An ancient Chinese maternity tradition, from the Sung Dynasty (960-1275 AD), known as "Zuo Yue Zi," is translated as "doing the month."It refers to the care of a Chinese woman during the first month after giving birth. The practice is explained here by Wei-Chen Tung, a former registered nurse at Arcadia Methodist Hospital and now an assistant professor of nursing at University of Nevada, Reno. The practice requires new mothers to follow a strict diet and rest for 3-4 weeks following a pregnancy. Tung says a lot of Chinese women still practice this, so hospitals should be aware of this part of Chinese culture. Maternity tourists--women who want to come to the United States to give birth to a full-fledged American citizen, have given rise to businesses that cater to them, such as the maternity home that was shut down in the 1300 block of South Palm Avenue in San Gabriel on March 8. It had been 5 townhomes illegally converted into a maternity home.
Arcadia Police close 13 maternity homes in a crackdown months after a full-time detective was assigned to address calls about pregnant Asian women living in groups at residences around the city. The pregnant Asian women come to the U.S. so their babies receive U.S. citizenship. Detective James Trabbie became the quality-of-life detective.
Birth-tourism sites not easily detected.Terry Moore-Corse, a code enforcement officer in Arcadia has encountered three maternity homes in the past six years, most recently in 2009, when a resident reported "a lot of pregnant women" coming out of a house. Beyond building code and business license violations, there is nothing illegal about coming into this country to give birth, according to the U.S. State Department, which issues visas. Maternity tourism is a money-making cottage industry in which wealthy women from Asia pay anywhere from $25,000-35,000 to have American-born infants.
Dwight Chang of Arcadia is owner of a house on the 1300 block of South Palm Avenue in San Gabriel. The building has been operating as a makeshift maternity ward with 10 newborns and about 12 Chinese nationals, crammed into an illegally converted townhouse. Chang has been warned twice before for operating a business that primarily caters to Asian "maternity tourists." Chang denied any wrongdoing and was fined $800 for building code violations. Children born on American soil automatically become United States citizens, under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Maternity tourism caters to wealthy Taiwanese, Chinese and Koreans. Throughout the past decade, similar set-ups have been uncovered in Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, New York, and Quebec.
Steve and Yan-Fen Lin, a couple possibly of Arcadia, have been running the illegally modified townhome in San Gabriel, owned by Dwight Chang of Arcadia, as a maternity home for Asian tourists. They violated building codes for setting up a makeshift maternity ward.
Judge tells City of Irwindale to just chill out. Request to have Huy Fong Foods' Sriracha chili hot sauce factory shut down was denied. Owner David Tran is an Arcadia resident.
Irwindale officials said Huy Fong Foods (the maker of the popular Sriracha hot chili sauce) can continue operations at its plant as long as it doesn't smell. Huy Fong officials said if forced to shut down, 200,000 fewere bottles would be produced per day. David Tran, CEO and founder, is an Arcadia resident.
Two of the four Arcadia "tree-sitters"--Julia Jaye Posin and Andrea Bowers--have pleaded no contest to one count each of trespassing, while protesting the destruction of an Arcadia woodland. The two women were fined $60, waived for jail time served, and ordered to do 10 hours of community service. The two other tree-sitters John Quigley and Travis Jochimsen are scheduled to appear in court in late July.
A day after the Arcadia County Park was closed for sending people exposed to excess chlorine to the hospital, the pool remained closed yesterday while Los Angeles County supervisors ordered a top-down safety review for all 27 county pools. The Arcadia pool will remain closed until the problem can be fixed to ensure public safety.
Breeders' Cup nets big bucks for this region's economy. This is the eighth time and third time in a row that Breeders' Cup was held at Santa Anita Park. A recent study by Tourism Economics reveals that the 2013 Breeders' Cup generated nearly $65 million in direct and indirect economic benefits for Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Robert O'Brien rejects the City of Irwindale's request to shut down production of Sriracha hot chili sauce at Huy Fong Foods' factory. The city has said Huy Fong should be shut down temporarily until the company addresses foul odors believed to be coming from the North Azusa Canyon Road factory. David Tran, CEO and founder, is an Arcadia resident.
Santa Anita Park will reduce its work force by merging departments. More than 100 full-time and seasonal positions will be affected--including some layoffs and some full-time positions becoming part-time positions, said Greg Avioli, CEO and President of Stronach Entertainment, the track's parent company. The shift to off-track betting and account wagering has brought less revenue to the race track.
Selfie Selfie Photo Studio has opened in Arcadia at 28 1/2 E. Huntington Drive. It offers private rooms where customers can snap quality and even costumed shots of themselves using a remote control. It is a venture of the popular 321 Photo Studio Franchise in China.
Alhambra man Isaac Campbell was sentenced to the maximum of 11 years in prison for killing his girlfriend Liya "Jessie" Lu, 31, of San Gabriel, and then putting her body in a trash can full of kitty litter in the backyard of Campbell's friend in Arcadia.
Holiday gifts come early for jockey Joel Rosario, veteran has nine mounts on today's card as Santa Anita meet opens. Rosario plans to ride full-time at Santa Anita Park this winter.
Arcadia property owners will be asked to renew a street lighting fee schedule and assessment in June, when funding is set to expire. Officials warned that without an extension of the lighting assessment district, the city would lose about $420,000 a year. Unless the assessment is renewed, the city might have to cut services such as police protection, fire and emergency medical response services, library services, and recreation programs. Arcadia property owners currently pay 40% of street lighting repair and maintenance costs, while the city covers the other 60%. That would remain unchanged in the new assessment district, but the amounts each household pays will be different. Family households in residential neighborhoods will be charged $28.44 a year, while single-family homes along major thoroughfares will pay $16.73 a year.
New Arcadia city housing standards approved, new zoning codes effective as law May 20, 2016. Included in Arcadia's new standards is a sliding-scale floor-area ratio (FAR) for the first time in the city's history. The FAR is a development tool that helps determine how large a home can be built on any given lot based on a percentage of the land.