December 2017

FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA 

December 2017 

MARIA 

BAMFORD 

On Winning the Netflix TV Lottery 

AN ENGLISH 

CHRISTMAS 

Accent Your Party With 

Crackers and Puddings 

HELP FOR REFUGEES 

IRC’s Battle Plan 

For the Displaced 

HOLIDAY GIFT 

AND EVENT GUIDES

2 | ARROYO | 12.17

Design Art. 

Build Art. 

Lic.653340 Photo by Alexander Vertikoff 

ARCHITECTURE. CONSTRUCTION. INTERIORS. 

626.486.0510 HartmanBaldwin.com

4 | ARROYO | 12.17

arroyo 

VOLUME 13 | NUMBER 12 | DECEMBER 2017 

28 

35 39 

ENTERTAINMENT & ENTERTAINING 

11 LADY DYNAMITE 

Comedian Maria Bamford talks about her offbeat Netfl ix series and the 

perils of living next door to an Occidental fraternity. 

—By RICHARD CUNNINGHAM 

PHOTOS: (bottom right) Michael Cervin; (bottom left) courtesy of International Rescue Committee 

28 AN ENGLISH CHRISTMAS 

A recovering Brit offers saucy memories and home entertaining tips from 

family celebrations many moons ago. 

—By BRADLEY TUCK 

31 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: Museum Edition 

—By IRENE LACHER 

35 THE RESCUERS 

The International Rescue Committee’s Martin Zogg talks about resettling 

refugees, under siege by the Trump administration, here and around the world. 

—By KATHLEEN KELLEHER 

DEPARTMENTS 

09 FESTIVITIES Pasadena Museum of History gala, LACO @ the Movies, Bright Star 

opens 

16 ARROYO HOME SALES INDEX 

38 KITCHEN CONFESSIONS Animal crackers serve up tasty memories. 

39 ARROYO COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH The Colorado Buck 

40 THE LIST Nutcrackers around town, Lythgoe Family Panto revisits Beauty and 

the Beast, a cappella holidays with the Alley Cats and more 

ABOUT THE COVER: Photo of Maria Bamford by Natalie Brasington 

12.17 ARROYO | 5

EDITOR’S NOTE 

December is the season of giving, and 

we at Arroyo Monthly like to take a 

broad view of that generous impulse 

by choosing gifts that also give back 

to the needy and the worthy. The 

ranks of the needy have swelled to 

a heartbreaking degree with the 

refugee crisis, now exacerbated by 

the Trump administration’s crackdown 

on refugees admitted to the U.S. 

(80 percent of whom are women, 

children and the elderly, by the way). 

According to the United Nations, more 

people than ever are seeing their lives 

threatened and upended by displacement from their home countries. 

One of the world’s top humanitarian organizations for refugees, the 

International Rescue Committee, has an offi ce in Glendale, whence it 

helps new arrivals resettle in the Los Angeles area. Kathleen Kelleher speaks 

to Martin Zogg, IRC’s executive director for L.A. and chair of the California 

State Advisory Council on Refugee Assistance and Services, about the 

organization’s local activities and what you can do to help refugees here and 

abroad. One possibility is a visit to gifts.rescue.org, where you can buy a year 

of school or temporary shelter in the name of your recipient — terrifi c presents 

for people who have too much stuff (which describes most people I know). 

Other options? Check out our guide to striking museum store gifts, which 

support the institutions while delighting your giftee. And Anglophiles inspired 

by Bradley Tuck’s tongue-in-cheek essay about Christmas English style can 

pick up books benefi ting Rose Tree Cottage’s African children’s foundation 

when they shop for seasonal treats at its English Village Shop in Pasadena. 

Finally, our gift to you — a visit with your delightful neighbor, offbeat 

comedian/actress Maria Bamford. Richard Cunningham talks to her about 

the new season of her acclaimed Netfl ix comedy series, Lady Dynamite, and 

the perils of living next door to an Occidental fraternity. (Goodbye, Eagle 

Rock. Hello, Altadena!) 

—Irene Lacher 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Irene Lacher 

ART DIRECTOR Stephanie Torres 

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Richard Garcia 

PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Rochelle Bassarear, 

Jospeh Sanchez 

EDITOR-AT-LARGE Bettijane Levine 

COPY EDITOR John Seeley 

CONTRIBUTORS Denise Abbott, Leslie Bilderback, 

Léon Bing, Martin Booe, Michael Cervin, Scarlet 

Cheng, Richard Cunningham, Kathleen Kelleher, 

Brenda Rees, John Sollenberger, Nancy Spiller 

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dina Stegon 

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Lisa Chase, 

Brenda Clarke, Leslie Lamm 

ADVERTORIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR 

Bruce Haring 

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker 

PAYROLL Linda Lam 

CONTROLLER Kacie Cobian 

ACCOUNTING Alysia Chavez, Perla Castillo, 

Yiyang Wang 

OFFICE MANAGER Ann Turrietta 

PUBLISHER Jon Guynn 

arroyo 

FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA 

SOUTHLAND PUBLISHING 

V.P. OF OPERATIONS David Comden 

PRESIDENT Bruce Bolkin 

CONTACT US 

ADVERTISING 

dinas@pasadenaweekly.com 

EDITORIAL 

editor@arroyomonthly.com 

PHONE 

(626) 584-1500 

FAX 

(626) 795-0149 

MAILING ADDRESS 

50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200, 

Pasadena, CA 91105 

ArroyoMonthly.com 

©2017 Southland Publishing, Inc. 

All rights reserved. 

6 | ARROYO | 12.17 

Correction: An article in the October issue misstated the Center Theatre Group’s relationship to the Music Center and 

L.A. Opera. The Music Center is the landlord for both organizations.

12.17 | ARROYO | 7

8 | ARROYO | 12.17

FESTIVITIES 

Jeannette O’Malley and Steve Mulheim 

Nancy and Don McIntyre with Pasadena Mayor Terry and Maria Tornek 

Dave Davis and Charie Laugharn 

Steve Martin and A.J. Shively 

PHOTOS: Joanne Wilborn and Marlyn Wu (2017 Contemporary History Makers); Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging (Bright Star); Jamie Phan (LACO @ the Movies) 

Karen and Steve Craig with Randy Wilson 

Pat and Sandy Gage 

Pasadena Museum of History supporters converged on The 

California Club in downtown Los Angeles Oct. 28 to honor 

this year’s Contemporary History Makers at a black-tie gala. 

After the crowd dined on filet mignon, Pasadena Mayor Terry 

Tornek presented a new award — the Arroyo Service Award — to 

former City Manager Don and Nancy McIntyre for their help 

in preserving Old Pasadena. Also honored for fostering Old 

Pasadena was Penny Plotkin, who, along with developer Ken 

and Tracy McCormick, took home Contemporary History Maker 

Awards. “We are but bricklayers in the foundation of the city,” 

Ken McCormick told the crowd… The L.A. Chamber Orchestra 

drew more than 1,000 guests to downtown L.A.’s Theatre at the 

Ace Hotel Nov. 11 for the latest installment of the popular LACO 

@ the Movies series. LACO screened Buster Keaton’s The General 

while performing a world premiere of composer Jeff Beal’s 

stirring score for the silent 1926 classic… Bright Star, a country 

musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, lured a galaxy of 

fellow celebrities to opening night at The Ahmanson Theatre in 

downtown L.A. on Oct. 20. 

Michelle Nigro and Brigette Allen 

Kimberly Villwock and Alex Pfeiffer 

Edie Brickell and Paul Simon 

Joan and Jeff Beal 

12.17 | ARROYO | 9

10 | ARROYO | 12.17

LADY 

DYNAMITE 

Comedian Maria Bamford talks about her 

offbeat Netflix series and the perils of living 

next door to an Occidental fraternity. 

BY RICHARD CUNNINGHAM 

PHOTO: Natalie Brasington 

As Maria Bamford’s hit Netflix show Lady Dynamite takes a turn in its second 

season currently under way, the comedian/actor has likewise begun a new 

phase of her life in Arroyoland — she recently moved to Altadena from 

Eagle Rock, where the good life sadly turned sour. Although the comedy series based 

on her real life is set in Highland Park, Maria had in fact been living in Eagle Rock 

for years, quite contentedly. And then her life became a bit of a horror movie. 

–continued on page 12 

12.17 | ARROYO | 11

–continued from page 11 

“We lived next to a fraternity from Occidental College, it was a rental right next 

door to us,” Bamford, 47, says as she sips water at her favorite coffee shop, Café de 

Leche, high in the hills of her new, more serene hometown, Altadena (the café’s 

Highland Park location is a recurring setting in Lady Dynamite). “The first five years, 

it was owned by a family, and then they started to rent it out to a fraternity. And then 

it just got worse and worse and worse. And we looked online and it turns out there is 

no real way to fight a fraternity, really. 

“Because it’s off-campus housing that’s private, the [college] won’t do anything 

about it — like, campus security can only drive by it… it’s really dumb. Then the 

LAPD is completely overrun — they’re attending to actual crime. It was not as funny 

as the movie [Neighbors] — the movie was very good.” 

And while that frat horror flick was unfolding in the real world, Maria’s personal 

experiences were inspiring a boldly off beat series on Netflix. Lady Dynamite, which 

co-stars comedy veterans Mary Kay Place and Fred Melamed, premiered May 20, 

2016, to much acclaim — Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 97 percent rating. The series 

has been lauded for one of the key ingredients she and the show’s creators set out to 

achieve — to destigmatize mental illness. The series orbits around a mental breakdown 

Maria experienced after she broke into showbiz. (Bamford, who suffers from 

depression and anxiety, has been diagnosed as bipolar with obsessive-compulsive 

disorder.) 

Lady Dynamite revels in ignoring narrative conventions, like not breaking the 

fourth wall (it does) and giving three characters the same name. It also jumps around 

in time, with “Present” segments reflecting recent events of her life in Hollywood 

and Arroyoland; the “Duluth” segments — she grew up and was hospitalized in that 

Minnesota city — trace her post-breakdown days finding her way back to a new life; 

the “Past” chapters go even farther back to her career-building years and successes in 

the entertainment world. And, as Maria revealed in our interview, the new season also 

reaches into the “Future” of her fictional character’s life (she hinted at marriage!). 

