Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 26, 2012

6


Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 26, 2012 


COUNCIL 
OVERRULES 
HUNTINGTON 
BUSINESSES 

by Scott Hettrick

Over the objections of the Arcadia 
Chamber of Commerce 
and all 16 businesses on the 
south side of Huntington 
Drive between Santa Anita 
Avenue and First Avenue, the 
City Council voted Tuesday 
night to cut off all left turn 
access in and out of the alley 
to the parking lots of those 
businesses.

Citing a prevailing concern 
for safety and improved traffic 
flow, the Council unanimously 
approved the addition 
of a second left turn lane heading north on 
Santa Anita from Alta Street to Huntington 
Drive, creating a total of five northbound 
lanes, and thus creating the need, according 
to City staff, to close the frequently-used 
cut-through in the median.

 

The work is part of a plan to revise three 
intersections along Huntington Drive between 
San Rafael and Santa Anita in hopes 
of improving traffic flow on Huntington. 

 ¦ Adding another northbound right turn 
lane by shaving off a piece of the County’s 
Arcadia Park property where Huntington 
makes a sharp turn to the east at the intersection 
with Santa Clara

 ¦ Closing off another median cut-through 
for left turns at San Rafael near Citizens 
Bank and to the 100-to-1 bar (the City announced 
at the Council meeting Tuesday 
that this work will now be delayed since 
the Gold Line’s impending closure of Colorado 
Boulevard over the next month to take 
down the train bridge would severely limit 
access to the residential area north of Huntington 
Drive and south of Colorado.)

 ¦Creating additional left turn lanes on 
southbound and northbound Santa Anita at 
Huntington.

 

Because there is no room to add lanes on 
busy Huntington Drive, the additional left 
turn lanes on Santa Anita are being built so 
that by shaving off a couple seconds of green 
arrow light time required to empty the left 
turn lanes on Santa Anita, those extra couple 
of seconds can be added to the green 
light phase for east-west traffic on Huntington, 
allowing more cars through on each 
sequence, according to City Engineer Phil 
Wray. The overall project, which has been in 
the works for some time, was initially budgeted 
at more than $2 million but will now 
come in at closer to $1.5 mil.

 

Having only recently learned of the planned 
construction to begin in July, the Chamber 
met with Wray and Arcadia Blues Club 
owner Robert Dahms Friday to discuss the 
impact of closing the median cut-through 
on Santa Anita, and the potential options 
(the Chamber did not know about the plans 
at San Rafael until Tuesday, so there has not 
been time for contact of business owners in 
that area). The first concern raised by the 
Chamber was safety for vehicles entering 
and exiting the alley across four lanes of 
northbound traffic. Wray said that records 
show 14 accidents between Huntington and 
Alta in the past five years, or an average of 
less than three per year, which is a number 
that begins to indicate a red flag for concern, 
he said. But he noted that the records do not 
indicate whether any of the accidents were 
specifically at or related to the alley access.

 

The City said it had notified all the affected 
businesses and residents near the alley but 
received no objections. With little time 
to react Friday afternoon, Dahms and the 
Chamber hastily went door-to-door asking 
each of the 16 open businesses — Chamber 
members and non-Chamber members 
— including everything from a florist to a 
dentist to the First Cabin bar to Chase Bank 
to flooring and hydroponic supply shops. 
Every one of them raised immediate and 
strong verbal objections to the closing of 
the cut-through and signed an informal petition 
to that affect, citing concerns about 
customer and delivery access, as well as the 
use of the left turns in and out of the alley by 
employees all day, every day.

 

Further, they noted that if vehicles cannot 
access the alley from Santa Anita, most of 
those vehicles will use Huntington Drive, 
causing more traffic on Huntington, which 
may wind up causing more traffic congestion 
than the additional left turn lane reduces. 
Many noted that this will be especially 
true when the two new two-story apartment 
complexes are opened on Alta since the garages 
for all the units are accessible only 
from the alley.

 

Most of the merchants and local residents 
noted that the only time the left turn lane 
traffic gets backed up on the northbound 
side (south of Huntington) is for about 
45-minutes to 90-minutes during rush hour 
on weekday mornings, and primarily during 
the school year. The rest of the times of 
the day the left turn lanes do not get backed 
up and the cut-through is used all day and 
evenings seven days a week.

