Santa Rosa Avenue south of Woodbury, covered in branches after the Windstorm of 2011.
by Timothy Rutt
This was a busy year in Altadena -- some may say we were going to the dogs (or at least the hero dogs, lost dogs, and the coyotes, of which there were plenty!)
Here’s our totally non-objective and biased look at the Altadena’s Top Ten Plus One Stories of 2011, in no particular order, after the jump:
- Paco the Brave: This little neighborhood pooch became Altadena’s international celebrity this summer. On July 7, Paco’s nap at Ace’s Smoke Shop was interrupted by armed robbers. Paco’s response was to bark loudly, nip at their heels and drive them away. The security video of the robbers vs. chihuahua encounter went viral, and smoke shop owner Erik Knight wasted no time setting up a website, Facebook page, and prepping Paco swag to capitalize on his fifteen minutes of fame.
Paco wasn’t the only brave pooch in Altadena (Husky, another chihuahua, treed a bear in November, and Alta-doggies Raven and Sam managed to alert deputies to a hapless prowler that same month along Santa Rosa Avenue). But it was Paco who went on to TV appearances and a personal appearance at Fancy Food Truck Friday. Fame hasn’t gone to his head -- we gave him a pat the other day when he was hanging out in front of the smoke shop. Paco’s keepin’ it real.
- A mighty wind: it’s been a couple of years since the last natural disaster, so we were probably due for another one -- hurricane-force winds knocked out the power in Altadena and a large section of the San Gabriel Valley on Nov. 31-Dec. 1. When it was all over, we had to deal with trees and branches littering the landscape and wait for the slow and uneven restoration of electricity. Over 440,000 Southern California Edison customers were affected, as were residents of Pasadena, which provides its own power. Pasadena was up and running pretty quickly, but some Altadena residents stared longingly at the lights over the border for an interminable time. The politicos made hay by raking Edison over the coals, and Edison was apologetic, but it was an unprecedented occurrence. Maybe we all need to learn some lessons from it, because the big earthquake is going to be much worse.
- The murder of Brandon Jackson: John Muir High School’s 17-year-old fullback was shot to death on Feb. 18, in a killing that remains unsolved. Jackson was described as a good kid who was trying to get out of a bad environment, an unstable family with problems and gang ties. A basketball tournament was held to open a scholarship fund in his name, and his funeral attracted a full house -- but somebody knows who pulled the trigger, and a $10,000 reward from the board of supervisors apparently isn’t enough to get them to talk. There's a killer out there walking free, and that's the second tragedy in this story.
- Taking out the trash: Trash collection in Altadena used to be like the wild west -- everybody for themselves, hiring their own trash hauler. That ended this year when, after a long process, Athens Services was awarded an exclusive contract by the county. Athens did a full court press charm offensive, passing out swag at many community events, answering questions, being very available. When the first of the shiny new trash carts was lined up for pickup on Sept. 1, it was a new day. So far, except for a few minor glitches, this has been a successful transition -- pickups are professional and regular, hauling bills overall have gone down significantly, and Athens crews responded professionally and cheerfully collecting the windstorm debris. Call this a win.
- Farmer’s market follies: Altadena, with its backyard farmers, rabid foodcrafters, and T-shirted gourmands, is getting a reputation as a foodie paradise. But we’re lacking one critical component: a farmer’s market. After several stop-and-go attempts by the county to establish one at Loma Alta Park, and the announcement of one at Farnsworth Park that ended before it began in 2010, an unpublicized market opened up Jan. 8 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church’s parking lot. It only lasted two weeks, because the market managers wanted to make a play for the Loma Alta site. It worked -- they got the contract -- and then they withdrew, moving everything back to the beginning.
Finally, the county awarded the manager’s contract to Joseph Shuldiner, a book designer and foodie extraordinaire who set about remaking himself as a market manager with big ambitions. An opening date for the market kept getting pushed back, and at the start of 2012, a farmer’s market still looks like it’s a long way away, but Shuldiner tells us he's setting an optimistic start date of Wed., March 14.
