5/11/2015 Forum to address impact of regulations on development in Inland Empire Forum to address impact of regulations on development in Inland Empire By From Staff Reports sbsun.com

The Inland Empire chapter of CREW is hosting a public forum and luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Holiday Inn Ontario Airport to address the impact of mandatory water rationing on commercial and residential development in the Inland Empire.

A panel of experts from local water districts and industry professionals will lead discussions during the event.

Steven M. Anderson, a partner at the law firm Best Best & Krieger specializing in environmental law and natural resources, will provide an update on the latest water regulations and speak specifically to their impact on the industry.

Experts will also discuss how the newly­mandated water regulations could impact the future of new, large­scale development and investment activity and possibly discourage larger, national tenants from coming to the Inland Empire.

Other topics include how new water regulations could possibly diminish land values in California and make it less attractive to developers and businesses.

Online registration is required. To register, go to: crew­ie.org.

http://www.sbsun.com/business/20150510/forum­to­address­impact­of­regulations­on­development­in­inland­empire 1/1 5/11/2015 Gary Ovitt to become Ontario school liaison Gary Ovitt to become Ontario school liaison By Grace Wong , Inland Valley Daily Bulletin sbsun.com

ONTARIO >> For the first time in the city’s history, a non­city council member has been appointed as a school liaison.

Former San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt was appointed the city’s school liaison at Tuesday night’s meeting to foster a better relationship between the city and the school districts

“The suggestion was made that perhaps, the city of Ontario, in an attempt to make a bolder statement of how important education is, to our students and as well as to our local economy in providing a trained workforce and everything else, bring somebody else in to assist us with our outreach efforts to the five school districts that serve us,” said Councilman Alan Wapner during the meeting. “Gary obviously was suggested because of his decades of service in the education community as well as his decades of service in public policy.”

Ovitt’s position would require him to establish relationships with all the school districts and then make recommendations to the City Council and staff of school districts to foster increased collaboration and cooperation between the two entities.

“Part of the other aspect of this is to encourage collaboration between the independent school districts,” said Al Boling, city manager. “Each of them have their own strengths and have successes and successful programs and to the extent that those can be replicated on a city­ wide basis for the benefit of the community overall, I think having Gary as a liaison can help flesh those out, bring those to light and share those success stories with the other districts.”

The position does not have a time limit and the details of how the program will work and expectations are to come, said Al Boling, city manager.

Ovitt’s position was effective immediately after being unanimously approved by the city council.

“I’m excited because my background is education and obviously I’ve got a lot invested in the city as well, so I look forward to helping our young people succeed for the future and the best way for that to happen is for all of us to be on the same page,” Ovitt said. “My vision is to build relationships and get everyone on the same page, the students and the community to be the benefactors of it.”

http://www.sbsun.com/social­affairs/20150508/gary­ovitt­to­become­ontario­school­liaison 1/1 5/11/2015 Print Article: APPLE VALLEY: Names released in Pusok altercation

APPLE VALLEY: Names released in Pusok altercation BY PETER SUROWSKI 2015­05­11 08:11:39

The names have been released of eight deputies, a detective and a sergeant involved in an altercation that was caught on video during which sheriff's officials appear to be beating a suspect as he lie on the ground with his arms behind his back.

The eight deputies are Nicholas Downey, Scott Hamilton, Dominic Moody and David Moore of the Victor Valley station, Charles Foster of the Hesperia station,Tyler McGee of the Apple Valley station and Raymond Perez and Michael Phelps of the Twin Peaks station.

The detective was William Doemner and the sergeant was James Evans, both of the Victor Valley station.

All the parties involved in the incident are on paid administrative leave and both criminal and administrative investigations are ongoing, a sheriff's news release said.

The incident began on April 9 when law enforcement showed up at a location in Apple Valley to serve a search warrant. Though the search had nothing to do with Francis Pusok, he saw law enforcement officials and fled.

He sped away in his vehicle triggering a police chase. He then abandoned the vehicle, took a passerby's horse and rode into the hills, causing several injuries to the animal as he trotted over rough, rocky terrain, sheriff's officials said.

When Pusok fell off the horse deputies caught up with him and, with a news crew filming from a helicopter overhead, they kicked and punched him while he lay on the ground with his arms behind his back.

Pusok was arrested April 9 on suspicion of evading arrest, horse theft and receiving stolen property. He is also suspected of an April 6 burglary.

All involved parties remain on paid administrative leave while the sheriff's department and the FBI conduct criminal and internal investigations.

Sheriff's officials waited for more than a month to release the involved parties' names, saying they needed to investigate threats made against them to be sure they were unsubstantiated.

Pusok quickly reached a settlement with the county over the incident for $650,000, out of which about $31,000 was withheld due to unpaid child support, records show.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

Contact the writer: [email protected], 951­368­9567, follow him on Twitter at @PeterSurowski and like him on Facebook.

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http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=766964 1/2 5/11/2015 Names released of deputies involved in Pusok beating ­ Gate House

Print Page By STAFF REPORTS

May 11. 2015 8:08AM

Names released of deputies involved in Pusok beating

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department released ten names of deputies who were involved in the beating of Francis Pusok on Monday. The criminal and administrative investigations are continuing and all involved personnel remain on paid administrative leave. No additional information is being released at this time, according to a sheriff's news release. The deputies placed on administration leave are as followed: Deputy Nicholas Downey, Victor Valley; Deputy Scott Hamilton, Victor Valley; Deputy David Moore, Victor Valley; Deputy Dominic Moody, Victor Valley; Detective William Doemner, Victor Valley; Sergeant James Evans, Victor Valley; Deputy Michael Phelps, Twin Peaks; Deputy Raymond Perez, Twin Peaks; Deputy Tyler McGee, Apple Valley; Deputy Charles Foster, Hesperia. On April 9 at approximately 12:12 p.m. deputies from the Victor Valley station went to a residence on Zuni Road to (Screen grab courtesy of KNBC­4) serve a search warrant related to an identity theft investigation. Upon arrival the suspect, Francis Pusok, fled the location in a vehicle. Deputies pursued Pusok through the unicorporated area of Apple Valley, the town of Apple Valley and then further into the unincorporated area of Hesperia. Pusok abandoned the vehicle southwest of Bowen Ranch and fled on foot. Deputies were actively searching for Pusok on foot, using off­highway vehicles and helicopters. Within minutes, deputies received information that the suspect came into contact with a group of people near the Deep Creek Hot Springs and stole a horse. He fled on horseback on dirt trails, through very rugged, steep terrain, causing numerous injuries to the horse.

A Sheriff’s helicopter inserted a team of deputies in the area of Hwy 173/Arrowhead Lake Rd. to take the suspect in to custody. Deputies made contact with Pusok and as they approached, the horse threw him off. A Taser was deployed but was ineffective due to his loose clothing. A use of force occurred during the arrest. An internal investigation will be conducted regarding the use of force. “The video surrounding this arrest is disturbing and I have ordered an internal investigation be conducted immediately”, stated Sheriff John McMahon. He further stated, “In addition, members of the Specialized Investigation Detail are responding to conduct the criminal investigation.”

Names of deputies involved in beating

Deputy Nicholas Downey, Victor ValleyDeputy Scott Hamilton, Victor ValleyDeputy David Moore, Victor ValleyDeputy Dominic Moody, Victor ValleyDetective William Doemner, Victor ValleySergeant James Evans, Victor ValleyDeputy Michael Phelps, Twin PeaksDeputy Raymond Perez, Twin PeaksDeputy Tyler McGee, Apple ValleyDeputy Charles Foster, Hesperia

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150511/NEWS/150519977 Print Page

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150511/NEWS/150519977?template=printart 1/1 5/11/2015 San Bernardino County shares in settlement with two oil companies San Bernardino County shares in settlement with two oil companies By Doug Saunders , The Sun sbsun.com

An $11.5 million court­approved settlement by the Conoco­Phillips and Phillips 66 oil companies after a two­year legal battle with the state and several counties was announced Friday by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.

The lawsuit was filed in January 2013 in Alameda County over the oil companies’ alleged violations of California’s environmental protection laws.

The settlement, approved by Superior Court Judge George C. Hernandez Jr., includes provisions to prevent future violations.

San Bernardino County received more than $1.6 million in the settlement, authorities said.

The suit alleged that Conoco­Phillips and Phillips 66 failed to properly maintain and inspect underground gasoline storage tanks at company­owned or ­operated gasoline stations in the state.

Hazardous Materials officials found violations at 12 gasoline stations in San Bernardino County, authorities said.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, under the settlement, will get $250,000 for legal fees and $750,000 in civil penalties to be used only for environmental and consumer protection.

The county Fire Department Hazardous Materials Division will get $600,000 in civil penalties and $50,000 for the purchase of equipment, training and the purchase of safe transportation fuel containers, according to a district attorney’s news release.

“Penalties like this should serve as a wake­up call to corporations who fail to comply with our state’s environmental laws and regulations,” District Attorney Mike Ramos said in the release. “We will continue to protect our state’s natural resources and the environmental safety of our citizens in this county.”

The other counties involved in the suit were Alameda, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Stanislaus and Merced. Joining them in the suit was the state Attorney General’s Office.

The judge ordered the oil companies to investigate spills, leaks, disposals or discharges, and also investigate and remediate a suspected release, spill, leak, disposal or discharge at or from any of their gas stations in the state.

