Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, February 3, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, February 3, 2018 

WATER RATE ADJUSTMENT APPROVED – TYPICAL 
RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER TO SEE INCREASE OF 
$16.87 / MONTH BEGINNING ON THEIR APRIL2018 UTILITY BILLS 


ARCADIA UNIFIED FIGHTS FOR FAIR 
FUNDING IN SACRAMENTO 

-Board of Education Adopts Fair Funding Resolution Urging State Legislators to Act-


ARCADIA-- Arcadia Unified School District’s collective of 
students, teachers, parents, staff, and Board of Educationrecently made its annual journey to Sacramento to advocatefor fair and adequate funding for Arcadia Unified schoolsas well as weigh in on other important education issuesat the 2018 California State Parent Teacher Association 
(California PTA) Legislation Conference.

This annual conference offers a forum for California PTA 
leaders, volunteers, parents, and school representativesto discuss issues in education policy, strategize lobbyingefforts, and rally together in an effort to create a unifiedvoice for students, families, and teachers across the state. 
California is one of the lowest funded states in the country,
ranking at 46 out of the 50 states on a highest to lowestfunded scale. This year, California PTA’s top conferencediscussion items and priorities to present to legislatorsincluded ensuring equity and adequacy in publiceducation and ensuring families are involved and engagedin the local decision-making process through the LocalControl Funding Formula (LCFF) and Local Control andAccountability Plans (LCAPs).

“The California PTA Legislation Conference is one ofthe most important events we can attend as PTA parents,
teachers and administrators,” said First Avenue Middle 
School teacher Catherine Keyston who has attended thisannual conference seven times and counting.

“In many ways, school funding determines the amountof experiences schools are able to offer students and thequality of education we can give them. We need to havea deeper understanding of how school funding works,
and we need our state government to understand whyfunding schools is one of the most important places theycan allocate state funds.” 

For the past several years, Arcadia Unified hastaken at least one Arcadia High School student to thisconference, offering students the opportunity to advocatefor themselves, their peers, and their teachers and letting 

policymakers hear directly from those most impacted byeducation legislation.

“This conference was eye-opening and exposed meto the inner workings of education and policy-making,” 
shared Arcadia High School junior Aaron Wu. “Ioriginally thought our school district was doing just fine,
but after attending this conference, I’ve learned that theentire California education system needs major reform. Iwas honored to represent Arcadia in its fight for neededchange.” 

“For change to occur, constructive conversationsbetween politicians and those they represent musttake place. I’ve always enjoyed the political process andadvocating for our outstanding students and teachers notonly at Foothills Middle School and in Arcadia Unified butthroughout all of California,” said Principal of FoothillsMiddle School Ben Acker. 

The Arcadia Unified School District Board of Education 
continued the fight for fair funding the evening the14-member Arcadia delegation returned from Sacramento.
With a unanimous 5-0 vote, the Arcadia Unified Board of 
Education signed Resolution 1361 “calling for full and fairfunding of California’s public schools.” 

The resolution states that while California has the sixth 
largest economy in the world, the state falls in the nation’sbottom quintile on nearly every measure of public K-12school funding and staffing. Resolution 1361 “urges theState Legislature to fund California public schools at thenational average or higher by the year 2020, and at a levelthat is equal to or above the average of the top 10 statesnationally by 2025 and to maintain, at a minimum, thislevel of funding until otherwise decreed.” 

For more information about the Arcadia Unified 
School District, please visit www.ausd.net, and for moreinformation on advocacy efforts and programs in ArcadiaUnified, tune into the district’s Digital Education Stationseries at www.youtube.com/ArcadiaUnified. 

ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER 


For the period of Sunday, January 21st, through Saturday,
January 27th, the Police Department responded to 876 callsfor service, of which 104 required formal investigations. Thefollowing is a summary report of the major incidents handled bythe Department during this period. 

