Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, January 14, 2023

Mountain View News Saturday, September 10, 20228 Mountain View News Saturday, September 10, 20228 
Peter Dills Knows 
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU 
We all know restaurant locations throughout Sierra Madre 
and Pasadena that seem to turn over every fall. I have heard 
the word “cursed” used for several locations many times. For 
instance, the location on the corner of San Gabriel and Colorado 
seems to be one that is cursed for sure – it started as the 
Vault, then it became Rio Rio, then Ta Vu, and then a sushi 
joint (which I actually loved because the prices were right)
then it became a chicken wing restaurant. Well, I love wings 
so let’s see what happens next. For another “cursed” location, 
remember Jerry’s Famous Deli in Old Pasadena? Let’s name all 
the restaurants that went through that location: Union Cattle 
Company, Pasadena Brewing, Brix, Haven Gastro Pub… and 
it started as a gym! I just drove by on Rosemead where Robin’s 
BBQ was, its now pretty much a shell, could there be something 
new in the works? I even hear that Burger Continental 
has been leased, so what’s next there? 
When talking to owners, they often point the fingers at the landlords saying the rents are 
too high. The excitement and the confidence of “I’ll do it better” might be too strong of a 
lure for restaurateurs to handle. I was bewildered that El Chollo moved from Fair Oaks (Old 
John Bull) to the Paseo. As the building sat empty for a few years, I thought isn’t some rent 
better then no rent at all? Celebrity Chef Rocco said on his TV show that the mortality rate 
for restaurants is 90% the first year. My father said he’d rather have open heart surgery than 
own a restaurant. 
Let’s look at this fact: the survival rate is higher then 10%, and these numbers are not specific 
to our area. Several years ago, researchers at Cornell University and Michigan State University 
conducted a study of restaurants in three local markets over a 10-year period. They concluded 
the following: after the first year, 27% of restaurant startups failed; after three years, 
50% of those restaurants were no longer in business; and after five years 60% had gone south. 
At the end of 10 years, 70% of the restaurants that had opened for business a decade before 
had failed. Those are far different numbers than the 90% first-year failure rate quoted by our 
television star chef. Another academic research study concluded that 81.4% of all small business 
failures result from forces within the control of the owners/managers. The bottom line 
is that even if the failure rate is a little daunting, failure is not inevitable. 
Follow me fellow foodies on Instagram and FaceBook. Eat Local ! 
RETIRED TEACHERS TO HEAR EXCITING NEWS 
ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP 
The California Retired Teachers’ Association Division 71 (CalRTA #71) will be given a rare 
look behind the scenes at Arcadia’s race track, thanks to speaker Pete Siberell, Director of 
Community Services and Special Projects at Santa Anita Park. The highlight of Siberell’s 
presentation will be news of the Breeders’ Cup—an international event that is returning to 
Santa Anita Park in early November with horses from around the world and special activities. 
Siberell will speak at the Retired Teachers’ luncheon meeting on Friday, February 10 at Our 
Savior Lutheran Church, in Fellowship Hall, 512 W. Duarte Rd., Arcadia 91007. The hall is 
located behind the church sanctuary, and ample parking is available. At 11:00 am, doors open 
and guests arrive, with the business meeting at 11:30, lunch to follow at 12:00 pm, and at 12:45 
pm, Siberell to top off the meeting with race track news. 
A box lunch will be provided by Panera. On the luncheon menu is a choice of sandwiches. 
Choose one:: Deli Turkey, Tuna, or Mediterranean Veggie. Each sandwich is accompanied 
by potato chips and a chocolate chip cookie. Coffee and water will be provided. Guests are 
welcome to come enjoy the luncheon, to hear Pete Siberell’s presentation, and to learn of volunteer 
opportunities at the Breeders’ Cup. 
The cost of the luncheon for members and guests is $15. Please mail your check payable to 
CalRTA Division 71 by Friday, February 3, to John Gera, P.O. Box 1133, Temple City, CA 
91780. For information regarding reservations, you may call John Gera at (626) 286-0714. 
Membership in the California Retired Teachers’ Association is open to all retired educators, 
as well as to current classroom teachers and to any others interested joining this active group. 
The motto of CalRTA is “Your Partner in Pension Protection.” 

ASSESSOR JOINS FORCES ON 
FRAUD ALERT SYSTEM 

County Combined Effort Launches e-Notification 
Program 

LOS ANGELES, CA – Los Angeles County has come together to launch an innovative 
program that will keep homeowners advised when activity occurs on an individual’s 
property by using registrants' email addresses. 

