Robert Parry Election Statement - Running for Monrovia City Council

As I have knocked on doors to talk to Monrovians from 5th Avenue to Bradbury Drive to Hillcrest to Encino Place, I have heard many concerns about our special community. Concerns like crime, streets without stripes potholes, empty store fronts and fears of traffic from the Gold Line. We must address our massive deferred maintenance backlog, preserve our natural and historic ambiance, and budget carefully.

I’m proud to be endorsed by community leaders like Councilmembers Tom Adams & Alex Blackburn; Former Mayors Rob Hammond, State Senator Dick Mountjoy and John Nobrega; activists Gwendolyn Jones and Jimmy Oballes; and the Monrovia Police Officers’ Association.

My qualifications include:
- Small-business owner; 20 years in marketing and finance
- Master’s degree in business from USC; bachelors in journalism from the University of La Verne
- Military reserve officer: three combat tours; currently responsible for 120 Soldiers & $10 million in government property
- Community activist and proven City hall fighter
- Member of Monrovia Library Park Conduct Committee
- VFW Post 2070 Senior Vice Commander
- Father of a pre-schooler
- San Gabriel Valley native

My priorities are simple:

1. Prioritize fiscal responsibility & public safety
2. Preserve Monrovia’s unique character and appearance
3. Maintain our infrastructure.
4. Economic development and integration of the Gold Line, to include attracting new high tech businesses to town while mitigating noise for the neighbors.
5. Improve quality of life; building a park south of Huntington Drive.

I promise to always do what I believe is Monrovia’s best interest.  I’ll apply my experience as a father, businessman and leader to every question.  And I will respect all who come to participate in our democracy and make Monrovia a better place.

You can learn more at: www.ParryForMonrovia.com

Thank you for the honor of your vote.

Dinner at Black Angus

Dinner at Black Angus. Got the 11 oz. top sirloin with baked potato soup and Caesar salad as sides for $22.99 and a 25 oz. beer for$8.  It came with fresh bread and everything was tasty. 

- Bead Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Extremely Drunk; Knife on Campus; As Cop Takes Hit and Run Info, Suspect Drives By

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for February 9-11. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 421 service events, resulting in 91 investigations.

Driving Under the Influence/Injury Traffic Collision
February 9 at 4:56 p.m., police responded to the report of an injury traffic collision in the 500 block of Norumbega. A male subject was driving up Norumbega when he crashed into the front of the property. The resident saw that the driver was trying to flee and gave chase. Officers arrived and detained the subject, who had visible injuries to his face. The driver was determined to be extremely intoxicated. Due to his injuries, the driver was taken to a hospital for treatment. Charges will be submitted to the District Attorney’s office for filing.

72 Hour Mental Evaluation
February 10 at 1:39 p.m., an officer responded to the front of a business in the 600 block of West Huntington. A subject wearing camouflage was making threats about shooting people. Officers contacted the subject and no weapons were found. The subject was taken to a hospital, where he was held for a 72 hour mental evaluation.

Weapon on School Grounds – Suspect Arrested
February 10 at 1:47 p.m., staff from an elementary school called police to report a student being detained for possession of a folding knife. A male student brought the knife to school and passed it on to one of the female students. The female student started showing off the knife to others. When school staff learned about the knife and confronted the student, she ran and gave it back to the male subject she received it from. The knife was eventually recovered and the female student was cited for possessing a knife on school grounds.

Vehicle Burglary
February 11 at 8:16 p.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 500 block of Diamond. The victim parked and thought she locked her vehicle in front of her home. When her husband went out to use the vehicle the next evening, he found the car was unlocked and property was missing. The investigation is continuing.

Domestic Violence
February 11 at 11:46 p.m., officers were dispatched to a domestic violence incident on Duarte Road. Both the suspect and victim were last seen in front of the location. The officer arrived and found the victim had sustained a cut lip and finger after the male suspect hit her several times. The officer located the male suspect and arrested him for domestic violence.

Driving Under the Influence/Traffic Collision
February 12 at 1:30 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Wildrose regarding a hit and run traffic collision where the suspect had fled the scene. The suspect vehicle was described as a green Chevy Silverado. As the officer was getting information from the reporting party, the suspect vehicle was seen driving down the street. The officer stopped the vehicle and determined the driver was driving under the influence. The driver was arrested and taken into custody.

