On August 18, Monrovia's Foothill Unity Center will hold its 13th annual Back to School Fair to give 2,000 low-income K-12 students a new backpack, clothing and school supplies, plus, dental screenings, haircuts, manicures, activities, snacks and music. [Cool! That's better than I ever got.] If you can volunteer or donate, call the Unity Center at 626-358-3486.
- Brad Haugaard
Selling Gold? Take Care
With gold at astronomical heights, companies are popping up offering to buy gold. The Monrovia Business License Division wants you to know that legitimate gold businesses must be licensed through the California Department of Justice and the weighing scales should have a blue label from the LA County Department of Agriculture and Measurement Standards. Details here: http://goo.gl/1bLzG
- Brad Haugaard
Gold Line Threatens to Take Monrovia Property
This morning Monrovia received notices of a "Proposed Eminent Domain Proceeding" from the Gold Line Construction Authority, according to Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa, writing in his weekly report.
In a nutshell, this means the Gold Line is moving ahead in its plans to take Monrovia property without the approval of the Monrovia City Council. Ochoa said the Gold Line's board will meet on July 5 to consider doing this.
Ochoa adds: "In the shadow of a condemnation action, our willingness and ability to reach out to GLCA is limited at best. Though we still communicate with them about the project, it is becoming more apparent that our interests have diverged."
And, "I am hopeful that an agreement can still be reached that allows Monrovia to sustain the deal that we negotiated in good faith. I am more confident, however, in our ability to effectively defend our community's interests against an action by GLCA."
Source: http://goo.gl/1bLzG
- Brad Haugaard
Eminent Domain Against Monrovia? | Star-News Whacks City Council
Will the Gold Line use eminent domain against Monrovia ( http://goo.gl/txtey )? And today's Star-News editorial whacks Monrovia in its property dispute with the Gold Line: http://goo.gl/yD6Fs
OPINION: While not totally in disagreement with the Star-News editorial, there are three things I'd like to mention in Monrovia's defense:
1. The S-N says Monrovia will benefit from the proposed maintenance yard, which is undoubtedly true, but it will also be hurt by the maintenance yard because - as I seem to recall Councilman Tom Adams saying - part of the land is now private (read "taxable") and once it is transferred to the Gold Line (a governmental entity) it becomes non-taxable, meaning no more tax from that land going to the city from now until, well ... forever.
2. The S-N correctly points out that the maintenance yard could bring jobs and people to Monrovia. Yeah, but if a private developer opened a large business in the same location, that would do the same thing, so I'm not sure there is a net benefit from a maintenance yard.
3. If it is - all things considered - a benefit to Monrovia, why did no other city along the line volunteer to have the yard?
Still, I agree with the general thrust of the editorial, which is that we really need to see this fight resolved.
- Brad Haugaard
UPDATE: Councilman Tom Adams responds:
Brad,
Please keep in mind that there are always alternatives to Monrovia giving in on this.
1) The maintenance of the trains could continue right where it is today, in Los Angeles. That yard serves the MTA rolling stock well and can for many years to come.
2) The yard could be built in one of our neighboring communities rather than our neighbors ganging up on Monrovia and threatening to file a lawsuit for our unwillingness to do what they won't.
As for the S-N talking about jobs, far less will be created at the yard than would be created in a business other than the yard, so Monrovia actually would lose jobs by taking the yard. Taxes, well none will be paid. 50 years from now when someone calls the paramedics to the yard, that cost will be subsidized by the Monrovia taxpayers, no one else.
We all want the Gold Line to come but at what price? Does the S-N and others really think that Monrovia should bear this burden alone? Let's see, Los Angeles says it wants the current yard out of their city, none of the cities on the extension want it, everyone seems to want the yard in Monrovia and they all know at what price we should take what they won't.
I don't think this passes the smell test.
Monrovia Schools 'Qualified' (Not a Good Thing) | 10-Day Pinto Baseball | Business Recycling
~ Monrovia School District assigned "qualified" status, meaning it may not meet financial obligations. http://goo.gl/FdXd7
~ The Monrovia Youth Baseball League is hosting a Regional Pinto Level Baseball Tournament at the Santa Fe Fields featuring over 20 baseball teams from all over. Many parent volunteers have spent many hours making getting the field and the grounds ready. Games start today and last for the next 10 days. (Thanks for the news, Jack).
