Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 21, 2012

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 21, 2012 


This Week In Monrovia from Mark Alvarado Interim City Manager

Monrovia has an uncanny way of making 

lemonade out of lemons...

Duarte Kiwanis Club Gets Update on MOOSE Program

State of the City on January 24

2012 opens with much to be decided, but despite 
the challenges-- in true Monrovia fashion-- we 
are still moving forward with gusto. This begins 
with the annual State of the City address. Mayor 
Mary Ann Lutz will deliver her annual State of 
the City address at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 
24, at the Krikorian Premiere Theatre in Old 
Town. The public is invited to attend, however, 
we are almost booked up and seating is limited so 
please call (626) 303-6600 for reservations. If you 
don’t get a chance to attend, KGEM TV will be 
carrying the speech, and it will be posted on the 
City’s website following the event.

Free Mulch Giveaway 

I am happy to announce that the City of 
Monrovia will be hosting a free mulch giveaway 
on the last two Saturdays in January. The recent 
windstorms generated a good amount of mulch 
from downed trees and limbs. In order to help 
our residents keep their yards looking healthy 
and beautiful, we are offering it to everyone. 
Mulch has many benefits, and can be a great tool 
to your landscaping needs. The mulch will be 
available (while supplies last) from 8:00 a.m. to 
5:00 p.m. on January 21st & 28th at Recreation 
Park (near the Boys and Girls Club). Bring your 
own shovel, containers, gloves and goggles. For 
more information about this event, please call 
Public Works Department at (626) 932-5575.

PetSmart is Open

Two months after the PetSmart’s sign went 
up at 745 W. Huntington Drive - at the former 
Circuit City site - the pet supply store is now 
open for business. The grand opening will be 
held on Friday, January 21, according to the 
store’s Project Manager. We are excited for the 
new addition as the retailer will generate more 
activity for that location (alongside the Office 
Depot store). Thank you to the Redevelopment/
Economic Development (“R/ED”) Team staff for 
their efforts in recruiting this retailer to our City, 
and to the Community Development staff for 
their business-friendly policies that continue to 
attract businesses to town.

Welcome Wagon Celebrates Nine Years of 
Service

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, 
longtime residents of Monrovia and members of 
the Monrovia Historic Preservation Group, John 
Watson and Hal Leavens, announced that the 
Welcome Wagon will be celebrating nine years 
of service. These volunteers have welcomed new 
families to Monrovia, delivering informational 
packets to help their neighbors get acquainted 
with their new community. Congratulations 
‘Welcome Wagon’ for nine years of service, and 
thank you for representing our community well.

Business Roundup

As we wade through the impending 
elimination of redevelopment, we thought this 
was a pertinent time to promote some recent 
economic development successes in Monrovia. 
In the middle of 2011, a number of actions were 
taken within City Hall to promote a business 
friendly environment, including the adoption 
of an Economic Development Action Plan, the 
creation of the Online Business Resource Center, 
and the addition of the My Monrovia Business 
Blog - which has already received 10,000 hits in 
six months. In fact, it was this activity, in addition 
to Monrovia’s established reputation, that earned 
it this year’s “Most Business Friendly City” award 
among cities with populations under 60,000 in 
Los Angeles County.

We cannot leave out the new businesses 
that opened in 2011, when touting Monrovia’s 
economic advances during this last year. This 
isn’t a comprehensive list, but below is a list of 
nearly 25 businesses, which added nearly 250 
jobs, and opened within the last year:

Old Town

Sena on Myrtle

Big Shrimp Fish Grill

Pho Lemon

Noor’s Indian Restaurant

Charlie’s House

Candy Connection

Old Town Bistro

A Snail’s Pace

Firm Media

Michelle’s Upscale Boutique

UPS Store

Resource for Seniors

Other Locations in Monrovia

Flame Broiler

Monrovia Modern Dentistry

Oto Oto

Max’s Mexican Cuisine

Peridot Nail Salon

Chase Bank

City of Hope

Esoterix Genetic Lab

Zen Buffet

Headquarters of the San Gabriel Valley 
Municipal Water District

And we’re off to a good start in 2012, 
too. PetSmart opened on January 16, and 
WorleyParsons is set to open its downtown 
location next month.

