Lunch at Peach Cafe

Lunch at Peach Cafe yesterday. On Colorado almost at Ivy. Got the Philly Steak Wrap ($11.95) with vegetable beef soup and an iced tea ($2.75). Plus tax and tip. I'm no Philly expert but it was pretty tasty. 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Company Plans IPO | Biker Against Trafficking | Art Festival | Unity Volunteer Dies

~ Monrovia's Xencor, Inc. announced today that is registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of shares of its common stock. http://goo.gl/fGujeX

~ Garrett Zambrows will speak at First Baptist Church (223 S. Encinitas) on his planned five-month, circumnavigating the country bike ride against human trafficking. http://goo.gl/kGbPDn

~ Monrovia Association of Fine Arts will hold an art festival tomorrow and Sunday (Oct. 12, 13), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Library Park. Art for sale, demonstrations, entertainment, refreshments. Also, at 10 a.m. Der Kleiner Panzers Volkswagen Club will display custom built high performance Volkswagens.

~ Foothill Unity Center reports that "one of our most faithful volunteers, Henry Thedinga, recently passed away peacefully at 96 after a stroke. Henry and his wife, Lou, volunteered with and supported us for 14 years."

- Brad Haugaard

Thoughts on Monrovia School Board Candidates Forum

From left: Terrence Williams, Alex Zucco, Ruhhiyyih Yuille, Scott Pomrehn.

Thoughts on the Monrovia School Board Candidates Forum tonight. You get to vote for two of these folks on Nov. 5:

- Terrence Williams emphasized his lengthy involvement with schools and youth in town and spoke of his desire to get local businesses to contribute to the schools. His work with gangs gave a lot of credence to his answer to a question about bullying (he said it needs to be dealt with directly with the bully and the bully's parents) and his answer to a question about the importance of counselors (he said they are as important as teachers and that kids will tell counselors things they'd never tell their parents). He said the most important issue facing the district is the board's cohesiveness.

- As the incumbent, Alex Zucco emphasized her experience, and her knowledge of the district came through regularly in her answers. She said the biggest problem facing the district is the state of its facilities, that while Monrovia High has had a nice upgrade, the other schools need work as well. The problem with implementing the Core Curriculum, she said, is that the district is only getting about $1 million to implement a $3 million project.

- Ruhhiyyih Yuille spoke of her broad experience as a teacher and that her family has lived in Monrovia since the 1950s. She was easily the best public speaker of the crew and had a nicely prepared opening statement which she delivered very well. Everyone else ad libed. Oddly, she then ad libed her closing statement. She shined best when questioned on general educational questions, such as her opinion of the Common Core curriculum. She said standards have been adopted, but no curriculum. If the district gets more money, she said her priorities would be: 1. Teacher training, 2. Class size reduction, 3. Excellent curriculum - and she'd like to negotiate a raise for the teachers.

- Scott Pomrehn emphasized his long experience in local government and that he now has time that he can devote to board work. I think he had the most interesting idea of the night, which is that Monrovia should introduce on-line classes and maybe round up students from outside the district. He emphasized local control and said that "If Sacramento and Washington would let us use our money the way we want, we'd be a lot better off." I'm with him on that.

Someone asked if the district would consider issuing a bond "to fund programs." Now this "to fund programs" phrase set off alarm bells in my head. In my view, issuing a bond (which is basically taking out a loan) should ONLY be for specific and occasional big-ticket expenses, never for day-to-day expenses. You take out a loan to buy a car or a house, not to pay the rent. So, anyway, I was very surprised that Pomrehn - whom I thought was a numbers kinda guy and thought would nail that question - said he would consider that as an option if necessary. I thought that was a peculiar answer, though maybe he understood the question differently than I did or maybe there are methods of using bonds I'm not aware of.

Best answers of the evening were to the question, "Are you an independent thinker?" To which each of the candidates unanimously responded, Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

UPDATE: Scott Pomrehn responds: Thank you for covering the forum. To clarify, I completely agree with you on the use of bond funds, or as you correctly stated, "a loan", for on-going operational costs. I made an assumption and should have had the moderator clarify the question. Again, thank you for informing Monrovians about the upcoming election.

