Protecting Monrovia From Wildfires

Give your ideas on protecting Monrovia from wildfires. http://goo.gl/8cnOL

- Brad Haugaard

Wanna Be a Monrovia City Council Member?

Monrovia City press release:

Interested in serving as a Monrovia City Council member? Want to make a change in your community by serving as an elected official but not sure where to start? Then the Monrovia City Clerk's office is here to help.

In preparation for the April 9, 2013 Monrovia General Municipal Election, the Monrovia City Clerk's Office will be hosting a pre-nomination candidate information meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 5. This meeting will offer valuable insight on how to run for one of the five available elected positions in Monrovia. Information will include an overview of forms, campaign reporting requirements, and important timelines.

"I began this candidate information meeting several years ago in an effort to raise awareness about what it means to be a candidate so that people weren't blind-sided when they came to pull nomination papers," said City Clerk Alice Atkins. "Hopefully this meeting demystifies the process for them."

The period to file nomination papers opens on Dec. 17, 2012, and ends Jan. 11, 2013. Positions open for the upcoming Monrovia General Municipal Election are: Mayor (2 years), two City Council seats (4 years), City Treasurer (4 years), and City Clerk (4 years). The Municipal Election is April 9, 2013.

The meeting is open to anyone interested in running for local government in any city or who simply want to learn more about the election process. All Monrovia and non-Monrovia residents are welcome to attend.

The meeting will be Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, 6 p.m., Monrovia Community Center, 119 W Palm Avenue.

To attend the Candidate Information meeting, please RSVP to the City Clerk's Office to (626) 932-5505.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: More on Teen Luring; Safekeeping or Theft? Aggressive Parolee; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Nov. 29 - Dec. 2. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend's highlighted issues and events.

Man Attempts to Lure Teen into Car
On Thursday, November 29, 2012, at approximately 8:10 a.m., a 15-year-old high school student was walking to school in the 500-600 block of West Olive when she was approached by a male white suspect driving a white, four-door, pickup truck, unknown size.  The suspect asked the student to get into his vehicle, but the student refused, stating she did not know him.  He drove forward and turned onto the 600 block of Monterey, parking along the curb.  He waited for the student to approach.  As the student approached the vehicle again, the driver offered the student $200 to get into his vehicle.  The student refused, and the suspect left the area.  The student notified school officials as soon as she arrived at school.

It is unknown if this is related to the incident which occurred on November 8, but detectives are investigating and are coordinating their investigation with school officials.
Suspect Description:  male, white, 30-35 years old, unknown height, thin build, black shaggy hair - medium length, wearing black framed prescription glasses.  The victim could not describe the suspect's clothing.

Suspect Vehicle Description:  older model, white, four-door, pickup truck.

Residential Burglary
November 30 at 10:50 a.m., officers responded to a residence in the 500 block of North Alta Vista to investigate a burglary that had occurred within the last two days.  The victims had been out of town and returned home to discover someone had broken into their home.  The suspect(s) smashed the glass backdoor and gained entry into the home.  Once inside, they took a purse and some jewelry from the home.  The investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary
November 30 at 4:14 p.m., a burglary was reported in the 800 block of Ridgeside Drive.  The location is a vacant residence that is in the process of being remodeled and was left unlocked.  The suspects entered the residence and took tools from the attached garage.  The suspect(s) then left the location undetected.  Investigation continuing.

Elder Abuse / Grand Theft
November 30 at 5:24 p.m., an elderly male subject came into the police department lobby and reported that several guns he owns were stolen from his apartment while he was in the hospital.  Further investigation revealed he had begun to associate with two female neighbors, who steadily gained his trust and took over his finances.  While he was in the hospital, they went into his apartment and took his property, including bank statements and gold jewelry.  He told the investigating officer that he never gave anyone permission to go into his apartment and take his property.  A call was made to the female neighbors, who admitted they had his property, but claimed he told them to take it for safekeeping while he was in the hospital.  An Adult Protective Services referral was generated.  The investigation is continuing.

Parolee at Large - Suspect Arrested
November 30 at 8:11 p.m., an adult male subject was aggressively confronting two people who were waiting for the bus at Magnolia and Huntington.  An officer in the area had stopped, noticing the subject, and was waved over by one of the people waiting for the bus.  The officer contacted the male subject, who then immediately became confrontational with the officer.  Additional officers arrived and the subject was determined to be intoxicated and had been in possession of an open container of alcohol.  He was arrested and taken into custody.  At the police station, a computer check revealed the subject is a parolee at large and considered armed and dangerous.  He has an extensive history of violent crimes.  A parole hold was obtained for the suspect.

