San Bernardino County Supervisor Rutherford Accepting Applications for Youth Council

San Bernardino County Supervisor Rutherford accepting applications for Youth Council – San Bernardino Sun

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LOCAL NEWS San Bernardino County Supervisor Rutherford accepting applications for Youth Council

    By SANDRA EMERSON | [email protected] |  PUBLISHED: May 8, 2019 at 12:05 pm | UPDATED: May 8, 2019 at 12:05 pm

Students interested in how county government works soon will have an opportunity to learn by doing.

San Bernardino County Supervisor Janice Rutherford’s office is accepting applications for the 2nd District Youth Council through June 30.

The Youth Council, formed in 2016, serves as an advisory board to Rutherford, helping to identify youth-related problems in the district and volunteering their time in the community to help solve them. https://www.sbsun.com/...r-youth-council/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social[5/8/2019 4:39:40 PM] San Bernardino County Supervisor Rutherford accepting applications for Youth Council – San Bernardino Sun

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In addition to shadowing county employees, council members have Follow Us collected donations for needy families, helped middle school students    transition to high school, and developed a disaster preparedness guide.

On Tuesday, May 7, the Youth Council received a 2019 Achievement Award in Civic Education and Public Information from the National SPONSORED CONTENT Association of Counties.

Students who live in the 2nd District, including people who are home schooled, are eligible to apply. Applications and more information are available at www.sbcounty.gov/rutherford.

Juan Figueroa eager to get to work in San Discover the Stand-Out Featu Bernardino after early election results the 2019 Mazda3

reveal a large lead By Mazda

Juan Figueroa leads Treasure Ortiz in special election for vacant San Bernardino council seat, initial results show MOST POPULAR

Proposal for Riverside County to handle Chino dairy hay fire continues animal control in San Bernardino fails to 1 burn; warning about smoke iss pass

https://www.sbsun.com/...r-youth-council/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social[5/8/2019 4:39:40 PM] 5/9/2019 Judge rules lawsuit over fire tax filed too late - News - vvdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Judge rules lawsuit over re tax led too late By Martin Estacio Staff Writer Posted May 8, 2019 at 5:18 PM Updated May 8, 2019 at 5:18 PM SAN BERNARDINO — A judge has ruled that a lawsuit challenging San Bernardino County’s imposition of an annual parcel tax was not filed in time.

In an April 4 decision, Judge Donald Alvarez ruled that the nonprofit Red Brennan Group, and other parties, failed to file a reverse validation action against the County Board of Supervisors within the required time period of 60 days.

The Red Brennan Group is suing the Board due to its decision in approving Fire Protection Zone 5′s (FP-5) expansion in October.

Alvarez’ ruling does not mean the case has been dismissed. Aaron Burden, an attorney for RBG, said a final judgment on the case has not been rendered. An upcoming hearing will ultimately determine the status of the lawsuit on June 11.

The Board’s October action levys a $157.26 annual tax on unincorporated parcels and some incorporated parcels, vacant or not, with a possible 3% increase.

San Bernardino County Fire Department officials said the revenue is necessary to maintain current fire service levels and help address a “structural deficit.”

RBG alleged that the tax was unconstitutional because it wasn’t approved by a two-thirds vote of the electorate, as required by the California Constitution.

Instead of calling for an election, the Board instituted a LAFCO protest process and sent mailers to affected landowners.

The process required an election if 25 percent of landowners mailed forms saying they opposed the expansion.

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20190508/judge-rules-lawsuit-over-fire-tax-filed-too-late 1/2 5/9/2019 Judge rules lawsuit over fire tax filed too late - News - vvdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

If more than 50 percent protested, the proposal for expansion would be withdrawn.

According to the final count at the October hearing, about 3% of landowners responded.

In his April ruling, Alvarez agreed with the County’s contention that the Red Brennan Group should have followed procedures outlined in civil code for a reverse validation action, instead of suing in an effort to have the tax declared unconstitutional.

Alvarez ruled that because the group was challenging the validity of the County’s action, it was required to follow certain procedural steps within 60 days. The steps include publishing a summons in a newspaper notifying the public of the suit, according to court documents.

The judge also disagreed with the group’s claim of the tax’s unconstitutionality.

He cited earlier court decisions that ruled language in the constitution requiring a two-thirds vote on general or special taxes didn’t address those imposed in annexations.

“Annexations were simply not on the radar of the initiative’s proponents,” Alvarez quoted a ruling referring to the supporters of Proposition 218, which required the majority vote.

Proposition 218 was passed by California voters in 1996. The amendment triggers a ballot measure when a local government proposes to “impose, extend, or increase any general tax” or special tax, according to the California constitution.

Martin Estacio may be reached at [email protected] or at 760-955-5358. Follow him on Twitter @DP_mestacio.

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20190508/judge-rules-lawsuit-over-fire-tax-filed-too-late 2/2 5/9/2019 Town nixes pot permit requirements | News | hidesertstar.com

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TOP STORY Town nixes pot permit requirements Council moves to avoid Fontana’s fate

By Jenna Hunt Hi-Desert Star 14 hrs ago

YUCCA VALLEY — The Town Council unanimously voted to eliminate its permitting requirements for home-grown marijuana Tuesday without a single resident commenting.

When Mayor Robert Lombardo called for public comments during the public hearing, no one sought the microphone.

The public hearing was set after the planning commission approved the changes to the town’s ordinance on personal marijuana cultivation last month.

In a divided vote, the commissioners voted 3-2 to move ahead with the plan to eliminate marijuana permit requirements. The commission meeting also had only a handful of people in the audience and just one public comment.

Commissioner Margie Trandem, who voted “yes,” recalled last month the debates on the topic during previous years.

“I remember seeing this room full of people,” she said.

Now, with the council conrming the changes, residents will no longer have to get a permit before growing the six marijuana plants permitted by state law.

Councilman Merl Abel said Tuesday night the commissioners should be applauded.

“I appreciate the planning commission doing a good job,” Abel said. “I am pleased to see the revisions being made.”

Councilman Rick Denison agreed, adding that reducing litigation risks for the town is a wise move.

www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_518813ae-71f3-11e9-a88b-b37fbeb2bec4.html 1/2 5/9/2019 Town nixes pot permit requirements | News | hidesertstar.com The city of Fontana lost a lawsuit in November 2018 that could have direct impact on communities like Yucca Valley.

The American Civil Liberties Union of California and the Drug Policy Alliance sued Fontana over its strict regulations, which included background checks, home searches and a $411 permit fee for home cultivation.

A judge ruled against the city, ordering it to change its restrictions and pay $106,916 in legal fees.

Yucca Valley Deputy Town Manager Shane Stueckle told planning commissioners the Fontana case could be troubling for the town.

“Parts of our ordinance would not pass muster due to that Fontana case,” Stueckle said last month, adding that the town needs to have no “unnecessary regulations” on personal cannabis cultivation.

Commissioners Mathew Thomas and James Henderson, who both voted against removing the permit requirements, said at the time they worried about “odor complaints” and the fact that cannabis is still illegal on the federal level.

Thomas and Henderson both attended Tuesday’s Town Council meeting but did not speak publicly.

The Town Council also discussed opposing Assembly Bill 1356, which could require all local jurisdictions whose voters supported Proposition 64, which includes Yucca Valley, to issue a minimum number of local licenses for retail cannabis shops.

