Supervisor Dawn Rowe in Legal Limbo | Z107.7 Fm

1/15/2020 SUPERVISOR DAWN ROWE IN LEGAL LIMBO | Z107.7 FM

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z1077fm.com/supervisor-dawn-rowe-in-legal-limbo/ 1/3 1/15/2020 SUPERVISOR DAWN ROWE IN LEGAL LIMBO | Z107.7 FM

JANUARY 15, 2020 | Z107.7 NEWS | LEAVE A COMMENT

Showing respect for a court decision that ruled that County Supervisors must rescind her appointment to the 3rd District seat on their Board, County Supervisor Dawn Rowe told Z107.7 News that while she is still legally in ofce, she is no longer acting in an ofcial capacity.

Until the full Board of Supervisors votes to rescind her appointment, she remains in a sort of political limbo, still in ofce, but not acting in an ofcial capacity. The supervisors are expected to formally rescind the appointment when they meet January 28.

A lawsuit by I.E. United, a political action group whose stated purpose is to get more progressives elected to ofces in the Inland Empire, claimed that the Board violated the State’s open meeting laws in the appointment process. The board originally stated it would interview all applicants for the seat of James Ramos, who resigned when he was elected to the State Assembly. However, when 48 residents applied, the supervisors changed the interview process to one in which each supervisor would email his or her top 10 choices to the board clerk, which would compile a list of those who appeared on multiple lists, and those were the applicants who would be interviewed. A judge agreed with I.E. United and ordered Towe’s seat vacated. The County appealed that ruling and asked that Rowe remain in ofce until the appeal is ruled on.

On January 8, the judge ruled that Rowe cannot stay in ofce pending appeal and ordered the seat be vacated. The county has appealed to the State Supreme court.

When the Supervisors vote to rescind the appointment, the Governor can then choose to either appoint a supervisor or wait until the upcoming election, leaving the 3rd District unrepresented for up to 10 months.

While the Supervisor’s position is supposedly non-partisan, politics are involved. The Governor is a Democrat, while Rowe is a Republican. Rowe has a lot of support; 11 mayors and some county labor unions have indicated they want the Governor to simply appoint Rowe back into the seat.

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z1077fm.com/supervisor-dawn-rowe-in-legal-limbo/ 2/3 1/16/2020 Officials prepare for State of County 2020, Regional Business Summit - News - vvdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Ocials prepare for State of County 2020, Regional Business Summit By Rene Ray De La Cruz Staff Writer Posted Jan 14, 2020 at 6:51 PM Updated Jan 14, 2020 at 6:51 PM SAN BERNARDINO — The County will hold its “Vision 2020”-themed State of the County and Regional Business Summit at the Toyota Arena in Ontario next month to highlight a decade of change across the region.

During the event, slated for Feb. 5, San Bernardino County officials will also look ahead at the people and places expected to impact the area in the next 10 years, according to a news release.

A demonstration of the county’s growth, as well as its resulting impact on the local and regional economy, will be featured during the event. The long-term effects of the Countywide Vision will also be discussed.

In addition, the event will profile business leaders who will share their thoughts on critical issues. Those leaders will represent the High Desert Training Center, ReRubber, Connect Homes, East Valley Water District, Haven City Market and the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority.

The High Desert Training Center is set to open in April 2020 at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, according to John Nahlen, Victor Valley College’s interim deputy superintendent/executive vice president of Administrative Services.

The Center will offer hands-on programs to better prepare the local workforce for success within local industries, including avionics, manufacturing, building materials and mining.

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20200114/officials-prepare-for-state-of-county-2020-regional-business-summit 1/2 1/16/2020 Officials prepare for State of County 2020, Regional Business Summit - News - vvdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Stirling Capital Investments and Prologis Inc. entered into an agreement with VVC to donate an existing building at SCLA for a 10-year term. VVC Superintendent-President Daniel Walden will oversee operations at the new training facility.

More than 1,000 business representatives, and government and community leaders have attended the county’s annual event to hear from the Board of Supervisors, gain insight from top business leaders and experience impact- oriented networking.

In the fall of 2010, the Board connected with residents, businesses, nonprofits and other agencies to create the Countywide Vision.

Since its adoption, the program has served as a catalyst for collaborative solutions to critical issues such as public safety, housing, education, technology and more. Vision 2020 will be an opportunity to share some of the program’s successes.

Tickets are $50 per person for the event scheduled from 3:30 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the Toyota Arena, 4000 Ontario Center, Ontario. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit www.SelectSBCounty.com/major-initiatives/state-of- the-county.

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

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20200114/officials-prepare-for-state-of-county-2020-regional-business-summit 2/2 1/16/2020 State postpones vote on 2nd Virgin Trains bond allocation - News - vvdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

State postpones vote on 2nd Virgin Trains bond allocation By Martin Estacio Staff Writer Posted Jan 15, 2020 at 7:53 PM Updated Jan 15, 2020 at 7:53 PM The Apple Valley-to-Vegas line would provide an economic shot in the arm to the Victor Valley, local officials say.

SACRAMENTO — The development plan for a high-speed train from Apple Valley to Las Vegas was lauded Wednesday by local officials, who said the project would provide a much-needed economic boost to the High Desert by bringing in thousands of jobs and affordable housing.

In Sacramento, officials spoke during a meeting of the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee, which includes State Treasurer Fiona Ma.

The meeting was held to decide whether to award Virgin Trains USA its second allocation of $300 million in private activity, tax-exempt bonds to subsidize the rail project.

An initial allocation of the same amount was approved by the committee last year.

Although the committee ultimately postponed its decision on issuing the second allocation until next month, Virgin Trains presented an analysis that predicted the project would be an economic shot in the arm, particularly for Apple Valley and Victorville.

“You are providing the ability for a public-private partnership that is going to be able to move ... the Victor Valley area ... to the current century,” Apple Valley Town Council member Art Bishop said during the meeting.

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20200115/state-postpones-vote-on-2nd-virgin-trains-bond-allocation 1/3 1/16/2020 State postpones vote on 2nd Virgin Trains bond allocation - News - vvdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

According to Virgin Trains’ development plan, the company owns 300 acres in north Apple Valley where the proposed train station would be built south of Dale Evans Parkway and just east of Interstate 15.

The company predicts potential for the construction of nearly 1,700 housing units nearby upon completion of the station in 2023. For Apple Valley and Victorville, an additional 1,800 multi-family housing units could be supported.

Virgin Trains officials stressed this impact, as Gov. Gavin Newsom has set a statewide goal of 3.5 million new homes by 2025 to combat California’s housing crisis.

The high-speed rail project is also expected to create more than 20,000 construction jobs, 600 permanent positions and provide an additional link to employment in Las Vegas.

Officials say an average trip to Sin City aboard the train would likely take about 90 minutes.

Along with shortening the commute, the train would remove 100,000 metric tons of carbon emissions by taking 2.8 million cars off the road annually, according to Virgin Train’s plan.

Apple Valley Town Manager Doug Robertson and Victorville City Manager Keith Metzler emphasized that the train would be a catalyst for growth in two additional projects.

For Apple Valley, the station would be located near 6,600 acres of land that was zoned for industrial development via adoption of the North Apple Valley Industrial Specific Plan in 2006.

That area plays host to, most notably, a Walmart Distribution Center and Victor Valley College’s Regional Public Safety Training Center.

A 1.3-million-square-foot Big Lots Distribution Center nearby is expected to open in the spring and bring upwards of 500 new jobs to the area, according to previous Daily Press reports.

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20200115/state-postpones-vote-on-2nd-virgin-trains-bond-allocation 2/3 1/16/2020 State postpones vote on 2nd Virgin Trains bond allocation - News - vvdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

In Victorville, a more than 10,000-acre site at the city’s northern edge, known as Desert Gateway, would likely be brought to fruition, resulting in the development of thousands of new housing units.