In real life, the series concept was hatched over “many, many lunches” with Arrested 

Development creator and Maria fan Mitch Hurwitz. Hurwitz eventually brought former 

colleague and South Park producer Pam Brady into the mix. “So Pam and I met, 

and we had a really good connection, and it worked out,” Bamford says. “I think it 

was almost two years of just sort of chit-chatting back and forth. And then we pitched 

it to Netflix. We didn’t really know we had gotten the show until I found out from a 

network executive at a whole different thing [at Netflix], like a week later. It was like, 

‘Oh, we’re so happy to be working with you!’ And I’m like, ‘Oh? What are we doing?’” 

While the series is born from Maria’s personal experiences, she notably has done 

no writing on the show. “No, no, I don’t. I just come in and I tell stories, and then [the 

writers] take it and go everywhere with it, wherever they want to go. And that’s wonderful 

’cause I’m not really a writer, in terms of scriptwriting. That’s not something 

that’s been an enjoyable process for me. At this point, I’d rather do standup and just 

have a fun time. And I think it probably helps the writing process that I’m not there, 

’cause it is personal stories…And I don’t think I have the energy to do all that, I just 

don’t. It’s 12-hour days in an office, where you’re sitting there at a table and making a 

show. Pam Brady is amazing, and they’ve just done a beautiful job.” 

Critics agree. Describing Bamford as “a beautiful wackadoo,” IndieWire called Lady 

Dynamite’s new season “the perfect antidote to this woman-hating garbage world.” The 

Hollywood Reporter said the show “mostly remains sharp, vital and groundbreaking.” 

Since the topic of mental illness is a key element, I ask Maria how she decided to 

embrace that part of her life so fully for the world to see. “I think I wanted to be open 

about it for myself, for selfish reasons, so that if I did get sick again, that somebody 

would notice. And I would get help earlier. ’Cause I think I have trouble — feeling 

ashamed [about mental issues]. Even though I grew up — you know my mom’s a 

therapist, there’s mental illness in our family… my parents were very open and understanding 

about mental health issues, and I don’t understand why I was so embarrassed, 

but I was. So at least it’s a self-protection thing — if I can be open about it, then the 

village, if you will, can rise up and help out, on that level.” 

Bamford’s openness has elicited a grateful reaction from people who have been 

comforted and inspired by Maria’s forthrightness. She has said she hopes that what 

people get from the show “is that by losing everything, it’s possible to become something 

better.” 


PHOTO: Bruce Smith 

12 | ARROYO | 12.17

12.17 | ARROYO | 13


“Yeah, it’s really lovely for me to have people come up and say that they had 

a similar experience, and that makes me feel useful,” she says. And yet, Bamford 

acknowledges that her experiences are not what everyone with mental issues undergoes 

or should expect. “I don’t know if everybody’s meant to do things the same. I 

understand people not wanting to be labeled, but the bipolar label was helpful to me 

because it completely described what I had struggled with for so long. I was just like 

‘Oh….’ I had read so many memoirs by bipolar people before realizing, really relating 

to these stories, but going ‘Oh, but I’m not them like that. It’s nothing like that.’ And 

then I was like, ‘Oh, s—.’ And I also appreciate people like that who are public about 

their struggles, so that when I did finally put it together, I was like ‘Oh… right.’ And 

that they were hospitalized, and they were able to move on, and get married and have 

lives. There’s even a magazine called BP Magazine, comes out quarterly. 

Is it good? 

“Oh yeah, it’s awesome, it’s wonderful. I get it, it’s delightful. Because I think 

there really are so many celebrities, or people who have a lot more access to health 

care than your average person — like, you don’t really need to hear about me having 

an experience because the real majority of people who experience mental illness are 

experiencing so little resources, so much more of an uphill battle, in terms of finances 

and getting help, and taking time off from work. So that magazine focuses more on a 

regular person’s experience.” 

When did you start seeing the red flags? 

“It wasn’t until I started just really feeling terrible, it was like feeling terrible enough.” 

Were you an adult? 

“Yeah, 40. I started having depression and having high anxiety, and not being 

able to sleep when I was around 11. And then I kind of went all through high school 

and college. Then I got on an SSRI [antidepressant] and joined a number of support 

groups, and that was really helpful. But then — and yet I don’t know if it was 

a hormonal change — but when I was 40, things just got very untenable, where it 

was like… not working. But I actually, I’ve been feeling so good mentally, probably 

the past five or six years, I’ve been on a very good medication regimen. So it is funny 

because I just go, ‘Oh, now I’m out of that material.’” 

While Maria says she might be out of “that material,” she makes no pretense 

about being out of the woods when it comes to her lifelong struggle with a bipolar 

condition. As we chat on the café’s patio, I mention that I’ve noticed a large number 

of churches in the area. Maria lights up: “You know what it means for me, though? 

My favorite thing in the whole world! Which is 12-step groups! I’m an atheist, but I 

love 12-step groups, so I love a church! I like sitting in the basement of one and chitchatting 

with people. I love that, I feel like it’s one of the last free things. I can walk 

to three meetings, which are within distance of my house. And so that’s great!” 

I ask Maria exactly how long she and her artist husband Scott Marvel Cassidy 

(they met on OKCupid) have lived in Altadena. “Just two months! And we just sold 

the [Eagle Rock] house. And we called it ‘a noise lover’s paradise!’ to the new buyers, 

and so they’re psyched and love noise. I’m afraid it had become so bad… I mean, you 

want to be friends with everybody, but I think that where it’s combined with drinking 

and machismo — at least for me — it’s a real bummer, it’s just such a bummer. I 

mean, you can talk to somebody when they’re sober, and they can say one thing; and 

then when there are 60 people in the back around a swimming pool, and there are 

hot ladies, it’s a whole ’nother story.” 

So you’re liking life in Altadena then? 

“Yeah, we’re loving it. We’ve got a pool — we were able to afford a pool because 

we won the Netflix television show lottery. A wonderful pool and pine trees, it’s really 

nice.” 

These days, both fictional Maria (who experiences “Future” segments in season 2) 

and real-life Maria are looking forward to what’s ahead. Her comment on the new 

season seems to portend wonderful things for both the Maria Bamfords we are rooting 

for: “I love the future – the future was really fun!” |||| 

14 | ARROYO | 12.17

12.17 | ARROYO | 15

arroyo 

~HOME SALES INDEX~ 

HOME SALES 

-32.21% 

AVG. PRICE/SQ. FT. 

5.71 % 

OCT. 

2016 

385HOMES 

SOLD 

ALHAMBRA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 

Homes Sold 38 31 

Median Price $605,500 $585,000 

Median Sq. Ft. 1558 1343 

ALTADENA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 


Median Price $705,000 $836,000 


ARCADIA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 


Median Price $999,000 $1,097,500 


EAGLE ROCK OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 


Median Price $811,000 $801,000 


GLENDALE OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 


Median Price $712,500 $720,000 


LA CAÑADA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 


Median Price $1,505,000 $1,570,000 


PASADENA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 


Median Price $696,000 $732,250 


SAN MARINO OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 


Median Price $2,000,000 $2,494,000 


SIERRA MADRE OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 


Median Price $908,250 $830,000 


SOUTH PASADENA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 


Median Price $840,000 $545,500 


TOTAL OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17 


Avg Price/Sq. Ft. $543 $574 

OCT. 

2017 

261 

HOMES 

SOLD 

HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000 

RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE PASADENA WEEKLY FOOTPRINT 

