Monrovia Beats La Canada in Football

Monrovia over La Canada, 24 to 7. Wins Rio Hondo League title. http://goo.gl/cYM0yH

- Brad Haugaard

100% Chance of Rain for Monrovia: Tonight After Trick-or-Treating

Chance of rain tonight starting at 40 percent at 9 p.m., rising to 100 percent by 2 a.m. Sounds like most of the trick-or-treating should be done by then. http://goo.gl/6b2wQh

- Brad Haugaard

Halloween at Monrovia's Library Park



Doggy dress-up for Halloween at Library Park. Lots of fun for kids, too. 

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Bull Taco

Lunch at The new Bull Taco, on the north side of Lemon near Myrtle. Minimalist  decor. Got a California Burrito ($8) and a Diet Coke (1.50). The burrito (I took a couple bites before snapping this picture) has carne asada, tater tots and avocado in it. Came with chips and quite spicy salsa. Satisfying burrito. 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Construction Will Affect Traffic at Myrtle and California

- From Nov. 3 to May 2015 traffic lanes at California and Myrtle will be affected. Expect delays and use alternate routes when possible. The streets will remain open to through traffic but street parking will not be available. They will be down to one lane each way for a limited time during construction.

- The Monrovia Park & Ride Lot at the southwest corner of Myrtle and Pomona Ave will be for the most part closed starting Nov. 10 to May 2015. The contractor will be building the Monrovia Transit Plaza and Park.

Source: City of Monrovia press release

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council: Wildfire Protection Plan; Friday Family Festival

At its November 4 meeting (agenda: http://goo.gl/ZYcl6n ) the Monrovia City Council will ...

- consider adopting a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, to protect homes threatened by fires. "Monrovia has 1,450 homes in the very high fire zone and 3,500 homes in the ember zone, meaning there are 4,950 homes at some level of risk from wildfire." http://goo.gl/94itc4

- consider adopting an agreement to extend for 6-months Family Festival Productions' contract to produce the Friday Night Family Festival in Old Town, while at the same time asking other companies for proposals on how they would manage the festival. http://goo.gl/9BMEuk

- Brad Haugaard

Naked Woman Running on Foothill | Another Monrovia Football Title? | STAAR Q3 Report

~ Naked woman running on Foothill Boulevard this morning. http://goo.gl/19p8XM

~ Monrovia about to wrap up another league title? http://goo.gl/5fqvMy

~ Monrovia's STAAR Surgical, which makes implantable eye lenses, today reported third quarter revenue of $18.2 million, a 6.3% increase over $17.1 million reported for the third quarter of 2013. http://goo.gl/sZBeXk

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Teen Driver vs. Pedestrian; Bear on Roof; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for October 27-29 2014 . - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 387 service events, resulting in 61 investigations.

Traffic Collision – Vehicle vs. Pedestrian 
On October 28 at 7:29 a.m., a traffic collision was reported in the area of Myrtle and Foothill. A teenage driver hit a pedestrian. The pedestrian was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Suspicious Noises / Bear Incident 
On October 28 at 8:47 p.m., police received a call from a resident in the 400 block of North Primrose reporting suspicious noises on their roof. An officer responded, along with the Foothill Air Support Team helicopter, and they discovered a bear on the roof of the residence. The bear was left alone and eventually left the area.

Warrant – Suspect Arrested 
On October 28 at 10:38 p.m., officers responded to a 9-1-1 hangup call involving a family disturbance in the 900 block of West Olive. An officer arrived and spoke to a male adult, who stated his 17-year-old stepson was arguing with him and took off, jumping over walls to get away from him. A computer check of the juvenile revealed he had a no-bail juvenile warrant for his arrest. Officers eventually located the subject hiding in the bed of a pickup truck in a hotel parking lot. The juvenile was arrested and taken into custody. He was taken to Eastlake Juvenile Hall.

Under the Influence of a Contolled Substance / Possession of a Controlled Substance / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Suspects Arrested 
On October 29 at 11:40 a.m., acting on evidence gathered from a grand theft auto incident earlier in the week, officers went to a location in the 600 block of West Palm to further the investigation. At the location, officers discovered drugs, drug paraphernalia, and a suspect under the influence of a controlled substance. Three suspects were arrested.

Mental Evaluation 
On October 29 at 11:01 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of North Grand Avenue to keep the peace. An 18-year-old, male subject was out of control in the residence. The subject was distraught over a breakup with his girlfriend. He was taken to a hospital, where he was held for mental evaluation.

Sunrise over Monrovia

Sunrise over Monrovia. Looks like a beautiful day. 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia California Prepares for Ebola | Rain?

~ While downplaying the possibility of Ebola hitting the Monrovia area, Fire Chief Christopher Donovan says the city is getting ready anyway. Special protective gear, ambulance and hospital procedures. Comment: Good! Better safe than sorry. Details: http://goo.gl/EfGXYl

~ National Weather Service predicting rain for California this Friday and Saturday, though not much for the Monrovia area. http://goo.gl/ntCfZ5

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Chamber of Commerce Annual Award Winners

The recipients of the Monrovia Chamber of Commerce is annual awards for 2014 are:

- Iris Award, Citizen of the Year, Pam Fitzpatrick.

- Monroe Award, Business Person of the Year, Ron Ross of Wendy's Monrovia.

- Dick Lord Award for outstanding contributions to the Chamber, Jason Landes.

- Military Service and Stewardship Award, Rob Hammond.

- Brad Haugaard

Sign Being Removed | Monrovia City Hall Closed for Vets Day

~ I saw this sign at the entrance to the Monrovia Hillside Preserve just off of Ridgecrest. Since this isn't Forest Service land I asked Director of Community Services Tina Cherry why it was there. She said the Forest Service "has used this access point in the past" but is no longer using it, "so the sign will be removed."

