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ALTADENA - SOUTH PASADENA - SAN MARINO

Mountain Views News Saturday, June 8, 2024

San Marino Upcoming 
Events & Programming

City of Pasadena, NAACP to 
Host Free Juneteenth Event

Jonathan Lunine Appointed 
New Chief Scientist at JPL

 Join the City of Pasadena Parks, 
Recreation, and Community 
Services (PRCS) Department 
and the National Association 
for the Advancement of Colored 
People (NAACP) in celebrating 
Juneteenth on Saturday, June 15, 
from 4-9 p.m. at Pasadena City 
Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave.

 The Juneteenth Celebration 
and NAACP 3rd Annual Roller 
Jam will feature Free family-
friendly activities, arts and 
crafts by Armory Center for the 
Arts, a live DJ, and community 
resources for all to enjoy. Roller 
skates can be rented for $10, 
and food will be available for 
purchase.

 Juneteenth commemorates 
African Americans’ freedom 
and achievements, while 
encouraging continuous self-
development and honoring a 
brighter future.

 For more information visit: 
cityofpasadena.net or call (626) 
744-7300.


San Marino Historical Society- Speaker Program

Monday, June 10 at 7 PM, San Marino Community Center, 
MPR 1

 In its Speakers Series, the San Marino Historical Society 
presents quarterly history talks focusing on topics specially 
selected for our town. This quarter, join Frank Girardot, 
author of "Becoming Clark Rockefeller," as he dives into the 
life of Christian Gerhartsreiter, a cunning imposter who 
infiltrated high society as a fake Rockefeller. The author 
explores a decades-long mystery, from Gerhartsreiter's 
cons and the disappearance of a San Marino resident to a 
shocking discovery that reveals a dark tale of murder and 
deception. Registration is not required.

Music Under the Stars Summer Concert at the Old Mill

 The Old Mill Foundation proudly presents Music Under the 
Stars this summer at the Old Mill. The Westerns will perform 
on Saturday, June 22. Gates open at 7 PM and music begins 
at 8 PM. You may purchase tickets online, drop by our office 
during open hours, or send in a check to our office. Tickets 
are $30/ticket for members, $40/ticket for non-members, 
and $50/ticket at the door.

Annie Banannie

Monday, June 10 at 1 PM, Children’s Room

 Annie’s charming personality and whimsical balloon 
creations fuse with storytelling, music, and comedy to create 
a spectacular and memorable performance for the entire 
family. In this 100% interactive show, Annie will be looking 
for kids ages 3+ to help her bring stories to life! Registration 
is not required.

YA Game On!

Wednesday, June 12 at 12:30 PM, Barth Community Room

 It’s summer and young adults ages 11-17 are invited to 
unwind with board games, snacks, and cool refreshments at 
the Library! Bring your friends and enjoy some lighthearted 
competition. All materials will be provided. Registration is 
not required.

Let’s Get Wild Family Night!

Friday, June 21 from 6 – 8 PM, San Marino Community 
Center

Cost: R: $12 / NR: $14 (non-refundable)

 Mark your calendar and join us for a jungle-themed 
extravaganza like no other! We promise an evening of fun, 
laughter, and unforgettable experiences for all. Activities 
include face painting, photo opportunities, dinner, reptile 
show, giveaways, and so much more! Registration is required.

Join Neighborhood Watch!

 The San Marino Police Department is reaching out and 
encouraging YOU to embrace a “team approach” as a way to 
increase the safety and security of your neighborhood.

 Neighborhood Watch is a community-based program led 
by community members like you who have partnered up 
with local law enforcement officials to prevent and reduce 
burglaries and thefts in neighborhoods nationwide.

Re-Striping Work

Parks & Public Works

 Earlier this week, Public Works maintenance staff completed 
re-striping work at various locations on Virginia Road and 
Euston Road, near Lacy Park. This included the refreshment 
of existing stop bars, stop legends, and crosswalks. Staff also 
recently refreshed turn arrows and some other traffic striping 
and markings at various locations along Huntington Drive. 
The updated striping will improve the visibility of the traffic 
markings, helping improve the safety of drivers, pedestrians, 
and cyclists.

Recent Happenings

 Over the past week, Parks and Public Works maintenance 
staff worked on the following tasks: removing fallen tree 
branches, palm fronds, and other debris from the public 
right-of-way; replacing streetlight bulbs and street signs; 
performing minor trimming of tree limbs and vegetation; 
and repairing pavement and concrete; and completing minor 
repairs at City facilities. Residents who wish to report non-
emergency issues in the public right-of-way or City streets 
may do so via the San Marino Service Request Center: www.
SanMarinoCA.gov/Report.

