altadenablog

Scripps Home site topic of April 17 meeting

This note has been circulating about the plans for the new retirement community planned for the site of the old Scripps home:

Dear Neighbors:

The Episcopal Home Communities would like to update you on our plans for creating MonteCedro, a new nonprofit retirement community on the site of the former Scripps Home. We invite you to a meeting at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive, at 7 p.m. on April 17th to hear the progress on the project. This meeting will be a continuation of the dialogue with our neighbors that started over a year ago.  We have made diligent efforts to respond to all of the input we received from neighbors in our first meetings.   This meeting will set the stage for a series of additional community meetings to be held in the future.

The Episcopal Home Communities and The Scripps Home now have completed their merger, and all the residents of The Scripps Home are settled in their new home at Scripps Kensington in Alhambra, which is the original retirement community where The Episcopal Home Communities began its operation in 1923.  The Scripps residents have responded beautifully to their new surroundings.

You are aware that the process of demolition, removal and recycling of the buildings on the site has begun. This process is expected to be completed by the end of May.  All of us associated with Episcopal Home Communities have the highest expectations that this construction will provide Altadena with a new, state of the art retirement community on the site where The Scripps Home has been located since 1913.  We are committed to creating a new facility that will be an attractive and harmonious addition to Altadena and will add value to our town in many ways, while promoting the traditions of care and service for which both The Scripps Home and The Episcopal Home Communities have been known.

We hope that you will attend, so that you can hear first-hand about this project.  If you cannot attend, you may feel free to call me with questions at 626-300-6453.  You may also feel free to use our information line to ask a question at 626-432-4048.

Cordially and sincerely,

James Graunke
Vice President for Community Relations
The Episcopal Home Communities

Theater of broken dreams

Jodie of The Four Seasons blog profiles the Cinema 21 building on Lake & Washington, built in 1925 and designed by Altadena architect Clarence Jay.

Library renovation updates

Dale E. Lacasella updates us all on the Altadena Library's plans in a letter to PSN.

Altadena Town Council Meeting

... always a scene -- Tues., April 15, 7-10 PM at the Altadena Community Center.

Let's Talk Libraries April 28

The Altadena Public Library will hold a community meeting between 7-9 PM on Monday, April 28.  "Let's Talk Libraries" will be an opportunity for residents to voice their suggestions about the future of the library (services, possible building enhancements, etc.) Erica Metoyer of the library says that there will be presentations by their strategic planning consultant and architects, who will address access issues (something close to Altadenablog's heart). 

The meeting will be in the main library community room, 600 E. Mariposa.  For more information, contact Metoyer at 798-8338.

The library is also asking residents to complete an online survey (link here) to help determine the community's needs.

300

This is our 300th post, and we celebrate over 6,300 page views.  Thank you for making this Altadena's community news blog!

Lincoln Xing: the saga continues

PSN reports that Altadena Lincoln Crossing LLC must pony up $1.1 million in unpaid management fees to subcontractor Swinerton Builders, Inc.  Altadena Lincoln Crossing is owned by site owner Dorn Platz.  The crushing quote:

Altadena Town Councilman Bobby Thompson, who owns BJR Postal/Copy Center at Lincoln Crossing, said he would sue Dorn Platz, too, if all his problems with them hadn't sapped him of the money necessary to retain an attorney.

Nevertheless, he said he wasn't happy to hear ALC had lost the lawsuit.

"The lawsuit means they're just continuing to run out of money," Thompson said. "I just can't give anymore energy, positive or negative, to Dorn Platz. I focus on my business."

Open letter to Pasadena Star News

Hey, PSN!

Shortly after we re-subscribed to your paper a year ago, we had to leave town for a few days and requested a "vac-pack" -- you hold on to the papers on the days we were gone, and deliver them all on the day we return. Your robotic answering device gave us this option.

And when we returned, naturally, we only had that day's paper.  We talked to a human in the office, and they didn't have any papers set aside for us -- no vacation hold had been processed.  The human recommended that we not rely on the robotic answering machine, but that we talk to an actual human next time.  No missing papers were delivered, by the way, altho' we did pay for them.

So from that point on, we pushed zero and talked to a human being about the vac pack whenever we had to leave town.  Each and every time, they said it wouldn't be a problem -- papers would be held, vac pack delivered.

