Lunch at Baja Mar

Lunch at Baja Mar, in the little shopping center at the corner of Foothill and May. Got the lunch special with a fish taco and carnitas taco and a soda, all for $8.49. Very good and great price. (Lots more chips - I’m just showing a few.)

- Brad Haugaard 

Chill Cat Gabriel. - A Great Work-From-Home Coworker

Eight-year-old Gabriel is friendly, calm, relaxed, and looking for a human to chill with! Gabriel loves people and especially loves being scratched on the head. If you’re not paying attention to him, he might give you a polite meow to let you know he’d like some company. When he’s not spending time with you, Gabriel might watch some birds out the window. He’d be a great work-from-home coworker or movie night companion.

 

The adoption fee for cats is $100. All cat adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines.

 

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet.

View photos of adoptable pets and schedule a virtual adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available every day at 5:00 p.m. for the following day.

Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email.

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Women Named 'Women Heroes of the Pandemic'

Two Monrovia women and 26 other women in the 25th Senate District will be honored by State Senator Anthony Portantino as "Women Heroes of the Pandemic" for playing "an integral role in supporting their community during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Monrovians Jackie Tran and Krystina Livraga will be honored at a ceremony on May 26.

The press release says:

"Ms. Tran is a Communications Analyst for the City of Monrovia. In a time of crisis and a global pandemic, she conveyed reliable information to communities quickly. Whether it was updating the city website or creating daily COVID-19 updates for the public, she served the community of Monrovia by providing them critical information when they needed it."

"As the Commercial Code Enforcement Officer for the City of Monrovia, Ms. Livraga is charged with enforcing a variety of codes relating to business operations. During the pandemic, she took on the responsibility of facilitating Temporary Outdoor Business Operations permits and collaborated with multiple agencies to get the process moving quickly.  Ms. Livraga has been attentive to the needs of local businesses during a time when small business owners have been struggling to stay open."

- Brad Haugaard

A Moment in Monrovia History: Ward's Photo Shop - Another Location

The Ward studios were at four different locations in Monrovia over the years when William Ward was the unofficial city photographer.. See full details here. From the William Ward collection. Identifying information from Kim Ward Anderson.

For more historic photos and papers, see the Monrovia Historical Society’s complete Legacy Project collection here. Learn more about the Monrovia Historical Society here.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Days in Full Swing

Monrovia Days all day today in Library Park. 

- Brad Haugaard 

15 More Vintage Items Added to Historical Society's Sale

One of the items that is on sale. Large rocker with original dark wood finish and velvet seat cushion.

The Monrovia Historical Society's on-line fundraising sale of vintage treasures has been going so well that the Society has added 15 more items to its sales page, and may add more soon.

The sale is to raise money to repair the ceiling of the historic Anderson House at 215 E. Lime, which began crumbling and had to be removed.

You can see the items here, monroviahistoricalsociety.org/sale, and you can purchase them using PayPal if you are an Historical Society member. If you are not a member, you can become a member here (monroviahistoricalsociety.org/membership-1), then purchase the items.

On Friday, June 11, from 1-6 p.m. members can, in-person, view and purchase items and non-members can view items and become members if they want to purchase. The next day, Saturday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the sale will be open to the public - no need to be a member to purchase. Please wear a mask and practice social distancing.

The items for sale, while historic, either do not relate to the Society's mission, or are surplus. For questions write to monroviahistoricalsociety1896@gmail.com or text or call (626) 675-8323.

- Brad Haugaard

Hugel and Bioswale Gardening Workshop May 19, 20

Grow Monrovia will hold workshops on how to turn your garden into a water harvesting and carbon sequestering oasis by building a Hugel (May 19) and a Bioswale (May 20).

During these two workshops, you can learn to apply two regenerative landscaping techniques, ideal for the climate of Southern California.

Hugelkultur are no-dig raised beds with a difference. They hold moisture, build fertility, maximize surface volume and are great spaces for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs. The hugel bed will harvest humidity from the air and provide nutrients for native, medicinal and edible plants all year round.

A Bioswale, or rain garden, is a technique used for capturing and storing water in the soil.

All proceeds will go toward building Monrovia's Native Plant Demonstration Garden.

For more information and to register: https://is.gd/16kIti

- Brad Haugaard

Lyft Rides May Temporarily Be More Expensive, Harder to Get

For a few weeks Lyft rides - a central feature of the GoMonrovia transit program - may be more expensive and more difficult to obtain because demand is up as people get out and about again, and because drivers are not as anxious to get back to work because they are still getting unemployment and money from their stimulus checks. City Manager Dylan Feik reports that city staff have been in contact with Lyft to find possible solutions. https://is.gd/Geb3PD

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Day Parades Over the Years

Since Monrovia Days 2021 is on now on (details) in Library Park, here's a slide show of Monrovia Day parades through the years, provided by the Monrovia Historical Society.

