The 134th Santa Anita Derby took place yesterday. Jockey Joseph Talamo rode race horse Sidney's Candy to victory in the Grade I $750,000 race. The runner up was Setsuko and Lookin At Lucky finished third.
Based on the description and surveillance video, Arcadia police believe the same man may have robbed two 7-Eleven stores this month. The most recent robbery took place on May 20 at the 7-Eleven at Live Oak and Tyler Avenues. The previous crime occurred on May 10 at the 7-Eleven at 1003 S. Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia.
John Pomazi of Temple City owns a business called Antique Radios at 125 E. Santa Clara Street in Arcadia. He collects and repair antique radios. He may have the only business of this kind in the San Gabriel Valley.
Thirty-one finalists have made the cut for the 2011 Royal Court for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. The girls from Arcadia are Jaslyn Elders, Giselle Hillier and Tatyane Berrios. The seven member Royal Court will be announced Monday, October 11, and the Rose Queen will be chosen from the final seven on October 19.
Children's Hospital Los Angeles opened a new outpatient services center at 468 E. Santa Clara Street in Arcadia on November 1. It is a 10,000 square feet facility with specialty services such as ophthalmology, pulmonology, lab and radiology services, pediatric surgery, orthopaedics, gastroenterology and ear, nose and throat. The outpatient clinic is open Monday through Friday.
Arcadia Mayor Peter Amundson's selection of Reverend H. B. London, Jr. to speak at the community breakfast on March 4, is drawing criticism from some residents and gay-rights activists. London is a vice president of ministry outreach at Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group that opposes gay marriage. Some residents are asking Mayor Amundson to reconsider and they feel Focus on the Family delivers hateful messages. The city estimates it will pay between $5000 and $5500 for its contribution to the event, which will include the speaker's plane fare.
Less than 6 months after reinstating it, Arcadia City Council voted unanimously to suspend the trapping and killing of coyotes in residential neighborhoods. The program, which has caught 20 coyotes since August, drew constant fire from residents and animal rights activists. Arcadia city councilman Bob Harbicht says the program was successful. The combination of educational programs and trapping has resulted in the trapping of fewer coyotes and fewer complaints at City Hall. The city spent $15,000 to conduct the trapping program, carried out by Chino-based Animal Pest Management Services, from August 2010 through January 2011. The city will suspend trapping and monitor the situation.
A high speed police chase that began in Pasadena, then went through Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte and several other San Gabriel Valley cities, ended in the driving crashing into another car. The suspect was Edgar Angarita, 45, of Hollywood and the 21-year-old woman from Baldwin Park that he crashed into, are both being treated at the hospital. Police say Angarita was intoxicated. The chase occurred Monday, January 24. He is being held on suspicion of felony evading a police officer, but additional charges may be coming.
Bristol Palin, daughter of Sarah Palin, the former Vice Presidential candidate in the 2008 presidential elections, came to speak at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Arcadia for "Lovefest 9," an annual 2-day church event that focuses on teens and values. Her message was about abstinence.
Arcadia launches the new Arcadia Downtown Business Association, with plans to revitalize the downtown district. Matt McSweeney is the association's chairperson and owner of Matt Denny's Ale House Restaurant on East Huntington Drive. City officials will spend about $90,000 on a parking study and about $18,000 in redevelopment funds to get Arcadia Downtown Business Association off the ground. The revitalization plans should work nicely with the slated opening of the Gold Line station at the northwest corner of North First Avenue and East Santa Clara Street by 2014.
A proposed land deal will allow Rusnak Mercedes-Benz dealership to expand and Rod's Grill will not have to move. The Arcadia Redevelopment Agency has acquired the Dahlgren lot on Santa Clara Street, the last parcel of a 2-acre site it intends to sell to Rusnak. This sale would enable Rusnak to expand from 4 to 6 acres. A public hearing is scheduled for April 19. In addition to the recently acquired Dahlgren property, the current proposed site also includes the former Church of Arcadia on Morlan Place and a commercial strip along Santa Anita Avenue that contains 16 tenants. The proposed deal guarantees the city would receive at least $800,000 in sales tax a year for the next 10 years.
