SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022 VOLUME 16 NO. 9VOLUME 16 NO. 9 
real estate 
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. 
We're doing very well for our clients in 
buying and selling homes. 
Call us today for a free home assessment 
with no obligations. 
We can net more on average 
than a FSBO 
We help you determine the 
appropriate listing price 
We use professional 
photography and video 
Marketing 
We collaborate with other 
Realtors® 
We can see problems before 
they occur 
We understand and interprets 
local market data, as we all 
live here 
We can market your home 
online to give it max exposure 
We know where 
to find buyers 
We know how to negotiate 
profesionally 
We can Target the right 
audience for your home 
THINGS THE WMG 
DOES TO SELL YOUR HOME 
1125 East Mariposa Street 
Altadena, 91001 
5 Beds | 2 Baths | 2,744 sf | 17,217 sf lot 
Classic 1917 Craftsman Listed at $1,899,000 
Open House Saturday 1-4pm 
THE 
WEBB-MARTIN GROUP 
KEVIN WHEELER 
Top Producer 
JACKIE ADAIMY 
2nd Top Producer 
NORA MANOUKIAN 
3rd Top Producer 
THE VALENZUELA TEAM 
Top Team 
Andy & Julie Bencosme are pleased to congratulate the 2021 Office Top Producers! 
CITY MAKES OFFER TO PURCHASE 505 N. 
HERMOSA “WISTARIA HOUSE” 
Sierra Madre, CA. – February 22, 2022 – The City Council met in 
closed session to discuss placing an offer to purchase the Wistaria 
House located at 505 N. Hermosa Avenue. In their discussion, 
they authorized City Manager Jose Reynoso to negotiate terms 
and price. 
The Wistaria House is home to the Guinness World Record-hold-
ing Wistaria Vine, a Chinese wistaria, planted from a 75-cent gal-
lon can in 1892. The plant is named in honor of Caspar Wistar 
(1761-1818). He was an American physician whose accomplish-
ments included writing the first book on anatomy. 
In the early 1900’s, the vine grew into the walls of the original 
house and caused the roof to collapse. Mr. Fennel, the homeowner 
at the time, abandoned the house and built a new home 200 feet 
to the north and trained the vine to grow up to that home. The old 
home was torn down in 1931, but a portion of the original foun-
dation was saved to continue to give support to the growing vine. 
Today, the Vine covers more than an acre and sits on the proper-
ties of two separate private residences in northern Sierra Madre. 
The offer submitted by City Manager Reynoso was above the ask-
ing price. Said Mayor Goss, “the Wistaria Vine is a beloved cultur-
al icon in Sierra Madre. Unfortunately, the owner of the property 
accepted another offer. The City Council looks forward to build-
ing a strong relationship with the new owner to ensure the Wis-
taria Vine remains protected and available for viewing each year 
during the Wistaria Festival." Below visitors at the vine in 2019. 
City of Sierra Madre 
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE 
From: The City of Sierra MadreSubject: Public Hearing: Mid-year FY 21-22 Budget Review 
Notice is hereby given that on March 8, 2022, at 5:30 PM, or soon thereafter, the Sierra 
Madre City Council will conduct a Public Hearing, to hear testimony on the City’s Mid-yearFY 21-22 budget review. 
DATE AND TIME OF HEARING 
City of Sierra Madre City Council meeting; Tuesday, March 8, 2022 (Hearing begins at 5:30p.m.) or soon thereafter.
All interested persons may attend this meeting and the City Council will hear them with 
respect thereto. 
PLACE OF HEARING 
This meeting will be conducted at City Council Chambers and will be recorded for live 
streaming. Masks are currently required in all City facilities. As an alternative, viewers 
may watch the meeting on Channel 3 (Government Access Chan-nel) or live on the City'swebsite at www.cityofsierramadre.comEmail public comments to: publiccomment@cityofsierramadre.com by 6:00 PM on the dayof the meeting. 
By Kevin McGuire/MVNews 
With bear close encounters rising, 
and coyotes walking the streets 
in broad daylight, City Council 
has adopted a Wildlife Manage-
ment Plan, which would include a 
“Wildlife Watch” program and an 
ordinance to prohibit the feeding 
of wildlife in Sierra Madre. 
