- Brad Haugaard
MHS Band Perform at Carnegie Hall?
MHS Symphonic Band may play at Carnegie Hall if it can raise enough money. http://goo.gl/AnB4V
- Brad Haugaard
Black History Month in Monrovia / Marijuana Arrest / Basketball Pix
~ Story about Black History month in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/uTLge
~ Monrovia liquor store worker arrested for allegedly selling pot. http://goo.gl/kMOCR
~ Pix of Monrovia vs. La Mirada Boys Basketball game. http://goo.gl/867nR
- Brad Haugaard
Lunch at Monrovia's Market Grill
- Brad Haugaard
Girls Basketball :-) / Black History Pix / Blues / Seafood
~ Girls Basketball CIF playoffs - Monrovia 55, La Mirada 32 :-) . Two stories: http://goo.gl/Kce86 and http://goo.gl/Aw3AA . Plus, some slides: http://goo.gl/b5wVO ~ Slide show of upcoming Monrovia Black History exhibit: http://goo.gl/uVsmA ~ LA Blues Society jam session at T. Phillips on Sunday, 2-7 p.m. http://goo.gl/N0jsb ~ A new seafood restaurant is opening in Monrovia soon (don't have the exact date). It is called Big Shrimps Fish Grill, and it will be at 123 E. Colorado Boulevard in Old Monrovia. - Brad Haugaard
Burglary, Theft, Intoxication, Missing Hiker, Attempted Rape, Etc.
[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Feb. 10-16. - Brad Haugaard]
During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 494 service events, resulting in 82 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
Monrovia Special Enforcement Team Search Warrant - Three Suspects Arrested
February 10, Monrovia's Special Enforcement Team conducted a search warrant with the assistance of the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (LA IMPACT). The warrant was served at a business in the 2100 block of Huntington and a residence in the 3500 block of Conata; both locations are in the City of Duarte. Two male subjects were arrested for possession of methamphetamine and a female subject was arrested for a warrant. The business was also found to have a number of code violations and was cited by Duarte code enforcement.
Commercial Burglary
February 10 at 7:47 a.m., an officer heard an alarm going off and tracked it to a business in the 9100 block West Huntington. Upon arrival, he found a smashed window at the location. No suspects were located and the investigation is continuing.
Residential Burglary
February 10 at 1:28 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 700 block of West Lemon on the report of a burglary. The suspect forced a vertical sliding window open and climbed into the house. The items taken were two video game stations. Investigation continuing.
Grand Theft Auto Recovery
February 10 at 3:29 p.m., an officer located a stolen vehicle in the area of Lime and California. He confirmed it was stolen out of LAPD Pacific Division on February 9, 2011. The vehicle recovered is 2010 Chevy Malibu. Investigation continuing.
Driving Under the Influence Traffic Collision
February 11 at 12:46 a.m., a female driver was heading west on Foothill in the 800 block when she struck a parked car. Officers arrived and determined the driver to be under the influence of alcohol and she was arrested.
Felony Obstruction / Possession of Alcohol / Trespassing / Petty Theft - Two Suspects Arrested
February 10 at 10:57 p.m., dispatch received a call reporting two intoxicated subjects refusing to leave a theater in the 400 block of South Myrtle. A male subject had bought a ticket and then let several friends in a side door. Theater staff asked them to leave, but they refused. Officers arrived and contacted the subjects, who then became verbally abusive. A male and a female subject were arrested for trespassing, public intoxication, and the male was arrested for petty theft for sneaking people into the theater. Both subjects were determined to be minors. They were arrested and taken into custody.
Fight in Progress / Under the Influence of Drugs / Possession of Marijuana - Three Suspects Arrested
February 11 at 6:20 p.m., an officer observed a fight in progress in the parking lot across from the police station and requested assistance. Officers responded and all subjects were detained. It was determined that three subjects who are friends had been drinking at a bar and two of them began to fight. One of the subjects was determined to be under the influence of a stimulant. Two subjects were arrested for fighting and one was charged with being under the influence and another was charged with possession of marijuana. They were later cited and released.
