Voting Day in Monrovia

Vote today! Haven't had time to vote yet but it looked pretty busy as
I drove by my polling spot. The before-work crowd.

- Brad Haugaard

A State Bowl Game for Monrovia? | Business Stats

~ Sports writer Steve Ramirez wonders if there is a state bowl game in Monrovia's future. http://goo.gl/kilqY

~ Some interesting stats about business from the latest Monrovia Today magazine:

- There are 1,300 businesses in town that create 18,000 jobs and pay $8 million in sales tax. - The top 50 employ nearly 7,400 people and pay $5.2 million in sales tax, or 65% of the sales tax. - Top three business categories (by revenue) are autos (50%), retail and grocer (36%), manufacturing (7%).

Comment: I like that Monrovia actually seems appreciative of its businesses, unlike a certain state government I could mention, which seems to want to burden and threaten them at every step.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's AeroVironment Switchblade is 'Invention of the Year' | Donate by Text | Job Videos

~ Time magazine calls the Switchblade drone, made by Monrovia's AeroVironment, one of the best inventions of 2012. http://goo.gl/osXPG

~ Monrovia Presbyterian Church is suggesting its members donate $10 to Presbyterian Disaster Relief to help Hurricane Sandy relief efforts by sending a text saying "PDA" to 20222. The church says "Presbyterian Disaster Assistance ... gives 100% of the funds to help those in need." http://goo.gl/4Jwy2

~ Monrovia Library adds "Soft Skills" videos to its Job and Career Center. http://goo.gl/GjUEP

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Xencor Has Anti-Tumor Drug | Help Hurricane Victims | Black Alumni Banquet | Fire Danger Today

~ Monrovia's Xencor and its German partner are reporting encouraging signs for its new anti-tumor drug for some types of leukemia and lymphoma. http://goo.gl/BsNUD

~ Monrovia Mayor suggests a donation to help Sandy hurricane victims through the Red Cross. 1-800-HELP-NOW or www.redcross.org/abc .

~ Monrovia Duarte Black Alumni Association will honor James Mikell and William Hale, Jr. at a scholarship dinner-dance Nov. 17 at Embassy Suites in Arcadia. Call Eloise Hart at 529-5671 for ticket info.

~ Fire danger today. http://goo.gl/xzgSS

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Trying Out a New Shotgun, Rock vs. Truck Window, Stolen Acura

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for November 1-4. - Brad Haugaard]

 

Following are the weekend's highlighted issues and events.

 

Vehicle Vandalism

On November 2 at 5:57 a.m., a vehicle was reported vandalized in the 700 block of West Huntington.  It was determined that a rock was used to break the window of the victim's Dodge RAM truck.  The victim has no idea who would vandalize his truck as he is not from this area.  Investigation continuing.

 

Grand Theft Auto

On November 4 at 2:52 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from the 200 block of South Shamrock.  The victim parked the vehicle on the street at 11:00 p.m. in the evening and locked the doors and windows.  The victim looked outside the window at about 2:30 a.m. and saw vehicle was missing.  The vehicle stolen was a 1996 Silver Acura.  The investigation is continuing.

 

Unlawful Discharge of a Shotgun / Driving Under the Influence - Suspect Arrested

On November 4 at 10:01 p.m., a 45-year-old male subject was in an alley in the 200 block of West Lime and he unlawfully and intentionally fired his new shotgun in the air.  He then drove away from the scene in a blue jeep with the shotgun.  He had been visiting family in the 200 block of West Lime and was returning to Los Angeles.  Officers located and stopped the male subject a couple blocks from the scene and found the shotgun in the vehicle.  The subject was determined to be driving under the influence of alcohol.  The ejected shotgun shell casing was found in the alley next to the house he had been visiting.  The suspect was arrested for negligent discharge of the weapon and for driving under the Influence of alcohol.

