SEE PAGE 2 for holiday adopt-a-Family program
Pasadena Press
MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2014 - DECEMBER 14, 2014
pasadenapress.com
Record-Breaking Storm Still No Relief for California’s Drought By Jennifer Schlueter
see page 4 for colby fire starters FINEd $3 Million each VOLUME 1, NO. 32
Pasadena Sandwich Company, Pasadena Fire and PUSD Help Feed Over 300 on Thanksgiving By Terry Miller
housing, and safety, I intend to start to minimize the impacts to our community. I have served on many City of Pasadena and Pasadena Unified School District Taskforces, Commissions, and Committees since 2002 that have direct positive impact to our community.” In addition
The pace was brisk and the enthusiasm enormous at Pasadena Sandwich Company the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving. The reason: The Fink Family and volunteers from the Fire Dept. (including the outgoing Chief Wells) were busy filling ‘Blessing Bags’ for their guests who will dine at the restaurant on Thanksgiving Day. Over 300 members of some 59 Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) families who are transitioning from homelessness to self-sufficiency received a free Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings from the popular Pasadena Sandwich Company on Thanksgiving Day. Pasadena Sandwich Company, in conjunction with PUSD’s Families in Transition and the Pasadena Fire Department, provided a family-style feast at the restaurant as part of the third annual Thanksgiving Share-A-Meal for PUSD families. The event honors Stephen E. Fink, the co-founder of the Pasadena Sandwich Company who believed that nobody should ever be alone on Thanksgiving. “We are trying to distin-
Please see page 3
Please see page 4
Monrovia residents brace for the storms with K-rails and sandbags near the Madison Fire area.
Last week, drought-stricken California finally received some much needed rain for two straight days along with delayed and canceled flights, traffic chaos, destroyed power lines, and mudslides. The subtropical storm that emerged south of Hawaii broke December 2
records of the past 50 years in “downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles International Airport, Long Beach Airport and communities such as Antelope Valley, Palmdale and Camarillo,” meteorologist Eric Bolt from the National Weather Service told Voice of America (VoA).
- Photo by Terry Miller
In Glendora and other mountain communities, residents and city departments feared mudslides resulting from desolated hillsides due to previous wildfires. A few evacuations were issued; though, soon lifted Please see page 4
Pixie Boyden, Mayor Candidate for Pasadena City Council District 1 About Her Goals Pixie Boyden, a seasoned community activist/organizer who brings more than 12 years of dedicated service to Northwest Pasadena has thrown her hat into the ring for a city council seat in District 1. Creating “meaningful partnerships to create effective plans/projects that increase investment of community members” is just one of her
goals. “I believe that sustainable solutions tend to be those most closely aligned in grassroots processes where collective effort steers the innovation process to solve problems. With a plan to work ‘out of the box’ to engage our community to address the challenges of underemployment and unemployment, neighborhood sustainability, affordable
2 | DECEMBER 8, 2014 - DECEMBER 14, 2014
Hillsides Holiday Adopt-A-Family Program Aims to Help 80 Families Last May, the Galvan* family lost its apartment and was homeless for months. Mom Mary, a single mother, works at a minimum wage job to support her three daughters, ages 6, 10, and 12. The family never has enough for basics, such as sturdy shoes for the long 2.5 mile walk home from school each day. The youngest daughter, Alexandra, suffers from anxiety, and finds comfort playing “pretend” Barbies at school every day at recess. Because she doesn’t have a real Barbie, her teacher lets her borrow a stuffed bird, and Alexandra pretends the bird is a Barbie. The Galvan family is one of many throughout Los Angeles County struggling every day to make ends meet. The holidays, far from being joyful, are a depressing reminder that
they have no money for presents or for a holiday dinner. Hillsides is hoping to bring holiday cheer to the Galvan family and other families in need through its annual Adopt-A-Family program. The agency has set a goal of providing 80 families with gifts and food for the holiday season, and is reaching out to the community to fulfill this goal. “Without this program, families will not be able to celebrate Christmas or have enough food to feed their family when the children are home from school during the holidays,” said Laura Kelso, Hill-
Change lives. Make wishes come true.
