PASADENA EDITION

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2017

VOLUME 11 NO. 7


Local Area 
News Briefs

Humane 
Society Gets 
Custom 

Shelter Wagon

Black History Parade 
Canceled Due to weather



 Pasadena City Officials 
today announced they have 
canceled the 35th Annual 
Black History Month Parade 
scheduled for today citing 
public safety reasons due 
to the significant storms 
moving through the area, 
including possible lightning 
strikes in or near the parade 
route. 

 “The public’s safety, 
including those who would 
watch the parade and the 
parade participants, was the 
deciding factor to cancel 
the parade,” said Public 
Information Officer William 
Boyer.

 City officials are looking 
to re-schedule the parade to 
an alternative date, but no 
decision has been made yet 
for a new date and time.

 City staff said the parade 
is one of the oldest, longest-
running parades of its kind 
in California. Boyer said 

TheRobinson
ParkRecreation
Center Community 
Groundbreaking 

Celebration will take place 
under a tarp at, 1 p.m. in 
front of the Robinson Park 
Recreation Center, 1081 
N. Fair Oaks Ave. Local 
dignitaries and the Robinson 
Family will be there for the 
breaking ground for a major 
rehabilitation project he 
said. The existing structure 
will be demolished and 
completely reconstructed to 
better serve the recreational 
needs of the community. 

 Events through February 
are listed on page 3 or to see 
the complete list of events 
online go to cityofpasadena.
net/PasadenaBlackHistory.

ATF Serves Search 
Warrant on Pasadena 
Police Officer

 The Pasadena Humane 
Society unveiled Wednesday 
morning their new custom-
designed vehicle, a 35-foot 
“shelter on wheels” aimed 
to bring adoptable pets into 
the community, increase 
access to PHS programs and 
services, and disaster relief. 
The vehicle known as the 
Wiggle Waggle Wagon cost 
nearly $250,000 officials said.

 Julie Bank, President/CEO 
of the Pasadena Humane 
Society said the vehicle will 
enable PHS to increase the 
reach of its Helping Paws 
program through bringing 
services such as mobile 
vaccine clinics, pet food 
drives and education. 

 “Our goal is to bring 
adoptable animals out into 
the community,” she said. 
“We have so many amazing 
animals that need a home 
and sometimes people don’t 
want to come to the shelter.”

 In times of natural disaster, 
the vehicle will serve as an 
emergency response vehicle 
stationed in the field. Animal 
control officers, medical staff 
and other key personnel will 
be present in the community 
where they are needed and 
pet owners will be able to 
bring their pets to the vehicle 
for safe transport back to 
PHS.

 Ricky Whitman PHS Vice 
President of Communications 
said the Wiggle Waggle 
Wagon is replacing their 10 
year old shelter vehicle. She 
said the new vehicle, among 
other things, will save them 
money, “it gets better gas 
mileage and the repair costs 
will be much less to maintain.” 

 The Wiggle Waggle Wagon is 
fully equipped with space for 
20 animals, nine volunteers, 
and modern amenities like 
a TV to showcase adoptable 
pets waiting for homes at the 
shelter Whitman said.

 The cost of the vehicle 
was made by donations 
from the Flora L. Thornton 
Foundation, Wells Fargo 
Foundation, Petco 
Foundation and the Donald 
Slavik Family Foundation 
Bank said.

 Little information was 
being given Friday about a 
search warrant served by the 
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 
Firearms and Explosives 
Wednesday night to the 
home of a Pasadena Police 
Department Officer. 

 Officials did say the officer 
has been put on leave 
pending an internal affairs 
review.

 According to reports the 
officer is being investigated 
by the ATF for gun sales. The 
officer has not been charged 
or arrested. The officer does 
not live in Pasadena and the 
investigation is not work 
related authorities said.

 See Sierra Madre (Page 5 ) 
for more details.