source: CalREsource 

ADDRESS CLOSE DATE PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD 

ALHAMBRA 

509 West San Marino Avenue 10/03/17 $1,245,000 7 4612 1967 $85,500 07/08/1975 

301 North Almansor Street 10/06/17 $800,000 3 1495 1926 $458,000 02/03/2004 

1504 South Olive Avenue 10/17/17 $800,000 4 1688 1936 $630,000 03/14/2014 

1417 Violeta Drive 10/27/17 $795,000 4 1620 1947 $258,000 04/13/1989 

29 South Curtis Avenue 10/27/17 $780,000 3 1932 1907 

2908 Terrace Avenue 10/24/17 $770,000 6 2545 1930 $155,000 05/21/1986 

ALTADENA 

559 Chaparral Court 10/06/17 $1,575,000 5 3881 1999 $1,300,000 08/27/2013 

2103 Hill Avenue 10/17/17 $1,361,000 3 2474 1949 $325,000 08/31/1995 

487 East Mariposa Street 10/04/17 $1,350,000 8 5473 1936 $375,000 12/18/1987 

3855 Luna Court 10/30/17 $1,350,000 3 3196 1999 

1550 Meadowbrook Road 10/11/17 $1,300,000 4 2373 1958 

1760 Pepper Drive 10/06/17 $1,278,000 4 2289 1927 

1549 Meadowbrook Road 10/31/17 $1,270,000 3 2724 1957 $340,000 03/31/1994 

828 La Vina Lane 10/03/17 $1,250,000 4 3879 2007 $675,000 03/02/2006 

3663 Giddings Ranch Road 10/16/17 $1,139,000 3 2149 1998 $880,000 05/29/2009 

3506 Monterosa Drive 10/27/17 $1,100,000 4 2011 1956 

2162 Grand Oaks Avenue 10/12/17 $1,002,000 3 1649 1936 

3183 Olive Avenue 10/30/17 $850,000 3 1448 1926 $500,000 06/12/2017 

589 Athens Street 10/02/17 $836,000 3 1432 1927 $619,000 08/29/2008 

969 Shelly Street 10/06/17 $765,000 2 1155 1926 $627,000 04/03/2015 

779 East Woodbury Road 10/27/17 $760,000 3 1479 1928 

ARCADIA 

501 Danimere Avenue 10/31/17 $2,270,000 4 4219 2015 $1,070,000 09/12/2014 

1838 North Santa Anita Avenue 10/18/17 $2,250,000 3 3830 2016 $999,000 08/13/2014 

330 Leda Lane 10/31/17 $2,200,000 0 0 $818,000 09/04/2013 

1900 Highland Oaks Drive 10/17/17 $1,630,000 3 3203 1953 $280,000 12/05/1985 

1227 Highland Oaks Drive 10/20/17 $1,600,000 5 3015 1951 

1043 Don Diablo Drive 10/24/17 $1,408,000 5 3118 1969 $504,000 01/11/2001 

624 Beverly Drive 10/04/17 $1,390,000 4 2512 1956 $825,000 02/25/2014 

1609 Wesley Lane 10/24/17 $1,360,000 4 3071 1987 $525,000 07/14/1988 

728 Nicholas Lane 10/26/17 $1,338,000 4 3427 1988 $840,000 03/19/2004 

2401 Louise Avenue 10/25/17 $1,249,000 5 2527 1951 $1,238,000 08/23/2013 

1200 South 3rd Avenue 10/23/17 $1,170,000 3 1811 1955 $180,000 09/03/1980 

2564 Mayfl ower Avenue 10/11/17 $1,025,000 6 3520 1951 $210,000 07/12/1996 

309 East Lemon Avenue 10/20/17 $998,000 3 1097 1950 

2424 South 8th Avenue 10/13/17 $954,000 3 1650 1958 

417 Diamond Street #A 10/05/17 $875,000 3 2326 1990 $498,000 12/12/2003 

401 North 5th Avenue 10/16/17 $868,000 3 1743 1945 $858,000 04/28/2017 

152 California Street #B 10/26/17 $801,000 3 1718 2001 $400,000 12/12/2003 

EAGLE ROCK 

5141 Ellenwood Drive 10/03/17 $1,165,000 3 1765 1941 $675,000 03/31/2004 

2101 Estes Road 10/12/17 $1,150,000 5 4473 1994 

1626 Wildwood Drive 10/11/17 $1,050,000 3 2280 1960 

5245 La Roda Avenue 10/18/17 $1,030,000 3 1732 1922 $621,000 11/05/2012 

2253 Hill Drive 10/18/17 $990,000 4 2149 1959 $825,000 10/14/2014 

1215 Neola Street 10/06/17 $960,000 8 3618 1912 $240,000 07/03/2001 

2592 Hyler Avenue 10/11/17 $801,000 2 1064 1949 

G L E N DA L E 

1623 Hillcrest Avenue 10/25/17 $2,681,500 4 4291 1951 $2,135,000 10/30/2014 

503 West Kenneth Road 10/13/17 $1,650,000 4 3037 1950 $1,450,000 05/10/2013 

1134 Berkeley Drive 10/20/17 $1,625,000 4 3391 1925 $1,380,000 07/23/2013 

435 Audraine Drive 10/13/17 $1,600,000 2 2651 1967 

1424 El Miradero Avenue 10/05/17 $1,400,000 5 2665 1931 $869,000 08/31/2010 

909 Rosemount Road 10/18/17 $1,350,000 4 2355 1931 $899,000 03/31/2011 

1026 Calle Azul 10/31/17 $1,310,000 3 2479 1989 $1,045,000 09/09/2015 

3310 Sparr Boulevard 10/26/17 $1,276,000 3 2192 1966 $585,000 05/30/2003 

933 Calle Simpatico 10/26/17 $1,220,000 4 2528 1990 $915,000 05/04/2009 

1429 Campbell Street 10/27/17 $1,200,000 3 2167 1941 $375,000 05/11/1999 

1607 Puebla Drive 10/10/17 $1,180,000 3 1915 1937 $740,000 12/20/2016 

2510 Hermosa Avenue 10/12/17 $1,082,500 4 2449 1963 $700,000 12/31/2003 

The Arroyo Home Sales Index is calculated from residential home sales in Pasadena and the surrounding communities of South Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Glendale (including Montrose), Altadena, Sierra 

Madre, Arcadia and Alhambra. Individual home sales data provided by CalREsource. Arroyo Home Sales Index © Arroyo 2017. Complete home sales listings appear each week in Pasadena Weekly. 