Management Analyst James Carl-
son presented an overview of the 
Sierra Madre Wildlife Manage-
ment Plan (The Plan) at the Feb-
ruary 22 City Council meeting, 
the first of this year held in CityCouncil Chambers open to the 
public. All attendees still needed 
to abide by mask protocols. Coun-
cil Member Rachelle Arizmendi 
appeared remotely. 
The Plan was created by the De-
partment of Public Works and the 
Energy, Environment & Natural 
Resources Commission. Repre-
sentatives from the State Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife were 
also available remotely to answer 
questions and provide recom-
mendations. There were five main 
recommendations discussed on 
managing wildlife. 
Don’t feed the bears…or any 
wildlife. 
It’s true; some folks do purposelyfeed the bears. It truly tugs at the 
heartstrings to know that our bear 
neighbors are scrounging around 
looking to provide sustenance for 
themselves and their cubs, but 
feeding bears is a big no-no. Most 
folks don’t realize they are feeding 
the bears. But, if you live in bear 
country and you leave food in your 
unsecured trash, or pet food out-
side, or fruit on the ground near 
your trees, or an uncleaned grill in 
the area—you are probably feed-
ing the bears. It is recommended 
that if you live this close to wild-
life, make sure your compost is 
secure and consider not having abird feeder—and whatever you do, 
never, ever leave food in your car. 
The bear causing the most com-
motion in Sierra Madre is the one 
they list as “bear 508” and her 
two cubs. This famous bear made 
the national news when it broke 
a car window to get some KFC,
knocked the parking brake, and 
crashed the car into a wall. She 
didn’t leave until completely tear-
ing up the inside of the vehicle. 
Police Chief Roderick Armalin 
cited more instances, including 
one where police had to extract 
two women from their home after 
bears had broken into the home 
with them in it. In another tragic 
incident, a pet was taken from a 
cage inside a resident’s house. The 
pet was killed, and the resident re-
turned home and was traumatized 
by the occurrence. There are other 
examples of forced entry and bro-
ken windows by hungry bears. 
There was a total of 15 instances 
involving bears in recent days.
“This is a big concern for me, and 
something needs to be done with 
these bears,” said Chief Armalin. 
Bear-resistant Cans and HazingIn addition to the prohibition of 
feeding wildlife, The Plan seeks to 
find bear-resistant can opportuni-
ties for residents and the promo-
tion of hazing recommendations. 
Some residents use bear-resistant 
cans. They are said to be effective. 
The city has been in talks with 
Athens, the contracted hauler, to 
provide bear-resistant cans. With 
the new organic compost separa-
tion laws going into effect in 2022, 
there is consideration to makingbear-resistant cans mandatory in 
some areas. 
Hazing refers to using deterrents 
such as loud noises, bright lights, 
and water spraying to discourage 
animals from returning to a par-
ticular area. 
Right now, bears, coyotes, and 
other wildlife feel familiar and 
safe in some populated regions. 
They’ve become comfortable. 
Hazing is a harmless way of keep-
ing the wildlife away from homes, 
pets, and cars. 
The Plan also aims to educate the 
community and change behaviors 
to coexist with wildlife, includingbears, coyotes, deer, mountain li-
ons, and bobcats. The goal is not 
to be in a situation where eutha-
nizing is the only option. 
Wildlife Watch 
The “Wildlife Watch” program 
would be similar to “Neighbor-
hood Watch,” where residents 
track wildlife sightings and edu-
cate the community on best 
practices. The program would be 
coordinated with local law en-
forcement agencies and private or-
ganizations. Communities would 
receive training and support to de-
velop integrated wildlife manage-
ment plans specific to their needs. 
It is recommended that “Wildlife 
Watch” be presented to established 
watch groups in the area, with ad-
ditional volunteers being added as 
needed. 
Rodenticide Prohibition 
Rodent pesticides used to kill 
mice and rats can also harm or kill 
wildlife who consume the dead ro-
dents. Coyotes, wildcats, and large 
birds, such as hawks, often eat 
small rodents. The option of pro-
hibiting these rodenticides in cer-
tain areas is under consideration. 
Urgency and ActionEducating and putting prevention 
tools in place is all well and good,
but for many Sierra Madre resi-
dents, the time for action is now 
before someone gets seriously in-
jured or killed. 
