While Pasadena is still cleaning up debris from the recent windstorm, other smaller cities that were hard hit, including Temple City and Arcadia, have completed their residential debris removal.
Clean-up may cost millions in the aftermath of the windstorm that hit in the early hours of December 1. Power is still out in many communities, hundreds of homes damaged and thousands of trees have snapped.
Arcadia officials urge residents to report wind damage from the overnight windstorm that hit on November 30 and December 1, to help with efforts to receive state and federal emergency assistance. Damages in the city may reach the millions of dollars. Residents are asked to report their storm-related costs to the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, 211a.org or by calling 211.
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and parts of the Huntington Library remain closed to the public more than two weeks after a ferocious windstorm hit the region overnight on November 30 and December 1. At the historic Arboretum, more than 325 trees were toppled and more than 700 others were damaged. The Arboretum officials want to reopen by December 31. At the Huntington Library in San Marino, more than 50 major trees went down but officials estimate that between 150 and 200 trees will be lost altogether from the damage.
Power still out in parts of Pasadena. The California Emergency Management Agency's acting secretary Mike Dayton is touring the cities most impacted by the windstorm. His visit is considered a precursor to a state declaration of emergency, which would pave the way for state and federal assistance. Arcadia City Manager Don Penman said damage to public buildings and recovery efforts are expected to top $2 million, and that damage to private property could run several million more.
Clean-up crews are collecting wind debris. Tom Tate, Director of Public Works for Arcadia, said that "on December 10, we started a systematic clean-up of the city, starting with city crews and contractors, one on the north end, one on the south end. We plan to move through the city, street by street, and hopefully meet in the middle." Tate said his crews have moved about 5,000 tons of debris off the streets since the windstorm hit on November 30-December 1, and estimates they are at least a quarter of the way done. Arcadia Public Works is trying to keep residents updated with Twitter and their website, as well as media releases, on their progress. Tate hopes to conclude the clean-up before Christmas.
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) blasts Southern California Edison (SCE) for poor handling of windstorm (November 30, 2011-December 1, 2011) in a 42-page report. Report cites serious safety violations and restoration time was inadequate. Among the hardest hit cities affected by power outages were Temple City, Arcadia, and South Pasadena.
Living without power. Wind troubles linger. Residents frustrated; damage costs elusive. Southern California Edison's (SCE) hardest hit areas include Arcadia, Monrovia and Templa City, where more than 2,800, 1,600, and 1,700 residents, respectively, are still without power. Arcadia's City manager Don Penman said he wouldn't be surprised if the public costs for recovery efforts exceeded $2 million.
Power outage outrage, takes it toll on customers. Thousands still without power in the San Gabriel Valley. Winds toppled a 140-year-old eucalyptus tree at Los Angeles County Arboretum, and Tim Phillips is pictured at the base of it. Damage estimates vary--Temple City alone expects cost to exceed $10 million.
Dropout rates for eight of nine school districts across the western end of the San Gabriel Valley decreased, according to state numbers released yesterday. Monrovia, Arcadia, San Gabriel, San Marino, Temple City, Alhambra, and Duarte school districts all measured decreases in their dropout rates for the 2009-2010 academic year, when compared to the previous year.
San Gabriel Valley police officers and firefighters, including Arcadia Police Department and Arcadia Fire Department, competed in a charity basketball tournament at Arcadia High School to benefit Special Olympics Southern California. It was organized by Arcadia Police detective Walter Ashby.
Democrat Ed Chau won the seat in California's 49th Assembly District. The 49th State Assembly District includes Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, San Marino, Arcadia, and Temple City.
Officials rip San Gabriel Valley area massage parlor growth. Solicitation arrests haven't kept up pace. There are 9 times as many massage parlors in the San Gabriel region as there were 10 years ago, but arrests for prostitution has not spiked.
Arcadia, Alhambra, Monrovia, Pasadena, South Pasadena, San Gabriel, San Marino and Temple City public schools all showed improvement on California state API testing that measures English and math performance. Duarte Unified showed a drop from the previous year.
Gerardo Cortez, 26, of Monrovia was arrested for allegedly making telephone threats to shoot adults and children with an AK-47 at schools (including Arcadia High School), a mall, and hospitals in the San Gabriel Valley last week. See also Mountain Views News, September 14, 2013, p. 1.