« Update on Pomona: Fire Over | Home | No the school’s not burning down »
Monrovia’s Issues, Consolidated
By Robert C.J. Parry | May 17, 2008
(This post has been refreshed for Monrovians who are just learning about these issues because of a special outreach effort in town this weekend. - RCJP)
Folks who are new to this blog might not be aware or all the Monrovia-related issues that have recently been raised here. Some of this news has been quite interesting, and quite disturbing.
The news falls into three categories:
1) The comments that have been made about Monrovia police officers by a pseudonymonous commenter. Those comments, which have been insulting and vulgar, have been definitively linked to the business office of City Councilman Tom Adams, and indirectly to the Councilman himself.
2) A semi-public, $275,000 loan the City Council made to City Manager Scott Ochoa on his home. It defies all standards for mortgage lending, especially for second mortgages, and features a remarkably low 5% interest rate which is being paid on an interest-only basis at 2%.
3) Efforts by the City Council to punish and intimidate the Monrovia Police Officers’ Association, and MPOA’s own billboard campaign to embarrass the council.
THE FIRST ISSUE is perhaps the most disturbing. Since April 12, comments have been posted on various posts on this blog by a single person using he names “Hay” and “BadBoy.” HBB, as we call him, has stated the following, in more than 70 comments and emails:
- Monrovia cops are lazy, security guards worth about $15 an hour.
- Monrovia cops use their guns to take money from people.
-They harass people and write bogus tickets.
- The last MPD officer to be injured on the job was hurt because he ate too many donuts at once. (In fact, on March 30, MPD Sergeant Dan Verna was shot by a felon, in the face, and was lucky to escape with his life).
Some of the other comments cannot be republished here, due o their vulgarity.
However, this is far from the most disturbing element of the story. As I detailed for the City Council on May 6, and recounted here, these comments can be tied directly to the office of City Councilman Tom Adams. And, in some cases, directly to a computer he has used. Here is the evidence, synopsized:
- All computers have something called an IP address. Think of it as a Zip Code, street and house number. Everything done on the Internet leaves the IP address as a calling card. As authors of the blog, we receive e-mailed reports on each comment, some more detailed than others.
- Four times HBB has commented from a computer that the detailed report
specifically describes as the email server for ab-escrow.com, Adams & Barnes Escrow, a business operated by Councilman Adams. This is a copy of one such email. - Approximately 25 of the HBB comments have come from a group of other addresses.
Using a “traceroute” program, we can prove that the paths those computers take all join up at their first step along the Internet at a server for ab-escrow.com. Clearly, these are computers within Mr. Adams’ business, or associated with it. - We know that Councilman Adams and HBB have used the same computer. One of those addresses, 66.146.119.24,was used by HBB, and a few hours later used by councilman Adams himself to email a Monrovian. Here is the “header” information for that email.
- In addition, I have exchanged email with a “Thomas Edwards,” who used the same email address as Hay, and admitted to being HBB. He also emailed from the 119.24 computer.
- To be sure, there is no absolute, undeniable proof the Councilman himself is HBB. The Councilman claims that there are 120 employees of his companies with access to his computer network. However, the Web page for Adams & Barnes Escrow shows only five employees. In addition, the Councilman claims there are press releases announcing that his firm offers free WiFi access to the public. In fact, there are no press releases at all on his Web site, www.c21ab.com, and none come up in a Google search. Clearly Hay, BadBoy, Tom Edwards and Councilman Thomas E. Adams are closer than anyone who supports law enforcement would want their elected officials to be.
- Finally, while the Councilman made denials of having made the HBB comments, he has not denounced them, not expressed any inappropriateness about them, not promised to find the employee of his firm who did so and in no way distanced himself from the comments. In fact, Adams was quoted by Frank Girardot of Tribune as blaming the “greed” of police officers for the comments.