Found Elderly Subject
February 11 at 7:25 p.m., officers responded to the report of a subject with dementia found driving in the area of Acorn and Meadow Lane. She is a 74 year old female from Fullerton. Officers were able to obtain information about her family, who live in Irvine, and they responded to pick her up. They were counseled regarding the seriousness of her condition and a DMV reevaluation form was completed.
Parole Violation / Warrant - Suspect Arrested
February 12 at 3:19 p.m., an officer saw a subject he recognized as having a no-bail warrant for parole violation. He detained the subject and confirmed the subject was still wanted. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody.
Grand Theft Auto Recovery
February 12 at 3:42 p.m., the victim of grand theft auto called to report she had found her vehicle in the 700 block of West Huntington at a hotel. A known suspect was named in the report. Officers responded to the location and contacted a male and female subject by the vehicle. After investigation, the male was arrested for receiving stolen property and told officers the named suspect was possibly in the immediate area. The vehicle was released to the victim. Officers searched the area and located the named suspect near a restaurant in Arcadia. The suspect was detained, his identity confirmed, and he was arrested for grand theft auto.
Attempt Rape
February 13 at 5:30 a.m., police received a call alleging a 44 year old male attempted to rape his 19 year old niece while she was sleeping. She was able to fight him off and the uncle fled the location. The suspect is on parole for burglary and is a narcotics and sex registrant. The suspect was not located despite an extensive search. Parole was advised and has set their fugitive team in motion.
Missing Hiker Located
February 14 at 8:09 p.m., a female subject called and stated her husband had left their residence at 5:00 a.m. to hike up to Monrovia Peak and had not returned. She became worried and called police. Officers located the hiker's vehicle parked on Canyon, just south of Ridgeside. His cell phone and jacket were visible in the car. An airship responded to check the lower hills for signs of the hiker, but he was not located. The upper elevations could not be checked due to darkness. Sierra Madre Search and Rescue was called out and a command post was set up at the gate to Canyon Park. After several hours, police received a call from Arcadia Police Department reporting the lost hiker had shown up at a residence on Highland Oaks, next to the foothills. The hiker was cold, wet and slightly bruised up, but refused medical assistance. He stated he had tried to hike back a different way and got lost.
Parolee-at-Large - Suspect Arrested
February 16 at 1:45 p.m., police received a call from a female who reported there was a parolee-at-large at her residence. Further investigation revealed the parolee was wanted for drug charges and was considered armed and dangerous. Officers and the Special Enforcement Team responded to the location and arrested the parolee without incident.
Residential Burglary
February 17 at 4:44 a.m., a resident in the 800 block of California woke in the morning and discovered his set of golf clubs had been taken during the night from his attached garage. The garage had been left unlocked and the suspect entered through the garage door. No suspect was seen or heard and the investigation is continuing.
Driving Under the Influence
February 17 at 4:52 a.m., a 19 year old female subject was driving east on Foothill and turned north onto Canyon. The driver failed to steer the vehicle correctly and struck the curb, which caused two flat tires. The driver continued northbound for a short period. Residents heard the collision and called police. When officers arrived, they located the vehicle and the female subject attempting to remove the spare tire to change one of the flat tires. Through investigation, officers determined the driver was under the influence and she was arrested. No damage was caused to city property.
