Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 25, 2011

7

 
Mountain Views News Saturday, June 25, 2011 

STATE BUDGET DEBACLE

From the sideshow to the big top...

JUST SAY NO 

Portantino and Donnelly Say No To The Governor

With the State Controller’s threat looming to stop 
paying Legislators unless they adopted a budget 
by the Prop 25-mandated deadline of June 15, this 
week the budget adoption process heated up and 
then imploded like a dying star. Of special note 
to cities and redevelopment agencies, the two-bill 
“elimination-ransom” strategy that is ABX 1X 
and ABX 1 27 was debated early in the week, but 
looked as though it did not have the needed votes 
to pass. These bills would, respectively, eliminate 
redevelopment agencies but then reinstate those 
agencies that “voluntarily” pledged money back 
to the State to be used for courts, education and 
other State costs. As State Senator Rod Wright 
(who has been trying to broker a reform bill in 
lieu of elimination) observed, this effort smacked 
of “extortion.”

I am pleased to be able to inform you that our 
State Senator Bob Huff, Assemblyman Anthony 
Portantino and Assemblyman Mike Donnelly all 
voted “no” on these measures.

Despite our representatives’ recognition of the 
blatant illegality of these bills, the measures 
actually passed on simple majority votes in each 
house on Wednesday. By Wednesday night, the 
indication was that the Governor was going to 
veto both of the budget bills (SB 69 and AB 98) 
for being completely devoid of any intellectual 
honesty or policymaking courage; however, 
there was no indication about the fate of the 
redevelopment bills (which had not been sent 
to the Governor). The Governor has, of course, 
wanted to gut redevelopment for the sake of 
State spending obligations but was pushed back 
previously. By Thursday, it was announced that 
the entire budget package would be vetoed if sent 
to Governor Brown; thus the redevelopment bills 
were not sent.

I suppose this is a win, for now. But it’s kind of 
like winning a new car, only to find that “new” 
means it is “new to you” and, in fact, it is an old 
beater with bad brakes, a blown head gasket and a 
cracked manifold. We will await the next flurry of 
budget activity.

With the State Controller’s threat looming to 
stop paying Legislators unless they adopted a 
budget by the Prop 25-mandated deadline of June 
15, this week the budget adoption process heated 
up and then imploded like a dying star. Of special 
note to cities and redevelopment agencies, the two-
bill “elimination-ransom” strategy that is ABX 1X 
and ABX 1 27 was debated early in the week, but 
looked as though it did not have the needed votes 
to pass. These bills would, respectively, eliminate 
redevelopment agencies but then reinstate those 
agencies that “voluntarily” pledged money back 
to the State to be used for courts, education and 
other State costs. As State Senator Rod Wright 
(who has been trying to broker a reform bill in 
lieu of elimination) observed, this effort smacked 
of “extortion.

“I am pleased to be able to inform you that our 
State Senator Bob Huff, Assemblyman Anthony 
Portantino and Assemblyman Mike Donnelly all 
voted “no” on these measures.

Despite our representatives’ recognition of 
the blatant illegality of these bills, the measures 
actually passed on simple majority votes in each 
house on Wednesday. By Wednesday night, the 
indication was that the Governor was going to 
veto both of the budget bills (SB 69 and AB 98) 
for being completely devoid of any intellectual 
honesty or policymaking courage; however, 
there was no indication about the fate of the 
redevelopment bills (which had not been sent 
to the Governor). The Governor has, of course, 
wanted to gut redevelopment for the sake of 
State spending obligations but was pushed back 
previously. By Thursday, it was announced that 
the entire budget package would be vetoed if sent 
to Governor Brown; thus the redevelopment bills 
were not sent.

I suppose this is a win, for now. But it’s kind of 
like winning a new car, only to find that “new” 
means it is “new to you” and, in fact, it is an old 
beater with bad brakes, a blown head gasket and a 
cracked manifold. We will await the next flurry of 
budget activity.

From the desk of the Monrovia City Manager - 
Scott Ochoa

4TH OF JULY CONCERT & FIREWORKS SHOW IN LIBRARY PARK

Celebrate the 4th of July in Library Park. Festivities will be held on Monday, July 4, starting with a 
concert at 7 p.m., sponsored by Mayor Mary Ann and Corey Lutz, featuring the Delgado Brothers. The 
Fireworks Show will begin at 9 p.m. and is sponsored by the Monrovia Old Town Merchants and Green 
Dot Corporation. Bring your lawn chairs and arrive early to get a good seat. Refreshments will be sold 
adjacent to the park from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., courtesy of Old Town’s restaurants. 