The Big One? | Aztec Hotel Meeting | Local Artists Work on Sale | Monrovia vs. Calabasas | Forest Service Building | Unity Needs Volunteers | Christmas Tree Lighting

~ Is the "big one" coming? Earthquake consultant April Keley told the Monrovia Coordinating Council today that it looks like "the trend line is toward a tipping point." She said in a big quake there could be a 30-foot offset to Cajon Pass with all power and water cut off. "Don't expect any help for two weeks." Only 10 percent of people have made any preparation, she said.

~ Monrovia Historic Preservation Group will have a meeting at 5 p.m. this Wednesday (Nov. 7) at the Aztec Hotel about the preservation of the hotel.

~ Art for sale from local Monrovia Association of Fine Arts artists, Nov. 24, noon to 8 p.m. at 418 S. Myrtle. Featuring Stephen Coleman's photos of spaceship Endeavor coming to Los Angeles.

~ Monrovia School Board member Ed Gililland said Monrovia is playing Viewpoint (Calabasas) in football playoffs this Friday at Monrovia.

~ Also, Gililland, retired from the Forest Service, said the new Forest Service office at Santa Anita and the freeway should be opening Dec. 11.

~ With holidays coming up, Foothill Unity Center needs help for food distributions. If you would like to help, call Raina at 358-3486 or email volunteer@foothillunitycenter.org.

~ The tree-lighting ceremony for Monrovia's new Christmas tree (at northeast corner of Library Park) will be at 6 p.m. December 6. Parade to follow at 7 p.m.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Lawn-Sign Poll

In a pre-election unscientific lawn-sign poll, I wandered around
Monrovia and looked at signs to get a feeling for how the city will
vote on the candidates. I went up and down on Magnolia and California
and wandered at north and south ends of town.

I didn't see a single candidate sign south of Duarte Road, just anti-32 signs.

I saw two Obama signs south of Huntington and north of the freeway,
but most signs for both parties were above Foothill.

Overall I saw 12 signs for Republican candidates and 10 for
Democratic candidates.

Totally unscientific.

- Brad Haugaard

Land Clearance for Monrovia Gold Line Project

The land just west of The Home Depot is being cleared for the Gold Line.

- Brad Haugaard

Push-Back on Monrovia Cheerleader Punishment

Some Monrovia parents object to the punishment being given to cheerleaders over hazing prank. http://goo.gl/5QDGD

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Over Temple City 35-14 :-)

Monrovia wins in football over Temple City. http://goo.gl/C0VK0

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia City Web Page Unintentionally Promoting Viagra

Okay, Monrovia's Library page (this one: http://www.ci.monrovia.ca.us/monrovia-public-library ) has indeed been hacked and is being used to sell Viagra.

If you click on the link in the previous paragraph you will see nothing about Viagra, but if you pretend to be the Google crawler coming by to check if anything is new, then you see all the Viagra stuff you see above and more, and the links to Viagra websites you see in the bottom image.

Non-techies can skip this. Here's how I got the page. On a Linux system command line I used wget http://www.ci.monrovia.ca.us/monrovia-public-library --user-agent="googlebot" to output the page as Google sees it to my desktop, then renamed it to have a ".html" extension, then viewed it with my browser.

So, what is the point of creating a page with links to Viagra websites if it cannot be seen by actual people who might buy the stuff? Well, my guess is that because one way Google ranks pages is by how many reputable websites link to the page, therefore, whenever Google drops by to see about the Monrovia Library, it finds that site is linking to Viagra sites, so it bumps up in its the listings those particular Viagra sites that are linked to by the City of Monrovia, among others.

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch From Rigo's Mini Mart & Deli

Got lunch yesterday at Rigo's Mini Mart & Deli. Not the Mexican food place, but the cow place right across the street at Mayflower and Foothill. For $8.44 got a Roast Beef with Egg Sandwich and a drink. It  came with roast beef, a hard boiled egg, a slice of cheddar, lettuce, onion, tomato, avocado and jalapeños. The deli is small with just two tables so I had a picnic in Library Park which was fine because the grass wasn't too damp. Conclusion: Wow! Sandwich was fresh and loaded with good stuff, plus great potato salad and a pickle. I have to say I think this is one of the best sandwiches I've had in Monrovia and I didn't even know they served them until a friend told me. Great!