Unfortunately, the Department 
of Fish and Wildlife claimed on 
Tuesday that they were only in-
formed of one wildlife incident, 
and to investigate incidents; they 
need to be reported. 
“I have not heard of all of these 
incidences in Sierra Madre. Theyhave not been reported to the De-
partment of Fish and Wildlife,” 
said Rebecca Barboza, a wildlife 
biologist with the California De-
partment of Fish and Wildlife. 
Barboza noted that the one inci-
dence reported where bears had 
entered a home was due to a door 
and window being left open. 
Barboza recommended getting“Wildlife Watch” going, cleaning 
up the neighborhoods, and coor-
dinating Fish and Wildlife with 
local law enforcement to start a 
hazing program. “You don’t get 
there by just calling us up and say-
ing ‘hey’ we want you to relocate 
this animal. You get to that stage 
by planning,” said Barboza. 
Ms. Barboza’s comments didn’t 
seem to sit too well with Coun-
cil Member Robert Parkhurst. “I 
realize we haven’t had our paper-
work in order from a bureaucratic 
perspective, so does that mean we 
have to wait until someone gets 
injured before we can do anything 
about this bear?” Parkhurst asked. 
The bear in question, #508, has 
already been relocated and found 
her way back to Sierra Madre. The 
only other options would be a haz-
ing initiative or euthanizing, the 
least desired option. 
“It’s not going in unlocked doors. 
It broke a window. It released a 
parking brake. We have a seri-
ous issue here that we need to 
do something about really soon,” 
Parkhurst exclaimed. 
Barboza responded by saying 
that just because everything is 
not in place doesn’t mean they 
will ignore the situation. Fish and 
Wildlife has coordinated with the 
Police Department and will reach 
out to residents that have reported 
incidents and start the process of 
documentation. 
For now, the city will expedite 
information to the community on 
the “no feeding” policy and follow 
up with stricter code enforcement. 
Copies of this report can be ac-
cessed on the City’s website at 
www.cityofsierramadre.com. 
SIERRA MADRE HAS TO GRIN AND BEAR 
IT…FOR NOW No feeding ordinance and 
“Wildlife Watch” to help discourage bear visits 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022 VOLUME 16 NO. 9VOLUME 16 NO. 9 
real estate 
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. 
We're doing very well for our clients in 
buying and selling homes. 
Call us today for a free home assessment 
with no obligations. 
We can net more on average 
than a FSBO 
We help you determine the 
appropriate listing price 
We use professional 
photography and video 
Marketing 
We collaborate with other 
Realtors® 
We can see problems before 
they occur 
We understand and interprets 
local market data, as we all 
live here 
We can market your home 
online to give it max exposure 
We know where 
to find buyers 
We know how to negotiate 
profesionally 
We can Target the right 
audience for your home 
THINGS THE WMG 
DOES TO SELL YOUR HOME 
1125 East Mariposa Street 
Altadena, 91001 
5 Beds | 2 Baths | 2,744 sf | 17,217 sf lot 
Classic 1917 Craftsman Listed at $1,899,000 
Open House Saturday 1-4pm 
THE 
WEBB-MARTIN GROUP 
KEVIN WHEELER 
Top Producer 
JACKIE ADAIMY 
2nd Top Producer 
NORA MANOUKIAN 
3rd Top Producer 
THE VALENZUELA TEAM 
Top Team 
Andy & Julie Bencosme are pleased to congratulate the 2021 Office Top Producers! 
CITY MAKES OFFER TO PURCHASE 505 N. 
HERMOSA “WISTARIA HOUSE” 
Sierra Madre, CA. – February 22, 2022 – The City Council met in 
closed session to discuss placing an offer to purchase the Wistaria 
House located at 505 N. Hermosa Avenue. In their discussion, 
they authorized City Manager Jose Reynoso to negotiate terms 
and price. 
The Wistaria House is home to the Guinness World Record-hold-
ing Wistaria Vine, a Chinese wistaria, planted from a 75-cent gal-
lon can in 1892. The plant is named in honor of Caspar Wistar 
(1761-1818). He was an American physician whose accomplish-
ments included writing the first book on anatomy. 
