Endorsements

Mayor of Arcadia and D2 Representative, Tom Beck

Former Mayor and D2 resident, Mickey Segal

Former Mayor and D2 resident, George Fasching

Council Member April A. Verlato

Former Mayor Peter Amundson

Former Mayor Jim Helms

The City of Arcadia holds a special place in my heart. After living in surrounding cities for a decade, my family and I were ready to buy a home in a residential city known for its well-developed neighborhoods, highly-rated schools, safety, cleanliness and fiscal responsibility. So we made the move in 2003, buying a beautiful Spanish colonial in Upper Rancho. It was a decision that we have not regretted a single day.

As someone who served on the Zoning Review Committee in 2015, I am proud to say that the citizens of this city came together to establish a set of building standards that would allow people to build their dream homes without destroying the beauty of neighborhoods that make Arcadia the go-to city for families. As a block captain, I worked with my neighbors to keep our streets and homes safe. As a board member and former treasurer of the Rancho Santa Anita Property Owners’ Association, I have volunteered to keep my neighborhood a desirable destination for families. As chairman of our association’s Architecture Review Board, I have worked with my fellow board members to balance maintaining the architectural beauty of our homes with the housing needs of our residents.

Now, however, we Arcadians find ourselves at a crossroads. We have seen an increase in crime and homelessness. There is increasing threat from the developer lobby to push all sorts of development in the city, purely driven by a profit-motive and without concern for the aesthetics or property values for the rest of us citizens. We have candidates running for city council who are supported by such special interests. We have candidates running in districts that they have normally not lived in, but have either parachuted from outside the city or from outside their district. We have candidates that want to eliminate the home-owner associations because they come in the way of their developer friends’ profit motive. We have candidates that may sign off on legislation to further increase our city’s indebtedness, just so they can get the support of the beneficiaries of that legislation.

I am, quite frankly, concerned about what the future of the city and its property values will look like if these outsider candidates or candidates that are beholden to special interest groups get elected to the council.

It is with this perspective that I have chosen to endorse Ms. Sharon Kwan as the candidate for city council from District 2. I have known Sharon for fifteen years. I have seen up close her work ethic, honesty, integrity, positive nature and love for Arcadia. She is self-funding the entire cost of her campaign for city council. She won’t be beholden to special interest groups. As a mother of four teenage and young adult children, she cares deeply about safety and security in our city. As a long-time homeowner and small business owner who owns a commercial building in downtown Arcadia, she is equally concerned about the impact crime, homelessness and indiscriminate development will have on our property values.

I urge you to come out and cast your vote for Sharon Kwan. There is no better candidate than Sharon for preserving the beauty, heritage and desirability of Arcadia. Join me in spreading the word in support of
Sharon with your neighbors and friends.

Sanjay Kucheria
ARB Chair and resident
Upper Rancho HOA