November 2017 Section B
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SECTION B AROUND life community ALHAMBRA seniors / health dining / entertainment PUBLISHED BY THE ALHAMBRA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NOVEMBER 2017 NOVEMBER auto / real estate DOWNTOWN TO HOST TREE LIGHTING, NOV. 25 Downtown Alhambra will kick off the holiday season with the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at Renaissance Plaza, located at the northeast corner of Main and Garfield. Santa will arrive by fire truck to light the Christmas tree at 6 p.m. Free digital photos with Santa will be offered. Poprock Academy will provide entertainment. People are encouraged to bring unwrapped toys or gift cards to donate to the Fire Department’s Spark of Love Toy Drive. Refreshments will be available while supplies last. The annual event is hosted by the Downtown Alhambra Business Association. For more information, phone 626-282-5767. Santa will light Downtown Alhambra’s Christmas Tree at the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony Saturday, Nov. 25, at Renaissance Plaza. How WWII redefined The UnderstandingMystery of Main Street Real Estate Gary Frueholz Alhambra real estate DILBECK REAL ESTATE • 626-318-9436 CONTINUED ON PAGE 21B Gary Frueholz is a realtor with Dilbeck Real Estate, a past Though thousands of miles separated California from member of the Alhambra Planning Commission, a certified Pacific combat zones, local land use changed due to war Senior Real Estate Specialist and a Certified International Prop- erty Specialist. Mr. Frueholz can be reached at 626-318-9436 or by e-mail at [email protected]. To see all of Gary’s ar- Gary Frueholz BY GARY FRUEHOLZ, ticles on Alhambra, visit www.garysstories.com. HEALTH DILBECK REAL ESTATE The airport itself opened in 1920, and in 1929 World War II had the greatest loss of life from war Western Air Express, the forerunner of Western Air- in the history of humanity. More than 55 million lines, built the passenger terminal and airplane hanger. people lost their lives during World War II. Alhambra became the headquarters of Western Air- But war has other less discernable effects. Bound- lines. aries are redrawn, and commerce is inextricability al- At the time of its construction, this maintenance tered. And in some cases as commerce is redefined hanger was the largest airplane hanger in the world. and population shifts, real estate finds a new “highest The hanger was shaped like a hexagon and had the and best use.” unique design where airplanes could approach, en- Alhambra illustrates how an international conflict ter, and be worked on from six different directions. such as World War II can change the landscape of a The entrance to the Alhambra Airport was along city. Two of Alhambra’s historically designated districts East Valley Boulevard, and the main runway ran di- would find new personalities due to World War II. agonally 2,870 feet southwest toward where the San The initial dominos to fall related to the World Bernardino Freeway now is and across to the current War. And as they fell, other dominos concerning new site of Mark Keppel High School. During the 1930s, war-related industries developing in Southern Cali- Western Air Express operated a fleet of six 12-pas- fornia, the demand for housing, and shifts in popula- senger Fokker airplanes. The Western Air College tion to Southern California would impact our city. Flight School was also located at the Alhambra Air- One of Alhambra’s distinctive and historical neigh- port. borhoods is the Airport Tract. The Airport Tract’s 157 With the airport’s proximity to Hollywood, a num- acres are bounded by Valley Boulevard to the north, ber of movies were filmed at the Alhambra Airport: New Avenue to the east, Almansor Street to the west, They Met At Bombay (1941) - Clark Gable, Rosalind and the San Bernardino Freeway to the south. Russell, and Peter Lorre; Flight Lieutenant (1940) - It is called the Airport Tract since from 1920 to Pat O’Brien, Glenn Ford; Thirteen Hours By Air the mid1940s, one of Southern California’s most sig- (1936) - Fred MacMurray; and Busby Berkeley’s Hol- Spencer Tracey, along with many Hollywood elites, nificant airports was located here. During the 1920s lywood Hotel (1937). Noted female pilot Pancho would play polo at the Alhambra Midwick Country and much of the 30s it did more flights than the Barnes also flew out of the Alhambra Airport. Club. Burbank Airport or LAX. CONTINUED ON PAGE 22B PAGE 2B BUSINESS / AROUND ALHAMBRA 11/2017 CALIFORNIA Federal overtime rule is really over A federal judge in Texas has struck down the federal overtime rule, putting an end to this controversial USINESS EPORT proposal from the prior administration that would have made over four million new workers eligible for B R overtime pay. The rule would have set a new federal salary threshold that must be met before an executive, INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE CALIFORNIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE