City Council - Regular Meeting

Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Transcript
Video
Agenda

About this meeting

Government Body
City Council
Meeting Type
City Council
Location
Monrovia, CA
Meeting Date
April 21, 2026

Transcript

49 sections

4:33 – 6:260

Wait one second. Okay. Thank you for joining us this evening for  our regular meeting of the 77th Monrovia City   Council this Tuesday, April 21st, 2026. And I will  call this meeting to order at 7:35. And we will   start off with our invocation by with Chaplain  Steve and it will be followed with the pledge   of allegiance by Mayor Prom Sergio Jimenez.  Chaplain. Good evening everyone. Thank you   for your service. Thank you all for attending.  Let's uh pray together. God, we pray for this   evening for you to be with us among our midst,  among the conversation, among the decisions.   We thank you that in a world that seems more and  more chaotic, you can become a firm foundation,   uh something stable for us to place our  lives upon. I pray that your wisdom would   uh be evident tonight that there would be  unity and that through it all you would   bring health and better lives and stability for  the community here in Monrovia for the residents   for the children and the families represent  and just that you would go before everyone and   everything that's discussed tonight. We pray this  in your holy name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Mr. Prom,  

6:26 – 8:230

please stand. Face our nation's flag. Ready?  Begin. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United   States of America and to the republic for which  it stands. One nation under God, indivisible,   with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Can  we please have roll call? Yes. Council members   Belden here. Kelly here. Spicer present. Mayor  Prompimenez here. and Mayor Chevlin here. Um,   we did not have a closed session this or  this evening and so therefore no report   but I did want to welcome uh Chelsea Strauss  from Richard's Watson Ingres taking the place   of Mr. Steel this evening. So we welcome  you and I hope you enjoy your time with us. We are starting off our presentations this  evening uh with PR1 which is Pasadena Humane   Pet of the Month and Mr. McManus has a  real cutie pie with him this evening. Good evening everybody. Thank you. Um I brought  this little handful uh today. This is Martin   who is a 2-year-old. Um we don't really know what  he is. Um, you know, he's uh seems like his head   grew a little bit bigger than his legs, but he's a  wonderful, wonderful dog. Um, I I try Sorry. Very   calm. Very calm, especially for two. Um, which  is fantastic. U, plus he spent all day playing   with my colleagues in our office, so he's probably  pretty tired right now. Um, and he's one of many,   many animals that we have available for adoption  right now. Um, starting on Monday, next week,   I believe it's the 27th, uh, we're having an  adoption promotion in conjunction with our friends  

8:23 – 10:230

at the Price is Right. And people can, uh, get a  discounted adoption by playing Plinko. So, if any   Price is Right fans and animal fans, uh, come on  down, pun intended, to Pasadena Humane next week,   um, for a discounted adoption. Um, couple other  quick things. On Sunday, uh, sorry, Saturday the   25th, we're doing a foster 101. Um, we are deep  into kitten season right now. We've gotten dozens   and dozens of kittens over the last couple weeks.  Uh, so if people are interested in learning how to   bottle feed or to care for foster kittens, uh, the  need is great for us right now. So, if you're able   to do that, come on down. Can I ask you um correct  me if I'm wrong, for seniors, aren't the isn't   there always a a discount for seniors looking for  a pet? Yes, there is. Uh actually, we're going to   be expanding that. We haven't announced it yet,  but um we have a seniors for seniors program. So,   any dog or cat over the age of five can be adopted  by a senior citizen, quote unquote, anyone over 60   for no charge. Um, and it looks like we're going  to be able to uh use some grant money to expand   that to even younger dogs or cats. So, that's  going to be exciting. We haven't uh kind of   ironed that out yet, but that is definitely in the  in the works. Um, and should be happening really   soon. Well, thank you very much. My pleasure. And  we'll come down and take a picture. Sounds good. Perfect. My dog

10:27 – 12:270

like cute little doggy Okay. Um, PR2 is proclaiming April 22nd, 2026  as Earth Day and April 24th, 2026 as Arbor Day.   And I believe we have Eugene Suk here and who's  going to accept this? Correct. Are you going to   be making some remarks, too, sir? Well, I I'll ask  you then. You can go ahead and come on up to the   podium. Okay. Whereas, Earth Day celebrated on  April 22nd each year serves to raise awareness   and inspire action towards environmental  stewardship and sustainability. And whereas   Arbor Day is observed on the last Friday in April  to celebrate and encourage the planting of trees.   And whereas the city of Monrovia will celebrate  Earth Day and Arbor Day by collaborating with   the Monrovia area partnership on Saturday,  April 25th at the annual map conference,   providing an opportunity to engage with our  community to teach stewardship and environmental   awareness. And whereas Earth Day serves as an  annual reminder to Monrovians of our collective   responsibility to promote environmental awareness  and take actionable steps towards mitigating the   effects of climate change in our daily lives.  And whereas Monrovia is dedicated to creating   programs that engage residents, schools, and  local youth that foster a sustainable environment,   promote responsible stewardship, and encourage  the harmonious coexistence of people, animals,   and nature in our foothill community. Whereas the  city of Monrovia is deeply committed to preserving  

12:27 – 14:230

and protecting our public lands, particularly  Canyon Park and the Hillside Wilderness Preserve,   which serves as a critical ecological asset for  our community. And whereas Arbor Day reminds   us of the vital role trees play in creating a  healthier environment by providing natural shade,   improving air quality, reducing noise pollution,  and supporting wildlife habitat. And whereas the   city of Monrovia is committed to instilling best  practices to ensure the health of our urban forest   by planting and preserving native trees throughout  our community. And whereas Monrovia has kindly   proudly, excuse me, held the designation of  Tree City USA year after year as a testament   to environmental stewardship and urban greening.  And now therefore, I, Becky Chevlin, mayor of the   city of Monrovia, do hereby proclaim Wednesday,  April 22nd and Friday, April 24th, respectively,   as Earth Day and Arbor Day in Monrovia, and  encourage all residents to take part in activities   that help preserve our environment and enhance our  urban forest dated this 21st day of April, 2026.   So, I'll turn it over to you, Eugene, and  then afterwards we can come down and get a   a nice picture with all of you. That'd be great.  Thank you. Um, good evening, Mayor Chevlin and   members of the city council. Thank you for the  proclamation recognizing Earth Day and Arbor Day   for the month of April. Um, these observances  serve as important reminders of local um roles   that local government and community partnerships  play in environmental stewardship. Earth Day   calls on on us to protect and sustain our natural  resources, while Arbor Day highlights the value of   trees in strengthening our urban forest, improving  air quality, and enhancing quality of life. These  

14:23 – 16:210

principles are reflected in spaces like our very  own Canyon Park and Hillside Wness Preserve. Um,   these areas are not only recreational assets,  but also critical natural infrastructures.   They support biodiversity, environmental health,  and provide residents with meaningful access to   nature. Um with the support of city council,  we are able to bring these spaces to life   um through meaningful programs and community  engagement, including our Monrovia school   education tours, which connects students  directly with n the natural environment,   as well as the camp out programs that encourage  uh families to experience the outdoors together,   and our nature center um and junior naturalist  programs that provide ongoing educational   opportunities for residents of all ages to learn  about and appreciate our local ecosystems. Um, in   addition, our community outreach efforts continue  to grow through partnerships or participations in   events such as one city, one story, as well as our  upcoming city of Monrovia neighborhood conference   on April 25th, this weekend on Saturday. Um, which  will further expand um awareness and engagement   around the environmental stewardship. Continued  investment in preservation and stewardships of   these natural areas and programs demonstrates a  commitment of to sustainability, public health,   long-term environmental resilience. As  we recognize this proclamation, it also   serves as an opportunity to reaffirm our shared  responsibility to protect these resources uh for   current and future generations. Um, thank you for  your leadership and dedication to preserving our   community's natural environment. Uh we invite  the public to come see us this weekend at Earth   and Arbit at our Earth and Arbor Day booth along  with many other community booths at the City of   Monrovia neighborhood conference this Saturday,  April 25th from 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Second  