“It goes to the heart of local control,” said Town Manager Curtis Yakimow. “It is a dangerous precedent for sure.”

www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_518813ae-71f3-11e9-a88b-b37fbeb2bec4.html 2/2 5/9/2019 Juan Figueroa eager to get to work in San Bernardino after early election results reveal a large lead – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS Juan Figueroa eager to get to work in San Bernardino after early election results reveal a large lead InitialInitial resultsresults postedposted Tuesday,Tuesday, MayMay 7,7, reflectedreflected mailmail ballots processed before Election Day

San Bernardino City Councilwoman Bessine Richard (left) and Mayor John Valdivia (right)(right) standstand withwith 3rd3rd WardWard candidatecandidate JuanJuan FigueroaFigueroa afterafter hearinghearing earlyearly electionelection resultsresults during an election watch party at Viva Villa Fresh Grill in San Bernardino, Calif., Tuesday, May 7, 2019. Early results showed Figueroa leading his opponent Treasure Ortiz by a healthy margin. (John Valenzuela/Contributing Photographer) https://www.sbsun.com/2019/05/08/juan-figueroa-eager-to-get-to-work-in-san-bernardino-after-early-election-results-reveal-a-large-lead/ 1/4 5/9/2019 Juan Figueroa eager to get to work in San Bernardino after early election results reveal a large lead – San Bernardino Sun

By BRIAN WHITEHEAD || [email protected] || SanSan BernardinoBernardino Sun PUBLISHED: May 8, 2019 at 12:11 pm || UPDATED:UPDATED: May 8, 2019 at 12:14 pm

Early Wednesday, May 8, political newcomer Juan Figueroa was chipping away at thethe 8080 oror soso messagesmessages leftleft onon hishis cellcell phonephone thethe nightnight prior,prior, whenwhen unofficialunofficial election results posted by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters showed him well ahead of challenger Treasure Ortiz inin thethe racerace toto fillfill SanSan Bernardino’sBernardino’s vacant 3rd Ward City Council seat.

As of late Tuesday, Figueroa, a medical social worker, had 865 votes to Ortiz’s 322.

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“I feel the numbers indicate the hard work that my team put in, all the doors we knocked on, starting back in late January, early February, knocking on doors, speaking with residents. The numbers indicate I was very effective in getting out and meeting folks at their doors,” Figueroa said Wednesday.

“I’m eager to get to work and get this city moving forward,” he added. “I want to remain positive. I feel I ran a very positive campaign and I want to remain positive

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https://www.sbsun.com/2019/05/08/juan-figueroa-eager-to-get-to-work-in-san-bernardino-after-early-election-results-reveal-a-large-lead/ 2/4 5/9/2019 Juan Figueroa eager to get to work in San Bernardino after early election results reveal a large lead – San Bernardino Sun Should Figueroa’s lead hold, he would complete the remainder of Mayor John Valdivia’s term, which expires in November 2020. Valdivia vacated the seat after being elected mayor late last year.

The former two-term councilman publicly and financially supported Figueroa’s campaign, and was at Viva Villa Fresh Grill Tuesday for Figueroa’s watch party.

Councilmembers Bessine Richard and Theodore Sanchez also were in attendance.

Ortiz, meanwhile, was unwilling to concede the race late Tuesday, saying she would wait for the final count to be released.

Like Figueroa, the businesswoman and former city employee was a first-time candidate.

“I’m really proud of my results and the people I’ve reached,” said Ortiz, who had thethe backingbacking ofof assortedassorted citycity andand areaarea leaders.leaders. “I’m“I’m excitedexcited toto seesee whatwhat thethe futurefuture will hold for the 3rd Ward.”

Initial results posted Tuesday reflected mail ballots processed before Election Day. The next update is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, May 9.

The deadline to certify the results is May 31, though the Registrar could send San Bernardino final results a week or so early, city officials said.

The winner could be sworn into office as early as the first council meeting in June, or earlier should policy makers call a special meeting to accept the Registrar’s certified results.

Wednesday, Figueroa said he plans to spend his first days in office listening to all his constituents, regardless of whom they voted for.

“This is the people’s seat, the residents of the 3rd Ward,” he said. “It will be on themthem thatthat I’llI’ll bebe relyingrelying onon forfor support,support, suggestions,suggestions, what’swhat’s theirtheir directiondirection andand hope for the city of San Bernardino.”

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https://www.sbsun.com/2019/05/08/juan-figueroa-eager-to-get-to-work-in-san-bernardino-after-early-election-results-reveal-a-large-lead/ 3/4 5/9/2019 How school resource officers in Southern California are connecting with students to prevent shootings, other crimes – Daily Bull…

NEWSCRIME + PUBLIC SAFETY How school resource officers in Southern California are connecting with students to prevent shootings, other crimes Prosecutors and lawmakers also work to keep guns and shooters out of schools

By ROBERT GUNDRAN || [email protected] || PUBLISHED: May 8, 2019 at 10:54 pm || UPDATED:UPDATED: May 9, 2019 at 1:20 am

As legislators in Sacramento and around the country work to prevent school shootings and protect students from active shooters, Southern California school police officers daily worry about that problem — and many other potential threats to student safety.

The officers and deputies assigned to schools, called School Resource Officers or SROs, are tasked with generally keeping order, breaking up fights and dealing with problems like drug dealing, gang activity and bullying. The officers work to prevent students from bringing guns and other weapons to campus — and sometimes arrest those who do.

Among their other worries: Truancy, vandalism, hate crimes, students being victimized on campus by intrudersintruders oror eveneven school staff; andand studentsstudents beingbeing abusedabused atat home or elsewhere off-campus. https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/05/08/how-school-resource-officers-in-southern-california-are-connecting-with-students-to-prevent-shooti… 1/9 5/9/2019 How school resource officers in Southern California are connecting with students to prevent shootings, other crimes – Daily Bull… SROs say a key to success is to connect with the students and develop trust. Their jobsjobs aren’taren’t alwaysalways focusedfocused onon traditionaltraditional lawlaw enforcement.enforcement.

“Sometimes I’ll play handball with the kids so they can get to know me,” said Los Angeles School Police Department Officer Daniel Banales, who is assigned San Fernando Senior High School, where he went to school and where his math teacher isis stillstill onon staff.staff.

“You get to know certain kids who have issues at home, and the principal will call me to ask to talk to the kids, but not in any sort of criminal way. Sometimes kids don’t have a positive male figure in their life, and sometimes it’s up to us to play the role,” he said.

School shooting threats

Banales and other SROs said mentoring is one of the key components of their jobs, but as law enforcement officers they must keep an eye on any potential threats toward their schools, including those made over social media.

Such threats — and actual shootings — are now part of most school safety discussions after the nation was first shocked by Columbine 20 years ago (13 killed) and then witnessed scores of horrific shootings notably at Sandy Hook (26 killed in 2012) and Parkland (17 killed last year). On Tuesday, one student died and eight more were injured in a school shooting in Highlands Ranch, Colo., near Denver. Locally, a teacher and a student were killed at North Park Elementary School in San Bernardino in 2017.

A survey conducted last summer of 505 U.S high school principals found 92% had facedfaced problemsproblems atat theirtheir schoolsschools relatedrelated toto thethe threatthreat ofof gungun violence.violence. UCLA’sUCLA’s InstituteInstitute forfor Democracy,Democracy, Education,Education, andand AccessAccess surveyedsurveyed thethe educatorseducators andand analyzed the results.

“Not only must they respond to threats on social media or incidents that require investigationinvestigation andand followfollow up,up, almostalmost allall principalsprincipals reportreport talkingtalking withwith studentsstudents inin anan effort to reduce concerns and working to connect students with counseling or other services,” John Rogers, a professor of education at UCLA and the director of the institute,institute, saidsaid ofof thethe studystudy inin aa columncolumn inin EdSource.

Florida legislators, responding to Parkland, this month approved a bill allowing more teachers to carry guns on campus. It expands an existing school “guardian” program to allow any teacher to volunteer to carry a weapon with school district approval.

Arming teachers isn’t something that’s on the table in California.

https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/05/08/how-school-resource-officers-in-southern-california-are-connecting-with-students-to-prevent-shooti… 2/9 5/9/2019 How school resource officers in Southern California are connecting with students to prevent shootings, other crimes – Daily Bull… “I think people advocating for arming teachers haven’t thought about what will happen during a shooting situation,” said Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz.

“My preference is to have school resource officers on campuses,” said San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon. “Primarily because of their ability to gain information.information. That’sThat’s someonesomeone whowho isis highlyhighly trainedtrained whowho cancan stopstop aa deadlydeadly threatthreat since they’re on campus. There are people less trained who would be put in a position they aren’t ready for.”

California legislators, however, have been working on other measures to protect students from shooters.

Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona) authored AB 1747,, whichwhich expandedexpanded the required elements of school safety plans mandated by the California Department of Education to include procedures to respond to active shooter situations.

That bill was signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018.

“North Park’s school shooting was close to home so I started thinking about if our schools and school districts have active shooter response drills, like what they have forfor firesfires andand earthquakes,”earthquakes,” RodriguezRodriguez said.said. “My“My billbill makesmakes schoolschool districtsdistricts havehave plansplans to work with local law enforcement to come up with the best way to respond to those incidents.”

Rodriguez said he requested audits from several school districts and that showed that some schools had response plans, and some did not.

Brown also signed Assembly Bill 3205,, authoredauthored byby PatrickPatrick O’DonnellO’Donnell (D-Long(D-Long Beach), which requires any school modernization project done through the state’s school facility bond program to include adding doors to classrooms that can be lockedlocked fromfrom thethe inside.inside.

“This bill will protect students and teachers in the event of an immediate threat on a school campus,” said O’Donnell.

This year, legislators are considering Senate Bill 86,, whichwhich wouldwould requirerequire lockdownlockdown or “multioption response drills” at schools to be conducted in an age-appropriate manner. Multioption drills are “where individuals evacuate the area, create barricades, and in last resort situations, actively resist a person using a firearm or other type of weapon,” the bill says.

State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) said he authored SB-86 because he’s the father of a high school student.

https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/05/08/how-school-resource-officers-in-southern-california-are-connecting-with-students-to-prevent-shooti… 3/9 5/9/2019 How school resource officers in Southern California are connecting with students to prevent shootings, other crimes – Daily Bull… “High school safety is something all parents think about every day,” Portantino said. “Those thoughts are heightened when there’s violence on campuses throughout the country. We just had an example of high school violence in Colorado.”

Portantino noted the need for drills because there’s always time between when an incidentincident firstfirst happenshappens andand whenwhen firstfirst respondersresponders arrivearrive atat thethe scene.scene.

“This is to better prepare our campuses for an emergency,” he said. “As the types of emergencies have changed, so should the planning and preparation.”

Portantino has also coauthored bipartisan legislation with State Sen. Patricia Bates (R-Laguna(R-Laguna Niguel)Niguel) inin thethe formform ofof Senate Bill 541,, whichwhich wouldwould requirerequire lockdownlockdown drills at private schools.

“Constituents like other high school parents have raised these concerns, and a constituent was how this issue was brought to our attention,” Portantino said.

Both bills note the need for drills to be “conducted in an age appropriate matter.”

Asked about the possibility of young children possibly being traumatized by such drills, Portantino said they need to prepare for the possibility of an active shooter.

“The bill is saying that each school has unique needs,” Portantino said. “Certainly an elementary school is different than a high school, and I don’t think in this case we should try to come up with one standard. You want the efforts to be tailored to the audience so that it is the most effective.”

Some school districts already have plans in place for active-shooter incidents.

“Right after Sandy Hook, what we did in the city was our chief met with all the superintendents and asked what we could do to improve school safety,” said Officer Derek Young of the Huntington Beach Police Department. “SROs helped figure out what some of the things we could do were to improve a school’s response to critical incidents.incidents. WeWe focusedfocused onon developmentdevelopment andand trainingtraining ofof aa lockdownlockdown plan.”plan.”

The HBPD established an active shooter system that relocates students from school to a separate location, where they can relocate with parents.

“The training was developed … and I went to every school and provided training to the principal and assistant principal,” Young said. “Over six years I’ve trained over 2,000 school personnel.”

https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/05/08/how-school-resource-officers-in-southern-california-are-connecting-with-students-to-prevent-shooti… 4/9 5/9/2019 How school resource officers in Southern California are connecting with students to prevent shootings, other crimes – Daily Bull… Police taught the program to standardize evacuations for schools across the city. In the event of an evacuation due to an active shooter, students would be bused to the Huntington Beach Public Library. At that point, parents are instructed to go to the Huntington Beach Sports Complex. Law enforcement would then take note of what students are in the library and reunite them with their parents.

Each school also has a set number of faculty trained in this response system, according to Young. Elementary schools have five to 10, middle schools have 10 to 15 and high schools have 15 to 20. The faculty trained could be teachers, janitors, cafeteria workers or anyone working at the school.

Young explained that the city has a master list of every trained person at each school inin thethe city,city, andand thethe departmentdepartment updatesupdates itit everyevery yearyear sincesince schoolschool employeesemployees maymay move on to different jobs.

The department held its first mock evacuation on Dec. 10, 2018, with approximately 140 people participating in the drill.

The active shooter drill took place in the middle of the day during school hours, and Young said it went swimmingly.

“During their school career, students are taught what to do during a fire and earthquake,” he said. “This is no different than other drills. This is just another drill that we unfortunately have to do, because this is happening in the country.

Outside of training for lockdowns, some in law enforcement are focused on keeping guns off campus and out of the hands of minors.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer has created a Gun Violence Prevention Unit and warns parents to properly store their guns so they don’t fall into the hands of their children — “tragedies waiting to happen,” he says. Last month, a Pacoima man was charged after Los Angeles School Police Department officers learned a 9th grader threatened to shoot a child at Cesar Chavez Academy andand thatthat therethere werewere unsecured guns in the 9th grader’s home. Three similar cases were filed in the San Fernando Valley last year.

Social media dangers

School police, city police and sheriff’s departments regularly deal with social media threats against schools — which appeared to surge after Parkland.

Social media offers a perceived shroud of anonymity. It’s difficult to know what is and isn’t worth worrying about when an anonymous user on Facebook, Twitter, InstagramInstagram oror SnapchatSnapchat postsposts concerningconcerning messagesmessages oror threats.threats. https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/05/08/how-school-resource-officers-in-southern-california-are-connecting-with-students-to-prevent-shooti… 5/9 5/9/2019 How school resource officers in Southern California are connecting with students to prevent shootings, other crimes – Daily Bull… “We take all threats seriously and do a thorough investigation,” said Banales, the SRO at San Fernando Senior High School. “We figure out how credible the threats area, and when they get spread throughout social media it creates a panic. We have to deal with parents calling the office, and I’ll go to them to calm them down.”

When anyone makes a threat, officers attempt to identify the person who made the threat, and check at their homes for any weapons. Banales cited a need to take away the unknown when it comes to threats over social media.

“Columbine set the tone for me,” he said. “They train us very well at the academy for anything that comes our way.”

Things that students might intend as a joke or something not serious can be interpretedinterpreted otherwiseotherwise andand causecause chaoschaos oror fearfear withinwithin aa studentstudent body.body.

“Freedom to express makes things difficult,” said Diaz, Riverside’s chief who spoke at a school safety symposium in March. “Those who host social media and moderate need to have clear policy and enforce those policies when the freedom of speech is abused. Strong policies that give moderators the tools they need to control the conversation is important.”

SROs juggle multiple duties

School shootings and threats attract a lot of attention. School resource officers, by connecting with students, are often well-positioned to deal not just with that issue but a myriad of other things that regularly come up. They aren’t just looking to find troublemakers and wrongdoers, they want to help students with things small and large,large, includingincluding atat timestimes difficultdifficult situations.situations.

Brian Quick, a school resource officer for the Murrieta Police Department who is tasked with working in the Murrieta Unified School District, recently worked with Riverside County Child Protective Services to get an 8-year-old girl out of an allegedly abusive situation.

“We sometimes assist CPS calls,” Quick said. “This was at one of my elementary schools. You just have to develop a rapport and relationship with students and gain their trust. They’ll talk to you about different things.”

Quick noted there’s a system for victims to report crimes anonymously and said he’s also had to deal with alleged hate crimes and truancy. He said he recently had to round up four kids playing hooky.

Banales, with the Los Angeles School Police Department, believes he can relate to the kids at the school he works at due to having two kids of his own. https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/05/08/how-school-resource-officers-in-southern-california-are-connecting-with-students-to-prevent-shooti… 6/9 5/9/2019 How school resource officers in Southern California are connecting with students to prevent shootings, other crimes – Daily Bull… “Everybody is different and every personality is different,” he said. “Mentoring can’t be one-size-fits-all. I think I can relate to them because I grew up in the area and went to high school here.”

