The Arcadia Redevelopment Agency voted unanimously to begin condemnation proceedings of a property at 156 Santa Clara Street. The agency wants to claim the land for retail stores and office buildings. Eminent domain proceedings were begun since the city and the owners of the property have not been able to agree on the value of the property.
Arcadia police arrested two Arcadia High School students 16, and 15, in connection with a December 11 racial incident in which a cross was burned and anti-Asian epithets were scrawled on the front yard of a home in the 200 block of Arbolada Drive. The two boys were booked for damaging property based on ethnic origin and were released to the custody of their parents.
The 49-year-old Anoakia School, facing a June deadline for relocation, has opted for local print advertising. Owner Lowry McCaslin apparently wants to develop the property at Foothill Blvd. and Baldwin Ave. However, the school also has numerous city fire code violations and a building that is not up to seismic standards. The school currently has 279 students from K-8th grade.
John Allsbury, 39, the Arcadia auto broker accused of felony grand theft, was found guilty of nine felony counts of grand theft and nine misdemeanor counts of operating his auto brokerage without a state license. Sentencing was scheduled for March 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Arcadia George A. Bolton, social science instructor at San Bernardino Valley College and Craafton Hills College, Yucaipa, has been included in the recent edition of "Who's Who in California." Bolton is a staff analyst for the department of environmental health services for San Bernardino County, while continuing to teach part-time at the colleges. He was honored after a personal/training study he published received national attention.
The Arcadia Rotary Club awarded grants totaling $4,990 to 17 teachers at the February 13 Arcadia Board of Education meeting. Grants ranging from $175 to $300 were given to individual teachers to help with special classroom projects. The teachers represented 5 of the 6 Arcadia elementary schools, all 3 junior high schools and both Arcadia and Huntington high schools.
Ten Arcadia High School students have been selected as National Merit finalists, placing them among 14,000 competing for the 6100 available Merit Scholarships. The seniors are Kenneth Branson, Sidney Chung, Enrique Colayco, Bonnie Flinn, Norbert Hsu, Jacqueline Luk, Douglas McCreary, Regina Momblanco, David Park and Henry Tseng.
Police have arrested nine people who are believed to be members of a San Gabriel Valley Asian gang that has been under investigation in recent months for terrorizing local Asian youths. Four adults and five juveniles were taken into custody after police linked them with a February 15 kidnapping, attempted extortion and assault.
Jason Koh, 13, a student at First Avenue Junior High School, was named Los Angeles Theater Organ Society Organist of the Year for his performance at the Sexson Auditorium at Pasadena City College.
Rebecca Switzer, a math instructor at Arcadia High School, was one of 10 Los Angeles County teachers selected as a finalist in the Jaime Escalante Mathematics Teacher Awards program.
Mayor Roger Chandler lost his bid for re-election as challengers George Fasching and Joseph Ciraulo and incumbent Robert Harbicht were elected to the Arcadia City Council. Fasching led with 27.2% of the vote, followed by Ciraulo with 22.1% and Harbicht with 19.8%.
Incumbent councilwoman Mary Young is scheduled to take the gavel as the new Mayor of Arcadia. In the election, about 22% of the city's 25,000 registered voters participated. Here are the final results: George Fasching, 27.2%, 3996, Roger Chandler, 14.7%, 2162, Joseph Ciraulo, 22.1%, 3242, Charles Chivetta, 9.4% 1368, Robert Harbicht, 19.8%, 2907, Eileen Stephan, 6.9% 1014
Mary Young, the only woman in Arcadia's history to serve 2 terms as mayor and only the second on the city council, was unanimously elected as mayor while Charles Gilb was elected mayor pro-tem by the newly formed city council.
First Avenue Junior High was one of 3 area schools to receive the state Dept. of Education's Distinguished High School and Middle School Awards. Arcadia's Foothill Jr. High received the award in 1988. The other winners included San Marino High School and the L. A. County High School for the Arts at Cal State Los Angeles.
23 "heroes and heroines" in the Arcadia Unified School District were honored by the Board of Education in the first "Profiles in Excellence" awards. The awards were presented to "individuals who maintain a standard of excellence in their work and who represent those values and qualities which make Arcadia a special place for students." Names and positions of winners are given.
Sandi McQuilkin, a volunteer at Holly Avenue Elementary School, has received the Golden Apple Award for her service to the community. The award, given for outstanding community leadership, is sponsored by the Northwest San Gabriel Valley Administrators Association.