Monterey Park

Robert Chacon The La Canada Flintridge City Council is expected to approve today a five-year contract extension with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The current contract expires June 30, and at least for next year, sheriff's services will cost the city $1.86 million. That amount purchases several daily general contract items, which include one traffic patrol officer, a general crime unit, a 40-hour patrol officer, a deputy on special assignment, a deputy who coordinates drug prevention programs at local schools and an officer who handles parking enforcement.

The following information was taken from police reports: 100 block of South Everett Street: A 20-year-old Glendale man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of driving without a license. 300 block of West Los Feliz Road: The owner of the Tobacco Zone kiosk reported Wednesday that two men demanded his car keys, punched him and pointed a gun at him. When the owner ran to call police, the men drove away without taking his keys. 1100 block of Melrose Avenue: A 37-year-old Glendale man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of slapping his girlfriend and threatening his daughter and granddaughter.

Robert Chacon Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as California's 38th governor Monday, replacing recalled Gov. Gray Davis. He took the oath of office in a short ceremony on the west steps of the state Capitol and promised bold plans for his first 100 days in office, including repealing the vehicle-license fee increase and voiding SB 60, the bill passed earlier this year that gives illegal immigrants in California the...

accident A Monterey Park man was released on bail Tuesday after he was arrested in Glendale on suspicion of drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident in Sunland. David Gonzales, 26, hit another car on the Golden State (5) Freeway near Sunland Boulevard about 7:15 p.m. Monday, California Highway Patrol Officer Vince Bell said. No one was hurt in the accident, he said. Witnesses told officers they saw Gonzales' 1998 Toyota Corolla exiting the freeway at Western Avenue in Glendale, Bell said.

Gretchen Hoffman Redistricting has launched Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale) and Rep. David Dreier (R-La Crescenta) into some uncharted territory, but some of the new areas feel decidedly familiar to the congressmen. For Schiff, it's a homecoming of sorts as he once again serves Temple City, which he hasn't represented since he left the state Senate. For Dreier, the redistricting process added areas remarkably similar to the foothill communities he already served.

It would be interesting to find out the real reason why a Crescenta Valley Town Council committee thought it necessary to recommend that 75% of unincorporated Foothill Boulevard signs be in English, with the other 25% permitted to be in whatever other language suits the sign's owner. Interesting, because the suspicion here is that the sudden push for a certain "look" for the signs has little to do with the reason the committee gave -- safety -- and a lot to do with longtime residents' unease about the changing demographics of the area.

Janine Marnien All new business signs in unincorporated Foothill Boulevard would be required to be at least 75% in English if the county Board of Supervisors adopts a recommendation by a Crescenta Valley Town Council committee. The recommendation was made Monday by the Foothill Design Committee to members of the Crescenta Valley Town Council and a few members of the community. The committee is proposing a community standards district for Foothill Boulevard in unincorporated La Crescenta to provide development guidelines for future businesses.

Gretchen Hoffman GLENDALE -- Glendale Police searching the apartment of a former nursing home receptionist suspected of opening residents' mail say they recovered a $50,000 ring. The 22-year-old woman, who has not been arrested, signed for a package containing a 3-carat diamond ring valued at $50,000 but told its owner the package never arrived, Sgt. Ernie Garcia said. The investigation is ongoing, he added. Police recovered the ring during a search of her Monterey Park apartment, and the owner -- an 87-year-old woman living at the South Glendale nursing home -- identified it on Friday, Garcia said.

Tim Willert NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- On those days when she can't find time to train after work, Yolanda Figueroa rises at 5 a.m., slips on her running shoes and heads for Verdugo Park or the track at Glendale Community College. Since October, the 39-year-old Glendale resident has logged 12 to 15 miles a week in preparation for Sunday's L.A. Marathon. A sprinter most of her life, Figueroa started running distances in 1999, when she entered her first marathon.

Saro Sarkisian MONTEREY PARK-- Averaging 10 runs a game is something that does not happen too often in baseball. But the Glendale Community College Vaqueros began their season in the South Coast Invitational Tournament -- introducing an offensive extravaganza that's clicking on all cylinders. Although the Vaqueros were defeated by Harbor College in their season opener -- they bounced back to defeat Santa Ana Collegeon Saturday morning -- before their showdown at East Los Angeles College in the afternoon.