Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, March 25, 2023

ALTADENA - SOUTH PASADENA - SAN MARINO

8

Mountain View News Saturday, March 25, 2023 

San Marino Upcoming 
Events & Programming

California Mandela Act 
Passed Safety Committee

Portantino Honors Senate 
District Women of Distinction


How to Choose the Right College for You

Tuesday, March 28 at 7 PM, Barth Community Room

 Are you exploring colleges and not sure how to narrow 
down your choices? A panel of experts will share what to 
look for in a college and how to choose the right school for 
you. This event is open to all high schoolers. Registration is 
not required.

Coffee, Tea, and Chat

Friday, March 31 from 9:30 – 11:30 AM, Thornton 
Conference Room

 Connect with your neighbors to learn more about the 
community and its traditions. This program is presented in 
Mandarin by the United Charity Foundation for ages 18+. 
Registration is not required.

Peep Catapult

Thursday, April 6 at 3:30 PM, Barth Community Room

 This Spring, put your extra Peeps to good use by using 
them for target practice! Kids ages 5 and up are invited to 
build their own Peep Catapult and explore STEM concepts 
of physics, engineering, kinetic energy, potential energy, 
and projectile motion. All materials will be provided. 
Registration is not required.

Paper Roses Wreath

Friday, April 7 at 11 AM, Barth Community Room

 Celebrate Spring by making a beautiful floral wreath out 
of book pages! Breathe new life into an old book by creating 
a wreath to decorate your door. A perfect craft for any 
reader! All supplies will be provided for this fun and easy 
craft. Space is limited and registration is required.

Meetings

City Council Meeting

Friday, March 31 at 8:30 AM; Barth Room and Zoom

Design Review Committee Meeting

Wednesday, April 5 at 6:00 PM; Barth Room and Zoom 

Fire Training Updates

 The Fire Department continues to focus training efforts 
on the department’s four probationary firefighters. 
Probationary Firefighters Jimenez and Martinez recently 
participated in ventilation training at the Alhambra 
Training Tower. Probationary firefighters are evaluated 
on firefighter and EMS skills at 4-months, 8-months, and 
12-months. After the 12-month evaluation, probationary 
firefighters are assigned a special project to be completed 
by the end of their 16-month probation.

 Additionally, all department personnel participated in 
a special EMS continuing education course on the legal 
aspect of EMS documentation. The course was presented by 
the department’s contract CE/QI administrators EMS QI 
Partners, LLC. The course provided insight on appropriate 
documentation of every step of patient care to avoid 
potential legal liability. San Marino Firefighter/Paramedics 
are trained to document above and beyond what is required 
by local and state EMS authorities.

Recent Happenings

 During the recent rainy weather, Parks and Public Works 
maintenance staff worked on the following tasks: removing 
fallen tree branches, palm fronds, and other debris from the 
public right-of-way; replacing streetlight bulbs and street 
signs; repairing pavement; picking up fallen street light 
globes; and unclogging storm drains. During the storm on 
March 21st, multiple Public Works staff worked through 
the night proactively addressing issues and responding 
to callouts. Staff also worked to ensure the sandbag self-
fill station at Stoneman was replenished in advance of the 
storm. Residents who wish to report non-emergency issues 
in the public right-of-way or City streets may do so via the 
San Marino Service Request Center: cityofsanmarino.org/
report.

DID YOU KNOW?

 Earth Day has been celebrated annually on April 22 
since 1970! In honor of Earth Day participate in one of 
our environmental awareness offerings including: Spring 
Tree Walk, Earth Day Kite Making, Urban & Community 
Forestry Lecture, Mad Science: What Do You Know About 
H2O, and Plant Propagation. For more information visit: 
cityofsanmarino.org, search "Community Services Guide."

 
Last week, Assemblymember 
Chris Holden’s bill, The 
California Mandela Act on 
Solitary Confinement, AB 280 
has passed the Committee 
on Public Safety and is 
headed to the Committee on 
Appropriations.

 Torture is torture no matter 
what facility it takes place in,” 
said Assemblymember Chris 
Holden. “The community 
support for this bill has only 
grown because people are 
still suffering. From solitary 
survivors to loved ones of 
impacted individuals, many 
have reached out saying this 
legislation would have helped 
them personally.”

 Despite international 
solidarity to end the use of 
solitary confinement, the 
practice remains common in 
jails, prisons, and detention 
facilities in California. The 
misuse of solitary confinement 
in California prisons led to 
a legal action filed in 2012, 
when California prisons held 
nearly 10,000 incarcerated 
individuals in solitary 
confinement, including 1,557 
who had been there for 10 
years or more. The bill would 
also protect the designated 
populations from ever being 
placed in solitary confinement 
including pregnant people, the 
elderly and those with certain 
disabilities.

 The California Mandela Act 
includes specific language that 
addresses concerns raised by 
the opposition, and is designed 
to set minimum standards 
for all carceral facilities that 
should not conflict with higher 
regulations introduced by 
CDCR.

