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The Most Controversial Billboard Monrovia Has Ever Seen
By Centinel | May 5, 2008
Well, I can’t confirm that 100%, but it’s certainly not going to make the other “Mayberry-esque” city in the foothills any less rancorous. See what I’m talking about after the jump…
The Inside Out Arcadia blog notes:
Monrovia POA has launched a very public campaign, hitting the skyline above the 210 freeway. The billboard is facing west bound traffic, south side of the freeway, just east of Irwindale Avenue.
The SGVT quotes city and police:
“We’re still trying to enlighten the public on the problem that’s occurring with public safety and staffing levels,” said Dieter Dammeier, attorney to the Monrovia Police Officers Association.
City Manager Scott Ochoa called the billboards “tantamount to extortion.”
“For a 23.2 percent raise, the MPOA would make you feel less afraid, or at least they’re going to stop trying to scare you,” Ochoa said.
Any of our MPOA defenders want to explain why I shouldn’t trust my gut reaction (which, scarily, mirrors what Scott Ochoa said)? I know this has been an acrimonious process, but billboards don’t seem like the best way to effect meaningful public policy. Thoughts?
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Topics: Main Page, City Council, Cops and Robbers, Monrovia |
May 5th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Centinel
You may see me as a MPOA defender but in reality I am a Community defender and in order to defend the community you need to support public safety.
If you want to buy into the misinformation being dished out by Ochoa and Singer at City Hall then that is your choice.
As far as the comments of Scott Ochoa go the only “Extortion” that is practiced in Monrovia is practiced by City Hall.
The purpose of the billboards is to raise public awareness of the conditions within our Police Department. The community can thank “The City Manager and the City Council” for their existence as the billboard says.
Before anyone sides with City Hall I would encourage them to get the facts about the budget (available on line) and staffing levels at the MPD which is very different then the city is claiming.
A Safe Community should come before Bonuses, Lifetime Medical for the City Manager, middle management and their spouses. These people are all compensated handsomely in the six figure range plus better retirement and benefits than most in comparable positions the private sector will ever achieve.
May 5th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Centinel
One more thing about that Sign. It Speaks the Truth! That should concern you if you live in Monrovia.
May 5th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Notably, Ochoa focuses on the tactic, not its substance. Is crime up? Are we fielding fewer officers?
The City Council holds all the cards, and acts as though it exists in a vaccum. MPOA can’t impose a contract on the City, but the City can on the police.
This past week, the City banned “unnecessary overtime,” those extra details all cops work for Christmas money and to afford vacations. Yeah, that’s an incentive to potential applicants.
I’m told (but have not verified) that Azusa PD is presently not hiring anyone, because they don’t have any vacancies. I’m sure that’s not related to their having the highest compensation of any city in the Valley. Purely a coincidence, of course.
Would Monrovia have lower crime if it had more cops? Would it have more cops if they were better paid? There’s not necessarly a direct connection, but the Council seems determined to prove there isn’t one, no matter the cost.
May 5th, 2008 at 8:45 am
o
May 5th, 2008 at 9:35 am
A HUGE AMEN to posts 1, 2, and 3!!!!!
May 5th, 2008 at 11:13 am
RJCP. Arcadia was down 18, has 12 in the system to be on board by the end of the year. The other 6 are on a temporary hold.
I saw the billboard earlier in the weekend but have been so busy with stuff I have not been able to do anything with it.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:58 am
PS…Centinel, no disprespect but read the series of post on the topic. The force placed contract by the city was not their “last best final” as they stated erroneously.
Citizens seem to forget that the city web isn’t neutral but rather its own editorial source where no comment or opposing view is allowed. It is purely their opinion and not always based in fact.
May 5th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Fraz, my response was based on the arguments brought up by the CM, but just by my reaction to the billboard. It certainly feels like its intended to scare folks. Granted, some people may need to be scared out of complacency, but certainly we can agree that billboard diplomacy is a crude form of negotiation.
I’m not too concerned about it, but if I were a citizen uninformed about the current crisis in Monrovia, my gut reaction would be “Hmm, trying to scare us.” I’m not arguing the merits of the PD’s case versus the city, just the wisdom of resorting to tactics like this billboard. And I’m willing be convinced.
May 5th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Thanks a lot Scott Ochoa. You have turned our little community in to another gang infested Los Angeles. What’s next, taco trucks on foothill at night ?
