- Brad Haugaard
Lining Up for Harry Potter
- Brad Haugaard
Rubber Duck Dunk / Old-Tech at Schools
Dunk a Duck ~ Santa Anita Family Y is having a Rubber Duck Dunk to support its Youth & Government Program this Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Y. Adopt a duck for $5 for a chance to win more than 20 prizes. http://goo.gl/FTwi9
Old Computers ~ Monrovia schools make do with old-tech. http://goo.gl/JmAs5
- Brad HaugaardMonrovia Police Report - Nov. 11 - 17
[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for November 11-17. - Brad Haugaard]
During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 495 service events, resulting in 102 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
Domestic Violence - Suspects Arrested
November 14 at 6:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in the 900 block of South Ivy regarding a domestic violence incident in progress. Through investigation, it was determined that the ex-husband of the victim and his new girlfriend arrived at the ex-wife's house to return their children. The ex-wife became angry and yelled obscenities at her ex-husband. The ex-husband exited his vehicle and threw his ex-wife to the ground and punched and kicked her. The new girlfriend also exited the vehicle and punched the ex-wife. Family members intervened and broke up the fight. The ex-wife sustained visible injuries to her face and body. The officers arrested the ex-husband for domestic violence and the new girlfriend was arrested for battery.
Mental Evaluation
November 14 at 8:12 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 1600 block of Pilgrim regarding an attempt suicide. The subject had a knife and had cut his wrists and arms. When Officers arrived, the subject had fled the location on foot. Containment of the area was set up and a helicopter was requested to assist in the search. The subject was located and a foot pursuit ensued. The subject was still holding the knife, but tossed it and attempted to jump over a residential wall to get away. The officer maintained a safe distance from the subject and deployed his taser, which had an immediate affect. The subject was apprehended without further incident. The subject was taken to a hospital to be treated for his self-inflicted injuries, which were determined to be superficial. He was held for a 72-hour mental evaluation.
Driving Under the Influence - Suspect Arrested
November 16 at 9:43 p.m., an officer observed a driver turn east off of Canyon into the westbound lanes of Huntington. The driver saw the officer and appeared to hesitate, stopping in the middle of the lanes. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle for driving the wrong way on a divided highway. The officer determined that the driver was driving under the influence. The driver was arrested. The driver's blood alcohol level was found to be more than twice the legal limit.
Grand Theft Auto
November 17 at 12:23 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Norumbega regarding a stolen vehicle. The victim was visiting in the area and came out to find her tan, 2001 Dodge Durango missing from in front of the home. Investigation continuing.
Grand Theft Auto
November 17 at 12:31 a.m., an officer responded to a business in the 800 block of West Huntington. An employee came out from work and discovered his white, 1990 Honda Accord had been stolen. Investigation continuing.
During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 495 service events, resulting in 102 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
Domestic Violence - Suspects Arrested
November 14 at 6:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in the 900 block of South Ivy regarding a domestic violence incident in progress. Through investigation, it was determined that the ex-husband of the victim and his new girlfriend arrived at the ex-wife's house to return their children. The ex-wife became angry and yelled obscenities at her ex-husband. The ex-husband exited his vehicle and threw his ex-wife to the ground and punched and kicked her. The new girlfriend also exited the vehicle and punched the ex-wife. Family members intervened and broke up the fight. The ex-wife sustained visible injuries to her face and body. The officers arrested the ex-husband for domestic violence and the new girlfriend was arrested for battery.
Mental Evaluation
November 14 at 8:12 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 1600 block of Pilgrim regarding an attempt suicide. The subject had a knife and had cut his wrists and arms. When Officers arrived, the subject had fled the location on foot. Containment of the area was set up and a helicopter was requested to assist in the search. The subject was located and a foot pursuit ensued. The subject was still holding the knife, but tossed it and attempted to jump over a residential wall to get away. The officer maintained a safe distance from the subject and deployed his taser, which had an immediate affect. The subject was apprehended without further incident. The subject was taken to a hospital to be treated for his self-inflicted injuries, which were determined to be superficial. He was held for a 72-hour mental evaluation.
Driving Under the Influence - Suspect Arrested
November 16 at 9:43 p.m., an officer observed a driver turn east off of Canyon into the westbound lanes of Huntington. The driver saw the officer and appeared to hesitate, stopping in the middle of the lanes. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle for driving the wrong way on a divided highway. The officer determined that the driver was driving under the influence. The driver was arrested. The driver's blood alcohol level was found to be more than twice the legal limit.