The Property Owner e-Notification Alert (e-Notification) is an extension of the County’s 
existing Fraud Notification Program, which informs property owners of recorded 
activity on their property. 

The Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office along with the County Registrar-Recorder/
County Clerk and the County Dept. of Consumer and Business Affairs have joined forces 
to offer this innovative tool that expedites the notification process to a property owner 
using their registered email address. Owners can register at the Assessor’s website at 
https://assessor.lacounty.gov/. 

“Along with being notified by regular mail within 5 to 30 days on activity on a person’s 
property, now that property owner will be notified within 48 hours by email as long 
as they are registered,” said Assessor Jeff Prang. “This is another tool to try and deter 
fraudulent activity by some unscrupulous individual trying to take advantage of a property 
owner.” 

Currently, the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk mails fraud notifications directly to 
homeowners and renters within 30-days when a Grant Deed, Quit Claim Deed or Deed 
of Trust has been recorded on their chain of title, or, within 5-days, when a Notice of 
Default, or Notice of Sale is recorded to advise the property is subject to entering foreclosure. 
As of Jan. 5, in addition to receiving paper copies via US mail, an email will be sent 
within 48 hours to the E-Notification registrant of a recordation of an aforementioned 
document and will include a statement advising about the recording on their property. 

“We are excited to be in partnership with the Assessor and the Department of Consumer 
and Business Affairs to provide direct digital notice to e-Notification Registrants when a 
transaction has been recorded on a property,” said Dean C. Logan, Los Angeles County 
Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. “Providing notification to e-Notification Registrantswhen a recording takes place ensures they remain informed and can take immediate action, 
if needed, to protect against malicious or fraudulent activity.” 

To enroll for e-Notification, you will need to create a profile on the Los Angeles County 
Assessor’s portal at assessorportal.assessor.lacounty.gov and opt-in for e-Notification. 
Most important, if a property owner has any questions about the notification received, 
or believes a recorded notice is suspicious, they should contact the Dept. of Consumer 
and Business Affairs at (800) 593-8222, or by email at homehelp@dcba.lacounty.gov. 

“We are excited to partner in the launch of the e-Notification program to ensure that 
registered property owners are quickly alerted via email whenever a foreclosure, transfer 
of title or mortgage is recorded on their property,” said DCBA Director Rafael Carbajal. 
“Contact us if you have any questions about the program, need foreclosure assistance, or 
if you suspect fraudulent activity. We are here to help.” 

ALL THINGS By Jeff Brown 

My mom died a year ago, and her passing brought me a disorienting mixture of grief 
and relief. She was 98. and had suffered from dementia for more than a decade. In her 
last two months my mother’s joy in eating (“Yum, Yum”) finally faded, and seeing her 
laboring to breathe tortured me. When her body finally gave out, it was no Surprise, but 
the sudden absence death creates is always a shock. In the ensuing weeks, I found myself 
with what is referred to as “dreadful freedom.” I’d spent afternoons with my mom virtually 
every Saturday and Sunday for the 13 years since my Father died, took her on my 
family’s vacations, drove her to doctors, hired and managed aregivers, winced as her care 
gradually consumed her life’s savings and then some, witnessed time and disease ravage 
her mind and body. 

Now that her life is over, part of mine was, too. My weekends were strangely, terribly, 
wonderfully free. 

When death brings relief from prolonged suffering, those left behind often fell some 
guilt-tinged relief. I’ve experienced that emotion more than once. When COPD, cirrhosis, 
and botched hospital care left my father in a coma and on a ventilator, I had to invoke 
his living will to compel doctors to turn off the machines. As his breathing ceased, 
I knew he’d be grateful and felt joy that he’d been freed from his broken body. The 
same occurred when my brother died at age 31 from AIDS, after a fast-forward decline 
into serial infections and emancipation that was nearly unbearable to witness. A central 
teaching in Buddhism, whose wisdom I greatly admire, is that the art of life is embracing 
every moment, and letting go of those moments end. We deepen our suffering by 
clinging to a status quo that is not in our power to preserve. It’s supremely difficult skill 
to master, this letting go, but it can bring a measure of peace. Ends, it seems, are oftenfollowed by beginnings. Farewell to 2022, and to all the loved ones we survivors had to 
let go. William Falk - Editor in Chief “The Week” 

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