District attorney’s spokesman Chris Lee said no contaminants from the underground tanks were discovered in the supply of groundwater in San Bernardino County.

http://www.sbsun.com/environment­and­nature/20150508/san­bernardino­county­shares­in­settlement­with­two­oil­companies 1/1 5/11/2015 Breaking News

Monday, 11 May, 2015 This Week's Highlights GUEST BOOK Front Page Breaking News • Breaking News • The mystery of Snow Valley water—Part 1 Guest Book • The mystery of Snow Valley water—Part 2 • Hall seeks legal fees from Arrowhead Lake CONTACT US Association • Senator to honor local Boy Scout • Museum volunteer training next week Contact Us Top Stories • Press Release: NEWS • Correction · Front Page • Health officials warn of Lyme disease · Top Stories • Green Valley Lake Burglar Gets Prison · Headlines • Running Springs Man Stabbed in Hand · Government Watch • School boundary lines cause turmoil · Sheriff's Log • “Chipper Day” coming to Green Valley Lake Sheriff's Log CALENDAR • Felony Drunk Driving Arrest, Additional Charges · What's up! Possible What's up! SPOTLIGHT • Calendar · Rockys Roadhouse Rockys Roadhouse FEATURES • Rocky’s Roadhouse – “Where the Big Dogs Go” · Uncle Mott PHOTO CAPTION: In the interest of public safety, state officials in 2010 ordered a set of Uncle Mott · Keeping it Real wooden boards removed from the spillway at Lake Gregory Dam so the lake’s water level • Let The Big Horse Run could be lowered five feet. (Photo by Douglas W. Motley) Keeping it Real · A View from the Right Friday, May 08, 2015 • Federal Department of Education puts checks and · In the Kitchen with Cathy balances on for profit education · Sustainable Mountain Dam repairs on the horizon A View from the Right · The Alpenhorn Traveler • Part IV: The Finale of Obstructionist­in­Chief Reid State approves drainage system replacement for Lake Gregory Dam In the Kitchen with Cathy SPECIAL FEATURES By Douglas W. Motley • Kids in the Kitchen · Through the Keyhole Sustainable Mountain · Kool Kids The California Department of Safety of Dams (DSOD) this week approved the long­awaited replacement of an inoperable and • Community gardens provide healthy alternatives inadequate drainage system within the Lake Gregory Dam. OPINION {from the desk} · {from the desk} Scott Vanhorne, communications director for Second District San Bernardino County Supervisor Janice Rutherford, informed The • Happy Mother’s Day · Letters to the Editor Alpenhorn News on May 6 that the DSOD had approved Phase I of a state­mandated, two­phase project to rehabilitate the aging Letters to the Editor (1938) earthen dam to safeguard against downstream flooding during a major seismic event. • Letter to the Editor · Submit Comments • Letter to the Editor CLASSIFIED ADS Phase I, said Vanhorn, would involve replacement of an apparently rusted­shut drain valve with a larger valve and drain pipe that would enable the lake to be drained down to one­half­full over a six­day­period, as opposed to the estimated one­month that would • Letter to the Editor · View Classifieds be required if the current valve and drainage system were repaired. “The state (DSOD) has told us that, in the event of a magnitude · Submit Classifieds 6 earthquake in Big Bear, the dam could be compromised,” he said. · Advertise on Web Vanhorn said the Phase I project, which is estimated to cost about $1 million, is expected to be approved for bidding by contractors · Subscribe Today! during the supervisors’ June 1st board meeting. “We’re hoping that phase will be completed by the end of the year,” he said adding BUSINESS DIRECTORY that the bidding would be advertised on the county’s website, and that the bidding process is expected to last about six weeks. · Yellow Pages Phase 2, Vanhorne said, would involve buttressing the dam to strengthen its integrity. “This hasn’t been approved yet. We’re hoping · Local Business Guide for (DSOD) approval by next spring,” he said adding that the entire retrofitting of the dam is expected to cost about $10 million. “The county has set aside $10 million for the project. If we need more, we can find the money.” NOTICES · Now Hiring Sediment dredged from the lake bottom over the past two years has reportedly been transported to 1,000 Pines Christian · Trustee Sales Conference Center in the hills above Lake Gregory where its being stored until needed for strengthening the dam. “Supervisor Rutherford wants the county to be a good steward of the lake,” Vanhorne said. · FBN · Garage Sales Fearing catastrophic flooding could occur in high desert communities below Crestline during a major seismic event, the DSOD in · Miscellaneous Notices February 2010 ordered county officials to lower the water level in Lake Gregory by five feet. To accomplish this, county workers removed a set of wooden boards at the lip of the dam’s spillway. OBITUARY · Obituary In February 2010, San Bernardino County Regional Parks acting Director Maureen Snelgrove told The Alpenhorn News, “Our last study determined that the dam is seismically safe.” Highly critical of the results of the county’s last seismic study, DSOD Chief David SAN BERNARDINO A. Gutierrez complained that the February 2009 study was performed without any involvement from his department. Among other COUNTY things, Gutierrez questioned embankment strengths, citing the potential for liquefaction, and questioned the ability of the outlet works to adequately draw down the reservoir in case of an emergency. He said these deficiencies had been outstanding since 1986. · Board of Supervisors · •••• 2nd District Janice Rutherford · •••• 3rd District James Ramos submit your comments · Animal Care & Control · Code Enforcement · Assessor · Auditor / Controller­ Recorder http://alpenhornnews.com/breaking­news­p5980­155.htm 1/2 5/11/2015 Art showing bare­breasted fairy returns to San Bernardino library Art showing bare­breasted fairy returns to San Bernardino library By Ryan Hagen , The Sun sbsun.com

SAN BERNARDINO >> A painting featuring a bare­breasted woman called “Free Spirit Fairy” is again part of an art collection at Feldheym Central Library, after an anti­censorship organization expressed “serious constitutional concerns” about the decision to remove it.

The National Coalition Against Censorship became involved after the artist, Rose Loya, said her painting had been taken out of a collection from the Inland Empire Latino Art Association, apparently because of concerns about the semi­nude woman it depicts.

That violated the First Amendment and the city should “put it back on display as soon as possible and spare the library bad press and possible legal action,” wrote Svetlana Mintcheva, the group’s director of programs, in a Monday email to library director Ed Erjavek.

The city’s response came the same day from Deputy City Attorney Steven Graham.

The library has a strong interest in protecting freedom of speech, Graham wrote.

“In fact, it is that very interest that led to the Library hosting the art exhibit,” he wrote. “At the same time, the Library strives to maintain an inclusive atmosphere where all members of the public, including parents of young children and Library staff, should feel comfortable. .... However, in consideration of the Library’s commitment to protection of freedom of speech, out of a desire to avoid the expense of litigation to ensure that the Library’s already limited funds are not wasted unnecessarily, and without admitting any wrongdoing, the Library agrees to allow the painting to rejoin the other paintings for the remainder of the exhibit.”

In a phone interview, Erjavek said he hadn’t received any complaints from patrons and agreed that the painting should be displayed.

The collection takes up part of two floors, and “Free Spirit Fairy” is on the second story.

“The artist had the choice of putting it downstairs, but had no problem with putting it upstairs,” Mintcheva said by phone.

Removing a nude painting sends a bad message to artists and to the families that the city said it was trying to protect, she said.

“The idea persists that somehow children should not see a nude,” she said. “What’s really encountered is adults are embarrassed or ashamed and they’re projecting their own shame.”

This isn’t the first time the National Coalition Against Censorship has gotten involved in San Bernardino over nudity in a Latino art collection.

The San Bernardino County Government Center removed three paintings in 2013 because the nudity was deemed offensive, then returned it after the NCAC and ACLU filed a lawsuit.

http://www.sbsun.com/social­affairs/20150508/art­showing­bare­breasted­fairy­returns­to­san­bernardino­library 1/2 5/11/2015 Art showing bare­breasted fairy returns to San Bernardino library NCAC pointed to multiple cases in which the U.S. Supreme Court has stated “‘nudity alone’ does not place otherwise protected material outside the mantle of the First Amendment.”

Loya’s painting shows a smiling fairy with a piece of cloth draped over her but not covering her breasts.

“She would feel awkward about dressing the fairy in a costume,” Mintcheva said. “That’s what fairies look like.”

http://www.sbsun.com/social­affairs/20150508/art­showing­bare­breasted­fairy­returns­to­san­bernardino­library 2/2 5/11/2015 sbX ridership tops 500k for 1st year, with increase expected sbX ridership tops 500k for 1st year, with increase expected By Ryan Hagen , The Sun sbsun.com

Workers make progress on San Bernardino’s new transit center station. The Transit Center will serve as a transfer point for bus routes serving the Downtown area. Sarah Alvarado — Staff Photographer

SAN BERNARDINO >> More than half a million people rode the sbX rapid­ transit bus line in its first year of service, according to Omnitrans — and they expect the next year, which just began, to boost that number significantly.

“We expect sbX ridership to grow by another 30 percent by next year, mostly due to the opening of the San Bernardino Transit Center in September,” said Omnitrans spokeswoman Wendy Williams.

That transit center, located on the southwest corner of Rialto and E Streets, is intended to allow passengers to easily transfer among the different services that will meet there — 13 local Omnitrans buses, the sbX Bus Rapid Transit service, Victor Valley Transit Authority buses, Mountain Area Rapid Transit Authority buses and Metrolink trains — and easily travel without needing a car.

The transit center broke ground in February of last year.

A few months later, the 16­mile bus line from Cal State San Bernardino to Loma Linda University began operations. The first week, when riding was free, drew 3,032 riders — the most a single week has yet gotten.

But since paid ridership began the first week of May, averaging 1,327 riders per day, most weeks have improved on the ridership total from the last, with average daily ridership now at 2,375, according to Omnitrans. That’s an increase of 79 percent.

Still, the perception persists that no one rides the bus.

“I drive through there, as many people do, every day,” said Renee Sharer, property manager for Hospitality Management LLC, referring to the Hospitality Lane area where the bus lane blocks people from crossing the street. “If you’re in that area, they all laugh: ‘How many people do you see on there?’ There’s some mornings I drive in, and there’s no one on the bus except the bus driver.”

In return, Sharer says, the bus line has hurt local businesses. http://www.sbsun.com/general­news/20150509/sbx­ridership­tops­500k­for­1st­year­with­increase­expected 1/2 5/11/2015 sbX ridership tops 500k for 1st year, with increase expected “It’s very prohibitive as far as ease of use for our area,” she said. “We’ve had old patients that come to our office and tell us we can’t come anymore because we can’t get there.”

Passengers on sbX think it’s been helpful.

“I ride it every day to pick my sister up from school,” said Lewis Powell, 29, a San Bernardino resident and student at San Bernardino Valley College. “Other times I’ll go to the store or just ride it for fun. It’s a lot cheaper than driving.”

Similarly, Joseph Hackett, a 46­year­old resident of San Bernardino, said price was the main reason he rode sbX, although he usually has a car.

“There’s not too many people, except in the morning,” Hackett said on his way to the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Medical Center in Loma Linda. “I’ll drive one week, then ride the bus the next week, so I don’t get too tired of either one.”

Free fares are occasionally available for promotions, but the rest of the ridership total for the year — still more than 500,000 — was paid, Williams said.

