Monrovia Reads Fundraiser | Black History Month

~ Monrovia Reads is having a fundraiser on Thursday, March 7, from 6-9 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in Monrovia. Tickets are $50 per person. Call Diane Delmatoff for tickets: 303-6600

~ Celebrating Black History in Film, with the Pasadena Cow Girls. Feb. 9, 5-8 p.m. at Julian Fisher Memorial Park at 915 S. California Ave.

~ Also for Black History Month, "At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality," Feb. 24, 2-5 p.m. at Monrovia United Methodist Church.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Organizations I Hadn't Really Heard About

Organizations I didn't really know about in Monrovia:

- The American Legion (for veterans) meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Community Center.
- Tzu Chi (corner of Palm and Ivy) does relief, medical, educational and cultural projects. It has been involved in Hurricane Sandy relief.
- Moms Club of Monrovia. Playdates, excursions, park days, discussion groups, service projects and more: http://goo.gl/BFZrT

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Maryknoll Card Party

Maryknoll sisters in Monrovia will hold a Happy Hearts luncheon and card party on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at the Maryknoll Guild, Annex Building, 300 Norumbega Drive, in Monrovia. Luncheon is at noon and card players may come at 10 a.m. We play all kinds of cards: Bridge, Canasta, Rummy or Cribbage. Single card players will be matched to complete a table of four. $15 per person. Call for reservations: (626) 358-1825

- Brad Haugaard

Skunk in Monrovia to Film Commercial

Skunk Productions films American Express commercial: http://goo.gl/MVbds . Picture: http://goo.gl/Xuf00

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Rubio's

Lunch at Rubio's, the Mexican restaurant next to Toys R Us in the Huntington Oaks shopping center. Got The Original Fish Taco plate for $6.49 and an iced tea for $1.69, plus tax. Nice.

- Brad Haugaard

Artsy Bridge | At the Monrovia Library | Success!

~ Gold Line bridge featured as work of art. Artsy pictures: http://goo.gl/A3GJj

~ Upcoming at the Library this month ( http://goo.gl/735kE ):
 - Feb. 5, noon to 1:30 p.m. LinkedIn for Job Seekers.
 - Feb. 9, 1-3 p.m. Native and Edible Gardens.
 - Feb. 16 1-4 p.m. Using Your Computer to Make Money.
 - Feb. 26, 6:30-7:45 p.m. Novel T's Book Club.

~ Monrovians speak on business success. http://goo.gl/cO0AU

- Brad Haugaard

Will City Settle Developer and Metro Lawsuits? | Bacteria | Urban Rescue Equipment

At its Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m. meeting (agenda: http://goo.gl/zxDtF ) the Monrovia City Council will ...

~ Consider settling three rail-line related lawsuits, two between Monrovia and Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, and one between the city and developer Samuelson & Fetter, LLC, which initially sued for $106 million ( http://goo.gl/JgdeM ). The staff report, here - http://goo.gl/Nvrgk - gives no detail about the terms of the proposed settlements.

~ Consider an agreement with the Gateway Cites Council of Governments to share costs for cleaning up the LA River (I think the river down the 605 dumps into the LA River), because it has too much bacteria. http://goo.gl/tYbFc

~ Consider whether to use $29,282.94 of Homeland Security money to buy urban search and rescue equipment. http://goo.gl/zaJr4

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Stats | New Dental Office

~ Some interesting statistical information about Monrovia from the latest city newsletter (scroll down a bit): http://goo.gl/BMwup

~ New dental office in town. http://goo.gl/yxB0V

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Police to Destroy Toy Gun, Student Suspended; Car Theft; Residential Burglaries

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Jan. 28-30. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 386 service events, resulting in 80 investigations.

Juvenile Problem

January 28 at 11:42 a.m., officers were dispatched to an elementary school in the 200 block of Jasmine Avenue. A 10-year-old student was found to be in possession of a plastic Airsoft pistol. The student said he left it in his backpack from the day before and forgot he had it in the backpack. He showed it to a fellow student. The fellow student later reported the incident to school personnel. The principal called the student in and retrieved the Airsoft pistol. There were no plastic BB's or magazine clips with the pistol. The student's parent was notified and responded to the school. The parent later surrendered two additional Airsoft pistols and requested Monrovia Police Department have them destroyed. No injuries were reported and the school will be suspending the student. The incident was documented.

