District Attorney Jackie Lacey finds no crime or wrongdoing in horse deaths. Prosecutor says there is no evidence owners, jockeys or trainers knowingly raced injured animals at Santa Anita Park over the past year. Since July 2018, 56 horses have died at Arcadia race track. Of those, 34 died while running on Santa Anita's main dirt track. Santa Anita Park averages about 2.04 deaths per 1000 racing starts, according to the Jockey Club. The national average in 2018 was 1.68 deaths per 1000 starts. The District Attorney's report includes 27 recommended changes to improve safety and reduce fatalities. See also same story at Arcadia Weekly, p. 2, December 26, 2019.
Santa Anita Park opens Friday September 27 for 23-day Autumn Meet. A team of equine veterinarians, including Dr. Dionne Benson and Dr. Dana Stead, will oversee every aspect of Santa Anita Park's training and racing operation.
Arcadia opens first Veterans' Administration (VA) clinic in the San Gabriel Valley area in eight years, called the Interim San Gabriel Valley Community Based Outpatient Clinic, located at 7 West Foothill Boulevard, Arcadia. It is called interim because this is a temporary location. This is a branch of the West Los Angeles VA Hospital. In an email from Gene Glasco, elected City Clerk, after years of advocacy, this veterans health clinic had its grand opening celebration on August 23, 2019.
Santa Anita Park. In another major reform growing out of the deaths of 23 horses at Santa Anita Park, California state regulatory agency to order thorough exams in future race horse deaths.
Arcadia. Is horse racing addicted to drugs? Medication use is widespread, and critics say it contributes to deaths like those at Santa Anita Park. Half of the three dozen horses that died at Santa Anita Park in the 12 months before the current meet were on at least one anti-inflammatory medication, a major focal point in the investigation into equine deaths at the racetrack. Critics argue overuse of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDs, masks the injuries of horses and increases the chances of a fatal breakdown. The California Horse Racing Board’s research indicates 90% of breaks stem from preexisting injuries. Animal rights organizations say these medications likely contributed to the deaths of 23 horses at Santa Anita Park since the season began December 26, 2018.
Legislation. In the wake of 23 horse deaths at Santa Anita Park, California legislators are pushing for a new bill that targets racetrack oversight. It would allow state to suspend a venue’s license over safety concerns. Senator Bill Dodd, Democrat-Napa, and Assemblyman Adam Gray, Democrat-Merced, introduced the legislation and announced plans to have a joint oversight hearing on horse racing safety in the next month.
Los Angeles County Arboretum. $8 million cleanup and restoration of Baldwin Lake sought. Flood control district assigns funding; expense to go before supervisors in July. Baldwin Lake is severely polluted centerpiece of the county Arboretum, visited by 400,000 people annually. The 144-year-old lake, dug out by 19th century real estate pioneer Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin on his estate, has been dying a slow death because of the accumulation of street runoff laced with heavy metals, automobile brake fragments and other chemicals that create algae blooms and strong odors. Supervisor Kathryn Barger is championing the project.
Racing returns to Santa Anita Park and another tragedy strikes as horse named Arms Runner fell on the dirt track crossover and had to be euthanized. This was the 23rd horse death since December 23. Trumpeter Jay Cohen was back after three months out with Bell's Palsy.
Santa Anita Park race track gets into the holiday spirit. The park’s inaugural Winterfest, which launched over the weekend, continues through December 23. The park has transformed into a winter wonderland, giving people the chance to ice skate beneath towering pine trees and dance in snowfall amid 70-degree temperatures. Other activities include holiday movies, a giant snow globe photo booth, a petting zoo, food, shopping, an obstacle course and other rides.
Inaugural Winterfest in Arcadia debuts November 23. It’ll be a veritable winter wonderland at Santa Anita Park race track’s infield, with ice skating, a Christmas tree lot, Santa’s Village, carolers, pony rides, 80 pop-up vendors, seasonal foods and more.
Six Arcadia police recruits graduate from Rio Hondo Police Academy. They are pictured with Arcadia Police Chief Bob Guthrie and captains Larry Goodman and Paul Foley. They will be swon in as police officers and start their two week orientation on July 16. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 1, 10-July 19, 2018.
Arcadia Seabiscuit Pacifica Project-Phase 2 calls for revised mixed-use project. Arcadia City Council decided on July 3 they want to see more artists' renderings of what Phase 2 will ultimately look like, before going ahead with the $300 million hotel project on the former Santa Anita inn site. The applicant Chateau Group is also requesting to merge the two abutting properties a 100 and 180 West Huntington Drive into the Specific Plan area and change the General Plan Land use Designation from "Commercial with Downtown Overlay" to "Downtown Mixed Use," to revise the General Plan Land Use Map to reflect the changes, rezone the properties from "General Commercial with Downtown Overlay" to "Seabiscuit Pacifica Specific Plan," and include a Height Overlay of H8 on 180 West Huntington Drive to allow a portion of the mixed-use building on that property. The Santa Anita Inn was a 2-story hotel comprised of 6 buildings, 110 rooms, 34,775 s.f., that was originally constructed in 1955 and remodeled in 1985.
4th Annual Downtown Arcadia Patriotic Festival, an Independence Day celebration, takes place on First Avenue between Bonita Street and Diamond Street, Sunday, July 1, 5-9 PM.
Arcadia Rotary uneils monument to Veterans at Arcadia Community Center. Funds to build it came from Arcadia Field of Honor (temporary flags at Arcadia County Park) put on by Arcadia Rotary Club, a generous gift from Mary E. Hansen, as well as funds from Santa Anita Park Race Track. The monument consists of seven pillars of granite, each dedicated to the various branches of service: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines.
Spotlight on Stephanie Aikin and her business Move Your Mountain Fitness, located at 120 E. Santa Clara Street in downtown Arcadia. It is a studio for personal and semi-private fitness training. Most of her clients are over age 55, baby boomers, but her business serves all ages.
Matt Denny's: past and future success. Matt McSweeny talks about his early days owning Matt Denny's restaurant at 145 E. Huntington Drive, opened in 1997 and thanks the people who supported it for 19 years. He has sold it to new owner Long Nguyen.