BUSINESS:
MONROVIA NEWS:
Celebration of the life of Liz Leavens this Saturday
Small Business Saturday Celebrated Locally
Pg. 16
Pg. 19
SPORTS:
Monrovia Ends Season With Loss Pg. 30
COMPLIMENTARY COPY VOLUME 19, NO. 48
monroviaweekly.com
Your Voice, Your Community Since 1996
Thursday, November 26, 2015 - December 2, 2015
City Manager Michael Beck to Leave Pasadena BY TERRY MILLER
Michael Beck will be taking on a new role at UCLA next year. Beck played a key role in the Rose Bowl’s massive $180 Million renovation project which is, of course, home to UCLA. - Photo by Terry Miller
City Manager Michael Beck will leave Pasadena February to take an administrative position at UCLA. Beck first joined the City in 2008. His last day will be Feb. 14, 2016. In March, Beck will become UCLA’s Administrative Vice Chancellor. However, during Michael Beck’s tenure, recently fraught with scandal, calls for his resignation and a significantly critical independent report, albeit heavily redacted, on the police shooting of Kendrec McDade make one suppose that these may have been contributing factors in his decision to take the position at UCLA. During the month of January 2015, public displeasure with Michael Beck was at a high point. The postembezzlement publicity was enormous and the pressure was on. “What I’m seeing is the same actors, recycling themselves throughout the different communities, going from community to community to community, spreading this very negative culture which is not servicing the public,” activist Jason Hunter said. “And Mr. Beck is one of those.” Some local observers note that then Council Member Terry Tornek’s persistent questions on an unrelated issue led to the discovery of the missing money ($6.4 million). Tornek, who has since become mayor himself, called the time frame for the missing money “astounding.” “There’s no question that this was an absolute failSEE PG. 3
Young Dancer is ‘Living the Dream’ in Monrovia Carrie Cuenca, 13, of Monrovia has been dancing since she was 2 years old. At age 5 she began studying at Pasadena Dance Theatre and in 2010 enrolled in their conservatory where she began her classical ballet training under the direction of Cynthia Young. That year was also her first time experiencing the magic of the Nutcracker on the big stage at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse as a Polichinelle or French clown. Five years later and Carrie will be taking the stage once again next month to dance the coveted role of Clara in PDT’s annual Nutcracker
Ballet- a dream come true for the 8th grader who attends High Point Academy in Pasadena. Dancing at PDT every day after school has not only deepened Carrie’s love of ballet but has also given her the discipline and focus to maintain her straight A average while receiving excellent training in technique and the opportunity to learn from the some of the best instructor’s in the country. Because she spends so much time there, PDT has become like her second home and the lifelong friends she has made
The Monrovia Legacy Project will preserve and share materials on Monrovia history never before available to the public. For fifty years, Monrovia’s City Historians Steve Baker and his predecessor Myron Hotchkiss gathered photographs and historical documents that reveal Monrovia’s unique history. Other Monrovians have collections and recollections that help bring its story up-to-date. These private collections and the
knowledge that resides in Monrovia’s City Historian have not been cataloged or preserved. The Monrovia Legacy Project has been created to prevent the loss of this rich treasure trove and share it with the public through the Monrovia Public Library. The Project’s mission is to preserve and share the historic information. Its goals are: - To document and
Historical Society Announce Kick-Off of Monrovia Legacy Project
SLEIGH RIDE! calphil.com | 626.304.0333
get your tickets today!
CP-BEACON_10.25x1.5_2015_sleigh_ride_front_page_bottom_strip_4c_1.indd 1
SEE PG. 17
SEE PG. 16
Christmas Spectacular Saturday, Dec 12 at 7:30pm Pasadena Civic Auditorium
With Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer from So You Think You Can Dance* plus Mary Bridget Davies, Cedric Berry & Cal Phil Chorale *in assocation with Lythgoe Family Productions
Order now! 800.745.3000 | ticketmaster.com 11/16/15 7:44 PM