Francis Ching, 60, a native Hawaiian, is retiring after 20 years as supervisor of the Los Angeles County Dept. of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens, which includes the LA County Arboretum in Arcadia.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has extended the summer concert series at the Arboretum for an additional five years. The California Philharmonic is under the direction of Victor Vener.
County supervisors called a halt to a plan to merge the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens with the county Museum of Natural History because the county's Economy and Efficiency Commission has not made sufficient progress on it and because the board needs to replace recently retired arboreta department head Francis Ching.
The 22nd annual Baldwin Bonanza begins tomorrow, including a barbecue, live and silent auctions, and plant sale. The arboretum's finances and budget are discussed.
The Arboretum suffered the loss of a number of old and rare trees in this week's wind storm, including the only known Crown of Thorns tree growing in this area.