Development, however, would require Victorville to apply for annexation with the Local Agency Formation Commission for San Bernardino County, as the parcels are outside city limits, according to Virgin Train documents.

LAFCO approved a similar annexation of nearly 1,370 acres for Apple Valley in March 2019. A portion of that acreage is where Virgin Trains plans to build its station by 2023.

At Wednesday’s meeting, California Debt Limit Allocation Committee members said they needed more federal assurance before approving the second bond allocation of $300 million.

A letter the committee’s staff received Wednesday from the Federal Railroad Administration said the agency didn’t anticipate any further environmental studies related to the rail project, but hadn’t issued a final decision.

Committee members said they would need that decision before considering bond approval at a February meeting. A Virgin Trains representative said it was likely that the FRA would find no need for additional studies.

If approved, the company would be able to leverage the total $600 million allocation to four times that amount — or $2.4 billion — due to federal rules concerning high-speed intercity rail facilities.

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

https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20200115/state-postpones-vote-on-2nd-virgin-trains-bond-allocation 3/3 Workers say 10 employees hired by Rialto water district manager were unqualified, especially this one – Press Enterprise

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NEWS Workers say 10 employees hired by Rialto water district manager were unqualified, especially this one Cronyism blamed for hiring a water systems operator who was fired from two previous jobs and described as a 'severe liability'

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https://www.pe.com/...this-one/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_campaign=socialflow[1/15/2020 4:57:24 PM] Workers say 10 employees hired by Rialto water district manager were unqualified, especially this one – Press Enterprise

R West Valley Water District employee Gabriel Bostan. (Courtesy of West Valley Water District)

By SCOTT SCHWEBKE | [email protected] and JOE NELSON | [email protected] | Orange County https://www.pe.com/...this-one/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_campaign=socialflow[1/15/2020 4:57:24 PM] Workers say 10 employees hired by Rialto water district manager were unqualified, especially this one – Press Enterprise

 Register PUBLISHED: January 15, 2020 at 4:54 pm | UPDATED: January 15, 2020 at 4:55 pm

Workers at the West Valley Water District in Rialto have singled out 10 employees hired by General Manager Clarence Mansell who they say are unqualified and a potential liability to the district, including a man with a history of improperly disposing hazardous waste and using physical force against co-workers.

A Dec. 9 letter to the president of the West Valley Water District Ratepayers Association identified Gabriel Bostan, a recently promoted water quality operator, along with nine other employees believed to have been hired because of their personal relationships with Mansell and district board member Mike Taylor.

“For some time now and especially after the hiring of Clarence Mansell, the opportunities for employees who have been with the department for years have diminished,” according to the letter, whose author asked not to be identified out of fear of retaliation. “Positions have been created, job descriptions have been modified and interviews have been forgone or faked in order to bring in acquaintances of Clarence Clarence C. Mansell Jr. (Courtesy photo) Mansell or at the request of Mike Taylor who either have little or no experience in the water industry.”

The memorandum, sent three days before 16 district managers signed a letter of no confidence demanding Mansell be fired, says widespread cronyism exposes the district to financial and safety risks and scrutiny from the state Department of Public Health.

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“These employees are in many cases a liability to the district due to their lack of experience or knowledge and placed in positions that require certifications and/or degrees, or hands-on experience in order to maintain a functional water department,” states the letter to ratepayer association President Don Griggs and a former West Valley general manager, Butch Araiza.

However, Mansell maintains proper hiring procedures have been followed.

“In the hiring of our employees, district staff adhered to the selection process set forth in the human resources policies and procedures manual,” he said. “That process included advertising the job position, selecting the best candidate through an interview process, executing a background check and medical examination. As with all employees, job performances at the district are routinely monitored and evaluated per district policies and procedures.”

Board member Greg Young, one of Mansell’s main adversaries, said in a statement he was “deeply concerned about these serious revelations.”

“It shows a consistent pattern of inappropriate hires by Mr. Mansell and underscores yet another reason why the board must take action to remove him as general manager,” Young said. “The people of the district and the employees deserve better and I will continue to demand real change at West Valley.”

History of job-related problems

Bostan, a 64-year-old Romanian immigrant, stands out as one of Mansell’s most controversial hires, according to district employees. Educated as an engineer, he came to the U.S. in 1986 and was hired by the city of Corona as a wastewater treatment plant operations supervisor in 1999. Less than a year later, he was fired after a slew of reprimands for misconduct. U.S. Departm Labor Administrative Rev Constitution Avenu Washington, DC 2 USDOL/OALJ

Records show Bostan repeatedly used a city vehicle for personal business, failed to follow proper safety procedures resulting in injury to another operator, made mistakes scheduling employees, gave workers time off without providing replacements, and exhibited poor interpersonal skills. The final straw came when Bostan failed to order bioxide to treat odors at the plant he managed that was the focus of public complaints.

Bostan filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor alleging he was fired for whistleblower retaliation in raising concerns that a noncertified operator was running the wastewater facility where he worked. An administrative law judge found the retaliation allegations unsubstantiated and dismissed the complaint.

Controversy continued to follow Bostan when he supervised seven wastewater treatment plants for the Los Angeles County Internal Services Department from 2000 until his firing in 2015. He was terminated after instructing staff and a vendor to spread sludge that contained dangerous levels of mercury, lead and chromium on soil at the Miller and Kilpatrick Wastewater Treatment Plant Rehabilitation Project in Malibu.

The sludge dumped near a creek could have contaminated groundwater flowing into Malibu and cost Los Angeles County $51,145 to clean up, according to records obtained by the Southern California News Group.

William Balderrama, an attorney who represented Los Angeles County after Bostan appealed his firing to the county Civil Service Commission, described the dumping as dangerous.

“Petitioner is undoubtedly a severe liability to the county,” he said, according to records. “This is not a case of negligence where the dumping was done by accident. Here, petitioner’s misconduct was deliberate and egregious.”

Citing other misconduct, the county compared Bostan’s time sheets and mileage logs for eight days in August and September 2013 and determined that on four days he was paid additional overtime that he did not work, and on the remaining days worked more hours than authorized, records show. In another instance, Bostan enabled an employee he supervised to be paid for overtime work that was not performed.

Bostan also had a lengthy history of discipline while employed by Los Angeles County, including a 15- day suspension in January 2014 for using physical force against an employee he supervised, according to records. Furthermore, he was issued written reprimands in 2009 and 2011 for failing to comply with departmental polices, use of obscene language and safety violations.

Bostan, in his appeal to the Civil Service Commission, claimed he was being retaliated against for a whistleblower complaint alleging cronyism and a kickback scheme involving his bosses.

Mansell offers support

During commission hearings in April, May and June 2016, Mansell, who had worked as a wastewater treatment operator under Bostan, was one of only two witnesses called by his former boss to testify.

However, Balderrama described Mansell’s recollection of the sludge dumping incident as biased, unreliable and irrelevant. “Mr. Mansell’s testimony lacks credibility,” he said, according to records. A civil service hearing officer and a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who heard appeals from Bostan upheld the firing.

Mansell did not respond to questions regarding his relationship with Bostan or his decision to hire him at the West Valley Water District.

Aside from misconduct that led to his firing, Bostan encountered problems from the state while managing sewage treatment facilities for Los Angeles County.

On Sept. 12, 2002, the California Regional Water Control Board notified Bostan by letter of five discharge limit violations for dissolved solids, chloride and coliform at the Afflerbaugh and Paige plant in La Verne.

Then on Feb. 25, 2009, Bostan admitted during a state inspection he added copper sulfate to control algae growth in an effluent holding pond at the Miller and Kilpatrick plant. The addition of copper sulfate is a violation of water drinking requirements and could exceed federal drinking water standards, inspectors said in a violation letter to the Los Angeles County Internal Services Department.

