Few New Faces in Arcadia, Bradbury, Rosemead Elections

Candidates for the Arcadia City Council usually outnumber the horses in any race at the Santa Anita Race Track. But this year only four candidates have lined up at the starting gate, and all have made the race before.

In nearby Bradbury, home to more horses than humans, the city is divided into councilmanic districts. There is an election in only one district, so results should be in just minutes after the polls close, even if all 113 registered voters turn out.

The field in Rosemead, larger than those in Arcadia and Bradbury, includes one candidate who is walking the city looking for the 19 voters who cost him a council seat last year.

The following is a closer look at the April 12 elections in those three cities.

Arcadia

Incumbents Charles Gilb and Mary Young are being challenged by Charles Chivetta, who is making his seventh attempt for a seat on the council, and Johanna A. M. Hofer, who has run four times.

Hofer said she decided to run again when it appeared that Gilb and Young would run unopposed and that the election would be canceled. There are usually at least 10 candidates, and Gilb remembers one year when he ran in a field of 16.

But the Arcadia City Charter prohibits council members from serving more than two consecutive terms. This results in an open seat in many elections.

Gilb, 63, a 29-year resident, is a produce executive who has served 12 years on the council and has been mayor three times.

“The most important issue is the drug problem spilling into the community,” he said. “It is the underlying issue for all cities. It is also important to maintain the quality of life in Arcadia.”

Young, who lists her occupation as “volunteer” and has served on the council for four years, likes the direction in which the city is headed, especially in redeveloping East Huntington Drive.

“This is a cohesive council,” said Young, 67, who has lived in Arcadia for 38 years. “We agree on what we want done, although we don’t always agree on how to do it.”

But the lack of sound walls along the 210 Freeway is a problem, she said. “The freeway runs through a residential area, and getting Caltrans to build sound walls is a long, drawn-out process that takes at least 20 years.”

Chivetta, 58, is an urban planning management consultant who has lived in Arcadia for 29 years. He has worked as a planner for Culver City, Lakewood and Baldwin Park.

‘Density Increasing’

“I am running because of the concern in the community about both residential and commercial overdevelopment,” he said. “The density of our residential neighborhoods not only increases population and traffic but puts a strain on the sewer system and other city services.”

Chivetta also mentioned the drug problem in Arcadia and, like Gilb, said drugs pose a serious problem in neighboring cities.

Hofer, 65, who lists her occupation as “concerned citizen,” has lived in Arcadia for 24 years.

She calls redevelopment “a devious tool, used by devious people to attain devious goals.”

She also would like the city to cut its utility tax from 5% to 2% and wants voters, rather than the City Council, to decide whether elections for the council and the school board should be held at the same time. Like Young, she places a high priority on sound barriers along the freeway.

Four candidates are running for city clerk, a position that Christine Van Maanen has held for 32 years. Van Maanen is retiring from the job, which pays $3,000 a month.

The candidates are Stella Ross, a claims clerk for United Parcel Service; Joyce McCartney, a secretary for the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce; Deborah McLoughlin, manager of a savings and loan branch, and June Alford, a secretary in the Arcadia city clerk’s office.

Of Arcadia’s 28,000 registered voters, 19% went to the polls in the 1986 council election.

Bradbury

In rural Bradbury, which did not hold a council election in 1986 because there were no challengers, the only contest is in District 3, where Thomas Melbourn and Ronald Cooney are running to fill the remaining two years of the term vacated by Jeff Alkana in December. Terms expire in three other districts, but since there is only one candidate in each, elections will not be held. Alkana resigned without giving a public explanation.

Melbourn, 46, is a city planning commissioner and an investigator in the environmental crimes division of the district attorney’s office. He has lived in Bradbury for 16 years and has also served as city treasurer.

“I will be more pro-active than the council has been because issues that affect other cities are starting to affect us,” he said.

“We are insular in that we like our privacy, but we are very aware of the issues that could affect us indirectly.”

Bradbury, which has no commercial enterprises other than the occasional sale of a horse, contracts with the county for services. Children attend schools in the Duarte school district, and residents use that city’s parks and recreation facilities.

Cooney, 49, is a self-employed rancher who has lived in Bradbury for eight years.

“I am running because I want to contribute and get involved,” he said. “I want to keep the community the way it is and make sure we don’t have subdivisions.”

Rosemead

Rosemead’s three incumbents are being challenged by a newcomer to the city and by two candidates who ran unsuccessfully in a special election last year.

Incumbents Jay Imperial, G. H. (Pat) Cleveland and Robert Bruesch are being challenged by Robert De Cocker, who lost the March, 1987, election by only 19 votes; Jack Clair, who finished fourth in the March voting, and Louise Edens, who moved here last May.

Imperial, 57, has lived in Rosemead since 1961 and has served on the council for 12 years. He works for the Army.

“We have a complex situation with the influx of immigrants,” he said, “With careful planning and coordination” the city can solve problems caused by newcomers and still avoid overcrowding, he said.

“I welcome anybody into the city who wants to enjoy the good old American way of life,” he said.

Cleveland, 80, who is retired, has lived in the city for 36 years and served on the council for six years. Despite his age, he said he has never missed a council meeting and has time for city activities.

“If we (the council) continue what we’ve done in the past, we will be in good shape,” he said. “There are no issues, and we are in just about perfect condition now.”

Bruesch, 43, has served on the council for four years. He is a 16-year resident and a teacher in the Garvey School District. He favors controlled development, especially in residential areas.

‘Unsightly Mini-Malls’

“We need continued vigilance to prevent the spread of unsightly mini-malls and the burgeoning number of motels in our city,” he said.

“I also want to establish a committee to study and suggest remedies for the traffic congestion in the Walnut Grove Avenue-Garvey Boulevard area.”

Southern California Edison Co., California Federal Savings & Loan and several other firms have office buildings on Walnut Grove, and Bruesch said employees heading for the freeways after work have created a critical traffic problem.

De Cocker, 60, a retired school administrator who has lived in Rosemead since 1958, serves on the Planning Commission. He said he has been canvassing neighborhoods and talking to residents in search of votes.

“I have worked on many projects (as a planning commissioner) resulting in limits in mini-malls, motels and residential density,” he said. “I would like to see more senior citizen housing and controls on the density of all building activity.”

Clair, 67, is a small-business owner who has lived in Rosemead for 42 years.

‘Transient Community’

“The council has been no-growth, but we can stand some growth on the main boulevards,” he said. “With all the traffic on Valley and Garvey boulevards, we could have stores like Mervyn’s and Penney’s and restaurants. Instead, we have 22 motels, and this will make Rosemead a transient community.”

Edens, 46, the owner of Louise Edens and Associates, gives seminars on image and self-esteem. She is active in the Soroptimist Club, the Chamber of Commerce and California Christian Home.

“The issue is the elderly,” she said. “They need a better senior citizens center, and more should be done for them.”

Voter turnout in the past two council elections has been low. Of the 12,500 registered voters, only 1,974 went to the polls in 1986 and 2,238 in 1987, when eight candidates sought one seat.