Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, February 1, 2020

5


Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 1, 2020 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

 by Deanne Davis

SENIOR COMMUNITY COMMISSION SEEKING 
“OLDER ‘SIERRA MADRE’ AMERICAN OF THE 
YEAR” NOMINATIONS 

The City of Sierra Madre Community Services Department and the Senior Community Commission 
are seeking your collaboration to find the next Older ‘Sierra Madre’ American of the Year. The 
honor is a long-standing tradition in Sierra Madre and is bestowed upon exceptional individuals, age 
60 or older, who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to community service. The individual 
selected by you or any organization must live in Sierra Madre. 

We are pleased to announce the theme for 2020, Make Your Mark, which was selected to encourage 
and celebrate countless contributions that older adults make to our communities. Their time, experience, 
and talents benefit family, peers, and neighbors every day. 

All submissions are due by Thursday, March 12, 2020. Recommendations are now being accepted 
for this recognition and will only be eligible for new candidates who have not been honored in prior 
years. 

Forms may be picked up and returned to the Hart Park House - 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra 
Madre, CA. 

Nominations may also be mailed or walked in to Sierra Madre City Hall, C/o Older American, Community 
Services Department, 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. 

The Commission will review nomination forms and select an honoree at their regularly scheduled 
meeting in City Hall Council Chambers on Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. 

The honoree will also be recognized at a reception in their honor on Friday, May 8, 2020. 

For more information, please contact the staff at the Hart Park House Senior Center (626) 355-5278 
- Recreation Coordinator, Lawren Heinz (x 704); Recreation Coordinator, Clarissa Lowe (x 703); or 
Administrative Analyst, Rosemary Garcia (x 702). 

“Great things come from hard work and perseverance. 
No excuses.” 

Dedication sees dreams come true.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it’s 
sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of 
water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning 
shot.”

“The moment you give up, is the moment you let 
someone else win.”

“The most important thing is to try and inspire people 
so they can be great

 at whatever they want to do.”

“Once you know what failure feels like, determination 
chases success.”

These are all statements from Kobe Bryant, one of 
the most legendary sports heroes of our time, who 
died, along with his daughter, Gianna, last Sunday 
when the helicopter he was in, along with 7 other 
friends crashed. The Super Bowl is tomorrow, when 
the National Football Conference champion San 
Francisco 49ers will face the American Football 
Conference champion Kansas City Chiefs. This 
game will, most probably, be colored significantly 
by this awful tragic occurrence. I was comforted 
to see the following posted on Facebook by my 
friend Emanuel David, and maybe you will be, 
too:

“ At 7am Sunday, Kobe and Gianna Bryant 
encounter Jesus at an early morning Mass at Our 
Queen of Angels Church, Newport Beach. At 
9:47am, they are welcomed into the loving arms of 
the same Savior they encountered 3 hours earlier.” 
Rest in peace, friends.

One of my favorite movies is “Leatherheads” 
starring George Clooney and Renee Zellweger, 
music by Randy Newman. Made in 2008, this 
story is about the early days of football. Set in 
1925, football is a game with very few rules and 
the climactic scene is a game played on a dirt field 
right after a rain storm. After a free for all, knock 
down drag out battle involving both teams, George 
Clooney’s character is missing and with most of 
the players covered in mud, nobody can tell who 
is who. There appears to be an interception and 
the other team seems to have won, but when the 
mud is removed, it is seen that the player holding 
the ball is none other than George Clooney. The 
helmets were leather, hence “Leatherheads,” and 
in view of the fact that football concussions seem 
to be on the rise, there’s been talk of removing 
the current helmets, which frequently serve as 
weapons, and going back to leather ones. Just 
saying, friends and neighbors. I saw it in the 
Sports section!

“It’s not wanting to win that makes you a winner, 
it’s refusing to fail.” Peyton Manning

I like that quote from Peyton Manning and I 
expect the 49ers and the Chiefs are saying pretty 
much the same thing to their teammates. As we 
all know, though, the Super Bowl is all about the 
food and the commercials. So, you’re hosting a 
bunch of fun folks; you’ve cornered the market 
on Doritos, and asked somebody to bring veggies 
and dip, a salad, or some brownies. Or, better 
still, someone has invited you to join them for the 
last good game of the season...well, sometimes 
it’s a good game and we all wait eagerly for the 
commercials... what will the Clydesdales be 
doing that will make us all reach for the tissues? 
We know we will be witnesses to the end of Mr. 
Peanut’s reign as the mascot of Planter’s Peanuts 
and we’ll see movie and music stars by the dozen. 
But more importantly, what are you going to fix? 

Guacamole? Get a bunch of avocadoes, some sour 
cream, some limes, some green onions and some 
fresh salsa and, if you’re adventurous, the Tabasco. 
Smash up your avocadoes, squeeze in a bunch of 
lime juice (double purpose, #1, it needs the acid, 
#2, keeps the avocadoes from turning brown), 
add a couple of green onions sliced into small 
pieces, mix in some salsa then add a spoonful or 
two of sour cream. Taste it. Needs salt and pepper 
and a dash of Tabasco. Taste it again. Oh yeah! 
Refrigerate. People will love you.

