Alice Sarkisian Wessen

Altadena Arts Coalition Holiday Party Sat Dec. 12, 6PM-11PM

Altadena Arts Coalition

Holiday Party

Saturday Dec. 12, 2009

6:00PM-11:00PM

North Lake and Mariposa

 

Come join The Altadena Arts Coalition and your local merchants for a evening of sledding (YES REAL SNOW!), music, food, fun, and merriment after Altadena's Christmas Tree lane lighting ceremony! Raffle prizes!! Come enjoy this evening and meet your neighbors and merchants!!!


Art show at Gallery at the End of the World

Photography by Walt - Capture the World (photo exhibit)

Sledding Hill!!

Santa's coming to town!

Local Band

John O' Happy Days- Hot soup

Coffee Gallery- Coffee and Tea

Park Bench Deli- Tacos

Steve's Bike Shop- Hot Chocolate

Dip Me in Chocolate- Chocolate Treats!


More to be announced!

 

President Obama today helped launch a new campaign, “Educate to Innovate,” designed to energize and excite America’s students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

"President Obama today helped launch a new campaign, "Educate to Innovate," designed to
energize and excite America's students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM). It builds on the President's pledge that he would use his position to help encourage
students to study and consider careers in science, engineering, technology, and innovation--
fields upon which America's future depends--and elevate those students from the middle to the
top of the pack worldwide."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/23/next-generation-innovators

LA County Fire Dept Station Fire Review, Recommendations and Observations Report

Due to comments that the pdf was challenging to download, I have re-uploaded the file.

The file may be downloaded here: Download LACountyFireDept_StationFireReview_Obs_Recomm

Altadena education benefits from stimulus funds

Courtesy of Altadena Headlines Examiner

Altadena education benefits from stimulus funds

November 21, 12:34 AMAltadena Headlines ExaminerLaura Berthold Monteros

Three charter schools and one Early Head Start program in Altadena have been approved for stimulus funds from the Recovery Act. Students at the schools range in age from kindergarten through high school.

The organizations benefited are

• Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools (Odyssey Charter School location), $100,582
• The Pasadena Foundation for Academic Excellence (Rosebud Charter School), $14,924
• Aveson Charter School, $62,977
• The Center for Community and Family Services, Early Head Start Program. $1,650,000

The Early Head Start Program provides developmentally appropriate services to engage infants and toddlers in a center, family child care, or home. Care Coordinators and Home Educators partner with parents and expectant parents to provide support, guidance and training.

Odyssey seeks to provide an individualized environment for gaining “real life knowledge, skills and understanding through a dynamic collaboration with teachers, parents and the wider community.” (source: Odyssey website) and is designed to serve approximately 315 K-8 children.

Rosebud uses “programs and strategies that stimulate multiple senses and engage students using a variety of learning modalities. Learning is a function of the whole child and we challenge all children to grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally.” (source: Rosebud website)

Aveson serves children in grades K-12 in “a small, student-centered K-12 learning community with a focus on personalized learning, social leadership and healthy living.” (source: Aveson website)

To locate organizations that have received stimulus funds, go to "Where Is the Money Going" on Recovery.gov and enter the zip code.

 Sources:

Pasadena Star-News, November 20, 2009

Recovery.gov

LA County Fire Dept Review, Observations and Recommendations

The report may be found under Board Correspondence: http://portal.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/omd/?querytext=*&date-from=01/01/2008&date-to=11/19/2009&&sort=date&start=1

Nov 17, under FIRE for department.

The downloaded pdf is also here: Download 20091118_104735_station_fire_review_observations_and_recommendations

From AP News

The U.S. Forest Service should allow helicopters to fight fires during darkness, a tactic that could have been used in the critical first hours of the summer's gigantic and deadly wildfire in the Angeles National Forest, a Los Angeles County Fire Department report found.

"Nighttime air attack is a standard," said the executive review of the department's actions during the Station Fire, which became the largest in county history as it spread over 250 square miles, killing two firefighters and destroying 89 homes.

The review was sent to the county Board of Supervisors late Tuesday and posted on its Web site.

