Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, May 8, 2021

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 8, 2021 


WAITING FOR THE EIR 

In the Memorandum of Understanding 
(MOU) between “the City of Sierra Madre 
and the Congregation of the Passion, Mater 
Dolorosa Community,” the Environmental 
Impact Report (EIR) was to have been 
published on October 1, 2020. In the 
interim, we have been given several 
publication dates. In the last meeting with 
Preserve Sierra Madre and New Urban West, 
the developers of the project now state that 
the draft will be available in May/June 2021. 
The draft report according to the MOU was to “prepare an EIR and complete any required technical 
studies or analyses, which include, but are not limited to, the following:

i. Historical Resources Technical Report
ii. Arborist Report and Tree Inventory Summery
iii. Traffic Impact Study
iv. Hydrology and Water Quality Study 
v. Utilities and Services System Study
vi. Greenhouse Gas Study” 
There will be a 60 day period for the City and the Citizens to make comments about the EIR. These 
comments must be made in writing and presented to the City for consideration during a 60 dayperiod after which no changes can be made. We have two questions posed to the City Manager andwill include his responses in our next article. 

Q. 1) Has the City seen the draft EIR and, if so, when can we expect its release in order to prepare 
our questions and comments? 
Q. 2) As we have all read in the Los Angeles Times, Star News and various websites as well as thosearticles sent to the citizens by the Stop the Housing Project group, there have been recent studies toshow that there is already the beginning of another severe drought in the Western States, particularlyArizona, Nevada and Northern California. Because Sierra Madre relies on ground water as well aswater from the Metropolitan Water District, and the fact that the subject of water conservation hasincreased in the past few months, will consideration and/or revision be made to the EIR that will 
address this critical situation? If so, will this further delay the publication date? 
Stay tuned, the City’s response will be in the June 5th edition of the Mountain Views News. 

SIERRA MADRE KERSTING COURT UPDATE

 During the week of May 17th, the City will begin the demolition on the storefront side 
of Kersting Court. This will include removing the curb ramp at Baldwin Avenue in front 
of Starbucks and the old ADA ramp by Renaissance Art. Also, the ramps on the west side 
nearest Chase Bank and Lucky Bald-win's will be demolished and replaced. 

 During working hours, 8:00 am-4:00 pm, Kersting Court will be closed to through traffic 
and parking. The sidewalks will be open for pedestrian traffic, with pedestrian detours 
where the sidewalk is tem-porarily removed. The street/parking area will be opened as soon 
as the work ends for the day.

 The project's asphalt replacement is scheduled for the week of May 24th, with grinding and 
capping the parking lot with new asphalt. The street and raised crosswalks will be colored 
with a stamped de-sign the following week. During this phase, the road will be closed for a 
few days. However, the side-walks will remain open for pedestrians. 

 Also, as an additional item of information regarding the Kersting Court area next week; 
separate from the City’s project there will be fencing and scaffolding in front of the building 
that “Yogurt and More” occupied last year for façade improvements. Safe ADA access will 
be maintained at all times.

 We sincerely apologize for the unforeseen challenges that caused delays in the project. If 
you have any questions or would like to go over the project in person, please send us a note, 
and Public Works would be happy to discuss it with you. 

RESIDENTIAL Continued from page 1) 

Permitting Family Daycare Homes: In 2019, the State Legislature adopted Senate Bill No. 234 (“SB 
234”), the “Keeping Kids Close to Home Act. SB 234 took effect on January 1, 2020, and requires 
cities to treat a family daycare home as a residential use. Currently, Sierra Madre Municipal Code 
(“SMMC”) requires a conditional use permit for the operation of a large family daycare home in 
residential zones. State law prohibits the City from imposing business licenses, fees, or taxes for 
the privilege of operating a small or large family daycare home. Instead, licensing is managed by 
the Division of Child Care Licensing of the Department of Social Services. 

Permitting Manufactured and Modular Homes: As Sierra Madre permits single-family housing 
in the R-2, R-3, R-H, R-C, H and C zones, it must also permit manufactured and modular housing 
within these zone districts. The existing SMMC does not list modular and manufactured homes 
as a permitted use on lots zoned for single-family residential dwellings 

Permitting Transitional and Supportive Housing: “Transitional housing” means rental housing 
provided to facilitate the movement of homeless individuals or families to conventional housing. 
Transitional housing may take the form of single-family or multi-family units, and may include 
supportive services, as defined in Government Code section 65582, subdivision (h), operated 
under program requirements to allow individuals or families to gain necessary life skills in 
support of independent living. This type of housing may be occupied by a program recipient for 
a minimum of six months up to a maximum of two years, at which time it may be recirculated to 
another eligible program recipient. There are many types of supportive and transitional housing, 
including certified family homes, group homes, foster family homes, crisis nurseries, runaway 
youth shelters, small family homes, and transitional housing placement programs, to name a few.2 
Maximum occupancy in these facilities is dictated by the State licensing agency and the local 
Fire Marshal. The proposed amendments make transitional and supportive housing a permitted 
use in all of the City’s residential districts, as well as the commercial district, and subject to the 
same standards as may be required for dwellings in the respective zones. SMMC does not list 
transitional and supportive housing as a permitted use in the Multiple Family Residential High 
Density and Hillside Management Zones 

