12/27/2016 Supervisors endorse new Vision2BActive initiative to encourage physical activity by local residents - Fontana Herald News: News

Supervisors endorse new Vision2BActive initiative to encourage physical activity by local residents Posted: Friday, December 23, 2016 3:09 pm

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors recently endorsed Vision2BActive, a new campaign designed to encourage physical activity with the goal of improving health and wellness in the county.

Only 23 percent of San Bernardino County adults and 34 percent of youth get the recommended amount of physical activity, according to the most recent data from the California Health Interview Survey. Let's Move on the Trail In its 2008 issuance of "Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans," the U.S. Department of Health and Human These U.S. Naval Sea Cadeta were some of Services recommended adults get 150 minutes a week of the participants in the Let’s Move on the physical activity and children ages 5 to 17 were encouraged Trail event in Fontana in October. The to move at least 60 minutes a day. event promotes good physical fitness.

"We know that a healthy community means a prosperous community and that's why we support Vision2BActive," said James Ramos, chairman of the Board of Supervisors. "I encourage residents to make the time to be physically active and take advantage of opportunities to play in the county's parks, lakes, deserts and mountains. Let's welcome 2017 with a New Year's Resolution to get healthy."

In Fontana, city leaders have received national recognition for the Healthy Fontana program, which encourages residents to exercise by participating in events such as Let's Move on the Trail, which takes place along the Pacific Electric Trail in October.

Vision2BActive supports the public's vision for a "complete community," especially the jobs and the economy, education, wellness and public safety elements of the community. It is a public campaign of the Community Vital Signs effort, which has completed an in-depth analysis of the current health of the county, developed evidence-based goals and priorities, and gathered resources to assist organizations and agencies in the county to develop or enhance programs and policies to better meet the health and wellness needs of residents.

"Regular physical activity can produce a variety of long-term benefits for residents regardless of their age, background or abilities," said Felisa Cardona, deputy public information officer for the county.

Physical activity can be fun and includes the easiest movement, such as walking or throwing a ball around, to the most challenging exercise, like running or mountain biking, Cardona said. http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/supervisors-endorse-new-vision-bactive-initiative-to-encourage-physical-activity/article_d9c4dd18-c964-11e6-9805-5… 1/2 12/27/2016 Supervisors endorse new Vision2BActive initiative to encourage physical activity by local residents - Fontana Herald News: News Throughout the campaign, Vision2BActive.com will serve as a resource and provide residents with information about physical activity events, fitness tips and a GIS map featuring places to be active in the county.

"On Jan. 7, all San Bernardino County residents are encouraged to get their New Year's Resolutions started and participate in the Vision2BActive Challenge," Cardona said. "Post a photo or video or livestream a physical activity such as gardening, walking, or playing basketball on social media using #Vision2BActive and challenge three friends to participate. Posts will be shared on Facebook at San Bernardino Countywide Vision or on Twitter and Instagram.

http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/supervisors-endorse-new-vision-bactive-initiative-to-encourage-physical-activity/article_d9c4dd18-c964-11e6-9805-5… 2/2 12/27/2016 County's homeless housing efforts get $10M boost

County's homeless housing efforts get $10M boost

Friday Posted Dec 23, 2016 at 9:29 AM Updated Dec 23, 2016 at 11:28 AM

By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Follow

SAN BERNARDINO - The county's ongoing battle to reduce homelessness received a $10.3 million boost, officials announced this week.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support homeless housing and service programs throughout the region, officials said Tuesday. The county's housing authority, which serves over 30,000 individuals a year with permanent housing and support, received the biggest slice of the funding - $3.5 million.

"What we are seeing is a unified, community-wide effort to promote self- sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness," said Josie Gonzales, a county supervisor and the chairwoman of the Interagency Council on Homelessness. "The county took the lead by embracing the Housing First model, providing permanent housing as quickly as possible and then providing necessary wraparound supportive services.

"There is still much work to be done and these grants will enable us to minimize the trauma caused by dislocation."

A March report showed that homelessness dipped 12 percent countywide in 2015, which county officials touted as a signal that a 10-year strategy to put a dent in the problem has been effective. The county has focused largely on ending

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161223/countys-homeless-housing-efforts-get-10m-boost 1/2 12/27/2016 County's homeless housing efforts get $10M boost

veteran homelessness and more recently shifted to include different demographics like young adults and single mothers.

Two groups the county has partnered with as it seeks to curb homelessness is Knowledge, Education for Your Success, Inc. (KEYS) and Step Up. Forty families benefit each year from KEYS' supportive services and Step Up Director Kimberlee Albers said her group's share of funding should help house 31 more people.

KEYS received more than $500,000 while Step Up garnered nearly $2 million, officials said.

"It's important to emphasize that this is new funding, new dollars for San Bernardino," said Albers. "We're thrilled to be a part of being able to bring additional resources to fight chronic homelessness in the area."

Interested agencies participate in a competitive grant application process for federal funds available through HUD's Continuum of Care (CoC) program.

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161223/countys-homeless-housing-efforts-get-10m-boost 2/2 12/27/2016 Print Article: Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit dies at 64

Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit dies at 64 By JEFF HORSEMAN 2016­12­26 23:05:01

Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit died Monday night, Dec .26 at age 64, his office announced.

Benoit, who had been battling pancreatic cancer, "passed away peacefully this evening at his home in Bermuda Dunes," according to a county news release. His death came one day shy of his 65th birthday, said Michelle DeArmond, Benoit's chief of staff.

In November 2016, Benoit announced he would be scaling back his workload as supervisor after a CT scan uncovered a growth on his pancreas and spots on his liver and lungs. He later was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Benoit’s current term expires at the end of 2018. By law, Gov. Jerry Brown has the sole authority to appoint Benoit’s successor.

Benoit represented the Fourth District on the county Board of Supervisors. The district of more than 400,000 residents stretches from the Coachella Valley to Blythe and is geographically the largest supervisorial district – almost 5,000 square miles ­­ in Riverside County.

A sizable portion of the district’s population is Latino, making Benoit’s ability to communicate in Spanish an asset. He learned Spanish through immersion programs in Mexico and Costa Rica.

Benoit graduated from Notre Dame High School in Riverside as well as Riverside City College. He also earned a bachelor of science degree in public safety from Cal State Los Angeles and a master’s in public administration from Cal State San Bernardino. He also attended the FBI National Academy.

Before embarking on a political career, Benoit spent 31 years in law enforcement, starting with the Corona Police Department before working for the California Highway Patrol.

He worked patrols in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Bakersfield before settling in the Coachella Valley in 1988 after being promoted to commander of the CHP’s Indio Station. Benoit retired from the CHP in 2001.

Benoit’s first elected office was as a board member of the Desert Sands Unified School District. In 2002, he ran for state Assembly as a Republican and served three terms in that chamber before being elected to the state Senate in 2008.

While in Sacramento, Benoit was able to get 40 bills signed into law, according to the biography on his supervisorial website. Among them is “Aryanna’s Law,” which requires childcare centers to disclose health and safety violations.

Unlike other state lawmakers, he skipped the routine of flying commercially, instead piloting his own private plane. At one point, Benoit was one of just two licensed pilots in the Legislature. Benoit, who earned his pilot’s license through flying lessons at Rubidoux’s Flabob Airport in the 1970s, often gave rides to other lawmakers. http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821787 1/3 12/27/2016 Print Article: Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit dies at 64 He received legislator of the year honors from the California School Boards Association, the School Transportation Coalition, the California Narcotics Officers’ Association and the Chief Probation Officers of California.

In 2009, then­Supervisor Roy Wilson stepped down unexpectedly, citing his declining health. Before he passed away that August, Wilson asked his fellow supervisors to endorse Benoit as his replacement.

In November 2009, then­Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Benoit to serve the remainder of Wilson's term. "As an experienced elected official and former public safety officer, John J. Benoit has a proven history of dedicated public service and is absolutely the best person to fill this important position," Schwarzenegger said at the time.

Benoit was interested in becoming supervisor because he felt he could accomplish more at the local level. “It is just a fascinating position,” he said in 2011.

He won a full four­year term in 2010 by beating former Palm Springs Police Chief Gary Jeandron and was re­ elected in 2014 with 57 percent in defeating then­Assemblyman V. Manuel Perez.

As supervisor, Benoit spearheaded a requirement that candidate for county elected office file their reports electronically, a move aimed at boosting transparency.

Benoit invited the national immigration debate into the board chambers in February 2013, when he co­ sponsored a resolution with Supervisor Marion Ashley endorsing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Benoit also pushed for the county to abandon plans to build a jail in Whitewater after residents in his district objected. And he helped secure state money for new housing for residents who lived in a dilapidated mobile home park in the desert.

The board approved the resolution following often­emotional testimony from members of the public on both sides of the issue. At one point, Benoit spoke in Spanish, prompting an anti­illegal immigration activist to demand he speak in English.

One of the most controversial issues to arise during Benoit’s tenure was Liberty Quarry, an open­pit mine proposed for the hills above Temecula. Supervisors initially rejected the quarry in 2012, but Benoit, a quarry supporter, managed to resurrect the project and put it on a planning fast­track.

That angered then­Supervisor Jeff Stone, who represent the district where the quarry would be built. Stone, a quarry foe, accused Benoit of meddling in his district and started intervening in land­use projects in Benoit’s district.

A land deal with the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians scrapped the quarry, and Benoit and Stone later settled their differences.

Benoit also was a strong advocate for pet adoptions. He and his wife paid the adoption fees on the first 50 pets adopted out of the county’s desert animal shelter during the “Benoit50” adoption event in September 2016. The couple also adopted two dogs and a cat.

Benoit also made it a point not to take a strictly partisan view on matters. In October 2016, he defended his endorsement of state Sen. Richard Roth, D­Riverside, despite a county GOP policy that barred elected Republicans from endorsing Democrats.

“I think our goal should be to broaden our approach, not draw lines in the sand,” Benoit said at the time. “I've lived my life believing in free enterprise and the value of an economy based on competition. ... There are times when good people rise and share the same values even though there's a 'D' in front of their name.”

As supervisor, Benoit also served on the board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which is responsible for smog control in all or parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Benoit’s other community service included stints as president of the United Way of the Desert and the Indio Rotary chapter. He also served as a volunteer fire captain with the Sunset­Whitney Fire Department.

Benoit is survived by wife Sheryl, whom he married in 1978, two children, Sarah and Ben, two grandchildren, and two brothers. Ben Benoit is a Wildomar councilman. http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821787 2/3 12/27/2016 Print Article: Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit dies at 64 Plans for funeral services will be forthcoming, according to Benoit's office.

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http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821787 3/3 12/27/2016 State Orders Lower Lake Level - Mountain News : News State Orders Low er Lake Level By Mike Harris, Editor | Posted: Thursday, December 22, 2016 9:30 am Even though the state’s Division of Safety of Dams ordered the county to temporarily lower Lake Gregory’s water level by another two to three feet, the county said the lake’s beaches will remain viable for the public to use this summer. Given the 80-year-old earthen dam’s need for seismic reinforcement, the state’s standards of safety calls for the level to be no higher than five feet below the spillway elevation. The lake currently sits at two to three feet below the spillway. Lake Gregory “I am disappointed that the state is mandating the lowering Despite having to lower lake levels, county of Lake Gregory, but I understand the state believes it is officials said Lake Gregory should be a necessary for public safety,” said Second District Supervisor viable county tourist attraction this coming Janice Rutherford. “During my discussions with state summer. officials there was talk of lowering Lake Gregory by as much as 20 feet, so I’m thankful the mandate didn’t go even further and that the five-feet reduction will have minimal impact to the swimming areas.” Although lowering the lake will result in a change to the lake’s shoreline, a county spokesperson said the Lake Gregory Recreation Company, operator of the lake’s recreational attractions, expects the beaches and swimming areas to continue serving as major attractions, minimizing any effect on tourism and revenue. The county plans to have the lake at its new temporary level by Jan. 1, the spokesperson said. The seismic rehabilitation of the Lake Gregory dam is scheduled to begin at the end of summer 2017 and take an estimated 18 months to complete. Once the work is done, the county can seek state approval to restore the lake to its normal level. The county is working with California Parks Company, parent organization of the Lake Gregory Recreation Company, to adapt amenities to the new lake level, she said. The Lake Gregory Improvement Committee (LGIC) will continue meeting with county staff to ensure the dam repair project stays on track and that the community remains informed about its progress. “The Lake Gregory Dam repair is necessary because there was a construction flaw which makes the dam vulnerable in the event of a major earthquake on any of several faults in the area,” said Crestline’s Rick Dinon, chairman of the LGIC. While the risk of loss of life is not large, there is some, and also a property risk, he added. “However, it is also true that if the dam is not repaired properly, the dam could be lost and that could be permanent given the cost, time and restrictions on rebuilding,” he said. “Regardless of the expense to the http://www.mountain-news.com/news/article_985664f8-c867-11e6-98fc-37fc01c5e664.html?mode=print 1/2 12/27/2016 State Orders Lower Lake Level - Mountain News : News county, the inconvenience to residents and visitors, and the necessary traffic detours, this repair is in everyone’s best interest and the best course among difficult options.” Rutherford said she and the county are committed to ensuring that Lake Gregory will remain a viable county tourist attraction despite the lower lake level. “When I came into office in 2010 I immediately made the dam a priority and we’ve been pushing the state since then to approve a repair plan,” Rutherford added. “I am committed to completing the project as quickly as possible because it is essential to preserving and protecting Lake Gregory and its recreational and economic value to the mountain communities.”

http://www.mountain-news.com/news/article_985664f8-c867-11e6-98fc-37fc01c5e664.html?mode=print 2/2 12/27/2016 Relief fund has provided $72K in assistance to Blue Cut Fire victims

Relief fund has provided $72K in assistance to Blue Cut Fire victims

Friday Posted Dec 23, 2016 at 10:19 AM Updated Dec 23, 2016 at 10:19 AM

By Staff Reports

SAN BERNARDINO - Through a grant provided by the Inland Empire United Way, the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County (CAPSBC) has been diligently working to provide disaster relief for victims of the Blue Cut Fire this holiday season.

The blaze, which began Aug. 16 in the Cajon Pass and burned over 36,200 acres, 105 homes and 216 buildings, left many families in need of assistance. In order for these families to get the help they need, a Blue Cut Fire Relief Fund was established by the Inland Empire United Way and is being administered by CAPSBC.

Since case management began on Nov. 8, $72,000 has been provided to fire victims for essential services, such as emergency housing, transportation, food and clothing.

"We are conscientiously working to administer support as quickly as possible, especially with the holidays and colder weather approaching," CAPSBC CEO Patricia Nickols-Butler said in a statement.

Families are also being assisted on a case-by-case basis for the replacement of property loss due to the fires, such as appliances, furniture, tools necessary for continued employment and other items that are essential to their livelihood.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161223/relief-fund-has-provided-72k-in-assistance-to-blue-cut-fire-victims 1/2 12/27/2016 Relief fund has provided $72K in assistance to Blue Cut Fire victims

The Inland Empire United Way provided an initial $150,000 in funds to the CAPSBC to administer support to the fire victims. Since then, CAPSBC also established case management services with 68 families who were impacted.

"Several families of Korean decent also lost their homes and language translation support is being used to facilitate communications for all non-English speakers," Nickols-Butler stated. "Each family has unique challenges and losses, and we stand ready to help,"

Several other agencies are also providing support to the fire victims, including the San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department, which has debris removal services to help families in need.

Additional funding will be made available from the Blue Cut Fire Relief Fund to continue fulfilling resident needs over the coming weeks and months.

CAPSBC is continuing to offer case management for assistance on a regular basis at Saint Junipero Serra Church located at 8820 Sheep Creek Road in Phelan. Clients are seen on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 909-723-1561 or e-mail .

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161223/relief-fund-has-provided-72k-in-assistance-to-blue-cut-fire-victims 2/2 12/27/2016 Department of Justice gives $4 million to help survivors and families of victims of Dec. 2, 2015 terrorist attack - Fontana Herald News: News

Department of Justice gives $4 million to help survivors and families of victims of Dec. 2, 2015 terrorist attack Posted: Monday, December 26, 2016 9:57 am

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-San Bernardino) recently announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded $4 million to support short-and long-term needs of Inland Regional Center terrorist attack survivors and families of victims as they continue to recover and rebuild in the aftermath of the tragedy that killed 14 and seriously injured 22 on Dec. 2, 2015.

