Francis Delach Will Be Interim City Manager for Monrovia

At its meeting tonight, the Monrovia City Council named Francis Delach, former Azusa City Manager, to be its interim city manager during the search to replace current City Manager, Laurie Lile, who is retiring. Here is Delach's LinkedIn page: http://goo.gl/WnxynN

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Wants Your Opinion on Housing

Monrovia wants your opinion on the city's housing needs, as part of its general plan, so it is asking residents for their opinions through a quick nine-question survey, here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZCHXPL9

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovian Arrested in Threatening Calls to Schools, Hospitals

UPDATE 2: Earlier this year a Monrovia man by the same name, Gerardo Cortez, identified at the time as being 25 years old, pleaded no contest to one count of making a false bomb report. http://goo.gl/FM7LQ3

UPDATE: Arrested man is Geraldo Cortez, 26, of Monrovia. http://local.nixle.com/alert/5064134/

KNX Newsradio reports that a Monrovia man has been arrested in connection with threatening calls that shut down local schools - including Monrovia's Santa Fe Middle School - and hospitals. http://goo.gl/RXky2f

- Brad Haugaard

Williams Launches Monrovia School Board Campaign | Fitness Challenge | Flags Half Staff | Ralphs Cards

~ Terrence Williams, candidate for the Monrovia School Board, has launched his campaign and has a webpage with his campaign statement: http://williams4monrovia.com/

~ The Foothill Fitness Challenge, sponsored by City of Hope, pits Monrovia and other foothills communities against each other in a friendly competition to see which city can be most fit. http://goo.gl/WrGArX

~ Monrovia flags at half staff in memory of those killed at the Washington Navy Yard. http://goo.gl/WO1MSA

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Wheelchair Suspect Arrested From Bus; Threatening Mom; Stabbing Attack; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Sept. 12–15 . - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend's highlighted issues and events.

Warrant Arrest – Suspect Arrested

September 13 at 5:29 p.m., officers observed a known gang member in the 200 block of East Lime. A computer check revealed he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for criminal threats. Officers immediately arrested the suspect and took him into custody for the warrant.

Warrant / Possession of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested

September 14 at 3:05 a.m., an officer on patrol conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a traffic violation. During the course of the traffic stop, the officer discovered one of the occupants had a no-bail warrant for possession of a controlled substance. The subject was arrested and taken into custody. The warrant was out of Downey Police Department and they responded and took custody of the suspect.

Disturbing Subject / Warrant ­– Suspect Arrested

September 14 at 1:19 p.m., the driver of a Foothill Transit bus called police because a male subject in a wheelchair was causing a disturbance on the bus. He was yelling at customers and the bus driver. He refused to get off the bus when the bus stopped at Mayflower and Huntington and he was asked to exit. An officer arrived and convinced the subject to exit the bus. A computer check was run on the subject, which revealed the he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The officer arrested the subject for the warrant and took him into custody.

Warrant Arrest – Suspect Arrested

September 14 at 2:00 p.m., an officer on patrol in the 200 block of Madeline contacted a subject walking near Norumbega and Greystone. A computer check revealed the subject had a warrant for his arrest for theft and drugs. The officer arrested him for the warrant.

Criminal Threats – Suspect Arrested

September 14 at 8:26 p.m., the sister of a subject called police to report that her brother was threatening their mother. Officers responded to a residence in the 300 block of East Olive, where the suspect lives with his mother. Through investigation, the officer determined the son had made a criminal threat against his mother. He was arrested for the crime and taken into custody.

Assault with a Deadly Weapon – Suspect Arrested

September 14 at 11:16 p.m., police received a call reporting a woman screaming and a possible fight at a residence in the 200 block of South Magnolia. The first officer on scene reported a stabbing victim and the suspect possibly still in the area. Additional officers responded to assist. The Arcadia Police Department provided several officers to help with containment of the area and the Foothill Air Support Team helicopter also responded.

