Mountain View News Saturday, August 1, 2026 

Supervisors toVote on $20K 
Reward in 
SynagogueHate Crime 

Los Angeles CountySupervisor Kathryn Bargerintroduced a motion at their 
board meeting Tuesday tooffer a $20,000 reward forinformation leading to theidentification, apprehension, 
and conviction of the 
individual or individuals 
responsible for two separateacts of antisemitic vandalism 
at the Pasadena Jewish Temple& Center. The motion will be 
voted upon by the Los AngelesCounty Board of Supervisorsnext week.

 “An attack motivated by hateagainst one community is anattack against us all,”Barge said“The antisemitic vandalism at 
the Pasadena Jewish Temple& Center has no place inLos Angeles County. This 
congregation has alreadyendured the devastation of the 
Eaton Fire and is working torebuild. They should not haveto face hateful acts intended 
to intimidate them. Those 
responsible must be held fullyaccountable.”

 The reward follows the recent 
defacement of a mural at the 
Pasadena Jewish Temple &
Center with swastikas and 
other antisemitic graffiti.
The mural, created after thecongregation’s synagogue wasdestroyed in the Eaton Fire,
stands as a symbol of hopeand resilience for the faith 
community and the broaderAltadena community.

 Barger’s motion directsthe County to re-establishand increase to $20,000 apreviously authorized rewardfor information leading to theidentification, apprehension, 
and conviction of the 
individual or individuals 
responsible for two antisemiticacts of vandalism targeting thePasadena Jewish Temple &
Center–including the Januarydefacement of the synagoguewall and the recent vandalism 
of the congregation’s mural.

 The Los Angeles CountySheriff ’s Department is 
investigating both incidents ashate crimes.

 If approved by the Boardnext week, the reward will bepublicly offered, and anyonewith information will be 
encouraged to contact theLos Angeles County Sheriff ’sDepartment. 

ShapeClay andStorytellingWorkshop

 The L.A. Conservancy is setto host 1000 Voices Altadena 
Mosaic: Clay & StorytellingWorkshop on Saturday, Aug 8,
from 1 p.m. to 4p.m. At CoreHub, 2333 Lake Ave, Suite 2A

 A hands-on art and 
storytelling workshop for 
people impacted by the EatonFires. Shape clay and sharestories in a space of care and 
creativity. Get your hands incool, soft, natural clay andshare about what you love inAltadena through creative 
writing and spoken word.
Make a tile for the communitymosaic and add your voice tolocal history.
Families welcome, no 
experience necessary.
All clay materials will beprovided.
Bring a journal & pen orpencil.

 For more information visit: 
laconservancy.org. 

County Earthquake Readiness Review 


Los Angeles County SupervisorKathryn Barger introduced amotion Tuesday calling for acomprehensive review of LosAngeles County’s earthquake 
preparedness, while also 
directing emergency officials toengage renowned seismologistDr. Lucy Jones –along with 
experts from Caltech and UCLA 

– to help shape Los AngelesCounty’s readiness for the nextmajor earthquake. 
“Science is sending us aclear warning and we have aresponsibility to listen,” Bargersaid. “No one can predict whenthe next major earthquakewill occur, but we know withcertainty that one will happen.
Los Angeles County must engagethe best scientific expertise 
available.”

 According to a statement, themotion follows new scientific 
findings showing that tectonicstrain along portions of the SanAndreas and San Jacinto fault 
systems near the Cajon Passhas reached its highest levelin at least 1,000 years. Whileresearchers stress these findingsdo not mean a major earthquakeis imminent, they reinforce that 

accumulated seismic energyis released only through largeearthquakes–which makes 
preparedness essential.

 Los Angeles County has notexperienced a large-scale,
damaging earthquake since the1994 Northridge earthquake, 
which claimed approximately60 lives, injured more than9,000 people, displaced 20,000residents, and caused tens ofbillions of dollars in damage andeconomic losses.

 Under Supervisor Barger’smotion, the County’s Office 
of Emergency Managementwill return to the Board of 
Supervisors on September 29with a comprehensive assessmentof Los Angeles County’searthquake preparedness. Thepresentation will evaluate thereadiness of County facilities,
emergency personnel, continuityof government operations, andcritical infrastructure, while alsoidentifying any gaps that must beaddressed before a catastrophicseismic event occurs.

