2026 All-America City Finalist – Monrovia, CA

Nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Monrovia is a city of about 37,000 residents with a small-town feel, a historic downtown, and easy access to the broader Los Angeles metro via freeway and the Metro Gold Line. As the fourth-oldest incorporated city in Los Angeles County, Monrovia has navigated more than a century of change, and through each era its mission has remained constant: to serve the people of Monrovia and create a community that offers a premier quality of life. 

That mission has looked different in every generation. In the 1930s and 1940s it meant strengthening businesses along Historic Route 66. In the 1960s and 1970s, Monrovia confronted its own chapter of racial injustice. More recently, the city has focused on preservation of open space, historic stewardship, and a significant housing expansion. In each case, Monrovia’s response has been shaped by community engagement built across generations. The three initiatives below reflect how that tradition continues today, through a reimagined approach to public safety, an innovative transportation pilot, and an education-to-employment system built around resident needs. 

Care-Centered Public Safety 

Like many cities across Los Angeles County, Monrovia recognized that traditional policing alone could not meet the sustained rise in calls related to mental health crises, substance use, homelessness, and overdoses.  

Monrovia’s response built on a strong foundation. Since 1990, the Police Department’s Community Activist Policing (CAP) Bureau has fostered trust between law enforcement and residents through ongoing collaboration and cooperative problem-solving. In 2023, the city expanded that model by joining the San Gabriel Valley Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (SGV CARE) program, integrating mobile crisis teams composed of licensed clinicians, peer support specialists, and EMTs directly into the CAP Bureau. Full integration required extensive coordination: dispatchers, patrol officers, and police leadership conducted multiple working sessions to define which calls would be handled by SGV CARE and which required a traditional law enforcement response, ensuring both scene safety and appropriate care. The program was fully onboarded in summer 2024 following months of joint training. 

The results have been significant. Mental evaluation calls dropped 16% year-over-year in 2025, largely attributed to the teams’ proactive follow-up outreach with prior clients. To date, teams have completed more than 330 initial contacts and 325 follow-up contacts, with only 15 individuals requiring involuntary mental health commitment. Where mental health calls once frequently resulted in uniformed officer responses with the potential for use of force, individuals in crisis are now connected voluntarily to treatment, housing, and behavioral health services. Monrovia will continue refining protocols and expanding this care-centered approach to public safety.

Biking for Bucks   

For many Monrovia residents, the upfront cost of a bicycle and safety equipment, particularly when combined with the ongoing expenses of vehicle ownership, was limiting broader adoption of biking as an everyday transportation option, even for short trips. 

To test whether reducing that barrier could change behavior, Monrovia launched Biking for Bucks as an incentive-based pilot program open to both residents and employees of Monrovia businesses. The program was designed not just to provide reimbursements but to generate actionable data: participants were asked to log trips and complete surveys tracking usage patterns, behavior changes, and environmental impact. By pairing financial incentives with structured participation tracking, the city made residents active contributors to evaluating whether the approach worked and how future active transportation strategies should be shaped. 

The results validated the pilot’s underlying approach. Of 564 possible reimbursements, 503 were issued, an 89% utilization rate, including 44 low-income applicants. Among survey respondents, 97% reported continuing to use their bikes and safety equipment after purchase, and 87% said they were motivated to ride for personal health and fitness. Tracked activity contributed to preventing more than 1,050 pounds of CO2 and approximately 2.5 pounds of other pollutants from entering the atmosphere. The program demonstrated that incentive-based strategies can expand access, shift transportation habits, and produce measurable environmental benefits. Monrovia will use the data generated to inform future active transportation initiatives that are responsive, inclusive, and grounded in resident experience. 

Monrovia Community Adult School  

Limited English proficiency, unaffordable childcare, transportation instability, inflexible work schedules, and past negative school experiences restrict the economic mobility of many adult learners in Monrovia, limiting their ability to fully participate in the civic and economic life of their community. 

The Monrovia Community Adult School (MCAS) addresses these barriers by building an education-to-employment model around the realities of adult life rather than expecting students to adapt to a traditional academic structure. Hybrid and online options allow students to balance coursework with work and family responsibilities. An America’s Job Center of California affiliate located on campus provides no-cost training, transportation assistance, work clothing, resume development, and interview preparation. Counselors provide consistent academic, emotional, and career guidance tailored to each student. ESL instruction is integrated directly with career pathways, allowing English learners to build language proficiency while preparing for employment. Career Technical Education programs offer industry-recognized certifications aligned with high-demand sectors in the San Gabriel Valley, with healthcare pathways proving particularly impactful. 

Over the past three years, MCAS has served 1,622 ESL students, 302 high school diploma and equivalency students, and 3,350 job seekers. The CTE program has achieved a 91% completion rate across six years, with over 700 graduates securing employment, and healthcare pathway employment rates exceeding 80%. Job fairs supported by MCAS have helped more than 450 regional job seekers find work. Behind those numbers are students who once doubted their ability to finish school earning accredited diplomas, and English learners progressing from introductory language courses to securing their first full-time livable-wage job. 

Return to the complete list of the 2026 All-America City Award Finalists.