City Council Meeting

Wednesday, June 12 at 6:00 PM; City Hall Council Chambers 
and Zoom.

Public Safety Commission

Monday, June 17 at 6:00 PM; City Hall Council Chambers.

The Senior Center Summer 
Term of the Masters Series

 Distinguished planetary 
scientist and astrophysicist 
Jonathan I. Lunine has been 
appointed chief scientist 
of NASA’s Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory. He will officially 
assume his role Aug. 16.

 As chief scientist, Lunine will 
guide the laboratory’s scientific 
research and development 
efforts, drive innovation across 
JPL’s missions and programs, 
and enhance collaborations with 
NASA Headquarters, NASA 
centers, Caltech, academia, the 
science community, government 
agencies, and industry partners. 
In addition, he will oversee the 
formulation of JPL’s scientific 
policies and priorities and guide 
the integrity of missions that 
JPL manages for NASA.

 “I’m elated that Jonathan 
is joining JPL,” said Laurie 
Leshin, director of JPL. “As chief 
scientist, he will play a critical 
role in fostering innovation 
and excellence, ensuring that 
JPL remains at the forefront 
of scientific discovery and 
innovation as we dare mighty 
things together.”

 Lunine currently serves as the 
David C. Duncan Professor in 
the Physical Sciences and chair 
of the Department of Astronomy 
at Cornell University in Ithaca, 
New York. A Caltech alumnus, 
he has performed pioneering 
research on the formation and 
evolution of planetary systems, 
the nature of planetary interiors 
and atmospheres, and where 
environments suited for life 
might exist in the solar system 
and beyond. His deep expertise 
will help JPL continue to 
seek answers to fundamental 
questions that crosscut the 
diverse science portfolio of the 
laboratory.

 “My first experience working 
with scientists and engineers 
at JPL was over 40 years ago 
as a Caltech graduate student,” 
said Lunine. “From that time 
to the present, it has been clear 
to me that no other institution 
matches its combination 
of scientific breadth and 
engineering capability. JPL’s 
portfolio of missions and 
research projects across the 
gamut — from our home planet 
to the solar system, heliosphere, 
and universe beyond — is an 
extraordinary resource to the 
nation. I am thrilled to be able 
to play a leadership role on the 
science side of this remarkable 
institution.”

 Lunine has collaborated with 
JPL on numerous missions. 
He was a guest investigator for 
the ultraviolet spectrometer 
on NASA’s Voyager 2 
Neptune encounter and an 
interdisciplinary scientist on 
the Cassini/Huygens mission, 
and he is co-investigator on the 
agency’s Juno mission to Jupiter 
as well as for the MISE (Mapping 
Imaging Spectrometer for 
Europa) instrument on NASA’s 
Europa Clipper mission. Lunine 
is also a member of the gravity 
science team for Europa Clipper 
and the Gravity & Geophysics 
of Jupiter and Galilean Moons 
gravity experiment on the 
ESA (European Space Agency) 
JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons 
Explorer) mission.

 In addition, he served on the 
science working group as an 
interdisciplinary scientist for 
NASA’s James Webb Space 
Telescope and has contributed to 
concept studies for solar system 
and exoplanet characterization 
missions. A member of the 
National Academy of Sciences, 
he has chaired or co-chaired 
numerous advisory and 
strategic planning committees 
for the Academy, NASA, and the 
National Science Foundation.

 As part of his new role, 
Lunine has also been appointed 
professor of planetary science 
with the Division of Geological 
and Planetary Sciences at 
Caltech.

“Jonathan will bring a 
tremendous amount of 
experience in planetary science 
to the Division of Geological 
and Planetary Sciences and the 
broader Caltech community,” 
said John Grotzinger, chair of 
the Division of Geological and 
Planetary Sciences at Caltech. 
“He has worked on a remarkably 
diverse set of science questions 
spanning the solar system and 
extending to exoplanets. We are 
thrilled to have him join our 
faculty.”

 A division of Caltech JPL has 
managed such historic missions 
as Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, 
the Mars Exploration Rover 
program, the Perseverance Mars 
rover, and many more.

 The theme of the six-week summer term of The Masters Series, 
presented by the Pasadena Senior Center, will be “Yet More Musical 
Explorations” which embraces lifelong learning. The series will run 
Tuesdays, June 25 to July 30, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. via Zoom.

 Dr. Alan Chapman, producer and on-air host weekday mornings 
at KUSC Classical Radio and a faculty member at the Colburn 
Conservatory of Music, will present the weekly multimedia class, 
which will take participants on a tour of music as only Chapman 
can create.

