Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, January 29, 2022

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 29, 2022 

Speaking Up: 

TELL THE CITY WHAT IS 
IMPORTANT!

 Protect Sierra Madre - Stop the Housing 
Project has filed an Intent to Circulate 
Petition to let the citizens of Sierra 
Madre decide what values are important 
to them. Our petition, based on 
our "intent" below, will be available to 


sign in late February. 

Protect Sierra Madre – Stop the Housing Project was organized to stop the largest housing development 
in the history of Sierra Madre. The proposed project by New Urban West, the developer, and 
the Passionist Ownership of the Monastery, based in Chicago, would allow the building of 42 large, 
multi-million dollar homes in the meadows at the Monastery, the last open space in Sierra Madre. 
(They have named the project ‘The Meadows at Bailey Canyon.” That’s a nice, ideallic name, but the 
Destroyed Meadows at Bailey Canyon is more appropriate, as let’s be clear, there will be NO meadows 
left, as they will be destroyed with the building of 42 homes. They are pushing this project despite 
significant, real concerns about:

• Wildfire risk (the meadows are up against the foothills and in an extremely high fire zone).
• Impact on water supply, as we are in the middle of California’s worst, sustained drought. 
• Significantly increased traffic. A traffic study indicates traffic will more than double with this 
development. 
• Destruction of open space and wildlife habitat.) 
NOTICE OF INTENT TO CIRCULATE PETITION 

Protect Sierra Madre -Stop the Housing Project has filed an Initiative to place an Ordinance on the 
Ballot in this year’s election to be voted on by all registered voters of Sierra Madre. It would change 
the zoning of the Monastery parcel (Mater Dolorosa) and any subdivisions of it, from Institutional to 
Hillside Residential Zone. A petition with signatures of 10% of Sierra Madre registered voters will put 
the question on the ballot. 

If the measure passes at this year’s election, the Retreat Center can continue to operate as a preexisting 
non-conforming use, as long as they choose. But any change in use, or development of any 
part of the parcel, would be subject to the requirements of our Hillside Ordinance. 

Over the years, recognizing that all Sierra Madre properties adjacent to the mountains and part of 
the wildland urban interface require special protection, our elected officials enacted many General 
Plan changes and ordinances to protect what makes Sierra Madre special - the Environment, the 
wildlife, tree canopies, the Hillsides, and the Monastery parcel. In discussing the Hillside Ordinance,
Planning Commission members commented that the Ordinance wasn't only about slope, but about 
elevation, topography, views, vegetation, wildlife, fire safety and “things that would change the look 
and feel of this town.” 

The "Monastery" parcel is one of the only properties abutting the mountains that is not protected by 
a zoning designation of Open Space or Hillside Residential. 

In 2015, during the drought, the Sierra Madre Planning Commission and City Council added manyWater Conservation measures to the pending General Plan update, including removal of a provision 
that might have someday allowed the reuse of the Monastery property as housing. The EIR was certified 
and the General Plan adopted in 2015, and in 2016 the zoning was amended to conform to the 
General Plan with no objection to any of these actions during the 90 day periods after enactment. 
The California Constitution gives voters the power to enact initiatives, to change laws in their City inlight of the theory that the power of government ultimately resides in the people. We believe the citizens 
of Sierra Madre know best what is right for their City and will vote to forever protect that fragile 
open space, with an ordinance to change the zoning on the property from Institutional to Hillside 
Residential Zone. 

Development can happen on that land, but with the protections of all our values that our City Government 
has failed to enact. 

For questions and to get involved in the initiative, please email monasterypetition@gmail.com 

Editor's Note:

 The City of Sierra Madre will hold an outdoor public meetingof the City Council, the Planning Commission and the Developers 
of the Monastery Project. Details were being finalized 
at press time. Once the details are established, notice will 
be posted on the city's social media sites and published infuther editions of this newspaper. 

