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By Laurie Allee

Glimpses of South Pasadena finally has its own social media!  No longer forced to share space with my personal photos, macro shots of food and endless political retweets, this little blog finally has its own Instagram and Twitter accounts:

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Now, don't ask me to sign up Glimpses for Snapchat.  I'd have a hard time putting a bee filter on the entire town.

Want to leave a message?  Head over to the Glimpses of South Pasadena Community Forum to start a conversation!  You can always access it in the Community tab at the top of the blog.

Remembrance

South Pasadena photographer, AYSO soccer ref and all-around great guy Michael Newman passed away suddenly on March 30 from a brain aneurysm. He was 61.

I only recently met Michael at a South Pasadena Arts Council membership drive. We talked about photography, about the importance of art in everyday life, about how technology was shaking things up and how fun it was to be a part of it.

I wish I'd been fortunate to have more than one conversation with him.

My heart goes out to his wife Margo and their family, and also to the many, many others who loved him. He will be missed.

You can read the obituary at LA Times here.

You can see Michael's beautiful work here. UPDATE April 4: Michael's website appears to have been taken offline. If I learn of an online collection, I will link to it. His portraits are spectacular.

UPDATE April 4:

Patch has a lovely tribute to Michael here.

Intermission Extended

Recently, I wrote about the impending removal of the historic Rialto Theatre's famous sign. As of today, there may be hope: structural engineer Michael Krakower has been hired to formulate a plan to shore up the sign and make sure it will be able to remain in place. Krakower previously worked on Pasadena's historic Raymond Theatre.

Don't start sighing with relief just yet, however. The sign is still slated to come down, unless Landmark and Krakower can convince the city that all future plans for the sign are safe. After that, building officials must approve the plans. For more on the story, check out Patch's coverage here.

I'm no expert, and this is all hearsay, but I spoke to a structural engineer who told me that given what he could see, a plan for securing the sign should not be an issue. One film producer even told me that he could have a crew fix the sign in a couple of hours if given the chance. A contractor standing outside the theatre when I was taking pictures told me he'd seen worse safety violations in home renovations.

Do I have hope? Yes. Am I convinced we're in the clear? Not yet. Though I'm reminded of Dustin Hoffman's fantastic portrayal of producer Stanley Motss in Wag the Dog. When presented with a seemingly insurmountable problem of war, he would joyfully compare it to a catastrophe he had averted when shooting a film.

"This is nothing!" He said at one point. "Did you ever shoot in Italy? Try three Italian starlets wacked out on Benzedrine and grappa, this is a walk in the park!"

I sincerely hope that fixing the sign really is a walk in the park. But I also hope that this issue of sign safety and neglect finally forces the hands of those in control of the gorgeous treasure box theater sitting right in the heart of South Pas. The Rialto is just waiting to be polished and reopened, with its jewels given back to the greater community.

Trust me on this: I've seen very recent photographs of the interior of the building taken from just about every angle. It's even more spectacular than many of you realize, and it's in surprisingly great shape from the pristine light fixtures to the exquisite carved details.

In fact, it's still downright dazzling in there.

You hear that, Landmark? We still have a long way to go, but let's try to channel a little Stanley Motss. "You think you're in a spot?" He asked. "You think this is a tight spot? Try making the Hunchback of Notre Dame when your three lead actors die, two weeks from the end of principal photography!"

More as this develops.

(Oh Mr. Cuban, I'm still waiting to hear back from ya... :-) )

For updates, make sure to join us at the Friends of the Rialto: website Or friend the Friends of the Rialto on Facebook

Best in Show

I know what you're thinking: that's one tough puppy.

And speaking of tough puppies, South Pasadena's own Kaz Aizawa has won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for his work in Nickelodeon's T.U.F.F. Puppy. Read more about it here, and check out the winning T.U.F.F Puppy episode Toast of Tuff: Bread Dog.

Congratulations, Kaz! You're the toast of South Pas!

If you'll allow me a small detour...

