Monrovia's Senator Proposes New Ranges for Elected Officials' Financial Disclosure

State Senator Anthony Portantino, who represents Monrovia, has presented to the Senate Elections Committee with a bill (SB 24) to adjust financial disclosure rules for elected officials. It changes from four to eight the number of ranges of value for real property. The top range under Portantino's bill would be $10 million and above vs. the current top range of $1 million and above. The bill passed the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee with a unanimous vote. https://goo.gl/fjA5gA

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Church Expects More Than 6,000 For Easter Services

Pastor Albert Tate

Fellowship Monrovia, the church that meets at Monrovia High, is expecting an overflow crowd of more than 6,000 people on Easter Sunday and has scheduled three services (8:15, 10, and 11:45 a.m.) at two locations, one at the Monrovia High Event Center and a smaller venue - with a video connection - at its facility at 401 E. Huntington Drive.

Source: news release

- Brad Haugaard

Making Monrovia a Science Center | Taking Back the Parks | Wine Walk | Easter Events | Etc.

In his weekly update (https://goo.gl/BDNGqu), City Manager Oliver Chi reported that ...

~ The city and Monrovia-based Oak Crest Institute of Science are working to make the city even more attractive to science companies. "Increasingly," Chi writes, "Monrovia is developing an underground reputation as a location where emerging science-based companies should consider locating." Plans involve enhancing science education and helping science companies.

~ The city council will "discuss how the city can take back our parks and our streets" at tonight's (March 21) meeting. A discussion of homelessness.

~ The Council will consider formal approval of the Encinitas Historic District at its April 4 meeting.

~ The Fire Department is using a new software system by Veoci to make the fire inspection process more efficient. it sets up quarterly inspections, creates digital forms that fire personnel can complete on an iPad.

~ Monrovia's first Wine Walk is scheduled for Aug. 26, in Old Town. The idea is you go into local businesses, drink different wines and explore what each business offers.  Music, too.

~ Jim Emett will retire after 26 years of service with the Monrovia Police Department. His retirement celebration will be April 27 at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel. $35 per ticket. RSVP to Lori Le Veque at 256-8098.

~ Monrovia's Police Explore Post is holding Chipotle Fundraiser on Wednesday, May 10, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  Tell the cashier you are supporting the fundraiser at checkout.

~ Easter Egg Hunt and Healthy Kids Day will be held at Recreation Park on Saturday, April 15. Registration begins at 9:45 a.m. There will be arts and crafts, face painting, carnival games, petting zoo, toddler activities, tours of the Monrovia Historical Museum, and food trucks.

~ And hop on over to Library Park on Saturday, April 15, from noon to 2 p.m., to get a free photo taken with the Easter Bunny.

~ The 7th annual Fountain to the Falls Run / Walk and health fair will be held on Saturday, May 13, at 7 a.m.  The 6.38-mile out-and-back race, from the Library Park Fountain to the Canyon Park Waterfall, is limited to 325 participants. Early registration ($35) now through May 10. Event day registration is $45. For more information, contact the Public Services Department at 256-8246.

~ Youth Soccer starts this Wednesday, March 22, at Recreation Park.  For more information, contact the Community Services Division at 256-8246.

- Brad Haugaard



Monrovia's Trader Joe's Tops in Satisfaction

Monrovia-based Trader Joe's is rated tops among suprmarkets in consumer satisfaction. https://goo.gl/KwYdUa

- Brad Haugaard

Two Monrovia High Robotics Teams Heading For World Championship Competition - Raising Travel Funds


The Suitbots ...

... and the Droidnoughts.

For the first time the Monrovia High School robotics program will be represented by two teams at The FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship in Houston, TX. On April 18 the Droidnoughts and the Suitbots will travel together to Houston to compete against 130 robotics teams from around the world.

The Suitbots earned their spot in the World championships by first qualifying through league play for the LA Regional Championships. At the LA Championships they reached the Semifinals and won the Connect Award qualifying them for the Western Super Regional Championships in Tacoma, WA where they were again very strong with a record of 7-2 placing them seventh in their division, reaching the quarterfinals. This outstanding result qualified them for the World Championships.

The Droidnoughts also advanced to the LA regional championships. They were one of 20 teams from the western United States to receive an invitation to the World Championships through the First Tech Challenge lottery process.

These two outstanding Monrovia High School teams will now represent Monrovia, the Los Angeles region, and the 13 western states in The FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships in April.

Monrovia Robotics is an after school program that participates in the FIRST Tech Challenge where students come together to design, build, and program robots to compete in a game that changes each year. Each team is led by an adult mentor who guides them through the process. FIRST robotics has been described as a sport for the mind and is an all encompassing STEM activity.  In addition to building the robots, teams also compete in the ability to inspire, community outreach, connections to the engineering community, innovation, design process and programming skills, which are documented in an engineering notebook.

