Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, October 22, 2022

Mountain View News Saturday, October 22, 2022 

BEARS (continued from page 1) 


no intention of reducing or even 
addressing the overpopulation of 
urbanized bears, regardless of the 
immediate public safety dangers 
the bears pose to the residents, including 
our children and our elementary 
schools. I was extremely 
disheartened to learn that instead 
of addressing the real threat caused 
by the CDFW’s neglect in controlling 
the overpopulation of the bears 
resulting in insufficient natural 
habitat, the CDFW has chosen to 
expand their definition of “Bear 
Country.” In Sierra Madre, according 
to a map that was presented by 
Barboza in the meeting, the CDFW 
has expanded their “Bear Country” 
boundaries and now incorporates 
all property in Sierra Madre 
from Grandview north into their 
“Bear Country” territorial map. 
I suppose drawing a line across a 
map and redefining 25% of our 
city’s residential neighborhoods 
as “Bear Country,” instead of residential 
neighborhoods, is a whole 
lot easier than confronting their 
failure to protect both the wildlife 
populations and public safety. It 
also demonstrates their unwillingness 
to honestly evaluate and correct 
the results of their failed wildlife 
management policies. Just as 
a point of reference, Sierra Madre 
now has two elementary schools 
that fall within or directly borders 
the CDFW’s conveniently newly redefined 
“Bear Country” as well as 
a high school that directly borders 
“Bear Country.” Imagine a hungry 
bear walking by St. Rita’s at lunchtime 
with unaware children sitting 
outside eating their lunch…..and 
BTW, St. Rita’s has had to go into 
lockdown from bear threats…….I 
wonder if the staff at these schools 
are informing the parents that 
their children go to school in “Bear 
Country?” ……A note to Realtors; 
You may need to disclose the fact 
that all homes sold from Grand-
view north are located within CDFW’s 
stated “Bear Country.” 

According to Barboza, the urbanized 
bear population is increasing 
exponentially, the Angeles National 
Forest natural bear habitat can 
no longer support the increased 
bear population forcing the bears 
to urbanize, Urbanized bears are 
incapable of surviving in their natural 
habitat and do not know how 
to forage for natural foods. Urbanized 
bears only rely on human 
foods. We now have several generations 
of urbanized bears that are 
considered a Category 2 meaning 
they are not candidates for relocation. 
Relocation of urbanized bears 
does not work. Aggressive bears 
that are captured are generally only 
moved less than one mile keeping 
them within minutes of the 
residential urban areas. Capturing 
bears and moving them that single 
mile is not intended to resolve human/
wildlife conflicts, and relocations 
more than 25 miles require a 
bureaucratic approval process fromSacramento. 

When asked how we can proactively 
protect ourselves against attacks, 
all Barboza had to offer was “removing 
food sources” and “keeping 
household doors and windows 
locked.” Barboza offered nothing 
regarding the CDFW’s responsibilities 
towards public safety, controlling 
bear populations, or considerations 
of changing their failed 
policies. So let’s consider Barboza’s 

two recommendations. 

First, let’s consider “keeping household 
doors and windows locked.” 
Is this even reasonable for those 
living in a residential neighborhood? 
Screens on open windows 
are designed to allow fresh air into 
a home as are screen doors. The 
idea of keeping yourself locked-up 
inside your home is both unreasonable 
and ridiculous. Enough said! 

Secondly, “removing food sources” 
seems to be the “go-to” solution 
and at some level that helps. However, 
with the current multi-generational 
urbanized bear population,
we have gone past the effectiveness 
of that suggestion. Bear-proof trash 
containers are touted as the “Holy 
Grail” of solutions to all of the bear/
human conflict problems. BTW, it 
is my understanding that City Hall 
is currently in negotiations with 
Athens to provide bear proof trash 
containers citywide. 
So, let’s take a closer look and try 
to consider the end results taking 
them to some logical conclusion. 

As mentioned, according to the 
CDFW, multi-generational urbanized 
bears are a result of overpopulation 
beyond what their natural 
habitat can provide and have been 
forced to find food from human 
sources. As such, if these urbanized 
bears can no longer get into trash 
containers they have few options. I 
will rely on the expertise of the State 
biologists and accept their claims 
that urbanized bears are incapable 
of surviving in their natural habitats. 
Therefore, it doesn’t seem even 
slightly reasonable that bear-proof 
trash containers will send the bears 
back into the wilderness simply because, 
as stated, these bears are unable 
to survive there. 