“One year later, survivors and victims’ families are still fighting to heal and move forward, so as they navigate this process it is our responsibility as their leaders and advocates to ensure they have access to the care they deserve,” said Aguilar. “These federal funds will help, but there is more work to do and I remain committed to working with the survivors, my regional partners and local officials to ensure that every survivor and family member has the resources they need to recover.”

Two of the victims of the mass shooting in San Bernardino -- Isaac Amanios, 60, and Yvette Velasco, 27 -- were Fontana residents.

“The funding from this grant will support the long-term needs of the victims and the San Bernardino community as they continue to recover from the tragic event,” said CalVCB Executive Officer Julie Nauman. “We are grateful to OVC for these additional resources which will be put to good use with needed mental health treatment, crisis counseling, peer support training, community resiliency forums and other critical services that will help victims and their families heal.”

The funds were disbursed through the DOJ’s Anti-Terrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) to the California Victim Compensation Board, which will reimburse San Bernardino County for expenses and projects funded by the grant.

The grant will help pay for services for survivors and family members including, medical leave, COBRA reimbursement, lost income, mental health care, medical expenses, funeral expenses and rehabilitation.

Additionally, the grant will fund resources that affect the broader community, including monthly resiliency forums, trauma workshops and mental health treatment for first responders and medical personnel who played pivotal roles in the community’s response to the attack, Aguilar said.

http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/department-of-justice-gives-million-to-help-survivors-and-families/article_b6468986-cb94-11e6-b1c2-274d2f94ee90.h… 1/1 12/27/2016 Print Article: $4 million pledged for terrorist attack survivors, kin of those killed

$4 million pledged for terrorist attack survivors, kin of those killed By DOUG SAUNDERS 2016-12-23 18:13:14

Survivors and family members of those killed in the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center will get the financial support they need, according to a statement released Friday.

According to the statement released by Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, the Department of Justice awarded $4 million to support both the long-term and short-term needs of the survivors and the family members of those who perished in the attack.

Related: San Bernardino terror attack survivors beg officials for medications, treatment

“One year later, survivors and victims’ families are still fighting to heal and move forward, so as they navigate this process it is our responsibility as their leaders and advocates to ensure they have access to the care they deserve,” Aguilar said in the release. “These federal funds will help, but there is more work to do and I remain committed to working with the survivors, my regional partners and local officials to ensure that every survivor and family member has the resources they need to recover.”

Complete 1-year anniversary coverage

The funds came from the Department of Justice’s Anti-Terrorism and Emergency Assistance Program to the California Victim Compensation Board, which will reimburse San Bernardino County for expenses and projects funded by the grant, the release stated.

At the time, it was the worst terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11.

On Dec. 2, 2015, San Bernardino became synonymous with many other cities facing terrorism around the world when Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, made their way through the Inland Regional Center building, firing numerous rounds from assault rifles.

When the gunfire subsided, 14 people were dead and 22 wounded.

The terrorists were later killed in a gun battle in San Bernardino.

Contact the writer: [email protected]: @crimeshutterbug

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http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821692 1/1 12/27/2016 $4 million in funding announced for San Bernardino terror attack survivors, family of victims

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

$4 million in funding announced for San Bernardino terror attack survivors, family of victims

By Doug Saunders, San Bernardino Sun

Friday, December 23, 2016

SAN BERNARDINO >> Survivors and family members of those killed in the Dec. 2, 2015, terror attack at the Inland Regional Center will get the financial support they need, according to a statement released Friday.

The Department of Justice has awarded $4 million to support both the long- and short-term needs of the survivors and the family members of those who perished in the attack, the statement released by Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, said.

“One year later, survivors and victims’ families are still fighting to heal and move forward, so as they navigate this process it is our responsibility as their leaders and advocates to ensure they have access to the care they deserve,” Aguilar said in the release. “These federal funds will help, but there is more work to do and I remain committed to working with the survivors, my regional partners and local officials to ensure that every survivor and family member has the resources they need to recover.”

The funds came from the DOJ’s Anti-Terrorism and Emergency Assistance Program to the California Victim Compensation Board, which will reimburse San Bernardino County for expenses and projects funded by the grant, the release stated.

On Dec. 2, 2015, San Bernardino became synonymous with many other cities facing terrorism around the world. That fateful day, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, abandoned their infant daughter and made their way through the IRC building, firing numerous rounds from assault rifles.

When the gunfire subsided, 14 people were dead and 22 wounded. At the time, it was the worst terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11.

Later that day on a small stretch of a San Bernardino street, the terrorists were killed in a gunbattle.

URL: http://www.dailybulletin.com/general-news/20161223/4-million-in-funding-announced-for-san-bernardino-terror-attack-survivors-family-of-victims

© 2016 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)

http://www.dailybulletin.com/general-news/20161223/4-million-in-funding-announced-for-san-bernardino-terror-attack-survivors-family-of-victims&template=p… 1/1 12/27/2016 San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department investigating Trona man’s in-custody death

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

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department investigating Trona man’s in-custody death

By John M. Blodgett, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Sunday, December 25, 2016

TRONA >> The Sheriff’s Department is investigating how and why a man died Friday soon after being placed in custody inside a patrol car, according to a San Bernardino County sheriff’s news release.

A deputy was dispatched 3:19 p.m. Friday to the 84000 block of 12th Street in Trona after a report of an unwanted subject, the news release states. The deputy found a man matching the description, Jonathan Barrio, 35, of Trona, who appeared to be under the influence of an unspecified substance.

Barrio “became combative” when the deputy tried to arrest and handcuff him, but eventually was placed in the back seat of the patrol car and hobbled, the news release states.

Sometime after being hobbled “Barrio experienced a medical emergency and stopped breathing,” the news release states. An unspecified person or persons began administering medical aid and Barrio was brought by ambulance to a Ridgecrest hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Kern County Coroner officials will determine the cause of death, the news release states.

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20161225/san-bernardino-county-sheriffs-department-investigating-trona-mans-in-custody-death

© 2016 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)

http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20161225/san-bernardino-county-sheriffs-department-investigating-trona-mans-in-custody-death&template=printart 1/1 12/27/2016 Authorities investigate in-custody death in Trona - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Authorities investigate in-custody death in Trona

Monday Posted Dec 26, 2016 at 9:38 AM Updated Dec 26, 2016 at 9:38 AM

By Jose Quintero Staff Writer Follow

TRONA - Authorities are investigating an in-custody death after a Trona man was pronounced dead Friday afternoon at a hospital in Ridgecrest.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department officials said Jonathan Barrio, 35, experienced a "medical emergency and stopped breathing" after becoming combative with a deputy, who responded to the 84000 block of 12th Street at approximately 3:19 p.m. for an "unwanted subject."

The deputy arrived and contacted Barrio who matched the description of the "unwanted subject."

"Barrio appeared to be under the influence," sheriff's officials said in a statement. "The deputy attempted to arrest/handcuff Barrio, when Barrio became combative. Barrio was eventually placed in the back seat of the patrol car and he was hobbled."

That's when Barrio experienced a "medical emergency and stopped breathing." Barrio was then transported to a hospital by ambulance and was later pronounced dead.

"Sheriff's Specialized Investigators were called to the scene to conduct the investigation," sheriff's officials said. "An autopsy will be conducted by Kern County Coroner Officials to determine the cause of death."

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20161226/NEWS/161229823/12964/NEWS 1/2 12/27/2016 Authorities investigate in-custody death in Trona - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call Sheriff's Homicide Detail Det. Nick Clark at 909-387-3589. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the WeTip hotline at 800-782-7436 or visit

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20161226/NEWS/161229823/12964/NEWS 2/2 12/27/2016 Print Article: Snow only makes Santa's Village more magical

Snow only makes Santa's Village more magical By JOHN M. BLODGETT 2016-12-24 15:43:18

SKYFOREST – Especially on Christmas Eve, SkyPark at Santa’s Village is even more magical when there’s snow on the ground.

So after about 6 inches fell early Saturday, many families made their way to the Lake Arrowhead neighborhood of Skyforest to enjoy Santa’s Village during the recently reopened theme park’s first Christmas Eve in years.

The beloved tourist destination opened in 1955 – the same year as Disneyland – but closed in 1998.

The snowy weather, which required vehicles without four-wheel drive to use tire chains, didn’t seem to hold people back but rather made them more determined to get here, admissions manager Erich Killingsworth said.

By the time people reached Santa’s Village, whatever grimaces they may have had on the wintry drive up gave way to smiles and upbeat attitudes.

“Today has been the happiest day of the entire season,” he said. “Everybody’s in that legitimate Christmas spirit,” and the snow added just the right touch, he said.

The joyous faces have been a long time returning to the park. Years after its fate appeared sealed with its closure in 1998, new owners in 2014 announced a concept for a year-round, 153-acre tourist attraction. SkyPark at Santa’s Village, which opened Dec. 2, is the first attraction; developers hope to add mountain biking and fly fishing, among other activities.

The original Santa’s Village spawned two franchises. One in Santa Cruz closed in 1979; the other, in East Dundee, Ill., still is open.

J.D. Robinson, a Marine based at Camp Pendleton, arrived about 8 a.m. with his wife and two young boys and was still laughing and playing with them in the snow almost eight hours later. His boys – J.D. Jr., 2, and D.J., 3 – had never seen that much snow and had enjoyed hot cocoa, gingerbread men and riding the monorail.

It was the family’s first visit to the village, and probably not the last.

Naturally, the day’s biggest hit of all was Santa Claus, “the commander in chief himself,” Killingsworth said. He sat inside Santa’s House as a line of children and their parents, serenaded by Louis Armstrong’s “Cool Yule,” snaked outside alongside park workers scraping snow from the walkway and a juggler tossing red-ribboned bowling pins.

When asked what he requested of Santa, D.J. Robinson said, “A police car and a policeman and a house.”

And J.D. Jr.? “Whatever his big brother wants, he wants the same,” his dad said.

By late afternoon, the Louie family of Orange had to take a break by a warming fire in the pavilion. They had come up for the afternoon with friends.

http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821744 1/2 12/27/2016 Print Article: Snow only makes Santa's Village more magical “My parents never brought me here (when it was open before),” Brandon Louie said. “I had to wait 18 years for it to reopen to bring my family here.”

His daughter Keira, 6, and son Gabriel, 5, had never seen snow.

“The kids have been dying to get their hands in snow,” Allison Louie said. “The dads have been getting pummeled (by snowballs).”

Experiencing Christmas as adults with children made the Louies appreciate the holiday in a different way than when they were kids. Allison Louie said having children in tow makes the Christmas season a much more giving time, while Brandon Louie said it was rewarding to see the joy in Keira’s and Gabriel’s faces.

Robinson, watching his children make snow angels, said he felt really blessed to be at Santa’s Village with his family.

“As a kid my dad didn’t allow me to believe in Santa Claus,” he said. “Now that I have kids of my own, I can let them believe what they want to believe.”

Contact the writer: [email protected]: @rmhagen

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http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821744 2/2 12/27/2016 Ontario couple paid the price to get treatment for mentally ill son

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

Ontario couple paid the price to get treatment for mentally ill son

By Joe Nelson, The Sun

Monday, December 26, 2016

For more than two years, Anthony and Cynthia Hernandez desperately sought treatment for their mentally ill son to curb his paranoid delusions and violent tendencies.

Between March 2012 and July 2014, Aaron Dominic Hernandez had been admitted eight times to Canyon Ridge Hospital in Chino for psychiatric evaluation, only to be released shortly thereafter each time, the longest stay being 12 days.

Noise from passing trucks and planes triggered paranoid fits with Aaron, who believed their fumes were poisoning him, his parents said.

In January 2014, a doctor diagnosed Aaron, then 19, as a paranoid schizophrenic.

The Hernandezes pushed for Aaron’s admittance into a psychiatric hospital for long-term care, but they said he was disqualified because he did not meet the criteria for being “gravely disabled,” meaning doctors felt Aaron could still function on his own without assistance from his parents or others, and therefore involuntary commitment to a lockdown facility was unnecessary.

So, the Hernandezes were left to deal with Aaron’s escalating erratic behavior — the violent outbursts, the chronic drug abuse, the voices and noises in his head telling him to kill — on their own.

The turning point came in September 2014, when Aaron took the family’s beloved 10-year-old cocker spaniel, Sandy, into the backyard of their Chino home and beat her to death with a baseball bat, discarding the dog’s carcass in a trash bin at a neighborhood park. Aaron never mentioned it to anyone, and it took his family several days to learn the shocking truth about what happened.

The next day, on Sept. 23, Aaron walked into his parents’ bedroom with a baseball bat raised over his head. As his father lay in bed surfing the Internet on his new tablet, Aaron said, “I’m sorry dad, but it’s time to die.” He beat his father with the bat, then gashed him with a knife from temple to ear.

Covered in his father’s blood, Aaron walked outside, where his mother had flagged down neighbors for help. He walked up to his mother, who pleaded with her son to leave before the police arrived, but Aaron only said, “it’s over” and stabbed his mother in the head and neck, missing her carotid artery by an eighth of an inch. The tip of the blade broke off and remained lodged in her scalp until it was surgically removed.

The Hernandezes survived the horrific attack, but remain angered by what they say is a severely flawed mental health system that jeopardizes the safety of mentally ill persons, their family members and the public as well.

“You’re just stuck. You have to wait for something bad to happen,” Cynthia Hernandez said during an interview Thursday at her home in Ontario, where she and her husband moved shortly after the incident in September http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20161226/ontario-couple-paid-the-price-to-get-treatment-for-mentally-ill-son&template=printart 1/3 12/27/2016 Ontario couple paid the price to get treatment for mentally ill son 2014.

Aaron was charged with felony attempted murder, animal cruelty and inflicting great bodily injury. In July 2015, a San Bernardino Superior Court judge, after reviewing a psychologist’s report, found Aaron not guilty by reason of insanity. Aaron was subsequently admitted to Patton State Hospital, where the musically gifted 21- year-old continues getting the treatment his parents had so long fought for. He is now clean of street drugs and is administered antipsychotic medication to treat his condition, his parents say.

“I have my son back,” said Anthony Hernandez, who along with his wife remain angered by the fact it took extreme acts of violence by their son to finally get him admitted into a state hospital for proper treatment.

“It’s so unacceptable,” Anthony Hernandez said. “We should be able to prevent this chaotic, inhumane process we’ve had in place for decades. It’s un-American. It’s not where we should be as a human species.”

Since the September 2014 attack on them, the Hernandezes have become staunch advocates for mental health system reforms. They have traveled the country telling their story, teaming with other advocates for such reforms including Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pittsburgh, whose Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act was signed into law on Dec. 13 by President Obama as part of the 21st Century Cures Act.

Murphy’s legislation will strengthen and pour more funding into evidence-based treatment programs for the several mentally ill, expanding assisted outpatient treatment programs and creating for the first time a President- appointed assistant secretary for mental health and substance abuse disorders.

The Hernandezes were among thousands of people Murphy met or made contact with while working on the legislation.

In a telephone interview, Murphy said President-elect Donald Trump has voiced support for the Cures Act and that the legislation should go a long way in reforming the mental health care system, but he feels there is still more work to be done, much more.

“We did not get everything we needed, but we needed everything we got,” Murphy said. “Now that we have the bill, it’s a matter of getting the funding together for it, putting the parts in place for it, and it’s going to take some time. And the states are going to have to do some work, too.”

He said the Hernandezes’ story was particularly troubling to him.

“We scratch our heads and wonder why violence occurs with the mentally ill, and it’s because we abandon them,” said Murphy. “These things can be treated in many cases, but you have to provide treatment.”

The Hernandezes have also been pushing for implementation of Laura’s Law in San Bernardino County, a voluntary, county-funded program that allows for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment for seriously mentally ill defendants with a history of psychiatric hospitalizations. The law has been implemented in 11 California counties, including Orange and Los Angeles counties, and the city of San Francisco as well.

On Tuesday, the couple appeared before the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, pleading with the board to implement the law here.

“We are the red tape that no one wants to get involved with,” Cynthia Hernandez told the board. “We represent the families that lock their bedroom doors at night in fear that their loved ones will harm them in the middle of the night. We are the ones who keep their loved ones in their home even when they don’t feel safe because they fear that their loved ones will hurt an unsuspecting stranger.”

Anthony Hernandez told the board about the nonprofit he and his wife started, Transforming Treatable Tragedies, to push for reforms in the mental health system, and a petition he circulated that has so far generated 2,800 signatures in support of Murphy’s legislation. http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20161226/ontario-couple-paid-the-price-to-get-treatment-for-mentally-ill-son&template=printart 2/3 12/27/2016 Ontario couple paid the price to get treatment for mentally ill son “It’s not just our tragedy, it’s a societal problem,” he told the board.