Transformer Fire and Power Outage
November 30 at 8:48 p.m., a transformer on California, south of Evergreen, blew after the pole it was on fell due to the soft soil from the rain.  The transformer then struck another power pole.  Officers responded with fire personnel and contained the area. Southern California Edison was called and responded.  Power was restored quickly and Edison was to repair the downed pole.

Possession of Fraudulent Social Security and California Identification / Drinking in Public - Suspect Arrested
November 30 at 12:55 p.m., an officer observed a subject with an open alcohol container on Myrtle Avenue.  He stopped and detained the subject.  The subject presented a fraudulent identification card.  He was subsequently arrested and booked.  The investigation is continuing.

Fight in Progress
December 1 at 1:55 a.m., officers were dispatched to a possible fight in progress at a hotel in the 900 block of Fifth Avenue.  Several subjects were detained, and one male subject was checked by Monrovia Fire Department paramedics after reporting he had been sprayed with pepper spray.  He declined medical treatment and officers could not confirm the fact the he was sprayed with pepper spray.  One female subject was arrested for a warrant.  All of the subjects were detained and field interview cards were completed.  All persons not staying at the hotel left the premises.

Grand Theft Auto
December 2 at 9:10 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from the 400 block of Los Angeles.  The vehicle is a red, 1996 Honda Civic, which was taken from the street in front of the victim's home.  The investigation is continuing.

Domestic Violence / Driving Under the Influence / Resisting and Delaying a Peace Officer
December 2 at 10:43 p.m., an officer on patrol observed a maroon van driving east on Huntington at an unsafe speed.  The van turned into a parking lot in the 700 block of West Huntington and scraped the bottom of the front bumper.  The officer stopped the vehicle and contacted the male driver and two female occupants.  One of the female subjects was found to be a juvenile.  The driver was determined to be operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.  The female juvenile gave a false name and was arrested.  The adult female complained of medical problems and was taken to a hospital, and while at the hospital, she stated the male driver had physically abused her.  The male driver was arrested for driving under the influence and domestic violence.

New Monrovia Assemblyman Sworn In, Introduces Bill | State Lists Local Services

~ Assembly Member Chris Holden, who represents Monrovia, was sworn in today and introduced Assembly Bill 9, "addressing economic development and jobs creation." The press release says that "AB 9 provides the platform to develop, evaluate, and negotiate economic development policy."

~ The California Department of Community Services and Development has a new website. Here are some of its general services ( http://goo.gl/R4S4J ) and some speciically Monrovia-area services: http://goo.gl/qgVk9

- Brad Haugaard

AeroVironment Gets Rights to Swedish Drone | Madison High | Library Book Christmas Tree | Your Monrovia Vision

~ Monrovia's AeroVironment is putting $3 million into Sweden-based CybAero AB to "develop and distribute a Tier II vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft system. AeroVironment gets exclusive rights to provide CybAero AB systems to United States customers and to government customers in NATO and other countries. http://goo.gl/51esq

~ A look at the Wildcats opponent in the state playoffs, Madison High School. http://goo.gl/FsK3J

~ Books become a Christmas tree at Monrovia Library. http://goo.gl/5032Y

~ If you want to give the leaders of Monrovia your vision for the future of the city, the next city forum is Dec. 11, 7-9 p.m. at the Monrovia Community Center, 119 W. Palm, across the street on the north side of the Library.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Wildcats in State Regional Playoffs

Monrovia Wildcats head for state regional playoffs. http://goo.gl/PWjHk

- Brad Haugaard

No Ice Cream for Weight Watchers

An unfortunate juxtaposition of signs. Weight Watchers doesn't actually meet at Baskin Robbins, but at its new home across the Pavilions parking lot in a storefront next to Cherry on Top.

Kitty Banks in Monrovia for Sandy Victims

Make-up Artist Kitty Banks in Old Town Monrovia to raise support for Sandy victims. http://goo.gl/aHKcR

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Wins Third Consecutive Football Title :-)

Monrovia came back strong after trailing 7-0 at the end of the first half, quickly scoring in the third quarter and then leading for the rest of the game. Final score: 23 to 7 over Paraclete.