Wiggle Waggle Wagon Photo D. Lee MVNews 


Detectives Arrest Pasadena 
Attempted Murder Suspects 

 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s 
Operation Safe Streets gang 
detectives arrested three 
Pasadena residents for their 
alleged involvement in a 
Duarte shooting last month 
that injured two people. 

 Two male adult victims were 
shot, January 7 at approximately 
2:48 p.m. in the 2500 block 
of Bloomdale Street, Duarte. 
The men were transported to 
a hospital, with one victim 
sustaining critical injuries. 

 During the investigation, and 
with the assistance of Pasadena 
Police officers, multiple search 
and arrest warrants were 
authored and served Thursday 
at around 10:00 a.m. The three 
suspects are male black adults, 
ages 27 years-old, 27 years-
old and 32 years-old. They 
are all residents of Pasadena.

 Anyone with information call 
Detective Franklin or Detective 
Retamoza, at (626) 292-3341. 
If you prefer anonymously, call 
“Crime Stoppers” by dialing 
(800) 222-TIPS (8477).

Local Sergeant 
Seeking Bone 
Marrow Donor

 Altadena Sheriffs are asking 
for the public’s help find the 
donor bone marrow match 
for a fellow Sergeant, a search 
event will take place in 
Altadena February 25th, 8am 
to noon February 25 at the 
World Healthy / healthy world 
2405 Lincoln Avenue.

 Sergeant Jorge Chavez was 
recently diagnosed with 
leukemia and is in need of a 
lifesaving marrow donor, and 
until a match is found, blood 
and platelet donations will be 
in dire need. 

 Sergeant Chavez was assigned 
to the Los Angeles County 
Sheriff’s Department San 
Dimas Station from 2013 to 
2016, and has served with the 
Sheriff’s Department for 17 
years.

If you’re unable to attend one 
of the bone marrow match 
events, you can request a swab 
kit via mail visit join.marrow.
org/swabforjorge.

 Blood and platelet donors 
may do so at City of Hope. 
Donors must be age 17 or 
older, in good health, and meet 
basic requirements. Please see 
the City of Hope website for 
details on blood and platelet 
donations: cityofhope.org.

 If you have questions, or 
to donate platelets “directly” 
to Jorge, please e-mail 
RARobbin@lasd.org to 
coordinate our efforts. 

 The Los Angeles County 
Sheriff family, and the Chavez 
family, thank you in advance 
for your help in finding life-
saving help for Jorge!

One City, One Story Talk with 
Author Viet Thanh Nguyen

Community Meetings on 
Budget, Short-Term Rentals





 Viet Thanh Nguyen 
will join Pasadena 
Public Library Director 
Michelle Perera 
March 2 to discuss his 
experiences writing 
The Sympathizer. 
A question and 
answer session with 
the audience will 
immediately follow. 
Nguyen’s books will be 
available for sale and 
signing following the 
program. 

 “This year celebrates 
the 15th anniversary 
of One City, One Story 
with a fascinating 
novel, The Sympathizer 
by Viet Thanh Nguyen,” 
SAID Michelle Perera, 
Pasadena Public 
Library Director. 
“Nguyen provides a 
new perspective on 
the Vietnam War, 
one in sharp contrast 
to that portrayed by 
Hollywood. We hope 
that you will enjoy 
The Sympathizer and 
plan on attending the 
Conversation with the 
Author.”

 Nguyen was born in 
Vietnam and raised in 
America. His stories 
have appeared in 
Best New American 
Voices, TriQuarterly, 
Narrative and the Chicago 
Tribune, and he is the author 
of the academic book Race 
and Resistance and the 
nonfiction book Nothing 
Ever Dies: Vietnam and the 
Memory of War and his new 
book The Refugees, published 
Feb. 7, 2017. Nguyen teaches 
English and American 
Studies at the University of 
Southern California and lives 
in Los Angeles.

