HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOUNTAIN VIEWS NEWS CELEBRATING 19 YEARS OF NEWS TO THE COMMUNITY

 
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2025

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VOLUME 19 NO. 32VOLUME 19 NO. 32

BREAKING NEWS:

CONSTRUCTION MISHAP LEADS 
TO DEATH IN SIERRA MADRE

 On Friday, the tranquility of Sierra Madre was interrupted by the sounds of 
sirens advancing toward the 500 block of Sierra Meadows in Sierra Madre. 

Sierra Madre Fire Department responded to a 9-1-1 call for service just after 
1:00 pm after a construction worker in his late 20’s was involved in an accident 
at was building a retaining wall in the rear yard. The retaining wall 
collapsed on the construction worker, injuring him fatally. Pasadena Fire Department 
and Arcadia Fire Department also responding to the incident and 
assisted with recovering the victim.

The man’s identity is pending notification to his family. Cal-OSHA and the 
Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office were dispatched to the location. 
Sierra Madre’s Building Official is also on-site to inspect the construction 
project.

City of Sierra Madre

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

From: The City of Sierra Madre

Subject: FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 1484 AMENDING SECTION 17.60.056 

 (DISCRETIONARY DEMOLITION PERMIT) OF CHAPTER 17.60 (VARIANCES AND 

 DISCRETIONARY PERMITS) OF TITLE 17 (ZONING) OF THE SIERRA MADRE 

 MUNICIPAL CODE

Applicant: City of Sierra Madre

Project Location: Properties in the City of Sierra Madre, County of Los Angeles, State of California

The City of Sierra Madre gives notice, pursuant to State of California 
law, that the City Council will conduct a first reading of Ordinance No. 
1484 amending Section 17.60.056 (Discretionary Demolition Permit) 
of Chapter 17.60 (Variance and Discretionary Permits) of Title 17 (Zoning) 
of the Sierra Madre Municipal Code, as recommended by the Planning 
Commission following a public hearing held on August 21, 2025. 

The purpose of the amendments is to provide relief from regulatory requirements 
when rehabilitation and/or improvements are proposed for 
structures 75 years or older and for the purpose of abating hazardous 
particulates infiltration caused by the Eaton Fire and improving the fire 
resiliency.

DATE AND TIME OF HEARING

City of Sierra Madre City Council meeting; Tuesday, August 26, 2025 
(Hearing begins at 5:30 p.m.) 

PLACE OF HEARING

City of Sierra Madre; City Council Chambers; 232 W. Sierra Madre 
Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA

The Brown Act provides the public with an opportunity to make public 
comments at any public meeting. Public comment may also be made by 
e-mail to PublicComment@SierraMadreCA.gov by 3:00PM on the day
of the meeting. Receipt of emails will be acknowledged at the public
hearing, filed into public record and scanned onto the City website for
public review. The meeting will be streamed live on the City’s website 
at www.SierraMadreCA.gov, on Foothills Media website at https://
www.foothillsmedia.org/sierramadre and broadcast on Government Access 
Channel 3 (Spectrum). 

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: 

The proposed amendments to Section 17.60.056 (Discretionary Demolition 
Permit) of Chapter 17.60 (Variance and Discretionary Permits) of 
Title 17 (Zoning) of the Sierra Madre Municipal Code are exempt from 
the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) under the Governor’s 
Executive Order N-4-25, paragraph 1,, which suspend the applicability 
of CEQA to “for projects to repair, restore, demolish, or replace 
property or facilities substantially damaged or destroyed as a result of 
this emergency” and, under the Governor’s Executive Order N-20-25, 
paragraphs 2-4, authorizing the City to “develop guidance and procedures 
for implementing this Paragraph.” The proposed amendments are 
also exempt under 14 CCR 15269 (emergency projects exemption) and 
14 CCR 15061(b)(3) (common sense exemption).

APPEAL: If in the future anyone wishes to challenge the decision of 
the City Council in court, one may be limited to raising the issues that 
were raised or presented in written correspondence delivered to the 
City Council at, or before, the scheduled public hearing. For further 
information on this subject, please contact the Planning and Community 
Preservation Department at (626) 355-7138.

