Arnold Adler
Articles
STATE TAKING 365 PRIVATE LAND PARCELS TO WIDEN SANTA ANA FREEWAY
An estimated 365 parcels of private property will be taken by the state of California to accommodate a $1.6 billion, six-mile widening of the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) from Orange County line east of Valley View Avenue in La Mirada northwest through Santa Fe Spring, Norwalk and Downey. Most of the affected property owners have [...]
DOWNEY COUNCIL DELAYS SMOKING-BAN DISCUSSION, BUT MEMBERS TALKING
DOWNEY — The Downey City Council probably won’t discuss a possible citywide outdoor smoking ban until its meeting Aug. 23, but Councilman Mario Guerra has made sure his opposition is known. Guerra said it would be too costly to enforce the ban, but a full discussion was halted on a 2-1 vote with Mayor Luis [...]
NEW FRET TO NORWALK YOUTH: NO PLACE TO PRACTICE THE DULCIMER
The Golden Strings, a youth ensemble of fretted mountain dulcimer players, needs a place to practice or it might have to disband. “They won’t be running around getting into trouble," says Morrison Elementary School teacher Lori Knight, "but they will be missing a chance to work together and learn skills which will help them throughout life.”
DOWNEY COUNCIL FIDDLES WHILE CITY’S KIDS BURN … UP THEIR YOUTH
If the Downey City Council takes too much longer arguing about the rules, structure and programs of a proposed Youth Advisory Commission the whole concept is going to have to be transformed into something for seniors. After sending the latest plan back to staff for a 30-day review, the city council will again next month—for [...]
DOWNEY COUNCIL SELLS CITY LAND TO ATTRACT A NEW FIAT DEALERSHIP
DOWNEY—With gasoline prices ever increasing, the Downey City Council has agreed to sell four acres of city-owned property at 9715 Firestone Blvd., near the San Gabriel River to Paul Antepara, who plans to open a Fiat dealership by July. The selling price is $3.8 million for the property, once occupied by a Suzuki dealership and [...]
DOWNEY CITY COUNCIL CAN’T DECIDE WHAT NEW YOUTH GROUP SHOULD DO
The Downey City Council Tuesday night unanimously agreed to establish a Youth Advisory Committee, but could not make up its mind as to what the committee should do. Councilmen Mario Guerra and Fernando Vasquez, who have both called for a group to advise the council on the concerns of young people, were appointed to a [...]
HOW DID COUNTY AUDITOR WHO DIED AT WORK GO UNDISCOVERED FOR A DAY?
A Los Angeles County employee who died in an office cubicle at a county building in Downey on Feb. 11, but was not found until the next afternoon, was working overtime alone, and the lights were automatically turned off to save energy, a county spokeswoman said Friday. Rebecca Wells, 51, who was an auditor for [...]
BACK FROM MILITARY DEPLOYMENT, RODARTE RUNS FOR NORWALK COUNCIL
Former Norwalk planning commissioner Marcel Rodarte, who returned some 30 days ago from a six-month stint with the U.S Air Force Reserves in Germany, is mounting a campaign for the City Council in the March 8 election. He has announced the endorsement of Assemblyman Tony Mendoza (D-Norwalk). “I am honored to receive the endorsement of [...]
BELLFLOWER COUNCIL CONSIDERS BIG CUTS IN WAKE OF UTILITY TAX FAILURE
A smorgasbord of cuts, ranging from employee layoffs to closing the municipal swimming pool and selling Caruthers Park for a residential housing project, is under study by the City Council. Possible decisions on some are expected at the next regular meeting Feb. 14. As directed by council, City Manager Mike Egan laid out a list [...]
STATE GRANT FINALLY COMES THROUGH FOR LONG-PLANNED BELLFLOWER PARK
BELLFLOWER—Work on the long-planned $2.3 million Palm Linear Park—a 3.5-acre swath along the south side of the Artesia (91) Freeway—is moving again following the funding of a long-delayed state grant of $1.8 million. The park site is a strip of surplus state land leased from the Department of Transportation and extending along the north side [...]
NORWALK, DOWNEY TO BEGIN 2011 WITH PART-TIME CITY MANAGERS
The cities of Norwalk and Downey will be led by part-time city managers for the immediate future, saving both cities some money while still receiving experienced managerial talents. Downey City Manager Gerald Caton, who had planned to retire at the end of 2011, has advanced his full-time departure by 12 months, thus saving the city [...]
13-VOTE LOSS LOOKS, UM, UNLUCKY FOR BELLFLOWER’S QUALITY OF LIFE
Now that the defeat of a proposed two-percent hike in the utility tax is official—it lost a recount of the Nov. 2 referendum by 13 votes—the Bellflower City Council begins the job of dismantling many of the city’s crucial public services. The five-man panel has unanimously instructed city staff to report back Jan. 13 with [...]
DOWNEY ‘GATEWAY’ DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVED BY PLANNING COMMISSION
The layout for the Downey Gateway Center, 1.5-acre restaurant and shopping area on the southwest corner of Firestone Boulevard and Downey Avenue, has been recommended for approval by the Planning Commission, paving the way for construction next year. Plans for the development were announced last April. Site plan approval clears the way for the developer [...]
DOWNEY HOPES ITS MAYORS MAKE NICER UNDER NEW TRANSFER-OF-POWER PLAN
Trying to separate the glad from the mad, Downey city officials will set different dates for honoring the outgoing mayor and naming a new one. Councilman Roger Brossmer called for separating the days, noting that the outgoing mayor program is supposed to be a happy occasion with friends, family and guests on hand, as well [...]
DOWNEY COUNCIL OPTS FOR A MODERN THEME IN ITS DOWNTOWN MAKEOVER
The Downey City Council has dropped plans for an old-town central business district and instead approved plans for a modern, expanded downtown area. Its Tuesday night actions consisted of tentative approval of ordinances changing the zone classification, general plan designation, height and density restrictions and revoking an Oct. 24, 2000, ordinance calling for an historic downtown [...]