“I’ve been exposed to many families and many tragedies. Our kids were sick, they committed a crime and they landed in jail instead of a hospital. To me, that’s inhumane.”

Supervisor Janice Rutherford said she has spoken to supervisors in other counties that have implemented Laura’s Law and is receptive to the idea of implementing it in San Bernardino County, but is researching whether its a viable option.

“Most of the experiences have been positive, but many are smaller counties who don’t have the extensive system we already have in place,” Rutherford said. “But I absolutely hear and feel for these families and what they’re saying. It’s worth our looking into to see if it could make a difference here, and if there are people who could be helped by it.”

Chino Police Chief Karen Comstock and state Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez, D-Pomona, have gone to bat for the Hernandezes, sending letters to CaSonya Thomas, the former director of the county Department of Behavioral Health who now heads Human Services, in support of Laura’s Law implementation.

Veronica Kelly, who now heads Behavioral Health, said in an e-mail that the programs and practices the county put into place following the 2004 passage of the Mental Health Services Act accomplish everything Laura’s Law would accomplish and more.

She said her department conducted a comprehensive review of the feasibility of implementing Laura’s Law, and an analysis of the law revealed “no added value for residents; concerns by advocacy groups, law enforcement, and mental health professionals; and challenges due to the lack of state funding for implementation.”

Additionally, the assisted outpatient treatment program under Laura’s Law strongly mirrors the wraparound services now provided by the county, funded through the Mental Health Services Act, which are designed to do whatever it takes to assist people with severe, long-term mental illness, Kelley said in her e-mail.

But the need for Laura’s Law is specifically targeted to individuals who do not seek treatment voluntarily because they do not feel they are sick and believe they do not need help, which necessitates a court order for assisted outpatient treatment, Anthony Hernandez said.

In addition to the Mental Health Services Act, other federal funds are available through competitive grants to help fund Laura’s Law, said Hernandez, adding that Ventura County, which implemented Laura’s Law, received $1 million a year for four years for its assisted outpatient treatment program, and another round of funding is expected in the spring.

“But you need the law,” he said.

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20161226/ontario-couple-paid-the-price-to-get-treatment-for-mentally-ill-son

© 2016 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)

http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20161226/ontario-couple-paid-the-price-to-get-treatment-for-mentally-ill-son&template=printart 3/3 12/27/2016 For Riverwalk design, review ongoing

For Riverwalk design, review ongoing

Monday Posted Dec 26, 2016 at 3:37 PM Updated Dec 26, 2016 at 3:37 PM

By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Follow

VICTORVILLE - Design plans for the $4.4 million Mojave Riverwalk project, which will mix bike paths and lanes and feature a trailhead ending near Victor Valley College, continue to be reviewed by the city, the school and San Bernardino County leading up to expected construction next fall.

After approving a contract with a consultant for the project's design in January, the City Council last week authorized spending $45,005 more in order to finish environmental permitting and obtain permitting from BNSF for the 6th Street bike path crossing, officials said.

The total contract with Alta Planning and Design has grown from $490,000 to about $583,000 in the past year, with the city using its Local Transportation Fund and grant money to pay for it.

The 11.1-mile project features a 4-mile bike path beginning near Bear Valley and Fish Hatchery roads, continuing on top the flood control levee to the Yucca Loma Bridge, passing under the bridge, paralleling Yates Road on the north should and proceeding to the Mojave Narrows Regional Park entrance.

A nearly 1-mile-long and 10-foot-wide path extending into the park from Yates Road will boast a turnaround loop.

The second and larger 7.1-mile portion of the project scope will be a bike lane connecting through Old Town to a bike path already at the Mojave River. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161226/for-riverwalk-design-review-ongoing 1/2 12/27/2016 For Riverwalk design, review ongoing

The Riverwalk project has underscored the city's ambitions to boost it bicycle infrastructure after acknowledging it lagged behind neighboring municipalities. A separate five-year, $12-million plan calls for installing 44 centerline miles of bikeways throughout the city.

City Engineer Brian Gengler said this month that the city expects construction on the Riverwalk, which will be grant-funded, to begin in the fall of 2017.

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161226/for-riverwalk-design-review-ongoing 2/2 12/27/2016 Trial Begins for 2001 Conspiracy - Mountain News : Crime Log Trial Begins for 2001 Conspiracy Posted: Thursday, December 22, 2016 9:30 am Former San Bernardino County Supervisor, Paul A. Biane, is now on trial along with co-defendants for multiple felony charges in connection with the Colonies Partnership settlement of 2001. The Superior Court announced Dec. 20 that the jury trial is set for Jan. 5, 2017. Biane represented mountain communities when the supervisors agreed to pay $102 million to Colonies Partnership to settle a lawsuit that purportedly could have been settled earlier for far less money, and allegedly were bribed to approve the settlement. Biane was unseated by current supervisor Janice Rutherford. According to court records, Biane faces six charges including conspiracy, bribery of a public official, legislator receiving a bribe, conflict of interest and two counts of embezzlement/falsifying. Also charged is James Howard Erwin, ex-chief aide to Neil Derry, former third district supervisor. Court records show 13 charges filed against Erwin on violations like Biane’s charges, plus falsifying identification and documents, and perjury. The developer, Jeffrey Scott Burum, faces similar charges. Like his co-defendants, he pleaded not guilty to each count against him. Mark Kirk, ex-aide to former supervisor Gary Ovitt, previously was charged along with the other defendants, but court records were unavailable at press time.

http://www.mountain-news.com/news/crime_log/article_b292ca3e-c86a-11e6-b6b6-d3326001b054.html?mode=print 1/1 12/27/2016 1969 water judgement explained, updated - Highland Community News: Top Stories

1969 w ater judgement explained, updated Posted: Friday, December 23, 2016 9:08 am

San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District has just produced a summary of the 1969 settlements between agencies in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Inland Empire water agencies manage local groundwater basins and surface water flows based on the terms of two 1969 court settlements involving water agencies in Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties.

“The authors of the settlement called it a ‘Physical Solution,’ ” said Bob Tincher, manager of water resources for San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, which has developed a summary of the 30- page agreement and how it is implemented.

The “Physical Solution,” as described in the 1969 judgment, requires Inland Empire water agencies to keep a careful accounting of the amount of water they extract each year from local groundwater basins. If the cumulative amount of water they extract exceeds the cumulative amount of water from local rainfall, supplemental water is required to make up the difference.

Valley District is one of the agencies that makes up the “Watermaster” that was given formal responsibility through the 1969 settlement to ensure that supplemental water is recharged, as required.

The primary supplemental source for recharge water is State Water Project water, imported by Valley District, but other supplemental sources may also be used. Almost 550,000 acre feet of State Water Project water has been recharged in the San Bernardino area since 1972. Without these supplemental, imported supplies, communities throughout western San Bernardino County would have suffered devastating water shortages years ago.

The idea is not only to maintain the integrity of local groundwater basins and ensure sustainable water supplies, but to ensure that minimum levels of water continue to flow down the Santa Ana River for use by Orange County as set forth in a separate 1969 agreement.

Compliance with the 1969 court settlement is monitored by the court. Physical Solution is available for download it www.sbvmwd.com.

http://www.highlandnews.net/news/top_stories/water-judgement-explained-updated/article_6892305a-c932-11e6-b8aa-d3dc6a327492.html?mode=print 1/1 12/27/2016 Making the Groundwater Law Work | PublicCEO

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POSTED BY : PUBLICCEO DECEMBER 23, 2016

Originally posted at the Public Policy Institute of CA. SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY By Lori Pottinger. NEWSLETTER!

California was one of the last western states to regulate the use of groundwater. Now, the state’s Name: Name... landmark law mandating sustainable use of this critical resource is significantly changing how Email: Email Address... communities manage it. We talked to Thomas Harter—a groundwater expert at UC Davis and a Submit member of the PPIC Water Policy Center’s research network—about implementing the 2014 law, which he calls “the most important water legislation in 50 years.”

PPIC: What are the key components of groundwater sustainability?

Thomas Harter: The state law is based on six “commandments” that interpret what groundwater sustainability means: thou shall not draw down water levels too far, deplete storage in the aquifer, degrade water quality, allow seawater intrusion, cause land to subside, or use groundwater in ways that reduces other people’s surface water or harms ecosystems.

The law mandates that groundwater must be sustainably managed for the long run. It’s not an option. Another critical piece of the law is that it be managed locally. This is an opportunity for local agencies, water districts, and stakeholders to take charge of whatever needs to be done.

Another important aspect is having everyone around the table who’s benefiting from, using, or concerned about groundwater. Stakeholders may have to make decisions on how to augment their http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/making-the-groundwater-law-work/ 1/3 12/27/2016 Making the Groundwater Law Work | PublicCEO

groundwater supplies or how to reduce demand to make local use sustainable. People are going to come to the table with different core issues—for example, some will be more concerned about protecting domestic water users, while others will be focused on the economic impacts of using less groundwater.

PPIC: What more do we need to know about our groundwater basins to better manage them?

TH: We have to understand the resource, and how our uses affect it. What are water levels doing? Are we degrading the quality of groundwater? Is it being used or managed in ways that harm surface water uses and users? That kind of basic understanding is really important.

There are some important things we need to know about the state of our groundwater that the state could play a role in, which would help locals bring their basins to sustainability.

First, the state has a responsibility to monitor land subsidence across California, as sinking land is one of the key indicators of unsustainable conditions. We need more consistent measurements to determine how fast land is subsiding. The state would be in the best position to collect this data, and make it useable and accessible to local groundwater sustainability agencies.  The state is also in the best position to collect data on land use and evapotranspiration, which is a measure of how much water plants use. Evapotranspiration is one of the biggest water budget components in the state and the largest single consumptive use. In other words, it is water that is removed from the water system through use or evaporation by plants, consumed by people or animals, or incorporated into products or crops. Having a high-resolution understanding of evapotranspiration and how it changes over time and across years will be critical to ensure we have accurate water budgets.

California also needs to get back to more frequently mapping land use across the state and make that FOLLOW PUBLICCEO data available. Land use is closely related to evapotranspiration. To devise an accurate water budget, you need to know which field is planted in which crop at which time of year, which areas are being urbanized, and where other changes in land use are occurring.   

3,164 0 Subscribe The state’s system for gauging streamflow also needs work. To make good decisions, locals need a Followers Fans Rss better understanding of the contributions of groundwater to their tributary streams. The US Geological Survey and the Department of Water Resources, which manage these gauges, are struggling to keep up with the network they have, and many gauges have been discontinued due to lack of funding. We need to fund ongoing maintenance of this water-monitoring network so we don’t lose a legacy of valuable information. And we need to expand it in areas where groundwater and surface water are closely connected.

PPIC: What changes do you expect to see as communities move to implement the groundwater law?

TH: I think the biggest thing is that, at the local level, we’ll have a much broader stakeholder group informed about and engaged in their groundwater system. There will be greater understanding about the interconnections between land use, groundwater, surface water, and water supply and quality, and about the kinds of projects we can do to address sustainability issues. I hope that in 10 years we’ll have a better understanding of how we can transition to sustainable resource management with the least amount of economic pain. I think there are opportunities for creative solutions that are win-wins for the environment and people dependent on groundwater resources. I also think that having a better understanding across stakeholder groups will lead to increased cooperation, which will be important for implementing and funding solutions.

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http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/making-the-groundwater-law-work/ 2/3 12/27/2016 Victorville mayor defends Council against attack ad - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Victorville mayor defends Council against attack ad

Sunday Posted Dec 25, 2016 at 11:56 AM Updated Dec 25, 2016 at 2:22 PM

Garcia appeared far less tolerant of claims she said sought to imply the Council had been dishonest and potentially corrupt.

By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Follow

VICTORVILLE - Mayor Gloria Garcia ended 2016 rejecting "totally untrue" claims about the City Council that she said were made in a video during this past campaign period. In "need(ing) to clarify the truth," the mayor's response also stood as a firm defense of Victorville leadership.

At the end of last week's Council meeting, the final of the year, Garcia used her allotted public comment time to address a video she said accused the Council of engaging in backroom deals and that criticized regular meetings for being labyrinthine.

"A video went out during the city council campaign that was totally untrue. It stated that the agenda is difficult to follow, that our meetings are so boring that people fall asleep," she said. "Is everybody awake?"

Noting how agendas provided to the public are identical to what Council members receive, she also pointed to how each agenda item is numbered and called out by category. She suggested that members of the public contact the

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161225/victorville-mayor-defends-council-against-attack-ad 1/2 12/27/2016 Victorville mayor defends Council against attack ad - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Council if they "have suggestions for us to improve this."

But Garcia appeared far less tolerant of claims she said sought to imply the Council had been dishonest and potentially corrupt.

"We were accused of making backroom deals and that we were bought and paid for," she said. "I really do want the public to know that in the four years I have been a council member, none of these accusations have ever taken place."

Garcia, who was recently re-appointed as mayor after a successful re-election bid, said she was prompted to address the video - she did not discuss its origin - as more constituents had reached out to her seeking explanations on the validity of the claims.

"This is something that is harmful to all persons involved and I do feel that I need to clarify the truth," she said. "I have been very proud to be a part of a council that represents the city in a very respectful and professional manner. And I do hope that this new council will continue to do the same."

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161225/victorville-mayor-defends-council-against-attack-ad 2/2 12/27/2016 Planning Commission moves forward with upscale market, gas station - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Planning Commission moves forward with upscale market, gas station

Friday Posted Dec 23, 2016 at 1:52 PM Updated Dec 23, 2016 at 5:51 PM

By Monica Solano Staff Writer Follow

VICTORVILLE - Despite concerns from local residents, Planning Commissioners voted to move forward on a proposed upscale market and gas station, as well as obtaining a Conditional Use Permit for alcohol sales to take place near a residential area in Victorville, last Wednesday.

Developments for the five-acre site is expected to generate $25 million in taxable sales as the project will be split into two phases, with phase one consisting of a fueling station with a 7,250-square-foot market and an accessory car wash. Phase two will incorporate a 25,000-square-foot two-story office building approximately 300 feet east of the northeast corner of Balsam Avenue and Nisqualli Road, where the First Assembly of God church and Victor Valley Christian School are located.

The Planning Commission motioned to approve the project with a 2-1 vote, with Commissioner Paula Porter and Rob Kurth in favor and Lionel Dew opposing the agenda. Commissioner Larry Huber was absent from the meeting, while Bob Wilson recused himself from voting, stating he made recent contributions to the church.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161223/planning-commission-moves-forward-with-upscale-market-gas-station 1/3 12/27/2016 Planning Commission moves forward with upscale market, gas station - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

"The site requirement meets all requirements of Title 16 as conditioned. It has sufficient parking within each parcel for each use, sufficient landscaping, including sufficient buffers for residential zones to the east and building design meets requirements for commercial guidelines," Kurth stated during the meeting.

With the church owning a portion of the land located on the corner of Balsam Avenue and Nisqualli Road, sitting adjacent to the proposed facility, members expressed worry the plan may attract potential danger, such as an increase in criminal activity, loitering, traffic conditions and certain businesses that may operate during hours not typical for the surrounding residents.

"People opposed of the project have good intentions and hold them in the highest standards," Dew said. "That being said, we as a Planning Commission like to have mediation as much as possible because all of us are successful together."

"The main concern, however, is the use of alcohol beverages. At this particular time frame, the city has more than enough resources and there are more ways of acquiring alcohol in the city. You're either providing the city and the residents the product in demand or you provided giving the city a product no one else will benefit from."

According to Victorville spokeswoman Sue Jones, the city has tightened its alcohol regulations in recent years and the proposed fuel station and convenience store is prohibited from selling distilled spirits. A maximum of 10 percent of the retail display area may be devoted to beer and wine display, while single-serve alcoholic beverages are prohibited and a variety of other operating standards are aimed at preventing nuisance activities.

If the commission and operator fails to conform to the Conditional Use Permit, the city reserves the right to revoke the commission's permit. If the appeal is denied, there will be two years of entitlements to start work on the project or the project entitlements will expire.

Local residents expressed fear for the safety of the area - city officials received over 150 letters opposing the plan - and Jones told the Daily Press members of the First Assembly of God filed an appeal against the decision that will be heard

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161223/planning-commission-moves-forward-with-upscale-market-gas-station 2/3 12/27/2016 Planning Commission moves forward with upscale market, gas station - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

at a forthcoming City Council meeting.

"We definitely do not want to stand in the way of the project. We love our city and that it's growing and reaching new heights," said Pastor Josh McLaughlin. "At the same time, we want the commission to move forward in a proper way and we are a little nervous that the possibility of certain items being sold so close brings upon safety issues concerning faculty and staff from both the church and school."