One­way fare is the same as other Omnitrans buses, $1.75. A day­pass is $5, with other discounts for seven­day and 31­day passes and for persons with disabilities, seniors, military veterans and people under 18.

http://www.sbsun.com/general­news/20150509/sbx­ridership­tops­500k­for­1st­year­with­increase­expected 2/2 San Bernardino to slash retiree health care in bankruptcy plan By REUTERS PUBLISHED: 15:54 EST, 7 May 2015 | UPDATED: 15:54 EST, 7 May 2015 By Tim Reid

LOS ANGELES, May 7 (Reuters) - The southern California city of San Bernardino has proposed virtually eliminating retiree health insurance costs under a bankruptcy exit plan it must produce by May 31, according to an attorney involved in negotiations with city officials. Steven Katzman, who represents a committee of retirees in talks with the bankrupt city, says a tentative deal has been struck under which retirees would sacrifice the city subsidies they currently receive for health care coverage in exchange for a guarantee that San Bernardino continues to fund and not cut current pension benefits. The deal would follow an approach taken in the recent bankruptcies of Detroit, Michigan and Stockton, California, where retiree health care was slashed or eliminated, while pensions emerged relatively unscathed. San Bernardino recently said it intends to pay its biggest creditor - Calpers, the state's powerful public employee pension fund, with assets of $300 billion - in full. Under the proposed San Bernardino deal, retirees would agree to permanently accept drastic cuts to health care coverage that have taken effect in recent months, Katzman said. Under those changes, retirees' were moved from an insurance pool that includes current, younger workers to an "unblended" pool of only retired workers, hiking their premiums significantly. A monthly subsidy of $112 that the city provided retirees to help with premiums was also scrapped, though a small number of older employees who are ineligible for Medicare will still receive a small stipend, Katzman said. Katzman has been negotiating behind closed doors with city officials along with a committee of eight retirees. The committee represents the city's roughly 2,000 living former workers. Retirees affected by the health care cuts will, as creditors in the bankruptcy, get a chance to vote along with other creditors for or against the entire bankruptcy plan, though the court has final say. "The goal has been to reach a deal with the city, and the retiree committee's recommendation is essentially forsake health care benefits for protection of retirees' pension benefits. The goal is to incorporate that agreement into a plan and we are in active discussions with the city towards that objective," Katzman said. Even if retirees approve their part of the deal, final approval of a bankruptcy plan is likely to take months. Negotiations with city firefighters, who are suing San Bernardino over contract issues, have broken down. The police union still has not signed off on parts of the bankruptcy deal affecting its members. And bondholders have sued the city over its decision to pay Calpers in full. Retirees who don't yet qualify for Medicare because of their age will now have to bear the total cost of their health care under the bankruptcy plan, which is still being worked on, Katzman said, though a small number of older employees who are ineligible for Medicare will still receive a stipend each month. The judge overseeing the case has given the city a May 31 deadline to produce its exit blueprint. Retirees, including former police, firefighters and other city workers, can choose to stay with the city health plan, while paying all costs, or they can quit the city health plan and look for coverage in a health exchange, or if eligible, apply for Medicare, the government-funded healthcare program for the elderly. San Bernardino, a struggling city of 205,000 located 65 miles east of Los Angeles, declared bankruptcy in July 2012 with a $45 million deficit. Along with the recent bankruptcies of Detroit, Michigan, and Stockton, California, the bankruptcy is being closely watched by the $3.6 trillion U.S. municipal bond market. San Bernardino's city attorney told Reuters in January that the city intends to cut its bondholder debt under the bankruptcy plan. The city has paid nothing to its bondholder creditors for nearly three years. Those bondholders include EEPK, the Luxembourg-based bank and holder of roughly $50 million in pension obligation bonds issued by San Bernardino in 2005, and Ambac Assurance Corp, which insures a portion of those bonds. (Reporting by Tim Reid. Editing by Megan Davies and Sue Horton)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3072652/San-Bernardino- slash-retiree-health-care-bankruptcy-plan.html#ixzz3ZamMixxy Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook 5/11/2015 Print Article: EDITORIAL: Firefighters need to start cooperating with bankrupt S.B.

EDITORIAL: Firefighters need to start cooperating with bankrupt S.B. 2015­05­08 15:23:22

The city of San Bernardino, trying to emerge from bankruptcy, may soon get cooperation from its firefighters union, which once again suffered losses in court. U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II on Thursday rejected three appeals filed by the union in February.

The union has been notably uncooperative throughout the bankruptcy proceedings, unwilling to negotiate in good faith with the city on a more affordable, sustainable contract moving forward.

To what U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Jury described last summer as “stonewalling” progress, Judge Wright applied even more forceful language, calling the union’s “vapid” legal efforts “a trilogy of meritless appeals.”

The appeals primarily resulted from rulings last year upholding the city’s right to scrap the existing memorandum of understanding with the union and proceed with a new contract.

Whereas every other city employee sector has at least engaged in conversation with the city, the firefighters union has done everything in its power to demonstrate how little credibility it ought to have on the city’s fiscal woes.

City officials met last week with two public fire agencies and one private company to discuss outsourcing fire services. In attendance were the San Bernardino County Fire Department, Colton Fire Department and the Centerra Group.

Not in attendance was Cal Fire, from which the city has tried to elicit bids for some time in the face of the agency’s unwillingness, given the precarious finances of the city.

City Attorney Gary Saenz previously explained to our Editorial Board that the city is doing everything it can to evaluate its full set of options, with an eye to being able to provide the best possible service at the best possible price.

The city firefighters union is damaging itself by wasting taxpayer money and dragging out a legal contest it knows it will lose. While it is apparent that the union is doing its best to save face with its members, all it is accomplishing is underscoring the need for the city to consider alternative service providers.

Everyone can agree that firefighters ought to be compensated appropriately. In a time of bankruptcy, when that compensation far exceeds what the city can reasonably afford and when virtually every other employee group has made significant sacrifices, it is only sensible that the union should end its counterproductive efforts.

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http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=766806 1/1 5/11/2015 Rancho Cucamonga deputies seek man suspected of rape Rancho Cucamonga deputies seek man suspected of rape By Beatriz Valenzuela , San Bernardino Sun sbsun.com

San Bernardino County sheriff’s detectives in Rancho Cucamonga are seeking information leading to the arrest of a man suspected of raping one woman and assaulting another. Courtesy photo

RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> Sheriff’s detectives are searching for a man who has targeted women in this area, allegedly raping at least one.

On May 2, around 10:45 p.m., a woman, 20, returned to her apartment on Church Street near Milliken Avenue, according to a sheriff’s press release.

She walked alone along a dark path when a man confronted her and punched her.

He then grabbed her and pulled her toward a darkened area.

She managed to get away from the man and run to safety. He fled on foot.

Two days later, around 10:30 p.m., another young woman, 20, was walking alone on Milliken Avenue from the Ontario Mills mall when she noticed she was being followed.

A man came up behind her near Azusa Court and grabbed her from behind, according to the release.

That’s when he pulled her to the side of the roadway and raped her, authorities said.

He was last seen fleeing toward the Metrolink Station on Azusa Court, they said.

Both women described their attacker as a black man, in his late 30s to 40s, 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall, weighing about 200 pounds with a short “scruffy” black beard, and wearing a dark hoodie and dark clothing.

Officials released a composite sketch of the man they are seeking.

Anyone with information is requested to contact sheriff’s Detective Ryan Ford at 909­477­ 2800 or if they wish to remain anonymous to call WeTip at 800­78­CRIME.

http://www.sbsun.com/general­news/20150508/rancho­cucamonga­deputies­seek­man­suspected­of­rape 1/1 5/11/2015 City reviving legislative review committee ­ Gate House

Print Page By Shea Johnson Staff Writer

May 10. 2015 12:00PM

City reviving legislative review committee

VICTORVILLE — The City Council is reviving the city's long­dormant Legislative Review Committee and expanding it's scope to state and federal matters.

The Council unanimously voted last week to authorize City Clerk Carolee Bates to advertise for existing vacancies on the committee, which hasn't met since June 2000, meaning all former appointments have long since expired.

The move to reestablish the group, which will be tasked with reviewing legislation in the city, state and federal arenas, comes after Councilman Ryan McEachron backed away last month from a request that the Council adopt a position of support for toll lanes in San Bernardino County.

McEachron, who also serves as board vice president for San Bernardino Associated Governments, the entity which would be granted authority under Assembly Bill 914 to implement a toll lane program in the county on the Interstate 15 and I­10 corridors, acknowledged the request was more appropriate for a committee.

The idea of toll lanes here has been pointedly opposed by some who have made their frustrations known during a SANBAG meeting April 1, and again during a Victorville Council meeting a little less than a week later, when McEachron's request was scheduled to be heard before being withdrawn.

City Manager Doug Robertson said Tuesday that while the committee had historically only reviewed city dealings, there was nothing precluding them from undertaking multiple roles to hear state and federal matters.

"If the Council wanted the legislative review committee to perhaps dig a little deeper into a proposed state law or federal law," he said, "it's something you could ask them to do."

Bates will now advertise for five vacancies on the committee. Each Council member will select an appointee, and all proposed appointments will be brought before the Council for approval.

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150510/NEWS/150519987 Print Page

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150510/NEWS/150519987?template=printart 1/1 5/11/2015 Officials mull adding spokesperson ­ Gate House

Print Page By Shea Johnson Staff Writer

May 10. 2015 3:02PM

Officials mull adding spokesperson

VICTORVILLE — For the third straight year, city officials will seek to work a public information officer position into the budget, which City Manager Doug Robertson said last week was 98 to 99 percent complete in anticipation of being presented to the City Council on June 2.

While the budget calls for "very little new programs," according to Robertson, it also will fund "everything we've done in the past" and comes with a "small amount of surplus."

Over the last two years, Robertson said inclusion of the official spokesperson position has tilted the budget toward not being balanced, and has subsequently been cut from the city's spending plan within a week or two of it being finalized.

But with an expected tiny surplus for fiscal year 2016, City Council members on Tuesday were cautiously willing to bring the PIO position back into the internal budget process.

"I think this goes back to priorities and limited resources, so I look forward to working this through the budget workshop," said Councilman Eric Negrete, although his support, like other Council members, was tempered by the stance that a PIO shouldn't occupy budget space over more important programs or roles.

"We have a need for a public information officer," said Mayor Pro Tem Jim Cox. "On the other hand, I know we're going to have criticism because, 'well, we can hire a firefighter or policeman ...'"

Due to budgetary constraints, the city has been without an official spokesperson for about four years and lost its public information coordinator within the last year or two, according to Robertson. The hole has left other officials to perform double­duty.

"Because we have no public information officer, I've become public information officer," Robertson said, "and I find myself responding to any matter of things ... which is work, but that's not what you pay me to do."

