At a public hearing to consider the Draft Environmental Impact Report on the proposed quarry landfill, 27 people spoke up - including the mayor of El Monte. Most oppose the plan.
According to El Monte City Attorney Sidney Malek, El Monte's suit against Arcadia is a dispute over a major landfill, pollution of the water table, spheres of influence of various cities, and the industrialization of Southeast Arcadia. But Arcadia City Attorney Michael Miller claims its real purpose is political.
Declining enrollment over the past few years has hurt the Arcadia school system financially, since income is based on attendance. The 1984-85 budget totals over $20 million. Last year the school district went $300,000 over budget. Cuts will have to be made to accommodate the finances for the upcoming school year, but they will mainly be made in areas outside the classroom.
According to El Monte City Attorney Sidney Maleck, there is new information that shows El Monte is not involved in political "posturing" when it objects to a mini-storage facility and a landfill just across its border in Arcadia.
Supervisors listen to protests over prison site. Five sites, including the Owl Landfill in Irwindale, have been recommended by the county-wide Criminal Justice Committee.
A newly released study by H. Wendell Mounce & Associates reports that Arcadia could use a new police station, a new city hall, a recreation center and a theater. Total cost of the project if the city hall is replaced would be $20 million.
El Monte city attorney, Sidney Maleck, who was just appointed to a municipal judgeship in Orange County thinks "it would be foolish to continue with the lawsuits" against Arcadia over a public storage facility. Arcadia city attorney, Michael Miller, however, says these conciliatory words need to be backed up with actions.
The Arcadia Board of Education ratified a new contract with the district's teachers by a 4-1 vote, but with some reservations about a binding arbitration provision (which would have district-teachers disputes resolved by a 3rd party). The contract includes a 10% salary increase for 1984/85 and an increase from a 177-day a year student school year to 180 days, along with lengthier instructional time per day.
After presentations by 3 architectural firms Tuesday night, the Arcadia City Council voted 4-1 to ask one of the companies back for further discussion on doing a master plan for the city's proposed civic center project. The proposed center would probably be located on the Huntington Drive median where the city hall and police station are now located. Mayor David Hannah indicated that this could be a long-term project, perhaps lasting as long as 20 years.
The Noyes family may continue their fight for custody of the baby born by surrogate mother Nisa Bhimani despite the publicity over Bjorna Noyes being a transsexual. Bhimani's lawyer claimed the other would not have backed out of her deal with the Noyes had she been paid as agreed.
Raymond Brockus, City Council candidate, has been an Arcadia resident for 23 years. He is for streamlining government but would consider a new fire station near Sixth and Live Oak avenues, a pet project.
If a tentative contract proposal is signed by the city of Arcadia, Group W Cable should provide cable TV services throughout the city within a year. With Falcon Cable planning to set up a system south of the Foothill Freeway, this would mean two cable services could be operating south of the freeway.
The first public hearing on the closure of two public schools was held December 10. Most of the speakers urged the Board to look for other alternatives to closure. The savings isn't enough to justify the move. The Space Utilization Committee did not explore alternatives to closure.