• In an obit for Frisbee inventor Walter Frederick Morrison, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune mentions in passing that WHAM-O began in a South Pasadena garage. Maybe you already knew that but, well, I didn’t.
• The L.A. Times says, “Today, Stargate (Studios) generates $15 million in annual revenue and employs 150 digital artists, producers and technicians.”
• The Crescenta Valley Weekly posted a fun correction, which looks like it might have been prompted by a call from the South Pas mayor’s office.
• Food, She Thought posts oodles of photos from a meal at Shiro.
• In an aptly titled post, The South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce asks what you think of Claremont’s revitalization.

I’d like to thank those of you who got in touch with me. And I heard roughly the same story enough that it’s worth posting. The South Pasadena Review already wrote that Joe Payne, a reserve officer for the South Pasadena Police Department, said he was approached by David Sifuentes months ago about the police chief position. I haven’t heard a bad thing about Payne. He’s well-liked among the ranks, and he worked for the SPPD for 35 years before he retired two years ago. The South Pasadena Police Officers Assn. maybe thinks he’d push for pay hikes. That helps to make sense of Mike Ten’s presentation, which implied South Pasadena is the deadliest place on Earth for a cop. That’s an assertion that seems to contradict the recently released Uniform Crime Report showing (yet another) significant drop in crime under Chief Dan Watson’s leadership.

Payne isn’t entirely without baggage. According to the L.A. Times, he’s one of six who sued the city after being demoted in the wake of scandals that plagued the department in the late 1990s. There’s nothing to suggest he was a bad cop, it’s just that when former Chief Michael Berkow came in to clean house, he thought there were too many cooks in the kitchen.

Anyhoo, here’s what I’m hearing is raising the hackles of residents:

• The perceived arrogance of council members who plan the ouster of — and the successor to — the city’s police chief behind closed doors.
• Elected officials who are giving the appearance of ignoring their constituency in favor of deep-pocketed campaign donors.

Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. If I got something wrong, please let me know via comments or email. Ditto if I got something right.

If you’re interested, there’s a fluff piece on Payne after the jump. It was in the April 2009 El Pueblo newsletter, which is “The publication of the All City Employees Benefits Service Association.” The full 24-page newsletter is here as a pdf, but it’s big and not much worth the bother. And yes, there are typos (um, South Pass?), but I’m too tired to clean it up.

Men like Retired Police Lieutenant Joseph Payne are spoken of in tall-tale form. “Stalwart” and “workhorse” comes to mind as does the simple elegance of “dedication.”

To have the esteemed record Joe enjoys, one has to have the qualities listed above. In short, to achieve a thirty-five year career as a police officer, where never once has a day of work been missed, a person needs the stuff Joe has.

And what is that stuff? Easy: it’s called heart.

Of course, as one can expect, Joe modestly qualifies his success: “I never went AWOL,” which indirectly means Joe never irresponsibly left his position. Sure, he may have called in sick once in a while, or missed a day or two for other uncompromising reasons. But Joe never simply left a day’s work without explanation, and in 35 years, that says something.

By and large, Joe, who has worked as a background investigator with the Los Angeles Police Department for the last six years, existed as an agent of dependability

while with his former long-term employer, the South Pasadena Police Department. Regularly, he picked up shifts for other officers who for various reasons could not make it into work.

“Ours (South Pasadena) was a small police force. So when one guy called in sick, it affected almost everything.”

A 1972 graduate of both Pasadena Community College and then Rio Hondo Police Academy, Joe’s career as an officer began as a Police Explorer, then after the academy and the rigorous training involved there, at 21, he became a full fledged cop.

During the following three-and-a-half decades, the Temple City native worked virtually every division South Pass had to offer: from beat cop to detective, watch commander to training officer, Joe had done it all with the force up until 55 when he voluntarily retired.

He credits his prolific career with SPPD with the diminutive size of the force. By contrast, LAPD is a much larger and different entity.

Joe is no longer a cop. He now recruits individuals who he believes would best suit the role of a cop. Undoubtedly if Joe’s recruitment skills hold fast, and if his number of successful recruits stays on track, he will be instrumental in the LAPD achieving the 10,000 police officers Mayor Villaraigosa proposed for the City.

Of course as a recruiter, Joe’s stellar record undoubtedly comes into play, particularly for his experience and understanding of the psyche a police officer should have in a city like Los Angeles.

When asked what makes a good cop today, Joe responds, “They have to be curious, understanding and tolerant.”

Are the recruits much different today than years ago when he started?

“They’re older,” he states, citing the economy as one reason the hiring landscape has changed for the LAPD. “Many more are professionals.” In that, Joe brings to light that not only does he meet individuals who were once in finance and real estate, but he even sees people with law degrees.