Tuesday, June 25 — Musical Alphabet – Episode 10

Tuesday, July 2 — The Concerto

Tuesday, July 9 — Very Varied Variations

Tuesday, July 16 — Very Varied Variations (Part Two)

Tuesday, July 23 — Nicknames

Tuesday, July 30 — Focus on Folk

 Each weekly presentation will feature some familiar and perhaps 
not so familiar works, video performances, visuals and Chapman’s 
engaging commentary.

 The cost for the six-week series is $75 for members of the Pasadena 
Senior Center and $90 for nonmembers.

 To register or for more information, visit: pasadenaseniorcenter.
org and click on Lectures & Classes, then Masters Series Lifelong 
Learning or call 626-795-4331. Everyone who registers will receive 
a link to each week’s live Zoom presentation and have access to 
recordings of the programs for up to one month following the final 
session.

Video Gaming Expo held 
at the Convention Center

By Dean Lee

 The Pasadena Convention 
Center is set to see thousands 
of video gaming enthusiasts 
show up this weekend 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 for today 
and tomorrow. 

 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 L.A. [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 L.A. 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 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 vendors, 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 
L.A., 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 in 
Huntington Beach.

 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, both 
well known Orange County 
local acts, 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, 
Ralph Ronzio aka Retro Ralph 
and Gaming off the Grid hosts 
Robert Zortman and his friend 
Wes 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 of the collectors, 
"these are the people they are 
watching online." 

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

 Stapish added that along with 
the YouTube personalities, they 
will have panel discussions with 
other guests that include Sonic 
voice actors, Resident Evil voice 
actors and The Legend of Zelda: 
Tears of the Kingdom cast.

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

 In March 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. 

Fundraiser at 
El Portal set to 
Support the 
Senior Center

HUNTER CHANG ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR SAN MARINO 
CITY COUNCIL

Hunter Chang announced his candidacy for San 
Marino City Council at a press conference on 
May 6, 2024 at Point Space in San Marino. 

Hunter’s slogan for his campaign is One San 
Marino! He means that “although San Marino is 
comprised of many entities, we need to listen and 
work together as one entity, as One San Marino!” 

Seventeen years ago, Hunter was inspired to apply 
for a position on the Traffic Advisory Commission 
(TAC) to address the number of accidents in his 
neighborhood. He served 10 years on the TAC 
and eventually became the Chair. Currently, 
Hunter serves as the Vice-Chair of the Public 
Safety Commission (PSC) which advises the 
City Council on issues related to Police, Fire, and 
Public Works. He has listened to the residents on 
their issues, analyzed the facts, collaborated with 
stakeholders and recommended solutions to City 
Council for the benefit of One San Marino! 

Hunter and his family have lived in San Marino 
for 22 years. One of the main reasons he moved to 
San Marino was because of the top-rated schools. 

His daughter, Christine, attended San Marino schools: Carver, HMS and SMHS. Hunter served as an 
Executive Board Trustee for the San Marino Schools Foundation. He and his wife have donated to the 
Benefactor Level. 

In his 33-year professional career as an aerospace engineer, Hunter worked with multi-disciplinary 
teams to solve problems while managing million-dollar aerospace projects for billion-dollar programs. 
He received a BS from UCLA and an MSEE from USC. His wife of 30 years, Annie Han, is a retired 33-
year banker, and was volunteering as the City Treasurer, a position she has stepped down from so there’s 
no conflict of interest. His daughter, Christine, graduated from USC Marshall School of Business and 
is a Digital Marketing Analyst for a law firm in San Diego.

Hunter believes that “Today, San Marino is a safe community to live in and raise our children. Although 
there isn’t much violent crime, we do have residential and commercial burglaries. Public safety 
comprises the bulk of the City budget, and we must remain competitive in pay and benefits. We need to 
ensure that our police and firefighters have the best training and equipment to keep our residents safe. 
Response times are consistently the fastest amongst the five bordering cities of San Marino.” 

“We need to collaborate with the School Board and School District to provide the best education and 
learning environment for our kids. Let’s work together to keep SMUSD tops in the State, so we can 
attract families to move and live here.”

“We’re one police, one fire, one public works, one school district, one park and rec, one library, one zip 
code--we’re One San Marino! 

With his volunteer spirit, industry teamwork experience, and passion to give back to the City, Hunter is 
inspired to give back even more by representing the community of San Marino on the City Council. For 
further information, please visit his website at www.vote4hunterchang.com.

 
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. 

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