A Moment in Monrovia History: The Palms Hotel on Myrtle

Palms Hotel at 167 S. Myrtle Ave. Photo by William Ward.. See full details here. From the William Ward collection. Identifying information from Kim Ward Anderson.

For more historic photos and papers, see the Monrovia Historical Society’s complete Legacy Project collection here. Learn more about the Monrovia Historical Society here.

- Brad Haugaard

First Presbyterian Church Preschool Reportedly Closing

Shannan Davis, who said she works at the First Presbyterian Church Preschool at the corner of Myrtle and Foothill, has reported on Facebook that the preschool will be closing, apparently at the end of this school year, according to discussion on the post.

- Brad Haugaard

Equity Committee Doesn't Find Unfairness in City Government; Budget Update; Asia/Pacific Heritage Month

At its next meeting (agenda: https://is.gd/jAMBm6) the Monrovia City Council will ...

~ Receive a report from the Ad Hoc Committee on Equity and Inclusion that basically says Monrovia does not have any unjust or unfair policies, practices, and procedures. 

The staff report says: "The Committee's sole function was to review with the community to determine whether any policies, practices, and procedures of the City of Monrovia are unjust or unfair; create structural barriers to diversity, equity, and inclusion in City governance, employment, or enforcement; or perpetuate systemic racism in City government and provide a report back to the City Council with any recommendations for change the Committee deems advisable for consideration."

The committee, formed after the killing of George Floyd, not only didn't report any such flaws, but was complimentary of city departments. It made 44 recommendations . The report is here: https://is.gd/BpgJho

~ Receive a mid-year budget update. Basically, property tax is fine. Sales tax is "better than originally expected." Hotel bed tax (TOT) has been "the most impacted," but city staff is hopeful it will improve as travel picks up. Plus, some small increases and decreases in expenditures. https://is.gd/M2igYq

~ Proclaim May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. https://is.gd/a683S9

- Brad Haugaard

Chick-fil-A Review Coming Up; Fake SWAT Team Was Just Acting for Film; EV Chargers in Old Town; Equity Committee to Report

Proposed Chick-fil-A at former Claim Jumper site.

In his latest report (https://goo.gl/aOqX7O) City Manager Dylan Feik reports: 

~ On May 3 Chick-fil-A and Starbucks will begin the environmental public review and comment period for their proposal to construct and operate two new drive-thru restaurants at the southwest corner of Huntington and Encino Avenue (former Claim Jumper restaurant site).

~ The reason the city requires filming permits is because of incidents like this: A resident without a  permit filmed a fictitious SWAT team breaking into a house, complete with the sound of guns and the use of tear gas. Neighbors were - ahem - concerned. Even charitable and student films must obtain a permit so neighbors can be notified and concerns addressed.

~ Electric vehicle charging stations will soon be installed in Old Town and should be available by summer. The public ones will be at Public Parking Lot #4, in the 100 block of E. Lemon.

~ The ad hoc Committee on Equity & Inclusion will present its recommendations to the City Council at its Tuesday, May 4, meeting.  The five-member committee was formed to determine if any city policies, practices, or procedures are unjust or unfair.

- Brad Haugaard

Weekly Coronavirus Count: Just 1 New Case, No New Deaths

Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health as of 8 p.m., 04/28/2021. Changes since 04/21/2021.

City of Monrovia: 3,164 cases (up 1), 76 deaths (unchanged)
Unincorporated Monrovia: 372 cases (unchanged), no deaths

- Brad Haugaard

Arbor Day in Library Park - April 30, 3-7 p.m.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Suspects Fire Shots at Gas Station, Arrested; Police Help Two Suicidal Men; Stolen Tailgate; Police Find Missing Person; Shoplifting; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for April 22-28. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 311 service events, resulting in 56 investigations.

Grand Theft
April 22 at 9:24 p.m., a grand theft incident was reported in the 600 block of W. Huntington. While a construction worker was working at a business in the area, someone entered the tool boxes on his truck and took a large amount of tools within a twenty minute time frame. The investigation is continuing.