16:21 – 18:210

Baptist Church of Monrovia. Um and finally,  I'd like to extend a sincere thank you to the   Canyon Park Trail Crew for all that they do. Their  ongoing dedication and hard work are essential to   ma maintaining and enhancing these natural spaces  for our community. Um this evening they will   be receiving the proclamation for Earth Day in  Arbor Day. And um anything you guys like to say? Well, we say thank you to you. Well, we honestly  thank thank them for everything they do for our   community. Yeah. May Mayor Chevlin, if I could  before you um join them on stage, if I could   just share an interesting story. Today at 1:00  I received an email from a resident. He said,   "Dylan, I took my first hike to the waterfall  today. What a stunning morning." I say,   "Well done to the entire team that rescued and  kept the park along with the nod to nature along   with the sight, sounds, and smells. I even saw  one of our bear neighbors. I'm blessed." But   then he shared that there was a situation on  the trail where there was an exposed bracket   and he was concerned that it could create a  hazardous condition for residents. And so I   forwarded over to Eugene. Um at 2:30 I received  photos that no bracket's fine. It's already been   repaired. It just needed to be buried again. So in  90 minutes time somehow they found their way up to   the trail. They fixed the bracket. They responded  and I let the resident know. So within 90 minutes   of reporting what he thought was a concern, it was  fixed. It's just another testament to the amazing   team we have up there. So I just wanted to share  that. Great job. Okay, come down. Get a picture. Which one of you

18:32 – 20:320

Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Um, last but definitely not least, we have  PR3, which is a presentation of measures A and B   campaign memorabilia by uh, Cleave Crington. Nice  to see you, Cleave. Nice to be here. Should I give   my address? No, that's okay. Um, that this is a  perfect segue to these wonderful gentlemen that   take care of the Wilderness Preserve because  that's what my presentation is all about. In   January 1999, a fly was thrown on our porches  that most of us found shocking and unbelievable.   A huge housing project was slated for development  in our sacred foothills. Most of us assumed that   the foothills belong to the Angel's National  Forest and were protected against development.   All of a sudden, our cherished viewscape and  hiking trails were about to be destroyed.   plans had been drawn and the f and the and the  uh and the build bulldozers were ready to go. So   over the next 14 months, hundreds of Monrovians  packed planning commission sessions and city   council meetings all sharing the same impassion  cry. We cannot allow this to happen. Finally,  

20:32 – 22:300

on March 16th, 2000, the city council called for  a special election. And over the next four months,   Gloria and I led a tireless band of 125 residents  in a breakneck race to alert and arouse their   neighbors. On July 11th, 2000, 85% of Monrovians  voted yes on measures A, setting the stage for   a future wilderness reserve, and nearly 78%  voted to tax themselves so the land could be   purchased from the developers. That milestone  was followed by many nailbiting uncertainties.   negotiating with developers, overcoming  access issues, acquiring adjacent parcels,   and obtaining critical matching federal, state,  and private grants. It's hard to believe that se   27 years have passed since that ominous planning  commission flyer landed on our front porches.   Most Monrovians who picked up that flyer are  no longer with us, having been replaced by a   new generation with little or no appreciation for  the herculean efforts by so many who passionately   gave their time, effort, and money to make the  Monroia Wilderness Preserve a reality. Sadly, sorry. Sadly, Gloria has passed and my name days  are numbered. Increasingly, it will be up  

22:30 – 24:270

to those who were not involved to preserve the  memories of that pivotal moment in our history. The uh frame to display which I'm about to  present is a flyer from the uh yes on measures   A and B campaign. It's intended for Crutchington  station with the hope that it helps to inspire   new Monrovians about the importance of open space  and instill an appreciation for the many efforts   it has taken to save and enhance Monrovia's  wilderness preserve. I'm sorry for breaking up   like this. No, quite understandable. Uh anyway,  um there's um some um campaign memorabilia   that I'd like to have all all of the council  members take uh one of each. And there's also   um campaign stickers that are available for  everybody that's here. So you could pass those out   or pass them around and pass them out. They're in  the They're Do you have them? Yes. Okay. Uh, and I have I have this I don't  have many of these left.   I'd like to give this one to Dylan in  appreciation for coming up with the idea   for the uh Cington station and all the efforts  that it took to make it what it is today. So

24:27 – 26:260

without further ado, Can we come on down and and look at it  close up and we'll get a picture with you. All right. So, where would you like this time, sir? New York. station. I tell you what, since you're a big guy, we're  gonna keep you down here. We're just peeka. Thank you very pardon the flyer. That was the one he was talking  about. Well, that's the one I was talking about.   It's the one that Dylan has. And uh I uh I  suggest that everybody go up to Crington Station   and hopefully there'll be a lot of information  about the Wilderness Preserve available and what  

26:26 – 28:250

it took to make it happen. That would be my my  my goal. And Kington Station is right there at   the entrance of our wilderness preserve. And uh it  it's not really it's not open all the time, is it?   How often is it actually open? We have staff up  there pretty regularly when the preserve is open,   but it's at the Cloverleaf access gate and we'll  have the um the flyers installed this week,   so they'll be available. There's also other  information memorabilia about um trail systems,   about the efforts previously, information about  Gloria, even a painting of Gloria that's up there.   And so it's all been done in honor of her, but  also the many, many people who helped make our   wilderness preserve a reality. So, thank  you very much. Yeah, I would like to add um   perhaps somebody could lead a um an effort  to get personal stories of those that are   still alive to share uh with a presentation  that could be put on the the city website.   um just to help bring the whole story alive and  preserve it that way. I noticed that there's quite   a bit of information, but it seems very academic  and I'd like the the nailbiting portion of it to   be preserved as well. Thank you very much. Thank  you, Cleave. Okay. Uh moving on in our agenda,   um this would be the time for our student  government representative report. Um but   Elise is not here this evening so we will pass  on that report. Um I do not believe we have any   changes to the order of our business. Correct.  And so the next is our consent calendar which   are items CC1 through CC9. Um Madame Mayor before  before we do the consent calendar we do have a  

28:25 – 30:220

quick presentation from our one of our division  chiefs. Chief Sanchez could not be here today,   but Division Chief Chris Houston would like  to uh come on in with some cupcakes because   we have a birthday coming up. Who's Edward  Beldon? Oh, all right. Edward the theth. Well, we need What day is your birthday?  Actually the 25th on Saturday. Well,   the city we're going to throw we're  going to throw you a big party.   Well, let let's sing happy birthday to uh Edward  on the count of three. 1 2 3. Happy birthday to   you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear  Edward. Happy birthday to you and many more. All right. Great. Do you want one, Larry? Thank you. Oh, yes. Thank you, Chief. I'm going to pass tonight.  Okay. Um again then our consent calendar are   items CC1 through CC9 considered uh ordinary in  and routine in nature and can be enacted by one   motion unless there's something that someone  needs to pull to discuss any I make a motion   to approve CC1 through CC9. Go ahead. We have a  motion and a second then without objection then   um so approved. Okay. Moving on then to  public input. And I want to thank you all   for coming to our meeting this evening.  And this is your opportunity to address   the city council on any item not on our  agenda. You have opportunities to make  

30:22 – 32:180

um comment on agenda items as well, but  this is your opportunity for items not   on the agenda. You have three minutes to  address the city council. And uh Alice, do   we have anyone wanting to make public comment? We  too. We'll begin with Nicholas Vargas. Nicholas. Good evening. Good evening, council members. It's  a honor and a pleasure to be among you. Is it okay   to introduce someformational materials? I will  be speaking in two. You can give it to the city   clerk and she'll or Lauren and she'll make sure  we have it. I've wanted to come to one of these uh   just for fun previously, but I have kids 3, six,  and nine. So, pardon me for not joining the the   u meetings sooner. Uh but I'll go ahead and get  started. Uh good evening, Monroia council members,   uh Mayor Chevlin, council members, uh Jimenez,  Spicer, Dr. Kelly, and and Beldin. Uh my name   is Nico Vargas. I'm a proud Monrovian. I'm  also a small business entrepreneur. Uh I have   a small company uh Vargas Micro Amenities and I  specialize in uh smart a powered vending machines   for medical office buildings uh luxury apartment  complexes and industrial parks. Um I brought   company brochures and I've distributed those to  the council members just to get a basic idea of   the type of machines that I operate. Um they're  smart vending machines. Um, and the reason for my   uh my my time here this evening is um I'm  just uh here this evening to see if city   leaders have ever considered the benefits of  bringing uh modern vending machines to city   locations. Uh for me for for municipalities  overseeing multiple uh properties and staff,   modern vending machines offer a uh measurable  amenity. Uh such factors including increased city   visitor satisfaction through 24/7 access to snacks  and beverages while conducting city business.   uh support for city and government employees,  especially those working long shifts. Added  

