the foothills paper - 20 mar 2015

D E P A R T M E N T S

What Folks Are Doing........... 2

My Two Cents ...................... 2

View from the Rock ............. 3

Letters and Perspectives ....... 3

Pike’s Peek .......................... 4

Chef Randy .......................... 5

Pets Page ............................ 8

S-T Crime Stats .................. 10

Take My Card .................... 11

FRIDAY • MARCH 20, 2015 TELLING THE TRUTH FOR OVER 10 YEARS! VOLUME 11 • NUMBER 6

FREE

OUR COMMUNITY, OUR TOWN, OUR VOICE!See page 3

Local Inven-tor’s iPhone Device

................4Shawarma House Opens!

................6

For a video of this story, please visit: http://facebook.com/thefoothillspaper

I N S I D E :

Homeless Camper Starts Fire in Big-Tujunga Canyon Again! As the Sunland-Tujunga homeless continue to be a political football for those with vested interests, the

“campers” in the Big Tujunga wash continue to increase. Like a scene out of Escape from New York, rules are made individually, not col-lectively. In a place where common sense should be the norm, the campers who have mental challenges continue to put everyone in jeopardy. Over the years, suggestions have been fielded as how to live with this growing prob-lem and over the years we have had to deal with the threat of wildfires in the wash. This last fire in the Big-T wash endangered the residents of Riverwood Ranch as well as the other

campers living there. Over the past years, there have been at least three fires in the Big Tujunga each year, two of which claimed the lives of the campers that started them. With the con-tinuing drought and the dry weather coming with summer, the Big Tujunga residents themselves as well as those people who live in the River-wood Ranch and Rim of the Valley houses are increasing-ly in danger. Being homeless is not a crime, but using candles and fire pits for light and cooking that results in a wildfire is. Up until these past years, the campers knew how live safely, but now with the weather in other states staying cold lon-ger, new homeless are coming

to our community that don’t know anything about fire safety. There are no real pa-trols in the Big Tujunga as the boundary lines between Edi-

son, DWP, LA City and Na-tional Forest are blurred. It is not just the Big Tujun-ga lands that are in danger, but the Hansen Dam, Conover

Road, and the land just west of Riverwood Ranch. Every-one should be on fire watch as the weather conditions get hotter and dryer.

M O R E E X P A N D E D C O V E R A G E A N D D I S T R I B U T I O N S I T E S

Firefighters had to cross through a stream and heavy brush to contain the fire.

Firefighters respond to a fire at the intersection of Oro Vista and Big Tujunga that was set afire by a careless person. This is a

serious drain of manpower and equipment that could be used to save lives elsewhere.

A fire set by a homeless camper in the Hansen Dam recreational area required over 40 firefighters and equipment to contain and put out the blaze that burned for over 3 hours. There were no injuries to humans but many species of wildlife suffered in the

blaze.

2 — FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 11 • NUMBER 6

Montrose African Violet Society’s March Meeting The Montrose African Violet Society is having their next club meeting on Wednesday morning, March 25, 2014 @ 10:00 A.M. The location is Descanso Gardens (Birch Room) 1418, Descanso Drive, La Cañada-Flintridge, CA. Guests are always welcome to attend our meetings. You’ll have the opportunity to win the door prize, participate in the si-lent auction and raffle table, re-freshments are served and friendships are made. For more information please email our club president @ [email protected] or telephone (323) 236-0104 or www.mon-troseafricanviolets.weebly.com

• • •

Crescenta Valley Sierra Club The Crescenta Valley Sierra Club presents Bruce Hale’s “Cuba: Island Nation in Transi-tion,” on Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles County Public Library in La Crescenta, 2809 Foothill Boule-vard, La Crescenta, California. Sierra Club member and world traveler. Bruce Hale, brings slides and narrative to il-lustrate his program describing the Chapter’s first sponsored trip to Cuba in December, 2014. The trip covered both the east-ern portion of the island as well as the western part. The tour ex-perienced Cuba in a way differ-ent from standardized, off-the-shelf commercial tours. Two days after the group returned to the United States, President Obama announced that diplo-matic relations will be re-estab-

lished between the two coun-tries. This program will depict Cuba before changes accelerate. The program begins follow-ing news of conservation and outings. This is a free event and everyone is welcome. Refresh-ments will be served. Please contact Wayne Fisher at (818) 353-4181 for more information.

• • •

Free Glendale Noon Concerts Free Admission to Glendale Noon Concerts every first and third Wednesday at 12:10-12:40 p.m. at the sanctuary at First Baptist Church of Glen-dale, 209 N. Louise St. (at Wil-son), Glendale, CA 91206.

APRIL 1: L.A. HORN TRIOhttp://www.losangeleshorntrio.blogspot.com

Program: CHRISTIAN PE-ZOLD Trio Sonata in F major LEO BROUWER Selections from “Pictures at Another Ex-hibition” for horn trio (2002)APRIL 15: JOHANA KREJCIViolin Recital featuring LEOS JANACEK Sonata for violin & piano (1914, revised 1921) For more information, please call (818) 242-2113. For map and venue information, please visit http://fbcglendale.net or email:[email protected].

• • •

Ian Kim Named to Honor Roll at Army and Navy Academy Army and Navy Academy is pleased to announce that Ian Kim of Shadow Hills (91040)

has been named to the Honor Roll for the fourth grading peri-od of the 2014-2015 school year. “Congratulations on your ac-ademic success,” said Lisa Ba-sista, Dean of Academics. “Keep working hard and striv-ing for excellence.”

