Santa Anita Park plans to make at least half of approximately 600 equipment rooms and dormitory rooms available as living quarters for its back-stretch workers.
Bankrupt Santa Anita Park race track will not go on the auction block Tuesday as planned because no acceptable opening bid has been offered. The sale of the track has been postponed. The track has court-sanctioned access to operating funds at least until the first quarter of next year.
Labor officials conducted surprise sweeps Wednesday and Thursday at four California tracks, including Santa Anita Park, looking for violations of overtime and minimum wage laws amongst the backstretch workers.
Drainage problems with the Cushion Track cause the cancellation of races. Santa Anita Park race track executives weigh options including shutting down and moving races to Hollywood Park, or installing a completely new surface.
City officials met with new Santa Anita Park owner Frank Stronach to discuss his plans for the race track. He wants to build a retail and entertainment village and an interactive horse racing theme park.
Concerns about a proposed entertainment complex next to Santa Anita Park race track have been expressed by representatives of three stores in the Santa Anita Fashion Park.
Some residents north of Santa Anita Park are organizing to protest plans to build an enclosed 16,000 capacity concert arena in an unused portion of the race track parking lot.