Weapons Offence – Suspect Arrested
April 23 at 12:21 p.m., an officer was providing traffic enforcement in the 2000 block of S. Myrtle when he saw a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. Before the officer was able to conduct a traffic stop, the vehicle stopped and a passenger exited holding a handgun. The passenger fired five shots toward a local gas station in the City of Irwindale. The passenger then reentered the vehicle and began heading south. Additional units responded and initiated a traffic stop in the City of El Monte. The suspects were detained until Irwindale Police Department arrived to conduct an investigation.

Mental Evaluation – Mental Health Treatment Provided
April 23 at 1:54 p.m., a caller on S. Magnolia reported that her best friend’s husband was suicidal at his house. The caller informed dispatch the suicidal subject had a rifle within arms reach. Officers arrived and were able to communicate with the suicidal subject. They were able to deescalate the situation and talked the subject into coming out of the house with his hands up. He was safely cared for and transported to a local facility for mental health treatment.

Shoplifting
April 23 at 7:08 p.m., an employee of a business in the 1600 block of S. Mountain advised that a suspect had just stolen merchandise and fled in a vehicle. Officers searched the area for the suspect vehicle, but were unable to locate it. This investigation is continuing.

Theft
April 23 at 7:55 p.m., a resident in the 200 block of El Nido called police to report the tailgate had been stolen from his 2011 Chevrolet Silverado truck. He last saw his vehicle the day prior. This investigation is continuing.

Shoplifting
April 23 at 9:19 p.m., an employee of a business in the 1600 block of S. Mountain called police to report a shoplifter. The suspect stole hand tools and fled the store on foot. Officers arrived and checked the area, but the suspect was not located. This investigation is continuing.

Missing Person Located
April 24 at 4:03 a.m., officers on patrol in the 200 block of W. Huntington saw a subject walking down the street who appeared disoriented. They contacted him, and further investigation revealed he had been reported missing out of Mentone California. A family member was contacted and was able to respond to pick up the subject.

Injury Traffic Collision
April 25 at 6:52 a.m., officers responded to a traffic collision in the 1800 block of S. Mayflower. A driver had been traveling north on Mayflower and made an unsafe turning movement, causing him to collide into a parked vehicle. It was determined that the driver was not under the influence of any substances. Both the driver and passenger were treated for minor injuries by paramedics.

Theft – Suspect Arrested
April 25 at 2:34 p.m., an employee of a business in the 1600 block of S. Mountain advised that a male suspect was concealing merchandise inside his clothing. The suspect fled the area after being confronted by loss prevention personnel. Officers located the suspect and detained him. An investigation was conducted and the suspect was arrested.

Trespassing – Suspect Arrested
April 26 at 10:03 p.m., officers responded to the 1000 block of E. Huntington regarding a loitering subject. The owner of the property authorized a no-trespass order against the subject and officers stood by while he left the location. The property owner called back at 2:13 a.m. and advised the subject was back. Officers responded again and arrested the suspect for trespassing.

Trespassing / Vandalism
April 27 at 12:04 a.m., officers responded to the 800 block of W. Olive regarding a trespassing violation. An investigation revealed the suspect was the reporting party’s ex-boyfriend and that he had vandalized her vehicle. Officers searched the area, but the suspect had left. This investigation is continuing.

Mental Evaluation – Mental Health Treatment Provided
April 27 at 7:14 a.m., a resident in the 1000 block of E. Huntington reported her neighbor was yelling and throwing items outside of the mobile home he was living in. Officers arrived and found the subject locked inside his mobile home, refusing to open the door. The subject saw the officers and pointed a knife to his neck, stating he was going to kill himself. After placing the knife down, he continued yelling and throwing items throughout the mobile home. Officers established communication, however, this did not immediately control the situation. A clinician from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health arrived, however, the subject would not communicate. Additional officers arrived, and once they distracted the subject, officers entered the home with a key provided by his family. They detained the subject without incident and he was transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance for mental health treatment.

