- Brad Haugaard
The Bear That Made Monrovia Famous
More on Monrovia' Fiberglas bears - based on Samson the Hot Tub Bear - which will soon be decorating the downtown: http://goo.gl/kL7ML
School Board Agenda / St. Patrick's Dinner
~ If the stuff below isn't enough, here is the full agenda of the next school board meeting, Wednesday, March 9, 7:30 p.m. at the district offices at 325 E. Huntington. http://goo.gl/GcsSH
~ Monrovia VFW is sponsoring a St. Patrick's Day Dinner on March 17. Details: http://goo.gl/i5ytU
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Schools Could Lose Up to $5.5 Million
Monrovia Schools Superintendent Linda Wagner reports that even if Governor Jerry Brown's proposed tax extension passes, the district will be out around $230,000. If it does not pass, she writes, the district will be out $5.5 million in the next three years.
It is all phrased very politely, but the Board of Education is going to vote at its next meeting (March 9, 7:30 p.m.) on an "advocacy" statement (here: http://goo.gl/1teu8) that basically tells the state to keep its paws off education.
Also, the board will vote on whether to adopt a resolution favoring the tax extension (http://goo.gl/QI2aA). And because the district gets money from the Monrovia Redevelopment Agency, it will consider a resolution opposing the state's plan to abolish redevelopment agencies: http://goo.gl/s0yOK
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia School Attendance Rate Slipped, But is Recovering
Until last year, Monrovia schools were successful at increasing the percentage of students who show up for school - ever since that became a district priority in 2006-07. Since the district's income from the state is based on attendance, that translates directly into more money.
But in 2009-10 attendance slipped, perhaps because of a flu outbreak. Fortunately, as you can see from the chart, it appears 2010-11 attendance will be up again. This report (http://goo.gl/rBlXz) will be presented at the next school board meeting, Wednesday, March 9, 7:30 p.m. at the district offices.
- Brad Haugaard
Lunch at Pho Lemon
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia City Council Candidate Forum
On Tuesday, April 12, Monrovians will go to the polls to select two City Council members from a slate of five candidates, including the two incumbents and three challengers.
The incumbents are Tom Adams and Becky Shevlin. The challengers are Chris Ziegler, Joe Espinosa, and Jason Cosylion.
All the candidates except Cosylion - who was ill - were at the forum Thursday night.
Incumbents Adams and Shevlin are both involved in real estate in Monrovia. Ziegler served in the U.S. Navy, is also in real estate and has a strong interest in health issues. Espinosa, who graduated from Monrovia High in 1997 and served in the US Marine Corps, is now working for the Department of Corrections.
Some thoughts from the candidates (reverse alphabetical for a change):
Chris Ziegler
- There needs to be better communication between the city council and community through community discussions and maybe community barbeques; the city needs to "broker a truce" with the state regarding redevelopment and needs to take full advantage of the coming Gold Line.
- If the state ends redevelopment, perhaps private investment could to some extent compensate for the loss.
- There is too much infighting and litigation in town, particularly regarding the wilderness areas.
- The schools need to open their campuses after hours so children have places to play.
- Regarding bicyclists not stopping at stop signs (an audience question), he said cities are not following state guidelines on stop signs and said this is a very complex problem and using law enforcement to stop it may be a "bad use" of police.
- Would he approve of a law that forbids smoking in outdoor seating at restaurants? "Absolutely!" he said, unless his constituents think otherwise.
- He is not in favor of term limits. "You vote them out; that's term limits."
- In responding to a question about affordable housing, he said that some cities provide affordable housing by allowing very high density housing in limited areas.
- He was disappointed that a proposal to keep parks open later was "shot down" by the city.
Becky Shevlin
- Monrovia faces "horrific" financial challenges, including employee pension benefits, which the city has begun working on, but which need to be further addressed as contracts come up for renewal.
- On smoking at outside restaurant seating, she said she would rather approach it by education rather than having the city pass a law. A declining number of smokers shows education works, she said. She added that signs, such as "Thank you for not smoking" might help.
- Shevlin said cyclists should stop at stop signs but wondered how expensive it would be to have a police office hanging around to issue tickets.
- Although she was not in favor of term limits for local elected offices, she said it is something to consider for people appointed to boards and commissions.
- She is not in favor of a rotating mayor. She said the job of mayor is far more time-intensive than that of a city council member, so people should specifically choose to run for the office.
- She is most proud of after-school youth programs, library cultural events, and the Fourth of July fireworks show, which, she said, is a "stunning" event.
- Shevlin said she wants a south-side park, but it'll cost. A two-acre park, she said, could cost $6-8 million.
Joe Espinosa
- Would like to "put Monrovia on the map" with something big, not just bears.
- If the state takes away redevelopment, Monrovians should "put our heads together" - along with the school district - to figure out what to do.
- Regarding bikes stopping at stop signs, he thinks that safety should come first, and perhaps volunteers could enforce the stopping rules.
