Los Angeles County

GLENDALE — A former jailer for the Glendale Police Department faces charges of stealing payments that inmates made to stay in the city’s jail, officials said. Marvin Quarles, 49, turned himself in to Los Angeles police at 3:10 p.m. Sunday to be booked on the charges. He was released the same day on his own recognizance, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Quarles pleaded not guilty to three felony charges related to embezzlement by a public officer, said Jane Robison, a Los Angeles County district attorney’s office spokeswoman.

SOUTH GLENDALE — A Lynwood man who was charged this week with several counts of committing lewd acts with a 14-year-old Glendale girl allegedly offered to help her run away from her parents’ home, police said. Benjamin Pennacchio, 29, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two felony counts of lewd acts on a child, one felony count of contact with a minor for sexual offense and another felony count of meeting a minor for lewd purposes, said Jane Robison, a Los Angeles County district attorney’s office spokeswoman.

Local agencies have until April 7 to file for federal reimbursement of costs related to recent rain storms and subsequent debris flows, officials said Wednesday. The announcement came during an information session Wednesday that was hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and attended by dozens of representatives from agencies across Los Angeles County. “I can’t emphasize enough,” said Michael Baldwin, a FEMA public assistance officer. “If for some reason this is not in by April 7, we don’t have any provisions to provide any kind of assistance.

GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL Mayor Frank Quintero fquintero@ci.glendale.ca.us Councilman John Drayman jdrayman@ci.glendale. ca.us Councilman Dave Weaver dweaver@ci.glendale. ca.us Councilwoman Laura Friedman lfriedman@ci.glendale. ca.us Councilman Ara Najarian anajarian@ci.glendale. ca.us City Clerk Ardashes ?Ardy? Kassakhian akassakhian@ci.glendale. ca.us 613 E. Broadway, Room 110 Glendale, CA 91206-4393 (818)

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Wednesday postponed the arraignment of a Burbank Unified School District teacher accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student, her attorney said. Amy Beck, a 33-year-old teacher at Jordan Middle School, will remain in jail and is working with authorities as they investigate allegations that she had a sexual relationship with a student who was 14 at the time, said her attorney, Michael Williamson. “My client is not making any admissions,” Williamson said.

A local reforestation committee is inviting volunteers to participate in a training event this weekend at the Lytle Creek Ranger Station in the San Bernardino National Forest. The one-day session, which will take place today and Sunday, will prepare participants to supervise citizen replanting efforts in the Angeles National Forest, much of which was left barren by the massive Station fire. Officials have been gearing up for a large-scale replanting effort for millions of saplings that experts say will be needed in the coming years to put the forest on the path to recovery.

Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday opened a disaster assistance center in La Crescenta in an effort to connect foothill residents with government resources to help deal with recent debris flows. Representatives from more than a dozen federal, state and county agencies will be available at Central Christian Church, at 5027 New York Ave., through Saturday, spokesman Ken Kondo said. The agencies represented include the Small Business Administration, Department of Motor Vehicles, county assessor’s office and community and senior services.

LA CRESCENTA — Dozens of foothill residents at a public meeting Wednesday night told officials that they were frustrated with what they said were careless dump truck drivers hauling dirt back-and-forth through their neighborhood. From running stop signs to talking on their cell phones, residents who attended the meeting at the Center for Spiritual Living said they had witnessed multiple violations among the dozens of truck drivers hired by Los Angeles County to haul away dirt and mud from clogged debris catch basins.

Authorities warned hundreds of evacuated residents Tuesday evening that it could be a while before they’d be allowed to return, as emergency crews continued to assess the latest round of damage to water-logged hillsides. With many catch basins still full from a powerful storm this past weekend, mud and debris battered the northern neighborhoods of La Cañada Flintridge on Tuesday. Mud and sand piled up against the backsides of some homes just a few feet from their roof lines.

Elected officials this weekend called for federal assistance for residents whose homes were severely damaged by debris flows that pummeled the foothills below the Station fire burn area. Heavy rain early Saturday morning overwhelmed the Mullally Debris Basin in La Cañada Flintridge’s Paradise Valley area, sending the mud and boulders that caused severe damage to homes before flowing down Ocean View Boulevard and onto Foothill Boulevard. On Sunday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the Paradise Valley neighborhood as shell-shocked homeowners and Los Angeles County crews continued to survey the damage and begin clean-up efforts.