• • •

Jewel City Knitters Metings Jewel City Knitters will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 1 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Scholl Can-yon Estates, 1551 E. Chevy Chase Dr., Glendale. Member-ship is free. Knitters, Crocheters, and those who wish to learn are welcome. For more information, visit www.jewelcityknitters.com or email [email protected].

The coffee barista sneezes on your cup. The cashier sneezes on your money. The waitress sneezes on your food. Your boss sneezes on you and your computer. You use Purell as many times a day that you blink. You’ve stopped kissing people for it is cold and flu season. A person sneezes and you offer a tissue, you have extra. You don’t mind carrying extra tissues. What you do mind is finding a used tissue rolled up in your bed sheets, courtesy of your spouse. Picking up their used tissue is like using their toothbrush. It’s just not done. Germs are germs. The only germs a person regards as “not so bad” are their children’s germs. Par-ents think their kids’ germs

are acceptable and because of that we let our guard down when our children are sick. We don’t follow them around with a can of Lysol the way we would a co-worker. We don’t run from the room when they sneeze. We don’t express disgust when multi-colored mucus runs from their nose the way we would were it someone else’s kid. A parent will wipe their child’s nose, even kiss it and then post a photo of the tissue on FaceBook. But, when it’s someone else’s kid we don’t think it cute and we rate it a level 10 on the “disgust meter.” Everybody sneezes dif-ferently. You have the silent sneezer: you aren’t aware this person sneezed until you

Don’t Sneeze on Me

VOLUME 7 • NUMBER 11 • www.thefoothillspaper.com THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2011 — 11

S U B S C R I B EN O W !

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Join the parade

A family video store recently opened in my neighborhood. At a time when video stores head toward extinction it

makes you question the logic behind such a move.Since Netflix has come along it doesn’t make sense for a

person to leave the comfort of home to go rent a movie. Video stores are just one of the many long standing cultural symbols that march in the parade toward extinction.

Thanks to GPS people no longer need maps. Because of my GPS I can now travel from point a to point b; just don’t ask me how I got there cause once I shut the GPS I would be hard pressed to remember the name of every road taken and every street I turned on. Regardless, I give a warm embrace to my GPS and wave goodbye to the map as it marches in the parade toward extinction.

TV Guide magazine is also slowly fading from the landscape. Growing up in a household where money was not squandered on the frivolous we made due with the newspaper TV supplement. I can recall the first time I got up close and personal with the magazine edition. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I held it and ran my hands across the cover. I was captivated by the colors. I was seduced by the celebrity photos. And when I was done reading it I rejoiced for my fingers were ink-free. Only now that cable has replaced the traditional guide it will take its place and march alongside video stores and maps in the parade.

The phone book is quietly fading away and I believe will one day be displayed in the Smithsonian representing primitive tools for information gathering. As a child I guess you could say the phone book was my booster seat as I sat on one when we went to the movies. My mother snuck in more than candy under that oversized trench coat she wore. Today, I use the phone book as a doorstop and the Internet to provide me with phone numbers.

All my important phone numbers are stored in my phone’s speed dial. It wasn’t until the other day when I was asked what my son’s new number was that I realized, thanks to speed dial, I didn’t know it, or half the other numbers listed. Why bother to memorize a number when you can simply press a button? So the phone book brings up the rear in the parade.

It’s depressing to admit time has caused my body to go soft and modern technology has caused my brain to go soft. What’s next? Do I join the parade and march toward extinction? Do I throw in the towel? I wish I could remember where I put the towel!

• • •Cindy’s book, A Little Humor, is a collection of 50 columns that’ll make you laugh and forget your troubles for just $10. Visit www.cindyargiento.com or call (336) 601-6696.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: “The Gentle Art” melds strength and graceby Randall Fleming

It’s summer, it’s sweltering and you don’t want to be

swearing for hearing that your kids have nothing to do as they head for the computer to play World of Warcraft while tweeting and eating junk food. What do you do to fight the urge to just let them do noth-ing but play games, eat poorly and become a national health statistic? Novaes Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Kids Summer Program.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), known as “The Gentle Art,” provides techniques whereby a smaller person can de-fend against and dom-inate a larger oppo-nent by using angles and leverages. Because of this, BJJ is the most used martial art in law enforcement training.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be trained for sport grappling tournaments (gi and no-gi), mixed martial arts (MMA) competition or self-defense. It is the perfect sport for kids when school is out, as it chan-nels that summertime ener-gy, instills confidence and builds discipline. Whether the goal is to learn self-defense or just have fun while getting in shape, Novaes BJJ Academy is the place to be this summer.

However, BJJ is not just for kids. There are also excel-lent adult programs for men and women of all experience levels, and Novaes Acade-my accepts all ages from 6 years and up. Whether a nov-ice seeking confidence, disci-

pline and/or self-defense, or a veteran who wishes to re-main well-trained, or any lev-el in-between, beginners and seasoned-competitors agree: When you train with Novaes, you train with the best.

The Academy’s owner and lead instructor, Alexandre Novaes, loves the Sunland-Tujunga community and hopes to live here one day. He sees a need for Brazilian

Jiu Jitsu in the area as he feels it will contribute to its strength and beauty. Along with Alexandre Novaes, the Academy is further strengthened by two other instructors, Glen and Corey.