 

The Chamber and the merchants requested 
that no change be made to northbound 
lanes on Santa Anita, even if the City wants 
to go ahead with the additional southbound 
left turn lane north of Huntington. If a second 
left turn lane is added, the request from 
the Chamber and merchants was to leave a 
cut-through (although that would require 
motorists to cross five northbound lanes, 
and adding the second left turn lane will 
eliminate the pocket needed to turn left into 
the alley from southbound Santa Anita).

 

City Councilman Gary Kovacic asked Wray 
at the Council meeting Tuesday if a compromise 
could be reached by creating signage 
indicating “No Left Turn” during peak 
traffic hours. Wray said that would not be 
practical.

 

The Council then voted unanimously to 
create the new left turn lane as planned.

 

Wray told the Chamber and Dahms last Friday 
that the City would look at additional 
signage at the alley entrance/exit to indicate 
where open parking may be found. He 
also said the City would look into a clearly 
dangerous pedestrian situation on the other 
end of the alley at First Avenue, where there 
is no visibility for pedestrians walking north 
or motorists exiting the alley to the east to 
see each other before it is too late.

BURGLARY SUSPECTS CAUGHT

On May 23, 2012, at approximately 10:54 AM, the Arcadia Police 
Department received a call from a resident reporting a suspicious 
subject knocking on his door in the 900 block of Panorama. The 
resident noticed the subject was associated with an occupied 
vehicle on the street and watched as they continued knocking on 
other doors in the neighborhood. As officers arrived, the vehicle 
was located and a female adult driver was detained.

Moments later a second resident, who was working in his garage 
in the 1000 block of Panorama, called the Police Department and 
stated that two male subjects exited the rear door of his residence. 
One of the subject’s descriptions matched that provided by the 
previous caller. The resident watched as the two subjects ran 
down his driveway toward the street at which time they saw the 
police officers. The two subjects then ran back to the rear yard and 
jumped over the wall. A police perimeter was established and the 
two subjects were located in a nearby construction site where they 
were taken into custody. 

Officers discovered a burglary had been committed at the 
residence of the second caller. Both callers identified the subjects 
involved. They were arrested and transported to the Arcadia 
Police Department for processing. The arrested suspects are:

Brian Magallanes, 19 years old from Duarte

Eulises Andres 19 years old from La Puente

Stephanie Iraheta, 18 years old from La Puente.

The case is currently being investigated by the Detective Bureau 
and the loss is yet to be determined. Please direct all inquiries to 
the Watch Commander at (626)574-5156.

Robert T. Guthrie, Chief of Police

By: S. Flores #446, Sergeant Refer Case #12-2331

A new median in center of Huntington at San Rafaelwill block left turns.

AAUW to End Year with 

Melodies and Accolades 

 The Arcadia Branch of the American Association 
of University Women (AAUW) will complete a year 
of successful meetings and events by enjoying a festive 
luncheon with entertainment by keyboardist Jay Munns. 
The event will take place on Monday, June 11, in the Church 
of the Good Shepherd’s Jordan Hall, 400 W. Duarte Road 
(SW corner of Duarte Rd. and Holly Ave.), Arcadia. Caterer 
Blennie Danielson, back by popular demand, is scheduled 
to begin serving at 12:30 p.m., with Jay Munns’ performance 
to follow at 1:30 p.m.

 San Gabriel Valley resident Jay Munns is known 
throughout the Southland for his television and radio 
performances that feature memorable songs from the 
Twenties, Thirties, and Forties. Even U. S. Presidents and 
celebrities have been in his audience. Munns plans to invite 
Arcadia AAUW members and guests to sing along from the 
song sheets he provides for his audience.

 The Arcadia AAUW meeting will recap the year’s 
events, such as the fund-raising luncheon for AAUW’s 
Educational Foundation at which Pasadena author Lisa 
See spoke. The meeting will conclude with the installation 
of Arcadia Branch officers and Board of Directors. Past 
President Betty Harris will be honored with a certificate 
for her fifty years as an AAUW member. Finally, Arcadia 
AAUW’s “Woman of Achievement-2012” award will be 
presented to a very deserving member.

 Caterer Blennie Danielson has planned a delightful 
luncheon menu centered around her famous Sonoma 
chicken wraps, accompanied by salad, soup, and more. 
The cost of the luncheon for members and guests is $15. 
Reservations are due by June 6. To reserve, call Robin 
Graney at (626) 447-1169. Checks should be made payable 
to: Arcadia Branch-AAUW. You may make out your 
checks ahead of time, but please do not mail them to Robin. 
Simply bring checks or cash payments to the meeting on 
June 11. The June meeting is always a high point of the year.

ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER

For the period of Sunday, May13th, through 
Saturday, May 19th, the Police Department 
responded to 852 calls for service of which 
111 required formal investigations. The 
following is a summary report of the major 
incidents handled by the Department 
during this period.

Sunday, May 13:

1. Around 3:00 p.m., an officer 
responded to Macy’s at the Santa Anita 
Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding 
a theft report. A female suspect exited the 
store without making payment for the 
merchandise she concealed inside her 
purse. The 54-year-old Chinese female was 
arrested and transported to the Arcadia City 
Jail for booking. 


2. At approximately 7:45 p.m., 
an officer was dispatched to the Arcadia 
Police Department front counter in regards 
to a stolen purse report. In order to clean 
out her garage, the victim explained she 
parked her vehicle in the 1000 block of La 
Cadena Avenue but forgot to remove her 
purse from the front seat. No signs of forced 
entry were located and no one saw or heard 
anything suspicious. 


Monday, May 14:

3. Shortly after 5:15 p.m., an officer 
responded to Aeropostale at the Santa 
Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, 
in reference to a theft report. The store 
manager noticed approximately 24 t-shirts 
missing from a display shelf, and confirmed 
through sales records that the merchandise 
had not been sold. No one saw or heard 
anything suspicious. 


4. At about 9:30 p.m., an officer was 
dispatched to the 2000 block of South 
Eighth Avenue regarding a residential 
burglary investigation. Unknown suspect(s) 
forced entry through a rear window and fled 
undetected. Cash, jewelry, and electronics 
were reported missing. The victim had no 
idea as to the suspect’s identity. 


Tuesday, May 15:

5. At about 9:15 a.m., an officer 
responded to a two-party traffic accident on 
Colorado Boulevard, west of Altura Road. 
While both vehicles were stopped for a red 
light, party-two was struck from behind by 
party-one. An investigation revealed party-
one accidently took her foot off the brake 
and rolled forward at approximately five 
miles per hour. Party-one complained of 
back aches.


6. At approximately 3:50 p.m., an 
officer was dispatched to the 1000 block of 
Mayflower Avenue regarding a residential 
burglary report. When the owner returned 
home, he observed his front door open 
and discovered his living room and master 
bedroom ransacked. Numerous items were 
reported missing.


The officer made contact with a neighbor 
who revealed she saw an unknown Hispanic 
male exit the victim’s residence around 
11:15 a.m., carrying a white bag and other 
unidentifiable property. The suspect is 
described as being in his early twenties, short 
black hair, wearing a white t-shirt and kaki 
colored shorts. He entered the passenger 
side of a white vehicle and fled northbound 
on Mayflower Avenue.

 

Wednesday, May 16:

7. Around 6:30 p.m., an officer 
responded to the Arcadia Police Department 
front counter regarding a fraud report. An 
elderly victim was promised huge returns on 
a real estate investment that was determined 
to be fraudulent. An investigation revealed 
the suspect is located overseas and 
obtained approximately $350,000 from the 
victim over the last seven years. Further 
investigation is being conducted by the 
Detective Bureau. 


8. At approximately 9:13 p.m., 
officers were dispatched to the 000 block 
of Fairview Avenue to investigate a fraud 
report. Unknown suspect(s) opened a credit 
card account under the victim’s name and 
charged approximately $1,200. The victim 
had no idea how her personal information 
was compromised.


 

Thursday, May 17:

9. Shortly after 3:50 p.m., officers 
responded to H&M at the Santa Anita Mall, 
400 South Baldwin Avenue, in reference to 
a theft report. A female suspect concealed 
jewelry and clothing inside her purse, and 
exited the store without making payment. 
The 20-year-old Filipino female was 
arrested and transported to the Arcadia 
City Jail for booking. 


10. At about 8:10 p.m., an officer was 
dispatched to the USC Medical Center 
in Los Angeles where a victim was being 
treated for an assault, which occurred 
in the City of Arcadia on May 11, 2012. 
The victim explained he was exiting 
Honeyboba, 1 West Duarte Road, when 
he was approached by two Hispanic males. 
The suspects asked the victim what gang he 
was from, and after the victim explained he 
was not from a gang, one suspect stabbed 
him in the chest with a knife. The suspects 
fled the scene on foot, northbound on 
Santa Anita Avenue. The victim revealed 
he drove himself home after the incident, 
attempted to treat his own injuries, and 
never contacted law enforcement. Further 
investigation is being conducted by the 
Detective Bureau. 