- Would like to see a park on the south side of Monrovia.
- Likes the small-town feeling of Monrovia but the city needs big business as well.
- On term limits, he said you can always vote in new people.
- Regarding smoking at outdoor seating at restaurants, he said it is necessary to take smokers into consideration, perhaps designating special smoking areas.
Tom Adams
- The state will try to take money from Monrovia and will attempt to "drag Monrovia down." He said until redistricting is accomplished, extremists from both parties will continue to be elected to the legislature and the state will "continue to sink into a quagmire."
- The city needs to work on pension reform. He said Monrovia has some great employee groups, but pensions "definitely need to be changed."
- Monrovia needs a park for the kids south of Huntington Drive.
- Monrovia Schools have begun opening their grounds after school hours so kids have a place to play. He'd like the city to work with the schools on that.
- Rather than make a law against outdoor smoking at restaurants, he suggested people talk to the restaurant management and ask for a smoke-free outdoor area.
- He said bicyclists are not above the law and should obey stop signs.
- He is most proud of reopening City Hall on Fridays. He said it is "the most service-friendly government building in the state of California."
- He is not in favor of a rotating mayor. He said Monrovia's elected-mayor system works, so there is no reason to change.
- Brad Haugaard
Worldwide Hummingbird / Five Bucks Off / Support Library
~ The story about the robot hummingbird created by Monrovia-based AeroVironment has made quite a splash around the world, with stories appearing in the New York Daily News (http://goo.gl/0jhxf), Great Britain's Guardian newspaper (http://goo.gl/fg6lK), Indonesia's Kompas (http://goo.gl/DDCL3) and Germany's Der Spiegel magazine (http://goo.gl/VhM3C), and many others.
~ Stop by the Monrovia Chamber of Commerce for a $5-off coupon to the Monrovia Black Angus Steakhouse. The restaurant has remodeled its bar (it is now the BullsEye Bar, with 12 hi-def TVs to watch sports). The Grand Opening is from March 10th to the 14th. http://www.facebook.com/SHOPinMonrovia?ref=ts
~ If you buy books from Amazon, you can benefit the Monrovia Library by buying at the Monrovia Public Library Friends Amazon shop. http://www.amazon.com/shops/monroviafriends
- Brad Haugaard
Police Report: Drunkenness, Theft, Assault on Husband & Vice Versa
[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Feb. 16-23. - Brad Haugaard]
During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 413 service events, resulting in 64 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
Domestic Violence - Suspect Arrested
February 25 at 12:40 a.m., officers responded to a family dispute in the 100 block of West Cherry between a husband and wife. The wife was reportedly out of control and yelling, and she had been drinking. When officers arrived, they witnessed the wife slap the husband in the face as she yelled at the officers to take her to jail. The female was arrested, and later in jail, she began to repeat that she was going to kill herself. She was taken to a hospital and held for a 72-hour mental evaluation.
Grand Theft Auto
February 25 at 2:45 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain regarding a stolen vehicle. The victim parked, secured his vehicle and entered the store. He returned a short time later and found his vehicle was missing. The vehicle is a red, 1998 Nissan. All keys are accounted for and there were no signs of forced entry, investigation continuing.
Fight / Drunk in Public - Suspects Arrested
February 26 at 1:49 a.m., a business in the 300 block of South Myrtle called reporting an intoxicated female hitting another female inside the location. She then fled on foot in the rain to the back parking lot, where she drove off in a vehicle. Officers searched the area for the suspect, but were unable to locate her; however, in the back parking lot, they located two gang members who were drunk in public, along with a female gang associate who was also drunk in public. All three subjects were arrested without incident.
Hit & Run Collision / Grand Theft - Suspects Arrested
February 26 at 3:21 a.m., an intoxicated 21 year old male victim met a female at a bar in the 300 block of South Myrtle and allowed her to drive him home to Azusa. Her male friend drove the victim's car, following them. The female began to drive west on Huntington, but the victim told her to pull over and stop because he did not see the friend following them. The female called her male friend and he eventually drove to their location. The victim saw that his vehicle now had major collision damage and his stereo equipment and some property was missing from inside the vehicle. The victim called police. Officers located the missing property, which the male suspect had hidden nearby, and determined the collision occurred at Ivy and Huntington. The suspects were arrested and the victim had his father drive him home.
Domestic Violence - Suspect Arrested
February 26 at 11:28 a.m., an officer responded to a residence in the 400 block of West Palm regarding a domestic violence call. The male suspect had left the location prior to the officer's arrival. The male suspect and female victim are husband and wife, but are separated. The female was at her current boyfriend's house, when the husband entered the residence and assaulted her and broke up the furniture. The suspect had fled the scene, but later turned himself in at the police station.
LeRoy's for Breakfast
LeRoy's on Huntington in Monrovia. Great traditional American breakfasts and lunches. They don't skimp on bacon! I had to take some home.
