San Marino News, CA Local News

San Marino man accused of intentionally driving truck into Black Lives Matters protest freed on $10-million bond

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 19:30:10 +0000

A San Marino man accused of intentionally driving a truck into a crowd of Pasadena Black Lives Matter protesters and charged with conspiring to violate firearms laws will be released after his parents put up a $10-million property bond and he surrendered his stock of firearms, authorities said.

U.S. Dist. Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson signed an order that Benjamin Jong Ren Hung, who is accused of collecting weapons and building a training camp for civil disorder, will be placed on electronic monitoring and subject to drug testing after his release once federal authorities take control of the bond and an array of firearms discovered at his homes in San Marino and Lodi.

Hung drove a Dodge Ram truck flying three large flags related to right-wing extremist groups — a “Thin Blue Line” flag, a Gadsden “Don’t Tread on Me” yellow flag, and an original 13 states “Betsy Ross” American flag — into the crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters in the Old Pasadena shopping district in May, prosecutors said.

In court documents, federal prosecutors have shown Hung’s ties to anti-government extremists and his discussions about targeting Black Lives Matters protesters. Hung’s family owns a winery in Lodi and a recreation vehicle park in Oregon. Records showed Hung was still in the federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles on Friday morning.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

Take a peek into the Huntington Library’s expanded Chinese Garden

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 11:08:11 +0000

Jagged rock formations and miniature potted trees accent the newly expanded Chinese Garden at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

The garden occupies 15 acres on the 207-acre grounds of the Huntington, a research institution in an upscale residential neighborhood of San Marino.

The Huntington opened 11.5 of those acres to the public for the first time this month after declaring its third and final phase of construction complete.

Susan Holman of Pasadena called the expansion fabulous. She and two friends enjoyed the variety within the garden.

“It ties in so beautifully with what’s been here for years,” she said. “To have this huge, huge space that’s been transformed over the last 20 years is just extraordinary.”

The garden is much more than a collection of plants, according to curator Philip Bloom. It is history and poetry and art.

Here’s what visitors can expect.

A glimpse of the past

The Chinese Garden is also called the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, or Liu Fang Yuan. It is modeled after gardens created during the Ming Dynasty in the city of Sozhou, a city near Shanghai in eastern China.

New sections of the garden expand it beyond the 3.5-acre lake that opened in 2008. A mosaic pathway leads from the lake up a ridge to a series of courtyards on the west.

To the north is new museum space in buildings modeled after the Ming Dynasty, which lasted from the 14th to the 17th century.

The expansion, like earlier phases of construction, was a collaboration between local workers and architects and artisans from China.

Big rocks and small trees

The section west of the lake is called Verdant Microcosm. It is decorated with limestone rocks imported from the bed of a lake near Suzhou. Small rocks accent pathways through the garden. Larger rocks are positioned like sculptures and some feature reproductions of Chinese calligraphy.

In contrast to the rocks, miniature potted trees are on display throughout the courtyard. They are called penjing and are similar to Japanese bonsai.

Dramatic views

The high point of the expansion, literally, is the Stargazing Tower, a north-facing pavilion that looks down at the lake and up at the San Gabriel Mountains. It is named for its view of the Mount Wilson Observatory, not for the ability to see stars because the Huntington isn’t open at night.

Room for the arts

To the north of the lake is a reproduction of a Ming Dynasty art studio, an art gallery and a restaurant with counter service. Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the interior spaces aren’t expected to open until May 2021.

More to come

Bloom anticipates art exhibitions, monthly horticulture lectures, and concerts in the garden when pandemic restrictions ease.

Admittance to the Huntington is currently limited to guests who make advance reservations online and submit to a temperature check on arrival.

The Huntington is known for many other things, including the early 20th century Japanese Garden south of the Chinese Garden.

There are also several other gardens; a world-famous research center with a collection of rare books and manuscripts; and an art collection that includes “The Blue Boy,” an 18th century painting by Thomas Gainsborough that has undergone a years-long restoration and is back on the wall in the Huntington mansion, waiting for visitors to return.

Only the grounds, a gift shop and cafeteria are currently open.

If you go

Where: 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday; closed Tuesday

Admission: $25-$29 for non-members; $21-$24 for seniors, military and students; $13 for youth age 4-11

Reservations: huntington.org

Take a peek into the Huntington Library’s expanded Chinese Garden

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 11:08:08 +0000

Jagged rock formations and miniature potted trees accent the newly expanded Chinese Garden at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

The garden occupies 15 acres on the 207-acre grounds of the Huntington, a research institution in an upscale residential neighborhood of San Marino.