- Brad Haugaard

Win Tickets to Taste of Monrovia | Sing Handel's Messiah

~ Win two free tickets this years "A Taste of Old Town Monrovia." Here: http://goo.gl/f4IgFr

~ Sing Handel's Messiah at First Presbyterian Church with the choir at the Dec. 8 Christmas Concert. Rehearsals from 7:30-8:30 p.m. each Thursday. For information call Dr. Peter Green at the church (626-358-3297, ext. 205) or email peter@fpcmonrovia.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Officials Visit Train Maintenance Yard; Gold Line Bridge Wins More Awards

Assemblymember Chris Holden and Monrovia Mayor Pro Tem Becky Shevlin and Councilman Larry Spicer visit the train maintenance yard next to the Home Depot in Monrovia.

Also, the Gold Line Bridge has recently won two additional awards. The American Society of Civil Engineers awarded the bridge the Outstanding Public Civil Engineering Transportation Project over $10 million; and Engineering News-Record (ENR) awarded it the Best Project in Southern California, Highways/Bridges category.

Source: Gold Line Construction Authority spokesman Habib F. Balian

- Brad Haugaard

Governor Signs Monrovia Assemblyman's Bill to Give Armed Forces Members a Tax Break

Members of the Armed Forces and National Guard will get a break on state use tax (like sales tax but for stuff you buy out of state) when they are transferred to California under Assemblymember Chris Holden's bill signed today by Governor Brown. Holden represents Monrovia.

"It just doesn't seem fair to tax active duty military personnel when they are already making so many sacrifices," Holden said.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: The Grandparent Scam; More Meth

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Oct. 7–9. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 428 service events, resulting in 75 investigations.

Annoying Phone Calls / Grandparent Scam

October 7 at 3:22 p.m., a phone scam was reported from a resident in the 100 block of North Magnolia. The resident received calls telling her that her grandson was in jail in Puerto Vallarta. The caller wanted 10,000 dollars in 100 dollar bills placed throughout a magazine and mailed to a location in New York. The victim stopped and confirmed both of her grandsons were in the United States, and then reported the incident to police. The victim did not suffer any loss.

Fight in Progress / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia / Warrant – Suspects Arrested

October 8 at 9:25 p.m., officers responded to a hotel in the 900 block of South Fifth Avenue on the report of two male subjects fighting in the hotel hallway. One of the suspects left the location prior to the officers arriving. Officers located the other male suspect in a hotel room, along with two female subjects. One of the females was arrested for an outstanding warrant out of San Bernardino, and the second female was arrested for possession of a methamphetamine pipe. A baggie of methamphetamine was found in the hotel, which possibly belonged to the outstanding male suspect.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Teens Invited to Alien Creature Feature

As part of Teen Read Week, teens are invited to watch an Alien Creature Feature and slurp "swamp juice" on Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 2-4 p.m. in the Library Community Room. For more information, call the Monrovia Public Library at 256-8274 and ask for Youth Services.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Candidates Forum | Football vs. Temple City

~ Monrovia school board candidates' forum at 7 p.m. tonight in the school district board room, 325 Huntington. http://goo.gl/QFFYab

~ Football: Monrovia vs. Temple City tomorrow (Friday) at 7 p.m. at Temple City. http://goo.gl/d7uVGp

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia May Buy Concrete Barriers to Protect Homes From Flooding; Etc.

At its Oct. 15 meeting (agenda: http://goo.gl/kHJPvN ), the Monrovia City Council will ...

~ Consider buying $183,364 of "K-rail" from Jensen Precast  and contract with Ellis Construction for no more than $26,000 for installing it. This is to protect homes from possible flooding in the aftermath of the Madison fire. The staff report says the county recommended buying 246 twenty-foot sections and 64 ten-foot sections of the stuff.

What is K-Rail? Staff report says: "K-rail or Jersey Barriers are concrete barriers that measure approximately 32 inches tall by 24 inches wide and come in lengths of 10 and 20 feet. K-rail is used as a method to protect construction workers and equipment; it is often found on freeways near construction areas."

The K-rail will be placed here:

- Avocado Place (both sides)

- Crescent Drive (south side of street)

- Highland Place (both sides)

- Lotone Street (south side)

- Highland Place (North of Scenic) (east side)

- Hillcrest Boulevard (south side)

- Heather Heights Court (both sides)

City staff estimates it will stay in place up to five years. http://goo.gl/jsH4Ka


~ Proclaim October 26 as "Make A Difference Day."

