SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2024

VOLUME 18 NO. 31VOLUME 18 NO. 31

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides 
by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Lic. #01991628. All material presented 
herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources 
deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale 
or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to 
accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are ap-
proximate. If your property is currently listed for sale this is not a solicitation.EClient Testimonial
Thank you, Sierra Madre, 
for joining the Webb Martin 
Group in another rockin’ 
Elvis in the Park event!
Exceptional Realtor with Outstanding ServiceI recently had the pleasure of working with 
Jan Greteman from Webb-Martin Group. I 
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Jan had a very good understanding of 
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edge helped me make informed decisions, 
throughout the process. The communica-
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I felt informed at every stage of the process.
When negotiating, with potential buyers, 
Jan truly had my best interest in mind. 
When it came to the paperwork, Jan was 
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timely.
Jan is very committed to client satisfaction, 
she genuinely cared about finding the right 
buyer for my home, rather than just the easi-
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I highly recommend Jan Greteman to any-
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-Mary T.
Experts in Representing 
Buyers & SellersJan Greteman 626.975.4033lic #01943630Judy Webb-Martin 626.688.2273lic #00541631Katie Orth 626.688.0418lic #00942500
CITY COUNCIL APPROVES ORDINANCE TO 
AMEND CHAPTER ON FILMING PERMITS

MOUNTAIN VIEWS 
NEWS PUBLISHER 
SELECTED AS 
DISTINGUISHED 
JOURNALIST

By Kevin McGuire

Aloha. The City Council were decked out in 
their best Hawaiian attire as they sat for their 
last regular meeting on July 23rd before heading 
out on their summer break in August. 

Among many of their items in the four-hour-
plus meeting, the Council had a first reading 
of Ordinance 1471, which proposes changes 
to the Sierra Madre Municipal Code regarding 
commercial photography and motion picture 
filming in the city. 

The new ordinance would amend Chapter 5.36 
of Title 5 of the Code (Business Licenses and 
Regulations) and Chapter 17.88 (Temporary 
Use Permits) of Title 17 (Zoning). 

After the first reading of Ordinance 1470 on 
May 28, 2024, which set separate standards and 
closed loopholes for zoning and Temporary 
Use Permits (TUPs) for commercial and non-
commercial use, some residents pointed out 
that 1470 did not address filming activity, which 
has a significant impact on the community. “We 
request that the Council consider strengthening 
the film ordinance to prevent R1 residents from 
using the film permit process as an effective 
TUP,” — stated in the community input section 
regarding Ordinance 1470.

Ordinance 1470 was adopted on June 25, 2024, 
agreeing that filming and photography issues 
would be addressed in a separate Ordinance 
(1471). 

Filming Permit and TUP—What’s the 
Difference? 

Sierra Madre’s Senior Planner, Joshua Wolf, 
donning a Hawaiian shirt, presented before the 
City Council on Tuesday night. 

Filming permits and TUPs are “purpose-based” 
permits for temporary land use. Both are for a 
limited duration of use, but they differ in what 
activity the permit is for. In residential areas, 
TUPs are primarily used for family-oriented 
activities such as weddings, birthdays, and 
carnivals. Film permits are issued to film for 
the commercial entertainment industries and 
are usually connected to a professional film or 
photography studio. Though it’s not typical, 
according to Wolf, some events could require 
both permits. 

Among the existing provisions are a TUP 
exemption for permitted filming activity and 
a filming permit exemption for family videos. 
A film permit cannot be used as an effective 
TUP. The purpose of a filming permit is to 
“allow work associated with the production of 
commercial filming activities.” 

City staff created provisions for TUPs’ time 
of use similar to those established for filming. 
In non-commercial areas, TUPs can be issued 
two times a year and one day per event, with 
no minimum time between events. For filming 
in non-commercial areas, it’s up to 60 days 
per year and ten days per month. TUPs in 
commercial areas are allowed up to four times a 
year, 45 days per event, with no minimum time 
between events. There is no limit for filming 
permits in commercial areas and no minimum 
time between productions. 

