Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, June 12, 2021

Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 12, 2021 Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 12, 2021 
Pasadena 
to Celebrate 
Local 626 Day 


Illegal Fireworks Gut Pasadena Home 


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 

 Visit Pasadena and the 
City of Pasadena have 
announced 626 Day, 
a citywide campaign 
encouraging locals and 
visitors to support the 
businesses and cultural 
institutions that make our 
city shine. From its hip 
dining scene to its unique 
shops and museums, 
Pasadena is a city ready to 
be explored.

 The day-long event on 
Saturday, June 26, includes 
a planned social media 
takeover with posts by 
Pasadena businesses and 
social media elements for 
locals and visitors to use 
on their own social feeds. 
For ways to celebrate and 
support local business, 
visit the Pasadena 626 
Day page at visitpasadena.
com/626-day.

 “We have a lot to celebrate 
in anticipation of statewide 
restrictions being lifted 
and our businesses 
and museums finally 
returning to normal,” said 
Economic Development 
Manager Eric Duyshart, 
“I encourage everyone to 
join in the fun of Pasadena 
626 Day by supporting our 
local businesses, making 
plans to visit our cultural 
institutions, and taking 
in the amenities that 
Pasadena has to offer.”

 Businesses and cultural 
institutions across the city 
are invited to participate 
in Pasadena 626 Day by 
offering discounts and 
in-person promotions to 
entice locals and visitors 
back. Interested businesses 
can find out more details 
and fill out the 626 Day 
Business Participation 
Form at: cityofpasadena.
net "search 626 Day."

 “Pasadena has always 
been a diverse destination 
with many attractions to 
explore. We are excited 
to be able to showcase 
all that the city has to 
offer and allow visitors to 
participate in Pasadena 
626 Day. We hope that 
by doing so, they will 
discover new adventures 
they can experience. Now 
that things have reopened, 
this encourages traveling 
and helps our businesses 
recover,” said Jeanne 
Goldschmidt, executive 
director of Visit Pasadena.

 Visit Pasadena and the 
City of Pasadena will also 
be hosting an Instagram 
giveaway contest featuring 
Pasadena prizes. Those 
interested can fill out 
the Instagram story 
survey using the hashtag 
#Pasadena626Day for a 
chance to win.

 For questions contact the 
Economic Development 
Office at (626)744-7357 or 
visit: cityofpasadena.net/

 economicdevelopment/ 
626-day. 

 A local family of three lost 
everything Tuesday after a fire, 
caused by illegal fireworks, tore 
through their home in the 800 
block of Summit Avenue in 
Pasadena.

 According to Battalion 
Chief Anthony James, when 
firefighters arrived on scene 
around 1:20 p.m. they found 
the one-story house with heavy 
fire showing from the rear of the 
property. 

 The fire began as an exterior 
fire in vegetation that caught 
numerous vehicles on fire and 
then spread into the main house 
on the property according to 
James. The fire extended into 
the structure causing heavy 
damage inside the house and 
attic. Fire also impinged on an 
adjacent apartment building 
and caused minor damage to a 
neighboring house. 

 “Fireworks are Illegal in the 
City of Pasadena for a reason,” 
he said.

 Investigators later confirmed 
that the fire was caused by two 

Pasadena Fire Chief 
Chad Augustin Sworn In 

children, next door, playing 
with fireworks. 

 James said, three adults were 
displaced from the home. 
Pasadena Fire provided the 
homeowner with a SAFER 
Card valued at $250 for any 
necessities. Additionally the 
family was offered and accepted 
the services of the Red Cross for 
shelter.

 “We’re experiencing high heat, 
drought, very dry vegetation 
and add fireworks and you 
create the perfect storm for a 
significant wild land fire, injuries 
and major property damage like 
we saw this week, said Pasadena 
PIO Lisa Derderian. “The 
residents literally escaped with 
the clothes on their back.”