~ Business Refuse & Recycling Workshop, Monday, June 20, 2011 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the Monrovia Community Center. Details here: http://goo.gl/HWFVZ
- Brad Haugaard
Portantino and Wagner Make Up
A picture ( http://goo.gl/5BwZh ) of Assemblyman Donald Wagner (R) making up with Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D), who represents part of Monrovia. Wagner compared the budget process to something out of The Sopranos and, as an Italian-American, Portantino objected. Nice to see political foes being personally friendly.
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia School District Enrollment Declining
I snagged part of a form from the School District's budget report. (Sorry, I excluded row labels.) It shows a projected steady decline in school enrollment and average daily attendance - from now through 2013-14. Not encouraging. http://goo.gl/I9JIA
- Brad Haugaard
Dozens of Monrovia School Employees May be Laid Off | Salary Cuts forTeachers | MHS Construction Almost Done
At its June 22, 7:30 p.m. meeting (agenda here: http://goo.gl/uM3S0), the Monrovia Board of Education will ..
~ Consider laying off a bunch of full- and part-time workers, including seven library people, 32 instructional aides, one instructional assistant, and two clerical assistants. See the list here: http://goo.gl/k2Qre
~ Consider adopting a budget that asks the employees to continue a 3 percent cut and six furlough days a year, though that needs ratification by the teachers' association. Note the picture as well - the dollar numbers in parentheses on the "Net Revenue Over Expenditures" line are negative (i.e. - bad). http://goo.gl/I9JIA
~ Hear a construction report for Monrovia High, which appears seems to indicate that the only things remaining to do are the graduation sound system, press box, the old science building, front entrance improvements, and the wrestling/old ceramics building. It should all be done this July. http://goo.gl/QAeqW
- Brad Haugaard
Lunch at MoonCat
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Book Club Forming
If you enjoy reading and chatting about books, a new book club is forming at the Monrovia Library. The organizational meeting is Tuesday June 21, from 7-8 p.m. in the Storytime Room. Details: http://goo.gl/yOrP3 - Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Loosening Up on Massage Parlors | Eagle Scout | Gold Line |Lower Tax | Higher Tax | Zone Change
At its June 21, 7:30 p.m. meeting the City Council will:
~ Consider loosening rules on massage parlors in keeping with new state law. The staff report says that "the proposed ordinance significantly lessens the City’s land use regulatory authority over businesses that provide massage services, both in location limitations and entitlement requirements."
~ Honor Monrovia Eagle Scout Jeffrey Ramos, whose Eagle Project involved planning, designing and installing the "Fountain to the Falls" route signs. It was the route followed by nearly 300 runners and walkers for the first "Fountain to the Falls" run/walk.
~ Hold a hearing on the proposed sale of land to the Gold Line.
~ Consider a lower tax rate for a citywide assessment district - an average of three cents less than before. Who said taxes always go up? (See picture.)
~ Oops! Discuss allowing Athens Disposal to have a rate increase, based on cost of living increases and increased dumping fees. (See other picture.)
~ Consider a zone change to help along the "Rose Gardens at Santa Teresita," which will be made up of "Senior Housing and Care Facilities in the Cities of Monrovia (2.7 acres) and Duarte (9.3 acres)."
Source: http://goo.gl/Dkrxu
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Police: Transformer Fire, Theft, Robbery, Assault, Etc.
[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for June 9-15. - Brad Haugaard]
During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 567 service events, resulting in 86 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
Vehicle Burglary
On June 9 at 7:19 p.m., officers responded to a hotel in the 700 block of West Huntington regarding a Toyota 4Runner that had a window smashed. A laptop computer was taken from the vehicle. The burglary occurred between 5:30 and 7:19 p.m.
72-Hour Mental Evaluation
On June 9 at 11:01 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of West Palm regarding a subject who claimed to have overdosed on pills. His girlfriend reported he had left the location and was now calling her, repeatedly, and leaving text messages, stating he took pills and wanted to die. The subject was located by officers at Huntington and California. He was taken to a hospital and placed on a 72-hour hold for mental evaluation.
Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence - Driver Arrested
On June 10 at 3:59 a.m., officers responded to the report of a solo vehicle traffic collision at Myrtle and Huntington. A witness stated that the vehicle was eastbound on Huntington at a high rate of speed when it hit the east curb of Myrtle, just south of Huntington. The vehicle flipped around and landed facing west on the sidewalk. The driver did not sustain any injuries, but he was determined to be intoxicated. He was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Residential Burglary
On June 10 at 10:06 p.m., a resident left home at approximately 8:15 a.m. and returned home at 9:45 p.m. When she returned, she found the back sliding door leading into the family room wide open. The family room and master bedroom were ransacked. A laptop computer and miscellaneous jewelry were taken. The suspect entered through the unlocked, back sliding door.
