Weekend reservations will be required when Monrovia Canyon Park reopens

Weekend reservations will be required to access Monrovia Canyon Park when it reopens June 27, according to City Manager Dylan Feik. No reservations required for weekdays. The reservation system, here, will be active starting June 23. Each group or family may reserve one of 150 available slots per time period: 6 to 10 a.m., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or 2 to 6 p.m.  Parking will be free for a few weeks, then $5 weekdays and $6 weekends. All current annual pass holders will start a 12-month cycle on opening day, regardless of when the pass was set to expire. For more information, contact the Community Center at 256-8246. Everyone is invited to the grand opening June 17 at 8 a.m.

- Brad Haugaard

San Fernando Coffee Company grand opening June 27

The new San Fernando Coffee Company, in the southeast section of the Vons shopping center at Foothill and Myrtle, will hold its grand opening June 27, from noon to 5 p.m. The store is open now. The company started by serving drinks from a trolley car in downtown San Fernando. Monrovia will be its eighth Southern California store.

- Brad Haugaard

Dinner at Taqueria El Diablo

Had a light dinner at Taqueria El Diablo at the northeast corner of Myrtle and Olive. Got two Tacos Premium for $8 and a watermelon drink for $6. Nice. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Police: Rash of tailgate thefts; Vehicle rams storefront; One night, multiple DUI collisions; Arrests for starting brush fire; Five mental health interventions; etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for June 5 – 11. - Brad Haugaard]

During this period the Police Department handled 407 service events, resulting in 71 investigations.  

Mental Evaluation
June 5 at 12:54 p.m., a family disturbance was reported in the 500 block of W. Walnut. Officers arrived and discovered a male subject was experiencing hallucinations. It was determined he was in need of a mental health evaluation. 

Public Intoxication – Suspect Arrested
June 5 at 8:05 p.m., while patrolling the 400 block of W. Foothill, officers saw a subject wandering in the street. Officers made contact with the subject and determined he was too intoxicated to care for his own safety. He was arrested and transported to the MPD jail to be held for a sobering period. 

Driving Under the Influence / Traffic Collision
June 5 at 8:44 p.m., a traffic collision was reported in the 600 block of W. Foothill. Officers arrived and made contact with the driver who displayed signs of intoxication. The driver was transported to a local hospital for treatment. This investigation is continuing. 

Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
June 5 at 10:37 p.m., officers responded to the area of Myrtle and Central regarding a vehicle stopped in the middle of the roadway. A second caller stated the driver appeared unresponsive. Officers arrived and made contact with the driver, who displayed signs of intoxication. A DUI investigation determined the driver was under the influence. The driver was arrested and transported to the MPD jail to be held for a sobering period. 

Driving Under the Influence / Traffic Collision – Suspect Arrested
June 5 at 11:57 p.m., while patrolling the area of Primrose and Huntington officers saw a vehicle with traffic collision damage. Officers made contact with the driver and learned that the driver had struck a curb multiple times. The driver displayed symptoms of intoxication. A DUI investigation revealed the driver was under the influence. The driver was arrested and transported to the MPD jail to be held for a sobering period. 

Mental Evaluation
June 6 at 10:53 a.m., an employee from a business in the 500 block of W. Huntington reported a suspicious subject in the parking lot. Officers arrived and made contact with the subject. It was determined he was a danger to others. He was transported to a medical facility for a mental evaluation. 

Fire – Suspects Arrested
June 6 at 7:50 p.m., a brush fire was reported in the 100 block of W. Lime. Officers and MFD responded and extinguished the flames. An investigation revealed two subjects were seen fleeing the location. The suspect vehicle was located several hours later and three suspects were occupying the vehicle. They were arrested and taken into custody. This investigation is continuing. 

Battery
June 6 at 9:07 p.m., a battery was reported in the 600 block of S. Shamrock. Officers arrived and made contact with the victim, who reported the suspect approached, grabbed her neck, pushed her against a wall, and fled. This investigation is continuing. 

Public Intoxication – Suspect Arrested
June 7 at 4:50 a.m., a resident in the 700 block of S. Mayflower reported an unknown male subject was sleeping on his front porch. Officers arrived and made contact with the subject who was determined to be too intoxicated to care for himself. He was arrested and transported to the MPD jail to be held for a sobering period. 

