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UPDATE 5/12: At the request of Pasadena councilmember Jacque Robinson, the hearing has been postponed until June 7.
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For those of you tracking the potential for putting soccer fields in Hahamongna, the Pasadena City Council will be revisiting the issue tonight at the city council meeting, which begins at 6:30 PM in the council chamber, 100 N. Garfield Ave. Room S249.
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LA's premiere bicycling spokes-man, Ted Rogers, a friend of this blog since before we could legally drive, is peddling an LA County political action organization so cyclists can, uh, "wheel"-d some political muscle:
Los Angeles cyclists prepare to Bike the Vote on May 15th — introducing the League of Bicycling Voters L.A.It’s not hard to have a big influence on local elections. In fact, only 17.9% of registered voters — slightly more than 285,000 people — cast ballots in the last election for Mayor of Los Angeles.
Now consider this: According to a 2002 survey sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, 27.3% of all Americans over the age of 16 ride a bicycle, which means that somewhere around 400,000 of the city’s 1.6 million registered voters ride bikes. In other words, over 100,000 more than voted for all the candidates in the last mayoral election combined.
That holds true throughout the Los Angeles area, where statistics suggest that over 1 million of the county’s 4.2 million voters are cyclists — making it one of the largest untapped voting groups in Southern California.
That’s about to change.
Continue reading "The League of Bicycling Gentlemen (and Ladies!)" »
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Altadena author Dave Curkendall will discuss and sign his new book, Shooting the Mailbox, at Altadena Library on Sun., May 23 at 3 PM.
This humorous memoir tells the story of three farm boys who, after their shooting prank demolishes a mail box, blunder into a runaway adventure from upper state New York to California to escape the feds whom they are sure are on their trail.
This free event will take place at the Main Altadena Library located at 600 E. Mariposa St. in Altadena. All proceeds from book sales will go to the Altadena Library Foundation. Refreshments served.
More information about the library’s program can be found at www.altadenalibrary.org. The libraries can also be reached by phone at 798-0833 for Main and 798-8338 for the Branch.
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Some activities next weekend that are worth putting on your calendar NOW -- including the Library's annual book sale -- after the jump:
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Altadena Town Councilwoman Alice Wessen tells us about some exciting developments in town:
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Continue reading "Mt. Wilson superintendent recounts Station Fire ordeal" »
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Deputies were called in to a stabbing at the 2600 block of N. Fair Oaks at 10:15 last night.
According to LA Sheriff Lt. Sheila Sanchez, the victim was a male adult Hispanic who was transported to Huntington Memorial Hospital and released after being treated for minor injuries. A suspect in the incident has not been identified. Altadena detectives are investigating.
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Two items from Pasadena Unified School District:
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The Altadena Town Council election is coming up June 5, and all candidates must have their applications in by 5 PM May 14. Applications must be turned in (and are available) at the Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr. Applications are also available online at altadenatowncouncil.org.
If you ARE a candidate, Altadenablog would like to publish your candidate's statement for all to see. Please send us an email at altadenablog @ gmail.com.
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Of course, when we were a lad, there WERE no such thing as old drugs, but we digress ...
It's amazing when two things will cross your transom in a serendipitous way, and we had that this week:
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Tomorrow, Thurs., May 6 at 4 PM, teens and tweens (12-17) can
make
sweet chocolate treats and a nice card to give to Mom for Mother’s day at the Altadena Library Community Room, 600 E. Mariposa.
See
you there!
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The staged reading of "Surprise Valley", a play about Western writer and Altadenan Zane Grey, brought in $4,500 for renovation and expansion of the Altadena LIbrary on May 1.
"Surprise Valley," an original play by Mary Casey, was performed by the Moveable Theater Company at the Zane Grey Estate as a fundraiser for Friends of the Altadena Library and the new Altadena Library Foundation, the fundraising arm for the library's planned expansion. A question and answer session with the playwright, cast and director followed the performance. Catering was provided by The Press Restaurant.
Pictured in retro black and white: front row, L-R: Cheryl Dent as Dolly Grey, Richard Horvitz as Young Zane, Producer Holly Witham, Angela Schnaible as Jane Withersteen, J. Todd Howell as Lassiter. Back row, L-R: Ken Baker as Muddy Miser, Kristina Hughes as Dorothy, Adam Dorshik as R.C. Grey, Harry Herman as Zane Grey, Director Nicholas Hosking, Christine Kludjian as Death, Trevor Bryant as Buffalo Jones.
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The American Cancer Society's Altadena Relay for Life has been rescheduled to Aug. 14 and 15, and relocated to Farnsworth Park, according to race organizers (it was previously May 15-16 at Loma Alta Park).