 In honor of Women’s 
History Month, Senator 
Anthony Portantino hosted the 
25th Senate District Women of 
Distinction Awards Reception 
in Pasadena. 

 Portantino, on March 12, 
recognized 15 accomplished 
women from across the 
Senate District who have 
positively contributed to 
their communities and the 
State of California. The 
honorees reside or work in 
Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank, 
Claremont, La Crescenta, Los 
Angeles, and La Verne and 
have exemplified and extended 
volunteerism, philanthropy, 
and leadership throughout 
all of the communities in our 
district.

 The California State 
Legislature first recognized 
March as Women’s History 
Month in 1987 and has since 
continued the tradition. 
Each year, members of the 
State Legislature recognize 
exceptional women in their 
district with a celebration 
commemorating their efforts.

 “I am proud to recognize 
15 remarkable women who 
are dedicated to serving our 
communities with distinction,” 
stated Senator Portantino. 
“The breath of their successful 
efforts are reflected in 
countless individuals they 
have helped and inspired. 
They are all deserving of this 
special recognition and I am 
thankful to be in a position to 
shine a light on them and the 
difference they make for the 
25th Senate District.”

The Senate District Women 
of Distinction from Pasadena 
include:

Vannia De La Cuba, Pasadena

 De La Cuba currently serves 
as the Deputy to the Mayor 
of the City of Pasadena. She 
is a passionate, community-
driven individual who has 
dedicated her life to public 
service. Over the past 25 years, 
Ms. De La Cuba has focused 
on community building, 
civic engagement, building 
strategic relationships. She was 
instrumental in developing 
Pasadena’s first-ever Early 
Child Development Policy and 
working on its implementation 
through the establishment of 
the City of Pasadena’s Office of 
the Young Child.

Dr. Hilarie Dyson, Pasadena

 Dyson currently serves as 
a principal at Los Angeles 
Unified School District and 
is a strong advocate and 
champion for children with 
over 30 years of experience in 
the field of education. She has 
worked to ensure the highest 
quality in early learning 
programs and has achieved 
national accreditation from the 
National Association for the 
Education of Young Children 
(NAEYC). Dr. Dyson serves as 
Vice President of Membership 
for National Sorority of Phi 
Delta Kappa Inc. Beta Phi 
Chapter, Secretary for the 
NAACP Altadena Branch, and 
Program Chair of International 
Awareness & Involvement for 
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority 
Pasadena Alumnae Chapter, 
among other organizations.

Juliana Serrano, Pasadena

 Serrano is the Vice President of 
Advocacy & Equity at Planned 
Parenthood Pasadena and San 
Gabriel Valley. Previously, she 
served as the Senior Associate 
for Peace & Justice and the 
Office for Creative Connections 
at All Saints Church for more 
than eleven years. Ms. Serrano 
worked alongside many 
faithful and dedicated activists 
and elected officials on efforts 
such as police reform, the fight 
for $15, immigrant rights, 
homelessness, affordable 
housing and more. She 
currently serves on the City of 
Pasadena’s first Community 
Police Oversight Commission, 
as well as the Boards of 
Director’s for Pasadenans 
Organizing for Progress and 
Learning Works Charter 
School.

 For more information and a 
complete list of women visit: 
sd25.senate.ca.gov.

FIRST Robotics Competition 
Leaves Students Energized

 After two days of fast-paced 
competition complete with 
team uniforms, cheerleaders, 
pounding music, and blaring 
horns, multiple teams of high 
schoolers came out victorious 
at the 23rd annual FIRST 
Robotics Competition Los 
Angeles Regional over the 
weekend. Next, they’ll be 
headed to an international 
championship tournament 
where their 125-pound 
inventions will compete for 
robotics glory.

 NASA’s Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory sponsored several 
of the 44 competing teams and 
supported the event, held at 
the Da Vinci Schools campus 
in El Segundo, by coordinating 
about 100 volunteers. “It’s 
always gratifying to see these 
kids compete with such 
determination and passion, but 
it’s also wonderful to witness 
the joy they bring to the adults 
who come together for this 
event,” said Kim Lievense, who 
manages JPL’s Public Services 
Office and coordinated 
volunteers at the competition.

Energy and Community

 The event is one of many taking 
place across the country under 
the umbrella of FIRST (For 
Inspiration and Recognition 
of Science and Technology). 
The nonprofit organization 
pairs students with STEM 
professionals for hands-on 
engineering experience and 
practice with problem-solving, 
team building, fundraising, and 
promotion, among other skills. 
Teams in the FIRST Robotics 
Competition receive technical 
specifications and game rules 
in January and have just weeks 
to design, build, and test their 
wheeled robots.

 This year’s game, dubbed 
“Charged Up,” is themed 
around the future of sustainable 
energy. Two alliances of three 
teams compete on a “playing 
field” that’s about 26 by 54 feet. 
In each 2 ½-minute round, the 
teams’ robots must retrieve 
rubber cones and inflatable 
cubes that represent electrical 
power from “substations” 
and place them into a “grid.” 
Robots also race to roll up onto 
a wobbling “charge station” for 
extra points.