THE SECOND matter of public concern in Monrovia has been the issue of a $275,000 loan the City Council provided as a second mortgage to City Manager Scott Ochoa. This news was first broken here, in this post by FC Blog author Frazgo and later followed up on the MonroviaCityWatch.com blog. The summarized facts of this arrangement are as follows:
- Contrary to initial impressions, the loan was made in a public council meeting four years ago. However
- The terms of the Council action, as publicly presented, were that the loan would be made at market rates. Instead
- The loan was a 2nd mortgage on Mr. Ochoa’s home covering the full remaining value of the home, some $275,000. This loan was made out of the City’s reserve - tax payer money.
- Rather than a market rate, the loan was made for 5% interest on 30-year terms. However:
- Documents indicate Ochoa is presently paying just 2% - interest only, with the rest negatively amortizing. That is to say, Mr. Ochoa is paying about $450 a month on a loan that covers 1/3 the value of his $800,000 home.
- Clearly, Mr. Ochoa has received tens of thousands of dollars in benefits from tax payer money for his own home.
- City Councilman Tom Adams - the only council member to publicly speak about this sweetheart deal defended it on the grounds that the City forced Mr. Ochoa to move to Monrovia, thus forcing him to sell his home and causing him to incur a capital gains tax hit. THIS IS AN INSULTING, RIDICULOUS ASSERTION. If Mr. Ochoa incurred $275,000 in capital gains taxes, he would have needed to make a $1 million profit on the sale of his home (not the sale price, the profit). Surely if he made that much profit he could afford to pay the tax out of his own pocket.
- Councilman Adams has further stated that the City is in fact making money on this2%, interest-only payment loan. The bankaholic.com Web site presently lists no less than 20 FDIC-insured financial institutions that offer short term CD rates paying at least 50% more - and several nearly double - that 2% rate. That is to say, the City has lost the opportunity to further strengthen its reserves, in order to provide Mr. Ochoa a quarter-million dollar benefit that no other City employee enjoys, nor could almost any other resident obtain.
- Complete details on this sweetheart deal can be found on the FC Blog here,
FINALLY, the for the last several months, the Monrovia Police Officers Association and the City Council have been engaged in a dispute over their contract. Both the City Web site, and the POA Web site present detailed overviews of their positions, so we’ll not delve into them here. However, both sides have taken drastic action.
The POA, for its part, has posted billboards on the 210 freeway and Myrtle Avenue presenting statistics about crime and police staffing in the City. The billboards are, to be sure, disturbing. A number of people have spoken out against this action, and City Manager Scott Ochoa has described it as “extortion.” However, the City Council has taken dramatic action to directly impact officers’ livelihoods. These include:
- Prohibiting officers from working non-essential overtime, ending their opportunities to “make a few extra bucks.” As a result the City has pulled most police protection from the Friday Street Fair.
- Opening police promotions to offices from outside agencies. By contrast, all othe local police departments have closed promotions, thus MPD officers would potentially have to compete against every officer in the region for their promotions, but could not compete in other agencies for their opportunities.
- Abandoning the “3/12″ work schedule for a 5/8 plan. Councilman Adams facetiously proposed this change after officers complained they were working too many hours. However, those officers were working six or seven 12-hour shifts a week as part of the anti-gang surge. The 3/12 plan is the most common work schedule in local police work, and considered a standard perk of police work. Doing away with it will put MPD in a very small minority of undesirable departments.
- Finally, the City prohibited officers from using City vehicles at the annual Baker-to-VegasChallenge Cup road race. This is the premier morale and physical fitness event in law enforcement, drawing 200 teams from around the world. MPD officers were the only local team to compete without support from their department. That’s a shame because the MPD/El Monte team crossed the finish line in fantastic time, but with an El Monte PD emblem the only one present.
These are not minor issues. They reflect a remarkable arrogance, vengefulness and misjudgement on behalf of Monrovia’s elected leaders.
Ask yourself, if you were a cop, would you want to work for a City whose council members made donut jokes when your comrades were nearly murdered?
Last 5 posts in Main Page
- Feed Portantino's Election Reelection Campaign - July 23rd, 2008
- Alvarez Waterboarded! - July 23rd, 2008
- Morning Linkfest: 7 Reasons to Hate Corporations - July 23rd, 2008
- Even the Cost of Underwear Is Increasing - July 23rd, 2008
- Pasadena Has a New City Clerk - July 23rd, 2008
Topics: Main Page, Monrovia, Uncategorized |
May 15th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Thanks for the summation. I was out of town for a week and believe me, it’s been hard to catch up with all the goings on.
