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ALTADENA - SOUTH PASADENA - SAN MARINO

Mountain View News Saturday, April 27, 2024 

Bill Expanding Wildlife 
Prevention Efforts Passes 
The Assembly Water, Parks, 
& Wildfire Committee

San Marino Upcoming 
Events & Programming

Voyager 1 Resumes Sending 
Engineering Updates to Earth


Coffee Connections

Weekly on Monday and Wednesday from 9 – 11 AM, San Marino 
Community Center, Fireside Room

Come spend your mornings with neighbors, friends, and a hot 
cup of coffee at the newly renovated Community Center! Free 
coffee will be provided. Stay for a variety of organized activities 
like bingo, chair volleyball, and lectures beginning at 10 AM. This 
program is for active adults ages 55+. Registration is required.

Get Lit Tween Poetry Workshop

Today from 2 – 4 PM, Barth Community Room

 In honor of National Poetry Month, the Library is proud to host a 
poetry workshop for tweens in grades 4-6 led by a Get Lit teaching 
artist. Registrants will enjoy a performance as well as guided 
group discussion with an opportunity to create their own poetry. 
Space is limited and registration is required.

Keep Your Head in the Clouds

Saturday, May 4 at 11 AM, Barth Community Room

 Come meet a real meteorologist from the official National 
Weather Service! Celebrate National Weather Observers Day the 
best way you can by getting to see some of the actual instruments 
used to forecast the weather. This program is open to all ages, but 
is recommended for 3rd grade and up. Registration is not required.

DIY Zen Zone

Monday, May 6 from 3 – 4 PM, Barth Community Room

 May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Teens in grades 6-12 are 
invited to drop by the Library to create a mini Zen garden to take 
and help promote tranquility in the comfort of their home. All 
materials including additional mental health tools and resources 
will be provided. Registration is not required.

Design Review Committee

Wednesday, May 1 at 6:00 PM; Barth Room and Zoom 

City Council Meeting

Wednesday, May 8 at 6:00 PM; City Hall Council Chambers and 
Zoom

Parks & Public Works

Re-striping Work Completed

 Earlier this week, Public Works maintenance staff completed re-
striping work at various locations throughout the City, including 
Granada Avenue, Winston Avenue, and Lombardy Road. This 
included the refreshment of existing stop bars, stop legends, and 
turn arrows located in traffic lanes. The updated striping will 
improve the visibility of the traffic markings, helping improve the 
safety of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. 

Fire Department Recent Happenings

At approximately 2:30 PM on Sunday, April 21, 2024, the San 
Marino Fire Department responded to a vegetation fire at the 
Huntington Library. Huntington Library security discovered 
the fire in a remote area of the property on Sunday afternoon 
and immediately alerted authorities. Engine 91 and Battalion 
9 responded and found a quarter-acre vegetation fire on the 
Avondale side of the property. The fire was promptly contained 
by the diligent efforts of the Firefighters and extinguished within 
15 minutes. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. 
There were no reported injuries to staff or guests, and no damage 
to any buildings or the Library’s historic collections.

 This week, Assemblymember 
Chris Holden’s bill, AB 2330, 
which would allow local 
agencies to submit a wildfire 
preparedness plan to the 
Department of Fish and 
Wildlife for an initial review 
if an incidental take permit is 
needed, passed the Assembly 
Water, Parks, & Wildlife 
Committee and is headed to 
Appropriations. T

 his bill will help local 
agencies have greater 
certainty in a timely 
manner to move wildfire 
preparedness projects, 
while avoiding, minimizing, 
and mitigating the take of 
endangered, threatened, and 
candidate species incidental 
to activities conducted by 
local agencies on lands 
that are within fire hazard 
severity zones adjacent to 
urban areas. 

 “Local agencies often take it 
upon themselves to volunteer 
with wildfire aftermath and 
clean-up. Why not give 
them the opportunity to get 
involved in the prevention 
and have a hand in their 
own security and the safety 
of their community?” said 
Assemblymember Holden. 
“This bill allows the people 
who know and understand 
their community to have a 
hand in protecting it and 
gives us a greater advantage 
in tackling our wildfire 
disasters.” 

