Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, December 16, 2023

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Mountain View News Saturday, December 16, 2023 


DUARTE CITY 
COUNCIL SELECTS 
NEW MAYOR AND 
MAYOR PRO TEM

At the Duarte City Council meeting 
on Tuesday, December 12, the Council 
hosted its annual reorganization and 
selected Vinh Truong, District 2, to 
represent Duarte as Mayor and Cesar A. 
Garcia, District 6, as Mayor Pro Tem. 

“General Colin Powell once said ‘Great 
leaders are almost always great simplifiers 
who can cut through argument, debate, 
and doubt to offer a solution everybody 
can understand.’ Everybody does deserve 
an opportunity, but when we sit here 
on this dias, that opportunity is for our 
constituents and our residents, not for 
us. I believe that is who I am and who I 
will continue to be.” said newly appointed 
Mayor Vinh Truong. “ Not only do I have 
all of Duarte to represent but I have to represent my kids and my wife at home.”

Vinh Truong’s family migrated from Vietnam to the United States in the late 
1970s and settled in Duarte in 1985. He has held a seat on the Duarte Economic 
Development Commission and served as a board member of the Santa Anita Family 
YMCA. In 2019, Mayor Truong was appointed to Duarte’s Financial Advisory Task 
Force, which allowed him to learn about the City’s financial condition and engrain 
in him the value of economic growth. He is a team player and leader and looks 
forward to building a solid foundation and stable city for the next generation in 
Duarte.

Cesar A. Garcia was appointed by the City Council to fill the District 6 vacancy in 
December 2021. Mayor Pro Tem Garcia was raised in the City of Duarte and his 
family has lived in Duarte for over 27 years. His positive experiences beginning 
at a young age in the City of Duarte inspired him to give back to Duarte’s unique 
community. He cares deeply about the City of Duarte and its residents, including 
its youth, seniors, and families. He values teamwork and strives to serve the 
community with confidence, pride, respect, and responsibility.

“To be able to sit here with the rest of my colleagues is truly a full circle moment for 
me. I always knew I would continue to serve my community but I never thought 
at this capacity,” said newly appointed Mayor Pro Tem Cesar A. Garcia. “The 
greatest lesson my family ever taught me was how to serve others. It feels really 
good to be serving this community because of my family’s history with Duarte. 
My grandparents bought their first home here, my parents met at Mike’s Food, 
and this is also where I met my wife. I am humbled and will continue to serve this 
community in any capacity.”

A representative from the office of Senator Susan Rubio presented Councilmember 
Jody Schulz with certificates from Senator Susan Rubio and Assemblywoman 
Blanca Rubio thanking her for her service as Duarte’s mayor. 

“This has been a tremendous honor and one of the most profound things I’ve done 
professionally,” said Councilmember Jody Schulz. “The amount that I’ve learned 
about myself, others, government, the residents and the connections I've been able 
to make with the residents in the community is something I’ll cherish forever.”

Councilmember Schulz further expressed her gratitude to her husband, Gunther, 
and her daughter, Isabel, who is the reason she initially ran for office and continues 
to be her inspiration. She stated, "The most fulfilling and proudest part of serving 
is having my daughter by my side and flourishing in the public arena, as a person 
with autism, who has grown tremendously being at the forefront of events in the 
City with her mother as Mayor. It has been such a blessing, and I'm very grateful 
that I had this opportunity to share with her. I'm incredibly grateful for my husband 
and for all the support my family has received from people in the community as 
well as my colleagues and City staff."

For additional information about the Duarte City Council, please visit the Duarte 
City website or contact the City Manager’s Office at (626) 357-7931.

HOLIDAY BUBBLES NEVER TOO EARLY

Is it me or did we start Christmas Holiday early this year, I’ve already been to two parties and another for 
this weekend.

Fiction is sometimes better told then fact. The wine industry is no exception. I am told German draft-
dodger Jacob Schram made camp in Calistoga in 1860 looking for a place to plant his vines. One hundred 
sixty years later “Schramsberg" is producing some of my all time favorite sparkling wines to this very day. 
Is it good enough for me? It certainly was for Richard Nixon. In 1972, Barbara Walters hosted then-President 
Nixon and China’s premier Zhou Enlai with it, and Schramsberg sparkling wine has been served at 
state functions by every president (and yes, in the Dills household) since the mid-eighties.

Sparkling wines are all blends and can be vintage, although the Schramsberg Blanc de Noir is a composition 
of grapes and regional combination. Blanc de Noir (meaning “white from black”) is 85% pinot noir 
and 15% chardonnay - thus the blend title - and that is just fine with this writer. With any “bubbles” yeast 
plays an important role in the fermentation role of the wine's richness and body, making the wine crisp 
and low in tannins (The Monks found this out by accident). Many readers ask me about sparkling wine or 
champagne storage. I buy champagne to drink right away, 
but if you are able to purchase a six-pack to save a few dollars, 
that's fine. This Schramsberg, if stored properly, in a 
nice cool place bottle on it’s side, it will be good for years to 
come, but why let it sit all alone when it should be enjoyed?

Yes, the holidays are here, and my research tells me that consumption 
of bubbles goes way up during the holidays. This 
is not a picnic sparkling wine - this is one of my favorites and 
I savor every zesty sip. Enjoy with a special friend, dinner, or 
a nice soft cheese. 

Closure: Corked

Dills Score: 91

Retail: $38 , Vons supermarket about $31. 

Each week I will give you my Dills Score. I have added points for value. I’m starting with a base of 50 points; 
I added 8 points for color, 8 points for aroma or “nose”, 8 points for taste, 9 points for finish, and 8 points 
for my overall impression, which includes my value rating.

Duarte Mayor Vinh Truong


ALL THINGS By Jeff Brown

THE CIRCUS BY DAN CLARK IN

"A 2ND HELPING OF CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL"

“Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.

Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression 
on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, 
you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.

The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line,two-by-two behind their parents, holding 
hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing 
that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a 
highlight of their lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding 
her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor." He was smiling 
and enjoying seeing his family happy.

The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy eight 
children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady stated the 
price.

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little 
closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price. The man didn't have 
enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money 
to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on 
the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill,

tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the 
help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, 
took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering

and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to 
me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were 
going to buy our own tickets with. Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a

joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.

That day I learnt the value to Give. The Giver is bigger than the Receiver. If you want to be large, larger

than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, only with what you 
are expecting to give, which is everything.

The importance of giving can never be over emphasized because there's always joy in giving. Learn to 
make someone happy by acts of giving.”


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