Monrovia Spy Bird / Retirement Accounts / Girls & Boys Basketball
~ Nano hummingbird developed by Monrovia's AeroVironment could be military mini-spy: http://goo.gl/90N2X . Also a profile of AV in Fortune magazine: http://goo.gl/ITUjG
~ Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, who represents part of Monrovia, has introduced legislation to eliminate penalties on early withdrawals from retirement accounts for workers who have exhausted their unemployment insurance. http://goo.gl/Uto46
~ Gina Henderson and Monrovia Girls Basketball. http://goo.gl/vTG6k
~ Alemany 77, Monrovia 65, end of Boys basketball season. :-( http://goo.gl/tz8Dm
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia in Top 10 / Garcia: Huntington Traffic will be Bad
~ Although the Monrovia Area Partnership did not win, it was in the top 10 for the "Out of the Box" prize from among more than 300 entries from around the world. http://goo.gl/Osnq6 ~ Councilman Joe Garcia says traffic will be a "nightmare" during repaving of Huntington in March. http://goo.gl/a3tmw - Brad Haugaard
MHS Academic Team Honored / Huff Wants Regulation Cuts
~ Congratulations to the Monrovia High Academic Decathlon team as it was selected as LA County Rookie Team of the Year and finished in the top three in its division. Source: http://goo.gl/hY1BM
~ Monrovia's State Senator, Bob Huff, has introduced legislation to cut regulations that hinder job development in the state. Details: http://goo.gl/YpcKG
- Brad Haugaard
~ Monrovia's State Senator, Bob Huff, has introduced legislation to cut regulations that hinder job development in the state. Details: http://goo.gl/YpcKG
- Brad Haugaard
Drizzly Days Ahead / Fifth and Huntington
~ Kind of drizzly right now, and it looks like we're in for on-and-off rain for the next week or so. http://goo.gl/2FQtP ~ More on the corner of Fifth and Huntington, where the city is planning to cover the wash to provide a more contiguous and build-able area. http://goo.gl/07b4Y - Brad Haugaard
MonroviaNow Donating Up to $1,000 for Email Sign-Ups
For each Monrovian who signs up to receive the MonroviaNow weekly news digest during this February, MonroviaNow will donate a dollar, up to $1,000, to help Foothill Unity Center feed the hungry. Just add your email address to the field at the right, where it says, "Enter Email," and press the Submit button. That's all it takes!If you already subscribe, please tell your Monrovia friends they can donate - and keep up with Monrovia news - by adding their email address on our home page, here: http://monrovianow.com Thanks much! - Brad Haugaard
Support Mayor Lutz in Cancer Relay
You can support Mayor Mary Ann Lutz in her participation in the June 4 Cancer Relay - sponsored by the American Cancer Society - at Recreation Park. http://goo.gl/yS1Sc - Brad Haugaard
Fountain-to-Falls Sign-Up Opens
If you are interested in the 7-mile Fountain to the Falls walk/run on May 14, you can sign up now for $30, plus an unspecified "per person online registration fee." The run begins at 7 a.m. and takes you on a round-trip course beginning at the Fountain in Library Park to the Falls in Monrovia Canyon Park. The awards presentation will immediately follow the race. Registration is available on-line only, here: http://goo.gl/iNTv0 . No registration on the day of the event. All entrants will receive a medal and t-shirt. 400 participants maximum. Registration ends May 11. Source: http://goo.gl/82Ihz - Brad Haugaard
Falls are Dangerous
Last Saturday a hiker slipped and fell from the waterfall in Monrovia Canyon Park.
The fire department reports: "Firefighter/Paramedics hiked over a mile up the trail to find an adult patient with injuries to the hip and lower back sustained from a nearly-30-foot fall. Advanced life support procedures were initiated as the patient was placed on a special 'stokes basket' gurney and carefully carried out of the Canyon. Due to the nature of incident the patient was transported to the Trauma Department at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena for further treatment." http://goo.gl/BeHGy
Nice to look at the falls from below, but please don't climb up there. Very dangerous.
- Brad Haugaard
Partial Preservation
According to a Monrovia city report, while the property owners are very cooperative, they "have encountered unforeseen issues involving the structural integrity of the house that must be addressed in order to meet the minimum requirements of the Building Code."
Details: http://goo.gl/BeHGy
- Brad Haugaard
Redevelopment
The Star-News has a good article today on how local cities are handling the possibility that California will eliminate the redevelopment process, and, by-the-by, grab a lot of local money for itself. http://goo.gl/4xOgc
One scoff-worthy item in the story is that some people criticize redevelopment agencies because they "lack oversight," meaning some state agency isn't controlling what they do.
So, the oh-so fiscally responsible State of California - which always delivers a budget on time and never ever runs a debt and never ever uses accounting tricks to "balance" its budget - wants to make sure that redevelopment agencies are being responsible. Right.
Also in the article, State Treasurer Bill Lockyer calls redevelopment agencies "vampires," sucking blood for their own purposes. I dunno, if I was a state official and therefore representative of the biggest blood-sucker in the Western United States, I don't think I'd bring up the topic of vampires.