Sunday, January 21:

At approximately 2:34 a.m., an officer responded to aresidence on the 1000 block of West Huntington Driveregarding a medical assist. The officer noticed an unsecuredfirearm inside the residence. The officer obtained consent 
from the subject to hold his firearms for safekeeping. Whilegathering the firearms, the officer discovered the subject wasin possession of Non-California compliant firearms and aswitch blade. The 40-year-old male from Arcadia was arrestedand transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

At about 2:49 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the SprintStore, 651 West Duarte Road, regarding a theft report. Aninvestigation revealed the suspect entered the store and askedan employee questions pertaining to a cellphone plan. Whenthe employee left to retrieve the information he requested, thesuspect grabbed a silver iPhone X from the display table andran out of the store. The investigation is ongoing. 

Monday, January 22:

Around 7:13 a.m., an officer responded to Arcadia ServiceCenter, 40 East Duarte Road, regarding a report of vandalism.
An investigation revealed an unknown suspect(s) spraypainted the rear and driver’s side of the victim’s vehicle. The 
investigation is ongoing. 

Tuesday, January 23:

Just after 9:45 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop ona vehicle near the intersection of Duarte Road and First 
Avenue for speeding. Upon contacting the driver, the officerdiscovered the 47-year-old male from Pasadena had beendriving with an expired license. He was cited and released inthe field. His vehicle was released to a licensed driver 

At approximately 7:44 p.m., an officer responded to aresidence in the 400 block of San Luis Rey Road regardingthe report of a burglary. An investigation revealed unknownsuspect(s) entered the home by breaking a rear sliding glassdoor. The suspects ransacked the residence and fled the scene.
The investigation is ongoing. 

Wednesday, January 24:

Around 1:33 p.m., an officer responded to Motel 6, 225 WestColorado Place, regarding a stolen vehicle report. The officerdiscovered an unknown suspect stole the victim’s vehiclesometime during the previous night. The unoccupied vehiclewas later recovered by San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department,
damaged and stripped. No suspects were seen and nowitnesses were located. 

Shortly after 1:52 p.m., an officer was dispatched to aresidence in the 1000 block of La Cadena Avenue regarding atheft from vehicle report. The victim discovered an unknownsuspect had smashed the passenger side window of his vehicleand stole his suitcase sometime during the previous night. Nosuspects were seen and no witnesses were located. 

Thursday, January 25:

Around 6:16 p.m., an officer responded to the front counter ofthe Arcadia Police Department regarding a report of domesticviolence. An investigation revealed the suspect began arguingwith his fiancé over text messages. The suspect then kneed her 

in the stomach, slapped her and punched her several times,
causing visible injury. An Emergency Protective Order wasissued and the 25-year-old male from Arcadia was located,
arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

At approximately 9:27 p.m., officers responded to aresidence in the 100 block of West Palm Drive regardinga burglary alarm activation. Officers discovered an openwindow with pry marks to the rear of the residence. Theproperty loss could not be determined at the time due to theresidents residing out of the country for most of the year. Theunknown suspect(s) fled the scene with an unknown amountof stolen property in an unknown direction. 

Friday, January 26:

Just after 1:09 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on avehicle in the area of Huntington Drive and Baldwin Avenuefor making an unsafe left turn, failing to stop at a red light andhaving no license plates displayed. The officer discovered the25-year-old female from Alhambra was driving without alicense and was on probation for fraud. Further investigationrevealed the driver and three passengers were in possessionof stolen mail, stolen identification information, a fraudulent 
check and a burglary tool. One subject also had an outstandingwarrant for his arrest. The driver along with the 34-year-oldmale from El Monte, 19-year-old female from San Gabrieland 20-year-old female from Los Angeles, were arrested andtransported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

At approximately 3:13 a.m., officers responded to aresidence in the 100 block of West La Sierra Drive regardingthe report of a burglary. The resident was awoken by anunknown sound and went to investigate the sound. At thattime she noticed her rear sliding glass door had been smashedand two men were standing outside of her window. Thesuspects saw her and quickly fled the scene. The investigation 
is ongoing.

