Costco Moves To Monterey Park Monterey Park & West Valley Journal Published by Barron Communications.P.O. Box 987, Monterey Park, CA 91754 - May 2016 Former Councilmen Gershon Lewis and Mike Eng helped cut the city Birthday cake- Photo by David Muñoz City Launches Centennial Celebration For the first time in years, people came out to watch the annual Play Days Parade celebrating the founding of the city of Monterey Park on Saturday, May 14. A cheerful pre-parade gathering at Monterey Park city hall drew nearly 100 local residents who witnessed the declaration of the city s centennial, the cutting of a birthday cake and unveiling of a city monument. Also available were photo exhibits of the city s past ranging from the early 1900 s to the current period. Also displayed were a number of historic items that will be placed in a time capsule, which will be buried at a later date. Mayor Peter Chan expressed his pleasure of being the city s centennial mayor although another council member will replace him in just a few weeks in the mayor s slot. Mayor Chan reminded the audience that a group of 400 residents incorporated the city when two cities to the north (South Pasadena and Alhambra) wanted to establish a sewer farm in Monterey Park. A number of past council members were present to witness the ceremonies, including Louise Davis, Monty Manibog, Lily Chen, Gershon Lewis, Frank Venti, Judy Chu, Mike Eng, Rita Valenzuela and past city clerks Theresa Amador, Pauline Lemire and David Barron. Current city officials joining Mayor Chan at the (Continued on Page 7) Discount Super Store Planned for Market Place Costco Wholesale department store will be moving to the Monterey Park Marketplace Shopping Center in South Monterey Park, a city official confirmed today. Costco will move its current location in Montebello to Monterey Park. The larger footprint will allow Costco to establish a discount gasoline station in Monterey Park. There is no room for a gas station at the Montebello site. City Manager Paul Talbot confirmed that Costco and the developers of the Market Place have reached an agreement on the project. Planning papers were filed two weeks ago, making the project public. The city is planning a formal announcement in the near future, Talbot said. Under the City s prior agreement with Montebello, that city will get 50 per cent of the sales tax benefit from Costco for the next five years. After that, Montebello will receive 18 percent of the Sales Taxes permanently. The remaining sales tax will go to the Monterey Park treasury. Sales taxes are expected to amount to several hundred thousand dollars annually. Costco has been looking at the Monterey Park site for more than 2 years, seeking a location for its discount gasoline station, a highly lucrative business operation. Costco also has a very busy store and gasoline station in Alhambra. It is expect that Costco will open its doors in Monterey Park within two years. A Home Depot hardware store is also planned at the Market Place shopping center. By moving the location to Monterey Park, the Costco Discount Store will edge closer to the South (Continued on Page 3) Monterey Park Cop Charged With Sexually Assaulting Women The District Attorney s office has formally charged a Monterey Park police officer with sexually assaulting or detaining three women while on duty. They alleged that the officer forced each victim to expose herself during a stop. The officer was identified as Israel Sanchez, 40, who has been on the Monterey Park Police force for three years. Sanchez is charged with three counts of false imprisonment, one count of bribery, two counts of sexual assault under color of authority and four counts of sexual battery by restraint. He pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing. All the charges are felonies, and if convicted, Sanchez faces more than eight years in state prison. The Monterey Park Police Department and the city of Monterey Park are taking this situation extremely seriously, said Police Chief Jim Smith in a prepared statement. As public servants we hold ourselves to the highest ethics and standards and have zero tolerance policy (Continued on Page 8)
Page 2 Mitchell Ing to Take Over as MP Mayor Veteran Councilman Mitchell Ing will take over as Mayor of Monterey Park at a special meeting on May 25. It will be the second time he serves in the position. Ing will succeed Peter Chan who recently completed his nine months and two weeks as mayor. Ing is a banker and is in his third term as a city council member. Moving up to become vice mayor or mayor pro tem will be Council member Teresa Real Sebastian. At his last meeting as Mayor on Wednesday, May 18, Chan gave a farwell speech and gave a review of his service. He enthusiastically stated that he had enjoyed his period as mayor and expressed pride in being the Centennial Mayor. Be a c h c o m b e r The Need for Public Involvement By David Barron The recent deliberation by the Monterey Park City Council of a proposed cell phone tower at a church is a great example of due