March 3-9, 2010

(Hundred block given in place of exact address)

The Weekly Crime Summary is a list of reported auto thefts, burglaries, robberies and other activities occurring in the City of South Pasadena. An alert and well-informed citizen makes you less of a target to a criminal. Remember; call the South Pasadena Police Department to report any suspicious activity.

STOLEN VEHICLE

• 3-9-10, 7:10 PM, 1600 block of Fremont. ’05, Honda Civic. Victim has vehicle for sale and allows suspect to test drive vehicle. Suspect does not return with vehicle. SUSPECT DESCRIPTION: Male, Asian, 5′9″, wearing white polo shirt and blue jeans.

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY

• 3-5-10, 9 PM to 3-6-10, 8:30 AM, 1700 block of Mission (storage unit). Suspect(s) pry hasp lock off to gain entry. LOSS: Christmas decorations, clothes, misc. papers.
• 3-3-10, 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, 1700 block of Hill. Suspect(s) enter through an opened rear window. LOSS: (2) laptops and bottle of champagne.

AUTO BURGLARY

• 3-7-10, 2 PM to 3-9-10, 6 AM, 900 block of Magnolia. ’97, Honda Civic. Suspect(s) smashes window to gain entry. LOSS: Portable GPS.

FALSE INFO TO OFFICER

• 3-3-10, 6 PM, Orange Grove/110 fwy. Officers respond to subjects selling shirts on the freeway off-ramp. Suspects provide false information to officers and also do not possess city permit. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 22, Los Angeles.

DUI

• 3-9-10, 6:23 PM, Orange Grove/Mission. Suspect is involved in a traffic collision and found to be driving under the influence of alcohol. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 60, South Pasadena.
• 3-6-10, 1:59 AM, Fair Oaks/Rollin. Suspect is stopped for a traffic violation and found to be under the influence of alcohol. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 21, Glendale.
• 3-5-10, 1:37 AM, Orange Grove/Charter Oak. Suspect is passed out behind the wheel of vehicle with the engine running when officers arrive. Suspect is found to be under the influence of alcohol. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 26, Arcadia.

DRUNK IN PUBLIC

• 3-6-10, 3:56 PM, 800 block of Park. Officers respond to a person stumbling along the sidewalk. Officers contact suspect who is intoxicated and unable to care for himself. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 48, Transient.
• 3-6-10, 2:58 AM, 200 block of Fair Oaks. Officer sees suspect passed out in vehicle. Officer investigates suspect’s condition and suspect becomes belligerent. Suspect is found to be intoxicated and combative. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 34, Monterey Park.
• 3-3-10, 9:27 PM, Meridian/Kendall. Officers respond to a person passed out on the sidewalk. Officers contact suspect who is intoxicated and unable to care for himself. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 51, Los Angeles.
• 3-2-10, 10:42 PM, Hawthorne/Pasadena. Officers respond to juveniles on the roof of a vacant building. Officers contact two suspects who are intoxicated and arrested. SUSPECTS ARRESTED: S1 – Male, Juvenile. S2 – Female, 18, Los Angeles.

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA

• 3-8-10, 5:37 PM, Huntington/Kendall. Suspect is stopped for a traffic violation and is found to be in possession of marijuana. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 35, Los Angeles.

THEFT

• 3-6-10, 7 PM to 3-7-10, 11 AM, 200 block of Hillside. Suspect(s) enter victim’s unlocked vehicle. Suspect(s) takes loss and damages passenger mirror. LOSS: Clothes and alcohol.
• 3-3-10, 2:05 AM, 1800 block of State (apartment complex). Victim is awakened by loud noises coming from the courtyard area. Victim goes outside and sees three suspects by the pond area holding a bucket. Suspects leave with bucket as victim attempts to talk to suspects. The bucket and a Koi fish are found in the driveway. LOSS: Koi fish (recovered). SUSPECTS DESCRIPTION: (3) Male, Blacks, wearing black hooded sweatshirt and a mask covering nose and mouth.

IDENTITY THEFT/CHECK FRAUD/CREDIT CARD FRAUD

• November 2008 to 3-4-10, 1100 block of Marengo. Suspect(s) uses victim’s personal information to open two school loans.

Since the original operator folded, who has been running the Farmers Market in the interim?

Raw Inspirations has been running the market since mid-October.

Why is the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce interested in running the Farmers Market?

The Chamber wants to keep the market local. We think that a Farmers’ Market run by the Chamber benefit from our roots in the community. For instance, we’ll work hard to complement neighboring businesses and restaurants, not compete. We’ll extend connectivity with the public schools through gardening programs, fundraising efforts and community service hour opportunities. And we’ll open up the Market to become a virtual town square for Green ideas by highlighting City and Community outreach on sustainability.

