Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, June 4, 2022

Mountain View News Saturday, June 4, 2022 

Fireworks 
Ordinance 
to be StrictlyEnforced

 Pasadena officials are 
reminding residents that 
the 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. 

 The city maintains a zero 
tolerance enforcement policy 
for fireworks and Pasadena’s 
police and firefighters are 
teaming up for special 
fireworks enforcement 
patrols before and during 
the Fourth of July holiday. 
Any person who violates the 
ordinance or any state law 
regarding fireworks is subject 
to arrest; having their vehicles 
impounded; serving up to 
one year in county jail; and 
being fined up to $50,000.

 Officials said that Statistics 
show that fireworks are 
among the most dangerous 
of all consumer products. 
Even hand-held sparklers, 
which many consider safe, 
are dangerous and can reach 
1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, 
causing serious burns or fires. 
National Fire Protection 
Association statistics reveal 
that a majority of fireworks-
related injuries are caused 
by so-called “safe and sane” 
fireworks which are illegal in 
Pasadena.

 Due to the potential for 
fire hazards and injuries, 
Pasadena police and fire 
personnel will patrol the City 
looking for illegal firework 
activity and police officers 
will seize fireworks in an 
effort to protect the public. 
Parking enforcement officers 
will ensure that vehicles 
illegally parked in Pasadena’s 
hillside areas on July 4th are 
impounded.

 The Pasadena Fire 
Department will be applying 
Phos-Chek to brush areas 
around the Arroyo area. The 
main ingredients of this fire 
retardant are phosphates and 
fertilizers to help prevent 
plants from burning and to 
re-vegetate burned wildland 
areas.

 If You See Something, Say 
Something. Call Pasadena 
Police at (626) 744-4241 to 
report illegal fireworks and 
other suspicious activities. 

City RaisesPride Flag 


As June marks the 
celebration of Lesbian, 
Gay, Bisexual and 
Transgender (LGBT) Pride 
Month, Mayor Victor 
Gordo, City Council 
members including Tyron 
Hampton, Felicia Williams 
and community members 
attend the Progress Pride 
Flag raising ceremony 
Wednesday in front of City 
Hall. The flag was designed 
by non-binary artist Daniel 
Quasar and made by San 
Diego-based Pride Flag 
SD, the first Queer-owned 
flag company. 

RBOC Names New General Manager 

Tournament Foundation 

 
The Rose Bowl Operating 
Company’s Board of Directors 
announced that Jens Weiden 
(pictured) became the new 
General Manager/Chief 
Executive Officer of the 
organization Wednesday— 
pending formal approval of the 
full Board of Directors in the 
coming weeks. Weiden replaces 
long time General Manager/
Chief Executive Officer, Darryl 
Dunn.

 According to a statement, 
Weiden currently serves as the 
RBOC’s Chief Revenue Officer, 
a position he has held since 
2013. 

 “I am truly honored to continue 
to build upon the 27-year 
legacy that Darryl established, 
supported by an unbelievable 
team of professionals 
throughout the RBOC 
organization,” Weiden said. 
“We will work collaboratively 
with the Mayor, City Council, 
City Manager and all Pasadena 
residents to ensure that the Rose 
Bowl campus remains a world-
renown destination and point of 

pride for the community. I am 
grateful to the RBOC’s Board 
of Directors’ confidence in my 
abilities and leadership, and 
I am eager to begin the next 
chapter in our storied history.”

 Prior to joining the RBOC 
Staff, Weiden worked for the 
San Francisco Giants and 
was responsible for all non-
baseball events at Oracle Park. 
He has also held positions at 
24 Hour Fitness Corp. where 
he led marketing efforts and 
was a General Manager for the 
American Golf Corporation. 
Weiden holds a bachelor’s 
degree from St. Mary’s College 
(California). 

“A few years ago, the Board 
asked Darryl Dunn to develop 
a deep pool of executive staff to 
ensure that a transition would 
go smoothly—and it paid off,” 
said RBOC Board of Directors’ 
President Steve Haderlein. “We 
are thrilled that we can stay 
within the organization as Jens 
has proven to be invaluable in 
so many ways during his tenure 
in Pasadena. We are excited 

Local Man Sentenced to 3 
Years for $8.3 Million Scam 

 Claimed Precious 
Metals Could Be 
Extracted from 
‘Ancient Slag’

 A Pasadena business man 
was sentenced Thursday to 36 
months in federal prison for 
defrauding over 100 investors 
out of more than $8 million 
through a scheme that sold 
“ancient slag,” a mining waste 
byproduct that supposedly 
contained precious metals.

