5/25/2017 DA’s report on San Bernardino terrorist attack highlights police bravery in gun battle – Press Enterprise

NEWS DA’s report on San Bernardino terrorist attack highlights police bravery in gun battle

Law enforcement personnel toward the scene where the perpetrators of the Inland Regional Center attack were shot and killed on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015. A recent report lays out exactly how law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to the attack and killed the attackers. File photo by David Danelski, staff)

By SUZANNE HURT | [email protected] | The Press-Enterprise PUBLISHED: May 24, 2017 at 9:05 pm | UPDATED: May 25, 2017 at 12:17 am

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San Bernardino terrorist attack survivors and victims’ relatives will get a chance Thursday, May 25, to ask questions about a report released this week detailing how police of툁cers took down the assailants on Dec. 2, 2015.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s 55-page interof툁ce memo, whose subject is simply “Of툁cer Involved Fatal Incident,” lays out exactly how law enforcement of툁cers from multiple agencies responded to the Inland Regional Center within minutes of the attack and killed the attackers in a massive gun툁ght nearby several hours later.

http://www.pe.com/2017/05/24/das-report-on-san-bernardino-terrorist-attack-highlights-police-bravery-in-gun-battle/ 1/3 5/25/2017 DA’s report on San Bernardino terrorist attack highlights police bravery in gun battle – Press Enterprise

San Bernardino County employee Syed Rizwan Farook was hit by at least 27 gunshots while his wife was struck by at least 15 – two to the top of the head — as of툁cers 툁red about 440 rounds from ri㰀es, shotguns and handguns – which the report found were proper uses of deadly force in self-defense and the defense of others.

RELATED: Horror of Dec. 2 attack remains with rescuers

The couple, who killed 14 people — including 13 of Farook’s coworkers — and shot 22 of the 57 survivors, 툁red about 80 ri㰀e rounds and one handgun round at of툁cers, according to the report.

“I don’t think I need to discuss whether police were justi툁ed in shooting Syed or not,” said survivor Hal Houser. Shortly aЀer the IRC shooting began, he and others escaped to a room whose doors they held shut against the attackers.

Four months following the December 2 attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, the constant presence of a memorial is a reminder of the deadly shooting that left 14 people dead and twice as many injured. (Staff photo by Rick Sforza/The Sun)

Survivors and victims’ families got copies of the report earlier this week so they could review the material and discuss it at a meeting with the DA’s of툁ce scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday. The report also will be released to the public Thursday.

As a gun owner who stepped up his target practice aЀer surviving the attack, Houser said what surprised him most were that only 10 percent of the of툁cers’ rounds hit the terrorists – which he attributed to pounding adrenalin in a survival situation where bullets were 㰀ying and of툁cers were trying to keep themselves and their comrades alive.

“You know those guys were amped up when they heard shots 툁red at their fellow of툁cers,” said Houser, who said that drove home how much 툁ring practice people need to be able to stop an assailant such as a home intruder.

RELATED: For San Bernardino attack 툁rst responders, healing is ongoing

“It doesn’t make me feel very secure as a homeowner in a situation like that,” he said.

Two of툁cers were injured by the couple’s gun툁re or metal fragments during the 툁re툁ght, while others were pinned down behind vehicles that were heavily damaged.

RELATED: Enrique Marquez to plead guilty to aiding San Bernardino shooter’s plots

Survivor Julie Swann-Paez, who was shot twice in the pelvis in the IRC’s main conference room, said the newest things she learned from the report were the extent of individual of툁cers’ roles and the timeline of the of툁cers’ response, pursuit and gun툁ght with the attackers.

She also was surprised at how many of툁cers responded.

“AЀer reading it, it was evident there was a lot of really good breaks that went our way in order to 툁nd Syed quickly,” she said.

http://www.pe.com/2017/05/24/das-report-on-san-bernardino-terrorist-attack-highlights-police-bravery-in-gun-battle/ 2/3 5/25/2017 Emergency responders show life-saving equipment, techniques at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center expo

San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)

Emergency responders show life-saving equipment, techniques at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center expo

By Staff report

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

COLTON >> Emergency responders on Wednesday demonstrated some of the life-saving equipment, techniques and resources they use to protect and help the public.

There were tactical vehicles, police dogs, bomb robots, helicopters and more.

The display was all part of the 4th annual Emergency Medical Services and Tactical Medicine Expo hosted by Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.

• Photos: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s annual Emergency Medical Services and Tactical Medicine Expo

The event enabled attendees to learn about ARMC’s emergency medical services capabilities and how they work with various local agencies. Additionally, resident physicians, physician assistants, nurses and other medical professionals learned about the challenges that EMS personnel undergo.

Opening ceremonies for the expo included the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department color guard, the National Anthem sung by Jenny Rios, and opening remarks by ARMC Hospital Director William Gilbert and others.

Agencies that participated included the Sheriff’s Department, Inland Valley SWAT Team, Colton and Rialto fire departments, and San Bernardino Medical Reserve Corps.

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/government-and-politics/20170524/emergency-responders-show-life-saving-equipment-techniques-at-arrowhead-regional-medical-center- expo

© 2017 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)

http://www.sbsun.com/government-and-politics/20170524/emergency-responders-show-life-saving-equipment-techniques-at-arrowhead-regional-medical-cent… 1/1 5/25/2017 Upland needs to annex into SB County Fire Department: Guest commentary

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)

Upland needs to annex into SB County Fire Department: Guest commentary

By David Stevens

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

I am retired from Orange County Fire Authority. I have served the city of Upland as a planning commissioner, and I served four years on the City Council. I am writing this as a concerned citizen of the city of Upland.

