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.
Nearly 800 schools compete in the Arcadia Invitational, the 56th annual high school meet of stars of track and field, from the state and throughout the country. It is a 2-day competition at Arcadia High School. Photo of South Pasadena High School's Mia Holden.
Pasadena Symphony announces Brett Mitchell as new music director, beginning a 5-year tenure on April 1. The Pasadena Symphony makes up half of the Pasadena Symphony and Pops Organization, and officials said Michael Feinstein will continue as conductor of the Pasadena Pops, which presents an annual summer concert series at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
Jury finds Deyun Shi, guilty of killing nephews in their Arcadia home. Shi is convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the 2016 'revenge' act against estranged wife. See also Pasadena Star News, p. A8, March 13, 2024- Jurors get case of man charged in killings of nephews in Arcadia.
2024 ELECTIONS - Pasadena City College: Four candidates compete for two Board of Trustee seats on the March 5 election. Voters elect a trustess from each of the seven districts in an area that includes Arcadia, a portion of El Monte, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, Rosemead, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, and Temple City. Area 2 candidates are Kevin D. Strotz and James Aragon. Area 6 candidates are Ryan Liu and John Quintanilla.
San Gabriel Mountains-Veterans seeking expansion of forest. Advocates ask White House to add acreage to federal protection. Iraq War veteran Steve Dunwoody leads veterans struggling with PTSD on hikes through the Angeles National Forest. The veterans group joins legislators, cities, tribal, and environmental groups in support of adding forest land to the San Gabriel Mountains monument. The proposed addition borders the cities of Santa Clarita, Monrovia, Arcadia, and Sierra Madre, as well as Los Angeles communities of Sylmar, Tujunga, and Sunland. Twin bills from House of Representatives Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena and U.S. Sentor Alex Padilla, D-Calif. propose an expansion that would grow the monument by one-third.
Bridging the digital divide: Brenda J. Trainor to illuminate the importance of broadband internet access, at Arcadia Coordinating Council meeting on February 5, at Villa Catrina, 251 North Santa Anita Avenue, Arcadia.
Monterey Park mass shooting one year later. City still lives in massacre's shadow. Permanent memorial to the 11 victims is still in planning stages. In Arcadia, doughnut business owners Francois Ung and his wife Shally Ung remember and honor their friend Andy Kao, a victim of the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio on January 21, 2023, with a pledge that they will send proceeds from sales at their Arcadia Donuts store on January 20 and 21 to the Monterey Park Hope and Resiliency Center and the Andy Kao Memorial Ballroom Dance Group to assist funding the nonprofit organizations. See also related article, "Who were the Monterey Park shooting victims? A year later, a reflection," Pasadena Star News, p. A13, January 21, 2024.
Obituary/death notice. Victor Vener, Cal Phil and Pasadena Pops founder, dies at 78. Vener brought outdoor concerts to the Santa Anita Park Race Track, The Arboretum, Descanso Gardens, Rose Bowl, and others.
Arcadia City Council members standing, left to right: Michael Cao, April Verlato, Eileen Wang, Sharon Kwan, and Paul P. Cheng. Seated is Gene Glasco, retiring as City Clerk as of April 16, 2024.
In this week's high school football stat leaders, two are from Arcadia: Keyonn Chatman with 1032 yards, 110 avg, 15 TDs. And Max Yang 6.0 in defensive leading sacks.
Arcadia High School senior Naomi Stillitano was named the Pasadena Tournament of Roses 2024 Rose Queen, the135th Rose Queen. The Royal Court (photo) will ride on a float in the 135th Rose Parade on January 1 and attend the 110th Rose Bowl Game.
The 2024 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Royal Court has a Halloween moment. They spent the evening trick-or-treating at the Tournament House in Pasadena. Naomi Stillitano of Arcadia, who was crowned the Rose Queen last week, was dressed as Cupid from the movie "Valentine's Day."
Classic contender Geaux Rocket Ride suffers serious injury during workout at Santa Anita Park with Mike Smith aboard. Geaux Rocket Ride is one of the leading contenders in next weekend's $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park.
Pasadena Tournament of Roses announces 2024 Rose Queen Naomi Stillitano, a senior from Arcadia High School. She is the 105th Rose Queen, lives in Arcadia, is co-president of Italian Culture Club, a dancer and actress with the Arcadia Stage Theater. Born and raised in Italy for 7 years, with goal to create her own fashion brand, interested in studying fashion design. The Rose Queen and the Rose Court act as ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses, the Pasadena community, and the greater Los Angeles area. Each Royal Court member receives a $7500 educational scholarship.
With the House of Representatives leaderless and legislation going nowhere, President Biden has been urged to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. More cities, elected officials, ask president to use his executive power to add acreage to the area, including Alhambra, Monterey Park, Santa Clarita and South Pasadena. The proposed addition of 109,000 ares to the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument includes forest sections just above the cities of Monrovia, Arcadia, and Sierra Madre, and up to Santa Clarita.
Young women begin journey to becoming 2024 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Rose Queen. More than 30 hopefuls attend first day of Royal Court tryouts at the historic Tournament House on Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena. Former Rose Court members, including Sahanna Rajnikantha of Arcadia, share stories and answer questions from the 2024 Court hopefuls.
Asian night markets share a common language: food. Evening events draw thousands to LA, Orange, and San Diego counties. In 2012, the first 626 Night Market took place at Old Town Pasadena. Then the event moved to Santa Anita Park in Arcadia and it has become a signature event, becoming kind of synonymous with Arcadia, says Jason Kruckeberg, assistant City Manager, and Development Services Director.
Track, music world revered Jerry Moss. Jerry Moss, co-founder of A & M Records in 1962, was known as a big horse racing fan and owner of the great mare Zenyatta, the only female to win Breeders' Cup Classic in 2009 at Santa Anita Park. He was also a member of the California Horse Racing Board. He was 88 when he died on August 16 in his Bel Air home.