Grand Theft Auto

January 28 at 7:11 p.m., police responded to the 600 block of Vaquero on the report of a stolen vehicle. The victim parked and locked her vehicle on the street at 4 p.m. in the evening. She returned to her vehicle the next day a little after 7 p.m. and discovered it had been stolen. The vehicle is a blue, 1991 Toyota Camry. The investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary

January 29 at 10:33 a.m., police dispatch received an alarm call from a residence located in the 400 block of Parkrose. The alarm was heard by neighbors who checked outside after a few minutes and saw the front door of the residence was open and called police. Officers responded and realized the front door appeared to have been kicked open. Containment of the area was established and the residence checked. No suspect(s) were located or seen by neighbors. It appears the suspect(s) kicked the front door and headed straight to the master bedroom. The loss appears to be costume jewelry. The investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary

January 30 at 3:54 p.m., police responded to the report of a burglary in the 200 block of North Mountain. The resident left at 7:20 a.m. and returned at 3:30 p.m. Upon her return, she discovered her home had been broken into and ransacked. The loss was jewelry from the master bedroom. The suspect(s) entered through an unlocked living room window and ransacked the entire residence. The investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary

January 30 at 11:12 p.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 400 block of Norumbega. The crime occurred between 2 p.m. and 11 p.m. The suspect(s) forced open the front door and the house was ransacked. Jewelry was stolen from the location. The investigation is continuing.

 

- Brad Haugaard

Xylem Spa Opening in Old Town Monrovia

Xylem (pronounced zy-lem) Salon & Spa, at 198 S. Myrtle in Old Town, will hold its grand opening celebration on Feb. 10 from 3-7 p.m. It will include a journey throughout the Salon and Spa to experience complimentary Aveda Sensory Rituals for skin, body, hair and make-up, along with complimentary gift bags, and exclusive incentives. To RSVP, call 539-3244.

Source: Press release

- Brad Haugaard

Talk to Teens About Money

Talking to Teens About Money, a free three-night series. The basics of handling money. Feb. 5, 12, and 19 - all Tuesdays - from 6:30-7:15 p.m. at the Library.

- Brad Haugaard

Overturned Car on 210 Backs Up Homebound Traffic | Chu: Government Cuts Hurt 2012 Economy

~ At this moment an overturned car on the 210 East at Azusa is blocking the middle lane, traffic is backed up to Lake. http://goo.gl/0Byc8

~ Congresswoman Judy Chu, who represents Monrovia, says on Facebook of the report that the economy declined in the last quarter of 2012: "The fact that GDP growth shrunk shows how cutting government spending hurts the economy. Businesses need certainty to prosper. That's why we must reduce our debt responsibly - but not with draconian sequestration cuts."

- Brad Haugaard

City of Monrovia Waxes Poetic About Unmanned Time Warner Communications Center

The City of Monrovia reports - in poetry, believe it or not - that Time Warner has finished building an unmanned facility at 446 E. Duarte Road. The facility houses electronic equipment necessary to provide video, data, and wire line phone services. http://goo.gl/ggYuV

- Brad Haugaard

What Will Be the Fate of Monrovia's Oldest Remaining Carriage House?

The oldest remaining carriage house left in town. (Photo courtesy of MOHPG)

At the back of the multi-lot property at 131 E. Greystone Avenue in Monrovia is the oldest carriage house remaining in town, a 24 by 24-foot structure built in the late 1800s. But what will be its fate? The latest edition of the Monrovia Historic Preservation newsletter reports that the carriage house needs to be moved by this June, and that while it has a new home, the cost to actually move it is a problem.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police Recover Stolen Property Taken from People Who Told LA Times They'd Be On Vacation

On January 18 at 6:21 p.m., a female called to report her daughter was suicidal and had threatened to hang herself.  Officers arrived and searched the location for the suicidal subject, but she was not at the home.  During the search for the daughter, a large cache of cameras and other electronics was found.  A female subject who was at the location was found to have a warrant for receiving stolen property.

 

While she was being taken into custody, the suicidal subject returned home.  She was taken to a hospital and held for a 72-hour mental evaluation.  Due to the volume of property at the location, a search warrant was obtained.  Another male subject who was wanted by the Burbank Police Department for receiving stolen property showed up at the location.  He was also arrested.  The search warrant for the location was served and resulted in the recovery of a large amount of stolen property taken in burglaries from across the Los Angeles area: Hollywood, Walnut, Chino Hills, and Hacienda Heights.

