$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.
10 People in L.A. County test positive for COVID-19 every minute. Every minute, on average, 10 people in L.A. County test positive for COVID -19, and these 15,000 individuals who test positive each day were capable of infecting others for two days before they had any symptoms or knew they were positive, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said Monday. At least 10-12% of people infected with the virus end up hospitalized at some point, and more than 1% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 end up dying.
11 Arcadia High students named National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalis
Arcadia High School continues its 28-year streak of seeing a double-digit number of students represented in the renowned National Merit Scholarship Program. This year, 11 Arcadia High students are counted among less than 1% of high school seniors across the nation that have been named 2022 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, who now have the opportunity to vie for one of nearly 7,500 scholarships that collectively total close to $30 million.
210 Freeway closure five days affecting eastbound Interstate-210 from Wednesday, August 17 through Tuesday, August 23 for the San Gabriel River Bridge Hinge Replacement Project.
Anita Baldwin statue to be unveiled at Le Méridien Hotel in Arcadia
The Anita May Baldwin statue at the Le Méridien Hotel will be unveiled on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 at 11 a.m. Anita is the daughter of city founder, Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin. The statue will be featured on the opposite end of the Huntington Drive islands’ hotel property.
“We are very excited to be bringing Anita back to Arcadia,” said Mayor Sho Tay in a statement released by the city. “I would like to thank the Shen, Liu and Chen Families, Jeff Lee, the Dextra Baldwin McGonagle Foundation, Heather D. Gibson and Margaux L. Gibson, and the Arcadia Historical Society, for their generous donations.”
“On behalf of the Baldwin family, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Arcadia City Council, the Arcadia Historical Society, the Le Méridien Hotel and all those who have supported this effort to pay homage to my great-great grandmother, Anita May Baldwin,” said Margaux Gibson. “This magnificent statue of Anita will showcase a strong woman who was ahead of her time. I am proud to call Anita May Baldwin my great-great grandmother, and I am truly proud to be a part of this historic project.”
The Anita statue was sculpted by local artist and southern California native Alfred Paredes — who created the Lucky Baldwin statue on the corner of Huntington Drive and Holly Avenue — and is aptly named, “A Legacy of Charity” in honor of Anita’s contributions to life in early Arcadia and throughout California.
Application deadline looms for Arcadia small-business grants totaling $1 million. The applications are due December 29, 2022 and the program is funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The grants can be used for physical improvements to a company's place of business, updating digital marketing and branding and other improvements focused on attracting new customers. Contac Arcadia Economic Development Division for more information.
Arcadia adopts comprehensive pension management plan, saving $85 million. It addresses the City's $154 million in unfunded pension liabilities. It focuses on:
-use of reserves to prepay existing liabilities
-refinancing existing debt to lower interest rates to free up cash flow
-prepaying costs with surplus funds from voter-approved Measure A sales tax increase
-financing long-term capital improvements
-using pension obligation bonds to lower the overall costs of pensions
-negotiating for more employee cost-sharing.
See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 3, February 27, 2020
Arcadia Chinese Association Installs New Board of Directors.
The incoming Arcadia Chinese Association Officers and Board Members for 2020-2021 are as follows:
President: Connie Qun Liao
Co-President: Diana Chang
1st Vice President: Susan Guo
2nd Vice President: Mary Huang
. 3rd Vice President: Lily Lam
Treasurer: Alice Wang
Secretary (Interim): Mary Huang
Presidential Counsel: Edward Wong
Directors: Jamie Lee, Francine Chiu, Joanna Liang, Sherry Liang, Sherman Shi, Stella Gu, Winnie Li, Arnold Chien, Sage Zeng.
Arcadia doctor helps found PPE donation group. Dr. Karen Tsai, co-founded DonatePPE.org along with Bay Area engineer Deyu Kong. The organization has donated some 2.2 million items of PPE (personal protective equipment) to hospitals, schools and homeless shelters during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Arcadia donor receives 12 years. Accused influence peddler Imaad Zuberi also must pay $18M in lobbying, tax and campaign finance case. His crimes include unregistered lobbying for foreign governments, said prosecutors.
Arcadia High School student Stanley Liu, in photo, entered and earned second place at the annual Los Angeles County Science Fair, which staged its competition online this year due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Liu's project was a microfluidic device capable of pinpointing biomarkers associated with disease in human blood plasma. He will be a finalist for the International Science and Engineering Fair.
Arcadia police wound woman, 21, advancing toward officer while wielding knife. This occurred Saturday, August 12 at 9:09 P.M. on the 50 block of California Street.
Arcadia Public Library hosts workshop on January 18, 2020 called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, based on the KonMari Method, developed by author Marie Kondo. The presenter is Tiffany Ng.
Arcadia resident and philanthropist Charles Huang donates $7.5 million to Methodist Hospital of Southern California. Huang is a global entrepreneur who owns Pasadena-based private equity company Pasaca Capital Inc. His gift will fund a high-tech operating room. Representative Judy Chu is in the photo with Charles Huang. See also Mountain Views News, p. 8, July 2, 2022.
Arcadia resident, Ruixue "Serena" Shi, gets 20-year sentence for Coachella Valley fraud involving $22.8 million in funds for a condominium and hotel complex called Hyde Resorts and Residences Coachella Valley. Shi was president and owner of Global House Buyer (GHB), a China-based real estate development company, and also was CEO of the Beverly Hills-based company Hyde Morgan Development, LLC. Chinese investors in the Hyde project were falsely promised visas through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program.
Arcadia's historic Derby Restaurant may be relocated. A mixed-use project may take the place of The Derby and Embassy Suites at 211 East Huntington Drive - 233 East Huntington Drive. Local historian Sandy Snider expressed concern that the 99 year-old building may end up being razed. George Woolf bought the Derby in 1938, originally named Proctor Tavern when it operated in 1922. Councilman Paul Cheng supports the relocation of The Derby. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 2, August 13, 2020 for "The Derby-what's next?"
Arcadia's Jason Lee donates $10,000 to Arcadia Police Foundation. He presented the check to Mary E. Hansen, the founding board member and Vice President of the Arcadia Police Foundation.
Arcadia, the Community of Homes, starkly divided on helping the homeless. Residents are unhappy with homeless encampment at Second Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. The City proposes helping unhoused people with the Tiny Shelter project. The plan involves building a village of tiny homes on county land at Peck Park access road site. Residents expressed opposition to that, too.