We’re also interested in ploughing proceeds from an effective Farmers’ Market back into the community by promoting the market as well as the community.

What, if anything, would the Chamber like to improve in the Farmers Market?

The Chamber hopes to expand the produce and agricultural offerings, especially in the organic arena. We want to retain the festive environment and the food because families and friends love it. But we think it has perhaps become a bit too much of a food court over the years, and not enough of a mecca for foodies and healthy living devotees.

We’d also like to see the Market become a gathering spot and an idea exchange. This is why we’ve made inroads with PCC, USC, California School Gardens Network and others to prepare the “Environmentality Tents” where new ideas and green living products and services can be introduced.

Finally, we’d like to offer local business people a spot in the Market. The Farmers are essentially guests for a day on the local business doorstep. Yet they pay no local sales tax, property tax or Business Improvement Tax, or any of the freight that local merchants do. So we hope that operators who want to take an evening away from their usual storefront and set up a tent to talk to the Farmers’ Market patrons will do so.

What kind of timeline are you looking at for this application process? Is there another step if you get approval from the citizens committee?

We made the first cut for interviews, so we’ll do that on April 1, alongside two others. After that there are negotiations, and a public meeting at City Council. Whoever is selected will probably assume control of the Market — or retain control of it as the case may be — starting in May 2010.

South Pasadena Council PTA Invites You to a Rally for Our Children

Thursday, March 4, from 3-4 p.m., in front of the SPUSD Administration Building: 1020 El Centro Street

The governor’s budget proposal makes devastating cuts to schools, in the amount of $2.4 billion over the next two years, despite his pledge to protect education. The budget will also decimate children’s healthcare and family services.

For SPUSD these cuts translate to an additional $1,100,000 cut, or 5% of our total budget. This is on top of a $2,000,000 cut in 2009-10 and $3,500,000 that was cut over the last 2 years!

Our children have already lost  instructional assistants and other support positions.  If this proposal goes through, our children stand to lose even more teachers, counselors, arts specialists, and additional support staff!

The System is Broken!

Budget Reform is Crucial!

The Time to Act is NOW!

Letters to our legislators demanding a change in the number of votes necessary to pass a budget and a demand for a stable funding stream for education will be on hand.

Feb. 24–March 2, 2010

(Hundred block given in place of exact address)

The Weekly Crime Summary is a list of reported auto thefts, burglaries, robberies and other activities occurring in the City of South Pasadena. An alert and well-informed citizen makes you less of a target to a criminal. Remember; call the South Pasadena Police Department to report any suspicious activity.

RECOVERED STOLEN VEHICLE

• 3-1-10, 8 PM, 4000 block of Collis. ’06, Ford E150. Officer is alerted to a stolen vehicle by the Automated License Plate Reader. Officer stops vehicle and suspect is arrested without incident. Vehicle is found to be stolen from Lynwood. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 34, Los Angeles.
• 2-27-10, 2 AM, 600 block of Fair Oaks. ’05, Cadillac SRX. Officers attempt to stop suspect vehicle for a traffic violation, but fails to yield. Suspect leads officers on a vehicle pursuit before pulling over on Avenue 58, Los Angeles. Suspect flees on foot and officers attempt to contain suspect. Because of rainy weather, officers are unable to locate suspect. Vehicle is found to be stolen from South Pasadena on 2-21-10. SUSPECT DESCRIPTION: Male, Hispanic, 25, shaved head and wearing a light colored shirt.

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY

• 8-2-09 to 2-1-10, 1700 block of Virginia Place. Suspect(s) enter by unknown means. LOSS: Jewelry and flatware.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY/SHOPLIFT

• 2-24-10, 3:15 PM, 1200 block of Fair Oaks (Pavilions). Suspects enter store and takes loss, then exit store without paying. LOSS: Beer. SUSPECTS DESCRIPTION: S1 – Male, Hispanic, 17-21 years, heavyset, wearing blue checkered shorts and a gray and black sweatshirt. S2 – Male, Hispanic, 17-21 years, mustache, wearing white t-shirt, blue jeans and black baseball cap.

AUTO BURGLARY

• 2-26-10, 9:30 PM to 2-27-10, 9 AM, 1200 block of Blair. ’09, Toyota SUV. Suspect(s) smashes window to gain entry. LOSS: Portable GPS.

ROBBERY

• 2-27-10, 3:25 PM, 800 block of Fair Oaks (Radio Shack). Suspects enter store and points gun at employee, then demands money. Employee complies and opens register and suspects take loss, and then run away. LOSS: Cash. WEAPON USED: Black, semi-auto pistol. SUSPECTS DESCRIPTION: S1 – Male, Black, 509, 170, 20 years, wearing hooded, black sweatshirt and blue jeans. S2 – Female, Black, 14-18 years, 502, 100, wearing a multi-colored sweatshirt with hood and yellow sweatpants.