~ Hold closed-door discussions on negotiations with the firefighter's union and a lawsuit. http://goo.gl/6ICjBO


- Brad Haugaard

Volunteers Work Thousands of Hours a Year on Canyon Park

Thirty three volunteers worked 6,507 hours at Canyon Park during the 2012-13 year, according to Hector Inzunza, Wilderness and Park Supervisor, 446 hours fewer than the previous year due the retirement of one prolific volunteer. Also, "one-time" project volunteers donated approximately 676 hours during 2012-13 compared to 612 in 2011-12 thanks to new connections with the California Conservation Corps and with Citrus Community College. http://goo.gl/vP4Q9U

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police Get Traffic Safety Grant

Monrovia Police Department has been awarded a $55,000.00 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on our roadways through special enforcement and public awareness efforts. The grant received by Monrovia will aid in the city's ongoing effort to improve traffic safety and quality of life. Monrovia Police Department will use the funding as part of an on- going commitment to keep our roadways safe through both enforcement and education.

"Our goal is to maintain Monrovia's status of having zero traffic related fatalities," says Sergeant Daniel Verna, Traffic Safety Coordinator for the Monrovia Police Department. The grant will assist in efforts to deal with traffic safety problems and to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions. While traffic deaths from all causes declined by nearly 39 percent between 2006 and 2010 in California, they rose by 2.6 percent in 2011. State and federal officials anticipate that figures will show another rise for 2012. DUI deaths remain the largest sector, at nearly 30 percent of traffic fatalities. Recent trends show increases in two new categories – distracted driving and drug-impaired driving. Activities that the grant will fund include:

• Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), and Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE).

• DUI Saturation Patrols

• Distracted driving enforcement

• Seat belt and child safety seat enforcement

• Speed, red light and stop sign enforcement

• Warrant service operations targeting multiple DUI offenders

• Compilation of DUI "Hot Sheets," identifying worst-of-the-worst DUI offenders

Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Source: Monrovia Police press release

- Brad Haugaard

Rain Very Likely in Monrovia Today

The National Weather Service says a fast-moving cold storm system will bring measurable rain, high-elevation snow and gusty winds to the area through tonight ( http://goo.gl/f2xN4S ). Likelihood of rain now up to 80 percent. http://goo.gl/baCPWl

- Brad Haugaard

E-Waste Recycling at Monrovia High | Rain Tomorrow?

~ Electronic waste recycling at Monrovia High School Oct. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

~ Sixty percent chance of rain tomorrow in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/4TG9HA

- Brad Haugaard

Book Sale at Monrovia Library this Weekend

This Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11-13, the Friends of the Monrovia Library will hold its Fall Book Sale, with more than 5,000 books. Hours:

Friday - noon-5 p.m. Saturday - 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday - 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The $2-a-Bag Sale will be on Sunday from 4-5 p.m.

Prices for regular books and media range from 25 cents to $2. Collectibles are priced from $5 to $40. While book sellers are welcome, scanners are not permitted.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Driving Drunk with Kids; Spitting Meth; Hammer and Drugs; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Oct. 3–6. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend's highlighted issues and events.

Possession of Controlled Substance / Possession of Deadly Weapon / Parole Hold – Suspect Arrested

On October 3 at 8:53 p.m., an officer stopped a vehicle in the 200 block West Huntington for a traffic violation. A computer check revealed that the suspect was on parole for residential burglary. A search of the vehicle revealed a ball pin hammer and methamphetamine. The suspect was arrested and booked on the listed charges.

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol – Suspect Arrested

On October 4 at 1:55 a.m., an officer stopped a vehicle at Myrtle and Duarte for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation the driver was determined to be under the influence of alcohol and arrested.

Commercial Burglary / Possession of a Controlled Substance / Possession of Smoking Paraphernalia – Suspect Arrested

On October 4 at 4:45 p.m., officers responded to the 1600 block of South Mountain regarding a theft. A male and female adult entered a business and were seen selecting merchandise and concealing it into the women's purse. Both were arrested and transported to the station in separate vehicles. When the patrol unit transporting the female was at the corner of Ivy and Lime, the suspect spit something out her mouth onto the street through an open window. A citizen saw this and approached the item and noticed it was a plastic baggie containing methamphetamine. The citizen took to the item to the police department. The female admitted to the offense. The female was additionally booked for the offense.

