Friday, April 24, 2015

Busy Altadena Library Board Follows Up Weekend Retreat with Monday Board Meeting

The Altadena Library District Board of Library Trustees will not only spend the weekend wrapped up in an all District Boards retreat, but come back for a regularly scheduled Monday Board meeting on April 27 at 5 p.m.

The agenda includes a preliminary budget discussion for next year, a proposal for an auditor to provide independent audit services, review and voting on a proposal to change the title of a principal library position to Public Services Director and a possible letter of support for Altadena Best Fest.

The full agenda is online here.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Award Winning Children’s Book Author Antionio Sacre to Visit the Altadena Library for El Día de Los Niños/El Día de Los Libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)

The whole family is invited to the Altadena Library on Thursday, April 30 at 4:30 p.m. in celebration of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day). Special guest author and storyteller Antonio Sacre will share touching, humorous, bilingual stories including his own stories of growing up bicultural and folktales from Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Antonio Sacre, born in Boston to a Cuban father and Irish-American mother, is an internationally touring writer, storyteller, and solo performance artist based in Los Angeles. His published children’s picture books include The Barking Mouse and A Mango in the Hand. He has performed at the National Book Festival at the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center, the National Storytelling Festival, and museums, schools, libraries, and festivals internationally.

El día de los niños/El día de los libros is an enhancement of Children’s Day, which began in 1925 as a result of the first “World Conference for the Well Being of Children” in Geneva,

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Eliot Arts Magnet Students Photograph, Then Artistically “Interpret” The Huntington Library

With thanks to Shannon Mumolo

This past year, students from Altadena’s Eliot Arts Magnet together with Mayfield Junior School students engaged with The Huntington Library on a two-month collaborative venture that yielded the artwork you see above — as well as other surprising results.

Through the lens of their theme, “Harmony,” Eliot and Mayfield students photographed The Huntington. After examining and critiquing the work, a student leadership team selected the photos they thought best represented the chosen theme. Small groups of students then worked collaboratively in mixed school groups to interpret those photographs. Each piece they made brings together the work of multiple working in a range of media to depict the concept of Harmony.

Approximately 144 middle school students experienced what it was like to work as professional artists. They participated in conversations and critiques that required refining their ideas and their product. They knew ultimately that the work they created would become a public installation. Images of their works were displayed at their schools and are being incorporated into school day planners for the Eliot students.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Altadena Branch of the NAACP Will Conduct General Meeting Tonight

The Altadena Branch of the NAACP will hold a general meeting at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., tonight starting at 6:30 p.m.

For more information 626-794-7999 or email altadenanaacp84@gmail.com.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Altadena Library District Announces It Is Looking for a Public Services Director

The Altadena Library District is looking for a Public Services Director who is ready to “ignite staff ” and “take community library services to the next level,” a new job posting says. The salary range is $5,798.23 to $7,223.82 (presumably, per month).

The listing says in full:

“In your role of overseeing and evolving all aspects of our public service you see the big picture and you will guide the team of experienced and dedicated library staff through change and growth.

“You have an innate understanding of the changing role of the library in the community and are excited about the opportunities and challenges these changes will bring. You are a natural leader who is knowledgeable on all library operations and respected for your ability to help staff navigate the path of change. You are an active listener and you are intuitive to people’s needs. You are a team player who thinks quickly on your feet.

“As a public services director you understand the role of education and the library and are committed to providing our community with every opportunity to learn,

Thursday, April 23, 2015

School Board Meets Tonight, Will Consider Laying Off 30 Staff

Declining student enrollment, departmental restructuring and the loss of categorical and other funding is prompting the Pasadena Unified School District to consider issuing lay off notices to a number of District employees at the School Board’s Thursday meeting this week, a District spokesperson said.

The item before the Board at the Thursday meeting would advise 30 employees that they could be laid off.

PasadenaLEARNS, which offers after school and summer school programs, would be hardest hit, with 20 positions slated for possible elimination.

Last year PasadenaLEARNs served students daily at Eliot, Altadena, Marshall Fundamental, Pasadena High School and 19 other district school sites, according to the district’s websites.

The layoff action comes as one of a number agenda items to be heard tonight. Also on the agenda for approval is a new evaluation system to analyze the competence of all district administrators.

Yolanda Mendoza, Pasadena Unified’s Chief Human Resources Officer, said on the agenda that this new Administrative Evaluation System ” required six months and “a great deal of time and effort” to create.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Public Meeting Tonight Focuses on What Power Should Be Granted to Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission

The working group tasked with giving the Board of Supervisors recommendations on the future Sheriff’s Department Civilian Oversight Commission’s size, scope, structure and responsibilities is hosting a Town Hall takes tonight at the Arboretum in Arcadia.

This meeting will be the nearest to Altadena to be held in a nine town hall meeting series planned for  Los Angeles County’s five districts to hear and collect community recommendations and comments.

In previous meetings, there have been public comments suggesting the Oversight Commission should be granted subpoena power and should not be governed by law enforcement or retired law enforcement.

Brent Braun will represent the office of District 5 Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich tonight.

The meeting will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, April 22, in the Arboretum, 301 N Baldwin Ave, Arcadia.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Altadena in the 1940s: Richard Bale Remembers

Calling all local history buffs! Here’s a chance to take a sentimental stroll down memory lane this coming Monday night, April 27,  at 7:30 p.m. at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive. You’ll see rare images of Altadena in the 1940s and hear a personal memory of what it was like to grow up here.

The speaker will be Richard Bale, 83, moved to Altadena with his mother and sister in 1939. He attended Altadena Elementary, Eliot Junior High and John Muir High School before being drafted into the Korean War in 1951.

Bale remembers that it wasn’t uncommon to see horses and cows pastured on the west side of Altadena, and chickens and pigs in people’s yards. Some remaining orange groves stretched for blocks.

He also remembers a few small factories that helped supply America’s World War II effort, including a home that had been turned into a machine shop that spit out precision parts for Lockheed 24 hours a day.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

All Boards Retreat for the Altadena Library District, Foundation and Friends Called for Saturday and Sunday

[Updated]  The Altadena Library District has announced an “all board retreat” this weekend for the combined board of trustees of the Altadena Library District, the Altadena Library Foundation and the Friends of the Altadena Library.

“The Board Retreat, while open to the public, is an opportunity for the three boards to come together to discuss the roles of each, the goals of each and how we can all work together to achieve the goals of the library for the best of the community,” Mindy Kittay, District Director / Altadena Library District told Altadena Now. “It is a work session but because more than three board members will be present it must be an open meeting.”

The boards will convene in the Reading Court and the BJP Community Room (both in Main Library).

Trustee meetings for the Library have to be open to the public, hence the announcement.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Altadena Town Council Hears Election Committee Report

Pat Sutherlin, vice chair of the Election Committee, gave the report for Okorie Ezieme, the chairperson, who is out of the country at Tuesday night’s Altadena Town Council meeting.

Sutherlin said that election packets may be picked up at the Altadena Library starting on April 24.  They will also be posted on the Town Council’s website on April 24.  www.altadenatowncouncil.org

The Altadena Library will also be used for early voting on June 2 and election day voting on June 6.

The voting hours for June 2 and June 6 have not yet been determined and will be announced at the May 19 meeting of the Town Council.

The deadline to file candidate papers is 4:30 p.m. on May 15.  Candidate applications must be turned in to the Library unless prior arrangements are made with the Okorie Ezieme, chair of the Election Committee.

All candidates are invited to attend the May 19 Town Council meeting to speak briefly about their candidacy.