All this hedges toward situations where an older age group now seeks the stability found in a law enforcement career. And to this end, Joe’s plate is full. At the time of this interview, he was in the midst of reviewing twelve cases, six of which seemed promising. And that’s only the tip of the hiring iceberg for the LAPD.

On occasion, Joe is a volunteer police officer with his old South Pasadena force. But when asked if he would perform the same duty for the Los Angeles Police Department, his “no” is emphatic.

Granted, he loves the work, but the size and intensity of Los Angeles is, at this time in his life, not his cup of tea. As is, recruitment has its own set of challenges, particularly in regard to generational differences from today’s recruits and when Joe himself was a recruit.

But even so, Joe maintains a good cop knows no age boundaries.

“The reasons are all the same. It’s fascinating work. They (a good cop) want to help. They want to make a difference. Hopefully during the training process you find good ones and get rid of the bad ones.”

And who should know better than a 35-year vet who has never missed a day. 

So yeah, The Ostrich Feeder has been silent for over a month. There are a few decent reasons and a few lazy reasons, but the major culprit is Chantry Flat. Or, more accurately, Big Santa Anita Canyon.

If you’ve ever hiked back there, you know there are more than 80 cabins sprinkled back in the canyon. Late last year we became the proud owners of one of them. There’s no electricity, no phone service … definitely no Internet. None of the cabins are accessible by road. In fact, the only way to get supplies to your cabin is to pack it in yourself or have the Pack Station at Chantry Flat bring it in by mule. Basically, this cabin rocks. And I’ve been spending every spare second I have up there.

Still, I don’t plan to give up on The Ostrich Feeder. And I hope to strike a balance between my inner Luddite and the sometimes blogger. Give it a week, and let me know if you think the posting is too sporadic. And next time I ignore something big, like, um, Chief Watson resigning, feel free to slap me.

More on the cabins can be found here.

South Pasadena Police Department

November 18 - 24, 2009

(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/RECOVERED STOLEN VEHICLE

11-22-09, 7 PM to 9:30 PM, 600 block of Orange Grove. ’95, Acura Integra.

AUTO BURGLARY

• 11-23-09, 4 PM to 6:50 PM, 500 block of Sterling. ’01, Mercedes E55. Suspect(s) smashes window to gain entry. LOSS: GPS and DVD player.

• 11-23-09, 5:25 AM to 5:43 AM, 400 block of Raymondale. V1: ’96, Jaguar. V2: ’04, Audi A4. Witness goes to carport and sees S1 inside of V1’s car and S2 inside V2’s car. Both suspects then run out of carport. LOSS: V1 – None. V2 – Credit card and I-pod. SUSPECT DESCRIPTION: S1 – Male, White, 22-28 years, 510, 140, black hair and brown eyes, wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and “NY Yankees” cap. S2 - Male, White, 22-28 years, 510, 140, black hair and brown eyes, wearing a gray sweatshirt and blue jeans.

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY

• 11-16-09, 7:10 AM to 7-21-09, 8 AM, 2000 block of Hanscom (garage). Suspect(s) enters victim’s garage and takes loss. LOSS: Golf clubs.

• 11-18-09, 4 PM to 6:25 PM, 1800 block of La Manzanita (hot prowl). Victim returns home and sees suspect emerge from bushes in front of house and walk away. Victim enters house and discovers suspect smashed rear window to gain entry. LOSS: Unknown. SUSPECT DESCRIPTION: Male, wearing dark clothes.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

• 11-21-09, 3:10 PM, 1100 block of Fair Oaks (Vons). Suspect enters store and employee sees suspect hide loss into a bag, then exit store without paying. Employee detains suspect outside of store and suspect is arrested. LOSS: Liquor. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 46, Pasadena.

HOMICIDE

• 11-22-09, 4:17 AM, 1000 block of Arroyo. Officers find vehicle parked in street with victim inside, dead of a gunshot wound.

DUI

• 11-18-19, 1 AM, Huntington/Dos Robles. Suspect is stopped for a traffic violation and found to be driving while intoxicated. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 38, Temple City.

IDENTITY THEFT/CREDIT CARD/CHECK FRAUD

• Unknown date/time to 11-23-09, 700 block of Orange Grove. Suspect(s) uses victim’s personal information to open a satellite TV account.

• Unknown date/time to 11-20-09, 1100 block of Donaldo Court. Suspect(s) gains access to victim’s bank account and makes an unauthorized charge.

THEFT

• 11-7-09 to 11-21-09, 2000 block of LeDroit. Suspect(s) takes loss from victim’s vehicle. LOSS: License plates.

