Mt. Baldy Residents Win Lawsuit Against Proposed Cell Tower

Mt. Baldy residents win lawsuit against proposed cell tower

The Verizon cell tower was proposed for this area of Mt. Baldy. (Courtesy of Alison Denning) By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

POSTED: 12/28/16, 5:37 PM PST | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO # COMMENTS MT. BALDY >> Verizon has until Feb. 13 to decide whether to pursue an appeal a judge’s recent ruling that denies construction of a 45-foot-tall cell phone tower near a scenic highway in Mt. Baldy without more rigorous environmental review. Area residents say they are pleased that San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Gilbert Ochoa, who oversees matters relating to environmental impacts from developments, sided with them, blocking the project in a Sept. 26 tentative ruling that became final earlier this month. “We just didn’t think it was a good location,” 20-year Mt. Baldy Village resident Alison Denning said. “You have the entire national forest to put a cell phone tower, and we didn’t understand why they were putting it in the village. It was ugly. They wanted to put it up on this hill that catches the evening golden light, and it’s special to the residents. There are no trees (nearby), and it would be really obvious.” Residents and other opponents, who in court documents are called the Coalition to Keep Baldy Wild, said the county’s approval of the project was insufficient to satisfy California environmental law without a thorough analysis, called an environmental impact report. Ochoa’s agreed, his ruling forcing Verizon to produce an environmental impact report — if it decides to move forward — and effectively halting installation of the tower in the 800 block of San Antonio Creek Road for the time being. The proposed tower is a pivotal part of a larger project, which includes two additional towers, one in the Angeles National Forest and another near the ski area of Mt. Baldy, both which need the proposed Mt. Baldy Village tower to function, according to court documents. Ochoa ruled the environmental impacts of the three towers need to be reviewed as one project. The judge called the project “has been improperly segmented or piece-mealed.” Verizon spokeswoman Heidi Flato, through a statement, said the company has not decided its next step. “We are disappointed by the trial court’s decision to deny approval of a new Verizon cell site on Mt. Baldy,” Flato said in the statement. “Our proposed wireless facility was designed to close a significant gap in Verizon coverage and capacity, with improved network performance for this community and first responders.” Ochoa and his clerk signed off on the court ruling Dec. 5, according to Irvine attorney John McClendon, who represented the residents.

Advertisement McClendon said the thoroughness and length of Ochoa’s detailed court ruling may dissuade Verizon from an appeal. “I’ve done this for nearly 30 years, and I was very impressed with Judge Ochoa’s very detailed and well-crafted ruling because his ruling read more like an appellate court decision than a trial court decision,” McClendon said. “You can see that by its length of 34 pages. The judge obviously put a tremendous amount of thought and effort into a ruling of this scope.” In June 2015, the San Bernardino County Planning Commission signed off on the Mt. Baldy Village tower, minus an environmental report, an approval that was appealed to the Board of Supervisors in October 2015. “It would be inappropriate for the county to comment on this case because the county does not have a stake in the litigation or the tower project,” county spokesman David Wert said. “The county neither favors nor opposes the project, and the county has no financial stake in it. All costs for the project’s land use consideration by the county, including the cost of any EIR, and all costs associated with this and any other litigation, have been and would be borne by the applicant, Verizon Wireless.” Not everyone in the community was opposed to the tower, Flato said. “The local fire department, public safety officers, and search and rescue volunteers voiced overwhelming support for Verizon’s proposal, as the facility would help to protect public health and safety by providing cell service in an isolated mountainous area popular with county residents and tourists for hiking and skiing,” she wrote. The tower facility would be camouflaged and located on a developed site with multiple existing structures and next to a row of utility poles and lines, Flato wrote. “The facility footprint is only a small fraction of 1 percent of the size of the 17.53-acre parcel, and the facility height is nearly 20 percent below the height limit for the zone,” according to Flato. “The facility would be at least 350 feet away from the nearest home.” Residents, quoted in the court documents, disagree with Verizon’s description. Stan and Jana Tibbits, who live at the top of a hill directly across Mt. Baldy Road from the proposed cell tower, said there are no other pine trees nearby, “just low-lying brush.”. And resident Christy Catalano said that the project would be “extremely visible from the road and surrounding areas,” and it “would most definitely distract and reduce the amazing scenic quality.” Denning and other residents with the Keep Baldy Wild group have long asked Verizon to find an alternate location. An environmental impact report would include the possibility and analysis of other locations, McClendon said. Flato, in Verizon’s statement, said San Bernardino County had spent more than three years conduction environmental and zoning reviews. She noted the only issue the judge ruled cogent was the impact to views.

