Creative Housing Options in Arcadia (CHOA). Local efforts to address the lack of affordable housing and homelessness. On Saturday, April 20, 2024, a group of about 30 community members met at The Hills Church in Arcadia for a 2-hour "Sharing Session" to learn about what is being done in the city to address these issues. Safe Parking Programs were discussed. Arcadia City Council member Eileen L. Wang and Arcadia Mayor April Verlato attended.
Longtime Arcadia City Clerk Gene Glasco retires. Glasco has served 12 years as its elected City Clerk. In 2022, Arcadia voters approved an update to the City Charter that eliminated the position of the elected City Clerk. With Glasco's retirement, the City Manager will appoint a City Clerk. Most of the traditional City Clerk duties are currently performed by professional staff in the City Manager's Office, ensuring uninterrupted service to the public. Photo of Glasco with Arcadia City Council. See press release dated April 18, 2024 in VF for full-text.
Los Angeles County National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists named. They will now compete for a share of scholarships worth almost $28 million. Those from Arcadia High School students are Isaac Cheng, Hongji Dai, Casey R. Kim, Kaitlyn A. Kwan, Caroline J. Ji, Jeffrey Oo, Steven H. Shi, Philip Tan, William Wong, Felicia Ye, Katelyn A. Yu.
Non-profit group Free Animal Doctor seeks to build a full service non-profit veterinary clinic at Santa Anita Park racetrack through donations and crowdfunding. The website is FreeAnimalDoctor.org.
Interior view of Rod's Grill showing customers eating at the counter, sitting in colorful turquoise seats. Waitresses and cooks can be seen in the kitchen area, as well as a portion of two of the historic photos that the restaurant displayed on its walls. Rod's was located at 41 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia, along Historic Route 66, from 1957 through February 2023.
Exterior view of Rod's Grill showing the south side of restaurant with its rock mosaic wall and both the sign on the front of the building and the pole sign bearing its name that stands on the west side. Customers can be seen waiting outside. Rod's was located at 41 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia, along Historic Route 66, from 1957 through February 2023.
Let's talk about fungus and China dolls. Columnist Joshua Siskin writes about gardening and having seen a mature China doll plant at the Arboretum that was thriving in partial sun.
210 Freeway closure five days affecting eastbound Interstate-210 from Wednesday, August 17 through Tuesday, August 23 for the San Gabriel River Bridge Hinge Replacement Project.
Arcadia Methodist Hospital changing names today as it partners with USC Health System. It is now USC Arcadia Hospital. The affiliation with USC will augment existing services at the medical center, tapping into the USC Keck's resources as an academic institution and high-level research and expertise. Dan Ausman is the president and CEO of USC Arcadia Hospital. The hospital has 348 beds. Ausman said the hospital has a 120 year history, dating back to its origins of 5 beds inside a two-story house on Hewitt Street in downtown Los Angeles. From there it moved to Hope Street (Los Angeles) and then to Arcadia, in 1957. The hospital delivers nearly 2000 babies each year and treats 50,000+ in its emergency department.
All-Area Baseball. Pasadena Star News names Mike Ebner of Maranatha High School, as Player of the Year. All-Area team consists of four from Arcadia: Pitcher Ian Hoffstetter, Infielders Danny Chavez, Alex Dolan, and Jack Esguerra.
Tiara Westbrook's two homers power Arcadia High School softball team into the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs. The two three-run homers by Westbrook, a junior, carried Arcadia past visiting St. Paul 6-4 in a first-round game. Arcadia High School faces Don Lugo in the second round of the playoffs.
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.
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.
Twenty-nine finalists are in the running for the 2022 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Royal Court. Five of them are from Arcadia High School--Sebina Rothschild, Rylie Harada, Parisa Haq, Anya Yang, and Swetha Somasundaram.