The Montrose Christmas Parade volunteers are busily working to get everything ready for tonight. Coordinators are monitoring the winds, however as of 1:15 p.m. the parade was a go.

“You might be in a for a little luck,” said Stuart Seto, weather specialist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The winds appear to be dying down toward evening although the High Wind Warning and Red Flag Warning are in place through Sunday afternoon.

“But the winds should be decreasing,” he added.

As of Friday night, power had been restored to about 65% of the Southern California Edison customers who lost service due to the high windstorm. As of 4 p.m. on Friday, 131,591 SCE customers were without service.

“Most [99%] customers should have their power restored by Sunday,” said Dave Ford, spokesman for SCE.   

Another wind event is expected to begin Monday about midnight and go through Tuesday. The Santa Ana winds will come out of the northeast and have sustained winds from 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 miles per hour.    

 

 

 

 

By Mary O’KEEFE

Danette Erickson has retained her seat as a regular councilmenber of the Crescenta Valley Town Council. Former member Frank Beyt and present member Charles Beatty were also elected as regular members. They will be serving a three-year term.

Alternate members are: present CVTC  members Odalis C. Suarez and Robert Thomas, and new candidate Mike Claessens. They will be serving one-year terms.

According to CVTC President Cheryl Davis, 157 ballots were cast, that was 151 voters that came to the poll at La Crescenta Library, and six absentee ballots. Two of the ballots were disqualified for marking more than three candidates.

The new councilmembers will be sworn in on Dec. 15 and officer elections will be held at that meeting.

By Mary O’KEEFE

By Mary O’KEEFE

At 8 p.m. on Saturday, Glendale Police Department responded to the 3400 block of Markridge Road concerning a call from residents reporting a bear in the neighborhood going through trash and entering residents’ backyards.

GPD helicopter and patrol units responded to the Markridge Road and Frederick Avenue area, west of Deukmejian Wilderness Park, said GPD Sgt. Tweedy.

Animal Control and the California Department of Fish and Game arrived on scene with officers.  The bear had been spotted in a tree, then came down and wandered around the neighborhood.

Fish and Game fired two beanbag rounds toward the bear, which fled into the nearby wash. They determined the bear was not a threat. Glendale helicopter located the bear in the washbasin and continued to monitor throughout the night.

By Ted AYALA

Matt Catingub and the Glendale Pops Orchestra were a snug fit amidst the retro-themed décor of the Americana at Brand during their “Summer Night Swing” concert on Thursday night, June 30. The Americana’s architecture, a kind of idealized throwback to art deco styles of the 1920s and 1930s, was a most convivial setting for Catingub’s refined yet sizzling renditions of classics by big band greats like Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

Catingub, not content to merely twirl the conductor’s baton, had proven himself a formidable musician of eclectic and varied talents at his inaugural concert earlier this year with his sureness of touch as a pianist, saxophonist and vocalist. Sure enough, all those facets of his musical personality shone through again when he closed the evening with a memorable take on Duke Ellington’s ‘Take the A-Train’ that was by turns mellow and raucous.

But what would a band be without the strength of its musicians? The GPO is a musical body comprised of solid talent and vibrant musicianship throughout.

Sal Lozano’s seductive alto sax crooned most winningly in Ellington’s

“Satin Doll,” twirling around the glimmering guitar of the Pops’ Grant Geisman. Trumpet player Bob Summers and a solid trombonist led the evening in a pounding duet that whet the audiences’ appetite for the rest of the concert. Drummer Greg Fiddle, who has worked with Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, and Ray Charles, cracked out a thumping rhythmic backbone that had both orchestra and audience swaying.

Special guests, too, by way of Tierney Sutton and Patti Austin, helped fuel the party mood.

Sutton, who hails from Ireland, started out somewhat falteringly with her version of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” from his film “Modern Times.” The overripe orchestral arrangement, which at times seemed to echo Mahler’s “Urlicht,” robbed the song of much its original gentle bittersweetness.     Tierney’s voice sounded a bit dry and tight on the top; her improvisational melismata wooden and inflexible.

By the next song, however, Tierney was in much better form in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “People Will Say We’re In Love” from the musical

“Oklahoma.” Here Tierney’s silvery voice was far more appealing and liquid.

Austin followed with a voice that immediately commanded attention. Her rich alto timbre, which easily glided to a soprano range when needed, sent a welcome jolt into her audience. A playful take on an Ella Fitzgerald standard,

“If You Can’t Sing It, You’ll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini),” began with a mock baroque string flourish before easing its way into a slow swing capped by Sutton’s scat arabesques.

