Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 12, 2022
REMEMBRANCES
CHRISTINE “CHRIS” TAYLOR
Christine 'Chris' Taylor, 72, Of Mesa, Arizona. Born and raised in
Pasadena. Sadly passed away on Feb 18 from Kidney failure. She is
survived by daughter Sheila Smith, Granddaughter Sabrina Tobar,
two sisters, one brother, and nieces and nephew. Chris also lived for
a while in Sierra Madre. Services will be held at 11 am, Thursday,
April 7th at Knox Presbyterian Church, Pasadena.
MARJORIE MICHAEL
June 27, 1930 – March 4, 2022, she was three months shy
of her 92nd birthday!
A family memorial is planned at the residence of Erin &
Peter Russell in Sherwood, Oregon.
Mrs. Michael was born in Detroit, Michigan to Marjorie
and John Christie. Midge graduated from Glendale High
School and later attended Glendale College, in Glendale,
California. She married Robert Clay Michael on June 2,
1951 and later moved to Sierra Madre, California where
she volunteered with The Pasadena Girl Scouts, Arcadia
Children’s Guild, and she served as Chairman of the local
Cancer drive. Midge and her family moved to Atlanta,
Georgia in 1969 where she worked in Real Estate and was
co-owner of two businesses. In 1988 Midge and her hus
band Bob retired to Bend, Oregon where she was active in the First United Methodist Church
and volunteered at the High Desert Museum, the Deschutes Historical Museum, and with
Interfaith Volunteers. Midge was also a member of the Genealogical Society.
In addition to her passion for service, Mrs. Michael enjoyed books, tracing family genealogy,
gardening, trips to the beach with her daughters, and walking in nature. Midge’s greatest joy
was sharing time with family and dear friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband Bob in 1997. Midge is survived by four daughters;
Christie Dimon of Pendleton, Oregon, Heidi Hartman of Sierra Madre, California, Erin Russell
of Sherwood, Oregon, Marjorie (Meg) Goehle of Olympia, Washington and by one sister;
Patricia Lindley of Ventura, California. Midge was also blessed with 11 grandchildren and 13
great-grandchildren!
Midge’s family requests that memorial contributions be directed to Habitat for Humanity in
Bend, Oregon, and to Tenderly Hospice, LLC in Portland, Oregon.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE MEADOWS DEVELOPMENT
by Robert Gjerdge
Last month I wrote about “NIMBY’s” attempt to target and infringe on the religious rights of Mater Dolorosa
(the “Monastery”). The feedback has been varied, but mostly missed the point, as did the editorial
response by J. Clarke which equated to a personal attack for pointing out the infringement of the religious
rights of Mater Dolorosa. Conveniently, he did not address issue of religious discrimination. He then condemned
me for not “engaging in reasoned discussion of the merits of the 42-unit housing development.”
That’s because this extreme initiative has nothing to do with a 42-unit housing project. Instead it changes
longstanding City laws and impacts the entirety of the Monastery property, including infringing on their
right to expand their ministry on the 27 acres of land not proposed for any residential development. Should
the Monastery want to add a new sanctuary to their church, add a parking lot, or expand their kitchen to
serve additional meals to needy residents? They can’t do it. Those would be illegal under this ill-conceived
initiative. No other churches or businesses in our town would be subject to these rules.
Limiting the rights of the Monastery to expand their ministry is the express intent of the initiative, as
evident by the language of the measure which states it is to: “permit the continued operation of the Mater
Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center without expansion, significant physical alteration, or change in use, as a
nonconforming use“ [emphasis added]. “Nonconforming use” is a bit of planner jargon but basically means
illegal.
No matter how you feel about a housing project, any fair-minded resident understands stripping the Monastery
of their rights to expand their religious practices is wrong. Worse yet, it is also illegal under the
federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and could expose the City, and
taxpayers, to very costly lawsuits.
RLUIPA prohibits zoning laws that substantially burden the free exercise of religion unless it is the least
restrictive means of advancing a compelling governmental interest. The stated compelling interest is to
“protect the hillside environment.” Certainly, that can be accomplished without prohibiting all expansion of
the Monastery and its ministry. It is easy to see that the initiative overreaches and violates RLUIPA. Somehow
this critical consequence was left out of the city’s Initiative Summary.
The initiative also subverts the deliberative process to consider development permits, including legal advice
from our City Attorney. Should this initiative pass, the City Council no longer has the authority to make
development decisions about this property and the Monastery would have to seek an expensive public vote
to ever expand their religious development.
If this initiative was about the 42 homes it would then be critical that it prevented them from being built.
