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Mountain View News Saturday, April 19, 2025


Pasadena 
Rental 
Housing 
Board 
Vacancies

Tournament Announces 
Eight 2025 Rose Scholars

 
Director of Rent Stabilization 
Department, Helen Morales, 
announced Thursday that 
the application window to 
serve on the Pasadena Rental 
Housing Board is closing. 
All applications must be 
submitted by Monday at 5:30 
p.m. 

 The Pasadena City Council is 
seeking qualified individuals 
to fill upcoming vacancies on 
the Rental Housing Board. 
These vacancies will occur 
when current terms expire 
on May 24. The Board plays 
a vital role in enforcing Article 
XVIII, “The Pasadena Fair and 
Equitable Housing Charter 
Amendment,” as outlined 
in Section 1811 of the City 
Charter.

Board Composition:

7 Tenant Members

4 At-Large Members

2 Alternates

Vacancies include the 
following positions:

District 3 Tenant Member – 
Brandon Lamar (Eligible for 
reappointment)

District 5 Tenant Member 
– Yaneli Soriano Santiago 
(Eligible for reappointment)

District 7 Tenant Member – 
Deborah Dunlop (Eligible for 
reappointment)

At-Large Members – Allison 
Henry and Adela Torres 
(Eligible for reappointment)

Board Responsibilities:

-Setting allowable rent 
increases and determining the 
Annual General Adjustment

-Conducting hearings on rent 
adjustment petitions

-Enforcing compliance with 
Article XVIII

-Maintaining the city’s rental 
housing registry

- Appointing hearing 
officers and adopting rules, 
regulations, and an annual 
budget

Pasadena residents who meet 
the eligibility requirements 
are encouraged to apply. For 
Tenant Member positions, 
applicants and their Extended 
Family members must not 
have owned, managed, or 
held a 5 percent or greater 
ownership interest in rental 
properties located in Los 
Angeles County within the 
three years prior to applying. 
All applicants must submit 
a completed application 
and circulate a nomination 
petition, collecting at least 
25 qualified signatures from 
residents within their Council 
District. Additionally, 
applicants seeking a Tenant 
seat must submit a public 
declaration of financial 
interests for themselves 
and their Extended Family 
members.

 The appointment process 
varies by position. Tenant 
Members are nominated by 
the City Council member 
representing their respective 
district and must then be 
confirmed by a vote of the full 
City Council. In contrast, At-
Large Members are selected 
collectively by the entire City 
Council.

 Board members are 
compensated for up to 20 
hours per week at 2.5 times 
Pasadena’s minimum wage.

 Application and nomination 
petition forms are available 
at the City Clerk’s Office, 
located at 100 North Garfield 
Avenue, Room S228. For 
more information, call (626) 
744-4124 or email cityclerk@
cityofpasadena.net. Forms 
may be picked up, Monday 
through Friday, from 7:30 
a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Man Stabbed at Sierra Madre Villa Station

 The Pasadena Tournament of 
Roses Association has selected 
eight high school seniors as the 
2025 ROSE Scholars. This year, 
the program awarded $20,000 in 
scholarships to eight graduating 
seniors from the Pasadena 
Unified School District (PUSD).

2025 ROSE Scholars:

Jameel Franco – John Muir 
High School

Fletcher Paddock – John Muir 
High School

Gael Lemus – John Muir High 
School

Andrew Pimentel – Pasadena 
High School

Leila Nafarrete – CIS Academy 
(Center for Independent Study)

Alyssa Yepez – Pasadena High 
School

Tehilah Favour Ofumbi 
– Marshall Fundamental 
Secondary School

Keilah Yu – Marshall 
Fundamental Secondary School

 “At the Tournament of Roses, we 
believe in the power of creativity 
to inspire, heal and connect,” 
said Mark Leavens, President of 
the 2026 Tournament of Roses. 
“This year’s Rose Scholars 
embody that drive, many of 
which courageously used 
art and personal expression 
to share their experiences 
during the Eaton fires. We 
are proud to celebrate these 
resilient students and support 
their dreams through this 
scholarship program. Our 
deepest appreciation and thanks 
to David Brager and Citizens 
Business Bank for their steadfast 
partnership, which helps us 
uplift the next generation of 
leaders and changemakers.”

 To date, the program has 
awarded $100,000 to PUSD 
seniors.