Grand Theft Auto
November 17 at 12:23 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Norumbega regarding a stolen vehicle. The victim was visiting in the area and came out to find her tan, 2001 Dodge Durango missing from in front of the home. Investigation continuing.
Grand Theft Auto
November 17 at 12:31 a.m., an officer responded to a business in the 800 block of West Huntington. An employee came out from work and discovered his white, 1990 Honda Accord had been stolen. Investigation continuing.
Alleys of Monrovia
Quite a few classic old vehicles (and other stuff) in the back alleys of Monrovia.
McCarthy UCLA Offer / AeroVironment / Decorated Tree / Miss Monrovia
McCarthy ~ Wildcat football player Ellis McCarthy has been offered a scholarship to play for UCLA. http://goo.gl/pDdb2
Electric Charging ~ Monrovia's AeroVironment is teaming up with NRG Energy, Inc. to build the first privately-funded, comprehensive electric vehicle charging ecosystem, which will be located in the Houston area. http://goo.gl/qeoGX Decorations ~ Library Park tree gets its Christmas clothes. http://goo.gl/IBP9PMiss Monrovia ~ Briana DeCoster will compete in the Miss California Pageant. http://goo.gl/nhqN9
- Brad HaugaardDiver / Sergeant / Council / MAP / Wilderness / Another Monrovia
Diver ~ University of Michigan signs Monrovian Emily Boyd to diving team. http://goo.gl/BjKnl
Sergeant Cleared ~ Monrovia police sergeant cleared of abuse allegations. http://goo.gl/cBt0n
City Council ~ The latest Monrovia City Council video is online. http://goo.gl/aQiRV
MAP Grads ~ Pix of the Monrovia Area Partnership (MAP) grads: http://goo.gl/dM85P Wilderness ~ Details on the new wilderness plan http://goo.gl/RsE1GThe Other Monrovia ~ Our namesake, Monrovia, Liberia, has its own unique form of news media. http://goo.gl/Bfbpj
- Brad HaugaardMid-Valley Champs? / Track Ready? / Pipe Corral
PREDICTION ~ Monrovia will be Mid-Valley Division champion. http://goo.gl/wtZEiTRACK WILL BE READY FOR GAME ~ Monrovia High's new track should be ready in time for Wildcats' first CIF game, against Gladstone. http://goo.gl/IsVSE PIPE CORRAL ~ There is not much left of the old cabin on the Ben Overturf trail, but this pipe corral has stood the test of time. http://goo.gl/Z6ROw- Brad Haugaard
Turkey / Maggie Clark
SPARE TURKEY? ~ Foothill Unity Center of Monrovia is distributing Thanksgiving food boxes to an unprecedented 1,400 low-income families next week and is still short 300 turkeys. "If you can donate a fresh or frozen bird, or a gift card for one, we'd be grateful if you could drop it off by 5 p.m. Friday at our Monrovia HQ, 415 W. Chestnut. (Feeling extra-sweet? We also need pies!)" Source: http://goo.gl/cz7OvMAYFLOWER TEACHER HONORED ~ Teacher Maggie Clark honored posthumously. http://goo.gl/Xz1e7- Brad Haugaard
Gardening / Dates
Monrovia-specific gardening tips. http://goo.gl/yaZtRHistory: Monrovia Date Packing. http://goo.gl/63WbB- Brad Haugaard
Football: Wildcats to Face Gladstone
In the CIF playoffs, Monrovia High faces Gladstone.
http://goo.gl/wPuub- Brad Haugaard
http://goo.gl/wPuub- Brad Haugaard
Football: Wildcats Rio Hondo Champs :-)
Wildcats take league championship with strong win over La Cañada.
http://goo.gl/MQ08d
http://goo.gl/NtoA3- Brad Haugaard
http://goo.gl/MQ08d
http://goo.gl/NtoA3- Brad Haugaard
Kidnapping Arrest / Volleyball Loss
Monrovia man arrested in kidnapping case. http://goo.gl/HI4RM
Wildcat volleyball team loses to La Reina. http://goo.gl/s1czA
- Brad Haugaard
Veterans Day
Veterans Day ceremony at Library Park. I'm a Cold War vet, so if you are planning a war I can recommend that as the best kind.