Glen is an exceptional in-structor whose personable de-meanor and expertise in the discipline of Muay Thai are ideally suited for those that wish to compete, learn self-defense or to get a great work-out in a positive team-oriented environment. Since moving to Southern California, Glen has amassed an impressive 10 and 1 record (undefeated for five years).

Corey has been a Novaes disciple since 2008. He was

awarded his blue belt in 2009 and his purple belt in 2011. He is particularly adept at teaching younger students, even those as young as four years of age. He loves help-ing his students achieve their goals and reach their fullest potentials in martial arts. Co-rey is enthusiastic and empha-sizes not only the mechanics of Tae Kwon Do, but the core values of all martial arts: loy-

alty, respect, self-con-trol and discipline – val-ues that apply in all fac-ets of life.

Novaes began his BJJ training at the age of 15 in Rio de Janeiro, the birthplace of the world-revered sport. He received his black belt in 1999 under Jorge Pereira, a disciple of Rickson Gracie, and is currently a Third

Degree black belt. He is also an international champion and highly respected within the BJJ community.

The studio has been open for eight months and is a family-friendly environment. It is a large, clean and new facility with lots of parking.

Novaes BJJ Academy is located at 8660 Foothill Boulevard at the convergence of Foothill Blvd. and Sunland Avenue, not far from the 210 Freeway.

And don’t forget: the Kids’ Summer Program is just around the corner in June, so don’t hesitate to call the Academy at (818) 352-9328. Better yet, check out the Web site at www.NovaesBJJ.com.

ANTI-DRUG WALK 2011by Susan Stewart

The Interact Clubs from Verdugo Hills High

School and the Delphi LA Academy organized and put on the Third Annual Anti-Drug Walk on Saturday morning, May 14, with the support and assistance of the Sunland-Tujunga-Shadow Hills Rotary Club.

The Interact students gathered with many of their peers at Bolton Hall at 9am, donning their custom-designed bright yellow anti-drug T-shirts declaring, “Creating A Drug-Free World One Step At A Time.”

They took up their banner and anti-drug signs (photo at right) and headed down Commerce Ave. to Foothill Blvd., then on to Sunland Park. The marchers were escorted by an LAPD police car down Foothill Blvd. and

led into the park by George Allen and his bagpipes.

Lions Club member Frank Elms lifted the spirits even further with music for the walkers at the park. The Leos Club from Mt. Gleason joined the Interact Club members and other walkers to add energy with dancing.

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World donated a large number of anti-drug booklets, while Nick Mauser, the group’s Youth President, spoke about the importance of drug education. He acknowledged the good works of both Interact and Phoenix

House.Phoenix House students

spoke about overcoming drugs, which was very inspiring. The students in the audience were very attentive.

Also present was Pastor Michael Shaffer of Canyon Harvest Open Bible Church. We thank him for his support. A special thanks goes to Lloyd Hitt and Bolton Hall for use of the facility and the chairs used at Sunland Park.

It’s so refreshing having our Sunland-Tujunga students and Phoenix House standing up against drugs. They are the good guys.

My Two Cents

see Sneeze, page 9

Cindy Argiento is a free-lance columnist.

To check out Cindy’s book and laugh along

at her other works go to cindyargiento.com.

She may be contacted at [email protected].

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Star Hand Car Wash on Foothill Boulevard has implemented an additional security measure to protect their customers from potential vehicle loss. After reviewing statistics from California law enforcement agencies, Star decided to create a tracking system putting the last three numerals of the license plate number on the customer receipt. “We pride ourselves on the quality of our car wash,” said manager Vic, “and we want our customers to feel that they can safely drop off their

cars and do something else while their car is being washed.”

THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015 — 3VOLUME 11 • NUMBER 6 • www.thefoothillspaper.com

THE FOOTHILLS PAPERis published bi-weekly. All contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. All submissions to this newspaper become property of THE FOOTHILLS PAPER and may not be republished in whole or in part. The opinions expressed by contributing writers do not necessarily express the views of the publisher nor staff of this newspaper. TFP is available free of charge. No person may, without prior written permission from TFP, take more than one copy of each edition (stated value: $1). Only authorized TFP distributors may distribute THE FOOTHILLS PAPER. THE FOOTHILLS PAPER is a non-profit newspaper produced by the OSS-Spectrum group.

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I can’t believe how fast this year is going. It’s almost April and we haven’t received enough rain to make a difference in anything. But wait a minute, if you look around you at all the new brush growth and the trees radiating green you will see not just the beauty of nature, but the foreboding of a desolate summer with the possibility of raging wild fires. The LAFD has been sending out “self assessment cards” so that they don’t have to go out and make fire danger assessments. That wild nature could be the death of us. It’s not a pretty thought. And on top of that, I just got a notice from the county to make sure that I was prepared for a major earthquake. What is wrong with that picture? What is wrong is that all the movers and shakers in our community that used to take on the mantle of emer-gency services have all died out or given up because no one really cares. Not good. It was only a cou-ple of years ago that we had an ac-tive CERT and a SERVS group tak-

ing care of business here. But that was a couple of years ago and a lot has happened since then. The only really viable civic group that I can see is the community cleanup people that have the proper direction and the help of local busi-nesses for donations of clean up tools to make it happen. Remember that old saying “Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse – It did!” And that’s where we stand today. The crime rate is up. Driving acci-dents are up. Vandalism is up. Homeless have moved to the Big-T and are starting fires. And no one seems to care until something actu-ally happens to them. But this coin has two sides. And there is the bright side of the coin. Local business is getting better and offering more in the way of cus-tomer service and quality of prod-ucts. On this side of the coin, we have a multitude of really good res-taurants with a variety of foods that make you want to go back. Yes, there are a couple places that I really