- Brad Haugaard

Has Monrovia City Website Been Hacked Again?

The Monrovia City website appears to have been hacked again and one resident believes that the apparently compromised city web site may be being used to steal the credit card information of Monrovians paying their bills online. (See UPDATE below.)

Look at the two Google search-result images above. On the first image notice the Google warning after the city's green web address: "This site may be compromised."

Now look at the second image, and notice the second and third search results, advertisements for Viagra. Those are not websites pretending to be Monrovia, however. If you click on the Viagra-ad links, they actually go to the City of Monrovia web page.

This was brought to my attention by a computer-savvy former co-worker and fellow Monrovian, who suspects the site may be being used to steal credit card numbers, his in particular. He writes:

"Over a month ago, I did a search to get to the city's site. If you do so on Google, you'll see that they've posted a 'this site may be compromised' . . . I took a print out down to the city and they said they'd have their technical guy look into it. They haven't. As you'll see, if you search for the monrovia public library, you'll get ads for viagra and cialis. This is called a pharma hack. Here's some info on it: http://digwp.com/2010/07/wordpress-security-lockdown/#pharma-hack ...

"This is pretty important because I used the site to pay my utility bill with a 2 month old debit card. Less than 14 hours later, the card was used in at a pharmacy in South Carolina. Like you, I'm pretty careful online and I've never had my number compromised until I clicked through to the city's site."

Opinion: Um, yes, this is pretty important. If this has taken a month to address, that is a very bad reflection on the city. Note, if you read the accompanying link here, the hack doesn't change the appearance of the city web page, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been hacked.

UPDATE: As I look at the bill-paying option on the city website it appears that it is actually being hosted at another site, munisselfservice.com, so I'm not sure that a hack of the Monrovia city site would allow credit card info to be stolen.

- Brad Haugaard

Holiday Parade Application | Teachers for 30

~ If you want to be in the Monrovia Christmas Parade, here's the application. http://goo.gl/D7dPi

~ Video of Monrovia teachers rally for Prop 30. http://goo.gl/B0NFP

- Brad Haugaard

City Council Agenda: Planning Monrovia, Helping Biz, Bikeways

A few items on the Nov. 6 Monrovia City Council agenda (here: http://goo.gl/RbMj8 ):

~ Here is the approach the city intends to take in its "PlanMonrovia Community Outreach Program" to get Monrovians' thoughts on what the city's goals should be. http://goo.gl/gUB3Q

~ The city is taking advantage of a free program by California Manufacturing Technology Consulting to help "manufacturers, assemblers, fabricators, machine shops, or job shops that employ between 1 and 500 employees and whose annual sales fall between $150,000 and $10 million." Details: http://goo.gl/rexMn

~ Adjustments to city bike routes because of the Gold Line. http://goo.gl/sF6lx

- Brad Haugaard

Mary Todd Lincoln in Monrovia

At the Monrovia Historical Museum meeting this Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. at 742 E. Lemon Ave., the RD Players will portray Mary Todd Lincoln and her brother-in-law Mr. Edwards. Mrs. Lincoln will describe her journey from childhood mansion to the White House, being incarcerated in an insane asylum, and much more. Free.

Source: Becky Shevlin

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Senior Events

~ Free Medicare Changes Seminar, Friday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open to seniors 50 years and older. Information on Medicare options and changes to Medicare plans; comparing health plans. For reservations and information, contact the Department of Community Services at 256-8246.

~ Senior Game Day, Thursday, Nov. 15, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., open to seniors 50 years and older. Entertainment, a catered lunch and dessert. Tickets are $3. For reservations and information, contact the Department of Community Services at 256-8246.