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Baseball / Rich Fox
~ Monrovia High baseball, looking good. http://goo.gl/YXlU5
~ Actor and former LA Laker Rick Fox is coming to the Monrovia Living Spaces. http://goo.gl/6OUlH
- Brad Haugaard
Candidate Forum / Be in Parade / New Restaurant / Monvovia vs. State
~ Don't forget tomorrow is the Monrovia City Council Candidate Forum sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. It is from 7-8:30 p.m in the City Council chambers in the City Hall. http://goo.gl/G8F0K ~ If you are interested in being part of the Monrovia Day Parade, here's an application form: http://goo.gl/WdHGq ~ Out with Pioneer Point, in with Zen Buffet. http://goo.gl/UQ0KA ~ Monrovia makes move to prevent state from snagging more local money. http://goo.gl/tRnog - Brad Haugaard
Monrovia's STAAR Surgical Does Better
STAAR Surgical of Monrovia reported today that 2010 was a better year than 2009. For 2010 the company reported a loss from continuing operations of $4.1 million ($0.12 per share), 40 percent better than the $6.9 million loss ($0.21 per share) from continuing operations in 2009. More here: http://goo.gl/a2R4t
- Brad Haugaard
School Board Member in Crash; Then Her Children in Triathlon
Monrovia School Board member Clare Chesley and her children, Emory and Fiona, were in an automobile accident last Saturday on the 605 Freeway. The accident totaled the car, belonging to a friend, but nobody was hurt.
Clare said they were on their way to a triathlon, "Race on the Base" in Los Alamitos (a 5k run, 12-mile bike ride and 200-meter swim) when the accident occurred, but with the help of another friend, who picked them up, they arrived 20 minutes before the race.
Clare said Fiona came in first in her category with a time of 1:32:00, five minutes ahead of the second-place girl, and Emory came in in the middle of a "very competitive pack" with a race time of 1:26:52. And, she said, they had to borrow bikes (theirs were destroyed on the freeway) and Emory had to borrow running shoes as his were lost in the crash.
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Roadwork Schedule
A big road-resurfacing project will begin along Huntington Drive and Duarte Road on Wednesday, March 16. After prep work, construction will start the week of March 21 and will last until the end of this June.
On West Huntington Drive, the project area will be from Fifth Avenue east to Magnolia Avenue. On East Huntington Drive, it will go from Shamrock Avenue east to the City limit. On Duarte Road, it will be from Encino Avenue east to Magnolia Avenue.
During construction periods, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction in work areas. Expect detours and delays.
For questions or concerns, write to this project email address (pwcomments@ci.monrovia.ca.us) or call the project hotline at 626 932-5574. Questions raised during normal business hours (Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) will be responded to on the same day. Issues/questions raised during non-work hours will be responded to on the next business day.
For more information and project updates, visit the City’s website at www.cityofmonrovia.org or the City’s Facebook page (search City of Monrovia).
- Brad Haugaard
Got a Monrovia Baby, Get a Book
If you are Monrovian with a new baby, you can get a bag with a free baby book and other baby stuff from the Monrovia Library. Details: http://goo.gl/TZuMs - Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Older American of the Year
If you know a great Monrovian who is at least 60 years old and is an active volunteer in the community, Monrovia's Department of Community Services is accepting nominations for the 2011 "Older American of the Year Award." Write to parroyo@ci.monrovia.ca.us for an application form. For more information, call Community Services at (626) 256-8246. More here (scroll down): http://goo.gl/Rqgkc
PetSmart for Monrovia / Clamshell / Redevelopment
~ In his weekly report (http://goo.gl/Rqgkc), Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa said PetSmart is planning to lease the former Circuit City site. "This 25,000-square-foot location will be a flagship store featuring pet training, kennel and boarding, and a wide array of pet food and supplies. PetSmart is expecting to be open by December 2011."
~ Also, he defended the city closing Lower Clamshell road (off of Ridgeside), saying that a) if the city clears the mudslides, then the state won't pay for it, and b) it's a bit dangerous for inexperienced hikers. He said the state has accepted the project application and the city will get quotes for the dirt removal and report back to the City Council within two weeks.
~ On the state budget, Ochoa thinks that instead of eliminating redevelopment agencies (as Governor Brown proposed), the state may be willing to have all the redevelopment agencies chip in to buy a $1.7 billion bond from the state, which, he said, enables "the State's current dysfunctionality" by allowing it to continue to borrow money. But he thinks that might be better than trying to eliminate redevelopment altogether.
- Brad Haugaard
Lunch at Jake's
Jake's Roadhouse on Myrtle. Great for ribs, but I had a burger - good. Also, I love the signs on the wall. See attached.
- Brad Haugaard
Old Town Bistro - Soon
- Brad Haugaard
Huff Proposes Allowing Layoffs Based on Performance
Monrovia's State Senator, Bob Huff, has introduced a bill that would allow California school districts to base layoffs on teacher performance rather than teacher seniority. Details: http://goo.gl/ll1bk - Brad Haugaard
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