16 | ARROYO | 12.17

ADDRESS CLOSE DATE PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD 

G L E N DA L E 

3111 Kirkham Drive 10/16/17 $1,051,000 3 1861 1973 

462 West California Avenue 10/24/17 $1,030,000 5 2141 1913 $255,000 01/07/2000 

3621 Los Amigos Street 10/11/17 $998,000 3 1996 1968 

1811 Oakwood Avenue 10/19/17 $990,000 5 2500 1927 $330,000 06/30/1995 

2248 East Chevy Chase Drive 10/26/17 $950,000 3 1879 1951 $725,000 05/16/2013 

1748 Stanton Avenue 10/30/17 $925,000 2 1609 1939 $810,000 09/28/2006 

959 Calle Amable 10/24/17 $910,000 3 2041 1989 $728,900 02/25/2005 

4039 Willalee Avenue 10/06/17 $900,000 2 1506 1950 

985 Verdugo Circle Drive 10/25/17 $830,000 2 1684 1942 $600,000 12/16/2004 

931 North Isabel Street 10/27/17 $830,000 2 1228 1927 $305,000 06/09/2000 

1406 Alameda Avenue 10/03/17 $810,000 2 1186 1939 $525,000 11/10/2009 

118 South Kenwood Street #503 10/27/17 $799,000 2 980 2015 

2211 Hollister Terrace 10/19/17 $795,000 2 1553 1956 $606,000 07/15/2009 

1912 West Kenneth Road 10/11/17 $787,000 4 2139 1929 $298,180 03/23/1989 

4910 Lowell Avenue 10/11/17 $765,000 4 1638 1965 

1301 Dorothy Drive 10/05/17 $750,000 3 1519 1925 $205,000 12/18/1992 

LA CAÑADA 

4428 Woodleigh Lane 10/04/17 $6,500,000 8 7071 1941 $2,400,000 06/14/2006 

4210 Hampstead Road 10/25/17 $2,100,000 3 3034 1980 $1,435,000 10/17/2013 

5132 Jessen Drive 10/02/17 $2,000,000 4 2701 1957 $1,240,000 05/31/2007 

5404 La Forest Drive 10/24/17 $1,860,000 3 2821 1949 

4903 Castle Road 10/27/17 $1,790,000 3 2747 1923 $720,000 06/14/2011 

5204 Diamond Point Road 10/26/17 $1,350,000 4 2535 1966 

2054 Lyans Drive 10/26/17 $1,267,000 1 1470 1952 $375,000 07/23/1992 

5625 Ocean View Boulevard 10/19/17 $1,100,000 3 1781 1962 $230,000 09/25/1985 

4402 Wasatch Drive 10/27/17 $1,000,000 2 896 1954 $925,000 09/25/2015 

4709 Cypress Street 10/24/17 $775,000 2 1364 1950 

PASADENA 

160 South Orange Grove Blvd. 10/02/17 $4,500,000 5 7544 1924 

555 South Orange Grove Blvd. 10/24/17 $3,749,000 6 5162 1927 $207,285 01/05/1995 

1265 Chateau Road 10/16/17 $3,398,000 5 5955 1988 $1,450,000 07/31/1997 

536 Glen Court 10/31/17 $2,425,000 4 3251 1968 $376,000 02/04/1998 

1046 Lagunita Road 10/12/17 $2,400,000 3 2772 1918 $1,900,000 11/17/2005 

664 Linda Vista Avenue 10/27/17 $1,725,000 6 3765 1987 $432,000 01/19/1995 

51 South Craig Avenue 10/20/17 $1,548,500 9 4408 1980 $650,000 06/26/2002 

770 Panorama Place 10/13/17 $1,480,000 3 2600 1976 $1,150,000 06/20/2006 

985 Brentnal Road 10/17/17 $1,456,000 3 1692 1954 $867,500 03/26/2013 

340 West Bellevue Drive #7 10/19/17 $1,430,500 3 2242 1973 $1,425,000 07/12/2017 

426 South Berkeley Avenue 10/04/17 $1,425,000 3 1950 1925 

288 Congress Place 10/06/17 $1,420,000 4 2285 1910 

1290 Club House Drive 10/03/17 $1,400,000 2 1758 1952 $160,000 06/15/1984 

2928 Magna Vista Street 10/25/17 $1,335,000 3 2267 1948 $937,000 04/22/2005 

250 Malcolm Drive 10/27/17 $1,166,500 3 1755 1955 $179,000 05/01/1986 

3695 Fairmeade Road 10/19/17 $1,155,000 3 1690 1952 $846,000 02/28/2006 

1091 East Elizabeth Street 10/16/17 $1,070,000 4 2144 1925 $475,000 03/09/2000 

803 North Michigan Avenue 10/25/17 $1,000,000 3 1701 1916 $620,000 11/25/2015 

348 South Orange Grove Blvd. 10/26/17 $1,000,000 2 1896 1974 $853,500 02/22/2010 

1597 North Altadena Drive 10/26/17 $950,000 2 4397 1927 $185,000 07/16/1981 

723 North Catalina Avenue 10/26/17 $940,000 3 1356 1948 $545,000 03/18/2010 

2152 Brigden Road 10/30/17 $890,000 4 1765 1972 $665,000 01/09/2013 

1038 East Elizabeth Street 10/31/17 $868,000 2 1744 1912 $650,000 01/28/2015 

1436 Brixton Road 10/24/17 $865,000 3 1950 1979 $182,000 07/10/1980 

238 South Arroyo Parkway #402 10/31/17 $860,000 2 1330 2008 $735,000 11/18/2014 

1450 Daveric Drive 10/25/17 $849,000 3 1936 1952 $178,180 05/24/1985 

1020 North Mentor Avenue 10/20/17 $810,000 2 1797 1947 $270,000 08/22/2001 

1845 North Oxford Avenue 10/10/17 $806,500 3 2300 1968 $193,000 09/26/1995 

156 West Peoria Street 10/04/17 $800,000 3 2480 1905 

1900 North Arroyo Boulevard 10/31/17 $800,000 4 1629 1954 

1640 East Mountain Street 10/19/17 $800,000 3 1437 1923 $690,000 10/31/2013 

1776 Walworth Avenue 10/26/17 $800,000 3 1356 1925 $580,000 12/21/2004 

484 East California Blvd. #13 10/26/17 $800,000 2 1292 1983 $540,000 09/01/2015 

470 Eaton Drive 10/13/17 $800,000 2 1440 1952 $780,000 10/31/2016 

2035 Fox Ridge Drive 10/25/17 $800,000 2 1750 1956 

272 East Glenarm Street #115 10/31/17 $775,000 3 1610 2004 $769,000 11/14/2005 

3017 Oneida Street 10/04/17 $770,000 3 1320 1927 $665,000 06/06/2008 

2098 Lambert Drive 10/25/17 $750,000 3 1565 1925 $282,000 04/15/1994 

SAN MARINO 

1713 Virginia Road 10/05/17 $4,530,000 4 3645 2016 $1,998,000 03/12/2014 

2360 Adair Street 10/26/17 $2,920,000 3 2182 1939 $1,800,000 11/02/2015 

1780 Warwick Road 10/30/17 $2,550,000 4 2952 1937 

2870 Lorain Road 10/05/17 $2,438,000 5 3073 1938 $1,600,000 02/21/2013 

1539 Mirasol Drive 10/26/17 $1,880,000 2 2195 1926 $495,000 09/28/2001 

2945 Woodlawn Avenue 10/24/17 $1,688,000 2 2000 1948 

SIERRA MADRE 

307 Toyon Road 10/25/17 $1,100,000 3 1619 1957 $490,000 12/19/2002 

528 Ramona Avenue 10/27/17 $1,000,000 4 1808 1924 $280,000 04/08/1999 

44 Windsor Lane 10/18/17 $830,000 4 1578 1921 $689,000 05/29/2015 

241 North Lima Street 10/13/17 $780,000 4 1658 1946 

SOUTH PASADENA 

1119 Diamond Avenue 10/23/17 $1,400,000 5 2232 1922 $408,000 07/25/2000 

1740 Raymond Hill Road 10/26/17 $1,360,000 4 3026 1946 $1,005,000 07/24/2012 

1320 Indiana Avenue 10/30/17 $1,150,000 4 1867 1924 $846,000 06/08/2010 

331 Hawthorne Street 10/23/17 $1,099,000 4 1775 1926 $750,000 01/15/2014 

12.17 ARROYO | 17

ARROYO 

HOME & DESIGN 

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT 

PHOTO: Courtesy of Brooks Berdan Ltd. 

THE STREAM’S THE THING IN 

HOME ENTERTAINMENT 

The explosion in streaming entertainment options is leading to big changes 

BY BRUCE HARING 

By the time Labor Day rolled around this year, your local movie theater owner 

was not in a good mood. That’s because summer box offi ce revenue was down 

almost 16 percent from last year, marking the biggest drop in a decade and the fi rst 

time since 2006 that summer movie-going didn’t clear a $4 billion total, even though 

ticket prices have gone up since then. 

You can blame bad movies like The Mummy, or noisy theaters, or the hassle of 

having to drive to the local cinema, or even the price of popcorn. Maybe it’s the 

overall price of tickets, which combined with the requisite snack bar stuffi ng, makes a 

night at the movies an expensive evening out. 

But the truth may run deeper, and that’s what really scares your local theater 

owner. Because with the advent of Netfl ix, Amazon Prime, SiriusXM and other streaming 

options, it’s becoming increasingly clear to many people that you can stay at 

home and experience what you used to only get at the movies or other traditional 

entertainment locations - great sound, fantastic images, and a selection that goes 

beyond the dozen or so fi lms on display at any given time in the local cinema. 

All that minus the noisy patrons, the high price of popcorn, the parking hassles, 

and grants the ability to relax in the safety and comfort of your own dwelling. Thank 

the growth of technology in home theatre industry, which has risen from something 

that only the rich could afford to a true family experience that is reachable even on a 

modest budget. 


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—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT— 


NOT YOUR FATHER’S STEREO SYSTEM 

Your notions of what constitutes a “home theater” may need some adjustment 

if you haven’t been paying attention. Gone are the days where elaborate wiring and 

huge speakers ruled. Technology in the form of wireless transmission and speakers 

that are one-third the size, but deliver as much punch as the giants of old, are now 

the mainstays of the home theatre experience. Add in the ability to hook up to virtual 

libraries that contain almost every song you can imagine or a list of movies that stagger 

the imagination, and you start to realize that a home theatre is not only fun, but 

good economic sense. 

Yes, there will always be an excuse to leave the house for the young men and 

women of the tribe who need to go off on their own at times. But as for the rest of us, 

we’re increasingly intent on enjoying our castles without dealing with the hoi polloi.. 

Research fi rm Strategy Analytics determined that Americans spent $10 billion on 

home theater equipment in 2016. This includes speakers and wireless hookups to augment 

your television, as well as accessories to accommodate various formats, from 

streaming to DVDs. All of it is smaller and more powerful than previous generations of 

equipment. 

For example, Bose, the venerable speaker company, has introduced Sound- 

Touch 10, a wireless speaker with a retail price of $200 that works with a tablet or 

smartphone. It’s the size of a book, yet its playbacks can fi ll any living space short 


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22 | ARROYO | 12.17 

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of a palace. Gone are the days when a speaker system that rivaled the Who’s was 

required for authentic sound. 

The good news doesn’t stop there. As with all technology, prices have dropped 

significantly in the past few years. Now, for slightly more than $1000, you can feel like 

you’re at the movies, or inside your own private nightclub if you crank the music. And 

if you live in an apartment with tolerant neighbors, the systems have grown so small 

that they will work well even within limited spaces. You can buy everything in a package, 

or you can augment your existing TV with some speakers, perhaps a DVD or 

Blu-ray player, and a way to process audio from your iPod, smartphone or other array. 

ASK AN EXPERT 

As with any modifi cations to your living situation, whether it be a home renovation, 

new furniture or a change in decoration, it pays to talk to a professional if you 

are installing or upgrading a home theatre or entertainment system. They know what 

works, what doesn’t, and what can bring you hours of entertainment joy on a reasonable 

budget. 

Sheila Berdan is president/general manager of Brooks Berdan Ltd. a Monrovia 

home audio store that will celebrate its 30th year in business on January 20. Their 

8,500-square-foot showroom has seven listening rooms that cater to everyone from 

the newest noob to the sophisticated audio-video phile. 

Berdan advises that you determine your budget and whether you will dedicate 


12.17 | ARROYO | 25

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a room to your entertainment experience as your fi rst steps. Then you can approach 

the task of selecting equipment with a clear objective in mind. You should also determine 

if the acoustics in a home entertainment room would be an issue. Echo, reverberation 

and other anomalies can affect the performance of even the best systems. 

While bigger can be better - larger images on a screen create a greater sense 

of immersion, Berdan says - smaller 4k Ultra Hi-Resolution displays can make a fi ne, 

budget-friendly alternative. When it comes to projectors or other components, the 

quality is more important than size, and many customers now prefer that the speakers 

and equipment remain hidden in the decor rather than be part of the visual landscape. 

“Most people spend less than they need to on their system,” says Berdan. “They 

lack the knowledge and understanding of the importance of selecting properly 

matched components working well together, creating a synergistic system.” Buying 

quality upfront pays off in the long run, she says. “Choose products that hold their 

value and are repairable,” she says. “Reliability, performance and value for the dollar 

is paramount.” 

When planning your system, don’t overlook one important component - seating. 

“Being comfortable adds a strong component in making the overall experience 

more enjoyable,” says Berdan. Lighting is also crucial. “Proper color, placement and 

directivity all work together in achieving the cinematic experience.” 

While the temptation is to order products online, Berdan says coming into the 

store will give you a chance to truly see what a world-class audio system is like. |||| 

12.17 | ARROYO | 27

AN ENGLISH 

CHRISTMAS 

A recovering Brit offers saucy memories and home-entertaining 

tips from family celebrations many moons ago. 

BY BRADLEY TUCK 

Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen, 

When the snow lay ’round about, deep and crisp and even. 

Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel, 

When a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel. 

If there ever was a song to tug at the damp 

heart of an Englishman at Christmas, this 

would be it. A cruel frost, a benign royal and 

a peasant who “knows his place” stoically 

gathering fuel to keep his presumably 

shivering family warm. Having lived in 

Southern California for 20 years, and having 

spent a sizable portion of my childhood 

in Gibraltar, the cheery bleakness of that 

carol doesn’t resonate as strongly with me 

as it might with other Brits. But still I recall 

Christmas dinners with extended family, 

endured rather than enjoyed, because in 

Britain, life is often a thing one suffers with 

a stiff upper lip. And never more so than at 

Christmas. 

28 | ARROYO | 12.17

A Christmas cracker 

In England, Christmas dinner really means Christmas lunch, served early enough on 

Christmas Day so that everybody can eat and drink as much as they can manage, and 

leave the table just in time to turn on the television to watch the queen’s Christmas 

message. Her Majesty spends 10 minutes reflecting on moments the royal family has 

enjoyed during the past year, as well as touching on public tragedies, always ending by 

wishing her subjects a wonderful year ahead. Whereupon the adults pour another sherry 

or make another gin and tonic and eventually succumb to the heat and the alcohol and fall 

asleep in their armchairs. 

What’s this, I hear you say, it’s hot in Britain at Christmas? No, indeed it is not. It’s 

almost invariably as cold and damp as a gravedigger’s socks, but perhaps in remembrance 

of the peasant gathering winter fuel, homes are heated to equatorial temperatures during 

the holidays, particularly the homes of seniors. Pallid, cold Anglo-Saxon skin is warmed 

next to a fire, real or otherwise, until the legs and cheeks are splotched with red, a pattern 

my mother likes to call “fireside tartan.” 

