7
ARCADIA -MONROVIA-DUARTE
Mountain View News Saturday, January 6, 2024
January Events
Around TownBrought to you by Sue CookReal Estate Cooked to Perfection!
DUARTE SELECTS NEW LEADERSHIP
At the Duarte City Council meeting on
Tuesday, December 12, the Council hosted
its annual reorganization and selected Vinh
Truong, District 2, to represent Duarte as
Mayor and Cesar A. Garcia, Dis-trict 6, as
Mayor Pro Tem.
“General Colin Powell once said ‘Great
leaders are almost always great simplifiers
who can cut through argument, debate,
and doubt to offer a solution everybody can
understand.’ Everybody does deserve an
opportunity, but when we sit here on this
dias, that opportunity is for our constituents
and our residents, not for us. I believe that
is who I am and who I will continue to be.”
said newly appointed Mayor Vinh Truong.
“ Not only do I have all of Duarte to repre-
sent but I have to represent my kids and my
wife at home.”
Vinh Truong’s family migrated from
Vietnam to the United States in the late
1970s and settled in Duarte in 1985. He
has held a seat on the Duarte Economic
Development Commission and served
as a board member of the Santa Anita
Family YMCA. In 2019, Mayor Truong was
appointed to Duarte’s Financial Advisory
Task Force, which allowed him to learn
about the City’s financial condition and
engrain in him the value of economic
growth. He is a team player and leader and
looks forward to building a solid foundation
and stable city for the next generation in
Duarte.
Cesar A. Garcia was appointed by the City
Council to fill the District 6 vacancy in
December 2021. Mayor Pro Tem Garcia was
raised in the City of Duarte and his family
has lived in Duarte for over 27 years. His
positive experiences beginning at a young
age in the City of Duarte inspired him to give back to Duarte’s unique community. He
cares deeply about the City of Duarte and its residents, includ-ing its youth, seniors,
and families. He values teamwork and strives to serve the community with confidence,
pride, respect, and re-sponsibility.
“To be able to sit here with the rest of my colleagues is truly a full circle moment for
me. I always knew I would continue to serve my community but I never thought at this
capacity,” said newly ap-pointed Mayor Pro Tem Cesar A. Garcia. “The greatest lesson
my family ever taught me was how to serve others. It feels really good to be serving this
community because of my family’s history with Duarte. My grandparents bought their
first home here, my parents met at Mike’s Food, and this is also where I met my wife. I
am humbled and will continue to serve this community in any capacity.”
A representative from the office of Senator Susan Rubio presented Councilmember
Jody Schulz with certificates from Senator Susan Rubio and Assemblywoman Blanca
Rubio thanking her for her service as Duarte’s Mayor.
“This has been a tremendous honor and one of the most profound things I’ve done
professionally,” said Councilmember Jody Schulz. “The amount that I’ve learned about
myself, others, government, the residents and the connections I've been able to make
with the residents in the community is something I’ll cherish forever.”
Councilmember Schulz further expressed her gratitude to her husband, Gunther, and
her daughter, Isabel, who is the reason she initially ran for office and continues to be her
inspiration. She stated, "The most fulfilling and proudest part of serving is having my
daughter by my side and flourishing in the public arena, as a person with autism, who
has grown tremendously being at the fore-front of events in the City with her mother as
Mayor. It has been such a blessing, and I'm very grateful that I had this opportunity to
share with her. I'm incredibly grateful for my husband and for all the support my family
has received from people in the community as well as my colleagues and City staff."
For additional information about the Duarte City Council, please visit the Duarte City
website or contact the City Manager’s Office at (626) 357-7931.
Mayor Vinh Truong
Mayor Pro Tem Cesar A. Garcia
MONROVIA NEWS:
1111 Encino New Park Name Recommendation
As many of you may know, the community was gifted a piece of land behind the new Chik-
fil-A and Star-bucks near 1111 Encino. City Officials would like to give a special 'thank you'
to the Hale Corporation and, specifically, Dick Hale, for the land donation to be used as our
newest City Park.
Last Fall, the City Council solicited names for the park (as part of our Facility Naming
Policy), and we received 19 difference recommendations. Several focused on honoring
Asian Americans for their contributions to Monrovia, and for many of our local history
buffs, the name Satoru Tsuneishi stood out for many reasons including being the first Asian
American to graduate from Monrovia Arcadia Duarte High School (image above: far left in
second row from top).
He ran a fruit stand and farmed strawberries before World War II along Historic Route 66
and four of his sons served in WWII when the remainder of his family were sent to Japanese
internment camps. Upon their return, they resided next to Louis and Lucinda Garcia! By the
80s, he was invited to participate in the Monrovia Days Parade as the oldest living graduate
from MAD High School.
Staff will be recommending the park be named Satoru Tsuneishi Park as way to honor him,
his family and the countless Asian Americans who have contributed so much to our City's
culture, histo-ry and quality of life. Per our Facility Naming Policy, staff will present their
recommendation to the Community Services Commission on Tuesday, January 9, and a
recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration at their meeting
on Tuesday, January 16th.
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com
|