process and the rights of citizens to participate in key decisions. AT&T was proposing the installation of a bell tower at church to help improve their cell phone signal in Monterey Park. I used to have AT&T cell phone service here and it was terrible. I switched to Verizon and have received excellent service. The city council dedicated three public hearings on the proposal and heard numerous arguments from residents, technical officials and city staff. The planning commission also spent several hours on this subject. Many speakers spoke in opposition and in support of the proposed bell tower that will house the cell phone antenna. It would also hide the AT&T equipment from public view. The church will be getting a $2,000 monthly rental fee from AT&T for the cell tower, which will come in handy for them, as they are a small congregation serving immigrant families. The city is precluded by federal law from considering health issues resulting from electro-magnetic waves according to AT&T. Even so, the potential health risks from electro-magnetic were frequently presented. So much so, that AT&T lawyers threatened a lawsuit if they didn t receive approval of the project. Other issues raised by speakers included religious concern over placement of cell antennas under a cross and height of the building. Council member Real Sebastian argued that the cell tower was not needed. She also called AT&T bullies and challenged them to sue the city. As the debate continued, some council members and the public were rather pragmatic and others emotional. There were a couple of solutions proposed. Mayor Peter Chan suggested working with Congress through Rep. Judy Chu to change the law to give local government more freedom to participate in this process. Councilman Mitchell Ing suggested changing city codes to allow the council to find some planning reasons for denying too many cell towers and work around federal telecommunications law. In the end, Council member Real Sebastian made a motion, seconded by Ing to adopt a resolution overturning the Planning Commission approval. The vote at the end was two yes s (Ing & Sebastian); two no s (Chan & Liang) and one abstention (Lam). The motion failed as a result of a 2-2 vote. The council took no further action and as a result, the Planning Commission approval was upheld. You can expect to see construction of the bell tower beginning immediately. If you re concerned about the amount of time spend on the subject consider this: In many city councils through out the southland many decisions are made with little discussion and no public involvement. Discussions and workshops, are held in small conference rooms, with little public involvement because they are held in the middle of the day. Subsequently, votes are taken at regular council meetings without staff reports or council comments. Monterey Park & West Valley journal Mitehell Ing Peter Chan Monterey Park Journal & West Valley Journal Website: www.sgvjournal.com Email: news@sgvjournal.com Phone: (626) 572-7450 Fax: (626) 572-0669 Published by Barron Communications P.O. Box 987, Monterey Park, CA 91754 Member: Rosemead Chamber of Commerce & Monterey Park Chamber of Commerce. May 2016 OPINION Goodbye Annual Lions Club Breakfast As a result of frustrations over negotiations with the city for rental of storage facilities for White Cane manufactoring equipment, Monterey Park Lions Club has canceled next June s traditional Ham n Eggs Pancake Breakfast held each year since 1947. The club has vacated its storage facility and remove its equipment from the Service Club House at Barnes Park. The club had been negotiating with the city since last fall to renew its lease on the building. At a council meeting, the club publicly cancelled its appeal to the council and said No Mas. The Lions Club takes credit for constructing the building decades ago and donating it to the city for public use. The Service Club House is located at the southwest corner of Barnes Park and is rented out for parties and city classes. The Lions Club used a side room to store equipment and supplies used to produce White Canes which are sold for fund raising purposes by Lions Clubs to clubs throughout the world The Lions Club lease was on the council agenda after having been continued last December. A controversy arose over a false conflict of interest challenge that would limit or exclude the participation of Councilman Stephen Lam in the decision. Lam is a member of the Lions and past president. We think, the Lions Club saw the whole matter as an assault on their reputation and history of community service. City staff had given the city council several options for their decision, ranging from continuing the current lease at $160 a month for the storage facility to issuing a three day notice to quit and vacate the site. The city has had some difficulties with non-profit groups who use city facilities because of increases in fees and sometime discourteous treatment. Sometimes it is that the non-profit groups appear to be playing politics because their membership may include elected officials. Over all, the service clubs, both old and new ones, have a lot of pride in their public service and resent any questioning of their motives and programs. On the other hand, there are many fine examples of cooperation between service clubs and the city. We recommend that the city management and elected officials have an annual summit and set out guidelines and goals for the year. What do you think? Opinions expressed by columnists and other writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this newspaper. We welcome letters, photos and press releases. However, we cannot guarantee publication or return. Contents of this newspaper may not be reproduced without written permission. Copyright 2016
