Monrovia to Developers: One-Time Fee or Regular Tax? Pick One

At its Tuesday, March 7 regular meeting (agenda: https://goo.gl/rW4drs ), the Monrovia City Council will consider a proposal by city staff to give developers of residential units the option to opt out of the one-time Art in Public Places and Fire Services fees "if the developer forms and elects to be a part of a CFD [Community Facilities District] to fund ongoing City services into the future." So, as I understand it, they could get out of one-time fees by agreeing to a permanent tax. https://goo.gl/WbYjjP

 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council To Study Marijuana

The Monrovia City Council will study marijuana at a special 6 p.m. session (agenda https://goo.gl/GaJNZA) before its regular session this Tuesday. More specifically, it will get an update on Proposition 64 and consider "possible next steps." Prop 64, as a reminder, Proposition 64 made it legal under California law for adults to use and grow marijuana, with the sale of marijuana to go into effect January 1, 2018. https://goo.gl/Bc9tCk

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Clifton School Is 'A School to Watch' | Yuille Honored | School Finances Okay

At its Wednesday meeting (agenda here) the Monrovia Board of Education will, among other things ...

~ Honor Principal Jennifer Jackson and the teachers and staff of Clifton Middle School for being named a “School to Watch,” by the California Distinguished Schools Association.

~ Honor 2017 Golden Apple recipient Joannie Yuille, for her service to the community and students.

~ Certify, as required by law, that it can meet its financial obligations. The board is going to say that yeah, it can, that "we are able to meet our financial obligations for the current and subsequent two fiscal years."

- Brad Haugaard

Pajama Game Performances This Month At Monrovia High

The Pajama Game will be performed this month at the Taylor Performing Arts Center at Monrovia High. Performances are Friday, March 24 at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 25 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 26 at 5 p.m. Seats are $30 ($15 for children under 12). The performance is The Shakespeare Club's 70th Annual Benefit Production.

A union strike at a pajama factory generates plenty of steam heat in this toe-tapping, comedic love story. The Pajama Game features songs and dances that have become musical theatre standards, including "Steam Heat," "Hey There," and "Hernando's Hideaway." Proceeds will provide scholarships for graduating seniors in the Pasadena Unified School District. Tickets at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2710430

- Brad Haugaard

Suit Bots Robotics Team Closing in on $10,000 Goal

"Team Mom," Miriam Childers, of the Suit Bots, one of Monrovia High's robotics teams, has asked me to "convey our immense gratitude to the community" for contributing to the team's expenses in traveling to the Western Super Regional Championships in Tacoma Washington. She writes that, "In just three days we are up to $6785!!!!" (Actually, now it is up to $7,285). If you'd like to help them meet their $10,000 goal, click here: https://goo.gl/jXpucP

- Brad Haugaard

Dinner at Shrimp House

 

Dinner last night at the Shrimp House, at the corner of Myrtle and Live Oak. Got the seafood sampler with a dinner salad ($16.29) and an iced tea ($2.69). The sampler came with scallops, shrimp and cod. All very good but shrimp were my favorite. Fast and pleasant service, too. I came away happily stuffed.

- Brad Haugaard 

Police Looking for Man Missing From Monrovia Hotel

Arcadia Police are looking for a 52-year-old man, possibly suicidal, who is reported missing from a Monrovia hotel. Details: https://goo.gl/kKStSb

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Company Reports Smaller Q4 Loss

Monrovia's Staar Surgical reported a smaller net loss for the fourth quarter of 2016 than for the previous year's fourth quarter; $200,000 compared to a loss of $800,000 the previous year. Adjusted net income for the fourth quarter of 2016 was $800,000 compared with an adjusted net income of $500,000 for the same quarter in the prior year. For the full year, the company had an adjusted net loss of four cents per share. https://goo.gl/mORw5p

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Dentist Nominated For Grammy

Monrovia Dentist, Michael Khanchalian (on the far right), was one of five Grammy nominees for Best Historical Album for his leadership in compiling a 400-page book with four hours of ancient and rare sound recordings called, "Waxing the Gospel: Mass Evangelism and the Phonograph, 1890-1900." The project took more than ten years and involved assembling gospel recordings from old wax cylinder recordings. He did not win, but said he was honored just to have their work recognized. Note: I know Mike and recall him telling me that his dental skills helped him figure out ways to repair broken wax cylinders. Cool how seemingly unrelated skills can cross over in some interesting ways.

