Monterey Park Police Department Special Traffic Enforcement Campaign Targeting Traffic Safety
Police to increase enforcement aimed at dangerous, careless motorists and pedestrians impacting traffic
The Monterey Park Police Department conducted a special Traffic Safety Enforcement Operation on Tuesday, December 3, 2013. Extra officers were on duty patrolling areas where officers have responded to frequent collisions and cracking down on driving and pedestrian violations that cause collisions, injuries and fatalities.
Motorist failing to yield to pedestrians and those walking into traffic are serious safety concerns that puts everyone on the road at risk. In the most recent release of data in 2010, 578 people have been killed and 11,429 seriously injured in California as a result of collisions that involved pedestrians. In Monterey Park, officers have investigated 44 pedestrian involved fatal or injury collisions.
Drivers and pedestrians who break the law and place themselves and others in danger will be cited. Officers focused efforts in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic especially at intersections and streets where speed related collision are high. Officers paid particular attention towards distracted driving such as those using hand held cell phones or texting.
Officers reminded motorist to slow down and obey posted speed limits, signs and signals and to stay alert and always give pedestrians the right-of-way. Those on foot should always use crosswalks, use sidewalks, walk facing traffic where there are no sidewalks, and never walk into traffic. If you are walking in crosswalks, always watch for motorist who may not see you. Expect the unexpected while crossing the street.
To avoid a distracted driving ticket or crash, Monterey Park PD offers drivers the following tips:
•    Turn off your phone and/or put it out of reach while driving
•    Include in your outgoing message that you can’t answer while you are driving
•    Don’t call or text anyone at a time when you think they may be driving. 
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Monterey Park City Council Authorizes Early End of Furloughs
The City of Monterey Park is pleased to announce that the City Council approved ending the general employees’ furloughs early. Furloughs will officially end April 1, 2014 and the city hall employees will return to a regular work schedule with city hall hours returning to a five day work week: Monday thru Thursday 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. and Friday 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
This furlough, agreed to by these three general employee units, represented a savings to the city’s funds in excess of a million dollars annually.
The city’s financial circumstances had required significant cooperation from all of the city’s general employee groups. The Mayor and City Council would like to acknowledge and thank these bargaining teams and the individual members of SEIU, the Mid-Management Association (MMA) and the Confidential Employees’ Association (CEA) for coming to the table and agreeing to help the City during these challenging fiscal times. Mayor Teresa Real Sebastian stated, “The City Council recognizes the sacrifice the General Employees made these past three years assisting the city with the difficult but necessary steps to ensure the city’s future financial health. We appreciate their support and efforts. Ending furloughs early is our way of saying “thank you.” We also thank our residents for their patience during this time period and am pleased to report that, as of April 1, 2014, city hall will be open for business five days a week.”
The general employees expressed their appreciation of the City Council in recognizing their contributions with assisting with the financial difficulties. Chris Reyes, President of SEIU, stated, “The General Employees are very much encouraged by this recent action taken by City Council. We, as a group, strive to consistently strengthen and continually build upon our commitment to serve all of the Monterey Park residents.”

Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library Seeks Paid Interns for Award Winning Tutoring Program
The Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library and its partner organization, Asian American Economic Development Enterprises (AAEDE), are seeking paid tutoring interns for the spring session of the Reading Rockets literacy program.
Reading Rockets is an afterschool literacy program designed for at-risk children in 2nd through 6th grades. Students receive personalized tutoring to develop vital literacy skills and build confident readers. Reading Rockets was recently awarded the Public Library Association’s 2013 “Innovations in Literacy” award, which recognizes unique and inventive literacy programs that result in a measurable impact on the library’s community.
Interns must be available every Monday through Thursday from February 3rd, 2014 to May 22nd, 2014 from 3:00‐5:30 p.m. Interns will receive $10/hour as well as a gas stipend. Applications are available on AAEDE’s website, www.aaede.org. All applications must be submitted by Friday, January 10th 2013.
Applicants must submit:
•            ‐  A copy of your unofficial transcript,
•            ‐  A copy of your resume,
•            ‐  A filled out copy of your application,
•            ‐  And a letter of recommendation from a professor or supervisor (optional). 
If selected, interns will also be required to complete:
•            ‐  Fingerprinting and background check,
•            ‐  An employment contract,
•            ‐  And a tutor training (to be held on January 27, 2014 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.). 
All applications may be emailed to Diana Garcia, Reading Rockets Coordinator, at dgarcia@montereypark.ca.gov with the subject line “Reading Rockets Tutoring Application,” or hand- delivered to the Children’s Desk of the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library. Email application submissions are due by 11:59 p.m., Friday, January 10, 2013 and hand-delivered submissions are due before 1 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted. For more information about Reading Rockets, contact Diana Garcia, Reading Rockets Coordinator, at 626‐307‐1358 or email at dgarcia@montereypark.ca.gov.
The Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library is the city’s public library located at 318 South Ramona Avenue, Monterey Park, CA 91754. Library hours are: Sunday 1-5 p.m.; Monday & Tuesday 12-9 p.m.; Wednesday & Thursday 10 a.m.-6: p.m.; Friday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; and closed on Saturday.