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Victorville Station also recommended approval for the project, saying that the site is "not in an excessive crime area at this point and feels that the plan would not increase crime in the area or create a law enforcement issue," as stated by the Planning Commission.

Monica Solano can be reached at or at 760-951-6231. Follow her on Twitter .

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161223/planning-commission-moves-forward-with-upscale-market-gas-station 3/3 12/27/2016 Looking Ahead: Measure V vote, Yucca Loma Bridge and closed fire stations on the radar for 2017

Looking Ahead: Measure V vote, Yucca Loma Bridge and closed fire stations on the radar for 2017

Monday Posted Dec 26, 2016 at 3:48 PM Updated Dec 26, 2016 at 3:48 PM

By Matthew Cabe Staff Writer Follow

APPLE VALLEY - What will 2017 bring in the Town of Apple Valley? Here are five things that will be on the horizon in the new year.

Measure V vote

The town's takeover attempt of Liberty Utilities, Apple Valley produced an onslaught of punch, counterpunch scenarios in 2016, with both sides assuming the offensive when openings presented themselves.

In June, Liberty officials disclosed to the Daily Press the town's unauthorized use of 869,000 gallons of company water on the Apple Valley Golf Course, a move that ran up a nearly $7,000 bill and led to criticism of the town's ability to safely run a water system.

And in October, Liberty's General Manager Tony Penna let fly an ireful outburst directed at Councilor Curt Emick during a meeting that culminated with Penna's removal from Council chambers and town officials calling his comments a threat of physical violence.

Yet these incidents, though providers of intriguing fodder, were mere jabs in the grand scheme; never would either decide the future water provider in Apple Valley.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161226/looking-ahead-measure-v-vote-yucca-loma-bridge-and-closed-fire-stations-on-radar-for-2017 1/3 12/27/2016 Looking Ahead: Measure V vote, Yucca Loma Bridge and closed fire stations on the radar for 2017

Voters' passage of Measure V on Nov. 8, however, carries the potential to significantly impact a future purchase, should the town win its eminent-domain case. If voters opt against the bond debt, the town will be forced to - at the very least - look elsewhere for financing.

It's unknown when the vote will occur; town officials say more discussion is required by the Council before a date is set. But with a trial setting conference scheduled for Jan. 7 - and litigation expected to move forward thereafter - 2017 could be the year of a vote on debt.

Yucca Loma Bridge opening

While work on the third and final phase of the Yucca Loma Corridor remains at least two years away, town officials celebrated completion of the Yucca Loma Bridge in 2016, over two years after construction commenced.

And with widening work on the nearby Yucca Loma Road progressing ahead of schedule, 2017 will mark the long-anticipated opening of the bridge to traffic. The tentative schedule includes a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 19 and a community bike ride on May 20 before the opening on May 22.

Because Victorville's Green Tree Boulevard Extension project is still in design, it's unlikely the opening will alleviate congestion along Bear Valley Road or Highway 18 in the short term. Still, the opening will be seen as a major accomplishment given that officials have talked of a bridge over the Mojave River since the 1960s, according to former Victorville City Councilman Ryan McEachron.

Reopening of closed fire stations

Funds provided by Measure A - the fire tax voters overwhelmingly passed in November - won't be available until July, but 2017 could be the year two closed fire stations reopen.

Apple Valley Fire Protection District Chief Sid Hultquist previously told the Daily Press the reopenings of stations 336 and 337 are "going to happen," but he stopped short of providing a date.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161226/looking-ahead-measure-v-vote-yucca-loma-bridge-and-closed-fire-stations-on-radar-for-2017 2/3 12/27/2016 Looking Ahead: Measure V vote, Yucca Loma Bridge and closed fire stations on the radar for 2017

Staffing plans will be prepared in the interim, as the district's board develops "timelines with the logistics needed to open" the stations that closed following the Great Recession.

Hilltop House

More than seven months have passed since the town officially took ownership of Newt Bass' Hilltop House, but officials have been relatively quiet about future plans for the site outside of its eventual inclusion into the Parks and Recreation system.

Per grant-program requirements, the town has three years from the acquisition date to create an "outdoor recreational opportunity for the public's benefit," so 2017 could be the year an ad hoc committee is formed to discuss what sort of recreational attraction the house will become.

New year, new captain

The promotion of San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Capt. Lana Tomlin to deputy chief of all desert region stations will signal the return of Capt. Frank Bell to town next month.

Bell previously worked as lieutenant at the Apple Valley Sheriff's station before moving to headquarters in San Bernardino where he served as captain of the Employee Resources Unit.

He will assume the captain role after Tomlin makes her own transition to headquarters on Jan. 21.

Matthew Cabe can be reached at [email protected] or at 760-951- 6254. Follow him on Twitter @DP_MatthewCabe.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161226/looking-ahead-measure-v-vote-yucca-loma-bridge-and-closed-fire-stations-on-radar-for-2017 3/3 12/27/2016 Is 2017 Adelanto's year of growth?

Is 2017 Adelanto's year of growth?

Sunday Posted Dec 25, 2016 at 1:52 PM Updated Dec 25, 2016 at 4:30 PM

With two full years behind them and the expectations rising, the City Council no longer has the benefit of a learning curve.

By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Follow

ADELANTO - With two full years behind them and the expectations rising, the City Council no longer has the benefit of a learning curve.

While the first returns of the city's medical marijuana industry are expected by mid-year, and will largely define the success of 2017, the cannabis talk isn't all to keep an eye on as the calendar turns over.

Here are five developments to watch in Adelanto for 2017:

1. The north side resurgence?

Mayor Pro Tem Jermaine Wright, the lone Council member who lives in the north side of the city, had declared it a mission a year ago to direct efforts to help revitalize this underserved portion of Adelanto.

Heading into 2016, the Daily Press pegged a proposed park on the north side as one of five developments to watch. And while that hasn't yet materialized, much of what's expected to be accomplished on this side of the city - with lacking

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161225/is-2017-adelantos-year-of-growth 1/4 12/27/2016 Is 2017 Adelanto's year of growth?

infrastructure, few businesses and maybe fewer sidewalks - is tied to the expected infusion of funding from medical cannabis.

As the city begins to see money from pot cultivators and manufacturers, it'll be worthwhile to watch how much of those funds are set aside to make real change on Adelanto's north side.

2. Stater Bros. Stadium's ability to attract

After the High Desert Mavericks were dissolved, city leaders appeared to salivate at the idea of a suddenly wide-open spring and summer schedule for the city's most unique asset.

The Council agreed to hire the San Bernardino County Fair to manage marketing efforts for the stadium in hopes of building upon early cornerstone events like the rodeo. Then, just this month, it was announced that an independent professional baseball team would play its inaugural season at the stadium, carving out two months of scheduling from late May to late July.

The Fair's success in attracting popular events, as it has done at the fairgrounds in Victorville, will be key to Adelanto realizing its vision of becoming a regional entertainment hub.

3. The City Hall dynamic

Seven positions were axed in a surprise late-year move purportedly based on budget considerations. For a city that has seen unusually high turnover at key positions in the past two years, stabilizing the turnstile at the top will be as critical to its progress as anything else.

A lawsuit filed by three former city employees accusing the majority of the Council of orchestrating their firings and targeting other workers will move forward in 2017, and former Senior Planner Mark de Manincor, whose position was among the seven recently terminated, had acknowledged he also felt targeted.

Early on, Mayor Rich Kerr had attributed some turmoil within the city as lessons learned by a green leadership. Yet, that can't be leaned on anymore in this new year. After Mayor Pro Tem Jermaine Wright and Councilman Ed Camargo were

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161225/is-2017-adelantos-year-of-growth 2/4 12/27/2016 Is 2017 Adelanto's year of growth?

re-elected in November, the Council will maintain its same dynamic now for a third year.

4. The golden era of medical cannabis

More than a year removed from passing its landmark medical marijuana cultivation ordinance, the city spent much of 2016 tweaking its plans to align with state law and establishing other groundwork.

With up to eight growers expected to be up and running by mid-year, city Accounting Supervisor Penny Rose recently projected the first significant returns for revenue through the city's Measure R - the voter-approved 5-percent excise tax - will hit at the start of the new fiscal year in July.

While not only potentially erasing the city's now-$2.6 million deficit, Measure R's returns during the anticipated summer will provide the public with the first view of the depth of the industry.

5. Pot's residual effect

The medical cannabis industry's impact is expected to extend beyond the industry itself and stoke growth for business as a whole. When city leaders talk about the nascent industry, they often speak of the residual economic effect as well: More restaurants, hotels, industrial businesses and better roads, parks and other city entities.

The city's ability to transfer any momentum from its marijuana dealings to other businesses will start to be seen by mid-year. What other kind of industries will flock to Adelanto?

In touting the city's outlook, leaders have pointed to just the recent groundbreaking of Clark Pacific, a concrete manufacturer which could create up to 500 jobs, as a sign of growth outside marijuana.

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161225/is-2017-adelantos-year-of-growth 3/4 12/27/2016 Harassment claim filed against top city official

Harassment claim filed against top city official

Sunday Posted Dec 25, 2016 at 4:18 PM Updated Dec 25, 2016 at 4:18 PM

By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Follow

BARSTOW - A workplace harassment claim filed against a top city official sparked a nearly three-month investigation extending to interviews with as many as two dozen employees, the Daily Press has learned.

The complaint filed by at least one colleague against Gaither Loewenstein, the city's economic development and planning manager, accuses him of repeatedly making lewd or insensitive comments in the workplace that were sexual in nature. The comments were also sometimes purportedly discriminatory against age and gender, according to sources with knowledge of the inquiry, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could speak freely.

Loewenstein, when reached by phone Thursday and asked to address the situation, said he appreciated the opportunity to comment but he declined to do so. Assistant City Manager Cindy Protho abstained from acknowledging the claim or investigation, citing policy.

"All personnel information, including the possibility of any investigations, are confidential," she wrote in an email Thursday. "(B)ecause of this, the City cannot confirm that any investigation is ongoing regarding any employee matter."

Loewenstein was not placed on administrative leave during the investigation, the sources said, and it was unclear when or if the probe, conducted by an outside hire, had completed.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161225/harassment-claim-filed-against-top-city-official 1/2 12/27/2016 Harassment claim filed against top city official

The investigation, launched sometime in September or October, has so far included a bevy of city employees, potentially 20 or more, who were individually interviewed off-site, according to the sources.

Generally, a claim will be heard in closed session by a governing board. In this case, it would be the City Council. If a claim is rejected, it can then lead to a lawsuit being filed.

That scenario played out earlier this year when Michelle Baird, the board clerk at Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District, filed a civil complaint against the agency after her claim had been denied. Baird contended retaliation after she said she was a whistle-blower to wrong-doings by the agency's then-executive director.

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161225/harassment-claim-filed-against-top-city-official 2/2 12/27/2016 Authorities investigating explosion, mobile home fire reportedly caused by THC extraction lab in Lucerne Valley - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorvill...

Authorities investigating explosion, mobile home fire reportedly caused by THC extraction lab in Lucerne Valley

Thursday Posted Dec 22, 2016 at 1:10 PM Updated Dec 22, 2016 at 1:35 PM

By Jose Quintero Staff Writer Follow

LUCERNE VALLEY - Authorities are investigating a Lucerne Valley mobile home fire that they say occurred after an explosion due to a dangerous THC extraction lab that may have injured two men.

A San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputy initially went to the home, in the 11200 block of Medanos Avenue, after hearing an explosion in the area. The deputy found a mobile home trailer fully engulfed in flames.

Firefighters responded and were able to extinguish the fire, which according to scanner traffic Wednesday afternoon, spread to surrounding vegetation.

The deputy noted signs of a THC extraction operation and requested the assistance of additional sheriff's personnel and investigators.

"Investigators found evidence to show the THC extraction lab was producing concentrated cannabis known as wax or Butane Honey Oil," sheriff's officials said in a statement. "Several hundred pounds of marijuana plant material, thousands of butane canisters and equipment used in the process of manufacturing and making of concentrated cannabis were found at the location."

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161222/authorities-investigating-explosion-mobile-home-fire-reportedly-caused-by-thc-extraction-lab-in-lucerne-valley 1/2 12/27/2016 Authorities investigating explosion, mobile home fire reportedly caused by THC extraction lab in Lucerne Valley - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorvill...

Investigators believe the explosion and fire were caused when an ignition source, believed to be an electric water heater, ignited the explosive butane gases that were inside the trailer.

Authorities say the explosion was so "devastating and powerful" that debris from the trailer was found over 200 feet away.

"Nearby residents told deputies it felt like a car struck their house when the trailer exploded," sheriff's officials said. "The operation was occurring for some time and most likely would not have been discovered by authorities if it hadn't been for a deputy responding to a house fire at the location."

Meanwhile, two unidentified men arrived at the Desert Valley Hospital with burns and injuries consistent with an explosion and fire. Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Cindy Bachman confirmed the two burn victims were transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Sheriff's officials said investigators are attempting to determine if the men were responsible for the incident.

"If they are identified as suspects in this case, they will face charges of manufacturing a controlled substance and arson. The criminal report will be sent to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office for prosecution," sheriff's officials said.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Gangs/Narcotics Division at 909-890-4840. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the WeTip hotline at 800-782-7436 or visit

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20161222/authorities-investigating-explosion-mobile-home-fire-reportedly-caused-by-thc-extraction-lab-in-lucerne-valley 2/2 12/27/2016 Print Article: Judge: Marijuana dispensary can't run near Riverside's Lincoln High -- for now

Judge: Marijuana dispensary can't run near Riverside's Lincoln High -- for now By STEPHEN WALL 2016-12-23 14:32:44

A judge temporarily has barred a marijuana dispensary from operating across the street from Lincoln High School in Riverside.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Sunshine Sykes ruled Monday that the business, Presidential Collective, must stay closed until Jan.20, when a hearing is set to consider a permanent closure.

However, the dispensary reopened Thursday and the city plans to ask the judge Tuesday to appoint a receiver to take possession of the property and remove the occupants, Deputy City Attorney Aaron Chandler said.

City officials say the business at 2790 14th St. violates the state’s Health and Safety Code, which prohibits dispensaries within 600 feet of a school.

California voters approved marijuana for medical purposes in 1996 and in November for recreational use. Riverside’s municipal code bars such establishments in all areas.

Regardless of the recently passed ballot measure, Proposition 64, “They’re in violation of state law,” Chandler said.

The Riverside Unified School District backs the city’s efforts to close the dispensary, which Chandler said was the scene of an armed robbery in late November during which thieves stole up to $175,000 in cash and other items.

“It does alarm us,” said district board member Tom Hunt. “We’re saying, ‘Please enforce the law.’”

The dispensary started operating sometime before May across the street from Lincoln, an alternative school for students behind in credits.

In addition to suing to shut down the facility, the city issued several citations and notices against the business, including for alleged unauthorized wiring and making alterations to a building without permits. The city imposed fines of $1,000 per day, plus administrative costs. So far, the city hasn’t collected any of the money, totaling about $30,000, because the property owner’s attorney has been cooperative and tried to evict the tenants, Chandler said.

However, because the business hasn’t complied with the judge’s order, the city will ask that the operators be forced to pay at an administrative hearing set for Jan. 5, he said.

Theodore Theodosiadis, the attorney for the property owner, Kekico Inc., declined to comment. Business owner Thomas Naemi could not be reached.

A marijuana dispensary near a school “doesn’t send a good message” to kids who are disciplined for having drugs on campus, said Tim Walker, Riverside Unified’s assistant superintendent for pupil services.

“It brings in all manner of individuals who will be frequenting that location,” Walker said. http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821671 1/2 12/27/2016 Print Article: Judge: Marijuana dispensary can't run near Riverside's Lincoln High -- for now Nicole Jacobson, a senior at Lincoln, was surprised to hear of the robbery at the dispensary.

“That’s unacceptable,” said Jacobson, a Riverside Unified student board member. “What if they were to come over to the school?”

Contact the writer: 951-368-9292 or [email protected]: @pe_swall

© Copyright 2016 Freedom Communications. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service | Copyright | Site Map

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POSTED BY : PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA DECEMBER 21, 2016

SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY Originally posted at the Public Policy Institute of CA. NEWSLETTER! Mark Baldassare, PPIC president and CEO and director of the PPIC Statewide Survey, spoke at the Pacific Chapter of the American Association of Public Opinion Research annual conference in San Name: Name...

