La Cañada History: Foothill soaked, homes ordered evacuated in face of mudslide threats
Ten Years Ago
A third rainstorm in four days pounded the Foothills on Jan. 20, 2010 sending mud into local debris basins and prompting mandatory evacuation notices for 251 La Cañada homes in neighborhoods near hillsides that had been denuded during the 2009 Station fire. Additionally, residents of 224 homes in the unincorporated area of La Crescenta, 100 homes in the Glendale Annex and 53 homes in Acton were also ordered to evacuate. In LCF, 22% of those who had been told to evacuate opted to stay in their homes instead. Despite the soaking, no serious damages were reported in the city that week. But just over two weeks later, the story was different when the overfilled debris basins flooded and wreaked havoc, especially in the Paradise Valley area at the top of Ocean View Boulevard.
Twenty Years Ago
The city of La Cañada Flintridge appeared on a list of 23 cities under a state compliance order to reduce waste sent to landfills or face $10,000-a-day fines. This prompted the City Council to require residents to begin separating all of their yard trimmings from household waste before putting them curbside for the waste haulers.
Thirty Years Ago
At halftime of a Friday night basketball game, Charlie Stewart, Gaye McNeil, Kristin McQueen Conroy and John Paton were inducted into the La Cañada High School Hall of Fame for their athletic endeavors.
Forty Years Ago
A 24-year-old server working the counter at Lloyd’s Restaurant in La Cañada (where Hill Street Café operates today) was held up by a lone gunman on a Friday night in January 1980. The crime went down so quickly that patrons sitting just a few feet away had no idea it was underway. The suspect escaped with $750.
Fifty Years Ago
The La Cañada Chamber of Commerce and Community Assn. in January 1970 added “Flintridge” to its name to better reflect its membership, according to then-president Ozzie Cannon.
Sixty Years Ago
New rules for student discipline and conduct were put into effect by the La Cañada school board, including spankings that were to be administered “with a light hand or paddle.” Only principals or members of the district’s certified staff were to give spankings to children.
Compiled from the Valley Sun archives.
