April Showers Bring May Flowers

I managed to avoid mention oI managed to avoid mentioning the 210 Freeway in recent columns but there has been an uptick in congestion lately, which is a reminder of past traffic. Indeed, there was a full closure of the WB 210 Freeway from the Foothill Boulevard off-ramp to Ocean View Boulevard at midnight on Wednesday, May 9 that lasted until 5 a.m.; you can keep up-to-date on traffic issues at http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/display.php?page=i210.

April was another busy month as genocides globally were remembered. The CV Town Council issued a proclamation on the occasion of the 103rd Armenian Genocide. As many of you know, the Ottoman Empire initiated an eight-year program of terror and mass execution beginning in 1915 that resulted in the deaths of more than 1.5 million men, women and children of Armenian heritage.

Former Town Councilmember Dr. Young Suh, who is now president of the National Unification Advisory Council, Los Angeles Chapter, an official Korean government body, with Town Council Vice-Chair Mike Claessens and I, supported Corresponding Secretary Sophal Ear when he spoke at our very own library on “Remembrance: Genocide Awareness & Prevention” by retelling the story of his family’s escape from the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Armenian-American poet Lory Bedikian also shared beautiful poems from her recent book. We also had South Pasadena school board member Dr. Suzie Abajian in the audience. For those of you who missed the meeting and would have liked to have been there, Sophal gave a longer version of his talk at the Colorado Foothills World Affairs Council on April 17, which happens to be the 43rd anniversary of the Cambodian Genocide. Visit https://youtube/6_RlnVP0d0c.

The Council co-hosted, and I personally had a wonderful time, at our seven-plus acre Rosemont Preserve with councilmembers Desiree Portillo Rabinov, Mike, and Sophal on the occasion of Arbor Day/Earth Day. Our own Land Use Committee member Paul Rabinov and several of our public officials, including State Assemblymember Laura Friedman and State Senator Anthony Portantino, were present to honor the volunteers who make Rosemont Preserve possible. Aside from Paul being honored as co-chair of Friends of Rosemont Preserve with his co-chair Frank Colcord, recipients of certificates included Paul John Howell, executive director of Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy (AFC), and Johanna Turner and Denis Callet, volunteer photographers for AFC.

The Hometown Country Fair was yet another success. Councilmembers honored to help were Treasurer Kyle Studebaker, Recording Secretary Aram Ordubegian, Councilmembers Jo Ann Stupakis, Desiree and me. In addition, Prom Plus Bingo, two Saturdays ago, offered a wonderful soiree for Kyle and myself.

Finally, the remembrance of Korean Comfort Women was led by Phyllis (Hyun Jung) Kim, executive director of the Korean American Forum of California, and was attended by Sophal and me.

It’s that time of year again! The Crescenta Valley Town Council is proud to announce the following eight scholarship recipients in alphabetical order: Hanna Alanizi, Talin Bakalyan, Alexis Karakas, Sena Lim, Saya Linney, Jake Schaffer, Grady Schilling and Kaitlyn Watcher.

Please join the Council and me in honoring our scholarship winners! I would like to express our appreciation to Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office for helping to fund scholarships this year.

Looking ahead, please mark your calendars for a discussion of our Community Standards District (CSD) at the La Crescenta Library (2809 Foothill Blvd.) on Wednesday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m. The CSD community meeting will be held under the auspices of the Town Council and its Land Use Committee.

In the meantime, our 7th Annual Prayer Breakfast will be on Saturday, May 12 at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Church, 2563 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Proceeds from this year’s breakfast will benefit local youth programs; youth are nearly 25% of California’s population. We do this to support programs such as Prom Plus and provide scholarships, among other goals. The breakfast keynote speaker will be Supervisor Kathryn Barger who will speak on “How To Protect Our Youth.” Tickets are $10 for adults and free for students to attend. As in previous years, there will be a full breakfast and music by the CVHS Charismatics.

Join us for our monthly general Town Council meeting, also held at the library, on Thursday, May 17 at 7 p.m. when we host a presentation on Two Strike Park by the deputy director of Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation. The deputy director will speak on tree replacement/replanting, the trail rehabilitation project, and overall operation of this and other parks in our unincorporated area. On the agenda is a presentation on the AT&T Small-Cell Tower in our community; I am sure you will want to hear more about this and to register your views.

  Harry LEON