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Mountain View News Saturday, February 22, 2025


SAN GABRIEL VALLEY NEWS BRIEFS

ARCADIA MAYOR MICHAEL CAO 
TO PRESENT STATE OF ARCADIA AT 
ARCADIA COMMUNITY 

COORDINATING COUNCIL 
MEETING

The Arcadia Community Coordinating Council is 
honored to welcome Arcadia Mayor Michael Cao, 
M.D., as the featured speaker at its upcoming meeting 
on Monday, March 3. Mayor Cao will present 
the State of Arcadia, providing key updates on current 
events, city initiatives, and future plans for the 
community.

Elected to the Arcadia City Council in 2022, Mayor 
Cao brings a distinguished public service, medicine, 
and civic leadership background. His decade-long 
service as an active duty Major in the United States 
Air Force included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he led the Critical Care 
Airlift Team, saving the lives of countless servicemen and servicewomen.

Following his military service, Mayor Cao transitioned to civilian life as a faculty assistant 
professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern 
California before establishing a successful private medical practice. In addition to his 
contributions to the medical field, Mayor Cao has held leadership roles in various civic 
organizations, including serving as President of the League of California Cities Los Angeles 
Division and as Chairman of the State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners.

Within Arcadia, Mayor Cao has been a dedicated community leader. He previously served 
as chairman of the Senior Citizen’s Commission and as a board director for the Arcadia 
Police Foundation. His unwavering commitment to public service continues to shape his 
efforts to enhance the quality of life for Arcadia residents.

The Arcadia Community Coordinating Council invites community members to attend 
this insightful presentation and engage in discussions about the city's progress and future.

Event Details:

Date: Monday, March 3, 2025

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:15 pm

Location: Villa Catrina Restaurant, 251 N. Santa Anita Blvd., Arcadia

Please contact arcadiacoordinatingcouncil@gmail.com for more information about the 
event. Please RSVP by Friday, February 28, 2025

About Arcadia Community Coordinating Council:

The Arcadia Community Coordinating Council is dedicated to promoting collaboration 
and resource sharing among community organizations, schools, and residents to enhance 
the quality of life for all members of the Arcadia community. Through its various initiatives 
and programs, the Council strives to build a stronger, more vibrant community 
where every individual can thrive.


CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY RECEIVES 120 
MEDICAL-GRADE AIR PURIFIERS TO BENEFIT 
THOSE AT RISK

 

Sierra Madre, CA - Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley (Cancer Support Communi
ty) has received a vital donation of 120 medical-grade air purifiers and replacement filters 
from the global health and humanitarian organization Project HOPE. The donation, made 
possible through a partnership with Medify Air, will help cancer patients—many of whom face 
heightened risks due to respiratory complications—breathe clean air by providing purified, 
safer air in their homes and community spaces.

 

For individuals undergoing cancer treatment, exposure to airborne pollutants, such as wildfire 
smoke, can pose serious health risks to their respiratory conditions and weakening immune 
systems. The recent wildfires burned over 71 square miles, producing hazardous air quality 
that continues to impact vulnerable populations, even after containment.

 

"The wildfires may be contained, but there are still tens of thousands of people reckoning with 
the loss of loved ones, homes, schools, businesses, and neighborhoods.” says Chessa Latifi, 
Project HOPE's Deputy Director of Emergency Preparedness & Response. “Project HOPE has 
been focused on how we can best help the communities most vulnerable to the impacts of this 
devastation. We are so honored to be able to support the Cancer Support Community Greater 
San Gabriel Valley with 120 professional grade air purifiers and replacement filters from Medify 
Air to ensure people living with cancer have access to clean, quality air."

 

Project HOPE’s donation is part of a broader emergency response effort supporting tens of 
thousands of wildfire-affected residents through mobile medical units, mental health services, 
and the distribution of air purifiers, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other essential 
supplies.