Source: Monrovia Historic Preservation Group newsletter

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Tour for Home Energy Savings

There will be a home energy tour of two Monrovia homes sponsored by The Energy Network to help homeowners learn about available statewide rebates for home energy upgrades and see how their homes can become energy efficient.

On March 12 and March 26 from noon to 3 p.m., community members can walk through two homes that were recently upgraded using statewide rebates and incentives through the Energy Upgrade California Home Upgrade program.

Homeowners Mary Ann and Corey Lutz and John and Katie Watson will answer questions about the upgrade process and their before-and-after experiences. Although each home had different needs, Home Upgrade offered them rebates for such upgrades as insulation, water heater, air conditioner, and windows.

To RSVP for the tours and learn the home addresses, visitors go to http://tenres.com/Monrovia .

The Energy Network is administered by Los Angeles County and funded by California utility ratepayers under the California Public Utilities Commission. For more information about The Energy Network events, call (877) 785-2237 or email homeupgrade@theenergynetwork.com.

- Brad Haugaard

Women's Evensong Invitational at St. Luke's Church

St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Monrovia will present its tenth annual Women's Evensong Invitational on Sunday, March 19, at 4 p.m. at the church, 122  S. California Ave. at Foothill Boulevard. The performance will spotlight the women of the choir, along with invited guest singers. Music will include Denis Mason's Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, Luigi Cherubini's Like as a Father, and the Monrovia Preces and Responses, written for this group by Kent Bennett Jones, Music Director. A freewill offering will be taken, and a wine and cheese reception in Guild Hall will follow the performance.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Man Buys iPhone With Fake Bills; Car Window-Smash Burglary; Bear Under House; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for February 27- March 1. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 338 service events, resulting in 66 investigations.

Fraud Report / Counterfeit Currency
February 28 at 7:39 p.m., a victim of fraud came to the police station lobby to report the incident. He was trying to sell an iPhone on a website. He made a deal with the suspect to sell the iPhone for a cash amount. He met the suspect at a fast food restaurant in the 400 block of W. Huntington. The suspect handed the victim the money for the phone in $20 dollar bills. After the suspect left the location, the victim realized the money was all counterfeit with matching serial numbers. The Secret Service was contacted and the investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
March 1 at 7:22 a.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 200 block of W. Lemon Avenue. The victim reported that sometime during the nighttime hours, someone smashed the window of his parked car and stole items from inside. The investigation is continuing.

Bear Sighting
March 1 at 1:00 p.m., a resident in the 700 block of Oakglade Avenue called to report a bear that was in his yard and was now sleeping in the crawl space of his neighbor’s home. The Department of Fish and Wildlife was contacted and took control of the investigation.

Theft of Mail
March 1 at 6:32 p.m., an officer was dispatched to an apartment complex in the 300 block of Genoa regarding a theft of mail. The victim went to retrieve her mail from her mailbox and the main door to the mailbox was open and mail was missing. There are a total of 14 mailboxes for the complex. There was no sign of forced entry. It appears the suspect may have used a mail service key to gain entry. The investigation is continuing.

Commercial Burglary
March 2 at 3:42 a.m., dispatch received a report of an alarm activation at a business in the 300 block of W. Foothill. Officers arrived and found the front door wide open. The building was searched, but no suspects were located. The investigation revealed the rear door had been pried open and the cash register was found on the ground. The investigation is continuing.

How Do You Say 'Monrovia' In Russian?

