Monrovia City Manager Lays Into State ... Again
I don't think City Manager Scott Ochoa is a fan of the California state government. In his weekly report Ochoa writes: "Governor Brown is quite literally asking mayors and city councilmembers up and down the State, 'If I can't take the money from you, then who can I take it from?' To hear the Governor and some legislators speak, you would have to think that cities have somehow lived through the recession with little or no negative impact." Ochoa adds that in trying to get rid of redevelopment state officials want to "be able to break the local government 'piggy bank,' as opposed to simply raiding it as they have in years past." Also, he says of an audit of 18 redevelopment agencies (not Monrovia's) by the State Controller's Office: "I am going to go out on a limb here and predict that the SCO is going to announce findings that agencies are sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars and not spending them, and that these resources should therefore be given to the State. Just a hunch." Source: http://goo.gl/t1VSN - Brad Haugaard
Lessons from Monrovia House Fire
The Monrovia Fire Department's report in City Manager Scott Ochoa's weekly report calls the smoke-inhalation death of a woman in a cluttered Magnolia Avenue home ... "a stark reminder to maintain clear spacing around all appliances, space heaters, water heaters, ovens and stoves to prevent the combustion of material. It is also a reminder that it doesn't take a large or explosive fire to take a life. The fact is, most fatalities occur as a result of smoke and heated gas inhalation, not burns. Properly working smoke detectors and having an escape plan with at least two routes out of your home is critical. Finally, never try to self-extinguish fires. Once a smoke detector activates or smoke is visible, stay low to the ground and exit the structure following your escape route plan."Source: http://goo.gl/t1VSN - Brad Haugaard
$7.8 Million AeroVironment Sale / Fundraiser
~ Monrovia's AeroVironment gets $7.8 million order for "upgrade kits" from Marines. http://goo.gl/ss7qy
~ Boys and Girls Club fundraiser. http://goo.gl/aRein
-Brad Haugaard
Generous Monrovia Pet Store / No 'Market in Park' Sunday
~ Monrovia pet store donates 525 pounds of dog food to shelter. http://goo.gl/QJjci
~ No "Market in the Park" this Sunday. It'll be back on starting February 6. http://goo.gl/J4yr0
- Brad Haugaard
Lunch at T. Phillips
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Wrestling & Whistling
~ Wrestling. Monrovia 32, South Pas 29 :-) http://goo.gl/tq8o2
~ Monrovia super-whistler Carole Anne Kaufman does Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours". Video: http://goo.gl/7qzUM Story: http://goo.gl/trccP
- Brad Haugaard
Dreier on State of Union Address / Aerosmith
~ Monrovia Congressman David Dreier's response to President Obama's State of the Union address:
"Job creation and economic growth are our most urgent national priorities. I hope the President’s speech tonight is the start a genuine effort to focus on them. The pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea represent a key opportunity for us to work together in a bipartisan way to give our economy a shot in the arm and enhance important bilateral relationships. I applaud the President’s attention to these important economic agreements. Now, I urge him to follow through by sending all three to the Congress for their immediate approval. I completely concur with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus that these agreements have languished long enough. Combined with a return to pre-bailout, pre-binge spending levels and real tax reform, passage of these FTAs can help put our economy back on solid footing and get people back to work."
~ Hard rock band, Aerosmith has been working on new album in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/vpdrM
- Brad Haugaard
A Wash Cover at Fifth and Huntington
At its February 1 meeting, the Monrovia City Council will consider paying Cordoba Corporation $157,705 to put a lid on the wash at Fifth Avenue and Huntington Drive.
The city figures the land - part of the Monrovia Redevelopment Agency area - will be more sell-able if Santa Anita Wash is covered so it doesn't chop the land into two parts. The cover will increase the parking area and improve access for both parcels.
Source: http://goo.gl/66Kgg
- Brad Haugaard
Electric Signs Report
At its February 1 meeting the Monrovia City Council will hear how an electronic signs ordinance for private schools and churches is working. The ordinance was passed more than a year ago and the Council wanted to review it after a while. Well, a while has passed and city staff will report that the ordinance seems to be working.
There are now two electronic signs in town, at Mount Sierra College and at the Church of the Nazarene at Magnolia and Colorado. No problem at the college, but the church is in a residential area and there have been complaints about the brightness at night and too much scrolling of images. But the city and church are working to fix that.