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competitive advantage when marketing city  vacancies for on the job perks and also no   operational burden as my company handles delivery  of the machine, installation, stocking, cleaning,   and maintenance. Um I'm also a Monrovian, so it  would be a local small tax generating business as   well. Um I'm here this evening to offer my no cost  vending machine services to the city of Monrovia.   Uh my ask for city leadership this evening is to  request permission to operate vending machines   at uh city hall in Monrovia Community Center.  Uh these are two great locations with high foot   traffic. Lots of activity and events. And I think  they benefit greatly from these services. Um each   vending machine is roughly a $12,000 investment  in equipment, goods, insurance, licensing,   and permitting. Uh in return for my no cost  services, the only thing I ask is for a one-year   um agreement to operate my machines. Um during  that one-year period is my goal to demonstrate   added value to city services and also to build  a positive rel relationship with city leadership   with a goal of creating a lasting partnership  between my company and the city. Just a finishing   note, you know, I'm a proud Monrovian. I'm a US  Navy veteran. My wife Ryan Black Sheriff Vargas,   I must brag on her, was queen of Monrovia and  grand marshal of the Monroy Days parade in 2023.   My family and I are rooted in the city and as a  small business entrepreneur, it would be an honor   and a privilege to serve this city. Um, thank  you in advance for considering my proposal. Uh,   a bet on me and my company is a bet on a neighbor.  So, that's all I have. I'll take any questions you   guys. Thank you. Well, and just as a reminder,  this is public comment for items not on our   agenda and so we don't have a dialogue, but thank  you for your comments and um the information has   been lodged and sh. would it uh be appropriate to  just get it added to the agenda or I just want to   direct my to we can that's not possible for this  evening and I'll let uh either our city attorney   or our city manager answer that directly. Sure.  Yes. So we can only discuss items that are on the  

34:15 – 36:090

agenda tonight. Um at this time you can provide  public comment within your 3minut allotted time   period but as the mayor stated there cannot be  any dialogue back and forth. Sure. So that is all   that can be said tonight. Would it be appropriate  to bring it to a future council meeting and add   it at a future date or you just want to get the  proper I I'll um the city has different processes   for reviewing contracts and the if if the city was  going to undertake a contract like this. The form   would not be through a public comment period. So  what I'd recommend is uh you can reach out to me,   you can reach out to our public works director,  you could reach out to an appropriate party and we   can look into whether the city is soliciting the  services. But um for purposes of tonight um this I   would just say this is the city doesn't dialogue  into entering into new contracts like this.   Appreciate it. Thank you for your time. Thank  you. Any other requests? Next is Sher Lochner. Good evening Sherry. Good evening everyone.  My name is Sher Lochner and I'm a resident of   Monrovia. I grew up here in Monrovia and Dwarte.  I am here this evening to continue to advocate for   day laborers and other people who are immigrants  targeted by ICE. At the last council meeting on   the 7th of April, there have been 64 deaths  as a result of ICE actions, including people   who have died while in ICE custody. As of  today, there are now 66 people who have died.   The most recent deaths are Alejandro Cabrera  Clemente, a 49year-old man from Mexico who   died at a Louisiana ICE detention facility. He  had been living in the US for over 25 years. The   other person who died is Alled Damian Carbonel  Bettincort, a 27year-old man from Kuba who died  

36:09 – 38:080

in a Florida ICE detention facility. He had only  been in this country for six months. Both both   of these deaths are currently under investigation  and there are probably more deaths that we don't   know about because the Department of Homeland  Security is only required by law to release   reports after the death of detained people. There  is no timeline to this requirement. Furthermore,   the DHS is not required to report on deaths that  happen during the arrest and detainment process,   which makes it difficult to keep track of just  how many people have been injured or killed.   These deaths reflect not only the violent  enforcement actions by ICE in the Department of   Homeland Security, but also instances of cruel  negligence at detention centers. I make the   following requests of the Monrovia City Council.  One, continue to pursue obtaining the report   investigating the circumstances resulting in the  death of Carlos Roberto Mononttoya Valdez. Two,   adopt an ordinance declaring Monrovia  a sanctuary city. and three, continue   to work with us to establish a permanent memorial  honoring Carlos Roberto. I and my colleagues have   have been attending these council meetings since  last year after the death of Carlos Roberto. I and   my colleagues will continue to be present at these  council meetings to speak truth to power. We all   should be deeply worried about state sanctioned  violence. We all should be worried about the death   of our democracy. We all should be worried about  the violations of human rights that go handinhand   with dehumanization. When state state sanctioned  violence and abuse of human rights are tolerated,   we are all complicit. Immigration status should  never strip someone of dignity, due process,   or their life. I urge the Monrovia  City Council to take a stand against   the dehumanization tactics that have resulted  in these senseless deaths. You can do this by   becoming more proactive into investigating the  circumstances resulting in Senor Valdez's death  

38:08 – 39:590

and by enacting a city ordinance declaring the  city of Monrovia sanctuary city. And finally,   I would like to share this insight from Martin  Luther King Jr. The ultimate measure of a person   and I would say a community is not where they  stand in moments of comfort and convenience   but where they stand at times of challenge and  controversy. Thank you. Thank you, Martha Mack. Good evening, Martha. Hello, city council and  mayor. I am going to attempt to read the 66 the   names of the 66 people who have died as a result  of ICE. And I would like to note that six of them   are in the Adilanto attent detention center that  is pretty close to us. Um Jose Manuel Sanchez   Castro Panjac Karan Sing Kataria Romesh Machan  Henry Dononaldo Ruiz Guen Sowit Gazahend Dehene   Maxim Churnyak Juan Alexis Teneo Martinez Brian  Rayol Garson Nakwin Marie an Blae Abelardo Aeda   Delgado Jesus Molina Vega Johnny No Isidro Perez,  Tien Schwan, Fan Chao, Fang Gay, Lorenzo, Antonio,   Patre Vargas, Oscar Rasone, Dwarte, Santos,  Benz, Reyes, Ismael, Ayala, Uribe, Norlan Guzman,   Fuentes, Juing, Shay, Miguel Anhel, Garcia,  Hernandez, Leo Cruz, Silva, Hassan Ali, Mo,   Gabrielle Garcia, Ales, Kai Yin, Wong, Francisco  Gaspar, Andres, Pete Sumalo Montejo, Shiraz Fate  

39:59 – 41:590

Sachwani, Jean Willis, Brutus, Fawad, Sedul Kadir,  Delvin, Francisco Rodriguez, Nenko, Stanvivv,   Ganchev, Luis Gustavo, Nunes, Caseres, Luis,  Belran, Yanes, Cruz, Paradila, Victor, Manuel   Diaz, Evanchez, Dominguez, Hyro Garcia, Ernnandez,  Lor Sim, Julio, Desar Pñena Alberto Gutierrez   Reyes Pedgeman Carennas Najafi Deffy Michelle  Irvin Cruz Nape Emmanuel Damas Mohammed Nazir   Paktial Royer Perez Jimenez Jose Gualalupe Ramos  Solano Tuan Van Buie Alejandro Cabrera Clemente   Alled Damian Carbanel Buttoncourt Wel Tarabishi,  Linda Davis, Haime Alanise Garcia, Carlos Roberto   Mononttoya Valdez, Jose Castro Rivera, Ruben  Ruben Ray Martinez, Sylveo Viegas Gonzalez,   Isaiah Sanchez Barbosa, Keith Porter Jr. Heraldo  Lunas Campos Renee Nicole Mlin Good Alex Jeffrey   Prey Nurul Amin Sha Alam. Let us remember their  names together. Thank you. Pamela Smith. Pamela. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you. Good evening everyone. My name is  Pamela Smith and I'm a community engagement   specialist with LA Fire Justice and we're working  directly with families that were impacted by the   Eaton Fire. I'm here today because the fire  may be out, but the challenges facing our  