Grand Theft
June 7 at 6:48 a.m., a victim in the 1500 block of S. Fifth reported that the tailgate of his vehicle was stolen. This investigation is continuing. 

Grand Theft
June 7 at 8:26 a.m., a resident in the 800 block of S. Mayflower reported the tailgate from his vehicle was stolen. This investigation is continuing. 

Grand Theft
June 7 at 8:28 a.m., a caller in the 100 block of S. Shamrock reported the tailgate from his vehicle was stolen. This investigation is continuing. 

Mental Evaluation
June 7 at 10:43 a.m., callers in the 500 block of S. Myrtle reported a male subject in the area causing a disturbance. Officers arrived and made contact with the subject who was determined to be a danger to himself. He was transported to a medical facility for a mental evaluation. 

Grand Theft
June 7 at 10:57 a.m., a victim in the 200 block of E Olive reported the tailgate from his vehicle had been stolen. This investigation is continuing. 

Residential Burglary
June 7 at 3:04 p.m., a resident in the 400 block of Genoa reported her home was burglarized. This investigation is continuing. 

Warrant – Suspect Arrested
June 8 at 12:36 a.m., officers patrolling the 1600 block of S. Myrtle saw a male subject in a park after hours and made contact. A computer search revealed the subject had a warrant for his arrest. He was arrested and taken into custody. 

Vandalism
June 8 at 1:49 a.m., a resident in the 100 block of May reported two of his vehicle tires were slashed. This investigation is continuing. 

Warrant Arrest – Suspects Arrested
June 8 at 9:31 a.m., a caller in the 700 block of S. Primrose reported multiple subjects on private property. Officers arrived and made contact with the subjects. A computer search revealed two of the subjects had warrants for their arrest. They were arrested and taken into custody. 

Drug Arrest – Suspect Arrested
June 8 at 10:01 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1600 block of S. Myrtle regarding a suspicious person. Officers arrived and made contact with the subject. An investigation revealed the subject was in possession of a controlled substance. He was arrested and taken into custody. 

Non-Injury Traffic Collision
June 9 at 6:28 a.m., a traffic collision was reported in the area of Duarte and Myrtle. Officers arrived and made contact with the parties involved. No injuries were reported. 

Commercial Burglary
June 9 at 9:21 a.m., employees from a business in the 1800 block of S. Shamrock reported finding a broke door that was likely pried open. This investigation is continuing. 

Vehicle Burglary
June 9 at 5:40 p.m., a resident walked into the MPD lobby to report his vehicle was broken into on June 4. The suspect stole property. This investigation is continuing. 

Vehicle Burglary
June 9 at 5:48 p.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in a parking lot in the 1600 block of S. Mountain. This investigation is continuing. 

Hit and Run Traffic Collision
June 10 at 7:45 p.m., a female subject in the 300 block of W. Huntington reported her parked vehicle was hit by another vehicle that left the scene. This investigation is continuing. 

Commercial Burglary
June 11 at 4:42 a.m., an alarm company for a business in the 400 block of E. Duarte reported multiple alarm activations. Officers responded and discovered damage to the building. An investigation revealed a vehicle rammed the front of the location to gain entry. This investigation is continuing. 

Shoplifting
June 11 at 12:21 p.m., a loss prevention officer for a business in the 500 block of W. Huntington reported a shoplifting incident that occurred on June 7. This investigation is continuing. 

Fraud
June 11 at 5:28 p.m., a resident walked into the MPD lobby to report fraudulent activity on his checking account. This investigation is continuing. 

Mental Evaluation
June 11 at 5:55 p.m., officers were dispatched to a hotel in the 700 block of W. Huntington regarding a female subject saying she wanted to hurt herself. Officers and the SGV Cares team responded and made contact with the female subject. It was determined she was a danger to herself. She was transported to a hospital for mental evaluation. 

Vehicle Burglary
June 11 at 8:39 p.m., a caller in the 900 block of W. Duarte reported her vehicle was broken into while parked in a parking lot and property was taken. This investigation is continuing. 

Vehicle Burglary
June 11 at 8:55 p.m., a victim parked his vehicle in a parking lot in the 900 block of W. Duarte and went into a store. When he returned he discovered a vehicle window was smashed and property had been taken. This investigation is continuing. 