 The Office of EmergencyManagement will work with Dr.
Jones and representatives fromCaltech and UCLA to ensure 

Casting Announced for theVisit at Pasadena Playhouse 

Danny Feldman, ProducingArtistic Director of Pasadena 
Playhouse, the State Theater 
of California and recipientof the 2023 Regional TheatreTony Award, announces the 
full cast and creative team for 
its upcoming production of 
Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s chillingclassic The Visit (September 9 October 
4) adapted by MauriceValency, directed by Tony Award-
winner Darko Tresnjak, and 
featuring some of the amazingcast and creative team behind 
this season’s critically acclaimedproduction of Amadeus.

 Melinda Page Hamilton (MadMen, Desperate Housewives,
The Peripheral) will star as 
Claire Zachanassian alongsidepreviously announced TonyAward-winner Jefferson Mays,
who will star as Anton Schill.

 Joining them are ChristianBarillas (ABC’s Ronaldo on 
Modern Family) as Teacher,
Kenajuan Bentley(Amadeus atPasadena Playhouse, currentlyrecurring as Tim on AppleTV’sShrinking) as Bobby, JenniferChang (Amadeus at PasadenaPlayhouse, Darko Tresnjak’sproduction of The Dispute) asShopkeeper/Frau Schill, Ricardo 
Chavira (ABC’s Desperate 
Housewives) as Policeman,
Danny Cron (A Little NightMusic at Pasadena Playhouse)
as Max, Matthew Patrick Davis(Amadeus at Pasadena Playhouse,
Broadway’s Side Show) as Pastor,
Matthew Henerson (Amadeusat Pasadena Playhouse, Romeoand Juliet, Ahmanson Theatre) 
as Doctor, Mark Jacobson (TheEngagement Party, Geffen 

Playhouse) as Station Master,
Adrian LaTourelle (The Tempest,
Antaeus Theatre Company) asPainter, John Lavelle (Amadeusat Pasadena Playhouse, DramaDesk Award for his performancein The Royale) as Burgomaster,
Jake Levy (AnastasiaNationalTour) as Koby/Hermine/Karl/
Reporter, Ian Joseph Paget 
(Broadway’s Leap of Faith) as 
Pedro/Truck Driver/Reporter,
Will Pellegrini (Glee) as Mike,
Hilary Ward (Amadeus at 
Pasadena Playhouse, PrimaryTrustat Theater Works Hartford 
and Barrington Stage Company)
as Innkeeper/Frau Burgomaster,
and Lauren Worsham (Amadeus 
at Pasadena Playhouse,
Broadway’s A Gentleman’s Guideto Love and Murder) as Lobby/
Adolphine/Ottilie/Reporter.

 In The Visit, when the richestwoman in the world returns to 
her struggling hometown, she’sready and willing to rescue itfrom ruin… on one condition. In 
this haunting, twisted, and truly 
grotesque comedy, an entire 
community is forced to confrontan unthinkable question: how farare you willing to go for a billiondollars?

 Following the triumphant 
run of Amadeus, Tony Award-
winners JEFFERSON MAYS 
and DARKO TRESNJAK return 
to the Playhouse for anothergripping and truly unmissabletheatrical event.

 Tickets and Membershipinformation for The Visit are 
available at pasadenaplayhouse. 
org, by phone at 626-356-7529,
and at the box office at 39 South 
El Molino Avenue, Pasadena 

the County’s planning reflects

the latest seismic research and 

emergency preparedness best 

practices. 
The motion also directs the 

development of a countywide

earthquake preparedness

initiative that includes an online 

“Know Your Risk” portal, a

multilingual public education

campaign leading up to The

Great ShakeOut on October 15. 

Caltech Talk 
Search 
for Life 
Beyond Earth

 Caltech is set to hold a free 
public online event “JPL and 
the Search for Life BeyondEarth” on Tuesday, August 25from noon to 1 p.m.

 In September 2025, asample named Sapphire 
Canyon made headlines 
around the world. Drilled 
by the Perseverance roverfrom an ancient riverbed 
in Mars’s Jezero Crater, thesample carries the strongestpotential sign of ancient life 
yet found on another planet.
Whether its “leopard spot”
mineral patterns were madeby microbes or by ordinarychemistry is a question onlya returned sample can settle.
But the search has never been 
closer to an answer.

 That search runs throughJPL. And Jonathan Lunine 
(MS ‘83, PhD ‘85) has 
dedicated his career to it.

 Lunine earned both of his 
graduate degrees at Caltechbefore helping shape missionafter mission across the solar 
system: Cassini at Saturn,
Juno at Jupiter, and EuropaClipper, where he is a co-
investigator on the spacecraftnow flying toward one of themost promising places to lookfor life beyond Earth. In 2024he returned to Caltech as 
professor of planetary scienceand became chief scientist at 
JPL.