Shoplifting
April 27 at 11:32 a.m., an employee of a hardware store in the 1600 block of S. Mountain reported a male subject had just walked outside the store without paying for merchandise he had taken. Officers arrived and searched the area for the subject, but were unable to locate him. This investigation is continuing.

Fight in Progress
April 28 at 2:03 a.m., officers responded to the 500 block of Date regarding a fight in progress between two male subjects. Officers arrived and detained a subject they recognized from previous encounters. He had minor injuries that were treated by paramedics. He refused to cooperate and would not say who else was involved in the fight.

Vandalism
April 28 at 10:24 a.m., a resident in the 800 block of W. Colorado walked outside his home and discovered his mailbox, along with several of his neighbors’ mailboxes, had been vandalized sometime during the night. It is unknown if any mail was taken from the boxes. This investigation is continuing.

Injury Traffic Collision
April 28 at 2:30 p.m., a traffic collision was reported at the intersection of Huntington and Mountain. Officers responded and found one of the passengers was complaining of pain. Paramedics responded to offer treatment. The driver found to be most at fault was issued a citation.

Domestic Violence
April 28 at 4:59 p.m., a resident in the 800 block of W. Walnut called police to report her ex-boyfriend had just slapped her and then broke her cellphone during an argument. When officers arrived, the suspect had already fled the area and could not be located. The victim did not sustain any injuries. An emergency restraining order was obtained and the case is being forwarded to the District Attorney’s office for prosecution.

Monrovia Through The Eyes of Artist Rob Sato

This poster by artist Rob Sato, which depicts Monrovia as seen through his eyes, can be seen on Metro buses and trains from now through end of May. Here's more: https://is.gd/1vWHAI

- Brad Haugaard

Preview Rotary Club Items for Auction

You can now preview the items Rotary Club of Monrovia will have on auction.  See the items here: https://trellis.org/monrovia-rotary There are currently 60 items to bid on and more are expected, so check back for updates. The fundraiser for the club's service projects will be held from May 1-16. Bidding starts 9 a.m. on May 1 and closes at 6 p.m. on May 16. You can also follow Rotary on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/MonroviaRotary or Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/monroviarotaryclub.

- Brad Haugaard

Shabba Is Camera Ready, Smart, and Even Housebroken

They say smiles are contagious and Shabba couldn’t agree more. This five-year-old pup is full of big grins, bringing joy and laughter to those closest to him. Shabba is not only camera-ready, he’s super smart. He’ll happily show off his “sit” or “down” commands and his loose-leash walking skills. He’s even housebroken! Shabba is looking for a new home with an experienced owner and no small children. If you’re ready to bring some smiles to your life, adopt Shabba!

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines.

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet.

View photos of adoptable pets and schedule a virtual adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available every day at 5:00 p.m. for the following day.

Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email.

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Mimi’s

Lunch today at Mimi’s, at Huntington and Mayflower. Got the Quiche Lorraine for $13.99 and a cup of coffee for $2.99. It was delicious and filling - took some home for dinner. 

- Brad Haugaard 

A Moment in Monrovia History: Myrtle Avenue in the 1920s

Myrtle Avenue in the 1920s looking north at Lemon. The Candy Shop at left. Baxter Building at right. Photo by William Ward.. See full details here. From the William Ward collection. Identifying information from Kim Ward Anderson.

For more historic photos and papers, see the Monrovia Historical Society’s complete Legacy Project collection here. Learn more about the Monrovia Historical Society here.

- Brad Haugaard

School Board to Honor People, Declare Days, Weeks and Month, and Condemn Violence

At its next meeting (agenda: https://is.gd/9MfEFe) the Monrovia Board of Education will ...

~ Consider adopting a board policy regarding English language learners, as recommended by the California School Boards Association.

