Opinion piece by Roger Nemrava. He writes that Mayor Sho Tay is putting his personal agenda above Arcadia's citizens in regard to redistricting and filling of the city council seat which was vacated due to Roger Chandler's death.
Arcadia Politics Becomes Ever More Confusing. Arcadia residents tell us they are concerned that the redistricting rules have changed the city’s voting requirements so much that it is hard to vote for someone you are not familiar with. Therefore, some voters told Arcadia Weekly they simply don’t vote anymore.
The recent council meeting was, indeed, contentious, as one of my colleagues wrote last week.
It appears there’s a push to change the political environment back to at-large voting.
Obituary/death notice. Arcadia to celebrate life of City Council member Roger Chandler on Tuesday, December 7 at 6:00, prior to the City Council meeting at 7:00. Chandler served on City Council for almost 24 years.
The fight over affirmative action arrives in Arcadia. Arcadia Mayor Roger Chandler and Councilmember Paul Cheng will participate in a demonstration to protest Proposition 16 on Saturday at Arcadia County Park. Proposition 16 is a constitutional amendment that would repeal Proposition 206, which banned the use of affirmative action involving race-based or sex-based preferences in California, from the state constitution.
Arcadia High School badminton team won its first CIF championship last week by beating Diamond Bar 13 to 8 in the Open Division (highest level). Arcadia High School created its coed badminton team just six years ago.
Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner has identified the 23-yearold Hispanic male killed at an August 31 house party on the 2800 block of Caroline Way in Arcadia as Gustavo Lopez.
LA County moves to yellow tier as rate of new COVID cases falls again. Los Angeles County has officially qualified for a move to the least-restrictive yellow tier of the state economic-reopening blueprint, meaning capacity limits will be increased at many businesses and bars will be permitted to reopen indoors.
Weekly statistics released by the state Tuesday showed the county's rate of daily new COVID-19 infections had fallen to 1.6 per 100,000 residents, down from 1.9 last week. Reaching the yellow tier of the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy requires a county to have a new-case rate less than 2 per 100,000 residents, and maintain that level for two consecutive weeks.
Arcadia-Monrovia VFW Post 2070 celebrates 90 years of community service. On Saturday, October 2, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2070 Arcadia-Monrovia commemorates nine decades of offering support and services for all veterans especially those in Monrovia, Arcadia and Duarte.
Two horses die at Santa Anita Park, two at Los Alamitos within one week. The two at Santa Anita were named Kakistocracy (died while training) and Electric Ride (died of non-musculoskeletal sudden death).
Star Wars stars to meet fans, raise funds for charity at Chalice Collectibles signing event at The Shops at Santa Anita mall in Arcadia. The event raises funds for two of Lucas Films's favorite charities: The Make-A-Wish Foundation and Starlight Foundation. See also Arcadia Weekly, pp. 1, 15, March 28, 2024.
Two horses die in the span of two days from training injuries at Santa Anita Park racetrack. They were named Cayton Kid and Magnolia. Track officials noted the number of fatalities dropped sharply from 2019, when 42 horses died. According to Santa Anita Park, 17 horses died at the track in 2020 and 12 died last year. The track's safety rate has improved by 43% compared to last year.
Local officials launch West San Gabriel Valley vaccination hubs in Monterey Park, Arcadia, Temple City and Rosemead. COVID-19 vaccinations of the Moderna vaccine presented by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Herald Christian Health Center. See also "Individuals with underlying health conditions now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine" Arcadia Weekly, p. 3, March 18, 2021.
Arcadia Unified School District has a Latino Literacy middle school program. Nearly seven years ago, the Latino Literacy program started at the elementary school level by Alejandra Worozaken, Catherine Merel and Andrea Mendoza. Then four years ago, the program expanded to the middle school level and Perlita Guzman has been working hard since then to get Latino families to meet weekly for six weeks. All families have the opportunity to learn from various speakers and specialists about topics such as college admissions, high school, trending topics about today's youth, and life experiences in general.
Los Angeles County coronavirus-COVID-19 hospitalizations appear to level off, after weeks of steady increases. According to state figures released Monday, there were 1724 COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals. The number of patients being treated in intensive care units, however, continued climbing, reaching 454 on Monday, up from 439 on Sunday.
Arcadia's historic Derby Restaurant may be relocated. A mixed-use project may take the place of The Derby and Embassy Suites at 211 East Huntington Drive - 233 East Huntington Drive. Local historian Sandy Snider expressed concern that the 99 year-old building may end up being razed. George Woolf bought the Derby in 1938, originally named Proctor Tavern when it operated in 1922. Councilman Paul Cheng supports the relocation of The Derby. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 2, August 13, 2020 for "The Derby-what's next?"
Hunt continues for gunman in Arcadia car-to-car shooting on the 210 Freeway near Baldwin Avenue which left a woman named Betty Hernandez, 36, of Monrovia, dead. This shut down the freeway for several hours on September 4. On September 5, two people were found dead, in the block of 600 West Huntington Drive, an apparent murder-suicide. Both victims were in their 50s.
Arcadia kicks off 2020 City Council election. Final candidates in District 1 are Mayor April Verlato running for reelection and newcomer Yuli J. Sira. Verlato is currently on the last year of her first term on city council and she as elected mayor her last year. She is an attorney with Verlato and Roberts law firm in Arcadia. She is a native of Arcadia, with a long list of endorsements, including former mayors of Arcadia. Sira is a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker. District 4 has two candidates--longstanding council member and former mayor Peter Amundson and newcomer Paul Cheng. Amundson has completed three terms on City Council and served twice as mayor. He is an Arcadia native, with a long list of endorsements. Paul P. Cheng is a highly publicized attorney specializing in business operations and commercial realty transactions. He previously ran for Arcadia City Council in 2010. Also up for reelection is City Clerk Gene Glasco. He is running unopposed.
Le Meridien hotel by Marriott in Arcadia is taking shape. Photo. The site of the former Santa Anita Inn, now razed, is the site for an ambitious new $300 million hotel and mixed-use condominium project opposite the Santa Anita Park racetrack. Contruction has been swift, but delayed a bit this week due to the rain. Developer Chateau Group USA held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project on June 27, 2018.