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Montebello E-News

 December 15, 2009

The tendency of the casual mind is to pick out or stumble upon a sample which supports or defies its prejudices, and then to make it the representative of a whole class. Walter Lippman

So, "casual mind" is a bad thing. What is the cause of a casual mind? Laziness? Fear? Dishonesty?

1.  Announcements

2.  One Step Forward for Man, One Step Backward for Mankind

3.  About Montebello E-News and “My Montebello”

Feel the pain?  ...In short: Women are disproportionately burdened with climate change's impacts -- and are given the responsibility to adapt to them, too.  Girls drop out of school to help their mothers, who must work harder to secure food, water, and energy for their homes. As climate change affects their livelihoods, women feel the financial burden and often must take on extra jobs to support their families. This cycle of deprivation, poverty, and inequality undermines the social capital needed to deal effectively with climate change. ... From the United Nations Foundation, November 18, 2009.

At our library. Tuesday, December 15, Tony Daniels, "Holiday Magic Show", 6:30 p.m.;  Wednesday, December 16, toddler and preschool story time, 10:00 a.m.;  Monday, December 21, Montebello Stamping Mavens, 5:30 - 7:45 p.m.;  Tuesday, December 22, "Open House, Elves' Workshop", 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. For more information, call 323.722-6551. The library is open six days a week most weeks.

Meeting. This week, the Save Montebello Hills Sierra Club Task Force will hold a regular, third-Wednesday-of-the-month meeting on December 16, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. in the back dining room of the Carrow's Restaurant, 2501 Via Campo, Montebello, CA 90640, next to the 60 Pomona Freeway, east of Wilcox Avenue, in the Best Buy parking lot. All are welcome to come and discuss various issues related to saving our Montebello Hills. ... For more information, savemontebellohills@gmail.com.

When good advice is given, pass it on. I read on the Internet that it might help to stop unsolicited mail if we sent the reply envelope back to the sender, without anything in the envelope. (Of course, our return address would have to be on the envelope.) Last week, I received unsolicited mail in a large envelope. I sent the return envelope, without my address, to the sender, with this handwritten message on the back side: Folks, good day. Your mailing is wasteful of paper. Repugnant, not impressive. What are you doing to offset the paper which you are consuming? The next time you make such a conspicuous mailing, start the letter by recounting how many trees you've planted. Thank you.

"Taste of the Town".  For the first time ever, the Montebello Chamber of Commerce hosted a "Taste of the Town" and silent auction where more than 250 residents and businesses came together for an evening of delicious food, wine and beer tasting, a silent auction and entertainment.  The event was held at the Holy Cross Armenian Church Bagramian Hall... . Chairman of the [Chamber] Board Armando Arenas said it was wonderful to see the residents of Montebello attend the event and get a chance to taste samples from the many restaurants located here in our own community. ... Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009

Not your grandfather's Montebello. In an effort to conserve the area's ground water and reduce reliance on imported water, the Central Basin Municipal Water District is moving forward with the Southeast Water Reliability Project. ... The city hopes to tap into this gray water for irrigation purposes ... . This would be a cost savings as well as a positive difference in reducing water usage and preserve [sic] our earth's natural resources. ... Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009. It seems as if the Water District has stepped in because we have not conserved enough, just as Athens Disposal took over recycling because we were not recycling enough. Is there a discomforting pattern here?

When plastic is preferred over the natural. From December 28 through January 8, Athens Disposal Services will pick up any holiday tree on their regular trash pick up day as long as the trees do not have any kind of decorations or metal bases attached to them. The City of Montebello will also provide a recycle program where you can drop off your trees at the eastside parking lot at City Hall from December 28 through January 10. For further information, contact the Montebello Corporate Yard at (323) 888-4613. Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009. This sounds good except for the part where we expend fuel to pick up or drop off trees, which takes away from the positive impact of the recycling. In this case, does not a plastic tree have less impact on the environment?

Creating a tradition. Thousands turned out once again for the city's fourth annual Fall Festival held last month on the streets of Montebello. Attendees enjoyed a variety of booths offering things such as free children's books, compliments of Friends of the Library, and a free pumpkin patch, compliments of the Montebello Soroptimist Club. … Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009

Recognizing community service. The Montebello-Commerce YMCA's 24th Annual Dinner was held November 9 at the Quiet Cannon. Over 350 guests enjoyed an evening of fine food and great entertainment. The YMCA honored "Lady Legends of Past and Present": Evelyn White, Cathy Hensel, Ruth Aldaco and Elaine Kirchner for their lifetime of service to others in our community. Collectively, their legacy spans over 100 years. … This past summer the YMCA sent 150 kids to camp, involved over 200 children in day camp and preschool programs, 300 boys and girls played T-ball and softball and 4,000 kids took a dip in the pool. … Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009.