 “The constant threat of 
wildfires in California 
jeopardizes public safety and 
well-being. While progress 
has been made, proactive 
measures prove most 
effective. Fire departments 
enforce defensible space 
rules to protect life and 
property. To manage fuel 
loads efficiently and protect 
the environmental and 
residential areas, we need 
streamlined processes, 
transparency, and greater 
clarification from state 
environmental agencies. This 
legislation aims to achieve 
these mutual goals.” - Chris 
Nigg, Fire Chief, City of La 
Verne

AB 2330 provides a clear 
process to accelerate wildfire 
preparedness activities 
in local responsibility 
areas (LRAs) to ensure 
environmental protections 
are met and public safety is 
upheld by:

• Requiring CDFW, consult 
with the State Fire Marshall, 
to overlay existing critical 
habitat maps with lands that 
are within the fire hazard 
severity zones (very high, 
high or moderate). Maps 
should be updated no less 
than every five years.

• Allowing local agencies 
to submit a wildfire 
preparedness plan to CDFW 
for review within 90 days to 
inquire if an incidental take 
permit or other permits are 
needed; once a completed 
ITP application is submitted, 
CDFW must process them 
within 45 days.

• Where approved 
applications receive a 
5-year permit for wildfire 
preparedness activities to 
occur within the fire hazard 
severity zones.

• Require CDFW to post a 
summary of these efforts on 
their webpage on an annual 
basis.

 


 For the first time since 
November, NASA’s Voyager 
1 spacecraft is returning 
usable data about the health 
and status of its onboard 
engineering systems. The 
next step is to enable the 
spacecraft to begin returning 
science data again. The probe 
and its twin, Voyager 2, are 
the only spacecraft to ever 
fly in interstellar space (the 
space between stars).

 Voyager 1 stopped sending 
readable science and 
engineering data back to 
Earth on Nov. 14, 2023, even 
though mission controllers 
could tell the spacecraft 
was still receiving their 
commands and otherwise 
operating normally. 
In March, the Voyager 
engineering team at NASA’s 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
confirmed that the issue was 
tied to one of the spacecraft’s 
three onboard computers, 
called the flight data 
subsystem (FDS). The FDS is 
responsible for packaging the 
science and engineering data 
before it’s sent to Earth.

 The team discovered that 
a single chip responsible for 
storing a portion of the FDS 
memory — including some of 
the FDS computer’s software 
code — isn’t working. The 
loss of that code rendered 
the science and engineering 
data unusable. Unable to 
repair the chip, the team 
decided to place the affected 
code elsewhere in the FDS 
memory. But no single 
location is large enough to 
hold the section of code in its 
entirety.

 So they devised a plan to 
divide affected the code into 
sections and store those 
sections in different places 
in the FDS. To make this 
plan work, they also needed 
to adjust those code sections 
to ensure, for example, that 
they all still function as a 
whole. Any references to the 
location of that code in other 
parts of the FDS memory 
needed to be updated as well.

 The team started by singling 
out the code responsible for 
packaging the spacecraft’s 
engineering data. They sent 
it to its new location in the 
FDS memory on April 18. 
A radio signal takes about 
22 ½ hours to reach Voyager 
1, which is over 15 billion 
miles (24 billion kilometers) 
from Earth, and another 22 
½ hours for a signal to come 
back to Earth. When the 
mission flight team heard 
back from the spacecraft on 
April 20, they saw that the 
modification worked: For 
the first time in five months, 
they have been able to check 
the health and status of the 
spacecraft.

 During the coming weeks, 
the team will relocate and 
adjust the other affected 
portions of the FDS software. 
These include the portions 
that will start returning 
science data.

 Voyager 2 continues to 
operate normally. Launched 
over 46 years ago, the twin 
Voyager spacecraft are the 
longest-running and most 
distant spacecraft in history. 
Before the start of their 
interstellar exploration, both 
probes flew by Saturn and 
Jupiter, and Voyager 2 flew 
by Uranus and Neptune.

 Caltech in Pasadena, 
California, manages JPL for 
NASA.

After some inventive 
sleuthing, the mission 
team can — for the first 
time in five months — 
check the health and 
status of the most distant 
human-made object in 
existence.

The City of San Marino's 111th 
Birthday: A Century of Heritage

 Thursday marked a significant 
milestone as the City of San 
Marino observed its founding 
anniversary. Established 
on April 25, 1913, the city's 
inception is rooted in a series 
of historical events that shaped 
its identity. Beginning with 
the Mexican Land Grant of 
1830 to Senora Victoria Reid, 
the region underwent notable 
transitions before its eventual 
incorporation. The acquisition 
of the Shorb Estate by Henry 
E. Huntington in 1903 marked 
a pivotal moment in the 
area's development trajectory. 
Renamed in honor of the 
Republic of San Marino, the 
city's incorporation in 1913 
brought together various 
Ranchos under formal 
governance, with George 
S. Patton II serving as its 
first mayor. More about San 
Marino's history can be found 
at: sanmarinoca.gov.