Several years of deferred maintenance have gone on, and that has really hurt our city. Because of financial problems the city staff has been cut to try to stop the bleeding.

I do understand why the City Council has made the choice to annex the city to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. No one wants to ask the citizens to pay more taxes. But we have come to a point where we must consider that choice, because our fine city is failing into disrepair.

We can no longer afford to just make cuts in our work force; we must look at the possibility on new revenue. That includes bringing in more businesses that provide a great sales tax and other taxes and fees. If we don’t do this our property values will decline and we will no longer have a nice city to live in.

Our surrounding cities have taxes such as utility taxes, landscaping assessment districts, lighting assessment districts and public safety taxes. No, not all cities have all these taxes, but Upland has none of these, yet we think we are the best city in the Inland Empire. Right now we are getting behind, and the city needs our help.

Years of deferred maintenance on our roadways and underground infrastructure have left us tens of millions of dollars in the hole when it comes to necessary improvements, a price tag that is growing every day. We are currently in the process of annexing into the county fire system, a move that will improve our bottom line by as much as $50 million over the next 10 years.

I know that many citizens do not want to lose our Fire Department. Let me tell you about my experience in a fire department. I was hired by the city of Stanton in Orange County. After eight years on the job the city of Stanton contracted with Orange County for fire protection. So I have gone from a city department to a county department. This seems like a drastic thing to do, but there are many advantages for the city, and for the firefighters as well.

First of all the city of Upland will save $50 million over 10 years. This is accomplished by saving $3 million a year combined with the fact that our three fire engines and the one fire truck are coming to the end of their usefulness. The three engines need to be replaced now and the truck is reaching its lifetime as well. These units are very expensive, and will be the county Fire Department’s expense when the annexation is completed.

The firefighters’ pensions will then be the responsibility of County Fire, this will be further savings for the city of Upland. The city of Upland will have a lot more resources available, such as helicopters, bulldozers, and search and rescue to supplement our fire protection.

http://www.dailybulletin.com/opinion/20170524/upland-needs-to-annex-into-sb-county-fire-department-guest-commentary&template=printart 1/2 5/25/2017 Upland needs to annex into SB County Fire Department: Guest commentary As far as the employees are concerned, they will be on a larger fire department with the possibility of promoting that is not available in a smaller department. The firefighters will have the option to be on specialized units that the city cannot afford to man.

I have heard complaints from some business people that the County Fire inspection fees are a lot higher then the fees they are paying to the city of Upland. While this is true, the city has found out that the fees have not been adjusted for several years, so even if we don’t go to County Fire our fees will increase to match the fees of other fire departments in the Inland Empire.

So, my fellow citizens, please join me in stepping up and helping the city of Upland. It will protect your property values and make our city a great place to live in again. We need to do this.

David Stevens is a former member of the Upland City Council.

URL: http://www.dailybulletin.com/opinion/20170524/upland-needs-to-annex-into-sb-county-fire-department-guest-commentary

© 2017 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)

http://www.dailybulletin.com/opinion/20170524/upland-needs-to-annex-into-sb-county-fire-department-guest-commentary&template=printart 2/2 5/25/2017 Sheriff's Aviation holds hanger warming - Highland Community News: Public Safety Sheriff's Aviation holds hanger w arming By Hector Hernandez Jr. | Posted: Wednesday, May 24, 2017 4:24 pm

After moving from Rialto to San Bernardino International Airport in 2015, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Aviation headquarters and hangers recently received the final finishing touches giving the branch of the Sheriff's Emergency Operations Division a new home and more centralized command center.

The new facilities were toured and the abilities of its helicopter crews demonstrated during a special tour and luncheon held for the area's news media on Tuesday, May 23. Water drop According to Sheriff John McMahon, having the new 12,000 square-feet of office space and two 23,000 square-foot A Sheriff's Aviation helicopter crew hangers enables the department to centralize its operations demonstrates its capabilities in assisting fire and strengthen its partnership with County Fire. departments in fighting brush fires with aerial water drops, May 23. "This building will house everything for us. Prior to this building our volunteer forces was headquarters, our fixed wing operation was here, our helicopter operation was in Rialto," McMahon said. "It was a little difficult manage those operations when they were in three different places."

Sheriff's Aviation operates 15 aircraft (12 helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft) with 50 personnel assisted by thousands of volunteers including Sheriff's Reserves, Citizens on Patrol and volunteer doctors and nurses.

The aircraft are used in patrols, fire suppression, search and rescue, hoist rescues and rapid transportation of personnel.

Sheriff's Aviation handles about 16,000 Sheriff's and fire calls per year throughout the county and when assisting other departments. In 2016 the Aviation unit responded to 2,805 calls in county areas, 3,863 in contract cities (such as Highland), logged 4,481 hours of total flight time, assisted in 754 arrests and 119 pursuits, and responded to 192 search and rescue calls conducting 55 hoist rescues.