May 2016 CONGRATULATIONS: San Gabriel Council members offered their best wishes to Rosemead Council upon the completion of Mayoral Terms. Above, from left are Chin Ho LIao, San Gabriel Mayor; Maggie Clark, retiring Rosemead Mayor; Sandra Armenta, new Rosemead mayor, Polly Low, and Jason Pu, San Gabriel council member. - Photo by Chuck Lyons. Sandra Armenta Sworn in as New Rosemead City Mayor Jean Scott, former Rosemead Parks and Recreation director, installed Sandra Armenta as mayor of City of Rosemead at the council s meeting on Tuesday, April 12, 2016. Rosemead Interim City Clerk Carol Cowley installed Polly Low as Mayor Pro- Tem. Armenta said I worked for Jean Scott as I started in Rosemead Parks and Recreation. She gave me good guidance and I have a loyalty to Rosemead. I grew up in Rosemead, we have done a lot and will continue in the future to do more for our great city. Major recognition was given to outgoing Rosemead Mayor Maggie Clark, who served her sixth term as mayor and now is a councilwoman again. Clark, Armenta and Low were all recognized by the County of Los Angeles Tax Assessor, City of San Gabriel represented by new Mayor Chin Ho, Alhambra Mayor Barbara Messina, Monterey Park Mayor Peter Chan, and 45th District Assemblyman Ed Chau, represented by Henry Lo. Each presenter talked about working together to better the region. In other news, Bill Manis was approved as City of Rosemead s new city manager. The city received more than 50 applications for the position. - By Chuck Lyons. Monterey Park & West Valley Journal Page 3 Library Adds High Speed Wi-Fi for Staff, and Patrons The Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library has upgraded its public computers and Wi-Fi network with a new 1 gigabit -per-second (Gbps) high speed connection to the Internet, announced Norma Arvizu, City Librarian. The upgraded connection speed vastly improve Library patrons access to online services for streaming video and music; enable much faster transfer of files from Cloud storage; and enhance the overall quality of Library programs dependent on high speed streaming. The library is planning programs such as video chats with authors in the near future. The Library will use video chats to bring authors from all over the country to Monterey Park virtually through The Library Talks series. The broadband enhancement was made possible by an initiative by the California State California Library. The State Library partnered with the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC.) The Library connected to CENIC s CalREN network. The network prides high-capacity fiber network that serves public school systems, universities, community colleges and now, for the first time, public libraries, in California at reduced cost. The Library also received grant funding from the state to offset the costs of initial equipment installation, network upgrades and the ongoing broadband services. Alhambra Names Police Chief as City Manager Mark Yokoyama, Alhambra s current police chief, has been selected as the city s next city manager. He will succeed Mary Swink who is retiring. The city s contract with Yokoyama will be on the agenda for approval at the May 23 city council meeting. Yokoyama has been serving as Alhambra s Police Chief since June 6, 2011. He has been credited with enhancing community oriented policing and community engagement in a culturally diverse community, an Alhambra city press release stated. Yokoyama holds a bachelor s degree in public administration from the University of La Verne, a master s degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills and masters in executive leadership from U.S.C. Serving Monterey Park Since 1946 SAVE THE DATE Monterey Park Library Foundation Gala Benefiting the library Celebrating the City s Centennial MAY 19, 2016 6 pm Reception, 7 pm Dinner Luminarias, 3500 Ramona Blvd., Monterey Park For more information, please contact (626) 307-1269. The Club was founded in 1946 and serves the community via park cleanups, community gardens, youth leadership programs, scholarships, etc. with our Mark Keppel High Interact Club and with the Boys and Girls Club of the West San Gabriel Valley. Monterey Park Rotary Club For more information and to join, contact David Anantasin at (213) 268-5911 or csila90210@gmail.com.
