Harry Hufford, the chief administrative officer for Los Angeles County, predicted that taxes would double for residents of Newhall-Saugus-Santa Clarita Valley area if they were to break away from Los Angeles County. The same would hold true for the San Gabriel Valley.
Secession took a new turn with the news that the San Fernando Valley is also considering splitting off from Los Angeles County. Background of the reasons and feelings behind these moves in both the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys is outlined.
Arcadia, E. O. Rodeffer, and Public Storage won a round in their legal dispute with the city of El Monte. On March 12, Superior Court Judge Norman Douds ordered El Monte to allow San Gabriel Valley Water Company to dig up El Monte streets to install water lines to a Public Storage building partially located in Arcadia.
SB 1774 passed the California Senate 21-14, and if it passes the Assembly, it could cripple any secession moves by the San Gabriel Valley. Senator Richardson says that SB 1774 is the work of Senator N. Holdea, who was a deputy of Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, and the bill reflects the county's position that it would be bad to break up the county.
Arcadia has allotted $3700 toward the construction of a multi- jurisdictional bikeway along the Rio Hondo Wash from Peck Road to the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. This would provide approximately 7.5 miles of bike paths linking Arcadia to existing paths leading down to the Long Beach Harbor.
An international businessman was abducted from his Arcadia home and later released the same evening after his abductors demanded he pay them $1 million. He was told that he would be contacted the next day with instructions about where to put the money, but no money has been paid. This is the first kidnapping of this type in Arcadia, although there have been four other kidnappings in the San Gabriel Valley since last October.
Kel Mason selected to receive annual Humanitarian Award. Award presented by San Gabriel Valley Human Relations Committee to persons who have contributed time and effort toward betterment of the community.
Photo and caption. Arcadia Chamber of Commerce member Mike Saleo and president Kelvin Mason admire the jewels shown by R.G. Fergoda, manager of the new J. Herbert Hall Jewelry Co. in Fashion Park, as Stephanie Gates and Mike Vitro, assistant manager, look on.
Reaction was mixed among San Gabriel Valley officials on a bill before the State Legislature that would prohibit small splinter movements. This would make difficult any effort by local secessionists to get enough support to break away from Los Angeles County.
For the first time in its history, the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency has authorized using its power of eminent domain to acquire properties specifically for redevelopment. The agency voted to use that power to acquire a construction yard on Santa Clara Avenue known as the Bong property and other properties on the north side of Huntington Drive, between Second Avenue and the Santa Anita Wash.
Arcadia and the Derby Restaurant have come to a tentative agreement on a land swap that would allow a Souplantation Restaurant to be built just east of the Derby in East Arcadia.
An association of various discontented areas seeking to secede from Los Angeles County has been formed, but the San Gabriel Valley has not yet joined. The six proposed counties are: San Fernando Valley, Canyon, Chumash, Santa Monica, South Bay and Peninsula.
Hundreds of Arcadians attended the reception held at historic Anoakia where they toured the house and grounds and picked up their copies of the new history book ARCADIA: WHERE RANCH AND CITY MEET.
A federal judge has ordered Peter Kiewit and its subsidiary, Kiewit Pacific Co., now located in Santa Fe Springs, to pay the city of Arcadia the cost of cleaning up contaminated soil at the Santa Clara Street property it sold to the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency in 1985. The hazardous waste has put a new office building project on hold for more than a year and a half.
The Arcadia Redevelopment Agency (which is also the City Council) is considering whether to take steps toward acquiring several properties in east Arcadia that made up the parcel of land for the now defunct Target Shopping Center. According to Peter Kinnahan, assistant city manager for economic development, the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency is strongly in favor of acquiring property on 3rd Avenue, just north of Huntington Drive.
David Park, 17, a senior at Arcadia High School, is one of only 6 San Gabriel Valley students to receive a $2000 National Merit Scholarship, on of 1800 nationwide winners. Park is one of only 2 students in California to also be honored in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, where he is one of 500 national finalists competing for 141 scholar awards.