 

“We are deeply grateful to Project HOPE for donating 120 air purifiers to support at-risk members 
of our community,” said Patricia Ostiller, CEO of Cancer Support Community. “In the 
wake of so much loss, acts of generosity like this remind us that compassion and resilience 
remain at the heart of Los Angeles and its surrounding communities as we rebuild together.”

 

One grateful recipient shared, "This is an incredible gift! As a cancer survivor with lung complications, 
air quality is a constant concern for me. This gift provides not only cleaner air but 
also peace of mind. I am so grateful."

 

Cancer Support Community remains committed to providing support through a wide range 
of free programs for cancer patients and their families, including individual and group counseling, 
healthy lifestyle classes, social activities, resources and referrals. For more information 
about Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley’s programs and services, visit 
https://www.cancersupportsgv.org/.

Cancer Support Community Bio: Established in 1990, Cancer Support Community Greater 
San Gabriel Valley walks alongside its participants and their medical team providing evidence-
based knowledge and professionally led psychosocial emotional support and activities as a 
proven method to enhance medical outcomes. The non-profit connects thousands of participants 
annually with support groups led by medical professionals, educational workshops presented 
by medical experts, and healthy lifestyle classes. All programs and services are free of 
charge.

FORMER LA COUNTY RESIDENT TO PLEAD GUILTY TO 

DEFRAUDING INVESTORS

 LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A former San Gabriel Valley resident who was a frequent guest on financial 
television news programs then became a fugitive rom justice after being accused of defrauding 
investors agreed today to plead guilty to conning victims out of at least $2.7 million.

 James Arthur McDonald Jr., 53, formerly of Arcadia, has agreed to plead guilty on a future date 
to one federal count of securities fraud, a felony that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, 
according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

 McDonald has been in federal custody since June 2024, when he was arrested in a residence in 
Port Orchard, Washington, after being a fugitive since November 2021, when he failed to appear 
before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to testify after allegations arose that he had 
defrauded investors.

 According to his plea agreement, filed Wednesday in L.A. federal court, at McDonald's Washington 
state hideout, law enforcement found, among other things, a fake Washington, D.C., driver's 
license bearing McDonald's photograph and the name ``Brian Thomas.''

 According to the indictment, McDonald was the CEO and chief investment officer of two companies: 
Hercules Investments LLC, based in downtown Los Angeles, and Index Strategy Advisors 
Inc., based in Redondo Beach. He frequently appeared as an analyst on the CNBC financial television 
news network, prosecutors said.

 In late 2020, McDonald lost tens of millions of dollars of Hercules client money after adopting a 
risky short position that effectively bet against the health of the United States economy in the aftermath 
of the U.S. presidential election. Prosecutors said McDonald projected that the COVID-19

pandemic and the election would result in major sell-offs that would cause the stock market to 
drop. When the market decline didn't occur, Hercules clients lost between $30 million and $40 
million. By December 2020, Hercules clients were complaining to company employees about the 
losses in their accounts, court papers show.

 McDonald allegedly also falsely represented to clients that ISA, his other firm, was a registered 
investment adviser, even though he had withdrawn ISA as a state-registered investment adviser 
firm in May 2019. He allegedly sent ISA clients false account statements, including for one client 
who invested about $351,000, later needed the money to make a down payment on a home, was 
informed by McDonald that much of the money had been lost, and never got his full investment 
back, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

SAVE THE DATE

Save the date on Monday, February 24 from 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm for this FREE One Book One 
City event - a staged reading of The World’s Strongest Librarian in collaboration with Sierra 
Madre Play-house’s OFF the 
PAGE. It’s a play about the 
power of books, muscles, and 
human kindness.

Call the Library at (626) 355-
7186 for more information.

One Book One City is a community 
program that invites everyone 
in to read, discover and 
connect over the same book in 
February through book d… It’s 
a play about the power of books, 
muscles, and human kindness.

Call the Library at (626) 355-
7186 for more information.

One Book One City is a community 
program that invites everyone 
in to read, discover and 
connect over the same book in 
February through book discussions, 
programming, and special 
events.

OBOC 2025 Selection: 

What You Are Looking For by 
Michiko Aoyama and is available 
at the Library


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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