Walk to fight breast cancer. On October 15, Soroptimist International of Montebello members were joined by many in the community for "A Walk to Celebrate Support and Remember" starting at Montebello City Hall and ending at the Montebello Senior Center.  Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009

One of our strengths. ... Studies show that six million people may have diabetes and do not know it. And, each year, thousands of people suffer from surgical wounds or open sores that don't heal easily. The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Beverly Hospital is an outpatient facility that offers comprehensive care to patients suffering from chronic, non-healing wounds. ... For a referral to the center or for more information, please call (323) 725-5066. Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009

Historical society and historical centennial. Every year, a crowd shows up at the Montebello Senior Center to enjoy a delicious spaghetti dinner to help and support the Montebello Historical Society. ... The money raised helps maintain the grounds at the Sanchez Adobe Museum. Historical Society President Gary Brougher said, "We are so thankful to all of you who support the museum and our fundraiser." Historical society membership is only $15 a year. For more information, go to www.montebellohistoricalsociety.org. // On September 9, 2009, at 9:00 a.m., Montebello High School students, alumni, esteemed business members of the community, residents, state and city officials and their representatives joined together for Montebello High's Centennial Celebration. c On Thursday, November 5, the Montebello High School alumni Association unveiled its new mural. Following the dedication was a homecoming barbecue and the induction of former police chief and community leader Steve Simonian into the Montebello High Hall of Fame. Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009

Staking a claim. Cook Hill Properties, LLC\the master planner and master developer of the planned Montebello Hills Community development\recently announced that it is opening a public information center to provide the public an opportunity to learn first-hand about the Montebello Hills Specific Plan\the planning document for the new community\as well as the neighborhoods of new homes, parks, trails, open space and habitat preservation it proposes. The ... Center is located at 604 North Montebello Boulevard, Suite #, in Montebello. ... Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009. How about if the city-hall lobby were dedicated to exhibits which let the public see all plans, including the pros and cons of each? Let the city-hall lobby become the ultimate public forum.

Groundbreaking. More than 150 members of the business community, along with city officials and residents, gathered at Taylor Ranch in Montebello September 10 as then Mayor Rosemarie Vasquez presided over groundbreaking and dedication ceremonies for the new Taylor Ranch Cultural Arts Center. ... Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009

Chasing our tail....endlessly. In an effort to build professional working relationships with Montebello police officers, school teachers and fourth grade students, the Montebello Police Department has implemented the Adopt-a-Cop program at eight local elementary schools ... . "The program is a very simplistic [sic] and proactive approach that supports the positive interaction of teachers and fourth grade students with our officers that visit the classroom," said Lt. Michael Berman.  "The objective is to instill a sense of security and an open dialogue with students that will guide them to make morally sound decisions as they grow up." ... Spotlight on Montebello, December, 2009. Wow, how many times have we tried programs to build young people's character. Why does not a program stick? The uncertainty of funding? Lack of commitment? Failure of programs to make a measurable difference for the amount of money spent? This is very much like an official declaring a war on gangs every few years. Might we, perhaps, be trying to mask symptoms instead of treating the disease?

A thought occurred while I took a walk one morning. The motorized street sweeper which comes by once a week is a good thing, in that it cleans much of the street. But do people then assume that they could litter without concern? I find napkins, unopened packets of condiments, paper cups and other trash in our neighborhood. It seems as if the amount of trash on the streets has increased over the years. // Our city has received $1.9 million to improve sidewalks, which is a good thing. But mature trees will be cut down, and it will take a sapling years to produce as much oxygen as the mature tree. We in Montebello must be oblivious to the doom and gloom being forecast for the world or we must think that the doomsayers would be false prophets. // Every two years, and sometimes more frequently, we see new faces at city hall. We pride ourselves that our form of representative democracy works. Then, before long, a segment of the community is angry over some decision at city hall and we revert to the recall to show that our form of representative democracy works. // Our police department implements a program to build character in youth, which is commendable. Yet, we do not pause to ask why other programs, like DARE and Character Counts, have not built that character. Might our new program suffer from the same fatal flaw?

To learn about this newsletter, Montebello E-News, and the accompanying, growing Web site, “My Montebello”, visit www.mymontebello.com.  Also, you will find instructions and contact information for submitting announcements for publication in this newsletter, and for submitting stories to “Montebello Memories” at the Web site.