But that simply isn’t true. As the City Attorney notes in the impartial summary, “under state law, duplexes,
single-family homes, and accessory dwelling units are allowed with a permit approved…without a public
hearing by the director of community development” [emphasis added]. The Hillside Residential zoning
imposed by the initiative would allow for more than 42 homes to be built and, unlike the project currently
proposed, these permits can be issued without consideration by the City Council.
Since this initiative is a citizen-led effort and puts the city at significant legal and financial risk, the city
council should perform its due-diligence and take steps to educate the voters on RLUIPA, and potential
other legal claims, by having the City Attorney conduct a full analysis and explain the risks to our City if
it passes. A failure to fully educate voters on the significant legal and financial exposure only makes things
worse, particularly when there are many discriminatory and hostile comments from residents both on the
public record and on social media expressing bias against the church and working to cancel their constitutionally
protected rights.
If a precedent is set by this initiative then what stops this small group of initiative proponents from targeting
other private property owners and businesses in Sierra Madre that they don’t like? Our collective action
should be to educate voters and oppose this harmful initiative.
THE MEADOWS PROJECT AND THE
INITIATIVE FOR A ZONING CHANGE
There is a longstanding process for property owners
to follow to make major modifications to or
build on their property. This process clarifies and
allows for protection to the owner that their rights
are honored. At the same time the city and its residents
are assured that the modifications or building
are safe and meet certain standards. Due to the
complexity and nature of the proposed Meadows
project a Memorandum of Understanding was
created with a negotiated agreement between the
Meadows Project and the City. This established
the ground-rules for proceeding with the Meadows
Project.
The MOU states that “This MEMORANDUM
OF UNDERSTANDING (‘MOU’) will facilitate
the administration of the Proceedings, discussed
below, and will not dictate a substantive outcome
regarding the Proceedings of the Applicant’s Project.
This MOU grants the Applicant procedural
rights. It does not grant any planning or land use
entitlements. The MOU was signed “IN WITNESS
WHEREOF, the Parties execute this MOU through
their authorized officers on the dates shown below”.
Signed: CITY OF SIERRA MADRE: Gabe
Engleland, City Manager, and APPROVED AS TO
FORM: Aleks R. Giragosian, Assistant City Attor
ney. THE CONGREGATION OF THE PASSION,
MATER DOLOROSA COMMUNITY Keith A.
Zeking, Director of Financial/Assistant Treasurer,
and APPROVED AS TO FORM: Gregory M.
Murphy, Esq.
The Passionists Organization should be afforded
their rights. They are following the MOU and the
required due process with their application to the
City of Sierra Madre. The MOU was legally set up
to facilitate the development and it was signed by
both parties and sent to the City Council for approval.
The initiative being circulated subverts a
fair process for both the Passionists and the City.
The initiative to change the zoning of their property
would take away their rights as property owners,
and in effect, taking away the rights of the City to
either approve or disapprove of the project.
The Passionists signed the MOU in good faith and
have followed the procedure. The City, in good
faith, has followed the procedure. The process
should continue and in good faith give the Passionists
their due process. This process should
continue through to the Planning Commission and
then to the City Council. The Planning Commission
and/ or the City Council can suggest improvements,
deny or approve the application. The initiative
being circulated at this time is taking away the
rights of the applicant and that of the City to follow
the process. Pat Alcorn, Sierra Madre
WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side
by Deanne Davis
“St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time – a day to begin
transforming winter’s dreams into summer’s magic.” Adrienne
Cook
“A good friend is like a four-leaf clover – hard to find and
lucky to have.”
“May your troubles be less, and your blessing be more.
And nothing but happiness, come through your door.” An
Irish Blessing
St. Patrick’s Day is next Thursday and, speaking of Patrick,
he had a pretty tough time, captured by Irish pirates
at age 16, brought to Ireland, enslaved for six years
working as a shepherd in County Antrim, heard a voice
at age 22 telling him to go home, ran away to port, set
sail for Britain, shared his new faith with fellow shipmates, had a vision to go back
to the place where he had been held captive and minister to the people. After various
adventures, now in his early twenties, he returned to his family in Britain where
he continued to study Christianity and recounted a vision he had a few years after
returning home:
“I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried
many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: "The Voice of the
Irish". As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those
very people who were near the wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea—and
they cried out, as with one voice: "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and
walk among us."
Needless to say, he felt a definite call to return to Ireland where his impact was vast:
100,000 baptisms, 300 new churches, countless priests and nuns. But he was also
beaten repeatedly, chained, faced execution… sounds a little like the Apostle Paul’s
testimony.
