Altadena Town Council: last night's rundown

Among the topics discussed at last night's Altadena Town Council meeting:

• Sheriff's town hall:  Altadena Sheriff Capt. Steven McLean told the Altadena town council that there would be another town hall meeting at Jackson Elementary School, 593 W. Woodbury Rd. next Thurs.,  March 24,  starting at 6 PM, a follow-up to the contentious meeting in November.
  
  McLean also said that the VIDA program for at-risk youth has 22 students in the four month program. The next session is scheduled to start Aug. 1.
• Burglaries and gangs: Sheriff Lt. Joseph Dempsey said that the uptick in shootings in the Pasadena area since the murder of Brandon Jackson in Altadena last month have been gang-related.  Both Altadena sheriffs and Pasadena police have put more cars on the street to quell gang violence.
  
  Dempsey said that they are still looking for information on the Jackson murder, and encouraged anyone who might know something to contact the Altadena station or Crimestoppers.  Tips can be anonymous.

Monk Hill treatment plant:  Councilmember Tecumseh Shackelford said that he went on walkthru of the Monk Hill water treatment plant.  The plant, which extracts well water pollutants generated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in years past, is scheduled to go online producing water next week.  Shackelford said that the plant will be surrounded on three sides by walls to keep the pump noise away from the neighbors.  The Monk Hill plant services the Pasadena Dept. of Water and Power.

Highway Patrol: Officer Ming Hsu said that the CHP will be doing an "every 15 minutes" program in front of John Muir sometime in April, where a DUI crash is simulated in front of the school using student participants.  

Movie nights:  Al Evans of the county Dept. of Parks and Recreation said that the county is partnering with Boss Dog Films to hold outdoor movie nights at all three parks in Altadena during the summer.  The free movie nights are already being held on the third Friday of the month at Davies Autditorium in Farnsworth Park,  with the next one scheduled for March 25.

Election committee: The council  named Eric Pierce chairman of the council's election committee, to be in charge of the town council elections which will be held at an undetermined date in June. Pierce said in a statement that he would focus on three ares: increasing election awareness at polling stations and in general, icnluding putting signage at polling stations a week before the election' expand training for poll volunteers, to include an online training video; and organize and improve communications between volunteers well in advance of election day.   He has also set up an email address for election issues at atcelection@yahoo.com

PUSD budget advisory committee:  Councilman Okorie Ezieme gave a report on the committee, which is is a member of.  The goal is to "make an alignment" between the money the district has and its education goals.  Ezieme said that the district is looking at  $9 million reduction in funding due to state budget cuts.

WAPAC woes:  Councilman Allan Wasserrman, who is on the West Altadena Project Area Committee, said that ongoing problems with Lincoln Crossing (parking, landscaping, screening on roof air conditioning systems) was still unresolved -- the developer, Dorn Platz, has not complied, and the case has been referred to county counsel.  Wasserman aslo said that the state budget ax will fall on redevelopment projects, some as soon as June 30.  As a first strike, he said WAPAC no longer has a computer or internet service, as it was removed by the county without notice.