Celebrity and super model Tyra Banks' television show "Top Model" did a photo shoot at Santa Anita Park Race Track, using semi-nude models. Pete Siberell, Director of Community Service at Santa Anita Park, described it as "kinda sleazy."
Pasadena Fire Department officials spent more than $320,000 to purchase breathing apparatus from distributor L.N. Curtis and Sons, which is at the center of a lawsuit filed by rival equipment company, Arcadia-based Allstar Fire Equipment against the city and county of Los Angeles. 57 self contained breathing apparatus remain unused at Pasadena Fire Station 34 pending a judge's ruling next month.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Chalfant has voided a $30 million contract that Los Angeles County awarded to L.N. Curtis and Sons for fire equipment. Arcadia-based Allstar Fire Equipment sued the city and county of Los Angeles, claiming the selection process used to award the contract was improperly handled and the judge agreed. The actual funding for the contract came from the federal Department of Homeland Security. The judge's orders require the county to either restart the bidding process or re-evaluate all the bids properly.
A $30 million plan to provide standardized breathing equipment for every fire department in Los Angeles County has been suspended after a lawsuit alleged the contract process was mishandled and firefighters complained about the quality of the equipment. Arcadia-based Allstar Fire Equipment is suing the city and county of Los Angeles, contending the contract process was improperly handled in a manner that ignored firefighter input and unfairly favored the winning bidder, L.N. Curtis and sons.
Two bank robberies in the past three weeks are believed to have been committed by the same suspect. In both cases, the robber wore a blonde wig under a dark baseball cap, carried a manila envelope and said, "Hurry up" to tellers. He displays a handgun under his shift and is a white man in his 30s or 40s, of average height and weight.
Dr. Stephen Liu, CEO and chairman of the board of Tomato Bank, is shown in photo. Tomato Bank is opening a branch in Arcadia at 1317 S. Baldwin Avenue with a grand opening celebration on Saturday.