Santa Anita Park on Verge of new era. New Santa Anita Park Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Verge will re-institute its "Free Fridays" promotion. Starting this Friday and every Friday for the rest of the meet, all fans will be given free grandstand admission and the price for hot dogs, sodas and beer will be cut to $2. Previous CEO Greg Avioli resigned earlier this month.
Arcadia city's nearly 29,000 voters were sent election ballots last week with a critical error in its Chinese language instructions that could cause votes to be invalidated. The mail-in ballots directed voters in Chinese, to choose up to 3, instead of 2, City Council candidates, in the race for two open seats. City Manager Don Penman said the error is estimated to cost between $7,000 and $10,000 and that the election consultant Martin and Chapman Co., in Anaheim, should reimburse the city.
Arcadia Unified School District releases records of two teacher misconduct investigations that resulted in dismissals. The first was 48-year-old Robert Harbicht, a substitute teacher who was found drunk at work. The second was Phillip Sutliff, dismissed from the district in 2007 and sentenced to 12 years in state prison for sexual misconduct (rape) with a girl at Arcadia High School.
Arcadia City Council approves $70,000 to help the Downtown Business Association set up a business-improvement district. The district would tax commercial property owners to revitalize the area.
A jury convicted DeQiang Song, 24 of Monterey Park, of the kidnapping and attempted murder of a 21-year-old woman, who he knew through a mutual friend, after taking her on a trip to Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall in Arcadia on September 8, 2010. He then took her to a remote area of desert in San Bernardino County and bound her, strangled her, sliced her throat with a knife and left her for dead. She survived. Song asked the victim's father for $10,000 in ransom money. He will be sentenced April 26 in Alhambra Superior Court.
Arcadia City Council moves toward a smoking ban at city parks and recreation areas, excluding the Par 3 Golf Course. While Council voted 4 to 1 last week in support of the concept, an ordinance is expected to be presented to the Council in May for public comment and approval.
A parcel tax in Arcadia appears to pass. Voters appear to have narrowly approved a parcel tax measure that will raise $3.4 million for the Arcadia Unified School District each year for the next five years, according to preliminary results. If the outcome is finalized, property owners would pay $228 per parcel per year in an effort to stave off additional cuts in the classroom. Measure A, which required a two-thirds vote to pass, was approved by 67.61% of those who voted in the district's boundaries. The vote should be finalized tomorrow.
HBO television show "Luck" ends production after a third horse death at Santa Anita Park. The drama, starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, about the seedier side of horse racing, will air the final two episodes of its first season but the series won't return for a second season. The horse deaths drew criticism from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Arcadia, Sierra Madre and Bradbury are holding elections today on tax measures and city council members. Arcadia voters will choose two City Council members from the candidates running--Gary Kovacic, John Wuo, Sho Tay, Henry Nunez, and Mary Dougherty--and vote on Measure D, the extension ofthe hotel room tax from a 30-day maximum to a 90-day stay. Arcadia's election is being conducted through an all-mail ballot for the first time.
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles celebrated the centennial birthday of the national organization with a party at the Arcadia Service Center, 100 E. Wheeler Avenue. Sylvia Wikle, 84, who has served for the past 75 years, and Victoria Hung Brooker, 15, in photo together.
Creative Cause (race horse) proves bettors wrong. Though not a favorite, Creative Cause wins the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park, with jockey Joel Rosario (photo). The victory almost certainly makes Creative Cause the favorite for the April 7 Santa Anita Derby.
Arcadia wine seller Rudy Kurniawan, 35, was arrested on suspicion of trying to sell $1.3 million worth of counterfeit wine and fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in loans.
Congressman David Dreier, Republican, who has been representing the San Gabriel Valley and parts of San Bernardino County for nearly three decades in the House of Representatives, announced he will not seek re-election. Dreier represents the 26th District, which includes Arcadia. Article includes biography and legacy.
California State Assembly member Anthony Portantino (Democrat-La Canada Flintridge), who represents the 44th District, which includes parts of Arcadia, was named Legislator of the Year by the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) for his public safety measure banning the open carry of unloaded handguns in public places.
Swim Spot boutique, a swimwear retailer store, leasing a short-term "pop-up" space at Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall, is spotlighted here. If things go well, Swim Spot will likely sign a longer term lease.
Horses at Santa Anita Park suffered fatal racing injuries at more than twice the rate of horses competing at California's other 3 major thoroughbred tracks over the last fiscal year, according to statistics. The fatality rate spiked at Santa Anita Park after the switch from a synthetic running surface back to a dirt track in 2010. There were 12 fatalities, or 3.7 per 1,000 starts, at Santa Anita Park in the last fiscal year.
The City of Arcadia is asked by election consultant Martin and Chapman Co. to split the cost of the $10,000 ballot error that was sent to the city's nearly 29,000 voters. The error was in the Chinese language instructions, directing voters to choose up to 3 City Council candidates, in the race for only 2 open seats.