The event also served as a celebration of the partnership between Sheriff's Department, County Fire and volunteer services. With County Fire Sheriff's Aviation is Advanced Life Support (ALS) capable, able to provide patients high medical care on the way to the hospital.

http://www.highlandnews.net/news/public_safety/sheriff-s-aviation-holds-hanger-warming/article_2684887a-40d8-11e7-ab4a-6b3b9986dc9d.html?mode=print 1/1 5/25/2017 San Bernardino County Museum Association awards ‘Good EGGS’ at annual Bucky Ball - Inland Empire Community Newspapers San Bernardino County Museum Association awards ‘Good EGGS’ at annual Bucky Ball

By Yazmin Alvarez - May 24, 2017

courtesy photo/sbcm facebook “We accepted a 'Good Egg' award as a community partner to the San Bernardino County Museum at the 2nd Annual Bucky Ball! We are honored and will continue to hatch 'new eggs' of ideas with the museum”

What do San Bernardino County Supervisor James Ramos, Burrtec Waste Industries, Inc., Redlands Noon Kiwanis Club and Leonard Hernandez all have in common? They’re all “Good EGGS,” say San Bernardino County Museum officials.

Each were recognized during the San Bernardino County Museum Association’s second annual Bucky Ball, May 20, receiving the museum’s first-ever Good EGG Award for demonstrating exemplary guidance and generosity in support of helping the museum thrive in science and culture.

The award acknowledges the museum’s internationally renowned collection of bird eggs, an important legacy that traces back to the museum’s founding 60 years ago, and the renewal of the museum’s place in the community.

“It shows the vision and the colabrity between all those that consider the county museum a home,” Ramos said, in a recorded acceptance speech. “A home that brings the culture, the diversity of our community alive… (to me) the Good EGG award symbolizes the hatching of new ideas, the hatching of new memories, the hatching of new friendships.”

Ramos received the award for his longstanding history with the museum. He would visit the museum as a youth and now continues to support educational programming.

The Kiwanis Club was awarded as one of the museum’s newest partners. In the last two years, the Club has helped with several museum association events, fed hundreds with their pancake breakfasts and bbq’s. Burrtec Waste Industries received the corporate Good EGG award for their continued donations and generous financial support. Hernandez was recognized as an ‘especially Good EGG’ for his nearly two-year tenure as interim museum director, paving the way for the reimagining of the museum.

“He left the museum in a great place to flourish,” said Maggie Latimer, executive director for the Museum Association. “He’s definitely an unsung hero.”

The annual Bucky Ball supports the museum’s mission of cultural history and science, technology, engineering, and math education exhibits and programs benefiting the region’s families and youth. This year’s fundraiser resulted in charitable gifts totaling more than $70,000, according to http://iecn.com/san-bernardino-county-museum-association-awards-good-eggs-annual-bucky-ball/ 1/2 5/25/2017 San Bernardino County Museum Association awards ‘Good EGGS’ at annual Bucky Ball - Inland Empire Community Newspapers

museum officials.

Following the evening’s program, guests were invited into the Fisk Gallery for nightcaps and kinescope reminiscences of Frank Sinatra surrounded by “Visions of Southern California: The Midcentury Modern Designs of Paul Revere Williams and Maria Kipp,” a current museum exhibit, and the inspiration behind this year’s Bucky Ball theme.

To learn more about the exhibit, museum events or the Museum Association, visit www.sbcounty.gov/museum or visit the San Bernardino County Museum Tuesdays through Sundays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at 2024 Orange Tree Lane in Redlands.

iecn photo/yazmin alvarez guests were invited into the Fisk Gallery for nightcaps and kinescope reminiscences of Frank Sinatra surrounded by “Visions of Southern California: The Midcentury Modern Designs of Paul Revere Williams and Maria Kipp,” a current museum exhibit and the inspiration behind this year’s Bucky Ball theme.

Yazmin Alvarez

Yazmin Alvarez is the Community News Editor for Rialto Record and Inland Empire Weekly. For news leads, she can be reached at: (909) 381-9898 ext. 207 or via email: [email protected]

http://iecn.com/san-bernardino-county-museum-association-awards-good-eggs-annual-bucky-ball/ 2/2 5/25/2017 Inland business is back to pre-recession peaks — with one big exception

San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)

Inland business is back to pre-recession peaks — with one big exception

By Richard K. DeAtley, [email protected], @RKDeAtley on Twitter

Thursday, May 25, 2017

The premiere Business Activity Index generated by the research arm of UC Riverside’s School of Business shows 1.7 percent growth for the Inland area in the first quarter of 2017, a trend that has seen an 18 percent unbroken increase for the local economy over the past five years.

The index chart begins with the first quarter of 2005 and set the 100 mark baseline during the first quarter of 2009, when the economy began its slow recovery from the Great Recession.

For the most part, the Inland area has recovered from Great Recession valleys, with construction growing but still lagging behind housing boom-era numbers, said Robert Kleinhenz, Executive Director of Research at the UCR School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development.

The growth picked up pace in the first quarter of 2012 and has continued upward for 21 quarters, the index concludes. The occasionally disrupted growth since the early 2009 baseline stands at 20 percent. Growth from the first quarter of 2016 to the same period of 2017 was 3.7 percent.

The Inland area’s first quarter growth of 1.7 percent compares with the U.S. Gross Domestic Product of 0.7 percent. The center forecasts business activity to increase in the Inland area by 3.1 percent in the second quarter of 2017, and the U.S. Gross Domestic Product at 2.3 percent for the same period.

The index is a “collection of indicators” that are measured in jobs, dollars, and other raw units of information to formulate the results Kleinhenz said.

The Business Activity Index covers the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario Metropolitan Statistical Area, defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and used by several federal agencies including the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The center plans to report it quarterly.

“The general indicators are that we have passed the pre-Great Recession peaks in areas such as gross metropolitan product totals, employment levels, and personal income,” Kleinhenz said in a telephone interview.

Strengths include growth in the professional and business services industry, with employment at an annualized growth pace of 7.3 percent in the first quarter of this year.

