Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, November 5, 2022

The Chef Knows By Peter Dills The Chef Knows By Peter Dills 
The general life expectancy for restaurants lasting more than 
5 years is about 50%, and after 10 years that number falls even 
lower. With that in mind, I went through my Yelp page to see 
how many (if any) of the restaurants featured in my 200 or so 
reviews were still in business. 
Off I went to re-visit the Luggage Room – since it did make it 
to the 10-year mark, bravo!! Many of you have calendars to 
remind you of holidays, birthdays, and meetings. As I mentioned 
last week, writers have unusual calendars for National 
Food weeks and months. If you get on Santa's bad list, you may 
just get one of these peculiar calendars for Christmas. Guess 
what the National Food for October was? Times up… Pizza! 
If you got that one right, you may keep reading. If you missed 
that answer, you need to go back and start at the beginning of 
the article. 

You may or may not know the owner Bob Lynn, a restaurant 
genius. He started Houston's Restaurant years ago and later 
opened the popular La Grande Orange, both in Pasadena. 
Here is an excerpt from a column that I did years ago, “Do you ever go to a place and 
have such a wonderful experience, that it reminds you of a great date that you can't get 
out of your mind? I am starting to believe that Central Park, in the middle of Pasadena, 
has some spell over me. You may be thinking, what is Peter talking about this week? 
Before you call for the padded car, let me explain. It happens to be that two of my favorite 
restaurants are both next to Central Park in Pasadena. The Luggage Room Restaurant 
and Le Grande Orange. This is just too good to be true!!” 


The Luggage Room is an annex to the LGO Bar in the middle with an open kitchen to 
the east side of the room. The star is the wood fire pizza oven making pizza at a perfect 
700 degrees, Yep, 700 - I asked the chef. The menu is selective, offering appetizers/salads, 
burgers and pizzas. I love the minimalist approach. I brought a few friends along to make 
sure that I had a thorough viewing of the menu. We grazed on what I feel is the highlight 
of the starter menu: bacon wrapped dates ($6) and a pleasing portion of deviled eggs ($6).
We were here for the pizza and were able to sample many. Margherita Pizza ($17), Haas 
Avocado Festival ($17) brilliantly named, and truly an avocado feast!! The Mother Earth 
($17) had plenty of olives, artichokes, roasted peppers. My favorite pizza of the night 
was The Gladiator ($18) made with spicy Italian sausage and molinari pepperoni. When 
I return, this will be my choice with a full glass of red wine. I'm glad that I brought my 
knowledgeable wine friends along, because they knew the wines on the menu!! Although 
Oktoberfest is behind us the German Bitburger beer was also a good choice. We had a 
great experience at the Luggage Annex at the LGO. I did notice that many customers 
were in no hurry to leave, enjoying their pizza and sipping their wine, with seemingly no 
immediate intention of departing this slice of Heaven. Check it out before a movie, or a 
first date. Burgers and Fish available too!
260 S Raymond Ave. Pasadena 

USC TROJAN AFFILIATES HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE AND 
SCHOLARSHIP DINNER NOVEMBER 17TH 

USC Trojan Affiliates, a philanthropic and social women’s group, of the University of 
Southern California invites alumni and friends to attend their upcoming Holiday Boutique 
and meeting on Thursday, November 17, 2022 at the Altadena Town and Country Club, 
2290 Country Club Drive, Altadena. Social no host bar and boutique runs from 4:00-7:00 

p.m. with a dinner and meeting at 7:00 p.m. 
Guests are welcome to attend the Holiday Boutique and/or the Scholarship Dinner Meeting. 
There is no charge to attend the Holiday Boutique, which will feature a variety of 
approximately fifteen outstanding vendors, and items for all ages. Vendors include Hazels 
Bags, Lavender Blue (tablecloths, napkins, and more), Pams Cookies and Cakes, Designs by 
Ronnelle Jewelry, Dry Divias, Essence Boutique (floral art), Peg Board Highway (apparel), 
Lugenia’s (jewelry and accessories), Mermaid Art, Traveler’s Boutique (USC Traveler horse 
merchandise), Sierra Madre Collective Cop-Op, USC items from Trojan Affiliates, Trojan 
League Associates of the Valley, and Trojan Guild of Los Angeles, and more. Sales from the 
boutique will help support the USC Trojan Affiliates scholars, worthy students pursuing 
their educational advancement at USC. 