MONROVIA CITY COUNCIL PREVIEW

The June 21 City Council Meeting features 
a heavy agenda. Some of it cannot be helped 
(the budget and a couple of public hearings, for 
example); other items are simply too timely not to 
place on this agenda.

We will begin with a closed session regarding 
Gold Line property negotiations and litigation, 
and also an update to the City Council on labor 
negotiations.

We have four very deserving and exciting 
presentations: PR-1 is the recognition of Eagle 
Scout Jeffrey Ramos, who is the young man who 
spearheaded the Fountain to the Falls walking 
path project; PR-2 is the proclamation of July 
as “Parks & Recreation Month;” PR-3 is the 
recognition of the sponsors of last month’s highly 
successful Neighborhood Conference; and PR-4 is 
the report/recognition of Monrovia’s performance 
and achievement at the Neighborhoods USA 
Conference - where the MAP program collected 
several awards!

We have three public hearings. PH-1 is the 
consideration of a Specific Plan and CUP for the 
first phase of a 12-acre project at the Santa Teresita 
Hospital site. With the closing of the hospital and 
its pending demolition, the Carmelite Sisters are 
proposing the phased construction of assisted 
living and independent living facilities on their 
property. The first phase will consist of a 22-unit, 
18,000-square-foot building. The specific plan 
and project are relatively straightforward, with 
the exception that the site straddles the Monrovia 
and Duarte border. Thus, both agencies have 
some degree of jurisdiction. Staff believes that the 
proposed plan and conditions provide flexibility 
to the applicant, yet ensure that the Sisters are able 
to comply with local standards. Staff recommends 
approval of Resolution Nos. 2011-14 and 2011-35, 
Ordinance No. 2011-03, and CUP 2011-08.

PH-2 is the proposed Amendment to Business 
Taxes, Licenses and Regulations and Zoning Codes 
regarding massage businesses. You may recall 
that, following the State’s adoption of SB 731 (a 
bill advocated by the California Massage Therapy 
Council), Monrovia enacted a moratorium on 
new massage businesses until such time that the 
impacts of the legislation could be hashed out. SB 
731, if not carefully analyzed and addressed, could 
severely limit a city’s ability to regulate massage 
businesses. Ultimately, in mandating that massage 
businesses be afforded the same zoning treatment 
as other “professional and personal service 
businesses,” SB 731 has essentially required cities 
to define and/or re-define what a “professional 
and/or personal service business” is. Thus, in close 
conjunction with the City Attorney’s office, staff 
is proposing to update elements of the Zoning 
Code to allow legitimate massage businesses to 
operate pursuant to SB 731, but still preserve 
enough control for the City to ensure the public’s 
health and safety. Staff recommends approval of 
Ordinance No. 2011-05.

MRA-PH-1 is the continued public hearing 
from June 7 regarding the sale of the City and 
Redevelopment Agency’s property to the GLCA. 
Following the Public Comment portion of the 
June 7 hearing, and the Council’s own comments, 
the matter was continued to the June 21 agenda in 
order to give the GLCA and Excalibur Holdings 
(the adjacent property owner with two lawsuits 
against GLCA and one against Monrovia) 
the opportunity to come to some agreement. 
Notwithstanding GLCA’s recent notice of eminent 
domain proceedings against Monrovia, staff is 
recommending that the Council adopt Resolution 
Nos. 7-2011 and 2011-22.

MRA-1 and AR-1, respectively, are the 
consideration of the Monrovia Redevelopment 
Agency and City’s two- year budgets. We have 
had two previous study sessions on the budget, 
the City’s overall financial health, and proposed 
fees and charges for the coming year. The budget 
is predicated on the City Council’s Priorities, our 
Principles of Financial Management, our Mission, 
Vision and Core Values, Community Feedback, 
and - most recently - the Principles of Public Sector 
Compensation. The Council spent considerable 
time discussing what it wanted to accomplish with 
this last item. Ultimately, it is a policy directive that 
will guide this and future Councils in creating and 
maintaining a sustainable compensation system. 
It is not an overreaction to the havoc wrought by 
the Great Recession; but it is a statement of lessons 
learned.

The summary of the previous budget study 
sessions is that Monrovia is structurally balanced; 
we are adapting to the “New Normal;” we are 
focused on cost-containment, especially in the 
area of compensation; and economic development 
and developing new sources of revenue are 
important to Monrovia’s long-term success. The 
total budgeted appropriations for the 2011-12 
and 2012-13 fiscal years are $58,904,696 and 
$55,298,209, respectively. Staff recommends 
adoption of Resolution Nos. 8-2011, 2011-26, and 
2011-27.