If you want to stay in the loop, you can find 
out the latest on new businesses in our City by 
visiting the My Monrovia Business Blog at www.
mymonrovia.blogspot.com .

Old Town News

Monrovia’s Old Town merchants are having 
a promotion for Valentine’s Day. They will be 
having a drawing on Friday, February 10, for a 
special gift package consisting of:

A 40-inch teddy bear

One dozen roses

A gift certificate for dinner (or lunch or 
breakfast) at your favorite Old Town restaurant

Eligible participants must collect receipts 
from three Old Town businesses, dated between 
January 20 and February 10, and turn them in at 
one of the following locations to be entered in the 
drawing.

Six 2 Six - 114 S. Myrtle Avenue

The Dollmaker’s Kattywompus- 412 S. Myrtle 
Avenue

Lavish Shoes - 517 S. Myrtle Avenue

Pages from the Heart - 137 E. Colorado 
Boulevard

Contest deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, February 
10. The drawing will be at 8:30 p.m. in front of 
the Dollmaker’s storefront. Winner need not be 
present to win. Go to www.oldtownmonroviaca.
com for more information.

Pictured below from the left – Duarte School Board Member and Kiwanis President Elect, 
Pam Kawasaki, MOOOSE Program Director, David Karp, Kiwanis President, Tina Carey, 
Mt. Olive Principal, Kevin Morris, Duarte School Board President and Kiwanis Board 
Member, Reyna Diaz.

On January 17th, the Duarte Kiwanis Club 
heard an exciting update from David Karp 
on the unique MOOSE Program at Mt. Olive 
Alternative High School. The MOOSE (Mount 
Olive Outdoor Science Experience) Program 
provides great experiences for kids ranging from 
creating worm farms and worm tea to planting 
native foliage and managing a pond ecosystem 
and garden. This year the program will be 
partnering with the National Parks Service, and 
some of the participants will have the opportunity 
to work and learn in such wonderful locations as 
Yosemite. The Duarte Kiwanis Club presented 
Mr. Karp and Principal, Kevin Morris with a 
check for $1000.00 to help support the MOOSE 
Program. The Club is looking forward to their 
own “field trip” meeting to Mt. Olive on May 
29th to see the results of this latest investment. 
The Duarte Kiwanis Club has lunch meetings 
the first, third and fifth Tuesdays of the month at 
Westminster Gardens. For further information 
on speaking or joining the club, contact Dr. Diane 
Hernandez at drdiane@drhernandezoptometry.
com. 

Monrovia Police Blotter

During the last seven-day period, the Police 
Department handled 415 service events, resulting 
in 86 investigations. To see a complete listing of 
crimes reported, go to http://www.crimemapping.
com/map/ca/monrovia for crime mapping.

Felony Hit and Run Traffic Collision - 
Suspect Arrested. On January 9 at 5:42 p.m., 
a bicyclist was traveling west on Foothill and 
stopped at Violet when a dark colored SUV 
collided into the bicyclist. The bicyclist was 
ejected approximately 20 feet and the driver 
of the SUV fled west on Foothill. The bicyclist 
was treated by Monrovia Fire Department at the 
scene and was taken to a hospital. His external 
injuries appeared minor, but his internal injuries 
were unknown, so as a precaution, he was taken 
to a trauma unit. 

During the investigation, Monrovia Police 
Department received a call from a subject who 
claimed to have possibly been involved in a 
traffic collision with another vehicle on Foothill. 
The caller provided a description of his vehicle, 
which matched the description of the hit and 
run vehicle. Officers responded to the driver’s 
location and after further investigation, the 
suspect was arrested.

Shots Fired. On January 13 at 10:42 p.m., 
residents in the area of 1100 South Primrose 
heard several shots fired. Officers responded and 
discovered four .45 caliber bullet casings in the 
south alley in the 200 block of West Huntington, 
near Magnolia. Video surveillance showed 
a male suspect, possibly White or Hispanic, 
wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt in the alley. 
The suspect fired four rounds east in the alley, 
then he ran west out of sight. It is unknown what 
he was shooting at; however, at the time of the 
shooting, the manager of a business saw a male 
Black subject, approximately 18 to 20 years old, 
wearing baggy clothing, dancing around in the 
parking lot. He then ran east toward Primrose. 
It’s possible he could have been the target and was 
attempting to avoid getting hit. No impact points 
or blood on the ground was located. Hospitals 
were notified, but no victims were reported 
during the night. 

