Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 21, 2012

6


Mountain Views-News Saturday July 21, 2012 

ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER


CITY OF ARCADIA 
HIGHLIGHTED AS 
PART OF STRONG CITIES 
| STRONG STATE 
CAMPAIGN 

 Sacramento - Friday, the city of Arcadia was profiled 
as part of the ongoing “Strong Cities | Strong 
State” campaign highlighting local government 
success stories across California.š “Strong Cities | 
Strong State” is a project of the League of California 
Cities and the California City Management 
Foundation (CCMF).

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to showcase 
some of the attributes that make Arcadia 
a special community, as well as highlight a few 
of our recent projects,” said Arcadia Mayor Bob 
Harbicht.š “Living in Arcadia we know what a 
wonderful place this is. We cherish our history, 
appreciate the present, and will continue to do 
everything we can to preserve for the future our 
quality of life and our core values of fiscal responsibility, 
maintaining a safe community, quality economic development, 
sustaining a safe and secure infrastructure, volunteerism, 
and responsiveness to the people who live and do business here.”š 

 The city of Arcadia’s profile is accessible at: www.strongcitiesstrongstate.
com/city/arcadia.

 The “Strong Cities | Strong State” website is the centerpiece of a 
campaign broadly promoting City success stories alongside profiles 
of the elected officials and city managers working together to build 
and maintain a high quality of life for California city residents.

 Highlights of the city of Arcadia’s profile include:

- Arcadia’s robust commitment to business growth and downtown 
development; and

- Arcadia’s pledge to maintaining a superior quality of life and 
sense of community that is shared by residents, business owners 
and the city of Arcadia.

The overarching goal of the “Strong Cities” campaign is to promote 
the innovation and experience of local officials in delivering vital 
services at a time when this expertise is vitally needed by state leaders 
struggling with fundamental issues of governance. “Strong Cities 
| Strong State” seeks to position cities as vital, necessary and 
equal partners in building a better California.

The Strong Cities | Strong State campaign will continue profiling 
individual cities each day, with a goal of highlighting all California 
cities over the coming year-and-a-half. Profiles include photos, 
video and other media articulating how each individual city has 
been working to both provide essential services, as well as elevate 
the quality life of its residents. Success stories will range from public 
safety initiatives to educational partnerships, infrastructure improvements 
to community engagement strategies and more. 

Visit “Strong Cities | Strong State” at www.strongcitiesstrongstate.
com.

For the period of Sunday, July 8th, through Saturday, July 14th, the Police 
Department responded to 921 calls for service of which 110 required 
formal investigations. The following is a summary report of the major 
incidents handled by the Department during this period.

Sunday, July 8:

1. Around 8:38 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle 
for speeding in the area of Duarte Road and El Monte Avenue. The officer 
discovered the driver was never issued a license. The 34-year-old Hispanic 
male was cited, released in the field, and his vehicle was stored. 


Monday, July 9:

2. Shortly after 2:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to Macy’s at the 
Santa Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, in reference to a battery 
report. An adult female concealed merchandise inside her purse and 
exited the store without making payment. When the loss prevention agent 
attempted to detain the suspect in the parking lot, the suspect’s husband 
approached from behind and punched the loss prevention agent in the 
head. Both suspects fled on foot; however, they were later detained by 
assisting Detectives in the 500 block of Huntington Drive. The 29-year-old 
Hispanic female and 34-year-old Hispanic male were arrested on robbery 
charges and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 
3. At about 4:10 p.m., an officer responded to the 1000 block of 
Whispering Oaks Drive regarding a burglary report. The victim discovered 
unknown suspect(s) forced entry through the front door, ransacked the 
bedrooms, and stole three handguns. No suspects or witnesses were 
located. 


Tuesday, July 10:

4. Around 12:28 a.m., officers conducted a traffic stop on a black 
Toyota Celica for making an illegal turn in the area of Baldwin Avenue 
and Fairview Avenue. An investigation revealed the driver provided 
false information, was never issued a license, and was in possession of a 
controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. The 29-year-old Hispanic 
female was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 


Wednesday, July 11:

5. Shortly after 6:30 p.m., the victim of a hit & run collision came 
to the police station to file a report. The victim had been parked in a 
business parking lot located at 650 West Duarte Road. A witness saw a 
silver Toyota Camry strike the victim’s car while parked in the lot. The 
driver of the car failed to leave notification and left the scene. He was 
described as an Asian male, approximately 55-65 years old. The license 
plate on the Toyota was similar to 6UVX261 CA. 


