The 75th anniversary of Santa Anita Park was celebrated with festivities including a parade of Budweiser Clydesdales and the unveiling of sculptor Nina Kaiser's life-size bronze statue of the race horse John Henry. The article includes a list of people in attendance at the party in the Directors' Room.
Arcadia considers rate tiers for water use. Santa Anita Park race track, Los Angeles County Arboretum, Westfield Shoppingtown, and the two golf courses are Arcadia's biggest users. The tiered rate structure means that users would be charged more per gallon once they cross certain thresholds.
Santa Anita Park race track will unveil a 1000-pound bronze statue of popular race horse John Henry and a historical marker covering 75 years of the race track's history, as part of its 75th anniversary this Saturday. The bronze statue cost more than $100,000. The marker was done by the Arcadia Historical Society.
Many San Gabriel Valley cities are seeing an increase in property tax revenues in the 2009-2010 fiscal year, namely San Marino, Arcadia, Bradbury, Alhambra and South Pasadena. Arcadia's property tax revenue is expected to be $3,359,282.80 compared to $3,294,314.77 in 2008-2009. Other cities' figures are given. In the average city, property taxes make up 11% of the city budget.
Arcadia city officials adopt a 5-year redevelopment plan. The major goals are the expansion of the Rusnak Mercedes Benz auto dealership, development around the future Gold Line station and several affordable housing programs. The city demolished the Church of Arcadia's old building at 21 Morlan Place in September to make room for a parking lot that could be used by Rusnak.
An Arcadia family was terrorized and victimized at gunpoint in a home invasion robbery. The robbers choked the father of the family until he gave them cash and threatened to return to kill the family if they called police. The robbery occurred in the 100 block of West Forest Avenue. It is not known if this crime is related to the robbery of an elderly couple in Arcadia last week.
Measure R, by which voters approved a half-cent sales tax last November, was to fund dozens of new transportation projects across Los Angeles County. However, rather than launch new projects, several San Gabriel Valley cities plan to use the windfall to keep municipal bus routes and Dial-a-Ride shuttles in operation. Arcadia may store up some of the funding it is due to receive, 290,000 this year and $496,000 next year, for a larger project down the line, said Transportation Services Manager Linda Hui. Possible projects include funding part of a grade separation at a future Gold Line station in Arcadia, or funding other Gold Line station enhancements, such as shuttle services. Street improvements are also a possibility for Arcadia.
In William Cottrell's trial, the jury never got to hear evidence about his Asperger's Syndrome. Judge R. Gary Klausner ruled that Asperger's could not be introduced at trial as a legal defense. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Klausner's ruling was a mistake and tossed out Cottrell's arson convictions, leaving only the conspiracy count. Last week Cottrell was re-sentenced to the original 100-month term for the conspiracy conviction, after prosecutors declined to retry the arson counts. One reason federal officials declined was because they did not want Asperger's Syndrome established as a viable legal defense.
Former Caltech graduate student William "Billy" Cottrell was re-sentenced to serve at least 18 more months in prison for participating in a vandalism spree in the San Gabriel Valley in 2003.
9-year-old Maria Lugo came to Arcadia Arcadia Methodist Hospital from Mexico to have a steel plate removed from her chin. It was a follow-up surgery to a softball-size tumor removal she had in April, 2008, at Arcadia Methodist Hospital. Dr. Jon Tyrell, a member of LIGA International, and Dr. B.S. Chandrasekhar operated on her. LIGA International is a non-profit group of medical experts, pilots and volunteers who travel to clinics in Sinaloa, Mexico several times a year.
A new exhibit at the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum is about the Santa Anita Assembly Center, a temporary facility at Santa Anita Park that held Japanese Americans before they were sent to more permanent internment camps during World War II. The opening reception will feature speakers Osamu Miyamoto, Akkiko Nomura and others. Dana Dunn is the curator.
World War II pilot Walter "Pat" Hollywood, a longtime Arcadia resident, celebrated Veterans Day and his 90th birthday yesterday. He was born in Pasadena in 1919 and served as an Army C-46 Commando pilot during World War II. He works out at the Fortanesce and Associates Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Center in Arcadia and walks for an hour at the Los Angeles County Arboretum every day.
William Cottrell's (aka Billy Cottrell), a former Caltech physics student who was in prison for participating in firebombing 100 vehicles in the San Gabriel Valley (Duarte, Arcadia, West Covina) in 2003, will be resentenced. The federal court has dropped arson charges against him but he remains convicted on a conspiracy charge. He could be released or face more prison time.
Kevin Modesti writes about the race horse Zenyatta, winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park. Zenyatta stunned the world's fastest thoroughbreds with a last-to-first rally in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic. Zenyatta is owned by Jerry and Ann Moss. Jerry Moss is the co-founder of A & M Records (with Herb Alpert) and was named after an album by 1980s rock group The Police.
The Breeders' Cup, known as the world championship of horse racing, was held at Santa Anita Park last Friday and Saturday. The event has helped the local economy in Arcadia, with an estimated $50 million spent on restaurants, hotels, wagering, taxis, etc.
Life is Sweet (race horse) was the winner of the Grade I $2 million Ladies' Classic at the Breeders' Cup XXVI. Rider Garrett Gomez and Life is Sweet are shown in a photo. More recap and news is in an accompanying article "Europeans seek another Classic performance."
Natalie Innocenzi, 17, of Arcadia, and student at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, was crowned the 92nd Rose Queen, by 17-year-old Dominic DiSano, son of the late Gary DiSano, the recently deceased President of the Tournament of Roses.
Isaac Campbell, an Alhambra man charged with the murder of Liya "Jessie" Lu, appeared in court for a hearing on Tuesday and was ordered to return to court December 3, 2009. He is being held on $1 million bail. He allegedly stuffed her body in a trash can in Arcadia.
Helen Meredith is the founder of Pegasus Ranch in Tehachapi, CA, a place where 60 retired thoroughbreds live. She is struggling financially and estimates that the United Pegasus Foundation is $80,000 in debt. Some of the famous race horses there are Cardmania, winner of the 1993 Breeders' Cup Spring at Santa Anita Park, Music Merci (another Breeders' Cup veteran), Time to Pass, Sand Lizard, and Kingdom Found.