don’t expect to last out the year, but they will be replaced by something better. The Commerce Center has only four vacancies left and it is a welcome addition to our community. The owners have just spent an addi-tional $180,000 in renovation and landscaping. This will be the abso-lute best place to go in Sunland-Tu-junga when you want to let your mind and feet wander. From the day spa to the Artisyn Café and Gallery, to the Frootopia yogurt bowls, this is a place you can take the family to and feel safe. A top-rated Italian restaurant named Caruso’s is moving into the old Al Read’s and from the renova-tions I’ve seen going on, this is go-ing to be one classy place to take your family or date. Things are real-ly happening and for the best. One day you are going to wake up to the sound of over six-hundred homes being built in the surrounding moun-tains and life as we know it will be over. But so what? It will bring a new prosperity to our community,

a lot more people who won’t have been tainted by our myopic political machine and with a whole new board of activists on the Neighbor-hood Council, maybe a cohesive community of people who really want to belong here. It’s called progress and that’s what we need here boys and girls, and even with the drought getting worse, you will still be able to say, It’s the Water!

VIEW

ROCK

VIEW

ROCK

Where’s The Old Doc?Dear Editor, What is going on at your place? Are you on new meds, or just off the old ones? Where is that cantanker-ous gadfly that used to hire off-the-wall writers like Wal-ly Wharton? There hasn’t been anything close to con-troversial in more than three months. I was reading the low-life comments on the other Facebook sites where they were attacking you for just reporting the news. You sure do bring the rats out of the cesspool. Although I enjoy your cov-erage of what is going on here, why would you write nice things about a competi-tor? This sure doesn’t sound like the old newspaper shred-der that took on Home Depot and their mouthpiece Dakota Communications. So what I’m really asking is ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? Keep up the good work, but kick ass once in while, things are getting boring.

Jamie

• • •

It Can’t Happen HereDear Editor, I look at your newspaper and then the others and yours seems to be so much more

negative. Why aren’t you supporting our town instead of airing out its dirty laun-dry and making some of our upstanding people look bad? Sunland-Tujunga has enough trouble with the people trying to over-build on their lots, crazy drivers getting into ac-cidents everyday and all the empty buildings on Foothill. Please take a lesson from

the other papers and become more positive. You proba-bly won’t publish this, but at least you have read it.

CH, Tujunga

• • •

???Dear Editor, I saw you at the carwash last week, you go there but your truck never looks clean. I saw you at Starbucks, but I never see you drinking cof-fee. What exactly do you do here?

GT

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Local Inventors Make It Look Easy RAVERR is an all-new de-sign battery case for iPhone and Galaxy with dual front speakers. It offers a multicol-or front flash light that is ide-al for selfies, damage protec-tion, extra battery, ability to charge two phones, a kick-stand, USB Flash Drive, LED backlights, and sound ampli-fier for a richer and more powerful sound experience. Cases should not degrade the look of your phone, hid-ing its identity. We put to-gether a team of brilliant peo-ple and started thinking outside the box, focusing on key issues and their solutions.The back only partially cov-ers the device, providing safety while also enabling a perfect grip that grasps RAVERR’s smooth curves. For the first time, a case will aid you in making text mes-saging easier than ever. Your smartphone will no longer slip; enjoy comfort like you have never felt before. You will experience more of your

phone than you would with any other case. The elevated position of your smartphone in the RAVERR is no accident. This

way, you get closer to the ide-al viewing angle of 15 de-grees downwards, keeping your eyes relaxed during pro-

Tan Dun’s “Water Passion After St. Matthew” Performed by LAMC Water becomes an extraor-dinary and transformative musical instrument taking center stage as it flows, drips, gurgles, splashes, bubbles and crashes to create a staggering array of percussive sounds when the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Artis-tic Director Grant Gershon, presents Oscar and Grammy® Award-winning composer Tan Dun’s riveting Water Passion After St. Matthew, “a master-piece for the ages” (AllMu-sic), on Saturday, April 11, 2 p.m., and Sunday, April 12, 7 p.m., at Disney Hall. Written for choir, soprano and bass soloists, chamber ensemble and 10 illuminated water bowls, the piece fea-

tures moments of shattering intensity and frenzy contrast-ed by silence and stillness. Whispers, shouts, chants, laughter, Mongolian over-tone singing and the high-pitched Eastern Opera vocal traditions emerge from the

chorus while the singers “play” Tibetan finger bells and river stones and rattle ominous thunder sheets. Fea-tured guest artists include Delaram Kamareh, soprano; Stephen Bryant, bass; Shalini

see Chorale, page 9

L.A. Master Chorale.

see RAVERR, page 9

The sleek, functional Raverr is the next step in phone functionality.

Efforts to legalize marijuana in California in 2016 are gaining momentum. Americans For Policy Re-form (AFPR), the group be-hind the Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act of 2014 (MCLR), is announcing the opening of the MCLR 2016 language for input from the community. It will establish clear guidelines for medical marijuana and adult-use marijuana in addition to allowing for the production of industrial hemp in the state. “We have heard a resound-ing cry from leaders in the cannabis community saying they want MCLR in 2016,” stated John Lee, Director of AFPR. “We feel obligated to help.” In 2013, MCLR was developed as the first “open-

source” or “crowd-sourced” method for advocates and experts everywhere to contribute directly to the language of California’s marijuana legalization law. It received an impressive fiscal analysis from the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), in addition to a highly favorable Title & Summary from California Attorney General Kamala Harris. “MCLR 2016 is now open for community input. We want to ensure everyone has another opportunity to address any concerns and contribute to the initiative,” said Mr. Lee. “We also encourage all serious sup-porters interested in signing on as a Proponent to contact us immediately.”

