25% of a $10,000 goal for the new Jerry Broadwell children's room has been pledged. A benefit concert will be held on December 17 at the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium and proceeds will be shared by the High School and the Broadwell Fund.
An association of various discontented areas seeking to secede from Los Angeles County has been formed, but the San Gabriel Valley has not yet joined. The six proposed counties are: San Fernando Valley, Canyon, Chumash, Santa Monica, South Bay and Peninsula.
An attorney for the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society has asked the Arcadia City Council to amend the municipal code so as to allow establishment of an animal shelter in Chicago Park.
Arcadia, along with several other communities in the San Gabriel Valley, face termination of animal control services now rendered by the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society. This agency will discontinue services as of June 30, 1978.
The Arcadia City Council agreed to continue its contract with Los Angeles County for animal control. In addition, Arcadia will remain in the 9 city consortium which does business with the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society.
Arcadia City Council must decide how to pay the Metropolitan Water District taxes for 1979-80. Currently the city pays 50% and the property owners pay 50%.
The Arcadia City Council will oppose attempts by El Monte to annex a strip of uninhabited Arcadia land located between Peck Road and the San Gabriel River.
Arcadia has received a domestic water permit from the State. In 1973 the California State Health Department inspected Arcadia's system along with 240 other systems in Los Angeles and Orange Counties and only 15 systems received permits.
Arcadia teachers picketed the open house at Arcadia High School to protest the 1978-79 raise offered by the Arcadia Board of Education. The teachers claim they received a 3.5% salary adjustment (vs. the average San Gabriel Valley increase of 5.5%) while the Board claims a 5% increase retroactive to December 1, 1978.
Assessed valuation notices were sent July 12 to property owners throughout Los Angeles County. Arcadians were hit with an average increase of 42%. Figures for other San Gabriel Valley communities given.
The Association is asking the Los Angeles Division of the League of California Cities to back a resolution calling for a state wide study of urban-county reform.
The Association will prepare a profile of the San Gabriel Valley within the coming month. A second project will be to organize themselves to deal with the "incoherence of Los Angeles County government."
At a meeting on November 20, County Assessor Philip Watson's representative and County Supervisors Peter Schabarum and Baxter Ward and others tackled the possibility of the San Gabriel Valley seceding from Los Angeles County.
At the urging of Temple City mayor Lou Gilbertson, State Senator Richardson has set aside his bill SB 1287. It would have reduced petition requirements from the present 25% to just 10% of the registered voters. They want Governor Brown to appoint an Ad Hoc committee to study the whole picture.
Because of California's intense two year drought, water rates will need to go up to cover the costs of getting outside water. Also, pumping costs are greater due to soaring energy costs.
Beginning October 1, Arcadians will pay more for their water. The increase will be in two steps. The first will be an increase of 6% per 100 cubic feet. The second will be dependent on possible increases in the Edison rates for pumping.