- Code-bombing: Los Angeles County code enforcers didn’t let up on their apparent crusade to close down (or shake down) every business in Altadena. This year’s victims included the Coffee Gallery (for having open mic nights in the coffeehouse), the Webster’s companies (for holding Fancy Food Truck Fridays in their parking lot), the Altadena Urban Farmer’s Market (for existing), and the Rancho Bar (for holding karaoke nights without the permission of a bureaucrat). Usually, accommodations were made and the original threats of fines and fees were scaled back. But some had impact: the Urban Farmer’s Market jumped through the county hoops, but became a victim of its own success and had to close down anyway. The Rancho shut off the karaoke machine.
One of the most notable victims of code-bombing was Patticakes Dessert Co. (imagine! A picture of a cupcake on the wall of a bakery! Flagrant criminality!). The community rallied to Patticakes, and we think widespread public ridicule helped make this issue go away.
But not every encounter was a victory. One loss in particular really hurt: Danny’s Farm. The educational petting farm started by former Dodger pitcher and Angels pitching coach Jim Gott, his wife Cathy, and son Danny, was aimed at children with autism and other special needs, offering afternoon and vacation camp programs, and providing work for special needs adults. However, the neighborhood’s zoning -- which allowed for horses -- didn’t allow for cows, pigs, and goats. We were the first ones to report the sad news of the forced closing, which was picked up by other media. Actor Alec Baldwin became so enraged when he heard the story that he offered his services, and ended up hosting Danny’s Farm’s spring fundraiser.
After spending some time in a reduced mode at the Almansor Center in South Pasadena, Danny’s Farm has moved to the campus of Cal Poly Pomona, an agricultural school, where having farm animals is actually welcomed. Danny’s Farm has since bought a truck and trailer for their mobile petting zoo (thank you, Alec!), they sponsor Webster’s Fancy Food Truck Friday, and seem to have landed on their feet, better than ever. But we still miss them. Thanks, whiny, complaining neighbors, for running a real community resource out of town!
- PSARA vs. APA: This alphabet soup stands for "Palm Street Area Residents Association vs. Arroyo Pacific Academy." APA’s Philip Clarke bought the contested property at 183-205 E. Palm St. with the intent of creating a satellite campus for his Arcadia-based private school. The PSARA -- formed when the neighborhood was burned by an unpermitted 250-student school that sprang up overnight on the same property in 2008 -- remains adamant that a school is not acceptable. After getting shot down once by the Land Use Committee and Town Council, Arroyo Pacific has regrouped and is trying again. Will it work? Stay tuned!
- Hiker rescues, and failures: What’s that sound you hear? It’s Air 5, the sheriff’s rescue helicopter, going after yet another errant hiker. During the busy season of spring and summer, that was an almost daily occurrence -- sometimes several times a day, as hikers went into Eaton Canyon unprepared, getting lost or trapped trying to accomplish things that they had no business doing. Sometimes they got injured, sometimes they got stuck on the ridges, and in August, one fell to his death. The Altadena Mountain Rescue Team also got a workout this year, covering the ground while Air 5 covered the sky. Eaton Canyon is a bit of nature close to the city, but it’s still nature, and if you’re not careful, she bites.
- Coyote summer: Unlike a lot of wild creatures, who feel pressured by encroaching civilization, coyotes move in and make themselves at home -- civilization brings water, shelter, and food, including the occasional tasty pet. Living in Altadena means living with coyotes -- heck, living in America means living with coyotes -- but this year they seemed to be more numerous and visible than ever, and domestic dogs and cats were their frequent victims. The intersection at Mendocino and Maiden Lane seemed to be a hot spot, as did the nearby golf course, but coyotes both singly and in packs were spotted all over town and pet owners remain on watch.
- School closures: As the population of school children drops, and the Pasadena Unified School District recieves ever-shrinking revenue, schools are closing down. Altadena, far away from PUSD headquarters in the center of Pasadena, has suffered more than its share of closures in recent years. This year, Loma Alta and Burbank elementary schools were shuttered, joining Noyes, Edison, and Audubon schools. As with the latter schools, part of the Loma Alta building became a charter, the Pasadena Rosebud Academy. In an attempt to retain control of the Burbank Elementary School building, PUSD grabbed a hodge-podge of programs from anywhere and everywhere in the district and moved them to Altadena -- because if the district closed the building, it would have to be made available for use by a charter school that wanted it -- and another charter school means less per-student money for PUSD. Altadenans are gradually losing neighborhood school options, and it’s likely that we’ll be in the school district’s sights again unless the economy improves.