Any second now, Monrovia’s gonna end up with a useless, highly-paid consultant to ‘repair’ all this. I guess CM Ochoa is too busy thinking about #2 to focus on #1 and #3. Is doing the right thing really that difficult?
May 15th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Mr. Parry:
Is this the rough draft of your next binder release at our local Coffee Bean? Looks like a very rough draft…needs alot of work! Lets see…dont attack…do attack…which is it? Guess you get to decide all in town….wonder why you haven’t been elected to anything meaningful? I am sure your handful of supporters will stand behind you, but Monrovian’s who CARE about their city will continue to ignore your rant and be thankful that they did the right thing and overwhelming ELECTED and support the City Council and the City Manager. Oh by the way, how is your petition coming along? I understand that even the businesses in town have taken a position of support behind the City Council and City Manger and believe what the MPOA has done has harmed our police. Check out our Chamber webpage…oh unless you beleive they are all out to get you and your friends too!
Keep it up….your comments help support the argument to do what is right! Leave it up to the people whose job it is to do this and not up to those who wish they had a clue!
May 15th, 2008 at 7:02 am
“…even the businesses in town” is no surprise, given that many chamber of commerce organizations are extensions of city hall. Does Ochoa regularly attend chamber meetings? Is Adams & Barnes a member of the chamber? Many chambers have been politicized, not independent of city hall, and take direction from city hall. Is this the case with Monrovia?
May 15th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Nice write up. The business owners seem to forget the down turning economy is hurting their business. Have they already forgotten the gang war divided along racial lines in January?
It still boggles my mind how this billboard drew such ire when similar billboards last year for Arcadia and Sierra Madre drew little attention.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:19 am
Don’t cross the big boys or big brother will get you.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:28 am
BEWARE ALL…..
So I post things to this blog and SUPPOSEDLY my email address is not supposed to be used or distributed…..well Mr. Parry just sent me an email to my yahoo account….HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?
I asked him and he respondes with a smiley face…
I will no longer be a party to this forum that lies to its users and the public.
BEWARE.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:33 am
http://medjeti.com/img/wahmbulance.jpg
May 15th, 2008 at 11:15 am
STM all the blogs that are powered by wordpress the authors get notice when a comment is made.
Didn’t you see the post where I outed the Goldline for trying to have a blogger pretend to be distance offering up an “unbiased opinion”. I caught that idiot on two blogs I write on.
I even left a message for his boss, “Chris” who never returned my phone calls.
We often look at email addresses, personally I do so for follow up questions and potential sources for new posts.
Get. over. your. self.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:29 am
The funny part is, the first thing STM ever commented on was a post about how we knew who Hay/Bad Boy were associated with Adams & Barnes Escrow.
However, STM should rest assured that I’ll not reveal his name or location as he’s neither a sock puppet nor a fraud.
My email to him was to clarify a statement he’d made previously, and wasn’t appropriate to ask here, because he alleged that someone was a convicted felon. That’s one of the reasons why we get emails. And, the comment form says the email address will not be published, it says nothing about saving it.
May 15th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Btw, the “Support Our Monrovia Police” signs are no longer up at Adams and Barnes.
I find that amusing.
May 16th, 2008 at 5:45 am
Post #6, Parry is the latest Cyber Bully, he attacks those who disagree with him. So much for bloogers being comfortabe in cyber world. It is Parry’s world.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Bad Boy,
Maybe you should be worried with the City Managers theft of our reserve money instead of trying to slam Perry. Or did you assist the City Manager in steeling the communities money.
May 16th, 2008 at 10:31 am
[…] at the FC Blog did the best recap yet of the issues at the core of the dispute in his post “Monrovia’s Issues, Consolidated” that ran yesterday. (More details after the […]
May 16th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Joe Friday here with some facts and a word for Bad Boy. The cyber bully would be you with your cowardly attacks on police in general and an injured one in particular. You are a council hack and nothing more. Get back to your pancakes and firemen eye candy Bad Boy, real men and women are speaking here. The firemen are good guys and your leering made them uneasy.
