A Busy February Gives Way to March

It has been a very busy February by way of events and I am glad to be entering March (Madness). Here’s what the Crescenta Valley Town Council is up to in terms of service to the Crescenta Valley:

Both Corresponding Secretary Sophal Ear and I were honored in February with an invitation to the home of His Excellency Wan-Joong Kim, consul general of the Republic of Korea Consulate in Los Angeles. Thanks to former CVTC member Dr. Young Suh, who is now president of the National Unification Advisory Council, Los Angeles Chapter, an official Korean government body, we were joined by Planning Commissioner Chang Lee of the City of Glendale, Glendale Interim Police Chief Carl Povalitis, Pasadena Fire Chief Bert Washington, Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek, Glendale Mayor Vartan Gharpetian, Glendale Councilmember Paula Devine and Burbank Police Chief Scott LaChasse.

Councilmember Lisa Griffin and I attended the Glendale Council Parent Teachers Association (PTA) Founders’ Day dinner on Feb. 22. “Creating a Culture of Engagement, Transparency, and Communication” was the theme of the event held at Glendale High School.

Vice-President Mike Claessens, Councilmember Mariam Barnes, Sophal and I were in attendance to host a community meet and greet with local law enforcement on Feb. 28 that focused on how to prepare for a disaster and provided info on Neighborhood Watch, crime statistics and much more. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept.-CV Station Captain Christopher Blasnek opened the event with a speech and took questions. Capt. Blasnek shared remarkable statistics about response times in emergency situations in La Crescenta and La Cañada that, on average, are only a few minutes. Moreover, these response times are enviable when compared to many, if not all, other communities serviced by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Dept. Paul Dutton of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) told us that, in the event of a disaster/emergency, one should be prepared to live off of one’s own food and water supplies for 30 days. No electricity, no phone service, no Internet is expected to be available. Be prepared.

The Feb. 28 event was sponsored by the CV Weekly, the CV Sheriff’s Station, the CV Chamber of Commerce and the Town Council.

At Thursday’s March 15 general meeting, Caltrans will be presenting its final schedule in regard to the 210 Freeway. Timothy Weisberg, public information officer with the Caltrans Public Affairs Office, will join us at 7 p.m. in the community room of the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd.

Finally, we had “Coffee with the Council – Rain or Shine” at Two Strike Park on Saturday. Mike, Sarah, Kyle, and I were honored to represent the Council.

Harry Leon is the president of the Crescenta Valley
Town Council.