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Coming Up: Concerts at Monrovia's Library Park

Reminder: Summer concerts begin this coming Sunday evening in Library Park. Here's the schedule: http://goo.gl/CCHwzD

- Brad Haugaard

Big Marble Dragons Stolen from Monrovia Home

On June 26, a theft was reported by the resident at 111 McKinley Place. Two very heavy white marble sculpture dragon pieces were stolen from the yard. The sculptures were situated near the mailbox in front of the property. They were extremely heavy and it would have taken more than one person to lift them. Most likely the suspects used a truck to haul them away. The theft occurred sometime between June 14 to 23, 2014. If anyone in the area saw or heard anything regarding this crime, please contact the Monrovia Police Department and reference case #14-009940.

Source: Monrovia Police notice

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Burglar Surprises Woman in Bed; No Bomb, Just a Typewriter; Walking in Middle of Street; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for July 3-6. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Structure Fire
July 4 at 6:58 p.m., an officer was on patrol in the 600 block of West Lime when he noticed smoke emitting from a residence. As he approached, he noticed a two story detached garage was on fire. The Monrovia Fire Department was notified and responded. Adjacent residents were evacuated while the fire was extinguished. The second story sustained severe damage.

Grand Theft Auto Recovery – Suspect Arrested
July 4 at 11:26 p.m., police received information and responded on the report of a possible stolen vehicle in the area of Monterey and Chestnut. The vehicle was reported as a white Ford Mustang with paper plates. Officers located a vehicle matching the description in a parking lot and observed the vehicle for a while. A female subject was seen getting into the vehicle and driving away. Officers observed a traffic violation and conducted a traffic stop. A computer check was run on the vehicle's identification number and it was confirmed that it was a reported stolen out of Ontario. The driver was arrested and taken into custody.

Suspicious Package
July 5 at 11:40 p.m., two residents called police to report a suspicious package that was left in the middle of the street in the 200 block of North Mayflower. Officers arrived and found a briefcase in the middle of the street. It appeared that someone may have deliberately left the case. As a precaution, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad was notified and responded. They X-rayed the briefcase and determined it contained an old typewriter.

Hot Prowl Burglary
July 6 at 1:13 a.m., a resident in the 200 block of North Ivy called police to report a burglar in her house. She was asleep when she heard a creeping sound on her wood floors and noticed a light in her room. She sat up in bed and noticed a dark round object on the floor next to her bed. Suddenly, a man wearing all black clothing stood up. She screamed and the suspect fled the room. The resident locked her bedroom door and yelled she was calling the police. Officers arrived and noticed the front door was wide open. An area search was conducted, but the suspect was not located. There was no loss. The investigation is continuing.

Domestic Violence – Suspect Arrested
July 6 at 1:26 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of West Cypress on the report of domestic violence. The call was transferred from the CHP. A female was heard crying and was in an altercation with her husband. The phone was disconnected by the victim. When Monrovia dispatch called the number back, a child answered the phone and said the mother and father were fighting. The child said the father hurt the mother and she was bleeding on one of her fingers. Further investigation revealed the mother and father were both threatening to leave the house and started to fight over the car keys. During the fight, the father bit the mother on the hand. The father was arrested for domestic violence and was served with an emergency protective order.

Residential Burglary
July 6 at 7:16 p.m., a resident in the 1000 block of Winding Oak called police to report a burglary at his home. He had locked his house and left for a weekend vacation. Upon his return home, he discovered the back bathroom door and a sliding glass door wide open. The house had been ransacked. Officers responded to investigate the burglary. The resident's flat screen television, laptop computer and Sony PlayStation were taken. The investigation is continuing.

Commercial Burglary
July 6 at 11:49 p.m., an alarm company called police to report that a burglary alarm at a business in the 100 block of West Duarte Road had been activated. Officers responded and discovered the front door to the business was open. They searched the building and determined the business had been burglarized. The owner of the business was notified. The cash registers had been forced open; however, the owner said no money was kept in the registers. An area search was conducted, but no suspects were located. The investigation is continuing.

Possession of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested
July 7 at 2:52 a.m., an officer on patrol was driving east on Huntington, passing Mountain, when he saw a female walking in the middle of the street. He told her to move out of the street and she responded and walked to the center raised median. The officer made a u-turn and was driving back west on Huntington. The same female stepped out in front of the patrol car, causing the officer to brake rapidly. He ordered the female to the sidewalk, where he was going to issue her a citation. A computer check revealed she was on active probation for assaulting a peace officer and she was subject to search. The female consented to having her purse searched, and a small bag of methamphetamine was found. She was arrested and taken into custody.

