Updating Our Community

On April 17, Councilmember Aram Ordubegian, Corresponding Secretary Sophal Ear and I were at Glendale High School on the occasion of the 104th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Members of the Armenian Clubs from Crescenta Valley, Clark Magnet, Glendale and Hoover high schools hosted the 18th Annual Armenian Genocide commemoration.

On April 27, Sophal and I were at the Hometown Country Fair with Sophal’s four kids, Steven, Caitlyn, Nathan and Jasmin. That same day, Councilmember Jo-Ann Stupakis, Treasurer Desiree Rabinov and I also attended an Earth Day event at Rosemont Preserve that was held with support from the Town Council Outreach Committee.

The Los Angeles County Office of Education postponed the May 1 meeting regarding Sagebrush. Please take this opportunity to submit letters of support to keep the Glendale Unified School District intact and against the transfer of Sagebrush territory to the La Cañada Unified School District. Email Keith D. Crafton, director, Business Advisory Services, secretary to the County Committee, Crafton_Keith@lacoe.edu.

Three local schools (Mountain Avenue, Rosemont Middle, and Crescenta Valley High) will be negatively impacted if LACOE approves the transfer of students residing in the Sagebrush region. The Sagebrush territory transfer will affect all residents within GUSD and La Crescenta-Montrose, not just parents and students. The transfer will affect our property values and tax dollars, costing GUSD $3 million.

In more relaxed news, the Taste of Montrose was a huge success on May 5. Congratulations, Prom Plus, for this fundraiser and thanks to the vendors who donated to support this worthy event!

May I remind realtors and others who use A-frame signs (typically to promote an open house) that they cannot block the right-of-way of pedestrians; please follow county ordinance on this. Think of the consequences for someone disabled, perhaps in a wheelchair (or not), who cannot pass due to your A-frame signs!

Let me once again warn bulky item dumpers that it is a violation of county ordinance to simply dump items without thought to who or how they will be picked up. The trash service provider, Burrtec in the case of unincorporated La Crescenta-Montrose, or other appropriate agency,  must be notified. If unclaimed, the County, through The Works App on smartphones, can be contacted with evidence thereof.

Did you know that this year marks the 135th birthday of La Crescenta-Montrose? We are planning to celebrate thanks to the help of Supervisor Barger’s office. Come to our general meeting on May 16 to share your thoughts. This is a significant milestone!

Speaking of Supervisor Kathryn Barger, on May 1 she delivered her third annual State of the County address. This year, she put a twist on the traditional format and held a question-and-answer session with some of the County’s leaders. She was joined by Amy Bodek, director of the Dept. of Regional Planning, and Mark Pestrella, director of the Dept. of Public Works to discuss ongoing projects, developments, traffic and areas for growth. In the latter part of the program, she spoke with Dr. Jonathan Sherin, director of the Dept. of Mental Health, and Sachi Hamai, chief executive officer, about collaborative efforts to serve those with mental illness, both in hospitals and living on the street. The entire event gave Supervisor Barger a meaningful opportunity to express how special the Fifth District is and how dedicated our residents are to serving their neighborhoods.

At the May 16 general meeting of the CV Town Council, we will honor the high school seniors who have won scholarships from the Town Council. We will also hear the results of a sound wall study for the 210 Freeway conducted by Caltrans as well as hear from the County’s chief of sustainability regarding our unincorporated area. See you at 7 p.m. at the La Crescenta Library community room, 2809 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta.

Harry Leon is president of the Crescenta Valley Town Council.

  Harry LEON