Source: http://goo.gl/66Kgg
- Brad Haugaard
Robbery, Child Abuse, Vandalism, Fights, Etc.
[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Jan. 20-26. - Brad Haugaard]
During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 454 service events, resulting in 86 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
Felony Vandalism - Suspect Arrested
January 20 at 12:35 p.m., officers responded to a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain regarding a subject that had thrown rocks at nine parked vehicles, breaking seven windows. The male suspect was wearing a white t-shirt with a red sweatshirt tied around his waist and he had fled the area. The suspect was located and detained by officers on Mountain under the freeway. He was positively identified and arrested for felony vandalism and misdemeanor warrants.
Felony Hit and Run Traffic Accident - Suspect Arrested
January 20 at 2:14 p.m., officers responded to the area of Foothill and Mayflower regarding two male subjects fighting as a result of a traffic collision. The collision involved a motorcycle and a car. A passenger on the motorcycle sustained injuries. The driver of the car fled, but was detained by an officer a short distance away. The driver was positively identified and was arrested.
Robbery
January 21 at 6:05 p.m., police responded to a business in the 500 block of West Huntington that had just been robbed at gunpoint. The suspect was described as male, 30 years old, possible mustache or goatee, wearing a blue baseball cap, dark hooded sweatshirt, and dark pants. The suspect was given the money from the register and had exited the business running west toward Mayflower. An extensive area search was conducted, but the suspect was not located. Investigation continuing.
Grand Theft Auto Recovery - Suspect Arrested
January 21 at 8:37 p.m., an officer on patrol in the 1600 block of South Mayflower located and conducted a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was the listed suspect. She was arrested and taken into custody. The vehicle had been stolen from a car rental company.
Child Abuse - Suspect Arrested
January 21 at 5:36 p.m., an officer was dispatched for a welfare check at a residence attached to a business in the 2100 block of South Myrtle. The investigation resulted in the arrest of the father at the location. Two children were interviewed and stated their father chokes, kicks and pulls their ears. The 4 year old male child had visible injury to his neck. He told the investigating officer his father grabs his neck and chokes him. The Department of Child and Family Services assigned custody of the children to the mother with the requirement that they be kept away from the father until his hearing. In the early morning, the mother came to the police station with the children to bail out the father. The Department of Child and Family Services was notified and responded. They felt the children could not be protected under the current circumstances and took temporary custody of the children.
Fight in Progress / Public Intoxication - Subjects Arrested
January 23 at 1:44 a.m., officers responded to a night club in the 300 block of South Myrtle regarding a fight in progress. Upon arrival, several patrons were gathered to the front of the business and to the rear parking lot. No fight was observed and no victims came forward; however, two male subjects were obviously intoxicated and were arrested and taken into custody.
Vandalism / Destruction of City Property
January 24 at 8:30 a.m., officers went to the 400 block of East Duarte regarding the vandalism and destruction of city property. The officer found the lock to the location had been cut off. The property was checked, but no suspects were found.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon
January 24 at 9:15 a.m., a resident in the 400 block of East Duarte saw a male and female subject on his neighbor's property. He closed the gate to secure the couple inside the fenced in area. The male suspect became combative and forced the gate open. During the confrontation, the victim was struck on the head with a cordless drill. The suspects fled the location. A search of the area was conducted for the suspects, but they were not located. The victim did not require medical attention. The investigation is continuing.
Monrovia Sports / Chamber of Commerce Awards
~ Star-News names Monrovia High School football coach Ryan Maddox its coach of the year. http://goo.gl/iDF9S
~ Wildcat Nick Bueno named Star-News Player of the Year. http://goo.gl/twPij
~ Wildcat defensive tackle Ellis McCarthy named Star-News Defensive Player of the Year. http://goo.gl/Usnoj
~ Monrovia Girls Basketball. Wildcats 46, Maranatha 41 :-) http://goo.gl/klAmn
~ East edges West (which included Monrovia) in All-Star Girls Volleyball match at Monrovia High. http://goo.gl/eiOW0
~ Chamber of Commerce awards. http://goo.gl/dT2q0
- Brad Haugaard
Pay Monrovia Fines Online - Maybe
Monrovians can now pay parking citations and maybe code violation fines online using a new service the city is using called EZPay Corp ( http://www.ezpaycorp.com/ ), which says it offers "global payment solutions," though apparently global is only for the United States, or maybe the U.S. and Canada.