The county review follows a Forest Service report that concluded the fire raged out of control because of inaccessible terrain and dense brush in the San Gabriel Mountains. The Forest Service report said using aircraft without ground crews to help would have been ineffective.

Area residents, especially those who lost homes, have been sharply critical of the Forest Service.

The Station Fire was ignited by arson Aug. 26 several miles north of the closest homes in the foothill suburb of La Canada Flintridge.

The Forest Service was in charge of the response before the fire's growth led to the formation of a unified command with numerous agencies.

The county review said there was a "critical time period between initial dispatch" on Aug. 26 and about 8 a.m. on Aug. 27, when county firefighting helicopters could have been used but were not.

The review said county pilots are experienced in night firefighting and could have dropped water throughout the night to control spot fires caused by embers falling down the mountain.

"Such action was not taken because the USFS policy prohibits night flying," the review said. "Would night flying have made a difference? No one can say for sure, but night flying is a policy change that is needed."

John Heil, a regional spokesman for the Forest Service, said not flying at night is a practice, not a policy.

"Generally we don't because of safety reasons," he said. Heil said an AP inquiry about the county's review would be relayed to an official in Washington, D.C., where it was after hours.

About 5,000 firefighters were needed at the height of the Station Fire, which cost about $90 million to fight. It was the 10th largest fire in California since 1933.

The county review also recommended that the Angeles National Forest require 200 feet of clearance between natural vegetation and structures instead of the 30 feet now in use.

___

On the Net:

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, http://bos.co.la.ca.us/

Forest Service should change firefighting policies, report says

Courtesy LA Times

latimes.com/news/local/la-me-station-fire19-2009nov19,0,3849487.story

latimes.com

Forest Service should change firefighting policies, report says

The federal agency should allow water-dropping helicopters to fly at night and make greater use of local agencies, the L.A. County Fire Department says in its report on the Station fire.

By Paul Pringle

November 19, 2009

A new report sharply questions the aggressiveness of the U.S. Forest Service in fighting the blaze. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times / August 31, 2009)

In the report, a review of the first five days of the Station fire, County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman urges the Board of Supervisors to lobby the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Congress to alter the Forest Service's practices to ensure "a timely appropriate response to wildfires" in the Angeles.

The report suggests that a fiercer air assault by the Forest Service -- and by the county at one crucial point -- might have kept the Station fire small.

It says the Forest Service must change its approach from "taking what the fire will give us" -- a defensive posture -- to "hitting the fire early and hard."

In a statement late Wednesday, the Forest Service hit back, saying the county did not voice such concerns during the federal agency's internal review of the Station fire, an inquiry joined by officials from the county and state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. A Forest Service report last week said its review found that the agency used "best professional practices" in responding to the fire, which started Aug. 26.

"L.A. County did not raise these issues during our review," the Forest Service said in Wednesday's statement. "We stand by our report."

Unlike the county and Los Angeles city fire departments, the Forest Service does not deploy water-dropping aircraft at night, because of safety worries. County helicopters helped contain the Station fire to 15 acres during its first day, after it broke out at the edge of the forest above La Cañada Flintridge. Because the fire was burning on federal land, the Forest Service later took control and the choppers were sent home.

After Forest Service commanders rolled back their response, the fire began to spread overnight, and no helicopters returned until about two hours after first light on the critical second day, The Times has reported.

"Would night flying have made a difference? No one can say for sure, but night flying is a policy change that is needed," the county report says. "A robust air attack at first daylight is another tactic that can make a difference."

The report adds that county commanders "should have been more assertive" and dispatched their own helicopters to the fire at first light on Day 2, even though the blaze was under federal jurisdiction.

Freeman said in an interview that he was not advocating "mutiny" against the Forest Service, but that his officers should be prepared to call in aircraft if they believe a fire would eventually imperil county territory. "I want to see things tried," he said.

The Times has reported that the county rejected a Forest Service request for two helicopters later on the second day, sending only one. The report does not examine that decision, which Freeman said would be explored in subsequent analyses of the firefighting effort.