- Brad Haugaard

Myrtle Avenue Closures for Construction

Monrovia Mayor Mary Ann Lutz writes that Gold Line Construction has begun in Monrovia and Myrtle will be partially or completely closed on and off starting this Monday, Nov. 5, to relocate a water line and remove existing track.

Schedule:

- Monday, Nov. 5, from 9 p.m. through Tuesday at 6 a.m. full closure of Myrtle Ave in both directions between Duarte Road and Railroad Ave.

- Tuesday, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. full closure of northbound Myrtle Ave between Duarte Road and Railroad Ave.

- Wednesday, Nov. 7 through Friday, Dec. 14, northbound Myrtle closed 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Northbound right lane on Myrtle Ave will be closed 24-hours each day.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Helping the Secret Service; Hitting Parked Car, Fence, Power Pole; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for October 29-21 -Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 463 service events, resulting in 84 investigations.

Commercial Burglary / Grand Theft Auto

October 29 at 6:53 a.m., police responded to the report of a burglary and stolen vehicle from a business located in the 500 block of East Fig Avenue. Unknown suspect(s) broke into the business and loaded up tools and equipment into a company truck, and then drove away with the property and the truck. The vehicle is a white, 1991, Dodge Ram truck. The investigation is continuing.

Commercial Burglary

October 29 at 7:12 p.m., the owner of a business in the 500 block of South Shamrock called to report a theft had occurred earlier in the morning that they just discovered when they were reviewing surveillance footage of the store. The footage showed a male Black and female Black had entered the store together. The male subject distracted the employee, while the female took items and concealed them in her purse. The investigation is continuing.

Hit and Run Traffic Accident / Driving Under the Influence

October 30 at 1:52 a.m., officers were dispatched to a solo vehicle traffic accident. It appeared a single vehicle traveling north on Peck Road struck a parked vehicle on the east side of the street. The vehicle struck a parked car, spun out of control, struck a steel fence along the wash, and then finally hit a power pole and came to rest. Any occupants fled the scene prior to police arrival.

After approximately 20 minutes, the driver who had fled the scene called police and told the dispatchers his location. Police located the subject and Los Angeles County Fire paramedics arrived and rendered first aid. The driver was determined to be driving under the influence. He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The District Attorney will be reviewing the case for filing charges.

Petty Theft from Vehicle

October 30 at 8:05 p.m., a theft from a vehicle was reported in the 800 block of West Foothill. The victim parked the vehicle in his complex parking lot and left the vehicle unlocked. When the victim returned to the vehicle the next day, he saw that someone had taken a coat, an Ipod and some Christmas ornaments from inside the vehicle. Investigation continuing.

Outside Assist – Secret Service Search Warrant

October 31 at 6:35 a.m., Monrovia detectives and patrol staff assisted the U.S. Secret Service in a search warrant service at a location in the 400 block of East Greystone. One suspect was arrested for five warrants, two were no-bail warrants, and a second suspect was arrested for nine counts of identity fraud. 

Peek in Monrovia Pirate Ship | Staar Surgical Q3 Report | Prayer Breakfast

~ Didn't get to see the inside of the Halloween pirate ship on Hillcrest? Channel 7 takes a tour. http://goo.gl/uuF2A

~ Monrovia's Staar Surgical reports that "The third quarter was a solid quarter for the Company despite lower revenue results than expected." Details: http://goo.gl/zggfe

~ Monrovia Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, "The Heart of Great Leadership," Friday, Nov. 16, 8:00 a.m. Speaker Ed Nicholls of The Right Way, A Leadership Development Company. At Courtyard by Marriott Monrovia, 700 W. Huntington Drive. $25 per person buffet breakfast. RSVP by Nov. 9 to Monrovia Chamber of Commerce, 358-1159 or e-mail: kr@monroviacc.com

- Brad Haugaard