- Brad Haugaard

Weekly Monrovia Coronavirus Count: Six More Cases, One More Death

Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health as of 8 p.m., 05/12/2021. Changes since 05/05/2021.

City of Monrovia: 3,171 cases (up 6), 78 deaths (up 1)
Unincorporated Monrovia: 373 cases (unchanged), no deaths

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Days This Friday and Saturday

Monrovia Days 2021 in Library Park May 14 (Friday) and 15 (Saturday), 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Live entertainment, carriage rides, photo booth, carnival food and the Monrovia Rocks art project.

Details here: https://www.monroviadays.org/

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Resident Locks Burglary Suspect in Garage; IRS Scam Hits Restaurant; Robber Uses Hot Coffee in Getaway; And So Forth...

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for May 5-12. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 325 service events, resulting in 50 investigations.

Domestic Violence – Suspect Wanted
May 6 at 7:32 p.m., officers responded to the intersection of Duarte and Mayflower regarding a report of domestic violence. The investigation revealed that a married couple that live in El Monte were driving through Monrovia and became involved in an argument. The husband parked the vehicle and the argument moved out onto the sidewalk. The male suspect then forcefully pulled the wife's purse from around her torso, causing her to violently fall onto the street. The wife sustained multiple visible injuries from the fall. The suspect took his wife's cell phone and fled on foot. The suspect was identified and is currently wanted by the Monrovia Police Department. This investigation is continuing.

Grand Theft
May 7 at 8:19 a.m., a grand theft incident was reported in the 1400 block of S. Shamrock. The victim had parked his vehicle on the street, and when he returned to it the next morning, he discovered the catalytic converter had been stolen from the undercarriage of his vehicle. This investigation is continuing.

Possession of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested
May 7 at 7:51 p.m., an officer on patrol near the intersection of Peck and Duarte observed a bicyclist committing a vehicle code violation. A traffic stop was conducted and further investigation revealed the subject was in possession of a controlled substance. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Grand Theft Auto
May 7 at 7:54 p.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from a business in the 1300 block of S. Mountain. The caller reported that one of their rental vehicles had been stolen from a back lot. The vehicle was entered into the law enforcement stolen vehicle system. This investigation is continuing.

Trespassing
May 8 at 2:15 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 300 block of W. Palm regarding an intoxicated person trespassing on a property. The subject had already been advised they were not allowed on the property. Officers checked the area, but the subject had already left. This investigation is continuing.

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Suspect Arrested
May 9 at 12:32 p.m., an officer was on patrol in the 100 block of W. Colorado when he saw a suspicious male subject standing next to a vehicle. Investigation revealed the vehicle belonged to the subject, and there was drug paraphernalia sitting in plain view that had been used to smoke a controlled substance. Further investigation revealed the suspect was also on probation. The suspect was arrested.

Residential Burglary – Suspect Arrested
May 9 at 9:09 p.m., a resident from the 1600 block of S. Mayflower called police to report a male suspect that had entered her open garage and was currently attempting to break into her vehicle. The resident remotely closed the garage door, locking the suspect inside. When the officers arrived, they found the suspect hiding inside the vehicle in the garage. The suspect was arrested for residential burglary.

Fraud – Suspect Arrested
May 10 at 10:38 a.m., an officer was patrolling the 800 block of S. Mayflower when he saw a motorist commit a traffic violation. After stopping the vehicle, the officer discovered the driver was in possession of several California Driver’s Licenses, Social Security cards, credit cards, and personal identifying information belonging to other people. The suspect was subsequently arrested for fraud.

Vehicle Burglary
May 10 at 7:32 p.m., officers responded to a business in the 500 block of W. Huntington regarding a vehicle burglary. The victim parked her vehicle in a parking lot and entered a store. When she returned, her vehicle window had been smashed and her purse was missing from the vehicle. This investigation is continuing.

Mental Evaluation
May 10 at 8:11 p.m., officers responded to the 500 block of W. Lime regarding a family disturbance. A neighbor called police and reported a woman yelling and dishes being broken. Officers arrived and discovered a mother and daughter having a dispute at the location. During the argument, the daughter grabbed some pieces of the broken dishes and started cutting herself. It was determined the daughter needed to be evaluated by a mental health professional. She was taken to a local facility, where she was held for mental evaluation.

