from Foothill Municipal Water District

Foothill Municipal Water District (FMWD), will continue to provide rebates for high efficiency toilets, turf removal and rain barrels as part of an effort to be more independent of imported water supplies announced Nina Jazmadarian, General Manager of FMWD.The program that began July 1, 2010 with over $50,000 provided in rebates reopened July 1,

Pictured: Sheriff Lee Baca, County Mayor Michael D. Antonovich, and Altadena Town Council Chair Sandra Thomas cut the ribbon to officially open the remodeled Altadena Sheriff’s Station.  To their left, Assemblyman Anthony Portantino and Altadena town councilman Greg Middleton look on.

by Timothy Rutt

After over a year of work and about $1.2 million dollars spent, Altadena’s Sheriff Station was officially opened in a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday afternoon.

Some cool things happening at local businesses:

• The Altadena Ale & Wine House (Altadenablog sponsor), 2329 N. Fair Oaks, has Steve, a professional sports massage therapist,  providing chair massages from 4-7:30 PM every Tuesday night. First visit is fee, $1/minute after first visit.  Also this Tuesday, Sept. 20,

Performers include Alokparna Guha (katbak), Paul Livingstone (sitar), Pankaj Misra (sarangi), and Subhajyoti Guha (tabla).  Suggested donation is $15/$10 for students.  The Folly Bowl is at 1601 E. Loma Alta Dr.

The Board of Supervisors' noticed second public hearing on Supervisorial Boundary Redistricting will start at 11 AM Tues., Sept. 27 (that's tomorrow)  at the County’s Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, in the Board hearing room in downtown Los Angeles.

You can view the three plans submitted by County Supervisors as well as related plan reports at 

According to a release from the LA County Sheriff’s Department, deputies on patrol Thursday morning saw a woman driving a Ford Focus frantically trying to get their attention as she drove down a hill in La Crescenta. They raced to catch up to the car as it travelled southbound on Pennsylvania Ave.

The most dangerous women in America — then and now — take center stage Oct. 10 in a show to celebrate when women took their rightful place in democracy in California 100 years ago by winning the right to vote. The League of Women Voters Pasadena Area is co-sponsoring the event with Pasadena City College in cooperation with other civic organizations,

According to a Los Angeles County sheriff’s department release, Montrose rescuers responded to the Switzers picnic area parking lot at Angeles Crest Highway.  A mountain biker said he and three companions started a trip from Red Box to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Sunday.  

by Jane Brackman
President, Altadena Historical Society

If you’ve lived in Altadena for any length of time you’ve probably been curious about the history of the hauntingly beautiful house on the southeast corner of Mariposa St. and Maiden Lane.  It was built in 1911 for well over $20,000, when the average US wage was 22 cents per hour and the annual income was $200 and $400 per year. 

Staff reports
Pasadena Sun

Altadena’s Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy is trying to build community support for the purchase of a 7.75-acre property in La Crescenta to preserve as open space for wildlife and outdoor recreation activities. 

by Timothy Rutt

 This Friday and Saturday marks the return of the Altadena Comedy Festival, and it will be a full two days of laughs in service to a good cause: remembering those who serve.

Producer John Heinsen (who co-founded the festival with Julie Sandoval, owner of the Coffee Gallery coffee house) says that the event will be in support of the Blue Star Families,

by Timothy Rutt

Street crews started work Monday preparing for a major restriping of Lake Avenue north of Altadena Drive.  Crews will be removing the existing stripes before that stretch of the street is restriped to include a center turn median. The hope is to slow up traffic and increase safety for turning cars. (Big Hat tip to Bob Mann!)

UPDATE 9/29: We have a copy of the public letter that details the program after the jump (thx: Greg Middleton).

• New FMWD Director:  The Foothill Municipal Water District board of directors appointed Garry E. Bryant as its Division 1 director at its Sept. 19 meeting. Division 1 is located in Altadena and is composed of portions of Lincoln Avenue Water Company, Rubio Canon Land & Water Association and Las Flores Water Company. Bryant is a Senior Analyst with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in the Project Management/Controls Engineering Group.He is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a B.A.

by Tiffany Kelly
Pasadena Sun

Residents in Altadena can learn how to prepare for disasters in the Los Angeles area at a workshop Friday morning.

The Community and Senior Services and Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management will host a disaster preparedness workshop for seniors and person with disabilities on how to prepare and respond to disasters.

TEDxPasadena brings the international idea-sharing sensation on a local scale to Aveson Charter School next month

by Timothy Rutt

For aficianados, (or “TEDsters”) TED is almost a way of life.  TED (which stands for “Technology, Entertainment, and Design”) is a series of annual conferences held in Long Beach, Palm Springs, and Edinborough, Scotland, highlighted by the “TED Talks.”  A typical “TED Talk” has an accomplished, innovative person (anyone from Bobby McFerrin to Jane Goodall to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown) give the “18 minute speech of their life”

We'll be out of reach for most of the day — we're on a little adventure which we think will make a good story.  Other'n that, we're not saying!

A busy weekend this time around!  Keep checking back as we add more!

Thurs., Sept. 29

• Chamber mixer: The Altadena Chamber of Commerce monthly mixer will be at Body Freedom, 1270 Morada Pl., from 5:30-7:30 PM.  Members are $5, and guests $7.  Bring a raffle prize and receive commercial time to promote your business.

Fri., Sept. 30

• Comedy Festival Kickoff: The Altadena Comedy Festival,

The Altadena Library is accepting sealed bids for interior and exterior ADA improvements for the Bob Lucas Branch Library, 2659 N. Lincoln Ave. 