Thursday, July 12:

6. At approximately 6:41 p.m., a resident who lives in the 500 block 
of West Duarte Road came to the police station to file a fraud report. 
The victim received a collections notice for an overdue credit account 
exceeding $9,000.00. The victim contacted the company and learned 
an unknown suspect had used his address and personal information to 
open a fraudulent account. The victim will not suffer a financial loss, but 
is the victim of identity theft.


7. Around 9:07 p.m., an officer accepted a fraud report via the 
police department online reporting portal from a victim who lives in 
Tehachapi, CA. The victim stated unknown suspects used a fraudulent 
credit card to purchase goods and services on two occasions at the 
KKTV Lounge, 612 East Live Oak Avenue. The total charged was over 
$1,800.00 during two uses of the credit card number.


CONGRESSIONAL 

CANDIDATES TO SPEAK AT 
CHAMBER AUGUST 2

Meet the candidates who will represent Arcadia 
in the United States Congress at the Chamber’s 
monthly Government Affairs Forum at 8 a.m. 
Thursday, Aug. 2.
Longtime Arcadia resident and Republican candidate 
Jack Orswell is confirmed to speak, and 
Democratic candidate and current Congresswoman 
Judy Chu hopes to attend as well.

 The Government Affairs Forum is inviting the 
candidates for State Senator and the California 
Assembly to speak at the September and October 
programs.

 Also on the agenda for the Aug. 2 Forum is a 
10-min presentation on the proposed 710 freeway 
extension’s environmental study relating 
to the potential impact on traffic throughout the 
San Gabriel Valley.

 Additional brief updates will be provided by 
the representatives from City, County, and 
State government offices, the Metro Gold Line 
Foothill Extension and the San Gabriel Valley 
Business Coalition. Join us to hear informative 
presentations at the monthly Government 
Affairs Forums led by co-chairmen Pete Ulrich, 
former Arcadia City Councilman, and Mary 
Dougherty, former President of the Arcadia 
School District Board of Education. The 
Forum, held the first Thursday of each month, 
is free and open to the public. RSVPs are appreciated 
to the Chamber office: 626-447-2159 
or info@ArcadiaCaChamber.org.


MONROVIA POLICE BLOTTER

From the Desk of Laurie Lile, Monrovia City Manager

A MESSAGE TO RESIDENTS:

Contrary to what you may have read in newspapers* or heard on radio news reports, the City of Monrovia is 
not going broke. Last week, city staff learned of a news report on the recent announcements by the Cities of 
Stockton, Mammoth Lakes and San Bernardino of their intent to file bankruptcy. In this report, several other 
cities were listed as “facing significant financial hardship,” and to our surprise, the City of Monrovia was on the 
list. Yes, we, along with every other city in the state of California, have had to find ways to reduce our costs in 
the face of declining revenues, but we are not any more financially distressed than most communities—we are 
actually much better off than many. 

The city was cast in this light because of an accident of timing. The city was planning to refinance Redevelopment 
Agency notes that were issued in 2007 when, last winter, the State eliminated Redevelopment through the 
passage of Assembly Bill x1 26 (AB x1 26). Unfortunately, under the hastily adopted legislation, the process 
for refinancing debt owed by the former Redevelopment Agencies became unclear, and most bond houses and 
lending institutions that provide municipal financing were hesitant to proceed. Although the legislature acknowledge 
the flaw in the law and agreed that it should be corrected, the correction did not occur until a few 
weeks ago, when Governor Brown approved one of the Budget trailer bills: AB 1484. Now that it is clear that 
former Redevelopment Agencies can refinance their debt, we are moving forward to complete the refinancing 
and bring all our debt obligations current.

Unfortunately, though, the fix came too late for us to avoid a temporary default on these 2007 notes. The principal 
payment on the notes was due June 1, so for a short time until we can complete the refinance process, we 
are in default. Because of legal and ethical obligations surrounding this situation, city staff made a series of 
disclosures to the bond market regarding the status of our 2007 notes. We believe that it was these disclosures 
that the press picked that led to the characterization that Monrovia is at financial risk. If our notes had been 
due in September instead of June, or if the Legislature had fixed the language in April instead of July, we would 
have completed the refinancing process and no default would have occurred. Poor timing landed us on the list 
of “at-risk” communities.

As with virtually all of the former Redevelopment Agencies in California, the Monrovia Redevelopment Agency 
had financed many infrastructure and business attraction efforts by selling bonds or securing loans (notes) in 
order to raise money to fund the projects that benefited the community. The repayment of these bonds and 
notes was achieved through the increase of property tax revenue that was realized as a result of the Redevelopment 
Agency’s investment. These obligations are being repaid as intended, and there is no intent or need on 
our part to shirk those obligations. You can find a list of the Former Redevelopment Agency’s obligations on the 
City’s Website on the “RDA Successor Agency” page.