Monrovia Police Blotter

During the last seven day period, the Police 
Department handled 567 service events, resulting 
in 86 investigations. Following are the last week’s 
highlighted issues and events:

Vehicle Burglary

On June 9 at 7:19 p.m., officers responded 
to a hotel in the 700 block of West Huntington 
regarding a Toyota 4Runner that had a window 
smashed. A laptop computer was taken from the 
vehicle. The burglary occurred between 5:30 and 
7:19 p.m.

72-Hour Mental Evaluation

On June 9 at 11:01 p.m., officers were 
dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of 
West Palm regarding a subject who claimed to 
have overdosed on pills. His girlfriend reported 
he had left the location and was now calling her, 
repeatedly, and leaving text messages, stating 
he took pills and wanted to die. The subject was 
located by officers at Huntington and California. 
He was taken to a hospital and placed on a 72-
hour hold for mental evaluation.

Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence - 
Driver Arrested

On June 10 at 3:59 a.m., officers responded 
to the report of a solo vehicle traffic collision at 
Myrtle and Huntington. A witness stated that the 
vehicle was eastbound on Huntington at a high 
rate of speed when it hit the east curb of Myrtle, 
just south of Huntington. The vehicle flipped 
around and landed facing west on the sidewalk. 
The driver did not sustain any injuries, but he was 
determined to be intoxicated. He was arrested for 
driving under the influence of alcohol.

Residential Burglary

On June 10 at 10:06 p.m., a resident left home 
at approximately 8:15 a.m. and returned home at 
9:45 p.m. When she returned, she found the back 
sliding door leading into the family room wide 
open. The family room and master bedroom were 
ransacked. A laptop computer and miscellaneous 
jewelry were taken. The suspect entered through 
the unlocked, back sliding door.

Receiving Stolen Property - Suspect Arrested

On June 11 at 8:31 p.m., an officer saw a bicyclist 
wearing dark clothing and carrying a backpack 
in the area of Monterey and Olive, riding on the 
wrong side of the roadway. The officer detained 
the subject regarding the violation and discovered 
the bicycle he was riding was stolen. The victim 
of the stolen bicycle reported the theft to the Los 
Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Temple Station. 
The subject was arrested for receiving stolen 
property. The subject also had miscellaneous 
tools inside of his backpack, but possession of 
burglary tools could not be established. 

Missing Hikers

On June 13 at 7:31 a.m., a female subject called 
from Canyon Park to report that her boyfriend 
and a friend of his went on a hike a day ago and 
had not returned. She said the two men were 
going to Rincon to retrieve the friend’s backpack 
they had left behind on a hike several days prior. 
Officers responded and Sierra Madre Search and 
Rescue was notified. Search and Rescue and the 
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department helicopter 
searched and located the two men, safe and in 
good health. 

Vehicle Burglary

On June 13 at 1:46 p.m., the victim of a vehicle 
burglary came in to the Police Department lobby 
to make a report. He lives in the 200 block of 
Jasmine. He had parked his vehicle in its assigned 
parking stall after midnight on June 4 and used 
his keyless remote to lock it. He returned to the 
vehicle at about 8 a.m. to go to work without 
realizing someone had broken into it. He later 
discovered his iPod and other property were 
missing. 

Delaying a Peace Officer / Possession of Drug 
Paraphernalia

On June 13 at 2:14 p.m., officers went to a 
business in the 400 block West Foothill regarding 
two male subjects sitting in a vehicle, possibly 
selling drugs. An officer arrived and detained 
the male and female occupants of the vehicle 
and a second male subject standing outside of 
the vehicle. The investigation did not reveal any 
drugs; however, the female provided a false name 
to officers and was found to be in possession of 
two syringes she uses to inject heroin. The male 
subjects were identified and the female arrested. 

Grand Theft

On June 13 at 2:42 p.m., an officer was 
dispatched to a business in the 100 block of 
West Walnut regarding theft of copper worth 
$1,500. It appears the suspects entered the yard 
of the location by jumping over a fence adjacent 
to an alley. The suspects pried open a door and 
removed a spool of copper wire.

Burglary

On June 13 at 3:54 p.m., officers responded to 
a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain 
regarding a subject who was caught stealing 
a large amount of merchandise. When they 
arrived, they determined the suspect is a juvenile. 
The suspect entered the store with another adult 
suspect who told him he would pay him $30 if 
he pushed the cart out of the store. The juvenile 
agreed and was caught. He was arrested, booked 
and later released to a parent.

Transformer Fire

On June 13 at 5:47 p.m., officers responded to 
the Shell Gas Station at Huntington and Monterey 
regarding a blown transformer that had caused a 
fire in the car wash and multiple traffic signals to 
black out. Edison was advised and responded. 
There was minimal impact to traffic as Edison 
advised the street could be reopened. It appears 
there was a short in an underground power line.