Co-workers baffled

Given his troubling employment history, Bostan’s hiring at the West Valley Water District in May 2019 as a $29.12-an-hour purchasing/inventory specialist and subsequent promotion in December to water systems operator II in December at $30.57 an hour has baffled co-workers.

“(Bostan) has lost several invoices and was given a bad review by his supervisor,” employees said in the letter to Griggs and Araiza complaining of Mansell’s alleged cronyism. “Mansell tossed the review and promoted him … to water quality with no experience. Mansell informed the production supervisor that he was going to transfer him to his department as a lead with no experience or knowledge of a

water system. This is an extremely dangerous move for the department and exposes West Valley Water District to great liability.”

In a telephone interview, Araiza said he remains perplexed as to why Mansell has brought aboard friends and associates with spotty employment histories as water district employees.

“I’m sure Mansell knew about (Bostan’s) background. I just question why he would even hire somebody like that,” said Araiza, who retired from the water district in 2015 after 52 years of service, his last 20 years as general manager.

Mansell’s supporters, however, shift the blame to board member Clifford Young, who came under fire in 2017 when, as board president, he was alleged to have run the district with an iron fist, mismanaged public funds, and partook in rampant cronyism by hiring friends and associates.

Griggs, the Ratepayers Association president and Mansell supporter, believes the general manager is doing a good job, and that the sharp criticism of him — especially by the 16 managers who signed the Dec. 12 no-confidence letter — is due to racism. Griggs and Mansell are both black, as is Clifford Young.

“In 67 years, how many (water district) managers you have that look like me? And number two, the 16 managers that signed (the no-confidence letter), how many of them look like me?” Griggs asked the board during a Dec. 20 board meeting.

During a special board meeting Thursday, Bostan was asked if he wanted to comment for this article. But when escorted outside to talk, the meeting was abruptly halted. Mansell followed Bostan and a reporter outside and ordered Bostan not to talk, saying it was against district policy.

Asked to cite the water district policy that prohibits district employees from talking to the media, Mansell said it was a “verbal policy.”

Other troubling hires

The letter also notes several other troubling hires by Mansell in the past year, including:

A lead water system operator who is paid $40.74 an hour who has no certifications or water quality experience. The operator has taken bad water samples during testing, which can cause the state Department of Health to shut down treatment facilities and issue fines, the employees allege in the letter. A production electrician paid $25.77 an hour who has no experience and must read manuals to

perform tasks. “Great liability as he will probably electrocute himself,” the employees wrote. A purchaser for the district’s warehouse who earns $29.83 an hour and has no experience in the water industry or purchasing. He previously worked as a truck driver. Employees allege Mansell changed the job description for the position, adding the requirement of a Class A driver’s license to disqualify another worker who had been training for the job.

Mansell did not respond to questions about the letter’s claims.

Other questionable hires and employee promotions are well-documented, including the district’s controversial August 2019 appointment of Shamindra “Rickey” Manbahal as chief financial officer without conducting a background check or issuing a contract.

Manbahal, who is paid $174,970 by West Valley, previously worked as the finance director for the city of Hawthorne but was forced to resign in June 2015 after admitting to taking out a secret $25,000 personal loan from the city and covering up a $5.6 million budget deficit.

Another employee, Deborah Lynn Martinez — who is paid $150,000 a year as the district’s human resources and risk manager — was placed on administrative leave in December following felony tax fraud allegations by the state Attorney General’s Office.

Additionally, an audit commissioned by the water district RELATED ARTICLES and conducted by The Pun Group of Santa Ana found an

Embattled Rialto water district board excessive pay raise for a customer service representative begins to review questionable contracts hired in August 2018 at $31.92 an hour. Three months later, the employee was promoted to water resources Rialto water district imposes hiring freeze, manager at $45.16 an hour, representing a spike of 41%. rejects employment contracts amid controversy The only justification for the promotion and pay hike was a

West Valley Water District GM memo signed by Mansell and placed in the worker’s acknowledges vendor was working employment file, according to the audit. The audit does not without a contract name the employee, but Mansell has identified the water resources manager as Nadia Loukeh. Embattled Rialto water district considering hiring freeze and increasing temp agency Newly elected West Valley board President Channing contract Hawkins said he is concerned about many of the district’s business and employment practices, which is why a hiring freeze was implemented during his first board meeting last month.

“The West Valley board wants more transparency and greater accountability,” he said. “We are

committed to solving these issues and creating new practices and policies that will help strengthen the integrity of our district.”

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Tags: Investigative Reporting, SoCal Watchdog, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories PE, Top Stories RDF, Top Stories Sun, West Valley Water District

Scott Schwebke Scott Schwebke is an investigative reporter for the Register and the Southern California News Group. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he was previously a breaking news and multimedia reporter for the Ogden, Utah, Standard-Examiner. Scott has also worked at newspapers in Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Scott is the Register's 2014 Beat Reporter of the Year. He has won more than two dozen journalism awards including the N.C. Associated Press News Council’s O. Henry Award for a lengthy narrative on the brutal home invasion slaying of a nurse and a Katie Award from the Dallas Press Club for a https://www.pe.com/...this-one/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_campaign=socialflow[1/15/2020 4:57:24 PM] 1/16/2020 New Redlands city manager ready to meet those in community he serves – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS New Redlands city manager ready to meet those in community he serves Public welcome receptions are set for Jan. 29 and Feb. 28

NewNew RedlandsRedlands citycity managermanager,, CharlieCharlie Duggan,Duggan, standsstands nearnear CityCity HallHall W Wednesday,, Jan.Jan. 15, 2020. Duggan began in his new position Monday,, Jan.Jan. 13,13, 2020.2020. DugganDuggan willwill earnearn $270,000 a year.. (Photo(Photo byby WillWill LesterLester,, InlandInland VValley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

By JENNIFER IYER || [email protected]@scng.com || RedlandsRedlands DailyDaily FactsFacts https://www.sbsun.com/2020/01/15/new-redlands-city-manager-ready-to-meet-those-in-community-he-serves/?utm_medium=social&utm_so… 1/5 1/16/2020 New Redlands city manager ready to meet those in community he serves – San Bernardino Sun PUBLISHED: January 15, 2020 at 6:40 pm || UPDATED:UPDATED: January 15, 2020 at 6:42 pm

New Redlands city manager, Charlie Duggan, sits in his office Wednesday Jan. 15,15, 2020.2020. DugganDuggan beganbegan inin hishis newnew positionposition Monday,Monday, Jan.Jan. 13,13, 2020.2020. (Photo(Photo byby WillWill Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

T w o d a y s a fftte r s tta r ttiin g h iis n e w jjo b a s R e d lla n d s c iitty m a n a g e r ,, C h a r lliie D u g g a n ‘‘s o ffffiic e a tt C iitty H a llll llo o k e d p r e tttty e m p tty – u n d e r s tta n d a b lly s o ,, h e ’’s b e e n b u s y .. https://www.sbsun.com/2020/01/15/new-redlands-city-manager-ready-to-meet-those-in-community-he-serves/?utm_medium=social&utm_so… 2/5 1/16/2020 New Redlands city manager ready to meet those in community he serves – San Bernardino Sun Duggan took the helm at City Hall Monday, Jan. 13, and in less than a month he’ll be watching as early voting begins on a ballot measure that will impact development.. TheThe firstfirst phasephase ofof anan overdue $40 million sewage plant upgrade willwill be in front of the City Council soon. He has a firefire chiefchief andand aa utilitiesutilities andand engineering manager to hire, and he has 500 names to learn.

Learning the names of every city employee will be a challenge, he said in an interviewinterview Wednesday.Wednesday. But,But, hehe added,added, “I“I wantwant toto makemake suresure everyoneeveryone knowsknows they’rethey’re important.”important.”

He’s been out meeting the A.K. Smiley Public Library Board of Trustees and the Cultural Arts Commission, and he has two welcome receptions to meet the public on Jan. 29 and Feb. 28.