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150510/NEWS/150519985 Print Page

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150510/NEWS/150519985?template=printart 1/1 5/11/2015 Construction begins on LV Dollar Store ­ Gate House

Print Page By Peter Day Staff Writer

May 10. 2015 5:52PM

Construction begins on LV Dollar Store

LUCERNE VALLEY — Dollar General Corp. recently began construction on a 9,100­square­foot store at 32510 Highway 18 in Lucerne Valley. The location is at the terminus of Highland Road, near the Lucerne Valley U.S. Post Office.

Dollar General is a variety store that carries a selection of low­priced brand and generic merchandise. A limited amount of food items will be sold. Contrary to its name, most of its products are priced at more than $1. Dollar General has more than 11,500 stores in the U.S.

"The store under construction is our traditional Dollar General format, which includes approximately 7,300 sales floor square footage," company spokesperson Crystal W. Ghassemi said via email. "With that format, we do sell a limited selection of perishable merchandise including bread, milk, eggs, ice cream, snacks, canned goods and more. This store Drivers manuever through cones in both will not sell fresh meat or produce." lanes of Highway 18 in Lucerne Valley on Friday afternoon. The temporary lanes Construction crews have been clearing and grading the property. Meanwhile, Highway 18 drivers have been slowed by were recently installed for construction temporary lanes installed to upgrade the roadway in front of the store and create a parking lot entrance. work on the north lane at the site of a Based on the current timeline, a fall 2015 grand opening celebration is expected, "but please note construction progress 9,000­square­foot Dollar General store may alter the exact date," Ghassemi said. expected to open next fall. Peter Day, Daily Press Dollar General looks for new store locations where it can offer customers a convenient shopping choice.

"We know convenience is a major factor in our customers' shopping decisions as we generally serve customers within a three to five mile radius, or 10 minute drive," Ghassemi said. "We also take demographic trends, competitive factors, traffic patterns and community concerns into consideration."

According to Ghassemi, the Lucerne Valley store will employ six to 10 people.

"I expect positions for this store will be available for application by early summer," she said.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150510/NEWS/150519984 Print Page

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150510/NEWS/150519984?template=printart 1/1 5/11/2015 Graffiti a growing concern at Joshua Tree National Park Graffiti a growing concern at Joshua Tree National Park By Jim Steinberg , The Sun sbsun.com

Tourists walk near the Barker Dam in Joshua Tree National Park. The dam was recently repaired after years of vandalism. jennifer cappuccio maher — staff photographer Vandalism damage to some of the rocks and walls in Rattlesnake Canyon prompted officials at Joshua Tree National Park to close the popular trail temporarily to protect it from further damage. staff file photo

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK >> Leaning against a large rock with an panoramic overview of Barker Dam and irregular boulder formations far into the distance, London visitor Paul Simpson said he couldn’t tell vandals had struck there.

“It’s so wrong to do that kind of thing out here,” said Simpson, a British civil engineer. “I know some consider graffiti as art, but this is not the place for that.”

Restoration had recently been concluded on the dam, built in 1902. That came after 50 percent of the dam was covered with initials vandals had carved on the structure, which provided water to the cattle belonging to the area’s homesteaders long before the creation of Joshua Tree National Park.

“Traditional values may not be held by some of the people coming to National Parks,” said David Smith, Joshua Tree National Park’s superintendent. “They may not have grown up visiting natural places. The rules inside a park are different than the rules inside a city or a town.”

More Americans are visiting the nation’s national parks. Visitations at Joshua Tree reached a record 1.6 million last year and are likely to hit 2 million this year, Smith said.

But in spots, they are seeing eyesores.

Being in a remote location — more than 140 miles from Los Angeles — Joshua Tree has not had a significant graffiti problem until several years ago, Smith said.

And the problem, he added, comes from a diverse group of graffiti vandals. Some are http://www.sbsun.com/environment­and­nature/20150510/graffiti­a­growing­concern­at­joshua­tree­national­park 1/3 5/11/2015 Graffiti a growing concern at Joshua Tree National Park undoubtably teenagers, but a new breed has surfaced recently — people who consider themselves great artists.

Among them was a Swedish­Portuguese street artist, Andre Saraiva, known as “Mr. Andre.”

In late February, members of the public notified park officials that Saraiva had posted Instagram photos of his “creations” on one or two rock formations thought to be in the park.

An investigation showed only one location was within the park borders.

He was fined an undisclosed amount and has since returned to his home, which is now in France.

Saraiva came to the area near the national park for a job in the city of Twentynine Palms and apparently felt his talents were needed on the barren rock faces, area residents say.

Three local juveniles were charged and convicted of vandalism at Barker Dam and the investigation is targeting other individuals, park officials said.

Another person was recently convicted of paint vandalism at Indian Cove Campground.

Smith called on people to report incidents they see to the nearest park ranger or call park dispatch at 909­383­5651.

The motivations are as diverse as the graffiti offenders.

A study published in a 2012 issue of the International Journal of Mental Health Addiction on understanding the reasons for graffiti engagement says “engagement in minor risk­taking, sensation seeking, boundary­testing and rule­breaking activities fulfils the basic adolescent need for individuality and risk taking.”

Earlier this year, conservators from the University of New Mexico completed their restoration using a method known as “in­painting,” which uses silicate­based paint, applied in a way that matches surrounding colors, textures and patterns, park officials said.

Lowering water levels over several years exposed more of the dam’s surface to graffiti­writing vandals, who eventually scratched more than 50 percent of the dam’s surface area, National Park Service officials said.

The project took about 18 months to complete, and before it was done, new graffiti, including a skull and snake, emerged less than 2 miles away. In this case the graffiti target was one of the remaining walls of the “Pink House,” a crumbling, 1930s­era house that at one time contained a health food store, said George Land, a national parks spokesman.

In recent weeks, a blue giraffe was painted on a rock along the 49 Palms Oasis Trial.

In 2013, Rattlesnake Canyon, a day­use area in Joshua Tree National Park was closed for several months because of repeated graffiti attacks, which migrated into archeological sites. http://www.sbsun.com/environment­and­nature/20150510/graffiti­a­growing­concern­at­joshua­tree­national­park 2/3 5/11/2015 Graffiti a growing concern at Joshua Tree National Park For London natives Paul and Fiona Simpson, coming to Joshua Tree National Park was a dream.

It represents open spaces and curious rock formations — a panorama Paul described as “alien.”

And the name represents their teenage years, when the group U2 came out with their 1987 hit album “The Joshua Tree.”

Leaning against a large rock with an overview of Barker Dam, the Simpsons said there needs to be an educational push to help people realize their artistic urges are defacing natural beauty, perhaps forever.

But it’s not just happening in this country. A barrier, in the last several years, has been placed around the Stonehenge prehistoric monument to protect the stones from vandalism, Paul Simpson said.

“You can’t interact with the stones anymore,” Fiona Simpson said.

Another recent Joshua Tree visitor, Canadian Anne­Sophie Caron, 22, said when she was a counselor at a summer camp in the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve on the St. Lawrence River, the teenagers from Quebec City and Montreal had no concept of cleaning up their litter from lunch and snacks.

Like the visitors from London, Caron, a recent environmental­biology graduate from Montreal’s McGill University, said better educational efforts are needed to reach a new generation of national park visitors.

“It starts in the home and should continue in school,” said Paul Szamatowicz, 61, a visitor from Detroit.

“One day they will probably be using drones to catch vandals in the national parks,” Szamatowicz said.

Frazier Haney, conservation director of the Joshua Tree­based Mojave Land Trust, said graffiti vandalism is a growing concern in the national park and outside the town borders.

There are increasing incidents in and around the unincorporated Joshua Tree community and some of them have affected archeological locations, he said.

A new public service campaign is needed to stem the upsurge of graffiti vandalism in national parks and on other public space, said Sharon Davis, a University of Laverne sociology professor.

“Street artists need to be the voices,” she said. “This needs to speak the language of the younger generation to get the message across.”

http://www.sbsun.com/environment­and­nature/20150510/graffiti­a­growing­concern­at­joshua­tree­national­park 3/3 5/11/2015 Daily Bulletin earns six awards in statewide journalism competition Daily Bulletin earns six awards in statewide journalism competition By Staff Reports DailyBulletin.com

SAN DIEGO >> The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin was the recipient Saturday of six journalism awards given by the state’s preeminent newspaper trade group.

The California Newspaper Publishers Association, in all, awarded 38 prizes to the Daily Bulletin’s parent company, the Los Angeles News Group, at its annual awards luncheon in San Diego.

“In every community we serve, we know that local news matters,” said LANG Executive Editor Michael A. Anastasi, who oversees nine newspapers from Los Angeles to Redlands. “It is our mission, and it is our passion.

“Seeing that work recognized as the state’s best is a direct reflection on our journalists, who understand their unique role to serve and their commitment to excellence.”

The Daily Bulletin earned two first­place awards. Photographer Will Lester was awarded first place in the news photography category for his photo of firefighters saving the former Singer Mansion in the Colby Fire above Glendora and Azusa. A first­place prize went to the paper’s design staff in the front page (broadsheet) category.

Mike Brossart, opinion editor for the Los Angeles News Group, earned an award in editorial comment for his piece on Rialto Unified’s interim superintendent and the district school board’s disregard for state law; the paper’s sports staff was recognized in the special sports section category for its high school football preview; the design staff earned an award for page layout and design (broadsheet); and Lester earned an award in the artistic photo category.

The Los Angeles News Group journalism awards were selected out of more than 4,000 entries from around the state submitted by more than 100 news organizations. The CNPA Better Newspaper Contest prizes recognized 29 categories of best news coverage performed last year for solid reporting, crisp writing, bold design and superb photojournalism in print and digital media.

The 38 LANG first, second and blue­ribbon honors follow the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for local reporting last month by the group’s Torrance Daily Breeze.

The South Bay paper drew Pulitzer acclaim for its expose of a former school superintendent who bilked his district of an annual salary of $663,000 — plus nearly $1.7 million in perks. It also won nods from the Scripps Howard National Journalism Awards and the prestigious National Headliner Award for Investigative Journalism.

Six LANG staffers have also just earned 2015 Best of the West awards, sponsored by the Arizona­based nonprofit First Amendment Funding Inc. They include a first for headlines by Chris Ledermuller — “Jalapeno paupers,” “Origami cranes are brought into the fold,” and http://www.dailybulletin.com/media/20150509/daily­bulletin­earns­six­awards­in­statewide­journalism­competition 1/2 5/11/2015 Daily Bulletin earns six awards in statewide journalism competition “Piquing duck” .

The CNPA awards luncheon, attended by an estimated 150 journalists from around the state, was held during the association’s annual press summit at the Victorian­era Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego.