In the early 1900’s, the vine grew into the walls of the original 
house and caused the roof to collapse. Mr. Fennel, the homeowner 
at the time, abandoned the house and built a new home 200 feet 
to the north and trained the vine to grow up to that home. The old 
home was torn down in 1931, but a portion of the original foun-
dation was saved to continue to give support to the growing vine. 
Today, the Vine covers more than an acre and sits on the proper-
ties of two separate private residences in northern Sierra Madre. 
The offer submitted by City Manager Reynoso was above the ask-
ing price. Said Mayor Goss, “the Wistaria Vine is a beloved cultur-
al icon in Sierra Madre. Unfortunately, the owner of the property 
accepted another offer. The City Council looks forward to build-
ing a strong relationship with the new owner to ensure the Wis-
taria Vine remains protected and available for viewing each year 
during the Wistaria Festival." Below visitors at the vine in 2019. 
City of Sierra Madre 
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE 
From: The City of Sierra MadreSubject: Public Hearing: Mid-year FY 21-22 Budget Review 
Notice is hereby given that on March 8, 2022, at 5:30 PM, or soon thereafter, the Sierra 
Madre City Council will conduct a Public Hearing, to hear testimony on the City’s Mid-yearFY 21-22 budget review. 
DATE AND TIME OF HEARING 
City of Sierra Madre City Council meeting; Tuesday, March 8, 2022 (Hearing begins at 5:30p.m.) or soon thereafter.
All interested persons may attend this meeting and the City Council will hear them with 
respect thereto. 
PLACE OF HEARING 
This meeting will be conducted at City Council Chambers and will be recorded for live 
streaming. Masks are currently required in all City facilities. As an alternative, viewers 
may watch the meeting on Channel 3 (Government Access Chan-nel) or live on the City'swebsite at www.cityofsierramadre.comEmail public comments to: publiccomment@cityofsierramadre.com by 6:00 PM on the dayof the meeting. 
By Kevin McGuire/MVNews 
With bear close encounters rising, 
and coyotes walking the streets 
in broad daylight, City Council 
has adopted a Wildlife Manage-
ment Plan, which would include a 
“Wildlife Watch” program and an 
ordinance to prohibit the feeding 
of wildlife in Sierra Madre. 
Management Analyst James Carl-
son presented an overview of the 
Sierra Madre Wildlife Manage-
ment Plan (The Plan) at the Feb-
ruary 22 City Council meeting, 
the first of this year held in CityCouncil Chambers open to the 
public. All attendees still needed 
to abide by mask protocols. Coun-
cil Member Rachelle Arizmendi 
appeared remotely. 
The Plan was created by the De-
partment of Public Works and the 
Energy, Environment & Natural 
Resources Commission. Repre-
sentatives from the State Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife were 
also available remotely to answer 
questions and provide recom-
mendations. There were five main 
recommendations discussed on 
managing wildlife. 
Don’t feed the bears…or any 
wildlife. 
It’s true; some folks do purposelyfeed the bears. It truly tugs at the 
heartstrings to know that our bear 
neighbors are scrounging around 
looking to provide sustenance for 
themselves and their cubs, but 
feeding bears is a big no-no. Most 
folks don’t realize they are feeding 
the bears. But, if you live in bear 
country and you leave food in your 
unsecured trash, or pet food out-
side, or fruit on the ground near 
your trees, or an uncleaned grill in 
the area—you are probably feed-
ing the bears. It is recommended 
that if you live this close to wild-
life, make sure your compost is 
secure and consider not having abird feeder—and whatever you do, 
never, ever leave food in your car. 
The bear causing the most com-
motion in Sierra Madre is the one 
they list as “bear 508” and her 
two cubs. This famous bear made 
the national news when it broke 
a car window to get some KFC,
knocked the parking brake, and 
crashed the car into a wall. She 
didn’t leave until completely tear-
ing up the inside of the vehicle. 
Police Chief Roderick Armalin 
cited more instances, including 
one where police had to extract 
two women from their home after 
bears had broken into the home 
with them in it. In another tragic 
incident, a pet was taken from a 
cage inside a resident’s house. The 
pet was killed, and the resident re-
turned home and was traumatized 
by the occurrence. There are other 
examples of forced entry and bro-
ken windows by hungry bears. 
There was a total of 15 instances 
involving bears in recent days.
“This is a big concern for me, and 
something needs to be done with 
these bears,” said Chief Armalin. 
