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Monrovia Days Starts Tomorrow

Monrovia Days starts tomorrow, May 18-20. Carnival, music, book sale, performances by Center Stage, and a pie eating contest. Details here: https://goo.gl/Pxdrg3

- Brad Haugaard 

Fellowship Monrovia Family Night This Evening

Fellowship Monrovia will hold its first Family Night of the summer today, from 6-8 p.m. at its Huntington Drive Campus at the corner of Huntington and California Ave. Dinner, bounce houses, DJ, lawn games, and more. No registration needed. $10 for the family, $5 per individual. Cost includes dinner. Parking will be off site.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Legacy Project Now Online

Gem City Images (https://goo.gl/GWx44a) reports that the Monrovia Legacy Project is now online here: http://cityofmonrovia.pastperfectonline.com/

- Brad Haugaard 


Rob Hammond Completes Cross-Country Bicycle ride


With toes in the Atlantic Ocean, Monrovia School Board Member Rob Hammond celebrates his Pacific to Atlantic bicycle ride. 

He writes on Facebook: “I cannot begin to understand all the emotions I have inside me. All I can say now is thank you to everyone that prayed for my safety, supported our fundraising, and followed along on this incredible journey. 

“Love to all. I can't wait to get home.”

- Brad Haugaard 

Artsy Utility Boxes; Where a Samson’s Gone; Mayor Pro Tem Top Racer in Her Class




More from the City Manager’s report:

~ A utility box on Myrtle Avenue, just north of Foothill, was recently artified by a young local artist named Ms. Timothea Karipides, who is part of a group called the Monrovia Sketchers that meets weekly to draw around town.  She painted the box, along with her parents, with recognizable sights in town – the “M” in the foothills, the “Flying A” gas pumps on Shamrock Avenue, the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Myrtle Avenue / Foothill Boulevard (where the box is located), and Beans the surfing whippet canine. 

~ Speaking of public art, the “Samson Bear” in front of T-Phillips has been temporarily removed to be repainted.  

~ In the Fountain to the Falls race the fastest time overall for the seven-mile race belonged to Ruben Hernandez from Los Angeles, who ran the course in 40 minutes, 36 seconds. Mayor Pro Tem Becky Shevlin clocked in at 1 hour, 25 minutes, 50 seconds, meaning that she placed first in her group. 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Housing Expected to Increase by 15 Percent - 2,200 Units - In Months Ahead


In his weekly report (https://goo.gl/aOqX7O) City Manager Oliver Chi reported that the supply of housing in Monrovia is set to jump dramatically. 

He writes that, “All told, there are currently around 2,200 housing units / rooms in the development pipeline, which constitutes a 15% increase in our total housing supply. “

He adds that “from June 2018 - September 2018 the City will be considering three major projects that will feature close to 600 units / hotel rooms (highlighted in blue in the map above – Richman Development, Marriott TownePlace Suites, and AvalonBay).

He says that “without proper context, these eye-popping numbers can be somewhat startling.”

He said there are two issues involved, the environment on one side and Southern California’s need for more housing on the other. 

He writes that “while we do have to make sure that we have strong environmental policies, and while we need to develop premier mobility / transportation options for our residents… we also have to find a way to do our part to address the severe housing crisis we are confronted with today.”

There is more to this and it deserves s full reading. See it here: https://goo.gl/aOqX7O

And here’s one of these projects:


The Richman Residential Project (known as Station Square South) is going before the Development Review Committee (DRC) for consideration on today at 4 p.m., in the City Council Chambers.  The project is a 296-unit housing initiative located at the NE corner of Duarte Avenue / Magnolia Avenue just south of the City’s Gold Line Station. 

The city has set up a web page to address all development issues: https://goo.gl/RZQnpn

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Swimmers Finish Strong Under New Coach

Monrovia High swimmers do well at Rio Hondo League Finals under new coach Julie Burns. https://goo.gl/PMejyr

- Brad Haugaard 

Pet of the Week: Paloma, the Cat Who Plays Fetch

Paloma (A451821) is a 2-year-old playful cat who knows how to fetch! Yes, you read that right; if you throw toys for her she will bring them back to you over and over again. She is also a very talkative cat who loves to have long conversations. She is a friendly cat who likes to greet you with a kiss on the nose and would enjoy sitting next to you on the couch while you read a book or watch TV. Check out more about Paloma today!
 
The adoption fee for cats is $75. All cats are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated before being adopted.
 
New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet.

View photos of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org. Adoption hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email.
 
