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monroviaweekly.com
THURSDAY, JULY 9 - JULY 15, 2009 VOLUME 14, NO. 55
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Two Monrovia City Employee Groups Agree to Cuts, MPOA Opts for Furloughs Two of Monrovia’s three municipal employee associations have agreed to a variety of pay and benefit cuts to help balance the City’s 20092011 budgets. Both the Monrovia Municipal Employees Association (MMEA) and the Monrovia Firefighters Association (MFA) have agreed to the cuts. So have the City’s managers and mid-managers.
The third employee association, the Monrovia Police Officers Association (MPOA), has said it favors a work furlough program offered by the City in lieu of pay and benefit reductions. The furlough plan would mean Police Department employees would each take 11 ½ days off without pay over the next year. All shifts would still be fully staffed. Negotiations with the MPOA
are being scheduled, according to City Manager Scott Ochoa, and an agreement could be reached by the next City Council meeting on July 21. The cost-cutting was necessitated, Ochoa explained, by national economic conditions that have sent sales taxes plummeting, cutting City revenue and leaving a $2.6 million gap in the $60.7 million 2009-2010
budget, with a growing deficit projected the following year and beyond. In late June, the Council adopted its two-year fiscal plan, with balanced budgets in both 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. It was done by factoring in the savings from the pay cuts or possible work furloughs, cutting programs, not filling vacant positions, offering early retirement payouts and
Local Musician Robbed and Beaten, Cash Stolen and Guitar Destroyed
Monrovia on 12
Local T.E.A. Partiers Seek “Change” in Economic Policy BY SUSAN MOTANDER
The Monrovia TEA party attendees ranged in age from pre-voting to senior citizens - all of whom had a united message no new taxes and no health care reform. - Photo by Terry Miller
They have been held all over the country: T.E.A. parties. One was held in Monrovia last weekend. T.E.A., in this case, standing for Taxed Enough Already. On Friday, July 3 more than 40 protesters appeared at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Huntington Drive in Monrovia. After a slow start, the group hit its stride about 6 p.m. For a solid hour there was a constant cacophony of horns blowing in support of the protesters. Only one negative reaction was drawn, and this from three young people who waved at the protesters, but did so with only one finger. The other reactions were overwhelmingly positive. Clare Chesley and Mary Winners were the principal organizers of this effort. They described their efforts as grassroots and locally based. “There is no hierarchy in this, “Chesley said; “We don’t agree with the fiscal irresponsibility of our legislators and feel it is time to fight back.” Chesley said their rally was designed to show support for those who are fighting to return America to its libertarian roots. “We are exercising our first amendment right to freedom of speech in an attempt to bring back our economic and individual liberties.” The signs the T.E.A. party attendees waved included those that explained they felt “Taxed Enough Already.” Other signs read ”Cap and Trade, Be Afraid,” “Where’s my Bailout?” and “Give me Liberty, Not Debt.”
At the July 2nd meeting of SCAG, the executive administration committee authorized SCAG to accept $800,000 from Caltrans State Planning and Research Grant Funds. These funds will go to the Regional Congestion Pric-
ing Study, which is a multi-year, multi-phased project focusing on integrated regional solution is “reduce congestion, optimize productivity of the transportation system, reduce emissions, and identify more efficient means of revenue generation.” SCAG also accepted a dona-
tion from Caltrans of $200,000 for the fiscal year 2008-2009 budget, bringing the total cost of the study to $1 million dollars. What is SCAG? It’s an acronym that’s been popping up lately a round Sier ra Madre. SCAG stands for Southern California Associat ion of Gover nment s,
BY TERRY MILLER
and it calls itself “a forum to develop and foster the realization of regional plans that improve the quality of life for Southern Californians.” While membership is optional and requires dues, every city in San Gabriel Valley with the
You might remember our story about Jake Lenaburg from a few weeks ago. Jake, a single dad, supports his 5-year old daughter Vivinity, and goes to school full time at night. On any given day until last night Jake could be found strumming his guitar and singing in hope of donations for his tuition at or near freeway off-ramps in Monrovia. As if it wasn’t hard enough to do this, and face some police opposition to his chosen means of making a living - Jake was mugged Wednesday night. The Pasadena student was near California and Fair Oaks Wednesday evening about to make a deposit at his bank’s ATM. Two men approached Jake and hit him in the face and robbed him of all his cash. Adding insult to injury, they smashed his guitar- the very source of his income. In addition to a seriously hurt nose, Lenaburg said he was shocked by the assault and felt his whole livelihood was ruined. Worried for the future of his daughter, Jake turned to this newspaper for help. Jake caught our eye as you don’t often see signs like his. Rarely do you see a busker on the freeway off ramp at all. Sadly, it’s usually a homeless veteran and the like who have no other choice but to hope for a friendly freeway handout. In this tight economy, Lenaburg is hoping to do something with his school career and really make a dif-
SCAG on 3
Jake on 12
T.E.A on 3
Caltrans to Bankroll Million Dollar SCAG “Congestion Study” BY MORGAN CARPENTER
-Photo By Terry MIller Jake Lenaburg spent weeks in Monrovia before he was robbed and his guitar was destroyed in Pasadena .