Bilderback volunteers with the U.S. Navy Adopt-a-Chef program, which sends civilian culinary instructors to various galleys around the world to provide hands-on training. She joined the original faculty of what is now the California School of Culinary Arts in 1995, and as Executive Chef ushered the school into partnership with Le Cordon Bleu.

Bilderback will be discussing recipes, cooking techniques, and wisdom from:
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Success as a Chef
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Comfort Food
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sensational Salads
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Good Food From the Good Book

This is a FREE event, open to the public. Come and enjoy a very entertaining speaker, and support your Glendale library system and the Friends of the Glendale Public Library! Validation for free parking (3 hours) at the Mryland Parking garage is available at the circulation desk.

Los Angeles libraries will now all be closed on Sundays and Mondays. Jacket Copy has the Central Library’s new hours and a few quotes on what access to books meant to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

The cutbacks are occurring less than a year after Los Angeles completed a 10-year branch library building program, culminating in the Gold-LEED certified Silverlake Branch.

Marilyn Johnson’s LA Times commentary on impending library cuts is a wake-up call. Our municipal libraries are a free source of learning, research, information, job training, and all-around civic improvement, an “engine of democracy” which should not be dismantled or run on fumes.

Glendale is already hosting more Los Angeles residents who find their local libraries closed. Join the Friends of the Glendale Public Library, and speak up to make sure our residents and their children continue to have access to this vital civic resource for all.

Gatto’s flyer announcing the town hall meeting on the California state budget encourages constituents to learn about The California Jobs Budget proposal (information at www.asmdc.org/issues/budget). The Assemblyman is also encouraging those who can’t attend in person to submit input via the “California Budget Challenge” (online at www.budgetchallenge.org).

For more information, contact Gatto’s District Office at (818) 558-3043 or go to Assemblyman Gatto’s website.

Glendale PD Detective Robert Zaun, Community Lead Officer Kelly Annis, and West Area Commander Susan Hayn presented the ID theft prevention tips above, and discussed recent crime trends in Northwest Glendale to a capacity crowd at Brand Library Auditorium last night.

On an average night in the area, there are 3 stolen cars, 4-5 cases of domestic violence, 2-3 DUIs, and of course the Glenoaks Blvd. speedway. These stats were recited in answer to a question on whether police patrols check for recycling theft. The point: residents themselves should be on the alert and call right away if they see anyone sifting through trash for papers, walking around the back of homes, or exhibiting other suspicious behavior.

All the officers stressed common sense measures. Most auto burglaries in the city occur when people leave valuables in plain sight, and homes with open windows and unlocked doors are easy targets.

The Northwest Glendale Homeowners’ Association organized the meeting in response to recycling bin paper rummaging in the neighborhood.

To become a sponsor, donate a raffle prize, volunteer, or participate in the next committee meeting, contact Lenore Solis at 818-396-6840.

Wednesday, June 30, 6:30 PM
1480 Melwood Drive
Glendale, CA 91207

Residents concerned about neighborhood crime trends can learn about local National Night Out events as well as how to set up a neighborhood watch at a North Area Command Block Captain’s Training session. Residents of all sections of the city are welcome to hear about the mechanics of neighborhood watch groups.

Wednesday, June 30, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m .
Neighborhood Watch, Quarterly Block Captain’s Training
Sparr Height Community Center
1613 Glencoe Way
Glendale, CA 91208

The meeting will focus on participation in National Night Out, with additional information on:

Quarterly North Command Crime Statistics
Home Security
Glendale Fire CERT

Please RSVP to Officer Matt Zakarian
MZakarian@ci.glendale.ca.us

Inspirational comedienne Kathy Buckley will perform at the Heroes’ Way No Limits Children’s Performing Ensemble for one night only, this Saturday at 7:30pm at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, benefiting No Limits national outreach educational program for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

The grand opening of the Art from the Ashes exhibition, organized by Joy Feuer and others to showcase the work of local artists, is at 5 p.m. Saturday; proceeds from art sales will benefit the rehabilitation of Deukmejian Wilderness Park. The exhibition is at the planned future home of the Museum of Neon Art on South Brand Boulevard in Glendale and will run through July 24th.

Body and Sold, a documentary play based on interviews with trafficking survivors, is being staged by Soroptimist International’s Glendale chapter for one night only this Saturday, 7 p.m. at the Glendale Community College Auditorium. Proceeds of the event will benefit organizations working to end human trafficking and help survivors.

He urged the large audience in Glendale that night to buy copies of his book instead of borrowing it, as all proceeds support Homeboy Industries. He also questioned public priorities, such as a new endowment for the Museum of Contemporary Art, the preservation of the Hollywood sign, and funding for animal shelters, while people struggling to leave a life of crime get little attention or help.

Two days later, Homeboy Industries announced it had to lay off most of its staff, although its core businesses will remain open. The next day, at the Los Angeles Public Library, Father Boyle echoed the talking points above (from LAist):

“The question for our city is really, who are we wiling to rescue?” Boyle continued with observations about other things saved by the public, like the Hollywood Sign and local art. “We are willing to rescue the Museum of Contemporary Art — I love MOCA — but $30 million and $30 million matched, and we both sounded the alarm at the same time, that’s a $60 million endowment. That’s not city, county, state, that’s people. And trust me, no animal shelter in L.A. County will ever be in danger of closing its doors, ever. And I don’t begrudge that, I think that’s fine, but it says as a society that a Warhol, the Hollywood Sign and a puppy are worth more than the 12,000 human beings like Louis who walk through our doors every year. That doesn’t get me angry, that just gets me sad, but that’s the way it is.”

The lagging support for Homeboy Industries in comparison with other LA charities was mentioned again by Tim Rutten in Saturday’s LA Times. Father Boyle’s question is a fair one: What matters more, current icons or living souls?