Windy? | New Bike Bill in State Senate

~ Gusty winds expected today: http://goo.gl/ySHTyq

~ State senator Carol Liu, who represents Monrovia, has authored a bill requiring adult bicyclists to wear helmets (already required of minors) and all riders to wear reflective gear at night. http://goo.gl/6qcZ0l

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Candidate Forums in March

~ Monrovia City Council Candidate Forum Wednesday, March 4 at 6 p.m., Monrovia City Council Chambers, 415 South Ivy. Hosted by the Monrovia Chamber and facilitated by the Pasadena League of Women Voters.

~ Monrovia Mayoral Candidate Forum Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m., Monrovia City Council Chambers, 415 South Ivy. Hosted by the Monrovia Chamber and facilitated by the Pasadena League of Women Voters.

- Brad Haugaard

Should Monrovia Celebrate Its Zip Code Day? | Volunteer Opportunities

~ Reader Kelly Moran thinks it would be a good idea for Monrovia to celebrate its Zip Code Day (91016), because, you see, 9/10/16 is coming up. She says, "I would hope a more organized community event with fireworks is in order!" And, she wonders what candidates for city council think.

~ Volunteer Center of the San Gabriel Valley has internship opportunities for high school students. Details: http://goo.gl/cCKQM2

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Starr Surgical Says It Is Working to Address FDA Concerns

Monrovia's Starr Surgical reports that it is responding to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration Warning Letter following an inspection of its Monrovia facilities. The company says it "is currently drafting a response to the FDA's observations" and "will continue to work diligently to address the observations identified in the Form 483 and 2014 Warning Letter." http://goo.gl/8VpJzO

- Brad Haugaard

Scott Austin Election Statement - Running for Monrovia City Council

My name is Scott Austin and I am running for City Council to bring a new voice and new energy to Monrovia. My goal is to foster a more open form of government that welcomes input from throughout the community to make our city a better place to live, work, shop and do business.

A decade-long resident of Monrovia, I’ve sought ways to give back to our community. For the last four years, I’ve served as a Monrovia Planning Commissioner, and have also served on the Historic Preservation Commission. I’ve also been a KGEM board member for 9 years

As a firefighter for 27 years with the City of Pasadena, public service has been my life’s work. I hold an Associate Degree in Fire Science and Business Management. I believe my education work experience and civic involvement make me a good choice to help lead our city into the future.

As a council member, my priorities will be economic development, sensible fiscal planning, public safety, and historic preservation.

Working collaboratively with the business community, our public-sector partners and all of our residents, we can make a better Monrovia for everyone. I welcome your comments and questions at any of the addresses below. I respectfully ask for your vote on April 14th.

Scott Austin

www.AustinforMonrovia.com

Email:scottaustin2015@gmail.com

Facebook: Scott Austin 4 city council

What Calvary Chapel Monrovia Wants to Do With Fourth Dimension Building

Calvary Chapel Monrovia is in escrow to purchase the Fourth Dimension building on Myrtle, right across from Library Park. I reported this as a possibility before, but have now confirmed it with Calvary Chapel Administrative Pastor Mike Antenesse. The escrow, he said, has contingencies, so it's not a done deal, but the church is hopeful.

Here's what Calvary Chapel hopes to do:

• Refurbish the front of the building so it is more in keeping with Old Town, sort of Fifties-ish style.
• Use the back of the building for the church, making the entrance off the alley in the back of the building. The church would not face Myrtle at all.
• Put two retail businesses facing Myrtle. One would be a family friendly bookstore with not only Christian books, but also children's books, home school materials, books on cooking, hobbies, travel, history, home and garden, etc. The other would be a coffee shop. Both businesses would be church-owned but would be taxed just like any other retail businesses.
• The main floor would be for services and the downstairs would be for classrooms.
• Parking would be at the five story Colorado Commons parking structure (mid-block on the north side of Colorado just west of Myrtle). Antenesse said there would be a shuttle service for those too infirm to walk the roughly three blocks, but he believes many of the 700-member congregation would walk and go to restaurants or a movie after church. And since Calvary Chapel is a "commuter church," he said, this should mean a lot of new people coming to town.
• Offer the building for city meetings, such as the State of the City message, and make it available for community organizations to rent.
• Work with the city doing programs in Library Park. He said the church doesn't want to start something separate but would like to use its experience with youth programs, tutoring and drug rehabilitation to assist existing efforts.

