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.
Emergency response officials from around Los Angeles County gathered at the Arboretum for a workshop on disaster preparedness, especially to prepare for the outbreak of a pandemic flu.
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.
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.
The City of Arcadia will request millions in federal dollars for Arcadia's transportation and water needs. The city plans to act through Washington DC based lobbying firm The Ferguson Group. Other wish list areas in need of federal money are identified.
The state Department of Real Estate has launched disciplinary action against Virginia Drascula, 76, of Duarte, the licensee of Falcon Management Co., a rental-listing business plagued by customer complaints.
Falcon Management Co., a rental listing company plagued with mounting customer complaints and Small Claims Court losses, has shut down amid the Arcadia Police Department's call for criminal prosecution and an investigation by the state Department of Real Estate.
The Arcadia Police Department is considering using the old National Guard Armory as a storage area for seized cars and stolen property, among other things.
The City of Arcadia is using $646,000 in federal stimulus funds for repairs, repaving, re-striping and adding bicycle lanes on Santa Anita Avenue, north of Foothill Boulevard. The city has received $534,000 in stimulus money to retrofit City Hall with an energy-efficient heating and cooling system and $80,000 for equipment and training for its police department. Sometime in late spring, officials plan to widen intersections along Santa Anita Avenue, adding turn lanes or through lanes at Foothill Boulevard, Live Oak Avenue and Duarte Road.
San Gabriel Mountains monument expands. United States President Joe Biden OKs sabout 106,000 acres added to federally protected area with promise for more resources.
Public lands: additions sought for San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, push bid to expand area by 109,000 acres by designating the western Angeles National Forest as part of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. The San Gabriel Mountains are north of Arcadia.
Foothills threatened as Bobcat Fire swells. Santa Ana winds lead to San Gabriel Valley evacuation warnings. The fire started on Sunday, September 6 near the Cogswell Dam and West Fork Day Use area. It had grown to 10,344 acres with no containment by Tuesday evening. It is moving slowly toward the residential areas of Monrovia, Arcadia, or Duarte, but an evacuation warning has been issued for Arcadia.
Senator Bob Margett held the State Agency Expo 2006 in the Center Court of the Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita mall on Saturday. This event allows citizens to receive information about what State organizations can do for them.
The City of Arcadia expects to receive about $396,000 in federal funding for low and moderate income families in 2009. The Community Development Block Grant is not expected to change from what Arcadia received for the current fiscal year. The money might be used on a new bicycle facility installation project or the city's Housing Rehabilitation Program.
Arcadia Methodist Hospital staff have a drill to practice responding to a dirty bomb detonation, imagining a scenario in which terrorists explode a bomb with radioactive material at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale.
Damage saps fun from Angeles forest. Angeles National Forest's Chantry Flat Road remains closed after suffering damage from the 2020 Bobcat fire and subsequent fires. Storms and fires force closure of trails, roads and campgrounds, some for years. The forest's second-most visited area, Chantry Flat, in the section north of Arcadia, Monrovia and Sierra Madre, has been closed since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. A sign in Arcadia (photo) advises motorists of the Chantry Flat Road closure.