A statue to honor Anita M. Baldwin, daughter of Arcadia's founder Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin, will be built at the new Le Meridien Hotel, a luxury hotel in Arcadia. The artist/sculptor is Alfred Paredes, who also created the Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin statue.
Le Meridien hotel by Marriott in Arcadia is taking shape. Photo. The site of the former Santa Anita Inn, now razed, is the site for an ambitious new $300 million hotel and mixed-use condominium project opposite the Santa Anita Park racetrack. Contruction has been swift, but delayed a bit this week due to the rain. Developer Chateau Group USA held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project on June 27, 2018.
Woman ahead of her time honored. Anita May Baldwin statue to debut at Le Meridien Hotel. She was philanthropist, key figure in racetrack. The statue is named "A Legacy of Charity," by artist Alfred Paredes.
Woman gets 20 years in prison for bilking investors. Ruixue "Serena" Shi, 38, of Arcadia, bilked investors in a Southern California hotel and condominium project of at least $26 million. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 8, 14, November 24, 2022.
Arcadia through the years: Mayor Paul Cheng hosts 48th Annual Community Breakfast and State of the City on September 6, 2023 at Le Meridien hotel at 130 West Huntington Drive. Ed Andersen of Arcadia Historical Society and Rotchana Sussman, owner of White Springs Cafe, are featured speakers.
Anita Baldwin statue to be unveiled at Le Méridien Hotel in Arcadia
The Anita May Baldwin statue at the Le Méridien Hotel will be unveiled on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 at 11 a.m. Anita is the daughter of city founder, Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin. The statue will be featured on the opposite end of the Huntington Drive islands’ hotel property.
“We are very excited to be bringing Anita back to Arcadia,” said Mayor Sho Tay in a statement released by the city. “I would like to thank the Shen, Liu and Chen Families, Jeff Lee, the Dextra Baldwin McGonagle Foundation, Heather D. Gibson and Margaux L. Gibson, and the Arcadia Historical Society, for their generous donations.”
“On behalf of the Baldwin family, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Arcadia City Council, the Arcadia Historical Society, the Le Méridien Hotel and all those who have supported this effort to pay homage to my great-great grandmother, Anita May Baldwin,” said Margaux Gibson. “This magnificent statue of Anita will showcase a strong woman who was ahead of her time. I am proud to call Anita May Baldwin my great-great grandmother, and I am truly proud to be a part of this historic project.”
The Anita statue was sculpted by local artist and southern California native Alfred Paredes — who created the Lucky Baldwin statue on the corner of Huntington Drive and Holly Avenue — and is aptly named, “A Legacy of Charity” in honor of Anita’s contributions to life in early Arcadia and throughout California.
Arcadia woman Ruixue "Serena" Shi, 37, pleaded guilty to soliciting $22.8 million in funds for a condominium and hotel project scheme. The crime is one federal count of wire fraud, which has a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 3, 7, October 28, 2021.
Unveiling of Anita May Baldwin statue brings peace and beauty. Anita May Baldwin was dedicated down the road from the statue of her father, Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin. The statue was unveiled yesterday at the official grand opening of the Le Meridien Hotel on Huntington Drive in Arcadia. The statue is called "A Legacy of Charity," made by artist Alfred Paredes.
Ruixue "Serena" Shi, 36, of Arcadia, was arrested for allegedly swindling more than $20 million that was solicited for funding a condominium and hotel complex called Hyde Resorts and Residences in Coachella Valley. Shi was president and owner of Global House Buyer (GHB), a China-based real estate development company, and also was CEO of the Beverly Hills-based company Hyde Morgan Development, LLC.
Arcadia resident, Ruixue "Serena" Shi, gets 20-year sentence for Coachella Valley fraud involving $22.8 million in funds for a condominium and hotel complex called Hyde Resorts and Residences Coachella Valley. Shi was president and owner of Global House Buyer (GHB), a China-based real estate development company, and also was CEO of the Beverly Hills-based company Hyde Morgan Development, LLC. Chinese investors in the Hyde project were falsely promised visas through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program.
First phase of Le Meridien Hotel taking shape across from Santa Anita Park. Ground broke more than two years ago. The five-story building, on the site formerly occupied by the Santa Anita Inn (its address was 130 West Huntington Drive), was set to open first quarter of 2020, but it has been delayed. It will have a combination of Art Deco elements, inspired by nearby Santa Anita Park, with Modernist features. Architecture firm Architects Orange, interior design firm Linda Snyder Associates, and Snyder Langston is the construction team building the Le Meridien development that spans 6.5 acres.
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