Bears will instinctively go to the 
next easiest food source and in this 
case we should be prepared to see 
increased attempts and actual entries 
into our homes or seeing bears 
forage farther into the cities south 
of us. This seems like a more realistic 
and reasonable prediction and 
conclusion. 

Bears already have learned how to 
open car doors, open doors into 
homes, and how to climb through 
household windows. As urbanized 
bear populations have increased 
and competition for human food 
sources have become greater, bears 
are routinely being observed foraging 
for food in cities south of Sierra 
Madre Blvd. and even south of the 
210 Freeway. I’ve seen videos of 
bears on Myrtle Ave. in Monrovia 
several blocks south of Foothill 
Blvd. and at the McDonalds in Arcadia. 
Without any attempt to reduce 
and eliminate the urbanized 
bear population, these two solutions 
will only push and spread the 
problems over a wider urban area 
creating greater and more frequent 
threats to public safety, especially 
when one considers that the CDFW 
claims that the urbanized bear population 
is increasing exponentially. 

Frankly, this doesn’t paint a pretty 
picture for Sierra Madre and the 
neighboring Foothill communities 
and certainly avoids the real problem 
of overpopulation, insufficient 
natural habitat, and CDFW’s failed 
management policies. 

If the CDFW, who has jurisdiction 
over the bears, is unwilling 

to fulfill their obligations to ensure 
public safety by implementing 
the necessary actions to keep our 
neighborhoods safe, who can citizens 
turn to, to bring our neighborhoods 
back to the level of safety we 
enjoyed 10 years ago? 

Realizing that the City of Sierra 
Madre has a set of laws that they 
must follow, they have limited options 
available. They have processes 
and procedures that they are bound 
to follow and cannot circumvent 
state laws regarding bears. 

In the meeting I was asked for my 
suggestion on a solution. In my 
opinion, under the direction of 
the current and future City Council, 
the City of Sierra Madre needs 
to aggressively form a coalition of 
cities from the Foothill communities 
putting relentless pressure on 
the CDFW, exposing their failed 
policies, the results of those polices, 
and hold them accountable for 
their negligence. 

The coalition needs to demand 
that the CDFW remove all of the 
urbanized bears. The coalition 
needs a media campaign bringing 
public awareness to the severity 
of the problem and expose the 
bureaucrats who are responsible for 
these colossal wildlife management 
failures. 

The coalition also needs to involve 
our State elected officials putting 
some responsibility on them, especially 
the local representatives. 
And, citizens need to put these 
bureaucrats and elected officials 
on notice that they will be held responsible 
for their inaction in the 
event of future attacks. 

It’s time for a public outcry before 
the next tragedy happens. 

As mentioned, Barboza stated that 
California, on average, experiences 
“less than one” bear attack per year. 
Of the 164 thousand square miles 
in the entire state of California, the 
third largest state in America, we 
can expect less than one attack per 
year. Considering that this threat 
encompasses 164 thousand square 
miles of land, that’s probably not a 
significant public safety risk. Sierra 
Madre however, with its 3 square 
miles, has experienced at least four 
bear attacks in the past few years 
making the average number of 
yearly bear attacks fairly close with 
the entire state. 

Given the difference in square 
miles, 164,000 compared to 3, that 
easily places Sierra Madre in the 
number one spot as the most dangerous 
city in California for bear 
attacks. 

Being that I place a higher value on 
human life over animal life, I believe 
we all have a moral obligation 
to insist that the urbanized bears be 
removed. If nothing is done, it will 
take a tragic attack on a child by an 
urbanized bear before the CDFW 
changes their policy. We as responsible 
citizens can not continue to 
sit idle and allow the CDFW the 
luxury of doing nothing while our 
neighborhoods, homes, schools,
residents, and children continue 
to be placed at greater and ever increasing 
risks. 

Let’s not find ourselves in a position 
where someday we say, “If only 
I did something about this…” 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis 

“Well, I saw the thing comin' out of the 
skyIt had one long horn and one big eye. 
I commenced to shakin' and I said, 
"Ooh-eee! 
It looks like a purple people eater to me!" 

It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' 
purple people eaterA one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple 
people eaterSure looks strange to me.
Well, he came down to earth and he lit 
in a tree 
I said, "Mr. Purple People Eater, don't eat 
me!" 
I heard him say in a voice so gruff:
"I wouldn't eat you 'cause you're so 
tough." 