 Students put in long hours 
preparing their robots. It 
all paid off in the case of 
Brianna Adewinmbi, a junior 
at the California Academy of 
Mathematics and Science in 
Carson. Her Team 687 (aka 
the “Nerd Herd”) came out on 
top, and she was one of two 
students selected as a finalist 
for the nationwide FIRST 
Dean’s List Award (inventor 
Dean Kamen founded FIRST) 
recognizing student leadership 
and dedication. Wearing a 
colorful propeller hat and 
fielding high-fives from fellow 
students, she said the team had 
been working after school till 
10 p.m. for many days.

 “It’s insane. I just keep 
thinking, It was all worth it, 
all the time that we spent,” 
Adewinmbi said.

 Adewinmbi’s team will 
be joined at the FIRST 
Championship in Houston 
next month by the two other 
California teams from the 
winning alliance: Team 5199 
(“Robot Dolphins From Outer 
Space”) from Dana Point and 
and Team 702 (“Bagel Bytes”) 
from Culver City. Team 6833 
(“Phoenix Robotics”) from 
Arizona, which had subbed 
in for the Culver City team to 
play in the winning alliance, 
is on the priority waitlist to 
attend. Two award-winners, 
Team 5089 (“Robo-Nerds”) 
from Benjamin Franklin Senior 
High School in Los Angeles 
and Team 4201 (“Vitruvian 
Bots”) from Da Vinci Schools, 
will also head to Houston.

Volunteering Brings Rewards

 For about two decades, 
NASA’s Robotics Alliance 
Project has supported youth 
robotics teams through agency 
centers across the country 
and at JPL, aiming to inspire 
students to pursue careers in 
aerospace while helping them 
build the skills they’ll need to 
succeed.

 “We all do it for the same 
reason: It’s really to help 
get kids inspired in science, 
engineering, and technology,” 
said JPL’s Dave Brinza, 
assistant mission assurance 
manager for NASA’s Europa 
Clipper mission. Brinza 
started mentoring Team 980 
(“ThunderBots”), now at 
Burbank High School, in 2003. 
“We often say the real trophies 
aren’t the blue banners and the 
things you put on a shelf, it’s 
the kids who go on and have 
successful careers.”

 For Julie Townsend, a robotics 
systems engineer who is JPL’s 
point of contact for the NASA 
Robotics Alliance Project, 
it’s been a way to draw young 
women into a field in which 
they’re underrepresented. 
For nearly 20 years, she has 
coached Southern California 
Girl Scout teams in FIRST 
Tech Challenge, which is like a 
smaller-scale version of FIRST 
Robotics Competition. At the 
Los Angeles Regional event, 
she volunteered as a judge.

 “I have had parents coming 
up to me in tears, thanking me 
for what I had done for their 
daughters, who had changed 
the course of their lives,” 
Townsend said. “It’s so unusual 
to have such a safe environment 
to learn these technical skills 
and develop your own power 
with no judgment and no social 
strings attached.”

 For more information 
about the FIRST Los Angeles 
regional, visit: cafirst.org/frc/
losangeles.

 
Supported by volunteers 
from JPL and the 
aerospace industry, the 
annual regional FIRST 
Robotics event makes 
an impact on young 
competitors and adult 
mentors alike.

Pasadena Egg Hunt to 
Return to the Rose Bowl

 The City of Pasadena Parks, 
Recreation and Community 
Services Department and the 
Rose Bowl Stadium jointly 
announced Monday the 
return of Egg Bowl—a free 
community egg hunt and 
spring festival—Saturday, 
April 8, from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. 
on the stadium grounds. The 
popular Bunny Brunch and 
VIP experience also returns 
for a fee, depending on age.

 Tickets for each free 
30-minute egg hunt are 
available online now at 
CityOfPasadena.net/reserve. 
Tickets are required to enter 
the egg hunts. 

 A spring festival with free 
family activities, games, 
performances by local youth 
groups, food for purchase, 
and more will take place in 
Area H, just outside stadium 
grounds. Tickets are not 
required for the spring 
festival area.

 Enjoy pancakes, eggs, 
sausage, and more during 
the Bunny Brunch at the 
stadium’s Terry Donahue 
Pavilion for $30 per person 
over age 10, $20 for those age 
4-9 Get tickets for the brunch 
at RoseBowlStadium.com. 
Bunny Brunch admission is 
free for children age 3 and 
under who are accompanied 
by a ticketed adult. Brunch 
begins at 9 a.m., and 
attendees will be given access 
to the VIP egg hunt starting 
at 10 a.m.

 Egg Bowl is sponsored by 
the City of Pasadena Parks, 
Recreation and Community 
Services Department and 
Rose Bowl Stadium. For 
more information about 
the Egg Bowl call the City’s 
Citizen Service Center at 
(626) 744-7311.

 To request a disability-related 
accommodation or materials 
in alternative formats, 
contact (626) 744-7311 or 
CSC@CityOfPasadena.net. 
Provide at least 72 hours 
advance notice.


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