COUNCIL continued from page 1 

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY LANDLORD 
INCENTIVE PROGRAM 

The San Gabriel Valley Landlord Incentives Program 
(SGVLIP) is designed to provide much-
needed security and assistance to landlords in 
the San Gabriel Valley Area who, in turn, rent 
available units to individuals experiencing homelessness. 
According to the agenda report, Union 
Station Homeless Services manages the SGVLIP 
program in partnership with the San Gabriel Valley 
Council of Government (COG) and provides 
rental property owners with financial incentives 
for leasing units to tenants receiving HousingChoice Vouchers. City Council received and filed 
the information. 

LINING PROJECT 

City Council will award a construction contract 
to Advantage Redline in an amount not to exceed 
$70,000 for the lining of 200 feet of 10-inch water 
main. Several water mains in the area are over 

100 years old and go through rugged, steep, and 
hilly regions, making them difficult to get to and 
repair. Between Canyon Crest and Brookside Ln., 
one of the mains is considered a cross-county line. 
After the idea of replacing this main was found to 
be not feasible, staff recommended lining the existing 
water main and re-connecting it in its current 
location. The construction of the new water 
main on Canyon Crest is also underway. 

ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT 

The council received and filed the Annual Financial 
Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ending June 
30, 2021. The full report is available to the public 
on the city website cityofsierramadre.com. This 
past year includes a list of city accomplishments, 
such as a long-term project to replace the City’s 
water main infrastructure, the Kersting Court 
Renovation Project, and grants for small business 
support in response to the COVID 19 pandemic.
For more information, visit the city website at 
cityofsierramadre.com. 

Kevin McGuire/MVNews 


SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER 

SIERRA MADRE POLICE DEPARTMENT 
POLICE BLOTTER January 16-22, 2022 

During this period, the Sierra Madre Police Departmentresponded to approximately 231 calls for service. This list is not intended to 
be considered exclusive or all-inclusive. 

Monday, January 17 / Suspicious CircumstancesIn the 500 block of W. Sierra Madre Blvd, SMPD responded to a report of a loaded firearm 
discarded at a location. The firearm was previously reported as stolen and taken into custody. 
The Detectives' Bureau is investigating this incident. 

Monday, January 17 / Possession of Stolen Property, Burglary Tools, and Narcotics Arrest 
At about 11:30 pm, an officer observed a vehicle code violation and conducted a traffic enforcement 
stop. During the contact, the officer determined that two of the three occupants 
in the vehicle were on active probation or parole. They also admitted to having narcotics in 
the vehicle. A search of the vehicle was conducted and revealed that the occupants were in 
possession of a catalytic converter, burglary tools, and narcotics. All three occupants of 
the vehicle were arrested and booked at the Pasadena PD jail. 

Tuesday, January 18 / Theft from a vehicle 
From January 17, 2022, at 10:00 pm to January 18, 2022, at 7:00 am, in the 300 block of 
Acacia St, a victim reported unknown suspect(s) illegally entering an unlocked vehicle 
stealing their property. The property is estimated at approximately $60.00. The Detectives' 
Bureau is following up on this incident. 

Tuesday, January 18 / Residential BurglaryOn January 18, 2022, from 2:45 pm to 6:45 pm, in the 00 block of W. Highland Ave, a victim 
reported that unknown suspect(s) illegally entered their residence and stole property. 
The property is estimated at approximately $6000.00. The Detectives' Bureau is following 
up on this incident. 

Friday, January 21 / Residential BurglaryOn January 18, 2022, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, in the 200 block of E. Sierra Madre Blvd, a 
victim reported that unknown suspect(s) illegally entered their apartment and stole property. 
The property is estimated at approximately $400.00.
The Detectives' Bureau is following up on this incident. 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis 

“Life is like the wind…sometimes a sweet 
breeze and sometimes a raging storm.” 

“Time and the wind never leave anything 
alone.” Marty Rubin 

“The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the 
wind.” Bob Dylan 

It seems that the wind is trying to blow our 
lovely city off the map! One wind storm after 
another, taking out trees, blowing huge pots 
off their stands and making an enormous 
mess all over the place. Chuck Seitz sent me 
pictures of one of his heavy pots of Epiphyllum 
tossed on the ground surrounded bybroken pieces of plant where beauty used 
to be. This is especially annoying as the Epiphyllum 
in this pot and all the other pots of 
these plants came from cuttings from mydad a number of years ago. Folks have posted 
pictures of damage on Facebook and I expect 
everybody wishes this wind would go blow 
someplace else. Power outages abound and I am 
reminded of the huge windstorm that hit Sierra 
Madre in 2011 and left us all in the dark for days.
Trees were uprooted all over town, huge ones,
hundreds of years old, tossed about like tinker 
toys. 