Ordinance 1471 would implement a 14-day 
waiting period between TUP events and 
film/photography productions. This would 
pertain to non-commercial areas. TUP events 
can occur on Sundays, but filming cannot be 
conducted on Sundays. Since filming activities 
cannot proceed on Sundays, they can be 
permitted up to 10 days per month without 
Sundays, breaking the production into two. 
This means that the whole filming production 
could span 12 days, according to Wolf. 

The Amendments 

Regarding “code clean up,” the following 
definitions have been refined in Chapter 5.36.

•Family videos – to exclude commercial
productions.
•News media – personnel must possess
valid credentials


The following definitions have changed.

•Non-residential – “commercial area,”
language simplified. Stated initially as “shall mean a
property that is not a residential area,” it has been
changed to “shall mean the same as ‘central core
area’ under Section 17.35.050 of this code. *Note:
In the ordinance, “central core area” had been
erroneously listed as “commercial core area.” This
will be corrected.
•Residential area – “non-commercial area,”
language simplified. The original language portion,
“…or a property in which at least 75 percent of
the radius adjoins properties with the zoning
designations…” was confusing. It was changed to
“shall mean a private property, public right-of-way
or portion thereof that is not a commercial area.”


The language of the criterion changed in 
Area Standards (§5.36.065): “Duration,” 
“Frequency,” and the remaining language 
stayed the same.

City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 
1471 upon first reading.


The Greater 
Los Angeles 
Pro chapter of 
the Society of 
Professional 
Journalists will 
honor seven 
local journalists, 
a journalism 
educator and 
two student 
journalists 
at its 48th 
Distinguished 
Journalist Awards Banquet in October. 

The honorees were nominated by journalists 
across Southern California and chosen by 
the SPJ/LA board in recognition of their 
outstanding contributions across print, 
television, radio, visual, and digital media. 
They are: Louis Sahagun, reporter, Los 
Angeles Times; Toni Sciacqua, managing 
editor, Southern California News Group; 
H.Susan Henderson, publisher/editor,
Mountain Views News; Salvador Duran,
national correspondent, Univision; Margaret
Carrero, anchor, KNX; Ashley Alvarado, vice
president of community engagement, LAist;
Francine Orr, photojournalist, Los Angeles
Times and Adriana Chavira, journalism
advisor, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School.

Henderson is the owner of Grace Lorraine 
Publications and publisher/editor of its 
subsidiary, the Mountain Views News, 
“Where Your Community News Comes 
First.” The paper is legally adjudicated, 
serving the city of Sierra Madre and seven 
other surrounding communities since 2007. 
The paper reaches thousands of households 
each week via its print and online editions. A 
member of California Newspaper Publishers 
Association, the Mountain Views News was 
named “2023 Business of the Year” for Sierra 
Madre. 

The announcement came just as the paper 
celebrates another 'birthday' - the inaugural 
edition was launched on August 4, 2007. 

The chapter will also recognize two students 
–one from a two-year college and one from
a four-year university – who show promise as 
emerging journalists. This year’s outstanding
students are Cebelihle Hlatshwayo, Santa
Monica College, and Anne To, California
State University, Los Angeles.

SPJ is a national, non-profit journalism 
organization dedicated to promoting 
Freedom of Information, ethics, scholarship, 
professional development, etc. The Los 
Angeles Pro Chapter, established in 1934, is 
run strictly by volunteers. 


INSIDE THIS 
WEEK

Sierra Madre News Pages 1 - 3

Pasadena/Altadena 

Page 4

So. Pas./San Marino 

Page 5

Around SGV 

Page 6

Education & Youth 

Page 7

Puzzles For You 

Page 8

Food - Wine & Fun 

Page 9

Best Friends 

Page 10

Good Life 

Page 11

Opinion

Page 12

Legal Notices
Pages 13

Sports and Fitness

Page 14



Support Your Local Businesses 
Pages 15

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