Having said all that, I have to add that I am a bit of two minds regarding redevelopment agencies. I agree with Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa about their economic benefits, but what concerns me is "eminent domain," meaning that a redevelopment agency (generally a city council wearing a different hat) can buy a property within a redevelopment zone even if the owner does not want to sell.
Redevelopment historians can correct me on this if I am wrong, but I believe redevelopment was initially instituted so government could force the sale of critical property to build vital public structures, such as freeways and hospitals, but it has gone far beyond that.
Yes, there are safety measures in place. Usually the agency has to pay an above-market rate for the property, and it needs to help people and businesses relocate, and I believe the vote to force the sale of a property must be unanimous. Also, I know that cities - Monrovia included - are reluctant to use this power, and a property-owner could challenge the agency in court, nevertheless I'm troubled that someone's property can be purchased without his or her permission, for no crime he has committed and for no debt that he owes.
If redevelopment could be reconstituted without eminent domain, I'd feel better, but that would mean one recalcitrant property owner could derail a large city-benefiting project. But still, it makes me mighty nervous letting any government take people's property just so it can get more money, nice as more money would be right now.
Here is a Monrovia statement on redevelopment from 2008: http://goo.gl/5p58v
UPDATE: See Mayor Pro Tem Tom Adam's thoughts under Comment, below.
- Brad Haugaard
AeroVironment Ships Charger / Store Goes Online-Only / Basketball
~ Monrovia's AeroVironment has begun shipping and installing its residential Smart Charging Dock for plug-in electric hybrid cars. http://goo.gl/VLswn
~ Monrovia clothing business, Suburban Martini, moves to online-only: http://goo.gl/KKDd4
~ Standing of San Gabriel Valley basketball teams. (Dig down a bit, Monrovia is there). http://goo.gl/Tz63E
- Brad Haugaard
Candy Store / Disability Claim
~ New Monrovia candy store opening. http://goo.gl/OUiIr
~ City Manager Scott Ochoa says former Monrovia worker who said he couldn't do handyman work for city was videotaped doing handyman work. http://goo.gl/oASkM
- Brad Haugaard
Cheap Paving / $8 Million Bond / Train Station Landscaping / Servicemen
Here are some items from the agenda for the City Council meeting, this Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Agenda: http://goo.gl/OdGVt
~ Cheap Paving - Monrovia City Staff is recommending the city accept a $1.27 million street-resurfacing bid which is 37 percent lower than the cost staff estimated. In his report Public Works Director Ron Bow suggests that maybe contractors are hurting and are willing to work cheap. He writes: "[A]ll but the two highest bids were below the original estimated cost, which led staff to conclude that contractors are lowering their bids to be more competitive in this present economic condition." The streets to be resurfaced include parts of Huntington Drive, Duarte Road and Grand Avenue. Details here: http://goo.gl/LMTDj
~ $8 Million Bond - Discuss issuing an $8 million redevelopment bond. (If my memory serves me, these bonds are used to redevelop areas, which then - hopefully - produce more tax revenue to pay off the bond and improve the city.) More here: http://goo.gl/9gQyn
~ Station Landscape - Discuss whether to award a contract of up to $60,000 to IBI Group to develop a concept design for the open, public spaces around the new train station in Phase I of the Station Square Transit Village Project. http://goo.gl/PQjKp
~ Servicemen - Also, at a special meeting at 7 p.m., February 15, before the regular meeting, the Monrovia City Council will honor local men serving in the United States military. They are:
- Lance Corporal Guillermo O. Reynosa, United States Marine Corps.
- Private First Class James C. Knight, IV, United States Marine Corps.
- Lieutenant Jeffrey Scott Mitchell, United States Navy
- Seaman Ronnie Paniagua, United States Navy
-- Brad Haugaard
Ecstacy Flyer / Monrovia Rockhounds / Schamadan's 20th
~ Monrovia representative to the LA County Board of Supervisors, Mike Antonovich, is criticizing a county flyer on the Ecstasy drug as a how-to article. http://goo.gl/BxT2F
~ Plan to attend the Monrovia Rockhounds Rock Show at the Arboreteum on March 5 and 6 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Get a free tumbled stone. More details: http://goo.gl/eWWTr
~ Charlotte Schamadan's 20th anniversary column. http://goo.gl/nHRwQ
- Brad Haugaard
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