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Woman Convicted Of Leaving Children Inside Car On Hot Summer Day Sentenced To 120 Days In Jail
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21 - AUGUST 27, 2014
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VOLUME 2, NO. 33
PCC to shell out $403, 826.55 severance package to Mark Rocha District will also pay Dr. Mark Rocha up to $16,000 attorney fees
BY TERRY MILLER
The recent conviction of a woman who left her two young children locked in a car parked on a Pasadena city street on a hot summer day serves as an important reminder that the Pasadena City Attorney/City Prosecutor’s Office will rigorously seek convictions in similar cases. “There is no such thing as a quick errand when it comes to leaving kids or animals in the sweltering heat inside a car,” Pasadena City Attorney/City Prosecutor Michele Beal Bagneris said. “Our message is clear: don’t leave children inside a car in the heat.” Recently, Highland Park resident Corina Lopez, 35, pled guilty on Aug. 5, 2014 to two counts of child endangerment stemming from an Aug. 1, 2014 incident in which she left her two children, ages 3 and 7, inside a car parked on the Please see page 3
Dr. Mark Rocha, right, is to get a whopping severance package as a parting gift.
Landmark $400 Million Film and Television Job Creation Act Passes Final Committee, Headed to Senate Floor Bill by Assemblymen Gatto and Bocanegra Takes Aim at the Flight of Film
The long saga of AB 1839, the California Film and Television Job Retention and Promotion Act of 2014, continued but passed its final committee barrier today, clearing the Senate Appropriations Committee by a 5-0 vote. The legislation, authored by Assemblymen Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) and Mike Gatto(D-Los Angeles), contained numerous amendments today which represent the culmination of nearly a year of research and negotiations and
would expand and significantly improve the state’s current program to keep production jobs in California. The most anticipated amendment to the bill expands the program’s allocation to $400 million a year. Other changes include: allowing big-budget blockbusters – which create the most jobs – to qualify for the incentive; spending requirements to protect jobs and wages for below-theline workers; creating cer-
tainty for television series by guaranteeing credits if the show is renewed; and providing larger incentives for film and television productions that move to California from out of state and those that film outside of Los Angeles. “I’ve heard from so many people over the past year, who have told me about their family being torn apart because production left the state,” said Gatto. “This proactive efPlease see page 2
-Photo by Terry Miller
Pasadena Independent has learned that beleaguered PCC chief Dr. Mark Rocha is to get a whopping severance package as a parting gift August 31. On top that, his attorney fees will also be paid, up to $160,000 worth according to a report obtained under the Public Records act by this newspaper. What those attorney fees could be is somewhat unclear. However, the terms of the “severance agreement” would require an attorney so no doubt this is part of the equation. Nevertheless, it is duly noted that Dr. Rocha’s time at PCC has be peppered with considerable controversy almost from the time he was introduced four years ago. From the vote of no confidence; to the publicly humiliating way he and others handled the commencement speaker fiasco this year. The Board of Trustees Please see page 4
Tecolote Fire burns hundreds of acres in Angeles National Forest A fast-moving brush fire scorched at least 300 acres along Highway 39 in the Angeles National Forest several miles above Azusa and Glendora starting at2:30 pm, on Sunday afternoon. The Tecolote Fire is specifically located above the East Fork of San Gabriel Canyon and is moving towards Crystal Lake. So far, it has burned approximately 300 acres. There is currently no threat to either city or the City of Duarte. Highway 39 is shut down in both directions at the base of the mountain and all canyon traffic is closed. Coldwater Campground was evacuated.
Cal Fire and LA County Fire are assisting the U.S. Forest Service in battling the flames with handcrews, 9 Engines, 4 Helicopters, 6 fixed wing craft, and 2 pa-
trols, etc. For the latest information on the fire above Azusa and Glendora, please follow#TecoloteFire being handled by @Angeles_NF
-Photo by Terry Miller