Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, December 2, 2017

Mountain View News Saturday, December 2, 2017 

ARCADIA UNIFIED APPOINTS NEW PRINCIPAL OF ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER 


BALDWIN STOCKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 


ARCADIA-- The Arcadia Unified School District 
Board of Education recently appointed KelseyBrown as Principal of Baldwin Stocker ElementarySchool in a unanimous decision. 

After the Board’s vote, Brown took to the 
podium and expressed heartfelt thanks for theselection before a boardroom audience filled with 
family, friends, and colleagues who shared inBrown’s visible excitement for her new role. 

“I have found that the heart of any instructionalprogram must be what’s best for kids,” said PrincipalBrown. “I look forward to fostering a team ofproactive educators, building bridges betweenschool and the community, and continuing tohonor my profession by growing and honing mycraft.” 

Brown has served the students, families, 
and community of Arcadia Unified for over20 years. Prior to her current position, Brown’swork in Arcadia Unified began at Holly AvenueElementary School where she taught 4th and 5thgrade students for over 15 years until startingher role as an Instructional Coach based out of 
the district office. Most recently, Brown served asAssistant Principal for Arcadia Unified’s FoothillsMiddle School, which landed top honors on Niche.
com’s 2018 Best Public Middle Schools lists, takinghome the #5 and #13 spots for best public middleschool in the Los Angeles area and California,
respectively.

Brown’s commitment to honing her craftis evident. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in 
Psychology from the University of California,
Riverside, two Master of Art degrees in Educationfrom California State University, Los Angeles, anda Master of Arts in Educational Administration 
from Concordia University, Irvine. Continuing to 

ROBBERY 

On Wednesday, November 29, 2017, at about 2:00p.m., Arcadia Police Officers were dispatched toa robbery which occurred in the area of SixthAvenue and Live Oak Avenue. The victim was 
sitting on a bus bench when the suspect walkedup from behind and snatched her purse off her 
arm. The suspect then ran south on Sixth Avenueto an awaiting vehicle. The suspect entered thevehicle through the driver’s side door and fledsouth bound on Sixth Avenue. No weapons or 
additional suspects were seen.

The suspect was described as a male, Hispanic,
light complexion, between 20-30 years-old, thin 

As you may recall, staff participated in a bondrating call with Standard & Poor (S&P) two weeksago to discuss the issuance of a pension obligationbond in an effort to refinance the City’s existingpension liability debt. There had been some 
concern expressed by our financing team thatgiven the size of our proposed bond issuance (+/$
115 million), S&P might rate our bonds as anUpper Medium Grade (A- / A / A+) investment.
Such a factor could have potentially changed theoverall dynamics of the transaction, given thatour investment team has not been able to secure 
insurance for the proposed POB issuance.

Fortunately, after a thorough review, S&P thispast week provided our proposed POB issuancewith a AA- rating, and also assigned an overallcredit rating of AA for the City! This is terrific news 
and makes Monrovia a High Grade (AA- / AA /
AA+) investment opportunity! In their summaryreport, S&P indicated that, “the stable outlookreflects our view of management’s proactiveapproach to its pension liabilities.” Furthermore, 
S&P outlined that their rating of the City and ourPOB issuance reflected the following:

• Very strong economy, with access to a broad anddiverse metropolitan statistical area (MSA);
• Very strong management, with strong financialpolicies and practices under our Financial 
Management Assessment (FMA) methodology;
• Strong budgetary performance, with operatingsurpluses in the general fund and at the total 
governmental fund level in fiscal 2016;
• Strong budgetary flexibility, with an availablefund balance that we expect will decrease in thenear term from its fiscal 2016 level of 18% of 
operating expenditures;
• Very strong liquidity, with total governmentavailable cash at 82.6% of total governmental fundexpenditures and 16.5x governmental debt service,
and access to external liquidity we consider strong; 
MEET AND GREET: 
ASSEMBLYWOMAN BLANCA RUBIO, 48TH DISTRICT 
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2017 
PAMELA PARK 
2236 GOODALL AVE. DUARTE, CA 

Please join the Monrovia Arcadia Duarte Townis in her first year of office and has supported andCouncil at a “Meet and Greet Assemblywomanintroduced various bills. This energetic woman willBlanca Rubio, 48th District” event at Pamela Park, talk about her background, education, and teaching2236 Goodall Ave. Duarte, Tuesday evening,career before entering public office. She also willDecember 12 at 6:30 pm. The Assemblywoman explain various bills/propositions. All are welcome. 

grow her knowledge, Brown is currently workingon her Doctorate in Education from the Universityof LaVerne. 

Brown’s new role comes by way of esteemedformer Baldwin Stocker Principal, Jayne Nickels,
filling a vacant principal role in her hometowndistrict of Monrovia. 

Through another unanimous Board vote atits Nov. 14 meeting, longtime Arcadia Unifiedteacher, Christina Siriani, was chosen as Brown’s 
replacement to serve as Foothills Middle School’sAssistant Principal.