Marijuana Legalization Effort Moves Forward

see MCLR, page 9

Attention All Veterans,Sons, Daughters and Wives of VeteransCome and Enjoy your local American Legion Post

Help support Veterans and Veterans’ Causes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Hall Rental, call Commander Dan at

(818) 521-1137

American Legion Post 37710039 Pinewood Avenue, Tujunga

(818) 353-9856Events open to the Public

Canteen Hours - 7 days a week, 2- 10 p.m.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday, March 21St. Pat’s Dinner/Dance

w/ Irish Juke Box Music6:30 p.m. • $10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SATURDAY, MARCH 28 Combat Dinner

for Legionnaires Only~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup Minestrone is a thick soup containing vegetables and pasta. The word originat-ed from the Italian language word minestrare, which means to serve. According to the Princeton.edu website: Some of the earliest ori-gins of minestrone soup pre-date the expansion of the Lat-in tribes of Rome into what became the Roman Repub-lic and later Roman Empire, when the local diet was “veg-etarian by necessity” and consisted mostly of vegeta-bles, such as onions, lentils, cabbage, garlic, fava beans, mushrooms, carrots, aspara-gus and turnips. It wasn’t until the Second Century B.C., when Rome had conquered Italy and mo-nopolized the commercial and road networks, that a huge diversity of products flooded the capital and be-gan to change their diet, and by association, the diet of It-aly most notably with the more frequent inclusion of meats, including as a stock for soups. This vegan recipe makes enough hearty soup to feed four hungry people. Best of all, it is easy to make and the

slow cooker brings out the best in both the vegetables and the herbs. Make it first thing in the morning and re-heat for dinner.

Ingredients:4 cups vegetable broth2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base1½ cups water2 (14.5 oz) cans diced toma-toes3 stalks celery (diced)2 large carrots (diced)1 small yellow onion (diced)1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)2 teaspoons dried basil1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (chopped)2 bay leavesSalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste1 small zucchini (diced)1 1/3 cups dried orecchiette pasta4 cloves garlic (minced)1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)1 (14.5 oz) can Italian green beans (drained)12 ounces fresh baby spinach

See Chef Randy’s food blog for more recipes at http://valley-vegetarian.com

How often do we, as artists, stop and assess our develop-ment? Do we notice any im-provement when we work? At what point do we realize any changes in the quality of our work? Or, for that matter, what we’ve recently learned?It’s good to take stock every once in a while. Check to see if we are improving or if we are stuck in the same place; doing the same thing in the same way. After reviewing our recent work, do we notice it all looks relatively the same, with repeated themes; or the use of tried and true techniques and methods, making all the work have a similarity? But how do we look into ourselves? What is it we look for when searching for im-provement? To what degree do we stop and check our progress? For some, you wake one day, and there is an ease with working. The pro-cess of painting is achieved with less effort. Not so much with the ideas but in execu-tion and application. The whole process seems a bit easier. That could be a sign of improvement. To be honest, I don’t spend too much time delving into my psyche. I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep examining yourself. It’s not a good prac-tice to keep digging at a scab to see if the wound is healing. There are intuitive things that happen when things are going well and we find our-selves improving. Certain principles become automatic, like walking for example. I don’t thing about putting one foot in front of

the other to get somewhere. The process is involuntary, a knee jerk reaction if you par-don the pun. More things I do are instinctive. To be creative there needs to be introspection. Artists need look into themselves in order to get to the root of who they are; what they feel and think about things. Won-dering and examining the mysteries of life and people. Once you get a handle on who you are, the easier it is to translate your thoughts and idea onto canvas. As a by-product of this personal un-derstanding, I believe, the work becomes more truthful, honest. There is a spontaneity in the way you handle things, less thought about how to and more about what needs to be done to achieve your goal. This “thinking” of improve-ment becomes more apparent when I am teaching my stu-dents. When looking at them I see myself and the difficul-ties I want through to get where I am. The struggle and pain of learning what is a dif-ficult craft, is worth the ef-fort. We don’t attain great skill without hard work no matter what we do. Painting is no exception. Creating art at a high level requires diligence, dedication and years of study. Creating something that moves people and can al-so change the world, takes understanding, knowledge, and empathy. It takes a great deal of self-knowledge. If you are true to the process, you intuitively know when improvement is eminent.

Improvementb y R i c k R o t a n t e

ArtfullyS P E A K I N G

hear them say, “Bless me.” You have the loud sneezer: people for a mile around heard and are blessing this person. And then you have the – wait for it, sneezer – the person (my husband) feels the sneeze coming on and waits, poised with tissue in hand and mouth open. You

get tired of waiting to bless them and walk away. No one knows for sure how long the wait will be. What I do know is if my husband’s in bed, waiting to sneeze, he should get out, then sneeze, throw his tissue out and then return to bed. Finding used tissues in bed rates a 100 on the “disgust meter.”