Francisco today, December 16, 2016. Here are his prepared remarks for a post-election panel Email: Email Address... discussion. Submit

One of the most historic turnarounds in California initiative history has been largely overlooked in the wake of the stunning presidential election results. Californians passed a recreational marijuana initiative this fall after rejecting a similar effort six years ago. The 2010 initiative, Proposition 19, failed with 46.5 percent of the vote. This year, Proposition 64 passed with 57.1 percent. How did support grow by 10.6 points, allowing this controversial policy to move into the victory column? The answers are found in both national and state trends.

First, Americans’ views on marijuana legalization have shifted in recent years. When asked in Pew Research Center national surveys, “Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal or not,” fewer than 50 percent said “yes” in 2010 and 2011 while a majority have said “yes” since 2013. Two key events happened in 2012: Washington and Colorado voters passed initiatives to legalize recreational http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/californias-marijuana-majority/ 1/3 12/27/2016 California’s Marijuana Majority | PublicCEO

marijuana. Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, DC, voters followed in 2014. This November, Massachusetts and Nevada—and perhaps Maine, depending on a recount underway—joined California voters in legalizing recreational marijuana. 

California public opinion mirrors these changing national attitudes. PPIC surveys have been repeating the Pew Research Center’s question for six years. In our surveys, the percent of adults saying “yes” to legalizing marijuana was below 50 percent before November 2010, when Proposition 19 failed. Support for legalization edged up to the majority in 2013. Some Californians apparently changed their minds about marijuana legalization after other states passed initiatives.

Did California’s marijuana legalization pass because its base of support grew stronger? Or because its appeal expanded to more demographic groups? The answer is “both” when we analyze the final PPIC surveys before the November 2010 and November 2016 elections. These surveys were within close range of the election results (44% Proposition 19, 55% Proposition 64) with a comparable 11-point difference between 2010 and 2016. We compare the likely voters who said “yes” to Propositions 19 and 64 across parties, political, and demographic groups.

The only majority supporters of Proposition 19 in 2010 were Democrats, liberals, and Californians under 35 years old. This fall, there were double-digit increases in the yes vote for

Proposition 64 among Democrats, liberals, and FOLLOW PUBLICCEO residents under age 35. The consolidation of support in these groups was important in the 2016 California election context. This   

presidential election attracted a larger electorate 3,164 0 Subscribe with liberal leanings than the 2010 gubernatorial Followers Fans Rss election did. That is reflected in the passage of several progressive reform and tax initiatives this November, as noted in an earlier PPIC blog post.

Significantly, there were also double-digit increases in the yes vote for Proposition 64 in likely voter groups where Proposition 19 had previously fallen short. Notably, independents, moderates, and 35- to 54-year-olds joined Democrats, liberals, and younger voters to form a broader political and demographic coalition of Proposition 64 supporters this fall. Moreover, support grew from less than 50 percent in 2010 to include solid majorities in 2016 among men (47% to 64%), college graduates (47% to 61%), those earning $80,000 or more (46% to 60%), and whites (44% to 55%). In sum, Proposition 64 attracted more of a political mainstream following than Proposition 19 did.

Proposition 64 still did not win by a landslide even with these impressive gains in the depth and breadth of support. Fewer than 50 percent in key demographic groups supported the initiative. They include Republicans (33%), conservatives (31%), Californians age 55 and older (45%), Latinos (47%), women (48%), and the non-college educated (49%). Obviously, many Californians did not jump on the bandwagon and vote for marijuana legalization this year.

Finally, it is worth noting that when we asked voters if the outcome of the vote on Proposition 64 was very important to them, opponents of legalization were more likely to say “yes” than supporters were (60% to 50%). These views could play a critical role because marijuana legalization still faces many hurdles. Will the deep divisions among political and demographic groups surface in local communities http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/californias-marijuana-majority/ 2/3 12/27/2016 California’s Marijuana Majority | PublicCEO

when it’s time to implement the new law? Will California lawmakers side with the voters who passed marijuana legalization if the Republican  president and Congress change direction on federal enforcement? As always in the initiative process, voters were the deciders but they are not the last word. Now many issues are left to local, state, and federal government officials to sort out.

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http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/californias-marijuana-majority/ 3/3 12/27/2016 The hunt for dollars to build the $64-billion bullet train - LA Times

The hunt for dollars to build the $64-billion bullet train

Construction on the California High-Speed Rail project is underway in Fresno. (California High-Speed Rail Authority)

By Ralph Vartabedian

DECEMBER 24, 2016, 3:00 AM

he California High-Speed Rail Authority quietly approached federal officials in July to discuss an ambitious solution to its most pressing problem, one that has hung over the project for more than T five years. The state does not know where to find all of the $64 billion it will cost to get the first passengers rocketing between San Francisco and Los Angeles on a bullet train.

With the Obama administration on its way out, it seemed like a good time to nail down more long-term federal support on the assumption that Hillary Clinton would be the next president.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-train-cash-20161224-story.html 1/5 12/27/2016 The hunt for dollars to build the $64-billion bullet train - LA Times So the state set up a meeting to ask the U.S. Department of Transportation to publicly announce a federal loan of up to $15 billion that would help build an initial rail segment from San Jose to Shafter, northwest of Bakersfield, which would cement federal support during the transition to a new presidential administration.

Such a loan — even the commitment for one — would also show potential private investors that the project was “creditworthy,” according to a briefing document for the meeting.

But federal officials did not go along with the state’s suggestion. “At this time, California has not submitted a financing request,” said Clark Pettig, press secretary for the Transportation Department. “ They are going to have to put a lot more money into this project than they thought. — Elizabeth Alexis, co-founder, Californians Advocating Responsible Rail Design

Federal officials are unlikely to make any new loans in the next month. Meanwhile, the election of Republican Donald Trump makes the rail authority’s funding problem more serious than ever.

The project has long been vilified by congressional Republicans, particularly by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), who has called it a “boondoggle” that was “doomed to fail from the start.”

And House rail subcommittee Chairman Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) has vowed to block any future federal funding for the project, citing long-standing concerns about its poor management controls and planning.

Senior congressional staffers say they don’t have any direct knowledge of Trump’s views or those of Elaine Chao, his pick for Transportation secretary, but they doubt they will attempt to challenge the existing Republican opposition to the project.

Robert Poole, transportation policy director at the libertarian Reason Foundation, said he too is doubtful that Trump and Chao would support the project with new money. Poole noted that Chao, a former deputy secretary at the Transportation Department, has supported projects that have private backing, something California’s bullet train lacks.

If those expectations are borne out, it would leave the project on a continued search to fill giant gaps in its funding, even as construction of rail bridges, viaducts and trenches through a section in Fresno accelerates.

Voters approved a $9-billion bond for what was then a $33-billion project in 2008, but most of that money has been hogtied by complex taxpayer protections that were part of the ballot proposition. The rail project has been unable to satisfy those rules.

The Obama administration provided $3.5 billion in grants. And California lawmakers gave the project rights to 25% of the proceeds from the state’s greenhouse gas permit auctions, but those funds have fallen sharply below http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-train-cash-20161224-story.html 2/5 12/27/2016 The hunt for dollars to build the $64-billion bullet train - LA Times expectations this year.

An effort to tap private investors for cash proved futile when more than two dozen companies said they wouldn’t put any money into the project until the state proves the system can operate profitably carrying passengers.

The most immediate problem is unlocking the bond funding, which could keep the project going for at least several years. The rail authority believes it has a solution, thanks to a key assist this summer from the Legislature — assuming the maneuver is legal.

Opponents have already filed a suit against the plan.

The original bond measure set up tough conditions: The rail authority had to identify all the sources of money needed to build a usable segment of high-speed rail before starting construction; it had to prove that it would not need an operating subsidy; it had to show it could design the system to move passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in two hours and 40 minutes; and much else.

Until now, the rail authority could not show it had all the money in hand to build an actual operating segment. But the Legislature found a fix.

Assemblyman Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) authored AB 1889, which addresses what the original act meant when it said a segment had to be “suitable and ready” for high-speed rail. Under the Mullin bill, the rail authority can use bond funds that would enable bullet train operations “after additional planned investments are made.” That means that the rail authority could spend the bonds without any immediate plan to carry passengers.

The bill also allows the rail authority in December to approve two funding plans.

One plan provides for building what amounts to a 119-mile test track from Madera to Shafter for $7.8 billion. After the testing is completed, the rail authority said in its funding plan that it would explore other uses for the track, though they would not immediately include high-speed trains.

Another funding plan, for $819 million, was approved to help convert the Caltrain commuter rail system from diesel to electric power along the route leading into San Francisco.

Stuart Flashman, a Bay Area attorney, filed suit against the funding plans immediately on behalf of several antirail groups and local government units, asserting it is unconstitutional for the Legislature to amend or alter a voter-approved proposition and bond act.

Flashman has said court rulings since the 1920s have gone against the Legislature and local boards that attempted to modify or clarify bond propositions.

“I told the high-speed rail board they need to take this back to the voters,” Flashman said. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-train-cash-20161224-story.html 3/5 12/27/2016 The hunt for dollars to build the $64-billion bullet train - LA Times Rail authority spokeswoman Lisa Marie Alley said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

Richard Hasen, a UC Irvine law professor and expert on election law, said that unless the bond act specifically granted the Legislature the power to make interpretations or amendments, the Mullin bill’s funding plans could be found unconstitutional.

But since the bond act does provide the Legislature with a major role in approving funding plans, the legal issues in the case could be quite complicated, Hasen added.

Alley said the two funding plans were “significant decisions … that will accelerate the program, continuing progress on the nation’s first high-speed rail program.”

The Mullin bill was so important that the rail authority apparently never moved ahead with its plan for a federal loan, according to sources knowledgeable about the matter.

The watchdog group Californians Advocating Responsible Rail Design obtained the briefing document about the loan plan under a Public Records Act request.

Elizabeth Alexis, a co-founder of the group, said the funding problems are putting California in exactly the position it wanted to avoid, increasing the state’s financial commitments while the benefits of an actual train service move further into the future.

“It is a desperate move,” she said. “It is exactly the bind that the Legislature didn’t want to put itself in. They are going to have to put a lot more money into this project than they thought.”

Mullin, whose district includes the section of Caltrain track that will be electrified, said his legislation simply “clarified the term ‘suitable and ready’ ” and will help the state to meet its obligation to deliver funding for an appropriation made in 2012.

Mullin said in a statement that he is confident the lawsuit against AB 1889 will be unsuccessful, noting that he had attorneys help draft his bill.

“Our transportation infrastructure has many needs, and AB 1889 will allow Caltrain to address one of those needs by moving forward with electrification of their system, providing both short- and long-term benefits,” Mullin said. “It’s going to be a big deal for the [San Francisco] Peninsula both economically and environmentally.” [email protected]

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State rail authority reduces size of future bullet train stations http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-train-cash-20161224-story.html 4/5 12/27/2016 Open & Public: Newly Revised Guide to the Brown Act Now Available | PublicCEO

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LAPD deputy chief’s move to San Francisco will be a ‘big loss’ Open & Public: Newly Revised Guide Click here for more headlines to the Brown Act Now Available SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY POSTED BY : WESTERN CITY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 21, 2016 NEWSLETTER!

By Eva Spiegel and Amanda Cadelago. Name: Name...

Transparency and open government are the cornerstones of a strong democracy. Public access to Email: Email Address... information and the decision-making process gives citizens the information and insight needed to Submit foster civic engagement and ensure accountability. The League has long been committed to providing tools and resources that help mayors, council members and city staff work effectively within a framework of openness and transparency to address the needs of their communities.

Open & Public V: A Guide to the Ralph M. Brown Act is one such tool, developed and originally published in 1989 by the League’s City Attorneys’ Department Brown Act Committee. City officials, residents and journalists find this practical guide to be an invaluable resource. The recently updated fifth edition of Open & Public explains the current provisions of California statutes and case law as of April 2016 and includes — for the first time — an annotated copy of the Brown Act. The publication covers:

Public participation in meetings;

Informal gatherings;

Public notice of meetings;

Agenda requirements;

Records and recordings;

The public’s place on the council agenda;

Labor negotiations; and http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/open-public-newly-revised-guide-to-the-brown-act-now-available/ 1/3 12/27/2016 Open & Public: Newly Revised Guide to the Brown Act Now Available | PublicCEO

Closed meetings.

Brown Act Committee Chair Michael Jenkins also serves as city attorney for Hermosa Beach, Rolling  Hills and West Hollywood. Reflecting on this perennially popular League publication, Jenkins says, “Open & Public is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the requirements of the Brown Act, California’s sunshine law. Though its subject is the law, the publication is oriented specifically for a lay readership to make the requirements of transparent local government easy for everyone to understand and practice.”

Open & Public V: A Guide to the Ralph M. Brown Act can be purchased online at www.cacities.org/publications for $35 per copy or $30 per copy for orders of 15 or more. The price includes tax, shipping and handling.

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Another helpful publication, The People’s Business: A Guide to the California Public Records Act, provides comprehensive information about the process of public records requests and how to respond. It addresses in detail the requirements of the California Public Records Act, which is central to conducting government operations in a transparent and open manner. The League offers this and additional resources at www.cacities.org/opengovernment for city officials and others who are interested in learning more about open government and transparency in California.

The Institute for Local Government (ILG), the League’s nonprofit research affiliate, also provides a variety of helpful publications and webinars that address ethics, public trust and transparency. In addition, ILG conducts AB 1234 (Chapter 700, Statutes of 2005) ethics training, in which the law requires elected officials to participate periodically. The ILG ethics and transparency website page covers:

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A complete archive of the “Everyday Ethics for Local Officials” columns, which appeared in Western City from 2002–14.

Visit www.ca-ilg.org/ethics-transparency for access to ILG’s comprehensive resources.

Eva Spiegel is communications director for the League and can be reached at [email protected]. Amanda Cadelago is marketing manager for the League and can be reached at [email protected].

© 2016 League of California Cities®. All rights reserved. Printed with permission from the December 2016 issue of Western City® magazine, the monthly publication of the League of California Cities®. For related information, visit www.westerncity.com.

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http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/open-public-newly-revised-guide-to-the-brown-act-now-available/ 2/3 12/27/2016 LA County public health officials want bigger role as toxic watchdogs

LA Daily News (http://www.dailynews.com)

LA County public health officials want bigger role as toxic watchdogs

By David Danelski, The Press-Enterprise

and Rachel Uranga, LA Daily News

Friday, December 23, 2016

Frustrated Los Angeles County public health officials are seeking to expand their role in regulating hazardous materials following a series of high-profile toxic releases that have roiled communities across Southern California.

In recent years, officials noted that L.A. County has been home to the nation’s largest methane release, in the San Fernando Valley; a Vernon battery plant that exposed surrounding communities to lead contamination; a toxic fire at a metal yard in Maywood and, most recently, the release of carcinogens from two metal processing companies in Paramount.

In all four cases, the companies responsible for the emissions had histories of noncompliance with various state or federal regulations. And the incidents were hardly isolated. In Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties, similar complaints have been lodged in recent years over emissions from industrial facilities.

“Do we have to wait until these are a crisis?” asked Angelo Bellomo, L.A. County’s deputy director of health protection. “There is a need for immediate government attention” and for re-examining the effectiveness of existing systems of government oversight, he said.

REPORT IDENTIFIES HOT SPOTS

In a report to the county Board of Supervisors, health officials have outlined an extensive plan to identify toxic hot spots near residential neighborhoods and more closely monitor operations of toxic emitters to minimize health risks. The report criticizes gaps in the current regulatory system and says a greater emphasis on public health effects from toxic releases is needed.

“We have a major obligation to influence the actions of the regulatory agencies so that they are focused foremost on health protection,” Bellomo said.

The proposal also calls for the county to play a larger role in coordinating efforts by local, state, federal agencies to prevent releases of hazardous materials and respond when major incidents occur.

Details of the proposal are still being developed. But it comes in response to a June action proposed by Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents the area near the Vernon battery plant, that makes environmental oversight a top budget priority. The board is expected to take up the plan in the coming weeks.

State and regional agencies say they already work closely with county agencies and note their investigations take place in a complex regulatory framework with limited resources. http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20161223/la-county-public-health-officials-want-bigger-role-as-toxic-watchdogs&template=printart 1/3 12/27/2016 LA County public health officials want bigger role as toxic watchdogs That structure often means their efforts to identify sources of pollution and crackdown on violators take longer than local officials, residents and even some regulators want.

“One of the problems is that the volume of work has never been fully understood, and the staffing has never been adequate,” said Florence Gharibian, a former branch chief of enforcement in the Los Angeles office of California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control. “The longer that goes on, the more serious the problem gets.”