- Brad Haugaard 

Upcoming Classical Opera and Baroque Concerts at St. Luke’s


A free opera concert by mezzo-soprano Trisha Rivera and bass-baritone Raed Saade on May 26 and a June 3 performance by the Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble and Los Angeles Baroque are scheduled for St. Luke’s Church, at 122 S. California Ave. at Foothill Boulevard.

- Free classical opera concert Saturday, May 26, 5 p.m. Mezzo-soprano Trisha Rivera and bass-baritone Raed Saade will perform comedy, drama, spirituals, coloratura, opera favorites and more. They will be joined by guest artist, mezzo-soprano Megan Gillespie. Admission is free, and donations welcome.

- Purcell and more by Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble Sunday, June 3, 4 p.m. The singers of the Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble with join the instrumentalists of Los Angeles Baroque in a concert of works by  Henry Purcell and other baroque composers. Tickets are $25, $20 for seniors and Southern California Early Music Society  members, and $15 for students. They may be purchased at the door or ordered in advance at brownpapertickets.com.

- Brad Haugaard 

Coffee at New Pari Passu

Got a cup of coffee today at the new Pari Passu coffee shop at the northwest corner of Myrtle and Foothill. Nice interior. Kind of a minimalist industrial vibe with ceiling fans and art on the walls, and the coffee was good. In addition to various coffee-based drinks, it also serves pastries, flat bread pizzas, quiches and a croque sandwich. (I looked it up; it’s a fried or baked ham and cheese sandwich.) I hope parking won’t be a problem. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Blood Drive June 2 at Clifton Middle School





A Soggy Fountain to the Falls Run


Runners coming in to the finish line after a rainy run from the Library Park fountain to the falls in Monrovia Canyon Park and back. And my weather app still says zero percent chance of rain. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Council: Historic House? Property Sales; Etc.

Historic Designation for this house?

At its next meeting (agenda: https://goo.gl/ybq28a) the Monrovia City Council will consider...

~ Designating the House at 921 East Greystone Avenue an historic landmark and approving a Mills Act contract for it. The historic designation costs the city nothing but the Mills Act contract gives the homeowner a tax break and will cost the city around $1,808 a year in lost property tax. https://goo.gl/gMCdnq

~ Selling the property at 1528 and 1532 South Primrose Avenue to 123 West Pomona, LLC for  an “above-market sales price of $1,695,000, or around $183 / square foot.” The property is intended for a mixed use development. https://goo.gl/awRzPa

~ Modifying a contract with West Coast Arborists for the period ending June 30, 2019, to add brush clearance and hazardous vegetation management service. That will cost up to $30,000 for the fiscal year. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Dinner at Domenico’s

Dinner recently at Domenico’s, on the south side of Huntington just east of Magnolia. Traditional style Italian. Got the ravioli for $15.99 and a beer for $5.75. Meal came with a dinner salad and basket of bread. Good and very filling. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Firefighters Pancake Breakfast Tomorrow

Tomorrow, May 12, is the annual pancake breakfast at fire station 101, 141 E Lemon, sponsored by the Monrovia Firefighters Association.. From 7-11 a.m. there will be a bounce house, live demonstrations, a Jr. Firefighter challenge and pancakes.  $5, kids 3 and under eat free. Proceeds benefit Monrovia charities. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Baseball Wins Championship

Monrovia baseball wins Rio Hondo League championship. https://goo.gl/3WkyAF

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Police: Bather Being Sent Back to Nebraska; Mom Gets Child to Steal; Drunks; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for May 3-9. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 448 service events, resulting in 96 investigations.

Warrant – Suspect Arrested
May 3 at 9:26 a.m., an officer was patrolling the 1600 block of S. Myrtle when he saw a male subject bathing in the decorative fountain at Station Square Park. The officer contacted the subject, and a computer check revealed he was wanted by the State of Nebraska for crimes committed there. The officer arrested and took custody of the subject, who will be transported back to Nebraska by authorities from that State.

Grand Theft
May 3 at 2:33 p.m., a resident in the 600 block of E. Olive walked outside her home and discovered someone had stolen the catalytic converter from her vehicle, which had been parked in front of her house. She believes it was stolen sometime during the night. This investigation is continuing.

Grand Theft
May 3 at 5:01 p.m., a resident in the 1500 block of S. Fifth reported that someone had stolen the catalytic converter from his vehicle sometime during the night. This investigation is continuing.

Warrant – Suspect Arrested
May 3 at 6:46 p.m., the Special Enforcement Team saw a male subject in the 400 block Hurstview whom they recognized from previous contacts. A computer check revealed the subject had a warrant for his arrest. He was arrested and taken into custody. In the jail, he admitted to being involved in a local gang and was responsible for several vandalisms around the city.