FALSE INFO TO OFFICER

• 3-1-10, 5:35 PM, Huntington/Maple. Suspect is a passenger in a vehicle that is stopped for a traffic violation. The driver was arrested for having no driver’s license and outstanding warrants. Suspect gives officers false information to hide his identity. Officers discover true identity of suspect, which reveals an outstanding warrant, a suspended driver’s license and on probation. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 40, Alhambra.

DUI

• 2-28-10, 3:30 AM, 1200 block of Fair Oaks. Witness is driving behind suspect and sees suspect weaving in traffic lanes. Witness calls police and officers locate suspect. Suspect is found to be driving under the influence of alcohol and arrested. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 45, South Pasadena.

DRUNK IN PUBLIC

• 3-2-10, 8 PM, 500 block of El Centro. Officers respond to a subject sleeping on victim’s front porch. Subject is contacted and found to be intoxicated and unable to care for himself. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 40, Transient.
• 2-28-10, 1:47 AM, 400 block of Fair Oaks. Officers sees suspect staggering and found to intoxicated, and unable to care for himself. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 35, Fountain Hills, Ariz.
• 2-28-10, 11 PM, 700 block of Mission. Officers respond to a subject yelling at pedestrians. Upon arrival, officers locate subject sleeping on a walkway of a business. Subject is found to be intoxicated and unable to care for himself. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 42, Inglewood.

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA

• 3-2-10, 3 PM, Huntington/Bushnell. Suspect is stopped for a traffic violation and is found to be in possession of marijuana. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 29, Los Angeles.
• 3-1-10, 1:20 PM, Huntington/Fremont. Suspect is stopped for a traffic violation and officer smells an odor of marijuana coming from driver. Driver is found to be in possession of marijuana. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 18, Cathedral City.

SOLICITING WITH NO PERMIT

• 2-26-10, 1 PM, 1200 block of Huntington. Officers respond to a subject going door-to-door soliciting magazines subscription. Officers locate subject and subject does not have required city permit. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 23, Harbor, Wash.

THEFT

• 3-1-10, 8 AM to 8:03 AM, 300 block of Raymondale (apartment complex). Victim is carrying numerous items to apartment unit, which requires several trips. Victim leaves loss on staircase landing during one trip and suspect takes unattended loss. LOSS: Case containing digital camera, flash and (2) lens.

VANDALISM

• 2-25-10, 11 AM to 2:40 PM, 1800 block of Hardison Place. Suspect(s) punch a small hole in victim’s bathroom window, but no entry was made.

• Sometimes there’s a fine line between news and advertising. Sometimes that line gets trampled.
• The death of SPHS student Aydin Salek prompts a bill proposal from Assemblyman Anthony Portantino that would “grant immunity from criminal prosecution to teenagers who seek emergency medical attention for someone possibly suffering from alcohol poisoning.”
• State Assemblyman Mike Eng pushes Caltrans to sell all the homes along the aboveground 710 route. It’s an odd about-face from the guy who opposed Portantino’s bill last year, which kinda would of done the same thing.
• iamnotastalker.com, well, stalks Kaldi’s.
• Via The Source: “Full-time students attending Pasadena City College (PCC) will soon be eligible to receive heavily discounted Metro passes – $30 for unlimited travel on all Metro bus and rail lines for an entire semester. Part of Metro’s I-Pass program, this new partnership will bring affordable transit to 8,800 community college students.”

The ambiguously titled blog Friends for Fullerton’s Future reports that Fullerton School District Superintendent Mitch Hovey played this video at a recent school board meeting. The blog suggests it might have been used to float the idea of a parcel tax. One gem from the post: “Enjoy the manipulation of children by the same mindless fools who put our current legislature in office.” Not exactly sure what that means.

Related: I’m really, really tired of bringing up No Cuss Kid, but yeah, thanks to Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, the first week of March is now possibly at some time in the future Cuss Free Week in the state of California. And yes, McKay Hatch is now the national youth spokesperson for the Parent Television Council, which is the org that protests pretty much anything on television.

Feb. 17-23, 2010

(Hundred block given in place of exact address)

The Weekly Crime Summary is a list of reported auto thefts, burglaries, robberies and other activities occurring in the City of South Pasadena. An alert and well-informed citizen makes you less of a target to a criminal. Remember; call the South Pasadena Police Department to report any suspicious activity.

STOLEN VEHICLE

• 2-21-10, 7:25 AM to 7:35 AM, 200 block of St. Albans. ’05, Cadillac SRX.