“The work we saw here was fantastic,” said Will Fleet, CNPA master of ceremonies, board member and publisher of the Tracy Press. “Keep up the good fight. Democracy needs you, your community needs you. Thank you.”

The Los Angeles News Group, a subsidiary of Digital First Media, ranks eighth in the nation for its weekly print and online audience of more than 2.5 million readers. Its daily print and digital circulation is 437,000 during the week and 513,000 on Sunday.

Among its slew of awards Saturday was one for General Excellence for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for best mid­size daily newspaper in the state. A LANG weekly, the Grunion Gazette in Long Beach, won four awards, including a first­place finish for its special section on the annual Congressional Cup regatta.

The L.A. Daily News won 10 CNPA awards; the San Gabriel Valley Tribune seven; the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin six; the Torrance Daily Breeze five; the Pasadena Star­News four; the Long Beach Press­Telegram two; the Redlands Daily Facts, two; the Whittier Daily News one; and The Sun in San Bernardino one award.

The L.A. Daily News, based in Woodland Hills, was recognized for its work in best investigative reporting, arts and entertainment coverage, page layout and design, enterprise reporting, writing, feature story, coverage of business news, front page and special section.

Its first­place finishes include one for writing by David Montero, “Who was Tuan Nguyen,” and one for coverage of business news by Bob Strauss and Dakota Smith, “Runaway Production.” It took two second­place finishes for front page and a special section on the California drought.

“What a tremendous opportunity, I have a dream job,” said Steve Lopez, the award luncheon’s keynote speaker, an award­winning columnist for the Los Angeles Times, which won a general excellence award for large papers and 17 first­ or second­place prizes. “Forty years in, it still feels new, it still feels fresh. I can’t wait to get to the next column.

“Congratulations to all the winners.”

http://www.dailybulletin.com/media/20150509/daily­bulletin­earns­six­awards­in­statewide­journalism­competition 2/2 5/11/2015 Cucamonga Valley Water District to hold ‘Drought Fair’ Cucamonga Valley Water District to hold ‘Drought Fair’ Posted: 05/10/15, 6:04 PM PDT sbsun.com

The Cucamonga Valley Water District will host a Community Meeting & Drought Fair on Thursday for all customers to receive a status update on CVWD’s conservation requirements, a water supply update, information on rebates and educational programs, support for any water bill related questions.

The Drought Fair begins at 6 p.m. at Central Park; 11200 Base Line Road, Rancho Cucamonga.

CVWD is asking its customers to conserve a mandatory 10 percent, but expects to move into a higher conservation stage in the next few weeks

Information: 909­944­6000 or Facebook.com/CVWDWater.

http://www.sbsun.com/general­news/20150510/cucamonga­valley­water­district­to­hold­drought­fair 1/1 5/8/2015 Redlands continues to pursue water conservation Redlands continues to pursue water conservation By Sandra Emerson , Redlands Daily Facts RedlandsDailyFacts.com

REDLANDS>> The city is looking within and without for help in achieving a 36 percent reduction in water use by February.

City staff is in the third phase of a four­phased approach to educate the public and enforce water restrictions. They have also reviewed changing the municipal code to allow residents to use simple gray water systems on their property.

“There is no simple fix to saving water in this drought. It will take effort, sacrifice and serious water reductions from our customers,” Cecilia Griego, the city’s water conservation coordinator, said at Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting. “The city is committed to providing information and resources to assist in conservation, but we need customers to be willing to make sacrifices as well.”

The State Water Resources Control Board reviewed its draft regulations Monday and Tuesday, which include a requirement that all water agencies statewide reduce water consumption by a specific percentage based on the agencies’ 2014 summer residential gallons per capita per day.

City staff will return to the council with the final regulations and more information on amending the municipal code to allow residents to install simple gray water systems, such as laundry­to­ landscape systems.

The city prohibits gray water systems, but state code allows for the use of the wastewater from laundry machines, bathroom sinks, showers and bathtubs. The use of wastewater from toilets, kitchen sinks or dishwashers is not permitted.

If all residents install simple gray water systems, the city could see a 3.5 percent decrease in water demand, Griego said.

About 75 percent of water used in the city is for outdoor landscaping.

If the code is amended, simple gray water systems would be allowed only to irrigate non­turf areas.

In a laundry­to­landscape system, residents can attach a pipe from their washing machines to their planters.

Under the city’s four­phase plan, each phase builds upon the previous phase. The city is in phase ​3, which includes the efforts of phases 1 and 2, in addition to several other efforts such as implementing a hotline and an email address for reporting water waste, the audit and retrofit of all city facilities to water­efficient products, development of a Drought Task Force to address the city’s landscaping codes; hiring two additional part­time employees to respond to wastewater reports and increase enforcement of restrictions; assist the city’s top 5 percent of water users to achieve reductions and further enhance the city’s water­efficiency rebates. http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/environment­and­nature/20150506/redlands­continues­to­pursue­water­conservation?utm_content=buffer98471&utm_mediu… 1/2 5/8/2015 Redlands continues to pursue water conservation Phase 4 would include increases in penalties, reduction of water use to two days per week and hiring additional part­time employees.

Mayor Pro Tem Jon Harrison asked that city staff be proactive in addressing overuse of water.

“If someone is driving to work or walking, they may not take the time or have a phone with them to be able to immediately report something,” he said. “If there is any way we can catch it by being proactive, I think it would be a positive step.”

Chris Diggs, interim director of the city Municipal Utilities and Engineering Department, said part of the part­time employees’ duties would be to take pro­active measures as Harrison suggested.

Diggs said transitioning the city’s water­metering system to automatic meter readers could cost up to $7 million.

http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/environment­and­nature/20150506/redlands­continues­to­pursue­water­conservation?utm_content=buffer98471&utm_mediu… 2/2 5/11/2015 Print Article: DROUGHT: Why does California keep building houses?

DROUGHT: Why does California keep building houses? BY JANET ZIMMERMAN 2015­05­08 14:47:52

George Tibbetts ticks off the things he has done to save water at his Canyon Lake home of 10 years, from low­flow toilets and showerheads to drip irrigation.

Despite the changes, he has watched his utility bill climb as the state struggles through one of the worst droughts on record and water supplies wane.

With mandatory rationing ordered by the governor, Tibbetts wonders why new housing developments continue to spring up across the Inland region, from Temecula to San Bernardino.

“All of a sudden I’m seeing new homes being built and the question is, ‘Where is the water coming from?’” said Tibbetts, a chemical salesman.

So does California have enough water to continue growing its population?

Experts say yes, but only if there are major shifts in the way residents use water and in how neighborhoods are designed. Stretching the remaining water supply requires dramatic cuts in irrigation, use of recycled water to flush toilets and irrigate yards, and more compact developments on smaller lots.

“We use more water per capita in California than a lot of other places with similar climates,” such as Australia, said Ellen Hanak, a water policy expert with the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan think tank in San Francisco. “Part of smart water management is reducing that per capita use so you can stretch available supplies to support development.”

Some of those reductions are underway, but water officials say we have a long way to go.

In the meantime, new home construction has accelerated with the rebounding economy.

In December, Riverside County reached an annual pace of 9,800 building permits for single­family homes, the highest number since 2009, said Robert Denk, assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis at the National Association of Home Builders.

Water districts continue to issue “will serve” letters for large developments after ensuring an adequate supply for the new homes. The reviews are required under “show­me­the­water” laws aimed at balancing growth and water availability.

New homes will be needed for the 28 percent population growth in Riverside and San Bernardino counties that the state Department of Finance predicts for the next two decades. Many of those will be the children and grandchildren of California residents, not people relocating from other states, Hanak said.

At the same time, California’s annual water deficit is expected to reach at least 5 million acre­feet, or 1.6 trillion gallons, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“They say if we don’t build, our economy suffers, but the same will be true if we don’t have enough water to http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=766792 1/4 5/11/2015 Print Article: DROUGHT: Why does California keep building houses? sustain the existing population,” Tibbetts said.

RETHINKING USE

State officials set their sights last summer on limiting outdoor watering and monitoring per­person daily use. In areas with hot, dry climates, such as the Inland region, irrigation of lawns and landscapes accounts for as much as 75 percent of all water use.

The Metropolitan Water District has paid or approved rebates for the removal of 106 million square feet – 1,840 football fields’ worth – of water­guzzling grass across Southern California since last July. The governor has ordered an additional 50 million square feet of grass to be removed statewide by early next year.

But conservation alone will not sustain continued population growth, experts warn.

Agencies have had to turn to recycling, wastewater treatment, desalination, more efficient plumbing systems and fallowing farmlands to wring more water from a limited supply.

An analysis released last year by the Pacific Institute and Natural Resources Defense Council found that California could gain another 14 million acre­feet of water per year with aggressive efficiency practices, reuse and storm water capture. That’s more than the water used by all of California’s cities in a year, the groups say.

“The truth is California has a fair amount of water. The problem is how we use those resources,” said Heather Cooley, director of the Pacific Institute’s water program.

“We have water management challenges in average years, and, as we look into the future with climate change and growth, we have to be smarter with how we use the resources we have,” she said.

Cooley’s group recommends a number of water­saving efforts: getting rid of much more of the 500,000 acres – or 21.8 billion square feet – of grass in the state, replacing inefficient appliances, fixing leaks under streets and at homes, installing gray­water systems at homes and businesses, changing agricultural irrigation practices and recharging groundwater with storm runoff.

But David Feldman, chairman of UC Irvine’s Department of Planning, Policy and Design, has his doubts.

“The assumption is the drought is temporary. There will be water. We can cut back non­essential uses and there will be sufficient water to support residential and commercial needs,” he said.

“We’re getting to a point where we can’t sustain that indefinitely. Nobody really knows what that point is. There are already communities in California that have reached that point. Another year or two of this and things could get very, very dicey.”

One of the hardest­hit areas is the Central Valley community of East Porterville, where more than 700 homes have gone months without running water because wells have dried up. Residents there have had to rely on bottled water donations and deliveries from a neighboring city.

‘RUNNING OUT OF WATER’ http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=766792 2/4 5/11/2015 Print Article: DROUGHT: Why does California keep building houses? Hydrologist Jay Famiglietti, a senior water scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a UC Irvine professor, says the state has one year’s worth of water stored in its reservoirs, and officials have only just begun to regulate pumping from underground basins, which are overdrawn.

“As difficult as it may be to face, the simple fact is that California is running out of water – and the problem started before our current drought,” he wrote in a March 12 editorial in the Los Angeles Times.

