2 articles. 1. Racing returns at Santa Anita. The historic Santa Anita racetrack reopened Friday for racing amid concerns for horse safety and the future of the track and the industry. There were no deaths in eight races Friday, which had been closed for racing since March 5.
2. Back in the saddle: racing resumes without incident after 26-day closure.
Arcadia City Manager Bill Kelly is skeptical about the way the State of California balanced this year's budget. The State promises to pay cities back for sales tax to be used to pay off $10.7 billion in loans. The maneuver, known as the "triple flip" will take half of the cities' sales tax revenue for the next five years, and pay it back out of property taxes now earmarked for schools. Arcadia will lose 25% of its vehicle license fee reimbursement, around $750,000. Arcadia is in good shape this year and next, primarily because of a healthy reserve fund. After 2004-2005, unless some solutions are in place, the city could face some hard times.
Arcadia High School Apaches boys baseball team loses to Santa Barbara in the CIF-SS playoffs. Players Andrew Cordeiro and Phillip Juarez appear in photo.
Arcadia High School Apaches girls soccer team loses to Harvard-Westlake in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs. Arcadia High School players Nailah Elmasri and Kimberly Marrone are shown in the photos.
Arcadia High School boys baseball team loses in semifinals of the CIF-Southern section playoffs. Arcadia's Haram Park and K.J. Edon are shown in photos.
Arcadia loses a redevelopment battle with Los Angeles County. The ruling stated that the Las Tunas Drive - Live Oak Avenue area in South Arcadia did not meet the criteria to be declared blighted in order to receive redevelopment funds.
Arcadia property owners will be asked to renew a street lighting fee schedule and assessment in June, when funding is set to expire. Officials warned that without an extension of the lighting assessment district, the city would lose about $420,000 a year. Unless the assessment is renewed, the city might have to cut services such as police protection, fire and emergency medical response services, library services, and recreation programs. Arcadia property owners currently pay 40% of street lighting repair and maintenance costs, while the city covers the other 60%. That would remain unchanged in the new assessment district, but the amounts each household pays will be different. Family households in residential neighborhoods will be charged $28.44 a year, while single-family homes along major thoroughfares will pay $16.73 a year.
Arcadia resident Burton Brink loses bid for 49th District Assembly seat in the midterm election on November 6. Ed Chau (Democrat), the incumbent, won over challenger Burton Brink by 68.85 percent.
The Arcadia Tournament of Roses may lose its primary sponsor, the National Childhood Cancer Foundation. Reasons are given why NCCF thinks it did not get the national exposure it expected.
Arcadia would lose $1.2 million in revenue during the next two years under a California State budget plan proposed by Governnor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Also, a dog park at Eisenhower Park would open.
Arcadia would lose approximately $472,268 yearly if Santa Anita Park race track were to close down and the 324 acre facility were to be developed with low density residential units. Losses would be partially offset by $190,750 in new property taxes and $278,482 miscellaneous taxes. New city services would account for a 6.18% increase in the city budget.
Assembly Bill 2414 is a gambling bill that, as originally introduced, would have increased takeouts--the money race tracks make on given bets. The bill's original language would have permitted any California race track hosting the Breeders' Cup to spend the extra takeout money on promotion of the annual event. Supporters hope that portions of the bill would convince the Breeders' Cup to permanently settle in California. Late amendments inserted last week are stirring up controversy. These changes would make a form of gambling known as "exchange betting" legal in California, essentially allowing horse players to bet against one another by setting their own odds and potentially betting on horses to lose a race. MI Developments opposes the exchange betting portion of the bill.
The Beltran family struggles after losing their home in a fire in February. It was a house they were renting in the 1500 block of 10th Avenue in Arcadia. The fire caused an estimated $100,000 in property loss and roughly $50,000 in content damage.
Breeders' Cup: a classic debate. Horse Bayern veers sharply out of the gate, goes wire to wire, and stays on top after inquiry into the start of the race. Bayern wins the Breeders' Cup Classic. Photos. See also p. B1 and B9 commentary on trainer D. Wayne Lukas and race horse Take Charge Brandi by columnist Mark Whicker. See also p. B8, 35-year-old trainer Chad Brown had a memorable weekend, having saddled 3 Breeders' Cup winners.
British retail giant Tesco considers selling its struggling U.S. grocery market Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. The El Segundo-based chain is losing money and Tesco has hired investment bank Greenhill to review options. Fresh & Easy has 200 stores in California, Nevada, and Arizona. There is a store in Arcadia (on Foothill Boulevard).
County supervisors approved a $4.7 million infusion of funds to aid mental health programs in the Children's Home Society in Arcadia. The Children's Home Society, a non-profit organization that places mentally disturbed children in foster homes, will now lose $16,000, instead of the anticipated loss of staff and $32,000.