MORE THAN 20,000 L.A. COUNTY COMPANIES HANDLE TOXIC WASTE

In Los Angeles County alone, she estimates that more than 20,000 companies handle hazardous waste, a daunting regulatory responsibility.

In Paramount, one of the two metal companies recently focused on by regulators was found to be emitting hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing substance, at levels hundreds of times above normal. However, records show the plant reported the release of elevated levels of the substance to regulators for years.

In Vernon, Exide Technologies for decades operated a lead-acid battery recycling plant that processed up to 120,000 tons a year of lead. State officials found airborne releases from the facility contaminated soil as much as 1.7 miles away and some children living nearby were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood. A $176.6 million cleanup in now underway.

In the northern San Fernando Valley leak at the Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage field, state regulators found Southern California Gas had delayed repairs on corroded pipelines. After a record release of methane and the evacuation of thousands of residents, the utility was slapped with a $2.25 million fine for neglecting to maintain equipment. And the scrap-metal yard in Maywood, which bordered homes, burned for more than a day, releasing toxic metal emissions that took weeks to clean up. The company had a long history of environmental violations, records show.

Despite ongoing state or federal oversight, the risks to residents in those cases weren’t averted, county officials note.

LACK OF ENFORCMENT JEOPARDIZES PUBLIC HEALTH

“The lack of timely and effect enforcement is placing the public health in jeopardy,” said Bellomo of the county health department “We can’t simply point to the regulatory agencies at the state level and say it’s their problem, not ours.”

One of the key state oversight agencies in Southern California is the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which regulates air pollution from factories and other facilities in Los Angeles, Orange Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Sam Atwood, a spokesman for the district, said Friday that the agency has a strong record of working cooperatively with county health officials to investigate toxic releases and take enforcement actions to protect communities. He noted that, among other things, county officials often use data proved by the air quality district for their assessments and regulatory actions.

In Paramount, he said, it was the air district that traced the toxic emission to Anaplex Corp. and Aerocraft Heat Treating Co. after another company was ruled out.

“We proceeded (in) lockstep with Los Angeles County health in taking every legal option available to see that Aerocraft and Anaplex take immediate actions to stop emissions of a cancer-causing chemical, hexavalent chromium, so that the health of the residents is protected,” Atwood said.

http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20161223/la-county-public-health-officials-want-bigger-role-as-toxic-watchdogs&template=printart 2/3 12/27/2016 LA County public health officials want bigger role as toxic watchdogs In recent days, Aerocraft agreed to a negotiated order that will reduce emissions to safe levels or allow the district to shut down company operations using chromium-6. Anaplex is awaiting a hearing before an administrative board after a Superior Court judge declined to grant county and air district officials an emergency restraining order against the company.

L.A. County’s public health department wants to demonstrate its model for a stepped up toxic oversight program in two low-income communities — East Los Angeles and Florence-Firestone in South Los Angeles. Both communities, like Paramount, are next to heavy industrial areas.

SOME BUSINESSES COMPLY, OTHERS OFF THE RADAR

“I think that what you are going to find is there will be facilities in compliance and others that are completely off the radar,” said Robina Suwol, executive director of California Safe Schools, an environmental justice group advocating for children’s health.

“It’s not uncommon for us to see businesses that have not been permitted or are unknown to regulators or enforcement agencies.”

That was the case in Paramount, where a cluster of metal processing facilities — many that make parts for the aerospace and manufacturing industry — are now being investigated. The city estimates there are about 80 of these types of businesses.

A multi-agency task force that includes the air district, county public health, state toxic regulators and others have combed the city for weeks, visiting more than 150 business. So far, air district officials have issued notices to 38 companies seeking more information about their operations, an indication that some could be operating without the correct permits.

That’s partly the larger lesson of recent toxic release cases, health officials say.

“We need to initiate these types of generalized inspections on an ongoing basis,” Bellomo said. “So we can detect noncompliance or intervene as soon as possible.”

URL: http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20161223/la-county-public-health-officials-want-bigger-role-as-toxic-watchdogs

© 2016 LA Daily News (http://www.dailynews.com)

http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20161223/la-county-public-health-officials-want-bigger-role-as-toxic-watchdogs&template=printart 3/3 12/27/2016 L.A.'s proposed ban on single adults near playgrounds is fear-based policy making at its worst - LA Times

Editorial L.A.'s proposed ban on single adults near playgrounds is fear-based policy making at its worst

Anahi Gildo pushes her daughter Aurora, 1, on a swing at Rio de Los Angeles State Park on Jan. 28. (Los Angeles Times)

By Th e Times Editorial B oard

DECEMBER 27, 2016, 5:00 AM

n an attempt to make Los Angeles parks seem super safe, City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell has proposed barring adults unaccompanied by children from entering playgrounds. It’s an effort, he said, I to keep city parks “free of creepy activity.” Who wouldn’t want to ban creepy activity or creepy people from playgrounds? But what O’Farrell is proposing goes far beyond targeting worrisome activities that, in most cases, are already outlawed. It would bar any adult from sitting on a bench, exercising or otherwise enjoying public space near playground unless he or she brought a child along. Is this really necessary?

His proposal is based on laws in place in a handful of major cities, including New York City, where police caused a minor uproar several years ago by ticketing people for sitting on playground-adjacent benches to eat http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-playground-ban-20161227-story.html 1/2 12/27/2016 L.A.'s proposed ban on single adults near playgrounds is fear-based policy making at its worst - LA Times donuts or play chess.

O’Farrell said he was inspired to propose the ban after residents in Hollywood complained that their local park had been taken over by drug dealers. That is real problem, and by all means, the city should crack down on illegal activity in playgrounds. But if drug dealing or vandalism is occuring at a site, then have police or park rangers patrol it regularly. If there is a childless adult hanging around, leering at kids or taking photographs, then enforce the state law that already makes it a criminal offense to loiter at a playground or school with an unlawful purpose.

O’Farrell argues that we can’t assume every adult who wanders into a children’s play area is benign. But why should the city assume that every adult without a child is a pedophile? That makes a childless adult a criminal just for being in a particular public space, which is an overreach that can lead to foolish enforcement — like ticketing people for sitting on a bench eating donuts.

This proposal is especially worrisome in light of the city’s effort to build more pocket parks to add open space and amenities in underserved areas. These small parks are often no more than a playground and some benches. Would childless adults be barred from taking advantage of the rare open space in their dense neighborhood? Surely there are smarter ways to deal with legitimate problems in public parks.

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Copyright © 2016, Los Angeles Times

This article is related to: Drug Trafficking, Crime

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-playground-ban-20161227-story.html 2/2 12/27/2016 Print Article: In Los Angeles, funds will support an effort to help people navigate the immigration system

In Los Angeles, funds will support an effort to help people navigate the immigration system By GRACE WYLER 2016-12-25 20:36:45

City and county officials in Los Angeles will spend millions, including some public money, to provide legal assistance to immigrants facing deportation.

The $10 million effort, known as the L.A. Justice Fund, is the most aggressive move yet by local officials gearing up to challenge an expected crackdown on illegal immigration by the incoming administration of Donald Trump. About half of the money will come from city and county governments, with the rest from private foundations.

Officials in Los Angeles said this month that the fund is aimed at ensuring efficiency and fairness in the immigration system. People in immigration courts aren’t guaranteed legal counsel, and research shows that immigrants who have lawyers stand a much better chance at staying in the country.

Whatever its results, the fund is an early sign of how Democratic politicians in California might try to make good on their promise to protect undocumented immigrants from any mass deportation attempts. And the fund’s creation sparks different reactions from players in the immigration debate.

“We don’t know how far the new administration will go when it comes to our nation’s immigration policy, but we’ve all heard the rhetoric, the dangerous rhetoric of the election,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said when the fund was announced. “And we are ready to support people who can’t afford or who don’t realize they might need a lawyer.”

Others say that it provides an unfair benefit to those living in the country illegally.

“The City Council is making a value judgment that says they think its more important to provide legal assistance to those who are here illegally than to provide assistance to U.S. citizens,” said Dave Ray, communications director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a Washington, D.C.,-based group that supports immigration restrictions. Ray suggested the money could be spent to help Los Angeles residents in other costly civil proceedings, like foreclosure or child custody cases.

The fund also could put immigrant residents of Los Angeles at a distinct advantage in Southern California’s byzantine immigration detention and court system. There are no known plans to create similar defense funds in Orange, Riverside or San Bernardino counties.

More than 50,000 people face removal proceedings in the Los Angeles immigration court, which covers a vast swath of Southern California. It’s unclear how many of the people have lawyers, but the national average is about 37 percent.

The lack of legal counsel is particularly acute for people held in the region’s four immigrant detention facilities, which include the massive Adelanto Detention Center in San Bernardino County and three jails in Orange County. In Adelanto, which has its own court, just 13 percent of detainees have lawyers, and about three- quarters of cases end in deportation.

“Without legal representation, people are extremely unlikely to make claims, even if they have them,” said UCLA Law School professor Ingrid Eagly. “And they are extremely unlikely to win those claims.” http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=739503 1/2 12/27/2016 Print Article: In Los Angeles, funds will support an effort to help people navigate the immigration system City and county officials in Los Angeles have not determined who will benefit from the new legal aid fund, although a motion passed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors stated that it would be limited to immigrants with ties to the county. The Los Angeles City Council will vote on the measure next month.

However the fund is allocated, it is clear the $10 million will not cover the costs of all Los Angeles residents facing removal proceedings or any of the immigrants from other parts of Southern California who face deportation in the same immigration courts.

“As grateful as we are for the philanthropy and the city and the county, it is a small amount of money in terms of the need that is out there,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center in Los Angeles.

The disparity highlights the lack of resources available to immigrants outside of Los Angeles. More than half a million undocumented immigrants in Southern California live outside of Los Angeles, including 270,000 in Orange County, 170,000 in San Bernardino County, and 161,000 in Riverside County, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.

“It underscores how underserved this population is,” said Luis Nolasco, a community engagement and policy advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union in San Bernardino. “There are really no services, and very few organizations that provide legal assistance to immigrants, particularly those facing detention and deportation.”

Though activists hope that the Los Angeles fund will be replicated in other parts of the state, Nolasco conceded that it’s unlikely local governments in Orange County and the Inland Empire will take similar steps to push back against federal immigration enforcement. Outside of Los Angeles, elected officials in Southern California have been less vocal to the incoming Republican administration about the issue.

The imbalance may be resolved at the state level. Positioning themselves as a bulwark against Trump’s agenda, Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento introduced a raft of immigration-related bills this month, including measures that would allocate as much as $80million to providing legal assistance to people facing deportation.

While California immigration activists laud the new legal aid proposals, critics question whether it makes sense to spend taxpayer funds to protect those living here illegally from federal immigration enforcement, particularly when it is not yet clear what policy changes the Trump administration will pursue.

“To take this pre-emptive strike, it sends the message to the incoming administration that we are in defiance of federal law,” said Robin Hvidston, executive director of We the People Rising, a Claremont-based group opposed to illegal immigration. “They are gearing up now for a question mark for the future.”

Contact the writer: [email protected]

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http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=739503 2/2 12/27/2016 Half of San Diego’s Homeless Are New to the Streets | PublicCEO

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DATA RELEASED THIS WEEK REVEALS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE Name: Name...

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BY LISA HALVERSTADT. Submit

San Diego saw a rush of newly homeless people last year.

About half of San Diego’s homeless population is newly homeless, according to data analyzed by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless.

The ongoing study paints a starker picture of San Diego’s homeless crisis than the annual point-in-time count, a census taken on a single morning every January.

Between last October and this September, researchers found more than 17,550 people had used homeless services – and many of them were new to the street or shelters. That’s roughly twice the number counted during this past January’s census.

And agencies who assist the homeless made nearly 10,300 new entries into a regional homeless services database meant to track those receiving help during the same period.

That number reflects folks who hadn’t accessed homeless services the previous five years, said Sue Lindsay, who leads the San Diego State University’s Institute for Public Health and was hired to help the Task Force analyze the data. http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/half-of-san-diegos-homeless-are-new-to-the-streets/ 1/3 12/27/2016 Half of San Diego’s Homeless Are New to the Streets | PublicCEO

Lindsay unveiled the numbers late Thursday at the Regional Continuum of Care Council meeting, where leaders countywide gather monthly to discuss strategies to address homelessness.

 “Now there are some who would say because the problem is growing we’re not doing enough so why do anything? What I would say is that we just need to do more,” said San Diego Housing Commission CEO Rick Gentry, who leads the regional council. (The group plans to merge with the Regional Task Force early next year.)

Gentry said he looked forward to further analysis of the numbers and noted one positive takeaway in the data: San Diego County agencies helped more than 6,600 homeless people move permanently off the streets last year.

The rub is that so many more became or remained homeless during that time.

Lindsay and Gentry believe the new data will allow local leaders to closely track their success and the needs of the homeless-serving community throughout the year.

The new data represents a new chapter for efforts to address homelessness in San Diego.

For years, San Diego’s homeless-serving community has largely relied on the results of the point-in- time count to shape local programs and initiatives. Regionally, it’s only had an anecdotal sense of the percentage of newly homeless clients versus those who have been using services for years.

There’s still much to sort out. Researchers have yet to do a deep dive into whether San Diego’s seen a larger boom in newly homeless people the past couple years, or to delve into the stories behind those newly homeless people.

Lindsay said they’re planning to scrutinize the data as much as they can in coming months. FOLLOW PUBLICCEO

Greg Anglea, executive director of nonprofit Interfaith Community Services, said the data validates a story that’s been largely anecdotal up to this point: There are many newly homeless San Diegans.   

“What we see with eyeballs in downtown and in other communities is really being backed up in a major 3,164 0 Subscribe Followers Fans Rss way by hard data,” Anglea said.

Originally posted at Voice of San Diego.

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http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/half-of-san-diegos-homeless-are-new-to-the-streets/ 2/3 12/27/2016 CalPERS Considers – Then Rejects – Efforts to End Tobacco Divestment | PublicCEO

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LAPD deputy chief’s move to San Francisco will be a ‘big loss’ CalPERS Considers – Then Rejects – Click here for more headlines Efforts to End Tobacco Divestment SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY POSTED BY : CAL WATCHDOG DECEMBER 21, 2016 NEWSLETTER!

By Steven Greenhut. Name: Name...

As the nation’s largest state-based pension fund, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System is Email: Email Address... known for using its massive investment muscle to promote various social-investment causes. So-called Submit ESGs – Environmental, Social and Governance issues – are a major theme for CalPERS, as it promotes broader board diversity, moves away from global-warming-creating carbon-intensive industries, and invests more in women-owned and minority-owned businesses, among many other values-oriented priorities.

Advocates for these types of investments often argue that it’s good business to focus more on “socially responsible” companies or to divest from others, but an ongoing debate at CalPERS suggests that isn’t always necessarily true. For months, CalPERS’ top investment officials have been setting the stage for a vote in the investment committee on Monday. They proposed ending CalPERS’ 16-year policy of divesting from tobacco stocks – a decision that analysts say has cost the underfunded system as much as $3 billion over the years as tobacco stocks have soared.

But in a 9-3 vote, the investment committee decided not only to maintain its current ban on tobacco investments, but to expand it further. As the Sacramento Bee reported, the committee’s vote is final because it includes all members of the governing board.

CalPERS depicted its original divestment decision as a financial rather than social one and committee members made the same point on Monday.

http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/calpers-considers-then-rejects-efforts-to-end-tobacco-divestment/ 1/4 12/27/2016 CalPERS Considers – Then Rejects – Efforts to End Tobacco Divestment | PublicCEO

In 2000, tobacco companies were facing lawsuits. But as the Wall Street Journal reported in April, “The MSCI World Tobacco index returned more than 309 percent in total returns over the decade from 2005 to 2015, compared with 172 percent total returns for the broader MSCI World consumer staples index,  according to FactSet.” And on Monday the committee also argued that tobacco investments still have long-term risks, despite the recent tobacco-stock performance.

Yet despite the financial justifications, there’s always been a strong social element about the divestment strategy. The latest remarks from top state officials and editorial boards makes clear that the tobacco-divestment issue is a social matter as much as a financial-performance-related one.

“Not only is this a predatory out-of-state industry whose child-baiting marketing tactics are disgraceful, but its product is responsible for more than $13 billion in annual health care costs,” said Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a statement after CalPERS announced a reconsideration of its policy. “Taxpayers will be forced to pick up part of that tab, including CalPERS’ own retiree health benefits. We cannot sell our soul for profit. Investing in death for a return is inexcusable.”