I think everyone agrees that these are challenging economic times in California, not just for local governments, 
but for many residents and businesses that are struggling to make ends meet. The City’s budget acknowledges 
these challenges—it is prudent, conservative and responsible. Do we wish we had more revenue to provide better 
service and expand our programs? You bet! But, until the State’s fiscal health improves, cities and counties 
will be tasked with controlling costs, prioritizing expenditures, and making do with the resources that we have. 
In Monrovia, those resources will continue to allow us to provide outstanding public safety services, a first-class 
library, and parks and special events for our residents to enjoy.

*The Mountain Views News is not one of the newspapers referred to and did not print a story stating that Monrovia was nearing 
bankruptcy.

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 515 service events, resulting 
in 92 investigations.

Grand Theft Auto

On July 16 at 1:35 p.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from the 1800 block of South 
Mountain. The victim parked her car on the street at 9 a.m. and when she returned to 
the car at about 12 p.m., she found it had been stolen. The vehicle is a green, 2000 Honda 
Civic. Investigation continuing.

Vehicle Burglary

On July 16 at 2:56 p.m., the victim of a vehicle burglary that occurred in the 900 block of 
Monterey came to the police station to file a report. The victim parked his 2007 Chrysler 
300 in his carport and locked the vehicle. When he returned to the car in the morning, 
the trunk was slightly open and his driver-side door was unlocked. The center console 
had been ransacked and a gym bag was stolen that contained his wedding band and his 
keys. The investigation is ongoing.

Robbery

On July 16 at 6:55 p.m., an officer responded to a business in the 300 block of West Huntington 
on the report of a robbery. The store owner observed a male suspect leaving the 
store without paying for merchandise he was carrying. When she approached him, the 
suspect pushed her aside. Her husband then grabbed the suspect by his shirt and was 
punched by the suspect. The suspect ran out of the location to a waiting vehicle that 
was driven by another male suspect. They fled in the vehicle southbound on Magnolia.

The suspect is described as a male Hispanic, 25-30 years old, 5'10", heavyset with a mustache, 
wearing a black baseball hat, gray Dodgers shirt, and black and white plaid shorts. 
The suspect vehicle is a newer-model, four-door, gray Nissan with Carmax paper plates. 
Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft Auto

On July 17 at 6:47 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from the 200 block of West Cypress. 
The victim parked his white, 2003 Chevy Silverado around midnight and locked 
it. He returned to the vehicle at 6:30 a.m. the next morning and found his truck had 
been stolen. He did not hear or see anything unusual. Investigation continuing.

Residential Burglary

On July 17 at 7:02 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of West 
Colorado regarding a residential burglary. The burglary occurred sometime between 6 
p.m. on July 16 and 6:30 p.m. on July 17. The suspect(s) entered through an unlocked 
rear sliding glass door. Three laptop computers, an iPad, and two cameras were stolen. 
Investigation continuing.

Vehicle Burglaries

On July 18 at 9:32 p.m., police responded to the 800 block of West Huntington regarding 
two vehicle burglaries that occurred in a business parking lot. The two vehicles were 
parked near each other. The suspect(s) smashed a window on each vehicle and stole 
laptop computers from the vehicles. Investigation continuing.

Special Enforcement Team Weekly Activity

Possession of Methamphetamine - Suspect Arrested

On July 11 at 4:56 p.m., the Special Enforcement Team was on patrol at a park in the 300 
block of South Myrtle. One subject was arrested for possession of a methamphetamine 
pipe and one was cited for littering.

Detective Bureau Case Follow-up

Theft / Robbery - Suspect Arrested and Awaiting Trial

Over the course of two weeks, a male Black suspect committed thefts at three locations 
in Monrovia. On one occasion, the suspect forced his way past the store clerk, striking 
him on the chest, which constitutes robbery. This suspect has been contacted numerous 
times recently, in addition to the thefts, for pan handling and threatening customers 
when they refuse to give him money.

This case was assigned to a detective, who through investigation was able to obtain a 
felony warrant for the suspect's arrest, which was entered into the system. The detective 
searched for the suspect at locations he frequented and found him walking on Myrtle 
Avenue, near one of the theft locations. He was taken into custody without incident. 
The suspect is awaiting trial.

Robbery - Suspects Identified

On June 10, a 15-year-old girl was a victim of a robbery when two female suspects 
shoved her and took her cell phone. Officers had a description of the suspects and photos 
from a business security camera.