 A neighbor started a 
GoFundMe campaign for 
the family. At press time, 126 
donors raised $9,051. 

 Officials also cautioned that 
the city maintains a zero 
tolerance enforcement policy 
for fireworks, and Pasadena 
police and firefighters are 


Newly hired Fire Chief Chad 
Augustin (pictured right) was 
sworn in Thursday by City 
Clerk Mark Jomsky in front of 
City Hall . Due to COVID the 
ceremony had been postponed, 
he was joined by city officials, 
his former co-workers from 
Sacramento and Merced 
Fire, friends and family and 
Pasadena Firefighters.

 Augustin became fire chief of 
Pasadena Fire Department, Feb. 

22. As fire chief, he oversees 
190 full-time employees 
and the departments annualdepartment budget of $55.5 
million. 
According to City Manager 
Steve Mermell Augustin 
began his career with SFD 
as a firefighter paramedic 
and has risen through the 
ranks over the last 20 years, 
serving in a wide range of 
areas, including training, fire 
prevention, administration, 
human resources, professional 
standards, operations and 
emergency medical services. 
He comes to Pasadena with 
a diverse background in 
hazardous materials, urban 
search and rescue, large-scale 
emergency/disaster incident 
management, and developing 
short- and long-range plans.

 As deputy fire chief for SFD, 
Chief Augustin is responsible 

for the department’s Fire 
Operations and Emergency 
Medical Services (EMS)
Divisions, overseeing the 
daily operations of 24 fire 
stations with an annual budget 
responsibility of $100 million. 
During his tenure with SFD, 
he has provided leadership 
in support of high-quality 
EMS care and transportation, 
streamlined the emergency 
response model for ambulance 
dispatch, and managed cost 
recovery efforts and billing 
improvements. In February 
2020, Chief Augustin was 
selected for the highly 
competitive Fire Service 
Executive Development 
Institute, a program 
developed by the International 
Association of Fire Chiefs, to 
provide new and aspiring chiefs 
with the tools they need to 
have successful and productive 
tenures.

 In Feburary Mermell said, 
“The chief ’s passion for the fire 
service is infectious, and he has 
a reputation as being a leader 
others want to follow. His desire 
to foster innovation, collaborate 
with school districts and state 
and local agencies, and mentor 
the next generation of fire 
service leaders will benefit the 
Pasadena community and fire 
department employees.” 

teaming up for special fireworks 
enforcement patrols before 
and during the Fourth of July 
holiday. The city municipal 
code holds property owners 
and tenants responsible for 
permitting the possession, sale, 
usage or discharge of fireworks 
on their property. The ordinance 
allows for the prosecution of 
fireworks-related offenses and 
for the demand of payment 
for all costs associated with 
the safe disposal of confiscated 
fireworks they said. For more 
information on Fourth of July 
safety visit: cityofpasadena.net. 

Blood Drives 
in South 
Pasadena

 The Red Cross is hosting the 

last in a series of blood drives 

in South Pasadena.

 The next blood drive is set for 

1 p.m. – 7 p.m., South Pasadena 

Public Library, 1115 El Centro 

St.

 Donors are asked to 

schedule an appointment 

prior to arriving at the drive. 

Appointments can be made via 

RedCrossBlood.org and enter 

sponsor code: SOPASLIB.

 On the Day of the Drive: 

Streamline your donation 

experience and save up 

to 15 minutes by visiting 

RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass

to complete your pre-donation 

reading and health history 

questions. 