More bad news for the citizens of Monrovia. It appears there are 10 MPD officers with current applications at other departments. It is a mix of veteran officers and newer hires. There will most likely be three retirements at the pd in the next six months taking about 100 years of experience with them. Perhaps Bad Boy will patrol with his council member friends.
Joe Friday has a question. How big a raise did Scott Ochoa receive when he became city manager? Was it more than how much the MPOA is asking for in a multi-year contract? Was it an immediate raise to $182,000 from his asst. city manager pay or did he have a probationary period and step increases as officers do?
Joe Friday also feels Chief Johnson should be speaking up for his men but is thinking about keeping his job and making it to 50 in about three years. Joe friday understands that but many of his men are not happy with his silence.
Joe Friday solidly supports the men and women of the MPOA!
May 17th, 2008 at 7:32 am
what he said.
May 17th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Johnson knows there are a bunch of hacks in the union and can’t back their play because he has dignity and wont stoop to their level of games.
May 17th, 2008 at 10:13 am
“Monrovians who CARE about their city will continue to ignore your [Parry] rant and be thankful that they did the right thing and overwhelming ELECTED and support the City Council and the City Manager”
This makes it sound like the CM is an elected position. He is appointed. The entity or persons charged with appointing him are the ones to address if you don’t like the CM. Personally, I think the man has a good head on his shoulders, and is a vetty good manager. My problem is with what the others offered him as part of his compensation. I don’t think that was a sound decision by the council or whomever was advising them.
May 17th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Miss H. the city manager’s agitprop reports on the city website diminish whatever praise you have for him.
May 17th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Do tell.
May 17th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Friday a few local merchants led by the Dollmakers’ Kattywompus owners and family members and supported by the Peach Café, Bellisima Salon and School Board wana-be Member Debbie Elliott-Penzer picketed outside the MPD station. The demonstrators want the MPOA to take down the billboards that they have placed to the south and east of Monrovia as part of a community awareness program to gain community support for a safer Monrovia.
The anti police demonstrators were soon meant with counter demonstrators who support our police officers in their effort to make Monrovia a safer community.
This anti public safety demonstration was the culmination of efforts by the Dollmakers’ Kattywompus owners to gain support from other Old Town Merchants to ignore public safety for the sake of their business profits. Their efforts don’t seem to be supported by the majority of their fellow merchants.
I myself find their total disregard for Public Safety and our Police Officers efforts appalling and I for one will not support business entities that do not support the safety of the community and its Police Officers in order to enhance their profits.
May 17th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
That’s the brilliant position statement, ghstrydr164? How ridiculous to claim that people personally invested in Monrovia have no regard for pubic safety.
It is possible to be supportive of police when all that is disputed here is their compensation. It’s just money, not character, or reputation, or competence. Am I missing something? A few chestnuts perhaps?
May 17th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Can we back up just a bit everyone?
Robert did a great tie up of the 3 central issues at hand.
Business is down in Old Town, but no worse than any other in LA Metro on average. Business took a big hit in the weeks after the gang warfare.
Those that aren’t rebounding need to take a look at what they can do different in a changing economy. They need to find a way to do things differently rather than look for a scapegoat.
May 17th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Miss H-
I think you skipped the entire first half of this post. It is NOT just money. To reiterate, HBB (associated with a City Councilman’s office) has asserted the MPD officers..
- Are lazy
- Harass people
- Write bogus tickets
- Steal money using their guns
- Lack manners from years of carrying guns
- and, of course, the last one to be injured ate too many donuts (need I remind you, he was nearly murdered).
That is not money. Moreover, the merchants I spoke to said they really don’t care what the police are paid, they just want the billboards down. So, really, they care more about their own money, than anyone elses.
As I’ve said, I think the billboards are factually, technically accurate, but an ill-conceived tactic. But this is about far more than money now. This is about fundamental respect for the work they do.