Subsequent investigation indicated more stolen property was in a storage facility in the name of the female taken into custody days before.  The storage facility was located in the city of West Covina and another search warrant was obtained for that location.  The second search warrant resulted in the recovery of another large quantity of stolen property.  The recovered property was more than what could be processed and contained at the Monrovia Police Department.  Los Angeles County Sheriff's detectives assisted with the case and are processing the recovered property.  Investigation by Los Angeles County Sheriff detectives has indicated that many of the victims of these suspects were individuals who had placed themselves on the Los Angeles Times vacation list.  These victims were subsequently burglarized and are encouraged to contact Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Detective Jack Jordan at (562) 946-7893.  Victims should be prepared to supply the police report number from the burglary and a description of the items stolen.

 

Source: Monrovia Police press release

 

- Brad Haugaard

Old Monrovia Acapulco Building to be Replaced; Smashburger and Maybe Del Taco Coming to Town

I asked Monrovia Planning Division Manager Craig Jimenez about a rumor that the city will get a Smashburger ( http://smashburger.com/ ). He kindly fills us in ...

"The rumor is true. Smashburger has applied for approval of a conditional use permit to serve beer and wine at their new location in Huntington Oaks. The CUP will be reviewed by the Planning Commission on 2/13. They will be one of four tenants in the new building that will replace the Acapulco building. Plans for the building shell are in plan check and we anticipate that construction should begin sometime in February.

"Things are really starting to pick up and as is typical, we do a lot of talking with folks prior to applications coming in, but it's a good sign that people are actually thinking about developing. We're expecting Del Taco to move forward with their plans to build a new restaurant next to the new car wash on East Huntington Drive. Additionally, we will be focusing a lot of our attention on the citywide Strategic Plan (PlanMonrovia) over the next few months."

Thanks to Brad Hori for the tip.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Assemblyman: Schools Should Buy California Produce; Post Financial Company Names

~ Assemblymember Chris Holden has introduced a bill to promote the purchase of California produce by state governmental entities and public schools. The legislative councel says it, "would require California public schools and school districts to purchase agricultural products grown in California before those that are grown out-of-state as long as the price does not exceed the lowest bid or price for an out-of-state product." http://goo.gl/omHL5

~ Also, Holden introduced a bill requiring the names of financial institutions and financial companies making loans under the Small Business Board and Small Business Expansion Fund programs to be posted on line. http://goo.gl/21ICc

- Brad Haugaard

Social Group for Women to Meet in Monrovia

"Newcomers and Friends of San Gabriel Valley" is having a meet and greet coffee on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 10 a.m. to noon, at Scrap N' Yap, 830 South Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia, CA.

Looking to meet new friends, have some fun, and become more familiar with the area? All women who are new to this area, or have had changes in their lives, or are looking for fun and interesting daytime activities and making new friends are cordially invited to stop by for socializing and refreshments (no charge to attend), and to learn about the other exciting events available during the upcoming month. Newcomers and Friends of SGV is a friendly, warm, welcoming group.

For more information, please visit our website, www.sgvnewcomers.com.

Source: Press release

- Brad Haugaard

Gold Line Bridge Featured in Concrete Magazine

If you haven't received your copy of Concrete International magazine yet, the Gold Line freeway bridge is featured in it. http://goo.gl/PcYwN

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Lexus-Driving Robber; Trying to Rob Security Guard; Distraction-Theft Fail; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Jan. 24-27. - Brad Haugaard]

 

Following are the weekend's highlighted issues and events.

 

Soliciting Without a License / Warrant - Suspect Arrested

On January 25 at 10:59 a.m., residents in the 1000 block of Orange called regarding two suspicious male subjects walking house to house in the rain, trying to solicit painting jobs.  In light of recent notices about distraction burglaries, officers responded to contact the subjects.  Officers located the subjects and detained them.  One of the subjects had an outstanding warrant and was arrested.  It was later determined that he had a criminal history of theft.  The second subject was identified and released.  They were both advised about handing out fliers for soliciting business without a license.

 

Possession of Methamphetamine / Possession of Marijuana / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia / Receiving Stolen Property - Suspect Arrested

January 26 at 11:25 a.m., a female subject drove her male friend to the police station, due to his disruptive and strange behavior, and told him to get out of the car, but the subject refused.  Officers were alerted to the problem and detained the subject.  The subject was found to have methamphetamine, a smoking pipe and marijuana in the immediate vicinity of where he was seated and in his personal property.  He was also determined to be under the influence of a controlled substance.  He had two metal handicapped parking signs in the car, which the driver stated he had placed in the vehicle.  They had apparently been ripped from a sign post or wall to which they had been affixed.  He was arrested for the offenses, including receiving stolen property.

