Monterey Park mass shooting one year later. City still lives in massacre's shadow. Permanent memorial to the 11 victims is still in planning stages. In Arcadia, doughnut business owners Francois Ung and his wife Shally Ung remember and honor their friend Andy Kao, a victim of the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio on January 21, 2023, with a pledge that they will send proceeds from sales at their Arcadia Donuts store on January 20 and 21 to the Monterey Park Hope and Resiliency Center and the Andy Kao Memorial Ballroom Dance Group to assist funding the nonprofit organizations. See also related article, "Who were the Monterey Park shooting victims? A year later, a reflection," Pasadena Star News, p. A13, January 21, 2024.
Monterey Park shooting aftermath. Lunar New Year is typically a festive and family affair, but was marred by a mass shooting in Monterey Park, which killed 10 at a dance hall. David Lee, co-president of Arcadia Chinese Association, said Lunar New Year is supposed to be "a happy time for family reunions because Chinese tradition and culture is very family-oriented."
Los Angeles County - Here’s who’s running in local Assembly races on the November 3 ballot. California State Assembly District 49: Edwin Chau (D) vs. Burton Brink (R)
The district:Parts of Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Montebello, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, South El Monte, and Temple City.
Arcadia Police Department S.W.A.T. Team busted a marijuana cultivation operation in the 300 block of Walnut Avenue. Three suspects, Xiaoshen Zhang, Te Zhang and Peng Song were arrested. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 3, January 23, 2020.
Overview of upcoming primary elections. The 49th Assembly District, which Arcadia is in, has Assemblymember Mike Fong, D-Monterey Park, running against Republica Long "David" Liu, an attorney and small business owner.
Officials offer words of condolence for Monterey Park shooting victims. As Monterey Park grieves lives of 11 victims of a mass shooter who shot people at Star Dance Studio on Saturday, January 21, the Lunar New Year eve (Chinese New Year eve), President Joe Biden, Governor Gavin Newsom, and local officials such as Arcadia Mayor Paul Cheng, Rosemead Mayor Sean Dang, Duarte City officials, Los Angeles City Council, among others, offered condolences.
Maps shift election shapes. Redistricting offers little for Democrats to fear but comes as retirements open doors. Final maps were released yesterday to redraw boundaries for California's elected seats in Sacramento and Washington DC. The 14-member independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission's maps set up newly drawn Assembly, State Senate and Congressional maps, which must be formally approved. The maps did little to loosen Democrats' hold on Los Angeles County's state and federal districts. On the State Senate level, where the Commission is tasked with creating districts with 1 million people each, state Senator Susan Rubio's vast San Gabriel Valley District 22 loses several heavily Asian American communities, including San Gabriel, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead and Arcadia. Those communities would join Pasadena, Glendale and Altadena in Senator Anthony Portantino's District 25.
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.
Arcadia Chinese Association Installs New Board of Directors.
The incoming Arcadia Chinese Association Officers and Board Members for 2020-2021 are as follows:
President: Connie Qun Liao
Co-President: Diana Chang
1st Vice President: Susan Guo
2nd Vice President: Mary Huang
. 3rd Vice President: Lily Lam
Treasurer: Alice Wang
Secretary (Interim): Mary Huang
Presidential Counsel: Edward Wong
Directors: Jamie Lee, Francine Chiu, Joanna Liang, Sherry Liang, Sherman Shi, Stella Gu, Winnie Li, Arnold Chien, Sage Zeng.
Assemblymember Mike Fong, D-Alhambra, secures $4.5M for San Gabriel Valley cities. The cities Fong represents include Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Montebello, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, South El Monte, South Pasadena and Temple City. The money is for investing in infrastructure that will increase access to park space, library services, and athletic facilities and enhance public safety for the 49th District.
Rose Parade 2024. SOI RV Club is a primo event for RV enthusiasts. The Sports Coach Owners International (SOI) has been organizing Rose Parade rallies for 45 years. They park at Santa Anita Park and attend multiple events including Equestfest, Bandfest, and some horse racing at the track.
Santa Anita Park officials hail dramatic drop in horse fatalities. Officials called the safety record a 62.5% improvement over the previous year and 74% improvement since spring of 2019, when 42 horses died, sparking debate about safety issues at the track and about horse racing in general.
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.
Congress--House of Representatives races heat up in the county in the primary election. District 28--Democratic Representative Judy Chu, who represented parts of the San Gabriel Valley since 2013, seeks to return in this redrawn district that includes Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead and Arcadia. Challenging Chu are Democrat Dorothy Carmona, Republican Wes Hallman and Independent Gio DePaolis. Chu had 66.5% and Hallman had 25%.
Congressional races: a look at the positions taken by candidates in local districts. In District 28, Democratic Rep. Judy Chu, is now running to represent a recently redrawn district that includes Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, and Arcadia. Her major issues include education, foreign policy, small business, and transportation. Her opponent is Republican Wes Hallman, a pilot and senior vice president of Strategy and Policy for the National Defense Industrial Association.
Community rallies around Arcadia Donuts' owners Francois Ung and Shally Ung. In recent weeks, they've been doing fundraisers for victims and survivors of the mass shooting at a Monterey Park dance studio one year ago, which claimed the life of their friend Andy Kao. Surveillance video shows someone broke into Ung's car and stole the fundraiser money. A Gofundme is set up if people want to help the couple recover the money.
Food company executives Feng Wu Lam, who owns South El Monte based Golden Food, Inc. and her husband Wei Wen Wu, the company's manager, face insurance fraud, wage theft charges. They are accused of underreporting their payroll to workers' compensation insurance carriers by about $4.5 million between 2015 and 2019. They are both Arcadia residents.
Fong out to early lead in election. Democrat Mike Fong garners 70% of first votes, is ahead by 39 percentage points in the 49th Assembly District race against Republican Burton Brink. The 49th District is comprised of 10 San Gabriel Valley cities, including Arcadia. The seat was vacated by Ed Chau-D-Monterey Park, who left his post early for an appointment to the Los Angeles County Superior Court judge's bench.