sides director of community resources. “These donations will restore some sense of happiness in the families’ lives, bringing them comfort and joy and, in the case of the Galvan family, hopefully a Barbie.” Community members can choose the size of the family they wish to adopt, ranging from small (1 – 3 people), medium (3 – 5 people), or large (five plus individuals). The cost of adopting each family member is approximately $100. The deadline for adopting and shopping for a family is December 15. To adopt a family, please contact either Kelso at lkelso@ hillsides.org or 323-254-2274, ext. 1251 or Community Resources Assistant Stephanie Lopez at slopez@hillsides.org or 323-254-2274, ext. 1258.
Donors will receive a family profile, with specific needs and wishes of each family member, and instructions on shopping and dropping off the items. For more information on adopting a family or for those who would like to support a family but don’t have time to shop, please visit http://www.hillsides. org/content/adopt-family-holidays. For those unable to commit to adopting a family, Hillsides is also asking for gift cards in increments of $25 to stores such as Food 4 Less, Ralphs, Smart & Final, Walmart, and Vons. Those interested in purchasing gift cards can also contact Kelso or Lopez. Hillsides, headquartered in Pasadena, is a premier provider dedicated to improving the overall well-being and functioning of children, youth, and families in need. For more information on Hillsides, please visit www.hillsides.org. *Names and some details have been changed to protect the privacy of the family.
Christmas Party and Caroling Luncheon by the Women’s Connection Become a Make-A-Wish ®
VOLUNTEER
Volunteers for Make-A-Wish give their time and talents to help bring hope, strength and joy to children who are battling life-threatening medical conditions. We have a special need for volunteers in the Inland Empire to help local children.
Get Involved Today ocie.wish.org | 714-573-9474
Christmas Party and Caroling Luncheon will be presented by the Pasadena Women's Connection on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 11:30 a.m. at the Women's City Club of Pasadena, 160 N. Oakland Ave., Pasadena. Join in a wonderful afternoon of celebrating the season with Christmas carols, plates of yummy cookies, gifts and more. The Crescenta
Valley Charismatics Carolers will entertain in Victorian costume with songs of the season. Motivational speaker, Pam Sheldon, mother and mentor will tell how she received "The Greatest Gift" in her inspirational talk. Tickets are $23. For reservations call Darlene (818) 353-2212 or Carole (818)790-1907.
DECEMBER 8, 2014 - DECEMBER 14, 2014 | 3
hlr media
Pixie Boyden Continued from page 1
EDITORIAL jschlueter@hlrmedia.com Editor Jennifer Schlueter Publisher HLR Media Advertising advertising@hlrmedia.com
•Increase affordable housing options for those most impacted. Resource Access •Create a community campaign to provide access to resident to available resources needed to improve their quality of life and promote self-sufficiency. •Incorporate leadership building initiatives to create selfsustaining civic engagement in our community •Enhance successful job training programs to increase vocational options for residents.
Submissions:
Please send all press releases to: jschlueter@hlrmedia.com HLR Media, LLC .All contents herein are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without the express written consent of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily that of the management and staff at HLR Media, LLC 1000 E. Walnut St., Suite 227 Pasadena, CA 91106
Phone: (626) 386-3457 Fax: (626) 600-4452
Alhambra PRESS ANAHEIM PRESS
Baldwin Park
Belmont Beacon INDEPENDENT
INDEPENDENT
Pasadena Press
San Bernardino Press
-Pixie Boyden - Courtesy Photo
to her political service commitment to Pasadena, my non-profit board service covers a wide range of impact interest that will be an asset for our District, her experience with and knowledge of city operations coupled with a strong understanding of community needs..” will allow me to bring the right resources to the table to make the change that is needed. I have built positive working relationships with both City departments and community activists over the last 12 years that will infuse hope, integrity, and creativity for District #1.” Ms. Boyden is currently employed by USC Rossier School of Education and a Northwest Commission member in 2002 and is also a member of the Rose Bowl Operating Committee. Key District Issues include: 1.Reducing affordable housing options. 2. Young adults with limited access to resources (i.e. Education, Vocational Options, Social Engagement). 3.Increase in community violence. District #1 Strategy: Affordable Housing •Identify opportunities to preserve and enhance our affordable housing stock that is at risk of being lost in the district.