The star of your Super Bowl party could very well 
be my world famous Chicken Tortilla Casserole. 

This is one of those dishes that make people want 
to hug and kiss you just because you made it. It’s 
easy to put together, will hold a day or two till you 
have time to cook it, will let you freeze it before 
you cook it and reheats and tastes even better 
several days later. You can make it in a large oven-
proof bowl to make lots of layers or you can put 
it together in a large lasagna-type dish with just a 
couple of layers. No matter how you do it, this is 
a never- fail recipe.

4 whole chicken breasts (that’s those double things 
that you cut in half) or you can use single pieces, 
8 or 9 of ‘em. (Or, better still, boneless, skinless 
chicken breast pieces, same amount, just don’t 
overcook.)

12 corn tortillas

2 cans of cream of chicken soup, the condensed 
kind

1 can chili without beans (about a 15 oz. can) 

1 small onion chopped

. cup milk

1 cup green chili salsa (Ortega makes a nice one) 
or chunky taco sauce

Shredded Mexican-blend cheese, large package, 
which is 2-1/2 cups of cheese. If you really love 
cheese and aren’t on a diet, you can throw in a 
little more!

Bake the chicken wrapped in foil for about an 
hour at 325. Let it cool. Cut into good sized 
chunks and set aside.

Tear or cut the tortillas into one inch pieces. Set 
aside. 

Now mix everything else together EXCEPT THE 
CHEESE. That’s your sauce.

Layer chicken, tortillas, sauce and cheese in 
3-quart bowl or casserole or the aforementioned 

9 x 13 pan, ending with cheese.

If you’ve frozen your unbaked casserole, transfer 
it from the freezer to the refrigerator the night 
before you want to serve it. On Super Bowl 
Sunday, heat it a good two hours at 300.

Trust me on this, there won’t be any left and the 
Super Bowl Halftime Show with Shakira and 
Jennifer Lopez will be drowned out by happy 
people jostling each other to get to the table for 
seconds of YOUR amazing dish. 

If you haven’t thought about Valentine’s day yet, 
you need to get started. The good cards won’t last 
long. Roses are red, violets are blue, Chicken-
Tortilla casserole is amazing…and so are you!

My Book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope” 

Is available on Amazon.com as is my first book:

“A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter.”

“Emma’s Etouffee Café” is a new Kindle story by 
me, Also available on Amazon.com and here’s the 
link: https://fave.co/2PItO4d


SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE CANCELS 

'CHARLOTTE'S WEB BECAUSE OF ASSEMBLY BILL 5

Dear Supporter of the Sierra Madre Playhouse, 

Charlotte’s Web, scheduled to begin performances 
on March 30, 2020 at Sierra Madre Playhouse, 
has been canceled. The financial impact to the 
production because of the recent passage of Assembly 
Bill 5 (AB-5) by the California forced the 
cancellation. A statement by the Playhouse President, 
David Gordon, and the company's Artistic 
Director, Christian Lebano, follows:

The mission of Sierra Madre Playhouse is to foster 
an appreciation of live performance in people 
of all ages. We engage and bring people together 
through the power of live theater. Our Theater 
for Young Audiences program, started six years 
ago, focuses on high-quality experiences for 
young audiences. Charlotte's Web had 36 confirmed 
and paid-for bookings for over 2,600 
children and 400 teachers and parents. Another 
ten general audience performances were also 
planned.

The newly adopted California Assembly Bill 5 
(AB-5) changes employee and independent contractor 
classifications in many ways, some that 
have yet to be realized. It does not, however, allow 
for any transition period to adapt to these 
changes. In the case of Charlotte's Web, the new 
AB-5 regulations quite unexpectedly added 
more than $38,000 to the budget of a production 
planned under previous regulations.

The sudden financial impact of AB-5 forced 
the Playhouse Board of Directors to reluctantly 
make the difficult decision to cancel this year's 
Theater for Young Audiences' production of 
Charlotte's Web.

The new reality that we face as a non-profit arts 
organization is one that some 28 other Intimate 
Theaters in Los Angeles County face, as do other 
small performing arts companies. Collectively, 
we will seek a remedy that will enable us to continue 
to provide our audiences with the high-
quality productions they have come to expect.

In the months ahead, we will be working hard to 
find a way to ensure that our mission and commitment 
to an annual Theater for Young Audiences 
performance will be fulfilled by providing 
children in our communities with a memorable 
introduction to lifelong rewards from the arts.

 

Though we are canceling Charlotte's Web and 
are looking to fill this hole in our season with 
exciting programming, we will be going forward 
with the rest of the season as planned. 

Signed, 

DAVID GORDON, PRESIDENT

CHRISTIAN LEBANO, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER

January 12, to January 26, 2020

During this period the Sierra Madre Police Department responded

to 796 calls for service.