Treasurer John Chiang argued that CalPERS never totally divested from tobacco stocks, anyway. “It is time to end the charade that somehow CalPERS stopped investing in tobacco companies more than a decade ago. Our external managers currently have plowed a sizable $547 million in tobacco-related funds, according to the latest CalPERS staff estimates,” he said. Chiang called for CalPERS to divest from its indirect tobacco-related investments, too.

And the Los Angeles Times editorial board on Monday made clear just how much this fight is about social issues rather than financial ones: “Divestment is a difficult call for governmental pension funds. They have a clear fiduciary duty to maximize the returns on their members’ investments. But in our view, these public agencies also have a responsibility not to support evil, corrupt or destructive forces whose ill effects far outweigh any good they may do. That can take the form of products, like tobacco

and firearms, or regimes.” FOLLOW PUBLICCEO

Those who testified at the committee also made similar social-oriented points. They won the day, as the committee voted to divest of its remaining $547 million in tobacco-related investments – ones    invested by outside managers. 3,164 0 Subscribe Followers Fans Rss Not surprisingly, it’s been CalPERS’ investment staff that has focused more on financial returns. The committee’s investment agenda for its Monday meeting detailed three options. It could have removed all tobacco-investment restrictions. It could have expanded the divestment beyond the current restrictions – i.e., also restrict tobacco investments from externally managed portfolios. Or it could have left the current approach of divestment from internally managed portfolios. It chose option two.

“Divestment, as an active investment decision, represents a form of active risk taking that must be considered, first and foremost, within the context of the CalPERS Board of Administration’s fiduciary duty,” according to the staff report’s executive summary. “As a mature, cash-flow negative system, CalPERS is obligated to seek out and implement the portfolio construction methods that best serve our mission – the sustainable delivery of promised benefits. In efficient markets, however, limiting the opportunity set for investments has generally been shown to have a detrimental effect on performance, and CalPERS’ experience with its tobacco investment restrictions over the past 15 years has been no exception to the general rule.”

As CalPERS investment officials explained in public presentations to its board last month, as a public pension fund managing the assets of the state’s government employees, the agency’s prime responsibility to assure that it makes the best-possible investments to assure that it fulfills its pension promises to current and future retirees.

It’s worth reviewing the basics of how these pension funds operate. Typically in the private sector, employees receive defined-contribution plans, such as 401(k)s. The employee has some money deducted from the paycheck and invested in mutual funds. Sometimes the employer also contributes http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/calpers-considers-then-rejects-efforts-to-end-tobacco-divestment/ 2/4 12/27/2016 CalPERS Considers – Then Rejects – Efforts to End Tobacco Divestment | PublicCEO

a portion. If the investments do well, the employee retires with more money. If they don’t the employee has to make do with less.

 By contrast, government employees at the state and municipal level typically receive a defined-benefit plan, in which the government agency promises a set pension benefit based on a formula. The government employer pays a large share, with the employee also typically having money deducted to go toward the benefit. The pension fund invests those dollars. No matter what, the employee still receives the promised amount. If investments go sour, the size of the unfunded liabilities, or debt, grows and taxpayers are required to pick up the slack.

Given the potential impact on government budgets, these investment issues take on a highly political tone. CalPERS’ investment returns have been dismal in the past year, which creates pressure for reducing pension benefits or hiking investment returns. With the former a nonstarter in the current political environment, the latter becomes the subject of intense scrutiny. That’s what we’re seeing with the current debate in the CalPERS investment committee.

CalPERS staff had been leading the charge to a) further lower expected rates of return based on those disappointing recent results and predictions of a continued tough road ahead; and b) try to boost return rates by allowing staff to reinvest in soaring tobacco stocks. But the state Legislature apparently hasn’t gotten this message.

New legislation would call for CalPERS and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System to divest any holdings from a North Dakota oil pipeline that has been the source of protest by Native Americans and environmental activists. Certainly, any such divestments would mean little in an investment portfolio (in both funds) valued at $450 billion. But the Legislature is showing its desire to continue a push for more investment based on social concerns rather than strictly financial ones.

That’s always a risk in publicly controlled systems. That’s a tension that will continue, although Monday’s vote shows that CalPERS isn’t likely to soon abandon its current approach even in the face of mounting fiscal problems.

Originally posted at Cal Watchdog.

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 Previous Post Next Post  California’s Marijuana Majority Open & Public: Newly Revised Guide to the Brown Act Now Available http://www.publicceo.com/2016/12/calpers-considers-then-rejects-efforts-to-end-tobacco-divestment/ 3/4 12/27/2016 Political Road Map: California secession fever is nothing new. There's a rich history of wanting to slice up the state or split it off - LA Times

Column Political Road Map: California secession fever is nothing new. There's a rich history of wanting to slice up the state or split it off

Tom Knorr, chairman of a 2014 secession campaign in Tehama County, holds the State of Jefferson flag with a logo that dates to the 1940s. There have been more than 200 secession efforts in California's history. (Terry Chea / Associated Press)

By Joh n Myers

DECEMBER 24, 2016, 12:05 AM

alifornia’s famous chronicler Carey McWilliams once wrote that some see “this highly improbable state” as more illusion than reality. Perhaps that explains its residents’ perpetual efforts to shake C things up and break away — either from the national government or each other. Since 1849, more than 200 efforts have imagined a political do-over to the idea of California as a single, sprawling American state. Every attempt has failed.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-road-map-california-secession-20161224-story.html 1/3 12/27/2016 Political Road Map: California secession fever is nothing new. There's a rich history of wanting to slice up the state or split it off - LA Times “All major social and political movements in this country take time and inevitably have to overcome failures and setbacks before they are ultimately successful,” Louis Marinelli, the latest provocateur with secessionist dreams, told The Times in an email.

Marinelli, 30, is leading a new effort to make California an independent nation, complete with its own catch phase, “Calexit.” Last weekend, he went so far as to christen a California “embassy” in Moscow. (Marinelli, from San Diego, said he’s temporarily living in Russia while working on his wife’s immigration status.)

But even as some California lawmakers openly discuss their post-election funk about the United States, it’s the ultimate political Hail Mary. Assuming voters endorsed an independent nation in both 2018 and again in a 2019 special election, there’s legal doubt whether any state can exit the union.

Follow the latest happenings in Sacramento and W ashington w ith our Essential Politics new s feed »

What may be most striking is that anyone would assume there’s a shared state identity, when Californians more often have tried to go their separate ways.

State lawmakers sent their first breakup plan to Congress in 1859, but it was squashed by the onset of the Civil War. The equally unlucky, but colorful, Yreka Rebellion of 1941 saw a handful of Northern California counties join grumpy southern Oregonians to propose a new state called “Jefferson.” They threw a big party in Siskiyou County’s biggest town, Yreka, on Dec. 4, 1941.

Three days later, after the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, secession fever subsided.

As the song says, breaking up is hard to do. There was a 1965 failed legislative effort to create the nation’s 51st state with a dividing line at the Tehachapi Mountains that span Los Angeles and Kern counties, revisited and dismissed in 1978. And then, the early 1990s plan for an advisory ballot measure to gauge voter interest in splitting California into three states.

“I can't guarantee a perfect world, but I know that divided, more homogeneous Californias will be better than the gridlocks we have now,” Stan Statham, then a Republican state assemblyman, said in a 1993 Times story. Alas, his proposal died in the state Senate.

A 2009 plan would’ve carved California into separate coastal and inland U.S. states, presumably one favored by Democrats and one by Republicans. The idea was recycled in 2011 by state Sen. Jeff Stone (R-Temecula) while he was a Riverside County supervisor.

Few efforts garnered as much attention, or derision, as the 2014 campaign by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tim Draper to create six states out of California, with names like “Silicon Valley” and “West California.”

Draper, even after spending almost $5 million, failed to gather enough signatures to get his proposal on the ballot. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-road-map-california-secession-20161224-story.html 2/3 12/27/2016 Political Road Map: California secession fever is nothing new. There's a rich history of wanting to slice up the state or split it off - LA Times No secession effort has answered the practical questions — how to negotiate water rights, divvy up the existing state’s assets, pay for border security, just for starters. Still, it often sparks valuable public policy discussions.

How sustainable is it when the Bay Area’s per capita income is more than double that in the Central Valley? Why is poverty pocketed in a handful of regions? Does California, home to much of America’s recent job growth, get what it deserves from the federal government?

Those concerns may trigger bouts of secessionist fever, but few would dispute that they’re also a good start on a to-do list for California’s state and national leaders as 2017 comes into view. [email protected]

Follow @johnmyers on Tw itter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics new sletter and listen to the w eekly California Politics Podcast

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Updates on California politics

Copyright © 2016, Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-road-map-california-secession-20161224-story.html 3/3 12/27/2016 Print Article: Group believes California should form its own nation

Group believes California should form its own nation By JEFF HORSEMAN 2016-12-22 18:58:42

California has been described as a country unto itself. Could it be?

Yes California, a group advocating secession, filed paperwork with the state attorney general in November for a proposed 2018 ballot measure to strike language in the state constitution binding California to the United States.

This month, the group announced the opening of a “cultural center” in Moscow – “the first of many planned California culture centers which will serve to build a bridge between the nation of California and the nations of the world,” according to a statement on Yes California’s website.

If its ballot measure succeeds, Yes California would pursue a 2019 vote to declare the state’s independence. At least half of the state’s voters would have to cast ballots and 55 percent would have to choose independence for California to become its own nation, according to documents Yes California filed with the attorney general’s office.

Talk of California secession is nothing new. But it gained momentum after Donald Trump’s election. Hillary Clinton got 62 percent of California’s vote in defeating Trump, the largest margin of victory for a presidential candidate in the state since 1936.

The November election, which gave Republicans the White House and continued congressional dominance, underscored California’s political divergence from the rest of the country.

While the GOP controls most state legislatures and governorships, Republicans are a shrinking minority in the Golden State, where Democrats control the Legislature, 39 of 53 congressional seats and all statewide elected offices.

California’s Democratic leadership has vowed to fight Trump over his plans to deport undocumented immigrants and repeal Obamacare, and California’s battle against global warming is at odds with the views of climate change skeptics in Trump’s cabinet.

In arguing for independence, Yes California contends that the state’s tax dollars subsidize the rest of America and that red-state politics marginalize California’s more progressive values. California can stand alone as a world economic power, secession advocates say.

“We believe in two fundamental truths,” reads a statement on Yes California’s website. “(1) California exerts a positive influence on the rest of the world, and (2) California could do more good as an independent country than it is able to do as a just a U.S. state.”

Even if a ballot measure qualifies – 585,407 signatures are needed – and a majority of Californians want to secede, an independent republic of California faces very steep odds. The question of whether states can split was answered in blood by the Civil War and in law by an 1869 U.S. Supreme Court decision that found no right to secession in the U.S. Constitution.

http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821574 1/2 12/27/2016 Print Article: Group believes California should form its own nation According to Yes California, a path to secession exists through the U.S.-ratified United Nations charter. But it’s hard to see Washington recognizing U.N. authority on this issue, nor is it clear how many nations would risk America’s wrath by recognizing an independent California, home to 12 percent of the U.S. population and a vital part of the nation’s economy and food supply.

Independence activists could pursue a constitutional amendment to let California secede. But that requires ratification from three-fourths of the state legislatures.

California can assert itself in ways other than secession, said Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College.

“Federalism allows each state wide latitude in setting its own polices,” he said. “As (Gov.) Jerry Brown says, we could launch our own climate satellite (to study climate change) if the feds don’t want to.

“State officials can also push back in federal court, which is why Brown picked Xavier Becerra as attorney general,” Pitney added. Becerra, a Democratic congressman from Los Angeles, is widely expected to challenge the Trump administration in court, especially over immigration policy.

SPLIT THE STATE

Throughout California history, there’s been talk about splitting up the state and discussions of splitting from America. The state is politically divided between coastal and inland regions and the more liberal urban cores vs. more conservative rural areas.

While Clinton won the statewide vote, Trump won many of California’s less-populated, more inland counties, including Siskiyou and Modoc counties in the north and Kern County north of Los Angeles County.

The concept of the state of Jefferson, which would combine parts of rural Northern California with southern Oregon, dates to at least the 1940s. In recent years, county lawmakers and voters in five Northern California counties have approved ballot measures or passed resolutions in support of Jefferson.

In 2009, then-GOP Assemblyman Bill Maze proposed the state of Coastal California consisting of 13 counties, including Los Angeles and San Francisco. Maze argued that coastal liberals politically drowned out California’s more conservative regions.

The desire to create a conservative haven led then-Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone in 2011 to propose the state of South California. Thirteen counties, including Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino, would have been part of this 51st state.

In 2013, venture capitalist Tim Draper sought to split California into six states, which he said would be more responsive to local residents and easier to govern. A measure putting the six-state concept before voters failed to gain enough signatures.

So, it’s doubtful California will be divided into multiple states or split from the rest of the nation – unless the San Andreas fault gets active. Remember those “California’s shaking away” earthquake fears?

Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or [email protected]

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http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=821574 2/2 12/27/2016 Judge declares mistrial in ex-Sheriff Lee Baca’s corruption trial

LA Daily News (http://www.dailynews.com)

Judge declares mistrial in ex-Sheriff Lee Baca’s corruption trial

By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca walked out of federal court Thursday almost a free man after jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked and a judge declared a mistrial in his jail corruption trial.

The jury of six men and six women deliberated almost three days to determine if Baca was guilty of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. The charges stem from an investigation into inmate abuse inside Men’s Central Jail in 2011. After hearing testimony from almost 30 witnesses, viewing emails from officials and watching video of L.A. County sheriff’s deputies intimidate an FBI agent, all but one juror remained unconvinced that Baca had anything to do with trying to thwart a federal investigation into inmate abuse.

U.S. District Court Judge Percy Anderson said he considered many factors before declaring the mistrial, including the complexity of the case, the time taken to deliberate, exhaustion and what he called an effort to coerce one of the jurors.

“I’ve taken all these factors into account,” he said, adding “the public is served by declaring a mistrial.”

After the judge’s declaration, Baca, 74, stood outside the downtown L.A. federal courthouse with his attorney Nathan Hochman, his defense team and wife Carol Chiang and said he felt great but he had felt just as good before the trial started. He thanked the jury for taking his case to heart.

“The nature of this jury’s intense scrutiny of the whole facts in the case was extraordinary,” Baca said. “This is what America thrives on — is jurors that really care.’’

Hochman said Baca protected and served the people of Los Angeles County for 48 years. He also was thankful that 11 out of the 12 jurors found the prosecutor’s argument “came up short.”

Should the prosecution choose to retry the case, Hochman said he and Baca looked forward to “vigorously contesting any charges in the future.”

One juror, who only gave the name as “Sherry,” told reporters that one juror was biased against Baca and would not change his mind. She praised prosecutors for their presentation, but Baca’s name just couldn’t be linked to the crimes.

“I was looking through notes, trying to link Baca’s name and I couldn’t link it,” she said.

Another juror, who wouldn’t give her name, called the process difficult.

“We did our best,” she said. “I don’t feel there was any evidence that showed that Mr. Baca was guilty. Unfortunately, we were unable to set that in stone.” http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20161222/judge-declares-mistrial-in-ex-sheriff-lee-bacas-corruption-trial&template=printart 1/3 12/27/2016 Judge declares mistrial in ex-Sheriff Lee Baca’s corruption trial Prosecutors did not immediately address reporters on Thursday, nor issue a statement, or offer any indication of what their next step might be, but another charge is pending against Baca: making false statements to federal investigators. Still, federal prosecutors saw a string of victories related to the jail corruption investigation with nine deputies and those higher in the Sheriff Department’s chain of command already sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in the inmate jail abuse scandal. That includes former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, who was sentenced in June to five years in federal prison on similar charges to Baca’s.

U.S. prosecutors had said Baca was the “heartbeat” behind plans to thwart an FBI investigation into inmate abuse at the Men’s Central Jail. Sheriff’s Department personnel hid an FBI informant who obtained a cellphone in jail and they threatened a federal agent.

The mistrial was declared on an unusually tense day in the courtroom when Judge Anderson called several sidebars, some so lengthy that three reporters from local media outlets objected in court that the discussions were not being held in public.

Anderson later responded by saying he was not going to discuss those details because neither the defense nor prosecutors wanted the public to hear it.

Jurors were handed the case late Monday.

In closing arguments, Baca’s defense team rebutted the charges, saying the former sheriff knew nothing of the plan to derail the investigation but instead was open to improving conditions for inmates.

Both sides repeated those themes in their lengthy closing arguments, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Fox saying that Baca had a public persona, but in private he hid what he didn’t want the public to know.