On January 16 at approximately 3 a.m., an 
officer stopped a suspicious subject. During the 
contact, the subject claimed to be the victim of 
the shooting that occurred on January 13. The 
victim said he was in a business parking lot and 
was shot at; he was not struck or injured. The 
victim would not cooperate with the officer and 
refused to provide any additional information. 
The clothing the victim was wearing during his 
contact with the officer matched the possible 
victim’s clothing reported on the night of the 
shooting. The officer completed a supplemental 
report regarding his contact with the possible 
victim and an identification card was also 
completed. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft Auto - Motorcycle. On January 
14 at 2:33 a.m., a resident in the 300 block of 
South Shamrock heard noises in his front yard 
and went outside to investigate. He saw his 2005, 
orange and black, KTM dirt-bike motorcycle 
was missing off a trailer he had parked on the 
street in front of his house. Witnesses told him 
they saw a male Hispanic subject, approximately 
30 years old, pushing it west on Lemon toward 
California. Officers searched the area for the 
suspect and the motorcycle, but did not locate 
either. Investigation continuing.

Theft. On January 14 at 10:19 a.m., officers 
responded to a theft report at an apartment 
complex in the 700 block of South Myrtle. A 
pickup truck parked on the first level of the 
parking structure behind the security gate had 
two duffel bags stolen out of the bed of the truck. 
Investigation continuing.

Embezzlement - Suspect Arrested. On January 
14 at 11:43 a.m., officers responded to a business 
in the 600 block of South Myrtle regarding an 
embezzlement report. The owner of the business 
noticed a discrepancy in the inventory and 
confronted the employee in charge, who admitted 
to embezzling property from the business. 
During investigation, the employee confessed 
to embezzling property from the business over 
the past five years. The suspect was arrested and 
taken into custody.

Special Enforcement Team Activity

Possession of Marijuana for Sales / Traffic 
Stop / Warrants - Suspects Arrested. On January 
14 at 8:46 p.m., an officer stopped a vehicle for 
a traffic violation in the 1600 block of South 
Myrtle. He recognized the driver and knew 
she had an active want for her arrest issued by 
Monrovia Police Department. A search of her 
vehicle revealed marijuana found in different 
containers, and a large quantity of cash was 
found on her person. Her cell phone contained 
multiple texts from people that indicated she was 
selling marijuana to them. She was arrested for 
the want, as well as possession of marijuana for 
sales and transportation. There was a passenger 
in the vehicle that was found to have five felony 
warrants, which included a no-bail probation 
warrant. The passenger was also arrested.

Domestic Violence / Outside Assist -

Huntington Beach Police Department - 
Suspect Arrested. On January 14, the Special 
Enforcement Team detained a distraught 
female on Myrtle and Duarte. The subject said 
she was upset because her twin sister had been 
involved in domestic violence with her husband. 
While talking to her, her husband and sister 
arrived. After further investigation, the sister 
was arrested for domestic violence for battering 
her husband. Since the incident occurred in 
Huntington Beach, the Huntington Beach Police 
Department responded and took custody of the 
female suspect.

Detective Bureau - Case Follow-up

On November 16, 2011, at approximately 8 
p.m., officers were dispatched to the area of 300 
East Colorado regarding vandalism in progress. 
The officers were able to locate one adult suspect 
and a juvenile suspect. The suspects were arrested 
for tagging in the area of 300 East Colorado. The 
tagging is unique and there were several reports 
describing the particular tagging. 

A follow-up investigation by a detective 
discovered two additional suspects tied to 
the original suspects. After an extensive data 
collection effort by the detective, the cost of 
cleaning up the paint and replacing the damaged 
glass amounted to a felony vandalism charge. The 
detective was able to use the detailed preliminary 
investigation by the officer to secure a felony 
filing against all four suspects and close 25 cases. 
Since the case was filed, the detective has found 
two additional cases to add to the filing.


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