This city doesn’t even remove graffiti any more. It just paints over the graffiti. Don’t know what’s worse, Mexican gang graffiti or the paint blotches that cover the graffiti.
May 5th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I love taco trucks.
May 5th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Centinel, I figured that but I wanted the readers to go back and look at the other posts that debunk the cities version of the issue.
I am a bit concerned the billboard could back fire on them for that reason.
May 5th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Frazgo i was concerned with that too, but as far as i know they have more up their sleeve and we are about to see a lot more from our Association.
May 5th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
It all comes down to the public — if they think the police are worth it, they’ll push the Council to pay more.
But would I appreciate the police telling me that they’re failing to keep my city safe? Somehow I don’t think so.
May 5th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
These are the facts so far. At least two of the cities in the compensation survey put a percentage of the officers pay into a seperate deferred compensation account. That alone amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars at retirement time, possibly more. All three cities listed as not paying for education, which is actually education or post certificate pay really do. One city pays up to 8% of an officers salary. At least two cities make more than reflected in the survey. Why are these numbers not reflected in the survey?
Joe Friday knows the officers at Monrovia are further down the list than the city survey. The officers should consider more drastic action. They are still working hard despite the actions of the council and city manager.
Joe Friday has more facts he’s putting together. I trust the men and women in blue, not the suits.
Joe Friday
May 5th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Joe…drop me a note I need to talk with you.
Please?
May 5th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
The city keeps harping on the retirement contribution issue. Most every City that negotiates a contract knows that this is given in any contract. Most cities do not make it a sticking point. This is the City Council’s way of pleading poverty. They have to make the contributions regardless. Yes, they do increase with an increase in salary. But, everyone on the Council and Ochoa get a retirement that the city has to contribute to, as well. Can you say smokescreen. I see and talk to officers 2-3 times a week and they are offended by the actions of the Council and CM.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
PS. There are 2 of those wonderful billboards…keep looking for what may come next.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Dublius Says:
“But would I appreciate the police telling me that they’re failing to keep my city safe? Somehow I don’t think so.”
Dublius,
How can you fix a problem if you don’t know there is a problem
May 6th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Billboards are ugly, especially that one. No one pays attention to most billboards anymore because they’re not creatively done. If people actually happen to glance at one by accident, I’m sure they’re usually disappointed. lol. I hate the one over the Uglo Lodge on Garey in Pomona most. It’s very blasé..However, it does sort of distract you from transients in the area. lol. If only every billboard was a T.V…I’d be happy then.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Oh, the one over by Brown Motor Works on Mission in Pomona is right up there with the other one on the ugly scale too. It just seems that where there is a billboard (usually), there is what most people consider, “blight”. Get rid of the billboards in the “blighted” areas, and voilà~! “Blight” that dwells within the billboards shadow is iradicated. Iradicating blight is normally followed by crime lowering… lol. Monrovia might want to try that, as should the rest of the cities that sport unattractive billboards.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:50 am
That is just great, the firemen keep being our heros and the cops keep complaining. Just goes to show you how low they will go to get more money. Sometimes the only differecne between the cops and the thieves is the uniform they wear.
Both use their intimidation and guns to take our money away.
Like I said, honor the firemen!
May 6th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Hey Bad Boy,
How about we honor both the Fireman and our Police officers and call it a day? That seems right.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Bad Boy illuminates the affect of the bullboard. I am sure that was not the desired result nor a negative stereotype that is desirable to resurrect.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Wake up and smell the refried beans.
After the taco trucks, the day laborers and the push carts will follow.Then you have the graffiti and crime that goes hand in hand with it. By then it’s to late. Monrovia will just be another third world city in Mexifornia, like Los Angeles and Santa Anna or Maywood.
At least I can give the MPOA some credit. The sign is in English.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Oh and also Bad Boy regarding your statement about cops and thieves- “Both use their intimidation and guns to take our money away”…
This is not Sierra Madre where the taxpayers will help out in a much needed raise for that city also. Monrovia has the money to pay them, they just don’t feel the need too and they are allocating it for other things, ie streetlights, new sidewalks every month and a new library. You don’t get the point…the city pulled a fast one on the MPOA years ago and have been reaping the benefits since then. Why don’t you put aside whatever issues you obviously have personally with the officers and REALLY listen to what the city is saying…they are now spinning the facts that the MPOA presents and our leader and CM has resorted to name calling some citizens in Monrovia. Good job, Scott, i’m not impressed.