Fraud
May 10 at 10:14 p.m., an officer responded to a fast food restaurant in the 600 block of W. Huntington regarding a report of fraud. The General Manager received a call from employees telling him the new store manager took all the money from the store and left for a short time, but then returned. The manager told the employees he had to make a payment. Officers arrived and detained the store manager. Further investigation revealed the manager received an IRS phone call scam stating the restaurant owed taxes. The manger was asked to purchase gift cards from CVS and give the caller the numbers. The manager went to CVS, purchased the gift cards, and provided the caller with the card numbers. Officers were able to confirm the manager's story. This investigation is continuing.

Robbery
May 11 at 7:09 a.m., a customer of a gas station store in the 700 block of W. Huntington reported a female subject had just attempted to shoplift food merchandise from the store. The suspect and employee were outside the store in a struggle over the property. The suspect then threw hot coffee she had stolen at the employee, which allowed her to escape. The employee was able to recover the other packaged food the suspect had stolen. Officers arrived, but were unable to locate the suspect. This investigation is continuing.

Injury Traffic Collision
May 11 at 9:38 a.m., a traffic collision was reported at the intersection of Myrtle and Evergreen, where one of the vehicles had rolled onto its side. Officers arrived and found one of the drivers had complaint of pain to his shoulder with no visible injuries. He was treated by paramedics. The driver who ran the red light was issued a citation.

Commercial Burglary
May 11 at 3:30 p.m., the property management company of an apartment complex in the 800 block of W. Duarte reported that they had just discovered someone had forced entry into their locked laundry room and took money from the facilities. Officers arrived and conducted an investigation. This investigation is continuing.

Public Intoxication – Suspect Arrested
May 11 at 3:37 p.m., police received a call reporting a heavily intoxicated male subject in a parking lot of a gas station in the 1500 block of S. Myrtle. Officers arrived and contacted the subject, who was determined to be too intoxicated to care for his own personal safety. He was arrested and held for a sobering period.

Theft From a Vehicle
May 12 at 8:22 a.m., a resident in the 300 block of E. Greystone walked outside his home to go to work and discovered someone had ransacked the inside of his vehicle, which had been left unlocked. Personal property was stolen from inside the vehicle. This investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
May 12 at 8:56 a.m., a resident in the 900 block of W. Olive discovered that someone had forced entry into her locked vehicle and stolen personal items from inside. This occurred sometime during the night. This investigation is continuing.

Vandalism
May 12 at 10:33 a.m., an officer was patrolling the 1500 block of S. Mayflower when he saw new gang related graffiti spray painted under the 210 Freeway bridge. No suspects were located. Athens was contacted to remove the graffiti.

Theft
May 12 at 2:32 p.m., an officer was patrolling the parking lot of a hardware store in the 1600 block of S. Mountain when he was stopped by a customer who reported that while he was shopping, someone entered his unlocked vehicle and took his tools. This investigation is continuing.

Theft
May 12 at 5:39 p.m., a resident in the 600 block of W. Foothill parked outside her home and left her vehicle unlocked. She was inside her home for approximately five minutes. When she returned to her vehicle, she noticed someone had entered and took her purse. This investigation is continuing.

Stolen Vehicle Recovered
May 12 at 9:48 p.m., officers responded to a hotel in the 700 block of W. Huntington regarding a suspicious vehicle parked in the parking lot. Investigation revealed the vehicle was a stolen rental car. The vehicle was recovered and removed from the law enforcement stolen vehicle system. This investigation is continuing.

Dinner at Casa Jimenez

Dinner tonight at Casa Jimenez, in the Home Depot shopping center. Got the Caldo de Camarones (shrimp soup) for $16.95 and an iced tea for $2.95. Nice!

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Police Will Be Looking for Violations Causing Bike-Car Crashes

Photo by David Mancini on Unsplash

May is National Bicycle Safety Month. The Monrovia Police Department encourages drivers to slow down when passing bicyclists and asks bicyclists to be visible, predictable, and safe on the road. The Monrovia Police Department will be sending out additional officers this month to look for violations that cause crashes between bicyclists and motorists.

“Please share the road with bicyclists and try to imagine them as your closest friends or family. We all want to get where we need to go safely, whether that is in the car or on a bike,” said Alan Sanvictores, Chief of Police.

The Monrovia Police Department offers the following safety tips:

Drivers

• Slow down.
• Wait for a safe place to pass when driving behind a bike, especially on narrow roads.
• California law requires drivers to provide at least three feet of space between a vehicle and bicycle when passing.
• If making a right turn, assume any bicyclist approaching the intersection is traveling straight through, unless they signal otherwise.
• When making a left turn, yield to oncoming bicyclists just as you would for other drivers.
• Look for bicyclists before opening a car door.
• Never drive distracted or impaired.