Sneeze, from pg. 2

see Minestrone, page 9


Sunland-Tujunga is Becoming an Epicurean Center Living in the Middle-East gave me access to foods that I never had the chance to taste much less know how to pronounce. What is fun for me is that we’ve had some really good restaurants open up in the last couple of months that are absolutely wonderful. An old-time standard is the Hrazdan Market & Restaurant that we did a story on some time back about how wonderful their soup and deli items were. It’s a local “Mom & Pop” shop that treats ev-ery customer like family. The new kids on the block, The Shawarma House and the Mante House are both on Foothill Boulevard. But don’t get me wrong; there are other restaurants in Sunland-Tu-junga that I’ve eaten at, but they just aren’t in the same league. Too many times the food doesn’t

come up to my standards because it is prepared by someone else or maybe just too many days previ-ous to the actual cooking. Let me give you an ex-ample. The key to good middle-eastern food (as well as other nationalities’ dishes) isn’t the spices, it’s the chef. Yes, spices do matter, like using Persian saffron rather than off-the-shelf saffron. It’s the little things that count. Like the marinade that is made personally by the owner from an old-time family recipe and lovingly put on the meat hours before and then, only when the meat’s ready, putting it on the flames. You can get beef, or chicken luleh kabobs on almost every street corner in Sunland-Tujunga, but if you want the absolute best, you’ve got to go by word of mouth. I interviewed the owners of the Sha-

warma House and Hraz-dan Market & Restaurant as to the actual manner in which the meats are pre-pared. What I learned is that it all begins with how the meat is sliced, ground or marinated, and how long the marination pro-cess goes for. This is the basic step. Then you have to have someone that “lov-ingly” prepares the meats either on a spit for Sha-warma or on a skewer for the kabobs. The chef needs to know exactly how thin or thick the meat has to be in order to cook evenly and create the proper taste and smells that make eat-ing so enjoyable. This is where the meat hits the flames, and the chef has to know exactly how long each type of meat takes to cook. “One of the secrets of shawarma is the spices,” said Albert of The Sha-warma House. But, he

added, the spices com-monly used at restaurants are generally the same; the trick is getting the process

right. Shawarma is a staple in Lebanese street cuisine.

Albert shows the love that goes into his Shawarma.

see Shawarma, page 9


Foothills Pet PageTwisted Locks, Crias and Agistees in Shadow Hills

By Jackie HoucHin and david deMullé

When I drove up the steep driveway to the Twisted Lock Ranch, I didn’t expect to see a “deformed deadbolt” in a crest above the gate. That’s because I’d read up on Ron Downs’ alpaca ranch and learned that “twisted lock” refers to a type of

“fiber.”No, not Metamucil or Raisin Bran. Hmm, looks like we need some definitions here. For starters, “fiber” is to alpacas what “wool” is to sheep – that wonderfully soft warm stuff that grows on their bodies and can be harvested and made into cozy sweaters and blankets.Alpaca fiber can be either puffy and “crimped” (think, plush teddy bear) as on the Huacaya alpacas, or silky and “twisted” (think, afghan dog with dreadlocks) as on the Suri alpacas. Ron has both at his ranch. Unlike wool, alpaca fiber has no lanolin, so it is hypoal-lergenic. It also has no “give” so it is often mixed with wool in fine men’s clothing for a little stretch. David Lettermen wears suits made of 80% alpaca fiber and 20% Moreno wool.Alpacas are sheared annually and the fleece (off-the-animal term) usually weighs 6-8 pounds, but can be as heavy as thirteen. Ron allowed me to heft a bag of soft brown fleece, and I thought of the nursery rhyme,

“Baa, baa black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.” I asked him about colors. Of the 50+

animals at his ranch, I could see whites (the most com-mon), tans, browns, maroons, two-colored Fancys, and grays and blacks (the rarest). He explained that in South America where alpaca yarn is a major industry, white is preferred because it can be dyed. But here in the US – where there’s not enough fiber harvested to warrant building industrial mills – the variety of colors is fine. (It would take 1 million pounds of fleece annually to be profitable, and there’s only about a 10th of that available now.) Ron donates half of his fleece to a national co-op and the rest to crafters. So, you may ask, how CAN alpaca ranching be profitable? That’s where

“crias” and “agistees” come in. Back to Ron’s website (www.twistedlock.com) for another definition… a cria is a baby alpaca, like a puppy, kitten or foal. Yes, money can be made in breeding… IF you know what you are doing, and IF you have some capital to begin with. A good herd-sire can cost a half mil-lion dollars or more! (Yep, my mouth dropped open too.) But his “cover charge” (if you’ll excuse the pun) can go as high as $10,000 if he’s a multi-champion, has great confirmation, extremely dense and fine fiber, and un-surpassed lock structure. Oh yeah, then there’s a perfect bite (although alpacas have no top teeth in the front), and that elusive “presence” of a proud, confident animal. A cria born from such a sire and an equally prized fe-male ($10,000 - $50,000) can

be sold for megabucks. Note: pet quality (nonbreeding) alpacas can go for as low as $100, but NEVER buy less than two animals! Ask Ron why. Ron also offers pre-mium “agistment” services, which simply means he will

“board” your alpacas and take wonderful care of them at his 6-acre, double-fenced ranch (protected by a pair of Great Pyrenees herd dogs). He will also “socialize,” train, show, sell and transport your alpacas… for a fee. About a third of his current herd are agistees. Ron goes on the road, showing his own (and other’s) animals for weeks at a time. “I love it,” he says, his face beaming. “I love the animals and I love the show circuit. The people who raise and show alpacas are great people.”The alpacas love Ron too. Many come up to him for a hug and a neck rub, and even the majestic sires allow him to easily catch, stroke and examine them. Ron admits that alpaca ranching is a lot of work. He has a live-in ranch hand to help with feed-ing and manure clean-up, but he monitors the herd daily when he’s home, touching each animal and calling them by name. Ron trims teeth and hooves, gives shots, treats minor wounds, and shears some of the animals. He can take blood samples (for DNA testing) and swatches of fiber (for laser quality analysis).

