Friend of CHOA,
It’s time to be thankful. And there is a lot to be thankful for, in regards to housing in Arcadia. CHOA is grateful for our team, supporters, partners, Arcadia churches, City Council, city staff, and of course, for God’s hand to protect us, guide us, and show us all His steadfast love.
Below is what is in this newsletter.
- Recap the Sharing Gathering on Saturday, Nov. 15th: We had a smaller group due to the rain, see the picture above. We heard from Mayor Sharon Kwan and covered many important topics that will help us as we go forward with affordable housing in Arcadia, and address homelessness, together.
- Thanking Jason Kruckeberg: Our Assistant City Manager, Jason Kruckeberg, is retiring at the end of this year, after working here in this position for 19 years. Arcadia is so fortunate to have high quality folks working in our city. CHOA has met with him and his team numerous times, and he has been so helpful. He has been instrumental in bringing affordable housing to Arcadia. CHOA presented him a certificate of appreciation. Read below for more.
- Interfaith Thanksgiving gathering: Our friends at the Arcadia Interfaith Action Group will have their Thanksgiving gathering on Monday, November 24th, at 7pm, at Holy Angels Catholic church. Below are details.
- Homeless Count: On Wednesday, January 21st 2026, starting at 8pm, the City of Arcadia will do another Point-in-time Homeless Count. We urge many folks to join in, and help count. We stay in our cars, so it is safe. We need many folks to join in, so you can meet our city staff, and also make this a quick count, each taking a small section of the city to drive through. Find out more below, and how to register.
Peace,
–Mike Veerman
CHOA Team Lead
Recap the Sharing Gathering on November 15th
CHOA held our 7th Sharing Gathering this last Saturday, despite the heavy rain. We understand that many could not make it, and very much appreciate the 17 folks that did come, including Mayor Sharon Kwan, Mayor Pro Tem Eileen Wang, and former Mayor April Verlato. See the picture at the very top of this newsletter of those that came.
We are grateful to the Church of the Good Shepherd to welcome us to use their Fellowship Hall, see the above picture. It was a spacious and beautiful room, and with the rain, their roofed hallways was a welcoming and sheltering feature for us.
Mayor Kwan shared with us about the new Encampment Ordinance, voted by City Council in October. This Ordinance reinstates the camping ban that it had back in 1997, now that the Supreme Court upheld the Grant Pass ruling. Even with this ruling, Arcadia is still using a service first approach to the unhoused. We will also see how this all works out in Arcadia, and CHOA is glad we are communicating.
CHOA presented many efforts that are serving the unhoused, especially the 3 case managers from LACADA, that work 7 days a week here in Arcadia. Another key effort is Steven Boi’s breakfast for the unhoused in 2 Arcadia parks, for 13+ years now.
Jake Pierce from Abundant Housing LA was another guest speaker, who present about the new State Bill, SB 79, that allows for more housing around transit areas. We all – including the CHOA team – need to keep learning on what is happening around housing on all levels, Federal, State, County and the city level. They all provide opportunities and challenges.
The CHOA team reminded everyone about the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance that will bring hundreds of both market-rate and affordable housing units to Arcadia, in new mixed use developments. The picture below is shows most obvious project for us all to see near REI, the Metro station, and the post office. That’s the Alexan Azalea, bringing 319 units, of which 26 are very-low affodable housing units, including 500+ parking spaces.
Last but not least, Diego Rubalcava-Alvarez – our new CHOA team member – reviewed the potential site of affordable housing at the Lucile parcel, see the picture below. We were urging LA County Supervisor Barger to grant these parcels back to the City of Arcadia, in which case the city can decide which affordable housing developer to use.
Sadly, CHOA just learned yesterday that LA County did sell the Lucile parcels. We will determine what our next steps will be.
Thanking Jason Kruckeberg
One appreciates living in Arcadia much more once you work with city staff. CHOA meets several times a year with city staff. From our experience, they are just amazing.
Assistant City Manager Jason Kruckeberg has met with CHOA numerous times over the last 3 years. He has worked for the city for 19 years, and he and his team were vital in the 2024 Rezoning effort, as well as the 2025 Inclusionary Ordinance. (Read past newsletters / blog posts to recall what those were about, see the 2 links below.)
CHOA newsletter about the Rezoning vote
CHOA newsletter about the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance
Jason is retiring at the end of this year. It is a great new chapter for him, but the City of Arcadia…and CHOA…will miss him. He has been that good.
Here are the ways CHOA appreciates him:
- Jason is accessible. He and his team met with us at least 2-3 times a year for the last 3 years, so we could get clarity on important housing items regarding the city. We had to meet on-line during the lunch hours, as CHOA team members have jobs during the day. He and his team met with us through their lunch times, and we so appreciate them being flexible.
- Jason is so clear and knowledgeable. He can summerize complicated concepts so well. He helps us at CHOA to understand.
- Jason is forthright. He takes the time to frankly express the city’s perspective on housing initiatives, and projects…in plain terms.
- If you got to the city’s web site on housing (ArcadiaCA.gov/Housing), you will find many videos explaining the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. Those are long videos. Jason is the one explaining all of those concepts in the video. See one of the most recent videos below.
You can see why CHOA wants to express our gratefulness and appreciation to Jason.
Thank you Jason for your good work for the City of Arcadia. You have made thousands of housing units…and hundreds of affordable housing units…come to Arcadia for decades to come. WOW!
This Inclusionary Housing video is one example of key information provided by Arcadia, led here by Jason Kruckeberg. Notice the clarity of this 30 minute video.
Thanksgiving gathering, Monday, Nov. 24th, 7pm
The Arcadia Interfaith Action Group will host their annual Thanksgiving gathering again this year, on Monday, Nov. 24th, at 7pm, at Holy Angels Catholic Church. The address to the church is 370 Campus Dr Arcadia, CA 91007.
All are welcome to join in. The theme is “Giving thanks for the little things”. They will review a book, called “Someting from nothing”, seeing what it looks like to live in harmony and peace.
Arcadia Interfaith Action Group has been active for years. They are a collection of seven faith traditions: Bahai, Buddist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh. They organize a prayer time in May around the National Day of Prayer, as well as this annual Thanksgiving gather.
Light snacks are provided after the event.
The group is asking for each to bring some cans of food and non-perishables to share with our local food bank at the Foothill Unity Center.
Homeless Count on Wednesday, January 21st, 2026, 8pm
CHOA encourages you to join the Homeless Count on Wednesday, January 21st at 8pm. We meet at the Arcadia Community Center (365 Campus Dr Arcadia, CA 91007). We count the unhoused, so we all know how all the efforts are working…or not working. Funding also is appropriate to the city, depending on these results. Either way, it is key for us to know, and collect the data.
We just drive around Arcadia. You do not need to get out of your cars. You work in teams of 2 or 3. You have one driver, and the others navigate around your selected area in the city, and count using an app on your phone.
We need many folks to join in. You also get to meet the city staff at Parks and Recreation, which is the main Department in Arcadia on homelessness.
Register to count at the below link:
count.lahsa.org