The Monrovia Robotics Program started in 2010 with one robotics team made up of nine students. Today the program has six robotics teams made up of over 60 students. In addition, the students at Monrovia High School have been instrumental in mentoring and spreading robotics to both of the Monrovia Unified School District (MUSD) middle schools. All together MUSD has 10 robotics teams.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is more than just building robots. The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting Mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

Please support Monrovia's effort to send these outstanding robotics students to the World Championships in Houston. We have created a GoFundme account (https://www.gofundme.com/mhs-robotics-worlds-2017) where we are accepting donations. Or you can contact the Monrovia Robotics program coordinator, Tom Dobson (tdobson@monroviaschools.net) for information on how to make a tax deductible donation or a donate by check.

Source: Press release

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Assault at Metro Station; Elderly Driver Forgot About Brake; Very, Very Drunk; Car Over Embankment; Suspect Returns for Wallet, Arrested

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for March 16-19. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Domestic Violence – Suspect Arrested
March 16 at 9:25 a.m., police received a call reporting a male subject had struck a female and proceeded to force her into a public restroom at the Metro Rail Station in the 1600 block of S. Myrtle. Officers were dispatched to the location. Officers were given a good description of both parties and quickly detained both subjects. After investigation, the male half was arrested for domestic violence.

Family Disturbance / Warrant – Suspect Arrested
March 16 at 11:45 a.m., officers responded to the report of a family disturbance at a residence in the 1400 block of S. Magnolia. When officers arrived, they spoke to the female half and discovered she had an outstanding warrant. She was arrested and removed from the location.

Petty Theft / Warrant – Suspect Arrested
March 16 at 12:32 p.m., a shoplifting in progress was reported at a business in the 300 block of W. Huntington Drive. Officers arrived and located two suspects matching the description provided by the reporting party. One of the subjects had outstanding warrants and was arrested. The other was released.

Warrants – Suspect Arrested
March 16 at 10:37 p.m., officers were on patrol near a park in the 300 block of S. Myrtle and found a subject sleeping in a walkway. A computer check revealed he had two outstanding warrants and he was arrested.

Public Intoxication – Suspect Arrested
March 17 at 2:46 a.m., officers were on patrol in the 100 block of Los Angeles when they saw a subject stumbling in an alley. He was found to be extremely intoxicated and unable to care for his own safety. He was arrested for being drunk in public.

Grand Theft Auto Attempt
March 17 at 10:22 a.m., officers responded to the report of a vehicle burglary in the 200 block of Kruse Avenue. When they arrived, they found the ignition to the victim's vehicle had been punched and there was a shaved screw driver left on the floorboard of the vehicle. The stereo had been removed and stolen. It appears the suspects were attempting to steal the vehicle, but were not successful. The vehicle was locked. The investigation is continuing.

Traffic Collision / Property Damage
March 17 at 10:31 a.m., a traffic collision was reported in the 100 block of E. Walnut. An elderly female was attempting to park and forgot to place her foot on the brake. She continued to drive through the parking spot, over the curb and into the front glass windows of a business. She narrowly missed an employee inside the business. The driver was given a re-examination notification.

Drunk in Public – Suspect Arrested
March 17 at 10:35 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Spanner regarding a female subject lying on the ground and a male standing over her. Officers arrived and learned that the subjects are boyfriend and girlfriend. They were both extremely intoxicated and were trying to walk home. The female had fallen several times and the male kept picking her up to try to walk her home. The female was so intoxicated she had to be taken to a hospital for treatment. The male was too intoxicated to care for his own safety and was arrested for being drunk in public.

Traffic Collision
March 18 at 7:51 p.m., a traffic collision was reported in the 1000 block of Briarcliff. A vehicle traveling on Briarcliff went off the side of the road and landed approximately ten feet down an embankment. There were four occupants in the vehicle, but none of them were injured. It appears the owner of the vehicle had done some work on the brakes and may have left air in the lines, causing the brakes to fail.

Trespassing – Suspects Arrested
March 19 at 10:50 p.m., officers responded to a trespassing report at a motel in the 900 block of E. Huntington. A subject was entering the room he had rented at the motel and found a young male and female were inside the room. Both subjects fled on foot from the room. The male subject dropped his wallet in the room as he was leaving. Both subjects returned to the Motel to retrieve the wallet and were detained by officers. Further investigation revealed the door had been left unlocked by management and they had only been in the room for a few minutes. The 16-year-old female was found to be a reported runaway from Los Angeles. Both subjects were arrested for trespassing.