Guests will also be able to purchase tickets to win twenty-nine unique and fabulous Opportunity 
baskets. The basket themes include Arrowhead Weekend, Candy Basket, Catalina 
Trip, Charcuterie Basket, Dodger Basket, Floral Arrangement, Golf Basket, Kate Spade 
Basket, Martini Basket, Gift Tree Card, and more. 

At the dinner, guests will meet the Trojan Affiliates Scholarship recipients as they share 
their experiences as USC students. 

Sierra Madre resident Ann Palmer is serving in her second year as President. She encourages 
the community to attend the November event to become acquainted with the members 
of Trojan Affiliates. The members meet five times a year in the San Gabriel Valley and 
are addressed by various USC professors and other well versed and interesting speakers. 
Members also donate their time to raise greatly needed funds for scholarships for worthy 
USC students. Volunteer opportunities include selling USC products, volunteering at the 
Pasadena Showcase House, USC Day of Service in March, and more. Of course, the members 
also participate in a variety of social and cultural events and interface in numerous 
capacities with the University. 

The formal purpose of this alumnae organization is to foster a spirit of friendship, loyalty, 
and cooperation with the University of Southern California, to develop and sustain a successful 
fundraising project in order to provide scholarships for USC students and contribute 
to the advancement of education. 

For further information regarding USC Trojan Affiliates and/or to make a reservation for 
their November 17th dinner at $95 per person, please contact Kandi Wopschall at wopschall@
earthlink.net or (818) 790-1970 by November 11th. As there is no charge to attend 
the Holiday Boutique, it is not necessary to make a reservation for the boutique. 

New and Vintage Jewelery 
Expert Repairs 
Great Advice 
612 W Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel, CA 91776 
(626) 284 -9444 
www.ghwilkejewelry.com93rd ANNIVERSARY SALE 
November 1 - 5 
Mountain View News Saturday, September 10, 2022 
EXPOSING THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH 
AND WILDLIFE’S COLOSSAL FAILURE 


As we all have come to know, Sierra Madre’s residential 
areas, elementary schools, and the downtown 
area have become California’s hotspot for bear 
activity and the most dangerous city in California 
for bear attacks, suffering more bear attacks on humans 
in the last few years than any other city in California. 
Daily bear encounters in Sierra Madre are, 
according to the California Department of Fish and 
Wildlife (CDFW), now considered “routine.” 

Consider for a moment, according to a search of 
California Department of Fish and Game records, 
during the 20 year period between 1975 and 1995, 
the entire State of California reported 7 bear attacks. 
That’s 7 attacks in a 20 year period over an 
area of 164,000 square miles. Now contrast that 
with the last 6 years in Sierra Madre’s 3 square miles 
that has suffered 4 bear attacks and bear encounters 
greater than the CDFW’s ability or willingness to 
control them. Additionally, according to reports by 
both CBS Sacramento and CNN, in 2021, California 
experienced two home break-ins. While one might 
question the accuracy of these reports, Sierra Madre 
Canyon often sees more than that in a single day so 
either both CNN and CBS are not doing their homework 
or someone is not giving accurate data to the 
public. 

So what exactly has happened in the last 10 years 
that has resulted in the dangerous increase in the 
urbanized bear population that now plagues Sierra 
Madre and the nearby Foothill communities? In a 
nutshell, it is a result of gross negligence by the California 
Department of Fish and Wildlife, The California 
Fish and Game Commission, the California 
State Legislature, and a two decade practice of failed 
and negligent wildlife management practices without 
adequate oversight. 

In order to gain a better understanding, one needs 
to take a close look at the Department’s management 
practices, changes in wildlife management 
philosophies, neglected goals, changes that were 
contrary to the Department’s and Commission’s 
established goals, and the results of 24 years of the 
their mismanagement. 

