Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 29, 2011

5

 
Mountain Views News Saturday, January 29, 2011 

 Millions in City, Schools Shortfall

First Lady Martha Washington to Pay a Visit

First Lady Martha Dandridge Custis Washington 
will visit Arcadia when historical portrayer 
Debbie McIntosh presents her “Women 
in History” program to the California Retired 
Teachers’ Association #71 (CalRTA) on Friday, 
February 11, at the group’s 11:30 a.m. luncheon 
meeting. The meeting will take place at the Senior 
Center Building in Arcadia Park, 405 W. 
Santa Anita Avenue, Arcadia, next to the Lawn 
Bowling Greens. 

A native of San Diego, McIntosh attended USC 
where she received a B. A. in Journalism and an M. 
A. in International Relations. Her career included 
work for JPL/Caltech/NASA as a personnel representative 
and a technical writer/editor. Currently, 
she is the owner/founder of “History through 
the Eyes of Women” in which she portrays over 
thirty historical women, including her popular 
portrayal of Betsy Ross for school children. At 
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, she is a lecturer on 
art and history. McIntosh’s portrayal of Martha 
Washington will follow the young Martha from 
widowhood, to her marriage to General George 
Washington, and then to her White House years 
as First Lady to our first President.

Guests are welcome to come enjoy the CalRTA 
luncheon and Debbie McIntosh’s impersonation 
of Martha Washington. The cost of the luncheon 
for members and guests is $10. The reservation 
deadline is Friday, February 4. For luncheon 
information, please call John Gera at (626) 286-
0714. Membership in the California Retired 
Teachers’ Association is open to all retired educators, 
as well as to any others interested in joining 
this active group, which now numbers 534 members 
in CalRTA #71 (SGV).

FROM ARCADIA’S BEST...

By Scott Hedrick

Although the economy is said to no longer be in 
recession, the stock market is strong, and there are 
various positive signs in the housing, employment 
and business sectors, the city of Arcadia and the 
school district appear to be headed into their most 
challenging budgets of this economic downturn.

A recent five-year forecast by the city projects 
a budget deficit of $2.3 million for 2011/12 and 
another three years thereafter with deficits of $1.8 
mil., $2 mil., and $1.5 mil.

The picture is even worse for the school district. 
Preliminary projections by the school district that 
are not yet officially released indicate significantly 
bigger funding gaps than the city for the next two 
years, which could lead to teacher layoffs, increases 
in class sizes, and/or a reduction in the number of 
school days.

All of these budget deficit projections are 
preliminary and do not include multiple bits of data 
that could make the figures look worse or a little 
better.

Why would cities and schools be doing worse just 
as the overall economy is improving?

Cities and schools have been minimizing the 
impact of the economic downturn by putting band-
aids on major shortfalls the last couple of years, and 
using emergency funds that are drying up just as 
more cutbacks are about to hit.

There are also many major unknowns at this 
point, such as how much of Governor Brown’s 
proposed state budget will be approved or revised. 
Will the city lose its redevelopment funding? Will 
California taxpayers vote to extend expiring sales 
and vehicle license taxes?

The school district is in the most precarious 
position at the moment, as was the case two years 
ago. That’s because the teacher’s union requires that 
any teacher to be laid off for the following school 
year must be notified by the previous March, well 
before the district will have enough information 
to forecast next year’s budget with any degree of 
accuracy. Exacerbating the challenge is that the 
district has to prove that its financial plan will be 
viable for the next three years.

One key missing component will be the critical 
ballot issue about tax extensions that, if extended, 
could spare some teacher jobs. But that issue isn’t 
expected to go before voters until June. If those 
extensions are not approved, the school district may 
have to reduce its budget by another 20%, according 
to school board member Joann Steinmeier. And that 
would be on top of a similar reduction the school 
has already had to absorb over the last three years.

Meanwhile, federal stimulus money from 
President Obama’s administration that kept some 
teachers from being laid off comes to an end next 
year. Further, for the last couple of years school 
employees voluntarily contributed 1.5% of their 
salaries to cover shortfalls. As agreed, the district 
has begun restoring those salary contributions, 
meaning those savings will no longer be available 
just as more cuts are coming.

And the emergency reserves have already been 
tapped so much that the available rainy day fund 
has dropped from 12% to only 4%, a level at which 
it can no longer be tapped, Steinmeier said.

So, as happened two years ago, the district may 
be forced to prepare for the worst and send out pink 
slips in March, only to potentially rescind some of 
the them later this summer.

In the meantime, the district must prepare 
spending budgets for multiple scenarios, even the 
best of which will likely result in some cuts.

Additional major adjustments must also be 
considered, such as reducing the number of school 
days, slightly increasing class sizes (which will mean 
teacher layoffs), and even potentially proposing a 
parcel tax, a special real estate tax on local property 
owners to cover shortfalls in the school budget. 
About 25% of schools in California have instituted a 
parcel tax, but getting such an additional tax passed 
by two-thirds of voters in this economy, especially 
if it were to be placed on the same June ballot as a 
couple of other tax extensions, could prove difficult.