I applaud Monrovia's move to make it easier for people to pay their fines, and I'm sure EZPay Corp is a reputable firm, but I really think the city should lean on the company to improve its website.
Here are my gripes:
1. This is a small one, but the home page is designed to sell the EZPay Corp service to governments, not to make it easy for people to pay their fines. It could be a lot clearer.
2. A slightly bigger gripe. The city should be able to link from its website right to the Monrovia, California section of the website rather than force people who are trying to pay their bills to select their state and governmental agency.
3. On the front page there are seven payment options to choose from, including - weirdly - the "Deputy Collectors Office of MA," but if you click on the Service tab, you get six payment options to choose from. Where did the "Ordinance Violations" payment option go?
4. Okay, back to the home page. I pretend I have a code violation (I'm illegally keeping boa constrictors in my backyard or something), so to pay my fine I click the "Ordinance Violations" link and then from the list of fifty states I pick "California" and then "Monrovia" and press the "Continue" button.
What do I get? I get a page titled "Parking Enforcement Services."
Huh?
I'm a code violator! I'm keeping boa constrictors, remember? I'm not a parking violator. What am I doing on this page? Well, as I poke around it appears there is no Ordinance Violations page, so ... what? Do code violators have to pay parking fines instead?
In fact, I try several of the payment options, for Local Taxes, Water Bills, Utility Bills. It doesn't seem to matter. They all take me to the Parking Enforcement Services page.
Okay, let's pretend that I actually did have a parking ticket, so that means I'm on the right page. But now it wants to know what state I live in! Hello?! Right at the top of the page it says "Online Parking Citation Information for Monrovia, California." Uhh, my state is, like, CALIFORNIA, so why are you asking me my state when you've got it printed right on the same page?
Also, remember how the system forced me to pick one of the 50 United States? But now that it has established that I need to pay a fine in the United States ... it lets me pick Canadian provinces! Weird.
Alternatively, I can plug in my "ticket number," which it also calls a "citation number" just to make things interesting.
This is not user-friendly web design, and Monrovia should complain.
- Brad Haugaard
Jail for Monrovia Couple / Fire Victim Identified
~ Monrovia couple gets jail in abduction case. http://goo.gl/fvy5G
~ Woman killed in fire identified. http://goo.gl/A45bE
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Rotary vs. Kiwanis / All-Star Volleyball
~ The Monrovia Rotary Club is challenging the Monrovia Kiwanis Club to see how many CIF Championship rings each can buy for the winning Monrovia High Wildcat football team. http://goo.gl/wIHDG
~ All-Star Volleyball match at Monrovia High tonight. http://goo.gl/Xu9MT
- Brad Haugaard
Car Chase / Monrovia City Manager to Speak
~ Video: Wild car chase through Monrovia ends in crash and arrest in Covina. http://goo.gl/WfQNT
~ Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa will give a follow-up to the State of the City. His talk will be this Thursday, January 27, at 7 p.m. at The Peach Cafe, 141 E. Colorado Blvd., Monrovia. It's free. http://goo.gl/JPclH
- Brad Haugaard
Highlights of State-of-the-City Address
New Monrovia City Logo
In her state of the city address, Mayor Mary Ann Lutz basically said Monrovia is financially stable, but keeping it that way has been tough and is still tough. But even in the midst of tough times, the city has a lot to brag about. Read the whole speech here: http://goo.gl/f2qT3
"The State of the City," she said, "is stable and secure."
However ...
"Official unemployment numbers are reported today at more than 10% nationally, more than 12% in the state and nearly 11% in Monrovia. If we're to believe those numbers, then there are at least 4,000 of our neighbors who need a job, right now."
and ...
"City income from property taxes last year was below even our low expectations. And, sales tax revenues have been falling short for several years. They are only now showing signs of recovery."
Plus, the California state government has been looting the cities: "Year-after-year of State take-aways that have cost this community millions of dollars."
"The City's staffing has been cut by 12% in the past two years. Nearly 30 of Monrovia's municipal employees were either laid off, retired early or saw their positions eliminated. Some full-time positions have become part-time."
Some good news: "The retail economy seems to have stabilized for the moment and sales tax revenues were actually up 6% in 2009-2010 from the previous year, thanks in large measure to Living Spaces and Paul's TV. But we also saw our auto dealers increase their sales and leases in 2009-2010, and sales tax revenue from those sources was positive for the first time in two years. We haven't seen the figures from the last quarter yet, but it looked like a strong holiday finish for our retailers, too."
