Dr. Sheng Chang has completed his three month term as mayor of Arcadia. For this centennial year, the position of mayor is a under rotation plan approved by the city council. Gary Kovacic will now be mayor for the next three months. Dr. Sheng Chang was honored as Arcadia's first Chinese-American mayor.
Arcadia Mayor Dr. Sheng Chang said he plans to sue two business partners for libel over their charges that he embezzled money from the Access IPA medical group. Dr. Araceli Chanbonpin and Dr. Azucena Porrai charged in a letter that Chang improperly closed a savings account in the company's name at Bank of East Asia. The amount in the account was $421,483.59. Chang, who is president of Access IPA, said he moved the funds to Preferred Bank to establish more banking relationships for the company. When the other two doctors objected, Chang said he moved the money back to the Bank of East Asia.
Asians make up more than 47% of the city's total population of 53,421. The largest group is Chinese-American. John Wuo discusses what makes Arcadia such an attractive city for Asians.
Dr. Loretta Huang, President of the Chinese American Education Association of Southern California, presents Arcadia City Council member Gary Kovacic with a service award.
Gary Kovacic is Arcadia's mayor for the third time. His first term was in 1998-1999 and his second term was in 2000-2001. In this, his third term, he is one of four out of the five Arcadia city council members rotating into the mayor's position during the 2003 Arcadia Centennial. The article includes biographical information.
Arcadia City Councilman Gary Kovacic will take over as mayor at the next City Council Meeting. He will serve through October 21 and then the position will rotate to John Wuo (October 21-January 4), Mickey Segal (January 4-April 20). Gail Marshall was mayor through April 15 of this year. All council members are rotating to the position of mayor during the city's centennial.
A panel discussion chaired by Assembly member Carol Liu, D-Pasadena, addressing the issue of Asian gang activity, was held in Arcadia City Council Chambers on Wednesday, November 14. It was a fact finding hearing intending to develop legislative and community oriented solutions to Asian organized crime in California.
Charles Cooper continues his Arcadia city centennial series "Memories of Arcadia" with a story about Arcadia's mayors. A. N. Multer was the first person to be given the title of mayor of Arcadia. City founder Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin was the city's first presiding officer, but he held the title of president of the Board of Trustees. The title of mayor was not adopted until 1927, when the Board of Trustees changed to the City Council. Arcadia will have 4 mayors this year to mark the city's centennial. Each city council member will rotate into the position. More interesting facts: Floretta Lauber was the first woman to serve as mayor. She paved the way for Mary Young, Barbara Kuhn, and Gail Marshall to follow. Other history of mayors is recapped. The first city manager was William J. Richards in 1951, when a charter was adopted. The longest serving city official was City Clerk Christine Van Mannen, who held the job for 32 years. See hard copy in VF Arcadia (City) History.
Law Day was held Saturday at the Arcadia Public Library. The City of Arcadia and the Arcadia Chinese Association sponsored the program. Residents got to ask for free legal advice from community lawyers.
Floretta Lauber, the first woman to be elected to the Arcadia City Council and serve as mayor, has been elected to head the Arcadia Historical Society.
Eighty local Falun Gong practitioners go on a 268-hour vigil representing the 268 practitioners who have died from persecution in China. Three Arcadia women began a 7-day hunger strike in front of the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles.
Mayor Gail Marshall reports that the state of the city is excellent. She discussed some of the civic projects in progress, such as the $16 million police station.
Steinmeier and Yuen are elected to School Board. Yuen is the first Asian-American elected to the board and this was the first full election conducted on computerized voting machines in LA County.
Carol Libby was honored as Arcadia Senior of the Year for 2001 by the Arcadia Rotary Club. Carol has been in Arcadia since 1956 and is Curator at Arcadia Historical Society.