Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, May 20, 2017

Mountain View News Saturday, May 20, 2017 

ARCADIA UNIFIED DOUBLES TAXPAYERS 
SAVINGS TO $80 MILLION 

ARCADIA-- It was only a couple of months ago thatthe Arcadia Unified School District announced a 
bond refinance plan that would result in an estimated$40 million in savings to Arcadia taxpayers. With therefinancing process complete, that figure has more thandoubled to over $80 million. In its presentation of thebond refinance results at the May 9 Board of Educationmeeting, Arcadia Unified’s Business Services revealedthat it has secured Arcadia taxpayers over $80 millionin tax savings.

The increased savings come by way of severalfavorable factors, but at the forefront is Arcadia Unified’s 
adherence to fiscally responsible practices as reflectedby the District’s credit rating. The District began thebond refinance process by having two industry-leadingcredit rating agencies, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’sInvestors Service, review its credit rating. Each agencyrated Arcadia Unified higher than anticipated, AAand Aa1, respectively, citing reasons for the increasedrating as Arcadia Unified’s conservative management offunds and responsible financial practices along with theDistrict’s extremely strong financial condition and highreserve levels. 

Out of all of the school districts in California 
that issued bonds last year, less than 16% received as 
high a credit rating as Arcadia Unified from either 
agency. As a result of this exceptional rating, the 
District received very competitive bids for the bonds, 
with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, who submitted 
the lowest bid, selected as the winning underwriter. 
Another key component to the savings is that the 
bonds were refinanced as current interest bonds, 
eliminating all of the previous, more expensive 
capital appreciation bonds.

“Our district would be hard-pressed to operate atthe remarkable level we do without Arcadia taxpayersupport,” said Arcadia Unified Superintendent Dr. 


David Vannasdall. “I am incredibly proud of thework our team does in ensuring our district’s soundfinancial status and for exemplifying best practices inmanagement of our taxpayers’ money. These savings areexclusively for the taxpayers and come at no cost to thedistrict. I can’t be happier with these results.”

“It’s fantastic to see that just weeks after our voterspassed Measure A, securing $77 million for our schoolsover the next 18 years, we can offer our generouscommunity $80 million in tax savings,” expressedArcadia Unified Board of Education Member KayKinsler. 

The majority of the refinanced bonds originated fromArcadia Unified’s Measure I, Facilities Bond. Approvedby voters in November 2006, Measure I, or the Arcadia 
Neighborhood Schools, Health, Safety, and RepairMeasure, authorized $218 million of general obligationbonds to be spent solely for the 1 improvement andmodernization of Arcadia Unified School District 
schools and facilities. Fiscal management of the bondshas been overseen by Arcadia Unified’s BusinessServices, headed by Assistant Superintendent ChristinaAragon. 

GPS PACKAGE TRACKING HELPS ARCADIA 
PD FIND SUSPECT 

On Thursday, May 11, 2017, at about


into custody without incident.

6:39 p.m., Arcadia Police Officers 
The driver was arrested and identified 
were dispatched to the 1600 block

as Christopher Cook, 27 years old, ofof Holly Avenue on a GPS package

La Mirada. 
theft activation. Officers tracked the 

Anyone with information on thispackage to a parking lot in the city

incident is encouraged to contactof Hacienda Heights. Upon arrival,

the Arcadia Police Department ata suspect vehicle was located which

(626) 574-5156, case #17-2480. If 
led officers on a vehicle pursuit. The 
you prefer to provide informationpursuit was terminated for safety 

anonymously, you may call “Crimereasons; however another agencyStoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPSassumed the pursuit, which terminated in the 8600(8477), use your smartphone by downloadingblock of Garfield Avenue in the city of South Gate.the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or theArcadia officers arrived at that location and with Apple App Store or by using the website http://
the assistance of multiple agencies, took the suspect lacrimestoppers.org. 

ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER 


For the period of Sunday, May 7th, through Saturday, May 13th,
the Police Department responded to 1,006 calls for service, of which122 required formal investigations. The following is a summaryreport of the major incidents handled by the Department duringthis period. 