12/29/2016 Earthquake: Magnitude 4.1 quake strikes near Morongo Valley - LA Times

Earthquake: Magnitude 4.1 quake strikes near Morongo Valley

A map shows the approximate location of the epicenter of Wednesday morning's quake near Morongo Valley, Calif. (Bing Maps)

By Quakebot

DECEMBER 28, 2016, 10:50 AM

shallow magnitude 4.1 earthquake was reported Wednesday morning nine miles from Morongo A Valley in San Bernardino County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was felt over a wide area of the Inland Empire, but no damage was reported from the light temblor.

The temblor occurred at 9:57 a.m. PST at a depth of 6.2 miles.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was 10 miles from Big Bear City, 15 miles from Yucca Valley and 17 miles from Desert Hot Springs.

In the last 10 days, there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-earthquakes-4-point-1-quake-strikes-near-morongo-valley-20161228-story.html 1/2 12/29/2016 Earthquake: Magnitude 4.1 quake strikes near Morongo Valley - LA Times This information comes from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service and this post was created by an algorithm.

Read more about Southern California earthquakes.

ALSO

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UPDATES:

10:50 a.m.: This post was update with more information on who felt the quake.

This article is related to: Earthquakes

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-earthquakes-4-point-1-quake-strikes-near-morongo-valley-20161228-story.html 2/2 12/29/2016 It’s no winter wonderland when visitors trash Southern California’s mountains

The Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com)

It’s no winter wonderland when visitors trash Southern California’s mountains

Trash and traffic problems from cars blocking roadways are causing hazards and headaches

By Suzanne Hurt, The PressEnterprise

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

The Christmas weekend storm brought snow and bad manners to Southern California mountains.

With more snow expected this weekend, authorities are urging people to abide by laws when traveling in the San Bernardino, San Jacinto and San Gabriel mountains.

Winter visitors took home loads of snowy “White Christmas” memories over the past few days. But they left behind monstrous amounts of litter and traffic headaches from Wrightwood, Running Springs and Big Bear south to Idyllwild, said state and local officials at a press conference Wednesday, Dec. 28, in San Bernardino.

“Please don’t trash California,” John Bulinski, California Department of Transportation District 8 director, said at a bilingual rooftop press conference at the Rosa Parks Memorial Building garage.

Officials offered tips to teach snow newbies better mountain manners.

California Highway Patrol Officer Juan Quintero, speaking in English and later Spanish, warned mountain visitors to avoid citations by carrying tire chains in their vehicles, not blocking roadways to install chains or play in snow, and not leaving plastic sleds or garbage behind.

“It’s illegal to litter,” said Quintero, based in Lake Arrowhead. “Make sure you don’t trash the mountains when you come up here.”

Traffic problems began Friday night and continued into Wednesday. The worst congestion has been on highways 330, 18, 38 and 138. Highways 189 and 73 also have seen problems, Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said.

More than 100 vehicles were stuck on Highway 38 in the San Bernardino mountains for more than four hours on Christmas Eve because drivers didn’t have chains, she said.

Others were blocked on Highway 2 in the San Gabriel Mountains after people parked on the highway to rent snowboards from a nearby shop.

Some visitors actually played in the snow on highways in front of traffic, Kasinga added.

Blocking mountain roadways is illegal and creates driving hazards. That also prevents snow plows from clearing ice and snow off highways and emergency vehicles from responding to crimes, medical emergencies, fires or rescues.