Kleinhenz said that included steady growth over the years in the professional, scientific and technical services subcategory, but there was not enough information yet to say precisely what is spurring that.

The construction sector also was growing, pushed chiefly by infrastructure projects such as freeway improvements and new warehouse and distribution center work, Kleinhenz said. http://www.sbsun.com/business/20170525/inland-business-is-back-to-pre-recession-peaks-with-one-big-exception&template=printart 1/2 5/25/2017 Inland business is back to pre-recession peaks — with one big exception But while Inland residential unit building permits for 2016 stood at 10,239, an increase of 8 percent over 2015, home construction remains one lagging area of the Inland economy, Kleinhenz said.

“Construction, for certain, has not yet recovered,” Kleinhenz said. Mining and logging, although a very small part of Inland job count, also has lagged due to lower energy costs which have discouraged exploration and extraction.

“But by and large, if you look at every major industry, nearly every one of them has recovered all the jobs lost” during the recession, he said.

The overall recovery streak for the Inland area matches the steady gains for the national economy, currently the third longest economic expansion on record, the center noted.

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/business/20170525/inland-business-is-back-to-pre-recession-peaks-with-one-big-exception

© 2017 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)

http://www.sbsun.com/business/20170525/inland-business-is-back-to-pre-recession-peaks-with-one-big-exception&template=printart 2/2 5/25/2017 Professional soccer coming to Adelanto in 2018

Professional soccer coming to Adelanto in 2018

Wednesday Posted May 24, 2017 at 11:10 AM Updated May 24, 2017 at 2:24 PM

By Staff Writer Follow

ADELANTO — It has been described as the “worst-kept secret,” but San Bernardino County Fair and city officials confirmed Wednesday that two professional soccer teams will play league games at Adelanto Stadium beginning in 2018.

Exhibition games, however, could start later this year.

Fair CEO Geoff Hinds told the Daily Press they had secured a men’s and women’s soccer club, owned by the professional indoor soccer Ontario Fury ownership group, after more than a year of working on a contract.

“(The) Fury came up and were sort of scouting locations over a year ago, came up to the Fair and brought some players, formed a great relationship,” Hinds said. “And I think they saw a lot of opportunity for pro teams in this market.”

As of now, the league of which the two teams will be a part isn’t known, but Ontario Fury President Bernie Lilavois told the Daily Press that the teams will be called the High Desert Fury.

“We started the (Ontario) Fury four years ago and the next progression has always been starting an outdoor team,” Lilavois said. “What really hit the nail on the head for us as far as (starting a team in) the High Desert was that the No. 2 demographic for us when it comes to fans is the High Desert.

“When I saw the numbers I was blown away that our second-most fan base comes from the High Desert. And there’s so much youth and adult soccer up there, I think they’re ready for their own professional teams.”

A press conference officially announcing their entry is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Adelanto Stadium on June 5. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170524/professional-soccer-coming-to-adelanto-in-2018 1/2 5/25/2017 Professional soccer coming to Adelanto in 2018

“This is great news not only for Adelanto but the High Desert,” Mayor Rich Kerr said in a statement. “It shows that we are continuing to diversify the events and activities we bring to the stadium. It also shows that the partnership that we have with the (Fair) is yielding positive dividends.”

The announcement comes just a day before the inaugural season begins for the High Desert Yardbirds, an independent professional baseball squad in the Pecos League, which Fair officials also worked to secure after the High Desert Mavericks were dissolved.

“Having two professional sports teams (soccer and baseball) playing in Adelanto is obviously a first,” Kerr said, “and we will continue to demonstrate that Adelanto Stadium is a perfect venue for a variety of events and activities to entertain High Desert residents.”

Hinds said that Fury ownership “sees large fan bases for their teams up here, so rather than driving down the hill, I think they liked the idea of bringing the action to the people.”

By phone, Kerr said that the stadium is effectively experiencing a resurgence, despite what doubts may have arisen from on-lookers.

“It’s all coming true, man,” he said. “It’s all coming true.”

For more information on the teams, visit — which Lilavois said should be up and running by Thursday — or follow the High Desert Fury on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

— City Editor Kevin Trudgeon contributed to this story

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170524/professional-soccer-coming-to-adelanto-in-2018 2/2 5/25/2017 A Riverside city employee earned $257,000 last year — and that’s just overtime – Press Enterprise

NEWSPOLITICS A Riverside city employee earned $257,000 last year — and that’s just overtime

File photo by Stephen Wall, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Riverside Public Utilities workers repair a broken water main in the 8300 block of Trey Avenue in Riverside in 2014. A utilities system dispatcher for the city took home more than $257,000 in overtime in 2016, according to a government watchdog group.

By JEFF HORSEMAN | [email protected] | The Press-Enterprise PUBLISHED: May 24, 2017 at 4:30 pm | UPDATED: May 25, 2017 at 7:47 am

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A utilities dispatcher became the city of Riverside’s highest-paid employee in 2016 by taking home more than $257,000 in overtime pay, the 10th largest overtime payout in California last year, according to a government watchdog group.

Transparent California also criticized what it describes as “legalized pension spiking” in San Bernardino County’s public employee pension system. And it found that San Bernardino’s former city manager and ex-police chiefs in Rialto and Fontana received six-￿gure payouts when they le퐊 their jobs.

The ￿ndings are part of a review of 2016 public employee pay data released Monday, May 22.