Man Shot and Killed in Monrovia/Duarte County Area

A man was shot and killed Saturday night in county area between Monrovia and Duarte, on East Camino Real Street, just east of California Avenue. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia's Canyon Oaks Named a Model Continuation High School

Monrovia's Canyon Oaks High School has been named a 2017 Model Continuation High School by the state "for its high percentage of graduates accepted into four-year universities [20-30 percent], rising test scores and culture of preparing at-risk youth for college and career." Comment: This is really quite remarkable as continuation high schools are often little more than baby sitting services with the number of grads going to college is closer to zero percent.  https://goo.gl/XM7GNt

Monrovia May Hire Company to Create 'Historic Context Statement'; Water-Saving Challenge

At its next meeting (agenda: https://goo.gl/cTaZ53 ), the Monrovia City Council will ...

~ Consider hiring ASM Affiliates of Pasadena for $64,100.60 to create an "Historic Context Statement" for Monrovia. An HCS "is a report that provides the basis for evaluating historic significance and integrity. It helps to identify important themes in history and then relate those themes to existing resources or property types. Themes may be related to historic events, development patterns, trends, or even cultural topics. An HCS is a valuable tool in helping identify significant properties. https://goo.gl/lMw2mW UPDATE: City Clerk says this item has been pulled from the agenda to be considered at a later meeting.

~ Consider participating in the annual Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation through the National League of Cities this April. Residents in winning cities are eligible to win various prizes and a grand prize will be rewarded to a winning city. https://goo.gl/lyWEnl

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council and School Board to Hold Joint Meeting

The Monrovia City Council and School Board will hold a joint meeting on this coming Tuesday, March 22, to discuss Monrovia Days, the Fourth of July celebration, legislative policy, get an update on the School Resource Officer (cop on campus) program, and to discuss developing a "science ecosystem." The meeting will be held at the school district's board room at the district office at 325 Huntington Drive. https://goo.gl/epSWuB

- Brad Haugaard

Dinner at Sena


Dinner at Sena, on the west side of Myrtle just south of Lime. Got the short rib grilled cheese sandwich for $11 and a happy hour beer for $4. Enjoyed it.

- Brad Haugaard

Interviews With Monrovia Mayoral Candidates

KGEM's Ralph Walker interviews mayoral candidates ...

Incumbent Tom Adams
Challenger Mark Harris

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Vehicle Theft; Trailer Theft; Burglaries; Sledge Hammer Burglary; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for March 13-15. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 426 service events, resulting in 91 investigations.

Grand Theft Auto
March 13 at 8:15 a.m., a car trailer was reported stolen from a business location in the 1800 block of S. Peck Road. The trailer was parked at the business on Saturday, March 11. When the victim arrived at the business in the morning on March 15, the trailer was missing. The investigation is continuing.

Attempt Residential Burglary
March 13 at 11:32 a.m., a resident in the 1300 block of S. Magnolia called police to report that three window screens on their home had been tampered with, but the suspect did not gain entry. The responding officer checked the area for any evidence left behind and the investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
March 13 at 3:08 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 600 block of Parkrose regarding a vehicle burglary. The victim parked his vehicle on the street in front of the residence the evening before and secured the vehicle. He returned to his vehicle in the morning and saw the car stereo was missing. The investigation is continuing.

Stolen Vehicle
March 13 at 6:54 p.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from the 200 block of W. Evergreen. The victim said she parked her 2008 Honda CRV in the complex parking lot the night prior. She returned to the lot the next evening and found her vehicle was missing

Residential Burglary
March 13 at 9:09 p.m., a resident in the 300 block of N. Magnolia called police to report that his home had been burglarized. He had been on vacation for ten days and arrived home to find his front door unlocked and the house ransacked. Officers were dispatched to the residence and it appears the suspects made entry through a dining room window. The investigation is continuing.

Petty Theft
March 14 at 10:14 p.m., officers responded to the 500 block of Fano regarding a possible fight in progress. When they arrived, they saw a male subject running west on Fano and they detained him. Further investigation revealed the suspect stole a bottle of alcohol from a business in the 500 block of W. Duarte. The store clerk chased the suspect to Fano Street. The suspect was arrested for petty theft.

Vandalism
March 14 at 10:54 p.m., a resident in the 500 block of Date Court called police to report four suspects vandalizing property. The suspects were described as three White males and a White female with short hair, wearing a trench coat. The suspects were writing graffiti on a flower planter. The suspects were last seen walking south on Falling Leaf. Officers responded to the area, but were unable to locate the suspects. The investigation is continuing.

Commercial Burglary
March 15 at 8:15 a.m., a commercial burglary was reported at a business in the 300 block of W. Huntington. Officers arrived and found the front window of the business had been smashed. It appears the suspect broke into the business with a crowbar and stole currency from the location. The investigation is continuing.