However, property taxes are still lagging - "and that means we've been forced to take another look at our expected revenues for the rest of this year and adjust them down another 1.2% - about $120,000."
"In December we bit the bullet and cut spending again - we've cut another 2% across the board. Every department is taking this hit."
Lutz said the city needs "New or higher taxes, or new, productive businesses in a vibrant private sector." And she said she wants to take the new-business approach, and especially to round up the long-awaited In ‘N Out Burger this year. "I promise you, we're putting on a full-court press and we intend to bring this one home this year!"
Also, she said:
~ The governor's plan to do away with redevelopment "is a leap in the wrong direction."
~ "The Gold Line could bring as much as $2 billion worth of investment to this community in the next 10 years."
~ The city is ahead of the game on reforming pensions. She said the city's plan "requires us to fund all contributions annually so there is never a danger of unfunded liability."
~ The Operation Safe Neighborhoods anti-gang program is working.
~ The city is putting a lot of effort into sustainability.
~ Public art has enlivened the downtown area.
~ The Monrovia Area Partnership, formed "to bring coordinated services to neighborhoods that need a little extra attention," has been a success.
- Brad Haugaard
Traffic Calming Devices / State Restructuring 'Unrealistic'
In his weekly report ( http://goo.gl/ssRqD ), Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa reports that ...
~ Monrovia will install "traffic calming devices." Whaaat? Yep. According to the report, they are also known as "speed tables," and are "made of recycled rubber materials, which is unlike the traditional 'Speed Bump' made of concrete or asphalt." The device "is designed to compel drivers to slow down to speed levels that enable better reactions to unexpected situations." The first one will go in around February 1 on the 500 block of Diamond Street.
~ He thinks Governor Brown's plan to get rid of redevelopment agencies is a bad idea. He said of Brown and his staff: "It is either foolhardy or courageous to proclaim that you will endeavor to restructure and 'realign' the apparatus of governance in California (personally, I think it is the latter); however, to leave yourself a mere 90 days in which to dismantle so critically important a mechanism as redevelopment is not realistic." He writes that "with this monumental of a change, the stakeholders must be engaged meaningfully."
- Brad Haugaard
Plant a Fast-Growing Oak
The City of Monrovia is suggesting residents consider a fast-growing native tree for their yards.
The tree is ... drumroll ... the common Coast Live Oak, which the city says is "almost without equal. They provide hillside erosion control, water wise gardening, a healthy ecosystem, and they are among the most fire-resistant of our local trees."
The report says:
"The main objection many people have to planting an oak tree is the belief that oaks grow very slowly. This is something of a misconception, especially concerning Monrovia's most common oak, the Coast Live Oak, which actually grows about 2-3 feet per year (height and spread). And it does most of its growing in the first 30 years, so if you plant an oak tree to celebrate the birth of a child, the tree will be big enough to be climbed by the time the child is big enough to climb it! If you are considering improving your hillside landscape, adding shade, or replacing an existing problem tree, the native oak deserves your consideration.
"Oaks are available for free in limited numbers from the Forestry Division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. These are native oaks, grown principally for the following purposes:
- Stabilizing hillsides
- Replacing invasive plants
- Replacing fire-hazardous plants in High Fire Hazard Zones
"For more information about obtaining a free oak tree, call the County at (909) 599-4615."
Source: http://goo.gl/ssRqD
- Brad Haugaard
Fire on Magnolia Ave in Monrovia
There was a fire on Magnolia Avenue this afternoon, just above Foothill Blvd. A woman was hospitalized.
UPDATE: Sadly, the woman died. http://goo.gl/gEzcU
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Spy Plane Video / Y Fundraiser / Abe Lincoln / Hike to Falls
~ Story and video at ABC News about Global Observer, the unmanned spy airplane developed by Monrovia's AeroVironment. http://goo.gl/boLSX
~ Monrovia YMCA is trying to raise $160,000. ttp://goo.gl/hTLvS
~ Philip Ostergard, author of "The Inspired Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln," will speak on Presidents Day from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9 in the Community Room of the Monrovia Public Library. http://goo.gl/tUkWu
~ A nice summary of the hike to the falls in Monrovia Canyon Park. http://goo.gl/zj40f
- Brad Haugaard
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