The severity of the drought has become frighteningly evident, with January setting records as the hottest and driest on the books. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which makes up a third of the state’s water supply, ended the year as the driest in 65 years of recordkeeping, prompting Gov. Jerry Brown to order the first­ever mandatory cutbacks of 25 percent.

Water districts are grappling with how to achieve such savings, but halting new development so far has not been part of the plan. Only a handful of cities in California, including Montecito and Sierra Madre, have put a moratorium on water service connections because of shortages.

Dave Cogdill, president and CEO of the California Building Industry Association, understands the public’s outrage at seeing new homes going up in a time of drought. But the 85,000 units added per year over the last two years are a fraction of the 13.5 million existing homes, and only half of what’s needed to keep up with housing demand, he said.

Curbing construction would have far­reaching negative impacts, since the industry provides 209,000 jobs and contributes $40 billion a year to the state’s economy, he said.

The Building Industry Association has called for incentives to retrofit older, less water­efficient homes and wants gray­water piping required in new homes, Cogdill said.

Southern California has avoided moratoriums and dry taps in part because of storage projects such as Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet, providers said.

But even that reservoir – built to hold an emergency water supply for the region – has dropped to 48 percent of capacity, said Bob Muir, spokesman for Metropolitan Water District, the lake’s operator.

Metropolitan has withdrawn 202,000 acre­feet of water from the reservoir to meet the needs of nearly 19 million residents in Southern California over the last year. The lake has dropped 45 feet and will continue receding as the drought stretches into summer.

On April 7, Metropolitan’s board ordered its retail customers, including Western Municipal Water District in Riverside and Eastern Municipal Water District in Perris, to cut an average of 15 percent. Districts that exceed their share will be billed at a higher rate, a cost that will be passed along to customers.

DEVELOPER OFF­SETS

Two laws, SB221 and SB610, are aimed at keeping development and water supply in check. The laws, which apply to developments of 500 homes or more, require that agencies assure there is enough water to meet the project’s needs for 20 years, even in drought.

Since the laws were passed, about 19 projects were put on hold for inefficient supplies, according to a study by the Public Policy Institute. Most were allowed to proceed after developers found additional water supplies or reduced the size of their projects.

Eastern Municipal Water District used the laws in 2007 and 2008 to delay nine projects with questionable supplies. Those developments eventually were allowed to proceed, including the Skechers warehouse in Moreno Valley. The developer reduced water in another of its developments to free up supplies for the warehouse.

The population in Eastern’s service area is expected to grow by 330,000 people in the next 20 years.

According to its water management plan, the district expects its supply to increase during that period with higher allocations from the Colorado River and State Water Project, which has some of the lowest­ever deliveries expected this year.

Eastern also has invested in a desalination plant for groundwater, expanded use of recycled water to irrigate parks and increased floodwater capture, said Randy Record, chairman of the board for Eastern and http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=766792 3/4 5/11/2015 Print Article: DROUGHT: Why does California keep building houses? Metropolitan.

“At some point the water district will say, ‘You’re right, we don’t have enough water,’” he said. “I don’t think we’re there yet.”

Riverside County Supervisor Kevin Jeffries took up the topic at a recent board meeting after a resident asked why officials haven’t instituted a moratorium on development.

“We’re going to have to seriously address how we’re going to go about approving developments, telling residents they’ve got to let their lawns go nearly brown, if not brown, while we’re approving new homeowners who are going to consume more water we don’t have going forward,” Jeffries said.

“We’ve got a contradiction here.”

NEW­HOME EFFICIENCY

Heather Engel, spokeswoman for the Coachella Valley Water District, said new development uses less water than existing homes because of more efficient appliances and landscaping.

According to a study last year by the California Homebuilding Foundation, homes built to state codes before 1975 used about 92,100 gallons of water per year on showers, toilets, faucets and laundry. Outdoor water use was not included. Indoor water use in homes built in 2013 used almost half that, 46,500 gallons per year.

Water for growth is accounted for in the Coachella Valley Water District’s long­term planning document. The agency is counting on additional conservation, expanding the use of recycled or Colorado River water for 43 additional golf courses and converting farmland to Colorado River for irrigation instead of groundwater, which is what supplies the valley’s drinking water, she said.

“It’s really the planning agencies’ responsibility to decide whether or not growth should continue. It’s our job to provide water for the growth,” Engel said.

Yucaipa Valley Water District has taken the water supply requirement a step further. Developments must purchase, upfront, 7 acre­feet of water per home, to be stored by the district, General Manager Joe Zoba said.

Under the rolling moratorium, if water isn’t available, there is no development, he said.

“It really does put the responsibility on the development community to make sure they have the water reserved before they proceed,” Zoba said.

The district orders water in September for the coming calendar year, so developers have to reserve their share a year before.

“The community is getting water before development. It used to follow well after,” Zoba said. “Now we’re marrying up land use to have water delivered a year or two in advance.”

The district also requires dual plumbing – freshwater and recycled water – for all new homes on more than a half­acre.

“The dual­plumbed home concept will significantly reduce the amount of drinking water required for homes on large lots, which will make a huge difference in the long run,” Zoba said.

Contact the writer: 951­368­9586 or [email protected]

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http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=766792 4/4 5/11/2015 California pool, hot tub filling bans have industries steaming ­ San Jose Mercury News California pool, hot tub filling bans have industries steaming By Nicholas Weiler [email protected] Updated: 05/11/2015 05:49:27 AM PDT MercuryNews.com

It's hard to imagine a California summer without long days lounging by the pool. But as unprecedented drought sears the state, the backyard swimming pool has become a target for cities desperate to save water.

As cities and water districts put the squeeze on water users, even pool lovers are canceling construction contracts. Pool builders are steamed, accusing water officials of stressing symbolism over science. And contractors are getting increasingly creative in finding sources of water for pools that cities won't fill.

The new restrictions ­­ largely the result of Gov. Jerry Brown's order to cut water use 25 percent statewide ­­ have become a nightmare for Bay Area pool builders and hot tub retailers.

"It keeps me awake at night," said Marc Hannigan, who manages pool building companies in Pleasanton and San Jose. "If this goes on, we're going to have to find a different line of work."

San Jose recently became the largest city in the state to ban filling pools and outdoor hot tubs. Under the new restrictions, the city's homeowners may top off pools with only one foot of water unless a pool needs to be drained for sanitary reasons or to repair a leak. Filling a new pool is a total no­no. Scofflaws face fines of up to $160 per offense.

San Jose joins Santa Cruz, Morgan Hill, the Dublin San Ramon Services District and at least a dozen other California cities and water districts that outlaw filling pools. The city is "hitting the pause button" on all major water uses, including summer landscaping projects as well as pool filling, Mayor Sam Liccardo said in an interview.

"We don't know whether the rains will come next year or the next decade," he said. "If we don't take aggressive action today, the pain will be far more widespread."

But Hannigan said he's already felt his fair share of pain. Half a dozen of his customers, he said, have withdrawn from contracts in the past two months. Even before the new restrictions made things worse, he said, his business was down 30 to 40 percent because of the Great Recession and drought.

The new rules have made pool builders as resourceful as they are desperate. To get a permit to build a pool in Dublin, Hannigan had to make a deal with the city. He is going to drain an existing pool undergoing renovation ­­ and then truck that water to the construction site to fill the new pool. The pool and spa industry has also been working overtime to change the public perception of pools and hot tubs as an extravagance during a drought.

"Because our product is full of water, a lot of people feel like it must be a waste of water," said Keith Harbeck, president of Premier Pools and Spas in Sacramento. "That's just not true." http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_28089043/california­pool­hot­tub­filling­bans­have­industries?source=rss 1/3 5/11/2015 California pool, hot tub filling bans have industries steaming ­ San Jose Mercury News Filling a new pool can take 20,000 gallons up front but actually saves water in the long run, Harbeck argues. That's because pools usually replace water­guzzling backyard lawns with hundreds of square feet of patio or decking. A typical pool uses 30 percent less water each year than the lawn it often replaces, according to a frequently cited study by the Santa Margarita Water District south of Los Angeles. With a pool cover, the pool uses less than 5,000 gallons a year, 80 percent less water than a lawn, the study concluded. Amazingly, the study even showed that a pool can be as water­efficient as drought­tolerant shrubs and trees in the long run.

San Jose water officials, however, are not convinced, pointing out that it takes three to five years for the savings the pool industry cites to get back the water poured into a pool when it's first filled. And, officials say, the city needs to save water now. For their part, some hot tub retailers resent that their product is being lumped in with pools.

Lynda Sisk, vice president of Hot Springs Spas of San Jose and Santa Cruz, said she uses her hot tub several times a week and has to add only 10 gallons a month. Most of her customers use their spas for therapeutic reasons, she said, and they would otherwise turn to long, wasteful showers to ease aching muscles and joints.

Sisk believes cities should let residents choose how to conserve: "Tell me how many gallons I can use; don't tell me how to use it."

In part because of Sisk's heavy lobbying, Santa Cruz eventually decided to remove the spa­ filling restriction from this year's drought regulations.

Harbeck called bans on filling swimming pools equally "misguided." Given the tiny percentage of water a city uses for pools, he said, "it's kind of a symbolic gesture."

In response to the pool industry's lobbying, the city of Santa Barbara last week decided to step back from a proposed ban on filling pools. City officials cited evidence that pools use only 0.001 percent of the city's water supply.

But other cities are ratcheting up the restrictions. Milpitas, for example, has stopped issuing permits for new pool construction, though exceptions have been made if water will be shipped in from elsewhere. So far, however, San Jose has no plans to halt pool construction, officials say.

The city issued 49 permits to build new swimming pools in the 13 months since the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the San Jose Water Co. first banned filling pools in March 2014. In the week after the city's April 21 drought ordinance banned pool filling citywide, the city issued six more permits for new pools. The city doesn't want to interfere with construction more than necessary, Liccardo said. http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_28089043/california­pool­hot­tub­filling­bans­have­industries?source=rss 2/3 5/11/2015 California pool, hot tub filling bans have industries steaming ­ San Jose Mercury News "You can construct a pool and use it for a skateboard rink," he said. "You can fill it with recycled water. You simply can't fill it with potable water."

Contact Nicholas Weiler at 408­920­5764. Follow him at Twitter.com/Lore_Nick.

http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_28089043/california­pool­hot­tub­filling­bans­have­industries?source=rss 3/3 5/8/2015 Suess named superintendent of Mojave National Preserve Suess named superintendent of Mojave National Preserve Posted: 05/08/15, 11:18 AM PDT sbsun.com

Todd Suess, a veteran of federal land management agencies in the western U.S., has begun service as superintendent of Mojave National Preserve.

