Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout3853 RESOLUTION NO. 3853 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA, EXPRESSING OPPOSITION TO NIGHTTIME HORSE RACING. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA, DOES DETERMINE AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. That for more than a quarter of a century thqroughbred horse racing has been conducted during the daytime at Santa Anita Race Track within the City of Arcadia and for some years harness horse racing has been conducted during the daytime at said Santa Anita Race Track. SECTION 2. That the Santa Anita Race Track is surrounded by the Arcadia City Hall and Police Station, the National Guard Armory, the Methodist HosPital, a few motels and restaurants, and a very high class residential area. That for the most part said improvements were constructed after the commencement of daytime thoroughbred horse racing at Santa Anita Race Track, and living habits of the residents of the area, the design of city streets and local traffic patterns have all been adapted to seasons of daytime racing. That despite the fact that the static population of this City is doubled in a matter of hours on racing days, the City administration, law enforcement and the people of the community, with the excellent cooperation of the officials of the Los Angeles Turf Club, have reduced to the barest minimum the traffic and social problems resulting from a sudden influx of people and automobiles into this community on the days of thorough- bred horse racing and harness horse racing. SECTION 3. That the conduct of night racing in any form whatsoever will disrupt the peace and quiet of the residential neighbor- hood which nearly surrounds Santa Anita Race Track, and will cause un- precedente~ traffic congestion and problems at night. That the street -1- 3853 system and traffic control devices, though reasonably adequate to handle daytime crowds, will be inadequate to cope with the problems resulting from the influx of people and automobiles attending night- time racing. That hundreds of traffic enforcement personnel are assigned both by this City and neighboring communities to assist the orderly flow of the unusually heavy traffic on racing days. That such added manpower together with mechanical traffic control devices handle the traffic volume with reasonable adequacy. That additional manpower is inadequate to handle similar traffic volumes at nighttime, as manual direction of nighttime traffic in many instances serves only to con- fuse rather than to assist the traveling public, and it is physically impractical and financially unfeasible to substitute additional mechanical traffic regulation for heavy volumes of nighttime traffic on a seasonal basis. SECTION 4. That for the foregoing reasons the City Council of the City of Arcadia, on behalf of the city administration and the residents and property owners by it represented, does hereby express its absolute and unwavering opposition to the permitting of any type of racing after dark, and particularly to the permitting of nighttime horse racing or harness horse racing anywhere in the State of Cali- fornia, realizing that if nighttime horse racing be permitted else- where, it must inevitably and eventually be permitted in the City of Arcadia with the disastrous and detrimental effects hereinbefore out- lined. That pari-mutuel wagering has resulted in countless millions of dollars in revenue to the State of California. That horse racing and particularly pari-mutuel betting is at best condoned rather than approved by a large segment of the populace and the permitting of nighttime racing will add justifiable cause of objection to racing and lawful wagering, thereby threatening and jeopardizing the continuation of daytime racing and pari-mutuel wagering as historically conducted -2- 3853 within the state. That this City Council does therefore urge the legislature of the state of California to promptly disapprove any measure the effect of which will be to permit horse racing or harness horse racing after dark anywhere in the state of California. SECTION 5. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this resolution and shall cause a certified copy hereof forthwith to be forwarded to the Honorable Edmund G. Brown, Governor of the State of California, and to the Los Angeles County Division of the League of California Cities, urging said Division and the respective cities represented thereby to take similar action. I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing resolution was adopted at an adjourned regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Arcadia held on the 15th day of February , 1966, by the affirma- tive vote of at least three Councilmen, to wit: AYES: Councilmen Balser, Considine, Forman, Turner and Reibold NOES: None ABSENT: None k2-tf,~f/ d. L~ _ City lerk of the City of Arcadia- SIGNED AND APPROVED this day of , 1966. of ~:Z~~ [~ City Clerk ( SEAL) -3- 3853