professional or administrative employee can be exempt from overtime. States and business groups chal- lenged the new salary threshold of $47,476 a year ($913 a week), which was more than double the existing federal salary test and also higher than California’s minimum salary test. This rule was set to go into effect in December of 2016. However, legal chal- lenges placed the rule on hold. On Aug. 31, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant granted summary judgment against the Depart- ment of Labor (DOL) in consolidated cases challenging the fed- eral overtime rule. The court held that the rule’s salary level was too high, exceeded the DOL’s authority and, thus, was invalid. U.S. Dept. of Labor seeks input on federal overtime exemp- tions As a result of the ruling stated above, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is seeking comments on the federal overtime rule, which defines who is exempt from minimum wage and overtime requirements under the Fair Labor and Standards Act (FLSA). While the federal government tinkers with the federal overtime rule, California employers should continue to follow the Califor- nia salary test to determine whether an employee can be classi- fied as exempt under the executive, administrative and profes- sional exemptions. In addition to the salary test, California em- ployees must meet a strict duties test to be classified as exempt. – Cal Chamber Contact: Gail Cecchettini Whaley Governor signs bills to ease housing crisis On Sept. 29, at a bill signing ceremony in San Francisco, Gov- ernor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed three California Chamber of Commerce-supported bills to encourage local governments to ap- prove new housing projects. The CalChamber-supported bills ei- ther hold local governments accountable for meeting the housing elements of their plans or aim to combat the “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) resistance that can stall needed housing projects. AB 678 (Bocanegra; D-Pacoima) and SB 167 (Skinner; D-Berkeley) will provide some teeth to enforce the Housing Accountability Act and will properly require local agencies to substantiate their denial or conditional approval of much-needed projects, while AB 1515 (Daly; D-Anaheim) will provide an important tool to respond to unreasonable opposition by NIMBYs. The state is currently facing a significant housing crisis as the supply shortfall affects affordability at all levels. – Staff Contact: Louinda V. Lacey 11/2017 SENIOR NEWS / AROUND ALHAMBRA PAGE 3B Seniors / Retirees News Activities, Projects, Features 5 ways for seniors to beat those holiday blues BY REV. CRAIG STATTON, CEO, ATHERTON shown that exercise can be a tool to fight depression, so 4. Choose your “family time” – So many of our holi- 214 S ATLANTIC BLVD., ALHAMBRA make sure to set some time aside to get your body mov- day celebrations are centered around family. For many, To my ears, there is nothing better than the blues. ing. family time is relaxing and joyful, but not all holiday This genre of music came out of the African American 2. Stay on your own side – Dr. Firestone reminds us visits are filled with warmth and affection. As Dr. experience in the Deep South. The inventors were slaves, to “watch what we think” during this season. So many Firestone says, “Time spent with our families can reacti- former slaves, and the descendants of slaves - sharecrop- times, self-critical thoughts tend to crop up during the vate old dynamics and stir up old emotional reactions. pers who sang as they toiled in the cotton and vegetable holiday season and end of the year. “Another year has Depending on where we are in our lives, seeing our fami- fields. The music was meant to express more than self- gone by, and you have nothing to show for it. You are so lies can ignite feelings of guilt, embarrassment, or anger. pity. The blues is also about overcoming hard luck, say- pathetic.” Dr. Firestone writes, “These thoughts make Little criticisms from a parent may not seem like a big ing what you feel, ridding yourself of frustration, letting up your ‘critical inner voice.’ This inner enemy evolves deal, but they may rekindle feelings of hurt from our your hair down, and simply having fun. out of painful early life experiences, in which we inter- childhood.” If this is true for you, choose the time you While much of the world will eagerly celebrate the nalized destructive attitudes. As adults, we act out these spend with your family, and don’t allow guilt to over- approaching holiday season, many seniors will experi- self-punishing attitudes by listening to our critical inner ence the year-end holiday season as a challenging time. come healthy decisions. In addition, make sure you spend voice.” time with the people who encourage and affirm you dur- This season when so many decorate their homes, make In the Christian tradition, one of the antidotes to this special foods, attend parties, and give gifts can also be a ing this season.