• 11-17-09, 10 PM to 11-18-09, 8 AM, 1600 block of Lyndon. Suspect(s) cut padlock securing loss to victim’s front porch and takes loss. LOSS: (2) bicycles.

• Unknown date/time to 11-18-09, 600 block of Prospect. Suspect(s) takes loss from victim’s vehicle. LOSS: License plates.

VANDALISM

• 11-20-09, 11:22 PM, 600 block of Stoney. Officers see suspect writing graffiti in flood control area. SUSPECTS ARRESTED: S1 – Male, 18, South Pasadena. S2 – Male, 20, South Pasadena. S3 – Male, 18, South Pasadena. S4 – Male, Juvenile.

• 11-12-09, 5 PM to 11-18-09, 10 AM, 1000 block of El Centro. Suspect(s) write graffiti on block wall and on a utility box.

My goal for the coming term is to champion the values shared by South Pasadena residents:

Fiscal responsibility

Rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure

Preserving our small-town character through sustainable growth

Providing excellent city services for residents

Protecting and improving our environment to create a healthier and more beautiful community

Ensuring that our business district grows successfully and sustainably, including its existing merchants

Conserving our resources to save money

Ending the threat of a surface freeway route in South Pasadena

Light-rail, clean freight trains and pedestrian/bike-friendly alternatives to expensive, air-polluting tunnels and freeways

Moving along, here’s the wording from Measure L:

Shall an ordinance be adopted extending the Library Special Tax, which is due to expire on June 30, 2011, for an additional 5 years until June 30, 2016, to provide funding for the maintenance and operations of the South Pasadena Public Library at the current level of library services?

And here’s the city attorney’s impartial analysis of Measure L:

This measure, if approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the voters voting on the measure, will extend the current Library Special Tax for five (5) years (from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2016) and any further extension must be approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the voters voting on such extension at another municipal election.

Currently, pursuant to Section 2.89-4 of the South Pasadena Municipal Code, any revenue generated by the special tax can only be used for maintenance, operating, and administrative costs of the Library. That restricted use of the special tax revenue would continue to apply if the measure is adopted.

The annual rate by category for the special tax would also continue at the current rates, approved by the voters in March of 1999 as follows:

1. Single family residence and condominiums pay $24.00 if they are less than 2,000 square feet; $36.00 if between 2,001 and 4,000 square feet; $48.00 if over 4,000 square feet. “Square feet” refers to square feet of Building Areas as determined by the Los Angeles County Assessor.

2. Multi-family residential units, such as apartment buildings, pay $12.00 per Dwelling Unit on the parcel.

3. Non-residential parcels pay $24.00 per parcel if one-quarter (1/4) acre or less; $48.00 per parcel if over one-quarter (1/4) acre to one-half (1/2) acre; $72.00 per parcel if over one-half (1/2) acre to three-quarters (3/4) acre; $96.00 per parcel if more than three-quarters (3/4) acre.

4. The following types of property would remain exempt from the tax:

a. Parcels owned by charitable or community service organizations or churches that qualify for an exemption from ad valorem taxation under California law.
b. Vacant parcels.
c. Parcels owned by the federal, state or local government, or any state or local agency.
d. Any owner who has income, adjusted for family size, at or below eighty percent (80%) of the area median income as determined under the Section 8 Income Limits for Los Angeles County. (These limits are published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.)

The following restrictions would also continue if the measure is passed:

If in any year the City Council does not budget and appropriate sufficient funds for the basic level of library services, the special tax would be fixed at a reduced level in relation to any reduction in the budget.

Any surplus amounts raised by the special tax in any one year may only be used for the purposes described in South Pasadena Municipal Code Section 2.89-4, and must be carried over to the following fiscal year. The existence of a surplus in one year must be considered by the City in levying the special tax for the next year.

The special tax will continue to be collected by the Los Angeles County Assessor in the same manner as property taxes.

Got it? City Clerk Sally Kilby and City Treasurer Victor Robinette are running unopposed. Happy voting!

The members of the 2010 Tournament of Roses Royal Court have been announced, and included is PCC student and South Pasadena resident Kinsey Stuart (second from left). From the release:

Kinsey Elizabeth Stuart, 18, resides in South Pasadena and is studying psychology in her first year at Pasadena City College (PCC). In high school she was the captain of the varsity cheerleading team, a youth swim coach and the vice president of Be the Change Club. At PCC, she is a member of the Student Activities Committee where she assists in planning school events. Kinsey enjoys volunteering with her cheer squad for diabetes walks and races to raise money for breast cancer. After college, she’d like to become a psychologist. Her parents are Robert and Elizabeth Stuart; she has two siblings Andrew, 16 and Kalyn, 8.