May 6th, 2008 at 11:27 am
It is a pretty vile. Name calling and pointing fingers at citizens who disagree is just putrid. Sadly its done with official resources with my tax dollars and I have no say in the content or the tone taken. What ever happened to taxation and representation going hand in hand?
The sad thing is when people lack facts they resort to name calling. It just keeps escalating and no one wins.
YHIHF a lot of our street walks, stupid bus stops are bing paid out of redevelopment money if I am not mistaken. Those funds can’t be diverted elsewhere. The Libary was funded with a bond that can’t be diverted either.
I do agree however that there is ample money out there to fix the problem. There are ample places we have waste that we can cut to fund essential services like fire and police. A few places to start…design review, maps, services that NEVER answer phones or return emails. Just a starter.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Good for them, I hope they put up more Billboards!
May 7th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Gee….with a billboard running well over $10,000 a month and plans for more as well as all the annoying MPOA telemarketer calls, I guess the dues that the MPOA collects from the underpaid officers is being well spent.
I am very proud of our police and fire personnel…they are true heroes who deserve the utmost respect and competitive compensation. I am also proud that our city administration and council are attempting to deal with the issues in a professional manner.
Wonder how many police officers are proud of the MPOA and their snake oil salesman tactics?
May 7th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Monrovia has a serious crime problem, every day. The billboards are extreme, but so is the situation. If there was press coverage of the issues, they wouldn’t need billboards. There is a huge problem with press in the area, nothing to read and all are extensions of city government. That’s why there are billboards. Probably cheaper than direct mail.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Does anyone care to share the crime stats for cities similar to Monrovia in the area.
I agree that there is too much crime..but remember that it is up to everyone to make a difference and not just the police.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
It takes some reading between the lines, but DOJ offers a well aged look at some stats(2005). http://ag.ca.gov/cjsc/datatabs.htm
May 7th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
It would also make sense to show the crime stats in Monrovia over the last 10 years. I thought the police did a great job, I felt safe in Monrovia last year. I think the situation now seems overwhelming.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Thank you 31. Looks like 0 homicides in Monrovia in 2005.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
The city is need of more officers. Mr. Ochoa would have you believe that the Police Dept is fully staffed. That is just not the case. Officers are being required to work mandatory overtime due to shift shortages. It has been the opinion of many understaffed agencies that it is cheaper to overwork the current staff as opposed to hire, train and pay salary and benefits for new staff.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Its highly apparent that the situation in the city has changed for the worse and that public safety is a first priority.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
It seems to me that the billboards will only make the community mad. This is not how Monrovia works. The police are holding the community hostage, a community of good people who are trying to make ends meet in todays economy. I heard the police turned down a 17% raise, that it wasn’t enough. Get a grip! Times are tough and all the police think about is themselves.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
They did not turn down the 17% only. They are looking for other incentives such as education pay amongst others. Most every city in the state has these incentives for their officers. Monrovia refuses to come into the 21st century unless it involves some sort of developement
May 8th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Advertising is broken down into many areas, one of which is “scare tactics” it is, what it is.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
MonroMan and Ned, what if the billboard was reconfigured as the front page of a newspaper? Newspapers in any state of the USA would be all over this story. Given the lack of press coverage on the issue, it seems logical the billboard was utilized to get an important message out. To me, it looks more like a “cry of the heart” than a scare.
You’ve got white collar people with six figure salaries hard-assing blue collar people with one of the riskiest jobs in the world. And you’ve got a town with a crime problem.
You could write a song about it, you could make a movie about it, you could make a billboard about it. The story of this struggle has to be told somehow, some way.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
The police force was one of aspects I always admired about Monrovia. They were everywhere, affable and polite. You can’t say that about many cities. It is disturbing that a city hall would upend that, or make this asset such a low priority.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:01 am
The commenters here seem to forget the force placed contract on MPD is NOT the last best offer made by the city. They withdrew that when MPOA said they would enlist community support.
I posted a recap with supporting documents a few weeks ago. Review and then look at City Hall’s rhetoric.
http://thefcblog.com/2008/03/28/when-is-last-best-final-offer-not-really-the-case/
May 9th, 2008 at 6:30 am
Post #39, yes we do have white collar people making a lot of money, and blue shirts wanting more. We also have people on the edge financially being asked to give just a little more? If you read the news you know that people all over are hurting. Do we not care about them?