Community Violence •Identify ways to reduce
community violence through expansion of effective intervention programs. •Enhance and expand succeeding programs that build and support young adults in the community. •Collaborate with community resources to create effective ways to address societal impacts to the young people in our community. •Develop positive alternative social gathering places in the community that support prevention and intervention work for the community. Editor’s Note: We will be focusing our attention on Pasadena and other area elections in upcoming issues.
Long Beach Office 3780 Kilroy Airport Way Suite 360 Long Beach, CA 90806 Ph. (562) 472-0071 Fx. (562) 689-0071 Los Angeles Office 5701 South Eastern Avenue Suite 100 Los Angeles, CA 90040 Ph. (323) 727-1144 Fx. (323) 727-9198 www.heger-industrial.com Lic. #00814086
4 | DECEMBER 8, 2014 - DECEMBER 14, 2014
300 Fed on Thanksgiving Continued from page 1
Outgoing Chief Wells from Pasadena Fire was busy filling ‘Blessing Bags’ for 300 people who received a free Thanksgiving meal thanks to the Fink Family and their supporters. – Photo by Terry Miller
guish a part of Pasadena that gets forgotten,” said Meghan Fink, co-owner of the Pasadena Sandwich Company. “No matter what your background is, we want people to feel welcomed on Thanksgiving.” On Wednesday, November 26th, at 3:00 p.m., Pasadena Firefighters and the Fink family helped prepare food and fill blessing (gift) bags for their Thanksgiving guests. Included in these bags are gift cards, school supplies, hygiene packs and first aid kits.
PUSD’s Families in Transition office, which connects homeless and transitional students and their families with appropriate services, is also collecting donations for families in need this holiday season. Donations of canned goods, toys, games, books and grocery gift cards can be dropped off at the Families in Transition Office (Room 127) located at 351 South Hudson Avenue in Pasadena. Contact PUSD Families in Transition at (626) 396-3600 ext. 88252 for more information.
Colby Fire Starters Slapped with $9 Million Restitution Order Three men convicted of setting the Colby Fire earlier this year have been ordered to pay $9 million in restitution. The three men, Clifford Eugene Henry Jr., Steven Robert Aguirre and Jonathan Carl Jarrell must pay $4.4 million to the United States Forest Service, $1.9 million to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, $1.1 million to the California FAIR Plan Association, as well as hundreds of thousands to the Glendora
Police Department, Azusa Police Department, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, and other government entities and private citizens. The court ordered that “restitution be paid first to the individual victims, second to the insurance companies and their insured’s, and as the last order of preference, to the government entities.” The 1,925-acre Colby fires on Jan. 16, destroyed five homes and 17 structures.
-Courtesy Photos
Record-Breaking Storm Continued from page 1
because the slides weren’t as bad as expected and cities and residents were well prepared with barricades and 18,000 distributed sandbags.
However, despite last week’s downpour, California is still experiencing a severe drought. “We certainly hope that the rainfall we have now
pushes us toward normal — but we’re still below normal.… We’re just trying to get to average,” said spokesman for the California Department of Water Resources to the Los Angeles Times. Whereas downtown Los Angeles normally receives 15 inches of rain per year, 2014 only recorded a meager 5.89 inches, according to VoA. The LA times quotes state water experts who claim “it would take 150% of the average rainfall for California to recover from the current drought. That would mean a total of 75 inches of rain from Oct. 1, 2014, through Sept. 30, 2015, recorded at eight stations in the northern Sierra.” Gov. Jerry Brown issued a
state of emergency in January due to the drought and asked Californians to reduce their daily water usage by 20%, because “most important [water] reservoirs contain just 39 percent to 60 percent of normal water levels,” according to abc. In August, Californians used 11.6% less water compared to the previous year, but in October that number shrank to 6.7%.
-Photo by Terry Miller