Bike Riders

• Be predictable, safe and seen. Obey traffic laws, use hand signals, use lights at night (front white light and rear red reflector/light), and wear a helmet.
• Bicyclists must travel on the road in the same direction as vehicle traffic and must follow the same requirements as any slow-moving vehicle.
• Avoid the door zone: do not ride too closely to parked cars.
• If there’s a bike lane, use it, unless making a left turn, passing, or approaching a place where a right turn is allowed.
• Yield to pedestrians. Bicyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians within marked crosswalks or within unmarked crosswalks at intersections.

Source: Monrovia Police press release

- Brad Haugaard

Miniature Therapy Horses Visit Clifton Middle School

Clifton Middle School students were visited and surprised by miniature therapy horses! Every student was able to interact, pet and hug a horse.

- Brad Haugaard

Christy is Sweet Sixteen - Full of Relaxing, Happy Energy

Would you believe Christy is sixteen years old? Christy is so sweet and will greet new people with a smile and a wagging tail. This senior gal has a little bit of stiffness in her joints, but she has no trouble running right up to you to get affection! She’s such a friendly dog and loves being pet and scratched. Christy gets along with other dogs and can’t wait to bring her relaxing, happy energy to your home!

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines.

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet.

View photos of adoptable pets and schedule a virtual adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available every day at 5:00 p.m. for the following day.

Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email.

- Brad Haugaard

Survey on GoMonrovia and Metro Ridership

 USC is conducting a study of the GoMonrovia transit program, whether it helps improve Metro's rail transit ridership. If you'd like to participate, go here: https://is.gd/bj8Rv2

- Brad Haugaard

A Moment in Monrovia History: Tillford Bros. Drugs and Lyric Theater

Tillford Bros. Drugs & Lyric Theater, at the northeast corner of Foothill and Ivy, c. 1925. Photo by William Ward. See full details here. From the William Ward collection. Identifying information from Kim Ward Anderson.

For more historic photos and papers, see the Monrovia Historical Society’s complete Legacy Project collection here. Learn more about the Monrovia Historical Society here.

- Brad Haugaard

Former League of Women Voters President Passes Away

Monrovian Helen Lucile Cloer passed away peacefully at her daughter’s home on March 5. She was 92 years old.

Her son, Daniel, says Helen was past president of the League of Women Voters of Monrovia and worked on many civic issues, including land use proposals for the Monrovia area. She was also active as an officer of the Guild of La Vina Hospital (a tuberculosis hospital in Altadena).

Helen was born on December 19, 1928 in Alhambra to Joseph P. Sehy and Esther Vasey Sehy. During her school days she was greatly influenced by her experiences at Camp Fire Girls summer camp at Camp Wasewagan and later devoted much of her time promoting and supporting the camp. She served as president of the Camp Wasewagan Alumni Association and worked with the Camp Fire Girl Council in many capacities. Her work improving the camp and raising funds for it earned her multiple awards.

Helen met her husband Thomas Leroy Cloer, Jr. at UCLA where they were classmates. They were married on June 23, 1951, and settled in Monrovia, where Helen was a housewife and mother to their two children.

Helen is survived by her son Daniel Cloer and wife Laura (Visalia), daughter Julia Cloer and husband Sean Hulsey (Northridge), and granddaughters Madeline (Zach Souder, Denver) and Samantha Cloer (Vienna, Austria), great-grandson Jacob Souder, niece Carla Cloer (Porterville), and nephew Lane Starr (Athol, Idaho). 

Friends are invited to donate a no-kill pet shelter in her name.

- Brad Haugaard

Graduating Monrovians Honored

At its next meeting (agenda: https://is.gd/O5ZXMX) the Monrovia Board of Education will ...

Honor lots of people, including:

~ Monrovia High School seniors who have committed to joining colleges or trade schools (shown above).

~  Santa Fe Computer Science Magnet School (CSMS) Assistant Principal, Megan Esquer, on receiving the "Leadership Matters" award from the Association of California School Administrators Region 15.

~ Santa Fe CSMS Teacher, Rob Cady, on being named "Middle School Educator of the Year," by the California League of Schools.

~ Monrovia High School graduates: https://is.gd/eRg4cr

~ Canyon Oaks High School graduates: https://is.gd/Abn8fg

~ Mountain Park School graduates: https://is.gd/trYjXX

Also, the board will consider a deal for Mrs. Nelsons Book Company to buy old books and paper instructional materials from the district. https://is.gd/63PNIY

- Brad Haugaard