After the description of the suspect was broadcast, officers in the field located and detained the suspect in the 200 block of West Palm. Monrovia Fire Department paramedics responded to treat the victims. Three victims were located at the scene. The primary victim sustained a laceration to the abdomen and a surface laceration to the neck. The wife of the primary victim sustained a surface laceration on her left upper arm. The third victim, a male relative, sustained two surface lacerations, one in the arm and one behind the neck. The primary victim was taken to a hospital for treatment. The suspect was also taken to a hospital for injuries he sustained during the fight with the victim. None of the injuries were life threatening. After the suspect was cleared by the hospital, he was taken into custody and charged for assault with a deadly weapon.

Grand Theft

September 15 at 9:46 a.m., a grand theft was reported at a business in the 1300 block of South Myrtle. The victim took his car to the business for repairs. Just after midnight, the suspect entered the business parking lot in a white Suburban. The suspect exited his vehicle and approached the victim's vehicle on the lot. He removed and took all of the tires and wheels. The investigation is continuing.

Gang Injunctions vs Gangs in Monrovia | City Manager on Homelessness

~ A look at the effectiveness of Monrovia's gang injunction against the Nuevo Varrio Gang and the Duroc Crips gangs. http://goo.gl/Ad7yoy

~ Monrovia City Manager Laurie Lile responds to Robert Parry's article about homeless people in Library Park. http://goo.gl/26FbFP

- Brad Haugaard

Old Cars in Old Monrovia

The old car show is still going on in old town. Some beautiful cars.

-Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Football Victory Over Arcadia

Monrovia over Arcadia in football - 49 to 7. Full story: http://goo.gl/J963Vy

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Meridian Grill

Lunch at Meridian Grill. Mediterranean cuisine. Got the chicken shawarma ($12) and a beer ($6). This is the former Planet Cookies at Myrtle and Lime.  The inside has been totally redone. Very elegant - white tablecloths. Nice. 

- Brad Haugaard

Olympic Medalist Grand Marshall of Saturday's Car Show | LinkedIn Workshop

~ Five-time Olympic Medal Winner and Monrovia resident Kim Rhode will serve as this year's Grand Marshall of tomorrow's (Sept. 14) Street Rods Forever 23rd Annual Hot Rod, Custom Car & Motorcycle Show, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. along Myrtle Avenue in Old Town Monrovia. She will also show her 1965 AC Shelby Cobra. The event will also feature automotive vendors and raffles. Proceeds to local charities. Admission is free.

~ Final 3-hour LinkedIn workshop on Attracting New Businesses and Contacts on Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To reserve a spot: http://goo.gl/pVzWNz or call (626) 256-8274.

- Brad Haugaard

FBI Searching for Caller Who Shut Down Santa Fe Middle School

FBI joins search for caller who shut down Santa Fe Middle School and other schools in the San Gabriel Valley. http://goo.gl/ow7wp3

- Brad Haugaard

Burger Shack Restaurant for Sale

The Burger Shack restaurant and property at the corner of Foothill and Madison is for sale for $1.8 million. The restaurant makes about $55,000 a month. http://goo.gl/9SP62Y

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia vs Arcadia Game Tonight | Newcomers

~ Pasadena Star-News pre-game analysis of the Monrovia-Arcadia football game tonight. http://goo.gl/v6ryRx

~ The Newcomers and Friends of San Gabriel Valley club invites new local residents to a "meet and greet" coffee in Arcadia on October 2. For more information: sgvnewcomers@yahoo.com or http://www.sgvnewcomers.com

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council: Electronic Fuel Price Signs at Gas Stations; Madison Fire; Interim City Manager

At its Sept. 17 meeting (agenda: http://goo.gl/V1jJuR ), the Monrovia City Council will ...

~ Consider an amendment to city code to allow service stations to have electronic fuel price signs on ground signs ("monument" signs) no more than six feet high and with illumination that does not impair people's vision. City staff recommends approval. http://goo.gl/4viTKK

~ Hear an update on "Madison Fire Remediation Measures." The staff report gives no detail, but I assume it is this: http://goo.gl/no9YO9

~ Meet in closed session to discuss an interim city manager, and for labor negotiations with the firefighters ( http://goo.gl/f4f9Pp ). And, actually, the day before, Sept. 16, there'll be another closed session about an interim city manager ( http://goo.gl/kvTr2d ).

