Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 8, 2012

6


Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 8, 2012 

ARCADIA CITY COUNCIL MEETING - 
September 4th

Street Closure Planned for November - Public Safety Requests Granted and 

Explanation of Proposed RV Planning

By Joan Schmidt

 Perhaps your evenings are busy that you cannot attend a City Council Meeting in person. 
Perhaps you don’t have Cable TV to watch a meeting. But if you have Internet Access, all you must do 
is type in “Arcadia City Council Meeting Agenda”, and you can go to a web site that not only lists all 
the agenda items, but also gives history or background information.

 The past meeting saw the City Council approve closure of streets in November for Arcadia 
High School’s Festival of Bands.

 Two requests by public safety departments were also granted. The Arcadia Fire Department 
asked for approval of a supplemental appropriation not to exceed $32,000 for the upfront cost of 
purchasing fire department radio firmware that will be reimbursed through the 2009 State Homeland 
Security Grant Program.

 Why was this requested? Since the terrorist attacks of 9-11, Los Angeles County fire and 
law enforcement agencies have been proactive in striving for excellent county-wide emergency 
scene communications among public safety agencies. Part of the plan is to have all radios be “P25-
compliant” and have the capacity to meet the recommendations of Los Angeles County Fire and law 
agencies” Radio Tactical Interoperability Communication Plan (TICP) for common communication. 
The City Council approved this purchase for the Fire Department.

 The second request pertained to Police vehicles. The Council was asked to award a purchase 
order to Wondries Fleet Group for the purchase of eight Ford Crown Victoria Police Pursuit vehicles 
in the amount of $222,529 and authorize an additional appropriation of $158,229 from the equipment 
replacement fund.

 The Fiscal Year 2012-13 Equipment Acquisition Plan includes a vehicle replacement budget 
for the replacement of three Dodge Charger police pursuit vehicles (PPV) that have high mileage. 
Because of re-occurring engine problems, high repair costs and an unreliable track record, the 
Arcadia Police Department and Public Works Department recommended the City discontinue 
purchasing Dodge Chargers and instead Ford Crown Victoria PPV while the dependability of the 
new Chevy Caprice PPV is evaluated. Included in this plan were five additional Ford Crown Victoria 
PPV scheduled to replace cars that have high mileage in 2013-14. Purchasing a total of eight vehicles 
at this time would save the city $60,000 over the next two years, so the City Council voted to approve 
this.

 An explanation of the RV parking and storage proposals is quite lengthy. A brief summary: 
In March, 2012, the City Council directed staff to develop a proposal to amend parking regulations 
for recreational vehicles (RVs) in single family residential zones and address the visual impacts these 
vehicles could impose when parked and/or stored for indefinite periods in view from public rights 
of way. The Planning Commission considered the proposed regulations at four meetings. Two open 
discussions were held on March 27 and April 24. A noticed public hearing followed at the Planning 
Commission’s May 22 and June 26 meetings. The Planning Commission voted to recommend 
approval to the City Council of the proposed regulations. The regulations did include an Exception 
for properties that do not have vehicular access to a side or rear yard and that there be a 60 day grace 
period. At the August 7 City Council Meeting, approximately 30 residents who felt RVs should be 
allowed to be parked in driveways if there no access to the back. The City Council then directed the 
staff to revise the regulations. (It is to lengthy to be written here, but can be viewed on line under 
September 4 City Council Agenda.) At the meeting, this subject was tabled to give staff more time 
to review issues presented by speakers and City Council Members. There will probably be a study 
session and then a new public hearing with the next 2-3 months.

 


Vision and Fall 

Prevention Lecture and 
Health Screenings

Arcadia Senior Services in partnership with 
Methodist Hospital is having a special event on 
Friday, September 14, 2012 at the Arcadia Community 
Center, 365 Campus Drive. September 
is National Senior Center month and the City of 
Arcadia is showcasing Health and Wellness programs 
offered at the Arcadia Community Center. 
Starting at 10:00am guest speaker, Dr. Valerie 
Wren, an Associate Professor from Western 
University’s Eye Care Center will present a power 
point presentation that promotes vision and safety, 
plus strategies for fall prevention. 

Regular vision checks and proper vision correction 
is one of the major recommendations from 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
(CDC). Proper vision care helps prevent falls 
and traumatic brain injuries in older adults. This 
event is for people age 50 and over. Western 
University for Health Science will also provide a 
vision screening and fall assessment after the presentation. 
For additional information please call 
Arcadia Senior Services 626.574.5130.


ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER


For the period of Sunday, August 26th, through Saturday, September 1st, the Police Department responded 
to 984 calls for service of which 114 required formal investigations. The following is a summary report 
of the major incidents handled by the Department during this period.

Sunday, August 26:

1. Around 1:05 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on a silver Mercedes for failing to stop at 
a stop sign in the area of Golden West Avenue and Ardendale Avenue. An investigation revealed the 
driver was under the influence of alcohol. The 50-year-old Asian female was arrested and transported 
to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 


2. At approximately 6:50 p.m., an officer responded to Nordstrom at the Santa Anita Mall, 400 
South Baldwin Avenue, in reference to a theft report. Two suspects concealed merchandise inside 
a bag and exited the store without making payment. The 65-year-old male of unknown race and 
59-year-old White female were arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 


Monday, August 27:

3. At about 9:40 a.m., an officer responded to the 000 block of East Palm Drive regarding a 
residential burglary report. Unknown suspect(s) entered the home through an unlocked bathroom 
window while the resident was at work, and fled undetected with a flat screen television. Officers 
were able to locate a set of fingerprints, and further investigation is being conducted by the Detective 
Bureau. 


4. Around 11:07 a.m., an officer responded to the Arcadia Police Department front counter in 
regards to a fraud report. The victim explained unknown suspect(s) made unauthorized charges on 
two of her credit card accounts. She had no idea how her personal information was compromised. 


Tuesday, August 28:

5. At about 5:30 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 1000 block of Arcadia Avenue regarding 
a vandalism report. The resident discovered unknown suspect(s) scratched his BMW creating a 360° 
circle. No one saw or heard anything suspicious.


6. Shortly after 12:40 p.m., an officer responded to the intersection of Baldwin Avenue and 
Fairview Avenue regarding a two-party traffic accident. Party-two made an illegal left turn onto 
westbound Fairview Avenue and was struck by oncoming traffic. An investigation revealed the 
intersection was under construction, left turn lanes were coved off, and temporary “No Left Turn” 
signs were posted. No injuries were reported. 


Wednesday, August 29:

7. At approximately 8:35 a.m., an officer responded to the 900 block of Fairview Avenue in 
reference to a vandalism report. The victim parked his vehicle in a private lot and later discovered 
two of his tires were slashed. He was unaware of any possible suspects. 


8. At about 9:30 p.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for expired registration in 
the area of Colorado Boulevard and Second Avenue. An investigation revealed the driver was never 
issued a license. The 38-year-old Hispanic male was cited, released in the field, and his vehicle was 
impounded.


Thursday, August 30:

9. Around 3:15 p.m., officers responded to the area of Magna Vista Avenue and Santa Anita 
Avenue in reference to a non-injury two-party traffic collision. An investigation revealed one driver 
fell asleep behind the wheel and swerved into another vehicle. The 29-year-old Hispanic male was 
determined to be under the influence of alcohol. He was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City 
Jail for booking. 


10. At about 10:30 p.m., an officer was patrolling the area of Santa Anita Avenue and Santa Clara 
Street when he observed a vehicle with a broken tail light. A traffic stop revealed the driver had open 
containers of alcohol in the center console and was in possession of drug paraphernalia. The 56-year-
old Black male was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. 


Friday, August 31:

11. At approximately 7:00 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 800 block of Fairview Avenue 
regarding a suspicious vehicle with no license plates. Officers made contact with the occupants who 
provided false identifying information; however, a records check revealed each had outstanding 
warrants. Two Black female adults and one Black male were arrested and transported to the Arcadia 
City Jail for booking. 


12. Around 3:00 p.m., officers were dispatched to Macy’s at the Santa Anita Mall, 400 South 
Baldwin Avenue, regarding a burglary suspect running through the parking lot. Within minutes, 
assisting officers detained the subject in the 700 block of South Ranch Road. An investigation revealed 
the suspect removed his handcuffs while inside the security office, pushed a loss prevention officer, 
and fled the store. The 18-year-old Hispanic male was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City 
Jail for booking. 


Saturday, September 1:

13. At about 1:30 p.m., officers responded to the 000 block of Warren Way regarding a disturbance 
inside a vehicle. An investigation revealed an argument between a boyfriend and girlfriend resulted 
in the male striking the female several times in the head, resulting in a bloody nose. The 19-year-old 
Hispanic male was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.