Monrovia Candidate Forum / Library Fundraiser
~ There will be another Monrovia City Council candidates forum from 7 to 8:30 p.m., March 28 at Open Door Church of God In Christ, 522 E. Cypress Ave. http://goo.gl/96aPF ~ If you would like to support the Literacy Services program at the Monrovia Library, there will be a fundraiser called "Alice's Afternoon Tea," with tea, pasteries, sandwiches and desserts for $25 a head on Saturday, March 19, from 1-3 p.m. in the Library Community Room. For information, call (626) 256-8272. - Brad Haugaard
Monrovia's World Vision Active in Japan Relief / Youth State-of-City Speech
~ Monrovia's World Vision joins disaster-relief work in Japan. http://goo.gl/sFKrQ ~ Monrovia youth invited to a the State of the City - Youth Edition speech. See here for details: http://goo.gl/78v29 - Brad Haugaard
Lunch at T-Burger
- Brad Haugaard
State of City Speech / Schamadan: Monrovia, Dog Town
~ If you'd like to read the full text of Mayor Mary Ann Lutz's State of the City speech, or watch it, you can read here ( http://goo.gl/hXr5p ) and watch here ( http://goo.gl/uB364 ).
~ Charlotte Schamadan's column - Monrovia, a dog-lover's town. http://goo.gl/IT0Vm - Brad HaugaardOld Town Trolleys May Go Away :-(
Monrovia's two Old Town Trolley buses are at the end of their useful life and are in constant need of repair. What to do?
Well, refurbishing them costs $100,000 per trolley. New ones run $250,000 each. The city can retire them or retain the trolley service and perhaps serve a larger portion of the city. City staff is recommending retiring the trolleys and using the left-over Prop A money (which is funding them) to do some tie-in with the Gold Line when it arrives.
The City Council will decide the question at its March 15 meeting. Agenda: http://goo.gl/Ty7qs
Source: http://goo.gl/nGFYZ
- Brad Haugaard
Ford Commercial in Monrovia
- Brad Haugaard
Ex-Monrovia Police Chief on Glendora Council / STAAR Surgical
~ Former Monrovia Police Chief Joe Santoro wins a spot on Glendora City Council. http://goo.gl/BHl24 ~ STAAR Surgical, of Monrovia, has given Ellex Australia exclusive distribution rights for its intraocular lenses in Australia. http://goo.gl/c97hv - Brad Haugaard
Be In the Monrovia Day Parade
If you'd like to be in the Monrovia Day Parade on May 12, (celebrating Monrovia's 125th Anniversary and featuring a return of Samson the Hot Tub Bear), then click this link ( http://goo.gl/vm6qy ) for a parade entry application. If you are interested in driving a dignitary in the parade? Please call 626.256.8246. Source: http://goo.gl/Oa01A - Brad Haugaard
Gold Line Videos Released
The Gold Line Construction Authority has released a couple videos of the Metro Gold Line extension:
Let me try to be nice at first. These are very professionally done videos.
But having said that, the videos bother me a lot because I think the taxpayers probably want the government to spend the rail-line money on building a rail line! not on making what appear to be expensive videos whose main purpose seems to be to give local politicians a chance to pat themselves on the back for a job that is not even close to done.
Yes, there is some information in the videos, and yes, it is important to communicate with the public, but these videos seem an extremely unnecessary expense since the information in the videos is already available right here: http://www.foothillextension.org/
If this is supposed to be PR, it utterly failed with me. In a day when governments - local, state and national - are in deep financial straits, to see this kind of waste just infuriates me.
- Brad Haugaard
Xencor's Successful Studies / Monrovia Baseball :-(
Monrovia's Xencor, Inc. announced positive results in studies of XmAb5871, a product which may be useful for treating autoimmune diseases. http://goo.gl/pjFOQ ~ Monrovia High Baseball. San Dimas 3, Monrovia 2 :-(. http://goo.gl/0XlLK - Brad Haugaard
AeroVironment Jumps / Census / Unity Center / New Sermons
~ The stock of Monrovia's AeroVironment jumped 13 percent in after-hours trading after it reported that it had a better quarter than Wall Street expected. http://goo.gl/07adT
~ Census data released today show the black population in Monrovia has slipped while the Asian population has increased. http://goo.gl/8dEjh
~ If you know a local person whose efforts have made an exceptional difference in the lives of others, Foothill Unity Center wants to know about it. Nomination forms may be downloaded at http://www.foothillunitycenter.org or picked up at the distribution site at 415 West Chestnut. Submission deadline is 5 p.m., April 15. Executive Director Joan Whitenack said the nominee's activities do not need to be associated with Foothill Unity Center, and they may have been done on a volunteer basis or in connection with regular work.
~ Monrovia Presbyterian Church begins a new series this Sunday: The Gospel In Life, Grace Changes Everything. http://goo.gl/2iim9
- Brad Haugaard
Talk to Staff of Monrovia's State Senator
If you'd like to talk with a staff member of Monrovia's state senator, Bob Huff, you can do that at a "Mobile District Office" on March 24, 10-11 a.m. at the Westfield Santa Anita Shopping Mall in Arcadia. http://goo.gl/0eT3o - Brad Haugaard
Business Gift Cards that Support Monrovia Schools
I mentioned that you can support the School District by buying gift cards from the district offices. Well, I just got a list of all the businesses involved. They are all national chains, but there are lots of them in our area: Starbucks, Best Buy, Home Depot, Chili's, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, CVS, Olive Garden, Pinkberry, and scads more. See the attachment to this post for the whole list. (Thanks to School Board President Ed Gililland for that.)