 The winner of the 2016 
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 
as well as five other awards, 
The Sympathizer is the 
breakthrough novel of the 
year. With the pace and 
suspense of a thriller and 
prose that has been compared 
to Graham Greene and Saul 
Bellow, The Sympathizer 
is a sweeping story of love 
and betrayal. The narrator, 
a communist double agent, 
is a “man of two minds,” a 
half-French, half-Vietnamese 
army captain who arranges 
to come to America after 
the Fall of Saigon. While 
building a new life with 
other Vietnamese refugees 
in Los Angeles, he is 
secretly reporting back to 
his communist superiors in 
Vietnam. The Sympathizer 
is a blistering exploration 
of identity and America, a 
gripping espionage novel, 
and a powerful story of love 
and friendship.

 “One City, One Story 
has become an enduring 
tradition in Pasadena because 
it speaks to several aspects of 
our community character; 
love of the written word and 
the desire to discuss varied 
points of view.

Event parking is available in 
surrounding facilities. All 
parking is fee-based.

 The event will take place 
March 2 at 7 p.m. at All 
Saints Church, Sanctuary 132 
N. Euclid Ave. 

 One City, One Story is 
sponsored by The Friends of 
the Pasadena Public Library.

 
The public is being 
encouraged to attend one of 
three community meetings 
on the City’s budget and/or 
a special workshop session 
on regulating short-term 
rentals in Pasadena.

 There will be community 
meetings in February and 
March hosted by Pasadena 
City Manager Steve Mermell 
and Finance Department 
Director Matthew 
Hawkesworth where the 
public can share their views, 
ask questions and get a 
better understanding of City 
finances.

 The meetings will be held 
at the following dates, times 
and locations.

 Thursday 6-8 p.m., Council 
Chamber, Pasadena City 
Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave.

 Wednesday, March 1, 
6-8 p.m., Villa–Parke 
Community Center, 363 E. 
Villa St.

 The public also is 
encouraged to participate in 
the formal public meetings 
held by the City Council 
and its Finance Committee 
in April, May and June 
as part of the budget 
approval process. For more 
information, go online to 
www.cityofpasadena.net/
Finance.

 The City’s Planning 
Department, meanwhile, 
is seeking public input as 
staff prepares an ordinance 
to regulate short-term 
rentals such as AirBnB and 
others due to the impacts 
that such rentals may have 
on established residential 
neighborhoods.

 The meeting will be 
conducted in an “open 
house” format so that the 
public can stop by at any 
point during the two-hour 
session to ask questions, 
provide input and review 
draft information by the 
Planning Department.

 Community input will be 
gathered, analyzed by staff 
and forwarded to the City 
Planning Commission as the 
draft ordinance is brought 
forward later this year. 
The ordinance is tentatively 
slated for initial review by 
the commission in March, 
but no date has been set yet.

 The public’s point of contact 
is Guille Nunez at (626) 744-
7634 or by email at gnunez@
cityofpasadena.net.

Nguyen Viet Thanh photo 
credit BeBe Jacobs

CALENDAR Pg. 2

MORE PASADENA NEWS

 Pg. 3

SAN MARINO/SO. PAS

Pg. 4

SIERRA MADRE Pg. 5

ARCADIA Pg. 6

MONROVIA 

EDUCATION/YOUTH

Pg. 7

FOOD & DRINK Pg. 8

Police to focus 
on Traffic 
Enforcement

THE GOOD LIFE Pg. 9

WORLD AROUND US 

 Pg. 10

 
BEST FRIENDS Pg. 11

 The Pasadena Police 
Department will be conducting 
a Traffic Enforcement program 
on Monday, throughout the 
City of Pasadena. The focus 
will be on the enforcement of 
violations involving motorists, 
pedestrians and bicyclists.

Officers will be deployed at 
various locations throughout 
the city to look for violations 
including, but not limited 
to, primary collision factors 
involving speed, red signals, 
right-of-way and jaywalking. 

 Funding for these programs 
is provided by a grant from 
the California Office of Traffic 
Safety, through the National 
Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration.

SECTION B: 

AROUND SAN GABRIEL 
VALLEYB1

THE ARTS B2

BUSINESS NEWS

B3

OPINIONB4

LEGAL NOTICES B5

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