A zusa B eacon Monrovia Weekly Temple Tribune ArcAdiA Weekly MONDAY, JULY 23 - JULY 29, 2012 VOLUME XVII, NO. XXX
Monday Edition of the
BY DENA BURROUGHS
LASD on Heightened Alert after Shooting in Aurora, Colorado “While the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado appears to be an isolated incident, our vigilance has been raised,” said Captain Mike Parker, Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau. “The heightened alert of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department includes increased patrols to create a more visible presence at movie theaters and other places where people congregate.” “As always, we enPlease see page 9
IT’S TIME TO
for which a few dozen people were present, the sealed cylinder was driven into the ground and an elegant cover was glued over it, after which residents and council members took pictures next to it. Mayor Quintero posed with his daughter Emma, who will be 53 years old the next time the capsule sees the light. It was an (almost) perfect celebration that provided a sobering opportunity to think about the passage of life and what each of us can attempt to accomplish in the next five decades. (Had a copy of the El Monte Examiner been included in the time capsule, it would have been perfect!) The sealing of the cylinder was followed by the first concert of the Rockin’ Wednesday Summer Series at Arceo Park with the Please see page 6
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$10 Million Suit Against Ex-Rosemead Mayor Alleges Extortion, Death Threats BY JIM E. WINBURN
Mayor Quintero and Emma Quintero pose with the time capsule. -Photo by Dena Burroughs
El Monte City Council Wants to Ban Fireworks BY DENA BURROUGHS Although the El Monte son, the police department Police Department had 17 was busy responding to the extra police officers on duty calls, but the activity beon July 4th this year, and came difficult because often several on the days leading family members covered for to it, the department re- and hid those using illegal ceived 147 calls for service fireworks and the officers from residents who could were not able to enforce the see neighbors using illegal law. fireworks. At least one hand Mayor Quintero is now injury was reported from an spearheading the effort to illegal shell explosion. ban all fireworks (“safe and Police activity increased sane” as well) in the city for significantly from 2011, the July 4th 2013 celebration. when the department re- The Mayor was seen driving ceived only 71 calls and around the city this past July gave only citation versus the 4th pleading with his neigh24 given this year. Some of bors, “not as a Mayor but it, said Police Chief Steve as their neighbor,” he said Schuster, may be the result at the City Council meetof the banners that were ing, to stop using illegal firepassed out by the police in works. What he heard back the days prior to the celebra- was: “Com’on! This is El tion encouraging residents Monte!” he added, and witto report any use of illegal Please see page 5 fireworks. Whatever the rea-
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CITY
See You in 50 Years City of El Monte Lots of things can happen in 50 years. In 1962 a gallon of gas cost 28 cents, a dozen of eggs was 32 cents, and the first Beatles recording was just being released. One must assume the next 50 years will change the world that much more and counting on it the City of El Monte buried a time capsule last Wednesday in the Historical Museum’s courtyard. The capsule is to be opened again in 2062. This event was related to the 100th anniversary of the City of El Monte. When the city turns 150, the capsule will help that community picture what life was like for us today. Inside the white cylinder were placed a current City of El Monte newsletter, photographs of the City Council members, 2012 currency coins, a cell phone, a Police Chief Uniform and Badge, and several other items. In a short ceremony
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A developer who exposed ex-Rosemead Mayor John Tran in a bribery scandal is now suing Tran and the City of Rosemead for emotional distress. Seeking $10 million in damages, Tammy Gong filed a complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court on Jul. 6 that claims intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, extortion, and even assault and battery. Tammy Gong is the assumed name behind the FBI informant who told federal investigators in 2009 that she was a victim of Tran’s play-to-pay scheme for her mixed-use development project in Rosemead. In the complaint filed on Jul. 6, Ms. Gong, a.k.a. Tammy Woloski, is listed
as a managing member of L&G Rosemead Garden LLC. Gong is noted for having assisted federal authorities in the conviction of Tran, who pleaded guilty to fraud and extortion in U.S. District court on Mar. 20. Gong’s intriguing narrative begins in 2004, when the City of Rosemead approved her construction project at 9400-9412 Valley Boulevard for a two-story, 7,200 squarefoot office building. In 2005 Tran approached Gong “while in the parking lot of the Rosemead City Hall” with what began as a “casual conversation,” eventually convincing her to change her original development plan to a mixed-use Please see page 9
NASA’s Car-Sized Rover Nears Daring Landing on Mars NASA's most advanced planetary rover is on a precise course for an early August landing beside a Martian mountain to begin two years of unprecedented scientific detective work. However, getting the Curiosity rover to the surface of Mars will not be easy. "The Curiosity landing is the hardest NASA mission ever attempted in the history of robotic plan-NASA Courtesy Rendering etary exploration," said John Grunsfeld, associate sion needed for landing administrator for NASA's safely inside Gale Crater, Science Mission Director- the spacecraft will fly like ate, at NASA Headquar- a wing in the upper atmoters in Washington. "While sphere instead of dropthe challenge is great, the ping like a rock. To land team's skill and determi- the 1-ton rover, an airbag nation give me high confi- method used on previous dence in a successful land- Mars rovers will not work. Mission engineers at NAing." To achieve the preci- SA's Jet Propulsion Labo-
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ratory in Pasadena, Calif., designed a "sky crane" method for the final several seconds of the flight. A backpack with retrorockets controlling descent speed will lower the rover on three nylon cords just before touchdown. Please see page 4