I said, "Mr. Purple People Eater, what's 
your line?"
He said, “Eatin’ purple people and it sure 
is fine. 


But that's not the reason that I came to land 
I wanna get a job in a rock and roll band." 

Well bless my soul, rock and roll, flyin' purple people eaterPigeon-toed, undergrowed, flyin' purple people eaterFriendly little people eaterWhat a sight to see! 
And then he swung from the tree and he lit on the groundHe started to rock, really rockin' aroundIt was a crazy ditty with a swingin' tuneSing a bop bap aboopa lappa loom bam boom!” 

Probably none of you are old enough to remember Sheb Wooley’s classic, immortal, totally 
awesome radio hit from 1958, but, as you can see from the picture, friends and neighbors, 
I saw him this morning. There I was, out walking in the early, just right after the sun 
came up, hours and I ran right into him. None of us believed he was actually real, but here 
he is…in the flesh (fur?) 

The Halloween season is filled with strange and exotic beings. The three witches from 
Macbeth are holding hands and standing ‘round their steaming cauldron here in town. 
Skeletons are hosting picnics on the Mt. Wilson Trail and all sorts of spiders and ghosts 
and zombies are wandering around. And if that’s not scary enough…
“Little Orphant Annie’s come to our house to stay,
An’ wash the cups an’ saucers up, an’ brush the crumbs away,
An’ shoo the chickens off the porch, an’ dust the hearth, an’ sweep,
An’ make the fire, an’ bake the bread, an’ earn her board-an’-keep;
An’ all us other childern, when the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an’ has the mostest fun 
A-list’nin’ to the witch-tales ‘at Annie tells about,
An’ the Gobble-uns ‘at gits you

 Ef you 
Don’t 
Watch

 Out!” 
The spirit of James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916) is also out there haunting our streets with 
his scary tale of how the “Gobble-uns ‘at gits you Ef you Don’t Watch Out!!” And leaving 
us with this last warning…
“An’ little Orphant Annie says when the blaze is blue,
An’ the lamp-wick sputters, an’ the wind goes woo-oo!
An’ you hear the crickets quit, an’ the moon is gray,
An’ the lightnin’-bugs in dew is all squenched away,-You 
better mind yer parents, an’ yer teachers fond an’ dear,
An’ churish them ‘at loves you, an’ dry the orphant’s tear,
An’ he’p the pore an’ needy ones ‘at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns’ll git you

 Ef you 
Don’t 
Watch 
Out!” 

Scarecrow judging soon. Can’t wait to see who/what wins. It’s been such fun seeing how 
creatively creepy Sierra Madreans can be!
I am delighted to see that the Beantown folks are going to do their best to keep their doors 
open. In case you missed that link to contribute to the Keep the Doors Open effort, go to: 
https://gofund.me/b34a9bd5. If that doesn’t work, just search Gofundme for Save Bean-
town. John and I spent so many mornings there over coffee and oatmeal, seeing friends 
and just enjoying being there. John has been in heaven for five years now and would be so 
sorry to see this beloved place close. David, Matt and Joanna, you created a peaceful haven 
in our town for so many years. Let’s hope it keeps going for many more years to come. 

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 
Where you’ll find “Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope”
And “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter”
Both of these books are stuffed with hope and a good recipe or two.
All five of the Emma Gainsworth pumpkin adventures are available on Amazon.comThey’re guaranteed to make you laugh and want to see what happens to Emma next. 


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, October 9 Drug Violation ArrestAt approximately 12:30 PM, officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Baldwin Ave, 
just north of Hampton Ave. After further investigation, it was discovered that both the 
passenger and driver were in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphenilia. 
Both parties were arrested, and released in the field with citations. 

Monday, October 10 Traffic Collision 
At approximately 7 AM, officers responded to the 500 block of W Sierra Madre Blvd. for 
reports of a traffic collision. Upon arrival, officers discovered a traffic collision involving 
2 vehicles. One of the involved parties complained of injuries, and was treated on the scene 
by Sierra Madre Fire Department Paramedics. 

Friday, October 14 BurglaryOfficers responded to the 700 block of W Sierra Madre Blvd. for reports of a burglary that 
occurred overnight. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that unknown suspects 
stole 2 Electric Bikes from the front porch of the residence. There is no suspect information 
at this time, and the Detectives Bureau is investigating the incident 

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