So this is the fourth time we've left town for a few days -- the third time we talked to a human being in circulation to arrange a vacation hold.  And a vac pack has never darkened our door to this day.  We did have some poor woman show up this morning after I complained with several (but not all) of the missing papers that she managed to pull out of storage.

Does this happen a lot?  Or is a PSN vac  pack kinda like the Easter Bunny?

Just askin'.

Genetics pioneer Attardi dies in Altadena

A little late with this one, we know (been out of town on spring break!), but Giuseppe Attardi, a pioneering geneticist from Caltech, died in his Altadena home on April 5.  He was 84.   PSN says:

He identified all the genes of the DNA in human mitochondria - often called the powerhouses of biological cells. He then developed techniques for investigating genetic diseases, including Alzheimer's, and aging in general, which he discovered is associated with changes in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

PSN's obit is here.

Slow Down, Altadena!

If you've been traveling along east Altadena Drive, you've seen 'em -- the signs! And we hope they'll work!  What's the story behind them?  This note from town councilman Gino Sund of CT 4601:

The residents along Altadena Drive and adjacent streets, whom we refer to as the East Village Homeowners, have been working since October on many construction and traffic issues related to Altadena Drive.  There have been several important successes for the neighborhood related to both areas.

With respect to traffic, we were able to get the CHP to assigned a full time community policing officer to Altadena, a first for Altadena. Also, we are getting a major step-up  in traffic enforcement East of Lake, an area that was, in our opinion, under patrolled for years. As a part of this traffic calming program,  a gorilla [sic] marketing/education program is being started to augment the enforcement effort.  Thus, the signs along Altadena Drive. Today I have had a couple of requests from residents along Holliston for slow down signs to start a program on their street.

In my two years on Town Council, I have found that neighborhood organization and communication is the best way to address important issues and to get input from individuals who are informed and interested in issues important to the neighborhood.

As representative of census tract 4601, I have been attempting to communicate with as many residents as possible to keep them informed of issues as they arise.

The experience of the East Homeowners group has demonstrated the importance of organization and communication within a community group.

I know that I will need to continue to increase my communications with the residents of our census tract as issues, such as the upcoming changes in the trash hauling contracts implemented by the County, will start to effect the services of all of our neighbors.

I welcome any neighbors in census  tract 4601 to contact me with their interests or concerns.  esund@charter.net or (626) 794-9609

Gino Sund
Altadena Town Council
Census Tract 4601

Thanks to Altadenablog reader Deborah Graff for the photo!

Thompson named poet laureate; celebrate with cookies!

From our friends at the Altadena Library.  In fact, it's from the Friends of the Altadena Library:

The Friends of the Altadena Library will sponsor its sixth annual Poetry & Cookies celebration on Saturday April 19 at 2 pm. This event will feature the crowning of the Poet Laureate for Altadena Library, May 2008 through April 2010, Marcia L. Thompson. 

Miss Thompson, who serves as literacy coordinator for Head Start Escalon in Altadena, was chosen for this honor by the library’s Poet Laureate Committee.  She will be the second person to hold this position.  The library’s first poet laureate, Ralph Lane, passed away last year. 

Those attending this delightful program will have the chance to meet and hear poets from Altadena and the surrounding area read their poetry.   There will also be a drawing for two poetry baskets filled with items that poets or poetry lovers might enjoy.  Past attendees have commented on what an “inspiring and fun event” this free program has been.  Following the main readings, there will be an open mike and a poet’s corner where poets may share their poetry publications and offer them for purchase.   

The library’s 2008 edition of Poetry and Cookies, a compilation of poetry by local poets will also be available for sale at the event.   The library is located at 600 East Mariposa Street, Altadena.     For more information please call 626-798-0833 or check the library’s website at www.altadenalibrary.org.

Altadena gets animal control officer

This message from Lori Paul has been making the rounds of newsgroups:

Dear Neighbors & Trail Users,

Most of you are aware of the dismal service Altadena has long
experienced from L. A. County Animal Care & Control's distant Baldwin
Park Animal Shelter. For years our calls have been routed to a
general Distpatch number that often disconnects callers or fails to
reach the proper authorities, even in an emergency. Baldwin Park
Animal Shelter seldom responds to calls in less than a few hours or
fails to show up at all. Many animals have suffered and died
needlessly as a result.