He said one Old Town merchant told him that if the 28,000 square foot property was used as a regular retail building operating during regular business days, that it would swamp the parking, but because it would be used primarily during low-traffic Sundays, it could be a boost to those businesses that are open Sundays.

Antenesse said the down payment for the building is "sizeable" and that the church is still $400,000 short, but he said the congregation is behind the effort and he is hopeful that the church can move in sometime this year.

- Brad Haugaard

What Happened to $900,000 Monrovia Had to Fix Its Historic Train Station?

I've had a couple requests that I check on what happened to $900,000 the city had for fixing up the old train station. So, I asked City Manager Oliver Chi, and here is his response:

"With regard to the grant for the Historic Depot that you asked about, the funds you are referencing are related to a 2002 grant that the City obtained through Metro. At that time, the City was awarded $927,000 for use towards rehabilitation of the Historic Depot. The funds were intended to be used to upgrade the facility in conjunction with the Gold Line project coming through town.

"In discussing the matter with staff, it appears that after much deliberation, discussion, and analysis, a conscious decision was made not to utilize all of the funding to complete the project. One of the factors that impacted the decision was related to ownership of the actual Historic Depot. Until October 2013, the City did not actually own the facility. Property ownership, along with coordination and timing issues with the Gold Line, created a scenario where it was simply not feasible or possible to coordinate the renovations for the Historic Depot with the plans being developed by the Gold Line Construction Authority. Therefore, based on these issues, the City returned the unused monies to Metro once the funding period had ended for the grant."

- Brad Haugaard

Mary Ann Lutz Election Statement - Running for Monrovia Mayor

Candidate Statement of Mayor Mary Ann Lutz

    I am proud to serve as Monrovia’s Mayor for the past six years, one of the most challenging financial periods in our city’s history. A steady, consistent hand on the helm has pulled us through these hard times with our finances secure, our homes and streets safe and our future as bright as ever.

    My area-wide involvement, including work on such issues as water quality, energy and waste management, has helped bring Monrovia new businesses, new programs and new funding, leveraging and strengthening the community’s resources and maintaining its role as a regional leader. It is important that we continue that long-standing policy of regional engagement if we are to maintain the advances we’ve made and the opportunities we’ve identified.

    I see great things ahead for Monrovia!

•             Crime is down, the lowest in decades!

•             Our budget is balanced.

•             We have come through hard times with minimal disruption and our economy is growing again. Nearly 200 new businesses were added to the tax base last year!

•            The Gold Line and Station Square are under construction after decades of hard work.

•             Our playgrounds are getting new equipment.

•             Master plans for sewer and water upgrades are in the works, and

•             A comprehensive, affordable and citywide program of sidewalk, street, curb and gutter improvements is on the drawing boards.

    The opportunities for Monrovia are as great today as they have ever been. We have the team, the support, the commitment and the momentum to make the next few years truly special in our community and I look forward to helping lead that great effort.

    Please join me at LutzforMonrovia.com or at Facebook.com/MayorMaryAnnLutz as we work to keep Monrovia the dynamic community it is today!

Leadership with Impact!

Mayor Mary Ann Lutz

Delivering Results for All Monrovia

Monrovia's Assemblyman Wants 30-Day Notice Before Dealer Can Use Starter-Blocker for Car Repo

Assemblymember Chris Holden, who represents Monrovia, has introduced Assembly Bill 265 to require buy-here/pay-here car dealerships (for poor-credit customers) to provide 30-day written notice before using a starter-interruption device which disables the vehicle. Current law requires a 48 hour warning for repossession due to late payments or insurance cancellation. Source: Holden press release

- Brad Haugaard

Text of Monrovia Mayor Mary Ann Lutz State of City Speech

Monrovia Mayor Mary Ann Lutz' State of the City speech: http://goo.gl/vYR3Eo

- Brad Haugaard

Mayor Lutz Kicks off Reelection Campaign

Monrovia Mayor Mary Ann Lutz will open her 2015 campaign for reelection with a kickoff party Friday, Feb. 20, at the Doubletree Hotel, 924 W. Huntington Drive. The event is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. She will be on hand to greet and talk with supporters and elaborate on many of the points she made during her State of City address. To attend, call 357-3064. Source: Lutz press release.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Mixer for Young Professionals

Monrovia Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a "Monrovia Young Professionals" event for businesspeople age 20-40 at Pacific Plate Brewing Co. (1999 S. Myrtle) on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m. For reservations: 358-1159