An Arcadia resident plays an ancient Chinese bamboo flute for passersby on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. He uses the name "Di Zi" Zhao, but that is not his real name.
Dwight Chang of Arcadia is owner of a house on the 1300 block of South Palm Avenue in San Gabriel. The building has been operating as a makeshift maternity ward with 10 newborns and about 12 Chinese nationals, crammed into an illegally converted townhouse. Chang has been warned twice before for operating a business that primarily caters to Asian "maternity tourists." Chang denied any wrongdoing and was fined $800 for building code violations. Children born on American soil automatically become United States citizens, under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Maternity tourism caters to wealthy Taiwanese, Chinese and Koreans. Throughout the past decade, similar set-ups have been uncovered in Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, New York, and Quebec.
Birth-tourism sites not easily detected.Terry Moore-Corse, a code enforcement officer in Arcadia has encountered three maternity homes in the past six years, most recently in 2009, when a resident reported "a lot of pregnant women" coming out of a house. Beyond building code and business license violations, there is nothing illegal about coming into this country to give birth, according to the U.S. State Department, which issues visas. Maternity tourism is a money-making cottage industry in which wealthy women from Asia pay anywhere from $25,000-35,000 to have American-born infants.
Arcadia Police close 13 maternity homes in a crackdown months after a full-time detective was assigned to address calls about pregnant Asian women living in groups at residences around the city. The pregnant Asian women come to the U.S. so their babies receive U.S. citizenship. Detective James Trabbie became the quality-of-life detective.
Steve and Yan-Fen Lin, a couple possibly of Arcadia, have been running the illegally modified townhome in San Gabriel, owned by Dwight Chang of Arcadia, as a maternity home for Asian tourists. They violated building codes for setting up a makeshift maternity ward.
"Spring is in the Air," Arcadia's float entry in the 1981 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, features butterflies with ancient Chinese patterns on their wings. The Arcadia Rose Court rides on the float.
Sharon Chuang of Arcadia is a master of the ancient art of Chinese Knotting. She will present a program on knotting at the Monrovia Public Library. The article profiles Chuang and her knotting talent.
Women are stronger together. The Wandering Foot Quilt Guild meets in Arcadia. This group of women teaches quilting and gives back to the community by giving 50-70 items a month to USC Medical Center for low income people with illnesses.
The 2010 All-Area Girls Tennis was named. Those from Arcadia High School are Caroline Young, Michelle Zhu, Francis Dean, Annie Tung and Elizabeth Lieu. Coach of the Year is Jerry Dohling. An Arcadia High School girl on the second team is Nadia Pacheco-Amaro.
Arcadia city officials are cracking down on "maternity tourism" boarding houses by dedicating a full-time police detective to investigate the issue. Maternity or birth tourism is a phenomenon in which women, often from China, pay a handsome fee to have their babies in the United States, so the children can be citizens. While that is not illegal, at least five establishments have been shut down for violations, such as unlawfully operating boarding house businesses in residential zones.
Arcadia Chinese Association Chinese New Year luncheon for Arcadia city employees at Arcadia Community Center. Five members of Arcadia Chinese Association are shown. The one man sitting down is writing in Chinese calligraphy.
About 40 members of the Arcadia Chinese Association protested in front of the Chinese Consulate General offices, condemning the Chinese government for killing unarmed students in Beijing.
Arcadia Chinese Association Chinese New Year luncheon for Arcadia city employees at Arcadia Community Center. Three members of Arcadia Chinese Association are standing.
Dr. Dirk Zwiebel of Arcadia was appointed clinical associate professor at the Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena. Article gives brief biographical summary.
Chinese-Americans getting political. Residents becoming more active as they back recall of Governor Gavin Newsom and other conservative efforts. Photo shows women gathering signatures outside 99 Ranch Market in Arcadia.
Arcadia Chinese Association Chinese New Year luncheon for Arcadia city employees at Arcadia Community Center. Arcadia Police Chief Ronnie Garner (1995) is standing between two members of the Arcadia Chinese Association.