~ Gold Line lobbies Federal Government for money. http://goo.gl/ycZY2
~ Monrovia's Green Dot is coming out this year with a prepaid AARP MasterCard. http://goo.gl/NfJ5E ~ There will be a three-session seminar on Financial Literacy & Fitness at the Monrovia Library, 11:30 to 1 p.m. on Jan. 31, Feb. 7, and Feb. 15. Bring a lunch. Details: http://goo.gl/wJXRT - Brad Haugaard
Honda Ad Filmed in Monrovia Airing
A Honda ad filmed in Old Town Monrovia has begun airing. http://goo.gl/QTXaI - Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Mayor Mary Ann Lutz' State of the City Speech
Full text of Mayor Mary Ann Lutz's State of the City speech: http://goo.gl/GRxhY
My take on the general tone of the speech: We're doing okay and will continue improving, but it's not going to be easy.
A few of her looking-ahead comments:
~ "We'll survive" the loss of redevelopment.
~ "We begin this new year optimistically, but with continued concerns."
~ "I can tell you, the County's ‘Most Business Friendly City' isn't going to miss any opportunity to stimulate jobs, attract business or reinvest in ourselves this year."
~ "If MAP [the award-winning 'Monrovia Area Partnership'] is now going to have to compete for limited General Fund dollars with other City programs, then something may have to give. More cutbacks may be needed, somewhere." But, she added, "we do not intend for MAP to go away."
~ ` Sales and property taxes are 'trending up,' but with the loss of redevelopment dollars, "we have a potential deficit of more than $1 million."
~ The city will be dealing with commercial recycling and waste-water runoff this year.
- Brad Haugaard
Gold Line Meeting Tonight
The Metro Gold Line Construction Authority will meet at 7 p.m. today here in Monrovia. Here's the agenda if you want to attend ( http://goo.gl/Iv3jB ) and the staff reports ( http://goo.gl/91RRg )
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Assemblyman Liked President's Emphasis on Community Colleges
Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, who represents part of Monrovia, reports on Facebook that he watched President Obama's State of the Union address with IATSE Local 80 (union of professional stagehands, motion picture technicans, and allied crafts) and "was impressed wih the President's continued focus on the importance of Community Colleges."
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia High May Gain Covina Football Star | Huff Bond Legislation | Green Dot Purchase | Donnelly
~ Monrovia may get Covina football star, Gevontray Ainsworth. http://goo.gl/RR7WH
~ Green Dot Corporation, of Monrovia, a provider of pre-paid banking cards, "has acquired certain processing and hardware assets of eCommLink for $2.5 million in cash." http://goo.gl/97pIJ
~ Bond reform legislation by Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff (who represents Monrovia) will move to the State Assembly after passing a final Senate floor test with unanimous support. SB 633 ensures that voter-approved general obligation bond money is spent on the projects that voters approved at the polls. http://goo.gl/Ywsqs
~ Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, who represents part of Monrovia, reports that a heart operation on his two-day-old nephew was successful and the boy should be discharged shortly. He thanked people for praying.
- Brad Haugaard
No In-N-Out for Monrovia | Black History | Jtest
~ No In-N-Out for Monrovia in the near future. http://goo.gl/ZhYu9
~ Black History Month in Monrovia-Duarte. http://goo.gl/zH4kT
~ Parasoft Corporation, of Monrovia, releases Jtest, a Java (computer programming language) testing tool. http://goo.gl/2s1pm
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia School Board Angry at Delayed State Payments | Contract Dispute involving Family Festival Productions
~ Monrovia School Board is hopping mad that it has to borrow money because the state is late in paying what it owes. http://goo.gl/djmsl
~ Contract dispute involving Monrovia-based Family Festival Productions continues in Whittier. http://goo.gl/vdpTa
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Police: Two-Year-Old Takes Solo Walk; Second Burglary Doesn't Work So Well; Thefts From Cars; Etc.