~ Congratulate:

• MHS Teacher Nate Overby & MHS students Sara Avalos, Ethan Clark, Jor'Denay Collier, Joey Hansen, and Nathan Lujan on winning at theVirtual Fullerton College High School Theatre Festival.
• Director of Special Education, Jennifer Johnson, on being named the Association of California School Administrators "Special Education Administrator of the Year", for Region 15.
• MHS Assistant Principal, Felicia Limbrick, on being named the Association of California School Administrators, State and Region 15 "Co-Administrator of the Year."

~ Declare: 

• May 4, as National Day of the Teacher, and May 3-7, as National Teacher Appreciation Week.
• May 16 through May 22 as Classified School Employee Week.
• May 10-14 as School Health Services Appreciation Week and May 12, as National School Nurse Day to honor school nurses and health clerks.
• The month of May 2021, as Mental Health Awareness Month.

~ Condemn:

"The Armenian Genocide, the Rohingya in Myanmar, Darfuris in Sudan, the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide, and the atrocities perpetrated by ISIL against religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria are part of a growing list in recent history that depict the atrocities committed by man."

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Planning to Withdraw From Local Board - Cites Bad Service

The decline of funds going to serve Monrovia residents.

Monrovia is hoping to withdraw from something called the Foothill Workforce Development Board (FWDB), which distributes federal money "for job skills assessment, basic education, job training, job placement, and community workforce development."

Except the Monrovia City Council says it has been doing very little of that for Monrovia, and has actually been doing less and less of it over the past four years. So now the council wants the city to join a similar program administered by LA County, where it believes it will get a better deal.

"The City of Monrovia believes our community, as well as those of Duarte and Arcadia, have been underserved by FWDB administration and operations, particularly in terms of job training for MAD residents and the equitable sharing of WIOA [federal] funds."

Arcadia and Duarte, by the way, are also thinking of pulling out of the Joint Powers Agreement, which is made up of Arcadia, Duarte, Monrovia, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and South Pasadena.

The city says that Monrovia, Arcadia, and Duarte (MAD) make up 39.2 percent of the population of the FWDB, but are only getting 26.5 percent of the money, while Pasadena, with 48.3 percent of the population, gets 66.3 percent of the money. Also, it says FWDB uses nearly 60% of its total budget for administrative expenditures and only 40% for its services. [Comment: 60% admin costs seems extremely high.]

For the city to withdraw and join the county's program involves a public comment period, which ends May 9. You may comment by email to PIO@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

If the county is cool with Monrovia joining, the switch will also need to be approved by Sacramento.

This motion to withdraw was approved by the City Council: https://is.gd/1vYlJK

This is the application to join LA County's program: https://is.gd/Q3vlEr

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Days Activities: Picnic in Library Park; Donate a Rock; Adventure at Home

Monrovia Days will be semi-in-person this year. There will be no annual parade or carnival, but here's what will happen:

~ On May 14 through May 16, people can grab a meal from a restaurant in Old Town and join the Picnic Pavilion Celebration at Library Park. Throughout the day, Monrovia students and Centre Stage will provide entertainment. Participants must sit at a table or in a designated park pod, and are encouraged to bring their own seating. There will also be free horse drawn carriage rides through Old Town and a free photo booth.

~ To celebrate Monrovia's 135th birthday residents can paint a rock and donate it as part of a permanent installation at Library Park. Paint a rock that is no more than 3 inches long. When dry, drop it off at the Monrovia Community Center (119 W. Palm Ave.). Rocks must be received no later than 4 p.m. on May 7. Before the Monrovia Days weekend they will be installed in the north-east portion of the park. 

~  Monrovia Days Family Adventure at Home, a three-day challenge. Registered participants will receive special activity kits that includes arts and crafts, special games, challenges and activities. Upon completion of each challenge, participants will earn limited edition birthday badges. Registration is required and limited and is now open here: https://is.gd/lmCKbT (click on Special Event > Monrovia Days Family Adventure at Home)

- Brad Haugaard