Power still out in parts of Pasadena. The California Emergency Management Agency's acting secretary Mike Dayton is touring the cities most impacted by the windstorm. His visit is considered a precursor to a state declaration of emergency, which would pave the way for state and federal assistance. Arcadia City Manager Don Penman said damage to public buildings and recovery efforts are expected to top $2 million, and that damage to private property could run several million more.
State official views damage caused by last week's windstorm. California Emergency Management Agency's acting secretary Mike J. E. Dayton toured 8 San Gabriel Valley cities that were hardest hit, including Altadena, Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Temple City, San Gabriel and Alhambra, to assess the damage. He will determine whether state or federal assistance may be applicable.
Mayors of seven San Gabriel Valley cities that were hard hit by last year's ferocious windstorm are making a plea to Governor Jerry Brown for state disaster relief. The seven cities include Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Temple City, San Marino, South Pasadena and La Canada Flintridge.
While Pasadena is still cleaning up debris from the recent windstorm, other smaller cities that were hard hit, including Temple City and Arcadia, have completed their residential debris removal.
San Gabriel Valley cities struggle to get up and running in the wake of a powerful Santa Ana-fueled windstorm that downed trees and caused power outages. In Arcadia, damage to trees in the Los Angeles County Arboretum was extensive. Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic said the storm downed more than 500 trees and seven buildings had been red-tagged. Damage estimates were pegged at more than $1 million. Santa Anita Park reopened for simulcast wagering yesterday. Photos.
Living without power. Wind troubles linger. Residents frustrated; damage costs elusive. Southern California Edison's (SCE) hardest hit areas include Arcadia, Monrovia and Templa City, where more than 2,800, 1,600, and 1,700 residents, respectively, are still without power. Arcadia's City manager Don Penman said he wouldn't be surprised if the public costs for recovery efforts exceeded $2 million.
Outage draws probe by California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to investigate the prolonged outages in Southern California Edison's (SCE) service area following last week's powerful windstorm. About 858 SCE customers in the San Gabriel Valley were still without power as of 7:00 PM yesterday, down from a total of about 434,000 initially affected by the windstorm.
Venting outage outrage. Utilities get earful from wind-affected residents and politicians. Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich chastised Southern California Edison (SCE) officials for not responding effectively and failing during the disaster (windstorm November 30-December 1, 2011).
Experts say fierce Santa Ana winds will return this week. Last week a brutal windstorm ripped through Southern California, leaving dozens of homes uninhabitable and toppled hundreds of trees in the San Gabriel Valley. Arcadia Unified School District is scheduled to open all its campuses today except Highland Oaks and Longley Way Elementary Schools.
Hurricane strength winds blew through the San Gabriel Valley early yesterday, damaging buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to thousands across the region. Temple City, Sierra Madre, San Marino and Pasadena were especially hard hit by the 70 mph winds that left a trail of destruction from Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles to Irwindale and Azusa. Several cities, including Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Arcadia, Glendora, Alhambra and South Pasadena have been declared states of emergency. Schools were either closed or on a modified schedule yesterday. See related story on p. A3, A4, A5
Clean-up crews are collecting wind debris. Tom Tate, Director of Public Works for Arcadia, said that "on December 10, we started a systematic clean-up of the city, starting with city crews and contractors, one on the north end, one on the south end. We plan to move through the city, street by street, and hopefully meet in the middle." Tate said his crews have moved about 5,000 tons of debris off the streets since the windstorm hit on November 30-December 1, and estimates they are at least a quarter of the way done. Arcadia Public Works is trying to keep residents updated with Twitter and their website, as well as media releases, on their progress. Tate hopes to conclude the clean-up before Christmas.
Westfield Santa Anita mall, Santa Anita Park race track, and other businesses cope with power outages and wind damage. Westfield Santa Anita mall was unable to open due to a widespread power outage although power was restored to the center's east end by 4:30 PM yesterday. Santa Anita Park was closed yesterday due to a power outage. The race track also sustained wind-related damage to the roof in its stable area and also had several uprooted trees. Huge, old trees were blown down in Arcadia.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a $125.6 billion budget for 2006-2007. He plans to increase spending on education and transportation and cut funding for some welfare and health programs, while not increasing taxes. Arcadia Mayor John Wuo agrees that California needs to make substantial investments in the state infrastructure.
The windstorm that hit San Gabriel Valley on November 30-December 1 leaves lessons. Utilities and city officials study what went wrong to be better prepared in future emergencies and disasters. Southern California Edison (SCE) restored power to the last of its 433,925 customers by Thursday--one week after the storm--and is now the subject of public criticism and a probe by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for "prolonged power outages." Crews in Pasadena and surrounding cities are still clearing the streets.
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and parts of the Huntington Library remain closed to the public more than two weeks after a ferocious windstorm hit the region overnight on November 30 and December 1. At the historic Arboretum, more than 325 trees were toppled and more than 700 others were damaged. The Arboretum officials want to reopen by December 31. At the Huntington Library in San Marino, more than 50 major trees went down but officials estimate that between 150 and 200 trees will be lost altogether from the damage.
South Pasadena and Arcadia Edison customers lost power as a result of winds of up to 45 mph at times. Some households regained power but some Arcadia customers remain without power.
Union opposes changes to nurse-to-patient ratio. The California Nurses Association plans to stage rallies at nearly 70 hospitals and medical centers today to protest waivers that allow facilities to staff some units below state-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios as nurses are shifted to more critical patients. Union reps will gather at several Southern California hospitals, including Methodist Hospital of Southern California in Arcadia.
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.
Power outage creates feelings of isolationism in residents who were affected by last week's extreme winds. People have experienced extended power outages in Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre, Temple City, South Pasadena, Monrovia and Arcadia.