PHOTOS: Monrovia is all the rage with black bears

Nina Rambeau, with son Chase, says bears broke the gate to their swimming pool several times and swam in the pool.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

In 2002, a bear called Billy went up a tree in Monrovia and kept animal control officers at bay during a 14-hour standoff. Billy finally was tranquillized and taken back into the mountains.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“We love watching [bears] coming across the yard,” says accountant Boni Forte. “There’s so much you can see, and you should embrace it instead of calling the city and saying, ‘There’s a bear out here.’ Just wait and he’ll go away.”  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Nina Rambeau says bears broke through a screen and and crawled underneath her house. She has replaced the screen with a wood-and-metal barrier.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)