 

Driving Under the Influence / Traffic Collision / Possession of Marijuana - Suspect Arrested

On January 26 at 12:16 p.m., dispatch received a call reporting possible drug activity taking place in the 200 block of East Maple in an alley.  Officers arrived and detained a male and female subject.  The male subject is a documented gang member and has been served Monrovia's gang injunction.  There was a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car.  The female driver was determined to be under the influence of marijuana. She had driven into the driveway area and collided with the garage door; neither subject lived at the location.  The female was arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana and possession of marijuana.  The male subject did not have possession of any marijuana and was not impaired.  He was identified and released.  

 

Domestic Violence / Surreptitious Recording - Suspects Arrested

On January 26 at 2:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 200 block of East Lemon regarding a male subject being battered by his ex-girlfriend.  On arrival, officers determined the female subject had battered the male subject, causing visible injury on his face and arm.  The investigation revealed that the male subject had surreptitiously recorded the female, which is what caused her to become angry.  The female was arrested for domestic violence and the male was arrested for intentionally and surreptitiously recording the female.  The argument was also over a child they have in common.  The child was in a car seat in the back seat of a car when this occurred.   The Department of Children and Family Services was notified and will receive a copy of the police report. 

 

Armed Robbery

On January 26 at 4:00 p.m., a female subject was getting into her car after shopping in the 500 Block of West Huntington and was confronted by a male suspect armed with a handgun.  He pointed the gun at her and demanded a ring that was on her finger and her purse, which contained her cell phone.  The suspect fled in a grey, newer-model Lexus, driven away by another male suspect.  They fled east on Huntington and then south on Mayflower.

 

After the incident, the victim drove home to Arcadia and called the Arcadia Police Department.  The Arcadia Police Department transferred her back to Monrovia and an officer was dispatched to interview the victim.  A broadcast was made and a teletype was sent; however, a lot of time had passed due to the delay in reporting the incident.

 

The suspect is described as a male Hispanic, 5' 4", 145 pounds, no facial hair, 25 to 30 years old, brown eyes, wearing a dark colored beanie and a dark jacket with a grey hooded sweatshirt underneath.  The handgun is described as possibly a black semi-automatic.  The driver of the suspect vehicle was described as a male Hispanic.  The Investigation is continuing.

 

Stolen Vehicle / Driving Without a License - Suspect Arrested

January 26 at 4:30 a.m., a resident from the 200 block of Norumbega came to the station to report his vehicle had been stolen.  While he was reporting the crime, an officer located the vehicle on the 605 Freeway, heading southbound.  While the officer was waiting for a back up unit, the vehicle drove west on the 10 Freeway and exited at Peck Road.  The El Monte Police Department was clearing a burglary call at Peck and Ramona and there was a large contingent of law enforcement to assist.  Once the vehicle was stopped and the subject detained, the victim drove to the location and identified the suspects as female subjects who had been drinking with him.  He signed a refusal to prosecute and no further action was taken regarding the stolen vehicle.  However, a records check showed the female who was driving the vehicle did not have a license and she had no identification.  She was arrested and taken into custody.

 

Fight in Progress - Suspects Arrested

January 27 at 7:18 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 400 block of West Huntington regarding a fight in progress.  The investigation revealed that two male subjects were fighting each other inside a business.  Neither party desired prosecution, but the manager of the business signed a private person's arrest against them for fighting in public and both suspects were arrested.  No one was injured during the fight.

 

Attempt Robbery - Suspect Arrested

On January 27 a 12:25 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of South Mountain regarding a weapons offense that was later discovered to be an attempt robbery.  The victim is a security guard at the business and was seated in his locked vehicle with the window partially rolled down.  The suspect walked up to the victim's vehicle and demanded money from him at knife point.  When the victim refused, the suspect lunged at him with the knife, but the victim's window protected him.  The victim drove away and called the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for assistance.  Sheriff's deputies responded and found the suspect near Duarte and Buena Vista.  It was determined that the crime actually occurred in Monrovia.  The victim positively identified the suspect and the knife was recovered in the suspect's possession.  The suspect was arrested.