Car Wash for Monrovia High Band and Colorguard

The Monrovia High School Marching Wildcats Band and Colorguard will hold a car wash and bake sale Saturday July 12 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Walgreens at 253 E. Foothill Blvd. in Arcadia. Suggested donation: $6 for cars, $8 for trucks and SUVs.

- Brad Haugaard

Happy Birthday, America!


The Monrova fireworks show was great, as usual. I was particularly impressed by how well the music synced with the fireworks. (Sorry about the bad cell phone photo.)

Much better pictures at Gem City Images: http://goo.gl/jXz3ZO

- Brad Haugaard

Waiting for the Monrovia Fireworks Show


2:30 PM on a hot Fourth of July and there are already lots of people camped out waiting for toniight's fireworks show. Actually, I heard there were people camped out at eight in the morning.

- Brad Haugaard

Will 19-Acre Property in North Monrovia Be Subdivided into Seven Parcels?

A 19-acre property containing six leased houses is for sale at an asking price of almost $4 million in north Monrovia. The real estate listing says the City of Monrovia has said the property, at 537 Cloverleaf Drive, "can be subdivided into a minimum of 7 huge residential parcels." http://goo.gl/kePMuI

- Brad Haugaard

Fourth of July Fireworks Safety Tips

No home fireworks are allowed in Monrovia (but there'll be a great fireworks show at Library Park: http://goo.gl/JGJ6yg ), but if you are going to be in an area that allows fireworks and decide to use fireworks, the city recommends you follow these safety tips:

- Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.
- Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
- Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
- Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don't realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt some metals.
- Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse.
- Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
- Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
- Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
- Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
- Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
- Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
- After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Fourth of July Event Schedule

Here's the schedule for Fourth of July in Monrovia:

- 3:00-7:00 p.m. DJ will play recorded music
- 5:00-9:30 p.m. Old Town Family Festival will be held until 9:30 p.m.
- 7:00-8:30 p.m. Live performance featuring the band "Stone Soul", playing your favorite 1970's songs
- 8:50 p.m. Formal welcome from the Mayor, City Council, and other dignitaries in attendance
- 9:00-9:20 p.m. Firework show

Event sponsors include: Presidential Sponsor, Mary Ann and Corey Lutz; Wendy's Hamburgers; Samuelson & Fetter; Monrovia Old Town Merchants; Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District; The Sierra Family of Dealerships; and Ducommun AeroStructures.
 
Source: City news release
 
- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Runaway Juvenile; Fraud; Meth; Under the Influence; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for June 30 – July 2. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 431 service events, resulting in 77 investigations.

Vandalism
June 30 at 7:21 a.m., staff from an elementary school in the 400 block of West Colorado called to report graffiti spray painted on tables, benches, and the fence. Black spray paint was used and most of the graffiti was unreadable. The investigation is continuing.

Vandalism
June 30 at 8:09 a.m., staff from the high school in the 800 block of West Colorado called police to report that a number of buildings at the school had been vandalized. Graffiti had been written on them in a red wax or paste. The investigation is continuing.

Commercial Burglary / Possession of Burglary Tools – Suspect Arrested
June 30 at 5:55 p.m., officers responded to a business in the 500 block of West Huntington on the report of a burglary. Three female suspects entered the store, selected clothing items, and went into the dressing room, where they entered the same dressing stall. Two of the females came out of the dressing room and exited the store. They were detained by arriving officers at their vehicle. The females had no stolen items in their possession. They were identified and released. The third female was detained inside the store. She had store merchandise in her purse, along with a pair of wire cutters. She had attempted to remove the security tags. She was arrested and taken into custody.

