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

Attached is the second annual report provided by Chief Suen and his staff to give the community updates on activities in the Fire Department. To sum things up, the Department was busier than ever providing better care than ever. Here is a link to the Report if you’d like to share it with your circles: 2025 Fire Dept. Annual Report .

On Tuesday, the City Council discussion turned toward the total improvements along the Baldwin Ave. corridor over the past few years. Attached is a memo from the Development Services Department detailing the three projects we have undertaken to beautify, enhance safety, and move traffic through the Baldwin Business District. When all three projects are completed, the City will have spent almost $6.2 million in funds on a total budget of nearly $7 million. The best part is, as

On Monday, January 26, 12 seniors participated in a Real Estate Fraud Workshop presented by the Department of Real Estate. The workshop provided valuable information on current real estate fraud schemes, safety tips to help prevent fraud, and an overview of programs available to compensate victims for qualifying losses.

On Thursday, January 22, 12 seniors joined the weekly Fit & Talk program—a lively mix of movement, fun, and social connection. Each week provides a fresh way to stay active and engaged. Participants enjoyed friendly competitions that challenged their teamwork, focus, balance, and speed.

The City’s temporary overnight parking permit service, which is hosted by a 3rd party vendor, experienced a data breach between the evening of January 6 and the morning of January 7. Residents who attempted to purchase temporary overnight parking permits during this timeframe could not complete their transactions. One of the residents reached out to the City and, through an investigation by the vendor, it was discovered that a malicious code package was activated on the site,

The City has received many emails over the past two weeks from City resident Jeannie Chen regarding a “missing” section of soundwalls on the south side of the 210 Freeway, where the Metro A Line bridge crosses over. Metro has responded to the resident on multiple occasions, stating that the section was not forgotten; rather, that area, when studied in 2017 as part of the study that led to the recent soundwall installation, did not have sufficient sound issues to warrant a so

The Fiscal Year 2024-25 annual financial audit has been completed and is available on the City’s website. Attached is a summary of the changes between the budget and the final audited figures. Specifically, the year ended with a positive balance of $4,678,325, whereas the budget anticipated a deficit of $2.6 million after the labor agreements were adopted and expected to effectively break even with the data we had available in June 2025. As is the case with many years, our ac

Contact us https://www.arcadiaca.gov/enrich/recreation___community_services/contact_us/index.php Senior Lunch Program The senior lunch program operates Monday through Friday from 11:30am - 12:15pm and offers those 55 years or older a meal for $3. During the week of December 1, 208 meals were served. On Thursday, December 4, seniors celebrated National Sock Day. Monday Dance On Monday December 1, 100 seniors attended Monday Dance's performance by Nightlife. Monday Dance is a p

ARCADIA, CA – The City of Arcadia is deeply saddened to announce the passing of former Mayor James “Jim” Helms, who died at the age of 100. A beloved community leader, veteran, attorney, and philanthropist, Jim Helms leaves an extraordinary legacy of service in Arcadia and throughout the San Gabriel Valley.   “Former Mayor Jim Helms was one of Arcadia’s greatest lights, a man whose integrity, brilliance, and quiet strength shaped this city for generations. To me, he was not

When the City Charter was updated to include an automatic rotation of the Mayor, City prepared a schedule for the first five rotations. With the coming transition in February, that original cycle will be completed. Below and attached is an updated schedule for the next five years. We will update the names for 2028 and beyond after the 2026 elections are completed.

On Monday, November 10, over 100 participants attended the annual Veterans Day Celebration at the Arcadia Community Center. This lunch and ceremony honored and recognized Military Veterans throughout the City of Arcadia. Veterans who attended received care packages from Operation Gratitude and Operation Care and Comfort, fresh orchard leis, and picture frames. A video was presented to honor the Veterans, along with a performance from the Arcadia Marching Band and the Reaction

ARCADIA, CA – The City of Arcadia became the latest to sign a Venue City Games Agreement with LA28, the Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee in Los Angeles. Approved by the City Council at its meeting on Tuesday, November 4, the agreement defines the roles and responsibilities of both the LA28 Organizing Committee and the City of Arcadia. LA28 identified Arcadia, home to the renowned equestrian center at Santa Anita Park, as an ideal staging area for the Games. During