Page 4 Sports For All! Have Respect for Sports Scorekeepers! By Chuck Lyons This is the first of Sports for All Reports that will cover many sports for all ages and from youth sports to professionals with a goal to provide some pertinent recent information, schedule of upcoming events, scores and game coverage, comments about what is going on in sports and more. West Valley Journal (monthly print edition) and www.sgvjournal.com web site edition Publisher Dave Barron encourages readers to submit information about their team to news@sgvjournal.com for consideration, with the understanding space sometimes is limited. The coverage area is basically Monterey Park and Alhambra on the west, San Gabriel on the north, Rosemead on the east, and South El Monte and Montebello on the south for youth sports. There will be some coverage of professional sports teams Los Angeles Clippers, Lakers, Kings, Galaxy, Dodgers, Rams and some colleges Cal State University Los Angeles, East Los Angeles College, Pasadena City College, Rio Hondo College, and other teams and other sports like Santa Anita Race Track for horses, Irwindale Speedway for cars, and local 5Ks runs/walks (5,000 meters) for fun and for people to help keep them in good shape. The Santa Anita Derby 5K story and photos got hundreds of visits on www.sgvjournal.com so we will be covering some 5Ks races. What sport and level would you like covered? Now is your opportunity to speak up! The web site gets many visits a month from readers and although we have recently greatly increased sports coverage, we have a very limited staff so we will do our best and appreciate your understanding. A way to help the publication is if you own or work at a business that would like to promote itself (at reasonable prices) is to advertise to support the newspaper and web site that support the community with local news and sports coverage. If interested you can send a note to Publisher Dave Barron at news@sgvjournal. com and he will respond to discuss helping your company promote itself to the readers. Local newspapers and web sites about local coverage are vital to local communities across U.S. to keep unbiased news continuing to those communities and its citizens. Thank you in advance for your support. Now to some general comments: Do you know the most important people on a high school sports team for home games? The score keepers. Without a score keeper the game is a forfeit by the host team! There are some people who are asked last minute to fill in and you can imagine the results. And then there are youth and adults alike who do a great job of properly filling in the score books in providing a great service to the teams. Usually these people are volunteers and the better training up front the better job they do in creating a history of the team s records and achievements! Now a special request: Scorekeepers PLEASE get the first AND last name of each player and put in the score book. Some people only get first or last names which makes it difficult to report on games unless there are first and last names included in the scorebook. The next time you are at a game please thank the scorekeeper for their time, achievements of recording the team s history and providing proper information to news media and school officials for recognition. A reminder, although we all would like a son or daughter to be a great players and have great stats please be respectful to score keepers. The score keepers have a job to do so let them do it. You want to help? Be a announcer or something else the team needs. At the high school level, went to cover a local early-season girls softball game between Alhambra and Rosemead. With the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains in the horizon at Rosemead the two teams battled for nine innings before Alhambra was victorious in extra innings. Both teams kept playing and playing matching each other with the umpires keeping a watchful eye on the time and the sun setting in the West. Great game for all. And Rosemead s Alexis Batres had an incredible game with two home runs, another hit, and from her third base position not once, but twice, stopped a ground ball and then threw from her knees to first baseman Brianna Ramirez to get out the