Stein Mart's bankruptcy to eliminate most stores. The combined effects of a challenging retail environment coupled with the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have caused significant distress in Stein Mart's business. More than 40 retailers have filed for Chapter 11, including more than two dozen retailers who filed since the pandemic began, such as America's oldest retailer Lord & Taylor, J. Crew, J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus, among others. Papyrus, a mall-based retailer of stationery and upscale greeting cards announced in January it would be closing all 254 of its US and Canadian stores, including 19 in Southern California (including Arcadia at Westfield Santa Anita mall).
Mall buyer a local resident. Wen Shan Chang, 71, of Bradbury, is new proprietor of The Shops at Santa Anita, formerly owned by Westfield. It was sold in August for $537.5 million. The property is at 400 South Baldwin Avenue and is now called The Shops at Santa Anita. Mall is 1.48 million square feet. Chang purchased it from France-based Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield in a sale considered the largest for a mall in the U.S. since 2018. The Arcadia mall site has been thriving through Asian retailers catering to the large Asian community in Arcadia and San Gabriel Valley.
Santa Anita Park faces suits from former Human Resources head over COVID-19 protocols. Plaintiff Jill Eknoian-Lopez alleges she was forced to resign in 2021 after experiencing a backlash when she complained the company was not following a safe coronavirus protocol. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 15, March 23, 2023.
2020 ELECTIONS - Outcomes for boards of college districts - Open seats draw range of challengers to lead local higher education. Citrus Community College
In Area 2, Laura Bollinger had an early lead over Joseph Hamer Salas for the Citrus Community College District race.
The Citrus Community College District encompasses Azusa, Bradbury, Claremont, Duarte, Glendora, Monrovia, and portions of San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Arcadia, Covina and Irwindale. The district enrolls more than 20,000 students.
Novel coronavirus Arcadia update. There are currently no reported cases of the COVID-19 virus in the city of Arcadia. Local officials are monitoring the situation and will provide updates through city website and social media. As of Tuesday, March 10, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom said there are 157 positive cases and one death in California.
Los Angeles County stores, worship services okay to open with restrictions on capacity, behavior, after weeks in a slow and cautious gear amid the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. Los Angeles County's health order amended yesterday aligns itself with state guidance, allowing in-store retail sales and worship services that have gone silent since the initial shutdown on March 19.
Chinese company's Arcadia subsidiary to pay more than $1 million in Los Angeles City Hall bribery case. Jia Yuan USA Co., Inc. part of China-based Shenzhen Hazens, is a developer that bribed LA City officials to secure official acts to benefit their real estate projects.
On April 28, Arcadia Police Department hosts first in-person Coffee-with-a-Cop event since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, at the Bowlero in the Westfield Santa Anita mall. Prior to the pandemic, coffee was held once every 3 months. Arcadia Police Chief Roy Nakamura, five lieutenants, several sergeants, and volunteer police attended, along with some city council members.
Horse euthanized two days before new season starts at Santa Anita Park. Truest Reward, a 3-year-old gelding died during a period when the track was closed to workouts but open for jogging and galloping. The horse broke its left front leg on the training track, which is considered the safest surface. This is the 38th horse to die at the track since December 2018.
Two related stories.
Early to the party - Voting: Poll workers say regional centers are swamped on first day of in-person balloting.
Scattered paper jams, tech glitches don’t spoil first in-person day at the polls. many of 2020’s early voters showed up to voting centers before they even opened on Saturday, Oct. 24, the first day of in-person balloting in Los Angeles County.
But much to the relief of voters and elections officials, the kind of polling-place meltdowns that left voters angered and election officials worried back in March, when the county debuted its $300 million network of vote centers, did not repeat. Back in March, for the primary, many voters were left seething after tech glitches delayed the opening of some sites and even forced the Hollywood site to close down.
But Saturday’s voting played out much more smoothly. And when issues did pop up, they appeared to have been resolved quickly in most cases.
Behind the scenes, poll workers reported paper jams and other tech issues, some of which caused short delays.
Many voters were certainly eager to cast their ballots. Several voting centers saw a line wrapped around the building before they opened. Such hubs included large polling locations, such as the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Arcadia, stocked with 45 of the county’s new voting devices.
Flash-mob robbers target Macy's at The Shops at Santa Anita, the mall in Arcadia. At least 5 people with large bags ransacked a macy's store on Tuesday during a flash-mob robbery. Arcadia Police Department responded to the mall at 400 block of Baldwin Avenue at 1:10 P.M. They stole various boxed sets of perfume, ran, and drove away in a black 4-door sedan.
Lawsuit filed against the City of Arcadia seeking an injunction against Mayor Sho Tay running for re-election on the November 2022 ballot. The City of Arcadia Charter limits City Council to two consecutive terms. He was appointed to City Council in 2018 when he ran unopposed for District 3. The suit challenges whether or not the term limits apply to Mayor Sho Tay, who is running for a third time.
Updated homeless ordinance in Arcadia raises more questions than answers. Arcadia installs 65 "No Camping" signs within city limits. The anti-camping ordinance, updated in 2021, makes accommodations for people experiencing homelessness that are camping by necessity, but does so in a way that is consistent with case law and includes restrictions on where, when and in what manner camping is allowed on public property.
Two horses die in the span of two days from training injuries at Santa Anita Park racetrack. They were named Cayton Kid and Magnolia. Track officials noted the number of fatalities dropped sharply from 2019, when 42 horses died. According to Santa Anita Park, 17 horses died at the track in 2020 and 12 died last year. The track's safety rate has improved by 43% compared to last year.
Track, music world revered Jerry Moss. Jerry Moss, co-founder of A & M Records in 1962, was known as a big horse racing fan and owner of the great mare Zenyatta, the only female to win Breeders' Cup Classic in 2009 at Santa Anita Park. He was also a member of the California Horse Racing Board. He was 88 when he died on August 16 in his Bel Air home.
Santa Anita-based 'Free Animal Doctor' continues to help pet owners with needed services. Now entering its second year, Free Animal Doctor, a non-profit provides free veterinary services to dogs and cats, and is located in Santa Anita Park's parking lot 7. It opened on September 15, 2020. Free Animal Doctor utilizes Crowdfunding to raise monies for specific pets. Co-founder is Sam Bernardo. Spaying and neutering are available. See freeanimaldoctor.org or call 626-487-7129 for more information.
Los Angeles County saw its biggest bump in coronavirus cases within recent weeks Friday (yesterday). LA County reported 1,401 new cases and 34 new deaths, bringing the official human toll of the virus to 265,776 and 6,488 deaths, not including Long Beach and Pasadena, which operate their own public health departments. Photo: an empty Westfield Santa Anita mall that is closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, is seen in March.
Santa Anita Park ready to open 84th winter-spring meet with new turf course. The new turf chute will accommodate sprints up to 6 1/2 furlongs. Nate Newby is the new General Manager, who began as an intern in 2002. COVID-19 repercussions make it difficult to run the track but there have been no fatalities over Santa Anita's main track during afternoon racing in 2020, following a disastrous 2019, when 37 horses had to be euthanized.
Malls taking different paths with operations. San Gabriel Valley: some in the region are bucking trend and staying open, with reduced hours during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Westfield Santa Anita (in photo) is mostly empty, with only a few stores and food places open in Arcadia. While malls in many parts of Southern California have temporarily closed because of the possible spread of the novel coronavirus, Westfield in Arcadia, the Shops at Montebello, and Plaza West Covina have remained open, but with reduced hours.