The Huntington opened 11.5 of those acres to the public for the first time this month after declaring its third and final phase of construction complete.

Susan Holman of Pasadena called the expansion fabulous. She and two friends enjoyed the variety within the garden.

“It ties in so beautifully with what’s been here for years,” she said. “To have this huge, huge space that’s been transformed over the last 20 years is just extraordinary.”

The garden is much more than a collection of plants, according to curator Philip Bloom. It is history and poetry and art.

Here’s what visitors can expect.

A glimpse of the past

New sections of the garden expand it beyond the 3.5-acre lake that opened in 2008. A mosaic pathway leads from the lake up a ridge to a series of courtyards on the west.

To the north is new museum space in buildings modeled after the Ming Dynasty, which lasted from the 14th to the 17th century.

The expansion, like earlier phases of construction, was a collaboration between local workers and architects and artisans from China.

Big rocks and small trees

In contrast to the rocks, miniature potted trees are on display throughout the courtyard. They are called penjing and are similar to Japanese bonsai.

Dramatic views

Room for the arts

More to come

Bloom anticipates art exhibitions, monthly horticulture lectures, and concerts in the garden when pandemic restrictions ease.

Admittance to the Huntington is currently limited to guests who make advance reservations online and submit to a temperature check on arrival.

The Huntington is known for many other things, including the early 20th century Japanese Garden south of the Chinese Garden.

Only the grounds, a gift shop and cafeteria are currently open.

If you go

Where: 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday; closed Tuesday

Admission: $25-$29 for non-members; $21-$24 for seniors, military and students; $13 for youth age 4-11

Reservations: huntington.org

No bail for San Marino man accused of driving truck into crowd of Pasadena protesters

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 13:40:19 +0000

LOS ANGELES — A San Gabriel Valley man accused of driving a truck loaded with weapons into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators in Old Town Pasadena will remain behind bars to await trial, a federal judge ruled Monday.

Benjamin Jong Ren Hung presents a danger to the community and no combination of conditions could be ordered to ensure he would not be a potential threat to others, U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Donahue determined.

Hung, 28, of San Marino, is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines and to make a false statement in acquisition of firearms.

Hung drove his white Dodge Ram — adorned with flags associated with far-right extremist groups — at the crowd of about 150 protesters who had been chanting, “Black lives matter here” on May 31, federal agents allege in a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court.

The demonstrators scattered as the truck accelerated toward them, and no injuries were reported in the incident.

Authorities seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition allegedly belonging to Benjamin Jong Ren Hung of San Marino, who is charged with driving a pickup truck into a group a protesters on May 31, 2020, in Old Town Pasadena. (Photo courtesy of US District Court for Central California)

At his initial court appearance last week, Hung was ordered detained pending the detention hearing Monday to determine his bail status. Hung’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 15, and a trial date has not yet been set.

According to bystander video and witness interviews, Hung’s truck bore an Oregon license plate that read, “WAR R1G,” prosecutors said. It was also modified with an elevated suspension, large tires, and an enhanced exhaust pipe, which expelled a large plume of black smoke as it accelerated into the crowd, the complaint states.

At the time of the incident, the truck was also flying three large flags: a “Thin Blue Line” flag, a Gadsden “Don’t Tread on Me” yellow flag, and an original 13 states “Betsy Ross” American flag, prosecutors said.

During a search of the vehicle, police found a loaded semiautomatic handgun, multiple high-capacity magazines loaded with ammunition, an 18-inch machete, $3,200 in cash, a long metal pipe and a megaphone, the complaint states.

Smoke is seen coming from a pickup truck that allegedly drove into the crowd during a Black Lives Matter protest on May 31, 2020, in Old Town Pasadena. The truck’s owner, San Marino resident Benjamin Jong Ren Hung, 28, faces federal charges of conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines and making a false statement in acquisition of firearms. The vehicle allegedly contained a loaded gun and multiple high-capacity magazines of ammunition. (Image from KTLA5 video)

Prosecutors allege Hung used his family’s vineyard in Lodi as a tactical training camp and gun range “to prepare for civil disorders.”