For more information about the Arcadia Unified 
School District, please visit www.ausd.net. 


build, with no facial hair, approximately 6 feettall, and was wearing a blue dress shirt. The 
suspect vehicle was described as a green 4 doorsedan. 

Anyone with information on this incidentis encouraged to contact the Arcadia PoliceDepartment at (626) 574-5156, Arcadia PD Case#17-5928. If you prefer to provide informationanonymously, you may call "Crime Stoppers"
by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or use yoursmartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” MobileAPP on Google play or the Apple App Store or byusing the website http://lacrimestoppers.org. 

• Very weak debt and contingent liability position,
with debt service carrying charges at 5.0% ofexpenditures and net direct debt that is 307.0% oftotal governmental fund revenue; and
• Strong institutional framework score.
View the copies of the rating reports issued byS&P. 
Also, by way of background, for every refinance orbond deal conducted, financial rating agencies –
like S&P – will review the overall fiscal health of 
the City, along with explicit details related to theproposed transaction, to provide an overall bondrating for each deal. The better the bond ratingreceived by the City, the better the interest ratesthat we will receive from the financial markets. 
And the better the interest rates we receive, the 
more money that we ultimately save.

After conducting their most recent financialreview with City staff and our underwriters, S&Pthis past week notified us that the City’s bondrating for our CalPERS Response Plan pensiondebt refinance transaction was assigned a High-
Grade Investment rating of AA-! Furthermore, 
S&P affirmed that the City’s overall credit ratingwas AA / stable!

This is a terrific accomplishment for the City,
and our entire community should be proud of theachievement! It wasn’t that long ago that securitiesfrom the City were considered lower mediumgrade investments in the BBB- to BBB+ range…
kudos to all those involved – from the City Council,
to the finance team in our Administrative Services 
Department, to each department’s prudent fiscalmanagement – for managing Monrovia’s financesin such a superb manner!

Also, for further insight and clarificationregarding bond ratings, a ratings overview chartwhich explains the different credit rating asdetermined by S&P has been developed by stafffor your review and consideration below: 

For the period of Sunday, November 19th, throughSaturday, November 25th, the Police Departmentresponded to 773 calls for service, of which 108 requiredformal investigations. The following is a summary reportof the major incidents handled by the Department duringthis period. 

Sunday, November 19:

Shortly before 9:40 a.m., an officer responded to theSanta Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, regardinga battery report. The officer determined the altercationoccurred between two juvenile males because the suspectdid not appreciate the victim talking to a girl they bothliked. The investigation is ongoing. 

Monday, November 20:

At approximately 1:02 a.m., officer responded to CVS,
1401 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding an activation ofan Arcadia Police Department GPS tracker. Arcadia PDdetectives had previously deployed decoy bicycles withtracking devices to combat the increase in bike theftsthroughout the city. An investigation revealed a 30-yearold 
male from Thousand Oaks was in possession of thestolen bicycle and GPS tracker. The suspect was arrestedand transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.
Just after 12:31 p.m., officers responded to a residencein the 800 block of Monte Verde Drive regarding anattempted burglary report. The officer discoveredunknown suspect(s) shattered a rear glass door but didnot enter the residence. The investigation is ongoing.

At approximately 7:33 p.m., an officer responded toNordstrom, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding aburglary report. An investigation revealed three suspectscut the security tags to four designer handbags and fledon foot. The total reported loss is $6,600.

The suspects are described as two black femalesin their twenties, and a black male suspect, also in histwenties. The investigation is ongoing.

Around 8:45 p.m., an officer responded to HolyAngels Church, 370 Campus Drive, regarding a theftfrom vehicle report. The officer determined an unknownsuspect smashed the front passenger window and stolethe victim bag sometime between 6:50 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
on today’s date. No suspects were seen and no witnesseswere located. 

Wednesday, November 22:

Just before 7:44 a.m., officers responded to a residencein the 200 block of East Foothill Boulevard regardinga battery report. The officer discovered an altercationensued between a boyfriend and girlfriend resulting inthe male suspect throwing a porcelain coffee mug at thevictim’s face. The impact chipped her tooth. The suspect,
a 25-year-old male from Arcadia, was arrested andtransported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

Shortly after 5:42 p.m., an officer responded to a trafficcollision near the intersection of Duarte Road and El 
Monte Avenue. An investigation revealed the suspectrear ended a vehicle and injured the driver and passenger.
Upon contacting the driver, the officer detected a strongodor of alcohol emitting from his vehicle. Through aseries of tests, the officer determined the suspect was 

By Joan Schmidt

Yesterday I had lunch with my multi-talentedfriend, author Marisela Adams. A retired teacher 
and counselor, Marisela currently is pursuing hergreat love-writing. (She’s been writing since theage of eight.) Raised in Texas, the family relocatedto California for education opportunities, and atcollege, she met the love of her life, Jim. Mariselaquips, “It was HATE at first sight”, but they are truesoul mates, with two fine children and four brightadored grandsons.