May 17th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Miss Havisham,
When it comes to their $$$$ they don’t care about anything but their $$$$ I know these people very well and that’s fact. They want to side with the city so that they city will permit them to have input on the Old Town special events. They have been sucking around Chief Johnson and the City Manager quite a bit lately. You won’t here them taking issue with the city cutting the police protection at the Friday Night Festival by four officers (just to punish the MPOA) and replacing them with some $8.00 hour Security Guards. I don’t want to be around when those guys have to confront gang bangers it they even would.
May 17th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Right on ghstrydr164! By the way, 911 was called because of a problem within the first hour the street fair was open!
May 17th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Mr. Parry,
Re. #23 That is a slimy list, to be sure. I don’t believe that business owners think that about the police.
May 17th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Remove the term “believe” and insert “think” I prefer that always just as I prefer “think” to “feel” in writing of this nature.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Just as aside (OT): LAPD reports 9119 violent crimes including homicide since January 2008. I would say that is an incentive right there to stay with Monrovia PD.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Link: http://www.lapdonline.org/assets/pdf/cityprof.pdf
May 17th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I’m disappointed in the City and in the business owners who are protesting the billboards. I’m a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and I also want a strong business community in Monrovia. One way to build that is to have a community where people feel safe to come and spend money. If our police force is in this much turmoil and losing as many officers as is suspected, our community as a whole will suffer.
I know that the owner of the Peach Cafe is not a Monrovia resident. That shouldn’t matter; we should all want a strong and well-trained police force, but yet perhaps she feels like this is just a place to earn a living, not her home.
May 17th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Monrovia Tax Payer,
You are right about the merchants who protested the billboards and unless things have changed the owner of the Bellisima Salon is also a non resident of Monrovia. One thing for sure is the bunch at the Dollmakers have always been on the wrong side of support for the community. It’s always about them and their $$$$, they always claim to be for the community but that just doesn’t play out if you watch what they support and what they attack.
May 17th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Someone Who Knows,
Could you supply more information on the 911 call at the Friday Festival?
Thanks
May 17th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Miss H-
Do you think that if you have a degree that you should be better compensated than that of a fellow employee that does not? Do you feel that if you have been certified by the State of California to be an expert or at least been given specialized training that you should be better compensated than that of a fellow employee who has not? How would you like your employer to expect you to give 100% in your given profession but not properly staff your company and expect you to work so much overtime that you spend much of your time away from your family? What about your employer saying that it cannot properly staff your place because of monetary issues one week and then say that you are properly staffed the next? What about you and 10 of your colleagues have given 10 years of your career to that employer and a promotion opportunity comes up and your employer tests to see who is competent. Then after all 10 of you pass the test your employer decides that a position that historically, in your place of employment as well as every other place business in your profession, stocks in house, decides to abruptly decide to go to an outside agency for that position to be filled prior to holding any oral interviews?
this is what the City Manager has been doing to the Police Dept for quite a while. Most every city in the state pays officers education and training pay. They also promote from within, with the exception of some administrative positions. They do not open a position test and get positive results and then decide to go outside of the department. Monrovia tested for a Sergeant position and all 10 passed the written test. The the CM decides to go to other agencies to fill that position. NO POLICE DEPT does that!
Miss H, I ask you, does the MPOA not have a right to be a tad offended? I am sure that you would fell a little bit disrespected and unwanted by your employer if they did that to you and you colleagues, especially in a time where your services are vital to the safety and well being of the community at large.
May 17th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Miss H:
LAPD has had 148 homicides, that’s about one for every 25,675 Los Angeles residents. Monrovia has had two, one for every 20,000. Strictly speaking our rate is higher, year to date. With any luck, our figure will hold steady while the larger city’s is sure to grow.
However, to assert that the work load in Monrovia is somehow lighter, is really an apples and oranges comparison. One could just as easily - and accurately - argue that MPD has had 1 of its 50 officers shot this year, while LAPD is averaging 1 of 3200.
Guess which odds I’d take.
