City Of Monrovia: City Manager's Update | January 21, 2022

Press release from the City of Monrovia:

01/21/2022 9:41 AM

Hello Monrovians, 

The City Council has been busy preparing for the annual State of the City event on Monday, January 24, at LOOK Cinemas. How exciting to welcome the in-person event back to Monrovia. Since the last event, we have experienced quite a bit...a pandemic, wildfire, mudslide, recession and much more. And don't forget...even the former Studio Movie Grill underwent a national bankruptcy only to return to Old Town as LOOK Dine-In Cinemas. 

This update has been prepared to share with you a few things that will be taking place over the next few weeks. At a glance, you’ll find details regarding free COVID-19 rapid tests, State of the City details, the Art on the Box program, and much more. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely, 

Dylan

Email: dfeik@ci.monrovia.ca.us 
Phone: (626) 932-5585

Highlights in this Update

• COVID-19 Update
• 2022 State of the City 
• 2022 Art on the Box Program
• Romantic Carriage Rides for Valentine’s Day in Old Town Monrovia 
• Monrovia Association of Fine Arts Artist Alley 
• KGEM Live! 

COVID-19 Updates

Rapid Test Kit
Those who are interested can visit COVIDtests.gov to request delivery of free rapid COVID-19 tests to be sent directly to homes. Tests are limited to 4 per household and will typically ship within 7 to 12 days of being ordered. More information about local COVID-19 Testing in LA County can be found at covid19.lacounty.gov/testing.

2022 State of the City Address

Join us for the annual State of the City Address where our Mayor and City Council will come together to share some of the City’s accomplishments from the past year, and give you a first look at upcoming projects! This year’s event will take place on January 24, at LOOK Dine-In Cinemas, at 7 p.m. 

In-Person attendees must be vaccinated and wear a mask. In compliance with the LA County Department of Public Health Order, all guests will need to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccinations prior to entry to the event.

For those unvaccinated or who would like to watch from home, the event will also be livestreamed for your convenience at cityofmonrovia.org/StateoftheCity.

Focused General Plan Update 

Staff continues to work diligently with MIG, the City's consultant, to complete the Focused General Plan Update. All three elements are in draft form and posted on the City’s website for public review.

On December 7, 2021, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) issued their approval of the draft Safety Element. Unfortunately, the Housing Element is currently pending final approval by the state Department of Community Development (HCD).  The significant number of recently passed State housing laws for local jurisdictions to implement within their elements has contributed to the lengthier review timeframes. 

• Housing Element Page 
• Environmental Justice Element Page 
• Safety Element Page 

If you are wondering if the City is still within the appropriate time limit for adoption of the Housing Element.. the answer is YES. 

For the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update, the statutory deadline for adoption was October 15, 2021. Additional legislation has affected previously understood timeframes. SB 375 specifies that a local government on an eight year planning cycle, like the City of Monrovia, may adopt its element within 120 days after the statutory due date without penalty (on or before February 11, 2022). If this deadline is not met then AB 1398 requires a locality to rezone no later than one year from this deadline if rezoning is needed to meet the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) requirement. Previously, an agency had three years to rezone.

Fortunately, the City of Monrovia will not need to rezone to satisfy its RHNA capacity. The draft Element has identified achieving the City’s RHNA allocation through its existing General Plan and Zoning land use plans.  HCD is also very aware that their review times have delayed adoption for local governments. As a result, only one Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) jurisdiction has achieved the status of a certified element for the 6th Cycle.

Based on the comment letter issued by HCD in December 2021, staff and MIG feel confident that the City is in a good position to submit a solid Housing Element to HCD.  

Sagecrest Consultant Agreement 
The City Council approved a consultant service agreement with Sagecrest for the preparation of an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, a Density Bonus Ordinance, Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Design Guidelines at their last meeting.  These project items are identified as Housing Programs in the City’s Draft Housing Element and are intended to incentivize and increase the supply of affordable housing.  For more information, please view the staff report.

2022 Art on the Box Program

The City of Monrovia’s Art in Public Places Program supports the creation of public art through a variety of programs and projects.  The utility box enhancement program, Art on the Box, extend the reach of public art into the community by sponsoring artists to improve the aesthetics of City owned utility cabinets into a canvas for art.

The theme for the 2022 Art on the Box Program is Celebrating Diversity. Four utility boxes are available for painting. Submitted designs must reflect the Celebrating Diversity theme. Applications will be accepted through March 31, 2022. Each artist may submit up to two proposals. 

The program is open to artists of all ages. All entries must be an original design and artwork of the entrant must be suitable for viewing by all ages. For more information and to download the application, please visit cityofmonrovia.org/art.

Romantic Carriage Rides for Valentine’s Day in Old Town Monrovia

For one night only, on Monday, February 14, horse-drawn carriage rides will be available in Old Town Monrovia! Carriage rides are $40 per carriage and will be available, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

To make a reservation, please call (626) 256-8234. Each carriage holds up to four people. Reservations for the carriage rides may also be purchased at the check-in table, located in Monrovia Library Park at 321 S. Myrtle Ave. But this event may sell out so make your reservation today! In case of inclement weather, the event may be cancelled. 

