Op-ed on the South Arcadia redevelopment and why the County should not be challenging the city's request for the area to be changed to a redevelopment zone in order to qualify for county funds.
Arcadia Firefighters Association endorses The Shops at Santa Anita mall proposed by developer Caruso Affiliated. The proposal includes improvements to city streets and technology that should improve traffic flow.
Opponents of the proposed mall The Shops at Santa Anita have filed a complaint accusing the City Council of breaking open meeting laws. An attorney for Arcadia First! asked the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office to investigate whether negotiations between the city and developer Caruso Affiliated violated the Brown Act because they were held outside of public view.
The Arcadia City Council is considering changes to fees charged by the city through the Development Services Department. One change might be a $25 fee for new business license applications. The fees may increase for design review of new commercial projects and appeals from an architectural review board to the Planning Commission. The General plan amendment fee may drop and tentative tract maps for condos may drop. The city plans to increase fines for code violations.
One candidate for City Council, Sheng Chang, has signed a pledge issued by Arcadia First!, the Westfield-funded organization formed to defeat the Shops at Santa Anita mall. Chang opposes the proposed new mall project.
Supervisor Mike Antonovich has proposed a name change for the Los Angeles County Arboretum. The new name will be the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. Tour guide and peafowl expert Nelson Holmes is shown in photo. Currently, there are no safeguards protecting the Arboretum peafowl from Exotic Newcastle Disease.
Parents protest a school boundary change for Baldwin Stocker Elementary that was approved two years ago. Residents are surprised by this change and say it hurts their home values.
Despite listening to emotional protests from parents whose children may have to change schools, the Arcadia Unified School District is moving forward with plans to change attendance boundaries this fall.
The city is asking residents to vote by mail by July 15 on a plan that would change the way the city splits the cost of street lighting. The city expects street lighting to cost about $1.15 million next year. Single-family homes on lighted streets would pay the most, $25.70 a year. Under the proposal, the assessments would no longer be tied to the value of a home but rather to the benefits that residents receive from street lights. If voters reject the plan, the current lighting assessment districts will expire in 2010. If that happens, the city will be responsible for paying the entire costs of street lighting.
The City Council wants to finish its review of the Caruso outdoor mall project before the April council elections. Opponents to the development feel the Caruso project is being fast-tracked through the approval processes for political reasons.
Arcadia Planning Commission voted to support the Rancho Santa Anita Homeowners Association's Architecture Review Board (ARB) in its decision to reject changes in Ibraham Irawan's home under construction at 821 San Vicente Road.
Arcadia Planning Commission voted 5-0 to reject a proposal for a crematory to be built on First Avenue, next to Arcadia Mortuary at 500 S. First Avenue. The application came from Jim Larkin, who operates Arcadia Mortuary. The proposal drew criticism from neighbors and other Arcadia residents, with pickets.
As Assemblyman Tim Leslie sang his Arcadia High School alma mater school song, the State Assembly on June 5th rejected a bill that would bar California public Schools from using Native-American names for their mascots.
Despite strong backing from the Santa Anita Oaks Homeowners Association, a proposal to replace existing street lights with new ornamental lights was overwhelmingly rejected by residents in a mail-in ballot election. All Arcadia residents will vote on new street lighting assessments in July. Under that measure, all households would pay one of three yearly assessment fees, depending on how they benefit from street lights.
City contemplates approval of Phase Two of Arcadia Public Library's Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan outlined the current budget, proposed budgetary increases, and proposed plans for improvement of the library's facilities and staffing needs.