Young black family moving to SGV, where to move?

[OldFong]

Originally Posted by dmojames

My family and I are moving from the East Coast to the SGV. My husband is pursuing an acting career and I am a physician. We have two young children, one of whom is in Kindergarten. We initially thought we'd move to Arcadia due to the locale and the great public schools however we are having difficulty "getting our foot in the door." Real estate in general seems to go very quickly (I'm sure due to the great school ratings).

Due to my job I have to be within 30 minutes of the El Monte area and my husband will be commuting to Studio City/West Hollywood area so we are trying to find an area between those two places. We are now looking into South Pasadena but are finding the same issues in terms of quick rental turnover. Our basic requirements are at least a 2bd, 2ba rental with nicer finishes and parking. More importantly we are trying to find an area with good schools however where our child won't be the only Black child in his class. We'd like him to be in a racially diverse environment that will also challenge him academically. We are to the point where we will consider paying for private school (though I'd rather not) if it will provide the diversity and academics. Our thought right now is to rent for 2 years and then hopefully save up enough to buy in the South Pasadena area. Any thoughts on neighborhoods, private schools or charter schools in the SGV would be appreciated.

BTW the SGV is better known as the Chan Gabriel Valley and San Marino is better known as Chan Marino. SM is an exception but by an large, even in Arcadia, the signage is going to be in Chinese (with small lettering in English). Save for fast food, your restaurant choices will be limited Chinese food with some Viet and Thai thrown. Some people say its like living in Hong Kong or China. Not sure if this is the scenario you or your kids will be happy in.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by OldFong

Metro LA is by and large segregated with some pockets of modest integration. If you want to follow the norm in Metro LA, then someone of your family's stature (educated middle to upper middle class African-American) then Altadena would be a good choice. Other options are Ladera Heights and Baldwin Hills. Among all options, you would need to go to private schools. Ladera and Baldwin are considered the mecca for successful African-Americans who would rather live among similar people. Also try Leimert Park. I think your children would not feel outnumbered in those areas. The commute from Ladera/Baldwin Hills to West Hollywood is rather easy. You would have to drive a little bit further but its not too bad for you either if you are not commuting during typical office rush hour times.

At one time these areas were the opposite of the SGV (majority African-American but large minority of Asian-Americans all due to protective covenants for areas east of the Harbor Freeway to keep non-whites out of the area).

This might give you an idea (no affiliation):

View Park / Ladera Heights Arnold Adkins - YouTube

The OP has stated a requirement to be convenient to El Monte. While great neighborhoods, Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights would be a rather lengthy commute to EM.

[Voyageuse]

You know, I've been giving your situation more thought, and I think you need to find a better realtor to find a rental house for you. When we moved to San Marino three years ago, we had no trouble finding a place to rent; but then again, our realtor was pretty hungry. We actually found five houses, picked one, and moved in within two weeks.

We know of a Black, Altadena family who moved this past summer to San Marino, to get their boys out of the dreadful PSUSD schools. They found a house quickly too.

BTW, as a physician, you'll fit right in with the San Marino (or LC or SP) parents. Medicine is a very highly regarded profession in these parts, regardless of race or ethnicity. Good luck and PM me for any help.

[silverkris]

One thing about living in San Marino - the town is (in) famous for its ordinances such as no overnight parking on the street.

[genjy]

Originally Posted by silverkris

One thing about living in San Marino - the town is (in) famous for its ordinances such as no overnight parking on the street.

I am going a bit off-topic here...

Many cities in the foothill area have very similar no overnight parking ordinances. They are something of a relic from decades ago.

I personally feel this kind of parking ban is a form of population/density control and safety measure, and I think it works well.

• "The Arcadia Municipal Code prohibits parking on public streets between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. unless certain special circumstances arise."

• "Overnight parking permits are required in the City of South Pasadena if you and/or your guest plan to park on the street in excess of 30 minutes between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m."

• (Sierra Madre) "Overnight parking without a City issued overnight parking permit is prohibited on all City streets from 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., Sunday through Saturday."