Do me a favor, and head on over to South Pasadena Patch sometime this morning, before lunch. No, I'm not going to ask you to read another column of mine there, I just never expected to be in the news. If it's not evident what I'm (obnoxiously, mysteriously) talking about when you click, try again later...

And thank you, South Pasadena.

Update 1:00PM -- I'm not sure when the story I wanted you to read will post, so, like, well ... talk amongst yourselves? Here's a topic: colored lights or clear for holiday decorating? Your thoughts?

Manhunt

As I compose today's post, this helicopter is still circling South Pasadena. At 3:15 PM yesterday, I noticed it hovering near Orange Grove Park. I had planned on taking Little Bit to the playground before dinner, but the loud speaker warned citizens to stay indoors. Then, I heard words that reminded me of when I used to see police helicopters a lot -- back when I lived in Venice Beach and Hollywood. "Come out with your hands up," the officer in the helicopter said, "and you won't be harmed."

Not such a good day for a park trip.

The Pasadena Police and South Pasadena Police departments were/are looking for suspects involved in a jewelry store robbery in Pasadena. Several have been apprehended, but more are still at large. You can read all about it here at South Pasadena Patch.

May I just add that it is so nice to finally have a local news source with up-to-the-minute reporting on exactly what is happening in South Pasadena. (And I'm pretty darned lucky to be writing a column for this great website!) Editor Sonia Narang was on this story within minutes of the helicopter going up, making updates as she gained more information. Local photo journalist James F. Carbone included some incredible shots of arrests being made and SWAT teams walking with guns drawn through South Pasadena yards.

Scary stuff, but glad to have a savvy local media outlet giving us the scoop as it becomes a scoop, and letting us in on details that directly affect our community.

South Pasadena Patch is Here!

The No Smoking sign in the Kaldi window is a bit out of place for this photo, since the woman leaning against the wall is red-hot editor Sonia Narang. Sonia is the driving force behind South Pasadena Patch -- our town's brand new one-stop source of news, information and discussion. It launches today at 12:30PM Pacific Standard Time.

And guess what? Your faithful blogger is part of the team. You'll still be able to check in with me daily right here at GOSP, but I also have a weekly column at South Pasadena Patch called Views from the Front Porch.

I'm thrilled to be a part of the Patch family for a number of reasons. First, I'm excited that South Pas will finally have a daily, interactive, online news source covering all of the issues that are important to our community. Sonia has brought together a dedicated group of local professionals to cover everything from big-time breaking news to Little League scores. These journalists, photographers, writers and videographers aren't outsiders looking in. They are insiders reaching out. South Pasadena Patch will keep the community informed about the latest in our local government, our thriving art scene, city events, school issues, the Farmers Market and all of the interesting human interest stories that make our diverse community so special. It also includes a comprehensive city business directory, up-to-date restaurant reviews, a local events calendar and plenty of opportunities to leave unmoderated comments and feedback about everything published on the site. Best of all? Information is updated daily and goes online in minutes, not days.

You can find out all about Sonia's impressive background and vision for the site right here. She's an acclaimed reporter and video journalist who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. She went on to cover stories all over the world from Colorado to Asia. But I have the inside scoop: Sonia once won a Japanese speech contest by discussing in Japanese her worldwide search for the absolute best slice of cake. I'm not sure where she eventually found it, but six years ago she traveled around the southern hemisphere by ship, visiting 16 countries. (That's a lot of cake!) Oh, and her favorite Beatles song is "I am the Walrus." She might not be "sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come" but you're sure to find her hanging around town with her camera and her laptop.

Now, on your lunch hour, everyone run on over to South Pasadena Patch and check it out. Remember, it goes live at 12:30PM PST. (You'll find me listed in the columns section if you scroll down the front page.)

Happiness is Free

Just ask two cousins playing tag in the park.

I stumbled across this photo when I was looking through my files from last summer. Here is an image of my daughter and nephew as they ran circles around each other in the little grassy area beneath Mission Station. We had just come from Busters Ice Cream. If I remember correctly, we each chose double scoops even though it was close to dinnertime.

