One of the many Samson Bear statues in Monrovia (File Photo)
The Monrovia City Council worked through a routine agenda at its July 7 regular meeting, approving a five-year animal services contract, a small condominium project on South Magnolia Avenue, and the first step toward clarifying how the city collects hotel taxes from short-term rental operators and platforms.
By Shashank Tongaonkar
The evening began with recognition of outgoing Community Services Commissioner Genia Mills and Library Board member Betsy Woodford, along with a proclamation declaring June 2026 “Parks Make Life Better Month.”
The council then approved its 18-item consent calendar in a single motion. The largest commitment went to Pasadena Humane, which will continue providing animal shelter and animal control services under a new agreement worth up to $1,728,396 through June 30, 2031. Councilmembers also approved an emergency repair of a booster pump at the May Avenue Reservoir, awarding General Pump Company a contract of up to $82,651.60.
Other consent items included a $27,400 contract with CEAG Electric for solar lighting at Huntington Drive bus stops; a $50,000 agreement with Jake’s Roadhouse to continue preparing meals for the senior lunch program through June 2027; a $23,100 extension of the summer camp partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills; and $20,500 in Art in Public Places funds for the Samson Goes to School program. The council also approved payroll and warrant registers totaling roughly $4.3 million and accepted completed work on sewer and street improvement projects at Duarte and Peck roads and at Peck Road and Mountain Avenue.
The council also adopted Resolution 2026-40, approving a tentative tract map that subdivides a single lot at 1219 South Magnolia Avenue into six condominium units. Feng Xiao Architect, Inc. is the applicant. It is a modest project, but another data point in the gradual reshaping of Monrovia’s residential streets.
Later in the meeting, staff provided an overview of Samson Goes to School, the newest extension of the city’s public art program. The program takes its name from Samson, the 500-pound black bear who wandered down from the foothills in the 1990s and became locally famous for soaking in backyard hot tubs. After residents fought to spare him from euthanasia, Samson lived out his days at the Orange County Zoo, and bear statues painted in his honor now dot the city. The school program aims to bring that story and the art connected to it to local students.
The council also adopted Resolution 2026-47, setting building and development fees for the 2026-27 fiscal year. It introduced a new ordinance amending the municipal code to clarify how transient occupancy tax rules apply to hotels, short-term rental operators, and booking platforms. The ordinance passed its first reading and is expected to return for adoption at a future meeting.
The council adjourned in memory of Armando Burruel, father of Public Works senior maintenance worker Carlos Burruel, and Ed Cunningham, a longtime Canyon Park trail volunteer. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, at 7:30 pm.
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