Americans living in Britain had better be fans of Thanksgiving, because in Britain “the 

bird” means a turkey. In bygone days, at least for persons of means, it would have been 

a goose, but at some point in the 20th century, the goose fell out of favor. Perhaps it had 

too much flavor and needed to be replaced with something less delicious, lest too much 

enjoyment be had? As a small act of mercy, the turkey is sometimes surrounded by baconwrapped 

mini-sausages, known as chipolatas. But that pleasure must be paid for, so the 

British turkey is served, not with cranberry sauce, but instead with “bread sauce.” If ever 

two words formed an oxymoron in combination, it’s this pair — but bread sauce indeed 

it is. Made from breadcrumbs, milk, onion, mace, cloves, butter and cream, it’s a thickish 

sauce that, left for a few days, makes a reasonable substitute for wallpaper paste, should 

one’s wallpaper be peeling from the combination of cold exterior moisture and Indonesian 

temperatures inside. 

Now, it wouldn’t be a British celebration if it didn’t involve the possibility of unnecessary 

embarrassment or personal discomfort, so at the dinner table every place setting has a 

Christmas cracker. This isn’t a cracker in the American sense of the word, one you might 

eat topped with cheese. The Christmas cracker is a cardboard tube wrapped in colored 

paper, twisted at the ends to give you something to grip. 

Inside is a tiny explosive device, a plastic toy, a paper crown and a piece of paper with 

a bad joke printed on it. Think of it as a cross between a fortune cookie and a piñata! You 

grab one end of the cracker while the person next to you grabs the other end, all around 

the table. Then you pull hard, the cracker’s explosive device goes off, the cracker’s end 

comes off and whoever has the main part of the cracker still in his/her hand gets to keep 

the contents. Everybody places the paper crowns on their heads for the duration of dinner. 

What could be more fun? For a nation of people raised on the idea that one shouldn’t 

draw attention to oneself, wearing a paper crown at the dinner table is about as much 

fun as self-immolation or suddenly realizing that one is naked in public. Thankfully, at a 

British Christmas dinner, the only thing being set on fire is the dessert. Christmas pudding 

is basically a cake made from suet, dried fruits and spices, which is then boiled, aged 

for several months, then doused in brandy at the dinner table and ignited. What could 

possibly go wrong? A blazing dish, in close proximity to drunk people wearing paper hats. 

Christmas pudding 

Nothing to see here, folks! 

If this all sounds a little bleak, fret not. Anglophiles in the U.S. can incorporate a few 

British touches into their festivities without going “the full English breakfast,” as it were. 

Mince pies are a delicious treat — a flaky shortcrust pastry case dusted with icing 

sugar, filled with another variation of moistened dried fruit, but lighter than Christmas 

pudding. They’re delicious with some whipped cream, especially if said cream has a little 

Baileys Irish Cream liqueur whipped in! Mission Liquor and Bristol Farms often carry 

some leading up to the holidays. Cheese lovers might enjoy the British tradition of Stilton 

served with a glass of port. It was a favorite of Princess Diana. Just remember when passing 

the port bottle around the table, you always pass to the left, because pointless traditions 

matter in this sceptered isle! Mini Christmas crackers are also available and can be 

fun to pass to guests with a drink when they arrive. As with everything in life, the more 

you spend, the more you get, so pay a little more to get better party favors inside. Finally, 

remember the British tradition of taking the Christmas tree down before Twelfth Night 

(after Christmas, that is — January 6, for the math-challenged), lest you be cursed with a 

year of bad luck, an annus horribilis that nobody wants. 

Happy holidays, and don’t forget the chipolatas! |||| 

For chipolatas, Christmas crackers, Christmas puddings, mince pies and other seasonal 

treats, visit Rose Tree Cottage’s English Village Shop, 801 S. Pasadena Ave., Pasadena. 

Daily hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call (626) 793-3337 or visit rosetreecottage.com. While 

you’re there, pick up a gardening book or a classic like Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter 

Rabbit --- book proceeds benefit Bloom Where Planted, Rose Tree Cottage’s African Children’s 

Charitable Foundation (bloomwhereplanted.org). 

12.17 | ARROYO | 29

30 | ARROYO | 12.17

HOLIDAY 

GIFT GUIDE 

Museum Edition 

BY IRENE LACHER 

HERE AT ARROYO MONTHLY, WE’RE BIG FANS OF HOLIDAY 

GIFTS THAT GIVE BACK — AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO 

VERY FAR TO FIND THEM. MUSEUM GIFT SHOPS HERE AND 

AROUND THE COUNTRY HAVE EVOLVED INTO CURATED 

SOURCES OF STRIKING AND UNUSUAL ITEMS YOU WON’T 

FIND ELSEWHERE — AND YOUR PURCHASES HELP SUPPORT 

THE INSTITUTION. HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR 

ARMCHAIR SHOPPERS; MOST STORES OFFER EVEN MORE 

CHOICES TO FOLKS WHO SWING BY, AND SOME, LIKE THE 

PASADENA MUSEUM OF HISTORY, DON’T SELL ONLINE. 

CONSIDER GIFTING ART CLASSES OR MEMBERSHIPS TO 

A LOCAL MUSEUM OR GALLERY. BUY A MEMBERSHIP FOR 

YOURSELF, AND ENJOY A MEMBER DISCOUNT ON YOUR 

HOLIDAY SHOPPING! 

FOR WOMEN 

Round mother-ofpearl 

necklace, 

of- 

$3,500, The Huntington 

Store 

Sterling silver Navajo cuff, 

$600, Autry Store Welcome Companions lip pouch, 

$140, MOCA Store 

Votes for women souvenir mug, 

$19.95, Brooklyn Museum Shop 

Renaissance embroidered 

velvet wrap, $445, The Met Store 

Magritte: Interpretation tation 

of Dreams watch, $100, 

MoMA Design Store 


12.17| ARROYO | 31

FOR MEN 

Ry Rocklen’s: Trophy Modern Chess 

Set (basketball), $2,800, LACMA Store 


FOR KIDS 

Babar’s Yoga for Elephants, 

$9.95, Norton Simon Museum Store 

Dashing gentleman 

wash bag, 

$45, The Huntington Store 

Hoveric levitating speaker, 

$99, MoMA Design Store 

Jaquet slim card wallet, 

$85, MOCA Store 

William Morris Blackthorn tie, 

$65, The Met Store 

ABC Kids’ Tent, 


Ryan McGinness 

soccer ball, 

$60, Brooklyn Museum Shop 

Child sheriff badge, 

$4, Autry Store 

32 | ARROYO | 12.17

FOR 

AESTHETES 

FOR KIDS 

Andy Warhol Brillo 

wooden blocks, 

$19.95, MOCA Store 

Yayoi Kusama pumpkin, 


Michael Aram black 

orchid menorah, 


Lucille, 1995, limitededition 

print by Peter 

Alexander, 

$1,620, $, , LACMA Store 

Lego Flatiron Building, 

$39.99, LACMA Store 

Dali cuckoo clock, 


#3, 2017, print by 

Alexis Zoto, 

$75, Armory Center for the Arts 

Oaxacan wood 

carving of a bear, 

$900, Autry Store 

MUSEUM AND GALLERY WEBSITES 

Keith ithHaringglow-in-the- 

glow-in-thedark 

puzzle, 

$11.99, MOCA Store 

Armory Center for the Arts 

armoryarts.org 

The Huntington Store 

thehuntingtonstore.org 

MOCA Store 

mocastore.org 

Autry Store 

shop.theautry.org 

LACMA Store 

thelacmastore.org 

MoMA Design Store 

store.moma.org 

Brooklyn Museum Shop 

shop.brooklynmuseum.org 

The Met Store 

store.metmuseum.org 

Norton Simon Museum Store 

store.nortonsimon.org 

12.17| ARROYO | 33

34 | ARROYO | 12.17

THE 

Martin Zogg 

RESCUERS 

The International Rescue 

Committee’s Martin Zogg talks 

about resettling refugees, under 

siege by the Trump administration, 

here and around the world. 

BY KATHLEEN KELLEHER 

PHOTO: Courtesy of International Rescue Committee 

The world is witness to unparalleled levels of human suffering, with the numbers 

of displaced people exceeding even the devastation of World War II, according 

to the United Nations Refugee Agency. More than 65 million people, or 24 per 

minute, are displaced by conflict and persecution. For refugees who can flee, resettlement 

in countries offering safe haven and a new start saves lives. Many die trying to escape 

war, poverty, famine, drought and oppression. The German newspaper Der Tagesspiegal 

recently published the names of 33,293 refugees who drowned en route to Europe 

from 1993 to 2017. Last year proved the deadliest on record — 5,000 migrants died or 

disappeared while crossing the Mediterranean Sea. 

But here in the U.S, the Trump administration has stopped welcoming refugees, drastically 

cutting the overall number allowed in and banning arrivals from certain Muslimmajority 

countries who lack ties to the U.S., while battling a series of court rulings blocking 

the country’s most restrictive travel ban, primarily impacting Muslims. 

President Trump slashed the total number of refugees allowed into the U.S. for the 

year that started Oct. 1, imposing a limit of 45,000 — down from 110,000 — the lowest 

number in more than three decades, according to the Pew Research Center. Though the 

move resumed the refugee admission process (Trump had suspended it by executive order 

soon after assuming office in January), a partial ban on refugees from six majority-Muslim 

countries is now in effect and a complete ban could still be enacted, reducing refugee 

numbers even more, depending on future court rulings. The partial ban bars arrivals 

from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen who lack a “bona fide” relationship 

to family, a company or a university in the U.S. Family ties are defined as “grandparents, 

grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.” 

The latest ban also bars entry by certain Venezuelan government officials and most North 

Koreans. Administration officials also announced that 11 unidentified countries will be 

subject to a 90-day review for possible threats. The 11 impacted countries remained unnamed 

at press time. 

Advocates for refugees strongly object to the administration’s new order reducing the 

number admitted to the U.S. and the implementation of the partial ban. They point to 

the exhaustive vetting process already in place for refugee applicants, the strictest security 

scrutiny applied to any traveler to this country. The Cato Institute, a libertarian think 

tank, says that over the past 40 years, only 20 refugees out of 3.25 million resettled in the 

U.S. have been convicted of committing terrorist acts or attempting to do so. Just three 

Americans have been killed by refugees — all three by Cuban refugees in the 1970s. 