[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for January 19-22. - Brad Haugaard]
Found Child
On January 19 at 3:58 p.m., officers were flagged down regarding a 2-year-old child walking alone in the 300 block of North Grand. Officers were able to determine the child lives at a residence in the 400 block of East Greystone. Her grandmother is currently her guardian, as the child's mother was recently taken into custody. At the time of the mother's arrest, a referral to the Department of Child and Family Services was generated. This incident was reported to the Department of Child and Family Services worker.
Commercial Burglary - Suspect Arrested
On January 19 at 8:51 p.m., officers responded to a business in the 700 block of East Huntington regarding a male subject who stole merchandise. An officer saw a subject walking on Huntington who matched the description of the suspect. As the officer attempted to contact the suspect, he ran. The officer gave chase, detained the suspect, and he was arrested for burglary. The suspect had apparently committed the same crime two days prior.
Vehicle Burglary
On January 20 at 1:05 a.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in the 700 block of South Alta Vista on the report of a burglary that had just occurred. The victim's van was parked and locked on the street. The victim's wife heard the van door open and told the victim, who went out to investigate. He saw a male subject near the rear doors of his van. The suspect ran to a vehicle and fled in a possible 1990's, black Honda Civic. The suspect had punched out the rear door lock to gain entry to the van and took an electric sander. The suspect is described as a male, wearing dark clothing and either a mask or bandana over his face. Investigation continuing.
Driving Under the Influence
On January 20 at 4:25 a.m., an officer on patrol drove by a vehicle parked in the 300 block of West Foothill and saw a subject slumped over the steering wheel. The vehicle was running, it was in drive, and the subject would not respond to his knocking. Eventually, the subject woke up and the vehicle moved forward, but stopped shortly. After investigation, the subject was arrested for driving under the influence.
Theft From a Vehicle
On January 21, several thefts from vehicles occurred overnight. The thefts occurred in the 200 block of North Alta Vista, 200 block of West Lime, 400 block of Concord, and the 300 block of North Mayflower. All of the thefts appear to have occurred in the early morning hours and in most of the incidents, the vehicles were left unlocked. The items taken were cash, electronic items, gift cards, and miscellaneous items that were left in the vehicles. Investigation continuing.
Grand Theft Auto
On January 21 at 8:00 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from a residence in the 1300 block of South Alta Vista. The vehicle is a black, 2000 Honda Civic and was taken sometime during the night. The vehicle has yellow fog lights on the front and a rear spoiler. Investigation continuing.
Old Town Monrovia in LA Magazine
Old Town Monrovia got a nice write-up in LA Magazine. http://goo.gl/6x843 - Brad Haugaard
Donnelly Says Got Word of Encouragement from Gov. Brown in Gun Incident
Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, who represents part of Monrovia, reported he got surprise word of encouragement from Governor Jerry Brown in the gun-at-the-airport incident. http://goo.gl/C7Hes - Brad Haugaard
AeroVironment Teams with BMW | Computer Club | First Novel
~ BMW partners with AeroVironment to provide charging station for the car company's new electric car. http://goo.gl/nSJYf
~ New computer club at Monrovia Library. http://goo.gl/WvXuA
~ Monrovian writes kinda-okay self-published Christian novel about a sorta evil cult that tries to take over the world. Opinion: It may not win any awards, but I (Brad) had fun writing it and those constrained by blood or friendship have charitably said mostly nice things about it. http://goo.gl/UXLsR
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia's Assemblyman Introduces Another Bill to Ban Public Display of Firearms
Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, who represents part of Monrovia, has introduced another bill to prevent the open display of firearms. According to Portantino's press release, he has ...
introduced AB 1527, a measure that will prohibit individuals from openly displaying unloaded rifles and shotguns in public. Portantino introduced the legislation at the urging of law enforcement as a follow up to last year’s successful AB 144, which banned openly carrying an unloaded handgun in public places.
In reaction to the enactment of AB 144, Open Carry Organizations across the State began hosting open carry events brandishing rifles and shotguns in place of the now illegal handguns. In at least once instance, they showed up at a police fundraiser wielding unloaded rifles.