Driving under the Influence of Alcohol / Child Endangerment / Driving on the Wrong side of the Roadway / Expired Driver's License – Suspect Arrested

On October 4 at 7:00 p.m., while on patrol an officer observed a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the roadway in the 300 Block of West Evergreen. Upon contacting the driver he displayed symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol. Also, in the vehicle were 4 small children in the two rear seats and a female passenger in the front seat. Through the investigation it was determined the driver was under the influence of alcohol and charged also with child endangerment and expired driver's license.

Injury Traffic Collision

On October 4 at 9:36 p.m., officers responded to the 400 block of Norumbega Drive regarding an overturned vehicle. Officers arrived and located the vehicle on its driver's side with the driver still inside. Monrovia Fire Department responded and assisted the driver out of the vehicle. The driver stated he was south on Norumbega Drive and looked down to adjust the air conditioner. The front tire struck the curb and then the vehicle struck a retaining wall forcing the vehicle to roll on its side. The driver sustained minor injuries.

Vehicle Burglary

On October 5 at 9:11 a.m., a victim called to report she had been a victim of a vehicle burglary. The victim had parked her vehicle in the 700 block of West Huntington overnight and someone smashed the rear window and stole a digital camera left on the front seat. The investigation is continuing.

Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested

On October 5 at 5:27 p.m., an officer responded to a business in the 900 block of West Duarte Road regarding a suspicious person. An officer arrived and found the suspect to be under the influence of a controlled substance and was arrested.

Vehicle Burglaries

On October 5 at 6:20 a.m., dispatch received a call of a vehicle burglary that occurred at 200 Block of East Hillcrest. The suspect vehicle was a dark gray mini Van last seen westbound on Hillcrest. The officer was unable to locate the vehicle. When he arrived to take the report, he discovered a second victim also in the 200 block of East Hillcrest. Both vehicles were parked on the street and both had smashed driver side windows. The loss was a USB cable and some mail. The investigation is continuing.

Under the Influence of Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested

On October 6 at 11:58 p.m., an officer observed a suspicious subject nervously looking around in the area of Myrtle and Pamela. Upon contacting the subject he displayed symptoms of being under the influence. The subject was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia School Candidates Forum | Unity Center Eyeglass Experiment

~ Monrovia PTA will hold a school board candidates' forum at 7 p.m. Thursday in the school district board room, 325 Huntington. http://goo.gl/QFFYab

~ The latest Foothill Unity Center newsletter says that since studies have show vision is very important to academic success, the Center coordinated an eyeglass project (together with Duarte Unified School District and Western University College of Optometry) for students who failed vision tests and didn't have enough money for glasses. Parents liked the program. Comment: Cool! It would be really neat to hear the hard data on how much better the students did.

- Brad Haugaard

Progress on Power Towers Above Monrovia

The power towers above Monrovia appear to be mostly installed now, so there will soon be three sets of wires going over the mountains, the new lines between the old ones. As you can see from this view near White Saddle,, the new towers don't yet have the power lines installed. When finished, they'll bring power from Tehachapi. 

 

- Brad Haugaard

Police Activity at Hwy Esplanade and Maple

Correspondent Brad Hori writes: Sheriff's helicopter flying low around 1 p.m. Saturday with Arcadia police on the corner of Hwy Esplanade and Maple Avenue [a block north of Huntington]. They have been there for over 1-1/2 hours so far. May have been a car chase. (Picture by Brad Hori.)

UPDATE: Brad Hori noticed that this incident involved Arcadia police. From Arcadia: "Around 1:08 p.m., an officer conducted a high risk traffic stop on a stolen vehicle in the
area of Highway Esplanade and Maple Avenue. The officer discovered the passenger, a
31-year-old Hispanic male, had [allegedly] stolen the vehicle out of Fontana. The suspect had his
relative, a 29-year-old Hispanic female, drive the vehicle for him. Further investigation
revealed she had a suspended license and was in possession of burglary tools. Both
suspects were arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking."

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Representative to Forgo Salary During Shutdown

In "solidarity with furloughed federal workers," Representative Judy Chu, who represents the top edge of Monrovia, said she will forgo her salary. http://goo.gl/ReUfeQ

- Brad Haugaard