Alhambra runner. Until next time, enjoy and support your local teams from youth to pros. Monterey Park & West Valley Journal STILL TIME TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE FOR THE JOURNAL CENTENNIAL EDITION Publishing in June 2016 May 2016 Publish Your Photos & Stories About Your Family, Club or Company and the how they are part of Monterey Park. It s Your Choice After being in an automobile accident, I turned to Yonemoto Physical Therapy. They developed a rehabilitation plan that was right for me, and helped me recover much faster than I expected. I was very impressed by YPT s caring attitude and wonderful facility. Valarie Gomez West San Gabriel Valley YMCA Serving Our Community Since 1982 55 South Raymond Ave, Suite 100 Alhambra, CA 91801 SGVC Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizens 2009 CALL TODAY (626) 572-7450 or (626) 607-6837 CALL FOR A FREE CONSULTATION 626.576.0591 www.yonemoto.com 2011 Rotary International Award 2011 Small Business of the Year Award 2011 Heart of the Community Award
May 2016 Monterey Park & West Valley Journal Page 5 CITY CRIME STATS March 2016terey Park Police reported that 97 crimes were committed in the city limits during the month of March 2016. Twenty-seven of the crimes were auto burglarym 28 were commercial burglary, 37 residential burglary and five were robberies. Here are the statistics provided by the police department. Each listing indicates the address, date and time the crime was reported. AUTO BURGLARY 300 PEACH ST 03/01/2016 20:22:00 100 N ATLANTIC BLVD 03/02/2016 00:15:00 200 W GARVEY AVE 03/02/2016 22:24:00 400 N NEW AVE 03/03/2016 08:46:00 2 500 N NEW AVE 03/03/2016 09:44:00 900 HERSHEY AVE 03/03/2016 10:13:00 400 S GARFIELD AVE 03/06/2016 15:00:00 1400 BRADSHAWE AVE 03/07/2016 05:16:00 500 W ARLIGHT ST 03/07/2016 17:00:00 200 S NICHOLSON AVE 03/08/2016 14:03:00 1000 BRADSHAWE AVE 03/08/2016 16:03:00 100 CASUDA CANYON DR 03/11/2016 06:58:00 1000 S GARFIELD AVE 03/11/2016 08:54:00 100 N NEW AVE 03/11/2016 15:42:47 1900 SUNRISE DR 03/13/2016 13:22:00 300 POMELO AVE 03/17/2016 07:44:00 300 SEFTON AVE 03/17/2016 10:18:00 600 W POMONA BLVD 03/17/2016 11:33:28 400 W FLORAL DR 03/18/2016 15:10:00 03/18/2016 21:27:00 03/22/2016 10:59:54 500 N CHANDLER AVE 03/23/2016 17:54:00 500 N CHANDLER AVE 03/23/2016 17:54:00 25 CUPANIA CIR 03/25/2016 05:59:00 25 CUPANIA CIR 03/25/2016 06:42:00 800 W EL REPETTO DR 03/25/2016 19:56:00 100 CASUDA CANYON DR 03/26/2016 12:29:00 AUTO THEFT 2300 SCHOOLSIDE AVE 03/01/2016 06:39:00 500 N GARFIELD AVE 03/06/2016 21:25:00 1200 1ST ST 03/09/2016 07:41:00 2000 CLOVER DR 03/09/2016 09:23:00 120 W NEWMARK AVE 03/13/2016 20:08:00 03/15/2016 18:36:00 200 E FERNFIELD DR 03/18/2016 09:05:00 1400 BRIGHTWOOD ST 03/19/2016 09:08:00 600 EL MERCADO AVE 03/20/2016 08:40:00 100 N ORANGE AVE 03/21/2016 15:44:00 500 N ATLANTIC BLVD 03/21/2016 23:26:00 500 S ORANGE AVE 03/22/2016 07:26:00 100 CASUDA CANYON DR 03/24/2016 06:51:00 200 N CHANDLER AVE 03/24/2016 10:55:00 1200 BRIGHTWOOD ST 03/24/2016 12:00:00 200 E HAMMEL ST 03/25/2016 05:25:00 W GARVEY AVE / ABAJO DR 03/26/2016 03:39:00 200 W RIGGIN ST 03/26/2016 10:04:00 BURGLARY - COMMERCIAL 500 MONTEREY PASS RD 03/01/2016 04:47:00 03/07/2016 13:24:50 2200 S ATLANTIC BLVD 03/14/2016 09:08:26 700 W GARVEY AVE 03/14/2016 14:50:50 700 W GARVEY AVE 03/14/2016 14:50:50 700 W GARVEY AVE 03/14/2016 14:50:50 03/22/2016 10:42:12 03/22/2016 10:42:51 400 POTRERO GRANDE DR 03/22/2016 14:03:00 400 POTRERO GRANDE DR 03/22/2016 17:17:00 BURGLARY RESIDENTIAL 400 S LINCOLN AVE 03/01/2016 20:14:00 1200 RIDGECREST COURT 03/02/2016 09:39:54 500 VAN BUREN DR 03/02/2016 20:30:00 1000 EAST CREST WAY 03/03/2016 20:34:00 1300 ROCK VIEW ST 03/03/2016 21:10:54 1000 EAST CREST WAY 03/04/2016 19:15:04 400 HARDING AVE 03/04/2016 21:23:50 300 E MARKLAND DR 03/04/2016 21:43:33 400 HARDING AVE 03/04/2016 21:56:26 1000 EAST CREST WAY 03/05/2016 09:41:08 400 N LINCOLN AVE 03/05/2016 11:23:29 700 BROWNING PL 03/06/2016 12:52:56 600 S LINCOLN AVE 03/07/2016 14:56:00 100 MARGUERITA AVE 03/10/2016 15:33:57 500 N NEW AVE 03/13/2016 16:45:58 1400 SOMBRERO DR 03/14/2016 18:41:59 1500 SUNRISE DR 03/14/2016 20:33:01 300 S LINCOLN AVE 03/15/2016 12:24:09 1500 RIDGECREST ST 03/16/2016 03:15:00 150 CASUDA CANYON