RECOVERED STOLEN VEHICLE

• 2-22-10, 6:50 PM, 800 block of Magnolia. ’91, Acura Integra. Officers respond to smoke coming from a vehicle. Upon arrival, officers discover vehicle stolen from LAPD Rampart area.
• 2-22-10, 6:10 PM, 400 block of Raymondale. ’93, Acura Integra. Automated License Plate Reader alerts officer to a stolen vehicle and vehicle is found parked on the street. Vehicle was stolen from LAPD Hollenbeck.

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY

• 2-10-10, 12 PM to 2-22-10, 5 PM, 1400 block of Oneonta Knoll. Suspect(s) gains entry by unknown means. Suspect(s) later uses debit card to make an unauthorized purchase. LOSS: Cash, jewelry, watches, debit card and ’06, Mini Cooper from garage.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

• 2-20-10, 12 PM, 900 block of Fair Oaks (Rite Aid). Employee sees suspect enter store and take loss. Suspect then exits store without paying for loss. Employee detains suspect and suspect is arrested. LOSS: Misc. items. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Female, 36, Pasadena.

AUTO BURGLARY

• 2-22-10, 8 PM to 2-23-10, 1:30 PM, 200 block of St. Albans. ’97, Toyota 4-Runner. Suspect(s) smashes window to gain entry. LOSS: Portable GPS and cash.
• 2-22-10, 9 PM to 2-23-10, 10 AM, ’06, 1000 block of Adelaine. Hyundai Sonata. Suspect(s) smashes window to gain entry. LOSS: Portable GPS and DVD pouch.
• 2-22-10, 7:30 PM to 10:20 PM, 1300 block of Indiana. ’01, Toyota. Suspect(s) smashes window to gain entry. LOSS: Portable GPS.
• 2-18-10, 12 PM to 2-19-10, 1000 block of Highland. ’06, Chevy Silverado. Suspect(s) pries out window to gain entry. LOSS: Portable GPS and (2) Endoscopes.
• 2-16-10, 4 PM to 2-18-10, 5 PM, 1700 block of Grevelia. ’97, Honda Civic. Suspect(s) makes entry by unknown means. LOSS: Stereo.
• 2-16-10, 7 PM to 2-17-10, 7 AM, 1600 block of Amberwood. ’07, Mazda. Suspect(s) pries window to gain entry. LOSS: Portable GPS, I-pod, camera and laptop computer.

ASSAULTS

• 2-19-10, 12:50 PM, 1400 block of Fremont (South Pasadena High School). Weeks ago, victim gets into an argument with sister. Victim goes to restroom and is confronted by three suspects who claim retaliation from sister, and hit and then cut victim. SUSPECTS DESCRIPTION: (2) Female, Hispanics and (1) Female, Black.

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

• 2-22-10, 2 AM, Fair Oaks/Mission. Suspect is stopped for a traffic violation and found to be in possession of methamphetamine. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 22, South Pasadena.

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA

• 2-23-10, 11 PM, 800 block of Stoney (Arroyo Park). Suspect is found parked inside Arroyo Park after hours. Suspect is contacted and found to be in possession of marijuana. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 22, San Diego.

SOLICITING WITH NO PERMIT

• 2-11-10, 2 PM, Alhambra Road/Fletcher. Suspect is contacted regarding selling fruit from the sidewalk. Suspect did not possess a city permit and arrested. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, Juvenile.

NIGHT TIME CURFEW

• 2-21-10, 2:50 AM to 4 AM, Kendall/Huntington. Officer contacts subject on the street. Subject is found to be a minor and out after curfew hours. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, juvenile.

THEFT

• 2-21-10, 4:45 PM, 1600 block of Garfield (YMCA parking lot). Honda Accord. Suspect enters victim’s unlocked vehicle. Victim returns to vehicle and sees suspect sitting inside. Suspect sees victim and quickly exits vehicle and denies being inside of vehicle. Victim calls police and suspect runs away. LOSS: None. SUSPECT DESCRIPTION: Male, 50, dark hair, medium build, 510, and wearing dark clothing.

You are invited to attend an SR-710 Update Meeting hosted by the City of South Pasadena on Friday, Feb. 26, at the South Pasadena High School Auditorium. Registration will be from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Presentations will be followed by a question and answer period.

Speakers

• South Pasadena City Council
• State Senator Gilbert Cedillo of the 22nd District (invited)
• State Assemblymember Anthony Portantino of the 44th District
• Ara Najarian, Metro Board Chair (editor’s note: he’s also a Glendale city council member)
• Laura Olhasso, Mayor of La Cañada Flintridge
• Antonio Rossmann, Special Legal Counsel
• Jan Chatten-Brown, Special Legal Counsel
• Mike Roos, Strategist
• Richard Gutschow, Tunnel Technical Study TAC Member
• Gary Brierley, Geotechnical Consultant

South Pasadena High School Auditorium
1401 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena, CA 91030