Resident volunteers and businesses in mountain communities and inmate crews clean tons of trash left in the mountains by visitors each winter. Some who are tired of what’s become a big annual headache vented their http://www.dailybreeze.com/environment-and-nature/20161228/its-no-winter-wonderland-when-visitors-trash-southern-californias-mountains&template=printart 1/2 12/29/2016 It’s no winter wonderland when visitors trash Southern California’s mountains frustration against “flatlanders” on social media this week.

Litter harms animals, people and the environment — and attracts more litter, damaging a community’s image, Bulinski said.

Garbage — most commonly food and drink containers, plastic sleds, cigarette butts and used diapers — are eyesores whose toxic materials create health and fire risks, said Liz Brown of CalFire.

San Bernardino County Supervisor Janice Rutherford, whose Second District includes San Gabriel and Rim of the World mountain communities, asked visitors not to discard garbage or snow toys in the national forests, roadsides or other people’s yards.

“You wouldn’t want anybody to come to your neighborhood and leave dirty diapers or fast food trash in your yard,” she said. “We ask that you have the same respect for the residents of our mountains.”

Keep mountains wonderful

State and local officials offer these tips to make trips into the mountains safe and clean:

• Use designated snow play areas, parks or national forest recreational areas. Don’t play in snow in other people’s yards, private business property, roadsides or on roads.

• Carry tire chains in all vehicles. If you don’t, you could face a citation or be forced by police to turn around.

• When installing tire chains, park in a designated chain installation area, turnout or parking lot. Don’t block roadways, snow plows or emergency vehicles.

• Leave no trace of your visit to the wilderness.

• Clean up after yourself and your family.

• Bring trash bags. Take all garbage and recyclables home to dispose of properly.

• Use restrooms before traveling.

URL: http://www.dailybreeze.com/environment-and-nature/20161228/its-no-winter-wonderland-when-visitors-trash-southern-californias-mountains

http://www.dailybreeze.com/environment-and-nature/20161228/its-no-winter-wonderland-when-visitors-trash-southern-californias-mountains&template=printart 2/2 12/29/2016 Man reportedly armed with long gun surrenders after nine-hour standoff in Loma Linda

Redlands Daily Facts (http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com)

Man reportedly armed with long gun surrenders after nine-hour standoff in Loma Linda

By Beatriz Valenzuela, San Bernardino Sun

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

LOMA LINDA >> A wanted parolee surrendered after barricading himself and a woman inside a home in a rural neighborhood, San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials say.

About 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, sheriff’s deputies were called to a home in the 26600 block of Romero Street near New Jersey Street in response to reports of an armed man in the area, said San Bernardino County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jodi Miller.

At 5:47 p.m., the Sheriff’s Department announced authorities had successfully negotiated with the man, who surrendered. According to the department, the man’s hostage was freed and safe. Neither the man nor the woman were immediately identified by authorities.

• PHOTOS: See images from the scene in Loma Linda

Earlier in the day, the sheriff’s aviation crew in a helicopter confirmed the man was armed with a long gun, Miller said. At that time, surrounding homes were evacuated and people were taken to a nearby community center.

The unidentified man ignored repeated commands given from the helicopter’s public address system ordering him to exit the home, Miller said.

By midday, authorities confirmed the man was holding a woman against her will inside the home.

Jim Burns, who lives on Romero Road, said the unidentified man broke into his home on Christmas and stole his shotgun.

Burns, who said he knows the man through family, said the man told him he would not be taken alive. But he surrendered at 5:45 p.m., officials said.

“Cops did a good job,” Burns said.

Several streets around the home, including Barton Road between California and Nevada streets, were closed for much of the day. The roads were reopened when the standoff ended.

Patients who had surgery scheduled at a nearby medical center were escorted into the facility by law enforcement.

Taylor’s, local watering hole and institution, which usually is bustling by 11 a.m., was completely empty save for one customer who managed to make it into the restaurant and bar before Barton Road was shut down.

http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/general-news/20161228/man-reportedly-armed-with-long-gun-surrenders-after-nine-hour-standoff-in-loma-linda&template=… 1/2 12/29/2016 Man reportedly armed with long gun surrenders after nine-hour standoff in Loma Linda About a mile away, a Montessori school on Orange Avenue was keeping children inside until the incident was resolved, according to authorities.

