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Press Release
State of the City Address Slated for January 13
Posted Dec. 30, 2008
Mayor Rob Hammond will deliver his last State of the City Address Tuesday, January 13, at the Krikorian Premier Theatre in Old Town. The speech is set for 7 p.m.
Hammond, who is not running for reelection to a fourth term, will detail the City’s challenges and accomplishments in 2008 and its goals for 2009. He is expected to address 2008’s gang violence and police compensation dispute in addition to the effects of the current economic downturn on the City’s finances.
While the talk is open to the public, reservations are requested due to limited auditorium seating. Reservations may be made by calling the City of Monrovia’s Public Information Office at (626) 303-6609.
Rumor: The City is planning to buy up all the houses on Cherry Avenue
Posted Dec. 29, 2008
Fact: Not true. The City is planning no such thing.
Rumor: North Monrovia is experiencing a rash of home burglaries
Posted Dec. 9, 2008
Fact: Not true. In fact, the opposite is true. There have been relatively few residential burglaries in the residential area north of Foothill Boulevard in the last three months, and burglaries are down significantly throughout the community, running 26% fewer than at this time last year. (See the Dec. 5 “From the City Manager’s Desk” weekly report for more on this subject.)
Rumor: Circuit City’s Monrovia story is slated for closing
Posted Nov. 17, 2008
Fact: No, it’s not. While the Circuit City corporation has filed for bankruptcy protection and is closing underperforming stores in other communities, Monrovia’s recently-opened Circuit City is not among them.
Rumor: An adult bookstore is going to open on West Huntington Drive
Posted Nov. 17, 2008
Fact: Again, not true. Even if someone wanted to open an adult business on Huntington Drive, it would not be allowed. West Huntington’s zoning excludes adult businesses, which are limited to manufacturing zones in Monrovia.
Press Release
Economy Throws Up Roadblock to Vroman’s Monrovia Expansion
Posted Nov. 10, 2008
An increasingly bad economy has forced Pasadena-based Vroman’s bookstore to put off a planned expansion in Old Town Monrovia.
Vroman’s and the Monrovia Redevelopment Agency had been close to a signed agreement on a newly-renovated, 6,000-square-foot building on Myrtle Avenue that would have housed a bookstore by next summer. This week though, Joel Sheldon, president of Vroman’s, told the Agency that the expansion has to be postponed indefinitely.
“Over the past few months, we have been in serious discussions with the City of Monrovia regarding the possibility of developing a new Vroman’s bookstore in Old Town,” Sheldon said in a prepared statement. “Vroman’s truly appreciates the efforts of the Mayor, City Council and staff to make this a reality.
“Several weeks ago,” he continued, “when we initially spoke with City representatives, the economy was already showing signs of weakness, but we believed that the aggressive recruitment efforts of the City could help insulate our business plan. And, while we were very close to reaching an agreement to purchase the newly renovated building at 601 S. Myrtle Avenue, the more recent economic conditions and variances have caused our Board of Directors to adopt a more conservative approach regarding expansion at this time.
“Consequently, our plans to open a Monrovia store have been postponed indefinitely,” he said. “Monrovia is a wonderful town, and we look forward to being a part of the community at some point in the future.”
Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa expressed disappointment at the decision to hold off the expansion, but said, “We fully understand the difficulties of doing business in this fragile economy. We will continue to pursue this and other opportunities and hope that the economy begins to strengthen sooner rather than later.”
Press Release
Mayor Thanks Neighbors for Assistance
Posted Oct. 20, 2008
Monrovia’s Mayor Rob Hammond has begun a round of visits to neighboring City Councils to thank them for assisting with his community’s gang suppression efforts earlier this year.
Hammond will be at both the Arcadia and El Monte City Council meetings Tuesday, October 21, to express Monrovia’s gratitude. Monrovia Chief of Police Roger Johnson will accompany him. Hammond will be meeting with City Councils over the next several week until he has personally thanked all of the communities that sent help.