Vehicle Theft

On June 14 at 1:39 p.m., officers responded to 
a business in the 600 block of West Huntington. 
The reporting party told the officer that on June 
1 at about 2:28 p.m. she parked a forklift to the 
rear of the business. She was off for a few days 
and returned on June 5 and noted the forklift was 
not there. She figured it had been picked up for 
maintenance. On June 11 she returned to work 
and the forklift was still not at the business. She 
called United Rentals, the owner of the forklift, to 
ascertain if they had picked it up for service and 
they did not have it. She reviewed surveillance 
tapes and found that on June 5 a male Hispanic 
suspect, wearing a black shirt, white shorts, white 
sox and black shoes stole the forklift. 

Assault With a Deadly Weapon / Robbery

On June 14 at 11:51 p.m., a 23-year-old, male, 
white victim was walking east on Fano when he 
was approached by a male Hispanic subject, also 
possibly in his twenties, about 6 foot 2 inches, thin 
build, wearing a light colored hooded sweatshirt 
with dark trim. The suspect passed by him, and 
the victim only remembers being struck from 
behind and passing out. He came to consciousness 
and found his wallet had been taken. The wallet 
contained $2 cash and some business cards. The 
victim was taken by a friend to a hospital, where 
he was treated for his injuries. Monrovia Police 
Department was summoned to the hospital.

Theft From a Vehicle

On June 15 at 7:26 a.m., an officer went to the 
1100 block of East Lemon. The victim discovered 
his car, which they had left unlocked, had been 
rummaged through sometime last night or early 
morning. He checked his vehicle and found 
the laptop and GPS system was stolen. The 
investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Tampering

On June 15 at 9:24 a.m., an officer went to the 
700 block of Mountain View, regarding vehicle 
tampering. The victim discovered the inside of 
the vehicle had been ransacked. The victim had 
left the doors unlocked and nothing was missing.

Theft From a Vehicle

On June 15 at 10:02 a.m., an officer went to the 
1000 block of East Lemon. The victim walked 
outside of their home and discovered their 
vehicle had been ransacked during the night 
or early morning. The victim had left the doors 
unlocked. The victim’s in-dash digital television 
had been stolen along with speakers in a box from 
the truck. The investigation is continuing.

AROUND MONROVIA

Flag Stories at the Monrovia Public Library

A family story time celebrating Betsy Ross, the U.S. flag and other pieces of Americana will be 
presented on Tuesday, June 28, at 6:30 p.m., in the Library’s Community Room. This program is part 
of the Monrovia Cultural Series, which includes stories, film, craft and a snack. The program is free 
and open to the public.

Red, White & Blue Barbeque Senior Special Event

Kick off the summer at the Monrovia Community Center. Community Services will be hosting a Red, 
White and Blue Barbeque on Thursday, July 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., open to all seniors, 50 years and 
older. Celebrate the 4th of July holiday with patriotic sing-a-long entertainment, a barbeque lunch 
catered by Jake’s Road House, raffles and tons of fun. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased 
at the Community Center. For additional information and reservations, please contact the Monrovia 
Community Center at (626) 256-8246.

Senior Driving Program

The Department of Community Services will host an AARP 55-Alive Driving Class on Thursday, July 
7, and Friday, July 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The two-day course will focus on current driving laws and 
provide participants with helpful hints that will assist them with improving their driving skills. The 
class fee is $12 for an AARP member and $14 for a non-member; payable by check only, to AARP. 
Reservations and payments must be made in advance. For additional information and reservations, 
please contact the Department of Community Services at (626) 256-8246.

DUARTE KIWANIS PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIPS TO LOCAL STUDENTS

The Duarte Kiwanis Club was able to provide scholarship opportunities to a number of graduating 
seniors this year. Henry Perez, James Shamburger and Adrian Valdez for Mt. Olive Alternative 
School were each provided $250.00 scholarships. Additionally, the club awarded six scholarships to 
graduating seniors from Duarte High School. 

Pictured right are 
(back row) Arlene 
Galarza ($750), 
Kenyale Kearney 
($500), Kiwanis 
members Karen 
Herrera, Reyna Diaz, 
Rose Brooks Mitchell, 
Pam Kawasaki, 
Lois Gaston and Peter 
Gallup. (front 
row) Vanessa Aguayo 
($450), Fabiloa Pena 
($450), Christopher 
Mendoza ($250) and 
Adriana Arellano 
($400). 

Finally, the Duarte 
Kiwanis Club also 
sponsored the “Red 
Wagon” Scholarships provided by Duarte’s Promise. A great success for all these Graduating Seniors.