2015 Readers’ Choice Ballots - Vote for Your Local Favorites, P. 4
Thursday, April 9, 2015 - April 15, 2015
LOCAL NEWS
Huntington Memorial Hospital Recognized for Outstanding Patient Experience P. 23
azusabeacon.com Community News, Arts & Opinions Since 1996
Climate Conditions Have “Exposed Our House of Cards” Says JPL Scientist
Rampant Reports of IRS Telephone Scam Activity in Sierra Madre P. 18
SPORTS
Serrano’s R.J. Peace Shuts Out Monrovia 0-3 P. 31
South Pasadena Volleyball Sweeps San Marino in Conference Rivalry P. 31
ENTERTAINMENT Our American Cousin: Parson’s Nose Offers Taste of a Classic P. 15 Classic Rock Legends Wishbone Ash to undertake Pilgrimage North America P.14
BUSINESS
Lincoln Avenue Nursery P. 22
- Photo Courtesy California Dept. of Water Resouces
Senator Bob Huff to Seek Michael Groundwater Drilling Damaging Antonovich’s 5th District Seat CA’s Future
Even as the worst drought in decades overwhelms California, and its cities face mandatory cuts in water use, crops like oranges, tomatoes and almonds, eager for a constant supply of water, manage to get into stores nationwide, despite the dearth of the state’s longest drought in history. According to an article in the New York Times on the weekend, how California farmers have pulled off that feat is a case study in “the unwise use of natural resources, many experts say.” According to the Times, farmers are drilling wells at “a feverish pace and pumping billions of gallons of water from the ground, depleting a resource that was critically endangered even before the drought, now in its SEE PG. 19
ICE Arrests 87 Los Angeles-Area Gang Members and Associates in Nationwide Surge
Post Office Screws up P. 8
EDUCATION
Mt. Sierra College Educating Through Hands-On Courses P. 29
Pasadena Bar Association Accepting Applications for 5th Annual Speech Scholarship Contest P. 28
Volume 19, No. 15
- Courtesy Photo
Nearly 1,000 gang members and associates, including 87 individuals from the Southland, were arrested during Project Wildfire, a nationwide six-week operation targeting
transnational criminal gangs led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Project Wildfire, which ran
from Feb. 23 to March 31, led to the arrest of individuals tied to more than 40 street gangs in the Los Angeles area, including Barrio Van Nuys, the Eastside Wilmas and 18th Street. Of the individuals taken into custody locally, 70 are being charged criminally, primarily with state violations. The remaining arrestees, including foreign nationals from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, were processed on administrative immigration violations and will now face deportation. In the Southland, the Project Wildfire arrests included a member of the Diamond Street gang taken into custody March 3 at a Los Angeles residence in-
SEE PG. 16
BALLOTS ARE HERE! VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL BUSINESS
Bob Huff will announce his bid for Antonovich’s seat this Thursday afternoon in Monrovia. Huff is the Senate Republican Leader and has represented Los Angeles County in the State Legislature since 2004. Prior to his service in the Legislature, Bob served on the Diamond Bar City Council from 1995 to 2004. He has nine years of experience in local and regional government, and ten years in the State Legislature representing Los Angeles County. The California League of Cities named Senator Huff their “Legislator of the Year” for his efforts to protect local government’s authority to create economic opportunity for their residents. SEE PG. 9
Two Public Meetings on SR-710 North Study Slated The public can attend one or both public meetings in Pasadena April 13 and April 14, 2015 regarding the Caltrans and Metro State Route 710 (SR710) North Study, but official comments for inclusion in the SR-710 North Study Draft Environment Impact Report (DEIR) will only be accepted at Metro’s April 14 meeting, not the separate City Council meeting April 13. The two separate meetings include the Pasadena City Coun-
SEE PAGE 4 2
SEE PG. 17