Says John C. Pings, one of the race organizers, the rescheduling has greatly increased participation -- but just because the race has been delayed, doesn't mean there aren't plenty of activities until then:
If you want to bring out your inner artist, you are invited to come to Camp Mariposa (the Girl Scout Camp, across from the Altadena Library, 615 E. Mariposa) on Fri, May 7 from 2-5 PM to help us decorate bags for our Luminare Ceremony. This is a great community building event; feel free to bring children too.
The decorated artwork from our community will be part of Relay for Life of Altadena’s Luminare Ceremony to be held on Sat. night August 14 at Farnsworth Park, right after the Summer Concert Series event that evening.
If you would like to learn more about Relay or help us plan a fabulous event, please come to our next Relay Committee meeting at the Coffee Gallery, on Thurs., May 13 at 6pm.
Or plan to come to our kick-off event on Thurs., June 17 at Farnsworth Park. We'll show a great video presentation from ACS as well as a video from our successful first Relay Event last year. Please invite your friends and team members to come to this fun event.
For more information about joining our fun Committee or forming your own Relay for Life Team please contact Andrea Sweet of the American Cancer Society at Andrea.Sweet@cancer.org or Cell 626.372.9456 ; Office 626.795.7774 x 240.
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District Ranger Mike McIntyre sent the following update on Cobb Estate issues:
- Audubon Signs are removed and stored at the District Office awaiting the AS to repair, refurbish and improve the signs.
- Entrance gate has been improved to allow better and more open access.
- Field visit with Andrew Fish on May 22 at 8 AM at Cobb Estate.
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NewTown, the Altadena-based collective of interesting and edgy art experiences, is looking for new members, for as low as $25 for artists:
- Memberships will be matched by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. $ = $$$
- Every $ goes to directly into programs. We won’t waste a penny on silly tote bags, coffee cups or other fodder for re-gifting.
- NewTown reaches out to the arts community, recently working with, L.A. Filmforum, and the City of Pasadena Parks and Natural Resources and Cultural Affairs Divisions.
For more information, or to become a member, check their website.
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The annual "Museums of the Arroyo Day" in Pasadena and Los Angeles will be Sun., May 16, from 11 AM to 4 PM.
Five history-based museums that focus on preserving and perpetuating early Los Angeles life will remain open, free of charge, throughout “Museums of the Arroyo Day.” Participating museums include Heritage Square, the Los Angeles Police Historical Society Museum and the Lummis Home and Garden in Los Angeles, plus the Gamble House and Pasadena Museum of History in Pasadena.
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The Altadena Library Community Room presents
Basis of Our Grounds – Artwork by Nicole Fournier
Opening Reception will be held Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 6-8pm
Nicole's work is fundamentally about growth, awareness, and overcoming obstacles. Her artwork is a combination of digital photography and an ancient wax painting technique called encaustics. The work depicts moody environments showcasing flora and fauna. They are beautifully fragile, yet portray a sense of strength and caution. Nicole's work reflects her own personal interest in showing how important it is for people to continue to monitor our impact on the environment.
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Reader Dierdre Del Re sent us this note about the passing of Lynn Redgrave:
Ms. Redgrave was a regular dog walker at the Cobb Estate for a short while several years back - she was performing at either the Mark Taper or Dorothy Chandler. This was perhaps 2005 or 06.
I had a friendly dog at the time and often stopped to chat idly with her while our dogs socialized. Being a native Angeleno, I tried to “play it cool,” however, she was very open about her reason for being in LA and how she came to be at the Cobb Estate. She was apparently performing in downtown LA and staying at the then Ritz-Carlton. One of her knowledgeable pals introduced her to the Cobb Estate for dog-friendly fun. She lived in New York then and shared a funny story about flying with her dog. She was very lovely and friendly.
Wonder if anyone else met her at the Cobb Estate?
Our memories of this gracious lady are only thru her films and TV work. The memory that best sticks with us was some "Shakespeare for Kids" special in the late 60's -early '70's -- Miss Redgrave wearing some kind of orange hot pants outfit. The special included short "Laugh-In" type blackouts, of which the only one we remember was her father, Sir Michael Redgrave, letting the dog out with "That Line" from the Scottish Play.
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The Pasadena Master Chorale (which sings at the Altadena Community Church, 943 W. Altadena Dr., is holding its spring silent auction online:
The Pasadena Master Chorale (Jeffery Bernstein, Music Director) is pleased to present the first annual Spring online auction to raise funds for the programs of the Chorale. Educational outreach, school adoption and our subscription concerts are some of the things that the proceeds of this auction will support.
The Chorale will also present the Brahms Requiem on June 12 and 13 at the church:
Of his choral masterwork, A German Requiem, Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) wrote: "As for the title, I must admit I should like to leave out the word 'German' and refer instead to 'Humanity'." This comment points directly to the heart of his greatest choral composition, in direct contrast to his tendency to speak cryptically, even jokingly, about most of his works. (Of his life-affirming and lyrical Second Symphony, for instance, he quipped that the orchestra should wear black funereal armbands "because of its dirge-like effect.") A German Requiem may be the most comforting, humane requiem ever written.