Hung and his associates “communicated regularly about his plans to stockpile firearms to prepare for civil disorders,” the complaint alleges. The messages appeared to escalate in early March at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the far-right movement began to propagate the theory that the virus was a hoax, the document states.

One of Hung’s neighbors in San Marino described seeing the defendant on muliple occasions “wearing military-like camouflage, military fatigues, and carrying a gray tactical vest,” prosecutors said.

Along with the vineyard — whose business name is 157 California Reserve Inc. — Hung’s parents own and operate an RV park in Bend, Oregon, according to the complaint.

If convicted, Hung would face up to five years in federal prison.

No bail for San Marino man accused of driving truck into crowd of Pasadena protesters

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 13:40:17 +0000

Hung, 28, of San Marino, is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines and to make a false statement in acquisition of firearms.

The demonstrators scattered as the truck accelerated toward them, and no injuries were reported in the incident.

Prosecutors allege Hung used his family’s vineyard in Lodi as a tactical training camp and gun range “to prepare for civil disorders.”

Along with the vineyard — whose business name is 157 California Reserve Inc. — Hung’s parents own and operate an RV park in Bend, Oregon, according to the complaint.

If convicted, Hung would face up to five years in federal prison.

Huntington Library acquires painting of 18th century British actress

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 05:23:46 +0000

SAN MARINO >> The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens announced Wednesday, Sept. 23, that it has acquired a newly discovered painting by American-born artist John Singleton Copley depicting Mary Robinson, one of Britain’s most famous actresses of the late 18th century.

The Huntington also announced it has acquired works by British artists Alice Mary Chambers (1855-1920) and Madeline Green (1884-1947), and a set of screen prints by R.B. Kitaj (1932-2007), who, like Copley, was born in America and worked in England.

In addition, longtime Art Collectors’ Council members Hannah and Russel Kully purchased as a promised gift for The Huntington a portrait by 19th century British artist and designer Edward Burne-Jones of the artist’s daughter, had been kept in the family since it was painted around 1888.

The acquisitions were funded by The Huntington collectors’ council at its annual meeting last month.

“This year we cover 200 years of British art history and bridge the Atlantic, celebrating the interconnected web of American and British art,” said Christina Nielsen, director of the Art Museum at The Huntington.

“In this group are masterpieces, rarities, works by underrecognized female artists and works that tie together different collection areas at The Huntington in intriguing ways,” she said. “Together, they amplify our collection’s strengths and further its reach into the 20th century, all thanks to the generosity of our Art Collectors’ Council.”

The painting of Robinson, completed in 1780, is a cabinet portrait that was perhaps commissioned by an admirer of the actress, who was also known for being the mistress of the Prince of Wales, later George IV.

Lost for generations until it was sold in 1999 at auction as a French painting of an unknown sitter, the newly identified work portrays Robinson in her role as Oriana in George Farquhar’s comedy “The Inconstant; or The Way to Win Him,” which she performed on the London stage in the spring of 1780.

In the course of the play, Robinson’s character engages in a series of ruses — dressing as a nun, feigning madness, and finally disguising herself as a pageboy — to win the heart of her love interest. The portrait of Robinson in a nun’s habit was painted several years after Copley, a leading portraitist in colonial America, moved from Boston to London to test his skills at the Royal Academy.

Around the same time, the actress, then at the height of her career, also sat for four of Copley’s professional rivals — Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, George Romney and John Hoppner.

Burne-Jones was among the most influential artists of his day, according to The Huntington. A friend and collaborator of William Morris, he was a designer of stained glass, decorated furniture and textiles as well as a painter associated with both the Pre-Raphaelites and the Aesthetic Movement.

Hundreds of working drawings relating to his design accomplishments are held at The Huntington, as well as a popular installation in the Huntington Art Gallery, a two-story-high stained glass window that he designed for the Unitarian Chapel in Heywood, Lancashire, around 1898.

The portrait of Burne-Jones’ daughter, last owned by the sitter’s great-granddaughter, has never been exhibited or published. It will go on view in the Huntington Art Gallery alongside other works from the British Design Reform period.

Huntington Library acquires painting of 18th century British actress

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 05:23:44 +0000

The acquisitions were funded by The Huntington collectors’ council at its annual meeting last month.

Around the same time, the actress, then at the height of her career, also sat for four of Copley’s professional rivals — Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, George Romney and John Hoppner.