The duties of SROs vary. Some, such as Quick in Murrieta and Young in Huntington Beach, are tasked with covering multiple schools. Others, such as Deputy Eric Garcia with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, are assigned to one school.

Garcia starts his days at the sheriff’s station in Temecula. He grabs all his gear, hops inin hishis squadsquad carcar andand drivesdrives overover toto ChaparralChaparral HighHigh School.School.

Chaparral is one of four high schools in the Temecula Valley Unified School District. Each high school has an assigned SRO on campus, and two additional deputies patrol every elementary, middle and charter school in the district.

Garcia said he’s tasked with not only keeping an eye on things at the campus, but students travelling to and from school also fall under his jurisdiction.

“If a kid tells me that they stopped at a gas station or convenience store and their bike got stolen, I can take a report,” he said. “And if there’s a fight on campus, the administration will look to me.”

Garcia noted that the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department doesn’t always work directly with schools or the school district on incidents, but they would work side- by-side if the worst were to happen.

“The school is one thing and law enforcement is another thing,” he said. “Sometimes we have to work together, but other times we break apart and do different things. The school district has things in place where they can contact parents via social media or email or phone calls, and they have a representative who puts out a lot of infoinfo lettingletting peoplepeople knowknow therethere isis policepolice presencepresence nearnear aa school.school. InformationInformation isis constantly flowing in an out to parents.”

“Some schools are much more exposed and maybe impressionable to certain situations, but they plan very hard and we work together to educate staff on things likelike activeactive shootershooter situations,situations, butbut ofof coursecourse wewe havehave ourour trainingtraining andand plansplans forfor ourour procedures that we use,” Garcia added.

Young is one of two Huntington Beach Police two officers who patrol 45 schools in the city. Young keeps his eyes on the south side, while Officer Vicki Shroyer checks in with all the schools in north Huntington Beach.

“We handle any calls for service at schools,” Young said. “It could be criminal-related, or it could be traffic-related. My typical day starts in the morning and before school starts I’ll pick a school that either has traffic issues or any other issues that may need attention and I’ll do a patrol check.” https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/05/08/how-school-resource-officers-in-southern-california-are-connecting-with-students-to-prevent-shooti… 7/9 5/9/2019 How school resource officers in Southern California are connecting with students to prevent shootings, other crimes – Daily Bull… Young drops in at roughly four to five schools per day, across the five school districts inin thethe city.city.

Joe Paulino has been chief of the San Bernardino School Police Department for almost the entire decade, and leads a department of dozens of security guards and sworn police officers assigned to schools across the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

Paulino said he wants the department to act in a way that makes kids see its personnel in a positive light, and not see officers as an outside force coming to take over the school.

“I think over the last eight years we’ve been more conscious of how our work affects our youth,” he said. “For example, we know that if a student is cited in middle school that can have a dire effect on their life. We try to be mindful of things like that.”

Officers are assigned to schools for more than one school year and use that time to learnlearn thethe students’students’ namesnames andand knowknow themthem byby sight.sight.

“We try to become part of the campus community, we encourage it,” he said. “I think you’ll find that this department is really conscious of the humanity of our work. Often times officers will respond to a call and it becomes routine. For us, there’s always that freshness to try and resolve issues. We respond with a purpose.”

The fatal shooting of teacher Karen Elaine Smith and student Jonathan Alfredo Martinez, 8, at North Park Elementary in the San Bernardino district in 2017, in which a gunman walked into the school through the main gate, has led to security improvements.improvements.

“I believe that technology should be used as a force multiplier,” Paulino said. “On our campuses you’ll see even more cameras and some people will need to be buzzed into schools.”

Linda Bardere, director of communications for the district, said she couldn’t elaborate on the specific improvements.

“Student and staff safety is and has always been a SBCUSD priority,” Bardere said. “However, due to pending litigation, I can only confirm the changes have been made.”

Paulino said he knows tragedy can strike anywhere and any time — in urban, rural and suburban settings.

https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/05/08/how-school-resource-officers-in-southern-california-are-connecting-with-students-to-prevent-shooti… 8/9 5/9/2019 How school resource officers in Southern California are connecting with students to prevent shootings, other crimes – Daily Bull… “When I speak to schools about armed intruders, sometimes people just need to be given permission,” he said. “We tell them it’s okay to run if you think you need to run. It’sIt’s okayokay toto hidehide ifif youyou thinkthink youyou needneed toto hide,hide, andand ifif youyou needneed toto fightfight forfor youryour life,life, it’sit’s okay to do that too. Whatever you need to do to give yourself that thing called survival.”

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https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/05/08/how-school-resource-officers-in-southern-california-are-connecting-with-students-to-prevent-shooti… 9/9 5/9/2019 Fallen law enforcement officers to be honored Thursday - News - vvdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Fallen law enforcement ocers to be honored Thursday By Garrett Bergthold Staff Writer Posted May 8, 2019 at 4:59 PM Updated May 8, 2019 at 5:26 PM ONTARIO — Fallen law enforcement officers will honored Thursday during this year’s San Bernardino County Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony, hosted by the Ontario Police Department.

Law enforcement personnel and community members will gather at Ontario Town Square, 224 North Euclid Ave., for the public ceremony, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The program begins at 10 a.m., and includes presentations by Jason Anderson, the San Bernardino County District Attorney, and John McMahon, the sheriff- coroner for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, among other local law enforcement dignitaries.

The names of fallen law enforcement officers will be read allowed, along with roses delivered to the families of the fallen. Both the Ontario Police Department’s and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department aviation units are set to close out the ceremony with a missing man formation flyover.

Among the fallen to be honored Thursday is Detective Jeremiah Mackay, a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputy who was shot and killed in 2013 while exchanging gunfire with killer Christopher Dorner.

Mackay, who left behind a wife and two young children, was the last San Bernardino Sheriff’s deputy to be killed in the line of duty.

Garrett Bergthold can be reached at [email protected] or at 760-955-5368. Follow him on Twitter at @DP_Garrett.

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20190508/fallen-law-enforcement-officers-to-be-honored-thursday 1/1 5/8/2019 Cracker Barrel opens May 13 in Rialto and here’s what you can buy in the Old Country Store – Press Enterprise

THINGS TO DORESTAURANT REVIEWS + FOOD Cracker Barrel opens May 13 in Rialto and here’s what you can buy in the Old Country Store The store and restaurant will be the Tennessee- based chain's second in Southern California and fourth in the state.

Red White and Blue section on display inside of the new Cracker Barrel Old Country Store as workers are prepare to open the Rialto location on Sunday, May 5, 2019. This will be their second Southern California location. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

https://www.pe.com/2019/05/08/cracker-barrel-opens-may-13-in-rialto-and-heres-what-you-can-buy-in-the-old-country-store/?utm_content=tw-presse… 1/5 5/8/2019 Cracker Barrel opens May 13 in Rialto and here’s what you can buy in the Old Country Store – Press Enterprise By FIELDING BUCK || [email protected] || TheThe Press-EnterprisePress-Enterprise PUBLISHED: May 8, 2019 at 11:40 am || UPDATED:UPDATED: May 8, 2019 at 11:41 am

Remember how funny Don Knotts was in “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken”?

You can be forgiven if you don’t. That movie came out in 1966.

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But it’s still current in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, where a $16.99 two-disc “Don Knott’s Reluctant Hero Pack” gets eye-level display on the home entertainment rack, above “Hee Haw” compilations and the last episode of “The Carol Burnett Show.”

Those DVDs and a whole lot of other nostalgic merchandise awaits shoppers in Rialto’s new Cracker Barrel, which will open along the 210 Freeway at 6 a.m., Monday, May 13..

The store will be the Tennessee-based chain’s second in Southern California and fourthfourth inin thethe state.state.

