The Altadena Town Council will meet next Tuesday, July 16, where the major item of business will be old councilmembers stepping down and new ones being sworn in.

Along with that comes a bit of housekeeping: a new chair, co-chair, and other officers will be appointed.  Also on the agenda is appointing resident Ron Adams as representative for Census Tract 4603.02 for the 2013-2014 term.  Adams applied to be appointed after the election,

CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is an active part of Altadena life and some neighborhoods, and the Altadena Sheriff’s Station will be extending it’s reach to area youth.

For more information on how to sign up,

In providing the VIDA (VItal Intervention Directional Alternatives) program,  the Altadena Sheriff’s Station recognize the importance of offering counseling, family action, community service, physical training, team building, and career guidance to wayward youth in our community. All this is done in an effort to help redirect negative behavior of our youth, who may be tempted to explore gang affiliation, drug use, or crime. 

“Parks After Dark,” a program of evening activities for all ages and interests, kicks off at Loma Alta Park tonight, 6-9 PM.

Loma Alta Park will be holding the event every Thursday, Frida, and Saturday night through August 24.

Tonight, there will be classes on martial arts, Zumba. cooking, youth basketball, line dancing, 3-on-3 basketball, and a garden tour (full schedule of events available at the park).  

• Custom costume:  It’s ComiCon weekend in San Diego, and PSN has an interview with Altadena costumer Leslie Aitken on how to come up with the perfect cosplay outfit for your convention duds.
• Get Out Alive!  That’s the name of the latest show from wilderness survival expert Bear Grylls, a summer series where teams take on survival challenges.  We’ll be rooting for Wilson and Robin Shappard of Altadena to take it all.

Friday, July 12

Library Summer Movie Extravaganza: For teens and up this week, the movie is “Warm Bodies” (rated PG-13; 95 minutes): A tormented zombie experiences a profound transformation after entering into an unusual relationship with the daughter of a military leader charged with eradicating the walking dead. As the unlikely pair build a tenuous bridge between the living and the dead,

Carol McKibben – Luke’s Tale

On Tuesday, July 16, at 7 PM, come meet Carol McKibben, author of Luke’s Tale – A Story Of Unconditional Love. 

This touching story centers around Luke, the  yellow Labrador Retriever with uncanny ability to understand human speech –

I am doing a turf removal project with PWP and the golf course stiffed me yesterday on coming by and picking up the sod I cut and stacked for them. 

It will have to go to the dump on Monday and I was trying real hard to avoid that and do some recycling if at all possible. 

For more information about adopting a pet, please call the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control at 562-728-4610.

There will be a child’s car seat safety workshop and inspection as Friday, July 26, as part of the “Parks After Dar” program at Loma Alta Park.

The organization New Economics for Women (NEW) is partnering with Parks After Dark (PAD) at Loma Alta Park during the summer to provide a series of child passenger safety workshops as well as offering inspection and installation of car seats.

There will be a free “smart gardening” workshop at Eaton Canyon Nature Center on Saturday, July 20.

Learn backyard composting, water-wise gardening, worm composting, and grass recycling.  No reservation is needed.

Sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, discount compost bins and worm compost bins (with worms) will be available.

The workshop runs from 9:30-11 AM at Eaton Canyon Nature Center,

by Timothy Rutt

“Law and Disorder”

Mentoring and Partnership for Youth Development 2013 graduates: Left to right, top row: Gene Campbell (board member), Dayveon Freeman, Christian Soto, Timmins Jackson, Patricio Rivera, Antwoine Davis, Tecumseh Shackelford (board member)  Bottom row: Erik Lopez, Raheem Ware, Miguel Quinones, Anthony Martinez.  Not pictured: Tyler Pulley, Justin Bryson, Jamil Weaver, Jajuan Brown, Jeremy Rogers

by Phillip Holland

Assistant Coordinator,

On Friday, June 28, Senator Carol Liu will host a public forum titled “Insurance in an Era of Climate Change” with keynote speaker Dave Jones, California Insurance Commissioner.

As climate change has been fueling the frequency of wildfires and other unusual events, the Union of Concerned Scientists will present expert panelists to discuss the latest climate information,

Performing with PSYCO this year will be Eva Polgar, pianist and winner of the Liszt piano competition.   Also on the program is 10 old Vera Hong violinist,  

Note 6/26: we have updated the flyer and sponsor list from original publication.

The sure sign of summer in Altadena (besides some oppressively hot days) is the Sheriff Support Group’s annual concert series at the Farnsworth Park amphitheatre.  

Returning for the 1th year, the Saturday night event promises to be bigger and better than ever.

• SKILLZ need support: The Flintridge Center’s SKILLZ Summer School is looking to raise $15,000 to help provide academic support for 100  students in ninth and tenth grade who have fallen behind.  The program focuses on youth who are at-risk for dropping out of school and/or students who are gang-impacted.  For more information or to donate, go here.
• MS Challenge: Altadena resident David Britt is training to raise money with the MS Challenge walk —

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich announced that  county Animal Care and Control may receive up to $3.1 million boost to its budget, including capital expenditures to protect the public from dangerous dogs.

In a statement from Antonovich’s office, $775,000 has been approved for additional staffing and equipment in the final recommended budget, and $2.4 million set aside for adoption in the supplemental budget.

What this means in concrete terms is that five additional officers will be deployed on July 1,

• Art: Alta-artist Mark Dean Veca will participate in the California-Pacific Triennial at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach.  Formerly known as the California Biennial, OCMA has re-envisioned this important survey of contemporary California art and will re-launch it as the California-Pacific Triennial in 2013 with participating artists representing a cross-section of countries from throughout the Pacific rim.  For more information, check out http://ocma.net/index.html?page=current
• Do at the zoo: Do you love animals?  

Foothill Municipal Water District (FMWD) will continue to provide rebates for high efficiency toilets, turf removal and rain barrels beginning with the new fiscal year, July 1, 2013, announced Nina Jazmadarian, General Manager of FMWD.

During the previous fiscal year that ended June 30, 2013, $30,041 in rebates were provided to local residents to support the effort to be more independent of imported water supplies.

With hot weather on the horizon through the weekend, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will open cooling centers throughout Los Angeles County to provide relief from the heat for the elderly and others who face heat-related health difficulties and stress, according to a press release from Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. 

Local cooling centers are: the Altadena Senior Center, 560 E.

from the Southern California Children's Museum

We are excited to announce the formation of the Southern California Children’s Museum (SCCM) and our kick-off event on Thursday, July 11, 2013 from 5 to 8 PM at the Arroyo Seco Miniature Golf Course in South Pasadena. The SCCM will be located in the San Gabriel Valley and fill an important void in early childhood educational experiences.

The Altadena Sheriff’s Station reminds all residents and visitors that the best way to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with family and friends is by attending professional fireworks shows such as Americafest at the Pasadena Rose Bowl Stadium. 

The sale or possession of all fireworks is illegal in Altadena. Violators are subject to confiscation and impound of vehicles; up to one year in jail and fines up to $50,000.