- Brad Haugaard

County to Build Debris Wall at the North End of Highland Place

LA County Public Works will build a temporary debris wall - to protect against mudflows - on Monrovia city property at the north end of Highland Place, where the vegetation was burned off because of the Madison fire.

The wall will be made of timber, designed to let water flow through, but not large rock, dirt and other hillside debris. It will be in place for approximately five years to allow vegetation to grow back.

There will be a public forum on Thursday, September 19, 7 p.m. at the Library Community Room to discuss the project. For further information call (626) 932-5575 or email pwcomments@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

Source: http://goo.gl/no9YO9

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Fighting Females x2; Stolen Honda

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Sept. 9–11. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 498 service events, resulting in 87 investigations.

Assault with a Deadly Weapon – Suspect Arrested

September 9 at 7:18 p.m., an officer responded to a residence in the 1700 block of South Mayflower regarding the report of two females fighting. Upon arrival, one of the females was bleeding from a head injury. Further investigation revealed the subject was hit in the head with a full beer can by the other female during the dispute. The suspect was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

Grand Theft Auto

September 10 at 7:16 p.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from the 200 block of East Cypress. The vehicle is a red, 1993 Honda Del Sol. The vehicle was parked on the street. The investigation is continuing.

Fight in Progress / Threatening With a Knife

September 11 at 8:37 p.m., police dispatch received a 9–1–1 call from a residence in the 100 block of Los Angeles. The caller stated a female subject inside the residence was threatening one of the family members with a knife. Officers responded, along with the Foothill Air Support Team helicopter, to the residence. The victim was outside the residence when officers arrived and said she wanted nothing done about the incident. The other subjects inside the residence were uncooperative and refused to come outside.

After a short period, officers were eventually able to talk the subjects out of the residence. They were unable to confirm a crime had occurred, due to uncooperative and conflicting statements. All subjects were identified.

City Manager Recruitment Process

An announcement about the city manager recruitment process:

The Mayor and City Council met in closed session yesterday afternoon regarding the transition to a new City Manager.  Council have identified some strong candidates from outside the organization who are interested in serving as Interim City Manager.  The Mayor and City Council plan to meet with these candidates early next week and they hope to announce their decision shortly thereafter.  The plan is to have an experienced Interim City Manager on board well before Ms. Lile's  retirement date so that she can work with that individual to facilitate a smooth transition.

The City Attorney has been instructed to solicit proposals from well-qualified professional recruiters to find a consultant who will quickly start a broad search for Monrovia’s next City Manager.  It is the City Council’s intent to have that search underway by the beginning of October.  In the short-term, the Mayor and City Council will be meeting further to define their expectations of the new City Manager and they have asked staff to provide data regarding comparable compensation packages to ensure that this position is attractive to a broad range of highly-qualified candidates.

It is Council's  intent to keep the community, staff and stakeholders informed of progress as this process  moves forward, as much as possible respecting the privacy of employment candidates.

Source: City Council member Becky Shevlin

- Brad Haugaard

Biker Rob Hammond Crosses Border Into California

Canada-to-Mexico bicycle rider Biker Rob Hammond - former Monrovia Mayor and current school board member - has crossed the Oregon border into California. Near Smith River Indian Reservation at the moment.

- Brad Haugaard

School Board Member Alex Zucco Kicks Off Reelection Campaign

Incumbent School Board Member Alex Zucco is kicking off her re-election bid with an invitation to Monrovians for a gathering this Sunday, Sept. 15, from 4-6 p.m. at her home, at 447 N. Encinitas Ave.

[Note: I will be happy to post information about other candidates' events, but you gotta send it to me.]

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Trader Joe's Drops Healthcare for Some Part-Timers

Monrovia-based Trader Joe's markets is dropping health coverage for part timers who work fewer than 30 hours. Because of Obamacare. http://goo.gl/ikyhTC

- Brad Haugaard