Monrovia to Consider Agreement with Employees: 3% Cost of Living Increase, Etc.

At its July 17, 7:30 p.m. meeting, the Monrovia City Council will consider, among other things (agenda here: http://goo.gl/2TyPZ ), adopting an agreement with the Monrovia Municipal Employees' Association for fiscal years 2012-2014.

The city report says that "compensation adjustments are [now] based solely on the City's ability to pay" and not on what other cities are paying.

Summary:

"The proposed two-year agreement provides for a 3% Cost of Living adjustment and reinstatement of the performance/longevity program. Additionally, MMEA members have agreed to pay an additional 5.5% of salary towards the cost of retirement benefits, resulting in a total contribution amount of 9.946%. These changes will take effect during the first year of the agreement. The second year of the agreement does not include any further adjustments to salary or benefits."

Source: http://goo.gl/2LsNA

- Brad Haugaard

Thunderstorm Possible | Suicide

~ Possible thunderstorms tonight in San Gabriel Valley. http://goo.gl/LPe0H

~ Teen suicide in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/aX4w7

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Cuts Energy, Saves Money - You Can, Too

The City of Monrovia reports that from 2010-2011, it saved more than $140,000 by cutting back its energy usage. "But the City only accounts for 5% of all of Monrovia's electrical use." http://goo.gl/RFPAq

If you'd like to pocket a little extra change, yourself, the city suggests:

- Turn off lights when not in use.
- Install motion-sensor lighting to light areas only when in use.
- Seal air and duct leaks.
- Insulate attics, walls and hot water pipes.
-  Use blinds, shades or curtains to repel heat.
- Replace older light bulbs with energy-efficient ones.
- Use drip irrigation or other water-conserving irrigation systems.
- Use a variable speed pool pump.

- Brad Haugaard

Mount Sierra Commencement | MOHPG Potluck | E-Waste Recycling

~ Commencement at Monrovia's Mount Sierra College. http://goo.gl/1qihN

~ Monrovia Old Homes Preservation Group will have its annual potluck dinner July 28, 6-7:30 p.m. at the Community Center (139 W. Palm). President Jim Wigton will give updates on the Aztec Hotel and Santa Fe depot. It's potluck, so if you want to come, bring a dish. If your last name starts with A-Ha, bring salad; He-Sa, main dish; Sc-Z, dessert.

~ Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. -3 p.m. July 28-29, Electronic waste recycling at Monrovia Park N Ride (corner of S. Myrtle and W. Pomona Avenues). Proof of California residency required. For more info call (909) 591-8408. (Thanks to Becky Shevlin for this)

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Guard vs. Skateboarder, Battery on Buttocks, Under the Influence, Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for July 9-11. - Brad Haugaard]

 

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 569 service events, resulting in 81 investigations.

 

Battery - Suspect Arrested

July 10 at 4:44 p.m., police were dispatched to a business in the 400 block of West Huntington regarding a battery incident.  A male adult subject walked past a female adult subject and intentionally brushed his hand on her buttocks.  The woman immediately called police, who responded and located the suspect.  Video surveillance of the business shows the suspect intentionally touch the victim.  He was arrested, booked and released on citation for misdemeanor battery.

 

Vandalism

July 10 at 5:18 p.m., a vandalism incident was reported in the 400 block of West Walnut.  Suspect(s) smashed two windows on a car, which was parked off an alley.  The windows of the vehicle were smashed, but there was no loss of property.  The female victim does not know why anyone would have vandalized her property.  Investigation continuing.

 

Petty Theft / Drunk in Public - Suspect Arrested

July 10 at 11:52 p.m., employees at a business in the 100 block of East Olive called police and reported that a suspect had just stolen a purse and ran out the door.  Two employees chased the suspect west on Olive and then south on Myrtle, where they detained him.  Officers arrived and arrested the suspect for petty theft of a purse and being drunk in public.