It’s the latest report on public employee compensation from Transparent California, an offshoot of the Nevada Policy Research Institute, which describes itself as a “nonpartisan, non-pro￿t think tank that promotes policy ideas consistent with the principles of limited government, individual liberty and free markets.” http://www.pe.com/2017/05/24/a-riverside-city-employee-earned-257000-last-year-and-thats-just-overtime/ 1/5 5/25/2017 A Riverside city employee earned $257,000 last year — and that’s just overtime – Press Enterprise

The salary data, which Transparent California compiled into a searchable online database, came from records requests submitted to public agencies, said Robert Fellner, the group’s research director.

According to the group, Riverside Public Utilities dispatcher Donald Dahle received $257,719 in overtime in 2016, boosting his total earnings to $373,235.

Dahle could not be reached for comment. But Wednesday, Girish Balachandran, Riverside Public Utilities general manager, called the overtime ￿gure “embarrassing.”

Girish Balachandran, general manager of Riverside Public Utilities.

“It’s unacceptable that we had such high overtime,” Balachandran said. “It’s not the way we conduct business.”

Besides hiring another dispatcher, Balachandran said his agency will reassign some dispatcher duties to free up another person.

“We are going to monitor this situation very carefully to make sure we run this business effectively,” he said.

On Tuesday, Balachandran said his agency has 10 dispatchers when ideally, it should have 12 to 13. He said the system needs around-the- clock dispatchers, whom he compared to air-traf￿c controllers. http://www.pe.com/2017/05/24/a-riverside-city-employee-earned-257000-last-year-and-thats-just-overtime/ 2/5 5/25/2017 A Riverside city employee earned $257,000 last year — and that’s just overtime – Press Enterprise

“The guys climbing poles in the middle of the night, the dispatcher directs them. They have to know how the grid works,” Balachandran said. “It’s a very kind of specialized ￿eld in order to make sure restoration is done” safely and quickly.

Dahle is willing to work overtime when others aren’t, Balachandran said. “He has gone above and beyond to actually show up and staff the dispatch center,” the general manager added.

Dahle’s overtime pay does not factor into what he’ll earn in pension bene￿ts, said city spokesman Phil Pitchford.

Riverside spent $20 million on overtime last year, up 33 percent from three years ago, Transparent California said.

During the same period, the number of city employees earning at least $50,000 in overtime went from 25 to 65, with 10 earning six-￿gure payouts, according to the group. Just one Riverside employee made more than $100,000 in overtime in 2014, when the city had just one six- ￿gure overtime payout, Transparent California said.

Lots of leave

Transparent California also singled out former Inland city of￿cials for making more than $100,000 through severance payouts and unused leave.

Former Fontana police chief Rodney Jones.

According to the group, former Rialto police chief William Farrar got $330,000 for his unused leave last year. Rodney Jones, a former Fontana police chief, got $249,720 for unused leave and severance pay when he le퐊, the group found.

Rialto City Administrator Mike Story said Farrar’s payout includes 1,639 hours of unused sick leave, 599 hours of vacation time and 1,021 hours of holiday time for holidays he worked.

The money was paid in accordance with Farrar’s contract, Story said, adding that Farrar had more than 30 years of service.

Jones’ payout was based on his contract and his amount of unused leave, a Fontana spokeswoman said.

Former San Bernardino city manager Allen Parker’s severance payout was $227,177, the group reported. Christopher Lopez, chief of staff for Mayor Carey Davis, declined to comment.

Fellner blamed the state’s collective bargaining laws for the big payouts.

“As long as California gives coercive, monopolistic powers to government unions, taxpayers will continue to be forced to pay for lavish bene￿ts that dwarf what they themselves can expect to receive,” he said in a news release. http://www.pe.com/2017/05/24/a-riverside-city-employee-earned-257000-last-year-and-thats-just-overtime/ 3/5 5/25/2017 A Riverside city employee earned $257,000 last year — and that’s just overtime – Press Enterprise

In an emailed statement, Esmie Grubbs, Inland region director for Service Employees International Union Local 721, said: “It’s easy for Transparent California to cherry-pick the earnings of high-ranking public of￿cials to misrepresent the reality of city and county employees on the ground.”

“Residents want to see their tax dollars invested back into their community through good quality services and good-paying jobs for their families and neighbors.”

Pension spiking?

The San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association is overly generous to retirees, according to Transparent California.

“For the third year in a row, SBCERA’s $89,058 average full-career pension was the highest of any comparable fund statement,” the group reported.

Unlike other public pension systems, if someone enrolled in SBCERA works at least 32 years in a non-public safety job and waits until at least 65 to retire, he or she receives 100 percent of his or her ￿nal salary, Transparent California found.

SBCERA’s top three pension payouts in 2016 went to former county counsel Ruth Stringer – $334,296 – former undersheriff Richard Beemer – $307,547 – and former sheriff Rod Hoops, who received $292,217, the group said.

SBCERA members hired before 2013 are able to include unused leave as part of their earnings, leading to “legalized pension spiking,” Fellner said.

“The extreme richness of San Bernardino’s pension system is particularly indefensible given the relatively modest income of most county residents,” he said.

According to census ￿gures, San Bernardino County’s median household income is $53,433, compared to $61,818 statewide.

In a statement, SBCERA said it was unfamiliar with terms like “average full-career pension and (we) are unaware of any California public pension system that uses this terminology.” As of this ￿scal year, the average SBCERA payout amounted to $39,972 a year, the association said.

Legislation passed by state lawmakers that took effect in 2013 forbids SBCERA members from including unused leave in their pension payouts, the association added.

Staff Writer Ryan Hagen contributed to this report.