California’s first Cracker Barrel opened in Victorville in February 2018,, withwith peoplepeople lininglining upup atat midnightmidnight forfor thethe restaurantrestaurant andand two-hourtwo-hour waitswaits forfor tablestables onceonce thethe doors opened.

https://www.pe.com/2019/05/08/cracker-barrel-opens-may-13-in-rialto-and-heres-what-you-can-buy-in-the-old-country-store/?utm_content=tw-presse… 2/5 5/8/2019 Cracker Barrel opens May 13 in Rialto and here’s what you can buy in the Old Country Store – Press Enterprise Cracker Barrel fans have been watching for the Rialto opening for months. On Monday, many people saw the cars in the 133-space parking lot and assumed the combination restaurant and retail store was open for business, only to be turned away.

The cars belonged to the restaurants 200 employees who are spending this week working with trainers from out of state.

Cracker Barrel’s restaurant specializes in comfort food with meaty all-day breakfasts among its favorite menu items. Country fried steak is big in California, said John Link, Rialto’s general manager, but in Alabama, where he transferred from,from, dinersdiners preferprefer catfish.catfish.

To mark its 50th anniversary, Cracker Barrel recently added bone-in Southern friedfried chickenchicken toto itsits dailydaily menu.menu. Incredibly,Incredibly, itit wasn’twasn’t therethere before.before. ButBut LinkLink saidsaid boneless chicken has long been a popular Sunday dinner special.

The restaurant turns diners into retail shoppers, but some people come for the retail store as well, said store manager Jackie Henry.

The retail store takes up about half of Cracker Barrel’s 10,000 square feet and sells a wide range of items devoted to family, faith, and patriotism. The middle of the store has shelves devoted to themes that change every couple of months. With Memorial Day approaching, “Red, White and Blue” is a current theme, as is vintage, a rack for women’s clothing and accessories.

Here are some of the more unusual, offbeat or heart-tugging items yet out to tempttempt shoppers.shoppers.

Flamingos: There’sThere’s aa wholewhole tabletable devoteddevoted toto thethe pinkpink wadingwading birds,birds, includingincluding aa largelarge glitterglitter globeglobe forfor $39.99$39.99 andand throwthrow pillows.pillows.

Retro candy: FolksFolks withwith aa tastetaste forfor nostalgianostalgia cancan getget $2.79$2.79 HersheyHershey barsbars inin historical wrappers made for Cracker Barrel. There are also Circus Peanuts, those orange marshmallows from the 19th century, Boston Baked Beans, reddish candy- coated peanuts, 3-Color Coconut Slices, and salt water taffy.

Low-tech toys: LookLook forfor WeazelWeazel Balls,Balls, $8.99,$8.99, firefire trucks,trucks, andand allall kindskinds ofof roadroad triptrip pastimes that can entertain kids in the back seat without distracting their parents.

Vinyl: Here’sHere’s youryour chancechance toto getget aa sealedsealed KennyKenny RogersRogers LPLP forfor $17.99.$17.99. OtherOther musicmusic includesincludes SunSun StudioStudio hits,hits, thethe soundtracksoundtrack ofof “Guardians“Guardians ofof thethe Galaxy”Galaxy” andand thethe Beatles’ “White Album.”

https://www.pe.com/2019/05/08/cracker-barrel-opens-may-13-in-rialto-and-heres-what-you-can-buy-in-the-old-country-store/?utm_content=tw-presse… 3/5 5/8/2019 Cracker Barrel opens May 13 in Rialto and here’s what you can buy in the Old Country Store – Press Enterprise Fads of yesteryear: LookLook forfor $16.99$16.99 CabbageCabbage PatchPatch Kids,Kids, MyMy LittleLittle PonyPony andand TyTy Beanie Boos, which are a lot like the company’s Beanie Babies of the 1990s. The latterlatter areare prominentlyprominently featuredfeatured inin thethe Red,Red, WhiteWhite andand BlueBlue display,display, includingincluding Liberty, a $6.99 unicorn with red and blue hooves, a glittery red and blue-striped horn and enormous glittery eyes.

Support the troops: TwoTwo bigbig racksracks honorhonor U.S.U.S. MarinesMarines andand AirAir ForceForce withwith itemsitems such as $19.99 insulated cups and $21.99 T-shirts.

Route 66: PlayingPlaying cardscards andand keykey ringsrings honorhonor thethe MotherMother Road,Road, whichwhich inin RialtoRialto isis Foothill Boulevard, about 2 miles south of the store. There are also salutes to California, including Cracker Barrel’s signature retail item, a $199 rocking chair. It isis paintedpainted blueblue andand featuresfeatures thethe starstar symbolsymbol andand thethe bearbear fromfrom thethe CaliforniaCalifornia flag.flag.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Where: 1080 W. Renaissance Parkway, Rialto

When: Opens 6 a.m. Monday, May 13

Information: crackerbarrel.com

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Fielding Buck Fielding Buck has been a business reporter since 2014 with a focus on logistics, supply chain and GIS. Prior experience includes extensive entertainment reporting. He loves photography and dogs and lives in San Bernardino County.  Follow Fielding Buck @pefbuck

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Candy Crate bids sugarcoated farewell By Rene Ray De La Cruz Staff Writer Posted May 7, 2019 at 5:30 PM Updated May 7, 2019 at 5:30 PM VICTORVILLE — After years of shipping candy to businesses, theme parks, celebrities and homes across the globe, one of the largest distributors of nostalgic and retro candy is closing.

After Candy Crate fended off rumors last year that it was going out of business, many customers were shocked on Monday when the popular distribution center and retro candy gift shop in Victorville announced its imminent departure.

“Yes, Candy Crate is closing for good,” company President Randi Caporale told the Daily Press, moments after the store posted a message on its Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest accounts.

Candy Crate’s final day will be May 17, with the shop’s inventory and displays being purchased by another company, said Caporale. She said she’ll miss opening the door to tours, parties, field trips, and everyday customers who enjoyed a trip down memory lane.

Store owner Julie Morris told the Daily Press that after her husband, Todd Morris, died in 2016, the Candy Crate team “carried on his legacy and kept the dream alive.”

“Todd left behind a void that no amount of chocolate or sugary gumdrops could fill. Due to this void, and many contributing factors, we have made a family decision to permanently close the chocolate doors,” said Morris, Caporale’s mother. “It is now time for us to follow our own endeavors. We’ve enjoyed being a part of the High Desert community and are forever grateful for all our sweet supporters over the last 18 years.”

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20190507/candy-crate-bids-sugarcoated-farewell 1/3 5/8/2019 Candy Crate bids sugarcoated farewell - News - vvdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Caporale said that online competition, shipping costs and the rising price of candy added to the cost of running a small business, but ultimately the family decided that it was “just time” to close.

The Candy Crate staff, which varies between 8 and 12 employees depending on the season, has been beyond loyal, with most of them employed at the store for over 10 years, Caporale said.

“It is bittersweet, to say the least,” Caporale said. “We have ensured that our employees were able to find work elsewhere, and I can confidently say we are all looking forward to the next chapter.”

Todd Morris had a famous philosophy which the Candy Crate team applied to their lives and business. His philosophy, Caporale said, was “take care of others and more than likely they will take care of you. The Golden Rule never fails.”

Candy Crate has been known for its large selection of retro sweets like Astro Pops, Jujubes, Abba Zaba, candy cigarettes, Necco Wafers, Slo Pokes, Cinnamon Toothpicks and Swedish Fish. Candy gift baskets kept store staff busy from September through December.

The store also carries current candy and gum favorites, seasonal candy and unusual items such as Cricket Suckers, Ants Candy and Tequila Flavored suckers with a genuine worm.

In 2001, Todd and Julie Morris opened their small candy store near the entrance to the Cinemark Movies 10 on Mariposa Road in Victorville. The store soon transitioned to being mainly a candy distribution center, moving to several larger facilities in the city before relocating to a large warehouse on Lemon Street in Hesperia.

In 2015, community leaders celebrated with Candy Crate staff as the store cut the ribbon on its new 22,000-square-foot modern operational facility on Business Center Drive in Victorville.

