After a 13-hour meeting, Arcadia City Council voted unanimously to approve the outdoor mall to be built on the Santa Anita Park race track parking lot, a development known as The Shops at Santa Anita. Opponents may push a referendum and possibly file lawsuits to block the project.
Arcadia City Council has voted to impose fees on developers to pay for intersection-widening projects. A chart shows the traffic count at developments, at intersections, and the fee structure.
Arcadia-based Girl Scouts Mt Wilson Vista Council has launched a $3.9 million fundraising campaign to deal with the councils growth in the San Gabriel Valley. Marlee Matlin is the honorary campaign chair.
California's minimum wage increase is going to force some restaurants to hike food prices, cut back on employee hours and reduce advertising. McGrath's Fish House in Arcadia may be forced to reduce employee hours. The minimum wage is now $7.50 per hour. Another 50 cent increase goes into effect January 1, 2008.
Arcadia City Council voted unanimously to give the final approval on Rick Caruso's The Shops at Santa Anita mall. The City Council also approved an expansion project for the Westfield mall with one condition.
Council member Gino Roncelli is unable to vote on race track decisions due to a conflict of interest. Some rival candidates for council question whether he should run for re-election.
The 25-year-old City Council chambers will undergo its first major renovation, a project that will relocate meetings for the next few months to the Arcadia Public Library. Renovations will be completed in February.
In a Council meeting frought with political tension, Gary Kovacic was chosen for his second term as Mayor, and new-comer Mickey Segal was named Mayor pro tem.
Councilman Roger Chandler has apologized for disparaging remarks he made about poor people. His comments were associated with a Habitat for Humanity project that was defeated in a council vote.
Arcadia city officials have adopted a voluntary water conservation program that aims to reduce annual water consumption by 10 percent. Currently there is a state wide drought and a local water supply shortage. Metropolitan Water District (MWD) has voted to raise water rates 14 percent in July 2009. The other two main sources of the city's water are the Main San Gabriel Basin and Raymond Basin.