DR 03/16/2016 09:01:24 1200 RIDGECREST ST 03/16/2016 20:50:00 1900 COLLEGE VIEW DR 03/16/2016 22:52:00 300 CORAL VIEW ST 03/17/2016 09:23:11 1000 EAST CREST WAY 03/18/2016 18:41:44 1000 HILLVALE DR 03/19/2016 13:21:03 200 W FERNFIELD DR 03/21/2016 11:56:40 2300 ROSCOMMON AVE 03/21/2016 12:38:00 300 E RIGGIN ST 03/21/2016 13:49:30 1200 KENTON DR 03/22/2016 09:54:38 200 STARBIRD DR 03/23/2016 17:55:00 200 FLORENCE AVE 03/24/2016 08:23:13 300 E NEWMARK AVE 03/24/2016 22:04:15 600 EL MERCADO AVE 03/24/2016 22:29:14 1600 BLUFFHILL DR 03/25/2016 10:04:02 600 HATHAWAY AVE 03/25/2016 23:48:18 200 S ALHAMBRA AVE 03/27/2016 13:38:06 200 W EL REPETTO DR 03/29/2016 20:40:00 ROBBERY 100 S ATLANTIC BLVD 03/04/2016 20:31:23 400 W EMERSON AVE 03/07/2016 09:56:40 N ATLANTIC BLVD / W GARVEY AVE 03/13/2016 15:03:35 1100 E GARVEY AVE 03/16/2016 17:01:47 S ATLANTIC BLVD / W NEWMARK AVE 03/29/2016 19:16:15 Monterey Park, CA (Behind Hong Kong Supermarket) 201 W. Garvey Ave., Suite 1102 Shipping Services Packaging Services Mailbox & Postal Services Copying Services 20003 United Parcel Service, Inc. Tel (626) 280-8012 Fax (626) 280-8007 Mon-Fri 9-7; Sat 10-5 Document Finishing Services Faxing Services Moving and Packaging Supplies Notary Services
Page 6 Rosemead Student Plant Water-Wise Landscaping Rosemead High School students are doing something positive to help the community grow up by starting Panther Farm and installing and developing a water-wise native plant garden by the school marquee sign at the corner of Rosemead Boulevard and Mission Drive. They are using drip irrigation for the plants to save water now and in the future said Joe Vasquez, director of Panther Farm and an English teacher at Rosemead High School. Vasquez recently earned his Master Gardener certificate from County of Los Angeles after he completed weeks of educational training. The marquee area was difficult to prepare and required the use of a rototiller to prepare the hard ground and remove some tree roots. Rosemead High School Coach Chuck Lyons volunteered and rototilled the area. Students prepared the landscape and installed a rain catch basin to keep the water in the garden instead of running off into the street. Local water supplier California American Water Co. made a major financial contribution and Eco Tech Services, Inc. put in a drip irrigation system along with matting and layers of mulch so the irrigation isn t even seen. Vasquez said Rosemead High School is very happy California American Water contributed to the project. Other agencies providing assistance were the City of Rosemead, Rosemead Chamber of Commerce, City of El Monte, Southern California Edison, the Whole Kids Foundation, the San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps, San Gabriel Nursery, Eco Tech Services, National Wildlife Foundation, and Los Angeles Chapter of United States Green Buildings Council. We are happy more and more students are joining Panther Farm, said Vasquez. We started with a handful of students and now have about three dozen students participating at different times. On a recent Saturday morning it looked almost like a school day with many students volunteering their time to weed, spread mulch, plant and maintain the water-wise drip irrigation system by the school marquee at the front of the school and also develop Panther Farm, said Vasquez. On campus at Panther Farm, students recently removed grass sod that was replanted at another place on campus, prepared the soil, and then planted an apple orchard with three plant varieties that should grow well in the local climate, according to Vasquez. The varieties are Anna, Fuji, and Gala apples. Students have also used two-liter soft drink bottles to create a container garden area, which is ideal for people who wish to grow herbs or flowers in small areas, stated Vasquez. Students also volunteered to spread mulch in other areas of the school to help beautify the campus. Students volunteer on most Mondays and Wednesdays after school for an hour so they have time for schoolwork and other activities, emphasized Vasquez. They are learning life lessons about working together as a community on campus and within our city, they learn about our environment, and they are great role models for other