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Drone Made by Monrovia Company to be Manufactured in India

The Raven drone, made for the military by Monrovia-based AeroVironment, is set to be made in India, according to Bloomberg Business. http://goo.gl/jiVWWV

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Trying to Get After-School Program at Plymouth; Parade for High School Winners; Firefighters Save Life; Canyon Park Program is 'Best'

In his weekly report, City Manager Oliver Chi reports ...

- That Monrovia offers an after school sports program at every elementary school in town except Plymouth. "Last year, we approached the principal at Plymouth Elementary school and asked if she would like us to implement the program on her campus. Staff was told by the principal at that time that she would survey her parents and let us know. We ultimately were unable to get authorization from Plymouth Elementary to offer our after school sports program on their campus." Chi said the city has asked again. He said, "We will continue to pursue the matter..."

- A parade is scheduled for this Thursday, March 26, at 5 p.m. to honor the Monrovia Boys Soccer Team, Girls Individual Wrestling CIF Southern Section Championship, and a member of Monrovia High School's Girls Wrestling Team, who won her CIF division wrestling title. The parade will start on Myrtle at Colorado and will run north to Library Park and should conclude no later than 5:45 p.m.

~ On March 11, 2015, at approximately 11:24 a.m., the Fire Department responded to 715 E. Huntington Dr. (24 Hour Fitness) regarding a fall involving a 70 year old man. "As our team approached the patient, we noticed that CPR was being performed by off-duty Probationary Firefighter Kyle Eden and Fire Cadet Guiseppe Brandonisio." The man went into full cardiac arrest but responded to the responders efforts, and was taken to Arcadia Methodist.

- The Canyon Park Volunteer Program has been selected as a "Best of the Best" by the California Parks and Recreation Society (CPRS) District XIII and will be honored on March 26 in Diamond Bar.

March 4 Balance Rally at Library Park

Thursday, 3/26, the suicide awareness and prevention program, March 4 Balance, will be held at Library Park. The rally and resource fair will kick-off at 6 p.m. with more than 20 service providers and program speakers. http://goo.gl/6r9lyc

Monrovia's Historic Fountain All Fixed



The historic fountain at the corner of Lime and Myrtle in Library Park is now finished. You can even take a drink out of the drinking fountain. It had been destroyed when a car ran into it.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's AeroVironment Working on New Military Drone

Monrovia's AeroVironment is working with Northrop Grumman to develop a new drone for the military.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Stun Gun at High School; Stalking; Suspect Leaves Backpack With ID

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for March 19-22. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Residential Burglary
March 19 at 12:00 p.m., a resident in the 700 block of Norumbega left his home, possibly leaving the front door unlocked. At 1:00 p.m., he received a call from the housekeeper, who had just arrived at his home and told him the home appeared to have been burglarized. The resident responded, confirmed his home had been burglarized, and immediately called the police. The resident believed the only thing taken was an unspecified amount of cash. The investigation is continuing.

Outstanding Warrants – Suspect Arrested
March 19 at 11:30 p.m., an officer was on patrol in the 800 block of East Olive when he saw a suspicious male loitering in the area. The officer contacted the suspect and a computer check revealed he had two no-bail warrants for his arrest. The suspect was arrested for the warrants and taken into custody.

Possession of a Stun Gun – Juvenile Arrested
March 20 at 1:15 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the high school in the 800 block of West Colorado regarding a 15-year-old, male student being detained for possessing a stun gun on campus. The stun gun appeared to be a cell phone; however, it had no phone capabilities. When you push the volume button, the top of the phone shoots out an electrical volt that could temporarily incapacitate someone. The student said he found the stun gun on the ground at school and decided to keep it. He was arrested and later released to his parents with a citation to appear in court.

Stalking – Suspect Arrested
March 20 at 8:48 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 500 block of East Lime regarding a vandalism incident. The officer contacted the victim and learned that over the past several days, the victim has reported annoying/harassing phone calls, threatening phone messages, and vandalism to her residence. A domestic violence restraining order had been obtained against the suspect, who is the victim's ex-boyfriend and father of their 2-year-old child. The victim was interviewed and a stalking case was documented against the suspect. On March 22, an officer was conducting extra patrol in the area, due to the victim’s fear of the suspect, and just as the victim arrived home from work, the suspect ran a posted stop sign near the victim’s home, abruptly stopped in front of her residence and began yelling at her. He was detained by the officer and arrested. The case will be presented to the DA for filing consideration.