Proposal should be turned in to the library director's office.  Closing date is Oct. 31, 5 PM.  Construction drawings are available at the administration office.  Go towww.altadenalibrary.org to download a copy of the Notice and Scope of Work.

Readers throughout the country will try to set a record for the number of people reading the same book on the same day.  This year’s book is “Llama Llama Red Pajama” by Anna Dewdney.  Readings are at 11 AM and 4:30 PM at the community room.

Artists from the worlds of fine art, comics, TV, animation, and film will display their Halloween-themed work starting Sunday, Oct. 2.  The exhibit will be open each Sat. from 11 AM-5 PM and Sun. from 11 AM-3 PM in October.

• An actor’s life for me: Young Altadena actor Fionn James (he goes to St. Mark’s School) will be appearing in Pirandello’s “Six Characters in Search of an Author” at the Knightsbridge Theater, Sept. 30-Oct. 16.
• Senior golfers looking for more: The Altadena Senior Men’s Golf Club is looking for new members. Open to men age 50 or older, they play every Thursday morning at the Altadena Golf Course starting at 8 AM;

There’s a whole evening of comedy tonight to tickle your funny bone — it’s “Sketch and Improv Night,” with well-known acts including Keilly & Roeters (pictured).  Check the Altadena Comedy Festival website for the latest lineup and ticket information. 

George’s Drive in Liquor old school neon sign getting some new paint. Lincoln @ Altadena drive.

–Gary Altadena shooting from the westside.

The fifth annual gathering will be held Sat., Oct. 22, from 8 AM-4 PM at Loma Alta Park Community Center and the Altadena Community Garden, 330 N. Lincoln Ave.  

“The Cool Table” sketch comedy group performed at the Altadena Comedy Festival Friday night.  Friday night’s event was a collection of sketch and improv comedians; tonight is standup comedy, with a tribute to the USO shows, an award to Bob Hope, and the late night comedy lock box (The Great Martini performs magic in the conference room, too!).  It’s all a fundraiser for Blue Star Families, and takes place at the Coffee Gallery, 2029 N.

After identifying Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus) in the cities of El Monte and South El Monte this month, the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District and the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District are collaborating in a campaign to conduct neighborhood surveillance, control, and outreach to raise awareness and determine the extent of the Asian tiger mosquito infestation in Los Angeles County.

The bodacious Revvell Revati tells us that her morning "Over 40 Fitness Fun" group is having so much … well, fun … that she's started an evening group as well, beginning Tues., Oct. 4, at 7 PM.  The benefits, she says: " Regain/maintain balance; hand-eye coordination; flexibility; stamina; tone muscles and,

Children are invited to check out and read five library books.  Sign up and get details at the children’s desk.

The Altadena Main Library is at 600 E. Mariposa St., and the Bob Lucas Branch Library is at 2659 N.

And here’s the view to the southeast, that same afternoon.  We love autumn … wonder what happened to it this weekend?

For some reason, it's not on the Pasadena Sun website, but it IS on the La Canada Valley Sun website — a paen of praise to our local library.

What sets this event apart from other inspirational talks is the opportunity to connect with others who may have just the experience and skills you are looking for.  

The Metropolitan Water District says that some customers may notice a “musty taste and odor” in their tap water, but it’s not a health hazard, according to a press release.

MWD supplies the Foothill Municipal Water District, which in turn supplies some of the water districts in Altadena and the city of Pasadena.

“The earthy taste and smell stem from an especially large and persistant algae bloom in the east branch of the State Water Project,”

Students in grades 5-12 are invited to submit their entries for the fall 2011 Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Contest. Entries are due at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/scientistforaday on Oct. 26 at noon PDT.

The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest challenges students to become NASA scientists studying Saturn. Participants examine three possible observations taken by the Cassini spacecraft and choose the one they think will yield the best scientific results.

The Los Angeles County Flood Control District is holding a 45 day scoping period ending Nov. 11 on the proposed cleanout of the Devil's Gate Dam area (i.e. the Hahamongna Watershed).  

Interested parties are encouraged to email, write, and/or attend any of the planned community meetings to submit written or verbal comments.

• More on Minnesota shooting: Via San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the Associated Press have identified Officer Robert Zarrett of the Golden Valley, MN police, as the one who shot Altadena resident Katherine Marie Gordon, 58, on Interstate 394 in Minnesota last week.  According to reports, Gordon displayed a handgun after a traffic stop, but other details are lacking.  Gordon died of multiple gunshot wounds.
• Silent sitting cancelled: Leah Leddy tells us that this week’s silent sitting has been cancelled,

Hello, Christmas Tree Lane Friends and Volunteers!! 

This is to ask you to please join your neighbors and friends beginning Oct. 8 from 9 AM-12 PM for “Lights Up”. As long as the weather permits, we will be putting lights in the trees every Saturday and Sunday thereafter from 9 to 12 until all the trees are finished. In the morning you will be greeted with donuts, coffee and hot chocolate and after 12:00 lunch will be served.

If you like Altadenablog, thank our sponsor team.  They provide the support that keeps us going.  Next time you patronize them, tell 'em thanks for supporting us!

Altadena Ale & Wine House
Altadena Schools
Baietti-Seyffert/Podley Properties
Curves Altadena
Energy Upgrade California
Friends of the Altadena Library
Mike Gibson Service Center
Home Shoot Home
Keni Arts: The Art of Altadena &

The Rubio Cañon Land & Water Assn. sent out a letter to shareholders last week saying it failed to monitor drinking water standards for uranium as required by the state health department during two quarters of 2010.

“Our water system failed to monitor as required for drinking water standards during the past year and, therefore, was in violation of the regulations,” said the letter,