In all, 17 cities responded to the call for aid when gang-related shootings in Monrovia reached a crisis point in January of this year. The result was 1,840 hours of donated assistance by police units from Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Burbank, Claremont, Covina, El Monte, Glendale, Glendora, Irwindale, La Verne, Monterey Park, San Fernando, San Gabriel, San Marino and Sierra Madre.
The California Highway Patrol also sent officers to the community for 90 days under a state grant.
The response was unprecedented and proved a valuable new tool. The influx of extra officers allowed the Monrovia Police Department and the Monrovia-Duarte Gang Task Force to stop the upsurge in violence and to more effectively take gang members off the streets.
Press Release
Monrovia Council Opposes Sales Tax Hike for LA’s ‘Subway to the Sea’
Posted Oct. 8, 2008
Monrovia’s City Council is urging a “no” vote on Proposition R on the November ballot, saying that the half-cent sale tax increase to fund transportation projects would be unfair to communities in the San Gabriel Valley.
The Council unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the measure at its Tuesday, October 7 meeting.
The Council’s opposition, and that of other communities throughout the region – the City of Duarte approved a similar resolution last week – centers around a Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) plan to use the great bulk of the tax funds to build a subway down Wilshire Boulevard from Los Angeles to Santa Monica, but not funding the Valley’s Gold Line light rail system extension until some unspecified future date.
“Proposition R’s passage would mean that the people of Monrovia would once again be subsidizing the City of Los Angeles with their taxes without getting any local benefit,” said Mayor Rob Hammond.
Measure R was placed on the ballot by the Los Angeles-dominated Metro Board after it turned down $80 million in local funding for the Gold Line that could have been followed by $320 million in federal funding.
Instead, Measure R says that $750 million of the $40 billion to be raised by the tax will to go to the Gold Line sometime in the future, but without any timetable and without securing the funds for the project.
In fact, the $750 million will go to the Gold Line only if there is that much left over after the “subway to the sea” and other Los Angeles-based projects are completed.
“Measure R was not crafted with countywide consensus nor does it provide an acceptable standard of long-term equity for all regions of Los Angeles County which will be paying this new sales tax,” the resolution points out, adding, “there is an urgent need to explore alternatives for generating transportation revenues, planning and funding transportation programs in Los Angeles County.”
The Council also asked through the resolution that the “San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and the Los Angeles Division of the League of California Cities initiate a dialogue with a goal of developing strategies for securing necessary transportation infrastructure improvements and equitable funding for such improvements throughout Los Angeles County.”
Press Release
Saturday Opening Set for City Hall
Posted Oct. 7, 2008
Monrovia City Hall will be open for business Saturday, October 25.
The twice-yearly Saturday openings offer a chance to do City business on a Saturday for residents and business people who may not be able to get to City Hall during regular weekday hours. The first Saturday opening was in April of this year, with another planned for spring of 2009.
Monrovia’s municipal offices are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Fridays. On Saturday the 25th, City Hall will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with staffing in the Community Development, Finance and Human Resources Departments and the City Clerk and City Manager offices.
In addition to regular City services, Community Development will be offering a workshop titled “Greener Home = More Money in Your Pocket,” giving information and answering questions on energy saving appliances and light bulbs, windows, fans, solar panels, tankless water heaters, new types of insulation made from recycled denim and other “green” related issues.
The workshops will continue through the day.
Also, the City Clerk’s Officer will be giving away free passport book covers to new passport applicants and the Community Development Department will offer free Yard Sale Permits to the first 50 applicants.
Monrovia City Hall is located at 415 S. Ivy Avenue.
Rumor: Vroman’s Bookstore is coming to Old Town.
Posted Sept. 29, 2008
Fact: Well…yes. This rumor, hopefully is true. We say “hopefully,” because nothing has been formally signed as yet – but there is agreement on major deal points between Vroman’s and the Monrovia Redevelopment Agency involving the property at 601 S. Myrtle Avenue in Old Town, at the southwest corner of Myrtle and Colorado Boulevard. Negotiations between the parties have been ongoing for several months.
The building, which once housed Social Security Offices but has been vacant for most of the past 30 years, is now owned by the Redevelopment Agency and is undergoing remodeling. A Disposition and Development Agreement to put a Vroman’s Bookstore into the site could go to the City Council for approval as early as November. That could mean a bookstore opening in Old Town next summer.
