Arcadia voters will decide, in a special election next week, whether or not to approve ballot Measure A, which seeks to protect the city's right to collect taxes on cell phone usage. Measure A would not raise any taxes. The city already collects taxes on residential cell phone usage and is seeking to legally protect that practice by redefining what constitutes a telecommunications tax.
Arcadia seeks to extend the right to collect cell phone usage tax. Officials plan to hold a special election in May or June in 2009 for a ballot measure. If communicated to voters correctly, it should pass, because it would not raise the tax but protect the city's revenues. At stake is about $1 million in yearly revenue. To do that, voters must allow the city to legally redefine what a telecommunications tax is. Recent court rulings have suggested cities cannot tax cell phone use by relying on older telecommunications tax ordinances.
Less than one week remains before voters decide on ballot measures I, N, and P. A lot of money has been spent by Westfield Group and Our City, a committee headed by George Fasching, on Measures N and P. Measure I is an unopposed bond campaign.
Manny Romero, owner of Rod's Grill, has initiated Measure A to try to block the Rusnak Mercedes Benz automobile dealership from expanding. The city has put out a counter measure, Measure B, to citizens to vote on at the May 8 election.
Early tallies in the City Council elections show Bob Harbicht, Peter Amundson and John Wuo in the lead. Measure A, calling for a train bridge over Santa Anita Avenue, appears to have passed.
Alhambra city mayor Mark Paulson weighs in on Arcadia ballot Measure P, regarding parking at the proposed Shops at Santa Anita mall. Arcadia City Hall feels he has crossed a line.
Voter turnout was unusually high for Tuesday's election. 34 percent of the electorate turned out to vote. 72 percent approved Measure A, the bond for a train bridge over Santa Anita Avenue. The article includes the vote count for candidates who won council seats.
Arcadia voters will decide on ballot Measure I, Measure N, and Measure P on November 7, 2006. Measure N has to do with billboard-type signs. Measure I calls for residents to finance a bond if the district wants to erect new buildings for public schools. Measure P has to do with charging for parking at The Shops at Santa Anita.
Measure A, an $8 million bond measure to fund a train bridge over Santa Anita Avenue, will need a 2/3 vote to pass. Citizens will need to form a committee to build support for this measure, to be voted on on April 11, 2006.
Roger Chandler, Gary Kovacic, Gail Marshall, Mickey Segal and John Wuo sent a joint letter to the editor in the "Your View"section of Pasadena Star News to urge Arcadia voters to vote yes on Measure A on April 11, 2006.
Santa Anita Avenue carries 33,000 cars a day. If a train bridge is not built, the road will be blocked about every five minutes during rush hour. Measure A would allocate $8 million to build a Gold Line train bridge for the Gold Line extension. The bond measure would cost property taxpayers about $7 per year for every $100,000 of assessed valuation. Although the bond measure has many vocal supporters, this city has traditionally resisted new taxes.
A San Gabriel Valley advocacy group urges voters to vote "yes" on Proposition 64 in November election. It will protect small businesses from "shakedown lawsuits."
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert O'Brien ordered changes to a statement signed by Mayor Roger Chandler and members of the City Council after two residents, with the backing of the initiative's corporate sponsor, filed suit over factual inaccuracies. This will affect the wording of Measure N on the next ballot.
Stephen Deitsch, Arcadia's City Attorney, wants residents to know he has not taken a position on ballot Measure N or Measure P. Westfield Group has published campaign materials that might lead residents to believe Deitsch has taken a stance.
Westfield Group, owner of Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita, has proposed two ballot measures for the November election. Westfield is gathering signatures for the two initiatives: 1) to mandate free parking at all large retail projects and 2) to ban large billboards. A poll of 300 registered Arcadia voters in February showed 74% support the free parking initiative and 62% support the billboard measure.
A $218 million school bond measure will go to voters in November, 2006. The Arcadia Board of Education voted to approve it for the ballot. The money will go to improvements and new facilities at all Arcadia schools.
A full page-advertisement paid by Westfield is a letter from Westfield president Ken Wong thanking the Arcadia community for signing petitions limiting billboards and for free parking , to be voted on in the November 2006 general election ballot.
City Manager Bill Kelly is concerned about a new measure to penalize cities that are not meeting state affordable housing rules. The Dunn Measure could penalize cities as much as $1000 per needed unit and take away up to 60 percent of gas tax funds. Bill Kelly says Arcadia already has a number of senior citizen projects in planning.