John and I huddled in front of our gas log fire 
and burned candles for light, reading by flashlight 
and eating everything out. No power, No 
Coffee!! John figured out a way to rig up an old 
dial telephone, charge our cell phones and make 
my curling iron work so I wouldn’t look exactlylike Broomhilda. One of the joys of having married 
an electrical engineer is that they can make 
electricity happen, rewire the entire house and 
make my curling iron go. 

We lived close to the Los Angeles County Arboretum 
where 400 magnificent trees were blown 
over and ripped right out of the ground. The 
Arboretum, in their wisdom, offered the rare,
unique wood of many of these trees to artists 
who worked in wood and asked them to express 
through their art what was in the grain and 
hearts of these trees. The picture today is “Weeping 
Man” by artist Gonzalo Algarate, carved from 
Eucalyptus globules – Tasmanian Bluegum. I 
saw this sculpture at the “Force of Nature II” Arboretum 
art showing and it touched me deeply. 

I came across some really interesting information 
about the ill effects of wind that you’ll enjoy: 

A Brief Eerie History of How the Wind Makes Us 
Crazy

Lyall Watson on the Ill Effects of Heavy Weather“Between five and ten times every year, when 
pressures are high over Utah and Nevada, air 
spills off the Mojave Desert, rushes down the 
valleys, through the narrow mountain passes of 
Santa Ana, and out on to the coast around Los 
Angeles. Within minutes, the sea off Long Beach 
is whipped into white-caps and gales of up to 100 
kilometers an hour hammer the coast between 
Santa Monica and Oxnard. In a single swat, one 
such blast flattened 252 oil derricks, while another 
rained 15 million tons of dust on downtown 
Burbank. Devastating fires sweep through the 
hills and homes. Moods change. Skin turns taut. 
Aches come back to old scars in the night. And,
in the words of Raymond Chandler, “On nights 
like that, every booze party ends in a fight. Meek 
little wives feel the edge of the carving knife 
and study their husband’s necks. Anything can 
happen.” 

Murder often does. In 1968, Willis Miller of California 
Western University, collected statistics for 
homicides in Los Angeles County and compared 
them with weather records. There were 53 daysduring 1964 and 1965 when the Santa Ana blew 
and humidity, which is normally around 43 percent, 
fell below 15 percent. On 34 of those 53 

SMRFA General Meeting2023 Design Vote 

Our next General Meeting (the first one in a VERY 
long time) is on Sunday February 6th at 5 pm at 
the Float Barn (inside and/or outside). For our 
new members, our barn is at 587 E. Sierra Ma-dre 
Blvd., Sierra Vista Park, located behind the basketball 
and tennis courts. This general meet-ing is 
earlier than our standard schedule because we will 
be reviewing and voting on the design concept for 
the 2023 parade. 

Voting is limited to a maximum of 2 per family,
for SMRFA members only, but anyone can at-tend 
and see the design concepts. Please note that NO 
PHOTOS are allowed of any design concept, so 
you will need to leave your phone out of sight and,
if you get a phone call, you’ll need to go outside 
(away from the designs) if you need to answer it. 
New memberships will not be accepted that day. 
Memberships have been “carried over” during the 
pandemic, so if you paid in 2019 or beyond thru 
January 15, 2022, your membership is still valid 
and you may vote. 

We will also be discussing how things went during 
deco week and the parade, our financial situation, 
voting on some officers/members of the 
board of directors, asking for comments to assist 
with our post deco week/parade/post parade/tear 
down evaluation, and looking forward to our next 
fundraisers. 

