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Monrovia Church in Spotlight for Joplin Efforts

Monrovia's New Beginnings Family Church is getting a lot of press for its efforts on behalf of Joplin, Missouri. Here's a Star-News article ( http://goo.gl/b6is9 ) and I understand there will also be a report about it on CBS2/KCAL tonight (May 31).

- Brad Haugaard

Portantino Bills Go to Full Assembly

Several education bills - and one on rape kits - authored by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, who represents part of Monrovia, will be voted on by the full State Assembly. http://goo.gl/mT9NT
 
- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia School Board to Evaluate Itself

The Monrovia School Board will have a 5 p.m. study session tomorrow (Wednesday, June 1) to "review board roles, responsibilities and leadership," and to do a "self-evaluation." http://goo.gl/8x0rb
- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia City Manager on Budgeting and Pension Costs

In his weekly report, Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa called budgeting a "full-contact sport" and said the city will negotiate with employee groups to reduce pension costs.  http://goo.gl/VnUOX
 
~ In discussing the Monrovia City Council's budget study session at 6 p.m. tonight (May 31), Ochoa says: "These unprecedented economic times in California - if nothing else - make budgeting a full-contact sport as we try to slip between the obstacles posed by the State."
 
~ Also, Ochoa addressed pension reform, saying, "[W]e will negotiate with employees to absorb increasing amounts of their own retirement costs, until they have reassumed the entire employee share; and we will adjust the structure by which employees accrue bankable hours and expend such hours." He writes that a few years ago, the pension system's investments were doing great, but not so any more, and Monrovia's employee groups and management team "all appear to understand the new economic reality."
 
- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Assemblyman Challenges Feds to Take Illegal Immigrant Inmates

In light of the U.S. Supreme Court-ordered release of California prisoners due to overcrowding, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, who represents Monrovia, is challenging the federal government "to either fully fund the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program or take the illegal immigrant inmates [approximately 17,000] into federal custody for the duration of their sentences." http://goo.gl/BqDhf
 
- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Writing Workshop | Memorial Day Flyover Picture

~ Writing workshop tomorrow, June 1, at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the Monrovia Library. http://goo.gl/Tfrja

~ Picture of the planes in the Memorial Day flyby over Monrovia. http://goo.gl/k0sna

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Memorial Day Salute | Major Huntington Disruptions | Shaw Honored | Librarian

~ Memorial Day salute today at 10 a.m. at Live Oak Memorial Park. http://goo.gl/CfX8M

~ There are already disruptions on Huntington because of construction, but now the city is warning that there will be "major" disruptions. Details: http://goo.gl/ttGrd

~ Councilman Clarence Shaw given Renaissance Award. http://goo.gl/Uhp1f

~ Monrovia librarian to attend national youth conference. http://goo.gl/7ET3Q

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Aztec Hotel in Dispute

The Aztec Hotel, at the corner of Foothill and Magnolia, is in court dispute ... and it needs a new roof. http://goo.gl/zpkAV
 
- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Senator's Bill Moves to Senate Floor

A bill to allow school employee volunteers to help epileptic pupils who suffer seizures while on campus (sponsored by Monrovia's State Senator, Bob Huff) has moved to the Senate floor despite "heavy union-led opposition." http://goo.gl/ek5lk

- Brad Haugaard

Fiesta at Immaculate Conception

Neat photo of the fiesta at Immaculate Conception this weekend. http://goo.gl/2kAKe

- Brad Haugaard

Photo of Monrovia's First Fire Truck

A picture and bit of history about Monrovia's first fire truck, "Tommy," come home to be restored. http://goo.gl/yJLW7

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Church Helps Joplin

New Beginnings Family Church, of Monrovia, is gathering a supplies to deliver to Joplin, Missouri ( http://goo.gl/p1Vju ). Church website: http://goo.gl/zMaa2
 
- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Burger Shack


This used to be Tom's, at Foothill and Madison. It has been very nicely fixed up. I got a Greek Burger with feta cheese. Nice.

- Brad Haugaard

Adoptable Cats and Dogs | Monrovia VFW


Holly, at the Inland Valley Humane Society in Pomona, would love Monrovia. http://goo.gl/27kSf

~ Here's where to find a friend. IVHS - Cats ( http://goo.gl/tdJ5K ), dogs ( http://goo.gl/H3Iey ), other critters ( http://goo.gl/YQmf6 ). San Gabriel Valley Humane Society: http://goo.gl/LGcwg
~ For Memorial Day the Monrovia VFW will place wooden crosses on veterans' graves at Live Oak Park Saturday. http://goo.gl/4A2bc
- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Budget Study Session | Miyachi Opens Brazil Office

