Mark Alexander

ALEXANDER NAMED CITY MANAGER WHAT HAPPENED In the closed-session portion of the meeting, the City Council appointed Mark Alexander, interim city manager, to the job of city manager, pending the completion of contract details. WHAT IT MEANS Alexander, who has worked for the city for 15 years, will run the day-to-day operations of the city. Alexander succeeds Jerry Fulwood, who departed last month for a job with Culver City. VOTE Closed-session votes are not public information.

A $50,000 settlement between the city of La Cañada Flintridge and the family of the victims who died in a runaway truck crash on Angeles Crest Highway in 2009 is expected to be formalized, according a lawyer involved with the case. Scott Grossberg, an attorney for the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority - of which La Cañada is a member - said they had decided to settle the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Angel Posca and his 12-year-old daughter Angelina, who died April 1, 2009, when their car was struck on Foothill Boulevard by an out-of-control big rig coming down the Angeles Crest Highway.

Marianne Love LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- After listening to the heads of three youth sports programs say the city needs more ball fields, members of the Parks and Recreation Commission have there is a significant need for the facilities. Members of the commission cited their own personal experiences with the shortage of ball fields before making the finding. Jack Wickersham, Craig Tompkins and Greg Bass attended the commission meeting Wednesday as representatives of different youth sports programs jockeying for positions on La Canada Flintridge's nine fields over the next year.

Janine Marnien Upstairs at City Hall, the administration department is a hodge-podge of activity -- it's where city staff sees to things ranging from transportation to personnel issues. As Assistant City Manager Mark Alexander puts it, it's the "everything else" department. "If it doesn't fall into public works or planning, it comes to us," he said. "But that's also one of the nice things about it. Because it's so diverse, every day is different and it keeps the work more interesting."

Marshall Allen LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- The La Canada Flintridge City Council heard detailed arguments about the use of the ball field at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its meeting Monday night and one thing is sure: The city is hurting for field space. The arguments revolved around the appeals -- by the city and by a group of neighbors -- of the Planning Commission's April 23 approval of a conditional use permit regarding the field behind the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1830 Foothill Blvd.

Marshall Allen The city has one more field for youth soccer and baseball games, but neighbors near the field say their concerns about its use weren't considered. The City Council made a 5-0 decision to side with the city of La Canada Flintridge in a public hearing about a conditional-use permit for the ball field behind the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1830 Foothill Blvd. The city applied for the permit because of the desperate need for field space in La Canada Flintridge.

Marshall Allen An altercation between a Pasadena Humane Society officer and a peacock left both with cosmetic injuries and led to the city stopping the trapping of the birds until October. La Canada Flintridge is one of several local cities with a peafowl population that is appreciated by some and despised by others, humane society director Steve McNall said. This year, the city has plans to trap and relocate about eight peafowl, McNall said. The birds are located in the approximate region north of Vista Del Valle, east of Vista Miguel and west of Harter Lane, according to resident and peafowl fan Richard Harris.

LA CAÑADA — In the wake of increased identity theft and mail theft, law enforcement officials took the opportunity to re-emphasize to the community the importance of shredding financial accounts before discarding them and checking one's mailbox regularly. During the public safety update at last Monday's La Cañada Flintridge City Council meeting, Captain Tim Peters from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's station informed the council of another stolen recycling bin, a concern because thieves regularly scour the bins for sensitive documents.

Robert Chacon A resident suing the city to undo a new sewer district wants the court to assign a new judge for the case. City officials are pressing to go to trial as soon as possible in order to avoid delays in construction for Sewer District No. 3a. But Jim Short's legal maneuver Tuesday could postpone the case more than a week as Glendale Superior Court looks for another judge to hear the case. The city filed a motion to dismiss the case, saying that his lawsuit was frivolous.

Robert Chacon La Canada Flintridge officials have asked a judge to dismiss a resident's lawsuit seeking to block their plans to install new sewers in town. Jim Short's lawsuit, which was filed last month, attacks the city's justification for the formation of Sewer District No. 3, which was approved by voters in June. Owners of the more than 1,600 properties in that district north of Foothill Boulevard would be assessed $18,000 to $22,000 to pay for construction of sewers.