SIX-FIGURE PAYOUTS

Transparent California, a project of the free-market think tank Nevada Policy Research Institute, recently compiled public employee compensation data. Here’s what they found.

$330,000 – The value of unused leave paid to former Rialto police chief William Farrar.

$257,719 – What Riverside Public Utilities dispatcher Donald Dahle earned in overtime in 2016.

$227,177 – What former San Bernardino city manager Allen Parker received in severance.

Source: www.transparentcalifornia.com

Tags: Echo Code, Inland Empire, local politics, politics, Top Stories PE

Jeff_Horseman_mugx.jpgJeff Horseman Jeff Horseman got into journalism because he liked to write and stunk at math. He grew up in Vermont and he honed his interviewing skills as a supermarket cashier by asking Bernie Sanders “Paper or plastic?” A퐊er graduating from Syracuse University in 1999, Jeff began his journalistic odyssey at The Watertown Daily Times in upstate New York, where he impressed then-U.S. Senate candidate Hillary Clinton so much she called him “John” at the end of an interview. From there, he went to Annapolis, Maryland, where he covered city, county and state government at The Capital newspaper before love and the quest for snowless winters took him in 2007 to Southern California, where he started out covering Temecula for The Press-Enterprise. Today, Jeff writes about Riverside County government and regional politics. Along the way, Jeff has covered wild￿res, a tropical storm, 9/11 and the Dec. 2 terror attack in San Bernardino. If you have a question or story idea about politics or the inner workings of government, please let Jeff know. He’ll do his best to answer, even if it involves a little math.  Follow Jeff Horseman @JeffHorseman

http://www.pe.com/2017/05/24/a-riverside-city-employee-earned-257000-last-year-and-thats-just-overtime/ 4/5 SACRAMENTO BEE

MAY 24, 2017 10:46 AM Water extraction project would be destructive to California’s Mojave Desert

BY DIANNE FEINSTEIN Special to The Bee

California’s public lands and resources are under siege by a powerful corporation and its allies in Washington. Congressional Republicans used a recent must-pass government spending bill to pave the way for the Cadiz water extraction project, a particularly destructive project in California’s Mojave Desert. Cadiz seeks to create a loophole in an 1875 railroad law to drain an ancient desert aquifer without any federal oversight. The aquifer supports the abundant wildlife of California’s desert – from tortoises and bighorn sheep to breathtaking wildflower blooms that blanket the region.

The aquifer doesn’t just sustain a sensitive Californian ecosystem, it also supports a community of tribes, municipalities, ranchers, salt miners, recreationists, tourists and local industries. This project would destroy all of that by draining the region of its most precious resource – water. We need to shine a light on what’s going on behind the scenes here in Washington. For years, Cadiz has pursued a targeted strategy of campaign donations to buy off former opponents and grease the path forward. Cadiz is represented in Washington by the powerful lobbying firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. Cadiz CEO Scott Slater previously chaired the firm’s natural resources efforts. His co-chair, David Bernhardt, led President Donald Trump’s Interior Department transition team and was recently nominated to be the deputy secretary of the interior, the very department that oversees the federal permitting process for Cadiz. According to public SEC financial filings, the Brownstein firm is a shareholder in Cadiz and Cadiz’s CEO is a shareholder in the Brownstein firm. Both stand to profit handsomely if Trump and House Republicans allow the project to move forward. Those conflicts are troubling. This project places a big emphasis on corporate profit at the expense of the broader public, which in this case harms our irreplaceable public lands. When the project was first proposed, I worked with Cadiz to bring in a neutral scientific agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, to see if there was any way for the project to proceed without depleting the aquifer and destroying the desert. The Geological Survey’s study found that the natural refill rate of the desert aquifer is between 2,000 and 10,000 acre feet of water per year. A position they reaffirmed multiple times, including in a letter this month. Cadiz, however, chose to ignore that study and instead developed a plan to extract 50,000 acre feet of water from the aquifer every year, far exceeding the natural refill rate. Excessively draining the slow-refilling aquifer would devastate local businesses and the abundant wildlife that draws visitors to this iconic destination. Cadiz tries to justify their project by pointing to a controversial state environmental impact report prepared by the Santa Margarita Water District. However, the water district would be the main beneficiary of the project and is therefore clearly not objective in evaluating the project’s environmental consequences. This obvious conflict of interest should alarm all Californians. The National Park Service, which operates the adjacent Mojave Trails National Monument, has criticized numerous aspects of the Santa Margarita environmental analysis. The park service concluded that Cadiz’s aquifer refill rate estimates “are not reasonable and should not even be considered,” and that the analysis was “technically deficient.” The park service also took exception to Cadiz’s assertion that the aquifer isn’t connected to any adjacent natural springs that sustain desert life – a view that is not backed up by any site-specific studies and has been rejected by independent scientists. Cadiz claims that the extraction project’s opponents, including me, are only interested in thwarting efforts to increase California’s water supply and infrastructure investments. I could not disagree more. In December, I fought many members of my own party to enact legislation to authorize $335 million for additional water storage projects. Cadiz is the biggest threat facing our magnificent desert. We cannot let this company use the Trump administration and powerful Washington insiders to rob us of our public lands. I will keep fighting because I’m determined to protect this unique place. I ask anyone outraged by this Republican overreach to join the fight. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is California’s senior U.S. senator. She can be contacted at www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me.