Candy Crate customers have included large companies like Amazon and Universal Studios, and celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Alice Cooper and Ryan Seacrest. Many of its global customers reside in Australia, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Italy, Iran and U.S. military bases overseas, Caporale said.

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20190507/candy-crate-bids-sugarcoated-farewell 2/3 5/8/2019 Candy Crate bids sugarcoated farewell - News - vvdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Speculation that Candy Crate was closing began last year when the Daily Press published a story regarding the unexpected closure of the New England Confectionery Company based in Revere, Massachusetts.

Candy Crate was mentioned in the article because the local store carried a variety of popular candies from the New England company, the country’s oldest continuously operating candy company since 1847.

Candy Crate is located at 12520 Business Center Drive, Unit D, Victorville. For store hours and more information, visit www.candycrate.com or call 760 -949-0467.

Reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227, [email protected], Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20190507/candy-crate-bids-sugarcoated-farewell 3/3 Redlands festival puts spotlight on young artists with new juried show – San Bernardino Sun

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LOCAL NEWS Redlands festival puts spotlight on young artists with new juried show Redlands Festival of Arts and Art in the Park will be held Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26

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https://www.sbsun.com/...w-juried-show/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_source=twitter.com[5/8/2019 4:38:23 PM] Redlands festival puts spotlight on young artists with new juried show – San Bernardino Sun

The Redlands Festival of Arts and Art in the Park at Smiley Park in Redlands, CA., Saturday, May 26, 2018. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

By PENNY E. SCHWARTZ | |  PUBLISHED: May 8, 2019 at 4:08 pm | UPDATED: May 8, 2019 at 4:08 pm

A Youth Art Expo will be featured during the annual Redlands Festival of Arts and Art in the Park for the first time this Memorial Day weekend.

The art exhibit will be a juried show sponsored by the Margaret Clark Art Education Enrichment Fund (MCAEEF), the art education arm of the Get the latest news delivered

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Chino dairy hay fire continues 1 burn; warning about smoke iss

Cracker Barrel opens May 13 i 2 Rialto and here’s what you can in the Old Country Store

Investigators ask anyone with information on the case to call Detective Fontana couple arrested on 3 suspicion of possessing, distrib Brian Arias at 909-387-3615 or leave tips anonymously at We Tip at 800- child pornography 782-7463 or the website at wetip.com. Juan Figueroa eager to get to w 4 in San Bernardino after early election results reveal a large l RELATED ARTICLES Mom, aunt plead not guilty to 5 murder of 6-year-old Duke Flor Investigators seek to ID suspect in Apple Valley attempted abduction of girl in Riverside County’s Home Gardens area Graduate of Chino women’s pr 6 jobs program returns to encour inmates Officials ID man shot by San Bernardino officer after allegedly threatening woman Free house in Redlands, but yo 7 must move it yourself before ho with machete, throwing objects at police tears it down

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https://www.sbsun.com/...0-year-old-girl/?utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/8/2019 4:37:38 PM] 5/8/2019 Brush fire reported off Highway 38 south of Big Bear | Big Bear Valley News | bigbeargrizzly.net

http://www.bigbeargrizzly.net/news/brush-fire-reported-off-highway-south-of-big-bear/article_acd62f3e-71df-11e9- b693-abccb50fb819.html

BREAKING TOP STORY Brush fire reported off Highway 38 south of Big Bear

May 8, 2019 Updated 11 min ago

A plume of smoke can be seen in the wilderness area from the San Gorgonio web cam operated by SoCalMountains. Photo courtesy of So Cal Mountain live web cam

www.bigbeargrizzly.net/news/brush-fire-reported-off-highway-south-of-big-bear/article_acd62f3e-71df-11e9-b693-abccb50fb819.html 1/2 5/8/2019 Brush fire reported off Highway 38 south of Big Bear | Big Bear Valley News | bigbeargrizzly.net UPDATE 4:11 p.m. May 8: Air tankers have made drops on the East Fire and the forward rate of spread appears to be slowing.

The fire is about 3 acres and is burning off Highway 38 on Jenks Lake Road East.

Firefighters are responding to reports of a vegetation fire burning between Highway 38 and Snow Valley Ski Resort.

The East Fire was reported just after 3 p.m. May 8 by several callers who saw smoke from their locations. The fire is near Barton Flats, according to reports

It's unknown how large the fire is or the rate of spread until fire crews are on scene.

As more information becomes available, this report will be updated.

www.bigbeargrizzly.net/news/brush-fire-reported-off-highway-south-of-big-bear/article_acd62f3e-71df-11e9-b693-abccb50fb819.html 2/2 Crash between car and OmniTrans bus in San Bernardino sends 1 to hospital with life-threatening injuries – Daily Bulletin

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NEWSCRIME + PUBLIC SAFETY Crash between car and OmniTrans bus in San Bernardino sends 1 to hospital with life- threatening injuries

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One person was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after a crash between a car and an OmniTrans bus in San Bernardino. (Photo courtesy of William Hayes)

By ROBERT GUNDRAN | [email protected] |  PUBLISHED: May 8, 2019 at 8:19 pm | UPDATED: May 8, 2019 at 9:36 pm

One person was sent to a hospital with life-

https://www.dailybulletin.com/...?utm_content=tw-ivdailybulletin&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/9/2019 7:29:33 AM] Crash between car and OmniTrans bus in San Bernardino sends 1 to hospital with life-threatening injuries – Daily Bulletin

threatening injuries and six people were treated for minor injuries after a car and an OmniTrans bus crashed in San Bernardino on Wednesday evening.

Eric Sherwin, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, said the department Get the latest news delivered daily! received a call about the crash near Sierra Way and Base Line Street at around 5:30 p.m. SUBSCRIBE

Wendy Williams, spokeswoman for OmniTrans, said the bus was driving east on Base Line Street Follow Us when a car that was driving west on the same road    veered into the path of the bus.

Sherwin said fire personnel had to extricate a person from the car, and six people on the bus were treated for minor injuries.

“We transported the person from the car to Loma Linda University Medical Center,” Sherwin said. “Everyone else was transported to local hospitals by American Medical Response ambulances.”

Williams said the driver of the bus declined medical assistance at the site of the crash.

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https://www.dailybulletin.com/...?utm_content=tw-ivdailybulletin&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/9/2019 7:29:33 AM] South L.A. was promised a Target. Millions of dollars later, it has a vacant lot - Los Angeles Times

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L.A. NOW LOCAL South L.A. was promised a Target. Millions of dollars later, it has a vacant lot

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MAY 09, 2019 | 4:00 AM

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https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-stalled-shopping-center-south-los-angeles-district-square-target-crenshaw-20190509-story.html[5/9/2019 7:55:57 AM] South L.A. was promised a Target. Millions of dollars later, it has a vacant lot - Los Angeles Times

The District Square project on Crenshaw Boulevard in South Los Angeles was supposed to be a catalyst, showing what was possible in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

The plan was to deliver middle-class amenities — Target, a Ralphs supermarket, sit-down restaurants like Chili’s — to a section of Los Angeles that had long suffered from under- investment.

The proposed shopping center known as District Square would be a great catalyst in the center of the city, revitalizing Crenshaw Boulevard and showing what was possible in disadvantaged neighborhoods, backers said. Councilman Herb Wesson embraced the project, championing a lucrative package of loans and grants to get it built.

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“We have to bring in the best of the best,” Wesson said in 2010, the year the shopping center was approved.

Nearly a decade later, the District Square site sits vacant, a symbol of promises made and later abandoned.

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None of the 600 jobs have materialized. The project has $6.3 million in federal loans that are in default, according to the city’s Economic Workforce Development Department. And Arman Gabay, the Beverly Hills businessman who proposed the project, has been charged with bribery in a case involving county leases. He has pleaded not guilty.

Wesson, now council president, repeatedly went to bat for District Square, even as the developers and their companies donated to his campaigns, his causes and his political allies. He worked to shore up the project as others at City Hall raised alarms. At one point, he had an aide working on the project who happened to be Gabay’s brother-in-law. Wesson later said he was unaware of the connection at the time.