Just before 10:00 p.m., officers were dispatched to theResidence Inn by Marriott, 321 East Huntington Drive,
regarding a robbery that had just occurred. An investigationrevealed the suspect entered the hotel lobby carrying a blackhandgun in one hand and a black plastic briefcase in the other.
The suspect demanded “all of the money” from the desk clerk.
The clerk gave him all of the cash from the drawer and thesuspect told her to get down behind the counter. He then fledthe scene in an unknown direction. 

The suspect is described as a male Hispanic, in his forties,
6 feet 1 inch tall, 220 pounds, wearing a black hat, a blackwindbreaker jacket, jeans, and a black mask covering his face. 

Saturday, January 27:
At approximately 6:44 p.m., officers responded to a residencein the 800 block of Arcadia Avenue regarding a vehicle theft.
The victim last saw her vehicle parked in her designatedparking spot. An investigation revealed an unknown suspectabandoned a vehicle nearby that had been reported stolenfrom Duarte. The suspect then stole the victim’s vehicle andfled the scene in an unknown direction. The investigation isongoing.

Just after 9:19 a.m., an officer responded to Macy’s, 400South Baldwin Avenue, regarding a subject detained forvandalism. A Loss Prevention Officer witnessed a subjectremove security sensors from several pairs of jeans, leavingthe jeans damaged. The subject was found to be in possessionof magnets, knives and an electric engraver. The 25-year-oldmale from Camarillo was arrested and transported to theArcadia City Jail for booking. 

MONROVIA NEWS 
On Tuesday, January 16, the City Council held 
a Public Hearing to consider the proposedadjustments to our water rates in order to pay for thenew pass-through water production costs related tothe ongoing drought conditions in our region. Thesefees are being levied on the City by the Main SanGabriel Basin Watermaster (Watermaster) and theUpper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District(Upper District) in order to address the water supplyshortage in the Main San Gabriel Basin following thehistoric, decade-long drought. Instituting these feesallowed the Watermaster to purchase 40.7 billiongallons at a cost of over $100 million to replenishthe groundwater aquifer that supplies our region,
and return the Basin to a healthy level to ensure acontinued water supply.

In accordance with California’s Proposition 218process, those customers opposed to the new rateswere required to submit a protest ballot. If 50% +
1 of water customers, equivalent to 4,650 ballots,
protested the new rates, then the City Council wouldbe unable to adopt them. In total, the City received583 protest ballots, which did not meet the 50% 

MONROVIA HOME SECURITY REBATES 
CONTINUE TO BE AVAILABLE! RESIDENTS 
ELIGIBLE FOR REBATES OF UP TO $250 FOR 
HOME SECURITY PRODUCT OF THEIR CHOICE! 

On December 5, 2017, the Monrovia City Council 
established the Home Security Rebate Program 
as an additional local response to the increase 
in crime that communities across California 
have been experiencing over the past few years. 
Unlike other programs that have been developed 
in neighboring jurisdictions, Monrovia’s Home 
Security Rebate Program is not limited to one 
particular home security system, product, or 
service provider. Instead, residents are eligible for 
a reimbursement of up to $250 for the purchase 
and / or installation of any qualifying home 
security system.

Due to the program’s popularity, the City 
Council recently approved doubling the amount 
of funds available for the rebates – from $25,000 
to $50,000 total – at their meeting on January 16, 
2018. To that end, we would encourage you to 

apply today!

To submit an application, visit our Home 
Security Rebate Program webpage and click on 
“Apply Now.” Once you’re there, follow the simple 
on-screen prompts to complete your application 
and upload pictures of your new home security 
product and receipt for reimbursement. Please 
note that this program has been very popular, so 
we encourage you to apply as soon as possible! 