 

Assault with a Deadly Weapon / Vandalism - Suspect Arrested

July 11 at 7:06 a.m., dispatch received a call from a business in the 100 block of West Foothill reporting a male suspect attempting to assault a security guard.  Officers arrived and detained a male suspect who was holding a large wooden post in his hands.  The suspect refused to stop skateboarding in front of the business, where people were walking, and made threats to return and harm the security guard after he was told to leave the premises.  The suspect then walked to a city park, broke off a wooden tree support post and returned to confront the security guard.  He made attempts to intimidate the security guard by acting like he was going to strike him with the post.  The suspect was arrested and taken into custody for assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism.

 

Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance - Suspect Arrested

July 11 at 7:19 a.m., officers responded to the 800 block of West Olive regarding a subject who was acting odd and hearing voices.  Officers detained a known subject who has a history of drug use.  He was determined to be under the influence of a controlled substance.  His family stated he had been up for most of the week.

 

Traffic Collision

July 11 at 5:09 p.m., dispatch received a call reporting a UPS vehicle striking a fire hydrant.  Officers responded and determined there were no injuries involved.  The Fire Department and Water Department were requested to assess the damage and handle the large amount of water streaming from the damaged hydrant.

 

Drug Paraphernalia - Suspect Arrested

On July 11, Special Enforcement Team officers observed a possible narcotics transaction and drug use in a park located in the 300 block of South Myrtle.  Officers detained a subject who was found to have a methamphetamine pipe in his possession.  He was arrested and charged with the offense. 

 

Driving Under the Influence - Suspect Arrested

July 11 at 10:41 p.m., officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at Myrtle and Camino Real and determined the driver was intoxicated.  He was arrested and taken into custody.

Monrovia's Fashion Cuts Gets Renovation

Old Town salon, Fashion Cuts, getting a renovation to reveal distinctive arched windows. http://goo.gl/oEgBU

- Brad Haugaard

Living With Monrovia's Wildlife

With local wildlife getting pretty bold (I just saw a bear the other day), Monrovia is offering some wisdom on living with wildlife:

~ Bear-resistant trash cans from Athens: http://goo.gl/HBFDR
~ Living with wildlife pamphlet: http://goo.gl/uQ067
~ Feeding wildlife (summary: Don't): http://goo.gl/0IDgd
~ Living with bears: http://goo.gl/7FpXN
~ Mountain lions: http://goo.gl/ob4KO
~ Other wildlife: http://goo.gl/ROvju

Opinion: Gonna need a pamphlet on peacocks pretty soon.

- Brad Haugaard

Free Drink at Starbucks This Friday

Get a free "tall" size "Refreshers" drink his Friday, noon to 3 p.m. at Starbucks (621 W. Huntington and in the Pavilions lot on Foothill). Starbucks says the new drinks are made with unroasted green coffee extract, fruit and fruit juices. No coffee taste. Opinion: I tried a sample today: It has a light, fruity taste. Nice.

- Brad Haugaard

Gold Line Meeting Tonight | Free Slurpees

~ The Gold Line Construction Authority will have a board meeting today at 7 p.m. at the Arcadia City Hall, Council Chambers, 240 W. Huntington Drive. Open to the public.

~ 7-Eleven is celebrating its birthday today and is handing out free Slurpees from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. ( http://goo.gl/OCX3i ) There is a 7-Eleven at 400 W. Foothill Blvd. (at Alta Vista).

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Cheryl Reynolds Wins Woman in Business Award

Cheryl Reynolds, of Monrovia's Santa Anita Family YMCA, has been selected as an Honnoree for the Thirteen Annual Women in Business Awards as the recipient of the Outstanding Non-Profit Employee Award. According to a Facebook posting by the Y, "This award highlights her significant professional accomplishments as well as her outstanding commitment to our community. The YMCA is so proud to have Cheryl as part of our team."

The Monrovia Chamber of Commerce adds that: "Each year, the Women in Business Awards honor local women whose exceptional abilities have contributed to the economic vitality and diversity of the 21st State Senate [Carol Liu] and 43rd [Mike Gatto] and 44th [Anthony Portantino] Assembly Districts."