Monrovia Association of Fine Arts Artist Alley

To celebrate the new art exhibit at the Monrovia Community Center, the Monrovia Association of Fine Arts will host an artist reception on January 30, 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Those interested in attending can RSVP to Christine Geltz at christine@monroviafinearts.org. 

KGEM LIVE

KGEM LIVE is a series produced by Community Media of the Foothills, with guest host Ralph Walker. These episodes report on events and happenings around Monrovia!

Monrovia Conserves 

Despite recent rainfall, California has experienced historically high temperatures and lack of adequate rainfall over the years, resulting in drought conditions and increased reliance on groundwater. This combination of events has lowered our water availability to near-record levels.

Although we experienced substantial rainfall in the last month, we’re not out of the clear yet! According to the Department of Water Resources, the storms and significant snowfall we experienced are not enough to refill our major reservoirs. We would need more frequent storms and average temperatures this winter and spring to help us maintain our reservoirs, but unfortunately we can’t guarantee California will experience this weather. 
For that reason, we must continue to conserve!

Monrovia's Water Conservation Plan 
Our City Council has recommended we move into Phase II of our water conservation plan, mandating a 10% decrease in water consumption in our community.  

As a result of establishing Phase II of the Water Conservation Plan, violations of mandatory water conservation measures may result in administrative citations. Additionally, customers who fail to reduce their water usage by the required 10% will be billed a penalty of two times the cost of a water billing unit (748 gallons of water) for each unit in excess of what is permitted. For a typical residential unit, the standard penalty is $4.88 per unit in excess.

Moving forward, residents and commercial customers should not exceed 90% of their base period allocation. The base period allocation is defined by actual water usage during the same month in 2020.

Tools to Help You Conserve

• Upper District’s Water Smart Home Program offers qualifying residents an opportunity to choose a variety of water conservation items to be installed at their home, free of charge, by EcoTech Services. 
• The Water Conservation Kit is filled with tools, at no charge, to help make conserving water that much easier. 
• The Water Conservation Planner, designed in collaboration with Smitten on Paper and BeWaterWise.com, is filled with native plants and water conservation tips.

Work around Town 

Planned Power Outage
Southern California Edison has a planned power outages to take place on Tuesday, January 25, on the 200 – 300 block of East Hillcrest Boulevard, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.   
Contact: Southern California Edison, 1(888) 759-6056

San Gabriel Valley Transit Feasibility Study
Additional information on the San Gabriel Valley Transit Feasibility Study can be found on the SGVCOG website at www.sgvcog.org/transit-study.

2022 Residential and Commercial Solid Waste Rate Schedule 

Representatives from Athens Services notified the City of their formal request to institute a 4.61% increase for solid waste services effective January 1, 2022. This request is permitted under the City's Franchise Agreement with Athens and represents a 3.61% CPI adjustment plus a 1.0% annual increase. The actual dollar cost impact of the rate adjustment is as follows: 

• For the typical residential customer enrolled in the 90-gallon trash / recycling barrel program), solid waste services will increase by $1.56 / month, from $34.91 / month to $36.47 / month.

• For the typical commercial customer enrolled in the one 3-yard bin, which is serviced once per week, solid waste services will increase by $9.06 / month, from $203.62 / month to $212.68 / month. 

COVID-19 At a Glance 

Latest Facts & Figures 

Residential / Non-Residential Settings in Monrovia 

Residential / Non-Residential Settings in Monrovia 

Facilities that have no reported positive COVID-19 cases for 14 days are considered to no longer have an outbreak and removed from the list. Confirmed cases of employees from residential/non-residential settings get counted under their home city.

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.

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 webpage.

Key Dates, Programs & Virtual Events 

•  Monrovia Community Garden Winter Workshop | January 29 | 10 a.m.  
• Virtual MAP-edu Meeting | January 29 | 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 
• City Council Meeting | February 1 | 7:30 p.m. 
• Join the Bobcat Fire Clean-Up Crew
• Make an Appointment for Passport Services at Monrovia Community Center 
• Monrovia Street Fair & Market | Fridays | 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
• E-Waste Drop Off at Monrovia Public Works Yard | Daily
• Subscribe to e-Notifications for Meeting Agendas
• Request a Bulky Item Pick-Up
• Report Abandoned Bulky Item 
• Shop the City of Monrovia Official Store

Jobs with the City of Monrovia 

The City of Monrovia is now recruiting for the following position:

• Director of Public Works
• Senior Accounting Assistant
• Fire Cadet (Volunteer)

The City of Monrovia offers interested individuals a chance to keep themselves notified on our job openings through the job interest card. This card will help interested individuals receive notifications about positions that open within the city without having to continuously log on to view our employment opportunities page.

Neighborhood Watch Report 

This report lists the total number of calls for service received over the last seven-day period. View the Neighborhood Watch Report. 

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