Home Care In Sierra Madre, CA

From leaky faucets to burst pipes, hiring a Thumbtack professional is the fast and easy way to handle all your plumbing needs.

As a homeowner, plumbing probably doesn’t cross your mind much until there’s a problem. But when your faucet won’t stop dripping, your toilet is clogged or a burst pipe causes flooding, finding a plumber to come to the rescue quickly is an absolute necessity. Fortunately, Thumbtack, a home services app used by millions, has Sierra Madre residents covered.

Thumbtack connects homeowners with local professionals, including top-rated plumbers. When you need a plumbing professional to repair faulty fixtures, clear drain blockages, replace damaged pipes, or handle any other plumbing need, Thumbtack makes it simple to find and hire a plumber in the Sierra Madre area.

Whether the result of a natural disaster or a burst pipe, an emergency plumbing situation can occur at any time. Because of both the danger of standing water and the cost of cleaning up a flood, it’s important to immediately attend to your situation — and fortunately, there are plumbers who are available to handle your emergency plumbing needs. The average cost of emergency plumbing services in Los Angeles is $194.39, according to data obtained by Thumbtack.*

Stubborn clogs in sinks, toilets, or showers can eventually lead to pipe and drain issues. Plumbers have specialized tools to repair drains, clear blockages and ensure water flows freely. The average cost of plumbing drain repair in Los Angeles is $167.44, according to data obtained by Thumbtack.*

There are also several reasons you might need new pipes. Old water pipes can wear out and spring a leak, causing thousands of dollars of damage to your home. You also might need new pipes as part of a remodel or an addition to your house. The average cost of plumbing pipe installation or replacement in Los Angeles is $436.72, according to data obtained by Thumbtack.*

Find out what's happening in Sierra Madrewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Once your plumbing needs are handled, you can use Thumbtack to connect with other pros in the Sierra Madre area to complete virtually any home task. You can hire a house cleaner, electrician, landscaper, and more to help you tackle that to-do list.

Each professional on Thumbtack has a profile, allowing you to read reviews, see how many times they’ve been hired by others, and see how long they’ve been in business. You can contact pros and request free cost estimates, allowing you to compare prices and choose the professional that best fits your budget.

Whether you need services from a plumber or any other professional in the Sierra Madre area, Thumbtack is the way to go.

*Pricing data is based on projects requested on Thumbtack in the past 24 months as reported directly by the independent service professional or individual consumer. These figures are provided for educational purposes only and are subject to change at any time due to various factors. Details about your specific project and local rates can impact costs.

The latest attempt to stop the construction of a 17-acre, 42-unit housing development in the Sierra Madre hillside has failed at the ballot box.

In a May 9 special election, Sierra Madre residents voted 54.9% in favor of Measure M, allowing the controversial Meadow at Bailey Canyons project to finally move forward, according to the L.A. County Registrar’s Office.

For years, officials for the Congregation of the Passion, Mater Dolorosa Community, which owns the property, have been trying to offload to a developer a portion of their 88-acre site just south of Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center and across from the Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park.

However, a contingent of residents have — until now — been able to halt the project, concerned about increased traffic, aesthetics, wildlife protection, and the effect on the water supply.

Following a 2020 initial memorandum of understanding between the church and city, the project was officially approved in September 2022 after several contentious public hearings, and ultimately included some concessions from the developer like public easements, a 3-acre public park, and payments for public safety and water supply impacts.

The special election ballot measure asked voters whether the city should uphold that approval.

Even before the project became official, citizen groups opposed to the development previously tried to prevent the Meadows project by circulating an initiative to change the church’s land-use designation from “Institutional” to “Hillside Management.”

That effort, which culminated in the citywide referendum Measure HR last November, would have required new homes on the site be built on a minimum of two acres, thereby limiting the property’s development potential and essentially ending the project.

Measure HR was ultimately voted down by residents, with 59% opposing the change.