Throughout the rest of the city, various 
departments are being asked to consider all possible 
scenarios for reducing city costs, which could 
include providing fewer community services and 
cutting back hours of operation of the library, for 
example.

Our city and school district leaders will continue 
to work their magic in finding ways to make all of 
this as painless and invisible as possible to most of 
us. But it’s important for all of us to be aware of the 
challenges facing them and to be aware that our 
belts may still have to be tightened one more notch 
before we can breathe easily again.

– By Scott Hettrick

 

Pack Station Needs 

Musicians Picture Attached

Adams’ Pack Station at Chantry Flat in the 
Angeles National Forest above Arcadia is gearing 
up for its next season of monthly free outdoor 
live music concerts and sales of pulled pork 
sandwiches and is accepting applications from 
musicians willing to perform.

The monthly programs are held from 12 noon 
– 5 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month from 
April 17 through October.

The schedule for these events is:

12 noon to 2 pm – First performer(s)

2 pm to 2:30 – Open Mic.

2:30 to 4:30 – Second performer(s)

4:30 to 5:00 pm – Open Mic.

We are looking for musicians who would like to 
play in this unique atmosphere on the following 
dates:

4/17, 5/15, 6/19, 7/17, 8/21, 9/18, and 10/16.

If you would like to play, please email Deb 
Burgess (dburgess@adamspackstation.com) with 
your preferred date and time slot.


Recreation and 
Community Services 
Department New 
2011 Winter Classes!

This winter the City of 
Arcadia Recreation and 
Community Services 
Department is offering a 
variety of new classes for 
youth, adults and adults over 
50 years of age. For youth 
we have Parent and Me 
Ceramics; Introduction to 
Tap; and Improv and Debate 
for Kids. For adults and 
adults 50+ we have Cooking; 
Pajama Bottoms Sewing 
Class; Brazillian Self Defense; 
Kinetic Tai Chi; Zumba Gold 
and Hoopnotics. You can 
register now on-line, by mail 
or in person! For times, 
location and fees go on-
line to the City of Arcadia’s 
website: www.ci.arcadia.
ca.us, to download the 
registration form or stop by 
the office, 375 Campus Drive, 
Arcadia, CA 91007. 

 For more information please 
call 626.574.5113!

ARCADIA CALENDAR

City Council Meeting

1/18/2011 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM 

Council Chamber / Conference Room 

Missed a Council Meeting?

For the benefit of residents who cannot attend in person, 
City Council meetings are broadcast live to all residents 
who subscribe to local cable television service on the Arcadia 
Community Television Channel (Time Warner customers: 
Channel 3; Champion customers: Channel 6) with 
daily replays at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. AT & T, which 
services some areas of Arcadia, does not yet carry our government 
access channel, but will in the future.

Planning Commission Meeting

1/25/2011 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM 

Arcadia City Council Chambers 

Modification Committee Meeting

1/25/2011 7:45 AM - 8:45 AM 

Arcadia Council Chambers Conference Room 

Other Community Events

January 19th Friends of the Arcadia Public Library present 
historian/curator Phil Brigandi to discuss role of the 
Ramona Myth in shaping Southern California at 10:30 
a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, at the Library, 50 W. Duarte 
Road. Reservations are not necessary; refreshments will be 
served.

January 22nd Library dog sled

Time: 2:30 PM

Meet dog sled team mushers of Adventure Quest! at 2:30 
p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, at the Arcadia Public Library, 20 W. 
Duarte Road. More information: (626) 821-5566.

January 27th Relay for Life kickoff

Time: 6:00 PM

Kickoff event for the annual Cancer Society fund-raiser 
Relay for Life Arcadia, will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 27 at Dave & 
Buster’s.

Brown Bag Lunch

Brown Bag Lunch Talks -Museum Treasures: Their Origins 
and Donors

Date/Time:

1/20/2011 12:00 PM

Location:

The Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum

380 West Huntington Drive

Arcadia, California 91007

Cost: Free

“Museum Treasures:

Their Origins and Donors”

Featuring Carol Libby

January 20, 2011

12 p.m.

The Museum will continue presenting our popular Brown 
Bag Lunch Talks which take place the third Thursday of 
every month on the Museum’s outdoor patio. Please dress 
appropriately according to weather conditions. Bring 
your lunch and listen to our guest speakers who will present 
snippets about Arcadia history, people, places and 
events. For more information on each talk, please call the 
Museum.

Arcadia Police Blotter

For the period of Sunday, January 16, through 
Saturday, January 22, the Police Department responded 
to 952 calls for service of which 120 required 
formal investigations. The following is a 
summary report of the major incidents handled by 
the Department during this period.