- Brad Haugaard
Invading Bug Threatens Monrovia Oaks
The Monrovia Fire Department is asking residents to be careful about bringing oak firewood into town as it may be infested with the Gold Spotted Oak Borer, which very much likes to munch on coastal live oak,
black
oak and
canyon
live
oak
trees.
The department recommends that you do not use oak for firewood at all unless you know that it is not infested. Firewood from San Diego County, Arizona, and Mexico is particularly at risk for spreading this pest.
Here's a San Diego notice about the bug: http://goo.gl/hXQWj
Source: http://goo.gl/jFELb
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia's Sales Tax Revenue Looking Up
City Manager Scott Ochoa writes:
"This week, we received our 3rd quarter sales tax report (July-September 2010). I am pleased to report that the positive trajectory in our sales tax trend line is continuing. We are doing better than we were a year ago in the same quarter, and we are marching confidently toward our sales tax revenue goals for FY 2010-11. Auto dealers and new soft goods retailers (Kohl's and Living Spaces) are bolstering our numbers. All in all, we are gaining momentum - here's hoping we can pull ourselves out of the doldrums and to up toward a better economy."
Source:
- Brad Haugaard
Ochoa Predicts State Will Vote to Kill Redevelopment This Week
City Manager Scott Ochoa said it appears that the leadership of the California State Legislature is preparing an up-or-down vote on the budget - which includes killing redevelopment - for this Wednesday or Thursday. He writes: "At this point, my guess is that the budget package will pass along party lines." With the results of November's election, only a simple majority is required to pass the budget. After that, he writes, "the League of Cities and the California Redevelopment Association will file suit and the entire matter will be litigated - probably on the grounds of constitutionality."
Ochoa said that under Governor Brown's proposal, redevelopment agencies would disappear on July 1 of this year, to be replaced by successor agencies that would be controlled not by the city council, but by an oversight committee most likely controlled by outsiders who don't live in the city and are not answerable to its residents.
Source: http://goo.gl/jFELb
- Brad Haugaard
Budget Woes for City and Unity Center
~ Tomorrow, March 8, the Monrovia City Council will have a special meeting to figure out what to do in the face of the potential state abolition of redevelopment agencies, which City Manager Scott Ochoa has said is an attempt by the state to grab local money. City Council member Becky Shevlin said what the state intends to do - as outlined by Ochoa - "is insane, to say the least." I will post the meeting time as soon as I get it.
UPDATE: Meeting time is 4 p.m. Here is the agenda: http://goo.gl/LSPwi
~ The effects of President Obama's budget proposals may reach right down to Monrovia. Joan Whitenack, of Foothill Unity Center (which, by-the-by, distributed more than 200 tons of food - 4,230,000 pounds - to 4,606 families last year), reports that Community Services Block Grant funds may be cut by 50 percent, and since Unity receives 40 percent of its funding from government allocations, that will hurt. She writes that, "In the end, Foothill Unity Center will probably survive in some form thanks to strong community support" and to its lean operations (95 percent of funding supports programs), but she asked people to write their federal representatives pointing out the problem.
Gift Cards for Monrovia Schools / Produce in the Park / Lenten Fish
~ You can support Monrovia schools for free by purchasing gift cards to local businesses at the school district office (325 East Huntington Drive). School Board Member Ed Gililland said you can get cards for lots of businesses, including Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and others. He said if the cards are not on hand when you walk in, they can be ordered.
~ If you have too many oranges or other produce, bring it to "Produce in the Park" and swap for some carrots or something. Produce in the Park is held on the first Saturday of each month, from 9-11 a.m. at Library Park, at the corner of Myrtle and Palm. For info, write to produceinthepark@gmail.com
~ Monrovia Knights of Columbus will serve fish dinners for Lent every Friday - March 11 to Good Friday, April 22 - from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at 130 W. Pomona Ave. Adult fish dinners are $8, children's are $5. for information, call 626 359-6489.
- Brad Haugaard
~ If you have too many oranges or other produce, bring it to "Produce in the Park" and swap for some carrots or something. Produce in the Park is held on the first Saturday of each month, from 9-11 a.m. at Library Park, at the corner of Myrtle and Palm. For info, write to produceinthepark@gmail.com
~ Monrovia Knights of Columbus will serve fish dinners for Lent every Friday - March 11 to Good Friday, April 22 - from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at 130 W. Pomona Ave. Adult fish dinners are $8, children's are $5. for information, call 626 359-6489.
- Brad Haugaard
Old Home Tour / Half-off For Kids
~ If you'd like to attend the Monrovia Mother's Day Home Tour, here's ticket information and pictures of some of the houses.
~ Half-off coupon for kids meal if you buy an adult meal at Chang Thai Bistro on Myrtle. http://goo.gl/O4Kuu
- Brad Haugaard
Will Family Festival Expand to Azusa?
The Azusa City Council will consider having Monrovia-based Family Festival Productions Inc. produce a farmer's market
on Saturdays between April and September: http://goo.gl/wYymX
- Brad Haugaard
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