“Twisted Lock Alpacas began as a joke,” Ron writes in his website blog. First he and his wife, Cathy, “stumbled across a commercial from

A young as well as unsheared alpaca.

Pooper Picker

Here is a group that saw a need and created an opportunity to fill it. Submitted by Raymond Cooke

see Alpaca, page 11


longed usage. Since the beginning, we set a clear goal of meeting the technological com-

plexity of your smartphone and yet still share the amazing simplicity of its de-sign. The result is a case that is worthy of your phone in every way and is just as sophisticated and beautifully crafted

as you would expect. RAVERR packs a punch in its portable and compact form factor, featuring a ton of features to enhance your mobile experience. We felt that the smartphone cases needed

to do more than just charge your phone. It is the perfect accessory that takes the weakness of a smartphone, and creates something useful.

RAVERR, from pg. 4

Directions:Add vegetable broth, bouillon, water, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, pars-

ley, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves to a slow cooker. Sea-son with salt and pepper to taste. Cov-er and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours. Add in zucchini, pasta, garlic, kid-

ney beans and cannellini beans and cook on high heat for an additional 55 to 60 minutes or until pasta is ten-der. Stir in green beans and spinach and cook for several minutes more or

until green beans are heated through. Look for and remove the bay leaves before serving. Serve with fresh, crusty French bread.

Minestrone, from pg. 5

The wrap traditionally comes in chicken or beef, but can also be had in kafta and soujouk varieties, as well as lamb and pork. Each type of shawarma needs a balance of the right condiments. A dollop of garlic mayonnaise, a scoop of cooked tomatoes or a

few French fries to suck up the juices, are to be used as each sandwich warrants. When your taste demands ka-bobs, you have to go to the Hraz-dan Market & Restaurant. There is nothing better than this. Yes, it could be that I am partial to the homey atmosphere or it could be the way that the owners and their

wonderful family making you feel like you belong there, or it could be that they are flat out the best kaboberie in Tujunga. And it’s not just the kabobs. They have fresh meat, fresh fish and a line of phe-nomenal soups. Ahhhhhh, and I can’t forget about their home-made hummus. Great foods de-mand great hummus to go with it.

Yes, boys and girls, we have found the right places for the right food, the right prices and even better than that, grilled foods are really good for the waistline. Support your local businesses and you will never be disappoint-ed. You’ll be hooked!

What MCLR Would Achieve According to Attorney General Ka-mala Harris, MCLR would, “reduce costs potentially exceeding one hun-dred million dollars ($100,000,000) annually to state and local govern-ments,” related to enforcing certain marijuana-related offenses, handling

the related criminal cases in the court system and incarcerating marijuana offenders. Harris also reported MCLR would add “a few hundred million dollars annually” from additional tax revenues. Additionally, MCLR stands to create thousands of jobs in California.

How To Get Involved

The initiative language can be reviewed and ideas can be submitted at www.bit.ly/mclr2016. Hundreds of advocates, legal experts and concerned citizens have contributed to the draft so far. Anyone with questions or wishing to sign on as a proponent can reach John Lee at [email protected].

MCLR 2016 language: http://www.bit.ly/mclr20162014 Fiscal Analysis from the Legislative Analyst’s Office(LAO): http://www.mclr.us/fiscal-impact-estimate-report/2014 Title & Summary from Cali-fornia Attorney General Kamala Harris: http://www.mclr.us/mclr-2014-title-summary/

MCLR, from pg. 8

Vijayan, violin; Cécilia Tsan, cello; David Cossin, lead percussion; and Yuanlin Chen, digital sampler.The Chorale gave the work’s LA pre-miere in 2005, which was praised as

“splendid and adventurous” (Variety)

and remains one of the most talked-about concerts in the choir’s history. Commissioned by Helmuth Rilling for the 250th Anniversary of the death of J.S. Bach, whose seminal works include the St. Matthew Pas-sion, Dun’s piece “plays with watery symbols of baptism, creation and re-

birth” (Newsday). It is also drenched with metaphysical metaphors for cleansing and renewal that recall an-cient Chinese water rituals from the village where Tan Dun was raised. Tickets range from $29 - $129. Group rates are available. For tickets and information, please call (213)

972-7282, or visit www.lamc.org. (Tickets cannot be purchased at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office except on concert days starting 2 hours prior to the performance.) The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue at First Street in downtown Los Angeles.

Chorale, from pg. 4

Part-time Prep/Cleaning Position available

Part-time cashier position available

Apply in person: 456 C Foothill Blvd.