Staff writer Brian Rokos contributed to this report.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include information on the man’s surrender.

URL: http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/general-news/20161228/man-reportedly-armed-with-long-gun-surrenders-after-nine-hour-standoff-in-loma-linda

Republican control of Southern California air board may be brief By DAVID DANELSKI 2016-12-28 17:34:09

Republicans are expected to lose control of the South Coast Air Quality Management board when an outspoken liberal Democrat is sworn in next week to serve on panel.

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl of Santa Monica will serve as Los Angeles County’s representative, replacing conservative Republican Michael Antonovich, who served on the air board since 1988.

He was termed out of office this year.

In addition, Monday’s death of Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit, a Republican, leaves another opening on the air district board.

Riverside County Supervisors will pick his successor on the board.

The district regulates air pollution in the sea-to-mountains air basin covering Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The shift could bring policy changes to an important board that this year turned to the right.

In early 2016, the air district shifted toward a more business friendly approach after Dwight Robinson, a Lake Forest councilman, joined the board, giving Republicans a one-vote majority.

The board then voted 7-6 along party lines to fire the air district’s 19-year Executive Officer Barry Wallerstein – despite objections from public health and clean-air advocates, who credited him for years of steady air quality improvement.

The board later hired former Bush administration official Wayne Nastri to run the agency’s staff. Nastri has since proposed a 15-year air clean-up plan that emphasizes cash incentives for polluters to reduce emissions.

Now Kuehl, 75, will have a say on the plan, which is expected to go to the air board in February. Her offices were closed for the holidays this week, and she could not be reached for comment. But she is a former state legislator who has been critical of board’s shift to the right.

“She has for a long time supported strong policies in Sacramento that protect the health of people,” said Adrian Martinez, a Los Angeles attorney for the national environmental group, Earthjustice.

Martinez said it’s not clear whether Kuehl’s addition will bring a dramatic shift in policies. She is expected to be sworn in Jan. 6. He noted that some of the board’s Democrats last year voted for an industry backed plan to cut factory emissions of smog-forming nitrogen oxides by 12 tons day by 2022 – even after Wallerstein recommended a reduction of 14 tons day.

Wallerstein said such cuts were needed to meet federal health standards. http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821921 1/2 12/29/2016 Print Article: Republican control of Southern California air board may be brief John Husing, an Inland economist and consultant for the warehousing industry, said he expects Kuehl to find that the incentives proposed by Nastri are needed.

“Command-and-control regulations have done just about everything they can do,” he said.

Both Husing and Martinez praised Benoit, who died of pancreatic cancer, as a thoughtful and independent voice on the air board.

“He had the ability to find compromise and work with industry,” Husing said.

“He understood the issues and would listen to people, and I appreciated that,” Martinez added.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9471 or [email protected]

http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821921 2/2 12/29/2016 Victorville councilman suggests K-rail for accident-plagued Highway 395

Victorville councilman suggests K-rail for accident- plagued Highway 395

Wednesday Posted Dec 28, 2016 at 2:58 PM Updated Dec 28, 2016 at 5:10 PM

The highway, which will be widened in phases, has seen a significant number of crashes in 2016, including several fatal collisions.

By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Follow

VICTORVILLE - City Councilman Jim Kennedy suggests the city advocate for more safety measures on Highway 395, citing a surge of crashes on the thoroughfare. One idea: A physical median stretching to Kramer Junction near Barstow.

At Kennedy's urging, the Council agreed to cooperate on a project to widen the road to four lanes from Palmdale Road to Chamberlaine Way in Adelanto. It's the first phase in a larger, nearly $500-million initiative to widen the highway from Interstate 15 in Hesperia to Colusa Road in north Adelanto.

The 5.6-mile first phase, not slated for construction until late 2018, affects Victorville because a 2.4-mile segment from Palmdale Road to just south of Hopland Road is within the city's limits on the eastern half of the highway. The city will work with the San Bernardino Transportation Commission, a newly coined name for a division of San Bernardino Associated Governments, on right-of-way acquisition.