Bear-resistant Cans and HazingIn addition to the prohibition of 
feeding wildlife, The Plan seeks to 
find bear-resistant can opportuni-
ties for residents and the promo-
tion of hazing recommendations. 
Some residents use bear-resistant 
cans. They are said to be effective. 
The city has been in talks with 
Athens, the contracted hauler, to 
provide bear-resistant cans. With 
the new organic compost separa-
tion laws going into effect in 2022, 
there is consideration to makingbear-resistant cans mandatory in 
some areas. 
Hazing refers to using deterrents 
such as loud noises, bright lights, 
and water spraying to discourage 
animals from returning to a par-
ticular area. 
Right now, bears, coyotes, and 
other wildlife feel familiar and 
safe in some populated regions. 
They’ve become comfortable. 
Hazing is a harmless way of keep-
ing the wildlife away from homes, 
pets, and cars. 
The Plan also aims to educate the 
community and change behaviors 
to coexist with wildlife, includingbears, coyotes, deer, mountain li-
ons, and bobcats. The goal is not 
to be in a situation where eutha-
nizing is the only option. 
Wildlife Watch 
The “Wildlife Watch” program 
would be similar to “Neighbor-
hood Watch,” where residents 
track wildlife sightings and edu-
cate the community on best 
practices. The program would be 
coordinated with local law en-
forcement agencies and private or-
ganizations. Communities would 
receive training and support to de-
velop integrated wildlife manage-
ment plans specific to their needs. 
It is recommended that “Wildlife 
Watch” be presented to established 
watch groups in the area, with ad-
ditional volunteers being added as 
needed. 
Rodenticide Prohibition 
Rodent pesticides used to kill 
mice and rats can also harm or kill 
wildlife who consume the dead ro-
dents. Coyotes, wildcats, and large 
birds, such as hawks, often eat 
small rodents. The option of pro-
hibiting these rodenticides in cer-
tain areas is under consideration. 
Urgency and ActionEducating and putting prevention 
tools in place is all well and good,
but for many Sierra Madre resi-
dents, the time for action is now 
before someone gets seriously in-
jured or killed. 
Unfortunately, the Department 
of Fish and Wildlife claimed on 
Tuesday that they were only in-
formed of one wildlife incident, 
and to investigate incidents; they 
need to be reported. 
“I have not heard of all of these 
incidences in Sierra Madre. Theyhave not been reported to the De-
partment of Fish and Wildlife,” 
said Rebecca Barboza, a wildlife 
biologist with the California De-
partment of Fish and Wildlife. 
Barboza noted that the one inci-
dence reported where bears had 
entered a home was due to a door 
and window being left open. 
Barboza recommended getting“Wildlife Watch” going, cleaning 
up the neighborhoods, and coor-
dinating Fish and Wildlife with 
local law enforcement to start a 
hazing program. “You don’t get 
there by just calling us up and say-
ing ‘hey’ we want you to relocate 
this animal. You get to that stage 
by planning,” said Barboza. 
Ms. Barboza’s comments didn’t 
seem to sit too well with Coun-
cil Member Robert Parkhurst. “I 
realize we haven’t had our paper-
work in order from a bureaucratic 
perspective, so does that mean we 
have to wait until someone gets 
injured before we can do anything 
about this bear?” Parkhurst asked. 
The bear in question, #508, has 
already been relocated and found 
her way back to Sierra Madre. The 
only other options would be a haz-
ing initiative or euthanizing, the 
least desired option. 
“It’s not going in unlocked doors. 
It broke a window. It released a 
parking brake. We have a seri-
ous issue here that we need to 
do something about really soon,” 
Parkhurst exclaimed. 
Barboza responded by saying 
that just because everything is 
not in place doesn’t mean they 
will ignore the situation. Fish and 
Wildlife has coordinated with the 
Police Department and will reach 
out to residents that have reported 
incidents and start the process of 
documentation. 
For now, the city will expedite 
information to the community on 
the “no feeding” policy and follow 
up with stricter code enforcement. 
Copies of this report can be ac-
cessed on the City’s website at 
www.cityofsierramadre.com. 
SIERRA MADRE HAS TO GRIN AND BEAR 
IT…FOR NOW No feeding ordinance and 
“Wildlife Watch” to help discourage bear visits