 Join Lunine for a fireside chat 
with Sarah Al-Ahmed, hostof The Planetary Society’sPlanetary Radio, broadcast 
live from Caltech. Over 75 
minutes, the two will walk 
through the missions definingthe hunt for habitable 
worlds: Perseverance and the 
Sapphire Canyon sample,
Curiosity’s organic moleculesin Gale Crater, and EuropaClipper’s voyage to Jupiter’s 
ocean moon. Lunine will 
share mission imagery andvideo throughout, and theconversation closes with live 
questions from the audience.

 For more information or to 
register visit: events.caltech. 
edu. 

PWP Winners of Art Contest 
and Academic Scholarships 


Pasadena Water and Power 
(PWP) announced Taste thewinners of the 2026 “BeingWater Wise Is…” Art Contest. 
Held every year in partnershipwith Metropolitan Water 
District (MWD), the “BeingWater Wise Is…” Art Contest 
is open to Pasadena studentsin grades K-12. Student artistssubmitted creative artwork with 
messaging that encourages thecommunity to conserve and usewater more wisely.

 Isabella B., 5th Grade, isthe first-place winner for herartwork, “Water is a Necessity,” 
and Jonpatrick (Jordan) S.,
3rd Grade, is the second-placewinner for his piece, “Water isPart of Nature.” Both students 
attend Pasadena Unified School 
District’s Daniel Webster 
Elementary School.

 PWP is also proud to 
announce the winners of the 
2026 scholarship contest. 
These scholarships reflect 
PWP’s ongoing commitment 
to supporting local studentspursuing careers in science,
technology, engineering and 
math (STEM). As part of thisyear’s application process, 

students submitted a video 
responding to a prompt abouthow their passion for a STEM-
related field contributes to the 
utility industry, public service,
or sustainability initiatives, andhow the scholarship will supporttheir future career goals.

 Adrianna Bäumle of Blair 
High School is the 2026 first-
place winner. Her submissionhighlighted her enthusiasm 
for pursuing mechanical 
engineering and her intentionto apply her problem-solvingskills to address climate 
change. Mildred Gonzalez ofJohn Muir High School EarlyCollege Magnet is the second-
place winner. She plans to 
study Business Economics andFinance and is passionate aboutintegrating environmental 
sustainability and ethics intoSTEM-focused business 
leadership.

 PWP also offers scholarshipsfor Pasadena students who 
plan to attend a vocational ortechnical school or communitycollege with a focus on skilledutility trades for the 2026–2027academic year. The deadline for 
the utility trades scholarship isThursday, December 31. 

Talk on Historic Preservation 
and Affordable Housing 

Join Pasadena Heritage TuesdayAugust 11 at the Blinn Housefor a conversation, “Where 
Home Meets History” on therelationship between historicpreservation and affordable 
housing. The event run from

5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
speakers include:
-Dr. Bridget Lawlor – ExecutiveDirector, Pasadena Heritage 
-Charles Loveman – Executive 
Director, Heritage HousingPartners 
-Shawn Morrissey – Vice 
President of Advocacy and 
Community Engagement,
Union Station Homeless 
Services 
There’s a common 

misconception that historic 
preservationists work to freezehistoric sites in time, creatingstatic, museum-like spaces thatcritics blame for rising propertycosts and stalled development. 

At the same time, affordable 
housing has become a prominentpoint of regional discussion,
facing public dissatisfaction 
with current housing effortsin Los Angeles County. Whilethe two fields are met with 
discontent, a new practice hasbegun to bridge the gap betweenpreservation and housing. 
Adaptive reuse, the concept ofrepurposing buildings to createnew, functional spaces outsideits original purpose, has beenadopted by preservation groupsas a way to responsibly honorhistory.

This discussion explores afuture where preservation 
meets housing solutions to 
offer innovative alternatives to 
affordable housing.

 The Blinn House is located at 
160 N Oakland Ave, Pasadena. 
For more information visit: 
pasadenaheritage.org. 


RENT our 


1914 Essick House 


550 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, 91024 

Contact Anita 
Event Rentals Coordinator 

EssickHouseRentalManager@gmail.com 


626-708-2223 

Photos at 

SierraMadreWomansClub.org 

Sierra 
Madre 
Woman’s 
Club 
since 1907 


Wistaria Shop Re-Opens 10 am, Thurs., 9/3/26 


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