Goodbye November, Hello December

It is the month of December, a wonderful time of the year

May you all have a peaceful holiday season and much joy and prosperity in the New Year! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Let me start this month’s column by congratulating all candidates who ran in the Nov. 18-19 Crescenta Valley Town Council election. We had a tremendous turnout with 277 votes counted spread over 287 voters. We had so many that we had to run out and print additional ballots!

The results for the 2022 election, as certified by Election Committee Chair Chris Kilpatrick, are as follows: Harry Leon re-elected with 34% of the vote, Donna Libra re-elected 31%, Aram Ordubegian re-elected with 21%, Ted Yu re- elected 9% as first alternate, and Dr. Young Suh elected with 11.2% as second alternate.

I look forward to working with the newly elected and returning members of the Town Council to make the Crescenta Valley fulfill its potential as “A Community That Cares.”

But first, some thanks are due: foremost to Election Committee Vice President Chris Kilpatrick, Councilmember Kerri Lewin, Councilmember Frida Baghdassarian and Councilmember Dede Mueller for helping with the election.

Mark your Calendars

Tonight, Thursday, Dec. 8 is the 8^th Annual La Crescenta Christmas tree lighting at 6:30 p.m. at La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd. This event is sponsored by LA County Supervisor – Fifth District – Kathryn Barger.

The Crescenta Valley Town Council stands in solidarity with the courageous actions of the people of Iran and joins them in their calls for change, freedom, justice and for the protection of human rights for all citizens of the country. In response to the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, the people of Iran and around the world have been protesting, demanding change. There is no place for violence, prosecution or persecution of those who are seeking justice, freedom to exercise bodily autonomy including choice of dress and the upholding of their basic human rights as stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations. We call on the relevant authorities to support and enable the expression of the people in a safe environment without fear.

The Crescenta Valley Town Council, as a self-governing advisory body to the fifth supervisorial district of the County of Los Angeles, recognizes and embraces its responsibility to promote equality for all its citizens, residents and visitors and will continue to honor its duty to promote tolerance, non-discrimination and diversity within our community. We support our American Iranian neighbors as they call for justice.

We stand with the entire world to end violence, remove discriminatory laws against and to end harassment of the women of Iran.

Illegal dumping continues to be a huge problem in our community. It is also a huge safety and health concern for our community members. It is a disgrace to our community to dump trash wherever people please. I drive around daily and see mattresses, furniture and other items that have been left out for days. Take pride in your community! We are not a dumping ground. If you are a resident in La Crescenta or La Cañada Flintridge who has bulky items that have been dropped at your residence or in your neighborhood, you can call (888) 838-6746 or download The Works iPhone or Android applications. Anyone who witnesses illegal dumping in the unincorporated portion of LA County can call (888) 838-6746. We are in this together.

As always, I look forward to seeing you at our Dec. 15 general meeting starting at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd. Please contact CVTC at contact@thecvcouncil.com. We wish you, our beloved community, a very prosperous and Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a wonderful New Year!

Harry Leon, President
Crescenta Valley Town Council