“And he watched over me before I knew Him and before I learned sense
or even distinguished between good and evil.”
There will be parades all over the world, everyone you see will be decked out in green,
green beer will be readily available and more arrests than any other day of the year
for...shall we call it…impaired driving?
St. Patrick’s Day brings to mind some lovely people John and I knew back in the days
when he was hosting a radio program each Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon on
KCBH-FM, which has been a number of other stations since then, currently KYSRFM.
They were the Galligan Family, who traveled the world singing Gaelic folk music.
Jim Galligan, who was very tall and cadaverously thin, was married to a lovely petite
lady, Paulina. Jim sent us a loaf of Irish soda bread which he said “Was made this way
in County Armagh by Grandma Galligan many years ago.” This bread was delicious
and I’m going to make some as soon as I finish writing this edition of Walking Sierra
Madre…The Social Side.
1. Put 3 cups of flour in a bowl with 1 TB of baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp.
salt.
2. Rub in 4 TB. soft butter, 1 TB of caraway seeds, 1 cup of currants, 1 cup of dark
raisins, 1 cup of golden raisins.
3. Mix!
4. Add ¾ cup of sugar, 1 beaten egg and 2 cups of buttermilk
(Now, very few of us have buttermilk lounging around in our fridge so to continue
with your Irish soda bread, pour 2 TB of white vinegar in your measuring cup and
add enough milk to make 2 cups. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and read the Calendar
section of the paper or go make your bed and by the time you finish, you’ll have buttermilk.
Cool, huh!)
5. Pour in greased iron skillet or loaf pan.
6. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees and then 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
7. Test center with a toothpick to see if it’s done, let it rest for 10 minutes, cut yourself
a slice, butter it, and enjoy. Irish Soda Bread also makes delicious French toast.
Corned beef and cabbage is a huge favorite on St. Patrick’s Day and I expect if you
look around a little, you’ll encounter someplace that will serve you a dish of same. I,
personally, will not be searching hard for it.
My advice is to avoid green beer and make yourself some authentic Irish soda bread.
And, just in case somebody wants to play a little Irish Trivia with you here are a
few tidbits they might not know: C. S. Lewis was from Ireland, as were James Joyce,
George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and Bram Stoker. Now there’s a
mixed bag if I ever saw one!
“May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow,
and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.”
My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis – check out
“The Crown” -a great Easter story.
“Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope”
Is available on Amazon.com as are all the
Emma Gainsworth adventures, including:
“Emma’s Etouffee Café” a new Kindle story by me!
Here’s the link so you can take a look:
https://fave.co/2PItO4d
Originally published March, 2020
SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER
The following represents a summary report of some of the major incidents handled
by the Sierra Madre Police Department during this period. This list is not
intended to be considered exclusive or all-inclusive.
Sunday, February 27THEFT FROM A VEHICLE At approximately 1:30 pm, a victim reported that the catalytic
converter was stolen from their vehicle parked in the 00 block of N Baldwin Ave. The Detectives'
Bureau is following up on this incident.
Monday, February 28ARREST FOR UNDER THE INFLUENCE, NARCOTICS POSSESSION, ANDRESISTING ARREST
Officers responded to the 600 block of Auburn Ave regarding a vehicle blocking the driveway
of a residence. Upon arrival, officers observed a female inside a vehicle who appeared to be
under the influence of an unknown controlled substance. The female initially refused to exit
the vehicle but was ultimately convinced to exit. As she exited the vehicle, she failed to comply
with the officer's direction and began to resist. The female was eventually taken into custody.
Officers searched her property, which revealed a sizable amount of narcotics.
The female was arrested, cited, and released on a citation.
Thursday, March 3THEFT FROM A VEHICLE
Officers responded to a reckless driver in the 600 block of E. Sierra Madre Blvd. An investigation
determined that three unknown suspects stole gardening equipment secured in the back
of a pickup truck. A minor traffic collision occurred between the victim and suspect vehicles
during the theft. The Detectives' Bureau is following up on this incident
Thursday, March 3TRAFFIC COLLISION
Officers responded to the intersection of Orange Grove Blvd and Baldwin Ave regarding a
traffic collision. An investigation determined that an elderly male had a medical condition
and collided with a parked vehicle.
FRAUD
A victim filed an online report stating that a suspect(s) contacted them via email claiming
to be a neighbor and requested online gift cards. The cards were obtained and sent to the
suspect(s).
The Detectives' Bureau is following up on this incident.
Mountain Views News 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
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