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council Accused of Violating Open Meeting Law

Monrovia City Council accused of violating California's open meeting law. http://goo.gl/WySur

 
- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Parasoft in the Top 100

Monrovia's Parasoft Corporation, which helps organizations efficiently deliver defect-free software, has been named by SD Times as one of its 100 industry leaders in Quality Assurance and Security. http://goo.gl/Nkmsu

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia 'Pub Crawl' for the Arts

The Monrovia Association of Fine Arts is sponsoring a "Pub Crawl" on Saturday, July 28, 5-9p.m. You get a drink at Jake's, Sena, T Phillips, Rudy's, and London Gastropub for $35. Tickets here: http://goo.gl/Qw4aw

Opinion: Hmm. I think I'll pass. Five drinks and I'd need a cab ride home.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Four-Tone Truck, Punching Out Bicyclists, Two-Year Sentence for Assault, Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for July 5-8. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Vehicle Burglary
July 5 at 7:44 a.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 200 block of West Olive. The owner of a 2010 Ford Escape went to her vehicle in the morning and discovered it had been burglarized sometime during the night. The suspect smashed out a window and took music CD's. Investigation continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
July 5 at 9:08 a.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of West Walnut. The owner of a 2006 Honda Pilot went out in the morning to discover her car window shattered and a lug nut socket wrench stolen from the vehicle. Officers searched for witnesses and located a neighbor who had heard a car alarm during the night. She looked out her window and saw a male Hispanic, approximately 30 years old, with slicked back black hair, running from the victim's car. She did not call the police. Investigation continuing.

Robbery – Suspect Arrested
July 5 at 6:05 p.m., police responded to a market in the 1200 block of South Myrtle regarding a robbery. A suspect entered the location and selected a beer. The store clerk recognized the suspect from a couple days prior when he had also stolen a beer. The clerk told the suspect to put the beer down and leave the location. The suspect pushed the clerk out of his way and left the store with the beer. A photo line-up was presented to the clerk and he immediately identified the suspect. Later in the shift, the suspect was seen by an officer and was taken into custody.

Grand Theft Auto
July 5 at 7:35 p.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from the 900 block of South Canyon. The vehicle was parked in a condominium complex parking area when it was taken. The vehicle is a burgundy, 1995 Honda Accord. Investigation continuing.

Domestic Battery / Providing False Information to a Peace Officer – Suspect Arrested
July 6 at 1:20 a.m., officers responded to a residence in the 700 block of West Duarte. The female at the location alleged that her boyfriend had choked her after an argument and had left the location. The victim was uncooperative with officers, but provided her name and the suspect’s name. A report was taken and she was provided domestic violence information. She was told to call police if the suspect returned.

At 4:49 a.m., officers were dispatched to the residence again regarding domestic violence. Through investigation, the officers determined that a battery did occur and the male subject, who had returned to the location, was arrested. It was also discovered that the first officers on scene were given false information by the victim regarding the suspect’s name, as well as her own name. A complaint will be filed for providing false information to a peace officer.

Assault With a Deadly Weapon / Battery – Suspect Arrested
July 6 at 10:16 p.m., a motorist was driving his vehicle and became angry at a group of bicyclists. The motorist intentionally swerved his vehicle toward the bicyclists, forcing one of them to crash into a parked vehicle. The motorist then pulled to the side of the roadway, exited his vehicle and began punching another bicyclist. Police arrived and the motorist was arrested at the scene and taken into custody. The two victims’ injuries were not life threatening and they were treated at the scene by Monrovia paramedics.