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City Engineer Brian Gengler said that funding issues have necessitated the project be completed in segments.

"One thing you should include - I don't know how you would do this - but if anyone reads our paper recently, we should require a 4-foot-high K-rail in the middle of 395 all the way to Four Corners, but at least as much as we have any hope of getting," Kennedy said. "These head-on collisions are just killers."

The highway has seen a significant number of crashes in 2016, including several fatal collisions.

City Manager Doug Robertson said that two lanes each direction could, potentially, deter motorists from passing vehicles, but Kennedy said that passing wasn't the lone problem, adding driving under the influence and drowsy motorists as issues.

The project's plans, revealed in February, already include a rumble strip median, Caltrans officials said, but Robertson said the city would re-emphasize to the agency that they employ rumble strips in the center line as it had with other sections of the highway.

Installing a raised curb median, meanwhile, would require a certain number of accidents to trigger a Caltrans analysis of crash data over a half-decade period, Caltrans officials have previously said. The threshold for installing a raised curb median is a rate of 0.5 total cross-median (head-on) collisions per mile per year over the five-year period reviewed.

The entire scope of the over-arching widening effort is tentatively scheduled to be completed by 2021 and projected to cost nearly $500 million, with the stretch from Palmdale Road to Chamberlaine Way estimated at $33 million, according to Caltrans officials who spoke about the initiative during an open house in February.

This first-phase effort also will install turn lanes and signals at various intersections.

Speaking about public safety concerns, Caltrans Project Manager Jim Robinson said he had seen firsthand motorists driving on the dirt next to him to pass traffic.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161228/victorville-councilman-suggests-k-rail-for-accident-plagued-highway-395 2/3 12/29/2016 Victorville councilman suggests K-rail for accident-plagued Highway 395

"This project should get rid of a lot of illegal and unsafe passing in the area that has been a huge concern for many," Robinson said. "Once complete, Highway 395 should operate more (like) an arterial than it's operating right now. From a safety standpoint and traffic, it will get a lot better in every aspect."

- Staff Writer Jose Quintero contributed to this report.

Shea Johnson can be reached at 760-955-5368 or . Follow him on Twitter at .

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161228/victorville-councilman-suggests-k-rail-for-accident-plagued-highway-395 3/3 12/29/2016 Victorville looking ahead: Establishing the future

Victorville looking ahead: Establishing the future

Wednesday Posted Dec 28, 2016 at 4:30 PM Updated Dec 28, 2016 at 5:25 PM

By Monica Solano Staff Writer Follow

Shea Johnson Staff Writer Follow

VICTORVILLE - The city's progress in the new year will be somewhat defined by its ability to successfully re-energize a past gem. For two years, a community group has pushed plans to return the Old Town neighborhood to its former glory, and city officials recently have worked alongside them.

On a macro level, the Victor Valley's largest city will continue to hone efforts to tackle homelessness and stay on top of a major infrastructure project, while seeking to draw in its next major retailer. The High Desert Event Center, meanwhile, looks to maintain its standing as a regional entertainment hub.

Here are five developments to watch in Victorville for 2017:

1. Implementing a vision for Old Town

During a workshop in November, Old Town residents voiced their opinions on how to create a safe and walkable downtown area and their desire to bring back culture and arts within the forgotten Old Town neighborhood.

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Heading into 2017, City Council members and the Planning Commission are looking to re-establish the once historic neighborhood and optimize the corridor's Route 66 branding and incentivize development.

A plan in the works will outline a growth strategy over a span of 20 to 30 years, and City Planner Scott Webb said it could go before the Council in 2017. Several key components discussed in 2016 included possible funding sources for the neighborhood's resurgence, attracting potential developers and businesses to draw more people, and a focus on increased public safety.

2. High Desert Event Center

The High Desert Event Center became a popular regional destination in 2016, with events including several cannabis-themed festivals, job fairs, concerts and the annual San Bernardino County Fair.