Man accused of driving pickup into crowd of demonstrators in Pasadena is arrested on firearms charges

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 19:11:27 +0000

A man who allegedly drove his truck into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators on May 31 in Pasadena was arrested Wednesday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with conspiring to violate firearms laws.

Benjamin Jong Ren Hung, 28, of San Marino, is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines and to make a false statement in acquisition of firearms.

At his initial appearance Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court, Hung was ordered detained pending a hearing Monday to determine his bail status.

Hung’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 15, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Pasadena Police Department officers arrested Hung on May 31 after the allegedly intentional attempted truck attack in Old Town Pasadena.

The crowd scattered as the truck approached, and no injuries were reported in the incident, the affidavit states.

During a search of Hung’s truck, police found a loaded semiautomatic handgun, multiple high-capacity magazines loaded with ammunition, an 18-inch machete, $3,200 in cash, a long metal pipe and a megaphone, according to the affidavit.

Hung allegedly acquired the firearm from a friend who purchased it for him in Oregon and then transported it to California, prosecutors said.

When the friend purchased the firearm, he falsely represented that he was the actual transferee of the gun, rather than Hung, the affidavit states.

Hung and his friend then allegedly conspired to transport the firearm to California, where Hung kept it at his San Marino home prior to bringing it to the demonstration.

The affidavit further alleges that in March, Hung purchased at least three additional firearms in Oregon and then transported them to California.

Hung also allegedly amassed other firearms and tactical equipment from suppliers throughout the United States and used his family’s vineyard in Lodi, California as a training camp to prepare to engage in civil disorders, prosecutors said.

If convicted, Hung would face up to five years in federal prison.

The May 31 protest was also marked by an incident in which a sedan driver drove through an intersection filled with protesters, and took off with a man still clinging to the hood. A man with a green sign was stuck on the hood until the driver stopped.

Bicycle sales and repairs are skyrocketing, creating shortages and waiting lists

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 08:31:17 +0000

On a recent July day, Andrew Yip dragged nine old bicycles from his garage and listed them for sale on a mobile platform called OfferUp.

What was intended as a summer quarantine project lasted just six hours — the time it took to sell all nine to separate buyers. From college students to transplanted Europeans to a man who drove from Santa Clarita, the buyers came to his Hacienda Heights home almost immediately. All nine bicycles were gone before sundown.

“It was amazing,” said Yip, a cycling enthusiast. “People came nonstop and picked up the bikes. All told me they were having a hard time finding bikes.”

The Los Angeles Chargers’ Gabe Nabers (40) and Joshua Kelley (27) run drills during practice in Costa Mesa, CA on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Los Angeles Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert runs a play during practice in Costa Mesa, CA on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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In the coronavirus pandemic, bicycles are selling as quickly as toilet paper did in the first weeks of the outbreak. And due to rocketing demand and supply chain disruptions, bicycles are now becoming as hard to find as Clorox wipes and jigsaw puzzles.

In the United States, cycling sales are through the roof. And the bike explosion is occurring throughout the world, especially in the Philippines, Italy and Great Britain.

In April, U.S. sales of traditional bikes, indoor bikes, parts and other accessories grew a combined 75%, according to NPD Group, a national retail sales tracking firm. April sales as compared to April 2019 crested $1 billion — doubling the typical April number for the first time ever, said NPD.

Bicycles were purchased for family use and neighborhood rides. NPD reported a 203% increased in year-over-year sales of basic adult bikes priced around $200, while sales of children’s bikes increased by 107%. As gyms and schools closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, more and more people cooped up during the pandemic took to bike riding as a socially distanced way to exercise.

In June, bicycle aisles at big box stores such as Walmart and Target were empty, the Associated Press reported. In mid-August, Yip went to the Target store in Rosemead and found the same thing: Zero bikes for sale.

As lower-priced bikes became harder to find, more expensive bikes began selling.

NPD noticed a shift to higher-end bikes selling at $1,000 or more, according to an Aug. 19 report. High performance road bikes were up 87% in June over last year, mountain bikes up 92%, gravel bikes up 144% and electric bikes up 190%.

An NPD report released Wednesday said bicycle sales from April 2020 to July 2020 increased by 81% from the prior year, while total sales from January to July topped $3.4 billion.

Trek Bicycles, one of the top three bicycle makers in the world, would not release its sales numbers. But Eric Bjorling, director of brands for the Wisconsin-based company, said Trek echoed the NPD numbers, with Trek experiencing “unprecedented” sales in 2020.

