Alert: Bailey Canyon Park and Mt. 

Wilson Trail remain CLOSED until further notice 

VOLUME 17 NO. 02

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2023 
BEFORE & AFTER 

Auto mishap disrupts downtown outdoor dining area 


WILL THE 2023 HOUSING MARKET 
FAVOR BUYERS OR SELLERS? 
LET'S CHAT! 
Single-Family Homes 

2021 2022 

Total # Sold: 138 92 

On Tuesday evening, wet streets may be the cause for an out of control

Average 

vehicle running into the barricades protecting diners at The Only Place In Town (OPIT). (Pictured above by Dirk Bolle). Fortunately,

$1,392,451 $1,702,234

Sold Price: 

because of the rain, no one was outside dining. The elderly driver of the vehicle was not injured and according to SMPD was not under 
the influence of drugs or alcohol. Within hours, the owners of OPIT had the vehicle removed, the K-rails moved back to their designated 
location and life returned to normal.

Average Sq. Ft. 2,026 2,254

 OPIT posted the following statement on Facebook: "We want to thank our Sierra Madre community, valued friends and customers, 
and supporters near and far for your outpouring of love and support. By the grace of God no one was hurt. The patio was cleaned up 
within hours (picture above right) and is again operational. We are grateful for your continued support and are humbled to be a part of

Avg. Price 

$726 $795 this community." 

Per Sq. Ft. 

SIERRA MADRE $4,750/Mo 

3 beds 2 baths 2,100 sf 


HIGHLAND PARK $3,300/Mo 

2 beds 1 baths 960 sf 


Condo/Townhomes 

2021 2022 

Total # Sold: 21 19 

Average 

$746,329 $899,474

Sold Price: 

Average Sq. Ft. 1,466 1,484 

Avg. Price 

$521 $613

Per Sq. Ft. 

The data indicates now is the time to sell…. Reach out to any of us to 
assist you in that process. If your home is priced right, we have 
consistently been able to get well over asking for our very happy sellers. 


x beds | x baths | x,xxx sqft. 

We continue to be so appreciative of all our clients 
whom we have been able to support. Despite 
everything, we are NEVER too busy to support you. 
Feel free to reach out to any of us with questions 
about the market and/or if you are interested in 
moving forward with selling or buying a home. 

Jan Greteman 

626.975.4033 

lic #01943630 

Judy Webb-Martin 

626.688.2273 

lic #00541631 

Katie Orth 

626.688.0418 

lic #00942500 


real estate 

webbmartingroup.com 

626.355.1451
‘BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE’: CITY AND MEADOWS 
PROJECT OPPONENTS WORK TOGETHER TO AN AMICABLE SOLUTION 

“We are not allowed to go rogue and freestyle. 

currently in. 

CITY COUNCIL APPOINTS THREE 
NEW MEMBERS TO PLANNING 
COMMISSION By Kevin McGuire 

After weeks of significant rainfall in Southern California, conditions improved 
just in time for the first City Council Member meetings of 2023. 

Regular Meeting: Tuesday, January 10 

There were some new roles, new faces, and a full agenda for the first dayback before a minimum crowd Tuesday evening. Edward Garcia took the 
center seat as the new Mayor of Sierra Madre, with Kelly Kriebs taking 
on the new role as Mayor Pro Tem. With a successful campaign, Kristine 
Lowe fills the seat vacated by long-time Council Member and former 
Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi. Council Member Robert Parkhurst returns 
to his role, while the longest-standing Council Member, former Mayor 
Gene Goss, returns to begin his ninth year serving this community. 

One of the first orders of business for the new Council was to fill current 
and anticipated vacancies on The Planning Commission. On June 30,2022, Commissioner Bob Spears completed his second full term, but due 
to the absence of any applications to fill the vacancy, Mr. Spears served a 
partial term which ended on December 31, 2022. 

In addition, Commissioner John Hutt will finish his second term on June 
30, 2023. Therefore, a new Commissioner is needed to fill Hutt’s seat byJuly 1, 2023. 

Four applications have been received to fill these two positions. Those 
candidates are: 

• Joe Catalano 
Mr. Catalano, a 32-year resident, served on the Planning Commission 
from 2017-2020. He is an adjunct professor of Urban Planning at Cal PolyPomona and was nominated to the College of Fellows at the American 
Institute of Architects. 
• Christine Moran 
Dr. Moran ran for Sierra Madre City Council during the 2022 campaign.
Her background includes engineering, science, and management. She isthe engineering manager for the Data Pipeline and Planet Labs. She has 
lived in Sierra Madre for three years.
• 
Patrick Simcock 

Mr. Simcock has spent 49 years in Sierra Madre and has served on the 
UUT Oversight Committee and the Sierra Madre Community Foundation 
board. In addition, Mr. Simcock worked as an engineer and a commercial 
property loss prevention consultant.

