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Mountain Views News Saturday, June 1, 2024

Local Area 
News Briefs

Pasadena Heritage Selects 
a New Executive Director

Video Gaming Expo Returns to Pasadena 


Police release video 
from OIS in April

 Pasadena Heritage announced 
Tuesday that the organization 
has selected a new Executive 
Director Erin Simon (pictured)
and will take the helm from 
retiring longtime Executive 
Director Sue Mossman in what 
is planned to be a smooth 
transition.

 “Pasadena Heritage is fortunate 
to have recruited a person 
with the unique qualifications 
and experience that Erin 
brings to us,” said Board Chair 
Annaly Bennett. “We drew 
from a deep and diverse set 
of candidates, a number of 
whom were well positioned to 
meet our requirements. With 
her experience and strong 
fundraising knowledge, she is 
the right person to lead Pasadena 
Heritage into the second quarter 
of the 21st Century.”

 Last September, the Board of 
Pasadena Heritage convened a 
search committee comprising 
the current board chair and 
treasurer, seven former board 
chairs, a former senior staff 
member, and a paid search 
consultant. That committee, 
led by former Board chair Steve 
Preston, met weekly to guide 
and oversee the search effort. It 
involved review of 117 resumes, 
recruiting of possible candidates, 
interview of potential search 
firms, and personal interviews 
with 17 final candidates from 
the Los Angeles area and across 
the nation, culminating in a 
final decision by the Board of 
Directors. Having concluded 
this search, Pasadena Heritage’s 
Board of Directors is thrilled 
to introduce Erin Simon to the 
organization and to the greater 
community.

 “Erin Simon brings an array 
of talent and experience to 
Pasadena Heritage that will 
help us grow and expand our 
reach in the years ahead,” said 
Preston. “The search committee 
was particularly impressed 
with her vision to expand our 
efforts in the realm of cultural 
heritage, while continuing 
our longstanding advocacy 
for Pasadena’s historically 
significant built environment. 
This will strengthen the bonds 
between Pasadena Heritage and 
all communities in the city.”

 Simon is a public historian 
deeply committed to the 
tradition of social justice 
activism. She brings the 
knowledge and experience of 
personally rehabbing many 
properties within historic 
districts. With a wealth of 
expertise in fundraising 
consulting across diverse 
sectors, including arts, 
culture, civic engagement, 
and healthcare, Erin brings a 
dynamic perspective to her 
work. She was selected for the 
2022 American Association for 
State and Local History’s History 
Leadership Institute cohort and 
has demonstrated a profound 
dedication to advancing 
historical understanding and 
civic engagement. Previously 
serving as the President and 
CEO of the National Blues 
Museum in St. Louis, MO, she 
led transformative initiatives 
that significantly increased 
fundraising and community 
outreach. Erin is a Certified 
Fund Raising Executive 
with a bachelor’s degree in 
American Studies from Saint 
Louis University, a master’s in 
Marketing from the University 
of Glasgow, and a master’s 
in Museum Studies from the 
University of Leicester.

 To learn more, please visit 
pasadenaheritage.org.

 
New ED Erin Simon is 
set to start on Monday

 
Pasadena Police officials 
released a community briefing 
video Tuesday of an Officer-
Involved Shooting (OIS) 
on April 13. The shooting 
occurred in the 700 block of 
Oak Knoll Circle. 

 In the video the suspect and 
driver, identified as 36-year-
old Ricardo Guade Andradeas 
is shot by officers (only the 
audio of gunfire can be heard 
at 7 minutes 30 seconds into 
the video). An aerial view 
from a police helicopter can 
be seen moments after the 
shooting. 

 According to police, officers 
were investigating a suspicious 
vehicle stopped in the wrong 
direction on a one-way street. 
Andradeas was asked to exit 
the vehicle. Instead, the video 
shows him drive off, nearly 
hitting an assisting officer.

 The Critical Incident Briefing 
Video includes in-car video 
footage, audio recordings, and 
brief explanations of the video 
content. 

 A brief pursuit ensued, 
ending when Andradeas 
crashed into a parked vehicle 
and fled into a nearby 
neighborhood. While setting 
up a containment, Police 
received several calls about 
a man breaking into homes. 
Minutes later, Andradeas 
was located by air support in 
the backyard of a residence. 
A K9 unit was successfully 
deployed, and officers 
attempted to apprehend him 
when an officer-involved 
shooting occurred.

