Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 15, 2011

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Mountain Views News Saturday, October 15, 2011


AAR TO HOLD ANNUAL BUMPER 

BOWLING CHARITY EVENT

On Saturday, October 22nd starting at 9:00 
a.m., the Arcadia Association of REALTORS® will 
be hosting its annual Bumper Bowling charity 
event at Bowling Square Lanes in Arcadia. Both 
REALTORS® and members of the public alike are 
invited to attend. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. 
Join us for a continental breakfast, drawings, 
prizes and lots of fun!

Cost is $20 for adults and $17 for children 
under age 14. Lane sponsors are $50 each. If you 
are interested, please visit www.TheAAR.com or 
call CD’s Paniagua at (626) 622-7174.

The Arcadia Association of REALTORS® is 
a full-service real estate Association servicing 
the needs of local REALTORS® in the east San 
Gabriel Valley. They are the local advocate for 
their REALTOR® members and work to enhance 
the professionalism, integrity and competency 
of their members and to promote private 
property rights for the community. The Arcadia 
Association of REALTORS® can be reached at 
(626) 446-2115. 

ARCADIA DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Emergencies and disasters occur without notice. 
Being physically and psychologically prepared to 
handle unexpected emergencies is an individual 
as well as an organization responsibility. 

At 2:30pm come, listen to our speakers, collect 
valuable information and educational literature 
from various booths and learn how to be prepared 
for any kind of disaster.

. Cheryl Osborne, Disaster Coordinator 
from Methodist Hospital will explain the hospital’s 
emergency preparedness plan.

. Representatives from the City of Arcadia 
Fire, Police and Water Departments, Barry 
Spriggs, Battalion Chief, Jason Davis, Sergeant 
and Ken Herman, Deputy Public Work Services 
Director, will discuss the City’s disaster contingency 
plan.

. American Red Cross Arcadia Chapter 
will discuss what neighborhoods can do to prepare 
for a disaster.

. Information booths and disaster supplies 
on hand.

. Register for this informative educational 
EXPO by calling 626.574.5130. Light refreshments 
will be served.

City of Arcadia Recreation and Community 
Services Department

Senior Citizens Services Division 

365 Campus Drive · Arcadia, CA 91007 · 626-
574-5130

Friday, October 21, 2011

2:00 – 4:30PM

2:30 – 3:30PM. Speakers’ Panel

Arcadia Community Center

365 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007

NUNEZ RUNS FOR COUNCIL 2012?

– By Scott Hettrick

Local developer Henry Nunez is starting to 
spread the word that he is planning to run for 
Arcadia City Council — the election is April 
2012.

He is expected to join at least three other 
candidates for two seats, including incumbent, 
Mayor Gary Kovacic, former Mayor John Wuo, 
and Sho Tay, who was a candidate two years ago 
when six candidates ran for three seats.

Nunez caused a stir during the last City 
Council campaign with his stunts such as a 
hunger strike and laying on railroad tracks to 
challenge incumbent candidates to make more 
changes and progress in Arcadia. But he decided 
just before the deadline not to file to run his own 
campaign.

Nunez was on the recent General Plan Action 
Committee of volunteers tasked to lay out a growth 
strategy for Arcadia for the next 25 years and 
became disgruntled during the process when the 
City Council did not endorse all the initial mixed-
use residential/retail building options the GPAC 
recommended. He returned to express some of 
that frustration last November when the Council 
unanimously approved the final proposal.

Arcadia Police Blotter

For the period of Sunday, October 2, through 
Saturday, October 8, the Police Department 
responded to 927 calls for service of which 132 
required formal investigations. The following is 
a summary report of the major incidents handled 
by the Department during this period.

Sunday, October 2:

1. Between September 29th at 8:00 a.m., and 
October 2nd at 11:00 a.m., a theft occurred in the 
100 block of Genoa Street. Suspect(s) removed 
the lock to a storage shed located in the carport 
area of the apartment complex and stole two rolls 
of electrical wire.