Americans have a 1 in 3.64 billion chance of being killed by a refugee in a terrorist attack 

per year, according to the Cato Institute’s risk analysis. But since the U.S. established the 

resettlement program with the Refugee Act of 1980, there has not been a single lethal 

terrorist attack by a refugee among the hundreds of thousands resettled in the U.S., says 

Martin Zogg, executive director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC)’s Los 

Angeles office based in Glendale. 

Zogg has been working with persecuted asylum seekers since the early 1990s. IRC 

is a highly regarded global aid, relief and development nongovernmental organization 

rated 4 out of 4 by Charity Navigator and A+ by Charity Watch. Currently led by David 

Miliband, a former British Foreign Secretary, IRC has been responding to the world’s 

worst humanitarian crises since World War II, helping people flee devastation, oppression, 

war and religious persecution. The organization was founded in 1933 at the request 

of Albert Einstein, himself a German refugee, who recruited 50 additional American 

intellectuals including philosopher John Dewey, writer John Dos Passos and theologian 

Reinhold Niebuhr to join him in helping refugees. IRC’s humanitarian relief operations 

are now in more than 40 war-torn countries and its refugee resettlement and assistance 

programs are in 28 American cities. 

Here in Los Angeles, about 1,459 refugees were initially resettled in 2016-17 compared 

to 2,250 for 2014-15, according to the California Department of Social Services 

(CDSS). From 2000 through 2016, the agency says, 34,278 refugees had been initially 

resettled in L.A. County through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. (There is no 

way to determine how many refugees who come to L.A. still reside in the county.) Arroyo 

Monthly talks with Zogg about IRC’s Los Angeles refugee assistance effort: 

How long have you been working with the International Rescue 

Committee and specifically, IRC’s L.A. office? 

I started with IRC in 1992 as a country director in its international humanitarian relief 

program in Bosnia as the war there began, then worked in international programs for several 

years. I’ve been the executive director of IRC’s office in Los Angeles for nearly six years. 

Tell us about the work the International Rescue Committee does with refugees 

in Los Angeles. 

IRC is one of just nine agencies authorized by the State Department to resettle 

refugees in the U.S. In Los Angeles, it’s the largest of those agencies, resettling hundreds 

of refugees each year. For the past 10 or so years, about 2,500 refugees have resettled here 

every year. 


12.17 | ARROYO | 35

An IRC client from Syria 

Participants in IRC’s Bikes for Refugees 

Volunteer Day last summer 


How long has IRC been working with refugees in Los Angeles? 

IRC opened its office Los Angeles in 1975, even before the U.S. established its formal 

resettlement program [with the Refugee Act of 1980]. The first refugees IRC resettled here 

were from Southeast Asia following the end of the war in Vietnam. 

Does Los Angeles have something specific to offer refugees that other cities 

do not? 

A long history of immigration, deep respect for diversity and enormous community 

support. 

Where do the refugees come from? 

The refugee community in Los Angeles is as diverse as any in the country, with 

Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian and Hmong; Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian; and 

Iranian, Salvadoran, Honduran, Iraqi and Afghani, among many nationalities. All have 

fled persecution, oppression, deprivation and violence, and the overwhelming majority are 

women, children and the elderly. As a rule, it is about 80 percent or more women, children 

and elderly. 

What countries are refugees currently fleeing and what circumstances are 

driving them to leave their countries of origin? 

Since 2004 the primary population of refugees resettled in the Los Angeles region is from 

Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, El Salvador, Syria, Honduras and Burma, with some very small 

number of additional refugees from Eritrea, Russia, Somalia, Cambodia and North Korea. 

Why are they arriving in Los Angeles? 

Iranian refugees enduring religious persecution have the opportunity to resettle here 

through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Most Iranian refugees are Armenian, and 

the large Armenian community in Southern California is supportive and welcoming. 

All refugees meet the definition in the 1951 U.N. Convention: someone who, “owing 

to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership 

of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality 

and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that 

country.” In some unique cases, the State Department will allow persons who’ve otherwise 

met the definition but remain in their country of nationality. All of the refugees resettled in 

Los Angeles through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, whether from Iran or another 

country, meet the convention’s definition. 

In addition to resettling refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan, we resettle Special Immigrant 

Visa holders from those countries, which are granted through a long process similar 

to the refugee-vetting process to Iraq and Afghanistan nationals who have been employed 

by the U.S. government and have experienced or are experiencing ongoing serious threat as 

a consequence of that employment. 

How does the IRC help refugees and immigrants in Los Angeles? 

IRC supports newly arrived refugees by providing immediate aid, including food, housing 

and medical attention. It also serves as a free one-stop center for refugees’ needs during 

their pivotal first months in the U.S. IRC staff members and volunteers help refugees learn 

about American customs, secure jobs, learn English and eventually become citizens. In 

short, IRC provides most of the basic things refugees need to restart their lives here and 

helps them overcome cultural barriers so that their adjustment is as easy as possible. 

Are there challenges to refugee resettlement particular to Los Angeles? 

Many. The primary challenges are the high cost of living and lack of affordable housing, 

but there is also a shortage of affordable ESL classes and limited public transportation. 

What is striking is that refugees are undeterred in the face of these challenges and establish 

strong foundations in their new homes despite them. 

With lack of affordable housing ranking as one of L.A.’s most pressing problems, 

how hard is it to house refugees? 

Housing is one of the greatest challenges for resettlement agencies. Fortunately, Los 

Angeles is a remarkably welcoming community to refugees and IRC has developed wonderful 

relationships with landlords and property owners across Southern California who know 

the reliability of refugees as tenants and support refugee resettlement. 

What do refugees contribute to Los Angeles? 

Aside from obviously enriching the cultural diversity of our region, refugees actually 

start businesses, are employed and pay taxes at rates higher than those for native-born 

Americans. Over just the past decade, refugees in the U.S. have contributed $63 billion 

more than they cost, according to a report commissioned by President Trump’s own administration. 

What is the impact of President Trump’s indefinite travel ban on refugees? 

The ban prevented refugees — the most vulnerable people in the world — from finding 

safety and showed a stunning cruelty toward those fleeing our common enemies, enemies 

who intend to paint the U.S. as indifferent to refugees’ suffering. 

Can you describe the vetting process? 

The hardest way to come to the U.S. is as a refugee. They are vetted more intensively 

than any other group seeking to enter the country. All refugees must first be registered by 

the United Nations Refugee Agency, which identifies those most vulnerable. The U.S. then 

hand-selects every person who is admitted. Security screenings are intense and led by U.S. 

government authorities, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the 

Department of Defense and multiple security agencies. The process typically takes up to 36 

months and is followed by further security checks after refugees arrive in the U.S. 

Why do you think the general public appears to misunderstand the depth 

and complexity of the vetting process refugees go through before gaining 

admission to the U.S.? 

Perhaps it’s simply the fear of the unknown, because once one knows the exacting details 

of the process, no amount of misinformation about it would be credible. 

PHOTOS: Courtesy of International Rescue Committee 

36 | ARROYO | 12.17

An IRC citizenship class in Pico-Union 

Why does a perception that refugees are more likely to commit acts of 

terrorism persist in some sectors of the U.S.? What percentage of refugees 

commit such crimes? 

Zero percentage of refugees commit such crimes. Since the U.S. established the resettlement 

program with the Refugee Act of 1980, there has not been a single case of an act of 

terrorism among the hundreds of thousands of refugees resettled in the U.S. According to 

the Cato Institute, the chance of being killed by a refugee is 1 in 3.6 billion. And according 

to the New American Economy research, there is no link between resettled refugees in the 

U.S. and crime rates. Even more telling is that over the past 10 years, in cities that received 

the most refugees relative to their size, crime rates have declined after refugees moved in, 

and nine of 10 cities on the list had property and violent crime levels decline precipitously. 

Does the U.S. Diversity Visa program impact refugees? 

The State Department program known as the Diversity Visa Lottery is utterly separate 

from the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and has no effect on refugees. 

How can people help refugees and immigrants in Los Angeles? 

Everyone can help refugees by welcoming them as new and valuable members of American 

society. They can also help by volunteering at a local resettlement agency, or by donating 

money, furniture and household items, or by urging elected officials to support refugee 

resettlement, or by employing or encouraging local businesses to employ refugees. 

PHOTO: Courtesy of International Rescue Committee 

Is there anything IRC urges concerned citizens to do to urge the administration 

and elected officials to support a rational refugee admission policy in 

the U.S.? 

President Trump and his administration have actively sought to prohibit refugees from 

reuniting with their families. They have restricted resettlement agencies from fulfilling 

promises to refugees who have already been approved to come to the U.S. and left thousands 

of vulnerable families to question their futures. This cruel cessation of resettlement 

has to stop. Every day, refugees who have completed security screening continue to wait for 

their travel to be approved and their lives to be saved. Any further delay would be negligent 

and contrary to our American values as an immigrant nation. 

Congress needs to know that Americans believe in refugee resettlement and that we 

won’t stand for further unnecessary delays in their arrival. The House Judiciary Committee 

has oversight of refugee admissions and needs to know Americans value refugee resettlement. 

Every Representative needs to know it. Call Congress today at (855) 472-8930 and 

say: “I am a constituent living in Southern California. I am extremely disappointed in the 

president’s decision to drastically reduce and delay refugee arrivals to the U.S. I am calling 

to urge you to tell President Trump to start letting refugees in and to stop delaying the 

process.” 

Everyone should also share messages of solidarity on social media. Tweet “I #Stand- 

WithRefugees & @theIRC. Join me. Call (855) 472-8930 & tell @HouseJudiciary to 

demand refugee admissions now!” |||| 

To make a donation, visit help.rescue.org. Visit gifts.rescue.org for holiday 

gifts in your recipient’s name, such as a year of school for $58, four temporary 

shelters for $54 or a baby goat for $90. Ninety-two cents of each dollar 

donated go directly to help refugees and others in need. 

12.17 | ARROYO | 37

KITCHEN 

CONFESSIONS 

Nibbling Heads 

ANIMAL CRACKERS MAY BE MUNDANE, BUT THEY SERVE UP TASTY MEMORIES. 

BY LESLIE BILDERBACK 

Imake cookies all year long. In fact, with few exceptions, every dessert I make at work 

includes some type of cookie as an element. That’s because my personal pastry philosophy 

requires that each plate have a variety of textures, and cookies provide the best crisp. 