 Michael Godfree, 80, a United 
Kingdom citizen who resides 
in the Mount Washington 
neighborhood of Los Angeles, 
was sentenced by United 
States District Judge John A. 
Kronstadt, who also ordered 
Godfree to pay $8,336,965 in 
restitution.

 Godfree pleaded guilty in 
December 2021 to one count of 
mail fraud.

 From 2011 to November 
2017, Godfree schemed to 
defraud victim-purchasers 
of material he identified as 
“ancient slag” and “gold ore.” 
He was co-founder of The 
Minerals Acquisition Company 
(TMAC), a Pasadena-based 
outfit that offered to sell slag 
to victims who were told 
the company would be able 
to extract precious metals 
from this slag, which was 
generated from copper mining. 
TMAC sold ton-quantities 
of the slag with promises 
of refining the material and 
recovering precious metals. 
TMAC provided victims 
with supposedly attorney-
certified “Certificates of Title” 
that purported to transfer 
ownership of the slag to victims. 

 Godfree fraudulently induced 
the victims to buy the “ancient 
slag” by falsely stating the 
“ancient slag” was valuable 
because it contained precious 
metals and a process would 
soon be available that could 
extract the precious metals 
supposedly in the slag.

 Godfree and TMAC did 
not actually own most of the 
slag they sold, there was not a 
commercially viable process 
for extracting precious metals 
from the slag, and the business 
operation had not been 
endorsed by a lawyer.

 Acting on Godfree’s false 
promises, victims sent the 
company money by mailing 
checks to the TMAC offices in 
Pasadena and by wiring money 
to accounts that Godfree 
controlled. Godfree used the 
funds to pay for his personal 
expenses.

 In total, Godfree and TMAC 
caused losses of approximately 
$8,336,965 to the victims of 
their fraud.

 TMAC was dissolved in 2015, 
but its operations were largely 
taken over by Precious Metals 
of North America Inc., another 
of Godfree’s companies.

 “Godfree was nothing more 
than a glorified conman,” 
prosecutors wrote in a 
sentencing memorandum. “At 
bottom, [Godfree] was selling 
nothing more than worthless 
dirt (that he generally didn’t 
own) along with a non-existent 
‘process’ to extract value from 
the dirt…. Unsurprisingly, not 
a single victim-purchaser has 
ever seen any return on their 
purchase. Instead, the money 
was spent on lavish goods 
and personal expenses for 
[Godfree].” 

Announces Grant Awards 

(Early Childhood Learning, 
STEAM/STEM, Literacy.) 
Broad categories allow the 
Foundation to contribute to the 
civic, cultural and educational 
advancement of our local 
communities. 

Below is a complete list of 
the 2022 Tournament of Roses 
Foundation grant recipients, 
descriptions of each grant 
recipient are available at: 
tournamentofroses.com/
foundation. 
Eliot Arts Magnet AcademyDon Benito Elementary SchoolGirls on the Run of Los Angeles 
CountyAltadena Library FoundationPasadena Area Reading is Fun-
Damental 
Pasadena Senior Center 
Boys & Girls Club of the 
Foothills 
Lineage Performing Arts 
Center 
Pasadena Educational 
Foundation 
Ronald McDonald House 
Pasadena 
John Muir High School Alumni 
Association 
Move A Child Higher, Inc. 
(MACH1)
Pasadena Panthers Inc. 
Club 21 Learning and Resource 
Center, Inc.
Clazzical Notes 
Oakwood Brass – Outreach 
ProjectPasadena Southwest Little 
LeagueAssistance League of PasadenaThe Fund for Partnership for 
Success! 
The Tournament of Roses 
Foundation is a tax exempt, 
non-profit public benefit 
corporation established 
to receive and manage 
contributions from the 
Pasadena Tournament of Roses 
Association, its supporters 
and the general public. The 
17-member board of directors 
is comprised of communityleaders and Tournament 
members, appointed by thePasadena Tournament of Roses 
Association. Organizationsor individuals interested in 
making a contribution or 
inquiring about the grants 
process should contact the 
Foundation by calling (626)
449-4100 or visiting the 
Tournament of Roses website 
at: tournamentofroses.com/
foundation. 

about what the future holds and 
are confident that Jens, and our 
entire senior team and staff, will 
lead us to even greater heights.” 
Dunn is set to retire June 30, 
after 27 years with the Stadium.