Sunday, May 7:
Shortly before 10:33 p.m., an officer conducted an enforcementstop on a vehicle on Sierra Madre Boulevard, just west ofNorth Canon Avenue in Sierra Madre, for having suspendedregistration. A records check of the occupants revealed the driver,
a 36-year-old male from La Crescenta, was driving without alicense and the passenger, a 53-year-old male from Van Nuys, hadtwo outstanding felony warrants and provided the officer with afalse name. An investigation revealed the vehicle was stolen andthe passenger was in possession of drug paraphernalia. Both werearrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 

Monday, May 8:
At approximately 2:16 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop ona vehicle in the area of Camino Real Avenue and Baldwin Avenue 
for speeding. Upon contacting the driver, the officer detecteda strong odor of alcohol emitting from the driver. Through aseries of tests, the officer determined the 20-year-old male fromTemple City was driving under the influence of an alcoholicbeverage and had a blood alcohol content of .137%. The suspectwas arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 

Just after 7:25 a.m., an officer responded to the 1000 block of DonRobles Street regarding a vehicle burglary report. The officerdiscovered an unknown suspect broke the passenger windowof the vehicle and stole the vehicle registration. Surveillancefootage revealed an unknown suspect exited a light-coloredFord Mustang and committed the burglary. The investigation isongoing. 

Around 8:29 a.m., an officer responded to Souplantation,
301 East Huntington Drive, regarding a commercial burglaryreport. The officer discovered unknown suspects attempted toburglarize the business by cutting a hole through a wall of therestaurant’s utility room. The investigation is ongoing. 

Around 4:09 p.m., an officer responded to REI, 214 NorthSanta Anita Avenue, regarding a grand theft report. Surveillancefootage revealed two suspects entered the store, selected at leastfour backpacks, and fled through the emergency exit to anawaiting vehicle. 

The suspects are described as a white male, early 40’s, thin build,
approximately 5’9” with many tattoos and a white male, 20 to30-years-old, approximately 5’9”, with an average build. They fledin a tan 4-door sedan. The investigation is ongoing. 

Tuesday, May 9:
Just before 11:50 a.m., an officer responded to a residence in the900 block of Paloma Drive regarding a commercial burglaryreport. An investigation revealed an unknown suspect stole agenerator from a storage shed in the backyard sometime betweenDecember 2016 and March 2017. No suspects were seen and nowitnesses were located. 
Shortly after 9:11 p.m., an officer responded to a residence in the500 block of East Lemon Avenue regarding a burglary report.
Surveillance footage revealed three suspects smashed a rearwindow, entered the residence, and fled empty-handed.

The suspects were seen driving away in a dark-colored 4-door 

sedan with dark-colored paper plates. The investigation isongoing. 

Wednesday, May 10:

At about 8:20 a.m., an officer responded to a residence in the200 block of East Haven Avenue regarding a theft from vehiclereport. The officer discovered an unknown suspect entered theunlocked vehicle, stole an insurance card and vehicle registration,
and fled undetected. No witnesses were located. 

At approximately 1:34 p.m., an officer responded to the 600block of Vaquero Road regarding an activation of an ArcadiaPolice Department GPS tracker. Arcadia PD detectives hadpreviously deployed decoy packages containing bait propertyand tracking devices to combat the increase in package theftsfrom residential areas. An investigation revealed a 28-year-oldfemale from Rosemead and a 29-year-old female from MontereyPark had the stolen package, property, and tracking device intheir vehicle. The 28-year-old was also in possession of stolencredit cards and methamphetamine. Both were arrested andtransported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 

Thursday, May 11:

Just before 6:39 p.m., officer responded to the area of SanAntonio Road and Colorado Boulevard regarding an activationof an Arcadia Police Department GPS tracker. The officer 
attempted to initiate a traffic stop but the suspect fled and apursuit ensued. The pursuit was terminated but the PasadenaPolice Department airship continued to follow the suspectto an Edwards Cinema parking lot in South Gate where thesuspect fled on foot into the theater. The suspect was located,
arrested, and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.
An investigation revealed the 27-year-old male from La Miradawas driving a stolen vehicle, had an outstanding felony warrant,
and was in possession of methamphetamine, burglary tools, andstolen property.

Around 8:44 p.m., an officer responded to a residence in the300 block of Camino Real Avenue regarding a burglary report.
Surveillance footage revealed three suspects smashed a rearwindow, ransacked the residence, and fled with cash and jewelry.
The investigation is ongoing. 

Friday, May 12:

At about 1:22 a.m., an officer responded to the Santa AnitaMall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding a battery report. Theofficer discovered an altercation occurred between a boyfriendand girlfriend resulting in the male hitting the female victimin the back of the head and pulling her hair. Witnesses nearbyintervened and punched the suspect. The witnesses fled by thetime officers arrived. The boyfriend, a 30-year-old male fromCovina, was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail forbooking. 