Rumor: The City ordered First Christian Church to close down its ministry to the homeless and threatened to fine the church $2,000 per day if it did not comply.
Posted Sept. 25, 2008
Fact: The Monrovia Police Department informed the church's leadership on several occasions that neighbors were filing complaints about the homeless people who came to the church to use its showers and to be fed – complaints that they were sleeping in neighboring yards and urinating and defecating on home lawns. There were many reports of similar incidents on public property and at the nearby Community Center as well. The church was told that the complaints were mounting, that neighbors were considering a Public Nuisance lawsuit against the church and that the complaints on file with the police department could support such a suit. The church leadership itself then shut down aspects of the homeless outreach program. At no time did the City or the Police Department order the church to end its program.
Press Release
Monrovia Fire Department Promotes Three
Posted Sept. 25, 2008
Three members of the Monrovia Fire Department have been promoted to Battalion Chief and Captain positions, effective Oct. 12.
Ron Pelham, a member of the department since 1989 and a Captain for the past five years, has been promoted to Battalion Chief and will be assigned to Fire Administration. Pelham also coordinates community disaster preparedness.
Brannigan Scott, who joined the department in 2001 as a paramedic, has been named a Fire Captain and assigned to Engine 101, responsible for day-to-day operational readiness. He will also continue working with foothill brush abatement programs.
Shawn Morton, a member of the department since 1996 and a paramedic, has also been named a Fire Captain, concentrating on managing daily staffing.
Press Release
Olympic Medalist to be Honored by Monrovia City Council
Posted Aug. 28, 2008
Kimberly Rhode Day will be proclaimed in Monrovia Tuesday, September 2, in honor of the Monrovia resident’s recent Silver Medal win at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
Rhode will be present at that evening’s City Council meeting to receive a proclamation and the congratulations of the community.
Rhode, 29, has had a distinguished career as an Olympic competitor for more than a decade, competing in both women’s double trap and skeet shooting. She was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and won a Gold Medal in those games in double trap shooting, also making her the youngest female Gold Medalist in the history of Olympic shooting.
She later won a Bronze Medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and a second Gold Medal in the 2004 games in Athens, Greece.
After double trap shooting was eliminated from Olympic competitions, Rhode concentrated on skeet shooting and set a new world record in the event at the 2007 World Cup competitions in Santo Domingo.
Rhode has recently returned from the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, having won a Silver Medal in women’s skeet.
Press Release
Ron Bow Named Monrovia’s New Director of Public Works
Posted Aug. 27, 2008
Ron Bow, the City of Monrovia’s Utilities and Streets Division Manager since 2004, has been named to succeed David Fike as the community’s Director of Public Works.
Fike is retiring after 12 years of service with the City. Bow will succeed him beginning September 29.
City Manager Scott Ochoa announced Bow’s appointment to City employees on Wednesday, August 27.
“After conducting an exhaustive executive search that brought us more than 60 qualified applicants from across the country,” he said, “I am promoting a man who will best carry on Dave’s tradition of solution-oriented management, and – just as importantly – add his own considerable talents and skills to our management team and the future direction of the Monrovia Public Works Department.
“Ron is a solid leader and manager, and I anticipate that he will enjoy a great deal of success in his new position. While I am sad to near the end of Dave’s tenure in Monrovia, I am excited to work with Rob to further the critical goals and missions of the department.”
Of Fike, Ochoa said, “Dave has given us more than 12 years of hard work and hustle, dedication and professionalism.”
The Department of Public Works is responsible for Monrovia’s water and sewer services; street and sidewalk maintenance and repair; street striping, signage and lighting; traffic engineering; park maintenance; parkway trees and landscaping; maintenance of City facilities; procurement and upkeep of City vehicles; engineering, regulation, supervision and permitting related to public and private infrastructure development; storm water management and integrated waste management and diversion programs.
The department operates on an annual budget of more than $20 million, accounting for nearly 38% of the City’s expenditures.