At my job I had to do some work with a Russian search engine and decided to take a look at Monrovia on a Russian map. Here it is. If you'd like to explore a bit more: https://yandex.ru/maps/

- Brad Haugaard

History: Japanese Family's Experience Farming in Monrovia

Story of how a Japanese family grew and sold strawberries in Monrovia and their internment experience during World War II. Here.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Suitbots Robot Team Raising Funds to Compete in Super Regional Championships

The Suitbots, of the Monrovia High School Robotics program, have advanced to the Western Super Regional Championships in Tacoma Washington where on March 9-12 they will be up against 79 teams from the 13 western states for a slot at the World Championships. The money will be used for transportation, lodging, meals and competition fees. Click here to contribute.  Tax-deductible robot sponsorships are available.  Call 841-1956 for details.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police Officers' Association Raises Money For Specialized Wheelchair

Monrovia Police Officers' Association presented Jose De Anda, a young man with muscular dystrophy, with a specialized wheelchair to increase his mobility. The police department's School Resource Officer, James Ruano, learned of De Anda's situation and led a campaign to raise money for the chair. In addition to the Police Officers' Association, other contributors were the Monrovia Fire Fighters Association, Monrovia Kiwanis, personal donations from Monrovia's mayor, council members, city manager and city employees. Also, Rifton Equipment, the manufacturer, gave "a very large discount on the chair" and its employees donated their time to build it. https://goo.gl/Oax27j

- Brad Haugaard

Urinetown Play at Monrovia High

Monrovia High School's Theater Department will perform the musical, Urinetown, on March 9,10 and 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. The play has won three Tony Awards. It is a comedic satire of the legal system, social irresponsibility, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and musical theater. Music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Greg Kotis, and directed at MHS by Nathanael Overby. The play features a full student cast and student orchestra. Tickets ($10 pre-sale and $15 at the door) are available from www.wildcattheater.com or any cast member or parent volunteer.

Monrovia Company Reports Q4 Loss

Monrovia-based Xencor Inc. reported a fourth-quarter loss of $9.1 million, or 21 cents per share. It reported a profit for the previous fourth quarter. https://goo.gl/8WiDRds

- Brad Haugaard

Police Make Arrests in Burglary Cases; You Can Help Form Parks Plan; Faster Library Internet Speed; Etc.

In his weekly report ( https://goo.gl/kVaagb ), City Manager Oliver Chi reports that ...

~ Monrovia police made arrests in the burglary of Party City, and more arrests in a burglary of  Smash Burger restaurant.

~ The city would like your opinion to help in developing a master plan for its parks. You can take the survey here: https://goo.gl/kxNIcQ

~ The black barriers you see on the Huntington Drive medians show contractors where the roots of healthy tree roots so they aren't damaged as workers replant the medians with less thirsty plants.

~ During the recent rains "our community was for the most part not heavily impacted," but the city is going to see if the state and federal government will reimburse it for what costs it did incur.

~ Speaking of which, the rain did cause ruts in some of its mountain trails. Be careful hiking and biking in those areas.

~ The library hopes to make the speed of its Internet connection ten times faster, from 100 MGps to 1 GBps.

~ Monrovia is looking for bids from qualified companies to run the Monrovia Transit program, designed primarily to help seniors get around. In fiscal year 2015/16 it provided nearly 50,000 trips.

~ Monrovia Public Library Librarian Annette Simpson was honored by Wild Rose Elementary at its Founder's Day assembly for her service to the community. She created many fun and educational programs and visited schools to encourage kids to love reading.

~ Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills will host a "Youth of the Year" event on March 16, at 5:30 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in Monrovia. The award recognizes club members who, with the help of their club, have met obstacles head-on and, despite the odds, have given back to their club and community.

- Brad Haugaard

Golden Streets Takes Place Sunday

On the one year anniversary of the opening of the Gold Line from Pasadena to Azusa, Bike SGV and Los Angeles County Metro will be hosting 626 Golden Streets, an open streets event spanning seven cities in the San Gabriel Valley where more than 17 miles of roadways will be closed off from automobiles to allow for people to walk, bike, jog, skate and more. The route, between South Pasadena and Azusa, will connect with the newest Gold Line stations in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale and Azusa.

Foothill Gold Line staff will be hosting a booth near the Azusa Downtown station. Stop by and say hi or to ask any questions you may have about the Glendora to Montclair extension.

626 Golden Streets takes place this Sunday, March 5, 2017, from 9 AM to 3 PM. For more information on the event, including the route, visit www.626goldenstreets.com.

Source: Press release

- Brad Haugaard