The news makers and newscasters continue to clamor on and on in dour tones about the Great Recession but what they might want to do is talk to kids. After all, kids know what the word recess is supposed to be about.

Ceteris Paribus...

Mark Zandi, the oft-quoted chief economist at Moody's Analytics, recently proclaimed to CBS News that "The Great Recession is Over!" This immediately brought two questions to my mind:

1) Is he sure the rest of the country got the same memo? And...

2) When did we start calling it the Great Recession?

Whatever you call it, the thing has packed a hell of a punch. It's hard to see so much of South Pasadena's charming downtown go the way of boarded-up windows and For Lease signs. Little Parlor closed. Dynasty Iron Doors closed. Would You Believe closed. Gracie's Market closed. Giant hunks of plaster are literally falling off the Rialto -- which is, for all intents and purposes, closed.

Zandi went on to add that the Great Recession is history only "in a very technical sense. It's probably in a sense only an economist can really appreciate." Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Everyone likes to be appreciated ... but how long before the economy puts money where the economist's mouth is?

In the mean time, don't forget about supporting the many wonderful businesses, restaurants and services here in South Pas. For a great overview, check out The South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce online, or stop by and pick up a copy of South Pas Connections, the new 2010 Community Guide and Business Directory. (You might even recognize a few of the photographs in it...)

Behind Closed Doors

It's hard to tell what's going on in this photograph of the South Pasadena City Council chambers ... but citizens can certainly participate in the operation of our city government when the council meets in open session.

I'm glad I raised my voice at the last meeting. I stood alongside former mayors, activists and other members of our community. We each expressed enthusiastic support of our police chief Dan Watson. We questioned why the council inexplicably began recruitment for another chief when the one we have now has done such an excellent job for the past 8 years.

We didn't get any answers.

Tonight's City Council meeting is at 7:30PM, 1424 Mission Street. I encourage all concerned South Pas citizens to attend. If you wish to be included in the public comments, be sure to fill out a yellow card and hand it in to the city clerk before 8:30PM.

You can read more about the situation with Chief Watson in my earlier posts here. You can also read what journalists at the Pasadena Star News had to say here, here and here.

Watercolors

A storm blew in yesterday afternoon -- the opening act of today's main attraction storm system. Most of South Pas looked gray except for this lovely tableau on Meridian.

The National Weather Service says these storms may be the biggest since 1998's El Nino floods. Meteorologists predict 8 to 16 inches in our nearby foothills-- the communities below the epic 250 square mile burn area of last summer's Station Fire. (8 to 16 inches?!) The Los Angeles Fire Department and Bureau of Street Services are providing sandbags to burn-area residents. Dial 311 to find a fire station or Street Services location near you, or check out the LAFD's blog or the Bureau of Street Services. If South Pasadena residents need sandbags, contact the South Pasadena Fire Department.

But maybe these clouds have silver linings. Heavy rain will certainly jumpstart all those little seeds scattered across our wildfire-scarred mountains...

Update: Friend of GOSP Mister Earl commented with a link to this hilarious UCLA student video about how Los Angeles reacts when it rains. It's worth a look, though folks outside the region might not be in on the joke...

Groundswell

The scenes of devastation in Haiti hardly seem real. As a resident of Southern California -- another tectonically unpredictable region -- this story hits too close to home. I can hardly process this kind of news. An entire city leveled by an earthquake in a matter of seconds? Thousands dead and dying beneath tons of rubble? How does anyone make sense of it? Like Katrina, like the 2004 Tsunami, like the 2009 Australian bushfires, the Haitian earthquake proves that nature is capriciously vicious. Even the rocks my daughter made shapes with on the sidewalk yesterday are the result of millions of years of chaotic, species-eradicating cataclysms.