2. At about 1:08 a.m., officers responded to 
the Tea House, 1108 South Baldwin Avenue, 
regarding a man with a gun. After an earlier 
verbal altercation with a group of male subjects, 
a 28-year-old White male returned looking for 
them with a loaded firearm and brandished it to 
patrons at the location. The suspect was arrested 
for carrying and brandishing a loaded weapon. 

Monday, October 3:

3. Between September 30th at 12:00 p.m., and 
October 3rd at 7:30 a.m., suspect(s) lit a trash 
dumpster on fire and burnt remnants were 
discovered outside of Arcadia Fast Print, 19 La 
Porte Street.

4. Shortly after 11:00 p.m., officers observed an 
unoccupied vehicle parked to the front of the Motel 
6, 225 Colorado Place. Through a records check, it 
was learned that the car had been reported stolen 
on October 2nd. Officers watched the vehicle 
and at about 11:23 p.m., two male subjects entered 
the vehicle and drove out of the parking lot. A 
felony traffic stop was conducted and the male 
driver fled on foot and was able to escape through 
the adjacent wash basin. The 38-year-old White 
male passenger was detained and taken into 
custody for taking a vehicle without the owner’s 
consent and an outstanding warrant. The driver 
is still outstanding and a follow-up investigation 
is being conducted by the Detective Bureau.

Tuesday, October 4:

5. A residential burglary occurred in the 200 
block of Laurel Avenue between 8:00 a.m. and 
2:30 p.m. The resident returned home and found 
her bedroom had been ransacked and clothing 
had been taken. The resident suspected a friend 
was responsible and through investigation, a 
17-year-old White female was found in possession 
of the stolen property. The female was booked at 
the Arcadia City Jail for residential burglary and 
additional charges. 

6. At about 1:00 p.m., officers responded 
to Arcadia High School, 180 Campus Drive, 
regarding a theft. Two students reported property 
was stolen from them: an I-phone and a wallet 
with cash. An investigation revealed three male 
students, all age 16, had stolen the property. The 
cash and I-phone were recovered and the three 
male juveniles were placed under arrest for petty 
theft. 

Wednesday, October 5:

7. Between 8:30 p.m. and 9:05 p.m., an auto 
burglary occurred in the 100 block of North 
First Avenue. Suspect(s) entered the vehicle by 
smashing the front driver’s side window. Once 
inside, the suspect(s) stole a purse and wallet. 

8. At approximately 5:13 p.m., Halloween 
City at the Westfield Santa Anita Mall, 400 
South Baldwin Avenue, reported a suspicious 
circumstance. The manager at the location told 
officers that at about 4:42 p.m., an armored car 
guard had attempted to pick-up a deposit from 
the location. However, the business does not use 
an armored car service for their deposits. The 
subject was described as a Hispanic male in his 
late 20’s, 6’-02”, 240 lbs., muscular build, clean 
shaven, black spiky hair, a small piercing below 
his bottom lip, wearing a charcoal gray security 
uniform, with the pants tucked into the boots, 
and a pancake style leather holster with a black 
semi-automatic handgun. 

Thursday, October 6:

9. A residential burglary occurred in the 400 
block of East Duarte Road between 9:40 a.m. and 
9:52 a.m. While in her bedroom, the resident 
heard noises in the kitchen. The sliding glass 
door to her bedroom opened and a 32-year-old 
White male came inside. The resident then told 
the suspect the police were on their way and the 
suspect fled the location. Officers located and 
detained a subject that matched the description 
provided by the resident, and after being 
positively identified, he was taken into custody 
for residential burglary.

10. Sometime between September 22nd and 
October 6th, a vehicle theft occurred in the 800 
block of Arcadia Avenue. Suspect(s) stole a 2009, 
white, Toyota Sienna, which was parked at the 
location.