Looking ahead to 2017, the Event Center looks to maintain its recent record of success as the region's entertainment hub. Having hosted performers like Vanilla Ice and Wu-Tang Clan in 2016, the venue will seek to add to its lineups and continue to host family-friendly events like Jurassic Quest for the new year.

Some members of the City Council disapprove of cannabis-themed events hosted at the Center. Others, who support the medical use of cannabis and oppose the recreational use, have said these festivals were and can continue to be an economic boom for hotels and many gas stations and restaurants across the High Desert.

3. Reducing the homeless population

In September, the city announced it was actively seeking to create a task force to deal with the homelessness issue here, which is the second-worst in San Bernardino County behind only San Bernardino city. City Manager Doug Robertson had said Victorville was working closely with the county on permanent housing and service options.

In 2017, the city - with the county's help - will look to put a dent in Victorville's long-standing homelessness issue. A recent $10.3 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support housing and service programs throughout the region could buoy those efforts. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161228/victorville-looking-ahead-establishing-future 2/4 12/29/2016 Victorville looking ahead: Establishing the future

A report in March showed that homelessness dipped 12 percent countywide in 2015 as county officials focused largely on finding housing for veterans. Plans are expected to extend to young adults and single mothers. A city-county collaborative will be integral to containing a problem that former Victorville Councilman Ryan McEachron, as recently as three months ago, had described as "out of hand."

4. Restaurant Row commercial development

Development alongside Restaurant Row on Amargosa Road located just south of Bear Valley Road has seen a number of new business in the last five years, including Wal-Mart Supercenter, Panera Bread, Dollar Tree, Staples and BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse. It's possible 2017 may bring in more business.

Recently, the city announced developer Vantage One Real Estate Investments plans to construct an 11,350-square-foot, multi-tenant building just south of BJ's on Amargosa Road. The 5-acre project is set to include a restaurant with a drive- thru and space for two to three free-standing buildings, which are expected to be used for restaurants.

This year, the city also saw the much-hyped Krispy Kreme restaurant finally open on the southeast corner of Roy Rogers and Civic Drive. Meanwhile, the Victor Valley's longest-standing Target store closed its doors in January at Palmdale Road and Park Avenue. City officials are hopeful a new tenant will emerge in 2017.

5. Green Tree Extension, infrastructure projects

While construction on the city's latest major infrastructure undertaking, the Green Tree Extension, isn't projected to begin until late 2018, the new year will see officials work to finish its final design - "a critical pathway to completion," spokeswoman Sue Jones said.

The $45 million project, stretching Green Tree Boulevard about a mile from Hesperia Road to Ridgecrest/Yates roads, is essentially the city's new Nisqualli Interchange, meaning that the project's scope is so major, no similarly large projects will be undertaken until it is completed.

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On a smaller front and with an eye on bicycle infrastructure, the Mojave Riverwalk project near Victor Valley College is expected to begin construction in the fall. The $4.4 million effort will mix bike paths and lanes and feature a trailhead ending near VVC.

Shea Johnson can be reached at 760-955-5368 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.

Monica Solano can be reached at [email protected] or at 760-951- 6231. Follow her on Twitter @DP_MonicaInes.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161228/victorville-looking-ahead-establishing-future 4/4 12/29/2016 Yardbirds deal would appear to satisfy Adelanto

Yardbirds deal would appear to satisfy Adelanto

Tuesday Posted Dec 27, 2016 at 10:19 AM Updated Dec 27, 2016 at 10:39 AM

With the surprise introduction of the High Desert Yardbirds two weeks ago, "a really exciting announcement" Mayor Rich Kerr hinted at the night before, it appears the city's renewed embrace of baseball in Adelanto was, at least in part, galvanized by a contract officials deemed satisfactory.

By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Follow

ADELANTO - An independent professional baseball team will kick off its inaugural season at Stater Bros. Stadium in early June, meaning that fans won't even have to wait a year for America's pastime since the folded High Desert Mavericks won the California League Championship on a bittersweet and lively night in September.