ReNEWabottle / Schools to Charge Rent / Nick Bueno
RECYCLED BOTTLE ~ Naked Juice, of Monrovia, is introducing a 100-percent post-consumer recycled plastic bottle for its fruit and vegetable juices. The company is calling it the "reNEWabottle" and estimates it will reduce new plastic consumption by 7.4 million pounds per year. http://goo.gl/Bplaz
RENTAL FEE ~ The Monrovia Unified School District plans to charge organizations for using its facilities. http://goo.gl/73tQR
NICK BUENO ~ A profile of Monrovia High School quarterback star Nick Bueno. http://goo.gl/qTQev
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Loses to Cerritos / Runner in Jennerstown / MHS Salutes Vets / Council Agenda
CERRITOS MOST BUSINESS FRIENDLY ~ Cerritos has been named the most business friendly city in LA County with a population under 60,000, beating out Monrovia, which was also a finalist. The award was given by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. http://goo.gl/nMdY5
RUNNER IN JENNERSTOWN ~ Monrovia lonnng-distance runner, 56-year-old John Radich, has passed through Jennerstown, Pennsylvania, in his quest to run from the Pacific to the Atlantic. He hopes to cool his feet in the Atlantic later this month. http://goo.gl/PTjUX
MONROVIA HIGH SALUTES VETS ~ California National Guard Captain Robert Parry raised a flag flown in Afghanistan over Monrovia High School. http://goo.gl/UHlv6
COUNCIL AGENDA ONLINE ~ The agenda for the November 16 City Council meeting is now online. You can see it here: http://goo.gl/t8ywD
One item on the agenda that caught my eye was a proposal to spend $8.3 million to make improvements to parks throughout Monrovia. I was amazed how much things cost. For example, at Canyon Park, for "Nature Center fencing and display repairs" and "Entry station exterior renovation," it would cost $150,000. Wow! However, it seems unlikely the renovations will proceed in the near future because the report indicates that: "Presently, there is insufficient funding to complete these projects...." http://goo.gl/0fYbs
- Brad Haugaard
RUNNER IN JENNERSTOWN ~ Monrovia lonnng-distance runner, 56-year-old John Radich, has passed through Jennerstown, Pennsylvania, in his quest to run from the Pacific to the Atlantic. He hopes to cool his feet in the Atlantic later this month. http://goo.gl/PTjUX
MONROVIA HIGH SALUTES VETS ~ California National Guard Captain Robert Parry raised a flag flown in Afghanistan over Monrovia High School. http://goo.gl/UHlv6
COUNCIL AGENDA ONLINE ~ The agenda for the November 16 City Council meeting is now online. You can see it here: http://goo.gl/t8ywD
One item on the agenda that caught my eye was a proposal to spend $8.3 million to make improvements to parks throughout Monrovia. I was amazed how much things cost. For example, at Canyon Park, for "Nature Center fencing and display repairs" and "Entry station exterior renovation," it would cost $150,000. Wow! However, it seems unlikely the renovations will proceed in the near future because the report indicates that: "Presently, there is insufficient funding to complete these projects...." http://goo.gl/0fYbs
- Brad Haugaard
Church Team Back from Mexico Orphanage
A team from First Presbyterian Church of Monrovia has returned safely from San Juan Bosco Orphanage in Tecate, Mexico, where team members painted the medical clinic, played with the children, gave the orphanage $700 and delivered several months worth of toiletries and cleaning supplies.
Source: http://goo.gl/2SdNE
- Brad Haugaard
Antonovich Warns of 'Rocky Future'
Michael Antonovich, the Los Angeles County Supervisor who represents Monrovia and much of the San Gabriel Valley, is warning that local governments may be in for serious trouble. On Twitter he writes this series of posts:
"California's projected deficit has ballooned to $25.4 billion -- a direct result of budget being built on a house of cards.
"This deficit will severely impact every county, city and school district in the state.
"We are all in for a rocky future -- especially if the state expects the federal gov't to come to its rescue by just printing money
"The State and all local gov'ts will be forced to review all labor agreements and commit to provide only funded mandated programs"
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Police Report - Nov. 4-9
[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for November 4-9. - Brad Haugaard]
During the last six day period, the Police Department handled 433 service events, resulting in 85 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
Vehicle Burglary
November 4 at 9:55 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 300 block of West Central on a vehicle burglary report. The victim, a perfume distributor, told the officer that someone had broken into his vehicle overnight and had stolen his perfume supply from his vehicle. The suspect smashed a rear window of the vehicle to gain entry. The victim's vehicle was parked in his complex.