Allowing Supportive Housing By-Right: Assembly Bill No. 2162 (“AB 

2162”), effective January 1, 2019, requires the City to permit supportive 
housing by-right in all zones where multi-family and mixed-use is 
permitted, including non-residential zones permitting multi-family 
uses. The advantage to the developer is the ability to avoid discretionary 
review and the California Environmental Quality Act. To qualify for 
by-right permitting the supportive housing development must meet the 
following criteria: 1. Units must be subject to a 55-year affordability 
restriction; 2. 100 percent of units, except the manager’s unit, must be 
dedicated to lower-income households; 3. At least 25 percent of the 
units or 12 units, whichever is greater, must be restricted to residents 
in supportive housing. If a development has fewer than 15 units, 
100 percent of the units must be restricted to residents in supportive 
housing; 4. Certain percentages of non-residential floor area must be 
dedicated to onsite supportive services; 5. Any dwelling units on the 
site of the supportive housing development must be replaced; and 6. 
Each dwelling unit must have at least one bathroom and a kitchen. The 
current SMMC also does not allow any supportive housing projects 
by-right in any zone. 

Revising Parking Standards for Emergency Shelters: The Emergency 
and Transitional Housing Act of 2019, adopted under Assembly Bill No. 
139 (“AB 139”), effective January 1, 2020, requires cities to change the 
current parking standards for emergency shelters from a ratio based on 
the size of the structure to a ratio based on the number of shelter staff. 
The total number of parking spaces required for emergency shelters 
cannot exceed the total number of parking spaces required for other 
residential or commercial uses within the same zone. (Gov. Code, §
65583, subd. (a)(4)(ii).) The SMMC currently bases the number of 
parking spaces on the size of the emergency shelter. 

While the hearings give residents the opportunity to provide input on 
these changes, state law mandates local compliance in each instance. 

MVNews 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis 

“They carry us beneath their hearts,
That’s how every new life starts.
The beating of our mother’s heart,
The first sound that we hear. 
Love and peace surround us...
And God....is very near.
Your mother, my mother,
And Mary....the mother of....God.” * 

*Lyrics from “Your Mother, My Mother” – Star 
of Wonder – A Christmas Musical 
Book & Lyrics by Deanne Davis, Music by 
David Wheatley. 

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I don’t know about 
you, but I kept all my mother’s day cards from 
the last couple of years and the messages 
selected by my beloved children on these 
cards are so encouraging, so loving, so worth 
repeating… 

“To my mother. We all need someone to believe 
in us...in who we are and in all we can become. 
Someone to cheer, encourage, comfort and 
guide us...to give us the confidence we need to believe in ourselves and in our potential to reach 
our dreams. Thank you for being my someone. May you know how much your love and support 
mean to me and always will.” 


“Family is love and laughter, strength and smiles, hope and happiness. Every Mother’s Day is 
a gift – a chance to go back through the memories of the heart and say thank you. For a home 
that was warm and welcoming and filled with life and laughter – where each day seemed to hold 
some small adventure and something new to learn. For a family that loves being together – that 
cares for each other and helps one another through all the big and little ups and downs of life...
for a connection that gives meaning and purpose and joy to every day.” 

I will miss being with all the mothers in my family, who are numerous, probably just like your 
family. But, dear friends and neighbors, our hearts are always connected. We are never truly 
apart as the ties of love are very strong. God made us that way. And, speaking of God, I think 
the best essay about mothers was written by Erma Bombeck around 1974. I’m sharing it with 
you again as I think it’s just the right thing to say just now. 

“When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of “overtime” when the

angel appeared and said, “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.” 

And God said, “Have you read the specs on this order?” She has to be completely washable, butnot plastic. Have 180 moveable parts…all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Havea lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a 
disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands.” 

The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pairs of hands…. no way.” 

“It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” God remarked, “it’s the three pairs of eyes 

that mothers have to have.” 

“That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel. God nodded. “One pair that sees through 
closed doors when she asks, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows.
Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know,
and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when they goof up and say. ‘I 
understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.” 

“God,” said the angel touching his sleeve gently, “Get some rest tomorrow….” 

I can’t,” said God, “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have onewho heals herself when she is sick…can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger…andcan get a nine-year-old to stand under a shower.” 

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed. 

“But tough!” said God excitedly. “You can imagine what this mother can do or endure.” 

“Can it think?” 

“Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise,” said the Creator. 

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. 

“There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told You that You were trying to put too much into thismodel.” 

“It’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.” 

“What’s it for?” 

“It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride.” 

“You are a genius,” said the angel. 

Somberly, God said, “I didn’t put it there.”” 

Erma Bombeck, When God Created Mothers 

I’m wishing each of you a Happy Mother’s Day. Make phone calls, send a beautiful bouquet likethis one in the picture, organize Zoom parties, send texts, and say I love you! Say it a lot! MayGod bless all the mothers we know! 

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 
Where you’ll find “Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope”
And “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter”
Take a look at both of these books, stuffed with hope and some really good recipes. 


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