Mayor Paul Foster said over the phone that Duggan has been meeting with civic groups, and representatives of major stakeholders including the University of Redlands, Esri, and the Redlands Unified School District.

“We’re going to pretty much be feeding him with the proverbial fire hose,” Foster said. “He’s getting out as we have directed him to make real positive connections with our greater city of Redlands family because that’s really important, and was not done the last time (with the last city manager).”

Also at the top of Duggan’s to-do list is consolidating public safety personnel into a more centralized location,, andand makingmaking suresure roads that need to be paved get paved..

Duggan said he has found residents are proud of their town and are generally happy with city staff, and that employees work well together.

“Our local government doesn’t work unless staff is doing a good job,” Duggan said. “Right now I’m really impressed with how well the departments work together. … That’s great and that will make it so much easier to attack the challenges that we uncover in the future.”

Foster said the council is happy to have Duggan on board.

He’s a “very thoughtful, caring gentleman, and I’m excited about what he’s going toto bebe bringingbringing toto thethe citycity ofof Redlands,”Redlands,” FosterFoster said.said.

The council hired Duggan on Nov. 5, 2019.. ThatThat waswas oneone yearyear afterafter thethe councilcouncil firedfired thethe lastlast citycity manager,manager, N.N. EnriqueEnrique MartinezMartinez,, followingfollowing sexual harassment

c h a r g e s h e h a s d e n iie d .. T h e r e c r u iittm e n tt p r o c e s s ffo r tth e n e w c iitty m a n a g e r iin c llu d e d 4 4 a p p lliic a n tts a n d m u llttiip lle c o m m u n iitty iin tte r v iie w p a n e lls .. https://www.sbsun.com/2020/01/15/new-redlands-city-manager-ready-to-meet-those-in-community-he-serves/?utm_medium=social&utm_so… 3/5 1/16/2020 New Redlands city manager ready to meet those in community he serves – San Bernardino Sun Public receptions for Duggan are set from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Contemporary Club, 173 S. Eureka St., and at the same time Feb. 28 in the multi-purpose room at thethe RedlandsRedlands CommunityCommunity Center,Center, 111111 W.W. LugoniaLugonia Ave.Ave.

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Jennifer Iyer A lifelong Inland resident, Jennifer Iyer started working in journalismjournalism atat TheThe Press-EnterprisePress-Enterprise inin 2000.2000. SheShe hashas writtenwritten (and(and shot photos for) stories on wildowers, camping with a dog, and many community events, and as a videographer covered wildres and war games to blimp rides and camel racing from Temecula to Big Bear Lake, Twentynine Palms to Jurupa Valley.  Follow Jennifer Iyer @Jen_Iyer

https://www.sbsun.com/2020/01/15/new-redlands-city-manager-ready-to-meet-those-in-community-he-serves/?utm_medium=social&utm_so… 4/5 Inland job growth to slow to 2012 levels in 2020, forecast says – Redlands Daily Facts

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BUSINESS Inland job growth to slow to 2012 levels in 2020, forecast says Last year saw the slowest job growth in seven years as building and hiring slowed.

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https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/...ampaign=socialflow&utm_content=tw-RedlandsNews&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com[1/15/2020 4:46:45 PM] Inland job growth to slow to 2012 levels in 2020, forecast says – Redlands Daily Facts

Riverside and San Bernardino counties will see slower job creation this year, from a 2.2% increase of 32,700 jobs in the first 11 months of 2019 to 28,150 jobs, or 1.8% growth, this year, Redlands-based economist John Husing said. (Staff file photo/The Sun)

By JACK KATZANEK | [email protected] |  PUBLISHED: January 15, 2020 at 4:45 pm | UPDATED: January 15, 2020 at 4:45 pm

S The Inland Empire will continue to carry some of California’s economic water in 2020, but its job growth will weaken to its lowest rate of increase since 2012, a new forecast says. M Riverside and San Bernardino counties will see slower job creation this year, from a 2.2% increase of By 32,700 jobs in the first 11 months of 2019 to 28,150 jobs, or 1.8% growth, this year, Redlands-based economist John Husing said.

Since the end of the Great Recession, the region’s economy has produced “a hell of a lot” of jobs, M Husing said to a gathering in Ontario. “In 2015, when the recovery was at full steam, 64,300 jobs were added; since 2012 the region has seen 385,000 new jobs.

The region’s smaller 2020 expansion — in the face of some continuing economic uncertainties — still is likely to outpace the rest of Southern California and the state as a whole, Husing predicts.

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PIONEERTOWN WOMAN DRIVER IN FATAL CRASH PIONEERTOWN FELON ACCUSED OF FELONY SPOUSAL SENTENCED TO 6 YEARS ARRESTED AFTER CACHE OF ABUSE April 25, 2019 WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION April 21, 2017 In "Local News" FOUND In "Local News" December 6, 2019 In "Featured"

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z1077fm.com/pioneertown-musician-accused-of-3-felony-sex-charges/ 2/3 1/16/2020 Appellate court overturns ruling exempting Huntington Beach from 'sanctuary state' immigration law - Los Angeles Times

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Appellate court overturns ruling exempting Huntington Beach from ‘sanctuary state’ immigration law

Demonstrators protest Senate Bill 54, a California “sanctuary state” law, during a Huntington Beach City Council meeting in April 2018. (File Photo)

By JULIA SCLAFANI, CITY NEWS SERVICE

JAN. 10, 2020 3:47 PM

A panel of appellate court justices Friday overturned an Orange County Superior Court judge’s ruling siding with Huntington Beach in its lawsuit challenging California’s so-called sanctuary state https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2020-01-10/appellate-court-overturns-ruling-exempting-huntington-beach-from-sanctuary-state-im… 1/8 1/16/2020 Appellate court overturns ruling exempting Huntington Beach from 'sanctuary state' immigration law - Los Angeles Times law.

Huntington Beach officials argued the city did not have to abide by Senate Bill 54, formally known as the California Values Act of 2017, because it is a charter city and the state constitution gives charter cities more authority to impose laws that may supersede state laws.

The three-justice panel of the state’s 4th District Court of Appeal disagreed.

The justices said the state law is constitutional “as applied to charter cities because it addresses matters of statewide concern, including public safety and health, effective policing and protection of constitutional rights,” Associate Justice Richard Fybel wrote in the opinion, with Justices Raymond Ikola and Thomas Goethals concurring.

-52% -66%

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SB 54 in many cases prohibits state and local police agencies from notifying federal officials about the impending release of immigrants in custody who may be deported.

Fybel said the law is “narrowly tailored to avoid unnecessary interference in local government.”

https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2020-01-10/appellate-court-overturns-ruling-exempting-huntington-beach-from-sanctuary-state-im… 2/8 1/16/2020 Appellate court overturns ruling exempting Huntington Beach from 'sanctuary state' immigration law - Los Angeles Times

Supporters of Senate Bill 54, ocially called the California Values Act, hold signs during a Huntington Beach City Council meeting in April 2018. (File Photo)

Huntington Beach City Atty. Michael Gates said Friday that he will recommend that the City Council appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court.

The justices’ opinion “not only makes the state’s case, they go beyond it and add additional analysis,” Gates said.

“I’m very disappointed in the ruling and will talk to the City Council about the next steps, but I don’t believe, based on all of my extensive research of all of the case law, that this is a reasonable, final word on this.”

In an interview in October, when attorneys for California, Huntington Beach and community groups presented arguments before the appellate panel, Gates said the California Constitution “allows the city to control its own police department” and that SB 54 “interferes or undermines that because it means to tell our officers what and what not to do.”

The justices’ opinion is “saying that express constitutional authority is subordinate to (the justices’) analysis,” Gates said Friday. “You don’t get to qualify or alter what the constitution says or rewrite https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2020-01-10/appellate-court-overturns-ruling-exempting-huntington-beach-from-sanctuary-state-im… 3/8 1/16/2020 Appellate court overturns ruling exempting Huntington Beach from 'sanctuary state' immigration law - Los Angeles Times the constitution.”