As of Wednesday evening, Measure H was winning out in the polls by 321 votes, with 1,795 affirmative votes to 1,474 ‘no’ votes.

Though the initial vote tallies have been released, ballot counts are considered incomplete and unofficial until the official canvass is complete and the election is certified, which is expected May 19.

Results will be updated through next week at https://results.lavote.gov.

After multiple, years-long battles over the development, Sierra Madre residents will now have a chance to decide what will happen to a hillside, 17-acre parcel owned by the Congregation of the Passion, Mater Dolorosa Community.

The congregation and the city have been trying to complete the sale and development of a 42-unit housing project just south of the Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center and across from the Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park, with community groups trying to stop it.

Here’s what you need to know about the controversial development before its May 9 special election.

How did this controversy start?

For years the church has wanted to sell the southern portion of their roughly 80-acre property, which is anchored by the 23-acre retreat center, with hillside wildlife to the north and undeveloped land to the south.

In 2020, the city of Sierra Madre and the church approved a memorandum of understanding that would construct 42 single-family detached residential units on the property, with a donation of a 3-acre public park and dedication of open land on the north side to the city.

Following several public hearings and community meetings, the project — The Meadow at Bailey Canyons — was eventually approved in September 2022 amid public backlash.

Wasn’t this opposed and voted on already?

Throughout the two-year-long approval process, residents pushed back against the development, claiming it would harm the environment and would clash with the character of the quiet and subdued community.

Even before the project was officially approved, citizen groups circulated an initiative that would change the church’s land-use designation from “Institutional” to “Hillside Management,” which would, among other changes, require new homes to be built on a minimum of two acres, thereby limiting the site’s development potential and essentially ending the project.

That effort last summer culminated in Measure HR, a citywide referendum on the 2022 November Election ballot to change the land use, that was ultimately voted down with a 59% “no” vote.

The upcoming Measure M initiative — which asks Sierra Madre residents whether the city should move forward with the approved project — was developed simultaneously.

Was there a lawsuit about misleading information?

Supporters on both sides of the issue have accused the other of using misleading arguments and spreading misinformation when advocating about both measures.

Before the Measure HR vote last year, a lawsuit brought by those opposing the development alleged the official arguments used in election materials by the other side were overstated and misleading. The suit ended with a judgment partly in favor of the plaintiffs opposing the development, though to most, the wording change ordered by the ruling would seem insubstantial.

According to the September 2022 Los Angeles Superior Court ruling, the Measure HR supporters had to amend their claim from:

“With the recent change in state law, SB 9, a developer could build as many as 68 units with limited design approval by the City,” to:

“With the recent change in state law, SB 9, as many as 68 units ultimately could be built with limited design approval by the City.”

The change was meant to represent the additional steps a developer would have to take to maximize the units constructed, the ruling states.

Will a “no” vote allow more development this time?

A central argument for Measure M supporters this time around is that the land will be developed no matter what, and The Meadows project represents the best possible outcome for the city and residents with its negotiated concessions.

Their official election arguments claim that due to the wording of the referendum — which seeks to overturn the project’s specific plan, zoning map amendment, development agreement and approval ordinance, but keeps in place a resolution allowing residential development — a “no” vote would open the door for even larger developments to take its place.

The project developer, New Urban West, submitted a similar project with 50 residential units, including very low income units, that seeks to take advantage of state builder’s remedy laws for approval should The Meadows not move forward.

While its true that the city would have to process any other project applications should The Meadows project fail, like in the Measure HR lawsuit, its not a given that any new project would meet the requirements for approval with more units.

How do I vote?

Sierra Madre residents can vote in person at the following vote centers starting Saturday, April 29 until 8 p.m. Election Day, May 9:

Mail-in ballots have been sent out to Sierra Madre voters. Beginning Saturday, April 29 voters were able to return their completed ballot with no postage required to:

The last day to register to vote in the election is April 24. Though initial vote tallies will be available after polls close, results will be unofficial until certified on May 19.