Friday, May 18:

11. At approximately 6:57 a.m., an 
officer conducted a traffic stop on a silver 
Mustang for expired registration tags. 
A records check revealed the driver was 
never issued a license. The 25-year-old 
Hispanic male was arrested, transported to 
the Arcadia City Jail for booking, and his 
vehicle was impounded. 


12. Around 12:15 p.m., an officer 
responded to Hollister at the Santa Anita 
Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding 
two female adults detained for theft. The 
suspects removed the security sensors 
from various clothing, concealed the items 
inside their purses, and exited the store 
without making payment. An investigation 
revealed the suspects had also stolen 
from the Montebello Mall. Both Hispanic 
females, ages 26 and 27 respectively, were 
arrested and transported to the Arcadia 
City Jail for booking. 


Saturday, May 19:

13. At approximately 1:43 a.m., an 
officer was dispatched to the 000 block of 
West Duarte Road regarding a medical 
assist for a male subject who had fallen 
out of a second story window. The Arcadia 
Fire Department responded to the scene 
and provided treatment for minor scrapes. 
An investigation revealed the subject was 
under the influence of marijuana and 
had consumed a cookie laced with an 
undetermined hallucinogen. He explained 
he jumped out of the window because he 
believed he could fly. 


14. Shortly after 12:25 p.m., an officer 
conducted an enforcement stop on a vehicle 
for suspended registration, in the area of 
Colorado Boulevard and Fifth Avenue. 
The officer discovered the male driver had 
a suspended license, and a search of the 
passenger revealed he was in possession of 
concentrated cannabis. The subjects were 
cited, released in the field, and their vehicle 
was impounded. 


FREE HANDS-ONLY CPR 
TRAINING AT SANTA ANITA 
MALL JUNE 7

Methodist Hospital will provide free Hands-OnlyTM CPR (cardio-
pulmonary resuscitation) training Thursday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to 
noon, at the Westfield Santa Anita Mall. 

Part of a countywide event, the training will occur near the food court 
outside Johnny Rockets restaurant next to Methodist Hospital’s Heart 
Check blood pressure center. About two dozen registered nurses will 
demonstrate the basics and proper techniques of the American Heart 
Association’s Hands-OnlyTM CPR, and participants can practice on 
mannequins.

 “It only takes a few minutes per person,” said Ilene Frost, RN, 
Methodist Hospital instructor. “We want to encourage people to 
come out to the mall and take a few minutes to learn this vital skill.”

 Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency 
and the American Heart Association (AHA), have collaborated to 
promote this Sidewalk CPR event in communities throughout the 
county in observance of National CPR Week. 

“We want to teach as many as we can how to use this method,” Frost 
said. “Anyone can save a life simply by being aware of the CPR basics.”

 When performed by a bystander, this method has been shown to be 
as effective as “conventional” CPR in emergencies that occur at home 
or work or in public. There are only two steps to remember:

• 1. Call 911
• 2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest (to the beat of the 
song “Stayin’ Alive). 


 Cardiac arrest is more common than you think, and it can happen 
to anyone at any time. Nearly 300,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac 
arrests occur annually and only 32 percent of cardiac arrest victims 
get CPR from a bystander. Failure to act in a cardiac emergency can 
lead to unnecessary deaths. In fact, less than 8 percent of people who 
suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive. 

 On the other hand, effective bystander CPR provided immediately 
after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of 
survival. And because 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur close to 
home, the life you save with CPR is mostly likely to be someone you 
love. 

 Don’t be a helpless bystander. If you have two hands, you have what 
it takes to help save a life with Hands-Only CPR.

About Methodist Hospital

Founded in 1903, Methodist Hospital is a not-for-profit hospital 
licensed for 596 beds serving Arcadia and surrounding communities. 
Services include comprehensive acute care such as medical, surgical, 
perinatal, pediatrics, oncology, intensive care and complete 
cardiovascular services, including open-heart surgery. Methodist 
Hospital is an approved STEMI cardiac center, a certified stroke 
center and a center of excellence in bariatric services. The hospital’s 
cancer center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons 
Commission on Cancer. Methodist Hospital is accredited by The 
Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies more than 19,000 
health care organizations and programs in the United States. For 
more information, visit methodisthospital.org.