California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, on the other hand, said in a statement that his office is “pleased with today’s decision keeping California’s public safety laws fair and consistent across the state.”

“As the appellate court noted, SB 54 is constitutional and furthers the state’s interests in addressing matters of statewide concern — including public safety and health, effective policing and protection of constitutional rights,” Becerra said.

Superior Court Judge James Crandall determined in September 2018 that SB 54 is unconstitutional as it applies to charter cities, which are run by a charter adopted by local voters.

Gates had sued to challenge SB 54 earlier that year after getting approval from the Huntington Beach City Council.

Several other Orange County governments also have taken steps to oppose the state’s sanctuary policies for undocumented immigrants.

Crandall’s ruling made Huntington Beach exempt from complying with SB 54 and made it the first city to successfully challenge the law in court.

The state attorney general’s office filed a notice of appeal in November 2018.

State Deputy Atty. Gen. Jonathan Eisenberg argued in October that the lower-court ruling undermined the “trust and community policing model that is infused within the [law].”

“If a charter city can opt out ... what will happen to the trust that is supposed to be built by this law?” Eisenberg said.

Activists in Huntington Beach’s Oak View neighborhood, which is predominantly Latino, have said their neighbors are reluctant to interact with the Huntington Beach Police Department out of fear that local law enforcement officials are participating in federal deportation programs.

https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2020-01-10/appellate-court-overturns-ruling-exempting-huntington-beach-from-sanctuary-state-im… 4/8 1/16/2020 Appellate court overturns ruling exempting Huntington Beach from 'sanctuary state' immigration law - Los Angeles Times In January 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union filed an appeal on behalf of residents, workers and community organizations in Huntington Beach and Los Alamitos.

The 4th District justices determined that the ACLU, Los Alamitos Community United and four residents lacked legal standing to intervene in the case.

“The state did a very good job and we are very happy with the state’s decision in making charter cities comply with state law,” said Oscar Rodriguez, co-founder of Huntington Beach activist group Oak View Comunidad. Rodriguez was one of the plaintiffs in the ACLU appeal.

“I think the law is very clear. ... It’s to protect families that are within our community, so we are very happy with that,” Rodriguez said.

Huntington Beach Mayor Lyn Semeta issued a statement expressing concern about the decision’s wider implications for charter cities.

“The California Constitution specifically grants control over certain municipal affairs to charter cities,” Semeta said. “If the state’s usurpation of that control is allowed to stand, we could be opening a door to allowing further attempts to erode the autonomy of charter cities.”

Julia Sclafani is a Daily Pilot staff writer.

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.

Updates: 3:47 PM, Jan. 10, 2020: This article was originally published at 11:56 a.m. and has been updated with additional information.

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COURTS County settles child welfare lawsuit for $1.8 million The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has paid out millions in legal settlements and attorney fees in the child welfare system. (John R. McCutchen)

San Diego County has paid more than $8 million in settlements and legal fees for child welfare cases over the past 5 years

By GREG MORAN JAN. 15, 2020 5:44 PM

San Diego County supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a $1.8 million settlement to a lawsuit filed by parents whose four children were removed from their home in 2010 on the suspicion they had been abused, then underwent invasive medical exams at an emergency shelter for children — procedures that the courts found violated the family’s constitutional rights.

The settlement to parents Mark and Melissa Mann is on top of an earlier $750,000 settlement the county paid out to resolve other aspects of the long-running case. And it is the latest entry in the growing ledger of payouts the county has made in the past five years in cases involving the child welfare system.

Since February 2015, the county has paid at least $8.4 million in settlements and attorney fees in a half-dozen cases. Several cases dealt with the same issue in the Mann case — the exams at the Polinsky Children’s Center in Kearny Mesa, which were done without the knowledge or consent of parents or a court order, and which lawyers for parents have successfully argued were intended to gather evidence for possible abuse prosecutions.

The county has paid more than $3 million on that issue alone in two cases since 2015. A third case alleging the same medical examination issue has been pending in San Diego federal court. The county also faces a payout in that case as well, though no settlement has been made.

In addition to the cases concerning the medical exams, the county agreed in 2018 to pay $3 million to settle a lawsuit from two brothers who alleged that child welfare workers failed to protect them from an abusive foster parent, who sexually abused them for years. The suit said county social workers had received more than a dozen reports that the children were being abused but either ignored them or did not properly investigate them.

The parent, Michael Hayes, pleaded guilty to child molestation charges and is serving a 21-year sentence in state prison. Since that settlement, the county has agreed to settle two other cases from other foster care children placed with Hayes for a total of $1.3 million.

The lawyers who won those cases say the county child welfare system, and county lawyers, resist allegations of wrongdoing or bad policy and are far more willing to fight in court than resolve cases and change their practices. “It is not our goal to keep (Child Protective Services) from protecting kids,” said Oceanside lawyer Donnie Cox, who represented the Mann family and others who have sued the county child protection system. “It’s a very important job and it’s a hard job.

“But doing the same thing again and again with the same result is getting them sued, and is not protecting kids in the community.”

Cox has sued the county over the medical exams several times over nearly two decades, winning a major ruling from a San Diego federal court judge in 2014 that the exams violated the rights of two parents, Steven and Joanna Swartwood and their children. In the wake of that ruling the county agreed to modify its examination policy so that now it seeks either consent from the parents or a court order for the exams, unless there is a clear emergency or concern that evidence of potential abuse could dissipate.

But the Manns’ case remained active on another issue: whether the exams themselves violated the constitutional rights of any parents or children who were subjected to them. In the fall of 2018, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled they were and the policy had “harmed families in Southern California for too long.” The U.S. Supreme Court declined in October to review that decision, clearing the way for the settlement approved Tuesday.

Shawn McMillan, another lawyer who represented families in the Hayes case, echoed Cox’s assessment. McMillan has won several cases alleging that social workers improperly removed children from homes or that children were placed in harmful foster care settings.

“They keep doing the same sorts of stuff,” he said. “We keep telling them, ‘Look you can’t do this, it’s not lawful, stop doing it.’ And they settle the case, but say they aren’t going to implement new policies.” County spokesman Michael Workman declined to comment on the settlements. He added the county disagrees that it doesn’t address problems in the system that the lawsuits highlight, and that it instead chooses to fight allegations in court.

In 2018 in the wake of news reports of breakdowns and problems in the system the county established a working group to examine the system and make recommendations for change. Among other things, the group called for more resources to investigate abuse, greater transparency and staff training. That led to the creation of the 21-member Child and Family Strengthening Advisory Board, headed by Supervisors Greg Cox and Nathan Fletcher.

Fletcher pushed for changes to the system during his 2018 campaign. He said this week that he was optimistic about the changes that are starting to take hold in the system, including more training for social workers, better data collection and a revised hotline system that gives closer attention to calls. And last year the supervisors, prompted by Fletcher and Cox, added an unprecedented 125 new positions to child welfare services, many of them social workers and supervisors.

“I believe we are moving in the right direction,” Fletcher said. “Making systemic change and reform is difficult, and takes time.”

Even when the county wins, it pays out. In December, the 9th Circuit upheld a ruling that awarded legal fees to lawyers for a Coronado couple who sued when their children were removed from their home in 2011. Police found marijuana in the home, though the father had a medical marijuana card and could legally use the drug. A federal court jury largely cleared the county and social workers, but also found the county was at fault for not adequately training social workers. After the trial and confusing verdict, a judge concluded the rights of the children had been violated and awarded each a nominal $1 in damages.

But the judge also said the lawyers were entitled to legal fees because “the jury’s verdict that the County failed to adequately train its social workers to prevent constitutional violations has a deterrent effect.” For that, the county was ordered to pay legal fees of $499,509.

