Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, February 26, 2022

Mountain View News Saturday, February 26, 2022 


CHAIRMAN SCHIFF ON RUSSIAN SANCTIONS 
AND INVASION OF UKRAINE 

Washington, D.C. – Friday, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), 
Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 
issued the following statement on sanctions against Vladimir Putin:

 “I applaud the Biden administration for joining our allies in imposing 
financial sanctions directly on Vladimir Putin and his inner circle. 
Though the United States has appropriately imposed broad and devastating 
sanctions that will impact all parts of Russia’s economy, the 
truth is the devastating invasion of Ukraine is the work of one man 

– Vladimir Putin – and he must not escape the consequences of his 
actions. Through his decades in power, Putin has amassed outrageous 
wealth, and I have long supported exposing his corruption for the Russian 
people, and the world, to see. While Putin is likely to have used 
numerous means to conceal and hide his assets, I am confident the United States will work diligently 
to unmask his deceptions.

“I continue to believe the United States and our global allies must take the most aggressive stance 
possible to hold Putin’s government responsible, especially as they extend their war to the Ukraine 
capital without regard for the civilian casualties they are causing.” 

On Wednesday, , Congressman Schiff issued the following statement after Vladimir Putin announced 
a “special military operation” in Ukraine: 

“Over the past few months, as Russia has built a large military force on the border of Ukraine, we 
have sought to prevent and deter an invasion. It is clear that despite our unified efforts with our allies 
and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has chosen war. A massive Russian invasion of Ukraine has begun. 

“As President Zelensky said this evening, the people of Ukraine want peace and the right to determine 
their own future. They will defend their homeland and their freedom from a foreign invader 
that has come to take it away. 

“There can be no certainty about what will come next, but no matter what the next days and weeks 
bring, the United States will stand with the people of Ukraine - now and always. This begins by 
moving swiftly beyond the significant sanctions already announced by the Biden administration to 
fully cutting off Russia’s leading financial institutions from the global economy and ending Europe’s 
dependence on Russian oil for good. 

“History will show this war of choice to be a devastating strategic miscalculation by Putin, one that 
will give Russia no new security but will stiffen the resolve of NATO and democracies around the 
world.” 

The Chef Knows By Peter Dills 
IS IT CURSED OR…. 

We all know restaurant locations throughout 
Sierra Madre and Pasadena that seem to turn 
over every fall. I have heard the word “cursed” 
used for several locations many times. For instance, 
the location on the corner of San Gabriel 
and Colorado seems to be one that is cursed for 
sure – it started as the Vault, then it became Rio 
Rio, then Ta Vu, and then a sushi joint (which 


I actually loved because the prices were right), 
then a chicken wing restaurant. Well, I love wings but that didn’t work. For another “cursed” location, 
remember Jerry’s Famous Deli in Old Pasadena? Let’s name all the restaurants that went through that 
location: Union Cattle Company, Pasadena Brewing, Brix, Haven Gastro Pub… and it started as a gym! 

When interviewing existing owners, they often point the fingers at the landlords saying the rents are 
too high. The excitement and the confidence of “I’ll do it better” might be too strong of a lure for restaurateurs 
to handle. I was bewildered when El Chollo moved from Fair Oaks (Old John Bull) to the 
Paseo. As the building sat empty for a few years, I thought isn’t some rent better than no rent at all? 
Celebrity Chef Rocco said on his TV show that the mortality rate for restaurants is 90% the first year. 
My father said he’d rather have open heart surgery than own a restaurant. 

Let’s look at this fact: the survival rate is higher than 10%, and these numbers are not specific to our 
area. Several years ago, researchers at Cornell University and Michigan State University conducted a 
study of restaurants in three local markets over a 10-year period. They concluded the following: after 
the first year, 27% of restaurant startups failed; after three years, 50% of those restaurants were no longer 
in business; and after five years 60% had gone south. At the end of 10 years, 70% of the restaurants 
that had opened for business a decade before had failed. Those are far different numbers than the 90% 
first-year failure rate quoted by our television star chef. Another academic research study concluded 
that 81.4% of all small business failures result from forces within the control of the owners/managers. 
The bottom line is that even if the failure rate is a little daunting, failure is not inevitable. 

