by Joyce Amaro, President
Spring is a time of new beginnings. So, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new president of Alhambra Preservation Group. APG’s former president Christine Olson retired earlier this year after the death of her wife, Lisa Selje. We are so very thankful to Chris for her many years of service to Alhambra and Alhambra Preservation Group. And, while Chris will not be serving in an official capacity, she has expressed the desire to serve APG and its board in an advisory role. We welcome and appreciate her expertise, wisdom and knowledge.
APG members and supporters who are acquainted with me know that I’m no stranger to Alhambra nor the Alhambra Preservation Group. My husband Oscar co-founded the organization with Kathy Hildreth in 2002, and I was a member of the board of directors when APG became a non-profit organization in 2007. I have lived in the San Gabriel Valley my entire life, having grown up in Monterey Park and graduated from Alhambra High School. Oscar and I have resided in Alhambra since 1998. We bought and restored our 1912 Craftsman home in Alhambra’s Ramona Park area in 2000. I’ve been an integral part of APG’s various educational events and activities, from creating and organizing home tours and candidates’ forums to assisting with APG’s annual summer ice cream socials and Heritage Awards.
I am immensely proud of Alhambra Preservation Group’s accomplishments and growth since its founding, moving from a small group of committed and passionate residents seeking change to an organization boasting a membership of more than 100 households. I hope to continue growing APG as we keep moving towards our ultimate goal of Alhambra adopting a preservation ordinance. In case you missed it, the Alhambra Source did a great article on Alhambra Preservation Group and the state of preservation efforts in Alhambra earlier this spring.
We have a very busy year ahead of us! You’ll recognize many of APG’s signature events but look for them to feature new ideas and new twists. I welcome you to join us at 11:00 a.m. at the Gamble House on Sunday, May 15 for the free Museums of the Arroyo day. It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other better and tour a national treasure. APG’s official events will begin in June and continue through the summer and fall with activities focusing on the release of Alhambra’s new General Plan, the election of two new City Council members, and APG’s annual Heritage Awards.
I look forward with enthusiasm to the coming year and am honored to be leading Alhambra Preservation Group – an organization building community and affecting positive change in Alhambra, the city I proudly call home.
The Prose of Preservation 
So happy to know that the APG is going to bat for historic preservation in our city. About 2.5 years ago, I was introduced to the then-City Council president at an event at Cal State L.A. During our conversation, I mentioned that I’m deeply disappointed that the city does nothing positive about historic preservation. (This was shortly after I read the A-F grades for many L.A. County cities in an article.) He poo-pooed the idea by saying, “Well, if we give money to that. we’ll have to deny some other worthy cause.” Needless to say, I voted for his opponent when he came up for re-election. Unfortunately, he beat his opponent, but by a small margin. We need to rid the City Council of its members, who seem to treat the council as their own personal fiefdom. From all that I can see (and yes, I have attended meetings and plan to be there on July 25), they believe that they can do whatever they want to do without consulting the voters. We need to elect people who will work for the good of out city and ALL of its citizens.