But even though I make them all year long, December is when I embark on my real cookie 

tour de force. Even if I didn’t have family and friends with whom to share, I would still 

go through the holiday cookie ritual for myself because it is, without a doubt, my favorite 

dessert. (Accompanied by, of course, a tall glass of milk.) 

And although I am physically and mentally equipped to create any cookie I want 

from scratch (not to brag, but, yes, I’m that good), in a few exceptional cases I defer to 

the superiority of the store-bought. Pepperidge Farm’s Mint Milano is one. I have been 

presented 

on more than one occasion with attempts at the homemade version of this minty morsel, 

but they are never quite right. The Oreo is another. While the effect of ebony cocoa and 

Crisco cream filling can be approximated, the real thing is always better. Girl Scout cookies, 

too, are a must-buy. A homemade Samoa or Thin Mint is wrong on a number of levels, 

not the least of which is that it denies little girls their cookie sales. (I feel this way about 

marshmallows too. Yes, we can make them in cute shapes, colors and flavors, but it turns 

out that they taste exactly the same as a bag of Jet-Puffed once melted into your cocoa, or 

flaming on the end of your campfire stick.) 

But of all the store-bought cookies in the world, my favorite is the very un-haute animal 

cracker. The recipe is easily duplicated at home (it’s not a particularly intricate cookie), but for 

me, the joy of eating it comes from its circus box, and the discovery and identification of the 

animals, which cannot be duplicated in one’s own kitchen. 

I talk a lot about food-related sense memories — the way the smell or flavor of a dish 

whisks you back to a time and place. Nothing does that for me more than animal 

crackers. Carrying the box by the string handle as if it were a grown-up handbag. 

Unwrapping the waxed inner bag to discover, hopefully, my favorite animals. 

Eating them in order of their hierarchy in the animal kingdom. Nibbling 

their body parts in a way that offers the animal the least amount of 

suffering (head first). Eating them now, I remember this ritual and 

am instantly sitting cross-legged in the sun in my grandmother’s 

yard, feeling the scratch of her perfectly manicured lawn on 

my bare summer legs. 

As it turns out, a lot of folks have similar animal 

cracker memories. Nabisco says that everyone eats its 

animal crackers head first, which is a relief to those 

concerned with what that might say about you — 

apparently we are all a little morbid. The string 

handle was not added to make little girls feel like 

fancy ladies, but rather so that the box could be hung 

on a Christmas tree. The original box looked much 

the same, but the wheels of the circus wagon were 

partially printed on the underside of the box and were 

perforated so that kids could punch them out after 

snack time and have a circus wagon toy. Simple joys. 

Animal-shaped cookies were first imported from 

Britain in the 1870s, prompting many local bakeries to 

begin making them. The Brits called them “biscuits,” but 

here in the U.S. we preferred the term “cracker.” Like most 

38 | ARROYO | 12.17

products of the era, they 

were sold in bulk out of 

cracker barrels. Soon 

automation transformed 

small bakeries into large 

companies like Stauffer’s 

Biscuit Company and 

the National Biscuit 

Company. In 1902 

Nabisco began using the 

infamous P.T. Barnum 

as inspiration — though 

there was never a licensing agreement between the baking company and the Barnum & 

Bailey Circus (a lapse we all know would never happen today). 

The term “cracker” always confused me, because these were not salty like the crackers I 

crumbled into my Campbell’s Tomato Soup. To further confuse me, according to the 1935 

film Curly Top, Shirley Temple liked the sweet cookies in her soup so much she sang about 

it. Animal crackers in soup still sounds yucky. After soup, sure. But in the soup? (I am 

making my best Shirley Temple wrinkly-nose face.) 

Today there are several companies making animal crackers, but for me, Barnum’s 

Animals are the best. The taste is classic, and the animals are recognizable. Over the 

years the company has produced more than 50 different animals for the box, including a 

special 1995 World Wildlife Fund endangered edition, from which you could decapitate 

a Komodo dragon. There are 19 animals in rotation at any one time, with new animals 

chosen occasionally by popular vote. The most recent addition was the koala, which, 

thankfully, beat out the cobra. Despite the lyric in Shirley’s song “monkeys and rabbits 

loop the loop,” there has never been a rabbit animal cracker. This fact makes Shirley 

Temple a liar, which I hope was disclosed to Ghana before we sent her there as U.S. 

ambassador. Unlike me, Nabisco didn’t care and used the song for years to promote the 

product. 

One final animal cracker fact: The monkey is the only animal in pants. Mull that over 

the next time you nibble off his head. |||| 

Animal Crackers 

Despite the fact that I just railed against making these cookies at home, it’s actually sort 

of fun. You can buy mini circus-animal cutters, but I prefer to use some of the weirder 

random cutters I have accumulated through the years. Let’s just say, there are shapes 

that Nabisco would never consider. 

INGREDIENTS 

1½ cups all-purpose fl our 

1 cup old-fashioned oats 

½ teaspoon baking soda 

¼ cup granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon sea salt 

½ cup unsalted butter, softened 

2 tablespoons honey 

½ cup cream 

METHOD 

1. Preheat oven to 350°, and coat a baking sheet with pan spray. 

2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to form a uniform 

powder. Set aside. 

3. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the honey and cream and mix thoroughly. Add 

the flour mixture last, and mix until just combined. Divide the dough in two, press into a thick disc, 

then wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Dough can be left in the fridge for a couple of 

days or frozen for longer storage.) 

4. Dust the work surface with flour, and roll out the dough to a quarter-inch thick. Cut out animal 

shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. 

Cool before serving. 

Leslie Bilderback is a certified master baker, chef and cookbook author. 

She lives in South Pasadena and teaches her techniques online at 

culinarymasterclass.com. 

THE 

COLORADO 

BUCK 

INGREDIENTS 

Two fresh strawberries 

1 teaspoon agave nectar 

Juice of half a lemon 

STORY AND PHOTO BY MICHAEL CERVIN 

When the Pasadena Hilton was built in 1971, no one could have foreseen the 

craft cocktail movement that headed this way four decades later. Good 

thing the hotel’s September remodel, which included the new Corner 

Craft Cocktail + Bar, kept pace with this welcome development. Located to the left of 

the expansive lobby as you enter, the bar has a cool, clean and sleek look; a retro Italian 

vibe with gray and beige tones is accented by walnut trim, and large windows overlook 

Los Robles Avenue. 

The bar offers a number of original cocktails, including the Colorado Buck. It’s so 

named not only for the whiskey in the drink, but also for Colorado Boulevard’s location 

in the heart of Pasadena. This is the whiskey cocktail for non-whiskey drinkers as it is 

mild and subtle. The addition of fresh strawberry and mildly effervescent ginger beer 

brings lightness to the drink, lending a playful accent to this very adult cocktail. The 

fresh mint, not meant to be submerged, offers a refreshing olfactory burst, resulting in a 

drink that’s easygoing and easily consumed. Beverage Manager Marcos Villanueva suggests 

pairing it with the duck egg fettuccine with shiitake mushrooms, or hoisin-glazed 

lamb ribs. |||| 

THE COLORADO BUCK 

1¾ ounces Tincup Whiskey 

Dash Angostura bitters 

1 ounce Fever Tree Ginger Beer 

METHOD 

Muddle strawberry, lemon juice and agave. Double strain into shaker. Add ice, bitters and whiskey, and 

lightly shake. Pour into a highball glass, add ginger beer and serve with mint-sprig garnish. 

12.17 | ARROYO | 39

THE LIST 

A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS 

COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER 

Scrooge and Company Visit 

A Noise Within 

Dec. 1 through 22 — A Noise Within’s 

production of the Dickens holiday classic, 

A Christmas Carol, starts running at 

8 p.m. Dec. 1 and continues through 

Dec. 22. The inspirational tale of Ebenezer 

Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim involves 

greed, epiphany and redemption. 

Ticket prices start at $25. 

A Noise Within is located at 3352 E. Foothill 

Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 356-3100 or 

visit anoisewithin.org. 

Holiday Home 

Tour and Boutique 

Mark Half-Century 

Dec. 2 and 3 — The 

Women’s Committee 

of the Pasadena 

Symphony Association and Pops presents 

the 50th anniversary of the Holiday Look 

In Tour and Boutique. The tour features 

four architecturally signifi cant Pasadena 

homes, decorated for the holidays by 

local fl orists. The boutique, free to visit, is 

located at Pasadena’s Scottish Rite Cathedral. 

Tour hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

and the boutique runs from 9:30 a.m. to 

5 p.m. both days. Tour tickets cost $35 in 

advance, $40 the day of the tour (day-of 

tickets may be purchased at the Scottish 

Rite Cathedral). 

The Scottish Rite Cathedral is located 

at 150 N. Madison Ave., Pasadena. Visit 

pasadenaholidaylookin.org. 

Rock, Robotics and Desert Life 

at Caltech 

All events take place in Caltech’s Beckman 

Auditorium: 

Dec. 2 — Jingle Bell Rock is a Christmasthemed 

concert featuring the Alley Cats 

a cappella doo-wop group starting at 

8 p.m. Tickets cost $10 to $42. 

Dec. 6 — Caltech Professor Aaron Ames 

discusses “Toward the Robots of Science 

Fiction” at 8 p.m.; the lecture explores 

the fi rst steps toward creating bipedal 

and humanoid robots able to navigate a 

variety of terrains in a human-like fashion. 

Admission is free. 

Dec. 16 — The high-def fi lm Planet Earth 

— Deserts explores the diversity of desert 

habitats at 4 p.m. Aerial and time-lapse 

footage illustrates how animals adapted 

to the driest environments. Caltech 

graduate student Annelise Thompson 

ARBORETUM’S TREE 

TRIBUTE RECALLS 

WINDSTORM 

Dec. 1 through 10 — The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden 

presents Forces of Nature II: A Tribute to Trees, from Dec. 1 through 10. The 

exhibition is part of a series created in the wake of the destructive windstorm 

that hit the San Gabriel Valley in November 2011. Wood from the Arboretum’s 

150-year-old Tasmanian blue gum tree and others that toppled during the 

storm was distributed to area artists, who creatively honored and celebrated it 

by carving artworks from the remains. The works are on display and sale from 

9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Proceeds benefit the Arboretum. Admission costs $9, 

$6 for students and seniors and $4 for children 5 to 12; members and children 

under 5 are admitted free. 

