Irwindale, California
Encyclopedia
Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley
San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...

, in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 census, down from 1,446 at the 2000 census.

With relatively few residents, Irwindale consists mostly of rock quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...

, which are the major revenue source for the city. The Irwindale Speedway
Irwindale Speedway
Toyota Speedway at Irwindale is a motorsports facility located in Irwindale, California, United States. It features banked, paved 1/2- and 1/3-mile oval tracks and a 1/8-mile drag strip. It opened on March 27, 1999, as Irwindale Speedway and held that name until Toyota purchased the naming rights...

 is also located in the city, as is the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area
Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area
The Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area is a county park located in Irwindale, California, USA in the San Gabriel Valley and nestled among the gravel quarries in the area. It is maintained and operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation...

 near the San Gabriel River
San Gabriel River (California)
The San Gabriel River flows through southern Los Angeles County, California in the United States. Its main stem is about long, while its farthest tributaries extend almost altogether...

, and a plant of the Miller Brewing Company
Miller Brewing Company
The Miller Brewing Company is an American beer brewing company owned by the United Kingdom-based SABMiller. Its regional headquarters are located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the company has brewing facilities in Albany, Georgia; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Eden, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas;...

. The city became the new permanent site for the annual Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire
Renaissance Fair
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are...

 in 2005, after it moved from its previous home at the Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore.

Unlike the fellow low population cities Industry
Industry, California
Industry is an industrial suburb of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County. Home to over 2,500 businesses and 80,000 jobs, but only 219 residents at the 2010 census - down from 777 residents as of the 2000 United States census - the city is almost entirely industrial...

 and Vernon
Vernon, California
Vernon is a city five miles south of downtown Los Angeles, California. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States Census, the smallest of any incorporated city in the state....

, there are actual neighborhoods in Irwindale. Irwindale is a full service city, offering police and library services. There is a skate park, a teen center, a senior center, and a public gymnasium. The housing is centered near the southeast corner of Arrow Highway and Irwindale Avenue, with a small tract of housing in the southwest corner of the city near Cypress Avenue.

Bell-like corruption alleged in Irwindale

A town of modest means, with an average income of $30,000, and a poverty rate 16.4 percent is suspected of being governed by high-rolling executives. Four current and former Irwindale officials, including a council member, have been charged with misuse of public funds. The accused city officials went on a reported five trips to New York City, between 2001 and 2005, supposedly to procure a higher bond rating for Irwindale. But prosecutors allege that they just "mostly partied."

The LA Times exposed the details. The city had set aside $87 million for an "affordable housing" fund, but "little housing was built or rehabilitated" according to the newspaper. City officials did dip into the fund, however, for lavish trips to New York. They stayed at the Ritz Carlton for as long as six nights at a time. They ate at the higly expensive Le Bernadin and River Cafe. They bought tickets for themselves to Yankees and Mets
METS
The Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard is a metadata standard for encoding descriptive, administrative, and structural metadata regarding objects within a digital library, expressed using the XML schema language of the World Wide Web Consortium...

 games and to Broadway shows such as The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...

 and Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...

, and they made sure they had chauffeurs to take them around town. The final bill for the five trips is estimated at $205,678.

History

The present day area encompassing Irwindale was originally part of the Mexican land grant
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...

s by Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...

 Governor Juan Alvarado of Rancho La Puente
Rancho La Puente
Rancho La Puente was a ranch in the eastern San Gabriel Valley that, in its fullest extent, measured just under , and remained intact until about 1870. By modern landmarks, the ranch extended from San Gabriel River on the west to just west of the 57 Freeway on the east and from Ramona...

, Rancho Azusa de Dalton
Rancho Azusa de Dalton
Rancho Azusa de Dalton was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Luis Arenas. Arenas sold his holdings three years later to Henry Dalton , a wealthy merchant from Los Angeles. Dalton named his holding Rancho Azusa de Dalton...

, Rancho Azusa de Duarte
Rancho Azusa de Duarte
Rancho Azusa de Duarte was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Andres Duarte, a former Mexican corporal...

, and Rancho San Francisquito
Rancho San Francisquito (Dalton)
Rancho San Francisquito was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pio Pico to Henry Dalton...

. was first settled by the families of Gregorio Fraijo and Fecundo Ayon in the 1850s. Significant economic growth did not arrive until the advent of the automobile, which drove up demand for the area's rocks and sand for the paving of roads. The city was incorporated on August 6, 1957.

Irwindale took advantage of urban redevelopment laws starting in 1976, and prospered in the following decade; it attracted a 200 acres (80.9 ha) Miller Brewing Company
Miller Brewing Company
The Miller Brewing Company is an American beer brewing company owned by the United Kingdom-based SABMiller. Its regional headquarters are located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the company has brewing facilities in Albany, Georgia; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Eden, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas;...

 plant, the corporate headquarters of Home Federal Savings & Loan
H. F. Ahmanson & Co.
H.F. Ahmanson & Co. was a California holding company named after millionaire Howard F. Ahmanson, Sr. It is best known as the parent of Home Savings of America, formerly one of the largest savings and loan associations in the United States....

, and other companies. Still, its landscape was dominated by 19 gravel pits, which it was obligated to fill. In the summer of 1987, city councilman Joe Breceda approached Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...

, owner of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

's Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, about building a new stadium on the site of one of the disused pits.

Davis, long and vocally displeased with the Raiders' home at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...

, agreed to a $115 million deal. He would take ownership of the new stadium provided the Raiders would play there for 19 years. Controversially, the deal included a $10 million nonrefundable signing bonus paid directly to Davis regardless of whether the plan would be executed. In the event, both parties were served multiple lawsuits, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...

 demanded strict environmental impact assessments, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the five-member nonpartisan governing board of Los Angeles County, California. Members of the board of supervisors are elected by district. They were as of December 2, 2008:*District 1: Gloria Molina...

 demurred, and the project was canceled. Davis pocketed the $10 million, and eventually moved the Raiders back to Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

.