• "A ban on overnight parking on City streets in Pasadena was first enacted in 1921 and amended in 1948 to the current time period (2:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M.)"

• (Glendora) "Early morning parking (commonly called, overnight parking) without a permit is prohibited on all city streets from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., Monday through Friday."

• (Temple City) "No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle [...] on any street [...] between the hours of two o'clock (2:00) A.M. and five o'clock (5:00) A.M. of any day."

• (San Dimas) "A temporary overnight parking permit may be used for the occasional need by a homeowner to park a vehicle on the street overnight.

• "Daily overnight on-street parking permits may be purchased from the parking permit machine at the front entrance of the Covina Police Department."

Nearby cities that do not have some kind of overnight parking ban:

Altadena
Azusa
Duarte
Monrovia
LCF (?)

[silverkris]

Well, it's more than just overnight parking bans in San Marino.

There are a lot of many little ordinances that the city imposes, such as fines on parents if they leave their children alone after closing time at the library, no running of remote control toys in parks, restrictions on lawnmowers, weedwhackers use, leaving your car in your driveway for more than a few days, limits on the number of bedrooms in a house. I guess those are what keeps the place looking very pristine, though some might think it's a bit heavy handed.

Now my information is from 10 or so years ago - perhaps someone can tell me if they've relaxed these regulations a bit.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by silverkris

There are a lot of many little ordinances that the city imposes, such no running of remote control toys in parks, limits on the number of bedrooms in a house....I guess those are what keeps the place looking very pristine...

LOL. I can believe it. I grew up there, long before there was such a thing as a remote control toy car. It's still a very sedate town.

[Voyageuse]

Originally Posted by silverkris

Well, it's more than just overnight parking bans in San Marino.

There are a lot of many little ordinances that the city imposes, such as fines on parents if they leave their children alone after closing time at the library, no running of remote control toys in parks, restrictions on lawnmowers, weedwhackers use, leaving your car in your driveway for more than a few days, limits on the number of bedrooms in a house. I guess those are what keeps the place looking very pristine, though some might think it's a bit heavy handed.

Now my information is from 10 or so years ago - perhaps someone can tell me if they've relaxed these regulations a bit.

^^^This is not true. Maybe it was at one point, but not now.

Sadly, parents leave their kids unattended at the library after closing ALL THE TIME. In fact, I once called the SMPD about a bunch of middle-school aged girls hanging out in the parking lot after closing, and was told there was nothing they could do about it. We parked our cars parked in the driveway 24/7 with no impunity. Our gardner used his gas-guzzling, noisy lawnmower and weed wacker for hours on end with no trouble (but couldn't work in the city without a parking permit), and as far as room restrictions on houses go, that depends on square footage/lot size/neighborhood uniformity, but you'll find that in any city.

Now, the city does restrict a lot of other things such as: comp tile roofs, the installation of vinyl windows, multiple unit housing... LOTS of other stuff, but not the things listed in the above quote.

[HyperionGap]

Articles about San Marino Ca Ordinances - Los Angeles Times

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by Voyageuse

^^^This is not true. Maybe it was at one point, but not now.

Sadly, parents leave their kids unattended at the library after closing ALL THE TIME. In fact, I once called the SMPD about a bunch of middle-school aged girls hanging out in the parking lot after closing, and was told there was nothing they could do about it. We parked our cars parked in the driveway 24/7 with no impunity. Our gardner used his gas-guzzling, noisy lawnmower and weed wacker for hours on end with no trouble (but couldn't work in the city without a parking permit), and as far as room restrictions on houses go, that depends on square footage/lot size/neighborhood uniformity, but you'll find that in any city.

Now, the city does restrict a lot of other things such as: comp tile roofs, the installation of vinyl windows, multiple unit housing... LOTS of other stuff, but not the things listed in the above quote.

Thank you for the update and on-the-ground reporting. My point is that SM does have a lot of strict code regulations and ordinances, and it seems that they're very upfront about it:

City of San Marino, CA - Brief Ordinance Summary

City of San Marino, CA - San Marino Police Department