Monrovia Now: News and Comment about Monrovia, California

Auction to Benefit St. Luke Church

The entire contents of a 3,700 sq. ft. home in the Hollywood Hills will be sold at St. Luke Episcopal Church in Monrovia Thursday through Sunday, April 14-17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily in the Swan Hall building and patio area. All proceeds benefit the church. Appraiser TeBeau said, "Everything is custom made, much of it coming from designers and showrooms in the Pacific Design Center." Furniture, oil paintings, decor, lighting, chandeliers, clocks, pottery, silver plate, luxury bedding, kitchen items, Daum crystal, Murano glass, Pottery Barn pieces, Kitchen Aid appliances and holiday decorations. http://goo.gl/LjTJlb

- Brad Haugaaard

Restaurant Windmill to Turn Again

Okay, so this has nothing to do with Monrovia, but I just can't resist. The windmill on top of the restaurant at the corner of Santa Anita and Huntington in Arcadia will turn again. I think I remember it turning when I was a kid, waaay back when it was a Van de Kamp's restaurant and was painted powder blue. Van de Kamp's was a Dutch-themed restaurant, hence the windmill. http://goo.gl/SKELVU

- Brad Haugaard

Citrus College Transferring More Students to Four-Year Schools

Citrus College, which serves Monrovia, has achieved a new high for the number of students who transfer to four-year colleges and universities. A report from the college found that 1,234 Citrus students transferred to four-year institutions during the 2014-2015 academic year, a 67 percent increase compared to the 2002-2003 academic year, the first year the data was recorded. Source: Citrus press release.

- Brad Haugaard

Report on Homelessness in Monrovia

Monrovia has about one homeless person per 1,000 residents, according to a report to the City Council by Monrovia Police Chief Jim Hunt, though several audience members disputed that as too low a figure. San Luis Obispo, by comparison, he said, has about 48 per 1,000. Hunt said most of the homeless in Library Park are "resistant," meaning they've been offered assistance but have refused it. Also, he said that by making many felonies into misdemeanors, Proposition 47 has made it much more difficult to enforce laws, as basically all police can do is give tickets. Several speakers suggested the city provide showers, storage, bathrooms and housing for the homeless.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council Approves Measure to Open Cloverleaf Access Point to Wilderness Area

The Monrovia City Council Tuesday night unanimously approved a measure to purchase rights-of-way to open access to the Cloverleaf entry point to the Monrovia Wilderness Preserve. Part of the agreement is for the city to install gates, locking mailboxes for the residents, a water fountain and to perform trail upgrades, so these tasks need to be performed before the trailhead is opened.

Comment: Thank you to the City Council and particularly to City Manager Oliver Chi and his staff for the work they did in bringing this measure before the council tonight!

- Brad Haugaard

Holden Bill Would Add New Technologies To Talent Agency Law

Assemblymember Chris Holden's Talent Agency Scam Prevention Bill, AB 2068, passed the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee with unanimous, bipartisan support. AB 2068 updates the Talent Scam Prevention Act to include new technologies, such as mobile apps and online services that are not on the internet as websites, to require them not to charge upfront fees or to refuse to remove content at the request of a client. Holden represents Monrovia. Source: Holden press release

- Brad Haugaard

Country-Psychedelic Band, Nocona, Coming to Monrovia

The Venice, California, based band, Nocona, is bringing its music To Monrovia's Resistor Records (511 S. Myrtle) for Record Store Day, Saturday, April 16 at 6 p.m. The country-psychedelic music of Noconais is based on the family tradition - from The Carter Family and The Louvin Brothers to Willie's Family Picnic and the cool California breeziness of The Mamas and the Papas. A sample of their music: https://goo.gl/ZCLlUJ . For more info: http://noconamusic.com

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Giggle Fiber Being Sold; Four Companies Offer to Run Street Fair; Work on Depot; More Bluebirds; Concerts; Etc.

Concept plan for old train depot.

In his weekly report ( http://goo.gl/Su5Kst ), City Manager Olvier Chi reports, among other things ...

~ Monrovia's Giggle Fiber is being sold to Jim Chiu, a resident of Bradbury, who founded and operates Vertex Telecom, which provides telecommunication services for the Asian-American community.

~ The city's request for proposals to run the street fair brought four responses, from Coastal Pacific, LLC; Raw Inspiration; Los Angeles PartyWorks; and GreenLeaf Events, Inc.

~ On April 19 the City Council will consider designating the Monrovia Santa Fe Depot as a historic landmark and - if everything goes according to schedule, rehab work should begin in mid- to late-summer and hopefully be done towards the end of this year or early in 2017.

~ Canyon Park Volunteers and Monrovia High School Advanced Placement biology students placed numerous blue bird houses throughout Monrovia parks, replaced existing damaged bird boxes, cleaned out old nests, and monitored nesting habits. Results: a larger population of blue birds to our urban parks.

