George Watts has been named city manager of Arcadia. Watts discusses areas of concern: finances, redevelopment, senior housing. Biographical notes included.
Services were held Wednesday for George Robert Secrest, a retired police sergeant of the Arcadia Police Department, who died June 9. Secrest had been a law enforcement officer for 26 years. Recently he had been employed by Huntington Bank.
George Watts has been appointed acting city manager until the City Council names someone to replace Lyle Alberg who recently resigned. Watts, the city's assistant city manager, has served as acting city manager before. This time he has applied for the position.
Suzanne Gilstrap, who was paralyzed for life when a 20-foot-long tree limb fell on her at the Los Angeles County Arboretum on July 25, 1977, has won a $1,625,000 settlement from the County. Miss Gilstrap, now 16, has appeared as a paraplegic in a recent television movie, "Skyward," with Bette Davis.
Governor George Deukmejian signed into law legislation transferring title of Arcadia and Monrovia's arboreta from the state to the county of Los Angeles.
Arcadia's proposed city budget will be about $24.4 million, up 8.9% from the $22.4 million 1985-86 budget, according to a report from City Manager George Watts.
The Arcadia City Council will receive a recommendation from City Manager George Watts to require an independent audit of Best Disposal's books to justify a proposed rate increase for rubbish collection services. Best is seeking the increase of offset a 100% increase charged them by landfill owners.
The Arboretum was awarded a $25,000 emergency grant from the Institute of Museum Services. The funds will be used to repair the damage that occurred during a windstorm in February.
Arcadia may follow the lead of Pasadena, Los Angeles and other communities by considering the possibility of adopting a no-smoking ordinance. According to City Manager George Watts, the council has not decided on any specific rules and probably will not receive a study report from staff until mid-November.