Los Angeles County officials are holding a meeting at 6:00 PM today at Arcadia County Park to address concerns and to "clarify misperceptions" about a plan to bring in a new operator and manager for the park's tennis center. The community is concerned about pricey fees or membership dues if the recommended operator iTennis is approved by the Board of Supervisors next month. Tony Bell, spokesperson for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, said there will be no pay-to-play or required membership. The new contract will be to improve the quality of services, programs and amenities.
Measure A would increase sales tax by .75% to bring local Arcadia sales tax rate to 10.25%. It will be placed on a June 4 mail-in ballot. If passed, Measure A would yield about $8.6 million annually, which would be dedicated to keeping city services at the levels residents have come to appreciate.
Measure A seeks to repeal utility users tax in Arcadia, on the April 12 ballot. The utility users tax is a source of revenue expected to generate $7 million for the city this year. Arcadia charges residents 7% for gas, water, and electricity, and 5% for telephone on utility bills. The city estimates each household pays less than $10 per person per month on average. The tax is 12.5% of the city's $54.9 million general fund budget. If repealed, it would mean a 12.5% cut to city services, including cutting 12 police officers, closing a fire department, increasing blight, street sweeping would be reduced from weekly to every other week. Programs for children and seniors would be eliminated and library and museum hours would be reduced significantly. Larry Papp helped author the initiative.
Arcadia residents may vote again on street lighting fees. Under the new proposal, single family homes on arterial streets would pay about $17 a year, while those not on arterial streets would pay about $27 a year, making the assessments more fair. Voters in 2008 rejected a proposal to fund the lighting and now the city is considering another mail-in vote.
Arcadia property owners will be asked to renew a street lighting fee schedule and assessment in June, when funding is set to expire. Officials warned that without an extension of the lighting assessment district, the city would lose about $420,000 a year. Unless the assessment is renewed, the city might have to cut services such as police protection, fire and emergency medical response services, library services, and recreation programs. Arcadia property owners currently pay 40% of street lighting repair and maintenance costs, while the city covers the other 60%. That would remain unchanged in the new assessment district, but the amounts each household pays will be different. Family households in residential neighborhoods will be charged $28.44 a year, while single-family homes along major thoroughfares will pay $16.73 a year.
Voters max out Arcadia sales tax. Huge lead for Measure A pushes levy to 10.25% ceiling set by state. The election was conducted exclusively by mail. The vote was for a .75% sales tax increase to bring the tax from 9.5% to 10.25%. This hike could bring in $8.6 million annually to keep city services, especially public safety, at current levels.
Arcadia Dial-a-Ride service to return to seniors, disabled after years of students "monopolizing" the service. On July 1, the fare will increase from 25 cents to 50 cents per ride and will have new fixed routes. The Dial-a-Ride will be for seniors over 62 years old and riders who are disabled.
City okays $15,000 contract for coyote trapping, euthanization with Animal Pest Management Services. The City Council vote was 4 to 1 to approve the contract.
Parents and children rallied at three Arcadia middle schools, in an effort to prevent the potential layoffs of 105 Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) teachers and staff, blamed on an anticipated budget shortfall of at least $2 million next school year. Since the campaign started in late January, Arcadia Educational Foundation (AEF) has raised about $225,000, which will be presented to the AUSD. That is enough to save 3 teachers' positions.
Santa Anita Park is making a bid for the 2012 Breeders' Cup. Former Breeders' Cup CEO Greg Avioli has taken over as Chief Executive Officer of Stronach Entertainment, and now oversees Stronach Group's race tracks and other assets. Avioli's experience brings strength to Santa Anita Park's bid. Santa Anita Park last hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2008 and 2009. The city of Arcadia gets one-third of 1 percent of all monies bet on the track. The event generated nearly $57,000 in betting handle in 2008 and nearly $58,000 in 2009 for the city.
GPS in bait package leads to arrest of two Canoga Park women who drove through Arcadia in a stolen car. The arrested women are Devon Ricco Menendez and Unique Rios. The GPS-equipped decoy package was left out in the southeast portion of the city. See also Mountain Views News, p. 7, March 26, 2016. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 1, 12, March 31, 2016.
In this season of giving, donations are slowly returning to pre-recession levels as the economy gradually improves. Giving tends to increase when the economy is strong. Data from the "How America Gives" report shows the charitable deductions claimed by United States taxpayers on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) returns for 2008. It shows Arcadians gave $54.1 million to charity, or 4.7 percent of their incomes.
Arcadia aims to upgrade city library. The library is getting community feedback at a community needs assessment forum tonight and has hired an outside party to create a survey written in three languages. The goal is to determine what barriers they need to overcome to bring more people to the library and which programs and services need improvement, particularly in the technology sector.
Hundreds of teachers across the San Gabriel Valley are facing layoffs again this summer and experts say cuts could be far more drastic if a solution to the state's budget problems is not reached. About 20,000 teachers in the state have been put on notice that they could be laid off if school districts do not receive the necessary state funding. Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) sent out notices to about 16% of its teachers.
Gayle Brewer, a 26 year-old Arcadia resident, runs a Pasadena-based business called Celia Caseta Inc. She provides professional makeup services. She plans to open locations in Arcadia and Northridge.
Gold Line Foothill extension opens today. Timeline of history is shown. Parties begin at 10:00 AM for opening ceremony, free rides today. The $1 billion, 11.5-mile extension opens for passenger service. New stations in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, and two in Azusa.
Arcadia City Council candidates champion their causes. There are five candidates for two open seats. Their causes are: Gary Kovacic--maintaining a balanced budget with adequate reserves and a sense of community; Mary Dougherty--mansionization and residential guidelines; Sho Tay--traffic safety and opposing a new $12.2 million City Hall; John Wuo--reducing crime; and Henry Nunez--increase city revenues and create a real downtown in Arcadia.
Dennis Mills, vice chairman and CEO of Canada-based MI Developments, which owns Santa Anita Park, said the company will be unveiling a new business plan. This new business plan has many horse racing industry people worried about the future.
The American Red Cross chapter in Arcadia has laid off 10 of 11 employees, citing a large budget deficit. Chapter officials say all services will continue, with help from staff from the Los Angeles and San Gabriel/Pomona Valley chapters. Most of the laid off staff were trainers who taught first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Construction of the Gold Line Foothill Extension will create nearly 7000 new jobs and pump nearly $1 billion into the region's economy, according to a new study of the project.