Monrovia City Manager's Update | October 09, 2020

Press release from the City of Monrovia:

October 09, 2020

Hello Monrovians,

This update has been prepared to share with you everything that is taking place in Monrovia. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.

Have a safe and wonderful week!

Sincerely,
Dylan

Highlights in this Issue

• Voting During a Pandemic
• LA County Department of Public Health Offers Free Flu Shots
• MUSD State of the Schools Address

Voting During a Pandemic

California and the County of Los Angeles have taken precautions to be sure everyone can vote safely from home by mailing a ballot to every registered voter, regardless of whether they’ve requested to be a permanent vote by mail voter. This may come as a surprise to voters who still want to vote in person, which is still an option! Here’s some information you should know about casting your ballot for the November 3 election.

VOTING BY MAIL – vote safely from the comfort of your home or office

• No postage necessary
• Ballot Return Checklist
  • Place voted ballot card(s) inside Official Return Envelope
  • Securely seal the Official Return Envelope
  • SIGN AND DATE the back of the Official Return Envelope
• Ballots postmarked by Election Day will be processed, verified, and counted if received within 17 days (Nov. 20)
• If the signature does not match voter records or is missing, the County will mail a Signature Verification Statement or Unsigned Ballot Statement, which must be received back up to 28 days after Election Day for the ballot to be processed, verified, and counted
• Ballots may also be dropped off at Vote Center (see below for locations), including by an authorized person designated by the voter on the back of the return envelope

BALLOT DROP BOX – a secure option if you’re concerned about safe mail delivery

• Located at the Monrovia Public Library on Palm Avenue, across from the Community Center
• Open from October 5 through November 3 at 8 p.m.
• Securely bolted into cement and in view of 2 security cameras
• Ballots are securely collected every 3 days by LA County Registrar-Recorder staff, then every day as the election gets closer
• Don’t forget!
  • Place voted ballot card(s) inside Official Return Envelope
  • Securely seal the Official Return Envelope
  • SIGN AND DATE the back of the Official Return Envelope

VOTE IN PERSON – Yes!! You still can!

• Vote Centers located in Monrovia include:
  • Monrovia Community Centers, Kay Dalton Room 119 W. Palm Avenue
  • Monrovia High School, South Gym, 845 W. Colorado Boulevard (entrance of Madison Avenue)
  • October 30-November 2, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., November 3 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Want to vote even earlier?
  • Calvary Grace Church, 2520 Peck Road, Monrovia
  • LA County Arboretum, Ayers Hall, 301 N. Baldwin Avenue
  • October 24 – November 3 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., November 3 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Early voting available now at the LA County Registrar-Recorder headquarters in Norwalk
• You can vote at ANY Vote Center in LA County – to find the one closest to you visit www.locator.lavote.net/locations
• COVID-19 protocols will be in place, including social distancing, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing machines
• Use your phone or computer to mark your ballot electronically, then scan the QR code for faster, nearly hands free voting at the polls
• LA County uses electronic Ballot Marking Devices which still print paper ballots that are then counted at the County Registrar headquarters on election night and the days following

OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Deadline to register to vote or update your registration is October 19 – visit www.registertovote.ca.gov to change or check your registration status
  • California has same-day Conditional Voter Registration, so if you miss the deadline, you can still go to a Vote Center to vote, and your information will be verified against the state voter database
• Haven’t gotten your sample ballot or vote by mail ballot yet?
  • The LA County Registrar-Recorder began mailing materials last week, but with over 5 million voters, it takes some time so be patient a few more days. Still concerned? Call (800) 815-2666 to speak with someone at the county.
• Where’s my ballot? Visit www.wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov where you can track your ballot and sign up for text messages to know when it is mailed, received, and counted
• Still confused? Call (800) 815-2666 and follow the prompts, or ask the Monrovia City Clerk’s Office at (626) 932-5550
• You can find your electronic sample ballot, Vote Center and Ballot Drop Box locations, and other great information online at www.lavote.net

LA County Department of Public Health Offers Free Flu Shots

Beginning this October, LA County's Department of Public Health (DPH) and LA County Library will be offering free flu vaccines to those 6 months of age & older at select Library locations across the LA County. See the schedule of flu shot clinics.

MUSD State of the Schools Address

The Monrovia Unified School District Board of Education invites you to attend the virtual 2020-2021 State of the Schools Address on October 21, at 6:30 p.m.

Watch the State of the Schools Address

• Facebook
• Youtube

Join the Board of Education in Celebrating Monrovia Unified's School Community!

Ad Hoc Committee on Equity and Inclusion Meeting

The Monrovia Ad Hoc Committee on Equity is a five-member committee established by the City Council. The Committee’s sole function is to review with the community to determine whether any policies, practices, and procedures of the City of Monrovia are unjust or unfair; create structural barriers to diversity, equity and inclusion in City governance, employment or enforcement; or perpetuate systemic racism in City government and provide a report back to the City Council with any recommendations for change the Committee deems advisable for consideration.

The next meeting will take place on October 22 at 6 p.m.

To comment during the public comment portions of the agenda, click the Participants “raised hand” icon (or *9 on your phone) at the appropriate time indicated by the Chair during the meeting, and you will be selected from the meeting queue. Please limit comments to three minutes.

Public comment will also be accepted by email to pio@ci.monrovia.ca.us before 4:00 p.m. on October 22, 2020. Public comment may be summarized in the interest of time, however, the full text will be provided to all members of the Committee prior to the meeting. If comments are specifically in support or opposition of an item, please clearly state so in the introduction.

