Community Corner

Monrovia City Manager's Update | April 9, 2021

This update has been prepared to share with you everything that is taking place in Monrovia.

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Press Release Desk, News Partner

Press release from the City of Monrovia:

April 09, 2021

Hello Monrovians,

Find out what's happening in Monroviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

This update has been prepared to share with you everything that is taking place in Monrovia.

On Tuesday night, the City Council approved a proclamation supporting the Asian American Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) members of our community. Recent acts of violence, hatred, racism and physical assault - as seen in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York City and several others cities - directed towards AAPI community members, in addition to anyone, should be condemned and have no place in our community or any other. The City Council wants everyone to know that racism, intolerance, hate and violence have no place in our community. Everyone should be treated fairly and with respect and dignity.

Find out what's happening in Monroviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Sincerely,
Dylan

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

Highlights in this Issue

  • LA County Mortgage Relief Program
  • The 2021 MOHPG Historic Homes Tour: A Virtual Experience
  • RESIDENT HIGHLIGHT: MHS Students Launch Environmentally Sustainable Streetwear Company
  • Tree Planting Program: Request Your Tree!
  • Monrovia Community Garden Present Spring Veggie Workshop
  • Monrovia Healing Connections Presents Wellness & Self Care Pop-Ups

LA County Mortgage Relief Program

The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) is pleased to announce the new LA County Mortgage Relief Program, a partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services of LA County (NHS) and local HUD-approved housing counseling agencies. The $5.5 million initiative developed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will support property owners who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mortgage Relief Program will include a relief fund which provides grants of up to $20,000 for qualified property owners, plus expanded foreclosure prevention counseling services. The program is structured to benefit single-family homeowners and property owners with four or fewer units living in communities highly impacted by COVID-19. This includes low- and moderate-income communities and those who have suffered a higher percentage of significant health impacts during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Properties must be owner occupied.

NHS will administer the relief fund and deploy funds to qualified applicants from a diverse set of cities and unincorporated areas throughout Los Angeles County, excluding the City of Los Angeles. DCBA and NHS-LA have determined qualification requirements for applicants. Relief funds will be paid directly to lenders and servicers.

Free foreclosure prevention counseling will be provided by nonprofit HUD-approved counseling agencies to property owners in multiple languages. To find more ways how LA County can help property owners, visit DCBA’s foreclosure prevention website at dcba.lacounty.gov/foreclosure-prevention.

Starting Monday, April 12, property owners can apply for the Mortgage Relief Program by calling (888) 895-2647 or visiting nhslacounty.org/mortgagereliefprogram.

The 2021 MOHPG Historic Homes Tour: A Virtual Experience

The Monrovia Historic Preservation Group will be hosting a virtual home tour this year in lieu of the in-person experience tour goers have enjoyed since 1983. Seven homes will be featured, each with its own video 5-10 minutes long plus an introductory video. The videos can be viewed anytime from May 1-9, 2021.

In order to watch the videos, you must register ahead of time. MOHPG is requesting a donation of $20 but that is optional.

Register on the MOHPG website and view a trailer video (3 minutes long) to give you a taste of what is to come. We hope you will join us for this special event - an opportunity to view seven of Monrovia’s vintage homes in the comfort of your own home.


RESIDENT HIGHLIGHT: MHS Students Launch Environmentally Sustainable Streetwear Company

In May 2020, Luca Ammon, Tyler Ford, Sonny Sluiter, and Scott Reynolds launched an environmentally sustainable streetwear clothing line, Pier Clothing. The four are juniors at Monrovia High School. Using TikTok as their main advertising platform, Pier Clothing has 18.8 thousand followers and over 295,000 likes! With a goal to raise awareness for environmental conservation through their clothing, Pier Clothing donates 20 percent of their profit to the Environmental Working Group.

City Tree Planting Program

The City of Monrovia has a few trees remaining to be planted as part of our Tree Planting Program. Staff has been working closely with residents to inquire about their desired planting locations in parkways and public spaces. The remaining trees available are small and medium-sized native trees such as Red Bud, Crape Myrtles, and Strawberry Marina. Here's your opportunity to request your tree before tree planting season is over!

Monrovia Community Garden Spring Veggie Workshop & Wise Watering

Join us as we learn about spring vegetable gardening on Saturday, April 24, 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. The Community Garden Team will discuss best practices, what grows well in the spring and summer in Monrovia, and tips on best watering practices. Beginners to experts welcome!

Workshops are free and presented virtually on Zoom. To register, please send an email to info@monroviacommunitygarden.org with your interest in attending.

Monrovia Healing Connections Pop-Up Events

Monrovia Healing Connections have officially kicked-off the LOVED: Wellness & Self-care pop-ups! as a part the annual March 4 Balance community outreach and engagement campaign.

March 4 Balance raises awareness surrounding suicide and other related issues with a focus on mental health education, suicide prevention, and community outreach/engagement. This year, the organization will hosts Community Wellness and Self-care pop-ups, which will focus on mental health education, self-care tips, wellness activities to attain better physical and mental health outcomes.

ALL pop-ups are offered FREE of charge, and social distance measures will be followed for all in-person pop-ups. NO registration is required - people are welcomed to just pop-up and be a part of the fun!

For more information, text or call (626) 703-2398, or visit Monrovia Healing Connections on Facebook or Instagram.

FEMA Begins Offering Funeral Expenses for COVID-19 Related Death

On Monday, April 12, 2021, FEMA will officially begin accepting applications for funeral assistance for deaths that occurred as a result of COVID-19. The assistance will be offered similarly with normal funeral assistance claims following a natural disaster.

For a death to be considered for funeral assistance, it must have occurred after January 2020.

Eligible applicants may apply by calling 844-684-6333 or TTY: 800-462-7585 toll free, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT. Applicants must provide FEMA with a copy of the death certificate, proof of funeral expenses incurred and proof of funeral assistance received from any other source.

Assistance is available to U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals and qualified aliens such as green card holders, asylees, refugees, and others – who provide the required information and COVID related documents. Eligible applicants, living in the United States, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, will be reimbursed for up to $9,000 for each funeral.

Due to the large number of applicants expected and additional case work questions that may arise, the funeral assistance task force established a process to handle all inquiries.

Eligible COVID-19-related funeral expenses are covered under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021.

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:

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… Jeff Berg! Since June 2020, we have received 3,566 reports for abandoned bulky items! Thank you for reporting these items!

COVID-19 At a Glance

Latest Facts & Figures

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.

Stay Informed

Monrovia Renewal Construction Updates

Work is nearing completion in the Northeast Section of Monrovia! In the coming weeks, Excel Paving Company will complete the final sections of concrete improvements and begin preparing for road reconstruction activities.

For the week of April 12, demobilization of construction crews will be completed.

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.

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

Job Opportunities with the City of Monrovia

  • YES Intern
  • Director of Public Works

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

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 345 service events, resulting in 65 investigations. View the Neighborhood Watch Report.

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

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