 The Andradeas' actions lasted 
approximately 34 minutes and 
covered about one mile within 
the south side of the Pasadena 
residential area.

 The video can be found at: 
cityofpasadena.net/police. 
Anyone with information 
about this case should call 
Pasadena Police at (626)- 744-
424. 


By Dean Lee

 The Pasadena Convention 
Center is set to see thousands 
of video gamming enthusiasts 
show up next week after a 
popular retro video gamming 
expo comes back to the city after 
a three year hiatus. Now with 
new owners, a refined name and 
more to do, the SoCal Gaming 
Expo is set to be held June 8 and 
9. 

 After acquiring the expo late 
last year, the new owners and 
event organizers, Kris Krohn, 
Aaron Stapish and members 
of the Pixel Game Squad said 
bringing it back to Pasadena was 
not their first choice.

 “Anaheim [Convention Center] 
really wanted us there and we 
were very close to almost going 
to LA [Los Angeles Convention 
Center] but it was a little too 
big,” Kris Krohn an owner 
of SoCal Gaming Expo said. 
“Pasadena was high on our list 
for a couple of reasons, one the 
show had been there, that was 
very helpful... We decided we did 
not want to be a smaller show in 
a huge venue. So if we went to 
LA or Anaheim we would be 
pushed in a corner with a ton 
of other shows going on. And 
Pasadena is beautiful and has the 
nicest downtown.” 

 He also said that this year there 
will be more booths, last year in 
Ontario, there were 120 booths 
compared to 223 in Pasadena, 
“I would say 150 venders, some 
of them are other stuff. We 
really wanted a focus, to stay 
true to buying and trading video 
games.” 

 Krohn also said they wanted 
more arcade machines. They will 
have almost twice as many, 40 to 
50, as last year. There will also be 
more Anime and an auction for 
charity. 

 “We partnered with Extra Life 
LA, a group that raises money by 
people playing games,” he said. 
“They partner with Children’s 
Hospitals.”

 He said the auctions, both, 
one for charity and another for 
profit. will be hosted by Captain’s 
Auctions in Anaheim. 

 “So they will hold the charity 
auctions for Extra Life,” he said. 
“All of the stuff will be donated 
and 100 percent of the money 
goes to Extra Life.” 

 Krohn said he will be personally 
donating video games and 
collectable items from a store he 
owns, Retro Games Plus.

 As well as also having 
skateboarding demos,, 
movie screenings and other, 
somewhat, video game related 
entertainment there will be live 
music. The skateboarding demos 
will be held on the Teenage 
Mutant Ninja Turtles ramp, built 
for a TMNT movie premiere, 
Stapish said 

 Finding Emo, a Tribute Band, 
and The Devious Means, booth 
well known Orange County 
local bands, are set to play.

 “They [Finding Emo] are a 
nostalgic cover band playing 
early 00s late 10s Emo music 
and a few songs from the Tony 
Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack,” 
said Christopher Faris, the lead 
singer and guitarist for The 
Devious Means. “What is cool 
about this, is you can show 
up to this event and have no 
knowledge of video games but 
it’s going to be a party and kind 
of make fun with this kind of 
music.’

 Faris said his band broke 
up in 2016 due to family 
commitments, “We are 
rehearsing for the first time in 
a couple of years. We’ll see if we 
can pull it off... hopefully, my 
ears, knees and back will still 
hold up,”

 Being part of the YouTube 
video gaming scene and creator 
the popular channel Pixel Game 
Squad , Stapish said he chose 
a number of other YouTube 
personalities like John Riggs, 
RetroRalph and Gaming off the 
Grid as guests.

 “I wanted the people who 
exemplify the [video game] 
collecting scene,” he said. 
“The people who take owning 
physical games seriously, they 
are people who know their 
stuff... take passion in owning all 
the history and know their value 
as video games.”

 Stapish said, the collectors, 
"these are the people they are 
watching online." 

 Faris also hosts a popular video 
game YouTube channel, Mort’s 
Garage. 

 Stapish also said that along with 
the YouTube personalities, they 
will have panel discussion with 
other guests that include a Sonic 
Voice Actors Panel, a Resident 
Evil Voice Actor Panel and The 
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the 
Kingdom Cast Discussion.

 For the first, the expo will also 
feature the Tetris Tournament 
World Championships.