Suess (pronounced “cease”) had been acting superintendent of the preserve since mid­ January, succeeding Stephanie Dubois, who retired last year.

He comes from Olympic National Park in Washington State, where he served as deputy superintendent, overseeing park operations involving administration, resource and visitor protection, resources management, interpretation and education, and facilities programs.

Suess has also worked for the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management at Joshua Tree National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument in South Dakota, Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming and Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota.

He earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Minnesota College of Forestry in 1988. Suess, his wife, Jackie, and daughter Willow live in Barstow.

http://www.sbsun.com/environment­and­nature/20150508/suess­named­superintendent­of­mojave­national­preserve 1/1

NEWS CASSIE MACDUFF: Bad sign for public access in Riverside County May 8th, 2015, 4:31 pm ·

Riverside County Counsel Greg Priamos , FILE PHOTO Why is Riverside County Counsel Greg Priamos picking a fight with the civil Grand Jury?

Priamos is the legal advisor to county government. The Grand Jury is charged with examining the inner workings of county government each year.

Grand jurors are supposed to be able to walk into any county department or agency, ask to review public records and be given access on the spot.

Priamos, who took office earlier this year after 13 years as Riverside city attorney, apparently is advising all county departments to respond only to written requests from the panel, according to what he told the Grand Jury adviser.

That is an ominous precedent.

Will Priamos next tell members of the public they must put all requests in writing rather than see documents on request, as the California Public Records Act requires?

For the public, putting requests in writing triggers an automatic 10-day waiting period for the agency even to respond. It can take weeks or months after that to receive the documents.

I wanted to ask Priamos where he’s heading with all this. He didn’t respond to phone messages left Thursday and Friday.

Even if this fight is only with the Grand Jury, it’s worrisome.

The civil Grand Jury is impaneled annually to review internal operations of the county. Grand jurors are appointed each July 1 and have 12 month to perform their work before their appointments expire June 30.

What possible reason can Priamos have for making their job more cumbersome? Is it to delay and obfuscate? That’s the concern.

In the case of the Information Technology department, where this battle began, Priamos said IT officials were worried the response the grand jury wants could harm security; a written request would give him time to review it.

County rules require an audited department to respond to the audit in writing. IT gave two oral responses to the auditor, but five months later, still has put nothing in writing.

Grand jurors should to be able to observe the candid operations of a department, as things are when they walk in the door, not after grooming, editing and reshuffling.

Likewise, when members of the public ask to see a public record, keeping them waiting raises the suspicion files are being censored before the version officials want to present is offered.

Over at Priamos’ old stomping grounds, an interim Riverside city manager censored an entire council meeting after a critic made allegations against two employees during public comments.

Then-interim City Manager Lee McDougal had the video of the April 7 meeting taken off the city website. It remains offline today.

This was a huge overreaction. Why not just bleep out the words that identified the two people? Why keep the whole video off-limits?

I asked new City Manager John Russo, who came on board last Monday, whether he would put the video back on the website, with only the words that crossed the line excised.

He’s pretty busy right now preparing the coming fiscal year’s budget. But he promised to look into whether just the remarks could be removed and the rest of the meeting be posted for viewing.

Russo didn’t want to second-guess McDougal. But he said he’s a big believer in having a thick skin and letting the public have its say. Where he draws the line is when people’s marriages and families can become collateral damage, as in the allegations against the female employee.

You don’t give up all privacy rights when you become a city employee, he said. (I agree.)

Russo said he believes in transparency when public policy is being made.

When he was Oakland’s elected city attorney in 2003, the California First Amendment Coalition picked him for its Beacon Award for going “beyond the norm to assure government transparency.”

That will be a refreshing change for Riverside.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9470 or [email protected]

5/11/2015 Cultural, legal shifts nudging immigrants in California out of shadows Cultural, legal shifts nudging immigrants in California out of shadows By Leslie Parrilla , San Bernardino Sun sbsun.com

Javier Hernandez, 26, plays cards with his grandmother Ofelia Gonzalez, left, as his aunt Claudia Baca, second from left, and his mother Margarita look on last month in Pomona. Hernandez has been in the United States for more than 25 years. Will Lester — Staff photographer A woman holds onto her drivers license as the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center holds a press conference and celebration for the recent passing of AB60 at the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center in Pomona in April. AB60 allows undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers licenses. Staff File Photo

When he was in college, nearly a decade ago, Javier Hernandez did not feel as though he belonged.

Even though he had paid to be there, he was afraid.

Because he was not a citizen.

And fearing deportation, he and his friends referred to themselves in code.

“We said, ‘We’ll call ourselves AB 540 students, so the other students will know what we’re talking about,” Hernandez said of classmates at Mt. San Antonio College in 2008. “We wouldn’t say we were undocumented. We were a little scared still.”

It was a confusing time, when high school counselors and college employees weren’t clear on whether students like Hernandez — now an immigrant advocate and leader — could legally attend college. Misinformation was rampant.

Today, the uncertainty Hernandez felt when he was in school is greatly diminished as new laws have chipped away at the stigma associated with being an undocumented immigrant.

But more importantly, the proliferation of such laws has made it safer for undocumented immigrants to live their lives openly. Without fear.

Take AB 60 — the law that allows undocumented immigrants to get a California driver’s http://www.sbsun.com/social­affairs/20150510/cultural­legal­shifts­nudging­immigrants­in­california­out­of­shadows 1/5 5/11/2015 Cultural, legal shifts nudging immigrants in California out of shadows license.

Since it went into effect on Jan. 2, more than 1 million applicants have applied for licenses, according to DMV data. And 268,000 licenses have been issued under the law so far. Many of those applicants have been aided by a support network of classes and seminars in places like Los Angeles, Pomona and San Bernardino.

Similar legislative actions – as well as executive actions – are mounting, with varying levels of success.

• If it ever gets to the governor’s desk, a bill authored by Sen. Ricardo Lara, D­Bell Gardens, would give more than a million low­paid undocumented farm and construction workers, hotel maids and service workers the ability to qualify for Medi­Cal, the state’s health program for the poor. The bill is on hold in a state Senate committee until later this month.

• In 2011, Gov. Jerry Brown exempted California businesses from having to use E­Verify, a federal system to verify a worker’s legal status.

• In November, President Obama signed executive action to spare up to 5 million people, mostly parents and the young, from deportations. The administration also set new enforcement benchmarks, making it easier for more people in the U.S. illegally to stay.

• Last year, immigrant rights advocates praised decisions by the San Bernardino and Riverside county sheriff’s departments to no longer detain undocumented immigrants under the federal government 287 (g) program without sufficient probable cause.

• And in July, irked at the what he said was the lack of action on immigration reform by the federal government, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the Los Angeles Police Department would no longer honor most federal requests to detain people who have been arrested so they can be investigated for deportation.

• In 2014, Obama ended the federal Secure Communities program, designed to identify potentially deportable immigrants.

• Schools in California and other states with substantial immigrant populations are offering programs such as grants and law clinics for students whose legal status is not secure.

Immigration advocates acknowledge more work is needed to reassure the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States that they are safe, but they laud the progress.

“There has definitely been an advancement ... People are more willing to come out and to demand a change of status,” said UCLA Associate Professor Raúl Hinojosa­Ojeda of the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, and an expert on immigration. “But the reality of it is ... We haven’t reached that tipping point yet.”

Hinojosa­Ojeda said programs such as President Obama’s executive action allowing parents of children who are citizens or permanent residents to stay in the country for three years, would need to be implemented before that shift could happen. http://www.sbsun.com/social­affairs/20150510/cultural­legal­shifts­nudging­immigrants­in­california­out­of­shadows 2/5 5/11/2015 Cultural, legal shifts nudging immigrants in California out of shadows The program, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, is being challenged and is stalled in court proceedings.

“If DAPA happens, that will be a significant shift,” of people coming out of the shadows, said Hinojosa­Ojeda. “You would probably be in a situation where we reached a tipping point, and it would be difficult for a Republican president to say ... ‘You have to leave.’ But we haven’t reached that tipping point yet.”

Years of groundwork

It has been a long path, just to get to this point.

Each new law, proposed legislation, protest and immigrants rights campaign has contributed to a framework allowing people to speak out and start coming out.

“The executive action and all of these have not come out of the blue sky,” said Jose Zapata Calderon, emeritus professor of sociology and Chicano/Chicana and Latino/Latina studies at Pitzer College in Claremont.

It has taken constant organizing and labor union leaders supporting immigrants instead of seeing them as a threat.

“The real foundation was the stream of grass­roots organizations that began to galvanize and organize the immigrant community. And the unions played a role in that, in that they no longer saw the immigrants as a group that divided the workforce, but as a group that should be organized and help the overall workforce. That was a big turn,” Calderon said.

That organizing pushed Latinos to the polls to elect representatives locally and help put President Obama in office nationally.

“Because of the work of these grass­roots organizations ... I believe all that legislation has only come about because of the power of the Latino vote. There’s no way Obama could have been elected without the strong turnout of Latinos,” Calderon said.

Older legislation has helped lay the groundwork for recent immigration practices such as Obama’s programs and AB 60.

“We’ve had the checkpoints where anyone who is stopped who doesn’t have a license has the right to call a friend or relative to pick up their cars ... the governor coming out against E­ Verify and any kind of cooperation between the local police and the immigration service,” Calderon said of recent laws.

A turning point for nudging immigrants out of the shadows was triggered back in 2006, when anti­immigration sentiment hung heavy over the nation.

“Right before 2006, we did have these huge attacks where undocumenteds were really being targeted,” Calderon said.

http://www.sbsun.com/social­affairs/20150510/cultural­legal­shifts­nudging­immigrants­in­california­out­of­shadows 3/5 5/11/2015 Cultural, legal shifts nudging immigrants in California out of shadows In 2005, legislation known as the Sensenbrenner bill — for the sponsor, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R­Wis. — proposed making it a crime to help an undocumented immigrant remain in the United States.

“That bill was literally going to penalize anyone who in one way or another aided the undocumented,” Calderon said. “So that meant teachers, faith­based churches, nonprofits, literally anyone who aided the undocumented. That bill really galvanized people across the country.”

It sparked the 2006 U.S. immigration reform protests, where millions marched in Los Angeles and across the country.

“It wasn’t just undocumenteds marching, it was diverse communities,” Calderon said. “We began to see a turn of communities ... Communities on the whole beginning to support immigration.”