~ Summer concerts at the Station Square band shell: July 14 - The Who Show (The Who Tribute Band); July 21 - Escape, The Journey Tribute; August 4 - Mirage, Visions of Fleetwood Mac;
August 18 - Doobies, Inc., The Doobie Brothers Tribute Band. All Concerts are from 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

~ Monrovia's Summer Extravaganza program was selected as one of 11 award recipients hin the 27th Congressional District to be presented with a Congressional Recognition of Excellence Award. It is an eight week summer program held in Recreation Park involving games, educational activities, crafts, excursions, diversity programs, exercise, and nutrition.

~ Monrovia company ChromoLogic (1225 South Shamrock Avenue). recently installed the largest commercial solar panel system in Monrovia, a 65 kW system.

~ Librarians will be at the Friday Night Family Street Fair on April 16 and May 20, from 6-6:30 p.m., with a Storytime Carpet location where families and children can read stories and sing songs.

~ The 6th annual Fountain to the Falls Run / Walk, a 6.38 mile out-and-back race from the Library Park Fountain to the Canyon Park Waterfall, will take place on Saturday, May 7, at 7 a.m., in cooperation with the Santa Anita Family YMCA. All participants will receive a t-shirt and ribbon. Medals for best time for male and female participants, and for first place through third place in each age category. Maximum of 325 participants. Registration through May 4 is $35; event-day registration is $45. Register here: https://cityofmonroviarecreation.org/. For more information call Public Services at 256-8246.

Monrovia On Top in Baseball

Monrovia is in top position in local baseball rankings. http://goo.gl/bMbIhj

- Brad Haugaard

A Bit of Rain for Monrovia Later This Week?

60% chance of showers in Monrovia this Thursday, 80% Friday. https://goo.gl/0qMTb8

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Bike Thefts; Shoplifting; Drunk Driving; Stolen Gun; Home Burglary

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for March 31 - April 3. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Prowling/Receiving Stolen Property – Suspect Arrested
March 31 at 12:14 p.m., an officer observed a suspicious subject riding a bike in the 800 block of West Foothill. The officer saw the subject looking down driveways and into the windows of a business. He was also seen removing identifying stickers from the bike he was riding. Upon contact, the suspect said the bike belonged to his friend and he was returning it, but he could not tell police where his friend lived. The suspect was arrested for prowling and receiving stolen property.

Possession of a Controlled Substance for Sales/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia/Receiving Stolen Property – Suspect Arrested
March 31 at 1:03 p.m., an officer stopped a vehicle for a vehicle code violation. During a consent search of the passenger, a large amount of methamphetamine was found on his person. A consent search of the vehicle revealed a backpack which contained a scale, packaging material and stolen property. The passenger said the backpack belonged to him. The passenger was arrested and taken into custody for the above listed charges and the female driver was identified and released.

Theft of Bicycles
March 31 at 11:05 p.m., a resident in the 200 block of W. Palm Avenue called police to report a theft. The resident had returned home to find two bicycles had been stolen from the backyard of the home. The investigation is continuing.

Warrant – Suspect Arrested
March 31 at 11:50 p.m., officers were dispatched to the area of Mayflower and Huntington regarding a family disturbance. They contacted the subjects, and during a computer check, they found the female subject had an outstanding warrant for her arrest. She was arrested, taken into custody and held pending her court appearance.

Shoplifting – Suspect Arrested
April 1 at 6:23 p.m., officers responded to a business in the 500 block of W. Huntington regarding a suspect who reportedly walked out without paying for merchandise. The suspect was located nearby and detained for investigation. Several items of store merchandise were located on the subject. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody.

Driving Under the Influence/Traffic Collision – Suspect Arrested
April 1 at 6:52 p.m., officers responded to a non-injury traffic collision in the 600 block of Huntington Drive. When they arrived they spoke to both parties. It was determined that one of the drivers had been drinking, and after a DUI investigation was conducted, the driver was arrested for DUI. The driver was held for a period of sobering.

Warrant – Suspect Arrested
April 1 at 10:55 p.m., a suspicious person was reported near a business in the 700 block of W. Huntington. Officers arrived and located the male subject who, upon identification, was found to have an outstanding warrant for his arrest. He was arrested and taken into custody for the warrant.

Possession of Stolen Gun – Suspect Arrested
April 2 at 1:24 a.m., officers responded to the report of a disturbance in the 1100 block of Royal Oaks. When police arrived, they saw two subjects walking away from the area, one was carrying a backpack. The subject tossed the backpack when he saw the officers. The officers detained the subjects and searched the tossed backpack. Inside the backpack, they located a stolen handgun, a loaded magazine outside of the handgun, and the identification and other property of the subject who tossed the backpack. The subject was arrested for possession of a stolen gun and taken into custody.