 "Today, as we commemorate 
our city's heritage, we 
acknowledge the enduring 
legacy of its founders and the 
collective efforts that have 
propelled San Marino forward. 
Happy Anniversary, San 
Marino."


Join The Ripple Effect and 
Celebrate Water Awareness

 During the month of May, Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) joins 
utilities across the nation in celebrating Water Awareness Month, 
an annual outreach campaign to raise awareness about the value of 
one of Southern California’s most precious natural resources: water. 
Throughout the month, PWP is highlighting water sustainability 
and resilience in the community with educational events, tours, 
and workshops.

 Water Awareness Month is also part of PWP’s The Ripple Effect 
campaign, which includes inviting the community to become local 
water stewards for Pasadena and the region. All events are free and 
open to the public.

Garden Show and Tell 

Now - Friday, May 31

 Members of the community are encouraged to share photos and 
information on their garden’s transformations from thirsty turf to 
drought-tolerant beauty. Every week, a garden will be selected and 
featured on PWP’s website and social media channels as the Garden 
of the Week. Must be a PWP customer to enter. Participants will 
receive a free native plant while supplies last. To participate, please 
visit PWPweb.com/TheRippleEffect and click on the Garden Show 
and Tell tile.

Water Conservation Event, Pop In for a Chance to Win 

Friday, May 10, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Victory Park Community Center, 2575 Paloma Street

 Join PWP staff for an opportunity to learn about available water 
conservation tools, tips, and resources. Plus, free giveaways, the 
latest news on turf removal incentives, and more!

Arroyo Seco Tour

Saturday, May 11, 9-11 a.m.

JPL Bridge, Explorer Road

 Join PWP staff for a guided tour of the Arroyo Seco watershed, 
including water resource enhancements in the upper Arroyo. 
Participants should wear closed-toe shoes, and plan for an 
approximately two mile walk on a dirt trail. Visit PWPweb.com/
Events for more details.

Landscape Transformation Workshop

Saturday, May 11, 2-5 p.m.

Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave.

Landscape Transformation Workshop (Virtual)

Wednesday, May 22, 6-8 p.m.

PWP will be hosting workshops, both virtual and in person, 
throughout the month of May. Topics covered will include turf 
replacement, native plants, and efficient irrigation. For workshop 
dates and information, please visit PWPweb.com/TheRippleEffect.

“Water is Life” Art Contest

Submissions due Friday, May 31

 All K-12 students attending school in Pasadena are encouraged to 
submit artwork for the annual “Water is Life” contest, sponsored by 
PWP and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. 
Each year, participating students submit artwork portraying 
a water-wise theme, along with a short message about water 
conservation. All entries must be submitted by May 31, 2024, via 
email or mail. Visit PWPweb.com/ArtContest to learn more.

Self-Guided Walking Tour of PWP-Sponsored Community 
Demonstration Gardens

 Follow a self-guided tour map of unique gardens that demonstrate 
the beauty and diversity of drought-tolerant, native plant landscapes. 
Learn about water efficient landscaping and water capture features 
like hügels, berms and swales, dry streams, and rain barrels. A 
digital map is available online at PWPweb.com/TheRippleEffect.

 For more information about these events, Pasadena’s water 
supply, infrastructure, conservation resources and programs, visit: 
PWPweb.com/TheRippleEffect.

Police Seek 
Suspect in 
Attempted 

Sexual Assault

 
Pasadena police released 
a photo last week of a man 
wanted in connection with 
an attempted sexual assault 
and kidnaping in East 
Pasadena. Police are asking 
for the public’s help to catch 
the suspect. 

 According to police, last 
Saturday, at approximately 
8:40 p.m., Pasadena Police 
received a call of a sexual 
assault, outside a business 
on Sierra Madre Villa 
Avenue, north of Foothill 
Boulevard. The victim was 
sitting in her vehicle when 
a male suspect entered her 
car. The suspect threatened 
the victim with a knife 
and forced her to drive to 
another location where 
he sexually assaulted her. 
The victim managed to 
fend off the suspect and 
called 911. The suspect 
immediately fled the area. 
The suspect in the photo 
above is described as a 
Black male, approximately 
30 to 40 years old, 6 feet 
tall, heavy set, wearing a 
black face-covering, a gray 
hooded rain jacket, light 
blue jeans, black shoes, 
and armed with a folding 
knife. The suspect also has a 
distinctive raspy voice and 
is possibly a transient. 

 Anyone with information 
asked to call (626) 744-
4241 or anonymously 
by contacting “Crime 
Stoppers” at (800) 222-
TIPS (8477).

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