Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, September 30, 2023

5

Mountain View News Saturday, September 30, 2023 

Pasadena 
Man Pleads 
Guilty to 
Insider 
Trading


Grand Opening for the 
John Kennedy City Pool

 
A former employee at a 
publicly traded Pasadena-
based company agreed 
Wednesday to plead guilty 
to buying more than 66,000 
company shares based on 
non-public information 
that the company was about 
to be acquired at a higher 
per-share price, and then 
selling the shares after news 
of the acquisition became 
public, resulting in nearly 
$500,000 in ill-gotten gains, 
the Justice Department 
announced.

 Marco Antonio Perez, 
59, a.k.a. “Marc Perez,” 
of Glendora, is charged 
with one count of insider 
trading, a felony that carries 
a statutory maximum 
sentence of 20 years in 
federal prison.

 According to the plea 
agreement, General 
Finance Corp., a Pasadena-
based storage and modular 
space company, employed 
Perez as an accounting 
manager who reported 
to the company’s chief 
financial officer. He also 
performed assignments for 
the company’s chairman, 
including printing out 
the chairman’s emails. As 
a result, Perez had access 
to material information 
belonging to General 
Finance, including offers to 
buy the company, before the 
information was released to 
the investing public.

 In violation of his fiduciary 
duties to General Finance 
and its shareholders, and in 
violation of the company’s 
policy against insider 
trading, in March and April 
of 2021, Perez purchased 
a total of 66,585 shares 
of General Finance stock 
which he was later able to 
sell for a total of $1,262,815. 
Perez purchased the 
General Finance stock after 
reading confidential emails 
sent to the company’s 
chairman in early 2021 that 
concerned the pending sale 
of General Finance for a 
price in the range of $19-
$20 per share. Perez paid 
prices between $10 and 
$12 for the 66,585 shares he 
bought.

 General Finance was 
ultimately sold to the 
Stamford, Connecticut-
based United Rentals Inc. 
Within two weeks of the 
announcement, Perez 
sold all 66,585 shares he 
had purchased on inside 
information, netting a 
profit of approximately 
$488,533.

 In his plea agreement, 
Perez also admitted to 
tipping off two people 
about the impending sale 
of General Finance, which 
also violated General 
Finance’s policy against 
insider trading. Both 
individuals acted on Perez’s 
inside information and 
made profits of $127,140 
and $34,867, respectively.

 The United States Securities 
and Exchange Commission 
also announced civil 
charges against Perez 
stemming from his illegal 
activity in this case.

 

 City of Pasadena officials 
announced Friday they are 
set for the grand opening 
of its newly constructed 
Honorable John J. Kennedy 
pool named after the late 
City Councilmember. The 
festivities will take place on 
Saturday, October 14, at 9:30 
a.m. at 1081 N. Fair Oaks 
Ave. and will be open to the 
community. Councilmember 
Kennedy strongly advocated 
for public safety, parks, 
affordable housing, and local 
hiring. The new pool is a state-
of-the-art aquatic facility that 
is set to become a centerpiece 
of community recreation 
and enjoyment. This exciting 
addition promises to offer 
residents and visitors an 
oasis of water-based fun and 
fitness, fostering a vibrant 
and healthy lifestyle for all.

 This project provides for a 
new, pool with walk-in access, 
a new pool deck; renovation 
of the existing pool building 
including accessible showers; 
restroom facilities; new 
lighting; and resurfacing of 
the parking lot. With the 
completion of the $5.9M 
renovation and expansion of 
the pool facilities, the Parks, 
Recreation, and Community 
Services Department will 
offer year-round aquatics 
programming beginning 
in September 2023. 
Programming includes vital 
swim lessons for all ages 
(toddlers through adults), 
water aerobics, parent and me 
classes, as well as recreational 
and lap swimming. The 
operating hours are Tuesday 
through Saturday from 10 
a.m. to 7 p.m.

 The public is invited to 
attend the ribbon-cutting 
ceremony, watch live swim 
demonstrations, listen to 
remarks by dignitaries, and 
enjoy light refreshments. “We 
are excited to open the doors 
of the Honorable John J. 
Kennedy Pool and provide a 
space where individuals and 
families can come together to 
enjoy the benefits of water-
based recreation and fitness,” 
said Acting Director of Parks, 
Recreation and Community 
Services, Lola Osborne. 
“This facility embodies our 
commitment to promoting 
wellness and a sense of 
community, and we can’t 
wait to see the joy it brings to 
the people of Pasadena.”

 To register for swim classes, 
visit CityOfPasadena.
net/Reserve. For more 
information, call Gabriel 
Araujo at (626) 744-7330.

Finalists Selected for 2024 Royal Court

 The 28 finalists for the 2024 
Tournament of Roses Royal 
Court took a group photo 
Monday on the front steps of 
Tournament House. Applicants 
from 15 Pasadena area schools 
participated in the interview 
process and seven of the finalists 
will be named to the 2024 Royal 
Court on October 2 Tournament 
officials announced.

 The Tournament of Roses 
has a long-standing tradition 
of celebrating educational 
excellence and continues the 
legacy by providing each Royal 
Court member with a $7,500 
academic scholarship.

 Additionally, according to 
officials, they partake in personal 
development programs designed 
to enhance their public speaking 
and presentation abilities, boost 
self-confidence and refine 
their etiquette skills. Royal 
Court members are provided 
with opportunities to actively 
participate in the community, 
make positive contributions and 
discover ways to connect with 
local leaders.

 Royal Court members 
experience countless 
benefits; becoming part of an 
organization dedicated to hands-
on volunteerism, discovering 
opportunities to connect with 
and give back to the local 
community, developing public 
speaking skills and growing self-
confidence. 

