FREE
SanGabriel Sun
UC Irvine classes online Thursday following encampment clearing PG 02
LA City Council OKs study into deaths of zoo elephants PG 27
A Beacon Media, Inc. Publication
VISIT SANGABRIELSUN.COM
MONDAY, MAY 20- MAY 26, 2024
VOL. 13,
NO. 172
LA County property assessment expected to top $2 trillion
LA County tentatively approves ordinance to regulate home kitchen operations
By City News Service
By Anusha Shankar, City News Service
The Eastern San Fernando Valley against the Verdugo and San Gabriel Mountains. | Photo by Scott CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED
T
his year’s assessment of property values in Los Angeles County is expected to rise by 4.75% over 2023, breaking the $2 trillion threshold for the first time, county Assessor Jeff Prang announced Wednesday. According to Prang’s office, the increase will mark the 14th consecutive year of growth in overall property value in the county. “It has been a chal-
lenging few years as the local and national economies respond to a variety of factors, whether it be residential or commercial,” Prang said in a statement. “Our analysis indicates that property values are going to grow for the 14th consecutive year, which is good news for property owners and for local government because they rely on property taxes to pay for vital public services.
However, sales volume declined significantly in 2023 and commercial properties, especially downtown Los Angeles, have actually experienced huge declines in value.” Prang’s office noted that the median sales price of homes in the county remained strong, reaching a high of $900,000. Property transfers were expected to be the largest contributor to the
tax roll, adding more than $51 billion. Last year’s assessment roll came in at $1.997 trillion. This year’s roll is estimated to come in at $2.09 trillion, which would translate into more than $20 billion in property tax dollars. This year’s roll is expected to be finalized in July. Assessments are based on property values as of Jan. 1, 2024.
Arcadia High Badminton perfect in route to third CIF title in 4 years By Staff
F
or the third time in four years, the Arcadia High School Badminton team has won a CIF Championship. The Apaches beat Walnut High School 12-9 in the Open Division (the highest competitive level) final to take home the coveted title and complete a
historic undefeated season with a perfect 22-0 record. High school badminton is uniquely the only high school sport that is truly coed, where boys and girls compete against each other in the “mixed doubles” pairings. Even more unique to the Arcadia High School
team and its quick ascent to success, is the fact that the team was formed just nine years ago in 2016 thanks to head Coach Mike Stiles. “Our first public meeting to gauge interest in forming See CIF Championship Page 28
a badminton team took place on Oct. 27, 2015. It was standing room only. I texted Ryan Press (athletic director at the time) with a photo of the packed room and said something to the effect that
| Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
T
he Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors tentatively approved an ordinance Tuesday establishing a permitting process for people who operate food-sale businesses out of their home kitchens. In 2019, the California Health and Safety Code was amended to authorize “Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations,” or MEHKO, which allows people to operate a “mini-restaurant” and sell food they prepare in their homes. The ordinance given initial approval by the county Board of Supervisors Tuesday would require operators of such businesses to pay an application fee of $597, along with an annual health permit fee of $347, covering the costs of annual inspections and enforcement actions. The ordinance would also set a cap on gross annual sales of $100,000, with meals limited to 30 per day or 90 per week. “Today, our board is examining a new ordinance that would allow home kitchen micro businesses to come out of the shadows and would put in place health and safety measures to regulate them,” Supervisor Janice Hahn wrote on X following the vote. “These home kitchen micro businesses can help get small businesses off the ground or bring in extra income for families, but I also am sensitive to the concerns I have heard from residents at our community meetings who are worried about noise and traffic in their See Home kitchen Page 27