Missing Person

At 3:38PM on 1-12-20, officers responded to the station regarding a missing person report. The reporting 
party stated that her male companion was last seen in the 300 block of W. Sierra Madre Bl. 
Officers located the missing person soon after the report was filed in a parking lot in the 00 block of 
W. Sierra Madre Bl. The subject who was in possession of an illegal substance and had a warrant for 
his arrest, was arrested and taken to the Monrovia PD Jail. Case to Detectives

Bicycle Thefts

Sometime between 1-14-20 at 4:00PM and 1-15-20 at 10:30AM, unknown suspect(s) entered the 
carport in the 300 block of N. Baldwin Ave. and took a White GT bicycle and left in an unknown 
direction. Shortly after, the PD received a call that two bicycles were found on the property of St. Rita 
School. Officers found that one of the bicycles matched the description of the bike listed above and 
returned it to the owner. The second bike remains unclaimed. Case to Detectives

On 1-18-20, the victim reported that two unknown male subjects entered his carport in the 700 
block of W. Sierra Madre Bl., cut his cable lock and stole his locked bike. Further investigation revealed 
that the incident occurred on 1-13-20 at about 3:54AM. The two male subjects then fled the 
scene with the bike an orange, Gravity 29ss bike. Case to Detectives

Battery

On 1-15-20 at about 3:30PM, an argument in the 200 block of N. Sunnyside Ave resulted in the arrest 
of an individual for battery. Case to the DA’s office for filing consideration

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

Going out of Business… Under New Management…. New Lower Prices….How about we got rid 
of our last cook and hired a new one! We lowered our beer prices we found that no one wanted 
$7 beer.

Here are Super Facts about Sundays Super Bowl Game…

‘It has been said, after all, that Americans 
eat more than 1.2 billion chicken wings, 
11 million slices of Domino’s pizza, 11.2 
million potato chips, 8.2 million pounds 
of tortilla chips, and all sorts of other 
delicious but caloric fare, especially 
when their teams lose.

Um, 11.2 million potato chips? Or, 
is that 11.2 million pounds of potato 
chips? That’s still just a pound of potato 
chips for every 30 Americans - not that 
impressive. 1.2 billion chicken wings, on the other hand - that’s 4 for every American, seems like 
a lot to me. There are only 2 drumsticks per chicken so that is almost 600 million chickens. That’s 
impossible!! Or is it?

But hold on, I have more. Now these are mind-boggling.

We know a lot of beer will be consumed, but how much? So much that we would need five Rose 
Bowl Stadiums (not to mention bathrooms) to hold all the beer. My research tells me 325 million 
gallons of beer. Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall? How about 30 million bottles at 12 oz! 
Speaking of Pizza, the 11 million pizza slices would cover the Rose Bowl 22000 times! For me I’ll 
go with Village Pizzeria in Sierra Madre.

Get them early. That is, buy your avocados early because we will go through 80 million avocados 
to make all sorts of Guacamole. I like mine spicy and chunky!

No matter what you decide to eat or drink, be responsible. Super Bowl Sunday is also in the top 
five of DUI arrests.

Stomachache? You better believe it. Anti-acid relief pills sales double the following Monday.

PREDICTION

49ers 34 Chiefs 30 You read it here first.

Join me this Sunday at 8 AM Go Country 105 best of the best radio show

 
VINTAGE AND COLLECTIBLE BOOKS AT THE FRIENDS OF THE 
SIERRA MADRE LIBRARY BEST USED BOOK SALE

The Friends of the Sierra Madre Library are pleased to announce that the annual Vintage sale of 
collectible books will be taking place on Friday, February 7 (3:00 p.m.– 7:00 p.m.) and Saturday, 
February 8 (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.). The sale will be held behind the Sierra Madre library in the 
parking lot and the basement. Featured in the Basement will be a complete set of Woodrow Wilson’s 
History of the American People and a complete set of Novels and other Writings by Leo Tolstoy. 

We will have several children’s books illustrated by famous artists such as N.C. Wyeth, Jessie Wilcox 
Smith and Arthur Rackham, and the complete set of Nature Neighbors (1914). We also have the 
first trade edition of Steinbeck’s East of Eden and an early printing of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged as 
well as other treasures. Come early for the best selection!

The Parking Lot will have a collection of Wizard, D.C./Marvel and TOPPS comic books for only 
$.50 each and a large selection of crafting books (quilting, cross-stitch, knitting, graphic arts, and 
jewelry) for only $1.00 each. As always, we will have our Bargain Books for $1.00 each, small 
paperbacks for $.25 each or 5/$1.00, and Children’s/Teens for $.25 - $1.00. 

Don’t forget Saturday is our $5.00 BAG SALE!

This sale is sponsored by the Friends of the Sierra Madre Public Library. All proceeds will be used 
to support programs, services and acquisitions for the library.

Come early for the best selection and to talk books with knowledgeable cashiers and other book-
lovers! The sale will be behind the Sierra Madre Public Library, 440 West Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra 
Madre. For more information, please visit us at our web site www.sierramadrelibraryfriends.org., 
our Facebook page; or call 626-355-7186.


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