Santa Anita Park racetrack will not be coming into fruition anytime soon. The controversial project, known as "The Shops at Santa Anita", had prompted heated debate among some residents in the community and enormous spending by corporate interests in favor and against the project. If the second mall had been built, the combined size of the two malls will make Arcadia the largest retail shopping district in Los Angeles County. "The Shops at Santa Anita", which require City Council approval, would have included signature retail, restaurants, and landscaping featuring a large decorative water display, all situated in what is the race track's southern parking area, severely curtailing race track parking property.

Top employers

According to the City's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[31] the top private employers in the city are:

Government

Thecity has a council-manager government with a five-member city council, Mayor Tom Beck, Mayor Pro Tem Peter Amundson, Roger Chandler, Sho Tay, and April Verlato. Arcadia is a charter city governed by a five-member City Council (which also serves as the City's Redevelopment Agency), with each member serving a four-year term. The Council elects from its membership a Mayor to serve as its presiding officer for a one-year term.[32]

Effective with the 2018 elections, Arcadia voters elect a City Council member by geographical district instead of at-large.

Education

For primary and secondary education the city is served by the Arcadia Unified School District. Reading scores for the AUSD are 76.6% higher than the state average and math scores are 67.9% higher than the state average.[38] It is estimated that 88% of