“Last year, the state made it clear that this type of behavior had no place on Main Street, California,” said Assemblymember Portantino. “Unfortunately, the Open Carry community has decided to once again force our hand by escalating their unnecessary activities and entering our communities with AR-15s and other long guns. I had hoped cooler heads would have prevailed and this law wouldn’t be necessary, obviously that hasn’t been the case and I must once again take action to ensure the safety of our communities.”
AB 1527 builds on the newly enacted law authored by Portantino last year and provides a similar list of exemptions to enable safe transportation, lawful hunting, and use by law enforcement officials.
"The Brady Campaign supports AB 1527,” said Dr. Dallas Stout, President of the California Brady Campaign Chapters. "These public displays of shot guns, rifles, and live ammunition intimidate and scare people. This is not the kind of society Californians want to live in, and we support ending this dangerous practice."
AB 1527 currently awaits referral from the Assembly Rules committee and will likely be set for hearing in the Assembly Public Safety committee sometime in late March or early April.
- Brad Haugaard
Attempted Murder, Arrest, Reported in Monrovia
In a press release, the City of Monrovia reports:
On Sunday, January 22, 2012, at approximately 5:50 pm, Monrovia Police Officers responded to the 1200 block of Encino Avenue regarding a male adult victim with one stab wound to his chest. The victim was treated at the scene and taken to a local hospital where he was admitted in critical condition. The victim’s medical status was later upgraded to stable condition.A subsequent investigation revealed the suspect violated a restraining order and entered into the home of his estranged wife. The suspect was holding a hunting style knife and confronted his wife and the victim, who is his wife’s male companion. The suspect stabbed the victim one time in the chest and fled from the location.Monrovia Police Officers located the suspect at a nearby hotel in Monrovia and surrounded his room. The suspect was unaware of the police presence and exited his hotel room where he was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect was arrested and charged for Attempt Murder and violating a protective court order.
- Brad Haugaard
Investment Firm Moving into Dogwoods - Plans to Invest $100 Million
The former Dogwood's produce market has been purchased by, and will be occupied by, an investment company called Juvo Capital ( http://goo.gl/xgRQb ), which plans to invest up to $100 million in start-up companies over the next several years.
The general partners of the firm, Talmadge O'Neil and Harry Tsao ( http://goo.gl/mN51w ), are not new to Monrovia, having founded one of the largest firms in Monrovia that few people have ever heard of, Mezimedia.com, which was sold several years ago for about $300 million and is now part of ValueClick.
Full disclosure: I worked with both Talmadge and Harry (nice guys, both) at GoTo.com in Pasadena.
- Brad Haugaard
Koncept Headquarters in Monrovia | UCLA McCarthy
~ Koncept, a high-end LED lamp company, has located its headquarters on Huntington Drive in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/dTikY ~ Picture of Monrovia football player, Ellis McCarthy, in a UCLA jersey. http://goo.gl/5sBlc - Brad Haugaard
Boy Dies | Huff School Bill Passes Senate
~ Boy dies in Monrovia after discovered not breathing. http://goo.gl/Vnlyn
~ Senator Bob Huff's school-renaming bill passes senate. Huff represents Monrovia. http://goo.gl/H5zuv
- Brad Haugaard
Silver Green Monrovia | Video Bridge Report
~ Monrovia has been awarded "Silver" status as a "California Green Community." http://goo.gl/PVu8T
~ A video report on the Gold Line bridge progress. http://goo.gl/E4dcw
- Brad Haugaard
Lunch at Shanghai Dumpling House
- Brad Haugaard
Gold Line Construction Update
The Gold Line reports that the Santa Anita freeway bridge is on schedule, and that ...
during the coming months, crews will install the temporary support structure called falsework over the eastbound lanes of the I-210 Freeway. For safety purposes during falsework installation, multiple partial and full closures of the eastbound lanes of the I-210 Freeway will be required. Full eastbound closures will all occur late at night, and the freeway will be reopened by 5:00 a.m. the following mornings.
Also over the next several months, crews will be conducting surveying, geotechnical work and utility locating activities along the planned line. Major construction is scheduled to begin near the end of the year.
- Brad Haugaard
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