For more information 
about the Rose Bowl visit: 
rosebowlstadium.com. 

Altadena 
Library Events 

Wednesday, June 8 — Visit 
the Curiosity Connection at 
the Altadena Farmers’ Market 
from 3 to 6 p.m. to learn 
how to DIY your own wood 
log planter. (Registration 
required).
Friday, June 10 — Meet us 
@ the Trails for a hike of the 
Rubio Canyon Trail and history 
of Mount Lowe Railway by the 
Altadena Historical Society 
from 8 to 10 a.m. (Registration 
required).
Friday, June 10 — Help us 
solve the Murder on Misty 
Island from 6 to 8 p.m. at 
Bob Lucas Memorial Library. 
(Registration required). 
Whodunit? 
Tuesday, June 21 — Join us 
from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the 
Main Library Community 
Room as NASA JPL research 
scientist Dr. Benjamin 
Hamlington shares an 
insightful presentation on 
Rising Seas: Where, When and 
How Much. 
Monday, June 27 - Friday, July 
1 — Search for clues, gather 
keys and solve the riddle of the 
Bob Lucas Library Scavenger 
Hunt. Pick up a form at the 
library. 

Second 
Saturday:
Upstream

 Join the Altadena Library 

for an outdoor concert 

with Upstream, Southern 

California’s premier live reggae, 

Soca and Caribbean band, on 

Saturday, June 11, from 7 to 

9 p.m. at the Main Library. 

Registration is required.

 With a multi-talented line 

up of some of the most 

experienced and enlightened 

musicians, Upstream spreads a 

message of love and positivity 

through their music.

 Due to the popularity of 

this event, we recommend 

attendees bring their own 

chairs. Additional parking is 

available at the Altadena Senior 

Center at 560 E. Mariposa St.

 You can find more information 

and register for summer events 

as well as view our full calendar 

of ongoing programs and clubs 

at www.altadenalibrary.org/ 

programs. 

 
The Pasadena Tournament of 
Roses Foundation announced 
Tuesday its 2022 grant awards, 
totaling nearly $200,000, going 
to 19 organizations in the San 
Gabriel Valley. These grants 
will support new and ongoing 
programs benefiting children, 
teens, adults and seniors.

 In 1983, the non-profit 
Foundation was created 
to receive and manage 
contributions from the 
Pasadena Tournament 
of Roses Association, its 
members, donors, friends 
of the Foundation, sponsors 
and public supporters. 
The Association and the 
Tournament of Roses 
Foundation are focused on 
positively impacting the 
Pasadena community with 
charitable giving, volunteerism 
and community involvement.

 Since its inception, the 
Foundation has funded more 
than $3.5 million in charitable 
contributions on behalf of 
the Tournament of Roses 
Association. A goal of the 
Foundation is to invest in people 
through sustainable programs. 
One $35,000 grant and $15,000 
grant were awarded. The 
other 17 community initiatives 
received single-year grants of 
up to $10,000.
Grant awards: 
$35,000 grant – Eliot Arts 
Magnet Academy cultivates 
the academic achievements 
of middle school students 
through music, dance, theater 
and visual arts. The school will 
replace instruments that are 
beyond repair and increase 
inventory to meet the growing 
enrollment in their popular arts 
academy.

 $15,000 grant – Don Benito 
Elementary School strives for 
the development of the whole 
child and provides a curriculum 
built upon research-based best 
practices that integrate the arts, 
technology, innovation and 
social-emotional learning. The 
community partnership with 
the Armory Center for the Arts 
will provide all students with 
the opportunity to have a direct 
learning experience with the 
visual arts. 
The categories for the 
Foundation grants are Visual 
and Performing Arts, Sports 
and Recreation and Education 


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