A dispute between the city and Mavericks ownership over the fairness of a $1 stadium deal, which flared up a year ago and continues to play out in court, had been pegged by some as the team's ultimate undoing. In August, the California League announced the Mavericks and Bakersfield Blaze had been dissolved, citing the Blaze's inability to secure a new stadium and tensions here in this city.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161227/yardbirds-deal-would-appear-to-satisfy-adelanto 1/3 12/29/2016 Yardbirds deal would appear to satisfy Adelanto

But with the surprise introduction of the High Desert Yardbirds two weeks ago, "a really exciting announcement" Mayor Rich Kerr hinted at the night before, it appears the city's renewed embrace of baseball in Adelanto was, at least in part, galvanized by a contract officials deemed satisfactory.

"I think all the parties involved believe bringing baseball back is important to the fans and the entire High Desert," San Bernardino County Fair CEO and General Manager Geoff Hinds said last week. "It'll be good to see baseball back in the Victor Valley."

Adelanto has contracted with the Fair to manage marketing the stadium in hopes it can achieve the same success as it has in recent years promoting the fairgrounds in Victorville.

The Yardbirds, an expansion franchise in the independent Pecos League, will pay the city a base fee of $2,500 plus 10 percent of all paid tickets, including group and season tickets, according to Hinds, who also addressed terms associated with the stadium's upkeep.

"Essentially, the Fair will be responsible for the general upkeep and maintenance of the stadium, but the Pecos League/High Desert Yardbirds will be responsible for any non-customary field maintenance (outside of standard lawn care, watering, etc.)," he said. "The Pecos League will care for the field, locker rooms and stadium after each game, to return them to an as-provided condition, with an understanding that additional cleaning and resources as needed will be provided by the Fair staff on an as-needed basis."

In 2012, when a largely different City Council signed its deal with Main Street California, LLC, the former Mavericks ownership group, it knew the intentionally nominally $1-per-year lease agreement would put the city in an initial hole, according to records reviewed by the Daily Press as part of an April investigation.

But the city was also banking on projected annual savings of $40,000 by shifting field maintenance responsibility to the Mavericks. The savings, officials believed, would bring them even and up by 2018.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161227/yardbirds-deal-would-appear-to-satisfy-adelanto 2/3 12/29/2016 Yardbirds deal would appear to satisfy Adelanto

But it never got that far. Last December, officials said they began to search for the economic benefit in the deal and later claimed the agreement had cost Adelanto $1.8 million in revenue.

Dave Heller, president of Main Street California, has stood by the 2012 agreement as a legally binding document and, just last month, he chided the stark contrast he saw between Adelanto and San Bernardino, which recently approved a $1 stadium deal with its California League team despite dealing with its own financial struggles.

The Yardbirds will play 64 games between the end of May and the end of July in a shorter-than-normal baseball season, which Pecos League officials have described as seeking to spur "increased fan participation and support."

- Staff Writer Rene Ray De La Cruz contributed to this report.

Shea Johnson can be reached at 760-955-5368 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161227/yardbirds-deal-would-appear-to-satisfy-adelanto 3/3 12/29/2016 Print Article: Funeral scheduled for Riverside County supervisor John Benoit

Funeral scheduled for Riverside County supervisor John Benoit By JEFF HORSEMAN 2016-12-28 16:51:27

Funeral services for Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit have been scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 10 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in La Quinta.

A retired California Highway Patrol commander and former state lawmaker, Benoit, 64, died of pancreatic cancer on Dec. 26. He represented the Fourth District, which stretches from the Coachella Valley to Blythe.

A rosary for Benoit will be said at 6 p.m. Jan. 9 at the church, 47-225 Washington St. and a public viewing is set from 6:30 to 8 p.m. that same day.

The Board of Supervisors’ Jan. 10 meeting has been canceled to accommodate the funeral. In honor of Benoit, flags at county-owned and lease facilities will fly at half-staff until Jan. 10.

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http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821914 1/1 12/29/2016 The voters have spoken on marijuana. Trump ought to listen. - LA Times

Editorial The voters have spoken on marijuana. Trump ought to listen.