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MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR 1/16/2020 Santa Ana sues Orange County, Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano over homeless – Orange County Register

NEWSLOCAL NEWS Santa Ana sues Orange County, Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano over homeless

InIn thisthis JulyJuly 20182018 photo,photo, peoplepeople bedbed downdown onon thethe floorfloor ofof thethe SantaSanta AnaAna ArmoryArmory,, whichwhich provides the homeless with shelter during cold winter nights. (Photo(Photo byby LeonardLeonard Ortiz,Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

By ROXANA KOPETMAN || [email protected] || OrangeOrange CountyCounty Register https://www.ocregister.com/2020/01/14/santa-ana-sues-orange-county-dana-point-san-clemente-and-san-juan-capistrano-over-homeless/ 1/5 1/16/2020 Santa Ana sues Orange County, Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano over homeless – Orange County Register PUBLISHED: JanuaryJanuary 14,14, 20202020 atat 4:564:56 pmpm || UPDATED:UPDATED: JanuaryJanuary 15,15, 20202020 atat 5:325:32 pmpm

This story has been updated.

Santa Ana filed a lawsuit this week against Orange County and three South County cities, alleging the communities are dumping their homeless in Santa Ana and not doing their fair share to provide shelters.

InIn aa complaintcomplaint filedfiled Monday,Monday, Jan.Jan. 13,13, inin federalfederal court,court, SantaSanta AnaAna suedsued DanaDana Point,Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, in addition to the county, saying that homeless people are taken to Santa Ana for shelter and then left there when theirtheir temporarytemporary housinghousing ends.ends. OthersOthers areare broughtbrought toto SantaSanta AnaAna “and“and ultimatelyultimately abandoned,” the lawsuit alleges.

RELATED: Santa Ana files second homeless-related lawsuit

“Regardless of the intent as to how or why homeless individuals are brought to Santa Ana, the impact is severe and burdens its residents,” the lawsuit states.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter has scheduled a hearing for Feb. 4.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages from the county as reimbursement for money spent on homeless services. The lawsuit also seeks a ruling prohibiting the county and the three cities from transporting people who are homeless to the Santa Ana Armory, an emergency shelter that operates during winter months.

Asked to respond to the lawsuit, Orange County officials forwarded comments Tuesday from Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, who slammed the city and called the lawsuit “political grandstanding.”

Santa Ana, Do wrote, “ignored the homeless problem right outside City Hall for decades.”

“It was the county that cleaned up the Santa Ana Civic Center and the Santa Ana riverbed,”,” DoDo wrote,wrote, refutingrefuting claimsclaims thatthat homelesshomeless peoplepeople areare beingbeing shuttledshuttled toto Santa Ana. “From the beginning, I have been clear that Santa Ana residents should not bear the brunt of the homeless crisis and other parts of the county need to step up.”

https://www.ocregister.com/2020/01/14/santa-ana-sues-orange-county-dana-point-san-clemente-and-san-juan-capistrano-over-homeless/ 2/5 1/16/2020 Santa Ana sues Orange County, Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano over homeless – Orange County Register San Clemente officials declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit, writing in an email that the litigation “lacks any legal foundation and has no merit. The city of San Clemente is confident that it will be dismissed.” In San Juan Capistrano, City Manager Ben Siegel declined to comment, other than to say his city is evaluating the lawsuit. Meanwhile, Dana Point City Attorney Patrick Munoz sent Santa Ana a letter Tuesday demanding it be dismissed from the lawsuit, which it called “harassment and a waste of taxpayer resources.”

There’s been a sharp increase in homelessness in recent years, reaching a crisis point in some communities. Only last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered vacant state land be used toto househouse thethe homeless.homeless. Newsom,Newsom, whowho touredtoured a homeless shelter in Riverside onon Tuesday,Tuesday, recentlyrecently askedasked statestate lawmakerslawmakers forfor aa $750 million fund toto buildbuild housinghousing forfor thethe state’sstate’s homelesshomeless andand helphelp thosethose atat riskrisk of homelessness make their rent.

Gov. Gavin Newsom tours Riverside homeless shelter to highlight ‘crisis’ https://t.co/yJRoftwYCc — The Press-Enterprise (@pressenterprise) January 14, 2020

InIn SantaSanta Ana,Ana, somesome residentsresidents regularlyregularly gripegripe onon socialsocial mediamedia aboutabout thethe county’scounty’s plan to build another homeless shelter, with 425 beds, on Yale and Fairview, near several schools and parks. “Save our community!” read flyers posted on Facebook to protest thethe sheltershelter countycounty supervisorssupervisors approvedapproved lastlast NovemberNovember..

The impacts of homelessness on Santa Ana “have been staggering,” according to thethe lawsuit.lawsuit. OfficialsOfficials foundfound 6,860 homeless people in Orange County lastlast April,April, according to a federally mandated count. Santa Ana, the second-largest city in Orange County, had the greatest concentration:1,769, including 830 with no shelter.

InIn 2018-19,2018-19, thethe citycity spentspent moremore thanthan $16$16 millionmillion toto provideprovide fire,fire, policepolice andand otherother services to address homeless-related issues “at the expense of core services to Santa Ana residents,” the lawsuit stated. The estimated cost for fiscal year 2019- 20 is expected to rise to $25.4 million, the lawsuit continues.

“For decades, Santa Ana has borne the largest and most inequitable burden of addressing and relieving homelessness in Orange County,” the lawsuit states. https://www.ocregister.com/2020/01/14/santa-ana-sues-orange-county-dana-point-san-clemente-and-san-juan-capistrano-over-homeless/ 3/5 1/16/2020 Santa Ana sues Orange County, Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano over homeless – Orange County Register Among the city’s complaints: the county’s jail – located in Santa Ana – doesn’t transporttransport homelesshomeless inmatesinmates toto theirtheir hometownhometown uponupon release;release; thethe countycounty backedbacked down from adding emergency shelter beds on county-owned properties in Irvine,Irvine, HuntingtonHuntington BeachBeach andand LagunaLaguna NiguelNiguel followingfollowing oppositionopposition fromfrom thosethose cities in 2018; and the county’s only emergency shelter, known as the Courtyard, isis inin SantaSanta Ana,Ana, nearnear homes,homes, schoolsschools andand aa park.park. (The(The plannedplanned YaleYale StreetStreet sheltershelter isis expectedexpected toto replacereplace thethe Courtyard.)Courtyard.)

San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano are providing housing for theirtheir homelesshomeless byby usingusing thethe Santa Ana Armory insteadinstead ofof providingproviding theirtheir ownown shelters, the lawsuit alleges.

Last month, the San Clemente council closed its emergency shelter,, sayingsaying itit would meet court mandates on providing beds for the homeless by offering transportationtransportation toto locationslocations wherewhere thethe homelesshomeless couldcould accessaccess aa rideride toto armoriesarmories inin SantaSanta AnaAna andand Fullerton.Fullerton. TheThe transportation,transportation, SanSan ClementeClemente officialsofficials said,said, would include bringing the homeless back to the city during the day, upon their request. But Santa Ana officials argued in their lawsuit that “there is no absolute or legal requirement” for the homeless to return to San Clemente.

Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano, the lawsuit continues, “are reported to join San Clemente to share the cost for this transportation.” In Tuesday’s letter to JohnJohn Funk,Funk, SantaSanta Ana’sAna’s assistantassistant citycity attorney,attorney, DanaDana Point’sPoint’s MunozMunoz wrotewrote thatthat thethe south county city “has no custom, policy or practice to transport homeless persons to the Armory Shelter in Santa Ana.”

Staff writers Sean Emery, Jeong Park, Erika Ritchie and Theresa Walker contributed to this report.

