La Cañada History: Sheriff’s deputies arrested 17 LCHS students in a surprise raid

Ten Years Ago

Local officials were reacting to an article that had appeared in the Nov. 13, 2003 Los Angeles Times reporting that the Los Angeles Conservancy, a historic preservation group, gave La Cañada Flintridge a “D-” grade in building conservation.

Twenty Years Ago

For the second time in a two-week period a La Cañada Flintridge bank was held up. The first incident took place at the local Great Western Bank; the second was the robbery of Citizens Business Bank.

Thirty Years Ago

Armed with arrest warrants, sheriff’s deputies swept down on La Cañada High School on a Thursday morning in November 1983 in a surprise raid that concluded five days later with 30 arrests including 17 LCHS students and two who attended the local continuation high school. Work of undercover officers who had been admitted as students to the school — with the district’s permission — led to the high school’s second narcotics raid in a three-year period. All of the LCHS teens arrested during the operation were released the same day to their parents and all were suspended from school for five days.

Forty Years Ago

After hearing no opposition, the county zoning board approved a conditional use permit for expansion and modification of the Church of the Lighted Window (today known as La Cañada Congregational Church) at the intersection of Foothill and Verdugo boulevards. Church officials told the county they planned to reverse the sanctuary seating and move the main entrance from the east side of the building to the west side. They also planned to construct a two-story office and multipurpose structure, erect a bell tower, tear down the youth hall that faced Verdugo Boulevard and establish a covered mall area between the sanctuary, classrooms and the new office building.

Fifty Years Ago

A zone exception application was filed with the county for construction of a Methodist church facility on more than 3 acres near La Cañada High School. The property was zoned single family residential at the time the application was filed.

Sixty Years Ago

A new project was announced by the La Cañada Thursday Club: The group, with the cooperation of the county road department, would undertake the reporting of blind intersections that members found around town. A special committee would also seek the aid of property owners in thinning out plantings “or removing other barriers to good vision,” it was reported.

Compiled from the Valley Sun archives by Carol Cormaci.