The report says that county helicopters were diverted from the Station fire to a Palos Verdes blaze on Day 2.

Freeman said that "wasn't a mistake," because at the time the Palos Verdes fire posed a more immediate threat to homes.

Three weeks before the Station fire, Forest Service supervisors were ordered to reduce reimbursement costs by minimizing their use of local and state aircraft and ground crews.

The Forest Service brought in fewer county helicopters and firefighters on the second day of the blaze, but has denied that money influenced its decision.

In last week's report, the Forest Service concluded that helicopters would not have helped during the early morning hours on Day 2, because the fire was burning in terrain too steep for ground crews to take advantage of water drops. But that finding has been challenged by local officials and firefighters who were at the scene.

The blaze killed two county firefighters, burned 250 square miles of the forest, destroyed nearly 100 dwellings and cost about $90 million to fight.

The report offers few new details about the deaths -- Ted Hall and Arnie Quinones were killed when their truck plunged off a canyon road -- and notes that a state investigation into the fatalities is underway.

Among the other recommendations is that the Forest Service allow commanders on the front line to order more equipment without first telephoning the agency for permission.

In addition, the report says the Forest Service should adopt the county's standard for clearing brush to at least 200 feet from around homes and other structures, including the communications towers at Mt. Wilson. The Forest Service requires a 30-foot clearance.

The historic Mt. Wilson installations had been threatened during much of the Station fire.

paul.pringle@latimes.com

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

Station Fire strategy reviews ignite dispute between L.A. County and feds

Station Fire strategy reviews ignite dispute between L.A. County and feds

(Courtesy LA Times and Daily News Wire Service)

Daily News Wire Services

Updated: 11/19/2009 08:16:15 AM PST

Hindsight assessments of attack strategies on the massive Station Fire have sparked controversy between the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service.

The Forest Service, which had primary control over the firefighting effort, responded curtly late Wednesday to criticism issued earlier by L.A. County Fire officials in a 41-page report that recommends USFS policy be changed to allow nighttime aerial attacks on fires, among other things.

The Forest Service said the county did not voice its concerns during the federal agency's recent Station Fire internal review, which included input from County Fire and Cal Fire officials. The USFS review determined that the USFS used "best professional practices" in response to the fire, which broke out Aug. 26.

"L.A. County did not raise these issues during our review," the Forest Service said in Wednesday's statement, which was reported by the Los Angeles Times. "We stand by our report."

The 41-page Los Angeles County Fire Department document titled "Station Fire Review, Observations and Recommendations," concludes with pointed advice for the U.S. Forest and its oversight agency, the Department of Agriculture. The document was released Tuesday.

But the recommendations await county Board of Supervisors action before they will be transmitted to the Secretary of Agriculture and appropriate members of Congress, according to a memo from County Fire chief P. Michael Freeman.

The Station Fire, believed set byan arsonist, burned more than 250 square miles of the Angeles National Forest, cost nearly $90 million to fight; destroyed 89 residences, 26 commercial properties and 94 outbuildings; and contributed to the deaths of two firefighters.

A total of $150,000 has been offered by the county and the state leading to an arrest and conviction.

The 2010 Census is here-highlights and concerns

The U.S. Census Bureau is required by the Constitution to count every resident in the United States every 10 years. It is estimated that $400 billion in annual Federal funding is distributed based on the Census data on infrastructure and services

 

In March of 2010, Census forms will be delivered to every residence in the County of Los Angeles. The Census form consists of 10 short questions and includes a postage-paid envelope to mail back. If the form is not mailed back, a Census taker will visit the residence and ask the questions from the form.The majority of the County will receive English-only materials; however, households in areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents will receive a bilingual

It's Important: Undercounting impacts our County. an estimated $636 million is the estimated revenue lost in Federal funding to the County of Los Angeles from 2002 to 2012 because of the undercount in 2000 (not including funds from State programs that are distributed to local governments based on official population counts) 

It's Easy: 10 questions, 10 minutes

It's Safe: Your answers are protected, your identify is safe

In March of 2010, Census forms will be delivered to every residence in the County of Los Angeles. The Census form consists of 10 short questions and includes a postage-paid  envelope to mail back. If the form is not mailed back, a Census taker will visit the residence and ask the questions from the form.