Jim is a recently retired financial planner; but hasplayed a role in her books. Also a pilot, he flew herto New Orleans and they traveled outside of townto a perfect setting- it’s the cover of her mysterynovel, Breaking Faith. Before Marisela wrote thistrilogy, she had watched a real court case about themurder of a young wife by her husband who hadanother woman. The host of the program said astudy was done about hundreds of husbands whomurdered their wives rather than split community 
property. .

Marisela’s latest book, KissZZZzzz is a thrillingspy thriller. A double agent from the US hasacquired a dangerous micro-chip with vitalinformation for the US, and she is seeking a portalto come in. All the portals are closed so a doubleagent is sent out to create one and bring in doubleagent KissZZZzzz. Throughout the story these twodouble agents have to fight their way across fourcontinents to finally bring in the dangerous timesensitive micro chip. From the moment you pickup the book, you can’t put it down-there is so much 

driving with a blood alcohol content of .166. The 62-yearold 
male from Duarte was arrested and transported tothe Arcadia City Jail for booking.

At about 6:27 p.m., an officer responded to Ralphs,
211 East Huntington Drive, regarding a robbery report.
The officer determined three suspects stole an unknownamount of over-the-counter heartburn medication 
and fled the store, failing to make payment. As theypassed the cash registers, one of the suspects pushed themanager. All three suspects fled in a vehicle driven by afourth female. 

The suspects are described as four black females in ablue Toyota Camry. The investigation is ongoing.

Before 9:49 p.m., an officer responded to the 1000block of Orange Grove Avenue regarding a traffic 
collision. An investigation revealed the female drivercollided into a concrete mailbox before fleeing on foot.
The officer contacted the 59-year-old driver from SierraMadre and discovered she was under the influence of an 
alcoholic beverage. She also made threats to harm herselfand was transported to Huntington Memorial Hospitalfor evaluation. The investigation is ongoing. 

Thursday, November 23:

Around 8:30 p.m., an officer responded to a residence inthe 500 block of Workman Avenue regarding a vandalismreport. The officer discovered an unknown suspectshattered a rear window to the residence with a BB gun. Nosuspects were seen and no witnesses were located. 

Friday, November 24:

At about 7:44 a.m., an officer responded to the 100block of California Street regarding a theft from vehiclereport. The victim stated an unknown suspect entered hisunlocked vehicle sometime during the previous eveningand stole his computer bag and check book. No suspectswere seen and no witnesses were located. 

Shortly after 3:34 p.m., an officer contacted the driverof a vehicle parked in a handicapped stall at the SantaAnita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue. An investigationrevealed the driver unlawfully parked in the handicappedstall as the handicapped placard was not issued to him,
but rather to his father. The 18-year-old male from SanGabriel was cited and released in the field. 

Just before 4:46 p.m., an officer responded to aresidence in the 1000 block of Fallen Leaf Road regardinga package theft report. Surveillance footage revealed thesuspect stole the victim’s package from his front porch.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 5’11” tall,
bald, with a full goatee, and was driving a black HondaFit. The investigation is ongoing. 

Saturday, November 25:

At approximately 4:05 p.m., an officer responded to theSanta Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, regardinga fight in progress. The officer discovered an altercationoccurred between the suspect and the victim over aparking stall resulting in the suspect pulling a knife onthe victim. 

The suspect is described as an Asian male, 20 to 
30-years-old, and 6’ tall. The suspect was driving a whitefour-door Acura. The investigation is ongoing. 

excitement and danger. Soon after her arrival inRussia, KissZZZzzz has to kill a Russian double 
agent to complete her mission; almost immediatelythe Kremlin finds out and KissZZZzzz and the 
other US double agent begin their long journeyhome. 

Marisela’s husband does the covers for all her 
books. As a pilot, Jim, is an expert on many planesand their maneuver capacity, so he was a greatresource for KissZZZzzz. 

Marisela’s other current books include Black 
Nebula, the real story of revenge and Captive, alove story. You can see Marisela in person at theWinter Solstice Craft Fair, Flea Market and Book 
Signing by Local Authors!
Saturday, December 9, 9am-4pmAndres Duarte Statue Plaza and adjacent GraceFellowship Church1551 Huntington Drive, Duarte

 Handcrafts, vintage items, antiques,
entertainment and holiday fun! In addition local 
authors will sign and sell their books at this greatevent, including Richard Singer, The Renaissance 
Years: the History of Monrovia, Elizabeth 
Pomeroy, author of many books on local history,
Abe Hoffman, California’s Deadliest Earthquakes:
A History, Randy King, gunfighers’ books 
and Marisela Adams, Breaking Faith Trilogy, 
KissZZZzz. Marisela, who loves talking to her 
fans, also writes children’s books; her pseudonymis “Nubie” and soon the much-awaited “Kiki the 
Bear” will be available! 

See you at the Fair on December 9th! 

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT:
TERRIFIC NEWS – S&P ASSIGNED CITY’S CALPERSRESPONSE PLAN REFINANCING BOND “AA-”
RATING, AND THE CITY WAS PROVIDED WITHAN OVERALL CREDIT RATING OF “AA”


MARISELA’S SPY THRILLER, KISSZZZZZZ AND AMUST-ATTEND CRAFT BOOK FAIR IN DUARTE


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