Receiving Stolen Property - Suspect Arrested
On June 11 at 8:31 p.m., an officer saw a bicyclist wearing dark clothing and carrying a backpack in the area of Monterey and Olive, riding on the wrong side of the roadway. The officer detained the subject regarding the violation and discovered the bicycle he was riding was stolen. The victim of the stolen bicycle reported the theft to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Temple Station. The subject was arrested for receiving stolen property. The subject also had miscellaneous tools inside of his backpack, but possession of burglary tools could not be established.
Missing Hikers
On June 13 at 7:31 a.m., a female subject called from Canyon Park to report that her boyfriend and a friend of his went on a hike a day ago and had not returned. She said the two men were going to Rincon to retrieve the friend's backpack they had left behind on a hike several days prior. Officers responded and Sierra Madre Search & Rescue was notified. Search and Rescue and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department helicopter searched and located the two men, safe and in good health.
Vehicle Burglary
On June 13 at 1:46 p.m., the victim of a vehicle burglary came in to the police department lobby to make a report. He lives in the 200 block of Jasmine. He had parked his vehicle in its assigned parking stall after midnight on June 4 and used his keyless remote to lock it. He returned to the vehicle at about 8:00 a.m. to go to work without realizing someone had broken into it. He later discovered his iPod and other property was missing.
Delaying a Peace Officer / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
On June 13 at 2:14 p.m., officers went to a business in the 400 block West Foothill regarding two male subjects sitting in a vehicle, possibly selling drugs. An officer arrived and detained the male and a female occupant of the vehicle and a second male subject standing outside of the vehicle. The investigation did not reveal any drugs; however, the female provided a false name to officers and was found to be in possession of two syringes she uses to inject heroin. The male subjects were identified and the female arrested.
Grand Theft
On June 13 at 2:42 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a business in the 100 block of West Walnut regarding theft of copper worth $1500.00. It appears the suspects entered the yard of the location by jumping over a fence adjacent to an alley. The suspects pried open a door and removed a spool of copper wire.
Burglary
On June 13 at 3:54 p.m., officers responded to a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain regarding a subject who was caught stealing a large amount of merchandise. When they arrived, they determined the suspect is a juvenile. The suspect entered the store with another adult suspect who told him he would pay him $30.00 if he pushed the cart out of the store. The juvenile agreed and was caught. He was arrested, booked, and later released to a parent.
Transformer Fire
On June 13 at 5:47 p.m., officers responded to the Shell Gas Station at Huntington and Monterey regarding a blown transformer that had caused a fire in the car wash and multiple traffic signals to black out. Edison was advised and responded. There was minimal impact to traffic as Edison advised the street could be reopened. It appears there was a short in an underground power line.
Vehicle Theft
On June 14 at 1:39 p.m., officers responded to a business in the 600 block of West Huntington. The reporting party told the officer that on June 1 at about 2:28 p.m. they parked their forklift to the rear of the business. She was off for a few days and returned on June 5 and noted the forklift was not there. She figured it had been picked up for maintenance. On June 11 she returned to work and the forklift was still not at the business. She called United Rentals, the owner of the forklift, to ascertain if they had picked it up for service and they did not have it. She reviewed surveillance tapes and found that on June 5 a male Hispanic suspect, wearing a black shirt, white shorts, white sox, and black shoes stole the forklift.
Assault With a Deadly Weapon / Robbery
On June 14 at 11:51 p.m., a 23-year-old, male, white victim was walking east on Fano when he was approached by a male Hispanic subject, also possibly in his twenties, about 6 foot 2 inches, thin build, wearing a light colored hooded sweatshirt with dark trim. The suspect passed by him, and the victim only remembers being struck from behind and passing out. He came to consciousness and found his wallet had been taken. The wallet contained $2 cash and some business cards. The victim was taken by a friend to a hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. Monrovia Police Department was summoned to the hospital.
Theft From a Vehicle
On June 15 at 7:26 a.m., an officer went to the 1100 block of East Lemon. The victim discovered his car, which they had left unlocked, had been rummaged through sometime last night or early morning. He checked his vehicle and found the laptop and GPS system was stolen. The investigation is continuing.
Vehicle Tampering
On June 15 at 9:24 a.m., an officer went to the 700 block of Mountain View, regarding vehicle tampering. The victim discovered the inside of their vehicle had been ransacked. The victim had left the doors unlocked and nothing was missing.