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Tags: Affordable Housing,, community,, homeless,, Housing,, politics,, Top Stories OCR

https://www.ocregister.com/2020/01/14/santa-ana-sues-orange-county-dana-point-san-clemente-and-san-juan-capistrano-over-homeless/ 4/5 ‘Housing first’ wastes time and money amid a crisis – San Bernardino Sun

   

OPINION • Opinion, Opinion Columnist ‘Housing first’ wastes time and money amid a crisis

   

People pass tents under the 134 Freeway overpass along Lankershim Boulevard on Monday evening, December 16, 2019. The county says that people who receive county services are more likely to become homeless. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

By SUSAN SHELLEY | |  PUBLISHED: January 15, 2020 at 8:20 am | UPDATED: January 15, 2020 at 8:20 am

https://www.sbsun.com/...rst-wastes-time-and-money-amid-a-crisis/?utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social[1/15/2020 10:03:02 AM] ‘Housing first’ wastes time and money amid a crisis – San Bernardino Sun

When you spend enough on a problem to fund a mission to Mars, it’s pretty frustrating to get nowhere.

But that’s what’s happening in California as politicians have thrown money at the homelessness crisis, insisting that “housing first” is the only policy that will end the worsening epidemic of tent encampments spreading throughout the state.

“Housing first” is the idea that homelessness is best addressed by providing apartments and supportive services to people who are chronically homeless. The cost is astronomical. In 2016, Los Angeles voters passed a bond measure to provide $1.2 billion to build 10,000 units of housing over a decade. The price of building the apartments is turning out to be as much as $700,000 per unit, according to City Controller Ron Galperin.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new budget throws more money into the “housing first” policy, and his task force on homelessness just recommended a ballot measure aimed at forcing cities to build the housing whether they like it or not.

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READ MORE ‘Housing first’ wastes time and money amid a crisis Alternative policies, such as building emergency shelters and residential facilities for the treatment of substance abuse or gravely disabling mental illness, have generally been rejected in favor of funding housing projects. We’re told that “housing first” is a policy that has been proven successful.

In 2015, Utah was celebrated in countless news stories for reducing homelessness by 91 percent in 10 years. The state accomplished this, the reports said, with its “housing first” policy of providing permanent housing and supportive services to people who were chronically homeless — those with long histories of homelessness, substance abuse and mental health issues.

It sounds great. It just isn’t true.

In 2016, American Enterprise Institute research fellow Kevin Corinth published a study of Utah’s data. He found that “the miraculous 91 percent reduction in chronic homelessness appears to be driven by changes in how people were counted, rather than by how many there were.”

Here’s how it happened. Utah adjusted its “point-in-time” count, conducted on a single night in January, to reflect the fact that some people who were homeless during the year were not homeless on the night of the count. But the state

was not consistent in its adjustments. In 2009, the count of chronically homeless people was doubled, but in 2015, it was not adjusted at all. On paper, that looks like a reduction in homelessness, but it was achieved with a pencil, not with housing.

In addition, Utah redefined “chronic” homelessness to exclude people in long-term shelters. That made it appear that there was a reduction in the number of people who were chronically homeless, when in fact nothing had changed but the classification.

Corinth adjusted the numbers to account for these factors. “If you take the actual point-in-time counts reported by Utah to the federal government, and if you remove the two time periods when the changing numbers were driven largely by how the chronically homeless were classified, then chronic homelessness in Utah wouldn’t have fallen at all over the past decade,” he concluded.

If you haven’t heard much about this study, it may be because the “housing RELATED ARTICLES first” policy is working exactly as intended — it’s taking money out of the

Newsom’s education plans wrongly public treasury and handing it to developers to build dense housing that focuses on spending rather than reform otherwise might never be approved. The developers pay their workers the “prevailing wage,” generally the highest local union wages and benefits, Gov. Newsom is failing the people he’s raising the cost of the project. The politicians collect generous campaign supposed to serve contributions from everybody who makes money on the deal. How America’s weak immigration means a weak economy Who loses? The chronically homeless, who far outnumber the units of housing that can be built with this corrupt and cynical policy. The police and California’s surprise billing “fix” paramedics who are called upon to do the impossible job of responding to a compromises care for millions of patients permanent emergency. The residents of communities plagued by fetid tent

Climate change: Letters encampments on the sidewalks and foul RV parks on the streets. And the taxpayers, asked to pay more and more while the problem grows worse and worse.

It’s time to halt the “housing first” policy and fund real solutions to a crisis that is literally killing people. It’s time for the homeless to call the cops on the politicians.

Susan Shelley is an editorial writer and columnist for the Southern California News Group. [email protected]. Twitter: @Susan_Shelley

https://www.sbsun.com/...rst-wastes-time-and-money-amid-a-crisis/?utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social[1/15/2020 10:03:02 AM] 1/16/2020 New California Poll: Homelessness should be Gov. Newsom's top priority

HOMELESS HOUSING POLITICS

Newsom’s big move on homelessness may be just in political time, new poll suggests

BY BEN CHRISTOPHER PUBLISHED: JANUARY 15, 2020

A tent encampment off of Grand Avenue in Oakland. Homelessness has soared in California, and a new poll shows voters now list it as their top concern. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

https://calmatters.org/housing/homeless/2020/01/newsom-homelessness-poll-ppic-primary-presidential-approval-school-bond/ 1/8 1/16/2020 New California Poll: Homelessness should be Gov. Newsom's top priority

IN SUMMARY Homelessness has shot to the top of the list of concerns for California voters. A new poll finds nearly a third name homelessness or housing as what the state should focus on this year.

Gov. Gavin Newsom kicked off 2020 by pledging to plow an extra $1.4 billion into homeless services, proposing a state constitutional amendment to make it easier to sue cities who fail to provide shelter for their unhoused populations, and embarking on a statewide “homelessness tour” to visit shelters and other providers.

Homelessness, he said last week as he unveiled his proposed budget last week, is “the issue that defines our times.”

According to a poll released tonight, more Californians than ever agree.

https://calmatters.org/housing/homeless/2020/01/newsom-homelessness-poll-ppic-primary-presidential-approval-school-bond/ 2/8 1/16/2020 New California Poll: Homelessness should be Gov. Newsom's top priority Twenty percent of Californians surveyed by the Public Policy Institute of California cited homelessness as the most important issue for the governor and Legislature to work on this year.

That’s a record, said the institute’s president, Mark Baldassare: “It’s never, ever been in the double digits.”

Another 10% of Californians named “housing costs (and) availability.”

When the institute asked the same question last year, only 6% of respondents named homelessness at the state’s top policy priority.

And when the new poll focused in on likely voters, the results were even more emphatic: 23% named homelessness their chief concern, with another 11% citing housing.

The survey also suggested that Newsom’s approval among likely voters may be inching up. It showed presidential candidate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders surging with California’s Democratic electorate (particularly young voters), making him the nominal frontrunner — but adjusting for the poll’s margin of error, he’s in a three-way tie with former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. And the poll found that California Republicans largely support President Trump, but tend to part ways with him on immigration.

https://calmatters.org/housing/homeless/2020/01/newsom-homelessness-poll-ppic-primary-presidential-approval-school-bond/ 3/8 1/16/2020 New California Poll: Homelessness should be Gov. Newsom's top priority How homeless has grown to be a top priority Californians

"Which one issue facing California today do you think is the most important for the governor and th legislature to work on...?"

Jobs/Economy

Education

Immigration

Water

State Budget/Taxes

Infrastructure

Health Care

Enviroment

Crime

Homelessness

Guns Housing Costs/Availability 201 0 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% 20% 22% Share of respondents listing each issue as top priority

Source: Public Policy Institute of California's January statewide surveys of California adults, 2015-2020

The survey was conducted Jan. 3 to 12 — mostly before the state’s Democratic governor announced his new plans on homelessness, although after President Trump has repeatedly lambasted California for allowing the problem to worsen.

