Charles Cooper continues his series "Memories of Arcadia" with a story about the Santa Anita Assembly Center for the Japanese, where at its height, it housed more than 18,000 people. Japanese had a long local history, dating back to workers on the Santa Anita Ranch, and local residents had the uncomfortable feeling of seeing friends behind the wire at the track.
Arcadia Police Department's PACE office in the Westfield Shoppingtown mall has a new name and sign. It is now called Arcadia Police Department-Community Services and two officers, Sgt. Bob Guthrie and Officer Paul van der Noorn, are now manning the station in the lower level, near JC Penney.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to support legislation establishing February 19 as "Remembrance Day" for those Japanese who were sent to internment camps during World War II. Locally, an internment camp was set up at Santa Anita Park.
School uniforms, shoes, socks, jackets, school supplies and treats were given out to about 1000 local children from low-income families in the Foothill Unity Center's Fifth Annual Back-to-School Distribution at Santa Anita Park race track.
An armed man barricaded himself in his trailer at Santa Anita Village mobile home park in a daylong standoff ending with the man's shooting. His name was not released, and he was taken to the local hospital.
A new exhibit at the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum is about the Santa Anita Assembly Center, a temporary facility at Santa Anita Park that held Japanese Americans before they were sent to more permanent internment camps during World War II. The opening reception will feature speakers Osamu Miyamoto, Akkiko Nomura and others. Dana Dunn is the curator.
The mall war continues as each side publishes public poll results. Westfield conducted a poll showing 57% of 400 respondents opposed to the new mall. Caruso did not release full results of its survey.
Two teenage stabbing victims are expected to recover from injuries they sustained when they fought with unknown attackers outside the southeast side of the Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita mall.
Ed Inouye of West Covina, whose family was sent to the internment camp at Santa Anita Park during World War II, died on February 19th. He was instrumental in getting the government to pay reparations to some of the imprisoned families.
A suspended Arcadia police lieutenant, Kenneth Kuwahara, 40, was in court on felony charges of using another officer's name to solicit prostitutes via the Internet while on duty.
Lava Man, with exercise rider Tony Romero, takes a jog on the Santa Anita Park race track's new surface, a Cushion Track that cost more than $10 million.
An elderly couple in Arcadia was robbed outside their house on the 300 block of West Duarte Road by two teenagers. The robbers took the man's wallet and his wife's wedding ring and watch.
Santa Anita Park was named last week to a list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Places" because of owner Frank Stronach's plans to create a retail-entertainment center in the historic race track.
Santa Anita Park Race Track owner Frank Stronach has met with city officials about Arcadia's concerns with the track expansion plan and future sessions will be held. The concerns centered around plans to build new barns on the north side of the property, the internal connections between the track and Westfield Shopping mall traffic and people, and architectural compatibility with the track.
The police department has a regular schedule of reorganizing with Officer Mike Cervantes returning to patrol duty after being a DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer. Filling the DARE position will be Officer Brian Ortiz. Officer Toni Caylor will be working with students as the YES (Youth and Educational Support) officer at Arcadia High School. Background information on each officer is provided.
Arcadia City Council has accepted a federal grant of $125,000 to place a uniformed police officer on the campuses of the city's three middle schools. The program is called Youth and Educational Support (YES).
Suspended Arcadia police lieutenant Kenneth Kuwahara pleaded not guilty to felony charges of using another officer's name to solicit prostitutes over the Internet. Kuwahawa is free on his own recognizance.