Chastises Chase In response to Jim Chase’s column last week, I find his opinions extremely insulting and narrow-minded [New Year, New Laws, Same Old Sacramento, Jan. 5, Viewpoints]. Of the 760 newly passed laws, he focused mostly on the ones designed to protect LGBT people. According to him, there should be no laws dealing with […]
The Decay of the Famous La Crescenta Castle Last week I wrote about the fantastic castle built by the wealthy Gould family at the top of what is now Ocean View back in the 1890s. When the castle was finished in 1892, it was absolutely fabulous, furnished in the most expensive furniture of the time, […]
New Year, New Laws, Same Old Sacramento It’s time to ring in the New Year and wring the necks of our state politicians who continue with increasing arrogance and aggression to intrude into – and affect the lives of – all Californians, from kids to seniors, business owners to students, parents to pets. Among the […]
Update on the New District Boundaries The independent Citizen’s Redistricting Commission has issued its final redrawn district boundaries and so I thought I would take a moment to detail how the new boundaries will affect our neighborhoods. In 2012, the 43rd District will retain Glendale and Burbank but will also include La Cañada Flintridge (91011) […]
Help Needed for Family Ousted by Fire On New Year’s Eve, we had several family members and friends over at our home in La Crescenta and were having a great time when a call came in. Our friends, Dean and Lucy Witkop, were told that their house was on fire! They rushed out the door […]
Enough Already I don’t know about you, but now that there are less than a handful of days left in 2011, I’m more than ready to unceremoniously boot this tired and tattered old year to the curb and welcome in the new one with open arms and high hopes. What on Sunday morning was a […]
The Fabulous Castle of La Crescenta Dr. Benjamin Briggs, the founder of La Crescenta, was a wealthy man, and many of his rich friends and family followed him to his newly found paradise, La Crescenta. One such relative was his niece, May Gould, daughter of George Briggs, who had brought the raisin industry to California. […]
Attitude of Gratitude Special thanks to all who made the USO Canteen night special. It takes a community, and we have one of the best, to make the Two Strike Park War Memorial Wall a reality. The evening began with 1940s theme music played by the Crescenta Valley High School Jazz Band under the direction […]
A Visit from Santa (Anas) (With my annual apologies to Clement Clarke Moore and a big, honkin’ “Thank you!” to SoCal Edison employees.) ‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the Valley, The shoppers were combing the stores, streets and alleys. Looking for last minute bargains and buys, Before they collapse with a whimper […]
“It’s A Wonderful Life” – Filmed in La Cañada The classic 1946 Frank Capra film “It’s A Wonderful Life” consistently ranks as one of America’s favorite Christmas movies and is on many lists of the best movies of all time. In the film, the Bedford Falls’ hometown hero George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) tries […]