July 23, 2026 Contact: Justine Bruno Deputy City Manager jbruno@ArcadiaCA.gov Court Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Arcadia City Council Censure (ARCADIA, CA) - A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Arcadia City Council's 2025 censure of former Mayor and current Councilmember Sharon Kwan, ruling that the censure was a constitutionally protected exercise of free speech and did not violate the Ralph M. Brown Act. The lawsuit, filed by two Arca

Court Dismissal Reframes Arcadia’s Censure Dispute and the Political Narrative Surrounding It Opinion and Investigative Analysis By Arcadia’s Best News Editorial Board July 23, 2026 A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Arcadia City Council’s 2025 censure of former Mayor and current Councilmember Sharon Kwan, delivering a significant legal victory for the City and rejecting claims that the censure violated California’s open government law.

ARCADIA POLICE DEPARTMENT PRESENTS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT - Free TUESDAY, AUGUST 4 6-9PM NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IS AN ANNUAL COMMUNITY-BUILDING CAMPAIGN THAT PROMOTES POLICE-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND NEIGHBORHOOD CAMARADERIE. Live Music by The Answer, Classic Rock K-9 Team Kids Activities Police Station Tour Food Car Show & More Arcadia City Hall Lawn, 240 W. Huntington Dr. CITY OF ARCADIA

Our America 250 Celebration was bigger than even our stretch goals. We sold out our sponsorships, we sold out the box seats, and 15,843 people registered (the official turnstile attendance count was 12,687). We had hoped to give you a final accounting this week, but we are still finalizing things with our hosts at Santa Anita, which is a major cost area. In general, we had $150,985 in total revenue and spent $193,600 on the drone show and $70,235 on supplies, entertainment, m

ARCADIA, CA - The City of Arcadia proudly announces the 2026 free Summer Concerts & Movies in the Park every Thursday from June 25 through July 30, 2026. Concerts will begin at 6:30pm and movies at dusk. Kids can enjoy the fun zone area with plenty of games, crafts, and activities. The events will be held at City Hall Lawn located at 240 West Huntington Drive between City Hall and the Police Department. Free parking will be available at City Hall and Santa Anita Park, Gate 5.

Fun n Play, a summer camp program for children 5-12 years old, kicked off their “Welcome Week” on June 8, with 800 participants. This week, participants enjoyed outdoor games, made crafts, and participated in themed dress up days. Participants also enjoyed an interactive live magic show and finished the week with water play activities.

Arcadia received word last week that we had been randomly selected to serve as a survey site community for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). For more than 60 years, the NHANES program (www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes) has worked to monitor trends in health, health behaviors, diseases, environmental exposures, and nutrition across the United States. NHANES plans to conduct its survey in Arcadia in 2027 at a location to be determined over the next few month

The Arcadia High School Band has been given the honor of marching in the 250th Independence Day Parade in Washington, to ensure the band is fully prepared for this national event, rehearsals must continue at an even higher level. The District has requested the temporary closure of Campus Dr. from El Monte Ave. to Santa Anita Ave. during scheduled rehearsal times. This is similar to closures they do during the school year for practices in advance of the Rose Parade. Barricades

As part of a larger rehabilitation project, LA County Public Works will be dredging Baldwin Lake at the Arboretum, from September to December 2026. This is intended to aesthetically restore the lake but will also provide better stormwater capture and help water usage at the facility. The work will impact City streets slightly, as trucks will be hauling the silt from the lake and taking it to proper dump sites (generally east of the City). Trucks will exit the facility from 7a

FREE FAIR HOUSING WORKSHOP ARCADIA LANDLORDS & TENANTS TOPICS: Overview of federal and state fair housing laws Disability accommodations & modifications: what is required and how to request/respond Source of income protections, including Section 8 and other rental subsidies Rent increase limits and eviction protections under the California Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) (Mandarin interpretation will be provided) DATE: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 5:00pm - 6:30pm LOCATION: Virtua

As part of America’s 250th month-long calendar of activities, seniors participated in the 50+ All-American Table Tennis Tournament on Friday, June 5. This double elimination tournament allowed for participants to compete against other in fast paced games of Table Tennis. Mary Tour was the winner of the Women's Bracket while Ban Hoang was the winner of the Men's Bracket. The winners received prizes, medals, and bragging rights!

ARCADIA, CA – City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto released the following statement regarding Eileen Wang’s resignation from the Arcadia City Council. Hello Arcadia, On Monday, May 11, federal authorities announced criminal charges against Eileen Wang for acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. She has also resigned from the Arcadia City Council, vacating her position as Mayor. We understand this news raises serious concerns, and we want to be direct with our com

ARCADIA, CA – After 34 years of dedicated service to the Arcadia Police Department, Police Chief Roy Nakamura has announced his retirement. His final day with the department will be July 31, 2026. Chief Nakamura has served as Arcadia’s Police Chief since 2021, marking a unique place in Arcadia’s history as the first Asian American and first Japanese American to lead the department. “I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had during my career in law enforcement, and I than

ARCADIA, CA – Law Day is recognized nationally in May each year and aims to deepen the understanding of the legal profession and celebrate the role of law in our nation’s history. The annual Law Day event in Arcadia has taken place for over two-decades and puts the value of legal service into action by offering 20-minutes of free legal counseling from volunteer attorneys specializing in the areas of real estate, immigration, landlord-tenant, personal injury, estates & trusts,

ARCADIA, CA – After a nationwide search, Lisa Flores has been selected as the next director of Arcadia’s Development Services Department, starting on April 6. The appointment comes after Flores served as interim director since December 2025, following the retirement of former director Jason Kruckeberg. Flores has been part of the Arcadia team since 2003, and has more than 30 years of planning experience, including prior service with the cities of South Pasadena, Rancho Palos

The City of Arcadia will host a commemorative event in recognition of the nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026. The event will take place at Santa Anita Park and will feature a drone show, live music, games, contests, giveaways, and more! To support the success of this event, the City has sponsorship opportunities for businesses and organizations interested in participating in this historic celebration. Sponsors will receive recognition through event promotions and on-s

WIND DAMAGES NEW TREES AT NEWCASTLE PARK Last weekend, we had some significant winds, which caused minor issues throughout town, mostly in the form of twisted streetlights and a few tree limbs falling. Fortunately, we don’t have any reports of injuries or significant damage. We did have some damage to our newly planted trees at Newcastle Park. In total, 11 trees had fallen limbs or snapped at their trunks. The trees are outside of their original warranty period and wouldn’t b

As a foothill community, Arcadia has repeatedly faced the threat of fast-moving wildfires, most recently during the 2025 Eaton Fire and the 2020 Bobcat Fire. With fire season now a year-round concern, the Arcadia Fire Department and the United States Forest Service have partnered to establish a Joint Fire Training Center in Arcadia to strengthen local preparedness and meet growing regional training needs. The facility will be constructed on 30,000 square feet of land at the A

On Wednesday, February 25, the City of Arcadia hosted a seminar on “Preventing Coronary Artery Disease”, presented by Ray Matthews, MD. The seminar was held at the Arcadia Community Center and was attended by 45 individuals. The next seminar, “New Frontiers in Diabetes Medicine: What You Need To Know” presented by Brad Kimura, MD, will be held on Wednesday, March 25, at the Arcadia Community Center at 6pm.

City Manager reported a while back about a group of streetlights in the Catalpa Road area west of the Arboretum that have been out due to outdated and failing 6.6V equipment. The City made the repairs it could make and has been pressuring SCE for months to carry out the repairs they need to do to get the system back up and running. SCE would rather abandon the systems completely and have been reticent to spend the time and money for the repairs. While we absolutely will need