National Community Planning Month

It is National Community Planning Month, and in honor of the event, the Community Development Department has a new blog post to share!

Last week your Monrovia City Planners blogged about this year’s theme for National Community Planning Month “Planning is Essential to Recovery.” This week your planners would like to let you know what type of “planning” we are doing relative to this topic.

Take a look at the Over the Counter Blog and join in on the National Community Planning month celebration!

Bulky Item Pick- Up Program

Athens Services provides two (2) scheduled bulky item collections, at no cost, for residential customers. To arrange for a bulky item collection, please contact Athens Services at (855) 557-1007. Bulky items include any nonhazardous, household items (furniture, appliances, and large boxes, mixed waste) that will not fit into your cart of bin.

Please schedule these collections at least two-days prior to your normal collection day. Once schedule, please place these items out with your normal trash for collection.

To schedule a bulky item pick-up, please call Athens Services at (855) 557-1007. For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Public Works at (626) 932-5575

Report Bulky Items around Town and Be Entered to Win a Gift Card

Have you seen bulky items around town? If you report them into Public Works, you will be entered into a raffle and could win a $50 gift card to a Monrovia Business! If you are out and about around town and see furniture, boxes, or other items in the Right of Way (not on Private Property), please report them to Public Works. In turn, Athens Services will pick these items up within about 48 hours.

How to Report Bulky Items:

• Call Public Works at (626) 932-5575; or
• Email bulkyitem@ci.monrovia.ca.us
• Be sure to provide our name and address to be entered into the raffle.

Raffle tickets will be pulled each Thursday and the winners will be notified by Public Works Staff.

The winner for this week’s drawing is…Rebecca Costello! Since June 4, we have received 1,908 reports for abandoned bulky items! Thank you for reporting these items!

Halloween Home Decorating Contest

Turn your home into a spooktacular showstopper for all to enjoy! Monrovia residents are invited to enter the Halloween Home Decoration Contest. This contest is free and open to Monrovia residents only. Residents must register for the contest by Friday, Oct. 16. Judging will take place on the week of Oct. 19. After the winners are announced, a map will be published for the community to take a driving tour and see the festive displays.

Get into the Halloween spirit and join in on the pumpkin carving fun! Those interested in the Jack-o-Lantern Carving Contest must submit their carvings by Oct. 19. Judging will take place on the week of Oct. 19. Winners will be selected and notified on Oct. 30. The City will share a video, on YouTube, of all pumpkin carving submissions on Oct. 31.

COVID-19 At a Glance

Latest Facts & Figures

• Monrovia - 785 confirmed cases | 41 deaths
• L.A. County – 278,665 confirmed cases | 6,726 deaths
• California – 838,606 confirmed cases | 16,428 deaths

Additional details on cases and deaths were not provided by the County of Los Angeles. View the Public Health Statement Regarding COVID-19 and Patient Privacy.

Stay Informed

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• California Department of Public Health
• To keep the community informed, the Los Angeles County provides updates, which can be viewed on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
• City of Monrovia
• Monrovia Strong

Monrovia Renewal Construction Updates

Work is underway in the Northeast Section of the Monrovia Renewal project. This represents the final section of work for Monrovia Renewal, which is the largest public works project in City history! The Northeast project section includes the area of the City that is bound by the City limit to the east, Myrtle Avenue to the west, Greystone Avenue and Hillcrest Boulevard to the north, Colorado Boulevard and Royal Oaks to the south.

• Phase 1: May - September
• Phase 2: July - September
• Phase 3: September - November
• Phase 4: October - December

We appreciate your patience and support while we work to execute these improvements throughout our community! Should you have any questions, please call the Public Works at (626) 932-5575 or email monroviarenewal@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

For the week of October 12, work will include:

• Concrete pouring, restoration, fine grading and slot patching on the following streets:
  • Streets South of Greystone: Poinsettia Avenue, Grand Avenue, Aspen Drive, Pearl Avenue, Sierra Vista Avenue, Heliotrope Avenue, Poppy Avenue, Shamrock Avenue, Mountain View Avenue, Poppy Avenue, Valley View Avenue, Ocean View Avenue, and Madeline Drive
• Concrete removals on the following streets:
  • Valle Vista Avenue, Grand Avenue, and Poinsettia Avenue

We appreciate your patience and support while we work to execute these improvements throughout the community! If you have any questions regarding Monrovia Renewal, please feel free to contact Public Works at (626) 932-5575 or monroviarenewal@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

Monrovia Strong

The Monrovia Strong webpage was created to share with the community different resources to help you and your family get through these challenging times.

Visit Monrovia Strongto explore the many activities and resources. We're in this together, Monrovia!

Development Spotlight

Several significant projects are working their way through the review process and stages of construction here at the City. Among these are the Adaptive Reuse of the Monrovia Market Building (approved on Oct. 1), the Overton Moore Pacific Self Storage Project in the former Verizon Building in Old Town (approved on Nov. 19), 127 Pomona Multi-Family Development with 310 units at Station Square (approved on Jan. 21), the Alexan Multi-Family Development with 436 units at Station Square (approved on Feb. 4), and the Arroyo at Monrovia Station Multi-Family Development with 302 units (Planning Commission approved on Feb. 12). For more details, visit the Development Spotlight or Building Monrovia webpages.

Key Dates, Programs & Virtual Events

• Monrovia Chamber & Volunteer Center of the SGV Virtual Beer & Music Festival | October 17 | 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Neighborhood Watch Report

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 327 service events, resulting in 70 investigations. View the Neighborhood Watch Report.

This press release was produced by the City of Monrovia. The views expressed are the author's own.