Hit and Run Traffic Collision
June 11 at 9:15 p.m., a caller in the 500 block of W. Huntington reported her parked vehicle was sideswiped and no information was left behind by the suspect. This investigation is continuing. 

Mental Evaluation
June 11 at 10:39 p.m., a resident in the 200 block of E. Evergreen reported her daughter was trying to hurt herself. Officers arrived and located the daughter a short distance away. It was determined she was a danger to herself. She was transported to a medical facility for mental evaluation. 

Historical Museum suffers water damage, closed through June

The Monrovia Historical Museum in Recreation Park (not to be confused with the Monrovia Historical Society) has experienced water damage to its lobby area and will be closed throughout June, and possibly longer.

- Brad Haugaard

Matt Rainwater New Monrovia High principal

This information was posted on May 27.I don’t know how I missed this before.

Dr. Matt Rainwater has been appointed the new principal of Monrovia High School following a selection process involving students, staff, and community members. He holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Cal State Fullerton, has taught social studies, and has served as an assistant principal since 2020. Also an experienced coach, his boys Cross-Country teams have won multiple CIF and State Championships.

- Brad Haugaard 

Lies, Lies, Lies - Monrovia Police post humorous video of arrest of tagger

The Monrovia Police have taken to making humorous videos - this one of arresting a tagger.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Canyon Park To reopen June 27

Monrovia Canyon Park will reopen to the public on Friday, June 27, at 8 a.m., according to an announcement from the Monrovia city government. There will be an invitation-only (to avoid overloading the park) ribbon cutting ceremony on June 26.

- Brad Haugaard 

A Moment in Monrovia History: Peggy Farmer Selling War Bond Stamps

In this 1942 photo, Peggy Farmer, who worked behind the jewelry and cosmetics counter at Woolworths in Monrovia's downtown, gained local notoriety during World War II selling War Bond stamps to her customers by signing them up for weekly purchases and delivering the stamps to them on her lunch hour. She said a local merchant bought $2 a day in stamps under her plan and a youngster working in a local vegetable market bought $1 in stamps every week. She signed up $100 worth of regular purchases in just three weeks. Mrs. Farmer's husband was in the army. "The more we do at home, the sooner our men can come back to us," she said. "So I'm doing all I can."

From the Dick Singer collection. See full details here.

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 district responds to ICE activity

In response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the Los Angeles area, Monrovia School District Superintendent Paula Hart Rodas sent an email stating that the district does not collect or share immigration status information and will not release student data without a subpoena or court order. All visitors, including law enforcement, she wrote, must check in through the main office. She added that the district will uphold student privacy and safety while monitoring developments and following legal guidance.

- Brad Haugaard 

City Manager: Monrovia PD not involved in immigration actions; Heavy phone calls have caused phone interruptions

City Manager Dylan Feik reports that Monrovia Police Department is not involved in recent ICE immigration actions and remains committed to serving all residents regardless of immigration status. He said Monrovia Police do not participate in immigration enforcement and are prohibited from doing so by state law. He asked residents not to contact the "incredibly busy" Police Department for immigration updates due to high call volumes which have led to phone service interruptions. 

- Brad Haugaard

Un-Maker Lab lets kids disassemble electronics, June 18

The Un-Maker Lab invites children 6 to 11 to take apart and explore electronic devices on Wednesday, June 18 from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Library Story Room. All materials provided. Registration and a library card are required. Adult participation mandatory; no drop-offs. Details. 

- Brad Haugaard

Wildfire protection seminar for seniors June 12

A free workshop for seniors 50+ on wildfire-resilient home design on June 12 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Community Center. This session will cover fire-resistant building strategies, defensible space, and energy-efficient upgrades. Lunch provided. Call 256-8246 for reservations. Details.

- Brad Haugaard

STEAM activities for children at Library June 11

Hands-on STEAM activity for children ages 6–11 in the Library Story Room. Innovation Lab's next session is June 11 from 3 to 4 p.m. No registration required. Adult participation required; no drop-offs. Details.

- Brad Haugaard

Dungeons and Dragons Games at Library June 10

Dungeons and Dragons for ages 16+ in the Library Community Room, June 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Learn to play the classic tabletop fantasy game with the Library’s Dungeon Master. Five players per game; waitlisted attendees may observe. Register here. 

- Brad Haugaard