While many chronic policy and enforcement problems remain, Altadena
now has a dedicated Animal Control officer, Sgt. Villegas. The Sgt
was assigned to Altadena in response to numerous, vociferous
complaints made at one of Supervisor Antonovich's town hall meetings.
We have the Supervisor to thank for funding and ordering Animal Care
& Control to provide a dedicated animal regulation officer and truck
for our community. Sgt. Villegas is now located in Altadena during
day time hours several days a week.

Pas Museum to feature Mt. Lowe Railway

An exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of History, opening April 12, will feature items from the Mt. Lowe Railway:

Mount Lowe Exhibition

Mount Lowe: Souvenirs from the Incline Railway illustrates how “Earth’s Grandest Mountain Ride” captivated the imagination of visitors from near and far during its 43-years in operation, and how latter-day adventurers continue to treasure remnants of the legendary incline railway.  The displays feature souvenirs created during the life of the Railway, from photographs taken by Pacific Electric Railway photographer Charles Lawrence to pieces purchased at the gift store at Alpine Tavern --souvenir cups, spoons, post cards, cabinet photos, china, paper weights and match safes. The exhibition also spotlights some of the souvenirs that people have gathered in the years following the destruction of the railway. These treasures, found in the ruins of the buildings, include railroad spikes, pieces of pottery, and other objects people saw fit to drag down the mountain to remember their trip to the once famed railway in the clouds.

Exhibition visitors will likely be surprised at the obvious ethnic diversity of the Incline passengers.  It was commonly thought that this early California tourist attraction was patronized only by rich, white visitors from the East who wintered here.  The official souvenir photographs belie this assumption and are evidence of the widespread appeal of the Mount Lowe Incline Railway.

Curator Michael A. Patris, a third-generation native of Los Angeles, is the founder of the Mount Lowe Preservation Society, Inc. and author of the illustrated book, Mount Lowe Railway, by Arcadia Publishing.

An island of treasure surrounded by asphalt

Dave Ocker's Mixed Meters blog has a photo essay of a vernacular art treasure: the FotoBuster kiosk in the parking lot at the shopping center at Lake and Altadena Drive.  We've passed by it many times and never realized its bizarre uniqueness!

Up on Mt. Lowe

The view and some shots of the Mt. Lowe Railway ruins grace this recent blog.

The Cobb Estate

Pasadena Daily Photo has some stairs to nowhere at the Cobb Estate.

Another blow to Rhythms

Caroline An of PSN has a front page story on the latest blow to Rhythms of the Village Charter School: they have ceased paying their staff.  School will resume after spring break this week, but what will happen after that is anybody's guess.

Muir teacher booked for murder

PSN leads with Brandon Michael Landreth, 30, of Pasadena, a history teacher at John Muir HIgh School, being booked for a murder in Arcadia last Sunday.  No details as to why Landreth is the suspect -- story is developing.  Read all about it.  Frank Giradot's Crime Scene Blog may have some reasons why.

More bears ...

Alan Zorthian at the Zorthian Ranch reports to the newsgroups that a large brown bear was spotted tucking into a refrigerator full of food last night:

A woman, who lives on the ranch heard a noise outside at about 9:00 
PM. She shined her little light outside and saw two eyes looking at 
her. She called me and said she thought the mountain lion was outside 
her place.  I went over with my spotlight and we looked down in the 
canyon behind her place and indeed saw two eyes which were attached 
to a fairly large bear.  He had dragged a small refrigerator that she 
had left outside, with some food in it, down into the canyon and was 
busy consuming the contents. He ambled off after about 5 minutes of 
looking at us.

This canyon runs around behind the ranch and is the extension of the 
canyon that Alzada road runs along. Y’all may be seeing Mr. Bear 
later tonight.

Alan Zorthian

Double Jeopardy

P-Weekly's Jim Laris talks about the Ken Jennings Experience! at the Altadena Library

Nuccio's hits the westside

Tom Nuccio (of Nuccio's Nursery) is giving the moneyed people at Pacific Palisades a talk on their azeleas on Mon., April 7. Who better?

