The 3-toilet turmoil in South Arcadia has become a battle of constitutional proportions. The lawsuit alleges that El Monte is attempting to extort land use concessions from Arcadia.
According to El Monte City Attorney Sidney Maleck, there is new information that shows El Monte is not involved in political "posturing" when it objects to a mini-storage facility and a landfill just across its border in Arcadia.
According to El Monte City Attorney Sidney Malek, El Monte's suit against Arcadia is a dispute over a major landfill, pollution of the water table, spheres of influence of various cities, and the industrialization of Southeast Arcadia. But Arcadia City Attorney Michael Miller claims its real purpose is political.
Arcadia, E. O. Rodeffer, and Public Storage won a round in their legal dispute with the city of El Monte. On March 12, Superior Court Judge Norman Douds ordered El Monte to allow San Gabriel Valley Water Company to dig up El Monte streets to install water lines to a Public Storage building partially located in Arcadia.
The Arcadia Mounted Police Reserve has filed a lawsuit against the City. The suit apparently stems from the City taking over the organization's headquarters (City owned property) due to members' refusal to allow the City access to their financial records.
The Arcadia Redevelopment Agency won a $495,000 settlement for removing toxic waste from 1.6 acres of downtown Arcadia land it bought from Clifford C. Bong and Co. last year. The agency sued Bong in April of 1988 to recover the money it spent to dispose of soil contaminated with high levels of lead, cadmium and hydrocarbon wastes. The agreement was reached two days before the June 27 trial was to begin.
Arcadia requested a rehearing of a Court of Appeals decision favoring El Monte in one of the 3 lawsuits involving a Public Storage facility in South Arcadia.
Both the Board of Education and the City Council have denied $1.5 million in claims against them filed by Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. O'Brien, parents of Timothy Sean O'Brien who was struck and killed by an automobile as he was crossing Campus Drive last November 6th.
El Monte city attorney, Sidney Maleck, who was just appointed to a municipal judgeship in Orange County thinks "it would be foolish to continue with the lawsuits" against Arcadia over a public storage facility. Arcadia city attorney, Michael Miller, however, says these conciliatory words need to be backed up with actions.
The lawsuit between Arcadia and El Monte is based on the disputed number of toilets at a Public Storage facility in South Arcadia. El Monte claims there are 5 toilets. Arcadia claims there are 3. Earlier it had been reported there was only one toilet.
Of the 3 parties filing suit against the city of El Monte -- property owner E. O. Rodeffer, Public Storage, Inc., and the City of Arcadia -- only the 2 private parties are paying for the action.
Report on Bob Donaldson's $960,000 suit against the City concerning the Thrifty Drug Store property at the NW corner of Huntington Drive and First Avenue.
Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church may take legal action against the City. On April 1, the City Council turned down a request from the Church to solicit funds within City limits.