students, which is working because more students continue to come and join Panther Farm. (Source: School press release.) May 23 is Voter Registration Deadlline Voter registration deadline is May 23 for the Presidential Primary Election to be held Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Voters must re-register to vote if they have changed their name or political party, or home address. Persons turning 18 years of age by election cay can also register to vote. First time voters and new citizens also need to register to vote. Voters should be on the lookout for a sample ballot booklet which should arrive in most homes by May 28, 2016. On Election day,polls will be open from 7 a.m. 8 p.m. To register to vote, visit the county s website. Registration forms are also available at the Monterey Park City Clerk s office. For more election information contact the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk at 800-815-2666 or www.lavote.net. Monterey Park & West Valley Journal May 2016 REUNION - Former City Clerks meet with current Cit Clerk Vincent Chang at Centennial celebrations. From left they are Pauline Lemire, Chang, Dave Barron, Theresa Amador and former Councilman Monty Manibog. Photo by David Muñoz. SCHOOL GARDEN - Nathan Au (left) and Anthony Camacho volunteer in Rosemead High School s first water-wise garden by school marquee that introduces native plants and drip irrigation to the school and local community. NEWS 24-7 WWW. SGVJournal.Com
May 2016 Monterey Park & West Valley Journal Page 7 Monterey Park Launches City Birthday Celebrations Continued from Page 1) podium were Council members Mitchell Ing, Teresa Real Sebastian, Stephen Lam, Hans Liang along with City Clerk Vincent Chang and Treasurer Joseph Leon. Police Chief Jim Smith served as the master of ceremonies for the event. Other key staff persons present were Ron Bow, assistant city manager and public works director and Dan Costley, recreation director. Costley and his staff organized most of the activities and parade for the centennial celebration with the support of a citizens committee. A lengthy city parade along Garvey Avenue feature more than 100 entries. They included Mariachi bands, horses, dragon dancers, and school marching bands, drill teams, drum groups, martial arts groups, Boy Scouts and many school groups. The parade started at Alhambra Avenue and headed west on Garvey Avenue through the downtown area to Barnes Park. Ronald McDonald was the grand marshal. A large collection of carnival rides; food and information booths and live entertainment welcomed the more than 1000 parade participants. The centennial festivities began Friday, May 13 with a dinner at a Chinese restaurant attended by more than 600 people. The purpose of the dinner organized by Reggie Chen, a city commissioner, was to pay for a special multicultural program at East L.A. College auditorium. MP Centennial Coins Go on Sale The city s Play Day s festivities were concluded on Sunday at Barnes Park. Current Monterey Park Mayor Peter Chan chats with past Mayor Bettty Tom Chu at City Hall Centennial gathering.. -- Photo by David Muñoz. As part of the Centennial Celebration, Monterey Park s celebration committee has minted a new Centennial Coin. The last time a coin was produced was for the 50th anniversary of the city incorporation. The first 200 of the coins sold almost immediately at several events. Additional coins will be produced and sold at $10 apiece. Interested persons can contact the Recreation Counter at City Hall to place an order. Can t Write Good English? CALL US Fast, Low Cost English Writing (626) 572-7450 Business Card Directory FSIC Investments Notes - Real Estate - Business Caleb Kwok, Principal 2089 S Atlantic Blvd., Suite E Monterey Park, CA 91754 www. FSCinvestments.com 626-888-97466 Caleb&fsicinvestments.com BRE Broker # 01113074 Asset-based Investments & Financing This Could Be Your Spot Only $95 for 12 months! Less than $9 per month Call (626) 572-7450 Psychic Readings By Dora Blackman 5104 San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019 (323) 590-7739
