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About Monrovia News & Information Press Releases
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NEWS RELEASES Posted August 23, 2010 Full encirclement is expected later this afternoon and lines are being cut around the burned area to assure its containment. No structures were or are threatened. One Monrovia Park Ranger was overcome with heat exhaustion while fighting the flames and is being treated. The fire was apparently set off by a downed power line, which may have sparked after coming in contact with a metallatic balloon. Southern California Edison is working to secure the lines and restore power to the area. A major Fire Department response put dozens of firefighters, three helicopters and 40 pieces of equipment on the scene, with assistance from Los Angeles County, Arcadia, Pasadena, Glendale, Monterey Park and the US Forest Service. Canyon Park was evacuated of visitors as the fire began, and is closed for the duration of the incident. No homes or other structures were threatened and no other evacuations were ordered. Local residents were kept informed of the fire situation through updates on the City's webpage at www.cityofmonrovia.org and on the City of Monrovia Facebook page.
Posted July 29, 2010 "Our salaries and benefits have always been matters of public record," said Mayor Mary Ann Lutz. "With the current interest of the public in municipal compensation, though, we've decided to make it very easy for anyone to get this information." Monrovia has posted the City Council and top management salaries and benefit packages on its website, linked directly from the homepage at www.CityofMonrovia.org. The information shows Monrovia City Council salaries of $460 per month ($4,800 annually) and a City Manager salary of $181,956 annually, a far cry from the extraordinarily-high $100,000-plus council and $800,000-plus city manager salaries being reported in Bell. "Our citizens are, of course, concerned when they hear news reports of municipal employees and elected officials making outlandish salaries, such as the case in Bell," Mayor Lutz continued. "It is important at times like these that they have confidence that their community is doing the responsible thing. "Fiscal responsibility has always been, and continues to be, the top priority of Monrovia's City Council," she said. Mayor Pro Tem Tom Adams agreed, saying, "What has happened in Bell is scandalous and outrageous, but it doesn't change the fact that Monrovia's Council and staff have always been responsible in their compensation. There are apparently a few bad apples out there, but they're not in Monrovia and whatever games they've been playing aren't being played here." Lutz also pointed out that Monrovia has held back on Council and management raises for the past two years, cut employee bonuses, and has been restructuring compensation and benefit packages for some time to keep costs down and yet sustain and expand services. Even the City Manager's contract now contains a pay-per-performance structure that has replaced the traditional bonus system. "We've held the line on personnel costs and maintained a balanced and responsible budget," the Mayor said. "Monrovia is doing it right." Lutz and Adams were joined by other members of the Council in condemning the situation in Bell and reassuring Monrovians of their community's financial situation: "This Council has always been open in its financial decisions," said Council Member Joe Garcia. "I can assure the people of Monrovia that the kind of things that have gone on elsewhere could not happen here. We are transparent in our dealings for just that reason. Our budget is balanced and our salaries are well within reason." Council Member Clarence Shaw also reminded Monrovians that, "With each budget the City adopts, we also adopt a list of our top priorities, and Fiscal Responsibility is right up there at the top every time, along with Public Safety. We will not overpay ourselves or others and put those priorities at risk." And Council Member Becky Shevlin said, "It's not enough just to say, ‘it's not us; it's the other guy.' Monrovians need to know for sure that their City is ethically and responsibly run, and so posting our salaries and benefits online is a great idea." Posted July 26, 2010 The City this month sold $12.75 million in Pension Obligation Bonds (POBs) and will use the money to pay its future pension obligations up front, in today's dollars, saving an estimated $2.4 million over the next 18 years. Only pension payments for public safety employees - sworn police officers and firefighters - will be affected. "Good planning and a lot of patience have paid off for us in a big way," said Mayor Mary Ann Lutz. "This move enables us to stabilize a major cost for the City over many years and ultimately saves our taxpayers a lot of money." The bonds were authorized by the City Council nearly two years ago - in August, 2008 - as the City entered into a new five-year contract with the Monrovia Police Officers Association. Negotiations with the police union had come to a contentious impasse at the time, with the rising costs of public safety pensions playing a major role in the negotiations. In approving the bond strategy, though, the Council instructed staff to monitor the bond market and not sell the bonds until the interest rates were low enough to make the sale a financially sound transaction. Shortly after that, the economy took another downturn and the bond market became much more risky and expensive. The City watched and waited, keeping the