Two Women, Three Men Who Helped Crime Victims Honored in Pasadena Ceremony, See P.13 sangabrielsun.com
Thursday, May 14, 2015 - May 20, 2015
Volume 19, No. 20
Community News, Arts & Opinions Since 1996
Lengthy Lawsuit Between City, Sierra Madre Couple Slowly Approaches Trial Date by joe taglieri
After five years of legal wrangling, a contentious lawsuit featuring Sierra Madre’s Building and Planning Department versus a local pair of aspiring wine entrepreneurs appears to be heading toward the home stretch — an actual courtroom trial that yields a definitive verdict. The case is scheduled to begin in September at the state Superior Court’s Burbank venue, according to sources familiar with the lawsuit. The time frame for Jeff and Taryn Hildreth’s project to convert their Montecito Avenue residence into an art cafe and wine storage and bottling business dates back much further than the lawsuit — to the late-1990s, when Jeff began excavating the 1910-era home’s lower portions with the goal of creating a subterranean wine cellar. The Hildreths claim they had all necessary permits, copies of which they provided to the Sierra Madre Weekly, and were in compliance with the city’s building protocol when, more than 10 years down the line, the project came to an abrupt halt. Development Services Department officials levied an order to stop work based on numerous but nonspecific code infractions and their apparent inability to locate the Hildreths’ permits, the couple contends in a 2013 court document. Making matters worse, they allege officials ignored their repeated requests for direction on corrections necesSEE PG. 16
Jeff and Taryn Hildreth outside their dream home on Montecito Street in Sierra Madre. Due to ongoing litigation against city hall, their dream has become a veritable nightmare. – Photo by Terry Miller
Huff Education Measures Get Unanimous Floor Support
Pedestrian, Bike Infrastructure to Accompany Gold Line Station
Legislation Designed to Help Students and Schools
by joe taglieri
Two education measures authored by Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) received unanimous support during a Senate Floor vote and will now move to the State Assembly. The measures extend the School District of Choice program and removed antiquated laws from the California Education Code. “Our children deserve the highest quality education we can give them,” said Senator Huff. “These modest measures help deliver on this promise. These bills provide better choices for parents and students -- no matter where they live.” SB 597 extends the 22-year running School District of Choice program, which SEE PG. 15
LOCAL NEWS
- Photo by Terry Miller
entertainment
The Duarte City Council unanimously decided to move forward Tuesday with a project to develop pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure centered around the Gold Line train station. As the commuter train system linking foothill communities gets set to roll through Duarte next year, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority in conjunction with the state's Transportation Commission administers a program that encourages municipalities to build amenities such as pathways for walking and bicycling. The Active Transportation Program, which came into effect in 2013 when Gov. Jerry Brown signed state Senate and Assembly legislation into law, combines state funds with a proportional local financial
opinion
match based on a city's population. A city staff report by Public Works Director Rafael Casillas spells out the project's scope: "The City of Duarte's ATP project consists of design and construction of pedestrian and bicycle improvements around the Duarte Gold Line Station connecting the station with surrounding uses including the City of Hope National Medical Center, the civic center, a recently rezoned area for mixed-use [transit-oriented] development; residential and retail areas to the west, south and northwest of the [Gold Line] station; the Class I Duarte Bike Trail and LarioSan Gabriel River Trail regional bikeway network; the planned Emerald Necklace regional bikeway network, and schools, SEE PG. 14
BUSINESS
Rosemead High Receives Whole Kids Grant
Play Review: Beauty and the Beast
Martin A. Gordon: Are We At War?
Business Profile: Old Town Barber Shop
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