Filmmakers will spend 5 weeks on a location shoot at Santa Anita Park for "Seabiscuit," a movie about the legendary horse that captured national attention in the 1930's.
With the winter-spring racing season less than three weeks old, Santa Anita Park has laid off parimutuel and other workers, and track owner Frank Stonach is being publically chastised for his leadership style.
The City Council reviews changes that would allow Santa Anita Park race track to operate the Frontrunner Restaurant and big screen TV year around and to allow for satellite TV wagering until 1:30 a.m. seven days a week.
Universal Studios will use Santa Anita Park for five weeks of filming for the movie "Seabiscuit." An open casting call will select thousands of extras to be used when shooting begins in November.
Santa Anita Park plans to make at least half of approximately 600 equipment rooms and dormitory rooms available as living quarters for its back-stretch workers.
Ed Inouye of West Covina, whose family was sent to the internment camp at Santa Anita Park during World War II, died on February 19th. He was instrumental in getting the government to pay reparations to some of the imprisoned families.
Santa Anita Park was named last week to a list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Places" because of owner Frank Stronach's plans to create a retail-entertainment center in the historic race track.
The city was awarded $300,000 by the federal government to be used on a project to improve traffic flow along the Santa Anita Avenue corridor. The project calls for installing an underground conduit and interconnecting twelve intersections.
Santa Anita Park race track requested that the City Council delay acting on legislation that would govern its nighttime operations. Public hearings will be held so that the track's stance can be explained to neighboring homeowners.
Labor officials conducted surprise sweeps Wednesday and Thursday at four California tracks, including Santa Anita Park, looking for violations of overtime and minimum wage laws amongst the backstretch workers.
The Arcadia City Council has approved a design review process for the upcoming addition to the Santa Anita Park race track. The procedure adopted requires review by the Planning Commission and the City Council of all preliminary site plans, floor plans, exterior architectural improvements, and new construction.
The Thoroughbred Racing Association of California is trying to put together a bid for Santa Anita Park, with plans to run it as a nonprofit arm of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. Santa Anita Park race track was to be auctioned this week but no acceptable opening bid was made.