Drunk in Public – Suspect Arrested
March 20 at 11:10 p.m., an officer responded to a business in the 100 block of West Duarte Road regarding a subject causing a disturbance. The officer arrived and discovered the male subject was intoxicated to the point of not being able to care for his own safety. The subject was arrested for public Intoxication and taken into custody, where he was held for sobering.

Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance / Possession of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested
March 21 at 12:15 p.m., the California Highway Patrol requested assistance searching for a vehicle that had collided on the 210 Freeway and then fled. Officers located a similar vehicle with collision damage parked in a business parking lot at Huntington and Monterey, near the 210 Freeway. The vehicle had paper license plates and was occupied by one male subject in the driver's seat. A DMV computer check revealed the registration was expired over 6 months. The male subject was also determined to be under the influence of a controlled substance. The CHP advised that the vehicle was not the one involved in the collision, but the male subject was arrested for being under the influence of a narcotic. A pat-down search revealed he was in possession of a vial containing a liquid, which later tested positive for PCP. A search of the suspect’s duffel bag also revealed a bag of methamphetamine. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Felon in Possession of Pepper Spray – Suspect Arrested
March 22 at 2:29 a.m., officers were dispatched to a business in the 300 block of Huntington regarding a suspicious male subject inside a business holding a box cutter. Officers responded and contacted the subject inside the location. The suspect was holding a box cutter and pepper spray. The suspect was asked to exit the location and put down the box cutter and pepper spray; he complied. The computer check revealed the subject is a convicted felon and cannot be in possession of any type of tear gas. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Hit and Run Traffic Collision
March 22 at 4:34 a.m., police dispatch received a call reporting a traffic collision in the 300 block of South Canyon. Officers responded and located debris in the area and a parked vehicle that appeared to have been struck by a passing vehicle. The suspect vehicle was not located. The investigation is continuing.

Suspicious Circumstance / Resisting or Delaying a Peace Officer
March 22 at 10:25 p.m., officers made a traffic stop on a vehicle at Myrtle and Huntington for a vehicle code violation. As they stopped the vehicle, a male passenger fled from the vehicle carrying a backpack. Assisting officers searched for the subject, but did not locate him. The driver was cited for possession of marijuana. A resident called a short time later and reported finding a backpack in his yard which matched the name the driver gave for the passenger. The backpack contained a 22 caliber magazine and two receipts in the suspect’s name. A verified complaint is being filed against the suspect for resisting/delaying a peace officer. The investigation is continuing.

Monrovia Juice Bar Opens Location at Arcadia High | Joannie Yuille to be Honored

~ The Monrovia Robeks (Fifth and Huntington) has just opened one of the country's first public school juice bars at the new cafeteria at Arcadia High School. Robeks owner Robert Kenz says the franchise has been providing juices to area middle schools for several years but this is the first location to offer fresh fruit and vegetable juices made to order. Source: press release

~ Congresswoman Napolitano will honor volunteer Joannie Yuille as her Woman of the Year. Yuille was nominated by Mayor Lutz. The award will be presented by Napolitano at a Luncheon on April 10 in El Monte. http://goo.gl/Bn4uzG

- Brad Haugaard

Lenten Fish Fry Dinner

Friday, March 27, Monrovia Knights of Columbus will hold a Lenten Fish Fry Dinner. 130 W. Pomona Avenue, Monrovia; 5:30-8 p.m. Take out available. Call 359-6489 for details.

- Brad Haugaard

Reports on Monrovia City Council and Mayoral Races

A report in the Star-News about the Monrovia City Council race ( http://goo.gl/heuSg9 ) and the mayoral race ( http://goo.gl/DXOm0J ).

