John Pings, one of the ace volunteers for the Relay for life, gives us an update on the event:

The American Cancer Society's 3rd Annual Relay for Life of Altadena event in on June 11 at 9 AM to June 12 9 AM at Farnsworth Park. 

Preparations are coming together for fun,

Washington’s new book, A Man from Another Land, chronicles his early life, his film and TV career, and his search to find his roots after going through a DNA test that shows his ancestors came from Sierra Leone,

And “Art on Palm” delighted the senses with lots of things to see under ancient oaks (including architectural gems like the Henry Greene Valentine Cottage).

The Christmas Tree Lane Association needs volunteers to help on lane maintenance Sat., June 4, from 8 AM – noon.

Elizabeth Nelson emails: "This is weed pulling, ivy cutting, and checking for fungus infections in the trees. This will not have to be done on all the trees thanks to home owners but all must be checked and many will need help.

Alokparna Guha (khatak dance), Subhajyoti Guha (tabla), and Paul Livingstone (sitar) — artists from India and Los Angeles, — will appear in concert at 7 PM.  Suggested donation is $15.  Bring a pillow, blanket, and picnic, and pack out everything you pack in.

Funding to support the little leagues is diminishing, and fees have gone up, so for the past two years the Altadena sheriff’s deputies have joined in this fundraiser.  This year, the sheriffs are supporting all three leagues in Altadena — West, Central, and East.

The sheriffs, little leaguers (and possibly a few ringers) will bowl next Tues.,

A reminder of two meetings coming up about public safety:

• The Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management will present an updated "all hazards mitigation plan," AKA disaster preparedness plan.  This includes natural and human-caused hazards and will address
  earthquakes, flooding, tsunamis, dam inundation, wildfires, terrorism, loss of utilities,

Alec Baldwin was the master of ceremonies at a special fundraising evening in San Marino for Danny’s Farm.  The farm, which brings together autistic children with animals and provides employment for adults with special needs, was tossed out of Altadena for code violations — and, incensed and wanting to help, the “30 Rock” star took up the farm’s cause.

Baldwin leads an activity at the fundraiser.  Danny’s Farm is presently operating at a reduced scale at the Almansor Center in South Pasadena,

Pictured: the family of Altadena Sheriff Deputy Charlene “Charlie” Rottler honored her by running in the final leg of the Annual Memorial Peace Officer’s Torch Relay Run.  Pictured: back row, Los Angeles Fire Capt. RIchard RIvas, a family friend; and “Big Daddy” Alvarado. Front row: grandson Julian Conan Alvarado, daughter-in-law Norma Alvarado, daughter Los Angeles  firefighter/paramedic Denise Rottler Alvarado, granddaughter Veronnica Alvarado, grandson Joshua Rottler, and son Greg Rottler.

The 24th annual Memorial Peace Officer’s Torch Relay Run,

Officer J.D. Fields, 59, of the CHP station, was transported to Huntington Hospital with major injuries including a fractured left femur and fractured left wrist, according to a release from the highway patrol.

According to the release, Fields was traveling on the eastbound 134 to the northbound Highway 2 near Glendale in his patrol motorcycle when he saw a stopped vehicle blocking a lane. 

Gardener Mark Salzman expressed delight at receiving a Golden Poppy Award as Altadena Heritage chairman Mark Goldschmidt looks on.

More than 70 people gathered in the flower-filled back garden of artist Nancy Romero to celebrate gardens and gardeners at Altadena Heritage’s 8th annual Golden Poppy awards this Sunday.

Altadenans whose streetside landscaping had caught the attention of this year’s committee were honored: Mark Saltzman and Walter Huber of 2860 Windfall Avenue,

Tuesday night’s meeting of the Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (ACONA) took on a range of topics, centering around group homes, sheriff dispatch response, and animal control. About 40 people attended.

Group homes:  Tanganica Turner of Assemblyman Anthony Portantino’s office said that nobody knows the full number of group homes in Altadena.  She said there were between 20 and 30 were licensed by the state,

The Sheriff’s Department recently released crime statistics for the entire department.  I have broken down the 100 page document to three pages of interest for Altadena Station.  The first page is the overall crime statistics for Part 1 crimes.  The second and third pages are the Burglary and Larceny crime statistics for Altadena Station. 

 Below is a link to the entire report:

 http://file.lacounty.gov/lasd/cms1_148405.pdf

As always we encourage residents to be mindful of their neighborhoods and report and suspicious activity to the Altadena Sheriff’s Station at 626-798-1131. 

On Friday, from 4 PM until dark, Charles White Park will host a celebration of Latin American culture and music.

According to Jason Hauser, recreational services supervisor for the park, there will be a display of art from different Latin American countries and recorded music that gives a taste of the clture.

from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

The "Avoid the 100 Los Angeles County DUI Campaign," in which the Los Angeles County Sheriff‟s Department is a participating agency, will be deploying officers and deputies this holiday weekend at DUI/DL Checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols in order to arrest impaired drivers who still don‟t get the message. 