In 1998, the California Department of Fish and 
Game identified and reported a steady increase in 
the black bear population and therefore published 
their "Black Bear Management Plan." In 2000, two 
years later, the Department reviewed and updated 
their bear policies. For the next 22 years, however, 
as the Department recognized a steady increase in 
the bear population, the Department neglected and 
failed to review and update their policies to address 
and provide solutions to manage and control the increased 
overpopulation of black bears in their natural 
habitat beyond what these habitats could provide. 
They also failed to implement the necessary 
actions to control and prohibit the urbanization of 
bear populations resulting from the overpopulation 
of the natural wild habitat. Additionally, in the absence 
of adequate oversight, the Department failed 
to implement controls and practices that prevented 
the overpopulation and “exponential” growth of urbanized 
bears in residential neighborhoods. 

It’s important to note that the Department is subject 
and bound by the laws that are established by state 
legislatures. Regulations are established by the Fish 
and Game Commission and regulations may not 
supersede the laws established by state legislations. 
The CDFW is mandated to operate within the regulations 
established by the Commission. The management 
of bear populations, when operating correctly 
and in adherence to each entity’s laws, missions, 
goals, and objectives is a bureaucratic partnership 
and one that cities throughout California relied on. 

During the 22 years between 2000 and 2022, according 
to a Department Bulletin dated, February 
16, 2022, the Department failed to review and update 
its various bear policies. It also appears that in 
2013, the Department (as well as the Commission) 
underwent a fundamental shift in practices and 
philosophies. In 2013, the Department of Fish and 
Game changed its name to the Department of Fish 
and Wildlife, implying that their focus was shifting 
away from hunting and the stigma that might imply. 
It was also at that time when Sierra Madre started 
to experience a noticeable increase in urbanized 
bears, an increase that CDFW now refers to as an 
“exponential increase.” Along with the increase and 
overpopulation of urbanized bears in Sierra Madre 
came four bear attacks on humans in Sierra Madre. 
An amount that exceeds anything experienced elsewhere 
in the entire state of California. 

That same year, 2013, the Commission also prohibited 
using hounds for bear hunting. Since that 
policy took effect, the annual hunting harvests have 
declined significantly, further facilitating the overpopulation 
of bears in their natural habitats and in 
urban neighborhoods. Since that time, the CDFW, 
on numerous occasions, has also stated that the Angeles 
National Forest was no longer able to support 
the overpopulation of bears in their natural habit 
that resulted as a result of their policies. This overpopulation 
forced bears into the urbanized neighborhoods 
where we now have several generations of 
urbanized bears that sadly, according to the CDFW, 
are unable to survive in their natural habitats. According 
to the CDFW, these bears rely solely on human 
food sources and are not candidates for relocation, 
regardless of the potential threats they pose. 

At one point, in order to address the overpopulations 
of both wild and urbanized bears and to address 
public safety concerns, the Department and 
Commission decided to increase the total number 
of bears that could be taken in an annual bear-hunting 
season. According to CDFW biologist, Rebecca 
Barboza, this increase created a public outcry by the 
anti-hunting crowd. Reacting to the outcry, the Department 
and Commission decided to place a higher 
priority on the public outcry over public safety and 
reversed their decision. This decision has helped facilitate 
the exponential increases in the urbanized 
bear populations, bear encounters, and the threats 
that are associated with urbanized bears. With the 
increased bear populations, increased property damage, 
increased home entries and attacks, a reasonable 
person would assume that public safety would 
be a top priority by the Legislature, the Department, 
and the Commission. Apparently not. For a period 

of time, Sierra Madreans were directed to contact 
the Pasadena Humane Society (PHS) to report all 
bear encounters and that PHS would forward the report 
to the CDFW. However in 2021, it was discovered 
by the Sierra Madre City Council that the PHS 
failed to contact the CDFW, putting Sierra Madre 
residents in increased danger. One might find it interesting 
that at that very same time, the Humane 
Society of the U.S. (HSUS) was involved in passing a 
legislative bill in California to outlaw all bear hunting 
in California. The HSUS, (who also funds local 
Humane Societies,) petitioned the Commission to 
ban hunting as well as supported a proposed bill, SB 
252, that was submitted by California Senator Scott 
Wiener. After it was exposed that SB 252 contained 
an abundance of false statements, false data, and 
numerous misrepresentations, Wiener withdrew 
the bill. 