Once the application is submitted, you can 
track your progress and receive emails when 
the application has been approved and when 
the rebate check is in the mail. It should take us 
no more than 2 – 3 weeks to process everything 
and get you your rebate check! If you have any 
additional questions, take a look at the program 
flyer or send us an email at securityrebate@
ci.monrovia.ca.us. 

+1 threshold. After hearing public input, the CityCouncil moved to approve the new rates. The newcosts will take effect as of March 8, 2018, and will 
first appear on customers’ April 2018 bills. Based on 
the proposed rate increase, the typical single-familyresidential water customer (who uses 15 units ofwater per month) will see a monthly increase in theirwater bill of $16.87 effective March 8, 2018. For more 
information, view the flyer on the City’s webpage.
Based on the proposed rate increase, the typicalsingle-family residential water customer (who uses15 units of water per month) will see a monthlyincrease in their water bill of $16.87 effective March 
8, 2018. 

We know that this water rate adjustment willcause additional financial strain on residents and 
business owners, and it is important to note that asenior discount and economic hardship discountwill continue to be offered to residents for whom the 
proposed fee adjustments would present an undueburden. To apply, please complete the discount 
application available on the City’s website here, or inperson at City Hall. 

By Joan Schmidt

During the last two weeks, the Monrovia ArcadiaDuarte Town Council has participated in two greatevents with the City of Monrovia. The first was 
a joint Council Meeting between the Monrovia 
City Council and the Monrovia Arcadia DuarteTown Council on Tuesday, January 23. During thejoint meeting, discussed topics included street andsidewalk repair/replacement in the southern portionof the City where the county area begins, Metro GoldLine traffic signals and delay, the renovated SantaFe Depot, and the partnership in the Station SquareConcerts. 

On January 31, the City of Monrovia held its annualState of the City Address. Festivities were held at theStudio Movie Grill, beginning with a VIP Receptionon the Mezzanine Level. The entire Monrovia CityCouncil Members, City Manager Oliver Chi andCity Clerk Alice Atkins warmly welcomed the TownCouncil as we arrived. Also attending were CityTreasurer Steve Baker, Police Chief Alan Sanvictores, 
and City Staff. Supervisor Kathryn Barger with SeniorField Deputy Debra Mendelsohn, Hector Elizalde forCongresswoman Grace Napolitano, Kristy Lopez forSenator Anthony Portantino, and Alfonso Somilledafor Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio also were onhand to hear the Address. 

The Address followed the Reception. After Postingof Colors and a beautiful rendition of the National 
Anthem, Mayor Adams began the Address. He notedthat it’s been exactly 1000 days that the current citycouncil has worked together; they may have differentideas/opinions, but always come together for thegood of the City. 

There were so many wonderful topics covered.
Lack of space limits me, but I will share somehighlights. Mayor Adams spoke of the greateconomic growth. In one year, Monrovia has seen300,000 square feet of office space built and 2000new jobs! Monrovia is very proud of new businessescoming into the City such as City of Hope, andBeckman Research. There has also been a greatincrease in available housing.

Monrovia Redevelopment has been divided 
into six sections and four are already complete.
Redevelopment projects include streets, sidewalks,
water/ sewer lines and much more.

There was mention of their great Fire Department(Class 2) and Police Department being honoredby the International Association of Police Chiefs,
CA State Attorney, James Q. Wilson Award forExcellence, and the Cisco Community PolicingAward. 

There were two slides showing terrible crimes thatthe state considers, “Non-violent”, including rapeand domestic violence! Local police agencies haveformed a coalition to put pressure on Sacramento tocombat the horrible repercussions from AB 109 andProps 47 & 57.

On a more positive note, there was mention ofOutreach Programs and addressing the homelesspopulation. Officers carry a list of shelters and serviceagencies that could help the homeless.

Mayor Adams spoke of the partnership of theTown and City Councils, and how we are workingtogether on projects, such as the Station SquareConcert series. It was a positive event showing whata great community Monrovia is! 

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