The L.A. County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is located at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., 

Arcadia. Call (626) 821-3237 or visit arboretum.org. 

introduces the fi lm and leads a postscreening 

discussion. Admission is $10. 

Beckman Auditorium is located on Michigan 

Avenue south of Del Mar Boulevard, 

on the Caltech campus, Pasadena. Call 

(626) 395-4652 or visit events.caltech.edu. 

Children’s Chorus 

Rings in Holidays 

at Disney Hall 

Dec. 3 — The L.A. Children’s 

Chorus gets the 

holiday spirit rolling at 

7 p.m. with a program of classical works, 

holiday carols and readings at Walt 

Disney Concert Hall. The chorus is joined 

by Grammy-winning opera singer Susan 

Graham and members of the L.A. Philharmonic. 

The concert features the world 

premiere of composer Paul Gibson’s 

“Even When He is Silent” and Donald Fraser’s 

“This Christmastide.” Graham joins in 

with “O Holy Night,” “A Christmas Lullaby” 

and “Now Have Good Day!” by Derek 

Holman. Works by Thompson, Bach, 

Praetorius, Vivaldi and Debussy are also 

on the program. Adult tickets start at $20, 

half price for children 10 and younger. 

Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 

S. Grand Ave., L.A. Call (626) 793-4231 or 

visit lachildrenschorus.org. 

Balanchine’s The 

Nutcracker Heads 

to the Music 

Center 

Dec. 7 through 10 — 

Glorya Kaufman Presents 

Dance at the Music Center hosts the 

Miami City Ballet’s production of George 

Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, featuring 

new sets and costumes by acclaimed 

Cuban-American fashion designers Isabel 

and Ruben Toledo. Student dancers from 

the Colburn School and The Gabriella 

Foundation’s “everybody dance!” program 

are included. The curtain rises at 

6:30 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 

and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. and 

4 p.m. Sunday. 

The Music Center is located at 135 N. 

Grand Ave., L.A. Visit musiccenter.org. 

Rembrandt Selfi e 

Shown at 

Norton Simon 

Dec. 8 — The Norton 

Simon Museum 

presents Rembrandt’s 

Self-Portrait at the Age of 34 from Dec. 8 

through March 5. The 1640 painting, on 

loan from London’s National Gallery, is on 

view in the U.S. for the fi rst time. 

The Norton Simon Museum is located at 

411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call 

(626) 449-6840 or visit nortonsimon.org. 

Wildfi re Woes Covered in 

Valley Workshops 

The free La Tuna Canyon Regeneration 

Series of classes and workshops at the 

Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild 

Flowers & Native Plants, conducted with 

the California Fire Science Consortium, 

continues for those affected by the La 

Tuna Fire last September: 

Dec. 8 — Ellen Mackey, senior ecologist 

with the Metropolitan Water District of 

Southern California, presents “Prepping 

for Fire: A Neighborhood Case Study” 

from 1:30 to 3 p.m. 

Dec. 16 — Sabrina Drill, UC Cooperative 

Extension Natural Resources Advisor for 

L.A. and Ventura counties, discusses “Tipping 

the Scales: Invasive Species in Fire 

Preparation and Recovery” from 1:30 to 

3:30 p.m. 

The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild 

Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Arboretum 

40 | ARROYO | 12.17

Flowers & Native Plants is located at 

10459 Tuxford St., Sun Valley. Call (818) 

768-1802 or visit theodorepayne.org. 

Santa Visits 

Arcadia 

Dec. 10 — Families 

can meet Santa at 

the Arcadia Performing 

Arts Center from 

2 to 6 p.m. Guests can view holiday 

movies on the main theater’s big screen 

and have photos taken with jolly St. Nick; 

kids can make crafts for gifts at Santa’s 

Workshop, with the help of happy elves. 

Tickets cost $6. 

The Arcadia Performing Arts Center is 

located at 188 Campus Dr., Arcadia. 

Visit arcadiapaf.org. 

New Take on an Old Beauty 

Dec. 14 through 24 — Lythgoe Family 

Panto, in association with the Pasadena 

Playhouse, presents Beauty and the Beast 

— A Christmas Rose at the Pasadena 

Civic Auditorium, from Dec. 13 through 

Dec. 24. The updated musical production 

has a comedic twist, dance numbers 

(featuring alumni from Nigel Lythgoe’s 

TV series So You Think You Can Dance), 

magic, contemporary music and other 

new twists. Sheldon Epps directs, and 

Mandy Moore (La La Land) choreographs 

the show. Performance times are 

7:30 p.m. Dec. 14, 7 p.m. Dec. 15, 1 and 

5 p.m. Dec. 16 and 17, 7 p.m. Dec. 20 

and 21, 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 22 and 1 and 

5 p.m. Dec, 23 and 24. Ticket prices start 

at $29; $60 tickets for children 4 through 

12 include a special onstage experience. 

Look for a free Winter Wonderland with 

crafts, games, visits by Santa, photo opportunities 

and other perks starting one 

hour before showtime. 

The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is located 

at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (800) 

982-2787 or visit beautyandthebeastpanto.com. 

Pasadena Symphony 

Presents 

Candlelight 

Concert 

Dec. 16 — The 

Pasadena Symphony 

presents its annual Holiday Candlelight 

concert of popular seasonal melodies at 

Pasadena’s All Saints Church. Grant Cooper 

conducts at 4 and 7 p.m. Performing 

with the orchestra is Broadway veteran 

Lisa Vroman, the L.A. Children’s Chorus, 

the Donald Brinegar Singers and the L.A. 

Bronze Handbell Ensemble. Ticket prices 

start at $20. 

All Saints Church is located at 132 N. Euclid 

Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 793-7172 

or visit pasadenasymphony-pops.org. 

Nutcracker Comes to the 

Alex Theatre 

Dec. 22 and 23 — L.A. Youth Ballet’s new 

production of The Nutcracker, choreographed 

by Artistic Director Andrea 

Paris-Gutierrez, stars Darrion Sellman, 13, 

as the Nutcracker as well as Joffrey Ballet 

principal dancers Jeraldine Mendoza as 

the Sugar Plum Fairy and Dylan Gutierrez 

as the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier. Performances 

start at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 and 

7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $25. 

The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N. 

Brand Blvd., Glendale. Call (818) 243-2539 

or visit alextheatre.org. 

Free Holiday Fest 

at Music Center 

Dec. 24 — The free 

annual L.A. County 

Holiday Celebration 

takes place at the 

Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 

from 3 to 6 p.m., featuring diverse music 

ensembles and dance companies from 

the L.A. area. The event will be broadcast 

live on local public television. 

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 

is located at 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. 

Visit musiccenter.org/holidaycelebration. 

Rose Float Decoration 

Viewable 

at Two Sites 

Dec. 28 through 31 — 

See the Rose Parade 

fl oats being decorated 

from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, 

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Saturday and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday 

at Rosemont Pavilion. Hours for Rose Float 

Plaza South in Irwindale are 11 a.m. to 

5 p.m. Dec. 28--30. Tickets cost $15 at the 

door or through Sharp Seating; admission 

is free for children 5 and younger. 

Rosemont Pavilion is located at 700 Seco 

St., Pasadena. Rose Float Plaza South is at 


12.17 | ARROYO | 41

THE LIST 

BACH CONCERTOS 

COME TO CALTECH 

Dec. 9 — The L.A. Chamber Orchestra comes to Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium 

at 8 p.m. to perform the complete cycle of Bach’s Brandenburg concertos, led by 

Concertmaster Margaret Batjer (above), with harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani. The 

concert also showcases the talents of LACO’s Principal Flute Joachim Becerra 

Thomsen and Principal Oboe Claire Brazeau. The concert repeats at 7 p.m. Dec. 

10 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Caltech ticket prices start at $33. 

Beckman Auditorium is located on Michigan Avenue south of Del Mar Boulevard, on 

the Caltech campus, Pasadena. Call (213) 622-7001 or visit laco.org. 


5400 Irwindale Ave., Irwindale. Call Sharp 

Seating at (626) 795-4171 or visit sharpseating.com. 

Visit tournamentofroses. 

com/events for information. 

Bandfest Previews 

Rose Parade 

Marching Bands 

Dec. 29 and 30 — 

Get an early look 

at the Rose Bowl 

Parade’s marching bands during Bandfest 

at Robinson Stadium, Pasadena 

City College. Bandfest I starts at 1:30 

p.m. Friday; Bandfest II starts at 9:30 a.m. 

Saturday, followed at 2 p.m. by Bandfest 

III. Tickets to each session cost $15; admission 

is free for children 5 and younger. 

Advance tickets are available through 

Sharp Seating; day-of tickets can be 

purchased at the venue, depending on 

availability. 

Pasadena City College is located at 

1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call 

Sharp Seating at (626) 795-4171 or visit 

sharpseating.com. Visit tournamentofroses.com/events 

for information. 

Equestfest Showcases Rose 

Parade Steeds, Riders 

Dec. 29 — Guests can get an up-close 

look at the Rose Parade’s horses at the 

L.A. Equestrian Center in Burbank, where 

animals and riders will perform drills and 

dances, trick riding and roping. Visitors 

can also check out the stables and talk 

to riders. A vendor court with music, food 

and drink is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

and the equestrian show runs from noon 

to 2 p.m. Tickets, available in advance 

through Sharp Seating, cost $15 for general 

admission, $40 for reserved seats; 

free for children 5 and younger. Day-of 

tickets can be bought onsite, depending 

on availability. 

The L.A. Equestrian Center is located at 

480 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank. Call (626) 

795-4171 or visit sharpseating.com for 

tickets and visit tournamentofroses.com/ 

events for information. |||| 

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12.17 | ARROYO | 43

44 | ARROYO | 12.17

December 2017

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