I have a hard time making sense of random destruction. What happened in Haiti isn't the kind of everything-happens-for-a-reason plot point in a novel. It isn't a scene from a film by Roland Emmerich. It's not one of those scary bible stories told in Southern Baptist Sunday School. It's real and it's happening right now halfway across the world. It's happening as I sit in my comfy bed munching on Lays potato chips and wrestling with the same kind of existential questions that have plagued humankind since the first guy crawled out of a cave and wondered why he was able to get out when the other guy was eaten by a saber tooth tiger.

Grace doesn't always make sense. And sometimes karma seems to be rife with loopholes.

So, I count my blessings and ache for those who have lost so much. I also look for ways to make a difference. If you are looking too -- here are a few links to organizations that need our help:

Yele Haiti is Haitian-born Wyclef Jean's community service organization. You can make donations to the site -- if it's not down from too much traffic. (Keep trying.) You can also text YELE to 501501

Doctors Without Borders is asking for donations to assist their Haiti Earthquake Response team. The organization needs funds to dispatch additional emergency staff, including a surgical team and equipment to establish a 100-bed inflatable tent hospital with two operating rooms.

Oxfam needs help with setting up public health, sanitation and clean water services.

The American Red Cross is already out of medical supplies, affecting the organization's ability to assist critically injured patients in Haiti.

Mother nature may be able to destroy -- but her children are pretty good at helping to rebuild. In fact, that may be the only thing that makes sense to me at times like this. Feel free to add more links to reputable charities in comments.

Update: Increase the generosity! Jon reminded me that many employers -- especially larger companies -- will match your charitable contribution. Keep your receipts and be sure to ask your HR people about it.

Bad News

This is the front page of today's South Pasadena Review. It leads with a story about South Pasadena police chief Dan Watson's decision to retire. Does this announcement surprise anyone after the shameful treatment he received from the South Pasadena City Council? (You can read my first post about this issue here.) The story goes on to cover the many, many South Pasadena notables who have spoken out in favor of the chief -- at council meetings and elsewhere. The paper includes a full page ad listing dozens and dozens of names of South Pas residents who support the chief and want him to stay. There's a second smaller ad and a page full of letters to the editor -- all echoing the same sentiment: We Want Dan Watson as Our Police Chief.

Is the council listening? Doubtful. At last week's meeting, the chorus of adamant citizens who spoke -- including former mayors, activists, esteemed members of the community and even yours truly -- didn't sway the council. A reliable source told the South Pasadena Review that "four members in closed session sided with the decision to recruit a new chief, while Mayor Richard Schneider was the only one pushing to keep Watson on board."

South Pas resident Ron Rosen wrote in his letter to the editor, "Do we want a City Council that acts in the best interests of the city? Or a council that acts based on the personal agendas of its individual members?"

I think former mayor Odom Stamps summed it up well when he wrote an open message to the council in my blog comments a few days ago. The message was also printed in today's South Pasadena Review:

For the past eight years the City of South Pasadena has experienced an unusually high percentage of turnover of almost every department head, often multiple times, including the City Manager. Consequently there is a dearth of institutional memory and the results are a loss of public employee morale, a lessening of the quality of services to the community, as well as numerous real and some costly problems due to lack of follow through on a range of issues, and confused (and broken) policy decisions.

For eight years one shining example to the contrary has been the excellent service and leadership of Police Chief Dan Watson. He stepped in to head up an organization that had endured several scandals and has overseen a complete reversal of that perception and reality - It is now a police force esteemed by our community. And the community let’s you elected officials know this at every appropriate opportunity, whether it has been the decision to keep the police as a part of our government rather than to contract the service out to the county sheriff, or the standing ovation Dan Watson received when city officials that attended were announced at the TOR Crunch Party last week.

Beyond establishing an exemplary work record, Dan and Kathy Watson also have given largely of their time and money in active community service work, including Rotary Club (past President), SPTOR, ACS Relay For Life, to name three. They are both fixtures at our community events. This man deserves the South Pasadena Review’s “Citizen of the Year Award”, for many jobs well done - not the humbling requirement of having to reapply for his job, as one among many.

