$12 million headquarters of the Angeles National Forest Service was dedicated yesterday. It is an environmentaly energy efficient 24,000 square feet administrative facility at 701 N. Santa Anita Avenue. Mary McGrath, of Mary McGrath Architects, was the executive architect on the project.
12-year old Kyrsti Chavez from Arcadia, will be singing the National Anthem for the Metro Orange Line Extension opening on Friday, June 29, in Chatsworth.
69-year-old Arcadia resident David Tran is the owner of Huy Fong Foods, the maker of Sriracha hot sauce. Huy Fong Foods should be operational in a new $50 million, 650,000 s.f. factory in Irwindale, by September. The factory is moving from Rosemead.
375 Arcadia High School Apaches are set for marching in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on January 2, 2017, and at the Rose Parade Band Fest on New Year's Eve at Pasadena City College. Band director is Mr. Seth Murray. The Apache Marching Band has performed in the Rose Parade 15 times over the past 50 years.
2010 U.S. Census data shows that 12 San Gabriel Valley cities, including Arcadia, saw the percentage of owner-occupied homes rise, something that experts said was extremely uncommon following the housing crisis. 63.1% of Arcadia's homes are owner-occupied, while 36.9% are occupied by renters. Other cities' figures are shown in chart. Arcadia's vacancy percentage is 5.3%. Vacancy rates are determined by the U.S. Census Bureau by sending out canvassers to homes that did not respond to Census mailers.
An activist group called Save the Arcadia Highlands is suing the City of Arcadia over two residential developments that Arcadia City Council approved in February, citing possible violations to "specific provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Planning and Zoning Law, filed March 12. The addresses involved are 29 East Orange Grove Avenue and 1600 Highland Oaks Drive. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 1, 17, March 19, 2015.
An ancient Chinese maternity tradition, from the Sung Dynasty (960-1275 AD), known as "Zuo Yue Zi," is translated as "doing the month."It refers to the care of a Chinese woman during the first month after giving birth. The practice is explained here by Wei-Chen Tung, a former registered nurse at Arcadia Methodist Hospital and now an assistant professor of nursing at University of Nevada, Reno. The practice requires new mothers to follow a strict diet and rest for 3-4 weeks following a pregnancy. Tung says a lot of Chinese women still practice this, so hospitals should be aware of this part of Chinese culture. Maternity tourists--women who want to come to the United States to give birth to a full-fledged American citizen, have given rise to businesses that cater to them, such as the maternity home that was shut down in the 1300 block of South Palm Avenue in San Gabriel on March 8. It had been 5 townhomes illegally converted into a maternity home.
April 12, 2016 municipal election divides the community. The big issues are mansions (over-building) in Arcadia and Measure A, the repeal of the Utility Users Tax (UUT).
Arcadia artist Qianjiao Ma (photo) vies for grand prize in the "Illustrators of the Future" competition to be honored during the 35th Annual L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards.
Arcadia Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) held a holiday program at Church of the Good Shepherd on December 12, featuring the Brighter Side Singers of Temple City High School, directed by Matt Byers.
Arcadia City balks at surge in animal control bill. New contract with Pasadena Humane Society would raise costs fivefold, from $90,000 to $525,000 annually. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 4, September 12, 2019.
Arcadia City Council appoints ex-mayor Mickey Segal to fill seat vacated by John Wuo's resignation, until the municipal election in April. Wuo, who served on City Council for 12 years, resigned two weeks ago amid mounting allegations over his endorsement of USFIA and Gemcoin, in addition to an ethics investigation launched in September by the Fair Political Practices Commission. Segal is a CPA. Also the zoning code update resumes.
Arcadia City Council denies proposed hillside development project, citing concerns over environmental impacts along with future risks including fire, flooding or mudslides. The applicant, Nevis Capital LLC, was seeking approval to subdivide 90 acres into two parcels to build a home on about 12 acres along the ridge line.
Arcadia City Councilman John Wuo resigned, citing health and personal reasons. He had served on council for 12 years, including as mayor for 3 terms. His resignation comes on the heels of a lawsuit and intense scrutiny of his alleged involvement with GemCoin (digital currency) and alleged violations of the Political Reform Act's statement of economic interests disclosure requirement and conflict of interest.
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 Councilman John Wuo's ties to GemCoin (digital currency) draw scrutiny. The Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating him for a potential violation of the Political Reform Act. Arcadia resident David Arvizu filed the complaint with the FPPC.
Arcadia couple Edward Chen, aka Jianqiao Chen, Jian Qiao Chen, and Jian Chen aka Jing Jiang and Jean Jiang, accused of fraud involving defrauding investors through EB-5 visa schemes. The couple's companies raised more than $22.5 million from 45 Chinese investors, purportedly to build an interior design center in Ontario and a condominium building in Los Angeles. See also "Arcadia couple faces court hearing for stealing $12 million," Arcadia Weekly, p. 1,3 October 5, 2017.
Arcadia firefighter/paramedic Michael Herdman was remembered as a devoted father and animal lover, at a memorial service yesterday, at Arcadia Performing Arts Center. Hundreds attended. His body was found June 27 in Sespe Wilderness in Ventura County. He went missing June 13. See also Arcadia Weekly, July 10, 2014, p. 1, 20 and Mountain Views News, July 12, 2014, p. 6.
Arcadia High School students and staff, Mr. Christopher Schultz (Track and Field coach), aid victims of Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm that struck the coast of South Texas.