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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7 - JANUARY 13, 2010 VOLUME 15, NO.01
Settlement Announced in Police Locker Search Suit The case of Jesse Toribio and John Ellins versus the City of Sierra Madre was settled yesterday by the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority’s ( JPIA), against the adamant protestations of the Sierra Madre City Council. “The City Council and I
were in unanimous agreement that this case should be fought in court and the City would prevail. Unfortunately, pursuant to the City’s agreement with the JPIA, the decision is ultimately the JPIA’s and not the City Councils’,” said Mayor MaryAnn MacGil-
livray. The JPIA, a risk management pool of which the City is a member, settled to avoid further costs associated with defending the City. Despite the settlement, the California JPIA expressed that this was not an admission of fault on
behalf of the City. “This case was settled solely to avoid the high costs associated with defending the City against such litigation,” said Liability Program Manager Paul Zeglovitch. The JPIA confirmed that their agreement with the City gives the JPIA control
over settlement of cases. “This action is strictly an economic decision, and it should not be construed, in any way, as an admission of fault.” City Manager Elaine Aguilar emphasized that, “From a public safety perspec-
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Sierra Madre’s Entry to Rose Parade Breaks Down Mid-Parade Association could face a fine of $1,000 or more BY BILL PETERS
Dancers from the “Better City, Better Life” entry, sponsored by Shanghai World Expo / Roundtable of Southern California, perform at the corner of Orange Grove and Colorado New Year’s Day during the 121st Rose Parade in Pasadena. For more images of the parade see page 3. Photo by Terry Miller
Bird’s Eye Highlights of the 2010 Rose Parade BY TERRY MILLER
Standing perched above the action on scaffolding at the corner of Orange Grove and Colorado on Friday last, I felt a little like one of those delightful birds who greets the sunrise each day. A great view of the floats and almost perfect lighting on yet another picture postcard Pasadena day…specially ordered by the Tournament of Roses. My morning song however, along with scores of other photographers from all over the world as well as local shooters was that of a whirling motor-drive announcing the
advance of yet another digital image captured. The clicks were loud, fast and furious. We all wanted to get that one shot that stood out from the veritable sea of flora images produced on January 1 each year in Pasadena. As we shot each and every entry, a few of us asked what, if anything, that particular float we had just made an image of had to do with this year’s theme - A Cut Above the Rest. Of course, it isn’t really important- but the point was made several times that some builders were oblivious to
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Bigger Gym, Smaller Waistlines More Drama In Temple Sierra Fitness Expansion Means More Weights, More Spinning Space BY JOHN STEPHENS
Last week we told you about Sierra Madre fitness mogul Sandy Lewis-Duval and her newest business venture, The Shabby Dog. And while Lewis-Duvall is certainly branching out into new business areas with her highend dog leashes sold online and at her Montecito Ave. boutique, she’s not leaving the fitness business anytime soon. In fact, she’s expanding. Much like starting The Shabby Dog boutique, LewisDuvall’s decision to expand
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City Council Chambers Man Collapses While Demanding Indicted Council Member’s Resignation
Temple City resident Jeffrey Briggs collapsed Tuesday evening at the bi-weekly meeting of City Council where he had come to offer his judgment on council member Judy Wong during the meeting’s public comment period. Wong has pleaded not guilty to a litany of felony charges including bribery and perjury, all of which arose from accusations that she accepted bribes in return for supporting Randy Wang’s $75 -Photo by Terry Miller
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The City of Sierra Madre’s proud all-citizen-volunteer float was awarded the Governor’s Trophy for its entry, “California Girls” in the 2010 Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, Ca. on New Years Day. In spite of the fact that the colorful float received applause all along the parade route, the float developed brake problems that halted the parade for over 10 minutes. It all started, according to Sierra Madre Rose Float Association Construction Committee chair, Dick Sappington, when the front braking system began to seize up early on. “We knew there was minor difficulty as we came down the hill,” Sappington said, referring to the incline of Colorado Blvd. after turning the corner at Orange Grove Blvd. and Colorado. The right front brake began to act up. There never was any danger of brake failure, Sappington noted, since this float, and all parade floats, are required to have a duplicate system on the rear wheels of the float body for safety. About half way through the parade trouble began ahead of the Sierra Madre float when the City of Torrance entry broke down and needed to be towed. At that time, the entire procession came to a complete halt for 20 minutes. The delay was exacerbated because the Torrance float was not equipped to be towed. Due to the delay ahead, at 9:55 a.m., the Sierra Madre float was stalled at the corner of Oak Knoll Ave. and Colorado Blvd. as it waited for the disabled float to be removed. Finally, at 10:15 a.m. the floats and marching bands in front of them began to move. The “California Girl” music, which had played incessantly during the halt, came to a stop as the driver attempted to re-start the engine. The engine balked. In a roar, the float started-up belching lots of black smoke out the tail-pipe. Finally, it began to move eastward to the approving applause of parade
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