The Arcadia municipal election will soon come to its results. Six candidates (50% Asian American) competing for three city council seats will be facing one of the most important days in their lives April 13.
Six challengers include former Councilman Mickey Segal, Mayor Pro-Tem Peter Amundson, Councilman Bob Harbicht, who is running for his fourth four-year term on the council, and three Asian young professionals Paul Cheng, Jason Lee, and Sho Tay.
Arcadia was incorporated in 1903 and became a Charter City in 1951. It is an upper-middle class community of approximately 54,000 people in an 11.2 square mile area located 20 miles east of Los Angeles. A city that was almost uniformly Caucasian 30 years ago is now 50% Asian American. The transformation is linked to a rapid increase in wealth in Asian countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan. This has led to the immigration of many Asians to countries like the United States. (Source: Renee Lan, Examiner, Apr 12, 2010).