Felony Vandalism
July 7 at 6:23 a.m., a vandalism incident was reported in the 200 block of West Walnut. The victim parked his truck in the evening in the parking area behind his property, which is adjacent to an alley. He returned to his truck in the morning and found the truck had been spray painted all over in four different colors. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft Auto
July 7 at 3:49 p.m., a vehicle was reported stolen in the 100 block of West Palm. The victim parked and locked his vehicle at 10:00 p.m. and went into a business. He returned to his vehicle at about 11:55 p.m. and the vehicle was gone. There was no broken glass on the ground and there was a spare key in the glove box. The vehicle is a silver, 2011 Nissan Altima with paper plates. Investigation continuing.

Detective Bureau Case Follow-up
On February 9, 2012, a male subject carrying groceries was walking home in the area of Colorado and Violet. Three suspects approached the victim and demanded money. When the victim refused, one of the suspects held the victim as a second suspect beat the victim about the head and upper body. As the victim pled for the suspects to stop hitting him, he gave up his wallet. The suspects then fled on foot. The victim called police, and a short time later, two of the three suspects were apprehended. One of the suspects was in possession of the victim’s iPod at the time he was arrested. During interviews of the suspects, the third suspect was identified.

Detectives were assigned the case. Search Warrants were served and the third suspect was arrested at his girlfriend’s house on February 16, 2012.

Court trials have been ongoing over the past two months. On July 6, 2012, the third suspect pled to the robbery charges and received 2 years state prison, and is now a second striker.

Country Music in Monrovia | Chili Bowl

~ Country music by Brian Lynn Jones, July 15, 7-8:30 p.m. at Library Park.

~ Second Annual Monrovia Reads Chili Bowl. July 21, 6 p.m. at Monrovia Tennis Club (158 N. Sunset Place). Food, bar, entertainment, and help pick chili winner. $100 per person. Details from Diane Delmatoff at 303-6600 or ddelmatoff@ci.monrovia.ca.us .

- Brad Haugaard

A Toasty Week Ahead for Monrovia

Unlike the rest of the country, the Monrovia area seems to have had a fairly cool summer so far, but it looks like we'll be getting some days up in the 90s this week. Heating up. http://goo.gl/Ys6jW

- Brad Haugaard

Fire Danger in Monrovia Area Foothills

The National Weather Service is predicting "very dry conditions" and "heightened fire weather concerns" in the foothills through Monday. http://goo.gl/MYXlN

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's World Vision Helps During India Flooding

Monrovia's World Vision, a Christian relief agency, is providing assistance in the Dhemaji District in northeast India during the "worst flooding in a decade." http://goo.gl/lYNEk

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Schools: Apple Core, Buying Bucks From the Fed, Outsourcing Computers

A few items on the July 11, 7 p.m. School Board meeting:

~ Monrovia School District staff, recognizing that the Apple iPad is a "core" (sigh) digital device, will be participating in the Apple Developer Program, which will let the school develop its own apps for the device. Assuming the board approves, it'll cost a big $250. http://goo.gl/TpAE8

~ The board will consider a contract with CSM Consulting to help the district get bucks from the federal government. According to the staff report, the company will cost the district $15,000 a year but has "traditionally provided the District about $250,000 annually in federal funds for Internet, telephone and network services." http://goo.gl/6RYZI

~ It will also consider outsourcing the district's computer servers, for $51,093.57, to Cache Valley Electric Company of Utah "to improve performance, dependability and reduce operational costs of our network services." http://goo.gl/A87wy

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Representatives React to High-Speed Rail Vote | Digital Storytelling

~ Video: Senator Bob Huff, who represents Monrovia, says the vote for raising money for a high-speed rail line is not planned out, will initially connect low-population Central Valley areas, and is just for Governor Brown's legacy. http://goo.gl/0Zutv

~ Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, who represents part of Monrovia, didn't like it either. He wrote on Facebook that "This highly unpopular plan is more like a high speed train robbery."

~ Free digital storytelling workshop with DJ Phatrick, Saturday, July 28, 1-3 p.m., Library Community Room. The last in the "California Reads - Searching for Democracy Series," exploring the ramifications of the forced internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. http://goo.gl/ncKhF

- Brad Haugaard