For Sierra Madre, bear encounters and sightings are 
a common and potentially dangerous reality. For the 
most part, nothing is being done to protect the residents, 
especially school children. Early this week, a 
sow and two cubs were filmed on Sierra Madre Blvd. 
and then heading north on Baldwin past 3 elementary 
schools. This happened at the same time school 
children were arriving to attend class. Sierra Madre 
schools have not been informed on the increased 
dangers and have not been informed on who to call 
in the event of a bear encounter on campus. The 
Department has failed to inform our schools of the 
increased dangers. 

Even as recent as last week, a Sierra Madre Canyon 
resident reported to the CDFW that a young bear 
was observed in a state of extreme stress and needed 
attention. The CDFW representative informed the 
resident that the CDFW had run out of tranquilizers 
and would not be able to respond for an additional 3 
days. Considering the fact that the very same CDFW 
representative was contacted a week earlier notifying 
her that a bear was seen on St. Rita’s elementary 
campus during regular school hours, I find it unconscionable 
that this level of gross negligence and 
reckless endangerment could even be possible. Another 
resident reported that last week she was chased 
by a bear on south Canon, just a few houses south of 
the middle-school. Fortunately, she said that a man 
in a truck pulled up, opened the door, and told her 
to get inside. And, signs have recently been placed at 
the entrances to the Sierra Madre Canyon that alert 
residents and guests that they are “entering wild animal 
territory” and that they are not to “hike, bike, or 
jog alone.” How on earth was this allowed to happen 
in our residential neighborhoods? 

The Department of Fish and Wildlife have made 
it clear that they have no intention of reducing the 
bear overpopulation, regardless of the increasing 
threats in residential neighborhoods and schools. At 
best, all they can offer are power-point presentations 
that advise reducing food sources. They also advise 
all pet owners to keep their pets indoors, and to 
lock all doors and window in your home. They only 
advise changes in human behaviors and take no responsibility 
for their negligence in performing their 
duties to control bear populations. Their own policies 
state that the Department shall, “alleviate economic 
losses or public health and safety problems 
caused by wildlife.” In reality, Sierra Madre’s safety 
has been ignored by the Department. We have exceeded 
and gone far beyond what bear-proof trash 
containers and power-point presentations can solve. 
Our schools are regularly put in danger by bears. 
Homes are regularly broken into by bears and bears 
are becoming noticeably more aggressive. 

Unfortunately, there has been no adequate oversight 
of these agencies. Their rogue practices that ignore 
their own policies have put our neighborhoods and 
homes in danger. This past month, the Canyon has 
seen an unprecedented number of home break-ins 
by bears. The Department takes no responsibility 
for their gross negligence. They place all blame 
on residential neighborhoods and common human 
practices, like keeping food in your refrigerator. In 
her power-point presentation, Barboza claims that 
the “heart of the problem is food sources and attractants” 
when in reality the heart of the problem is 22 
years of the Department’s gross negligence regarding 
their own policies and a failure and refusal to 
control bear populations in natural habitats and urban 
neighborhoods. 

The Commission is equally to blame. The Commission’s 
own mission statement requires them to assure 
that California’s wildlife will be “managed with 
public confidence.” What could be more cruel than 
to do nothing to prevent bears from becoming urbanized 
and unable to survive in natural habitats, 
relying solely on human food sources? What could 
be more reckless than allowing urbanized bears to 
walk freely in residential neighborhoods, including 
school grounds during school hours? Considering 
the eminent danger that Sierra Madre and neighboring 
Foothill cities face, one would think at least 
there would have been some discussion or action 
taken at the Commission’s regular meetings. Nothing 
was placed on their agendas in the entire years 
of 2021 and 2022. They gave more attention to butterflies 
and kangaroo rats than the safety of school 
children that are subjected to bears at school. All 
things considered, how could any reasonable person 
have any confidence in the Commission?ß 

Bears are majestic wild beasts that should never have 
been subjected and reduced to urbanization. They 
deserve better treatment than what the Department 
and the Commission have given them. It is nothing 
short of textbook animal cruelty what they have 
created and continue to facilitate. It’s time for residents, 
Councilmembers, and City Staff to put relentless 
pressure on state legislatures and demand that 
they immediately pass bills that forces the Department 
and the Commission to bring safety back to 
our communities, end this pattern of animal cruelty, 
and keep bears in the natural habitats that they deserve, 
not on city streets digging in trash containers. 

GLENN LAMBDIN 

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