DUI – Suspects Arrested
May 3 at 11:16 p.m., officers stopped a motorist in the 800 block of E. Huntington after he was reported to be possibly driving under the influence. Officers contacted the driver and found him to be intoxicated. After field sobriety tests were conducted, the driver was arrested for DUI.

Domestic Violence – Suspect Arrested
May 4 at 12:44 a.m., a female resident in the 700 block of W. Foothill reported her husband had just hit her after an argument. Officers arrived, and after an investigation, they arrested and took the male subject into custody for domestic violence.

Injury Traffic Collision
May 4 at 8:12 a.m., a motorist inadvertently turned his vehicle abruptly at the intersection of California and Huntington, causing the vehicle to overturn. Officers arrived and found the driver had sustained injuries requiring medical attention. The driver was transported to a nearby hospital.

Drunk in Public – Suspect Arrested
May 4 at 8:31 a.m., several callers reported a male subject lying on the ground in the 300 block of W. Duarte. Officers arrived to offer assistance. They found the subject was too intoxicated to care for his own safety. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Warrant – Suspect Arrested
May 4 at 10:20 a.m., callers reported a male subject behaving suspiciously in the 600 block of E. Olive. Officers arrived and contacted the subject. A computer check revealed he had two warrants for his arrest. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Injury Traffic Collision
May 4 at 12:32 p.m., two vehicles collided into one another in the 1800 block of S. Myrtle. Officers arrived to investigate the cause of the collision. Occupants in the vehicles complained of pain, but did not have visible injuries.

Injury Traffic Collision
May 4 at 4:39 p.m., callers reported two vehicles had collided into one another in the 800 block of W. Foothill. Officers arrived to investigate the collision. Occupants in the vehicles complained of pain, but did not have visible injuries.

DUI Traffic Collision – Suspect Arrest
May 4 at 10:03 p.m., callers reported a motorist had just collided into a parked car in the 400 block of Wildrose. Officers arrived and contacted the driver. He was found to be intoxicated. Field sobriety tests were conducted and the subject was arrested for DUI.

Attempt Grand Theft / Parole Violation – Suspect Arrested
May 5 at 7:12 a.m., callers reported seeing a male subject attempting to pry off the lock of a Lime Bike in the 300 block of W. Huntington. Officers arrived and located the subject, and after he was identified by witnesses, he was arrested. A computer check revealed he was also on active parole.

Possession of Stolen Property – Suspect Arrested
May 5 at 7:50 a.m., an employee of a restaurant in the 600 block of W. Huntington reported a male subject inside their business was causing a disturbance. Officers arrived and contacted the subject. The subject was found to be in possession of property and identification belonging to someone else. The owner was contacted and informed officers that their property had been stolen from their car the previous night. The subject was arrested.

Drunk in Public – Suspect Arrested
May 5 at 10:36 a.m., a caller reported a male subject lying on the ground in the 100 block of W. Duarte. Officers arrived and found the subject to be intoxicated. He was too drunk to care for his own safety. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Shoplifting – Suspect Arrested
May 5 at 6:27 p.m., the employee of a store in the 1600 block of S. Mountain reported a male subject had just entered their store, removed merchandise and concealed it in his clothing before leaving the store. Officers arrived and apprehended the suspect. The stolen property was returned to the store and the suspect was arrested and taken into custody.

Drunk in Public – Suspects Arrested
May 6 between 1:41 and 2:06 a.m., officers detained two subjects in the 100 block of W. Lime and the 1500 block of S. Myrtle for appearing intoxicated. Both subjects were found to be too drunk to care for their own safety. They were both arrested and taken into custody. 


Assault with a Deadly Weapon 
May 6 at 1:58 a.m., the owner of a business in the 800 block of S. Myrtle was at work when he saw two subjects at a neighboring business removing parts from a parked car. One of the two subjects pointed a gun at the business owner. Officers arrived, but the subjects were gone. A search was conducted for the suspects, but they were not located. This investigation is continuing.

Drunk in Public – Suspect Arrested
May 6 at 9:12 a.m., a caller reported a male subject stumbling in the 100 block of W. Duarte who may need assistance. Officers arrived and contacted the subject. He was found to be too drunk to care for his own safety, so he was arrested and taken into custody.

Shoplifting
May 6 at 10:40 a.m., an employee at a store in the 500 block of W. Duarte detained a female subject and her child outside the store for shoplifting. Officers arrived to investigate and found the mother had told her child to take toys before leaving the store without paying. The Department of Child and Family Services was notified and charges will be filed against the mother.

Grand Theft – Suspect Arrested
May 6 at 2:37 p.m., an employee of a store in the 1600 block of S. Mountain reported that they had detained a male subject for leaving the store with power tools that he did not pay for. Officers arrived, and after an investigation, arrested and took the subject into custody.