 The Association and 
the Tournament of Roses 
Foundation are focused on 
positively impacting the 
Pasadena community with 
charitable giving, volunteerism 
and community involvement. 
As part of this work, the 
Association has partnered 
with Citizens Business Bank 
for ROSE Scholars and other 
signature community programs.

 For more information visit: 
tournamentofroses.com.

 An unidentified man at the 
Sierra Madre Villa Metro station 
was stabbed Thursday morning 
by a suspect wearing a security 
guard uniform after the two got 
into an argument. The suspect 
was arrested moments later and 
the victim was critically injured. 

 According to reports, the victim 
sustained multiple stab wounds 
to his upper body, was found on 
the pedestrian bridge leading to 
the Sierra Madre Villa station.. 
He was taken to a hospital 
with life-threatening injuries 
in critical but stable condition, 
according to the Sheriff’s 
Information Bureau and Metro.

 According to Pasadena Public 
Information Officer Lisa 
Derderian, the attack occurred 
about 7:45 a.m. 

 The suspect was booked on 
suspicion of attempted murder.

 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s 
Department officials said the 
suspect was neither employed by 
Metro or a contracted with it. He 
was using the Metro system for 
transit purposes only.

 The stabbing followed a 
similar incident March 18 at the 
Universal/Studio City station 
where a passenger was also 
stabbed during an altercation.

 Anyone with information about 
Thursday’s Pasadena stabbing is 
asked to call the Transit Services 
Bureau at 323-563-5000. To 
remain anonymous call Crime 
Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit 
lacrimestoppers.org.

Supervisors 
Declare 
Armenian 
Genocide 
Remembrance

 The Los Angeles County 
Board of Supervisors 
unanimously approved a 
motion this week introduced 
by Supervisors Kathryn Barger 
and Hilda L. Solis declaring 
April 24 as Armenian 
Genocide Remembrance Day 
in Los Angeles County. 

 According to a statement the 
motion also directs county 
departments to promote 
related events and educational 
materials to honor the memory 
of the 1.5 million Armenians 
killed during the Armenian 
Genocide and raise awareness 
of ongoing threats faced by the 
Armenian community.

 “Honoring the victims of the 
Armenian Genocide is both 
a solemn responsibility and a 
powerful act of remembrance,” 
said Los Angeles County 
Board of Supervisors Chair 
Kathryn Barger. “We must 
ensure their stories are not 
forgotten and that we continue 
to raise awareness about the 
atrocities they endured—and 
those that are still happening 
today. The recent forced 
displacement of Armenians 
from Artsakh underscores the 
ongoing struggle for justice 
and recognition. Los Angeles 
County will continue to be 
a voice for truth and human 
dignity.”

 Los Angeles County is home 
to the largest Armenian 
diaspora outside of Armenia 
and has long served as a 
steadfast advocate for truth, 
justice, and human rights 
on behalf of the Armenian 
people.

 The motion highlights recent 
human rights violations 
against Armenians, including 
the 2020 military assault on 
Artsakh, the blockade of the 
Lachin Corridor, and the 
forced displacement of more 
than 100,000 Armenians 
in 2023. The Los Angeles 
County Board of Supervisors 
has consistently called on the 
federal government to impose 
sanctions on Azerbaijan and 
to demand the release of 
Armenian hostages.

 Under the approved 
motion, the county’s Chief 
Executive Officer will work 
with all county departments 
to promote educational 
programming, events, and 
resources via department 
websites and social media 
platforms in recognition 
of Armenian Genocide 
Remembrance Day.

Pasadena LitFest in the 
Dena Coming this May

 

 
LitFest in the Dena 2025 
continues its focus on writers 
and book lovers on Friday, 
May 2nd and Saturday, 
May 3rd at the Pasadena 
Presbyterian Church in 
Pasadena, CA. Last year, 
approximately 150 diverse 
authors and several thousand 
attendees gathered to discuss 
books that changed the world, 
their communities and their 
lives. This year’s festival theme 
Books That Teach Us About 
Character will look at how 
literary characters help us stay 
true to our own values. The 
literary event is free-of-charge 
to the public.

