A charity accepted half a million for Arcadia firefighters. But it wasn't allowed to fundraise

Los Angeles Times - 03/04
The $510,000 gift from a Taiwan-based international chamber of commerce would benefit the 54 firefighters of Arcadia. But the Arcadia Fire Department Foundation wasn't allowed to accept donations because it wasn't registered with the state.

At a wildfire relief event Feb. 9, Taiwanese dignitaries, California politicians and Arcadia firefighters posed for a photo with a giant check made out to a fledgling foundation.

The $510,000 gift from a Taiwan-based international chamber of commerce would benefit the roughly 54 firefighters of Arcadia, a city near Altadena that was spared by the Eaton fire.

But the Arcadia Fire Department Foundation, which counts City Councilmember David Fu as a board member and former City Councilmember Sho Tay as president, was not registered with the state and was therefore not allowed to accept donations, according to filings with the California Attorney General’s Office, which regulates charities.

The foundation’s website shut down in February, days after The Times inquired about its status with the Attorney General’s Office.

“We are working with the Foundation to get them into compliance,” a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

More than a m...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]