A $30 million plan to provide standardized breathing equipment for every fire department in Los Angeles County has been suspended after a lawsuit alleged the contract process was mishandled and firefighters complained about the quality of the equipment. Arcadia-based Allstar Fire Equipment is suing the city and county of Los Angeles, contending the contract process was improperly handled in a manner that ignored firefighter input and unfairly favored the winning bidder, L.N. Curtis and sons.
Arcadia Weekly columnists:Donna Baker reports on real estate, p. 18; John Luke writes on sports, p. 14; Billy McLellan writes movie reviews, p. 11; Dawn Mueller writes theatre reviews, p. 7; Bill Peters writes music reviews, p. 13; Vince Pirolli is the wine guy, p. 7; Jack Von Bulow, D.D.S. reports on dental news, p. 21; Kelvin Wong writes about real estate, p. 19.
Carlos Martinez and Christian Martinez were found guilty of the 2004 murder of Alberto Castillo, a Texas man, at a Motel 6 in Arcadia. Peter Santisteven, another suspect, is awaiting trial.
The City Council voted against a proposed 6-unit development of condominiums on First Avenue. This caused some conflict as applicant Hank Jong had received approval for the project until a second check showed the zoning he was relying on conflicted with the general plan.
City planners will try to preserve Rosemarie Drive in Arcadia, as they work with a developer and neighbors on the possibility of a split lot for Joseph Winn's property at 460 W. Walnut. Currently the street has a cul-de-sac to the west and dead ends to the east.
A green-colored golden retriever puppy named Wasabi was born to Goldie, owned by Peter Tseng of Alhambra. Greg Hardy, the veterinarian at Best Friends Pet Hospital in Arcadia, said when puppies are born, sometimes there is a green discharge that could stain their fur, but will usually wash off. Wasabi's case is unusual.
In an open letter to Mayor Roger Chandler, Peter Lowy, CEO of Westfield America, writes in response to comments Chandler made about Westfield. At issue are ballot iniatives on free parking and billboards.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Chalfant has voided a $30 million contract that Los Angeles County awarded to L.N. Curtis and Sons for fire equipment. Arcadia-based Allstar Fire Equipment sued the city and county of Los Angeles, claiming the selection process used to award the contract was improperly handled and the judge agreed. The actual funding for the contract came from the federal Department of Homeland Security. The judge's orders require the county to either restart the bidding process or re-evaluate all the bids properly.