Most of us can’t take the time to come and speak out at City Council meetings, and when we do, it’s usually to complain about something believed to be going wrong – not to attest to what’s going right. It was therefore an inspiration to those in the community who do follow government actions when our City Clerk, Sally Kilby and our City Treasurer, Vic Robinette got up to support Chief Watson. The following meeting eight more community activists, including former Mayor Harry Knapp and myself took the opportunity to do so. I expect that this will lead to a ground swell of support at the next meeting, until such time as this issue is resolved, and the Chief is accorded the respectful treatment that he is due.

This has been made necessary because of the public airing of the issues involving the Chief’s employment in the past two issues of our Newspaper of Record. After the shameful treatment that very recently played out in the pages of that same newspaper, leading to the dismissal of our City Manager – people who know and respect Chief Watson are understandably upset.

We expect that the City Manager would deal fairly and privately with his employees on any personnel matter, and he has a duty to investigate any allegation or complaint as well as the record of achievement in making up his mind. To my knowledge, City Manager John Davidson is doing just that. But because this process has been brought to public attention, and that the review of the Chief’s record extends past the expiration of his employment agreement, and that others are encouraged to apply, makes what should have been a private employment negotiation, an embarrassment.

Therefore I urge the City Manager to conclude his review with all deliberate speed, and if everything is found to the good, to quickly conclude negotiations with the Chief. Separately I urge the Council to get ahead of the rumor and innuendo mill with a resolution of support for Chief Watson and the great job you know him to be doing. Such a resolution would go a long way to reassure the town that our local government is professionally run, that it’s leadership respects long serving, capable managers, and also to buoy the morale of the City’s employees with the knowledge that a job well done is a secure job.

I think the council should instruct the city manager to beg Chief Watson to rescind his retirement and stay on.

Concerned citizens are printing another ad in next week's paper. If you would like to include your name as a supporter of Chief Dan Watson and/or contribute to ad costs please email southpaschief@live.com

Update at 9:00AM: Take a look at what Larry Wilson has to say in The Pasadena Star News.

Update at 3:00PM: Here's an article on the subject by Alfred Lee, also in The Pasadena Star News today. Interesting note: Council members David Sifuentes, Mike Ten, Michael Cacciotti and Mayor Richard Schneider did not return Lee's calls for comment Tuesday. Councilman Philip Putnam could not be reached.

Update on January 17, 2010: Read Pasadena Star News' writer Larry Wilson's newest column touching on a legal aspect of the council's actions.

Fire Trucks fight blaze along Mission Street

It was a little too exciting around here last night. A 3-alarm fire broke out at 8:45PM at the South Pasadena Public Works Department Yard at the corner of Orange Grove Avenue and Mission Street. Fire trucks from Alhambra, Arcadia, Glendale, Pasadena and San Marino assisted in knocking out the blaze by 10:15PM. A storage building basically burned to the ground, including a few city vehicles that were inside. The damage is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $1 million. The cause is under investigation.

As far as we know, there were no injuries. Thankfully, the historic Community Services building and beloved Orange Grove Park -- both right next door -- were spared.

I noticed a helicopter circling nearby around 9:00PM. That's not unusual for anywhere in Los Angeles. But, within minutes there were two more. I happened to be checking email and got a message from Mister Earl that while he was returning home from Trader Joes he had seen flames coming from what appeared to be the historic Community Services building.

I rushed to the scene so fast I forgot my tripod and I couldn't get close enough to use a flash, as evidenced by the blur above. I ran into Mister Earl and -- along with several dozen other South Pasadena residents and a cadre of journalists -- we watched as the firefighters tamped down the flames. Huge plumes of heavy smoke filled the skies for several hours. An entire city block was cordoned off, with police vehicles from both South Pas and San Marino. The Gold Line train was suspended until the fire was out. My house still smells like smoke even now.

That's enough excitement for one night.

My pictures are mostly blur, but you can see more pictures here and video here. Also, check out my overflow blog for an arty shot of Mister Earl and me at the scene.