- Brad Haugaard

Foothill Unity Center to Celebrate 35th Birthday

Friends of Foothill Unity Center will celebrate the organization's 35th birthday on Saturday, May 2, with a gala evening in the Sofia Ballroom at Noor Event Center, 260 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena. Festivities begin with a 5:30 p.m. cocktail reception and silent auction, followed at 7:30 p.m. by dinner and program, featuring a live auction. Tickets are $150 per person. For information on tickets, sponsorships and program ads, contact Barbara Rolf, 358-3486, barbara@foothillunitycenter.org. Proceeds will support Foothill Unity Center's programs helping the most vulnerable children, individuals and families across eleven San Gabriel Valley cities.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia School Board to Consider New Math Classes

At its next meeting the Monrovia School Board will, among other things, consider some new math classes and textbooks. http://goo.gl/3Eb16O

- Brad Haugaard

Contributions in Monrovia City Council Race

Here is the latest list of campaign contributions in the Monrovia city council race. All contributions are from Monrovia unless a different city is noted. Note: I am a bit dubious about the figures for Mr. Austin's campaign; although I checked the dates of the contributions it appears that some of them may be duplicate entries. My apologies if there are errors. Let me know of any problems and I'll correct them.

Becky Shevlin
Alec Jimenez $175
April Soash $200
Becky Rivanis (non-monetary gift – pastries, beverages for event) $330.46
Becky Shevlin (loan) $100
Betty Sandford $250
Chris Kidd (non-monetary gift – room for event) $500
Chris Shevlin (loan) $5,000
Christopher Shevlin $5,000 (Becky says there was only the $5,000 loan)
Glenn Cox, Jr. $100
Hal Leavens $100
Jacen Crehan $100
Janet Cerswell (Alta Loma, CA) $100
Jeanne Miles $300
Joane Spring $200
Judy Schaeffler $100
Pam Barkus $100
Pamela Fitzpatrick $200
Paul Lawrence $150
Pokrajac Corporation (San Jacinto, CA) $500
Rudy Castrellon $300
Susan Hirsch $100

Chris Ziegler
Chris Ziegler (loan) $4,000

Clifford DeCosta
Clifford DeCosta $1,000
Clifford DeCosta $1,000

Gloria Crudgington
Arlene Dunson $150
Ford Printing & Mailing (Irwindale. Non-monetary gift – discount) $150
George Forbes $100
Gwendolyn Jones $100
Judith Pace Twomey $100
Lisa Magno $100
Marie Metsker $100
Marilyn C. Serotko $100
Myrtle Court Apartments $5,000
Samuel J. LaSala, Jr. $100

Jordan Kittleston
Donna Jiminez (Chino Hills), $50
Jordan K. Kittleston, $100
Nipa & John Dunn, $100
Committee to Re-Elect John Valdiria (San Bernardino), $150
Adam Sands (Redlands), $75
Jerry Chambers (Upland), $25
Asja Thomas, $5
Robyn Gordon (Upland), $100
Diamond King, $50
Bianca Slagle (Indianapolis, IN), $50
Jordan K. Kittleston, $20
Jordan K. Kittleston, $25
Eva Baeza (Fontana), $100
Renford R Reese (Pomona), $200
Earl DeVries (Ontario), $25

Robert Parry
Brian Yamaguchi $100
Bruce Merwin $200
Chris Ziegler $100
Danie Oullette $100
Dennis Geary $1,000
Gwendolyn Jones $100
John Jackson (Wildomar, CA) $100
Kevin Kothlow (Laguna Beach, CA) $250
Loresly Dowling $300
RC Stamps $200
Richard Mountjoy $250
Robert Parry $1,500

Scott Austin (corrections from Mr. Austin)
Alhambra Firefighters Political Action Committee (Alhambra) $2,500
California Professional Firefighters Political Action Committee (Sacramento, non-monetary gift for printing lawn signs – 02/05/2015) $1,210.61
duplicate of above California Professional Firefighters Political Action Committee (Sacramento – 02/10/2015) $1,210.61
Daniel Haro (Alta Loma, CA) $100
David Brinker (Akron, OH) $200
Debbie Austin $28.52
Debbie Austin (loan) $3,000
Debbie Austin $1,000
Donna Baker $200
Firefighters for Better Government Political Action Committee (Camarillo, CA) $2,500
Joe & Paula Costantino (DPO, AE) $200
Karen Suarez $200
Mary Ann & Cory Lutz $250
Michael Cacciotti (South Pasadena) $100
Monrovia Firefighters Issues Committee (02/02/2015) $3,000
not a valid PAC and not received Monrovia Firefighters Association Local 2415 (02/06/2015) $3,000
Natalie Park (South Pasadena) $100
Pasadena Firefighters Local 809 (Sacramento – 01/17/15) $1,000
Pasadena Firefighters Local 809 (Sacramento – 02/26/2015) $2,000
duplicate of above Pasadena Firefighters Local 809 (Sacramento – 02/28/2015) $2,000
Pasadena Firefighters Local 809 (Sacramento – 03/05/2015) $2,000
Samuel LaSala $100
Thomas Alan Suess $100
Thomas Fouser $100
United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 Political Action Committee (LA) $500
Victor Castellanos $500

