Monrovia Race Winners / Portantino Bill Passes Assembly

~ The full list of winners of the Fountain to the Falls race. http://goo.gl/TIf3z

~ Assemblymember Anthony Portantino. who represents part of Monrovia, had legislation passed in the Assembly making it illegal to carry an unloaded gun in public. http://goo.gl/5zdqH

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Gold Line, New Chief, and Arts Supporter

In his weekly report ( http://goo.gl/BZieL ) Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa wrote that:

 

Despite the lawsuit against the Gold Line rail project, the city "will move forward with considering the transactions that we have negotiated in good faith with GLCA, and allow both the Gold Line and the plaintiff to decide upon whatever course of action they propose to take."

 

~ He hopes to have a new police chief to replace retiring Roger Johnson by September. Captain Jim Hunt is interim Chief of Police.

 

He congratulates City Council member Clarence Shaw, who was recognized May 7, as the Renaissance Award recipient by Monrovia Association of Fine Arts. He said, "Clarence has been a driving force in developing and supporting the arts in Monrovia."

 

- Brad Haugaard

John Wilson of Monrovia Boys & Girls Club / New Stayhealthy Chairman

~ Profile of John Wilson, head of the Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills. http://goo.gl/E2fR6

~ Stayhealthy, Inc., of Monrovia, has announced that Tommy G. Thompson, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and governor of Wisconsin, has been elected to serve as the company's chairman of the board.
http://goo.gl/cpKms

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Home Ownership Increases

Monrovia and 11 other local cities buck the trend; increase the percentage of owner-occupied houses compared to 2010. http://goo.gl/kvp6C

Spacecraft Landing Site to be Discussed in Monrovia

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Landing Site Workshop will be held tomorrow (Monday, May 16) through this coming Wednesday at the Doubletree Hotel in Monrovia. The meetings start at 8:30 a.m., and a friend of mine, Roger Wiens, Genesis Project Leader at Los Alamos National Labs, said that as long as there is room, the public can attend. The topics look very technical ( http://goo.gl/S4ltd ), but if the discussion on where to land a spacecraft on Mars is of interest, you may want to attend.

- Brad Haugaard

Man Arrested in Monrovia Stabbing Incident

A Covina man has been arrested in connection with a stabbing during a knife fight in Monrovia. Wounded man should be okay. http://goo.gl/WOwEp

- Brad Haugaard

Runners at Monrovia Race

Runners going up Myrtle on Fountain to Falls Run.

- Brad Haugaard

School Honoree / Debit Card Fraud

~ Martha Moncada, school/community liaison for Monroe Elementary School, will be honored as the Classified Employee of the Year at a joint meeting of the Board of Education and Personnel Commission. http://goo.gl/oodzf

~ The Wall Street Journal reports that thieves stole debit card info at Michaels arts-and-crafts stores across the country, and part of the money was withdrawn here in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/vdHpE

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia First Presbyterian Church at Odds with Denomination

The pastor of Monrovia First Presbyterian Church, Rev. Anthony Osimo, has written a letter to his congregation indicating that he is "deeply saddened" by a recent decision of the church's denomination, Presbyterian Church USA, to eliminate its requirement that church leaders live "in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness."

 

He said church leaders are discussing the MFPC's options, said that the church is in discussions with other concerned churches, and added that there will be a national meeting to "consider options for those churches who cannot in good faith uphold the new ordination standard."

 

Source: http://goo.gl/Js59K

 

- Brad Haugaard

 

Lunch at Monrovia Mimi's

Mimi's for lunch. Got the $10.99 "Provence" special: tomato basil bisque soup and Le Grande Bleu Burger with chips (burgers are very French). Bisque was very good. A little Tabasco on the burger and it was just to my taste.

- Brad Haugaard

Progress on the Sorta-Monrovia Park

Star-News opinion editor, Steve Scauzillo, is making progress in his push to get local communities to adopt the Peck Road Water Conservation Park, which is in county area just a smidge below the Monrovia border ( http://goo.gl/Gw3Wz ).

At his suggestion, I went and looked at the park and have two observations: 1) It is indeed a beautiful park with a nice lake. 2) The front gate is ugly and easy to overlook - a plain sign next to a scruffy chain-link fence. (See here: http://goo.gl/Id2zU ).

Maybe a good first project would be to make the entryway easier to notice and more attractive. Unless he had told me that there was a beautiful park back there I'd have never known. I even passed it by when I was looking for it.

Neat project!

- Brad Haugaard

Mariachis / Lice

I saw School Board President Ed Gililland at the Monrovia Parade, and he had two interesting things to say:

~ As a mariachi band went past during the parade, it reminded him that he wants to get a student mariachi band going at Monrovia High School.

~ Perhaps you recall ( http://goo.gl/hu6TF ) that the Monrovia School District did not meet its goal of increasing student attendance (which means more money from the state). One reason, according to Gilliland, is that there was an outbreak of head lice at one school and students had to stay home.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Favorite Bear on Parade

The Monrovia Day Parade was kind of an unveiling of the Samson the Bear statues that will be placed around town. I snapped these pictures, though there were more.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Day Parade

Some pictures of the Monrovia Day Parade. That's City Council member Becky Shevlin, by the way.

- Brad Haugaard

Next Up at the Monrovia City Council

At the next City Council meeting ( http://goo.gl/kFoto ), May 17, 6:30 p.m., the Council will consider ...

~ Hiring some technical consultants, and extending a contract with a graffiti-removal contractor.

 

~ Adopting an ordinance governing cell-phone towers. http://goo.gl/JIcEv

 

~ A city staff recommendation that the Council oppose a California bill that makes it harder for cities to go bankrupt, and another bill that would require voters to approve any city plan to provide library services through private contractors. Also, staff recommends supporting a redevelopment-reform bill (temporarily dead but resurrection can happen). http://goo.gl/qObh3

 

- Brad Haugaard