Still, after years of rescue attempts, Wesson signaled in recent weeks that he has lost patience.

“The developer should get out of the way, so the city or another developer can deliver a mixed-use project the community wants and expects,” his spokesman said in an email.

Gabay, who has also gone by the name Gabaee, declined to comment. His brother and longtime business partner, Mark Gabay, did not respond to inquiries.

In an email to Wesson’s office last year, a consultant for the developers said they are pushing ahead with a dramatically reworked project, now seven stories instead of two, after years of “broken promises.”

“Let me state for the record, there has never been any intention to deceive, delay or misrepresent to your office or to the community our development plans and timing for the District Square development,” the consultant wrote in June 2018.

Seven default notices

For much of its history, District Square was the subject of a behind-the-scenes tug-of-war between Wesson, who represents the area, and Jan Perry, who until December ran the agency that issued the city loans for the project, according to correspondence obtained by The Times.

Perry’s agency sent District Square seven default notices between 2015 and 2018, repeatedly pointing out that the developers had failed to build the shopping center. Wesson, on the other hand, searched for funds as the developers fell behind on their obligations.

The two political veterans, adversaries for nearly a decade, are now running against each other for a seat on the county Board of Supervisors.

Perry, a former city councilwoman, said she pushed for the city to foreclose on District Square and seize the site, only to have those efforts opposed by aides to Wesson and Mayor Eric Garcetti.

“I never wavered,” she said. “But I was not the ultimate decision maker in this process.”

Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson championed $26 million in financial help for District Square, a planned shopping center. Nine years later, with $6.3 million of that money spent, city officials are still trying to get something built on the site. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Wesson disputed Perry’s assertions, saying she never met with his staff to discuss the issue. He acknowledged his various efforts to salvage the project, saying it’s not been easy bringing new development to the Crenshaw area.

“When you invest so much time, you’d like to see a result,” he told The Times last year.

Garcetti aides defended their handling of the project, saying any move to foreclose could have led to a drawn-out legal battle. The better strategy, they said, is the one they have been pursuing: working with the developers on a redesigned project that offers 573 apartments and a reduced amount of retail space.

Once the planning department gives its approval, a decision expected by the end of the month, District Square should have no trouble attracting investors and clearing up its financial issues, said Steve Andrews, an economic development aide to the mayor.

“The market will deliver something to this site,” he said.

Sources: Google Earth, Nextzen, OpenStreetMap (Kyle Kim / Los Angeles Times)

One neighbor said the city’s push to build District Square made things worse. With taxpayer money, the developers razed a Ralphs supermarket without providing a replacement.

“Now it’s just an empty field,” said Lori Higgins, who lives nearby.

A lucrative deal

Gabay has long been active in L.A. politics. He, his relatives and his family’s companies have given more than $160,000 to city candidates, officeholder accounts and ballot measure campaigns since District Square was first proposed in 2007, according to

fundraising reports.

Gabay’s plan for District Square called for the demolition of a shopping center that housed the Ralphs, a dry cleaner and other businesses. Under the proposal, it would be replaced with a structure three times larger at Crenshaw and Rodeo Road — now Obama Boulevard.

Wesson and his colleagues approved the project in 2010, providing $26.2 million in federal grants and loans. The developers also received permission to repay their loans using tax revenue generated by the new shopping center — money that would otherwise flow to city coffers, according to a city analysis.

Source: Times reporting (Kyle Kim / Los Angeles Times Graphics)

The developers tapped only a portion of their federal loans, acquiring the site and moving out the existing businesses. Yet soon they asked for more help.

Wesson responded in 2012 with a plan for lending District Square an additional $6 million. The 30-month “float loan” would keep the project on track, he said, while the developers locked down their private financing.

Instead, things got worse. Target dropped out. District Square did not qualify for the tax credits needed to finance the project. Troubled by the lack of progress, Perry’s agency sent its first default notice in January 2015, pointing out the developers had missed their deadline for starting construction.

“The city believes this breach is not curable,” Perry wrote.

Perry had been at odds with the Gabays before. While she was on the council, one of their companies sued the city over a redevelopment project in her South L.A. district.

The Gabay brothers had friendlier relations with others at City Hall.

In the two years leading up to their project’s first default notice, the Gabay family and one of their companies, Excel Property Management, donated nearly $55,000 to city office holders, campaigns and political causes — nearly half of it to Wesson’s unsuccessful push to hike the city’s sales tax.

Weeks after the first default notice arrived, Excel donated $25,000 to a 2015 ballot campaign, also backed by Wesson, to move city elections to even-numbered years. The company also gave $10,000 to a committee backing the re-election of Councilman Jose Huizar, a close Wesson ally. During the campaign, Wesson had described Huizar as his best friend on the council.

Edward Johnson, Wesson’s spokesman, said his boss did not ask Excel to give to the pro- Huizar committee. Wesson "cannot recall" whether he asked Excel to donate to the ballot campaigns, Johnson said. The aide said donations from the Gabays and their companies had no influence on the city’s handling of District Square.

Huizar won re-election and voters approved the change in election dates. Three months later, Perry’s agency sent another default notice, saying District Square’s float loan had come due.

Former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry in 2013, the year she was hired to run the city's Economic Workforce Development Department. Between 2015 and 2018, her agency sent seven default notices to the developers of District Square. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

With the deadline looming, Wesson’s team focused on a possible lifeline: an $8-million loan from the city fund that collects parking meter revenue.

An in-law steps in

The official who worked on the proposed parking loan was Jordan Beroukhim, a Wesson aide who happened to be Arman Gabay’s brother-in-law. In June 2015, Beroukhim sought to have the proposal bypass the council’s transportation committee, which vets

the use of such funds, according to emails obtained by The Times.

Such a maneuver would have sent the proposal directly to the council for an up-or-down vote. But Beroukhim encountered an obstacle in Ellen Isaacs, then a staffer with Councilman Mike Bonin, who heads the committee.

Isaacs told Beroukhim she was concerned with the lack of analysis on the need for the loan. “It just feels like a more substantive conversation is warranted,” she wrote, adding minutes later: “Is there a particular rush on this matter?”

“This project was approved in 2010,” Beroukhim responded. “We have been sitting on it for 5 years.”

The loan proposal was eventually scrapped. Wesson later told The Times he wasn’t aware at the time that Beroukhim had a familial connection to Gabay. Once an aide learned of it, Berkoukhim was moved off of District Square out of “an abundance of caution,” Wesson said.

Beroukhim, contacted by The Times, referred questions to Wesson’s spokesman, who declined to answer on his behalf.

Another lifeline

Wesson soon took another stab at rescuing the project. In a July 2015 letter, he asked a staffer in Perry’s agency to delay default proceedings until the city had a new plan for closing the project’s financial gap.

The developers also asked for more time, saying they had attracted Home Depot and needed to rework the project. Perry refused, saying in a letter that her staff had discussed repayment with the developers “numerous times.”

ö Document "I request your support and the support of your Department staff, in coordination with the CLA, CAO, DOT, and Metro to help develop a financing gap proposal for this worthwhile project, and to delay any default proceedings in the interim."

- Council President Herb Wesson to the Economic and Workforce Development Department SEE THE DOCUMENT Ì

Wesson landed on a solution: the city would pay off the loan’s $2.1-million balance by tapping federal funds that were not immediately needed for another project. The city would execute a new float loan worth the same amount for District Square, restarting the 30-month clock.

The solution was offered on the council floor in October 2015 and approved the same day. Before long, District Square was in trouble again.

Federal officials informed the city in July 2016 that $1.9 million in funding for District Square — money given to “shovel-ready” projects that could pull the nation out of the 2008 recession — needed to be repaid. The shopping center, which was supposed to open that year, had not been built.

Perry sent two more default notices. The developers, through their attorney, fired back with a letter blaming Metro, which had begun building a $2-billion light rail line on Crenshaw.

Construction barriers had made it difficult to attract tenants, the lawyer wrote. Although the developers could have demanded compensation from Metro, they had decided to be a “good corporate citizen,” he said.

