Town council meets the new sheriff in town

There was a new sheriff in town at the Altadena Town Council, as the outgoing sheriff station captain introduced the council to his successor.

Capt. Christopher Reed, who will assume command of Altadena deputies on June 22, was introduced by outgoing Captain John S. Benedict.  Benedict was tapped to be the commander of Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown LA, considered the world’s largest jail.

Benedict gave a heartfelt goodbye to Altadena, saying how he had grown attached to the community, and “I will miss it.”

In other town council business

• The June 7 town council election was certified, and the council declared two seats vacant (there was nobody running this year in Census Tracts 4601 and 4611).  Vice-chair Okorie Ezieme said that the council will be accepting applications for the vacancies.  Candidates must submit an application and statement, along with a check for $35, by July 15.  New members will be chosen at the council meeting Aug. 19 (only the checks from successful candidates will be cashed).  Applications are available at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive.New council members Gloria Sanyika, Michelle Martinez, and Jennifer Lee, along with returning incumbents Ezieme, Diane Marcussen, and Judy Matthews, will be sworn in at the July 15 meeting.
• Dave Herman of the Alliance to Save Our Libraries asked for the council’s support for a measure to extend the library district’s parcel tax.  Herman said that, if the tax was not extended, the library faced a 30 percent cut in its operating budget, which could lead to shutting down the Bob Lucas Branch Library and reduced hours, services, and programs at the main library.
• In other sheriff news, Lt Brian Fitch said that, as Independence Day celebrations grow nearer, there would be “zero tolerance” in Altadena for fireworks, and the sheriff’s station was partnering with the county fire department and sheriff parks bureau to increase levels of staffing and put in extra patrol in areas close to the forest, such as the Cobb Estate and Chaney Trail neighborhoods.
• Capt. Benedict said that, due to the success of last week’s CSI Camp for teens 11-16 at Farnsworth Park, there would probably be another one in August.