~ The Monrovia City Council will hold a study session to look at the 2011-2013 fiscal years budget at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31. http://goo.gl/D3eIC
 
~ Monrovia's Miyachi Unitek Corporation, which specializes in welding, soldering and cutting, is opening a new office in Brazil. http://goo.gl/YKtxb
 
- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia PD: DUI, Hit and Run, Burglary, Theft, Robbery

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for May. 19-25. - Brad Haugaard]
 
During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 520 service events, resulting in 95 investigations.  Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
 
False Information to a Peace Officer / Possession of a Controlled Substance / Warrant - Suspect Arrested
May 19 at 2:50 p.m., an officer on patrol in the 200 block of West Foothill stopped a bicyclist for a violation.  The officer had suspicions that the bicyclist did not provide his true name.  The officer's fingerprint reader revealed the suspect did give a false name.  The suspect was found to have a warrant out for his arrest and a search revealed a small package of methamphetamine on his person.  The suspect was arrested and taken into custody.
 
Felony Evading / Driving Under the Influence - Suspect Arrested
May 22 at 2:35 a.m., an officer on patrol in the area of Duarte Road and Sixth noticed his radar activate, which indicated a vehicle was approaching at a high rate of speed.  The vehicle passed by and the officer went in pursuit, attempting to stop the vehicle.  The driver failed to stop and made numerous sharp turns in an attempt to get away.  The driver finally stopped at the 210 Freeway and was detained.  During the investigation, the driver was determined to be driving under the influence and was arrested. 
 
Outstanding Warrant - Suspect Arrested
May 22 at 9:35 a.m., an officer was patrolling a business parking lot in the 100 block of West Foothill when he saw a male subject loitering in front of a store.  He recognized the subject and knew he had an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest for possession of methamphetamine.  He detained the subject and confirmed the warrant, then arrested him without incident. 
 
Commercial Burglary - Suspect Arrested
May 23 at 5:00 a.m., officers responded to a burglary alarm at a business in the 300 block of West Huntington.  Upon arrival, they found someone had forced a back window open and entered the location.  There was no evidence of any property taken.  One of the officers noticed a suspicious person on a bicycle leaving the area of Cypress and Magnolia.  The bicyclist was detained and found to be in possession of numerous packages of cigarettes.  A search of the area revealed that a neighboring business was also burglarized by a suspect using a cutting tool to create a crawl space into the location.  The investigation revealed that the cigarettes found in the suspect's possession were stolen from that business.  The suspect was arrested.  The investigation is continuing.
 
Vehicle Burglary
May 23 at 6:17 a.m., an officer was dispatched on the report of a vehicle burglary that occurred in the 200 block of West Lemon.   The window on the victim's vehicle was broken and items inside the vehicle were stolen. 
 
Grand Theft Auto
May 23 at 7:12 a.m., a victim called to report his green, 2005 Honda Pilot had been stolen sometime during the night.  The victim's son parked and secured the vehicle in front of the residence the night before.  He believes this is related to a burglary at his residence in which his extra keys to his vehicle were taken.  There were no signs of forced entry. 
 
Theft from a Vehicle
May 23 at 11:22 a.m., a resident in the 300 block of North May called to report a theft from her vehicle.  The suspect took checks and other items from the vehicle during the night.  The victim believes she left the doors unlocked. 
 
Robbery - Suspect Arrested
May 23 at 4:18 p.m., loss prevention officers from a business in the 700 block of East Huntington called regarding a female subject they detained for shoplifting.  The female would not comply with the loss prevention officer's request to walk back inside the store.  After several attempts, the loss prevention officer tried to take the female's hand to control her and she began to fight him.  As they fell to the ground, the suspect kicked at the loss prevention officer.  A police officer arrived and the female suspect was taken into custody without further incident. 
 
Residential Burglary
May 23 at 4:49 p.m., a resident in the 800 block of Oakdale Avenue called to report that someone had broken into her home.  She had left the location and had been away from her home overnight.  When she returned the next day at about 4:30 in the afternoon, she found the rear, sliding glass door had been smashed.  Officers arrived and checked the premises.  Miscellaneous items, jewelry, and a rifle and revolver were taken. 
 