Developers of the District Square project informed the city in 2016 that construction of a light rail line on Crenshaw Boulevard had made it difficult for them to attract tenants to their project. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Months later, Gabay agreed to repay the Obama-era recovery funds and submit new plans for District Square. The redesigned project would be primarily residential, but also offer a Smart & Final and a Ross Dress For Less.

“This is definitely good news,” wrote Andrews, the Garcetti aide, in a May 2017 email. “A major project at a Crenshaw line station is ready to move forward!”

The euphoria was short lived. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-stalled-shopping-center-south-los-angeles-district-square-target-crenshaw-20190509-story.html[5/9/2019 7:55:57 AM] South L.A. was promised a Target. Millions of dollars later, it has a vacant lot - Los Angeles Times

Optics and audits

Three months later, Garcetti’s aide was informed that the Gabay brothers were at odds, according to correspondence obtained by The Times. Work on the permits had stopped and the deadline for the second 30-month loan was approaching. Officials were no longer sure the new project, with much less retail space, would deliver the 600 jobs required under the original loan package.

In an email to a Wesson aide, Andrews worried about damaging audits and the “optics” of having one company receive so much federal money while failing to produce.

“And now that they have filed for a project that will NEVER create the required jobs … it will be even more embarrassing to leave all the public funds in place,” he wrote.

In February 2018, Perry sent District Square three more default notices. Three months later, Gabay was arrested on suspicion of bribery. Prosecutors accused him of making illegal payments to a Los Angeles County bureaucrat in exchange for a government lease.

ö Document "Optics and audits to come on having federal $$ in a project for 15 years with no results are not pleasant to contemplate, of course. And now that they have filed for a project that will NEVER create the required jobs (only 60,000 sf of retail; the rest housing), it will be even more embarrassing to leave all the public funds in place." - Steve Andrews, economic development aide to Mayor Eric Garcetti, in 2017 SEE THE DOCUMENT Ì

Gabay filed the application for the reworked District Square last summer and, weeks later, entered a not guilty plea. He turned in more paperwork in January.

Despite all the setbacks, Andrews remains optimistic. The developers have a vacant site and a new set of plans, the Garcetti aide said. Within weeks, city planners should render

their decision on the new project.

“Those are huge steps,” he said, “in making a project ready to go.”

As part of their plan for building District Square, the developers demolished an existing shopping center that housed a supermarket, dry cleaner and other neighborhood businesses. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Essential California Newsletter Monday - Saturday

A roundup of the stories shaping California.



David Zahniser   

David Zahniser covers Los Angeles City Hall for the City-County bureau. He joined the Los Angeles Times in 2007 and previously wrote on local government for the Claremont Courier, Pasadena Star-News, the Daily Breeze, the L.A. Weekly and the San Diego Union-Tribune. He is a graduate of Pomona College and lives in Los Angeles.

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-stalled-shopping-center-south-los-angeles-district-square-target-crenshaw-20190509-story.html[5/9/2019 7:55:57 AM] O.C. weighs noise complaints vs. jet owners’ needs at John Wayne Airport - Los Angeles Times

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L.A. NOW LOCAL O.C. weighs noise complaints vs. jet owners’ needs at John Wayne Airport

By HILLARY DAVIS

MAY 08, 2019 | 10:10 AM

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https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-john-wayne-airport-noise-20190508-story.html[5/8/2019 4:41:38 PM] O.C. weighs noise complaints vs. jet owners’ needs at John Wayne Airport - Los Angeles Times

Opponents of expanded general aviation services at John Wayne Airport fill the Orange County Board of Supervisors hearing room Tuesday and spill into an overflow room. (Daniel Langhorne / For the Daily Pilot)

The Orange County Board of Supervisors is trying to compromise on potential changes at John Wayne Airport by appeasing private jet owners and neighbors who complain about noise from the aircraft.

The supervisors expressed preference Tuesday for a plan combining two options they were asked to consider for potential adoption. The plan would allow for a general aviation terminal while capping the number of private jets based at the airport.

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After about five hours of discussion, including pleas from airport-adjacent residents worried about increased noise from private jets, the board stopped short of committing to the modified plan pending clarification from county and airport lawyers. The modified plan will return to the supervisors May 21.

Supervisor Andrew Do hashed out a compromise handwritten on the back of a note from Newport Beach-based advocacy group Airport Working Group of Orange County and displayed on a projector.

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He suggested capping business jets based at JWA at 65 and smaller “light GA” planes at 339 single-engine and 35 multi-engine aircraft, while keeping the same number of support operators and increasing hangar space for light GA.

The county Airport Commission demurred last week on taking a position on potential updates because it said it wanted to maintain onsite storage space for smaller private planes that could be squeezed out by amenities for corporate jets.

The Airport Commission and the Board of Supervisors postponed votes on the matter in April after Newport Beach objected to what it considered the last-minute release of a key section of the project’s environmental review.

The county, which owns and operates JWA, says updates would provide facilities to serve an increase in the number of private jets at the airport. Private jets fall outside the restrictions that JWA has operated under since 1985, when a Newport Beach-initiated settlement agreement set limits on noise levels, commercial departures, number of annual passengers and airport capital improvements.

Airport staff recommended changes that would include a new general aviation terminal — the airport currently has terminals only for commercial service — and dedicated, fee- based customs screening for noncommercial international flights.

A total of four potential options feature a range of amenities, with all options including infrastructure updates such as buildings and airfield roads to comply with current Federal Aviation Administration standards. All proposed changes would stay within the airport’s existing footprint.

Do said his hybrid is close to “keeping faith” with the Newport agreement.

Board Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett, however, persuaded the board to continue the item until its next meeting.

“We think we’re close but we are not,” she said.

Newport Beach City Councilman Jeff Herdman said county staff’s preferred plan is an attempt to expand commercial operations to the benefit of a small group of users. He was referring to air taxis, some of which are considered general aviation though they provide a paid service.

He reminded the supervisors that the Newport City Council supports the most basic option — the one the council backed in March that would allow for adjustments required by the FAA but keep the frequency of private aircraft departures the same and not add a terminal for general aviation.

“The [airport staff’s preferred plan] was not designed to serve the people of Orange County yet it will lead to long-term adverse impacts on the daily lives of thousands of your constituents as well as mine,” said Herdman, who leads Newport’s Aviation Committee.

Crows fly over the runway at John Wayne Airport on March 7. (File photo)

Katrina Foley, mayor of neighboring Costa Mesa, and former Huntington Beach Mayor Keith Bohr told the supervisors they also support the basic plan.

“I’ve been in these bodies where you have a ton of people speak and oftentimes there’s a loud vocal minority,” said Bohr, who currently is on Huntington Beach’s Jet Noise Commission, launched recently to focus primarily on noise linked to Long Beach Airport. “This is not the vocal minority.”

Patricia Jantzen, who lives on Newport Beach’s Balboa Island, said the supervisors would ruin the community if they approve JWA updates that she said are circumventions of the landmark 1985 settlement agreement, which she said should be amended to hold general aviation planes to the same standards as commercial carriers.

“We pay an incredible amount of money to live in this county. Money talks. We provide a lot of money for this county to operate,” Jantzen said. “The property tax revenues will plummet and reflect huge losses because the property values will drop.”

Treb Heining, a Newport resident and frequent international traveler who flies out of Los Angeles International Airport, didn’t support any of the proposals. He said John Wayne Airport should be moved.

“I always marvel that we can be so small-minded here in Southern California in that we’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole over and over,” he said. “LAX, Orange County airport all forced upon communities ... when other cities around the world do it so smart. They put their airports way far out.”

Supervisor Michelle Steel, whose district includes Newport Beach, said she wants to modernize aging facilities but also consider quality of life for nearby residents. Her motion for the basic plan got a second from Supervisor Don Wagner for sake of discussion but failed to get a majority vote.

Essential California Newsletter Monday - Saturday

A roundup of the stories shaping California.



Hillary Davis   

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-john-wayne-airport-noise-20190508-story.html[5/8/2019 4:41:38 PM]