If you are interested in submitting a design for our 
2023 float you will find the design rules, guide-


windy days, there were more deaths than normal. 
And during the longest sustained Santa 
Ana, which blew from October 20th to 26th in 
1965, the total was 47 percent higher than in any 
other windless week. 

The FBI recognizes a “long, hot summer” phenomenon, 
expecting more murder, aggravated 
assault and rape between June and September 
than at any other time. But the Santa Ana seems 
to supersede this annual cycle, producing short-
term local effects whenever it blows, winter or 
summer, turning any time at all into a season of 
discontent. In California’s early, and to this extent 
more enlightened days, defendants in crimes of 
passion were able to plead for leniency, citing the 
wind as an extenuating circumstance. 

The Santa Ana, like other ill winds, is perfectly 
capable of violence without human help. When 
it blows, there is the usual increase in ulcer perforation, 
embolism, thrombosis, hemorrhage, 
myocardial infarction and migraine—not to 
mention theatrical failures, lower industrial production 
and loss of milk in cows. All these disorders 
are the result of tension, the product of an 
atmosphere heavy with menace and imminent 
catastrophe. Of dry air so filled with static electricity 
that even a handshake becomes shocking. 
It is in such air that unnatural charges accumulate—
and it seems to be these that have the most 
negative effect.” 

And for those of us in the San Gabriel Valley, 
we mourn our trees, turn on our gas fire logs, 
stock up on candles and prepare to clean up the 
branches and pine needles and thank the Creator 
that the tree didn’t land on the house or our car. 
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its 
sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from 
or where it is going. So it is with everyone born 
of the Spirit.” John 3:8 NIV 

Have you ordered “The Midnight Library” byMatt Haig, Sierra Madre’s One Book, One City 
selection for February? I’m almost finished with 
“Deep Storm” by Lincoln Child and “The Midnight 
Library” is next. 

“At the end of the day, all you need is hope and 
strength. 
Hope that it will get better, and strength to hold 
on until it does.” 

“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.”

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 
I’ve been re-reading my book,
“Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope” 

It encouraged me, made me smile, and bake 
some banana bread. 
It’s a pretty good book, even if I did write it!
You can find it on Amazon.com and they’ll even 
send it to someone for you! 


lines, forms, and samples at:
https://sierramadrerosefloat.org/getinvolved/
volunteer/design/ 

Submissions for the design of our 2023 float are 
due (must be RECEIVED by) Friday, February 4th 
at 5 pm. There are three ways to submit designs: 

Mail to: 
Sierra Madre Rose Float Association 
P.O. Box 603 
Sierra Madre, CA 91025(Mailed designs MUST be RECEIVED by Friday,
Feb. 4th at 5 p.m.) 

Or put the Design Submission in an envelope, 
pushed under the Float Barn Door at:
587 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra MadreSierra Vista Park, behind the tennis courts(Do NOT send snail mail to this address) 

Or email it to: 
president@sierramadrerosefloat.org 

Questions on concept design process? – please 
email president@sierramadrerosefloat.org 

FEBRUARY BEST USED BOOK SALE 
The Friends of the Sierra Madre Library announce that their February Best Used Book Sale will be 
held on the library parking lot as usual. It will be held Friday, February 4 (3:00-7:00) and Saturday,
February 5 (10:00-2:00) at 440 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. in Sierra Madre. 
Featured will be NEWER Fiction from the basement shelves, “Coffee-table” type books, a set of 
Zane Grey Western novels, and a collection of vintage “pop-up” books. 
In addition, there will be $1.00 Bargain Books, Children’s and Teen books from $.25-$1.00 and 
small paperbacks $.25 each or 5/$1.00. Look for our DVDs and CDs at $1.00 each! 
Our famous $5.00 BAG SALE will be Saturday only. Buy a large grocery bag for $5.00 and fill it with 
your selections. The sale is sponsored by Friends of the Sierra Madre Library and all proceeds are 
used for services, programs and acquisitions of our wonderful library. 
Mountain Views News 8 
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adr 
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adre 
a. 91024 Office: 626.3 
5.2737 Fax: 62 
.609.3285 
Email: itor@mtnvi n .com ebsite: w.mtnvi n .com

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