Grand Theft Auto
November 4 at 10:56 a.m., an officer responded to the 100 block of North Fifth regarding a stolen vehicle. The victim reported his 2005, green, Ford truck was stolen during the night. The victim has accounted for all sets of keys.
Attempt Burglary
November 4 at 2:56 p.m., an officer went to the 300 block of West Duarte regarding an attempt burglary. The reporting party told the officer that someone had entered the laundry room and tried to break into the coin operated washers. It appears the suspect used some type of flat screwdriver or pry bar in their attempt. There was no loss other than the damage to the coin receptacles.
Burglary
October 5 at 7:50 a.m., an officer went to the 200 block of West Lemon on a burglary call. The victim told the officer she secured her garage at 10:30 p.m. and went in the house. She returned to the garage the next morning and saw the side door damaged. She looked around and discovered some miscellaneous items missing from her garage.
Grand Theft
October 5 at 2:19 p.m., an officer responded to the 300 block of North Bradoaks regarding a grand theft. The victim reported that he had three mini collectible firearms in a wooden display box stolen from his house last month. He believes they were taken by a person who came to the house to work on his cable television.
Vehicle Burglary
November 5 at 10:45 p.m., a female subject parked and secured her vehicle in a parking lot across from a bar in the 300 block of West Foothill. At approximately 2:30 a.m., the victim returned to her vehicle and discovered her right rear window was smashed and two purses had been taken from inside the vehicle.
Spousal Battery - Suspect Arrested
November 5 at 10:57 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the area of Fig and Ivy regarding a suspicious person. Upon arrival, the officer contacted a male subject who was standing in the intersection. His mouth was bleeding. The subject's wife was located west of the intersection.
The investigation revealed that the couple was driving westbound on the 210 Freeway, approaching the Myrtle off-ramp, when they got into a fight. As they exited the freeway, the wife jumped out of the vehicle and ran to the corner of Central and Ivy. The husband also exited the vehicle, chased her on foot and became physical with her. Approximately four to five citizens came out of a house to help the wife. One of the citizens punched the husband in the mouth and knocked him to the ground. All of the citizens returned to their home without further incident. The wife did not have visible injuries. The husband was arrested for spousal battery.
Warrants / Possession of Marijuana - Suspect Arrested
November 6 at 7:15 p.m., an officer observed a speeding motorist in the area of Myrtle and Live Oak. He was attempting to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle when the driver immediately stopped and let out a passenger, who fled on foot. The driver then continued on in the vehicle for a short distance, but then yielded at Live Oak and Tenth. The officer detained the driver at gunpoint until assisting officers from Monrovia and Arcadia Police Departments arrived. A subsequent investigation revealed the driver had outstanding warrants and a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle. The driver was also found to be a convicted child molester. He was arrested and taken into custody. The passenger was not apprehended and his identity is unknown.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon - Suspect Arrested
November 7 at 1:35 a.m., officers responded to a bar in the 300 block of South Myrtle regarding a fight in progress. Upon arrival, officers located a victim with a head injury. Witnesses provided a description of the suspect and the suspect vehicle, which was last seen southbound on Myrtle. The Foothill Air Support helicopter was monitoring the police frequency and responded to the area. The helicopter located the suspect vehicle entering the 210 Freeway, eastbound. Monrovia police units were able to catch up to the vehicle and officers conducted a high-risk stop on Azusa Avenue, south of the freeway. Officers from Azusa and Irwindale Police Departments arrived to assist and the suspect was taken into custody. The suspect had kicked the victim in the head when he was lying on the ground. The victim positively identified the suspect and he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.
Possession of a Controlled Substance - Suspect Arrested
November 8 at 9:23 p.m., officers were patrolling a park in the 400 block of North Grand when they observed seven subjects near the base of some stairs. They contacted the group and had additional officers respond. While questioning one subject, the officers noted that he appeared to have something in his mouth. Officers discovered he was attempting to conceal a baggie containing six foil-wrapped tabs of LSD. The officers were able to recover the evidence without incident and the subject was arrested.
