Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 3, 2011

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

5

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 3, 2011 


“What’s Going On?” 

News and Views from Joan Schmidt


HONORING A FALLEN COMRADE

August 31, 2011 marked 
the 10th Anniversary of the 
tragic death of Los Angeles 
County Sheriff’s Deputy, 
Hagop, “Jake” Kuredjian. 
Today many came to honor 
the life of a special man, 
whose daily job, at the time 
of his death, was protecting 
the Santa Clarita area. He was a true hero and he 
died-doing what he loved most. It is only fitting 
that on the 10th anniversary of his untimely 
death, special services were planned. Lt. Lewis 
of Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station played an 
integral part in the planning. The first part of the 
memorial to honor this hero was the memorial 
site at Stevenson Ranch. Many attended to honor 
a man whose life was cut short too soon. (Jake 
was forty at the time of his death.)

Jake, born in 1961, was a native of Aleppo, 
Syria. In 1957, Jake’s father had died during 
violence in Lebanon. Jake became a US citizen 
in 1982 after he immigrated to the US with his 
mother, Anahid Kuredjian and brothers Garo 
and Raffi to Michigan. Jake was the first to 
relocate to California. He was fulfilling a dream-
to become an LA County Sheriff’s deputy and 
he loved his work. On that fatal day, Jake was 
supposed to go to Laughlin with his fiancée, 
Mary Richardson, but decided to do four hours 
of overtime. Jake was responding to a shootout 
in Stevenson Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley. A 
former Arcadia Police Officer, James Beck, shot 
Jake from the second floor home; a single bullet 
in the head killed him.

Today’s ceremony at Jake’s Memorial Site 
in Stevenson Ranch began with a beautiful 
rendition of the National Anthem, followed by 
a moment of silence. The current Commander 
of Santa Clarita Station, Captain Paul Becker, 
spoke of Jake, “truly a hero, when duty called, he 
bravely answered.” 

Supervisor Mike Antonovich was called up 
to the podium. It was really difficult for him. 
Supervisor Antonovich was broken up, “I have 
close ties to the Armenian Community and I 
see the face of this grief-stricken mother.” The 
supervisor composed himself and spoke of Jake 
as a hero, a role model for today’s youth. Jake 
made positive contributions to the community-
he was a responsible dedicated deputy defending 
the community against violence. 

The Mayor of Santa Clarita Marsha McLean 
was next. She told Jake’s family, “We appreciate 
you, the family and Jake. No words, no awards, 
no memorials can adequately express our 
appreciation for Jake and his sacrifice… the City 
would never forget him.” 

The next speaker was Region I Commander, 
Chief Tyler. Chief Tyler was home at the time of 
Jake‘s death and had recently been promoted. 
The call came, and Chief Tyler went to Santa 
Clarita Station. For the next three days, “There 
was an outpouring of love and heroism there.” 
(At the various Sheriff’s Stations, personnel are 
more like family. I believe that working together 
in sometimes life-threatening situations does 
this.) Chief Tyler felt, “gypped”, he personally 
had not met Jake, but over the years had heard 
so many great stories. Jake was called a “hero”. 
He was awarded the Meritorious Conduct Medal 
by the late Sheriff, Sherman Block for saving the 
life of a woman clinging to a small branch atop 
a cliff. Something Chief Tyler didn’t realize was 
that Jake played soccer on the Sheriff’s teams 
many years with Chief Richard Barrantes. Jake 
was an incredibly funny, fun man. Retired 
Commander Don Rodriguez attended and Chief 
Tyler commended Rodriguez in his actions as 
Commander of Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station 
at the time of Jake’s death. Tyler said Rodriguez 
had to “suffer the hardest thing any commander 
does-the loss of a deputy”, and that “Rodriguez 
acted with class, dignity and love at that time.”

One of Jake’s dear friends and a fellow 
member (Now retired) from LASD told how 
they met at the Malibu fires. They became good 
friends, loved motorcycles and joined the “Iron 
Warriors”, a Harley chapter of law enforcement 
and firefighters. (Harley members attended the 
event and told me that Jake founded their chapter 
in 1998.)