5/25/2017 Trump's latest Interior Department pick is bursting with conflicts of interest and alternative facts - LA Times

Editorial Trump's latest Interior Department pick is bursting with conflicts of interest and alternative facts

David Bernhardt, Trump's nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Interior . (Department of the Interior)

By The Times Editorial Board

MAY 25, 2017, 3:00 AM

o many of President Trump’s Cabinet appointments have been so alarming that nominations to posts further down in the pecking order might seem a bit anticlimactic. What’s the use of getting worked S up over subordinate positions? There has got to be a point at which consternation over the president’s choices yields to exhaustion.

And then comes a nominee like David Bernhardt, Trump’s pick for deputy secretary of the Interior.

Bernhardt is a bad choice, a fact that should have become abundantly clear during last week’s Senate committee hearings. An attorney for partisans in California’s water battles, he comes laden with conflicts of interest. Plan your retirement wisely

2 months free! Sale ends 5/25 TRY NOW › http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-bernhardt-20170525-story.html 1/3 5/25/2017 Trump's latest Interior Department pick is bursting with conflicts of interest and alternative facts - LA Times Bernhardt repeatedly sued the Department of the Interior on behalf of the Westlands Water District, the politically powerful San Joaquin Valley irrigation agency that has fought federal protections for California salmon and other endangered species. He also had a major role in drafting legislation to undermine those protections. His firm is a top lobbyist for Cadiz Inc., which wants to pump Mojave Desert groundwater and send it by aqueduct to Southern California cities. “ If Bernhardt is to be recused from decision- making on the very programs in which he has the most expertise, why appoint him to the post in the first place?

If he is confirmed, he will be in a position to align the department behind the interests of his former clients — or to recuse himself in accordance with Trump administration ethics guidelines. But if Bernhardt is to be recused from decision­making on the very programs in which he has the most expertise, why appoint him to the post in the first place?

Bernhardt wrote in a letter to the department that if confirmed, he would recuse himself himself for one year from matters related to former clients — “unless I am first authorized to participate.” The problem is, we may never know when that happens.

Like his predecessors, Trump may grant waivers that allow former lobbyists and industry officials to oversee implementation of regulations that they once lobbied for or against. Trump may be the first president, however, to try to prevent public disclosure of such waivers.

Thankfully, the Office of Government Ethics has, so far, rejected Trump’s request that it stop asking for copies of all waivers. But Bernhardt’s conflicts and the administration’s quest to keep waivers under wraps make a toxic combination.

Add to that the crucial role that scientific expertise plays in management of the Sacramento­San Joaquin River Delta, where biologists’ opinions about the volume of water needed to sustain endangered fish help determine how the state and federal government divvy up water among competing interests. It is bad enough that Bernhardt helped draft legislation that could potentially weaken the clout of those opinions. During his confirmation hearings, Bernhardt hinted that, regardless of the scientific findings, he would follow the “particular perspective” of the Trump administration.

Adherence to alternative­fact scenarios is the last thing we need in an agency mandated to make policy decisions based on scientific evidence. Bernhardt is the wrong choice for the job, and the Senate should reject Plan your retirement wisely his nomination. 2 months free! Sale ends 5/25 TRY NOW › http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-bernhardt-20170525-story.html 2/3 5/25/2017 Why is Southern California’s air quality so bad? It’s smog season

San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)

Why is Southern California’s air quality so bad? It’s smog season

By David Danelski, The Press­Enterprise

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

If our air seems terrible, well, it is. Smog season 2017 has arrived with a vengeance.

So far this year, Southern California has endured 27 days with unhealthful levels of ozone, the hallmark pollutant of smog, making this spring the worst start of a smog season since 2008, according to state data.

Ozone forms when volatile organic compounds, such as gasoline fumes, react with nitrogen oxides from diesel trucks and other machines with internal combustion engines. In the past week, brush fires in Redlands and Reche Canyon near Moreno Valley made things worse in the Inland Empire.

Ozone is harmful because it is an unstable gas that burns the moist tissues in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. It aggravates cardiac and respiratory conditions and causes nausea, coughs, burning eyes and runny noses. It’s also associated with a rise in early deaths.

Early this week, officials at Community Hospital of San Bernardino said they had more asthma cases than they had seen in weeks.

Sam Atwood, a spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, said emissions from trucks, cars, factories and other tracked sources are declining. But, he added, ozone levels depend greatly on the weather.

This spring has seen a series of high-pressure systems with temperature inversion layers that trap the air pollutants in Southern California’s sea-to-mountain air basin, said Derek Schroeter, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

“The inversion acts like a lid and keeps the air pollutants close to the ground,” he said.

Atwood said that as emissions from vehicles and factories go down, the number of days meeting the federal health standard of no more than 70 parts per billion of ozone averaged over eight hours each day should also improve. And, overall, the region’s air quality has been improving since the 1970s.

Southern California is classified by the federal government as an “extreme non-attainment area” for ozone pollution. But don’t expect healthful air anytime soon.

That designation is expected to give the region until 2037 to clean up ozone, though an official deadline hasn’t been set, Atwood said.

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20170524/why-is-southern-californias-air-quality-so-bad-its-smog-season http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20170524/why-is-southern-californias-air-quality-so-bad-its-smog-season?template=printart 1/2 5/25/2017 Fontana man arrested in Eastvale break-in — as he’s released from jail in another case

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)

Fontana man arrested in Eastvale break-in — as he’s released from jail in another case

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

As soon as a 33-year-old Fontana man was released from jail in San Bernardino County, he had people waiting to pick him: Riverside County sheriff’s deputies.