Stephen Grollnek
No contributions listed

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Office Depot Closing

Robert Parry reports seeing a sign going up over the Office Depot on Huntington saying the store will be closing on May 16.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Gold Line Maintenance Yard Gets Its First Rail Cars



Habib Balian, in charge of Gold Line construction, reports:

"Yesterday, the first light rail vehicles arrived to the nearly completed $265 million, 24-acre Gold Line Operations Campus in Monrovia. The full-service, state-of-the-art facility will be completed and turned over to Metro in early June, ahead of the previous delivery schedule of September... Over the next several weeks, final preparations and live wire testing will be underway throughout the campus."

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Trader Joe's Recalls Walnuts

Monrovia-based Trader Joe's is recalling walnuts for possible salmonella contamination. http://goo.gl/T3ov2H
 
- Brad Haugaard

Contributions in Monrovia Mayoral Race

Here are the latest campaign contributions in the Monrovia mayoral race. Note, I have not included information about Mr. Leonard Holen as he did not report any contributions. All contributions are from Monrovia unless a different city is noted:

Tom Adams
Blaine Fetter, $1,500
Linda Fetter, $1,500
Reid Samuelson (LA), $1,500
Jack Samuelson (LA), $1,500
Eric Mozilo, $2,000
Gurdev Singh Anand (Glendora), $1,000
Fred Bowden, $1,000
George Forbes, $1,500
Warren Lukesh (Sunland), $1,500
John Bonholtzer, $500
Charles Pollard, $100
J. Harrington Construction (Pasadena), $100
Paul Kalemkiarian, $250
Alice Mah, $100
Roger Dickey, $200
Peter Sylchak, $100
Dan Whoolery (Arcadia), $100
Barbara Radford, $200
G Arakelian, $200
John Radford, Jr., $500
Larry Moore, $100
Joseph Leonard, $250
Danny Crandel, $100
Hal Leavens, $100
Robert Wight (Azusa), $100
Karen Taylor, $100
Donald Eldridge (Glendora), $200
Kurt Anderson, $200
Edward Rigazzi (Covina), $100
Gwendolyn Jones, $100
Judy Schaeffler, $100
Michele Thompkins (Astoria, OR), $100
Richard Mountjoy, $250
Gage Freeman (Northridge), $500
Joseph Leonard (I know; listed twice), $250
Kirsten Jardino (Arcadia), $100
 
Mary Ann Lutz  
Fortune Dynamic (City of Industry), $1,000
Chateau Capital (Arcadia), $1,200
Gloria Huss (Monrovia Floral – balloons, flowers), $171
Hal Dash (Valencia), $200
Kathy Stone, $100
John Wayne Carlson, $1,000
Dick and Jan Singer, $250
Denis & Diana Bertone (San Dimas), $250
Peter & Toni Hoffman (Sierra Autocars), $999
Gary & Karen Sutherland, $100
Hans Liang (Monterey Park), $100
Mike & Cheryl Antos, $100
Frances & David Cash, $100
Brian Ulm, $100
Gloria & Steven Rassmusen, $100
Andre Quintero (El Monte), $100
Jim & Joanne Spring, $200
Felix Villaneva, $100
Janet Wall, $500
Mike & Marilee Mohajer (San Dimas), $100
Michael Cacciotti (South Pasadena), $150
Janet & Norm Cerswell (Alta Loma, CA), $100
Ferne Petrie, $500
Corey & Mary Ann Lutz, $5,000
Anthony Portantino Campaign Account, $250
Gordon & Louise Robertson, $100
Paul and Amy Lawrence, $500

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Driving Drunk With Four-Year-Old; Bike vs Bike

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for March 16-18. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 441 service events, resulting in 82 investigations. 

Commercial Burglary
March 17 at 6:54 a.m., police responded to a business in the 400 block of West Foothill regarding a window that had been smashed at the location. An officer arrived and found the front window had been smashed and the suspect(s) stole the cash register, which contained a small amount of cash, and 6 packages of cigarettes. The investigation is continuing. 