Sunday, January 16:

1. Between 8:50 p.m. on January 15 and 
11:20 a.m. on January 16, a commercial burglary 
occurred at Westfield Mall. Unknown suspect(s) 
entered a secured T-Mobile stockroom and stole 
about 100 cellular phones.

2. Units responded to Ralphs, 1101 West 
Huntington, in reference to a theft that just occurred. 
A female suspect concealed merchandise 
in her purse and then left the store without paying 
for the items. A private person’s arrest was made, 
and a 25-year-old Caucasian was taken into custody 
for petty theft.

Monday, January 17:

3. A residential burglary occurred in the 
400 block of West Duarte between 9:45 a.m. and 
11:25 a.m. Unknown suspect(s) entered the home 
through an unlocked kitchen window and then 
stole jewelry and a watch for an estimated loss of 
$8,200.

4. Shortly after 4:00 p.m., a bicyclist versus 
auto traffic accident occurred at Baldwin 
and Longden. A 71-year-old male bicyclist rode 
through a red light and was struck by a vehicle. 
He was transported to a nearby hospital in critical 
condition but later succumbed to his injuries.

Tuesday, January 18:

5. Around 12:20 p.m., units responded to 
the 5800 block of South Baldwin regarding a suspect 
threatening to kill her mother with a firearm. 
A perimeter was established and a 19-year-old 
female Caucasian suspect eventually exited the 
house and was taken into custody for assault with 
a deadly weapon and making terrorist threats. A 
rifle was found inside the house.

6. While a victim was walking in the 00 
block of East Duarte around 12:30 p.m., a group 
of male Asian suspects approached and attacked 
him. The victim was struck with fists and kicked 
repeatedly while he was on the ground and his 
wallet was also taken. The suspects then fled in 
a black sedan. An area search was conducted, but 
the suspects were not located.

Further investigation led to the arrests of 5 male 
Asian suspects, 16 to 18 years of age, on January 
20. The suspects were charged with conspiracy, 
assault with a deadly weapon, threaten crime with 
intent to terrorize, and robbery.

Wednesday, January 19:

7. Units were dispatched to Nordstrom 
around 5:22 p.m. regarding two female employees 
detained for theft. An internal investigation 
revealed that the two employees worked together 
to make fraudulent returns and then credited over 
$1,200 to their personal accounts. A 26-year-old 
Caucasian and a 24-year-old Hispanic were taken 
into custody for commercial burglary

Thursday, January 20:

8. Two victims came to the station around 
4:14 p.m. to file an identity theft report. Between 
November 29 and January 20, unknown 
suspect(s) used the victims’ personal information 
to open a credit card account and made over 
$16,500 in fraudulent charges at Nordstrom.

9. Between 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., an auto 
burglary occurred in the 100 block of East Live 
Oak. Unknown suspect(s) smashed a car window 
and stole a designer purse containing cash, expensive 
jewelry, and a Cartier watch for a reported 
loss of $18,600.

10. Shortly after 9:00 p.m., a traffic collision 
occurred at California and Santa Anita. An intoxicated 
driver rear-ended a parked BMW, and 
a 28-year-old male Caucasian driver was arrested 
for DUI and a $35,000 outstanding warrant.

Friday, January 21:

11. Officers were called to the 1600 block of 
Lovell around 11:45 a.m. in reference to a disturbance. 
Apparently during a fit of rage, a 26-year-
old female Asian threatened to kill her 73-year-
old grandmother and then struck her, causing the 
victim to fall and hit her head against a piano. The 
woman was transported to AMH for treatment, 
and the suspect was arrested for elder abuse and 
making terrorist threats.

12. Around 1:45 a.m., a traffic stop was conducted 
at Huntington and Gate 1 for driving the 
wrong way on a one-way street. An intoxicated 
21-year-old female Hispanic driver was arrested 
for DUI.

Saturday, January 22:

13. Loss prevention personnel from Old 
Navy advised that they had detained a woman 
for theft around 5:49 p.m. The suspect concealed 
merchandise in her purse and then left the store 
without making payment. A private person’s arrest 
was made, and a 26-year-old Hispanic was 
taken into custody for commercial burglary. Additional 
stolen property from Wet Seal, Forever 
21, and American Apparel were recovered.

14. Shortly before 11:00 p.m., units responded 
to the racetrack regarding an attempted theft of 
hay bales. Two male Hispanic suspects backed a 
truck to a large pile of hay bales and began loading 
them into the truck. Security personnel spotted 
them, and the suspects fled on foot. An area 
search resulted in the apprehension of a 22-year-
old suspect; however, the other suspect was not 
located.

APARTMENT FOR RENT

753D Arcadia Ave Arcadia

1 BR Refrigerator/Stove A/C 
- Carport 

$1095 per month 

 Call 626-893-0473

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