bonds on hold until the right time. Last month, with the bond market recovering and interest rates at advantageous levels, the City moved to sell the bonds and put the new strategy into effect. In all, $12.75 million in bonds have been sold at an interest rate of 6.5%, re-payable over the next 18 years. The total cost of the bond repayment will be $23 million - but that's $2.4 million less than the pension costs would have been without the bond-enabled, upfront payment. It averages out to a savings for Monrovia of more than $130,300 per year. Pension Obligation Bonds are authorized by the State as a means of stabilizing pension costs. At least 26 states allow the bonds, and they have been used by hundreds of cities, states, counties and other agencies to hold down costs and stabilize financial planning. At the same time, the bond sales pump much-needed cash into the retirement systems years before payouts are needed, giving the pension systems more cash, more flexibility and more opportunity to grow their investments, thus holding down future costs for all involved. Posted June 11, 2010 Judge Johnson took the action Tuesday, June 10, signing the injunction against members of the Monrovia Nuevo Varrio and the Duroc Crips gangs. The injunction covers six square miles in the City of Monrovia and adjacent Los Angeles County territory to the south. A preliminary injunction has been in place since December. SInce then, authorities have reported a decrease in gang-related violence. The permanent injunction carries the same manadates as the preliminary: that specified gang members cannot associate with one another and must stay away from weapons, drugs, alcohol and graffiti tools; and that gang members may not intimidate, trespass or block access to public ways, including sidewalks, alleys and building entrances. It also imposes a mandatory curfew on specified adult gang members from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Curfew for those under 18 begins at 8 p.m. The geographic boundaries of the injunction are Foothill Boulevard to the north, Fifth Avenue to the west and Mountain Avenue to the east. The southern boundary runs along Duarte Road, south along Peck Road, then along the Buena vista Channel to Mountain Avenue, traversing Monrovia and an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. The injunction's mandates apply only to specifically-named individuals who have been indentified as members of the two criminal gangs and only after they have had an opportunity to appear before a judge and be heard. Posted April 6, 2009 The market will be adjacent to Library Park in the heart of Monrovia's shopping, dining and entertainment district. It is scheduled to run every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.. The new farmer's market will not replace Monrovia's popular Friday night Family Festival, now in its 18th year, which also features a certified farmers' market in addition to food stalls, kiddie rides, merchandize booths and live entertainment. The Family Festival continues each Friday night from 5-9 p.m. along four blocks of Myrtle Avenue. The smaller "Market in the Park" offers a different atmosphere on a different day at a different time. It will concentrate on farm-fresh produce, cut flowers, baked goods and fine food products without the accompanying commercial business and entertainment. Like the Family Festival, it is sponsored by the businesses of Old Town. For further information on the new "Market in the Park," call (626) 303-6600. Posted April 5, 2010 Every dollar spent in the community on taxable items adds a penny to the City treasury. A new Shop Monrovia website - www.shopinmonrovia.com- points out that, "When you choose to spend money at local restaurants, merchants and businesses, you keep local dollars circulating in our community, rather than flowing out. This in turn helps maintain our parks, library and public spaces, and funds vital services and programs." Specific examples mentioned on the site are:
Also included on the website are links to directories of Chamber of Commerce members, Old Town merchants, and the City of Monrovia's business license list, to assist users in finding Monrovia businesses. Along with the official website, a "Shop in Monrovia" page has also been created on Facebook and has already attracted scores of "friends" who are posting information on their businesses. Shop Monrovia banners are also being prepared for Monrovia's business districts and lawn signs will soon be decorating residential neighborhoods, urging Monrovians to keep their tax dollars at home where they pay for local services. "Of every dollar spent in a Monrovia-owned and operated store, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures," said Mayor Mary Ann Lutz. "If you spend $100 in a national chain, just $43 stays locally. If you spend $100 online, or in another community, nothing comes home!" "Our local businesses are lifeblood of our community," the Mayor continued. "Not only do they keep local dollars circulating locally, they create vibrant centers of public activity. They ensure that local business decisions are made by local people who live with the consequences. And they supply a diversity of products and a level of service you just can't get anywhere else." Posted January 14, 2010 The 400 block of Myrtle Avenue - the central point in Old Town - scores 98 out of 100 points on the website. Just 138 neighborhoods old the "Paradise Found" ranking of 90 points or better. Just 16 of them are in California.
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