• Yong Yoo 
Mr. Yoo has worked as an architect for PBK serving California Schools 
for over 25 years. He has served on the Design Review Board for the City 
of Glendale and the Design Review Commissioner in Pasadena. Mr. Yoo 
went through the process and built his own home in Sierra Madre, where 
he has resided for five years. 
All applications to fill Board vacancies are forwarded to the City Council 
for review and recommendations. According to the staff Agenda Report, 
the appointment of an applicant to the vacant position requires a majority 
vote. 

Two of these candidates, Dr. Christine Moran and Patrick Simcock, appeared 
in person and had a chance to speak before the Council. Dr. Moran 
spoke first. “I am interested in bringing an unbiased, neutral, scientific 
lens to thorny community issues as we try to balance our needs for 
housing, environmentalism, upcoming California regulations, and the 
priorities of current community members,” Moran said. 

Patrick Simcock highlighted his work as an engineer and his present 
job of 15 years. “I currently work as a high-hazard property loss prevention 
consultant where I regularly need to understand and apply fire and 
safety codes,” Simcock stated. “I feel that working with many codes on 
a frequent basis will help bring additional expertise and insight to our 
commission.” 

All Council Members agreed that Mr. Simcock was the best candidate to 
fill the immediate opening to replace Bob Spears. But, picking a second 
candidate to replace John Hutt in July took more work. Council Member 
Lowe went with Dr. Moran, but Council Member Parkhurst couldn’t pick 
a clear choice between Dr. Moran and Mr. Yoo. Council Member Goss 
seemed to favor both Moran and Yoo but leaned more toward Dr. Moran, 
while Mayor Pro Tem Kriebs, who encouraged Dr. Moran to seek a commission 
spot, felt Yoo was more qualified for the Planning Commission 
role. Mayor Garcia and Kriebs both voiced that Dr. Moran should continue 
to seek a commission position. 

Mayor Garcia appointed Simcock and Yoo to the two open positions. The 
Mayor also praised Bob Spears for his service, which triggered a round 
of applause from the audience. Spears was present. “You are a treasure to 
this town,” Garcia said. 

Special Council Meeting: Wednesday, January 12 

After filling two vacancies on the Planning Commission during their 
regular Tuesday night meeting, the City Council was back in session on 
Wednesday to fill an unexpected vacancy after Peggy Dallas resigned her 
seat, citing health reasons. Dallas, who started her first term on the Commission 
in 2021, was the only architect in the group of five members. 
Yong Yoo, appointed on Tuesday to fill John Hutt’s seat in July, is also an 
architect. 

Staff suggested that Yoo’s appointment start immediately to fill the seat 
left by Dallas and to look toward the two remaining candidates, Joseph 
Catalano and Dr. Christine Moran, to possibly fill John Hutt’s seat on July1, 2023. Mayor Garcia agreed and initiated a vote to immediately appoint 
Yoo to take Dallas’ seat and Dr. Moran to take Hutt’s seat. The vote was 
unanimous. 

So, a Special Council Meeting was held two days 
later. Afterwards, Reynoso stated that he was 
“optimistic” that negotiations with members of 
the Protect Sierra Madre Steering Committee 
were going well. He is hopeful that a withdrawal 
of the referendum to appeal Ordinance 146 will 
happen. The council has agreed to allow Protect 
Sierra Madre more time to consider what they 
are willing to do, so the negotiations will continue 
and will be publicly discussed at the next 
regular meeting on January 24, 2023. 

As stated by Protect Sierra Madre member Matthew 
Bryant, “This is an opportunity for us to 
reach aa mutually satisfying agreement”. 

Sierra Madre is a town full of very passionate 
people. That is an understatement. And yet,
like most families, when serious disagreements 
arise that could potentially do more harm than 
good, everyone one remembers what is reallyimportant and work together to come up with 
a solution. Such is the current situation as it relates 
to the referendum that has halted all progress 
on The Meadows project and opened the 
door for an alternative that neither side wants. 
(p1, v17.01 — Home Page — Mountain Views 
News, Combined edition (mtnviewsnews.com) 

At the regularly scheduled meeting of the council 
on January 10th, Mayor Edward Garcia said, 

We can’t decide we don’t want to do this,” he 
said. “If they [NUWI] want, they can start this 
project [SB 330] tomorrow and pull “The Meadows” 
and we are stuck with it. There is nothing 
we can do.” 

Council Member Gene Goss suggested that the 
petitioners (Protect Sierra Madre) to look toward 
themselves and consider pulling the referendum. 
After much discussion, the City Council 
and City Manager Jose Reynoso, along with 
members of the Protect Sierra Madre SteeringCommittee, agreed to begin negotiations in order 
to find common ground and resolve the untenable 
position that both sides find themselves 


$2,400/Mo 
2 beds 1.5 baths 1,000 sf
c21village.com 


Serving the Community since 1980 
CHINO HILLS 

LIC# 02119245