41:59 – 43:510

community are far from over. LA Fire Justice is  a legal firm specializing in fire litigation. Our   lead litigator is Doug Boxer, and he's the son of  former Senator Barbara Boxer. We focus on meeting   families where they are, providing critical  information, and hosting community events like our   mental health Mondays and rebuild workshops. Our  goal is to help residents understand their rights,   key timelines, and available resources  as they navigate recovery. We know that   a large number of families have relocated  to Monrovia, as well as Dwardi and Arcadia,   and I'm sure people in this room have family  or friends that were directly affected.   This impact is regional and is deeply personal  for me. I was raised in Aladena and I've been   a resident of Monrovia for over 10 years. And  also I'm proud to say that we are members of the   Monrovia Chamber of Commerce. Every day we're  speaking with residents who are overwhelmed   navigating insurance claims, rebuilding timelines,  and critical deadlines without clear guidance.   Many don't know what resources are available or  how to access the help they need. And for some,   language barriers and limited outreach make  that gap even wider. For the past three months,   I've hosted coffee chats at Gray and Cash  here in Monrovia, supporting a local small   business while connecting directly with  the fire survivors, and providing real-time   support and information. Through these  kinds of community-based partnerships,   we can close critical gaps, build trust, and  ensure families have clarity and support they   need to move forward as they recover. If you  know of anyone that would like additional info,   our website is lafirejustice.com. And thank you  all for your time. Thank you, Lisa Russi. Lisa,

43:51 – 45:420

good evening. Good evening. Bear with me  while I read my notes. Um um good evening,   Mayor Chevlin and members of the council. My name  is Lisa Russi. Um and I'm here this evening to   introduce myself to you. Um and to share that  I have the privilege of representing Kasakina   Hospital and Centers for Healthc Care. Um it's  a big year for our organization as we celebrate   our 90th anniversary and more specifically to  this meeting um tonight our grand opening of our   Casacina uh Monrovia Center. Uh we are so excited  to be a part of this community. We've received a   warm welcome from city hall um from many of you  from the chamber of commerce. Um I wanted to   uh I do have some handouts. I have a flyer and  an invitation, which hopefully each of you have   already received. Thank you. Uh to our grand  opening and ribbon cutting uh next Wednesday,   April 29th, along with the Chamber of Commerce  um at 4:00 p.m. So, we look forward to that.   I wanted to share some of the services that we  offer at our Monrovia Center. Uh we will offer   physical therapy and occupational therapy, speech  language pathology, vestibular balance therapy,   certified hand therapy, comprehensive lympadeema  management. Um specialties such as pelvic floor   therapy and osteoporosis uh prevention and  treatment, sports medicine rehabilitation,   evaluation and performance improvement. Um we  opened on Monday, April 13th and we've served   30 patients and uh once again we are very excited  to be here and we hope to see you all at our grand  

45:42 – 47:380

opening next Wednesday. Happy to have you. Thank  you. Thank you so much. and Jennifer McDonald. Good evening, Jennifer. Good evening. Uh, good evening, council. Uh, my name is Jennifer  McDonald and I'm a Monrovia resident. I'm here to   talk about Arbor Day. I looked up, googled um  how do you celebrate Arbor Day today? And I'm   gonna touch on three key points. Uh I think  the the first way to celebrate Arbor Day is   to celebrate. So I wanted to thank the city.  Uh as I'm walking around the streets lately,   there's a lot of new tree plantings. There's some  Ingleman Oaks on Colorado by Monroe School where   my niece and nephew walk to school. We're always  looking for shade. That's really exciting. Um so I   want to thank you for that and celebrate that. I'm  excited for those trees to grow in and provide us   with some really nice canopy. Uh the second thing  is learn some interesting facts about trees. So I   did a little digging on the history of Monrovia's  trees. Um I know we're a town that loves history   and so I found an interesting fact. I started  like a deep dive on these YouTube videos that   Steve Baker gave talking about the history. Um so  it turns out that big huge fig in Library Park,   we all know that's old. Um, but the camper tree,  which is uh right in front of the library, the   current library just to the south, also planted  the same time as the fig. Both those trees,   according to Steve in that video, planted 1907  by the original landscape architect um for the   park. Uh there was also some solicitation to  residents to pitch in money to plant trees,   to bring some trees to plant. So, I thought  that was really interesting that we're living  

47:38 – 49:340

amongst history in the park with two trees that  are going to be 119 years old uh this year. The   third thing is bring some awareness to tree  issues. So, I did want to point out that our   um although we're making great strides, our tree  protection ordinance is 32 years old. Um I know we   have a street tree ordinance that's a little more  that was updated I think 2020. Uh but that is not   a comprehensive uh tree protection ordinance. All  of our neighboring cities have updated their tree   protection ordinances in the last 10 years. That  includes Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Pasadena, Elmont,   um LA County that borders us. Um there's  so much new science. We the mayor read the   proclamation talking about climate change  and the importance of tree canopy. All that   stuff could be incorporated into an updated  ordinance. Um, so in the spirit of Arbor Day,   we should find a way to coexist with increasing  development pressures and trees. Um, a way to   coexist. You don't have to get rid of one to have  the other. I think they can both exist. And also,   in the spirit of Arbor Day, I asked the city to  bring our 32year-old ordinance up to date. Um,   like all of our neighboring cities  have done and to, I think, match um,   our planting. Then we've also got the  preserving. So, thank you. Thank you. Uh, anyone else wanting to if you  could come forward and state your name. Good evening, city council, mayor. Um, um, I I  sent an email to the clerical um, I don't know,   the clerical person here regarding a  situation happening in my neighborhood.   um moved into Monrovia since 2019. I fell in love  with the city. Uh I used to drive downtown Myrtle  

49:34 – 51:310

and I was a great place to raise a family. Um  we moved in in 2019. About two years later,   a neighbor to my right, um the son was in jail.  He's been he was in jail for about six years.   He was let out. He's a two-time convicted felon.  And um he did his parole for a year. He was fine.   And then he got back into drugs. Uh after he got  back into drugs, he started bringing, you know,   uh people into our neighborhood, uh but stolen  goods. They started smoking drugs next to our   house. We couldn't have our windows open because  you could smell it. Um they stay up at all hours   of the night drilling, grinding bikes, doing  a bunch of stuff. They don't respect anyone's   uh I guess our sleep. I you know, can't get a  good night's sleep. Um, just recently we had   two incidents where uh the the felon ran out of  his house naked trying to fight his brother. Uh,   my son was next to me. He witnessed this incident.  I called the uh Temple City Sheriff's Department   is who handles the incorporated side of Monrovia.  On average, it takes him 15 to 20 minutes to get   to our home when we make a 911 call, which  is way too long, right? The incident's going   on. By the time 10 minutes go by, everything  settles down. They show up. nothing happens.   They just show up. When I talk to them, they  say, "You know what? Uh we're busy. You know,   uh the police have been um you know, there's not  that many police officers patrolling anymore. Uh   they don't go through our neighborhood." Um  the answer I get is, "You know what? I patrol   Darty or I patrol Arcadia, but we don't  patrol your area." Um the crazy thing is,   uh Monrovia PD patrols up to a street before our  house and then a street after. So they skip they   skip or call a sec. Uh when I've made requests  for patrol officers to circle the neighborhood,   uh it's not their jurisdiction. They can't.  Um I've requested the sheriff's department  

51:31 – 53:270

to do daily, you know, rounds. They don't they  don't show up. Uh we have piles of calls done to   the sheriff's department. We've have cases. I've  gone on Crimestoppers. My wife has contacted you,   uh mayor. Uh we've sent requests for a resolution,  but nothing's being done. Uh this person is very   violent. He's bipolar. He snaps. He screams.  He cusses. Our family gets to hear the whole   conversation at 3:00 in the morning. Um I don't  know what else we can do because I'm at my wits   end with this issue and um I don't know where  else to turn. I mean, my next step, I'm trying to   contact Nathan Bachmann, which is the um district  uh uh prosecutor attorney. I'm trying everything   at this point to get some sort of resolution, but  for some reason, nothing nothing is done. Nothing   can be done. So, I'm just a resident of Monrovia  who's voicing my concern that um maybe you guys   could look into something, maybe putting cameras,  something that could help because at this point,   it's just he runs the show. All the neighbors get  scared. I called the police once he found out he   threatened my family for calling the police.  So I I have to um we have to end it there. But   I And did you provide your name for the record?  Caesar Modias. I apologize. No problem. Um again,   this is public comment and we can't have a  dialogue on this. Um your address it is in the   the city of uh Monrovia or the unincorporated the  unincorporated Santa Maria. Correct. Um, is Heath   back there? What what I might recommend, mayor,  is um, sir, if you could talk, our police chief   and one of our captains are sitting outside in the  lobby. If you could speak with them. Okay. One of   the things that when we have jurisdictional issues  and and I know this if actually if I could, let's   wrap up public comment and then I'll speak to  this during my report which follows right after.  

