Vol. 52, No.40
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966
October 15, 2014
Special Section
Local Events
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Sports
Chalk Talk
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President Obama Dedicates San Gabriel Mountains as National Monument
by www.sangabrielmountains.org National
A diverse partnership of cities, residents and organizations applaud the announcement that President Barack Obama will designate a San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. The San Gabriel Mountains, north of Los Angeles within the Angeles National Forest, provide one-third of the region's clean water supply and 70 percent of the
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region's open space. "For more than a decade, community support has steadily grown for the permanent protection of the San Gabriel Mountains," said Andre Quintero, Mayor of El Monte, located in the San Gabriel Valley. "On behalf of San Gabriel Valley residents, I want to thank Congresswoman Judy Chu and the California delegation, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and President Obama for working with our communities to make that vision a reality." Supporters include state and local officials, business and community leaders, environmental justice organizations, churches, water districts, veterans, educators and thousands of residents. Years of public meetings plus more than 12,000 public comments - built support for better protection of the San Gabriel Mountains and rivers and improved visitor services. Recent polling [1] showed four-in-five Los Angeles County voters (80 percent) express support protecting the San Gabriel Mountains and rivers - with almost uni-
versal support (88 percent) among Latinos. "The San Gabriel Mountains are a vital natural and cultural resource," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. "Designating the area as a National Monument will ensure its
with more than 3.5 million annual visitors. Given the diversity of Los Angeles and its adjacent communities, local leaders are encouraged that the national monument designation will provide improved visitor services including safe river access,
City of El Monte Mayor Andre Quintero meets President Barrak Obama, during the San Gabriel Mountains Monument Dedication Ceremony. Courtesy Photo
Columbus Day
The first Columbus Day celebration took place in 1792, when New York’s Columbian Order–better known as Tammany Hall–held an event to commemorate the historic landing’s 300th anniversary. Taking pride in Columbus’ birthplace and faith, Italian and Catholic communities in various parts of the country began organizing annual religious ceremonies and parades in his honor. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage with patriotic festivities, writing, “On that day let the people, so far as possible, cease from toil and devote themselves to such exercises as may best express honor to the discoverer and their appreciation
resources are managed properly and protected for future generations to enjoy." More than 17 million people live with an hour's drive of the San Gabriel range making the Angeles National Forest one of the nation's busiest forests
of the great achievements of the four completed centuries of American life.” In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday, largely as a result of intense lobbying by the Knights of Columbus, an influential Catholic fraternal benefits organization. Originally observed every October 12, it was fixed to the second Monday in October in 1971. COLUMBUS DAY ALTERNATIVES Opposition to Columbus Day dates back to the 19th century, when anti-immigrant groups in the United States rejected the holiday because of its association with Catholicism. In recent decades, Native Americans and other groups have protested the celebration of an
[San Gabriel Mountains continued on page 13] by History.com National
event that indirectly resulted including smallpox and inin the colonization of the fluenza that decimated indigAmericas and the death of enous populations; warfare millions: European settlers between Native Americans brought a host of [Columbus Day continued on page 13] infectious diseases,