 In march of 2020, just weeks 
before the event was set to 
happen in Pasadena, Covid 
health restrictions cancelled 
the Southern California Retro 
Gaming Expo. In 2022 the 
event was moved to the Ontario 
Convention Center and was held 
there again last year.

 “Why we didn’t keep it in the 
Ontario was that around Ontario 
there was nothing for attendees 
to do, not many shops, hotels, 
in Pasadena you can walk right 
out and you have all these shops 
and restaurants,” Krohn said. 
“We also liked that we could 
potentially expand and take the 
whole Pasadena Convention 
Center, eventually.” 

 For more information and a 
complete show schedule visit: 
socalretrogamingexpo.com.

 For more information about 
Extra Life visit: extra-life.org.

Video Game 
Arcade Free 
Teen Meetup 

 
Neon Retro Arcade in Old 
Pasadena and the Altadena 
Library are set to team up for a 
two hour of free play on 1980s 
arcade games with other teens 
on June 22 from 4 p.m. to 6 
p.m. 

 According to library staff, 
the arcade has a variety of 
classic video games and pinball 
machines. There will be library 
staff there to supervise and 
play games with the teens. This 
program is for teens between 
13-17 years old only.

 Games include cons like 
Asteroids, Donkey Kong, and 
Pac-Man to The Simpsons, 
Street Fighter 2 and more Neon 
Retro Arcade owners Mark and 
Mia Guenther said.

 “Neon Retro Arcade recreates 
that atmosphere for a new 
generation of gamers to enjoy 
the classics that launched the 
video game revolution,” they 
said. “Kids walk in and enjoy 
seeing where their favorite 
characters began; adults walk 
in and are instantly transported 
back to their childhood.”

 Registration is required and 
spots are limited. There will 
be a wait list available once the 
spots are all filled, if anyone 
cancels, those on the list will be 
notified asap.

Those registered will meet at 
the front door of: Neon Retro 
Arcade located 28 S. Raymond 
Ave, Pasadena.

 Registration for the event 
opens this morning at 10:00 
a.m.

 To register visit: 
altadenalibrary.org/programs.

 For more information about 
Neon Retro Arcade visit: 
neonretroarcade.com.

Fundraiser at El Portal set to 
Support the Senior Center

 Dine for lunch or dinner at El Portal in Pasadena on Wednesday, 
June 12, and help support the Pasadena Senior Center. The 
Yucatecan/Mexican restaurant will donate 20 percent of that day’s 
and evening’s profits to the center. Diners can eat at the restaurant 
or order takeout. 

 El Portal (elportalrestaurant.com) is at 695 E. Green St. in Pasadena 
and will be open on June 12 from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Reservations 
are requested. Call 626-795-8553.

 Anyone who cannot dine at El Portal on June 12 will still 
have an opportunity to support the center by visiting www.
pasadenaseniorcenter.org and clicking on the red Donate button. 

 The Pasadena Senior Center’s mission is to improve the lives of 
older adults through caring service with opportunities for social 
interaction, fitness programs, basic support and needs services, 
education, volunteerism and community activism.

 As a donor-supported nonprofit, the center operates without any 
local, state or federal funding and provides more services to older 
adults than any other organization in the San Gabriel Valley. To 
learn more visit: pasadenaseniorcenter.org or call 626-794-4331. 

Suspect Arrested 
for Unidentified 
Explosions 

 Pasadena Fire Arson 
Investigator with assistance 
from the Pasadena Police 
Robbery / Homicide 
Unit (RHU) worked in 
collaboration to identify two 
involved vehicles, with the 
same registered owner, linked 
to over 150 unidentified 
explosions in the area of Allen 
Ave. and Washington Blvd. In 
just the last two weeks, there 
were 14 explosions around 
this same corridor. 

 With the aid of technology, 
the suspect was identified 
as Pasadena resident, Art 
Leon Berian, 63. They found 
Berian’s 2013 BMW in the 
area of another explosion. 
He was taken into custody 
at the scene and evidence 
was collected from his car 
related to that explosion. 
Berian was arrested. He was 
charged with Explosives with 
Intent to Injure or Intimidate 
aga. Berian's bail was set at 
$1,500,000. Anyone with 
information related to these 
incidents is encouraged to call 
the Pasadena Police at (626) 
744-4241.

Wistaria Thrift Shop 
550 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre 
Sat., June 1 9a - 1p 
Everything MUST Go! 
626-355-7739 
Shop Closed 6/2 - 9/4; Reopens Thurs 9/5 
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