 The 2025 program will 
place a special focus on 
the recent wildfires. Lisa 
Eve Cheby, Carla Sameth, 
Noriko Nakada, Hazel Kight 
Whitham, and Romaine 
Washington will share 
poems in Poetry as Memory 
and Collective Processing. 
Altadena Poets Laureate 
will Celebrate the Dena, and 
youth voices will be heard in 
Unsinged by Flames: Dena 
Students Unite; a response to 
the crisis by students of the 
PUSD Think Tank. In a panel 
and performance, Russell 
Mark and Mika Larson of 
The Nextdoors and others 
will process post-fire feelings 
as well in Grief and Healing 
Through Music and Song. 

 At a time when ethical 
choices are in the forefront, 
several panels will tackle this 
year’s theme of character. 
Authors Diana Wagman, 
Janet Fitch, Gary Phillips, 
Alex Espinoza, David L. 
Ullin will be in conversation 
in When Good People Write 
Bad People. Writers Daniel 
Olivas, Naomi Hirahara, Chip 
Jacobs and Justin Chapman 
discuss place in Pasadena 
As a Character. In Character 
Imploded: Falling From 
Grace Thomas Backer, PhD, 
Scott O’Connor, Aaron Philip 
Clark, and Victoria Patterson 
will look at characters that 
took a spectacular turn. 

 “We have some unique 
experiences in store as well. 
Eugene Cordell and Stefanie 
Warner of Authoress Cafe will 
team up with William Loving 
and Ellen Snortland in Tea & 
Fiction to pair tea flavors with 
literature,” organizers said. 

 Daryl Gussin of Razorcake 
will lead a special Zine 
Workshop in which 
participants will walk away 
with their very own zine. 

 Notes and Letters members 
Bill Cushing and Chuck 
Corbisero will perform music 
and poetry and then open the 
floor in Take the Mic, Show 
Your Character. 

 That Adult Crash: Poetry & 
Punk will feature the poems 
of Daryl Gussin, Dig Wayne, 
Priyanka Voruganti, and 
Spice Lioness.

 Comics writers Jordan 
Morris, Yehudi Mercado, 
Sara Phoebe Miller, and Elliot 
Kalan will be in conversation 
for Creating Comics 
Characters that Jump Off the 
Page. 

 Red Hen Press will guide 
a panel on the in’s and 
out’s of publishing in From 
Manuscript to the Shelf. 

 Special workshops this 
year include Brandie June in 
Twisted Fairytales, in which 
she guides the audience 
to make their own special 
retelling of fairytales, and 
Jennifer Chen’s YA Writing 
Workshop, which will focus 
on the trappings of the YA 
market and how best to write 
in it. 

 For more information and a 
complete schedule of events 
visit: litfestinthedena.org/
schedule.

 The event will place 
a special focus on the 
recent wildfires.

Pasadena Senior Center 
Cultural Thursday Free Event

 

 From the desert to the sea, 
throughout all of Southern 
California, native plants thrive 
in different ecological areas. In 
this Pasadena Senior Center 
Cultural Thursday event, Tim 
Becker from the Theodore 
Payne Foundation will share his 
knowledge of California’s native 
bulbs and irises on Thursday, 
May 1 at 2 p.m. onsite at the 
center.

 The event is free for Pasadena 
Senior Center members, 
and only costs $5 for non-
members and reservations are 
suggested. To register, or for 
more information, visit www.
pasadenaseniorcenter.org and 
click on Lectures & Classes, 
then Informational Lectures, or 
call 626-795-4331.

 Mr. Becker, who has served as 
the horticultural director of the 
Theodore Payne Foundation 
since 2010, will explore the 
stunning array of native 
flowering bulbs and irises found 
throughout California’s diverse 
geographical areas. Their beauty, 
their role in ecology and the 
various and diverse ways to use 
these flowering bulbs in your 
garden will also be explored. 

 Theodore Payne Foundation 
for Wildflowers & Native 
Plants inspires and educates 
Southern Californians about 
the beauty and ecological 
benefits of California native 
plant landscapes. A 501(c)3 
nonprofit organization, the 
foundation is dedicated to the 
understanding, preservation 
and use of California native wild 
flowers and plants.

 For 65 years, Pasadena Senior 
Center’s mission has been 
to improve the lives of older 
adults through caring service 
with opportunities for social 
interaction, fitness programs, 
basic support and needs services, 
education, volunteerism and 
community activism.

 Hours of operation are Monday 
through Friday from 8:30 a.m. 
to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 
a.m. to noon. To learn more visit 


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