The last speaker was Jake’s brother, Garo, who 
thanked all present for “keeping my brother 
alive.”…Jake loved the Santa Clarita Station, 
loved the Sheriff’s Department. He loved his work 
and felt guilty being paid for doing something 
he loved.” Garo thanked everyone for the kind 
words and the memorials in his brother’s name. 

On November 1, 2001, a beautifully engraved 
monument dedicated to Jake was unveiled at 
the corner of Stevenson Ranch Parkway and 
Poe Parkway. (See photo) On August 30, 2002, 
then Station Captain Don Rodriguez proudly 
dedicated the Jake Kuredjian Memorial Rose 
Garden at the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station 
courtyard in remembrance of Jake and Deputy 
Arthur Pelino, the first Santa Clarita Valley 
Deputy killed in the line of duty on March 19, 
1978. The garden with its serene waterfall and 
pond is a place where all station personnel can 
visit and relax or reflect on Jake. Commemorative 
plaques with both deputies’ pictures also overlook 
the garden.

Garo also gratefully acknowledged the many 
donations made in Jake’s memory and how they 
have been used. There have been law enforcement 
scholarships to different groups; all students 
pursuing a career in law enforcement and to 
members of the Armenian community seeking a 
law enforcement career. Close to my heart is the 
Jake Kuredjian Library- a small library in a small 
village in Armenia. 

I was able to attend the memorial service 
because of the kindness of Temple Station’s 
Commander, Captain Fennel. I rode with 
Sgt. Sidra Strong and Deputies April Nelsen 
and Deanna Ballesteros. Also attending were 
Deputies Miguel Ramirez, Godin Gonzalez and 
Ulysses Urbina.

All in attendance were also invited to go to 
Santa Clarita Station to the Memorial Rose 
Garden. Sgt. Strong and the deputies had to 
return to the station. I was grateful to be there for 
the Memorial Service and meet Jake’s awesome 
brothers and his brave Mom. Any parent 
NEVER gets over the loss of a child. Many old 
friends from the Sheriff’s Department attended 
and it was good to see them. Chief Tyler was 
the Captain-Commander of Temple Station 
several years. Chief Barrantes was a lieutenant 
at Temple Station, supported our M.A.D. Town 
Council and assisted us in many situations. 
Retired Commander Don Rodriguez was my 
partner at the Sheriff’s City Council Academy. 
However, it was very sad to remember how Jake 
died. But the impact he had on the community 
is immeasurable and was evident by the great 
turnout for the 10th anniversary of his death.


Foothill Extension Progress:

Equipment is being mobilized this week for 
the upcoming foundation work on the I-210 
Bridge. As you can see from the images below, 
a large drill rig and crane have been trucked in 
and are being assembled on the south side of the 
eastbound I-210 Freeway. This is the location of 
the first of three 110 foot deep, 11 foot in diameter 
foundations to be drilled over the next four 
weeks. The other two are located in the center 
median of the freeway. 

 Each foundation will take approximately six 
days to drill and cast. We anticipate drilling the 
first foundation next week, followed by the installation 
of the reinforcing steel cage, concrete 
placement and testing the following week. This 
schedule is dependent on receiving final approval 
from Caltrans this week. During these activities, 
partial and full eastbound lane closures are 
planned (full closures occur late at night to minimize 
traffic delays).

 A FUN, INFORMATIVE NEIGHBORHOOD SOCIAL


Recently, I attended a “Neighborhood 
Watch Meeting/ Social 
in the Unincorporated 
Monrovia Area hosted by the 
Diaz family with assistance 
from other Neighborhood 
Watch captains. Many residents 
attended, even a group 
from an Arcadia area. It was 
a fantastic meeting. There was 
plenty of seating for everyone; 
an info table with all kinds of 
flyers from upcoming event, 
and plenty of refreshments. 

I handed out flyers about the 
Monrovia-Arcadia-Duarte 
Town Council because there 
are STILL people who are unaware 
of the Town Council’s 
existence. Some of the area 
captains included Therese V. 
Burch, Deanna Franco, and 
Gina Luttenabcher. Representing 
the Town Council 
were Chairman David Hall 
of Duarte and Linda Sells of 
Arcadia. Brian Mejia, Field 
Deputy for Supervisor Mike 
Antonovich’s Glendora office 
also attended. From Temple 
Sheriff’s Station were Sgt. 
Sidra Strong, Deputy April 
Nelsen, Deputy Deanna 
Ballesteros, Deputy Miguel 
Ramirez, Deputy Godin Gonzalez 
and Deputy Ulysses Urbina. 
Sgt. Strong and Deputy 
Nelsen were the main speakers. 
Crime reports included a 
Water Company Scam, Break-
ins in Mayflower Village and 
petty theft in vehicles. If one 
wants exact stats, they can go 
to www.crimereports.com.