Saturday, May 13:

Just before 10:57 a.m., an officer responded to a residence inthe 1100 block of Rancho Road regarding a vandalism report.
The victim discovered his mailbox lock had been broken by anunknown suspect sometime during the previous evening. Nosuspects were seen, no witnesses were located, and no loss wasreported.

Shortly after 10:17 p.m., an officer responded to a residencein the 1000 block of Oakdale Lane regarding a burglaryreport. An investigation revealed unknown suspects smasheda rear glass door, ransacked the interior, and fled with a 5’
tall safe containing firearms, ammunition, and jewelry. Theinvestigation is ongoing. 

PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES CONTINUE TO BE A FOCUS AS THE CITY 
WORKS WITH LA COUNTY SUPERVISOR KATHRYN BARGER’S 
OFFICE, THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, AND 
THE CITY OF DUARTE TO ADDRESS REGIONAL GANG VIOLENCE 


During the past year, regional gang violence in the areassurrounding Monrovia has become a significant publicsafety issue that local law enforcement agencies have beenworking hard to address. These issues began in early 2016when gang activity turned violent in our region, and has beenprimarily driven by conflicts between the Crip gang locatedin the unincorporated Los Angeles County areas surroundingDuarte / Monrovia, the Hispanic gang in Duarte, and a Bloodgang in Pasadena.

Given this recent increase in regional gang violenceoccurring around us, during the past several weeks, we havebeen in contact with our partners at Los Angeles CountySupervisor Kathryn Barger’s Office, the Los Angeles CountySheriff’s Department, and the City of Duarte. Through thosediscussions, we have been excited to learn additional details 
about some terrific public safety initiatives being pursued byour regional partners, which includes the reinstitution of jointpatrols between members of the Monrovia Police Departmentand the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to furthercombat the rise in gang activity.
In particular, we wanted to share with our community detailsrelated to the efforts being undertaken regionally. First, our 
thanks to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whohas authorized the use of discretionary funding to deploy aspecial LA County Sheriff’s Department Summer EnforcementTeam (SET) to combat the rise in gang violence occurring inunincorporated LA County and in Duarte. This team will 
begin working on May 14, 2017, and will remain intact throughSeptember 2017. In addition, Supervisor Barger has used herdiscretionary funds to pay for a short-term special operationsteam to focus on gang activity prior to the time when the SETteam becomes available in May.

Additionally, the LA County Sheriff’s Department hasdeployed multiple law enforcement response mechanisms,
including ongoing parole / probation searches and engagingin multi-jurisdictional efforts to combat gang activity.
Furthermore, we wanted to share with our community thatthe LA County Sheriff’s Department has already deployedtheir Operation Safe Streets (OSS) Bureau staff to address theincreased gang activity in the region. OSS is the agency withinthe LA County Sheriff’s Department that is responsible forproviding suppression, intelligence, and expert investigationagainst criminal street gangs, and some of the special activitiesbeing pursued by OSS include:
Participation in saturation patrols in the region

Collection and distribution of key intelligence informationthrough compilation of a list of the most active gang membersin the region, and providing that information to the LACounty Sheriff’s Department Summer Enforcement Team and 

Temple Station patrol deputies.
` Work with LA County Probation Officers and Parole Agentsto conduct probation / parole compliance checks on gangmembers who have recently been released from custody andare residing in the region` OSS personnel are actively working with Temple Stationto train LA County Sheriff’s Department patrol deputies inthe enforcement of gang laws, including enforcement of thegang injunction in unincorporated LA County adjacent toMonrovia. 

All of these efforts have been paying off, as our counterpartsat the LA County Sheriff’s Department have shared with usthat during the past few weeks, law enforcement officialshave arrested the top five most active Duarte Eastside gangmembers. 

By coordinating joint patrols between the MonroviaPolice Department and LA County Sheriff’s Department,
establishing a special LA County Sheriff’s DepartmentSummer Enforcement Team, and engaging the efforts of theLA County Sheriff’s Department OSS Bureau, a tremendousamount of attention and resources are being deployed to quellthe rise of gang activity in the region.