The Gershwin classic “Swanee” was the highlight of Sutton’s turn with the Pops. Best known through Al Jolson’s iconic – and controversial – performances, Sutton’s rendition brought a warm glow to the Gershwin tune that polished out the brassy fire of Jolson’s version. Sutton’s version, also found on her recent “Avant Gershwin” album, laid out the full range of Sutton’s voice: now dusky, now shot through with light.

At the end of the evening, crowds of people – those that weren’t able to obtain a ticket – were clamoring around the main seating area. By the Americana’s fountain, dancers young and old turned and danced away.

All those smiling faces on stage and in the audience, as if the preceding musical banquet weren’t enough of a clue, were a ringing endorsement of the Glendale Pops’ outstanding quality.

By Ted AYALA
Glendale City Council had to wrangle with tough choices on Tuesday during the last council meeting. With an expected shortfall of $18 million in revenue looming, the city of Glendale will be forced to take decisive action in plugging the budget gap while maintaining city services.

“Our strategies are seeking concessions from various [city] employee groups,” explained Glendale’s director of Finance Robert Elliott, who enumerated several options that the city can take to save money.

“We’re looking at salary and benefit restructurings, continued privatization [of public services], consolidation of services, continued efforts with [Burbank and Pasadena] to leverage our resources and to do things more efficiently. We also proposed a number of new fees and increases for fees for this year,” he said.

Altogether, the new budget for the fiscal year 2011-12 is $149,250,155.

Though certain public works projects such as the Central Avenue Project were cut, others were retained. Funding for libraries and the Montrose Christmas Parade will remain. The city will also withhold passing ultimate judgment on funding for the city’s Rose Parade float until next month. However, 40 vacant city positions will be eliminated in addition to laying off eight city staff members.

Departments that suffered cuts included Community Development, Community Services and Parks, the Fire Department, the Police Department, and Public Works.

“The 2011-12 budget is balanced,” reminded the city’s director of Finances. “Core services have not been impacted, although we still have outstanding issues with the state and local economy.”

Local residents weighed in with their opinions about the proposals listed in the city budget.

Glendale resident Tony Vale bemoaned the cuts in staffing the Community Services and Parks Department would face, especially at the Verdugo Skate Park.

“The reason you want to keep the staff levels the same is safety,” said Vale as he recounted an experience he had with a belligerent park patron who physically threatened both Vale and his son. Vale then praised the staff at Verdugo Skate Park for defusing the situation and used it as an example of how necessary it is to fully staff parks for the public’s safety. “It will only be a matter of time before a situation takes place that could have been handled properly [by having the parks fully staffed] and then everyone will realize what a mistake it is to cut [park] staffing.”

“I disagree with some of the changes and reductions proposed in the budget,” said Councilman Rafi Manoukian. “I also oppose increasing fees. In these economic times, everyone is having a difficult time financially – especially the city. But I don’t think increasing fees is the proper way to go. I do have alternatives. I believe we can [fill in] the $18 million deficit without increasing fees and reductions [in services]. I think we should eliminate overtime for all departments. I believe that eliminating vacant employee positions will save $7 to $8 million.” Manoukian was the sole vote against approving the budget.

Praise came from Councilman Dave Weaver for city staff “doing everything humanly possible” to come up with a balanced budget.

“I just have this feeling that we haven’t done enough,” countered Councilman Frank Quintero. “We could’ve done more looking at efficiencies and how [the city] delivers services. I’m not at all happy that we took $1.3 million from Community Services and Parks.” He also criticized that Community Services and Parks were cutting employees from the ranks of those that come into direct contact with the public, not from its management.

Despite this criticism, Quintero, along with councilmembers Dave Weaver and Ara Najarian and Mayor Laura Friedman approved the budget.

“We’ll be dealing with this again next year,” added Quintero. “I don’t think this is going to get any better.”

By Ted AYALA

The Crescenta Valley area falling under the jurisdiction of the city of Glendale is abuzz these days with the winds of change. Residents and businesses in the Crescenta Valley have been working together with Glendale city hall in the creation of the North Glendale Community Plan (NGCP): a blueprint for the direction residents, local business leaders and the city wish to see the area move toward in the coming years.

With a proposal already drafted and receiving widespread support from both city officials and local interested parties, the plan is now being subjected to reviews from area locals. Sparr Heights Community Center was the stage for the first in a series of these discussions on Wednesday night.

The meeting was intended for local residents and businesses to review the details of the NGCP that have been drafted so far. Though the meetings are not meant to be a forum for debate, comments were accepted by Glendale city staff at the close of the meeting. These comments would be included in the impact report that city leaders will review before voting to implement the NGCP in the future.

“I think the city has done a terrific job,” said owner of Andy’s Moving and Storage, Joe Kroening.

Kroening, who also sits on the committee that helped draft the NGCP, added to his praise.