After a five-year hiatus, Arcadia City Council is considering reinstating a policy that would let property owners pay to be assigned a more auspicious house number, which some believe would improve the value of their home. The number 4 in a street address is considered a bad omen in many Asian cultures. In Mandarin language, the word "four" sounds like the word for death, while the number eight is considered lucky, because it sounds like the word for prosper. Arcadia's Asian population is approaching 60% and most potential buyers will be Asian. In a 3-2 vote, Arcadia City Council endorsed the move in principle and directed staff to report back on the costs involved.
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden will have its historic buildings upgraded and a new 5-year strategic plan is being drafted for the first time in many years. Among items to be improved are the roof replacement and stabilization of the Hugo Reid Adobe (aka Baldwin Adobe), the rehabilitation of the library, as well as roof replacements for the 126-year-old Queen Anne Cottage of "Fantasy Island" fame, and the Coach Barn. Mitchell Bishop, curator of the historic collections, said he plans to rehabilitate Baldwin Lake.
Nine people face federal charges for allegedly smuggling blue jeans from China by way of a Foreign Trade Zone in Industry. The alleged smugglers avoided import duties and taxes that would have amounted to between $2 million and $2 million in tax revenues for the government since 2009, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Two of the alleged are Taylor "David" Wong, 49, of Arcadia and Tsu "Nick" Wei Lin, 41, of Arcadia. The others are Joel Elder of Long Beach, Jianying "Jonathan" Huang, a Chinese national, Xiaoqiong "Joan" Hou of Diamond Bar, Rebecca Ho of Alhambra, Yuling Wang of Walnut, Keen "Alven" Wai Choo of Rowland Heights and Wei "Julia" Lai, the key figure in the indictment.
Los Angeles County total property values are on the rise again. The county as a whole saw its first increase in two years, at 1.49%, according to the 2010-201the Los Angeles County Assessor's Office annual property roll report. Walnut, Temple City and San Marino saw some of the San Gabriel Valley's greatest growth in property values last year. Arcadia's property values went up 2.8%.
Nadia Hillman, former principal at Baldwin Stocker Elementary, will now be the principal of Foothills Middle School, replacing retired principal Tricia Hartline. Jayne Nickles will be the new principal at Baldwin Stocker Elementary.
Work continues on Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension project. Workers installed a 130-foot-high steel cage that will make up a portion of a rapid transit bridge spanning the eastbound 210 Freeway between Baldwin Avenue and Santa Anita Avenue. When complete, the 584-foot-long, $18.6 million Metro Gold Line bridge will be buttressed by columns designed to resemble Native American baskets. The bridge work is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012, while the entire 11.5-mile extension is due to be finished 2015. The bridge contractor is Skanska USA Civil. Construction of the rest of the line may be delayed due to problems with Monrovia's Redevelopment Agency.
Annual Taste of Arcadia, an Arcadia Chamber of Commerce event, will take place Monday, September 19 at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. As always, a percentage of proceeds goes to three local non-profit organizations. This year, the beneficiaries are Assistance League of Arcadia, the Boy Scouts of America/Lucky Baldwin District, and the Arboretum Foundation.
A statue of Arcadia city founder Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin, has been proposed by his great-great-great granddaughter, Margaux Viera, of Pasadena, for placement in the rose garden next to Arcadia Community Center. City council will consider the issue tonight. City council must agree to provide a location for the proposed statue, purchase a pedestal, and provide any electrical, lighting, and landscaping deemed appropriate. (Article erroneously states that Margaux Viera is the great-great-granddaughter of Elias J. Baldwin. In her proposal to the City of Arcadia, she states that she is, in fact, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Baldwin.)