 Assaults have gone up in the 
area but are mostly domestic 
violence incidents, including 
“father-son”, “mother-daughter” 
for example. If there are 
any sex offenders in the area, 
the deputies are checking up 
on them. Mention was also 
made about people going away 
on short trips. Neighbors may 
get your mail/newspapers, 
but please call Temple Station.(
626) 285-7171. Let them 
know this, and the patrol call 
will drive by and check your 
home on a daily basis. Deputy 
Nelsen also mentioned 9000 
inmates will be released. 

These low class felons must 
be monitored by the SHERIFF’S 
DEPARTMENT, not 
the state parole. I, for I am 
glad. The state parole officers 
knock on the door and ask if 
everything’s okay. The parole 
officers just make sure the parolees 
are there. The deputies 
will go inside or look around 
the house or backyard. 

In attendance at the Neighborhood 
Watch Meeting Social 
was Tom Reyes who is 
running for a position on the 
Duarte Unified School District 
Board with Monrovia-
Arcadia-Duarte Town Council 
Chair, David Hall. Both 
gentlemen mentioned they 
are running for office and 
have had children in the Duarte 
Schools. I am relating this 
info to my readers because this 
morning’s Star News headlines 
included, “API test scores 
up in area district.” However, 
a smaller headline stated, 
“Duarte Unified is the only 
system to show drop from last 
year.” I was at first surprised. 
However Wendy Wright, Duarte’s 
assistant superintendent 
for education was quoted, “I 
think it’s a little hiccup. We 
improved 38 points last year, 
which was the largest in the 
San Gabriel Valley. It’s hard 
to maintain that.” Voters must 
try to get all the information 
they can on a subject. If one 
just read the headlines, they 
could think the quality of education 
is going down.

I hope anyone who doesn’t 
have a Neighborhood Watch 
Program should look into it. 
County residents call Temple 
Station.(626) 285-7171. Those 
in either the City of Arcadia 
(626) 574-5150 or the City 
of Monrovia (626) 256-8000 
should call their local police 
station. This wonderful group 
brings neighbors together and 
helps make their area safer

J. Schmidt/MVNews

Pet of the Week

TIO 

Animal ID #4325466

Meet the ever so cordial Tio 
(A4325466). Tio is a five-
year-old black male Labrador 
Retriever that was 
dumped at the Baldwin 
Park shelter on August 
15th because he 
was suffering from 
dermatitis. Weighing 
seventy-eight pounds, 
this big teddy bear 
walks well on the leash 
and is very friendly 
and obedient. He is 
affectionate and good-
natured with children 
and other dogs of all 
sizes, and is just one 
big, goofy ball of love. 
Tio will be the perfect 
indoor pet for an 
individual or family 
living in a private home. To 
watch a video of a volunteer 
interacting with Tio, please 
visit: http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=RxGeG-
zsWNM.

To meet Tio in person, please 
see him at the Baldwin Park 
Shelter, located at 4275 N. 
Elton, Baldwin Park, CA 
91706 (Phone: 626-430-2378). 
He is currently available now. 
For any inquiries about Tio, 
please reference his animal ID 
number: A4325466. 

The shelter is open seven 
days a week, 12 pm-7 pm 
Monday-Thursday and 10am-
5pm Friday-Sunday. This 
is a high-intake shelter with 
a great need for adoptions. 
For more information about 
Tio or the adoption 
process, contact United 
Hope for Animals 
Volunteer Adoption 
Coordinator Samantha 
at samanthasayon@
gmail.com or 
661-309-2674. 

To learn more about 
United Hope for 
Animals’ partnership 
with the Baldwin 
Park Shelter through 
its Shelter Support 
Program, as well as 
the many dogs of all 
breeds, ages, and sizes 
available for adoption 
in local shelters, visit http://
www.unitedhope4animals.
org/about-us/
shelter-support-program/.