Suspicious Person / Runaway Juvenile Located
July 1 at 11:13 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a business in the 300 block of West Huntington on the report a female sleeping on the rear dock area. The officer located a 16-year-old female, who told him she had run away from a group home in Bakersfield. A computer check revealed she was a reported missing person out of Bakersfield. She said she took a bus to Union Station in Los Angeles and called a male friend, who drove her to Monrovia. When she arrived in Monrovia, she and her friend got into an altercation, and she was left on foot. The Department of Children and Family Services was contacted and they took custody of the juvenile.Under the influence of a Controlled Substance / Possession of Drug

Paraphernalia – Suspect Arrested
On July 1 at 3:03 p.m., an officer on patrol in the 1400 block of South Mayflower stopped to contact a subject in the park. As the officer was talking to the subject, he noticed that the subject displayed signs of being under the influence. After further evaluation, the subject was determined to be under the influence of a controlled substance. A search of the suspect revealed two syringes. He was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Commercial Burglary / Possession of Forged Drivers License / Possession of Forged Access Card – Suspects Arrested
July 1 at 9:48 p.m., an officer responded to a business in the 500 block of West Huntington on the report of a fraud in progress. The officer arrived and met with the loss prevention employee, who pointed out the suspects that were still in the process of making a transaction at the register. The suspects exited the store and were detained outside by the officer. Further investigation revealed the two suspects entered the store with the intent to purchase store merchandise using fraudulent identification and credit cards. Both suspects were arrested for burglary and the fraud related violations.

Possession of Methamphetamine – Suspect Arrested
July 2 at 4:31 a.m., an officer on patrol in the area of Myrtle and California stopped a motorist for a minor vehicle code violation. Upon contacting the driver, the officer discovered he was on probation for drugs. The driver consented to a vehicle search that revealed a case for sunglasses containing methamphetamine and a glass pipe concealed between the center console and the right front passenger seat. The right front passenger admitted the pipe belonged to him. The passenger was arrested and taken into custody. The driver and his vehicle were released in the field.

Vehicle Burglary
July 2 at 7:15 a.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 200 block of West Scenic. The victim reported that a window on the vehicle had been smashed and his wallet was taken from inside. The vehicle had been parked on the street overnight. The investigation is continuing.

Mental Evaluation
July 2 at 12:26 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 300 block of South Fifth Avenue regarding a family disturbance. A 19-year-old male was holding a knife to his throat and threatening to kill himself. The knife was taken from the subject prior to police arrival. The subject was taken to a hospital, where he was placed on a 72-hour hold for mental evaluation.

Driving Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested
July 2 at 10:12 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the area of Alta Vista and Colorado to a fight in progress. When he arrived, many of the subjects began to leave the area, including one motorist who was detained to further investigate the fight call. The investigation revealed that no one was injured as a result of the fight and that no one desired prosecution. The detained motorist was found to be operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs. The subject was arrested and taken into custody.

Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
July 3 at 1:49 a.m., a rollover traffic collision was reported in the 1100 block of Orange. A solo vehicle veered off the roadway and struck a brick wall. The vehicle came to rest in the roadway on its side. The driver received minor visible injuries, but was complained of pain. The investigation revealed the driver was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The motorist was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. A verified complaint request will be submitted to the court for filing DUI charges.

Opinion: What Will People Push Monrovia to Ban Next?

In watching the discussion about banning plastic carry-out grocery bags, I heard so many ban advocates indicate that banning the bags is "just a start," which leads me to think that now that Monrovia has prohibited the bags (starting Jan. 1) that we will soon see attempts to ban other things.

Like what?

Well, based on comments I've heard at various City Council meetings, I'd guess that there will be pressure for the city to go after smoking in multi-unit dwellings - or in public parks, or both - so if you smoke, not only do you get to die young, but you may also get to be harassed in your own home.

Second-hand smoke is bad, and I support bans on smoking in confined places that the public can freely enter (businesses, government offices, etc.) and smoking near the doors of such buildings, but in the great outdoors every additional foot of distance between me and a smoker dilutes the smoke, and at some not-very-great distance the smoke becomes barely a smell. And at that point, I think we should stop harassing these poor people.

And, no, I don't smoke.

- Brad Haugaard

No Home Fireworks in Monrovia

The City wants to remind everybody - no home fireworks in Monrovia ( http://goo.gl/zQ4YpH ). There is a great fireworks show at Library Park, however: http://goo.gl/ZmNSE1

- Brad Haugaard

Citrus College Sued - Charged With Limiting Free Speech

A student is suing Citrus College, which serves Monrovia, for limiting free speech to "a small 'free speech area' on the campus quad." http://goo.gl/uhfNwc

- Brad Haugaard

Proposed New Building for Monrovia BMW Dealership


The BMW dealership at 1425 S. Mountain Ave. may get a new building. The Monrovia Design Review Committee recommended accepting a proposed three-story, 208,783 square feet structure. http://goo.gl/zRM2qG

- Brad Haugaard

Will Your Home Be Made Part of a National Recreation Area?