Commercial Burglary
March 15 at 8:40 a.m., a commercial burglary was reported at a business in the 400 block of W. Huntington. The front window to the business was smashed. The investigation revealed a suspect broke into the business with a sledge hammer and stole currency from the location. The investigation is continuing.

Mental Health Evaluation
March 15 at 10:10 a.m., a subject was reported driving erratically, running stop signs and speeding. The subject exited his vehicle in the area of Huntington and Mountain and walked into traffic. Officers arrived and detained the subject. The investigation revealed the subject was making delusional statements and was a danger to himself. He was placed on a 72-hour mental evaluation hold and taken to a hospital for treatment.

Warrant – Suspect Arrested
March 15 at 5:02 p.m., an officer on patrol in the area of Myrtle and Colorado noticed a vehicle commit a vehicle code violation. The officer made contact with the driver and a computer check revealed an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The subject was arrested and was held on the warrant, pending his court appearance.

Indecent Exposure – Suspect Arrested
March 15 at 5:03 p.m., a female subject called police to report that a male subject sitting at a bus bench in the 300 block of W. Huntington exposed himself to her. Officers arrived, located the suspect and placed him under arrest.

Detective Bureau Case Follow-up - Criminal Threats Investigation
On March 14, after an on-going investigation, the student who posted a photograph of four handguns on a social media site with the caption, "I've had enough, get ready for Monday MHS," was arrested for criminal threats. Officers recovered the four handguns depicted in the photograph and confirmed they were BB guns. The student was later released to his mother with a citation to appear in court on the charges. The detective handling the case has taken it to the District Attorney, who will be reviewing it for filing charges.

Will Street Fair Move to Library Park? Homeless Update at City Council Meeting


In his weekly update (https://goo.gl/HIWzPq), City Manager Oliver Chi reports ...

~ The city is considering shifting the location of the Friday Night Street Fair a bit north, to center on Library Park and the streets on its north and south sides, Lime and Palm. Less of Myrtle would be closed, just from Lime to a bit north of Palm.

~ There will be an overview of homeless issues at the March 21 meeting of the Monrovia City Council.

~ Monrovia Police Department is a finalist in the James Q. Wilson Award for Excellence in Community Policing, which recognizes California law enforcement agencies that have successfully institutionalized the Community Policing philosophy. Each year, three agencies across the state are recognized. Chi said it is, "One of the most prestigious awards that can be bestowed to any law enforcement agency in California."

~ The Monrovia Fire Department is creating al fire investigator program, which will let the department take a more active role in investigating the cause of fires.

~ Public Services Department is accepting nominations for the 2017 Older American of the Year Award.  This award goes to a Monrovian 60 years or older who is involved in volunteer service in Monrovia. Questions? Contact Rebecca Sandoval at 256-8232, or at rsandoval@ci.monrovia.ca.us. (Nomination form here: https://goo.gl/HIWzPq )

~ The Monrovia Today Spring Activity Guide is now available here: https://goo.gl/kRpbGY

~ There will be a meeting to hear people's thoughts about the Citywide Park Master Plan on April 13, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Community Center. For more information contact Katie Distelrath at kdistelrath@ci.monrovia.ca.us or at 256-8225.

~ Free workshops on how to use less water. To register for any of the workshops, or for additional information, call 443-2297, or email Valeria@usgvmwd.org. Workshops at Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, 602 E. Huntington Dr. Suite B, Monrovia.

  • Finding and Fixing Leaks, Tuesday, March 28, 7 to 9 p.m., 
  • California Friendly Landscaping, Tuesday, April 11, 6-9:30 p.m.
  • Greywater - Laundry to Landscape, Saturday, May 6, 8 a.m. - noon


- Brad Haugaard





Registration Open for Eighth Monrovia Area Partnership Conference

The Eighth Annual Monrovia Area Partnership annual conference will be held at the Monrovia Community Center at 119 West Palm on Saturday April 22, from 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. It is free. To register, click here, https://goo.gl/rxkHt1, call 932-5563 or e-mail map@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

Conference workshops include:

  • Building a Better Gold Line Experience
  • Building a Better Response to Homelessness in Monrovia
  • Building Better Awareness of our City's Unique History
  • Building Better & Cleaner Communities
  • Building Better with Resilience 

MAP is a partnership of residents, agencies and city departments, joining unique skills, knowledge and expertise to make Monrovia a strong and vibrant community. Since 2006, MAP has worked year round to develop and promote programs that enhance public trust, practice effective problem solving and educate residents on the subjects of neighborhood safety and community pride.

Source: press release

- Brad Haugaard
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