Page 8 Monterey Park Policeman Charged With Sexually Assaulting Women (Continued from Page 1.) for conduct that is not in-line with those standards, Chief Smith said. According to the District Attorney s office, while on duty, Sanchez allegedly forced each victim to expose herself during a stop. In two instances, he allegedly touched the victims after ordering them to expose themselves. The victims were between 20 and 28 years old when the alleged assaults occurred between July 28, 2014, and August 2015. In a press release, the Monterey Park Police Department stated that in 2014 upon receiving a complaint, Sanchez was placed on administrative leave which is accordance with Monterey Park Police Department policies. The department then brought in an outside third party the Long Beach Police Department to conduct the in-depth investigation to eliminate any conflict of interest. Long Beach Police said in a press release that after a year-long investigation, the case was presented to the Los Angeles District Attorney Justice System Integrity division in August 2015. Long Beach Police located Sanchez Israel Sanchez near his residence in Whittier and arrested him without incident shortly after the District Attorney filed charges this week. Long Beach Police said the investigation remains on going. Detectives believe additional victims may exist in the area of Monterey Park and encourage anyone with information regarding this case to call the Long Beach Police department sex Crimes Detail at (562) 570-7368. Monterey Park Journal May 2016 Sh e i l a Yo n e m o t o, P.T. Exercise Improves Learning By Sheila Yonemoto, P.T. My eye doctor says that learn- Sheila Yonemoto P.T. ing is affected by how an individual has trained their body to move. Movement skills affect how we use our eyes and process visual information and create the foundation for the finer control of the eye muscles and subsequent learning abilities. Since she works with children with visual difficulties, she sees how important these movement skills are. We are all born with primitive reflexes designed to help us in the first months of life. These reflexes disappear as we develop strength, coordination and control of our bodies, but can reappear after a stroke or head trauma. Parents and teachers can help integrate these primitive reflexes by encouraging movement skills to develop strength, balance, eyehand coordination and timing. Adults with head trauma also have problems processing visual information which can affect reading, walking without bumping into furniture and other visual tasks. Adults age 50+ who have had physical education classes in school and played outside while growing up performed better or had an easier time relearning than those who were in their 20 s when they had the head trauma. These older adults had a better foundation in their movement skill development than the younger patients who grew up with computers and video games and spent less time playing outside. Children s outdoor activities help develop more body strength, eyehand coordination, balance and better physical fitness. Games like hopscotch, jump rope, playing with jacks, climbing and playing with balls all contribute to balance, coordination, timing, strength and fine motor skill development. The large muscles of the body create the foundation for the finer skills needed for the eyes. Infants need to go through various stages of development so these primitive reflexes get integrated into the nervous system. Oftentimes, parents are anxious for their child to walk early, but there are good reasons for the crawling stage. Especially now, in this age of computers with emphasis on intellectual pursuits, we must make sure we include a healthy dose of physical activity in our children s lives. Perhaps this would be a good thing for all of us, no matter our age. **** Sheila Yonemoto, P.T., has been a physical therapist for more than 30 years, specializing in integrative manual therapy, utilizing a holistic approach. She can be reached at Yonemoto Physical Therapy, 55 S. Raymond Ave, Suite 100, Alhambra, CA 91801. Visit the Historic El Encanto (El Jardin De El Encanto) 700 El Mercado Ave. Monterey Park, Ca 91754 Open Monday through Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Special group tours available by appointment. Call (626) 570-9429 - (Info@gmail.com -Offices of the Greater Monterey Park Chamber of Commerce