• The L.A. Times has the best map (pictured above) I’ve seen, as they continue to update the Station Fire’s perimeter.
• The Pasadena Star-News gets a failing grade. As of this post, they last updated their fire map on Friday, making it completely irrelevant.
• LAist is updating vigilantly, with some great photo galleries.
• Glimpses of South Pasadena has started posting photos of the fire, as seen from our fair burg.
• Local TV stations continue to drop the ball, as they don’t see the inferno to be nearly as interesting as a late-night car chase. LA Observed notes that KCET is taking advantage of the news void and delivering updates every half hour.
• KNX 1070 is pulling its weight on the radio.
• The best view from South Pas? Easily the water tower, which is getting a steady stream of visitors.

Did I miss something? Do you have a great fire photo? Lemme know: cgateley at gmail.com

• South Pas fashion designer Richard Tyler decided the best way for Scientologists to overcome their sinister image is to have them wear black capes and sorting hats.
• Our firefighters were among those battling the blaze off the 134.
• Us and them: “I think the people of El Sereno should pay attention to their own community. We’ll pay attention to ours.”
• Black and white: “In a six-month period, I was stopped three times in a tony, South Pasadena neighborhood in 1988 by the same officer who made me, clad in my best ‘Carlton Banks’ outfit (white button down, yellow sweater, khakis and penny loafers), sit on a curb while he ran my driver’s license … ALL THREE TIMES.”
• One man’s fight for a little peace and quiet.
• Driving home on the 110 might get a little easier once a “dynamic-lane” system is installed.

July 22 - 28, 2009
(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/RECOVERED STOLEN VEHICLE
• 7-26-09, 1 PM to 3 PM, Mission/Fairview. ’04, Toyota Camry. Recovered by South Pasadena PD, 7-28-09.
• 7-23-09, 3 AM, Monterey/Arroyo Verde. ’00, Honda Civic. Vehicle is parked in the street and found to be stolen from LA.

AUTO BURGLARY
7-26-09, 11 PM to 7-27-09, 7:15 AM, 1600 block of Indiana. ’05, Acura MDX. Suspect(s) gain entry into vehicle by unknown means. LOSS: Cell phone.

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY
7-23-09, 2:45 AM, 1700 block of Grevelia. Suspect and victim had a dating relationship, but have broken off relationship. Suspect breaks into victim’s home while victim is sleeping. Suspect and victim argue and suspect hits and pushes victim several times. Suspect leaves and is contacted by police a block away. Suspect is also found to be in possession of marijuana. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, Hispanic, 25 years, Pasadena.

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA
• 7-28-09, 11 PM, 1800 block of Laurel. Officers investigate a suspicious vehicle parked in the street and discover the driver (suspect) is in possession of marijuana. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 21 years, Alhambra.

DUI
• 7-26-09, 3:30 AM, Glenarm/110 Freeway. Suspect is stopped for a traffic violation and found to be driving under the influence. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Female, 27 years, Pasadena.
• 7-25-09, 2:56 AM, 100 block of Pasadena. Suspect is sitting in a vehicle blocking traffic with a disabled vehicle. Officers contact suspect and smell a strong odor of alcohol is coming from suspect. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Female, 25 years, Los Angeles.
• 7-22-09, 11:15 PM, Orange Grove/110 Freeway. Suspect is stopped for a traffic violation and found to be driving under the influence and also has an outstanding warrant. SUSPECT ARRESTED: Male, 37 years, Los Angeles.

THEFTS
• 7-27-09, 10:25 PM to 10:35 PM, 1800 block of Peterson. Suspect(s) enter victim’s unlocked vehicle and takes loss. LOSS: Stereo, Q-stick, MP3 player and a folder.
• 7-25-09, 12 PM to 3 PM, Mission/Meridian. Suspect(s) cuts lock and takes loss. LOSS: Bicycle.
• 7-24-09, 8 AM to 1:35 PM, 1400 block of Fremont (South Pasadena High School). Suspect(s) cuts lock and takes loss. LOSS: Bicycle.
• 7-20-09, unknown time to 7-23-09, 2:25 PM, 1500 block of Mission. Suspect(s) takes loss from vehicle’s vehicle. LOSS: Rear seats.
• 7-16-09, 11 AM to 7-23-09, 11 AM, 1500 block of Huntington (dentist office). Suspect(s) takes loss from office. LOSS: Blank prescription
forms.

DISTURBANCE
7-22-09, 5:30 PM, 1800 block of State. Suspects have a party with loud music and victim asks suspects to turn down music. Music continues loudly and victim calls police to have suspects arrested. SUSPECTS ARRESTED: S1 – Male, 18 years, South Pasadena. S2 – Male, 19 years, South Pasadena.