More high winds expected. Clean-up efforts remain ongoing across San Gabriel Valley. With Santa Ana winds expected to batter Southern California for several days this week, residents and work crews scrambled yesterday to clear downed trees, replace utility poles and restore power after the historic storm that hit Thursday, December 1, 2011. A small army of Southern California Edison (SCE) workers gathered in the Santa Anita Park race track parking lot--some waiting for orders, others moving the dozens of replacement transformers. SCE will need to bring power back to the 78,000 customers still without electricity as of yesterday afternoon.
Thousands of San Gabriel Valley customers will be receiving refunds from Golden State Water Company after state regulators ruled the San Dimas-based company failed to properly oversee contracts that led to overcharging customers. The CPUC ruled that Golden State must refund Northern California and Southern California customers $9.5 million over the next 3 years and/or lower rates. About $400,000 in refunds will be given to 100,000 Southern California customers, including customers in Charter Oak, Claremont, Covina, Glendora, La Verne, San Dimas, Walnut, San Gabriel, Arcadia, El Monte, Irwindale, Monrovia, Monterey Park, Rosemead and Temple City.
Southern California Edison (SCE) apologizes for power outages that left 430,000 San Gabriel Valley residents in the dark for days, and some for weeks after the November 30-December 1 windstorm.
Wind-swept cities slowly recover from a severe windstorm that blew through the San Gabriel Valley early Thursday morning. Arcadia was hit hard and "city crews and contracts are continuing to work hard to clean roadways," said Arcadia police Lieutenant Tom Leveque. Road closures that remained in effect in Arcadia on Friday morning included: westbound Colorado Street at Santa Anita Avenue; westbound Camino Real Avenue at El Monte Avenue; Longden Avenue between El Monte Avenue and Holly Avenue; Colorado Place between Colorado Boulevard and Huntington Drive; the 200 block of W. Leroy Street; the 1100 block of S. Fifth Avenue.
Southern California Edison (SCE) works to restore power to crisis areas after a destructive 70 mph windstorm hit yesterday early morning, and caused power outages in Pasadena, San Gabriel, Alhambra, Arcadia, Altadena, Monrovia, El Monte, Sierra Madre, Temple City, and San Marino.
With about a dozen Southern California cities, including Arcadia, potentially seeking new city managers this fall, some local officials are worried demand could drive up the salaries. Arcadia City Councilman Roger Chandler, whose city manager Don Penman is retiring in October, after 3 years as top administrator, said the opportunity to work for certain cities will outweigh the competitive market. He said this will not create a bidding war for city managers. Penman's annual salary is $214,032 plus $4000 in deferred compensation. He receives $14,076/year in medical benefits, 4 weeks vacation, 2 weeks management leave, and use of a car and BlackBerry.
Federal legislation aimed at bringing more teachers back in the classroom is providing Pasadena-area school districts with more than $12.3 million, according to the California Department of Education's preliminary figures. Many district officials are wary of immediately using the money to hire teachers, saying they will likely have to lay off the teachers next year. The money comes from President Obama's $26 billion Jobs Bill for teachers and other government jobs. A chart shows preliminary allocations to San Gabriel Valley school districts. Arcadia Unified School District is scheduled to receive $1,667,871.
Individual students and the Arcadia Educational Foundation (AEF) raised about $840,000 for the Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) during its annual appeal last year, enabling the district to reinstate 12 teaching positions. Budget cuts from the state have created "serious challenges" for Arcadia schools over the past 4 years, said AUSD superintendent Joel Shawn.
Southern California Edison (SCE) workers continued their round-the-clock efforts to restore the San Gabriel Valley's power grid following the extensive damage that occurred during early Thursday's windstorm. The hardest hit customer areas were Arcadia, Altadena, Covina, Duarte, El Monte, Montebello, Monrovia, Rosemead, San Gabriel and Temple City. About 135,000 SCE customers remained without electricity.
Environmentalists are using today's date 10/10/10 to rouse global action on the environment. They want "regular people" to work on environmental projects such as installing solar panels, planting trees, and demonstrating against polluters. In Arcadia, the California Institute of Environmental Design and Management will hold an environmental workshop with the Green Net Group today at the Arcadia Eco Home on 8th Avenue.
The restaurant Dave & Buster's at Westfield Santa Anita mall hosted a financial literacy seminar for 350 high school and college students. The seminars were organized by the nonprofit Operation HOPE and the Housing Authority of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County home prices and sales continue to decline. The median price of a Los Angeles County home fell in October to $339,910, down 2.6% from September's price of $349,040. However, Arcadia led all California cities with a 40% jump from last year's median price. Currently the median home price in Arcadia is $856,000. Other San Gabriel Valley area median home prices are given.
Los Angeles County home sales rise slightly in November. Locally, 13 San Gabriel Valley cities saw their median home prices decline in November, while 11 communities posted increases. Arcadia ranked among the 10 California cities with the highest median home prices in November, according to the California Association of Realtors (CAR).
Children's Hospital Los Angeles opened a new outpatient services center at 468 E. Santa Clara Street in Arcadia on November 1. It is a 10,000 square feet facility with specialty services such as ophthalmology, pulmonology, lab and radiology services, pediatric surgery, orthopaedics, gastroenterology and ear, nose and throat. The outpatient clinic is open Monday through Friday.
Seventeen year old La Canada High School student Evanne Elizabeth Friedmann was crowned the 93rd Rose Queen. The 2011 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Royal Court includes Friedmann, Tatyane Anaid Berrios of Arcadia High School, Sarah Frederickson of Maranatha High School, Jessica Montoya of Flintridge Preparatory School, Tenaya Senzaki of Pasadena High School, Kathryn Thomson of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Michelle Washington of Pasadena City College.
Evanne Elizabeth Friedmann was crowned the 93rd Rose Queen by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses President Jeffrey Throop. She is a seventeen year old La Canada High School senior and will reign over the 122nd Rose Parade. Rose Princesses on the Royal Court are Tatyane Anaid Berrios of Arcadia High School, Sarah Frederickson of Maranatha High School, Jessica Montoya of Flintridge Preparatory School, Tenaya Senzaki of Pasadena High School, Kathryn Thomson of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Michelle Washington of Pasadena City College.