Los Angeles County - Here’s who’s running in local Assembly races on the November 3 ballot. California State Assembly District 49: Edwin Chau (D) vs. Burton Brink (R)
The district:Parts of Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Montebello, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, South El Monte, and Temple City.
California Governor Gavin Newsom appoints area legislator, Assembly Member Ed Chau, as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. The move will require a special election to fill the San Gabriel Valley seat for the remainder of Chau's term. Chau would've been termed out of the Assembly in 2024. Chau represented the 49th Assembly District, which includes Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino and Temple City and parts of Montebello and South El Monte. It's the only legislative district where people of Asian descent account for a majority of the population at 54%.
Maps shift election shapes. Redistricting offers little for Democrats to fear but comes as retirements open doors. Final maps were released yesterday to redraw boundaries for California's elected seats in Sacramento and Washington DC. The 14-member independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission's maps set up newly drawn Assembly, State Senate and Congressional maps, which must be formally approved. The maps did little to loosen Democrats' hold on Los Angeles County's state and federal districts. On the State Senate level, where the Commission is tasked with creating districts with 1 million people each, state Senator Susan Rubio's vast San Gabriel Valley District 22 loses several heavily Asian American communities, including San Gabriel, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead and Arcadia. Those communities would join Pasadena, Glendale and Altadena in Senator Anthony Portantino's District 25.
Assemblymember Mike Fong, D-Alhambra, secures $4.5M for San Gabriel Valley cities. The cities Fong represents include Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Montebello, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, South El Monte, South Pasadena and Temple City. The money is for investing in infrastructure that will increase access to park space, library services, and athletic facilities and enhance public safety for the 49th District.
Another homeless village set to open in Baldwin Park. 16-unit tiny home complex will house families in need. It's called Serenity Homes, 13167 Garvey Avenue in Baldwin Park. Senator Susan Rubio, D-West Covina, celebrated the opening with elected officials from all over the San Gabriel Valley, including from Arcadia, Azusa, Glendora, La Puente, Monrovia, San Marino, South Pasadena, Temple City and Mount San Antonio College. It is the second tiny homes village opening in Baldwin Park within a year and serves as a model for how cities can expand homeless services.
Cities of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments assess plan for coyote population management. Those involved in a regional management effort must decide on renewal by November. The council anticipates the cities of Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Covina, Irwindale, Montebello, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino and Temple City, will continue with the program. In 2018-2019, Arcadia received 300 calls or emails regarding coyotes in neighborhoods. By 2019-2020 that number dropped to 120. In 2017, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sued for trapping and killing coyotes. In response, Arcadia developed its own coyote management plan focused on non-lethal alternatives.
$2 million in funding to help provide more homes. San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust gets state award for affordable, transitional housing. About 2 dozen cities have partnered, including Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, and others, to develop affordable housing.
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.
National monument expansion possible. Report claims United States President Joe Biden plans to add a third more land to the protection of the San Gabriel Mountains.
San Gabriel Mountains monument expands. United States President Joe Biden OKs sabout 106,000 acres added to federally protected area with promise for more resources.
ELECTION 2020 - breaking down every area race - Voting: A look at who is on the ballots around the San Gabriel Valley, Whittier neighborhoods. So what’s going to be on the ballot?
Congress
Pasadena, Arcadia, Rosemead, Glendora and Claremont residents will choose between incumbent Judy Chu (D) and challenger Johnny Nalbandian (R) to represent the 27th District.
Malls taking different paths with operations. San Gabriel Valley: some in the region are bucking trend and staying open, with reduced hours during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Westfield Santa Anita (in photo) is mostly empty, with only a few stores and food places open in Arcadia. While malls in many parts of Southern California have temporarily closed because of the possible spread of the novel coronavirus, Westfield in Arcadia, the Shops at Montebello, and Plaza West Covina have remained open, but with reduced hours.
SoCalGas conducting aerial methane mapping over SoCalGas infrastructure in the cities of Monrovia, Arcadia, Temple City, Rosemead, El Monte, and San Gabriel on October 20 and 21, to look at pipeline safety.
Arcadia Assemblyman Ed Chau appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom as Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, with biographical information. Chau was elected to represent the 49th Assembly District in November 2012, which includes Arcadia. He was in private practice for nearly 20 years before his election and served on Montebello Unified School District Board. His law degree is from Southwestern University.
Public lands: additions sought for San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, push bid to expand area by 109,000 acres by designating the western Angeles National Forest as part of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. The San Gabriel Mountains are north of Arcadia.
Landlords urged to help area's homeless. New program provides financial benefits and support to landlords willing to lease to those receiving financial assistance. Landlords with units in Arcadia, among several other cities, are eligible for the program.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón facing further opposition. Two more cities, Norwalk and La Habra Heights, are preparing to cast votes of no confidence in Gascon. So far, 18 cities have had similar votes, including Arcadia, Azusa, Beverly Hills, Covina, Diamond Bar, Hidden Hills, Lancaster, La Mirada, Manhattan, Palos Verdes Estates, Pico Rivera, Redondo Beach, Rosemead, Santa Clarita, San Gabriel, Santa Fe Springs, Temple City and Whittier.
Mayors ask for zoning bill veto. 27 San Gabriel Valley cities urge Governor Gavin Newsom to kill legislation that changes single-family lots to allow zoning for up to 4 units. This is Senate Bill 9, introduced by Senator Toni Atkins. The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments advocates for addressing the affordable housing shortage by rezoning vacant and nonviable commercial properties and providing incentives to affordable housing developers to build on that land. SGVCG's letter in opposition was signed by Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bradbury, and others.
Congress--House of Representatives races heat up in the county in the primary election. District 28--Democratic Representative Judy Chu, who represented parts of the San Gabriel Valley since 2013, seeks to return in this redrawn district that includes Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead and Arcadia. Challenging Chu are Democrat Dorothy Carmona, Republican Wes Hallman and Independent Gio DePaolis. Chu had 66.5% and Hallman had 25%.