53:27 – 55:250

Okay. Thank you. I appreciate you guys. Thank you.  Anyone else wanting to address the city council on   items not on our agenda? Not seeing anyone, then  we will close that portion of our meeting and   then we will move on to reports of city manager  and staff and we will start off with Mr. Fe. All   right. Thank you very much. So to speak to this  issue, there are several areas around Monrovia,   specifically the kind of southern uh city  boundaries, the western um usually we have a much   easier time collaborating directly with um Arcadia  Police Department, but when we're dealing with the   boundary between Monrovia and Dardi, Monrovia  um south to Arcadia um and then also any of the   unincorporated areas of the county, which are  those are all areas are all served by LA County   Sheriff's Department. Um certain areas are also  they have different waters, they have different   street sweeping there. The the jurisdiction that's  responsible even if you live one street away   um the there's just some jurisdictional issues  that we see that are very common. So what I would   say in this particular case, it sounds like  the residence is in the unincorporated area   of Monrovia, which is surrounded by Monrovia um  corporate limits of the city. Um, I I would ask   uh the gentleman if you could speak with our  captains out back that way we can get your your   name, we can get your address and we can work  directly with you. It may help if we reach out   to the sheriff's department about there's an issue  and we're contacting them to get a little bit of   um you know movement. Typically the issues that  you see here are also issues that we see within   our jurisdiction. Um, but we will try to work with  our residents who, you know, it doesn't matter   to us that they live across the street. We just  have to respect the roles and the boundaries. Um,   when a call comes in, when you call 911, for  example, they'll dispatch the service provider   that is responsible for that area. Um, so we we  want to be careful that we're not responding into  

55:25 – 57:220

LA County uh jurisdiction. We wouldn't want  them responding in our jurisdiction unless we   were requesting the assistance. But in this case,  it may be beneficial if we can reach out and say,   "These are the issues we're having. Um, can you  help us out and see what they can do?" Because   if it was a situation within our jurisdiction, we  would assign our community policing team. We'd be   meeting with the neighbors. We'd be understanding  what's going on and looking at what tools we can   do to keep the neighborhood safe and something  that might qualify for the U care court. Um,   there there could be a number of tools at the  disposal of the the deputies involved. And so   whatever those are um you know to not respond when  there's you know fighting happening in the street   you know we understand it's frustrating and we  would we would want to help if we can. Thank thank   you. Um the other the a couple other updates  I'd like to provide at this time. Um the city   uh not uh I believe it was last week the city  attorney's office filed an actual public records   act request related to the investigative report  for Carlos Roberto Valdez. Um, we've been asking   consistently since August. Um, but we we thought,  well, let's try the official route of submitting a   records request. We anticipate that it will either  not be released or it will be heavily redacted,   but at least it's an avenue that we can check a  box and say we're asking in one other way. I know,   mayor, you've spoken with contacts in the attorney  general's office. We'll continue to reach out. Um,   but I know there's community members who want  to see the report. It's not our report. Uh,   we've been asking. will continue to ask, but they  just they're not providing it. Um, I want to speak   to uh one item on the directives update. Um, the  there was a request from the council to look at   some of the underpasses along the 210 freeway.  They're reported as being very dark. uh of we have   been able to work with CALR and upgrade lighting  in six of the nine they're not all underpasses  

57:22 – 59:200

but six of nine areas in the city to to place LED  lighting and make the areas underneath the freeway   much better lit. We have three remaining places to  go. One of those is the chestnut location which is   quite bigger and uh we're learning that there's  a lot of really really strange wiring in place   there and so it's not it's not as all the same as  everything else. Um the final item I'd like to ask   um for this evening is I'd like to ask um Chelsea  if she could provide just a brief update to you   on possible ballot measure. uh some information  that was submitted to the city clerk's office last   week. Thank you. So, our office is currently  reviewing two notices of intent to circulate   petitions for initiative measures. The proposed  measures both relate to tree protection. One would   establish a position within the city as a city  arborist um and give that individual significant   authority over tree preservation and planning  within the city. And then the second is a tree   preservation ordinance that would significantly  expand the existing tree protections that exist in   the Monrovia municipal code. Um and the submitt  is the first required step in the process of   attempting to put local ordinances on the ballot  for voter consideration. Um, and at this point,   our office is required to provide the proponents  with a ballot title and summary um, for each of   the two proposed ordinances, which our office  will do by the statutory deadline of May 1st. Um,   to that end, what what we will do is we'll co the  staff will coordinate through the city attorney's   office. um at some point in time we'll bring  an item to the city council and do it as a   presentation, perhaps a study session to share  the information that's been presented if uh the  

59:20 – 1:01:110

petitioners seek to proceed with circulating  the petition. So right now it's important that   the city attorney's office prepare the draft uh  title um and some additional information to those   who are soliciting this um before proceeding.  But there are still many additional steps such   as circulating it to gather enough certified  signatures of eligible voters in Monrovia. Um,   that concludes my report this evening. I'd be  happy to answer any questions you might have.   Did have a question. Do we have any update on the  on the Cubs? We are the the Cubs are doing well.   They're still we're still working on a Monrovia  Cub Cam and we're approaching 50% of the funding   needed. So, in uh and they're looking at the uh  kind of the blocks of time. So, in the last few   weeks, they've raised additional funding. We'll  continue to push out newsletters. I believe we're   working on some swag uh and and hopefully  that can help with additional fundraising,   but uh so far it's going very well. I I did  hear uh see a a news piece that said that they   were six pounds. I don't know how how much they  weighed when they were taken in, but they were   uh six pounds. And there was also a very recent  article um in the Times uh and it um highlighted   uh a Senator Katherine Blakespear uh from Insenus  down by San Diego and she is interested in   um talking about uh uh well Senate Bill 1135  introduced by her would direct the California   Department of Fish and Wildlife to create the  wildlife coexistence program. So, at any rate,   that's uh maybe when we're in Sacramento, we can  talk talk to her. Um we can catch her. And also,   I have for totally forgotten about it. It's  been around for some time, but the keep me  

1:01:11 – 1:03:040

wild campaign that the state has, but um and I  shared an idea with Mr. FE about um using QR codes   um possibly in conjunction with our Samson Bear  thing. So anyway, I'm sure more more to come,   but all sounds good. Any other questions from of  Mr. Ve? Okay. And I ap you're you don't have any   further report, correct? I I apologize. I skipped  over our public hearing PH1. So we are going to   go back. Uh PH1 annual recruitment and vacancy  report pursuant to government code section 3502.3.   And that is going to be presented this evening by  Stephanie Lou, human resources manager. Stephanie.   Um good evening, Mayor Shlinin City Council. My  name is Stephanie. an HR manager and tonight I   will be presenting on Assembly Bill 2561 and its  requirements. As you may recall, AB261 went into   effect in January of 2025, which require local  agencies hold an annual public hearing meeting um   prior to a final budget adoption to report on the  agency's vacancy rates and recruitment efforts. Um   the premise was to enhance transparency around  staffing shortages and ensure local agencies   are accurate with their personnel budgeting. Um  this is to prevent employee burnout, low morale   um and prevent issues with service delivery when  the vacancies are prolonged um period of time.   Additionally, if any bargaining group vacancy rate  reaches or exceeds 20% of authorized positions,   additional data and information are are um may  be required to be presented if requested by the   bargaining unit. Fail failure to comply may result  in repercussions for non-compliance under this  

1:03:04 – 1:05:030

legislation. This takes us to the um snapshot  of the city's vacancy data as of March 31st,   2026. Um as you can see, the city has 245  authorized full-time equivalent positions. Um   which represents an overall citywide vacancy rate  of 6.1% which is considered relatively low. Um   out of the 245 positions, 207 of the members are  part of the city's three represented bargaining   groups. Um on the chart you can notice that  the MFA Manoria Firefighters Association has   a 0% vacancy rate. Um the Maninrovia Municipal  Employees Association MMEA has a 10.2% vacancy   rate and the Manrovia Police Officers  Association MOA has a 5.7% vacancy rate.   Taking the represented groups from the previous  table here, um no bargaining group currently meets   or exceeds the 20% vacancy threshold that would  require enhanced reporting under this legislation.   Since um December of 2024, the city staff has been  um tracking vacancy rates and data on a monthly   basis. And I'm happy to report that at no period  in time during the year did the vacancy rates hit   um meet 20% for all the bargaining units as well.  Um we provide these monthly reports to the city   manager and assistant city manager um and have  regular discussions on recruitment data address   priorities and ensure department staffing needs  are met. Um to note as well, staff is actively   recruiting for three vacancies in MOA and four  vacancies in MMEA. And when they are filled,   um they would reduce the vacancy rates  from 5.7% to 1.4% and 10.2% to 6.1% for   MOA and MMEA respectively. The city's overall  vacancy rate will reduce from 6.1% to a 3.3%.

