by Winston Chua

PASADENA – Members of Pasadena’s Mosaic Church do more than
just attend Sunday services and then go home, although there is nothing wrong
with that.

They also meet
Thursday nights to discuss ways in which the Gospel can come to life. The
people appearing on the front page attend a small group that is called
Worldwind, which explores issues of social justice both locally and
internationally.

Still, it is not exclusive to members who are extra devout
or who have a significantly higher purpose in life.

“One of the
things that interested me about Mosaic was that it was a community of faith,
and also one where people could ‘belong before they believe,’” said Worldwind
group leader Sheena Nahm. “In that sense, our small group is totally open to
whoever wants to drop by and read or discuss the Bible.”

Currently, the group is studying the book “The Hole in Our
Gospel,” a compelling true story of a corporate CEO, Richard Stearns, who set
aside worldly success for something more significant. He uses his journey to
demonstrate how the gospel, the whole gospel, was meant to be a world-changing
social revolution that starts with each believer.

Worldwind is
one of many small groups from Mosaic, “and there are a lot of really great
things happening as a result of the small group communities and other ministries
at our community of faith,” said group member Holli Fisk.

by Winston Chua

SAN GABRIEL – The list of San Gabriel City Council
candidates was released last week. They are made up of current San Gabriel
Councilwoman Juli Costanzo, community organizer Chin-Ho Liao, lawyer John
Harrington and San Gabriel school
board member Philip Hu.

Here is a
brief summary of three of the candidates, Costanzo, Liao and Harrington.

Former mayor
Costanzo said she will offer “continued energy and experience in getting the
job done as a long time resident, business owner and former Executive Director
of the Chamber of Commerce.”

In addition,
she has been a part of what she calls the most aggressive Captial Improvement
Project in the city’s history.?

She said she
has not missed a San Gabriel City Council meeting in eight years and is
committed to making sure that citizens and business owners of San Gabriel get
the best value of every dollar they spend.

Chin-Ho Liao
said during his press conference announcing his candidacy that he promises to
be a liaison for the diverse San Gabriel community and create more economic
development. He wants to stimulate business growth in the Mission District, so
long as the standards of the old mission are kept and there is no unnecessary
traffic in that area.

Liao, the
current San Gabriel Rotary Club president, has been a part of various
organizations (such as the Asian Youth Center, YMCA, San Gabriel Mission, SGV
Medical Center) for the past 20 years and says he will work in the best
interests of San Gabriel’s school district.

Harrington is
self-employed with his own law practice, specializing in consulting for
construction companies. He is married with two daughters and has coached his
daughters in PONY baseball, AYSO soccer as well as the San Gabriel Girls fast
pitch softball league.

He said he is
committed to making the community a better place. In 2005 he helped found the
Friends of La Laguna and prevented the historic La Laguna playground in Vincent
Lugo Park from being demolished. He went to St. Francis High School in La
Canada before graduating from Loyola Law School.

by Winston Chua 

SGV – L.A. County’s public affairs manager declared that
since 1993, water has been flowing down the hillsides that lead to the Santa
Anita Dam and to the Sediment Placement Site, bringing with it the sediment and
silt that reduces the capacity of that dam and makes flood protection, safety
and water conservation far less effective. There are also seismic concerns.

This knowledge
has forced L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and board members to take
action and remove sediment before things get worse.

This water and debris affect Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Pasadena
and neighboring cities, as it affects water importation and drought
consideration. According to county spokesman Kerjon Lee, there are 500,000
cubic yards of this that must be removed. Think of it this way: that is the
equivalent of the size and density of 500,000 washing machines.

The resulting
damage of the Station Fire of 2009 are only going to make the situation worse,
over the next three to five years.

Los Angeles County leaders are trying to increase the
capacity of that dam and remove the silt and deposits. Roughly 75 percent of
Arcadians and the entire city of Sierra Madre will have their water supplies
impacted as a result.

But there is
an effort from environmental community to save some or all of the 11 acres of
land that could be affected by the uprooting of valuable oak and sycamore
trees.

Tonight,
December 16 at 7 p.m. at Highland Oaks Elementary School located at 10 Virginia
Road in Arcadia, there will be a discussion from local residents and residents
of the county who will see if there are substantive alternatives to the current
proposal, which could include wiping out a good chunk of oaks and sycamores.

Glen Owens,
founder of the Big Santa Anita Historical Society and a Monrovia planning
commissioner, is one who said that it is “criminal” to touch the pristine oak
woodland.

The county is
100-percent responsible for the project, according to Arcadia City Manager Don
Penman and Arcadia City Councilman Bob Harbicht and has opposed trucking the
sediment because it could potentially interfere with homeowners, schools, noise
pollution and traffic with the vibration and dust that it causes. He is in
favor of a 1-mile conveyor-belt system to transfer the dirt.

Last week, Mike
Antonovich and county board members agreed to put a 30-day hold on the dam
project.

by Winston Chua

ARCADIA – Three Arcadia Rotarians, its president Matt
Weaver, Arcadia City Councilman Bob Harbicht and Rose Mares will be making
their way to a remote village in northern Thailand in early January to help
provide people there with clean water.

Roughly 100
people live in this particular village where, currently, residents of the
village must walk a quarter of a mile for the nearest water source without the
guarantee of clean water.

This is not
the first trip for Weaver, an insurance broker, who has made consistent trips
to Thailand to provide water and transform villages and even lighten the burden
of carrying the water to the village. He last went two years ago.

“We’re trying
to get more rotary members involved,” he said. Weaver, a devout Christian, will
be bringing both physical and spiritual living water to people who might need
both.

“I’m intrigued
by what a relatively small amount of money and manpower can do,” said Harbicht,
who has been a financial supporter of the effort for a number of years. The
team of three will help build a water system that includes pipes to bring water
to the village and a concrete cistern.

A generous
financial contributor to the effort is Ernie Posey and the Posey Company.
Various other members of Arcadia Rotary have also made financial contributions.
The three voyaging members will provide support to workers who are already in
Thailand laying foundation for the clean water.

The Rotarians
will travel from a larger Thai city and travel eight hours to and through a
jungle to help change lives in the remote village.