Theft From a Vehicle
On June 15 at 10:02 a.m., an officer went to the 1000 block of East Lemon. The victim walked outside of their home and discovered their vehicle had been ransacked during the night or early morning. The victim had left the doors unlocked. The victim's in-dash digital television had been stolen along with speakers in a box from the truck. The investigation is continuing.
96% of Monrovia Grads to College or Military
Ninety-six percent of graduating Monrovia seniors go on to college or the military, according to Monrovia columnist Charlotte Schamadan. She says that number used to be far lower so this is "phenomenal." (I'd link to the story but it has not yet been posted.)
- Brad Haugaard
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia State Assemblymen and the Budget
~ State Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, who represents part of Monrovia, said that as a proud Italian-American, he was offended by another assemblyman comparing the state budget to something out of The Sopranos. http://goo.gl/yhxoh ~ Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, who represents part of Monrovia, said "Democrats made a mockery of the people's voice" and that the budget "raided local funds and saddled the people with illegally passed taxes that are sure to land us in court." http://goo.gl/o5n9E - Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Mayor Lutz vs. Gold Line | McFarland to Stand Trial |Attorney: MHS Player Not Involved in Crime
~ Monrovia Mayor Mary Ann Lutz fires back at the Gold Line in the dispute about using land in Monrovia for a rail-line maintenance yard. She writes:
"GLCA has four basic options: 1) It can pay Excalibur enough money to make it a willing seller; 2) it can condemn Excalibur's property (and Monrovia's property, for that matter); 3) it can redesign the M&O Facility to exclude Excalibur's property or 4) it can find a different location for its M&O facility."
Source: http://goo.gl/VV1KT
~ Monrovian - Kelvin "Sergeant Mac" McFarland - to stand trial for kidnapping. http://goo.gl/Zsz86
~ Attorney says MHS football player had nothing to do with robbery/shooting. http://goo.gl/go06V
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Gets Budget in Order | SGVCOG Director's Pay | Carbon Monoxide| Summer School
Snapshot of the good and bad of Monrovia's finances. More at the link.
~ Here is an easy slide show ( http://goo.gl/Ss2un ) of Monrovia's financial situation. Unlike a certain state government that will go unmentioned, the city appears to be accommodating itself to fiscal reality and making progress, even aiming at a 20% reserve. More documents here: http://goo.gl/Hmsqz
~ San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) debates whether executive director should go or stay. http://goo.gl/7n9Pf
~ A reminder for homeowners: State law now requires you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home by July 1 if you have a fireplace, "fossil fuel burning appliances" or attached garage. Here are details from the city: http://goo.gl/a3fjH
~ Summer school at Monrovia High starts June 16, this Thursday. http://goo.gl/qxqvZ
- Brad Haugaard
New Home for Monrovia Vineyard | Power Outage
~ Monrovia's Live Oak Vineyard Church, which is currently meeting at the Monrovia Community Center, is building out a new home in a former industrial building at the corner of Myrtle and Cherry (two blocks south of Huntington). I drove by and it looks like a BIG place. http://goo.gl/OZb4u
~ I got a note (thanks, other Brad) that a gas station on Huntington blew a transformer early this evening, which took the power out in the area. We experienced a couple momentary outages at our house as well.
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia's Bueno to Cal Lutheran | Hearing for 'Boot Camp' Instructor
Cal Lutheran gets Monrovia football star Nick Bueno. http://goo.gl/nJ3FO Preliminary hearing for Monrovia "boot camp" instructor. http://goo.gl/EapRL - Brad Haugaard
Bear-Resistant Trash Barrels for Monrovia
Athens Services can provide bear-resistant trash barrels if you agree to a 36-month contract. The cost per barrel can be billed in 36 monthly payments of $4.99 per month (in addition to the monthly trash rate) and the barrels remain the property of Athens Services. For more information, contact Athens Services at (888) 336-6100. http://goo.gl/joAP9 - Brad Haugaard
State May Resurrect Killed Redevelopment Agencies that 'Volunteer' Money
Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa said that instead of just killing redevelopment agencies (RDAs), the state is now discussing two bills, the first of which would eliminate RDAs, and the second which would recreate them IF they "voluntarily" pledge to give money to the state.
"An interesting way to enforce compliance," Ochoa writes, "but still roundly viewed as unconstitutional."Source: http://goo.gl/joAP9
- Brad Haugaard
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