Voters on Tuesday approved Proposition 64, which would make California the most populous state in the nation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

By The Times Editorial Board

DECEMBER 28, 2016, 5:00 AM

alifornians may have voted overwhelmingly on Nov. 8 to legalize marijuana, but Americans also elected Donald Trump, whose position on legalization has been a bit — hazy. That’s a potential C problem because marijuana is regulated under federal law, giving Trump and his administration veto power over whether California and the seven other states that have voted to legalize cannabis can really do so.

So where does the presidentelect stand on pot? He has said he supports individuals’ right to use medical marijuana “100%,” which is good news for the 29 states that allow medicinal use of pot. As for adult recreational use, which Californians approved through Proposition 64, it’s hard to say what he believes because his statements have been all over the map, shifting from audience to audience.

In a 1990 speech in South Florida, where drug cartels had waged a bloody fight in the 1980s, Trump said that the nation’s war on drugs had been a failure; it would be better, he said, to legalize and tax drugs and spend http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-marijuana-trump-20161228-story.html 1/3 12/29/2016 The voters have spoken on marijuana. Trump ought to listen. - LA Times the money on drug prevention. (Sounds a bit like The Times’ endorsement of Proposition 64.) But that was 26 years ago. During his presidential run, Trump told Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, a staunch prohibitionist, that he was concerned Colorado’s decision to legalize recreational use was causing “a lot of problems out there.” Then, while campaigning in Nevada (where voters last month passed a ballot measure to allow adult use of marijuana), Trump said legalization should be decided by the states. “ It would be foolhardy for the federal government to dig in on cannabis prohibition now.

If that last statement gave a glimmer of hope to advocates of legalization, Trump undermined it with his nominee for attorney general, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, a hardline opponent of reforming marijuana laws.

During a Senate hearing in April on how the Department of Justice was dealing with states that have legalized cannabis, Sessions declared that “good people don’t smoke marijuana.” And he’s been a frequent critic of the Obama administration’s handsoff approach to states that allow medical and recreational marijuana.

For the last three years, the Justice Department’s policy has been to not interfere with states that allow the commercial sale of marijuana as long as there are strict regulations in place, including rules to prevent sales to minors and to block criminal enterprises from participating. That policy guided California lawmakers as they crafted new medical marijuana licensing regulations in 2015, as well as the advocates who wrote Proposition 64. Sessions, however, has said the DOJ’s policy is wrong. “We need grownups in charge in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that it’s in fact a very real danger,” he declared in April.

If Sessions does take charge of the Justice Department, he could reverse the DOJ policy and undermine California’s new rules. That would be a step backward. In most of the states that have voted to legalize marijuana, commercialization has ushered in muchneeded regulation. It’s how Colorado sought to ensure the safety of the marijuana people were already consuming. It’s how California will attempt to stop illegal cultivation, which has devastated sensitive ecosystems. The goal of Proposition 64 is to eliminate the black market and transform the existing multibilliondollar underground industry into one regulated for consumer safety, environmental protection and public health.

Even if the new administration doesn’t reverse the Justice Department policy, it will still need to be a partner in creating commonsense policies. For example, because marijuana remains illegal under federal law, pot shops typically can't open bank accounts or accept credit cards because financial services companies fear being penalized by federal regulators for handling money from unlawful drug sales.

That means marijuana products are typically sold for cash, and dispensary owners pay their employees, their landlords and their taxes in cash, inviting crime and making it harder to regulate the sale of cannabis. With

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-marijuana-trump-20161228-story.html 2/3 12/29/2016 The voters have spoken on marijuana. Trump ought to listen. - LA Times such problems in mind, California Treasurer John Chiang recently sent a letter to Trump seeking guidance on how his administration would deal with the conflict between state and federal law.

Decades of experience has shown that the U.S. can’t win a war on marijuana. It would be foolhardy for the federal government to dig in on cannabis prohibition now, when voters are increasingly choosing to legalize the drug for medicinal and recreational use. Trump and his attorney general ought to adhere to the will of state voters and demonstrate the kind of pragmatic leadership on marijuana policy that has too often been missing in the federal government.

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