Injury Traffic Collision
April 2 at 6:40 p.m., officers were dispatched to an injury traffic collision at the intersection of Mayflower and Duarte. A driver ran the red light at Duarte and Mayflower and he struck a vehicle headed south on Mayflower. The three elderly occupants in the vehicle were injured and were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
April 3 at 3:16 a.m., officers observed a vehicle driving erratically and with mechanical defects. The vehicle stopped in the 100 block of W. Huntington and officers contacted the driver. The officers determined the driver had been drinking, and after they completed their investigation, the subject was arrested for driving under the influence.

Vehicle Burglary
April 3 at 10:06 a.m., a vehicle burglary was reported at an apartment complex in the 600 block of Linwood. The victim parked his vehicle in the rear carport the day before at 2:00 p.m. When he returned to his vehicle the next morning at 9:50 a.m., he found his rear passenger window smashed out and his wallet missing. The investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary
April 3 at 9:39 p.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 400 block of Bella Vista Drive. The home was broken into sometime between 5:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., while the resident was out. Several windows and a rear door were left unlocked. The home was ransacked. The victim is unsure of the loss and will contact police once it has been determined.

Monrovia's AeroVironment Names New CEO

Monrovia-based AeroVironment has named Wahid Nawabi as its Chief Executive Officer, effective May 2. Current CEO, Tim Conver, is retiring but will continue to serve as chairman of the board of directors. http://goo.gl/dnCkNy

- Brad Haugaard

An Open Letter and Plea to the Monrovia Community

Fellow Monrovians,

If you believe as I do that the Hillside Wilderness area - which Monrovia purchased 16 years ago and which you are still paying off through your taxes - should finally be fully opened to all of us as originally promised, I'd urge you to come to the Monrovia City Council tomorrow night and say so. I'll be there.

The Council will be considering a measure (details: http://goo.gl/HW15y0 ) that would facilitate the opening of the Cloverleaf entry point to the Wilderness Preserve, and while I strongly support the measure I do not believe it is a slam dunk.

I say this because Mr. Thomas Seuss, a resident who has led opposition to opening the trailhead for many years, has emailed people (I was forwarded a copy of the email) to object to the measure on Tuesday's agenda, so I do not believe it will simply pass routinely and I think it would be very helpful for the City Council to hear that there are people who favor the measure.

The meeting is Tuesday, tomorrow, at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall (415 South Ivy Ave., at the northwest corner of Lemon and Ivy, a block east of Myrtle). There are little speaker cards available when you enter. Fill one out for item AR-1 (see full agenda here: http://goo.gl/wqksZB ) and give it to the city clerk at the front of the council chambers. She'll call on you when the item comes up. Then say what you have to say, but, you know, be polite.

It is best to come in person, but if you really can't make it, you can contact the mayor and city council members using the email addresses on this web page: http://www.cityofmonrovia.org/citycouncil/page/meet-city-council

Background:

Why the Cloverleaf entry point is so important: http://goo.gl/bs2s5J

A bit of history (Note that this is from 2014): http://goo.gl/WeJSe1

Gratefully,

Brad Haugaard

Homelessness in Monrovia Parks

More on Monrovia's plan to address homelessness in its parks. http://goo.gl/e2QNLb

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council To Consider Opening Cloverleaf Access Point to Wilderness Area; Friday Night Fair Operator

At its next meeting ( http://goo.gl/wqksZB ) the Monrovia City Council will consider purchasing easements from two property owners (for $175,000 each) to open the Cloverleaf access point to the Hillside Wilderness Area. The city will also spend between $50,000-$100,000 to install gates and locking mailboxes for the residents, to put in a water fountain and perform trail upgrades. Money to pay for the easements and improvements would come from the current Hillside Wilderness Preserve fund, from savings the city is seeing from refinancing the bonds for the wilderness area at a lower interest rate, and from $165,000 that accrues annually until 2031 as the city pays down the bonds. http://goo.gl/HW15y0

~ At a 5 p.m. study session, the council will discuss the Friday Night Street Fair Operator Assessment Process. http://goo.gl/E6vF5H

Comment: I have been nagging about the Cloverleaf access point for years, and I am happy to see this measure finally on the agenda. Assuming it is adopted by the City Council, it means the Cloverleaf entry point to the Wilderness Area will finally be open to hikers and bicyclists, as was promised years ago. This, in turn, means that for practical purposes the amount of trail area more than doubles.

What do I mean by, "for practical purposes?" Well, imagine a loop trail with the far side of the loop high up the side of a mountain. You hike way up the mountain, then way down the other side of the loop, which circles around towards where you started. BUT! Just as you are about to get back to where you started, you encounter a locked gate and you have to turn around and climb all the way back up the mountain and then all the way back down the way you came.

So, most non-super-athletes will hike to the top of the loop then turn around and come back down the same way they went up, meaning that one half (or more) of the loop is "for practical purposes" not really available to any but super athletes. This is precisely the problem that opening the Cloverleaf gate solves.

Thank you, Oliver Chi and city staff for the work you have done to finally bring this before the City Council. And please, City Council. Please approve it.

- Brad Haugaard