A $3 million building project to increase stable capacity by 150 stalls is underway at Santa Anita Park. Completion, which is planned before the start of the Oak Tree meeting, will bring the total number of stalls to 2,100. The project is discussed in detail.
5,133 attended the first day of inter-track wagering at Santa Anita Park where wagering was offered on racing at Del Mar. $1,069,980 was wagered on the simulcast races. Santa Anita Park is one of 10 off-track wagering satellites.
The $10.5 million renovation project at Santa Anita Fashion Park has begun, with a formal ground-breaking ceremony to be held January 26. The project is expected to last 10 months.
The 76 members of the Arcadia Fire Department raised $14,521 for victims of the Bay Area earthquake by giving up one shift of paid vacation time each. The money will be donated to Santa Cruz County through the Arcadia chapter of the American Red Cross.
The 1980 Oak Tree Racing Association season set records in attendance, parimutual handle, wagering and horsemen benefits. Awards for the meet are enumerated: John Henry was voted Horse of the Meeting. Sandy Hawley won the riding championship.
About 1500 people went to a hearing before the county Commission on School District Organization to discuss the possible transfer of Sierra Madre schools from the Pasadena Unified School District to the Arcadia Unified School District. The hearing is the first step in a long process that involves approval by the state Board of Education and local voters before an area can transfer to another school district.
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.
According to Peter Kinnahan, Arcadia's manager for economic development, Arcadia needs to pursue redevelopment projects more aggressively or surrounding communities like Monrovia will take major businesses away. He cited the delay over location of the proposed Target Department Store in Arcadia as an example.
According to the reapportionment plan passed Tuesday by the Democratic majority in the state legislature, the 26th district's boundaries have been changed. The newly created district still includes Arcadia.
According to West Covina Police Lt. David Shively, Arcadia High School student Matt Van Wickle was murdered during an argument he had with a man he met at Santa Anita Fashion Park.
After 19 years as an employee with Arcadia Unified School District, Virgil J. Goode has retired. Goode worked over the years as custodian, groundsman and bus driver.
After narrowly rejecting a Target Department Store as a suitable use for a property on Huntington Drive Tuesday night, the Arcadia City Council will have to await another proposal if it still plans to redevelop the property. The vote was 2-2 with and abstention. the measure needed 3 votes to win.
After presentations by 3 architectural firms Tuesday night, the Arcadia City Council voted 4-1 to ask one of the companies back for further discussion on doing a master plan for the city's proposed civic center project. The proposed center would probably be located on the Huntington Drive median where the city hall and police station are now located. Mayor David Hannah indicated that this could be a long-term project, perhaps lasting as long as 20 years.
After two years of waiting for red tape to untangle, ground was broken Tuesday for the 100-unit senior housing complex on Naomi Avenue in West Arcadia.
Air conditioning is being installed at the track as part of $3.4 million in improvements being made this summer in preparation for the first season of inter-track wagering offered at Santa Anita Park this year from July 27 to September 14.