Discover 
Wildlife: BixbyMarshland 
Virtual Tour

 Pasadena Central Library 
is set to host a virtual tour 
Wednesday at 5 p.m. of The 
Bixby Marshland near Carson . 
Event organizers said that The 
Bixby Marshland is a remnant 
of a formerly extensive, 
natural-freshwater wetland 
known as Bixby Slough. 
Over the years, most of Bixby 
Slough was destroyed due to 
development. To restore the 
Bixby Marshland, the site was 
vegetated with a large number 
of native plants and regraded 
to improve the flow of water. 
A pump was installed to liftstorm water and urban runoff 
from Wilmington Drain into 
the marshland. After going 
through the marshland, 
the water exits back into 
Wilmington Drain. Through 
this restoration effort, the 
site has been rejuvenated, 
renewing the marshland’s 
health and increasing its value 
to wildlife. Join us to learn 
more about this amazing 
wetland environment and the 
plants, birds, fish and animals 
that inhabit it. For more 
information and to sign up 
visit: PasadenaPublicLibrary. 
net. 

Mount Wilson ObservatoryAnnounces Re-Opening 

Accompanied by First-
Ever History Showcase“Discovering MountWilson.”

 Officials at the Mount 
Wilson Observatory, 
Southern California’s 
historic home to over 100 
years of groundbreaking 
astronomical discovery, 
announced it will re-open to 
the public on Tuesday. 

 Located on a peak in the 
San Gabriel Mountains 
of the Angeles National 
Forest, near Pasadena, the 
Observatory closed in early 
2020 in accordance with 
the US Forest Service’s 
observance of Covid-19 and 
pandemic safety guidelines 
they said. The gates to 
Mount Wilson’s acreage will 
open at 10 a.m. every day the 
remainder of the summer 
and close at sunset. Parking 
will be available, and visitors 
can hike the grounds, gaze 
at the telescope domes 
that dot the landscape, and 
browse through the Historic 
Museum in the Lecture Hall.

 To accompany the 
reopening, the Observatory 
also announces the 
creation of an expansive 
multi-platform campaign 
to celebrate its history, 
“Discovering Mount 
Wilson.” Starting also on 
Tuesday, Mount Wilson 
“Chapters” – brief stories 
about the Mountain’s history 

– will pop up on the MountWilson website, Facebook, 
Instagram, Twitter, donor 
newsletters and other 
platforms to showcase a 
rich legacy of astronomy 
narrative in the 20th century. 
The Chapters will utilize 
stunning archival images 
captured by the telescopes, 
and pictures of the physical 
evolution of the mountain 
facility itself, which hosts 
two historically important 
telescopes: the 100-inch 
Hooker telescope, (featuring 
the world’s largest aperture 
from 1917 to 1949), and the 
60-inch telescope (world’slargest operational telescopefrom 1908 to 1917).

 Founded by George Ellery 
Hale in 1904, Mount Wilson 
Observatory has played host 
to a who’s who of important 
figures in 20th century 
astronomy, including 
Edwin Hubble, Albert 
Einstein, Harlow Shapley, 
Milton Humason and many 
others. The Chapters will 
lead readers to a better 
understanding of why 
Mount Wilson is “Where we 
Discovered Our Place in the 
Universe.”

 As part of the complete 
re-opening, Mount Wilson 
Observatory has now 
released a limited number 
of reservations for night sky 
viewing on the 60-inch and 
100-inch telescopes. Thesecan be booked for eveningsthroughout the summer. 
Information about fees, 
available viewing dates, and 
reservation forms for privateobservation can be found at: 
mtwilson.edu/60-telescopeand at: mtwilson.edu/100telescope.


 “We’re excited to announce 
the “Discovering Mount 
Wilson” campaign in 
celebration of our history, 
just as we can now welcome 
guests from all over the 
world, back to the mountain 
top,” said Sam Hale, 
Chairman of the Board of 
Trustees, Mount Wilson 
Institute. “Mount Wilson is 
unlike any place in the world 
from both an astronomical 
viewing and historical 
standpoint. We’re hoping 
this campaign will help 
even more people discover 
both the rich impact and 
significant discoveries of 
this beautiful and important 
place.”

 Sam Hale is the grandson of 
founder George Ellery Hale. 

 For more information visit: 
mtwilson.edu.