1:05:04 – 1:07:020

on to a little bit about recruitment  activity. Vacancies within the city arise   from several factors including retirements,  internal promotions, um resignations,   and terminations. In terms of recruitment  activity, staff has effectively refined the   recruitment process to about a 12-week process  for non-safety positions and about a six-month   process for safety positions just because  of the extensive background and testing.   Um this bulleted list here is a typical process  of recruitment. Um with recruitment activity   for 2025, the city filled about 44 full-time  positions. 17 of them were safety positions, 27   were non-safety um and 78 part-time positions. In  total, HR staff reviewed over 3,700 applications   to fill these 122 positions, demonstrating the  city is still very marketable. outreach is great   and there's consistent interest in working for  the city um when available. The city do does also   encourage succession planning um initiatives  by doing promotional internal um recruitments   and this also helps with um advancement and  keeps retention. Um this will reduce hiring   timelines down to about four to six weeks and  this is also because we still have to advertise   post the position for internal candidates who are  interested to apply. With recruitment also comes   separations. Um in terms of the 2025 there were 24  full-time employees that separated from the city.   Um 17 voluntarily resigned, four employees retired  and three employees were released from probation.   separation figures reflect various mobility  and job market trends um experienced in other   agencies as well. But despite that, the  city stays committed to retention efforts,   which takes us to our retention slide um which  showcases some of the efforts the city has   initiated to retain employees over the years. A  lot of it is thanks to the city city council's  

1:07:02 – 1:08:530

support of these initiatives. Specifically, in  2025, the city implemented a class and comm study   which aligned wage adjustments to the market. We  also have an MOU, a 5-year MOU that has enhanced   competitive benefits. We offer pathways for career  development through trainings. We have engagement   efforts to foster a positive work environment and  a desirable work culture. Um, to wrap this up,   today's presentation and public hearing fulfills  obligations of AB2561. Staff recommends city   council receive and file the report following  the public hearing. And this concludes my report.   I'd be happy to answer any questions city council  may have at this time. Thank you very much. What   I'll do, this is, as she mentioned, this is a  public hearing. I will open the public hearing   at this time and then come back and we  can have discussion. So, at this time,   is there anyone wanting to come forward to speak  either for or against? Just make comment on this   item. Not seeing anyone. Then we will close our  public hearing and come back to city council for   discussion. And again, this is a receive and file.  Any questions or discussion from council? Yes,   Edward. Just wanted to say thank you very much for  all the work you all are doing. I was impressed   to see that you had to fill 44 positions this  year. That's a lot. So, thank you very much for   all the work you do to keep everyone working  and employed here in the city. keeps us Yeah,   you guys go through a lot of applications  over almost 3,000. Yeah. Um, thank you for the   report. Excellent report. Very very interesting  statistics. Thank you. Thank you very much. Um,   then with that then again this is a receive and  file. So we shall receive it is received and it  

1:08:53 – 1:10:460

shall be filed. Thank you so much. Thank you very  much. Okay. Sorry about that little blip. Uh RCM2   2026 Monrovia Days update and uh Rebecca Sandavar,  community services director is here to report and   she's got her t-shirt on and everything. She's  got it all going on. Thank you, Mayor Mayor.   And good evening, um mayor and city council. I  am so excited to present to you Monrovia Days.   can't believe it's less than a month away and  we are here uh to uh inform the community. Uh   we first off wanted to start by thanking our  planning committee for 2026. Um that includes   our mayor Becky Chevlin, our council member Larry  Spicer, Dylan Fe, our city manager. We also have   our partners over at the school district. So  board member Rob Hammond, Dr. Paula Hart Rodus,   our superintendent, Bridget Lugo, our event  coordinator over at the district. uh Key Milikin,   which is our partner at Center Stage, and me.  Um we uh we appreciate the committee so much um   all the work that they do um and helping us  guide, but we also want to thank the entire   city council for all of your support. We really  couldn't do it without your support. Um anytime   we need a pie eating judge or someone to help us  work the ticket booth to approving the budget,   you guys are always willing to support the  program. So, thank you so much. A quick slide   just to thank our event sponsors. Also a huge um  partner in this event. Uh this is just a list of   all of our sponsors that we wanted to thank from  last year who we are currently in contact with for   this year. So you'll see a variety of partners  and organizations that trust in us to provide   this community event. There are three levels of  sponsorships and if you're interested in any of  

1:10:46 – 1:12:410

those, you could contact me or Dylan and we'll be  happy to get your name on this slide next year. Our city manager's office is helping us with our  event promotion. We're so grateful for the team.   Um they are um helping us with the social media.  So if you don't follow Monrovia Days on Instagram,   please do so. They are very active posting and  recruiting for some of our applications that are   out right now, which include our parade and our  pie eating contest. We also have postcards at   our city facilities that people can now pick up  with the schedule. It also details the parking   map on the back side. Um, as we know, there  are some street closures that are affected by   this event. So, you could find an easy parking  spot, maybe grab some snacks on your way up um   in Oldtown and then head to the park. We also have  updates regularly going in our city manager weekly   reports and soon you'll start to see poll banners  going up with our sponsor names um in Oldtown. A quick rundown of the event. So on Thursday, May  14th, we have our Monrovia Days parade. I won't   go in too much because I know Council Member  Spicer has an update on No, you're doing good.   You go ahead. Let it just let it roll. Go ahead.  Thank you so much. Um on Thursday, May uh 14th,   our parade will kick off at 7:00 in Oldtown.  Uh this year with so many things to celebrate,   we want to make sure that entries know that they  could celebrate our country's 250th birthday. They   could also wear their western gear from last  year or celebrate Route 66 Centennial. We'll   be giving out six trophies that day. Um so we're  promoting our trophies this year with the Monrovia   Day spirit one being extra special. that's going  to go to our entry that has the best themed of one   of those versions. So, we um encourage everyone  to dress up your floats and dress up your walkers  

1:12:41 – 1:14:330

and your bikes and get ready for a fun parade. We  also want to let everybody know that applications   are now available. We currently have about 25  from our organizations. They're due May 6th,   so you could look online and get them there, or  you could always contact the community center. On Friday, May 15th, our community  festival begins in the park. So,   at 4:00, we'll be opening our ticket booths.  So, if you didn't purchase your tickets   uh before, then you could purchase them at the  festival. At 5:00, our event will begin. So,   we have 10 rides scheduled. We have concession  booths. We have a photo booth, a toddler area,   some bounce houses, and a beer garden. From 5:00  to 6:00 that evening, the school district will be   having a pep rally and some performances.  And then at 7:00, our um popular band,   Stone Soul, will kick off our night and um  go through the end of the event at 10:00. Then we move into day two, which is our Saturday.  10:00, the Friends of the Library will be having   their book sale. We'll also be opening ticket  booths 1 hour prior to the event at 11:00 because   at 12:00 all of the activities begin again on  this day from 12 to 4 center stage and the school   district will be um going back and forth with  performances. So we bring in a second stage that   day. Um, we'll have the yestery year exhibit which  is a historical tribute to Monrovia days but also   um just our artifacts that could be found um in  that room from 12:00 to 5:00. At 4:30 we'll have   a parade awards ceremony where we'll recognize the  six entry winners from the day with trophies. At   5:00 we have our mering bakery hiding contest.  So, we encourage everyone to get your team of  

1:14:33 – 1:16:270

five together because there are cash prizes  um that could be won on the spot. At 7:00,   we have a new band coming in. They're called  the Blue Breeze Band. They've performed last   year at our Fourth of July event, and they've  performed previously at summer concerts. So,   it's a very highly um popular band. And at 10:00,  we'll wrap up day two. Our last day is Sunday,   May 17th. Uh we'll open our ticket  booths at 11:00 because at 12:00 again,   the fun continues. Uh 12 to 4 Center Stage  will have their youth performing. Our yestery   year exhibit will continue. On this day, we'll  have Bumptown close the event um until 8:00. We just wanted to let the community know that  Carnival wristbands will be available by the   end of the week on our city's website. Um, you  could find the Monroia Days page um by going   onto our website. It's on the front page. It's  also under discover Monrovia. And ticket sales   uh pre-sale are $15 for one day. This includes  unlimited ride, so you could ride the ferris wheel   as many times as you want. It also includes all of  the 10 game booths that we have, the photo booth   and the moon bouncers. Um 2 days is 25 and 3 days  is 35. And again, if you go to any other carnival,   you will not see rates this low. And again,  that's just due to the um support that we   get from all of our sponsors and the council.  So, thank you. However, you will have to pay   $5 more dollars if you wait to buy them at the day  of. So, it will all go up. So, it'll go 20, 30,   and 40. At the event, there'll also be single  tickets um that are sold and um typically a   ride costs anywhere between one ticket to three  tickets and the single tickets are sold at $1.