Wanted Burglary Suspect Apprehended
Monrovia detectives issued a wanted person warrant for a burglary suspect. The suspect is also the subject of recent allegations of drug sales near Monrovia schools. On November 9 at approximately 1:30 a.m., an officer on patrol observed the wanted burglary suspect in the 300 block of Norumbega and was able to detain and arrest him.
During the last six day period, the Police Department handled 433 service events, resulting in 85 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
Vehicle Burglary
November 4 at 9:55 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 300 block of West Central on a vehicle burglary report. The victim, a perfume distributor, told the officer that someone had broken into his vehicle overnight and had stolen his perfume supply from his vehicle. The suspect smashed a rear window of the vehicle to gain entry. The victim's vehicle was parked in his complex.
Grand Theft Auto
November 4 at 10:56 a.m., an officer responded to the 100 block of North Fifth regarding a stolen vehicle. The victim reported his 2005, green, Ford truck was stolen during the night. The victim has accounted for all sets of keys.
Attempt Burglary
November 4 at 2:56 p.m., an officer went to the 300 block of West Duarte regarding an attempt burglary. The reporting party told the officer that someone had entered the laundry room and tried to break into the coin operated washers. It appears the suspect used some type of flat screwdriver or pry bar in their attempt. There was no loss other than the damage to the coin receptacles.
Burglary
October 5 at 7:50 a.m., an officer went to the 200 block of West Lemon on a burglary call. The victim told the officer she secured her garage at 10:30 p.m. and went in the house. She returned to the garage the next morning and saw the side door damaged. She looked around and discovered some miscellaneous items missing from her garage.
Grand Theft
October 5 at 2:19 p.m., an officer responded to the 300 block of North Bradoaks regarding a grand theft. The victim reported that he had three mini collectible firearms in a wooden display box stolen from his house last month. He believes they were taken by a person who came to the house to work on his cable television.
Vehicle Burglary
November 5 at 10:45 p.m., a female subject parked and secured her vehicle in a parking lot across from a bar in the 300 block of West Foothill. At approximately 2:30 a.m., the victim returned to her vehicle and discovered her right rear window was smashed and two purses had been taken from inside the vehicle.
Spousal Battery - Suspect Arrested
November 5 at 10:57 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the area of Fig and Ivy regarding a suspicious person. Upon arrival, the officer contacted a male subject who was standing in the intersection. His mouth was bleeding. The subject's wife was located west of the intersection.
The investigation revealed that the couple was driving westbound on the 210 Freeway, approaching the Myrtle off-ramp, when they got into a fight. As they exited the freeway, the wife jumped out of the vehicle and ran to the corner of Central and Ivy. The husband also exited the vehicle, chased her on foot and became physical with her. Approximately four to five citizens came out of a house to help the wife. One of the citizens punched the husband in the mouth and knocked him to the ground. All of the citizens returned to their home without further incident. The wife did not have visible injuries. The husband was arrested for spousal battery.
Warrants / Possession of Marijuana - Suspect Arrested
November 6 at 7:15 p.m., an officer observed a speeding motorist in the area of Myrtle and Live Oak. He was attempting to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle when the driver immediately stopped and let out a passenger, who fled on foot. The driver then continued on in the vehicle for a short distance, but then yielded at Live Oak and Tenth. The officer detained the driver at gunpoint until assisting officers from Monrovia and Arcadia Police Departments arrived. A subsequent investigation revealed the driver had outstanding warrants and a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle. The driver was also found to be a convicted child molester. He was arrested and taken into custody. The passenger was not apprehended and his identity is unknown.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon - Suspect Arrested
November 7 at 1:35 a.m., officers responded to a bar in the 300 block of South Myrtle regarding a fight in progress. Upon arrival, officers located a victim with a head injury. Witnesses provided a description of the suspect and the suspect vehicle, which was last seen southbound on Myrtle. The Foothill Air Support helicopter was monitoring the police frequency and responded to the area. The helicopter located the suspect vehicle entering the 210 Freeway, eastbound. Monrovia police units were able to catch up to the vehicle and officers conducted a high-risk stop on Azusa Avenue, south of the freeway. Officers from Azusa and Irwindale Police Departments arrived to assist and the suspect was taken into custody. The suspect had kicked the victim in the head when he was lying on the ground. The victim positively identified the suspect and he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.
