Lost in translation: ballot error in Chinese language instructions on the mail-in ballot, directing voters to choose up to 3 City Council candidates, in the race for only 2 open seats in the April 10 election.
Arcadia city's nearly 29,000 voters were sent election ballots last week with a critical error in its Chinese language instructions that could cause votes to be invalidated. The mail-in ballots directed voters in Chinese, to choose up to 3, instead of 2, City Council candidates, in the race for two open seats. City Manager Don Penman said the error is estimated to cost between $7,000 and $10,000 and that the election consultant Martin and Chapman Co., in Anaheim, should reimburse the city.
Five candidates for the two seats on Arcadia City Council state their views here. This April's General Municipal Election will be held completely by mail.
The City of Arcadia is asked by election consultant Martin and Chapman Co. to split the cost of the $10,000 ballot error that was sent to the city's nearly 29,000 voters. The error was in the Chinese language instructions, directing voters to choose up to 3 City Council candidates, in the race for only 2 open seats.
Arcadia certifies city council election victories for John Wuo and Gary A. Kovacic. The results were certified this week after election officials were able to verify and count 661 of the remaining 681 ballots of the April 10 election. There were 105 ballots that had to be disqualified because voters selected more than 2 candidates in the all-mail election. At least some of those were caused by an error in the ballots' Chinese-language instructions that directed voters to select no more than 3 instead of 2 candidates, prompting the city to send out correction notices. Gene Glasco was elected City Clerk. Measure D, the hotel room tax, passed.
The next Arcadia city council election in April will be an all-mail ballot, that is saving the city thousands of dollars. The five candidates for two seats are Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic, John Wuo, Sho Tay, Henry Nunez and Mary Dougherty.
Don't forget to send in your ballots, Arcadians. The April 10 Arcadia City Council election ballots were sent to all registered voters on March 12. Voters can mail them or drop them off at Arcadia City Hall, 240 W. Huntington Drive. Brief summary of each candidate is given.
City of Arcadia to split cost of fixing critical ballot error with Anaheim-based election consultant Martin and Chapman Co. Both the city and Martin and Chapman have agreed to pay $5408 each to fix a Chinese language error in the April 2012 City Council election.
Arcadia City Council candidates champion their causes. There are five candidates for two open seats. Their causes are: Gary Kovacic--maintaining a balanced budget with adequate reserves and a sense of community; Mary Dougherty--mansionization and residential guidelines; Sho Tay--traffic safety and opposing a new $12.2 million City Hall; John Wuo--reducing crime; and Henry Nunez--increase city revenues and create a real downtown in Arcadia.
Arcadia's Gary Kovacic and John Wuo are the unofficial winners of the two City Council seats in the recent election by mail-in ballot. The final tally will be announced by early next week.
Mayor Gary Kovacic and former councilman John Wuo were leading yesterday in the early returns for two City Council seats, but former school board president Mary Dougherty was close behind. About 6,500 of the city's nearly 30,000 voters had already cast their vote as of early Tuesday evening.
None of the three Chinese-American candidates received enough votes to win one of the three open seats in Tuesday's Arcadia City Council elections. With the departure of Mayor John Wuo, who was the second Chinese-American to be elected to the council, Arcadia, an ethnically diverse city, is reverting to an all Caucasian council for the first time in 12 years. Many in the Chinese community prefer to relay a concern to someone of their own race and culture "because this person understands what they say, what their concern is based on," former council member Dr. Sheng Chang said. Councilman Roger Chandler, however, believes that the city has enough volunteers, associations and resources to facilitate communication and to aptly handle any issue that could come up.
Arcadia, Sierra Madre and Bradbury are holding elections today on tax measures and city council members. Arcadia voters will choose two City Council members from the candidates running--Gary Kovacic, John Wuo, Sho Tay, Henry Nunez, and Mary Dougherty--and vote on Measure D, the extension ofthe hotel room tax from a 30-day maximum to a 90-day stay. Arcadia's election is being conducted through an all-mail ballot for the first time.
For the first time, the majority of the candidates in this April's City Council elections are Chinese immigrants. Seven candidates are vying for the three open seats. The candidates are Mayor John Wuo, Sheng Chang, Sho Tay, Shao Hua Wen, Peter Amundson, Bob Harbicht, and Pamela Blackwood.
Arcadia City Council elections to be held on Tuesday April 14, 2020. This will not be a district-wide election. Only registered voters in Districts 1 and 4 will receive a vote-by-mail ballot beginning March 16, 2020. Completed ballots must be postmarked by April 14, 2020. The candidates are District 1: April Verlato and Yuli Sira and in District 4: Paul Cheng and Peter Amundson.
Gina's Sports Bar & Grill is the source of controversy regarding a Chinese-language sign which some community members claim is advertising prostitution.
Five candidates are running for Arcadia City Council on the April 9 ballot. They are Roger Chandler, Robert Harbicht, Gary Kovacic, Gail Marshall, and John Wuo. Biographies given.
Why 15,982 Arcadians can't vote in this year's election. This is the first district-based election in Arcadia under the new law, only Arcadians living in one of the five districts may vote only for the representatives running in their district. Originally, there were three seats up for election but Mayor Pro Tempore Sho Tay ran unopposed and was appointed to the office.