 Volunteer Members of the 
Tournament of Roses’ Queen and 
Court Committee made their 
selections based on a number 
of criteria including academic 
achievement community and 
school involvement, public 
speaking ability and youth 
leadership.

 The 2024 Royal Court will ride 
down Colorado Blvd. on the 
Royal Court float in the 135th 
Rose Parade and attend the CFP 
Semifinal at the 110th Rose Bowl 
Game, both on Monday, January 
1, 2024.

The 28 Royal Court Finalists are:

First row, from left:

Mia Moore Walker, Flintridge 
Preparatory School

Giulia Bhatia, La Salle High 
School

Viridiana Sanchez, Rosemead 
High School

Kendall Cuxil, La Canada High 
School

Phoebe Ho, South Pasadena 
High School

Gabrielle Trujillo, Pasadena 
High School

Payson Dillon, La Canada High 
School

Kayla Dumas, EF Academy

Naomi Stillitano, Arcadia High 
School

Second row, from left:

Halo Byrd, The Waverly School

Elizabeth Trinh, Mayfield Senior 
School

Cornelia Halferty, Mayfield 
Senior School

Evyn Ableson, La Salle High 
School

Mira Emamaullee , San Marino 
High School

Olivia Bohanec, La Salle High 
School

Clara Ortega, John Marshall 
Fundamental High School

Anna Shore, Temple City High 
School

Trinity Dela Cruz, John Marshall 
Fundamental High School

Third row, from left:

Danielle Workman, Arcadia 
High School

Niyat Haregot, Arcadia High 
School

Allison Ingrassia, La Canada 
High School

Jessica Powell, Flintridge 
Preparatory School

EllaRyley Fortich, John Muir 
High School

Asha Morgan-Joseph, The 
Waverly School

Maya Dingle, La Canada High 
School

Top row, from left:

Emmerson Tucker, Blair High 
School

Shivani Wadhwa, Arcadia High 
School

Marissa Cotte, Flintridge 
Preparatory School

 The 2024 Royal Court 
Announcement is set to 
take place Monday at 9 a.m. 
at the Tournament House. 
For more information visit: 
tournamentofroses.com. 

 

Pasadena 
Water and 
Power Public 
Power Week


South Pasadena Meeting on 
Substantial Remodel Evictions

 General Manager of 
Pasadena Water and 
Power, Sidney Jackson, 
announced Thursday that 
every year, the first week 
of October is nationally 
recognized as Public Power 
Week. Pasadena Water 
and Power (PWP), along 
with the American Public 
Power Association (“APP 
A”) and other utilities in 
the U.S., celebrate Public 
Power Week from October 
1-7. Public Power Week 
is a time for utilities and 
other organizations to 
share the importance of 
publicly owned utility 
services and the way we 
serve our communities. 
The community is invited 
to join PWP for family-
friendly electric circuit 
learning activities:

• Monday, October 2 from 
5 - 7 p.m.

 Hastings Branch Library 
(3325 E. Orange Grove

Blvd.)

• Tuesday, October 3 from 
4 - 5 p.m.

 Jefferson Library Branch 
(1500 E. Villa St.)

 These events will feature 
hands-on, interactive 
circuit tables that can teach 
kids about the basic science 
behind electrical circuits. 
Find more learning 
resources and Public Power 
Week news at: PWPweb.
com/PublicPowerWeek.

The City of South Pasadena is 
hosting a Community Meeting 
on Substantial Remodel 
Evictions on Saturday, October 
7 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 
This will be a hybrid meeting 
held in Council Chambers and 
via Zoom. 

 South Pasadena renters, 
property owners, and interested 
community members are 
invited to provide input on 
what you would like to see in 
an amended Just Cause for 
Evictions Ordinance to address 
the issue of substantial remodel 
evictions.

 An RSVP is not required to 
attend the meeting. However, to 
support staff’s planning efforts, 
staff encourages those who 
would like to attend to reach out 
to Leah Demarest at ldemarest@
southpasadenaca.gov or (626) 
372-8755 to let us know if you 
plan to attend in-person or via 
Zoom.

 In-Person Location: Council 
Chambers 1424 Mission Street, 
South Pasadena

 Zoom Information visit: 
southpasadenaca.gov. Dial in 
by phone: +1 669


‘The Giants of Science’ Theme 
for Term of the Masters Series

 For as long as that famous apple 
fell from a tree in the late 1600s, 
an elite group of scientists have 
refined the process for scientific 
discovery and the ability to 
perceive patterns in nature and 
the universe. 

 The next term of The Masters 
Series, which promotes lifelong 
learning, will explore the 
fascinating lives and careers of 
Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, 
Marie Curie and Albert Einstein, 
portrayed in the context of their 
respective places in time. 

 With the theme “The Giants 
of Science,” the four-week series 
is scheduled Tuesdays, Oct. 17 
to Nov. 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. via 
Zoom. 

 “These extraordinary 
scientists came from different 
backgrounds and different eras 
and yet had three characteristics 
in common: courageous spirits, 
insatiable quests for knowledge 
and, perhaps surprisingly, often 
troubled minds,” said Marc 
Olevin, who will lead the series. 

 Olevin is an instructor in the 
history of science for UCLA 
Extension and a member of the 
History of Science Society. 

 The cost is only $50 for members 
of the Pasadena Senior Center 
and $60 for nonmembers. To 
register or for more information, 
visit: pasadenaseniorcenter.
org and click on Lectures & 
Classes, then Masters Series 
Lifelong Learning. Everyone 
who registers will receive an 
email with the link to each week’s 
Zoom session. 


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