Friday, October 7:

11. Between October 6th at 11:30 a.m., and 
October 7th at 8:00 a.m., a residential burglary 
occurred in the 200 block of East Colorado 
Boulevard. Suspect(s) cut the tent placed over 
the residence while being fumigated, as well 
as numerous window screens, and entered the 
home. Once inside, the suspect(s) stole several 
electronics, a water cooler, and a briefcase. 

12. Units responded to the 400 block of 
California Street around 8:23 p.m., in reference 
to an armed robbery just occurred. A woman 
was walking from her vehicle to her apartment 
complex when a male Hispanic, 20-30 years of 
age, 5’-08”, thin build, wearing a dark jacket, 
approached, and demanded her purse at 
gunpoint. He grabbed her purse and fled in a tan 
pick-up truck with an open bed. Officers searched 
the area, but were unable to locate the suspect or 
the vehicle. 

Saturday, October 8:

13. At about 5:03 a.m., officers responded 
to McDonalds, 143 East Foothill Boulevard, 
regarding a vandalism that just occurred. Two 
male Hispanic subjects were seen breaking the 
windshield of a parked vehicle at the location. 
Officers located and detained two subjects 
fitting the description, and after being positively 
identified, a 33-year-old Hispanic male was 
placed under arrest for vandalism and drunk 
in public. The second suspect, a 21-year-old 
Hispanic male, was also placed under arrest for 
drunk in public. 

14. At about 12:00 p.m., loss prevention 
personnel from Sephora at the Westfield Santa 
Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, advised 
they had detained an adult female for theft. The 
suspect hid merchandise in her purse and left 
the store without making payment. Through 
investigation, it was determined the suspect had 
come into the store with the intent to steal. The 
26-year-old Hispanic female was placed under 
arrest for commercial burglary.

SCHOOLS MULL PARCEL TAX

– By Scott Hettrick

With revenue to Arcadia School District 
dropping at a rate of about $5 million annually 
since 2007-08 — now down about 20% — and 
with AUSD losing about 100-120 students 
per year for this past five years, the District is 
considering asking voters to approve a parcel 
tax that could result in annual taxes of anywhere 
from $50 to $250 or more.

At a recent school board / study session, 
consultants for the District presented many 
scenarios of possibilities for elections that could 
be held anywhere from as early as March with an 
all-mailed ballot, to general elections in June or 
November 2012.

A tax of $50 would generate $748,000 while 
a tax of $250 would raise $3.7 million, still 
far short of the $5 million loss. Taxes of $118 
and $148 would raise $1.7 mil. and $2.2 mil., 
respectively.

Several school and city leaders strongly urged 
the District to go after a tax that would cover the 
entire $5 mil., but consultants said that a survey 
of 480 Arcadians indicated that as the amount 
of the potential tax rate increased incrementally 
in the survey from $98 to $118 to $148, responses 
indicated that the likelihood of getting the 
required two-thirds favorable votes for even a 
percentage of the $5 mil. declined significantly 
with each increased rate of potential tax.

And as one consultant pointed out, if the 
vote fails by even one vote, the District gets no 
additional money at all. So, is it better to ask for 
less money to be sure to get something, or more 
money with the risk of getting nothing?

Superintendent Dr. Joel Shawn has repeatedly 
emphasized in various presentations to local 
groups that the $218 mil. in bond money being 
spent on improvements to schools currently 
under construction, cannot be used on anything 
else at the District.

But he has noted that Arcadians are really 
getting their money’s worth with that bond 
passage, with state matching funds raising the 
actual dollars available to spend to $300 mil., and 
with the competitive climate created by the poor 
economy resulting in the District getting a value 
of $400 mil. worth of improvements for the $218 
mil. they are spending.

Of the potential election date options, the 
consultants said the November 2012 Presidential 
election ballot would bring more voters and 
more of them would likely be in favor of passing 
a parcel tax, but it would also be a more crowded 
ballot and the issue may get lost, while revenue 
— if it passed — would not be available until te 
2013-14 school year.

An all-mailed ballot in March 2012 would 
be more expensive and probably generate more 
negative votes.


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