Possession of Narcotics – Suspect Cited
May 6 at 10:17 p.m., a caller reported a male subject behaving suspiciously in the 900 block of W. Huntington. Officers arrived and contacted the subject, who was found to be in possession of illegal narcotics. The subject was issued a citation to appear in court on the charges.

Possession of Narcotics – Suspect Cited
May 6 at 11:05 p.m., a sergeant was patrolling the 1500 block of S. California when he saw a male subject riding a bicycle at night without lighting equipment. The subject was stopped and found to be in possession of illegal narcotics. The subject was issued a citation to appear in court on the charges.

Vandalism
May 7 at 6:47 a.m., an employee at a school in the 200 block of N. Mayflower found someone had broken one of the school’s cafeteria windows sometime over the weekend. Officers were called to investigate, and they found that no one had entered the building. This investigation is continuing.

Injury Traffic Collision
May 7 at 4:08 p.m., callers reported a vehicle had just ran a red light, causing a collision with a bicyclist. Officers responded along with paramedics and provided medical attention to the bicyclist, who was then transported to a nearby hospital. The party at fault was issued a citation for the violation.

Injury Traffic Collision
May 8 at 3:24 p.m., callers reported a vehicle failed to stop for a red light and caused a collision with another vehicle in the 200 block of W. Duarte. Officers arrived to investigate. Both drivers complained of pain, but did not have visible injuries. The party at fault was issued a citation for the violation.

Residential Burglary
May 8 at 4:55 p.m., a resident in the 1200 block of S. Alta Vista walked into her garage to get her purse, which she had left inside the garage with the garage door open. She discovered someone had entered the garage and taken her purse. This investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary
May 8 at 9:15 p.m., a resident in the 500 block of Hacienda returned home and discovered someone had entered an unlocked door to the house and stole a shotgun. This investigation is continuing.

Drunk in Public – Suspect Arrested
May 9 at 1:16 a.m., an officer was patrolling the 1800 block of S. California when he saw a male subject stumbling. He contacted the subject to see if he needed help and found him to be heavily intoxicated. Sobriety tests were conducted and the officer determined the subject was too drunk to care for his own safety. He was arrested and taken into custody.

DUI – Suspect Arrested
May 9 at 2:19 a.m., an officer was patrolling the 2600 block of S. Peck when he saw a motorist commit a driving violation. The officer stopped the vehicle and contacted the driver, who was found to be intoxicated. Field sobriety tests were conducted and the driver was taken into custody for DUI.

Commercial Burglary
May 9 at 3:16 a.m., officers responded to a burglary alarm at a business in the 500 block of S. Myrtle. When they arrived, they found the front glass window to the business had been shattered and the inside of the building appeared ransacked. The owners of the business arrived and told officers that a large quantity of eyeglasses had been stolen. This investigation is continuing.

Vandalism
May 9 at 3:56 a.m., a resident in the 800 block of W. Foothill was awakened by the sound of glass breaking. He went outside his home and discovered someone had shattered his car window, but nothing appeared to be missing from inside. This investigation is continuing.

Warrant – Suspect Arrested
May 9 at 8:21 a.m., a caller reported a male subject in the 900 block of W. Duarte causing a disturbance. Officers arrived and contacted the subject. A computer check revealed he had a warrant for his arrest, so he was taken into custody.

Shoplifting / Identity Theft – Suspect Arrested
May 9 at 3:17 p.m., an employee at a store in the 1600 block of S. Mountain saw a male subject enter the store, remove an air conditioner from a shelf, then leave the store without paying. The subject then walked back into the store through another door and attempted to return the stolen merchandise for cash, using someone else’s identification. The employee detained the subject and called the police. Officers arrived and investigated the incident. The subject was arrested and taken into custody. 

Summer Family Fun Night

Fellowship Monrovia will hold its first Family Night of the summer on Thursday May 17, from 6-8 p.m. at its Huntington Drive Campus at the corner of  Huntington and California Ave. Dinner, bounce houses, DJ, lawn games, and more. No registration needed. $10 for the family, $5 per individual. Cost includes dinner. Parking will be off site.

- Brad Haugaard

Tribute to Monrovian Julius Parker

A tribute to Monrovia’s “unsung hero,” Julius Parker, who received his high school diploma a little late - at age 91. https://goo.gl/Ybi8dR

- Brad Haugaard 

First Presbyterian Church Turns 130

First Presbyterian Church of Monrovia, at the corner of Foothill and Myrtle, will celebrate its 130th birthday on Sunday, May 20, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

- Brad Haugaard