Richard Alexander Quilliam was arrested Monday, May 22, outside the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, then booked into another jail — the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning — on suspicion of burglary and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On Friday, a person broke into a home in the 14000 block of Saline Drive in Eastvale and stole a firearm and other items before fleeing in a dark-colored BMW, according to a Riverside County sheriff’s news release.

On Sunday, he was arrested in Needles on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and delivering drug paraphernalia, jail records show. He also had a misdemeanor warrant out for his arrest in a February DUI case.

By the time he was released from jail Monday, he had been identified as a suspect in the Eastvale break-in, leading to his re-arrest.

He didn’t stay in the Banning jail long, either — records show he was released Tuesday after posting $35,000 bail.

— Alex Groves

URL: http://www.dailybulletin.com/general-news/20170524/fontana-man-arrested-in-eastvale-break-in-as-hes-released-from-jail-in-another-case

© 2017 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)

http://www.dailybulletin.com/general-news/20170524/fontana-man-arrested-in-eastvale-break-in-as-hes-released-from-jail-in-another-case&template=printart 1/1 5/25/2017 Despite calculation errors, Apple Valley claims highest water rates in region

Despite calculation errors, Apple Valley claims highest water rates in region

Wednesday Posted May 24, 2017 at 4:20 PM Updated May 24, 2017 at 6:29 PM

By Staff Writer Follow

APPLE VALLEY — A chart the town released last week that compares the monthly residential water rates of Liberty Utilities against those of five other local providers contains errors, the Daily Press has learned.

Rates for Golden State Water Company’s Apple Valley customers were correct, according to Golden State spokesperson Mike Gazda, but rates for Hesperia, Victorville and the Helendale Community Services District were incorrect.

Despite the errors, town spokesperson Kathie Martin said the “bottom line” remains that “Liberty still has the highest water rates in the region by a large margin.”

The chart shows a “total monthly charge” for customers of each provider at three usage levels, 11.65, 12.64 and 16.45 CCF. One CCF — 100 cubic feet — is equal to 748 gallons.

Liberty’s rates are shown at $70.20, $74.61 and $92.43, according to the town’s calculations. Company officials have not responded to confirm the accuracy of those figures.

Hesperia spokesperson Rachel Molina said “two of the calculations were correct” for that city’s rates. She added that the first — $22.19, according the the town — was not.

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Molina provided a revised chart listing a monthly charge of $31.19 for 11.65 CCF of water. The $9 difference was the result of a calculation error, according to Martin.

The town’s chart had Victorville’s rates at $46.07, $47.59 and $53.42; however, city spokesperson Sue Jones said the three should be $32.16, $33.89 and $40.55.

“These figures are based on a consumptive rate of $1.749 for standard domestic water and a monthly service charge of $11.78 for ¾-inch (meter),” Jones said. “So for 11.65 CCF (multiplied by) $1.749 (plus) $11.78 (equals) $32.16.”

All calculations factored in a service charge and assumed a ⅝ x ¾-inch meter size except rates for the Helendale Community Services District (CSD), “which lists only (one-inch) meters,” the town’s chart shows.

Initially the chart had the CSD’s rates at $36.88, $37.82 and $41.44. CSD Program Director Cheryl Vermette provided figures that showed the town’s calculations were off by $0.69 in each case.

Martin later provided a revised chart with rates that also differed from those obtained from the CSD; however, Vermette confirmed the new rates were accurate. She added the CSD rounds down its per CCF usage. For example, residential usage totaling 11.65 CCF would round down to 11 CCF.

The updated chart shows current CSD rates at $36.33, $37.28 and $41.08.

A town statement also issued last week said the chart was released “in an effort to keep citizens informed about water rates in the town and in nearby areas.”

Mayor Scott Nassif said the “water rate comparison chart proves what the Town Council has been hearing for the past several years.”

“Liberty is charging far more for water than any of its competitors in the town or in nearby communities,” Nassif said. “We cannot understand and Liberty has never adequately explained why it charges our citizens so much more for water.”

Town Manager Frank Robinson added that the chart “does not even show the additional charges for and the countless surcharges imposed by Liberty Utilities.”

“The burden on our residents is far too great,” he said. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170524/despite-calculation-errors-apple-valley-claims-highest-water-rates-in-region 2/4 5/25/2017 Despite calculation errors, Apple Valley claims highest water rates in region

Greg Sorensen — president of Liberty Utilities’ Western Region — said how private and municipal water providers charge customers does not allow for an “apples-to-apples” comparison because the cost to connect to systems are recouped differently.

“Typically, most of the municipalities in the High Desert have fee schedules, and there is a payment,” Sorensen said. “With Liberty or Golden State, there is no charge. That cost is built into the water rate over the cost of the service.”

He added that fees are included in mortgages in municipally run areas.

“I don’t look at it as a right (versus a) wrong, but it is different,” Sorensen said. “With the investor-owned model, there’s only one fee and that’s the water rates. There’s no other source of income for the company. It’s all in the water rate.

“(Under municipal ownership) those (fees) can be $5,000 to $10,000 to connect to that system ... It’s always done having forgot that (the) price is rolled into your mortgage ... So if you do a comparison between the two, you have to take that into account when doing the comparison.”

Sorensen said when an “all-in cost” is considered, Liberty’s rates are comparable to those of other providers in the region.

Representatives for San Bernardino County Service Area 64 (Spring Valley Lake) were also asked to confirm the accuracy of rates included in the initial chart, but they did not respond immediately.

View the town’s original chart .

View the town’s revised chart .

Matthew Cabe can be reached at or at 760-951- 6254. Follow him on Twitter .

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