Weapon Offense – Suspect Arrested
March 17 at 6:06 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 900 block of Norumbega regarding a complaint of subjects smoking inside a vehicle in a fire zone. An officer arrived and contacted the driver. A check of the vehicle revealed the registration was expired and the vehicle was impounded. A search of the vehicle prior to impound revealed a pair of brass knuckles, which the driver said belonged to him. The driver was arrested for possession of brass knuckles. 

Driving Under the Influence / Child Endangerment – Suspect Arrested
March 18 at 12:21 a.m., an officer was on patrol in the 600 block of West Huntington when he stopped a vehicle for almost crashing into the center divider. The driver was intoxicated and had her four year old child in the vehicle. The driver was arrested for driving under the influence and child endangerment. The child was released to a relative. 

Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
March 18 at 5:08 a.m., an officer responded to a business parking lot in the 700 block of South Shamrock regarding a female passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle. The subject was determined to be extremely intoxicated. She was arrested and taken into custody for sobering. 

Bicycle Collision With Injuries
March 18 at 1:50 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a bicycle accident at Canyon and Almond. Two juvenile bicyclists were riding on Canyon when one rider hit the other and went down, breaking his arm. The parents were notified and the child was taken to the hospital for treatment. 

Why Does Monrovia Elect Its Mayor Separately?

I got to wondering about why Monrovia elects its mayor separately from the city council, since so many similar-size cities in the area just elect council members, who then elect the mayor among themselves. So I asked City Clerk Alice Atkins, who said the at-large mayor issue was on the city ballot in March 1976. She said it passed with just over 69% of the votes. Here is the voter guide argument that apparently persuaded Monrovians to adopt the change (no argument was filed against the measure):

The complexity of societal problems has forced citizens to re-evaluate their rules in the democratic process.

Today, more than ever, governmental decisions affect the daily lives of all of our citizens. In such an environment it becomes necessary for society to take steps to insure that their elected officials exert greater leadership and become responsive to the majority will. The Mayor, as the titular head of the community, is in the best position to reflect majority opinion, although the powers and general duties of an elected mayor and councilmen are the same, his responsibilities and opportunities for exerting leadership are greater by virtue of the position he occupies. In this light, many neighboring have gone to an elected mayoral system so that citizens may be able too insure that their Mayor has the necessary abilities, time, energy and leadership qualities for such an important office. Responsiveness is also mandated by the people, for the Mayor will have to answer to those who directly elected him.

Our present system, council selection of Mayor, does not adequately provide for Mayor responsiveness, nor does it insure us that such an important position will be filled by a person possessing all of the desirable qualities. Without proper democratic controls, citizens cannot be certain that a council selected Mayor will truly represent the wishes of the people.

The election of Mayor will not cause a change in our present council manager form of government, but it will provide our citizens with a meaningful choice and not leave such an important selection open to chance. An elected Mayor will become directly responsive and responsible to the people. Only by this method can we be certain to gain the community leadership needed in a complex society.

VOTE YES

R.L. DICK MOUNTJOY


- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Relief Agency Begins Vanuatu Aid

Monrovia Christian relief organization, World Vision, reports that it has begun the distribution of emergency supplies after a Category 5 cyclone slammed into Vanuatu in the Pacific earlier this week.

Mike Wolfe, World Vision's national director in Vanuatu reported: "Just severe devastation everywhere you looked. The trees were stripped bare, broken branches everywhere, and many of the homes we saw were completely destroyed." http://www.worldvision.org/press-release/world-vision-reaches-remote-island-vanuatu-finds-utter-devastation

- Brad Haugaard

Boys & Girls Club Youth To Be Honored

On Friday, March 20, the 2015 Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills "Youth of the Year" will be recognized at the annual awards celebration. Presented by DoubleTree by Hilton - Monrovia and chaired by Donna Baker, the ceremony will take place from 5:30-7:00 pm, in the ballroom of the DoubleTree at 924 W. Huntington Drive. The event is free and open to the public, though reservations are required.

The event honors club members who, with the help of their club, have met obstacles head-on and, despite the odds, have given back to their club and community. Youth of the Year winners demonstrate service to Club, community and family; academic success; strong moral character; life goals; and poise and public speaking ability. Local Youth of the Year winners receive a $500 scholarship and then go on to compete at the county, state and national levels.

- Brad Haugaard