(Altadenablog has a particular animus against people from West LA, who say, "Meet you in Altadena?  That's so far -- why don't you come here instead, it's a shorter drive."  We once had a Westsider give us a ride to Monrovia, and he didn't know there was civilization out that far).

Foreclose your house, eh?

Canada's National Post financial page had to go all the way to Altadena to get a picture of a home in foreclosure.

Fight over proposed St. Elizabeth's cell phone tower

T-Mobile is in the process of setting up a cell phone tower at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church at Lake and Woodbury.  Its proximity to St. Elizabeth's School and the child care center at Westminster Presbyterian Church across the street have caused consternation among parents as well as neighbors. Even members of St. Elizabeth's congregation are objecting to the tower (which will be disguised as a palm tree) near the historic Wallace Neff-designed structure.

PSN has a front-page story that looks at the burgeoning controversy.  Bo Astrup updates Altadenablog:

The community was just heard at a hearing downtown LA on April 1st. The Hearing Officer unable to approve the request of the petitioner (T-Mobile), has moved the case up to the Regional Planning Commission. There will be a public meeting a the Planning Commission probably on June 4th. See more info at

http://www.mynews2u.com/video.php?vid=116

Update: Pasadena Weekly has the headline we wish we had!

Five Acres recognizes Altadena volunteer

Five Acres, the Altadena-based child and family services agency, has recognized local Doris Braithwaite with a volunteer award.  She was honored as an administrative assistant in Five Acres' development department.  PSN tells the tale (scroll down). 

Rep. Schiff names Moseley "Woman of the Year"

Congressman Adam Schiff has named Jaylene L. Moseley of Pasadena one of his "Women of the Year" for her commitment and service to the community. Moseley founded the J. L. Moseley Company, a firm that develops and manages sustainable commercial real estate projects in Northwest Pasadena and Altadena.  Pasadena Now has all the details.

NAACP celebrates ten years of ACT-SO Sun.

The Altadena NAACP will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the ACT-SO competition from 2-5 PM Sunday at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

ACT=SO is a major youth initiative of the NAACP, a forum through which African-American youth can demonstrate academic, artistic, and scientific prowess and expertise, gaining the same recognition often only reserved for entertainers and athletes.

The public is welcome to the performance.  Donation is $20 for adults and $10 for youth 18 and under.  There will be a reception from 2-3 PM and an award ceremony from 3-5 PM.  For more information, call 626-794-3444.

Boho weekend at the Gallery

McGinty's Gallery at the End of the World will have its First Friday Art Club on April 4, 7 PM - 1 AM .  Five bucks gives you art, live bands, dancers, and refreshments.  Foothills Artwalk is on Saturday, noon to 10 PM: potluck barbecue and open mike (free).  Mimosa and Bloody Mary Sunday brunch noon-6 PM April 6, free (free?).  More info:  626-794-8779    or www.galleryattheendoftheworld.com    

Marsh mentors meeting at Mtn. View Mausoleum

LIndell Marsh, one of the writers of the Environmental Species Act, will facilitate "Common Visions, Common Goals: Joining Forces for a Greater City" from 9 AM to noon Sat. April 5.

The meeting will examine how Pasadena community groups can work together for greater transparency in government and broader citizen involvement in the city's planning.  The meeting was postponed from March 29. 

Best part: the meeting is at the Mountain View mausoleum art gallery, 2300 N. Marengo Ave.  For more information, call Open Space Now, 626-792-6463.

More cougar (and bear!) sightings

Wildlife seems rampant this weekend, with several animal sightings in recent days.

Fri., 3/28:  A resident  of Woodglen Lane above Loma Alta reports a brown bear eating her garbage in the early morning hours, seems to be impervious to any attempts to scare him off.

Sat. 3/29: a large, long-tailed cat is spotted crossing Lincoln Ave. and into the brush around Loma Alta Park and the debris basin.

Sun. 3/30: A Millard Canyon resident uses her clog to beat a cougar off her dog, and finds another one prowling on her roof (details below).

Mon., 3/31: A resident of the 3600 block of Leilani Way reports a heavy animal, probably a cougar, running across her roof.

Be careful in the foothill areas -- don't go walking alone, and make a lot of noise!

4/2 Update:  Bonny Schumaker, the aforementioned Millard Canyon resident, writes it wasn't a clog -- she used her fists and a Birkinstock to drive back the cougar.