1:16:27 – 1:18:270

Lastly, I just wanted to announce our nonprofit  giveback. um with uh the support from the council   and the committee, we're able to reach out to  pro nonprofits um where we pay them to come   out and serve the community in a game booth.  Um they actually do us a huge favor and they   staff the game booth the entire weekend. We  have 13 nonprofits so far that have signed up   for the event, so we're almost fully um booked.  But if you are interested, please let us know   um as we could try and squeeze you in. You do  have to be available for the full day on any one   of those days. Um but it's a great um opportunity  to get involved while uh raising money for your   nonprofit. People can work in shifts, but your  your booth has to be manned all day long. Correct.   Correct. So the nonprofit could figure out shifts.  Um but it it's at one prof nonprofit the entire   day. What does the city provide? What do they have  to do they have to come up with their own game?   How does that work? Yes, thank you for asking.  So the city actually will provide the game. So   um we will provide bowling, tic-tac-toe, ring the  duck. Um and we also provide all of the prizes.   So really all we're asking the nonprofit to do  is to come and staff the booth for us. M wow.   There's also a training that the staff will  do to make sure that they're fully prepared,   they understand how to work the game. Um  it it can be a long day depending on what   game you have. Um so we'll go through  all of that with all the nonprofits. Any other questions? Any other questions of  Rebecca? Great job. Uh awesome. Dr. fellow from   the uh Sangerville Valley Upper uh water district  says that he really wants to be a part of the pie   eating contest and it said we'll hook you up. If  you don't have a team, we will find a team. Well,  

1:18:27 – 1:20:230

you you heard him say and in fact you were at  the coordinating council meeting that he said   it there. So, we're going to hold him to it. I'll  bring an application the main. Yeah. Okay. All   right. Thank you. Great. Thank you very much.  Okay. Then we are going to move on now to our   reports of city council members and subcommittees.  And I'll start with Mr. Belden. Thank you very   much, Madam Mayor. Uh well, excited uh for a few  things, but um it's nice to celebrate Earth Day   and Arbor Day with everyone here. uh and and just  remembering that great uh uh kind of proclamation   that we had and all the things that we are doing  already in the city of Monrovia and and it's just   a good time to also remember there's many more  things we can do and um I think there there's   items that have already been discussed but uh  there's some opportunity there with our trees   since it is 32 years old maybe it's time to like  dust off a little bit of that see what we want to   do um to improve on at um and climate change is  mentioned in there and I think it's uh there's   a lot of things going on in the world right now.  It's hard to kind of figure out what we want to   spend time and focus on, but um when it comes to  water, energy and trees and climate, they all are   interconnected and there's just a many things we  can do to help move those forward. So excited and   eager to do that with the council and with the  community and I know that may many of the steps   were already doing with our solar project it's  coming along and on the water side as well. So   eager to do that. Um it was mentioned about some  of the uh I think you me mentioned it actually   mayor uh the bill that one of the senators  is proposing and also her bidian had proposed   something very similar on I I think I would just  remind you and if you're if you have the chance to   talk to any of them about it just maybe go into a  little deeper um my understanding is many of them  

1:20:23 – 1:22:190

when you read deeper are really uh hoping to have  people call the fishing game all the time whenever   they see a bear. Uh there's even hazing mentioned  quite and the senator's bill, the new one from   includes making sure people have noise makers and  a lot more than I think the most of the Monrovia   people that live near the bears uh are asking  for. I don't think that's what we're asking   for. So the coexistence part sounds like a good  thing, but the devil's always in those details.   So, um, I would encourage you all to maybe push a  little bit and and really check before we go even   in favor or supporting to actually see if it's  something that would actually be supported here   in Murvy, which so far when I've dug in, it  didn't seem to be what they would want. Yeah,   I I haven't read the bill. The article was  concentrating on the euthanasia part, right,   which which made sense to make sure there's a  little So, so maybe there's some things we could   support and maybe some things we just may want to  ask more about that. That's it for me. Thank you   so much for everything you all doing. Thank you,  Mr. Spicer. Um, Rebecca did such an excellent job.   I'll just go ahead and follow my report. And that  concludes my report, Mayor. Okay. All right. Um,   Dr. Kelly, thank you very much. Um, I want to  start with uh KGM. I had the uh privilege of   going to the KGM uh board meeting and it looks  like they're on a really strong uh start and uh   they have a great board that's uh working really  hard. One of the things that was mentioned uh by   uh Barbara Golar is that her um their desire to  want to partner with the businesses because as I   had mentioned in our last um council meeting that  a lot of the businesses particularly in Oldtown   are really starting to feel it be since the  movies were uh have been uh not in existence and  

1:22:19 – 1:24:180

um and Ky um heard that and they want to partner  with businesses in any way they can as it relates   to maybe advertising, shooting some content  for them. And so that could be an opportunity   um to contact Kym if you're a business and uh  particularly Barbara Golar and see if there's   anything that any partnerships that could  take place um uh moving forward. Um Motab,   I also um had the um opportunity to attend the  MOTAB meeting and um I just want to give out some   numbers. Uh the wine walk was this past weekend.  Um, I didn't get the privilege of going to the   winewalk, but I heard great things because of  course I was uh busy uh babysitting, but anyways,   I digress. But I heard great things about that.  Uh, it was a full event and they talked about   um all of the wonderful treats that was  present. But I want to say that there were   uh 631 uh people participating um in the wine walk  this year. So that was a good number. and a lot of   the businesses were uh confirming um the traffic  that they received on that day um as a result of a   wine walk and great numbers coming out of that and  I'm sure there'll be a report coming up but great   numbers coming out of the winewalk so that was  a very positive event another positive event was   uh pictures with the bunny pictures with the  bunny the bunny was on a diet this year so I don't   know if you guys got a chance to see the bunny  but it was a little little smaller than usual   But it was a wonderful event and um over 500  uh people participated um or more actually   um and it was a wonderful um pictures and it's  free by the way. This is the service that we give   um from Monrovia that we give to Monrovians  and it's a free wonderful memory for your  

1:24:18 – 1:26:120

family. Every kid deserves a picture with the  bunny. So, um, and it's free of charge. So, uh,   that was well attended. I wanted to say to, uh,  to just ask Dylan, well, not really ask, just   make a comment concerning Cregington Station and  Cleave making mention that not wanting to have the   story forgotten and wanting to get the um the the  the people that were a part of that to have those   conversations going. I was thinking about what  would it uh look like to have uh like a monitor   like we have at the Monrovia um museum. You know  those monitors there where you can actually it's   something that we a kiosk. Thank you. Um that  maybe uh something we could think about where   people are actually talking about and giving  the overall feel of what was going on, what the   climate was like during that time and they could  just kind of a touchcreen. they could just touch   it and and uh people can do some storytelling um  maybe that's something that we could uh possibly   look into um for that. And um veterans, I was able  to go to uh the veterans picnic this past weekend   and as I was walking through so many people were  saying thank you. Thank you for doing this. Thank   you to Monrovia for putting this on and they were  very appreciative and just very grateful for that.   And Mark Harvest was making those uh burgers. I  was looking for I told him I only wanted burgers   from Mr. Spiker Spicer because he was the the top  barbecuer. No, but Mark was doing it an excellent   job there and the library staff was there and  our staff was there. It was just a well uh well   uh uh organized event. And uh just uh one more  thing I want to say is the library is going to be   hosting sensory mornings which is a big deal right  before the library opens at 10:00 a.m. 10 to 11  