Possession of a Controlled Substance - Suspect Arrested
November 8 at 9:23 p.m., officers were patrolling a park in the 400 block of North Grand when they observed seven subjects near the base of some stairs. They contacted the group and had additional officers respond. While questioning one subject, the officers noted that he appeared to have something in his mouth. Officers discovered he was attempting to conceal a baggie containing six foil-wrapped tabs of LSD. The officers were able to recover the evidence without incident and the subject was arrested.
Wanted Burglary Suspect Apprehended
Monrovia detectives issued a wanted person warrant for a burglary suspect. The suspect is also the subject of recent allegations of drug sales near Monrovia schools. On November 9 at approximately 1:30 a.m., an officer on patrol observed the wanted burglary suspect in the 300 block of Norumbega and was able to detain and arrest him.
Volleyball - Monrovia 3, Paloma Valley 0 :-)
VOLLEYBALL ~ Monrovia won its first playoff game against Paloma Valley 3-0. http://goo.gl/nlh11
- Brad HaugaardFire Department / Restaurant / Fun-Run / Less Gang Crime
A few items of interest from City Manager Scott Ochoa's weekly report:
BATTLE TO CONTROL FIRE DEPARTMENT? ~ City Manager Scott Ochoa said he believes a lawsuit by the president of the Monrovia Firefighters' Association is, in his opinion, "about control over the Fire Department. Folks have tried to make it about safety (remember the fracas over the grant-funded regional procurement of firefighter breathing apparatus?), but couldn't; they've tried to make it about ethics (the aborted D.A. investigation), but couldn't. This is about control and change in organizational culture. Thus, with apologies to the community for the ignominy of having this power-play play out in public, all I can offer is that sometimes these situations simply need to work themselves out."
JAPANESE RESTAURANT ~ Oto Oto, an authentic, upscale Japanese restaurant will open at the northeast corner of Huntington Drive and Fifth Avenue. He said that Oto Oto's parent corporation, Ramla Ltd., owns and operates more than 150 restaurants in Japan, and this Monrovia location represents their first venture into California and the U.S.
FOUNTAIN TO FALLS ~ The Community Services Department is preparing a "Fountain to the Falls" run for the 2011 Monrovia Days celebration. The run will begin at the Library Park Fountain, follow a more than 3.5-mile route up to the Canyon Park Falls, and then return to the park. Community and non-profit groups can use the fun-run as a fundraising vehicle. Contact the Community Services Department for more details.
LESS CRIME ~ Operation Safe Neighborhoods, a city-county gang effort, has "identified and served due process on a number of local gang members, while at the same time we are noting that long-time gang members appear to be avoiding Monrovia or, at least, trying to be inconspicuous - that is, not breaking the law. Either way is fine by us. Serious (Part I) crime continues to be down in Monrovia during this quarter."
Source: http://goo.gl/6bof
- Brad Haugaard
BATTLE TO CONTROL FIRE DEPARTMENT? ~ City Manager Scott Ochoa said he believes a lawsuit by the president of the Monrovia Firefighters' Association is, in his opinion, "about control over the Fire Department. Folks have tried to make it about safety (remember the fracas over the grant-funded regional procurement of firefighter breathing apparatus?), but couldn't; they've tried to make it about ethics (the aborted D.A. investigation), but couldn't. This is about control and change in organizational culture. Thus, with apologies to the community for the ignominy of having this power-play play out in public, all I can offer is that sometimes these situations simply need to work themselves out."
JAPANESE RESTAURANT ~ Oto Oto, an authentic, upscale Japanese restaurant will open at the northeast corner of Huntington Drive and Fifth Avenue. He said that Oto Oto's parent corporation, Ramla Ltd., owns and operates more than 150 restaurants in Japan, and this Monrovia location represents their first venture into California and the U.S.
FOUNTAIN TO FALLS ~ The Community Services Department is preparing a "Fountain to the Falls" run for the 2011 Monrovia Days celebration. The run will begin at the Library Park Fountain, follow a more than 3.5-mile route up to the Canyon Park Falls, and then return to the park. Community and non-profit groups can use the fun-run as a fundraising vehicle. Contact the Community Services Department for more details.
LESS CRIME ~ Operation Safe Neighborhoods, a city-county gang effort, has "identified and served due process on a number of local gang members, while at the same time we are noting that long-time gang members appear to be avoiding Monrovia or, at least, trying to be inconspicuous - that is, not breaking the law. Either way is fine by us. Serious (Part I) crime continues to be down in Monrovia during this quarter."
Source: http://goo.gl/6bof
- Brad Haugaard
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