/5/21 VERSUS (THEN)

Cases/Deaths are still increasing especially among the unvaccinated. 

Location Cases 2021 (2020) Deaths % Vaccinations 
LA County 1,489,393 (N/A) 26,695 (N/A) 79.6% 
Seniors 93.6% 
Arcadia 3,428 (595) 148 ( 39) 84.4% 
Altadena 4,136 (796) 80 (18) 80.1% 
Bradbury 42 ( 19) 0 ( 0) 67.4% 
Duarte 2,796 (626) 99 (31) 81.4% 
Monrovia 4,065 (848) 84 (42) 79.5% 
Pasadena 13,586 (2,819) 363 (129) 83.7% 
Sierra Madre 662 ( 87) 13 ( 3) 84.7% 
So.Pasadena 1,740 (319) 47 ( 26) 88.7% 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com