“At the beginning (of the pandemic), it was kids’ bikes. Kids were home and parents needed to find them something to do. Next were entry-level bikes, then mountain bikes, then high-end stuff took off in June and July,” Bjorling explained on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

The pandemic-fueled biking revolution can be measured best at individual bike stores, said Bjorling. And every store owner interviewed reported unprecedented sales increases followed by dwindling supplies.

Low inventory is the flip side of a bullish bike market. Just ask Heather Bryer, manager of Cyclery USA in Redlands. Sales doubled at her store in April, May and June. But now, pre-ordered mountain bikes, low-end road and hybrid bikes are not expected to arrive until early 2021, she said.

“What people want is what we don’t have,” Bryer said Wednesday.

Many bicycle makers — mostly in China and Taiwan — shut down factories in January and February when the coronavirus hit hard, resulting in a slowdown of up to four months for new bikes coming into the U.S.

Carlos Morales, owner of Stan’s Bike Shop in downtown Azusa in the San Gabriel Valley, said he felt guilty capitalizing on a deadly virus.

“I’ve sold more bikes these past five months than I’ve sold in eight years,” he said Tuesday as he waited in line at a distribution warehouse in El Monte to buy bicycle parts.

“Pretty much any bike I bring into the store gets sold. All the mountain bikes sell within a week. Next are the hybrid and children’s bikes,” Morales said.

Astronomical jumps in sales volumes told the story at Roy’s Cyclery in Upland, as well.

“We’ve seen a 300% increase (in sales) since the start of the pandemic. People just want to get outside and ride,” said Mike Nittel, owner.

In Costa Mesa, Jonathan Wilson, manager of Two Wheels, One Planet Bike Store, said adjusting to high demand while keeping customers in the parking lot and properly socially-distanced was tough.

“There was a line of people waiting to be assisted every day from mid-March to mid-April,” Wilson said.

Standing outside his shop, an old gasoline station converted into a bicycle/plants/sports apparel store in San Marino, was Danny Heeley, manager. The Cub House normally has 50 or more bikes on the showroom floor. On Thursday, they had seven.

Instead of relying on sales, they’ve shifted to customer bike repairs. Heeley hired Simon Kovara, considered one of the best bike mechanics in the region, according to Wes Reutiman, special program manager with Active SGV, formerly Bike SGV, a nonprofit promoting alternative transportation and bike safety.

During the early pandemic months, The Cub House had 150 bikes in for repairs during a week. Now that number is down to around five per day, Heeley said.

“Our mechanic was staying here until 2 in the morning to finish repairs,” Heeley said.

On Thursday, Tom Todd of Pasadena rolled his old road bike up to the outdoor check-in station. The bike had been collecting rust in his garage.

“I want to get it tuned up. My 26-year-old son is showing an interest in biking. It needs new tires and a new seat and brakes,” Todd said.

But repairs are being hampered by a shortage of tire tubes, brake pads and other parts, Heeley said. A three-week wait in June has come down at Cub House. Reutiman said it took a week to get the appointment for a tune-up to his bike and another week until completion.

Nittel at Roy’s in Upland said the turnaround time for a bike repair went from six weeks in the spring to about two weeks in September.

“Oh, yeah. People are taking that old bike from the garage and bringing them here,” he said.

“The family bike ride is back in a big way,” agreed Bjorling, who’s also noticed an increase in mountain biking league memberships among teenagers.

Garcia in Azusa said he was quick to order more parts in March, accommodating one- to two-day repair turnaround times in September. “I have 5,000 inner tubes in my store,” he said.

He’s adjusted his buying strategies, talking directly to Chinese companies. “This pandemic has taken me into different markets,” he said. But he says the increase in bicycle riding is a good thing for people and the environment.

“When someone buys a bike for their child or spouse, I can see it in their eyes. You can see the excitement,” Garcia said.

Bike store owners and manufacturing reps are often cycling enthusiasts themselves and they say they love what they are seeing. Many wonder whether the switch by commuters to bicycles as a zero-pollution option, or by kids who ride as an antidote to inactivity from playing video games, will last.

Bjorling said the pandemic is forcing people to examine their habits.

“What we would like to see after all of this is a world where people take their health and their contribution to the environment more seriously,” he said.

Bicycle sales and repairs are skyrocketing, creating shortages and waiting lists

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 08:31:16 +0000