JOE PERGOLA TO BE 
HONORED AT KIWANIS 
BOOT SKOOTIN' CHILI 
COOK-OFF

 
The are some people who make an indelible 
mark on almost everything they do and Joe 
Pergola is one of them. More than a decade ago, 
Pergola came up with a creative way to fundraise 
for the Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club.....A 
Chili Cook Off. Now, it wasn't the first time 
such an event was held in Sierra Madre, however, 
with Joe's energy and enthusiasm, the Kiwanis 
Chili Cook-Off has been a much anticipated 
event over the last 14 years. 

 The event has local chefs (Amateur and Professional) 
competing for the title of "Best Chili 
Ever", as judged by celebrity food critic Peter 
Dills. Contestants also vie for the coveted title 
of "The People's Choice" which is selected by 
those in attendance. It has raised thousands of 
dollars for scholarships for youth at each event.

 This year, Kiwanis is going to honor Joe by forever changing the name officially 
to: JOE PERGOLA'S CHILI COOK-OFF. It will be held on September 
27, 2025 at the Sierra Madre YMCA so mark your calendars and start working 
on those award winning recipes. Stay tuned for more details.

Smokin' Joe Pergola the driving 
force behind the Kiwanis Chili 
Cook-Off

 (CNS) A vigil was held on Friday night at the 
Monrovia Home Depot store that was the scene 
of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement 
raid that city officials say prompted Carlos Roberto 
Montoya a 52 year old from Guatamalato 
flee onto the Foothill (210) Freeway, where he 
was fatally struck by an SUV.

 ``The worker was fleeing an unannounced 
raid by immigration agents, the latest in an ongoing 
wave of violent, chaotic kidnappings and 
assaults that ICE and other agencies 
are waging at Home Depots 
and other locations across Southern 
California,'' according to a statement 
from the National Day Laborer Organizing 
Network, which organized 
the vigil.

 The Guatemalan consulate in Los 
Angeles issued a statement saying 
that it ``regrets this sad event and is 
currently in contact with the family, 
providing the necessary assistance.''

 Monrovia Police Department officers 
responded shortly before 10 
a.m. Thursday to a call about an ICE
action at The Home Depot at 1625 Mountain 
Ave.,

according to a statement by Monrovia City 
Manager Dylan Feik.

 During that action, a man fled on foot across 
Evergreen Avenue and onto the Foothill Freeway 
and was struck by a vehicle near Myrtle 
Avenue, according to Feik and the California 
Highway Patrol.

 CHP officials said the man was struck by 
a Ford Expedition SUV being driven by a 
51-year-old man at 50 to 60 mph. The man suffered 
major injuries and was taken to a hospital, 
where he was pronounced dead, according to
the CHP.

He was a father who was working to raise money 
to send to his family in Guatemala.

 Protesters staged a rally on at the scene of the 
ICE raid to express outrage over the death and 
to call for an end to the continued immigration 
enforcement operations taking place in and 
around Los Angeles.

 Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Pasadena, issued 
a statement Thursday decrying the raids and 
referenced the death, which was in her district.

 ``President Trump's terror campaign has taken 
another life,'' she said, while also offering her 
condolences to the man's family.

 ``There is such incredible fear in our immigrant 
communities, so much so that people 
will run into freeway traffic out of fear when 
all they want is a chance to support their family 
and seek the American Dream.''

 Pérez called for an end to what she described 
as violent and sweeping.

 ``The Trump administration is violating a 
federal court order by continuing to conduct 
deadly roving immigration (cont. on page 3)


MAN FEARFUL OF LOSING HIS FREEDOM IS 
KILLED ON 210 FREEWAY

Protestors Outside Monrovia Home Depot. 

Photo courtesy Karen Suarez

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INSIDE THIS WEEK

AROUND TOWNPage 2

MORE SIERRA MADRE NEWS Page 3

 Walking Sierra Madre

PASADENA NEWSPage 4

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY Page 5

 Assemblyman Harabedian's Statement 
on Monrovia Death

 Camino De Santiago Journey - Part 8

UPDATED RECOVERY INFORMATION 

Page 6

EDUCATION & YOUTHPage 7

FOOD-DRINK-FUNPage 8

 PETER DILLS

THE GOOD LIFEPage 9

BEST FRIENDSPage 10

SPORTS & FITNESS & MORE Page 14 

OPINIONPage 11

LEGAL NOTICESPg. 13

SHOP LOCALPage 15