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

The number of bears sightings, break-ins and close encounters is growing in a Sierra Madre community, leaving residents on edge.

Locals and city officials said bear attacks are becoming too common and they’re concerned it’s only a matter of time before an encounter turns deadly.

City leaders said they’re trying to create a plan that will make residents feel safer while also protecting the wild bears.

Video from recent encounters shows bears of all sizes being spotted, with some clawing their way inside a kitchen or taking a dip in a backyard pool.

“It’s more than a nuisance,” Glenn Lambdin, Former Sierre Madre mayor. “And it has already gone into the danger zones. I think we’re sitting on a time bomb that’s going to explode and we don’t know when.”

Lambdin experienced two close encounters himself after bears broke into his home last year.

The city council is considering a resolution to get the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to enhance its policies to better manage the black bear population along the foothill communities. But some are questioning whether those policies are enough.

“Sierra Madre has had four attacks on humans since 2016,” said Lambdin. “It’s the highest concentration of attacks anywhere in the state of California.”

A recent attack left one homeowner and his dog injured after a mother bear was defending her cub. Fish and wildlife crews were forced to use a tranquilizer to subdue the animals.

“Unfortunately there have been attacks in the city of Sierra Madre,” said Rebecca Barboza, a fish and wildlife biologist.

Barboza said most of the attacks are food-related, involving humans who are feeding the bears. To solve the growing issue, she said humans must learn to better co-exist with bears.

“Eradicating the bear population is not a feasible endeavor,” said Barboza. “If you remove bears from the equation, then they’re just going to fill in from all the other communities that have bears as well as forests because bears see our urban areas as prime habitat.”

“You can imagine the impact when these bears are coming into our homes, into our schools and it’s only a matter of time until our children are possibly mauled,” said Lambdin.

Councilmembers said they aim to put pressure on fish and wildlife officials as well as state lawmakers for action to reduce the bear population.

After three years of contention, Sierra Madre voters next month will finally decide the fate of a controversial housing development planned near a hillside monastery.

The city will hold a special election May 9 where Sierra Madre residents will determine whether The Meadow at Bailey Canyons — a 42-unit, 17-acre project just south of Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center and across from the Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park — will move forward.

The project was first outlined in an April 2020 memorandum of understanding between the city and the Congregation of the Passion, Mater Dolorosa Community, which owns the property. Despite backlash from residents about traffic, wildfire protection and water supply, the project was approved last September, with concessions such as public easements, a 3-acre public park, a payments for public safety and water supply impacts.

However, a citizen-initiated referendum, Measure M, brought forward in January will take the issue directly to the voters with the following single question to vote on:

“Shall City Council Ordinance No. 1461 approving a zoning map amendment, a specific plan, and a development agreement for The Meadows at Bailey Canyon project located at 700 North Sunnyside Avenue in Sierra Madre be adopted?”

Backers of The Meadow, who support Measure M, including the Sierra Madre City Council, say voting for the project would actually minimize development.

They claim the way the referendum was written, the ordinance approving the project would be repealed if the opposing side prevails but the resolution allowing general residential development in the area would remain intact, opening the door for larger projects to take its place.

“If Measure M fails, the City will be required to process the application for a 50-home development at the Meadows property,” the Yes on M argument reads. “A no vote opens the door for that 50-home development, which will be subject to only 5 public meetings and could eliminate the benefits the City negotiated for the Meadows project.”

However those opposing Measure M say the project will harm the environment and disturb the surrounding communities.

“Instead of abiding by the rules that apply to the rest of us, an exclusive “Special Plan” governs the project,” the No on M argument states. “Thus, the developer can pack large, multimillion-dollar houses on small lots that are not affordable for most families.”

Mail-in ballots have been sent out to Sierra Madre voters. Beginning Saturday, April 29 voters can return their completed ballot with no postage required to:

People can track their ballot with Where’s My Ballot? – a free subscription that sends automatic notifications by text, email, or voicemail on the status of your ballot.