Arcadia residents pass Measure A by significant majority. It is a 3/4 cent sales tax increase, passed with 63.94% of the vote in Tuesday's mail-in ballot. The increase will provide locally controlled funds to maintain Arcadia's public safety and other city services. See Also Mountain Views News, June 8, 2019, p. 7.
Arcadia Postmaster Yvonne Carrillo changes Post Office Box Lobby hours due to vandalism and reports of homeless sleeping in the lobby after hours. Doors will be locked 5:30 PM Monday-Friday, 5:00 PM Saturday and 3:00 PM Sunday, effective May 1.
Efforts to reduce water use continue in Arcadia. Sprinkler station cycles are limited to 10 minutes. The new water use restrictions limit outdoor watering of grass and plants to two days per week, Tuesday and Saturday, before 9 AM and after 6 PM.
Los Angeles County's 2017 homelessness count has gone up 23% from the previous year and District 5, where Arcadia, Monrovia and Pasadena lie, has exceeded the county high at 30%. Measure H funds from a 1/4 cent sales tax increase in Los Angeles County, creates estimated $355 million per year to use on homeless initiative. Los Angeles Board of Supervisors voted on how to properly allocate over a billion dollars from Measure H to help prevent and combat homelessness.
Arcadia Woman's Club invites local residents to holiday fashion show fundraiser on Saturday, November 9 at the historic clubhouse at 324 South First Avenue. The cost is $50 per person.
Arcadia Police Records Bureau has new hours effective Sunday, September 23, 2012, operating 6 AM to 10 PM daily. The police department lobby will remain open for community access to the online reporting system and overnight parking permit (TOPEC) machine.
Women are stronger together. The Wandering Foot Quilt Guild meets in Arcadia. This group of women teaches quilting and gives back to the community by giving 50-70 items a month to USC Medical Center for low income people with illnesses.
Measure A a cause for concern for some, relief for others. Senior citizens may receive exemption. Measure A was placed on the ballot by Arcadia Board of Education. It is intended to supplement the Arcadia Unified School District's current Federal, State, and local revenue with a $228 per parcel tax, in effect for a period of 5 years. By Terry Miller.
Arcadia City Council takes steps to increase public safety. On October 16, City Council discussed a recommendation to add a measure to the ballot containing a ¾-cent sales tax, which is needed to help Arcadia with its current financial woes. The Citizens Financial Advisory Committee reviewed the city’s expenditures and asked the council to declare a state of fiscal emergency as soon as possible and no later than June 2019. The vote to add the measure passed almost unanimously, with one council member recusing themself from the vote.
Teens reduce stress at Arcadia Public Library with programs such as crafting their own stress balls and calm bottles on November 19 and cuddle time with Go Team Therapy Dogs on December 12.
On September 8, 2011, Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic had an emergency procedure to put a stent in one of his 3 major heart arteries. His Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery was 90-95% blocked. He was released from Arcadia Methodist Hospital (AMH) the following day and was back at AMH 24 hours later for a dedication ceremony of the new patient tower that has been under construction for some time now.
Arcadia teachers and students unite for Measure A, the renewal of a parcel tax that helps provide stable school funding for Arcadias, on March 7 ballot. Previously approved in 2012, Measure A would authorize a "qualified special tax of $288 per parcel of taxable real estate property," an increase of $60 over the 2012 proposal. Citizen homeowners age 65 and over would be able to exempt their primary residence from the tax.
Arcadia-based Dr. Terrence Baruch installs interactive monitors in Westfield Santa Anita mall to increase awareness of heart attacks and he hopes this leads to reduced lag time between the onset of symptoms and applying a key life-saving medical procedure. He is the "Heart Attack Blues" doctor and the director of Arcadia Methodist Hospital's Cardiac Catheterization Lab.
Arcadia is ranked 44th safest city in California this year, according to “50 Safest Cities in California for 2018,” a report recently released by SafeWise. In order to produce these rankings, analysts at SafeWise reviewed FBI’s crime statistics and population data for 2016. The criterion for a safe city was based on the number of reported violent crimes in each city per 1000 people. See also Mountain Views News, p. 6, October 20, 2018.