The majority of the County will receive English-only materials; however, households in

areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents will receive a bilingual form.

Important: all federal and social programs depending on funding depend on accurate census data.

Huge communication campaign to get the word out.  Census workers would love to have Altadena on board. We can’t rely from Washington DC on how Altadena looks.

The Pasadena census office is on Altadena drive

Website:  http://2010.census.gov/

 CONCERNS

2010 Census to Begin 
 

 
WARNING: 2010 Census Cautions from the Better Business Bureau 
  


Be Cautious About Giving Info to Census Workers 
  



With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data. 
 
 

The big question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist?   

BBB offers the following advice: 
 


** If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions.  

However, you should never invite anyone you don't know into your home. 
  


** Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information.  Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census. REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR  ADDRESS. 


  

While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION.  The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations.  Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau. 
 


AND REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) ON GATHERING THIS INFORMATION.  No Acorn worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau. 
  


Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census. Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that  are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau. 
  


For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit www.bbb.org 
  


PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS. 

          They said so too:  snopes.com: Census Concerns

          Better Business Bureau article: http://www.bbb. org/us/article/ 10306

Report by the US Forest Service Report on its Handling of the Station Fire

Highlights of the US Forest Service Report on its Handling of the Station Fire

Full report here: Download Station-report-11-13-2009(2)

 

Summary: the fire spread out of control because it spread to terrain too steep for firefighters to safely confront the flames and not because of delays in ordering water-dropping aircraft and more crews.

 

… using aircraft to dump water or retardant without ground crews to help out would have been ineffective.

 

"Additional resources during the evening of Aug. 26 and morning of Aug. 27 would not have improved the effectiveness of operations during that operational period and would have resulted in needless exposure of firefighters to the hazards of wildland fire."

 

Highlights of the report

The origin of the Station Fire was in extremely rugged terrain with limited opportunities for safe suppression activities by ground-based suppression resources.

 

The ordering and assignment of firefighting resources to initial attack was appropriate and consistent with accepted fire management practices. Additional ground tactical resources would not have improved the effectiveness of operations because they could not be safely deployed. 

 

Incident management decisions made during the review period were consistent with generally accepted incident management practices. Decisions made by initial attack incident commanders reflected sound judgment of the operational situation and were prudent with respect to firefighter effectiveness, safety, and suppression resource deployment. 

 

In light of the extremely challenging topography encountered during initial attack and the highly volatile fire and vegetation conditions, incident commanders were reasonable and prudent in not exposing firefighters to actions that would have been ineffective and compromised their safety.  

 

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich disputed the findings, insisting the Forest Service miscalculated by not bringing in more aircraft in the early hours of the fire.

Had more aircraft been used, including at night, when the Forest Service is hesitant to fly, "the fire would not have spread," Antonovich said in a statement Friday.

 

Mountain Lion Sighting-Chaney Trail Area

Update: November 16, 2009

Cougar sighting at 3771 Alzada Road

"Watch your yards, folks! Keep the dogs indoors. The tree workers saw the cougar on our wall today."

Editor note: This makes the fifth mountain lion sighting in the last week, two in broad daylight.

==============

Update: November 11, 2009

Mountain Lion Sighting-Chaney Trail Area

Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 6:07 PM
 Hello all,
 Tonight as I came home, i drove up the Chaney hill after locking the gate and passed our beloved neighbor Bonnie Callahan walking down the hill with her nosed buried in her
 book, as usual.  I rounded the corner past Bonnie and about 50 yards later came upon a large female mountain lion .
 It was definitely following Bonnie.  I scared it up onto the hillside, turned my car around and gave Bonnie a ride back to the gate.  She safely scooted home from there.

