A proposed ordinance regulating foreign languages and English on business signs in Arcadia will not only require that English be included-it also will require English cover the largest part of the sign.
Advocates of an ordinance advocating English as the official language for Arcadia squared off in heated debate with opponents before the Arcadia City Council.
Signs with foreign characters need review as signage may not be appropriate. Councilman John Wuo suggested that the Arcadia Chinese Association would be willing to unofficially review signage requests with Chinese characters.
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center, which recently persuaded Temple City, Rosemead and Garden Grove to stop restricting the use of foreign languages on business signs, has requested a change in the Arcadia city ordinance that allows only 1/3 of the area of a sign to be in a foreign language. The new ordinance is more restrictive than the law that was deemed unconstitutional in Pomona in 1989 which required at least 50% of a sign to be written in the Roman alphabet.
Arcadia's City Council is having second thoughts about its regulation requiring the removal of burglar bars in town and has sent the whole ordinance back to staff for further study.
The Arcadia City Council has rejected the Asian Pacific American Legal Center's request that the city revoke a rule limiting the amount of space foreign languages can occupy on business signs. Councilman Robert Harbicht noted that the ordinance has been on the books for several years and the city has not received a single complaint about it.
Three new laws have been recently passed by the City Council: 1. Noise - aimed primarily to curtail amplified sound. 2. Garage sales - must be held in a rear yard and be able to establish title to the goods. No signs may be placed on public property.
3. smoking - banned in theaters, etc.
The City Council will consider two urgent ordinances December 21: 1. Setting hillside building standards. 2. Permitting a special earthquake study of the Raymond Fault which runs beneath Foothills Junior High School.
The City Council will consider a proposed ordinance governing backyard sales on October 1, 1974. Regulations include: 1. A $1.00 permit would be required. 2. Sales would be limited to every 6 months. No sale could run longer than 2 consecutive days. 4. No signs could be placed on public property. 5. Sales must be between 8:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. 6. No merchandise would be allowed in the front yard.
Arcadia City Council adjusts an ordinance pertaining to massage therapists. The ordinance originally required 500 hours of training for a massage therapist to have a license in the city. The council decided to let currently employed therapists substitute on the job hours for any shortage in training under 500 hours. The Council also dropped a requirement for windows in rooms where therapy is provided and decided therapists will not be required to wear white. The therapist will be required to have an identification card in his/her possession but will not be required to display it.
The Arcadia City Council has approved an ordinance to upgrade the recycling efforts of commercial haulers in the city. The ordinance decreases the number of permitted commercial haulers in the city to 3. The ordinance adds language to clarify how recycling diversion is calculated, and requires free recycling containers and public education.
Arcadia City officials plan to update the city's sign ordinance to prohibit certain types of signs, but merchants are concerned the proposed rules will hurt their business or be expensive.
Arcadia may follow the lead of Pasadena, Los Angeles and other communities by considering the possibility of adopting a no-smoking ordinance. According to City Manager George Watts, the council has not decided on any specific rules and probably will not receive a study report from staff until mid-November.
A moratorium on stores selling liquor in Arcadia within 150 feet of residential zones has been imposed by the City Council. During the moratorium, the city will be studying whether to impose conditional use permit reviews on such stores due to noise, litter, and loitering problems they tend to create.
Pasadena City College board candidate David Ma faces criminal charges for sign ordinance violation. His election signs were found on public property. The arraignment will be held November 25 at Santa Anita Municipal Courthouse in Monrovia.
Eight Arcadia High School students stood in front of the city police station waving signs at motorists to protest Arcadia's teen curfew after one of them was stopped for roller skating on the street at night. The curfew ordinance has been in effect for more than 20 years and prohibits people under the age of 18 from loitering on streets and in public places between 10 PM and sunrise.
A draft ordinance has been submitted to the City Council that would allow Arcadia residents to conduct businesses out of their homes if certain criteria are met and a permit is approved. According to current law, such businesses are illegal.
A study released today by the Public Policy Institute of California found students' progress toward English proficiency is linked to their native language and socioeconomic status more than the length of time they've been in the country. A comparison chart of San Gabriel Valley schools is included.
The Massage Therapist Regulations ordinance, approved November 5 by City Council, places regulations on the licensing of massage therapists and the activities of businesses offering massage services. It regulates business hours, uniforms, customers' bodily coverings and suggestive ads.