“The reason I’m here is to represent the local businesses. What we’re looking to do is to merge our vision with that of the residents. So far the community has done great here. We’ve all come together and really hammered out something great. It’s a great plan.”

Fellow committee member and resident Roberta Medford also had expressed her satisfaction with the plan, but qualified it with a few concerns.

“What bothers me are the height limits,” she said. “We need to find a compromise that can make everyone happy. But ideally, I’d prefer height limits that are more nature friendly.”

Resident Sharon Weisman echoed that sentiment.

“Call it ‘human scaled’ height limits. We’re happy with the success the Americana at Brand has enjoyed in Downtown Glendale. But we need something appropriate for our area. My main concern is that a height limit of 50 feet is much too high. All these tall buildings on the side of Foothill Boulevard would create the feel of a tunnel. How would that be conducive to development and spurring the growth of local business?”

She illustrated her point by drawing attention to the controversial medical complex built on the corner of Verdugo Boulevard and Broadview Avenue.

“It just sits there unoccupied for the most part. Frankly, it doesn’t fit in with the aesthetic of the area. That’s what we want to avoid.”

The height restrictions have proved to be the most contentious issue faced with various parties still trying to find a resolution. Along the corridor of Foothill Boulevard disagreement has been sparked in respect to whether the height limits should be 35 feet or to keep them at their current limit of 50 feet. Compromise alternatives were floated by at the meeting, including imposing a 50 feet limit for only the front side of the business.

“Just because we can’t agree on heights yet doesn’t mean you shouldn’t support this plan,” reminded Hassan Haghani, Glendale’s director of Community Development. “Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. We can work together to reach a compromise.”

Despite the differences in opinion the meeting was a model of community unity and civility.

“I’ve been very encouraged and excited to see the level of community involvement here,” said former Crescenta Valley Town Council president Steve Pierce. “We’re very proud of the work the city has made. This is a perfect example of how a city and community can work together.”

Mayor Laura Friedman also stopped by to talk to people in attendance.

“Seeing this community engaged so passionately about the [NGCP] makes me very happy,” said the mayor. “Even after working hard at it for nearly two years, everyone is still energized and focused on the common good. This is something to be very proud of and will be of great help for all of us as we continue to move forward.”

By Mary O’KEEFE

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has identified the woman who was shot and pushed out of a car on the La Crescenta Avenue offramp on Friday.

Adriane Arzumanyan’s body was allegedly shoved out of a vehicle that was traveling westbound on the Foothill (210) freeway about 5:15 p.m. Her body was found on the La Crescenta Avenue off ramp.

The 33-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders.

“There were multiple gun shots [to Arzumanyan],” said Ed Winter of the L.A. Coroner’s office.

The cause of death has not been determined as of press time. Arzumanyan’s autopsy is scheduled for today (Monday).

Crescenta Valley Sheriff has taken over the investigation. Anyone with information concerning this incident should contact the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department at (323) 890-5500. Reports can be made anonymously.

Glendale Police Department initially responded to shots fired in the area at about 5 p.m. After dumping Arzumanyan’s body, the suspect, whose identity has not been released by authorities, then apparently continued up the offramp and returned to the 210 freeway traveling eastbound then southbound on the Glendale (2) freeway.

In its investigation the Glendale Police Department performed a traffic stop of the suspect’s vehicle near the Mountain Street exit of the Glendale (2) freeway. It was then that the man shot himself in an apparent attempted suicide. The man was transported to a nearby hospital. Information on his condition is not available.

By Mary O’KEEFE

“(Southern California United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770) members have spoken. Strike Authorization vote overwhelmingly approved by huge turn out.” This  according to a text message from UFCW late Wednesday night.

From 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, local workers from Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons voted on the Strike Authorization. About 60,000 members were asked to vote on the Strike Authorization.

The 2007 labor contract expired in early March. The contract had been extended as negotiations continued.

In a recorded message earlier on Wednesday, before the vote, a union representative commented on the long negotiation process.

“[They offer] more takeaways that we clearly cannot accept,” the spokeswoman said. “They want you to work more for significantly less.”

Minutes after the vote the recording changed to notify its members of the strike authorizations adding that the “current contract is still in affect. Negotiations will be back next week.”

In 2003-2004 a long, bitter strike took its toll on employees and customers. Employers hired outside the union to replace striking workers.

That strike lasted about four months and costs the grocery chains reportedly over a billion dollars.

Recently the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce officially welcomed Arianna Medical Pharmacy to the community with a ribbon cutting ceremony. As a concierge pharmacy, Arianna Medical Pharmacy focuses on quality and customer service and strives to go the extra mile to ensure to meet and exceed customer expectations.

Arianna Medical Pharmacy works with the uninsured to provide medications at a low cost. Arianna Pharmacy, 3600 N. Verdugo Road, Ste 103, Glendale.