- The death of Katherine Arlene Lopez: This was the heartbreaker of the year. On June 29, as her mom backed the car out of the narrow family driveway, Katherine, three years old, ran out of the house and was crushed beneath the vehicle. Her mother’s screams of “Why?” could be heard around the neighborhood. A horrible tragedy, compounded by the family’s poverty -- they couldn’t afford a burial, and her mother couldn’t really take much time off from her job.
The community responded with care and compassion -- the Altadena Sheriff’s Station took the family under its wing, donations came from as far away as Texas to help out, and Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s private charitable foundation paid for the funeral. A fundraising car wash was held in Pasadena -- and (wouldn’t you know it) a complaining neighbor sicc'd the cops on them for a code violation. In the end, it was determined that there was a permit for the event and it was allowed to go on. A wonderful example of the community pulling together, but you have to wonder about the arctic coldness of a heart that wants to stop a car wash to help out a family after the death of a child. There’s got to be some ring of hell available for such people.
So those are the Top 10 plus 1. We had to leave a lot of other worthy events out: the renovation of the Altadena Sheriff Station, and tributes to David Larimer and Charlene Rottler, two deputies who died from injuries sustained while protecting the public; the citywide outreach and festival Sept. 10; Rep. Adam Schiff’s complaints that the investigation of the Station Fire was going too slowly, and the eventual report that the Forest Service had responded too slowly; the closure of the Gallery at the End of the World; the illegal wall at Rubio Creek coming down at last; the February snowstorms; Stephen Bullock, 33, of Pomona, who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy on Feb. 20; the fundraiser for Dave Melrose’s cancer treatments, headlined by Jack Black, Kira Roessler, and Mike Watt; the re-opening of the Angeles National Forest, at least in part; controversies swirling around youth boot camps; the incredible Altadena Historical Society program about the Cobb Estate, a meeting that was as breath-taking and unexpected as the actual event 40 years before; and maybe some others we’ve missed.
But we are ever so glad to be there to record them. Thanks to Erika McCarden, Laura Monteros, Lizze Slocum, Devon Pettengill, Sean Fitz-Gerald, Michele Zack, and others who have contributed news and views -- Devon is also our resident artist who makes our ads look good. Carolyn Seitz and Bill Westphal for being everywhere and Monica Hubbard for knowing everything. Capt. Steven McLean, Lts. Joe Dempsey and Duane D. Allen, and Sgt. John Stanley and the deputies at the Altadena Sheriff’s Station, who are (mostly) cooperative. Lori Paul, Robert Staehle, Paul Ayers and Lonnie Fehr for watching the forest for us. Concertmeister Robert Klomburg. Poet laurate Gloriana Casey. Elliot Gold, keeping us honest. Chris Considine (eye in the sky) and Gary Altadena (lookin' right at ya). Sussy Nemer at Supervisor Antonovich's field office, who never seems to mind our irritating questions or that we refer so many people with problems to her. The clubs and organizations and businesses and artists who let us know what they're up to. So many others.
Thanks to our sponsors, who make this all come together. We don't run national ads, and we don't want to. Support our local businesses, which support us.
To Dan Evans at the Los Angeles Times Community Newspaper Group, who invited us to the KPCC conference, which spun off into a Pasadena Sun column and mutual exploitation of each other's resources. We give 'em Altadena, they give us PUSD, JPL, and Hahamongna. And to Steve Scauzillo, who invited us to spew at his opinion writing class at Cal State Fullerton.
Thanks to Ibarionex Perello -- one hour after taking his photography workshop, we took a feature picture that made it into the Pasadena Sun. That was quick results!
Two personal highlights: hitting our one millionth page view (we’re now over 1.4 million); and being named Business of the Year by the Altadena Chamber of Commerce.
Our goals for 2012: more community voices! An improved design! More sponsors, more writers, and more readers!
As always, we love this work. We love Altadena!
Now, on to 2012!
