The City of Arcadia will request millions in federal dollars for Arcadia's transportation and water needs. The city plans to act through Washington DC based lobbying firm The Ferguson Group. Other wish list areas in need of federal money are identified.
Arcadia City Council has approved a list of a dozen projects to lobby for with the federal government. The projects will be pursued by city lobbyist, the Ferguson Group, by Mayor Mickey Segal, and a representative from Sierra Madre, as they try to coordinate lobbying efforts in Washington DC. On the list is a $20 million request jointly with Sierra Madre, for continuing programs to ensure safety of the water supply in case of seismic problems.
City of Arcadia renews a contract with lobbyists, The Ferguson Group, for national legislative advocacy representation. The contract is $65,000 annually for unlimited service each month.
Arcadia and Sierra Madre's water supply to benefit from $1.8 million federal grant. Arcadia will get $900,000 of the grant. This will fund the next phase of an on-going, 5-year program to ensure emergency water for its citizens, following any potential seismic activity.
The City of Arcadia expects to receive about $396,000 in federal funding for low and moderate income families in 2009. The Community Development Block Grant is not expected to change from what Arcadia received for the current fiscal year. The money might be used on a new bicycle facility installation project or the city's Housing Rehabilitation Program.
The U.S. Census Bureau opened its East Los Angeles office in preparation for the 2010 Census. The office at 1255 Corporate Center Drive will need 600-800 employees to gather information on residents that live roughly from Burbank to Arcadia.
Cities of Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, and Monrovia are seeking funding for fire training from the federal government (FEMA). They want to establish a training facility on federal property in Arcadia near the 210 Freeway and Santa Anita Avenue.
The Westfield Group will acquire 15 department stores which are owned by Federated Department Stores, Inc., including stores in Arcadia and West Covina. Robinsons-May in Arcadia and Macy's in West Covina will become property of Westfield and converted for other uses.
University of Massachusetts researchers studying the faults of the Los Angeles basin say strain is driving the ground higher as the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys are squeezed toward the northern mountains. The Raymond Fault lies beneath San Marino, Arcadia, and South Pasadena.
U. S. Forest Service officials met with cabin owners and residence permit holders to hear concerns regarding evacuation of the Big Santa Anita Canyon area.
Chantry Flat Road, also known as Santa Anita Canyon Road, will reopen to the public on Wednesday, April 16, despite unfinished repairs. Fire in the Santa Anita Canyon had forced a 6-month closure of the road.
Aiad Barakat, 45, of Arcadia, whose application for citizenship has been approved by a United States District judge, is under appeal by the Bush administration. The Justice Department filed the appeal because of Barakat's alleged ties to a Palestinian organization believed to be terrorist.
The Library Board of Trustees voted to post a PATRIOT Act notice, as required by the act. The notice reads, "Although the Arcadia Public Library makes every reasonable effort to protect your privacy, under the federal USA PATRIOT Act (PL107-56), records of the books and other materials you currently have on loan from this library, your inter-library loan requests placed during the past year, or the Internet sites and e-mails that you access through our computers may be obtained by federal agents. That federal law prohibits library workers from informing you if federal agents have asked about or obtained your records.
The Arcadia Board of Education approved a Local Agency Education plan to bring the district into compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind program, which requires that students meet state proficiency standards by 2013-2014. For California, the standard is 100% graduation with all requirements for University of California admission met.
A USDA rule change went into effect Thursday requiring California to change the way meat and poultry packaging is weighed. It requires inspectors to use a dry tare form of testing in which all fluids within a package must be credited as part of its content. Tare is the weight of packaging and all materials, tags, clips, stickers, absorbent soakers. Consumers could be paying more for less meat at the market.
Westfield Group, owner of Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita, plans to sue the City of Arcadia and developer Caruso Affiliated to prevent The Shops at Santa Anita, the outdoor mall, from being built.
The $16 million Arcadia Police Station building, built with bond money and city and CRA funds, is on target for completion in July. WWM Associates designed the building. Mallcraft of Altadena is the contractor and Construction Control Group is the manager of the project. The station is the first civic project constructed with bond funding.