Arcadia seeking volunteers for charter review committee to update the City's charter, a document that defines the organization, its powers, functions and essential procedures. Last review update was 1998.
City of Arcadia to place three measures on November 8, 2022 ballot. 1. Proposed City Charter Amendment Measure. The City Charter was last amended in 1998. The citizen-led Charter Review Committee recommends updates to mirror changes in state laws since 1998 and to reflect current local government standards, to include a) mirroring changes in state laws to increase voter turnout by moving the date of regularly scheduled city council elections from April in even-numbered years to the November Statewide General Election in even-numbered years. b) recognizing the city's change to by-district elections as required by California Voting Rights Act. c) Creating a rotation of mayor and mayor pro tem positions every 9.5 months to allow all council members to serve during their term. d) Change position of City Clerk from elected to appointed. e) other amendments to streamline government, utilize technology and increase transparency. 2. Two measures to increase locally controlled funding. One measure would increase Arcadia's local tax on stays at hotels and motels from 10% to 12%--similar rate to many neighboring cities. The other measure would enact a local tax on sports wagers if sports betting becomes legal in California through State Proposition 26, also on the November ballot
Arcadia City Council does not pursue ballot iniative on home building rules. As the city's effort to update the zoning code continues into the new year, the Arcadia City Council briefly considered sponsoring its own voter initiative to rival a measure from residents that is currently the subject of a petition to qualify for an upcoming election ballot, but City Council decided against pursuing its own ballot iniative because the petition process would not conclude in time to qualify for the April ballot.
If Proposition 68 is approved on the 2004 ballot, slot machines will be operated at Santa Anita Park. This is a statewide initiative about which City of Arcadia officials remained neutral.
Two Charter amendments will be on the April 9th ballot: 1. Would increase from 2 to 3 the number of consecutive 4 year terms a Councilman may serve and change the residence requirement from 2 years to 1. 2. Provides for a municipal election in February with offices to be filled by those candidates who receive the highest number of votes. However, if no candidate receives at least 40% of the votes cast, a run-off election would be held in April.
Arcadia voters will have an opportunity to vote for a change in the city charter at the April 10 election. A majority vote will be required to elect future members to the City Council of amendment is passed.
Ballot initiative targeting large scale homes in Arcadia (often referred to as McMansions) will not make it on the ballot after all. The city clerk's office discovered a discrepancy in the number of qualifying signatures. Saving Arcadia is the local activist group behind the initiative.
Zoning codes: Arcadia measure on mansionization qualifies for ballot. If adopted the initiative would create a citywide floor area ratio (FAR) which would set much tighter restrictions on square footage. Lisa Mussenden said it could be on the ballot as soon as November 2016 or as late as April 2018. Saving Arcadia is the group behind the initiative.
Former mayor Jim Helms proposed a charter change that would require a runoff election if no candidate for City Council received at least 50 percent of the vote. In the last election, no candidate received 50 percent.
Measure A seeks to repeal utility users tax in Arcadia, on the April 12 ballot. The utility users tax is a source of revenue expected to generate $7 million for the city this year. Arcadia charges residents 7% for gas, water, and electricity, and 5% for telephone on utility bills. The city estimates each household pays less than $10 per person per month on average. The tax is 12.5% of the city's $54.9 million general fund budget. If repealed, it would mean a 12.5% cut to city services, including cutting 12 police officers, closing a fire department, increasing blight, street sweeping would be reduced from weekly to every other week. Programs for children and seniors would be eliminated and library and museum hours would be reduced significantly. Larry Papp helped author the initiative.
At the City Planning Commission's General Plan Update meeting on April 29, 1996, an announcement was made that Santa Anita Realty had withdrawn its application for development of an entertainment center.
Cautious concern is the reaction of public officials to a comment by Santa Anita Park race track spokesman, Robert Sweeney, that the track could go out of business if Proposition 37 passes this November. Jim Helms, chairman of the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce's Legislative Committee said that his group opposes the Lottery Initiative in part because it could reduce revenue to Santa Anita and the city.
A charter amendment providing that council candidates in order to win must have a majority of votes cast or face a run-off will be on Arcadians' ballots in December 13 election, if there is an election.
Anti-mansionization goes to the ballot. Zoning code issue continues as anti-mansionization group Saving Arcadia (an outgrowth of Save the Arcadia Highlands) takes it to the ballot in April 2018. At issue are Floor Area Ratios (FAR). See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 1, 17, April 7, 2016-initiative did not make it onto ballot because of signature discrepancy.
Howard Jarvis, the father of Proposition 13, spent an hour in Arcadia, knocking down the "straw man" arguments he said were being put up against the property tax initiative. Prop. 13 would reduce property taxes in California to 1 percent of what market value was in 1975-1976, plus whatever is necessary to pay off current bonded indebtedness. A 2 percent annual inflation rate is written into the constitutional amendment.
Plan to consolidate elections debated. City Council and Board of Education informally discussing consolidating their elections, would require charter change.