Irwindale is the center of Sand and Gravel mining in Southern California.

Geography

Irwindale is located at 34°6′45"N 117°57′52"W (34.112481, -117.964390).
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 9.6 square miles (24.9 km²). 8.8 square miles (22.8 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (8.19%) is water.

Demographics

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Irwindale had a population of 1,422. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 147.9 people per square mile (57.1/km²). The racial makeup of Irwindale was 833 (58.6%) White, 12 (0.8%) African American, 29 (2.0%) Native American, 34 (2.4%) Asian, 8 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, 448 (31.5%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 58 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,288 persons (90.6%).

The Census reported that 1,372 people (96.5% of the population) lived in households, 50 (3.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 374 households, out of which 194 (51.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 189 (50.5%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 88 (23.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 32 (8.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 32 (8.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....

, and 1 (0.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 48 households (12.8%) were made up of individuals and 22 (5.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.67. There were 309 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...

 (82.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.93.

The population was spread out with 373 people (26.2%) under the age of 18, 154 people (10.8%) aged 18 to 24, 397 people (27.9%) aged 25 to 44, 347 people (24.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 151 people (10.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.0 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

There were 390 housing units at an average density of 40.6 per square mile (15.7/km²), of which 261 (69.8%) were owner-occupied, and 113 (30.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 2.6%. 992 people (69.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 380 people (26.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 1,446 people, 365 households, and 293 families residing in Irwindale. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 155.7 inhabitants per square mile (60.1/km²). There were 378 housing units at an average density of 40.7 per square mile (15.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.03% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.41% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 1.87% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 1.66% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.14% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 44.54% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 4.36% from two or more races. 88.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.

There were 365 households out of which 46.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 19.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.96 and the average family size was 4.35.

In Irwindale the population was spread out with 33.4% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,000, and the median income for a family was $46,827. Males had a median income of $34,375 versus $32,016 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $13,144. About 17.7% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 21.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

In the state legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...

 Irwindale is located in the 24th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...

 District, represented by Democrat Gloria Romero, and in the 57th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

 District, represented by Democrat Edward P. Hernandez
Edward P. Hernandez
Edward P. Hernández is a California State Senate member representing the 24th district since 2010. Previously he served in the California Assembly, representing the 57th Assembly District from 2006 until he was term-limited in 2010. The district includes the cities of Azusa Baldwin Park Covina, La...

. Federally, Irwindale is located in California's 32nd congressional district
California's 32nd congressional district
California's 32nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Los Angeles County. The district covers East Los Angeles and includes El Monte, Monterey Park and West Covina in Greater Los Angeles....

, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...

 of D +17 and is represented by Democrat Judy Chu
Judy Chu
Judy May Chu, Ph.D. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Democratic Party....

.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Health services to over 10 million residents in the Los Angeles County are provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Mental health services are provided by the County Department of Mental Health...

 operates the Monrovia Health Center in Monrovia
Monrovia, California
Monrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 at the 2000 census...

, serving Irwindale.

Public transit in Irwindale is served by Foothill Transit
Foothill Transit
Foothill Transit is a joint powers authority of 21 member cities in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. It operates a fixed-route bus public transit service in the San Gabriel Valley of Greater Los Angeles, California.-Overview:...

; FT: Maps and Schedules.

Public safety

Irwindale has its own police department (Sol Benudiz was the recent police chief, as he's retiring at the end of 2009), while contracting out with the Los Angeles County Fire Department
Los Angeles County Fire Department
The Los Angeles County Fire Department , serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including La Habra. It should not be confused with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, which serves the city of...

 for their services (Fire Station #48 is on Arrow Highway 1/2 mile west of Irwindale Avenue), but for basic paramedic services, Fire Station #29 on Los Angeles Street in neighboring Baldwin Park
Baldwin Park, California
Baldwin Park is a city located in the central San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,390, down from 75,837 at the 2000 census.- History :...

 can be summoned, as well as Station #32 in nearby Azusa
Azusa
Azusa is a Japanese feminine given name.Azusa may also refer to:*Azusa, California, a city in the United States*Azusa Street Revival, a Christian movement that began in Los Angeles*AZUSA - Radar interferometer*Azusa Yamamoto, a Japanese model and actress...

.

Irwindale was contemplating disbanding the police department and contracting out with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department(either from the San Dimas or Temple City regional stations);the decision was to keep the police department intact.

Top employers

According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
# Employer # of Employees
1 Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison , the largest subsidiary of Edison International , is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California, USA. It provides 14 million people with electricity...

2,100
2 Ready Pac Produce 1,750
3 MillerCoors
MillerCoors
MillerCoors is a joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company, announced on October 9, 2007. The joint venture has the responsibility of selling brands such as Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Miller Genuine Draft, Coors, Coors Light, Molson Canadian, and Blue Moon in the United...

550
4 Nellson Nutraceutical 475
5 Mariposa Horticultural Enterprise 360
6 Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...

351
7 Decore-ative Specialties 342
8 California Community News 301
9 Superior Communications 300
10 MIQ Logistics 200

See also

  • San Gabriel Mountains
    San Gabriel Mountains
    The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...

  • San Gabriel River
    San Gabriel River (California)
    The San Gabriel River flows through southern Los Angeles County, California in the United States. Its main stem is about long, while its farthest tributaries extend almost altogether...

  • List of California public officials charged with crimes, Irwindale
  • Category: Ranchos of Los Angeles County, California

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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