Thurs., May 26

• Tickets are probably gone, but … the legendary John McEuen is playing at Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N. Lake, starting at 8 PM ($20)  Reservations, if you’re lucky: (626) 798-6236
• The Altadena Chamber of Commerce’s monthly mixer will reveal the results of its recent online survey. This month’s mixer will be at the Altadena Community Center,

• PSN reports that sheriffs, Pasadena police, FBI and other law enforcement did an early morning parole sweep that resulted in one arrest.  Raids were on the 700 block of New York Drive in Altadena and the 900 block of Elizabeth Street in Pasadena, all part of an ongoing investigation of the Pasadena Denver Lanes gang.
• Whittier Daily News’ Brian Day has a story on the ceremony in South Whittier yesterday at the sheriff’s training academy, as Altadena Dep. Charlene Rottler and CHP Officer Philip Ortiz’s names were added to the memorial wall.

The 14th Annual “Remembering Our Veterans and Their Families” event is a day-long tribute to our armed forces and a presentation of free services to veterans and their families from numerous agencies,

The Civil War Round Table of San Gabriel Valley will commemorate the holiday with a Civil War Memorial Day Service at Mountain View Cemetery, 2400 N. Fair Oaks Ave., at 2 PM.  Nick Smith, a Pasadena librarian and local expert on the many Civil War veterans who are buried there, will tell their stories and provide a context for this memorial celebration.

The workshops are part of The Arroyo Time Bank’s Neighborhood Resiliency Project, a series of free Sunday workshops meant to strengthen neighborhood bonds and build resilience among community members.

Part of the charm is a group of local artists who have “upcycled” old furniture and other garage-sale worthy pieces into one-of-a-kind works of art. “We’re just making a kind of a bunch of different, interesting things,” Tierney said. “We’re trying to make something out of things you threw way,

Child Care Information Service held its 28th Annual Policymakers Breakfast at the Altadena Town & Country Club April 29, as legislators, community leaders, donors, volunteers, child care providers and parents convened to hear timely comments from those in the field and on the frontline.

David Melrose was the longtime manager of Old Town Pasadena’s late lamented Espresso Bar (E-Bar) during the 1990’s, and is presently an instructor at the San Diego Chess Academy, collecting many friends along the way.  Stricken with cancer, Melrose’s friends are throwing the fundraiser to pay for his advanced treatments at the Burzynski Clinic.

• LA Times’ Emily Green has a piece on Kazi Pitelka and John Steinmetz and their home (and vast garden) in Altadena — which they’re now trying to sell.  Hope the new owner realizes what they’re getting into …
• Alta-blogger and righteous babe Jennifer Cowie King (The Motherscribe) has a piece in the HuffPo (national, not local version) with some words and proper mom outrage about the sexualizing of young girls (honestly,

“This is the second time I’ve been,” Davis said.  The gathering, sponsored by the Young Republicans, brings artists from all around the country who spend two days at Ronald Reagan’s ranch painting and getting to know each other.

Election Committee Chair Eric Pierce said in an email that the committee felt that this was an important step in improving community participation in the town council elections,

The John Muir High School Alumni Association will hold a pair of outreach meetings to acquaint the Muir community with the association and the various school programs it supports at the school library May 18 and 21.

The  meetings  will take place 7-9 PM on Thurs.,

So Bell chased her down: “She went left, and I went left.” 

Pictured: Cushon Bell with sons (l-r) Devan, Dustin, and Dylan. Photo By Gina Bilajiw Long.

Bell made a pitch to Rhee to consider the soon-to-be-open position of Pasadena Unified superintendent: “Some people do fantasy football,

Happy Mother's Day, a Day of Enforced Joy tm. How does your mother show up in you?

——

Well, maybe not a UFO (altho’ it wouldn’t be the first time one has been spotted in our skies), but community correspondant John Heinsen tells about this close encounter:

Candidate packets area available at the community center, the library, or our election page here.

We will be accepting candidate statements, pictures, etc. that will run on our election page through election day. 

Above is the map of street closures for the Pasadena Marathon on Sun., May 15, so adjust your travel accordingly.  Check out www.pasadenamarathon.org for more information (and helpfully has routes to churches).

Wed., May 4

Between 10:00 AM & 10:20 AM – A residential burglary occurred in the 1400 block of N. Roosevelt Avenue. The victim was home at this time and heard sounds from the interior of the residence. At this time, the victim exited her bedroom door and observed a male exiting the residence. The suspect was described as a male/Hispanic and was observed entering a white sedan which was parked in the driveway.

The Pasadena Master Chorale presents “The Green Concert,” music in celebration of the earth, featuring works by Randall Thompson, Aaron Copeland, and Chorale conductor Jeffrey Bernstein.

The concerts will be  Sat., June 4 at La Crescenta Presbyterian Church. 2902 Montrose Ave., La Crescenta, at 7:30 PM, and on Sun., June 5, at Altadena Community Church, 943 E.  Altadena Drive, at 4 PM.  Tickets are $20 (or $15 if you can buy directly from a Chorale member) and are available at the Chorale website.

Tickets are now available for the 37th annual Altadena Community Garden Picnic and Resource Fair.  All the fun happens Sat.,  June 18 from 1-6 PM at the Altadena Community Garden (corner of Lincoln and Palm).  Bring the whole family for great barbecue and garden-fresh, homemade food.

Tickets are $7 in advance.

As of mid-day Monday, only five candidates had turned in their paperwork to run for a seat in next month's town council election– two incumbents and three newcomers.

The incumbents are  Doug Colliflower in CT 4603.0 and Harold (Jamie) Bissner in CT 4612.