Full story: http://goo.gl/ZiXzG

- Brad Haugaard

Power Outage Hits Monrovia

A power outage has hit approximately 933 Monrovia electricity users, according to Southern California Edison. SCE says it does not know the reason for the outage and hopes to have the problem fixed by 10 p.m. today. http://goo.gl/GaFyJ

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council Member Wants to Hop Up Nightlife | School Board Switches Hats | Prop 30 Helps Citrus | Volunteer at Unity Center

~ At its Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. meeting, the Monrovia City Council will hear a plan by Councilmember Becky Shevlin to crank up nightlife in Old Town. She brought the idea back from a League of California Cities conference. It's called "Wednesdays in Old Town," it will start on Wednesday, January 9 and occur each Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. between Lime and Olive avenues and will include as many as three live musical entertainers throughout the program area. It will have a sidewalk sale format with no street closures. Myrtle Avenue businesses will be able to sell stuff on the sidewalk. This, and other Council agenda items, here: http://goo.gl/Wa2jM

~ At its Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m. meeting, the Monrovia School Board will elect new officers and assign duties for the next year. Details here: http://goo.gl/DoKst

~ Citrus College, which serves Monrovia, reports that 165 endangered course sections will be restored since Proposition 30 has passed. In a press release the college says that passage of the proposition prevents $3.5 million in cuts and will enable "students to complete their educational goals in a timelier manner."

~ Monrovia's Foothill Unity Center distributed 1,300 Thanksgiving food boxes and during the upcoming Christmas season is planning to distribute to more than 1,500 families. If you'd like to help, adult volunteers are needed on December 16, money is welcome, you could host a food or toy drive or donate frozen turkeys. For details contact Raina Martinez, 358-3486 or raina@foothillunitycenter.org.

- Brad Haugaard

School Board Member's Volunteer Project | Paraclete Tonight! | More Rain | Unity Fundraiser | Old Railway Ties

~ Monrovia School Board member Alex Zucco asks for support for her GRACE Project. She writes on Facebook, "MUSD has many homeless families and the GRACE Project helps get basic needs to Monrovia school children without a permanent home." The project flyer says, "It's simple. Go to your school's office and request a family's needs list. Collect your items and drop them off at the school's GRACE Project donation box." Interested? Contact Jill Skultin at the District Office at jskultin@monroviaschools.net or 626-471-2031

Comment: Cool, Alex! Good for you for taking the initiative.

~ Tough challenge for Monrovia football tonight against Paraclete. http://goo.gl/fjB6G

~ Good chance of rain through Monday. http://goo.gl/kjs36

~ Monrovia's Foothill Unity Center will have a benefit featuring Mercy and the Merkettes (plus silent auction, raffle, door prizes, and food) on Sunday, Dec. 8, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at The Lodge in Sierra Madre, at 33 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Bring cash, check, or an unwrapped gift for a child. Details: http://goo.gl/k9XHt

- Brad Haugaard

~ Gold Line construction folks are removing old railway ties in Monrovia to prepare for putting in new railway ties. http://goo.gl/lJNPc

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia School District on Hook for High-Cost Loan

Monrovia school bond means the district will have to repay five times the amount borrowed. http://goo.gl/xV28M

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at BigShrimps

It's a rainy soup kinda day so went to BigShrimps (just east of Myrtle on Colorado) to get a cup of lobster bisque. Got that with the salmon lunch special and an iced tea for $13.87. No picture of the cup of soup but it was round. Very good, as always.

- Brad Haugaard

Miracle on Myrtle

Miracle on Myrtle, at Monrovia's Library Park on Dec. 23, 5 p.m. The church, Fellowship Monrovia (which meets at the Community Center), is sponsoring live musical performances, and the world premiere of "Miracle on Myrtle," a new animation by Fellowship Productions. The church says it wants this to be an annual tradition. http://goo.gl/uAGMt

- Brad Haugaard

Handel's Messiah Concert | Holiday Events | Rain? | What's Your Zoning?

~ Handel's Messiah Christmas Concert at Monrovia's First Presbyterian Church, Friday Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Free but an offering is welcomed. Details: http://goo.gl/kQzLR

~ More holiday events: Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Library Park, Thursday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m.; "All that Glitters is Gold" Holiday Parade, along Myrtle in Old Town, Thursday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.

~ Fifty percent chance of rain tomorrow, Friday. http://goo.gl/fvtwH

~ Now you can see how your property is zoned. Go to the city's Zoning page ( http://goo.gl/yDUrD ) and click on Zoning Map (or just click here: http://goo.gl/4KUPk ). Then click on the grid number containing your property. Your property will be color-coded. What does the color mean? Zoom way in on the previous map to read the key. OPINION: Very cool but the color key is hard to find and hard to read. Should be more prominent.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Chewing Narcotics Baggies; Man Tries to Stop Police Entering House, Arrested; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for November 26-28. - Brad Haugaard]

 

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 405 service events, resulting in 58 investigations. 