  It turned my car back around and headed back up the hill where I ran into a really nice bunch of teenagers walking down the road.  I warned them about the lion and they said they heard some kits (is that the plural of mountain lion babies?) down in the canyon on the
opposite side of the road.  Clearly, they belonged to Mama Stalker Kitty.
Please be safe everyone!
Mary McGilvray

(Millard Campground Cabin Owners Association President)
 
please cross post Alice.  THX

From Alice: "The image below was a mountain lion seen last year near JPL. They are always in the area, because they live here!  The recent fires and destruction of their habitat has made the likelihood of mountain lions coming down further into populated areas near the foothills more likely.
We love our wildlife and we want to work together to keep them wild, with respect to the fallout of the Station Fire and wildlife habitats."

=========================================

Comment from Bruce: It is important to keep the proper perspective in the risk from fatal animal encounters.  Always put your worry where the statistics are.  Living where we do with the animals that are here is a great privilege.  Taking the necessary precautions to avoid being a victim of attack is not that difficult.  Ignoring the precautions increases the risk.  Travel with a buddy.  Have a whistle on your keychain and carry it wherever you are.  A cool head, knowledge of what you will do if an encounter occurs, and a good dose of common sense will also tip the odds in your favor. 

 

Deer kill about 130 people per year in the US just from collisions with cars.  They also can attack or hit you while riding a bike (remember the JPL incident).  Also, don't forget about man's best friend and how dangerous they can be.  Here are some stats for annual deaths from animals in the US:

 

Deer 130+   Car collisions

Dogs 31

Horse 20
Rattlesnake 5.5

Bull 3
Mountain lion 1
Shark     1
Alligator 0.3
Bear 0.5

 

Be aware it is deer mating season.

 

Bruce

=====================================================

5 November 2008

Cougar attacks on dogs are increasing in our region. In two incidents this week, one dog died and two were seriously injured (Monrovia & Glendora). In cases to date, the dogs involved had been left unattended in a back yard. There has also been a sighting of a mountain lion up in Millard Canyon and on Canon on Nov. 3rd and Nov 5th.

We Live in Cougar Country

Cougars, along with other predators including bears, coyotes, foxes, and bobcats, frequently travel down local canyons and streambeds from higher elevations into the Altadena foothills, seeking water and prey in nearby chaparral and oak woodland. This region is their home, as well as ours. We live in cougar country.

Mountain lions ( Puma concolor ) are generally elusive and unlikely to attack people; however, they are also large and powerful wild cats that will sometimes kill and eat domestic dogs and small livestock. Be aware of your surroundings. Assume that a cougar is nearby, especially at dawn, dusk and at night. At the same time, keep the danger in perspective. In spite of their presence all around us, cougar attacks are extremely rare. You and your dog are far more likely to be killed by a car, than attacked by a mountain lion. There are a few basic precautions we can all take to reduce the risk of confrontation with these magnificent big cats.

Protect Dogs & Keep Cougars Wild !

The California Dept. of Fish & Game seldom captures and relocates mountain lions. If a cougar poses a potential public threat, it will be killed. Your actions affect both the safety of your companion animals and the cougar's survival. Please…

-Keep dogs, other pets & small livestock indoors, in secure barns, or outdoor enclosures. Even large dogs left unattended in back yards near wild areas are vulnerable to attack, especially by mountain lions and coyotes. Standard fences and walls will not stop a cougar. Enclosures must have a sturdy roof.

-If a cougar is observed while you are outdoors, do not approach it closely or block its escape routes. Do not turn your back on the cat, panic or run. Face the cougar upright, yell at it in an aggressive, loud voice, and throw rocks or other objects in hand at the cougar. Wait for the cat to leave before leaving yourself. If you or your dog are attacked, fight back. Cougars will often drop dogs and flee when owners chase them or attack with sticks or other improvised weapons.

- Avoid hiking, running & biking alone, especially at dawn, dusk and during the evening. Keep a close watch on small children and dogs while on trails or in day use areas of the Forest.

-Do not encourage your dog to chase or attack a cougar. A cougar may obligingly retreat up a tree… or defend itself by maiming or killing the dog.

Help keep all of us, including mountain lions, safe!

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