“I don’t think its something that’s coming up because they’re reading about it or because the president has tweeted about,” said Baldassare. “It’s on people’s minds because they’re seeing it in

https://calmatters.org/housing/homeless/2020/01/newsom-homelessness-poll-ppic-primary-presidential-approval-school-bond/ 4/8 1/16/2020 New California Poll: Homelessness should be Gov. Newsom's top priority their daily lives.”

Homelessness is not a new problem in California, but data collected by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development suggests it has grown more acute in recent years. At last count, more than 150,000 Californians are now living in their cars, in shelters or on the sidewalks and below freeway underpasses — more than at any time since at least 2007.

Other poll findings:

Good news for (this year’s) Prop. 13: Among respondents, 53% said that they would vote for a ballot measure authorizing the state to borrow $15 billion to expand and revamp school and university facilities earn. That’s not a huge buffer of support for backers of Prop. 13 (mostly building trade groups and teachers unions). But although support for ballot measures tends to decline as Election Day approaches, that generally isn’t the case for bonds. Newsom back on top (narrowly): A slim majority (51%) of Californians surveyed approve of Gov. Newson, as do a plurality of likely voters (with 49% approving and 42% disapproving). That’s good news for the governor: In the last two Public Policy Institute surveys, Newsom was underwater, with disapproval exceeding his approval. The Bernie surge is real: Consistent with other public polls, this one validates news of a bump in Sanders’ support across California. He held the support of 27% of likely voters surveyed — an increase of 10 percentage points since November. Coming in just behind Sanders were Biden (24%) and Warren (23%). Today’s poll also reaffirmed that Sanders’ base skews young. Of voters between 18 and 45 years old, 45% are backing Bernie and 39% believe he is the candidate most likely to beat Trump. California Republicans are different: President Trump remains popular with the vast majority of California Republican likely voters. But the same can’t be said of some of his signature policies. Sixty-two percent of GOP respondents said they support protecting undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children from deportation. And 60% say they generally agree that undocumented immigrants of all kinds should be allowed to remain in the country. Another 18% oppose the president’s border wall proposal. And with an impeachment trial looming, 11% believe that the U.S. Senate should remove Trump from office.

Learn the facts about homelessness in California via our in-depth explainer.

https://calmatters.org/housing/homeless/2020/01/newsom-homelessness-poll-ppic-primary-presidential-approval-school-bond/ 5/8 1/16/2020 Newsom can't ignore homelessness. It's the top issue with voters - Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA

Column: Newsom can’t afford to ignore homelessness. It’s the top issue with voters

Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, right, visit Lone Star Board and Care in Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

By GEORGE SKELTON CAPITOL JOURNAL COLUMNIST

JAN. 16, 2020 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-16/skelton-gavin-newsom-homelessness-policy-california-voters 1/9 1/16/2020 , Newsom can't ignore homelessness. It's the top issue with voters - Los Angeles Times 12 AM

SACRAMENTO — The main reason California politicians are moving swiftly to remove homeless people from the streets is simple: Homelessness has become the public’s No. 1 state concern.

That’s the way it’s supposed to work, after all. It’s how the Founders set it up. It’s in the best interests of politicians protecting their job security to represent the interests of voters who elected them.

A poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California shows that homelessness has become the top state issue for voters. This subject used to register only a low-level blip on the public’s list of concerns.

Because homelessness has become such a hot topic, politicians are being inspired to confront the issue more aggressively than ever before.

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All this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom has stumped the state promoting a sweeping homelessness plan he unveiled in his proposed new state budget. That’s precisely what a governor should do: announce a major proposal in the Capitol, then venture out and try to sell it to the public around the state, lighting a fire under the Legislature as the voters are under the politicians.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-16/skelton-gavin-newsom-homelessness-policy-california-voters 2/9 1/16/2020 Newsom can't ignore homelessness. It's the top issue with voters - Los Angeles Times Meanwhile, a homelessness advisory task force created by the governor unveiled its separate substantive plan Monday. Its main feature is a proposed state constitutional amendment that would require local governments to hop to it on homelessness. No longer would confronting the problem be an option. It would be mandatory.

“We’ve tried moral persuasion. We’ve tried economic incentives,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who co-chairs the task force along with L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “But all of it’s optional. Why should this be optional? It shouldn’t be. It mustn’t be. Thousands of people are dying on the streets and people are telling us this is a priority.”

Yes, they emphatically are.

The nonpartisan PPIC asked likely voters which one issue they thought was “the most important for the governor and state Legislature to work on in 2020.” The top choice was homelessness. Nothing else came close.

The results: homelessness 23%, housing costs and availability 11%, environment and climate change 9%, immigration 8%, jobs and the economy 7%. And K-12 schools — a traditional concern — didn’t even register.

L.A. County residents in particular desired a push on homelessness.

Public frustration over homelessness has flared in the last year. Last January, only 7% of likely voters in a PPIC poll named homelessness as the state’s most important issue. Back then, the biggest concern was immigration, followed by education.

PPIC President Mark Baldassare pointed to another survey result that illustrates the demand by voters that politicians focus on homelessness. Asked which program “should have the highest priority” for state spending, health and human services edged out K-12 schools 40% to 38%. That was previously unimaginable.

Baldassare theorizes that voters now equate health and human services with helping people living on the street.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-16/skelton-gavin-newsom-homelessness-policy-california-voters 3/9 1/16/2020 Newsom can't ignore homelessness. It's the top issue with voters - Los Angeles Times Last January, just 30% of likely voters favored making HHS the top spending priority. And in 2015, only 19% did.

So what has happened to propel homelessness into the No. 1 California concern?

“Every place that people go, they’re seeing homelessness now,” Baldassare says. “It’s not just something in Los Angeles or San Francisco. It’s very evident across the state. It’s maybe the most disturbing element of the housing crisis.

“People don’t like to see other people suffering,” the pollster continues. “On some level, people think everyone who lives in California should have shelter, a roof over their heads.

“There’s an element of shock and it’s disturbing. Some of these people are scary. It can be threatening and frightening. It can be sad and depressing. Many Californians feel like they can’t look the other way any longer.”

Steinberg, a former state Senate leader, is one politician who didn’t need poll results to motivate him to fight homelessness, particularly when it results from mental illness. He has been a mental health crusader for decades.

In 2004, Steinberg wrote the “millionaires’ tax” ballot initiative that added a 1% income tax rate for people with million-dollar earnings. The money was designated for mental health treatment. Now he and Newsom want to overhaul that law to spend more of the tax revenue on treating mentally ill homeless people.

Steinberg says homelessness “is the most visible and terrible manifestation, other than suicide, of mental suffering. And people are seeing the suffering.”

“It has taken a long time to bring this into public consciousness,” Steinberg continues. “But the seeds have always been there because everyone can tell a story about a family member or friend who has suffered. People can relate. They’re frustrated and tired of it.”

People also want back their sidewalks and parks freed of homeless encampments.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-16/skelton-gavin-newsom-homelessness-policy-california-voters 4/9 1/16/2020 Newsom can't ignore homelessness. It's the top issue with voters - Los Angeles Times “The public is fed up — completely fed up,” says Ridley-Thomas, who’s termed out as supervisor and is running for L.A. City Council. “It’s variously motivated: self interest. Disgust and anger. Altruism and high mindedness…. People on the streets are unsafe, unhealthy and uncivil.

“And the public is saying, ‘Wait a minute. This is America. This is L.A. This is California, the fifth- largest economy in the world. And it’s defined by squalor.’”

Credit the governor and his task force for proposing plans that don’t just call for more tax money. Newsom wants to spend an additional $1.4 billion for shelters and healthcare, but he also insists on improving how the services are delivered and the money is spent.

One encouraging thing: This is not a polarizing, partisan issue among voters. Democrats, independents and — especially — Republicans all agree it’s the No. 1 issue facing California.

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George Skelton

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Political columnist George Skelton has covered government and politics for more than 50 years and for The Times since 1974.