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If you didn't mail your ballot for the special Measure CC election there will be three drop-off locations Tuesday for hand-delivered ballots:
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... especially with the weather as great as it was. We wandered over to the Altadena Guild of Huntington Hospital's annual fundraiser among the homes of Boulder Road, and here's what we (and Bill Westphal) found, after the jump:
Continue reading "Altadena Guild Home Tour: a great way to spend a day" »
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The Pasadena Weekly's Scarlet Cheng looks at local novelist Michelle Huneven in a story that went online Sat., about her ties to Altadena and her deep roots here (she can even show you the trees!); and the LA Times' Sam Watters quotes Michele Zack (who is Huneven's neighbor and high school classmate!) on the virtues of the California bungalow.
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We weren't able to attend last night, but the irresistible force Bill Westphal stepped in:
Attendance was a little light at Saturday's Abstract: Altadena exhibit held in Galloway Alley. It was a wonderful exhibit of abstract photos from local photographers organized by Molly Tierney. Local merchants were there displaying there goods and a variety of food was available. Those Manning Boys were on hand and provided music.
The Alley and the Abstract photos on display. Molly Tierney can be seen at the far right talking to Walt Mancini and Gloria Fogler-Mancini who had images on display at tonight's exhibition. Our hats go off to Molly for organizing this wonderful photo exhibition. We look forward to more.
More after the jump.
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Since May is National Foster Care Month, the folks at Altadena Library would like to remind both foster parents and young people in foster care of its Library Cards for Foster Youth Program. Foster care givers may sign up their foster children for library cards so that they may check out books and other materials as well as use the computer centers in the Main and Branch libraries. No fines or fees will be charged for this program. During the month of May, the Main Library will also offer a display of materials on foster care.Children and young adults age 17 and under who are identified as participants in the DCFS Los Angeles County, Out-of-Home Care (OHS) system licensed foster parents, group home staff members, or relative caregiver, may apply for the card.
More information about the library’s program and foster youth, caregiver resources, and a list of suggested fiction books for foster youth can be found on the library’s website at www.altadenalibrary.org. The Main Altadena Library is at 600 East Mariposa in Altadena. The Branch Library is located at 2659 Lincoln Avenue. The libraries can also be reached by phone at 626-798-0833 for Main and 626-798-8338 for the Branch.
MORE INFO ON NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH CAN BE FOUND AT
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From Bruce Wasson of the Altadena Schools group:
Altadena Schools Community Meetings
Don’t miss these last two opportunities before the AUSD petitions are turned in to ask questions about how the academic achievement gap can be closed across all of Altadena!What is the reason for these meetings? At current rates, approximately half of Altadena’s demographic majority will graduate from high school. Since as many as 60% of the young black men in America who drop out of high school will land in prison by the time they are in their 30s, the urgency for putting Altadena’s low income majority on the road to success in college instead of crime and generational poverty could not be more urgent.
Altadenans are encouraged to participate in one of the following open discussions, conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect, regarding what works to bring all students to academic proficiency regardless of family background:
Spring 2010 Altadena Schools Coffee Shop Hops7-8pm Tuesday, May 4 at Café Culture, 1359 N. Altadena Dr at Washington Blvd. Café Culture will open early for this one-hour event and will remain open until midnight. RSVPs are encouraged but are not required. Facebook users can RSVP here. Meetup users can RSVP here.
7-8pm Thursday, May 20 at The Coffee Gallery, 2029 N. Lake Ave at Mariposa
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From Vector Control (!):
The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District regularly monitors mosquito populations and tests samples of mosquitoes for diseases such as West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis, and western equine encephalomyelitis. Mosquito traps set in April collected high numbers of Aedes sierrensis, the western treehole mosquito. This small (about ¼ inch) mosquito is the primary vector (or transmitter) of the Dirofilaria immitis, the parasite which causes heartworm disease in dogs, coyotes, and occasionally cats in the San Gabriel Valley. Although human hearts are not affected, canine heartworms can in very rare cases cause nodules to form in the lungs or under the skin if people are bitten by infected mosquitoes.
Animals may become infected when bitten by a mosquito carrying the parasite. Female mosquitoes pick up the parasite when they bite an infected animal. Heartworm has rarely been detected in Southern California. It is most often seen in dogs that have traveled to, or have been imported from, areas of the United States where heartworm is endemic. However, last year, the County of Los Angeles Veterinary Public Health & Rabies Control Program reported an apparent increase in locally acquired cases of canine heartworm in Los Angeles County. Between 2005 and 2008, 25% of all reported heartworm cases (6 of 29) were suspected of being locally acquired. In 2009 alone, 23 cases were reported and 11 (48%) were believed to have been contracted locally. Additionally, a small cluster of cases was identified from the western edge of the San Gabriel Valley.
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