Chili's restaurant plans a facelift

Chili's restaurant plans a facelift to its restaurant on Huntington Drive. The city's Design Review Committee (agenda here) will consider the plan at its next meeting. Details.

- Brad Haugaard

Dunkin' Donuts restaurant coming to Monrovia

A drive-through Dunkin' Donuts restaurant is apparently going to replace the Yoshinoya restaurant in the shopping center at Huntington and Shamrock. The company's remodel plan, which also includes space for another tenant, will come before the city's Design Review Committee at its next meeting. Details. 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia company to auction off estate of Joanna Carson, wife of talk-show host Johnny Carson

Monrovia's John Moran Auctioneers will auction off the estate of philanthropist Joanna Carson, wife of former late-night talk show host, Johnny Carson. The auction will be held on March 3, and will feature more than 400 lots from Carson's collection. Details. 

- Brad Haugaard

Children's seminar on living with bears, Feb. 28

Bear Aware program teaches children about living safely alongside black bears. Feb. 28, 2 to 3 p.m., Story Room at the Library. For ages 6-11. Photos, games, and hands-on activities show what bears eat, how they survive, and how people and bears share space. Registration required. Details.

- Brad Haugaard

Veterans and service members' coffee meetup, Feb. 24

Veterans and military service members gather 6 to 7 p.m. at Starbucks, Huntington and Magnolia, to connect. Opportunity to schedule appointments with a Veterans Service Officer or Veterans Peer Access Network representative. Free coffee. Details.

- Brad Haugaard

Library adds adult Chinese-language books

The Monrovia Library has introduced a new Adult Chinese Language Collection featuring fiction and nonfiction. Novels, memoirs, history, and other works.

- Brad Haugaard

The world of tomatoes - at next Garden Club meeting

The topic for the next Monrovia Garden Club meeting will be on growing and enjoying diverse tomato varieties. Feb. 23 at the Fellowship Hall of the Monrovia Community Church (former First Presbyterian) at Myrtle and Foothill. Social time 6:30 p.m., program 7 p.m. Bring a snack to share. Coffee, tea, and water provided.

- Brad Haugaard

Gayle Montgomery Celebration of Life Set for Feb. 20

A celebration of Life ceremony for local community advocate Gayle Montgomery will be held Friday, Feb. 20, 12 to 4 p.m., at the Monrovia Community Center. The community is invited to honor her life, share memories, and reflect. Purple and indigo encouraged. Guests may come and go. Children’s activities and food provided.

- Brad Haugaard

County Proposes Sewer Rate Hikes that would affect Monrovia

LA County is proposing sewer rate hikes for area sanitation districts, including districts 15 and 22, which serve Monrovia. Changes would roll out over five years beginning July 1. Public information meetings and hearings are scheduled through May. See rates and meeting dates here.

- Brad Haugaard

Draft plan to minimize risks to city available for comment

A draft Hazard Mitigation Plan outlining local wildfire, flood, and earthquake risks is available for  review. The plan details strategies to protect lives, reduce damage, and strengthen community resilience. Residents may review and comment through Feb. 24 here. 

I asked an AI system to highlight the main hazards facing the city. Among those it identified these struck me as most important:

Earthquake: Monrovia is located near active faults, such as the Raymond Fault and Puente Hills Fault, posing risks of severe ground shaking, liquefaction, structural damage, casualties, and disruption of services.

Slope Failure: The city's location along the southern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains makes it vulnerable to landslides, debris flows, and rockfalls, especially during heavy rainfall, post-wildfire conditions, or seismic events.

Dam Failure: Six upstream dams, including the Sawpit Reservoir dam, pose a risk of catastrophic flooding in the event of failure, impacting downstream populations and infrastructure.

Wildfire: The wildland-urban interface areas in northern Monrovia are highly vulnerable to wildfires due to dense vegetation, steep terrain, and prolonged drought conditions.

Brad Haugaard

Home repair grants available for low to moderate income homeowners

Some federal money is available for low- to moderate-income Monrovia homeowners for safety repairs such as roofs, heating, plumbing, and accessibility; also for deterioration prevention and quality improvements. Guidelines here and eligibility form here.

- Brad Haugaard

President's Day closures, adjustments

City Hall, Public Works, Library, and Police and Fire administration offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 16 for President's Day. Also, no street sweeping Feb. 16-20. Waste collection will continue on its regular schedule. 

Brad Haugaard

Police and fire associations now collecting for MHS student who lost parents

Monrovia Fire and Police Officers associations are accepting Venmo donations at @MFFA2415 for Monrovia High School Meagan Cisneros, who lost both parents in the past two months. There is also a GoFundMe page for Megan, here, which has so far raised $48,540 of the target $50,000

- Brad Haugaard

Coming Up in Monrovia

Valentine's Day carriage rides from Library Park Feb. 14

Year of the Horse celebration, Feb. 17

Parks and youth sports fundraiser, Feb. 19

Teen Game Hangout at the Library, Feb. 20

Lenten fish fry at Knights of Columbus, Fridays, Feb. 20 to Apr. 3

Food Ed to bestow Golden Gnomie Awards, Feb. 20

Electric guitar for beginners, Feb. 21

Workshop on preserving fresh citrus, Feb. 21

Black History Month events, Feb. 21, 22

Hum Out Loud poetry reading Feb. 24

Veterans and service members' coffee meetup, Feb. 24

Children's seminar on living with bears, Feb. 28

Monrovia High to screen math documentary, March 10

New exhibit coming on 'How Transportation Shaped Monrovia,' April 30

- Brad Haugaard

City has much bigger than expected surplus; Council to consider giving itself a raise

At its next meeting (agenda here) the Monrovia City Council will ...

~ Receive the 2025-26 Budget Update, which says that the city is in pretty good financial shape. It was expecting a surplus of $870,000 but ended up with a surplus of $2.63 million, although $1.06 million of that was from a lawsuit settlement over per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, long-lasting chemical contaminants.

Also, the report says that while "the city remains in a stable financial position, uncertainty persists in the broader economy," specifically referring to tariffs, federal funding freezes, and changes in federal enforcement activities. Details.

~ Consider giving itself (and the city clerk and city treasurer) a cost of living increase for last year and this year, from $1,275 to $1,359 per month. Details. 

- Brad Haugaard