 

Under the Influence of Narcotics / Vandalism / Burglary / False Imprisonment - Suspect Arrested

November 26 at 9:34 p.m., police were dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of East Los Angeles.  A female resident reported her adult son was under the influence of narcotics so she wouldn't allow him into her home.  The son broke a window on the home with a shovel and fled on foot.  He went into the backyard of a residence across the street.  He broke a window and gained entry into the home, where he was confronted by a woman who lived there.  The suspect restrained the woman by grabbing both of her arms.  When she tried to pull free, the suspect tightened his grip and told her she wasn't going anywhere.  Another female heard the commotion and began to scream at the suspect, who then fled.  He was detained by officers a short distance away, and was arrested without further incident.

 

Possession of Narcotics for Sale / Destruction of Evidence - Suspect Arrested

November 27 at 12:10 a.m., dispatch received a call reporting a suspicious vehicle in the 600 block of East Colorado.  Officers responded and saw the vehicle leaving the area and stopped it.  While one officer was speaking to the male driver, another officer saw the female passenger conceal something in the seat.  The female subject was ordered out of the vehicle and the officers noticed she was chewing something and told her to spit it out.  She spit out several plastic baggies with narcotic residue in them.  Another baggie containing methamphetamine was found in the seat where she attempted to conceal it.  The female suspect was arrested and taken into custody for possession of narcotics for sale and destruction of evidence.

 

Resisting and Obstructing a Peace Officer - Suspect Arrested

November 28 at 5:15 p.m., a family disturbance was reported in the 400 block of Genoa.  The reporting party said they could hear children crying and screaming.  When officers arrived and asked to see the children, a male resident blocked the doorway and told the officers to leave.  The officers explained to the male suspect the reason why they were there and the need to see that the children were okay, but the male suspect continued to forcibly prevent the officers from entering the residence.  He was taken into custody and charged with resisting and delaying an investigation.

 

Detective Bureau Case Follow-Up

The Special Enforcement Team obtained a search warrant for a gang member in El Monte who had weapons.  The Foothills Special Enforcement Team served the search warrant and two subjects were arrested; the primary suspect was charged with being an ex-felon in possession of a shotgun.

 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police Looking for Man Who Tried to Lure Girl Into Car

Monrovia Police Department press release:

On Thursday, November 29, 2012, at approximately 8:10 a.m., a 15-year-old high school student was walking to school in the 500-600 block of West Olive when she was approached by a male white suspect driving a white, four-door, pickup truck, unknown size. The suspect asked the student to get into his vehicle, but the student refused, stating she did not know him. He drove forward and turned onto the 600 block of Monterey, parking along the curb. He waited for the student to approach. As the student approached the vehicle again, the driver offered the student $200 to get into his vehicle. The student refused, and the suspect left the area. The student notified school officials as soon as she arrived at school.

It is unknown if this is related to the incident which occurred on November 8, but detectives are investigating and are coordinating their investigation with school officials. Suspect Description: male, white, 30-35 years old, unknown height, thin build, black shaggy hair -

medium length, wearing black framed prescription glasses. The victim could not describe the suspect's clothing.

Suspect Vehicle Description: older model, white, four-door, pickup truck.

- Brad Haugaard

Plans for the Aztec Hotel | Profile of Football Player, Ainsworth | Rain | Santa Breakfasts | Molestation Trial | Art Show

~ The new owner's plans for the Aztec Hotel. http://goo.gl/shUpS

~ Profile of Monrovia High football player Ge Vontray Ainsworth. http://goo.gl/lmLCX

~ Forty percent chance of showers today and tomorrow, dropping to 30 percent on Saturday: http://goo.gl/svWhH

~ Schedule of Santa breakfasts and lunches at various Old Town restaurants. Food and toys for kids. http://goo.gl/LUDP6

~ Attorney for Monrovian accused of molesting children says attacks would have been "physically impossible." http://goo.gl/NQhGt

~ Tenth Annual Holiday Small Works Show Dec. 1-29 at Segil Fine Art Gallery, 110 West Lime. http://goo.gl/o23jR

- Brad Haugaard

Freeway Closures During Finishing Details of Bridge Construction

There will be at least two full closures of the 210 eastbound through December 8, between 10 p.m. and 1 p.m. the following day. No particular days have been identified. Crews will be finishing off the Gold Line bridge, adding guard rail, adding the concrete "reeds" on the basket towers, planting, and adding a concrete slab next to the south end of the bridge.

- Brad Haugaard