“He abused his power to obstruct justice to ensure the inmates would not get to receive the rights they deserve,” Fox had told the jury. “He was going to do everything he could to keep investigators out.”

Hochman told the jury that prosecutors were trying to “poison your mind about Baca.” But he said they didn’t have enough evidence to link Baca to a conspiracy to obstruct justice nor to the obstruction charge.

“The mere fact that Sheriff Baca was at the top of the chain of command doesn’t mean he was personally responsible for these crimes,” Hochman said “He had an open-door policy. Sheriff Baca was very open in having multiple groups take a look into what was going on in the jails.”

Laurie Levenson, a criminal law professor at Loyola Marymount University, said she was not surprised by the mistrial, given how difficult this case was. In fact, federal prosecutors had made a plea agreement with Baca for a six-month jail term because they knew what evidence they had and didn’t have, Levenson said. That deal was dismissed by Anderson.

“There was no smoking gun,” Levenson said with regard to Baca ordering those below him to thwart the FBI investigation. She said she wasn’t certain if prosecutors would retry Baca. “This case doesn’t get better with time.”

Meanwhile, Peter Eliasberg, chief counsel of ACLU of Southern California, said it was his organization’s work that prompted the FBI’s investigation. The mistrial doesn’t absolve the Sheriff’s Department or the L.A. County Board of Supervisors of what he called “their dismissals of years of warnings from the ACLU that corrupt deputies engaged in a systemic pattern of physical abuse of inmates in the county jails.”

Ron Hernandez, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, said Baca and Tanaka’s mistakes resulted in a negative ripple effect on the department.

“It is past the time for the department to demonstrate it has engaged in self-reflection regarding the way it was managed and institute positive changes to make this a better led department,” he said in a statement. “Let us be http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20161222/judge-declares-mistrial-in-ex-sheriff-lee-bacas-corruption-trial&template=printart 2/3 12/27/2016 Judge declares mistrial in ex-Sheriff Lee Baca’s corruption trial the first to say that the only visible reaction to date — targeting deputies — is not that positive change,”

Ronda Hampton, a vocal critic of the department and the way deputies handled the case of Mitrice Richardson, a 24-year-old who went missing in Malibu in September 2009 and was found dead 11 months later, said Baca knew of the misdeeds occurring within the department.

“The bottom line is that he orchestrated or was at the very least a complicit part of cover-up and corruption,” Hampton said. “The most important aspect of all of this are the lives that were impacted by the abuse that he allowed to take place in his jail. When someone is harmed by those whom are supposed to protect and serve, harm is done directly to the victim, the loved one’s of the victims, as well as the community as a whole. When the community loses trust in its law enforcement, then all order is lost.”

Baca, who retired from the Sheriff’s Department in 2014, said Thursday he worked to stop the abuse in the jails and tried to mentor inmates through education programs. He’s expected back to court next month for a status conference.

URL: http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20161222/judge-declares-mistrial-in-ex-sheriff-lee-bacas-corruption-trial

© 2016 LA Daily News (http://www.dailynews.com)

http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20161222/judge-declares-mistrial-in-ex-sheriff-lee-bacas-corruption-trial&template=printart 3/3 12/27/2016 The Baca mistrial explained: What you need to know about the former sheriff's case - LA Times

The Baca mistrial explained: What you need to know about the former sheriff's case

A mistrial was declared Dec. 22 in the corruption case against former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.

By Victoria Kim, Joel Rubin and Sh elby Grad

DECEMBER 22, 2016, 3:05 PM

t was supposed to be the culmination of an expansive prosecution of corruption and misconduct in the I Los Angeles County jail system. After winning convictions against many lower-level figures in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, federal prosecutors brought charges against the man who had led the agency for 15 years.

But on Thursday, a jury deadlocked on whether former Sheriff Lee Baca tried to obstruct an FBI investigation into allegations of abuse and other misconduct by his jail deputies.

That led the judge to declare a mistrial.

Ex-L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca's obstruction trial ends in mistrial; jurors hopelessly deadlocked » http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-bacaqa-20161222-story.html 1/3 12/27/2016 The Baca mistrial explained: What you need to know about the former sheriff's case - LA Times Here is a breakdown of the issues in the case.

What was Baca accused of doing? Baca, 74, was accused of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and of making false statements to federal investigators about his involvement in the plan to interfere with the jail investigation.

Prosecutors allege that Baca resented the FBI’s efforts to investigate his jails and believed sheriff’s officials should, as he said in a TV news interview, “police ourselves.” The U.S. attorney’s office has secured convictions in the obstruction case against nine former sheriff’s officials, including Baca’s second-in-command. Several other deputies have been convicted of civil rights violations in connection with the abuse allegations.

What was his defense? Baca’s attorneys maintained that although he was upset with federal officials for keeping him in the dark about their operation, his motivation was not to impede the federal investigation. Undersheriff Paul Tanaka was the one who directed the rank-and-file deputies to take steps to foil the FBI probe, a defense lawyer told the jury. Baca did not know what was going on, the defense argued.

"The mere fact that Sheriff Baca was sheriff … does not make him criminally responsible for what went on down below,” his attorney, Nathan Hochman said.

Hochman disputed prosecutors’ claims that Baca was driven to act out of worry the FBI investigation would ultimately zero in on his failures to address the jail crisis. To the contrary, the attorney said, Baca had no motive to keep the FBI from investigating his jails because allegations about abusive deputies had been made for years and he had taken steps to correct the issue.

And far from throwing up obstacles in front of the FBI, Hochman said, Baca had wanted only to get information about what was going on in his jails and the identities of potentially corrupt and abusive deputies. He said the sheriff took action because he was being “stonewalled” by his federal counterparts.

Full Coverage: L.A. County jail system under scrutiny »

Hasn’t this argument been used before by other sheriff’s officials accused of wrongdoing in the jail scandal? The claim of ignorance was attempted before by Tanaka, who was tried earlier this year on the same charges Baca now faces. He told jurors he had had no hand in the obstruction, which he blamed on Baca. Tanaka was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. He is appealing the conviction.

Along with Tanaka, eight others from the department’s middle and lower ranks have been convicted or pleaded guilty in connection with the obstruction.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-bacaqa-20161222-story.html 2/3 12/27/2016 The Baca mistrial explained: What you need to know about the former sheriff's case - LA Times Is Baca ill? Yes. He is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Had he been convicted, he could have faced several years in prison.

Didn’t Baca at one point have a deal in the case? Yes.

Baca, who stepped down as sheriff in 2014 as the scandal engulfed the department, had tried to avoid putting his fate in the hands of a jury. Earlier this year, with the U.S. attorney’s office preparing to seek criminal charges against him, Baca struck a plea deal with prosecutors in which he would admit to a single charge of making false statements to investigators and avoid the more serious obstruction charges. Under the terms of the agreement, prosecutors agreed that Baca would serve no more than six months in prison.

The deal fell apart, however, when U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson, who has handed down stiff sentences to the other sheriff’s officials convicted in the earlier trials, decided it was too lenient and made clear he intended to put Baca behind bars for a longer time. Baca opted to take his chances at trial.

What were the deliberations like? In deliberations this week, jurors requested to review several pieces of evidence, including testimony by a former Times reporter and a former assistant sheriff.

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Copyright © 2016, Los Angeles Times

This article is related to: Crime, Lee Baca, FBI, Paul Tanaka

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-bacaqa-20161222-story.html 3/3 12/27/2016 Future trials for ex-Sheriff Lee Baca still up in the air

The Pasadena Star-News (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com)

Future trials for ex-Sheriff Lee Baca still up in the air

By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News

Saturday, December 24, 2016

A jail corruption scandal that has dogged the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department since 2011 failed to go away completely by the end of this year, as federal prosecutors still must decide if they’ll retry former Sheriff Lee Baca on obstruction and conspiracy charges as well as move forward with another charge against him.

There was no word or indication Friday if prosecutors were going to pursue a new trial against him after a mistrial was declared a day before. The jury had become “hopelessly deadlocked,” with 11 out of 12 finding Baca not guilty in connection with thwarting an FBI investigation in the summer of 2011 into inmate abuse at Men’s Central Jail.

If he had been found guilty, Baca would have been the 10th person and the highest ranking officer convicted in the overall investigation into abuses within the jails.

In separate statements released Thursday, the ACLU of Southern California and the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs said the mistrial doesn’t make the failures of the department’s past disappear.

“The fact that the jury could not reach a decision in this case does not absolve the failure in leadership of those in the department at the time of these crimes,” ALADS President Ron Hernandez said.

Laurie Levenson, a criminal law professor at Loyola Marymount University, told this news organization Thursday she could see the possibility of prosecutors coming back with a new plea deal to avoid a retrial.

Still pending is a third charge against Baca of making a false statement to federal investigators. U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson ruled earlier this month to allow a separate trial to be held for that charge. He agreed with prosecutors that testimony from a defense expert who is expected to say Baca was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease while being investigated would result in juror confusion and unfair prejudice to the government because Baca would appear sympathetic.

Both prosecutors and Baca’s defense team are expected to be in court for a status conference on Jan. 10.

In addition, Anderson is expected to schedule a surrender date for former L.A. County Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, who was found guilty on obstruction and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to five years in federal prison. A federal appeals court denied Tanaka the chance to remain free while he appeals his conviction on obstruction of justice charges.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Tom Carey, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of making false statements linked to the same federal investigation, is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 30.

Other sentences for deputies accused of abusing inmates also are pending. http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20161224/future-trials-for-ex-sheriff-lee-baca-still-up-in-the-air&template=printart 1/2 12/27/2016 Feds had a win streak in L.A. jails scandal. Then they took on the former boss - LA Times

Feds had a win streak in L.A. jails scandal. Then they took on the former boss

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca talks to reporters outside the federal courthouse earlier this week after his obstruction case ended in a mistrial, with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

By Joel Rubin and Victoria Kim

DECEMBER 24, 2016, 3:00 AM

he team of federal prosecutors was on a roll. T For nearly five years, the Public Corruption and Civil Rights section of the U.S. attorney’s office had been building and winning cases against a group from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department accused of carrying out a plan to obstruct a federal investigation into allegations of inmate abuse at the county jails.

The prosecutors worked their way up the chain of command. But when it went after its last and largest target — former Sheriff Lee Baca — the government’s run of wins came to an abrupt end this week.

The mistrial declared Thursday after jurors deadlocked 11 to 1 in favor of acquitting Baca of conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges affirmed what even prosecutors knew going into the trial: Convicting Baca would http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-baca-obstruction-trial-20161223-story.html 1/5 12/27/2016 Feds had a win streak in L.A. jails scandal. Then they took on the former boss - LA Times be much harder than the others.

In the end, the government failed to convince all but one juror that Baca had harbored malicious intent and played a direct role in the plot to interfere with federal authorities, an outcome that underscores the difficulty of trying to tie top public officials to corruption carried out by subordinates, interviews with jurors and legal experts showed.

“It is always challenging to pursue cases such as these, where the government is seeking to hold criminally responsible a highly regarded public servant at the highest levels of law enforcement,” said Miriam Krinsky, a former federal prosecutor who led a commission on jail violence and who has closely followed the trial. “The prosecution of an iconic and respected figure such as Lee Baca was particularly challenging.”

The government itself acknowledged the weaknesses underlying its case in court papers related to a deal that Baca and prosecutors struck earlier this year.

In June, Assistant U.S. Atty. Brandon Fox, the lead prosecutor in the obstruction cases, filed a memo explaining why the judge should approve the deal. Under the terms of the agreement, Baca would plead guilty to a lesser charge of making a false statement to federal investigators in exchange for no more than six months in prison.

The proposed time behind bars was significantly less than the sentences U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson had given to the defendants in the other obstruction cases, and Fox tried to convince Anderson that the comparatively light punishment was justified because the evidence against Baca was relatively weak.

“While he was at the top of the organization, the evidence does not show that he was as involved...as his subordinates were,” Fox wrote. Fox declined to be interviewed for this article.

In his memo, the veteran prosecutor went through the various aspects of the obstruction scheme, which included hiding from FBI agents an inmate who was working as their informant, witness tampering, and intimidating the lead agent in the case.

For each, Fox wrote, “The investigation has revealed no evidence that defendant Baca was aware.” By contrast, prosecutors had managed to win a conviction against Baca’s top aide, then-Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, on a bounty of emails, phone records and other evidence that showed he had led the group that carried out the alleged scheme.

Anderson ultimately rejected Baca’s plea deal, saying it was too lenient. With the judge indicating he would hand down a far stiffer sentence, Baca opted to take his chances with 12 of his peers.

At the trial, the government recast Baca in a much harsher light.

In the absence of clear evidence of the former sheriff’s direct involvement in the plan to thwart the investigation, Fox and his team were left to build a more circumstantial case that Baca had helped devise the http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-baca-obstruction-trial-20161223-story.html 2/5 12/27/2016 Feds had a win streak in L.A. jails scandal. Then they took on the former boss - LA Times plan and been kept in the loop by Tanaka.

Their argument, said Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor, was essentially, “He must’ve intended it because he didn’t call it off.”

Despite Fox’s claims to the jury that Baca was “the heartbeat” of the conspiracy and his portrayal of the former sheriff as a vindictive, territorial leader, it ultimately was a hard sell against a decorated veteran sheriff, Levenson added.

“It was great rhetoric, but it’s hard to prove that when Baca’s sort of on the edges,” she said. “He just is not as venal as other defendants.”

Most of the sheriff’s subordinates convicted of obstruction were still pursuing appeals when prosecutors began putting on their case against Baca, leaving the government with few witnesses willing to testify about their interactions with the sheriff during the six weeks in 2011 when the alleged plan played out. Fox chose not to call one possible witness, former Capt. William “Tom” Carey, who had already pleaded guilty to making false statements to the grand jury in the case.

Instead, prosecutors relied on more peripheral witnesses, including a former L.A. Times reporter, who said Baca told him that he directed two sergeants to visit the home of the lead FBI agent on the civil rights investigation. The sergeants confronted the agent and falsely informed her they were obtaining a warrant for her arrest. “ ...there just wasn’t enough concrete evidence that had Baca ties to it — William Neal, jury foreman

Prosecutors alleged the move was an attempt to intimidate the agent and get the FBI to back off. A former U.S. attorney, now a federal judge, recalled phone calls and meetings with Baca in which he said the then-sheriff was angry and seemed to be in the know about developments in the case.

Two other deputies who had been convicted of playing a part in the conspiracy told jurors that while they had little to no contact with Baca, it was made clear to them the orders came all the way from the top. One said he watched a nervous supervisor walk into Baca’s office to notify him that deputies had mistakenly allowed FBI agents to meet with the inmate who was working as a federal informant.

But jury foreman William Neal sai in an interview with The Times after the mistrial that he and fellow jurors were unconvinced.

The panel had begun deliberations split on Baca’s guilt, but over more than three days of talks, all but one of the jurors came to the consensus that prosecutors had failed to connect the retired sheriff to the actions in the http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-baca-obstruction-trial-20161223-story.html 3/5 12/27/2016 Feds had a win streak in L.A. jails scandal. Then they took on the former boss - LA Times case, Neal said.

“That was one of the main points, at least for me and the majority of us, that there just wasn’t enough concrete evidence that had Baca ties to it,” he said. “That’s where reasonable doubt came into play.”

The single holdout juror, though, seemed to feel adamant that it added up to prove Baca responsible, Neal said.

“He agreed that a lot of the evidence was circumstantial, but as a collective whole, it showed that he was, in his mind, guilty. He didn’t feel like he could be moved from this stance,” he said.

Another juror, who gave her name only as Sheri, said the holdout juror appeared “biased” from the start and not open to discussion. For her, looking through her own trial notes for Baca’s name made it clear that he didn’t know what was going on, she said.

“Phone calls, emails, looking for specifics. Is he guilty or not? That’s what we kept on looking for,” she said.

She said she went into the case thinking Baca, as the sheriff, would have been kept in the loop. But as she heard the evidence, it became apparent he was not, she said. As to the problems in the jails, she said, the prosecution did not make a convincing case that he was ignoring them.

“I believe he knew that there were things happening in the jail that shouldn’t have. I definitely think he knew. But I think he was taking care of it,” she said.

The U.S. attorney’s office must now decide whether to retry Baca on the charges. He also faces a possible separate trial on the charge he had previously agreed to plead guilty to — making false statements to federal authorities. [email protected] [email protected]

For more new s on Los Angeles County’s jail abuse scandal, follow us on Tw itter: @joelrubin and @vicjkim

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