1:26:12 – 1:28:070

uh the sensory mornings. So you could bring your  children or anyone that's um having s that that uh   are sens sensitive in sensory areas I should say.  Um anyway they have a whole hour to themselves.   So, I think that's a great opportunity. Also, May  the 6th is a thank you dinner for veterans. That's   the last thing I'm going to say. Thank you dinner  for veterans. May the 6. That's all I have. Thank   you very much. All right. Uh, and Mayor Prom.  Thank you, Madame Mayor. I had the privilege   of attending a special tour of Plymouth School.  Well, water education for Latino elected officials   sponsored a green tour of Plymouth school. Uh they  have a special uh program where Amigos Rios has   installed permeable uh surfacing there instead  of traditional concrete or cement. And they had   a really good presentation right off the bat. They  took water bottles like the one I'm holding. They   opened it up and they poured it on the surface and  it percolated right in instead of staying on the   surface. I was really impressed. And by touring  the school, both the the front of the school and   the back, it was like you were in a city park.  Not only were the was the small vegetation all   over the place, the trees were so green. I was  really impressed. Um and uh Claire um Robinson   from Migos to Los Rios. I asked if she was willing  to either do a presentation the city staff or   city council on the permeable material and she  says yes, of course she would be willing to do   that. But I was just really impressed by the the  greenery by uh the new surfaces at the school. It   really transformed the school. Really impressed.  Um, I also had the privilege of attending really  

1:28:07 – 1:30:040

it's the crossroads of faith and history in  Monrovia. I've often said that history touches   every aspect of life in Monrovia, including our  faith, our churches, our houses of worship. Um,   on Sunday, the Shiloh Zion Church on Huntington  Drive held its 140th anniversary. That circa 1886,   that's the year when Monrovia was founded. Um,  this rich church history, this tradition goes   back 140 years in Monrovia. The African-American  community was right here, right at the beginning   of Monrovia's founding. They're well represented  there at the event. Um, our mayor was there. Uh,   Councilman Larry Spicer was there. It was a full  house. It was really a really wonderful experience   to be there. Um, they were very gracious. And I  want to give a special thank you to Pastor Bonnie   um for inviting us uh to that uh special 140th  anniversary of their church. And I also attended   the community picnic celebrating veterans on  Saturday. Uh great food. uh and live music   and it was attended by various veteran service  organizations including Veterans Administration,   the Veterans Area Access Network, Monrovia  Veterans Resource Center right here in our library   and numerous others letting veterans know how  much Monrovia cares. It was a wonderful event. And   um finally, I I just wanted to say thank you uh  to the staff for the job that they're doing, their   involvement. You could see them at the um at the  uh excuse me, at the community picnic. They were   there making everything was running well. Um and  I just want to say thank you. That's it. That's my  

1:30:04 – 1:31:580

report. Thank you very much. Okay, great. Um, and  yes, there's always I was thinking there w wasn't   that much that went on since last time. And as  you're talking, I'm thinking, "Yeah, yeah, and we   did this and we did that." Uh, one of the things  that had not been mentioned this morning, we had   the, uh, the honor and pleasure of doing a ribbon  cutting at um, uh, Brad School for the opening of   the playgrounds. And it truly is and we definitely  mean it to be a partnership so that our uh the   people in our our kids and other people obviously  they're no longer in school but they have the   opportunity to visit and play and and u benefit  from the open space. So, we look forward to that   program um developing and everybody getting to  have a little time on the the schoolyards when the   um uh kids aren't there. Um and that was this  morning at 9:00 at again at at Brad Oaks. Going   back in time, yes, the the uh winewalk, it was  great. Um it was I I noticed a lot of people   actually in the stores and buying things and so  that's what that's what they like and so it was   a really great evening and it wasn't too hot and  not too cold didn't rain. Um, so that was uh that   was very nice and the veterans picnic. Um, and I  made an observation. Obviously, I don't remember   that how many times we've had this picnic. And it  really is a shame that more people don't come out   uh and take advantage of it, but I've done um some  research before and unfortunately there aren't   that many families anymore that have a direct conf  direct contact with veterans and so they just,  

1:31:58 – 1:33:530

you know, out of sight, I guess, out of mind. But  uh I am so proud of our our city for having the   veterans resources because they really do um some  of the the veterans really do struggle especially   to get their benefits and things like that. And I  I thank Larry for being our resident um veteran,   but I know my son too who's now 46, but at the  time he got out and tried to get his benefits   really really difficult. And if it hadn't been  for like a resource officer, um it wasn't here in   Monrovia, but uh he would still not probably have  have his benefit. So I thank our staff profusely   for their their um volunteering and their time  that they put forward for that. We also will   um Monrovia will have that through the allied  veterans they on Memorial Day. We've got a little   bit of time before that, but that's on Monday, May  25th at Live Oak or the Turner Stevens Live Oak   um cemetery. So, you'll be hearing more and I'm  sure Dylan can include some information in his   his update on that. Valentine's Day, right? What's  that? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. We can love our   veterans. Yeah, that's right. And yes, the Shiloh  uh uh AM Zion Church. And that's for those that   don't know where it is, it's at 1023 South uh  Canyon. It's right there across the street from   the Unified School District offices. And that's  some real energy, real spirit and and energy.   And unfortunately, uh yes, on Sunday, their air  conditioning wasn't working. And that was it was   a warmspirited afternoon, but they do know how to  celebrate and we congratulate them on 140 years  

1:33:53 – 1:35:510

and we hope that they're there for 140 more plus.  Um, let me see here. I did want to mention the San   Gabriel Valley uh upper water district uh will be  having their water fest annual water fest again   Saturday, May 2nd from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at  Arcadia County Park. Lots of activities there and   you can learn lots about uh water. Um and I wanted  to mention too on May 3rd the home tour, the   um Monrovia Historic Preservation Group's annual  home tour that and it will have it's got the uh   theme for the Route 66 and then all the I thought  maybe you'd mentioned that all the activities.   Look, Dylan has been publicizing it. A lot of  people have been publicizing all the events   that will happen then on that Sunday, May 3rd, um  celebrating Route 66. And our our museum is will   be involved. In fact, there's going to be the uh  ribbon cutting on Thursday, April 30th, I believe,   at our museum at 400 p.m. uh for a new exhibit,  the Route 66 exhibit. So, come on out for that.   But on the Saturday or Sunday, excuse me, May  3rd, lots of activity going over at Recreation   uh park and the museum and then obviously the  the home tour as well. And check out Dylan's   uh update. He's got lots of information in there.  I think I covered all of it. Uh and I think that   does it for our city reports. We do not have any  administrative reports. And then Oh, I know. No   one did, unless I was sleeping or something.  Did anyone highlight that? Yes. This Saturday,   I know that a couple of comments were made at  the podium. Our map conference, our neighborhood  

1:35:51 – 1:37:480

conference. Come out. Come out. Come out for our  neighborhood conference. Um, a great time to meet   your neighbors and learn more about the city and  all the great uh resources that are available. So   come on out. You don't have to be a MAP leadership  person. Just anyone interested in in Monrovia. And   um Oh, do you want me to go ahead to um  for the um designated Okay. On May 7th,   we have the SCAG. It's their annual conference and  they also have at that time their annual meeting   where they confirm they passed their budget  and confirm their the voting or the election   of their officers. This year I am not going to  be attended attending I'm going to be going to   the Monrovia reads so I'll may read fundraiser but  our very own Dr. Kelly will be attending that SKAG   event and so we need to have uh notify SCAg of  a designated voter on behalf of the city. And so   um unless there's and I don't think there's  any objection, I would like to appoint then   uh Dr. Kelly as our um voter for that that  meeting. Okay. All right. Uh, with that then   I think we truly Oh, and the map conference.  So, please, please, please come out again.   Check out Mr. Beaks update. He's got so much great  information in there. Um, then we don't have any   um don't have any administrative reports. I think  I already said that. Our next scheduled meeting is   Tuesday, May 5th, Cinco deio. And I think we're  gonna have a we're gonna have a big announcement  

1:37:48 – 1:39:090

uh for that for that meeting. Madam Mayor, Madame  Mayor, I'd like to motion that we have a mariachi.   Okay, we can have them come and serenate us.  Okay, so Tuesday, May 5th at 7:30 p.m. here in   these chambers. And with that then, uh we are  adjourned at 9:08. Thank you. All right, guys. I feel like we could somehow Come on now. Let's do it. I saw that minute. Go.

This transcript was automatically generated from the official public meeting video and is presented unedited. It reflects remarks made on the public record by elected officials, staff, and public commenters. Transcript accuracy may vary; view the original recording for reference.