Press Release
Free Movie Night in Old Town
Posted Aug. 27, 2008
A free Movie Night under the stars in Old Town Monrovia is set for Saturday, August 30, smack in the middle of Colorado Boulevard.
Monrovia’s Old Town Merchants are showing “The Princess Bride,” with the show starting at 8:30 p.m. on Colorado, just east of Myrtle Avenue. The movie is preceded by an Art Walk event throughout Old Town presented by the Monrovia Arts Festival Association and the Monrovia Old Town Advisory Committee.
Residents are urged to bring lawn chairs, family and friends to enjoy the free movie on a warm summer night. “The Princess Bride” is a classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil prince and a beautiful princess. It is rated PG.
For information, call (626) 303-6600.
Press Release
Old Town Food, Wine & Jazz Festival Set for September 7
Posted Aug. 27, 2008
Old Town Monrovia’s Food, Wine & Jazz Festival will take place on Sunday, September 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the heart of Old Town, on Myrtle Avenue between Colorado Boulevard and Lemon Avenue.
Attendees spend the evening under the stars sampling menu specialties from area restaurants and sampling wine and spirits from California vintners and spirit producers while enjoying a variety of live jazz performances.
This year’s event will feature musical entertainment from Joe Ferrante’s Music Academy, the Bob Salazar Quartet, jazz vibes from Moondance and the cool sounds of Catterfly.
Event proceeds benefit the Santa Anita Family YMCA. Tickets are $50 in advance, $60 at the door and are also being sold in groups of 10 for $300.
Tickets are available online at www.cityofmonrovia.org and at various locations throughout Monrovia: City Hall, the Community Center, Chamber of Commerce, Santa Anita Family YMCA, Foothill Gym and at California Wine & Cheese.
Press Release
Groundbreaking Set for Habitat for Humanity Homes
Posted Aug. 26, 2008
Ground will be broken Saturday, September 13, for four new Monrovia homes, thanks to a partnership of San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity and the City’s Monrovia Redevelopment Agency.
The partnership will begin construction that day on homes for four deserving families. The ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m. at 1214 and 1218 Sherman Way.
“There has been enthusiasm from local residents and the City Council, which provided the land for these homes,” explained the local Habitat group’s Executive Director Sonja Yates.
Habitat works to create permanent shelter for lower-income families by building and renovating houses in the San Gabriel Valley. Home buyers must have a need for housing, meet income eligibility requirements, have a steady income and are required to pay a 1% cash down payment.
Mortgage payments from the homebuyer families are deposited into the Fund for Humanity and are used to build additional houses. Habitat families contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” to help build their homes alongside the volunteers.
Homes are typically about 1,200 square feet, with three bedrooms, 1½ baths and a two-car garage.
A total of $533,000 must be raised to build the four houses on Sherman Avenue. As of late August, just under $322,000 had been raised.
“We need almost $30,000 more to meet our target of $350,000 by the groundbreaking on September 13. We invite the community to contribute and join us that day,” said Yates.
Ann Dougherty, Sherman Habitat Homes Campaign Chair, gave special thanks to Monrovia Council Member Mary Ann Lutz and Monrovia resident Donna Baker “who planted the seeds to make this development happen.”
Baker spearheads Habitat’s Women’s Build group and has formed a web site at www.monroviawomensbuild.org and recruited 50 women to contribute and build.
“Most of these women have never done construction, but they have a sense of adventure and the desire to help those less fortunate right here at home,” Baker said.
“This is not just any house,” she said. “These houses will provide shelter for a qualifying needy family, local to Monrovia.”
“We are happy to be able to donate the land for these homes knowing it will change lives for the better and build an even stronger community,” said Lutz.
For more information, to donate funds or to help with the construction project, visit www.sgvhabitat.org or call (626) 626-792
Press Release
Draft of Wilderness Preserve Management Plan Available for Comment Beginning Monday
Posted Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008
The draft of a Resource Management Plan (RMP) to guide the long-term management of Monrovia’s hillside Wilderness Preserve, will be available for public comment beginning Monday, August 25.
The City of Monrovia is proposing the RMP to guide the long term management of City-owned properties zoned Hillside Wilderness Prese
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