Supervisor Barger has supported this collaboration with theLA County Sheriff’s Department and the City of Duarte, andthese terrific initiatives will certainly help to supplement thestrategies that Monrovia has employed for years, and whichwe will continue to pursue. Moving forward, the City will 
continue working alongside our neighborhood leaders and 
with our Monrovia Area Partnership program to advance thetwo primary strategies we have engaged to fight gang violencein Monrovia, which includes the continued use of our ganginjunction and the continuation of our efforts to evict criminaltenants from living in our City. As you may recall, Monroviawas able to institute a preliminary gang injunction in 2009,
which was eventually expanded to serve as a permanentinjunction against gangs based out of the community in 2010.
The injunction is still in place today and serves as a criticaltool in our efforts to identify and remove gang members fromour City. Additionally, the Monrovia Police Department hasduring the past decade worked to coordinate with communitymembers to put pressure on landlords who rent to criminals.
Working with our residents, the pressure that we have beenable to exert together has resulted in landlords evicting morethan 150 gang members / drug dealers from Monrovia duringthe past ten years.

Working together with LA County, the LA County Sheriff’sDepartment, and the City of Duarte, we will continue topartner to implement aggressive measures to address thecurrent gang violence occurring in the region. 

MONROVIA’S OFFICIAL POPULATION IS NOW 38,514! 

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the California Stateestimated at 38,514, which represents a 2.9% increase (+1,103 people)
Department of Finance recently released its new populationover 2016. The chart below outlines our comparative growth rate, asprojections. As of January 1, 2017, Monrovia’s official population is identified and developed by the State. 

MONROVIA POLICE BLOTTER 

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 402service events, resulting in 82 investigations. To see a complete listing ofcrimes reported, go to http://www.crimemapping.com/map/ca/monroviafor crime mapping. For Police Department news and information, visit ourwebsite and follow us on Twitter. 

Shoplifting – Suspect Arrested

May 15 at 11:56 a.m., loss prevention personnel at a business in the 300block of W. Huntington called police to report subjects shoplifting. Amale and female adult had concealed merchandise while inside the store 
and left without paying for the items. The suspects split up outside of thestore and went in different directions. Officers responded and locatedthe female suspect. The female phoned the male suspect and told him shewas being detained by officers. The male suspect returned with the stolenproperty and admitted to the crime. He was arrested and the femalewas released, as she did not have property and was not seen taking the 
property. 

Shoplifting – Suspect Arrested

May 15 at 4:03 p.m., a shoplifting incident was reported at a business 
in the 300 block of W. Huntington. A male adult left the store without 
paying for merchandise he had concealed. Officers arrived and located 
the suspect sitting on the front porch of a residence nearby. The 
homeowner appeared puzzled and said he did not know the suspect. 
The homeowner told officers that the suspect ran onto his porch and 
sat down next to him. The suspect was arrested for the crime and taken 
into custody. 

Vehicle Burglary

May 15 at 7:10 p.m., the victim of a vehicle burglary called police to reportthat sometime between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. someone broke into his vehiclein the 100 block of S. Mayflower. The rear passenger side window wasshattered and his backpack was taken. The investigation is continuing. 

Grand Theft 

May 15 at 7:22 p.m., a grand theft was reported in the 400 block of S.
Alta Vista. The victim parked his vehicle on the street and went inside forthe night. The following morning he returned to his vehicle at 6:00 a.m.
and started the ignition. There was a loud sound coming from under thevehicle. He looked underneath and saw the catalytic converter had beenstolen. The investigation is continuing. 

Grand Theft Auto 

May 16 at 9:25 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen in the 1000 block of S.
Mountain Avenue. The victim parked her vehicle on the street on May 14.
When she returned to her vehicle on May 16, she discovered it had beenstolen. There were no signs of forced entry. The vehicle is a grey, 2000Honda CRV. The investigation is continuing. 

Possession of a Controlled Substance / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

– Suspects Arrested
May 16 at 4:29 p.m., a caller reported several subjects using drugs near asilver vehicle parked in a business parking lot in the 200 block of E. LimeAvenue. Officers responded and located the vehicle and several subjects.
During the investigation, two subjects were found to be in possessionof narcotics and drug paraphernalia. They were arrested and taken intocustody. 

Fight in Progress / Assault with a Deadly Weapon – Suspect Arrested

May 16 at 6:50 p.m., officers responded to a business parking lot in the400 block of S. Myrtle regarding a large fight in progress. When officersarrived, the fighting had stopped. The fight was over a parking situationinvolving employees and patrons from another business location. Duringthe altercation, the victim fell to the ground and was kicked in the headmultiple times by the suspect. The suspect was arrested and taken intocustody for the assault. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com