Join me on Dining w/Dills, On Tik Tok and Instagram 


LA COUNTY MODIFIES HEALTH OFFICER ORDER TO ALLOW 
ESTABLISHMENTS, BUSINESSES, AND VENUES VERIFYING 
VACCINATION STATUS TO MAKE MASKING INDOORS OPTIONAL 
FOR FULLY VACCINATED INDIVIDUALS BEGINNING 
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 
As the county continues to experience reduced COVID-19 spread, it is appropriate to consider fewer 
required safety measures, noting that vulnerable individuals should continue to layer in all protections 
possible. Given decreased risk, Public Health has modified the Health Officer Order to allow 
establishments, businesses, and venues verifying vaccination status to offer optional masking for 
fully vaccinated individuals. The modified Health Officer Order will be posted today and will go into 
effect at 12:01am on Friday, February 25. 
The vaccines remain highly effective at slowing COVID-19 spread and preventing severe illness. For 
the week ending February 12, county residents who were unvaccinated were more than two and half 
times more likely to be infected when compared to individuals who were fully vaccinated. When comparing 
unvaccinated individuals with those vaccinated and fully boosted, unvaccinated people were 
nearly four times more likely to be infected. 
The vaccine also continues to provide very strong protection against hospitalization and death. For 
the week ending February 12, unvaccinated people were five times more likely to be hospitalized 
compared to fully vaccinated residents. Fully vaccinated and boosted individuals were more than 13 
times less likely to end up hospitalized compared to unvaccinated people. And the likelihood of dying 
was also significantly higher – 13 times higher – for unvaccinated residents compared to residents 
who were fully vaccinated. 
Given lower hospital admissions and the effectiveness of the vaccines in reducing severe illness, 
changes have been made in the Health Officer Order that allow establishments, businesses, or venues 
two options for removing masking requirements for fully vaccinated individuals. 
OPTION 1: Starting Friday,February 25, 2022, establishments, businesses, or venues that want to 
allow fully vaccinated customers and workers to unmask while indoors must: 
Verify that 100% of customers (5 and older) and workers prior to, or upon, entry to indoor spaces:
Provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, or 
Provide proof of a recent negative COVID-19 viral test result. Tests for customers must be taken 
within two days of entry if a PCR test, or one day if an antigen test. Employees will be allowed to 
submit a negative test result every three days. 
Those who are not fully vaccinated or do not show proof of vaccination, are required to provide a 
negative test, and continue wearing a well-fitting mask while indoors (as required by the state), except 
when actively eating or drinking. 
OPTION 2: Starting Friday,February 25, 2022, establishments, businesses, or venues that want to 
allow their fully vaccinated customers to unmask indoors while all onsite workers remain masked, 
must: 
Verify that 100% of customers (5 and older) prior to, or upon, entry to indoor spacesProvide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, orProvide proof of a recent negative COVID-19 viral test result. Tests for customers must have been 
taken within two days of entry if a PCR test or one day if an antigen test.
Adhere to the following regarding customers and masking:
Fully vaccinated customers may be unmasked in the indoor setting. 
Customers that are not fully vaccinated must continue to wear a well-fitting mask while indoors (as 
required by the state), except when actively eating or drinking.
Any individual showing proof of full vaccination prior to entering can still choose to wear a mask indoors. 
For more information, please visit the Toolkit for Lifting of Indoor Masking Requirement for Fully 
Vaccinated Customers and Fully Vaccinated Workers. 
To reduce spread and keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to: 
Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination 
status. 
Remain home when sick, isolate if they test positive and quarantine if they were in close contact with 
someone with COVID-19. 
Residents are legally required to isolate themselves away from others if they test positive for COVID-
19. Close contacts with symptoms and close contacts who are unvaccinated or not up to date 
with COVID-19 vaccinations need to follow quarantine requirements. For updated isolation and 
quarantine guidance, please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov. 
COVID 19 Cases - It's Not Over Yet! 
WHERE WE ARE W/E 2/23/22 VERSUS LAST WEEK (2/18/22) 
Cases/Deaths are still occuring especially among the unvaccinated. 
Cases This Week ( 02/23/22) Deaths This Week (02/18/22) 
LA County 2,789,292 (2,777,165) 30,519 (30,216) 
LA COUNTY VACCINATIONS AS OF 02/23/2022 (Fully)
Adults 12+ 87.2% Seniors 98.9% 
(Last Week) Cases Deaths Fully Vaccinated 
Arcadia 7,753 (7,700) 161 (160) 90.2% 
Altadena 8145 (8121) 91 (89) 82.4% 
Bradbury 63 ( 62) 0 ( 0) 71.2% 
Duarte 5,065 (5,037) 116 (113) 83.6% 
Monrovia 8,093 (8,061) 99 (99) 80.7% 
Pasadena 27,554 (27,433 ) 397 (397) 85.1% 
Sierra Madre 1,483 (1472) 18 ( 16) 89.1% 
So.Pasadena 3,878 (3843) 57 ( 53) 94.1% 

STAY SAFE! GET VACCINATED! WEAR A 
MASK! 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 
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