May 9th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Monroman we do care about people on the edge. Does the loan to the city manager irk you? Do six-figure city employees behaving ineptly and/or badly bother you? I don’t understand your position of being for the little guy yet defending the big guys. The residents don’t have to give more - look at the budget cuts just made in Pomona on the front page of this blog today. This could have been done before any deficit. Monrovia city hall is smart enough to figure out where to make cuts to keep a respected level of community policing. Its a nice turn of rhetoric to have the guy-on-the-edge thinking of greedy officers instead of greedy city hall employees.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:38 am
There is something sadly ironic about Scott Ochoa ($180k salary, $275k low-interest loan) calling a cop ($75k/yr, maybe) greedy.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Monrovian citizens deserve better than those signs. We supported the police with yard signs and our voices and our support. Then their union - the POA - absolutely disrespected our morale, our home values, and our sense of community by putting up those signs.
Yes, our home values, our hard earned money! The POA is doing harm to the community members, not the elected leadership.
The talk amongst educated, hard working, and concerned home owners in Monrovia is not how do we supported the police (because we did that and look what it got us), it’s how could the Police do this to us? MPD - Take the 16% raise and fire your lawyer and your POA leadership - we know that the individual officers themselves care about us more and are better than these actions.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Well, they must not be that educated….if they haven’t figured out that it wasn’t the police who did this to them….it was Mr. Ochoa and the Council.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Post #43, they all bother me. They all make too much and work too little. All governement employees make too much, from the guy at the top to the one at the bottom. What bugs me is that the police are complaining. Just shut up and keep making too much. The rest are smart enough to keep their traps shut as they continue to make too much money. I cant imagine putting up big signs when you already make too much.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
“I’m not sure how it would backfire. We’re just trying to be truthful with the public” MPOA Attorney
May 9th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Monroman:
All government employees work too little? All government emplyees make too much.
So, I’m wondering, how much would you want to go into a burning building? How much would you wnat to be paid to get shot in the face?
I’ve been to the DMV too. In many cases you are exactly right. Heck, in some public safety cases you are exactly right (but, then in probably as many corporate cases as well).
But to say cops across the board are overpaid…. sounds like jealousy to me.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:13 am
It is about time the Monrovia Police Officer’s Association launch a public campaign to show what is going on with Mr. Ochoa, Mr. Singer and the rest of the politicians at City Hall.
For years the politicians of Monrovia have bullied the Police Department into “keeping quiet” and not “going public” about contract negotiations and benefits by using their own form of extortion. Well, Mr. Ochoa I guess now two can play that game.
And if the people of Monrovia want to know about excessive benefits just ask Mr. Ochoa and Mr. Singer about middle management employees receiving lifetime medical benefits for themselves and their spouse. I’m guessing they won’t want to give the details about that, but it’s true!
Monrovia Police Department is down at least 15 officers and has a history of officers leaving for other departments that treat their employees better and provide better pay and benefits.
Violent crime is soaring in Monrovia like nothing we have seen in the last 15 or 20 years. We need to ask the question, Why? You cannot protect a city without an adequte number of officers. The minimum will just not suffice.
Currently it is acceptable as a minimum standard for the Monrovia Police Deparment to staff a supevisor and four officers per shift. This is gross undermanning and should terify the citizens of Monrovia, but it does explain why crime is running wild in the streets of Monrovia.
May 15th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Freedom of speech! lack of law enforcement the people have spoking oh wait the people dont matter just big business. was China a set up does our government have the capablility to make earthquakes i know they do a dont vote your vote doesnt count join the revoltion
May 15th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
The bullying just escalated. My source tells me that the Dollmakers are the ones that got MOTAB all upset and brought channel 7 in this evening.
I think its time EVERYONE who supports the police organize and do a support march Friday night at the station as a counter point to the merchants.
Their business is down because of a tanking economy. If traffic is down more than other areas maybe its because of 4 murders in January? That is good crime stat that seems to be forgotten.
May 15th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Kids play with guns then grow up, cops just never stop playing with guns.
May 15th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Cute Drac…I do indeed like to think that I am young at heart at least! Sorry though, we qualify monthly and are quite proficient with our duty weapons.
May 15th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Nice shot Tom. Drac is a bit out of touch, I’ve yet to meet an officer who “played” with a gun let alone thought of it as a toy, especially when on duty. My two best friends in highschool fathers were officers.
I remember when John’s Dad had to shoot a guy it was very emotional for him but it came down to him getting shot or the bad guy. His Dad retired from the force a year later as he never wanted to be in that position again.