La Cañada

818-790-7143 (ask for Julie or George)

Tacodeli.net

Shawarma, from pg. 6


Follow us on Facebook!Facebook.com/TheFoothillsPaper

Runner to Oppose Court Decision Limiting Jessica’s Law Board of Equalization Vice Chair and Jessica’s Law author George Runner today criticized the California Supreme Court for striking down mandatory residency restrictions on San Diego County sex offenders un-der Jessica’s Law without pro-viding any alternative. “Today’s California Supreme Court decision could allow a child molester to live across the street from a school or park where children gather,” said Runner. “It puts San Diego fam-ilies at risk and sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of the state.” Runner and his wife, former Senator Sharon Runner, are the authors of the voter-approved Proposition 83, otherwise

known as Jessica’s Law. In ad-dition to mandatory residency restrictions for sex offenders, the law includes many impor-tant public safety reforms such as strengthened sexually violent predator laws and increased pa-role terms. The California Su-preme Court’s decision only re-lates to the residency requirements in Jessica’s Law. “The voters overwhelmingly approved Jessica’s Law on the November 2006 ballot,” said Runner. “The California Su-preme Court has substituted the opinion of the court over the will of the people.” Knowing sex offenders might challenge Jessica’s Law, George Runner introduced Sen-

see Jessica’s Law, page 9

Burglary 02/22/15 01:00 PM 10200 BLOCK OF FERN-GLEN AV

Theft 02/26/15 09:30 PM 10300 BLOCK OF JAR-DINE AV

Theft 02/27/15 06:15 AM 00 BLOCK OF ORO VISTA AND APPERSON

Assault 03/01/15 01:30 AM 7100 BLOCK OF GREE-LEY ST

Burglary 02/26/15 08:00 PM 10800 BLOCK OF MOUNT GLEASON AV

Assault 03/09/15 06:30 AM 10000 BLOCK OF HAINES CANYON AV

Burglary 03/08/15 12:00 PM 6600 BLOCK OF SHA-DYGROVE ST

Theft 03/08/15 10:00 PM 6400 BLOCK OF CHAFFEE ST

Theft 03/08/15 08:00 AM 10000 BLOCK OF TUJUN-GA CANYON BL

Theft 03/09/15 09:15 PM 10400 BLOCK OF SUN-LAND BL

Theft 03/05/15 04:00 PM 10400 BLOCK OF LEOL-ANG AVBurglary 03/03/15 08:00 AM

10600 BLOCK OF LANG-MUIR AV

Theft 03/03/15 05:00 PM 10800 BLOCK OF WOOD-WARD AV

Theft 03/02/15 11:25 PM 7400 BLOCK OF APPERSON ST

Theft 03/02/15 08:30 PM 7900 BLOCK OF APPERSON ST

Theft 03/11/15 05:30 PM 10100 BLOCK OF SIL-VERTON AV

Theft 03/11/15 02:00 AM 3500 BLOCK OF BIG TU-JUNGA CANYON RD

Theft 03/10/15 06:00 PM 8100 BLOCK OF FOOT-HILL BL

Burglary 03/12/15 11:15 PM 7700 BLOCK OF VIA RO-SA MARIA

Burglary 03/16/15 10:30 AM 6500 BLOCK OF FOOT-HILL BL

Theft 03/13/15 07:00 PM 10200 BLOCK OF HILL-HAVEN AV

Robbery 03/15/15 07:50 PM 00 BLOCK OF TUJUNGA CANYON BL AND VAL-MONT ST

S-T Crime Stats


REVERSE MORTGAGE INFOIf you’re over 62 and a homeowner, contact me to

see if a reverse mortgage is right for you.

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Bob BozanicNMLS #224391

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818-384-8078

ilovealpacas.com” and then “just for fun,” he Googled alpacas. Later, he thought he’d like to see an alpaca “face-to-face.” The next day they dropped in on an alpaca ranch and Ron was “hooked.” They visited two more ranches and spent weeks researching “the husbandry and business aspects of alpaca ownership.” His conclusion:

“Alpacas can make an excellent investment/venture…provided one is willing to work (and work and work and work) diligently to achieve success. Alpaca

ranching is not for the faint of heart, nor for the squeamish. But if you are a true animal lover, love to learn, have the financial resources and don’t mind a little hard work… you’re unlikely to find a venture more exciting or fulfilling.” Five weeks after that initial ranch visit, they bought their first four alpacas…and a year later Ron went full time, they now have over 100 alpacas and 2 llamas. (He still holds licenses in insurance and real estate and his wife operates their insurance and financial planning agency.) Ron and Cathy Downs

purchased the old Theodore Kosloff estate in early 2006. In May, 2007, it was the last stop on the Sunland-Tujunga Historic Homes tour. Many of you visited there, glimpsed the alpacas and bought craft items made from their fleece. As I was leaving, I glanced up at the old wood and stone house they are remodeling (I got an inside tour earlier) and commented, “Boy, that would be a great place to film a spooky movie.” Ron considered his home for a moment. “Yes,” he said with a smile “it would.”

Alpaca, from pg. 8

ate Bill 54 in 2010 to give local governments increased flexibility regarding residency requirements. Senator Sharon Runner took au-thorship of the bill in 2011. It was subsequently killed by the Legisla-ture. In its decision, the California Supreme Court has not provided lo-

cal governments the flexibility to craft a more appropriate alternative for their communities. As the authors of Jessica’s Law, both George and Sharon Runner continue to stand behind the pack-age of reforms that have made Cali-fornia’s communities safer, and are opposed to any efforts to under-mine them.

George and Sharon Runner are the authors of Jessica’s Law and the first husband and wife in California history to have served concurrently in the Legislature. George currently represents more than nine million Californians as a taxpayer advocate and member of the State Board of Equalization. For more information, visit www.boe.ca.gov/Runner.

Jessica’s Law, from pg. 10 All these stories and more can be seen at

http://facebook.com/ thefoothillspaper

the foothills paper - 20 mar 2015

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