Hit & Run Traffic Collision / Evading Police / Attempt Suicide / 72-Hour Mental Evaluation
May 23 at 11:55 p.m., police received a call reporting a man and woman arguing in the area of Palm and Canyon.  Officers arrived and contacted the female subject.  She said she had been arguing with her boyfriend, who then left her there and drove away.  An officer saw the boyfriend driving north on Primrose from Colorado, then east on Lemon.  The officer attempted to make a traffic stop, but the man drove through the red light at Myrtle.  He continued east on Lemon and ran the stop sign at Ivy.  He lost control of his vehicle and collided into a parked car in the 200 block of East Lemon.  The suspect fled the accident scene on foot.  The suspect was not located, but his identity was determined.  Officers attempted to locate the suspect at his home, but he was not at the location.   
The next morning at 8:18 a.m., officers were dispatched to the suspect's residence in the 200 block of Poinsettia.  The 19 year old suspect had returned and was threatening suicide.  Officers arrived and were told the suspect locked himself in his room and he had two knives with him.  The suspect refused to open the door for officers.  Officers forced entry through the door and detained the suspect without further incident.  He was taken to a hospital, where he was held for mental evaluation.  Charges will be filed with the District Attorney's Office. 
 
Vehicle Burglary
May 24 at 6:29 a.m., a resident in the 100 block of McKinley called to report that someone had broken into her vehicle.  An officer was dispatched to the location and found that the suspect had broken out a rear passenger window.  The victim had left her purse in the vehicle and it had been taken by the suspect. 
 
Commercial Burglary - Suspect Arrested
May 25 at 1:59 p.m., loss prevention from a business in the 500 block of West Huntington reported that a female subject had taken merchandise and exited the store without paying.  She fled in a black vehicle driven by a male subject.  Loss prevention officers obtained the license plate number.  An officer responded and contacted the loss prevention officers, who provided the license plate number of the vehicle and a photo of the female suspect.  A DMV check of the license plate indicated the vehicle is registered to a residence in the county area of Arcadia.  The officer contacted the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and requested they drive by the location to check for the vehicle.  The vehicle was located at the residence.  Monrovia officers went to the location and contacted the female suspect.  She was arrested for burglary without incident. 

Free Monrovia High Concert | School Librarians | Unity Leaders Honored| Stolen Laptop

~ The Monrovia High Band will perform at the fountain in Library Park this Friday (May 27) at 6 p.m. Bring dinner, chairs and blankets. Soft drinks, coffee and pastries will be for sale. It is a free concert, but donations are welcome and greatly appreciated!

~ Parents ask for school librarians to be retained. http://goo.gl/AziCx

~ Foothill Unity Center Executive Director, Joan Whitenack, and board member Lois Gaston were honorees at the "2011 Fifty Fabulous Women" event in Pasadena. More than 250 women were nominated for this year's group of women who give back to the community in exceptional ways. http://goo.gl/jkNSo

~ Lorraine Delgado, who had her laptop stolen from her car would like to hear from anyone who may have seen anything. The passenger window of her car was broken into between 11 p.m. May 20 and 6 a.m. May 21 and her Macintosh lG4 laptop was stolen. Thes theft occurred on the 600 Block of King Street, north of Huntington between Monterrey and Mayflower. If you have information, please contact Lorraine at mindescapedesign@yahoo.com .

- Brad Haugaard

Army Orders Planes from Monrovia's AeroVironment | Football Schedule

~ Monrovia's AeroVironment has received $8.4 million Army order for hand-launched Raven mini-spy plane. http://goo.gl/duZfU

~ Monrovia Wildcat football schedule. http://goo.gl/GdMqi

- Brad Haugaard

Will Monrovia School Libraries Be Cut?

Parents are concerned that Monrovia school libraries remain intact. http://goo.gl/hxgG3
I totally sympathize with the parents. I love libraries. I haunted my junior high library. But I also sympathize with the dilemma of the Monrovia School Board. As long as money is not coming from the state (and I don't see much more coming any time soon) I fear that not cutting in one place will simply mean cutting more in another place. I'm afraid it is not a question of whether school programs are hit, but which school programs are hit.

Many years ago, school districts controlled their own money. As I recall, they had taxing authority and raised their own funds. Then a judge ruled that it was unfair because poorer districts couldn't spend as much as wealthier districts, so all state education funds would be collected by the state and distributed "fairly." Well, you know what happened. The state decided this was its money.
I think that back then all the state's school districts should have banded together and fought to collect and disburse education tax money themselves, rather than ceding that authority to the state. When a governmental entity gives up its taxing power, it becomes a begging, insignificant pawn.
I know, I know. 20/20 hindsight.

- Brad Haugaard



Monrovia's Senator Huff: Governor 'Moving In Right Direction'

Not exactly love and kisses, but Republican State Senator Bob Huff, who represents Monrovia, is making some positive noises about Democratic Governor Jerry Brown's latest budget:
 
"Senate Republicans believe that the Governor is moving in the right direction by making education and law enforcement funding a top priority. We're also pleased that the Governor chose to embrace Republican proposals to pay down state debt and, at the same time, provide some badly needed job-creation incentives."
 
But, he adds, "the Governor's proposal still sets the state on a course of unsustainable spending growth in the future."
 
Source: http://goo.gl/5vdRh
 
- Brad Haugaard