May 17th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Dear Bruinfan53, I think you are passionate about your beliefs. I admire that. But, as far as traditional education is concerned, I am split. In police work, a degree in something does not necessarily translate to acumen. You see, I put a little more faith in the street smarts when it comes to law enforcement.
May 17th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Miss H-
Having worked in Law Enforcement and having a father being a retired police officer with 33 years experience, I have a pretty good idea of what makes a good cop. Did you know that at Glendora Police Dept you were not able to go through the employment process without a college degree? Many cities put education at a premium. Having street smarts is not enough in this industry any longer. Police Depts want people that are more cerebral and less reactive. Education is always preferred with candidates for administration because street smarts are definitely not part of the administrative landscape of law enforcement today
May 17th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Miss H-
The equivalent of a certification in “street smarts” in California law enforcement are the Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Intermediate and Advanced certificates. Most agencies in the State offer bonus pay to officers with these qualifications and/or bachelors and masters degrees.
MPOA has asked for its officers to be eligible for one or the other.
The City has refused either. Does that sound like a plan to recruit and retain the best?
May 17th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
That is gratifying to know, Bruinfan53.
May 17th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Thank you RCJP. There are those that think MPD is unethical, lazy and just greedy. No, they are not. I have talked with many officers and all that they want is industry standard. Arcadia fought for a few years and they eventually got what they asked for. Hopefully, the Council will get tired of being made fools of by people exposing their untruths and constantly changing excuses for shortchanging the officers and citizens of the fine city.
May 17th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
“being made fools of by people exposing their untruths and constantly changing excuses”
Tsk.
May 18th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Miss H-
I fyou like being lied to, cool. I think the majority of posters know that the CM and City Council are transparent and not honorable.
May 18th, 2008 at 8:38 am
Miss H your observations as an outsider are interesting and distanced. I wonder how your views would or could change if it were Pasadena officers not getting fair and equal treatment compared to their immediate peers in the SGV. I wonder if the understaffing and increasing crime.
Qouting the Arcadia Weekly from 10/26/07: “Monrovia, Arcadia, and Sierra Madre have all seen an increase in the number of violetn crimes in their respective cities in the past year. Violent crimes in Pasadena went down this last year, despite the fact that there has been an increase in homicides in the city.”
Both Arcadia and Sierra Madre POA’s did similar actions including bill boards to get their PD paid closer to the average in the SGV. They also fought to have the empty positions filled. In the case of Arcadia that was down close to 18 officers at mid-year will have 12 new officers in position by the end of 2008.
Basic policing suffers when one is understaffed. Azusa PD reported a 10% drop in crime in the same perioe. Why? Fully staffed and able to maintain basic policing.
Doesn’t every community deserve the best? Why is it Sierra Madre and Arcadia either had the money or found a way to get the money to bring their officers up to snuff? Why is it that Monrovia city hall seems uninterested in doing the same and more interested in attacking citizens who speak up and disagree? That is what you should be looking at from the outside in.
May 18th, 2008 at 9:30 am
I think the comments of Miss H come from wanting to stimulate more debate, bring more information to the surface, engage more people to join in, and most of the time that is good for a subject. I will admit that at times she can seem a little cruel and insensitive but I think that comes from not being emotionally involved in the subject.
May 18th, 2008 at 11:14 am
She probably was a recipient of a bogus ticket from MPD. I am so being sarcastic
May 18th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
someone needs to shake up those idiots and their lame protest march to remove the billboard.
the organizer is just another busy body hoping to make a name for herself in order to make a run at an office in the city.
any business that supports removal needs to be boycotted now. better yet everyone should visit them with a tshirt on with the billboard printed on it. Then order only a glass of tap water and sit there FOREVER. with the biggest whiners not living here they deserve the business to be slammed into the ground. good ridance if all they care about is making a buck of the community rather than our safety.
everyone knows business is terrific. our mayor has been heard telling a lot of people that he is having the best year ever. hold it, i forgot he owns the pawnshop and it makes money off of people having hard times. i heard business is soo good he went and bought himself another pawnshop.
enough of he bull shit, support the police and oust the game players in city hall.