~ Monrovia City Hall will be closed for Veterans Day, Nov. 11. http://goo.gl/iLJKyE

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia World War II Vet Celebrates 90th Birthday



Antonio Sanchez Jr., a long-time Monrovian (having lived in the same house since the 1950s) and a World War II veteran, is celebrating his 90th birthday here in Monrovia on Nov. 8. His son Richard says his dad was attached to the 390th AAA [Anti Aircraft Artillery] as part of General George Patton's Third Army. Happy birthday, Antonio! And many more.


- Brad Haugaard

Statements by Candidates For 41st Assembly District

I was approached in early September by Nathaniel Tsai, who is the Republican candidate for the 41st Assembly District, of which Monrovia is a part. He asked if I would do a story about his candidacy. Instead, I offered to publish a campaign statement, with the understanding that I would make the same offer to incumbent Chris Holden. Both responded favorably, and have submitted statements. Here they are, unedited, in the order I received them. - Brad Haugaard

From Assemblyman Chris Holden's Campaign

Dear readers,

When I was elected to the Assembly in November 2012, the future of our great state was an unsteady one. Facing lagging job growth, record budget deficits and rising costs for college and post-secondary education, I joined my fellow members in the Legislature in working to make California a better place to live for millions of middle-class families.

But this work is hardly reserved for those in Sacramento. In my two years serving Assembly District 41, it has been my privilege to work with business owners and community leaders alike to create common-sense solutions and boost job growth for the Foothill communities. We have worked to expand usage of small business loans, boosted the development of 'start-up' companies and helped reduce fees for California students attending our public universities through the Middle Class Scholarship program.

In addition, I have continued to advocate for expansions of the Gold Line, a project that I first got involved with as Mayor of Pasadena, my city of lifelong residence. Connecting Pasadena to the Gold Line, coupled with the construction of the Paseo Colorado and the new convention center, helped revitalize the downtown area for both residents and business owners.

Expansion of the light rail in the San Gabriel Valley would connect the existing line from Pasadena and progressing expansion projects to Azusa with communities extending out through to La Verne, Claremont and even to Ontario Airport. This would not only provide a clean and cheap transportation alternative for commuters in our district, but it would also continue to boost local business activity.

Today in California, we've turned record deficit into budget surpluses, a first in many years for our state, which has allowed us to make investments to safeguard our state's future. Expanding our public transportation options is an investment in our businesses, communities and our environment.

It has been my honor to serve the foothill communities in the Assembly these past two years, but I chose to run again because I know there is more work to be done. I hope that you'll join me this November in working to continue to support small business growth, provide aid for job seekers and ensure the success of future Californians by improving our public schools and universities as well as preserving our precious natural resources. I have always relied on the advice of people like yourself, so I look forward to working with you to find the commonplace solutions that will keep making this state better.

Sincerely,

Chris Holden


From  Nathaniel Tsai's Campaign

"Welcome to Our Future":  Nathaniel Tsai for California State Assembly
by Zachary Grau

As of April 9th, Nathan became an official write-in candidate for California's State Assembly in the 41st District. On June 3 Nathan marked a chapter in this journey, as he became California's youngest state nominee for State Assembly! Now Nathan has a chance to become the youngest candidate to win a state election in the entire nation later this November.

Nathan was born in Glendale, CA, and was raised in Alhambra before moving to San Marino, where he graduated from San Marino High School. Nathan is currently a freshman at CMC, where he is majoring in Government. He is a swimmer for the CMS Swim and Dive team, an active member of the Claremont College Republicans, and a cadet in CMC's ROTC program.

During our interview, it became apparent how much Nathan valued the importance of representation. As he puts it, "I'm not attracted to politics, but rather I'm attracted to serving the interests of my constituents." Following this ideal, Nathan wanted me to know how this whole campaign did not start because of his love of politics, but rather "the opportunity to serve the true interests of his constituents". He spoke about how "service above self" is an important principle he lives by, and that political office is an outlet where he could personify this principle on a grand scale.

Toward the end of our interview, one question still remained: Why start this campaign now? Nathan gave me two reasons. First, his involvement in ROTC would make it impossible for him to wait until after graduation to run because he would have at least another 4 years of service ahead of him. For his second reason, Nathan explained how he "wanted to make an impact on our generation now". Nathan plans on having a significant role in today's politics, while establishing a new mentality for other ambitious minds to adopt.

Nathan provided me with some key issues that he believes need attention. "Education" is an issue he believes needs immediate revision, "especially when taking into account the downward path of California's public education system the past decade". Having attended public institutions himself, Nathan was able to witness first-hand the many problems with our schools, including overcrowded classrooms, lack of funds, etc. Another topic Nathan wants to focus on is transportation, "specifically in the public sector". Nathan realizes that future transportation projects could lead to more job opportunities for people. At the same time, he also wants to put an end to the rising concern of over-crowded freeways that everyone can attest to. Lastly, Nathan wants to tackle the apparent drought/power crisis in California, with water consumption on an exponential rise and the controversial shut down of the Santa Onofre power plant.

To get more information on Nathaniel Tsai and his campaign, you can visit his website at http://www.tsai4assembly.com or email him at tsai4assembly@gmail.com.

Monrovia's Everlert to Issue Its First Dividend

Monrovia's Everlert, Inc. will issue its first ever dividend, according to Darin Shaw, President and CEO. He said this "is certainly a healthy sign." The company makes ink cartridges in the U.S. postage meter industry. http://goo.gl/HdyifY

- Brad Haugaard
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