A section of the boundary of the proposed National Recreation Area (the yellow line). The area includes parts of Monrovia - including homes. For a full interactive map (zoom in to see Monrovia): http://goo.gl/WPHmHm

Former State Senator Dick Mountjoy, a Monrovia resident, thanked the City Council for opposing the National Recreation Area proposed by Congresswoman Judy Chu, who represents the top edge of Monrovia. He said the boundary for the proposed federal area cuts through his property and that of his neighbors. He asked that the city write a letter to Congress opposing the NRA.

Councilman Tom Adams added that Congresswoman Chu has not responded to the city's request to be excluded from the federal area and asked for a staff report on how to proceed when a congresswoman "ignores a city request."

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Plastic Bag Ban Finalized

The Monrovia City Council tonight approved the second reading of the plastic grocery carry-out bag ban, which means the ban will go into effect on January 1, 2015.

Councilmembers Larry Spicer and Alexander Blackburn did not make the same mistake of missing the council meeting. Last time there was a second reading on the ban, they failed to show up and the bag ban was reversed. Blackburn then reintroduce the ban and it was approved tonight. Councilmembers Tom Adams and Becky Shevlin again voted against the ban.

- Brad Haugaard

New Monrovia Craftsman House | Fourth of July Event

~ Craftsman style house being built at the corner of Foothill and Canyon. Picture: http://goo.gl/IEFJaH

~ Details about Fourth of July concert and fireworks show at Library Park. The band Stone Soul playing from 7-8:30 p.m. A 20-minute fireworks show beginning at 9 p.m. http://goo.gl/ZmNSE1

- Brad Haugaard

Three Law Firms Say They Will Investigate Monrovia Company

At least three law firms have announced they will be investigating Monrovia's Staar Surgical in connection with the warning letter the company received from the Food and Drug Administration ( http://goo.gl/E6lxdY ). These are: The Rosen Law Firm ( http://goo.gl/CT0HRX ), the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith ( http://goo.gl/nmlB96 ), and Harwood Feffer LLP ( http://goo.gl/6Y1plj ).

- Brad Haugaard

Jewish Federation Moving to Monrovia

The Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys is excited to announce that it has just signed a lease to move to its new offices in Monrovia. The Jewish Federation will be temporary located at Temple Beth David in Temple City while its new offices are being built out. With this move, the Jewish Federation is moving closer to the center of our community – an area from Glendale to Rancho Cucamonga.

The Jewish Federation had been located in Arcadia at the former Congregation Shaarei Torah building on Second Avenue since September 2010, after over 30 years in Covina. During its tenure there, the Jewish Federation was able to expand its programming and the services it offered. With the many events and performances that took place here (An Evening with the Consul General of Israel, plays and musicals, concerts and lectures), our Arcadia location become a center for Jewish life in the greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. As one community member put it, “We now have a place for all Jews from across our community, to come together and feel connected.”

The new facility will allow the Jewish Federation to continue its valuable work it does for and on behalf of the local Jewish community, as well as have a multipurpose room for small meetings and gatherings, along with a rehearsal space for Kol HaEmek (the community’s Jewish community choir), the Jewish Youth Orchestra, and upcoming plays and musicals.

“While the physical space of our new location will have a distinctly different look and feel,” Jason Moss, Executive Director explains, “the Jewish Federation’s Board of Governors and Staff are completely committed to continue providing the services and our current programs that so many people have come to count on.”

Jewish Federation’s new address is 116 W. Lime Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016. The tentative move in date will be August 1, unless the build-out is completed in a shorter period of time.

For more information about the Jewish Federation’s move, or upcoming plans, please contact the Jewish Federation at 626.445.0810 or by email at federation@jewishsgpv.org.

The Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys provides programs and services that meet the needs of the local Jewish community – from Glendale to Rancho Cucamonga and south to Whittier – and provides the Jewish voice and leadership in addressing issues that affect the Jewish community as a whole.

Source: press release

- Brad Haugaard

FDA Warns Monrovia's Staar Surgical

Monrovia's Staar Surgical, which makes replacement lenses for the human eye, has received a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration. It appears to be mostly about record keeping. http://goo.gl/E6lxdY

- Brad Haugaard