That shift boosted outside support for undocumented immigrants and further dampened anti­ immigration sentiment.

“So we’ve had really an emergence of coalitions and organizations in California and throughout the country that include citizens and noncitizens that are defending the rights of undocumenteds,” Calderon said.

Protests and a wave of published studies showing the value of undocumented workers’ contributions to the economy further turned the tide of public favor against immigrants toward them. Hinojosa­Ojeda, the UCLA professor, was part of those studies.

With support from published studies on the economic contribution of immigrants in the U.S., labor unions and national protests, undocumented students such as Hernandez were less fearful to speak out and identify themselves as undocumented.

“There were students that were coming out of the shadows saying, ‘We’re students, we’re here and we wanted the DREAM Act,” said Hernandez about legislation to provide legal status to undocumented youth. “We were coming out of the shadows.”

Many still in the shadows

But that groundwork doesn’t mean full comfort if you’re here illegally.

Many of Obama’s actions have prompted constitutional issues, and several states have challenged his actions, along with Republican lawmakers, who have decried Obama’s actions as an overreach of his authority.

And Congress remains mired in debate that’s stalled legislation on comprehensive immigration reform.

When he signed AB 60 — the driver’s license bill — Gov. Brown said, “no longer are undocumented people in the shadows. But laws and executive orders aren’t panaceas, http://www.sbsun.com/social­affairs/20150510/cultural­legal­shifts­nudging­immigrants­in­california­out­of­shadows 4/5 5/11/2015 Cultural, legal shifts nudging immigrants in California out of shadows observers acknowledge. Staying in the shadows remains a default position for many immigrants here illegally, but trying to live

a life at school, or at a job, or in a neighborhood.”

The fear is real, said Luis Nolasco, community engagement and policy advocate at the ACLU of California, referring to the fear that a call could lead to deportation.

“A lot of people are scared to call law enforcement,” Nolasco said. “It’s going to take a long time for people to unlearn that.”

There are variations among communities’ comfort levels, which depend much of the time on how much of an immigrant support network exists, Nolasco said.

But even that is evolving, he said, adding that AB 60 prompted a huge reaction on social media, in which immigrants turned to each other for support on applying for licenses.

That collective cry is something Hinojosa­Ojeda, the UCLA scholar, believes has grown to a pitch that won’t be easy to silence.

“These voices have now been heard. I think this is a modern civil rights movement, that it’s going to be very hard to put the genie back in the bottle,” he said.

http://www.sbsun.com/social­affairs/20150510/cultural­legal­shifts­nudging­immigrants­in­california­out­of­shadows 5/5 5/8/2015 As federal review ends, 2 L.A. supervisors want probation agency audit ­ LA Times

As federal review ends, 2 L.A. supervisors want probation agency audit

By ABBY SEWELL

APRIL 7, 2015, 12:49 PM

s Los Angeles County’s probation department emerges from years of federal monitoring because of conditions in its juvenile lockups, a county supervisor called for A a far­ranging audit of other potential issues in the department.

The U.S. Department of Justice recently ended six years of special oversight of the county's 19 probation camps after a monitoring team found that officials had made the required reforms to improve conditions for young offenders and prevent abuses.

Probation chief Jerry Powers and some other county officials hailed the development as a major accomplishment for a department that had at one point been facing federal takeover.

But the department administration still has critics, including the probation officers’ union, which has sparred with Powers repeatedly since he took over as head of the agency in late 2011. The union has complained about staffing levels, promotion standards, background screening standards and other issues.

Supervisor Mark Ridley­Thomas ­­ who has received heavy backing from labor ­­ called Tuesday for an audit of the probation department, saying it is "important to continuously assess the Department’s budget, operations, administration of state and federal grants and programs, and the methodologies for allocating resources given the ongoing changes in juvenile justice."

The audit would examine recruitment, examination, hiring and promotional practices, vacancies and staffing ratios at the juvenile facilities, operating costs, the department’s administration of grant funds and contracting procedures.

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich joined Ridley­Thomas in calling for the audit. The supervisors will vote on the proposal next week.

Follow Abby Sewell on Twitter at @sewella for more county news.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la­me­ln­county­probation­audit­20150407­story.html 1/2 5/11/2015 L.A. County poised to end jail partnership with U.S. immigration agents ­ LA Times

L.A. County poised to end jail partnership with U.S. immigration agents

By KATE LINTHICUM

MAY 8, 2015, 9:00 PM

os Angeles County leaders are poised to end a controversial program that places federal immigration agents inside county jails so they can determine whether inmates may be L deportable.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote Tuesday on a motion to terminate the program, known as 287(g). The motion is sponsored by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Mark Ridley­Thomas and will probably have the support of a third supervisor, Sheila Kuehl, who has said in the past that she supports ending the program.

The other two supervisors, Don Knabe and Michael Antonovich, say they will oppose the motion.

The county entered into the agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a decade ago. Along with placing immigration agents inside Twin Towers jail, the program trains certain jail employees to act as immigration agents to investigate whether inmates convicted of certain crimes are in the country illegally.

Supporters of the program say it is an essential tool to help identify deportable criminals who pose risks to the community. "It ensures that the dangerous folks who are incarcerated in our jails who are undocumented are promptly identified," said Andrew Veis, a spokesman for Knabe.

Opponents say it results in racial profiling and has landed scores of immigrants who don't have serious criminal records in deportation proceedings.

The number of law enforcement jurisdictions participating in 287(g) has fallen from 75 to 35 in recent years, according to ICE data, as municipalities across the country rethink their cooperation with federal immigration officials. Los Angeles and Orange are the only two counties in California that still participate in the program.

Solis and Kuehl, who were elected to the board last fall, both spoke of ending the program while campaigning. The program had been championed by former Supervisor Gloria Molina, who was replaced by Solis after term limits prevented her from seeking reelection.

Tuesday's motion calls for the county's contract with ICE to be severed, an action that it says "will http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la­me­immigration­jails­20150509­story.html 1/3 5/11/2015 L.A. County poised to end jail partnership with U.S. immigration agents ­ LA Times protect the county from future liability, will free up much needed county resources, and will improve the trust between local law enforcement and the community."

Immigrant advocates, who have fought the program via protests and lawsuits, cheered news that it may soon come to an end. But several said they were skeptical about another part of the motion, which calls for the county to "continue cooperating" with federal officials in implementing a new ICE program in local jails.

The new initiative, the Priority Enforcement Program, was created by President Obama last fall to replace the much­maligned Secure Communities program. Under Secure Communities, ICE officials frequently asked jails to hold inmates who it believed were deportable past the end of their jail sentences so that they could be transferred into federal custody.

Many jurisdictions around the country, including Los Angeles County, stopped cooperating with such requests after a federal court ruling last year that found an Oregon county liable for damages for holding an inmate beyond her release date.

Under the new program, which is expected to be rolled out as soon as next week, local jails will be asked instead to alert ICE officials when deportable immigrants are being released.

Jennie Pasquarella, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, said advocates are glad that 287(g) is probably ending.

But, she said, as long as jail employees continue to communicate with immigration agents, "they are seen as entangled in the business of immigration enforcement, and that definitely undermines trust in the Sheriff's Department."

A spokesman for Kuehl said she has concerns about the new program and may not support a motion that includes language that supports it. Representatives for at least three other supervisors said they were likely to back it.

Anna Mouradian, justice deputy for Antonovich, said the supervisor "has always been fully supportive of cooperating with ICE to improve public safety."

[email protected]

Twitter: @katelinthicum

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la­me­immigration­jails­20150509­story.html 2/3 5/11/2015 To police the police, body cameras are a must ­ LA Times

Op-Ed To police the police, body cameras are a must

By JAMES S. MULLER

MAY 11, 2015, 5:00 AM

cross the table from me, about to be deposed in a case of alleged LAPD excessive force, sat a young police officer. For once, I thought, I was facing a cop who might help my A case. She clearly wasn't accustomed to this. I could read in her face a combination of anger and disgust. Maybe, I thought, just maybe, she would tell the truth.

It was an especially egregious case. An elderly woman had been thrown down the steps by an officer pursuing a suspect. The woman suffered a devastating compound fracture of her leg; she wouldn't walk again. It was avoidable, bad policing, and I hoped the officer who had witnessed it might not feel bound by the cop code of silence.

As it turns out, I was wrong. That deposition would be one more in the long history of the refusal of police to be honest about excessive force, a history that those of us who do civil rights work know all about but that the general public has only begun to understand as videos of bad policing come to light.

The practice of police videotaping is both part of the solution for excessive force and evidence of how routinely officers have lied about it with impunity. Results from police departments using body cameras demonstrate these effects.

From 2010 to 2014, the Oakland Police Department slowly instituted the use of body cameras, with almost all officers wearing them by 2014. Use of force — the effort required to “compel compliance by an unwilling subject,” in the words of the National Institute of Justice — fell to 572 through the last two weeks of 2014 from 2,186 incidents in 2009 (the last year no officers wore body cameras).

That's a big difference — to an average of 12 incidents a week from an average of 44 a week. There could be many factors contributing to such a reduction, but chief among them is that body cameras changed police behavior, lowering the total number of incidents. The data further suggest that before body cameras, some portion of the use­of­force incidents was unnecessary, even excessive.

In other words, although it's possible that Oakland residents became markedly less dangerous or put up less resistance to arrest over the three years covered by this data, it's more likely that body http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op­ed/la­oe­muller­body­camera­data­shows­unnecessary­force­20150508­story.html 1/3 5/11/2015 To police the police, body cameras are a must ­ LA Times cameras put a lid on the use of excessive force.

The effect of body cameras is just as striking in the context of a subset of that data: the use of deadly force. Oakland police reported that for 18 months, from June 2013 to December 2014, there were no officer­involved shootings in a city that once averaged eight a year. Again, a probable explanation for such a decrease is that, before being monitored by body cameras, officers could falsely claim they needed to use deadly force and get away with it. Once they were being monitored by video cameras, their behavior changed.

Did complaints fall as well? Oakland does not release that data, but with the overall reduction in force, surely the number of complaints declined proportionately.

Results from the San Diego Police Department's partial deployment of body cameras in 2014 echo those in Oakland. San Diego officers' use of force dropped 47%, and citizen complaints fell 41% in test precincts where 600 body cameras were deployed.

In 2013, before cameras were tested in San Diego, Police Department internal affairs investigations found that of 82 citizen complaints, officers used excessive force on only two occasions. (A review of other California police departments shows a similar minuscule number of excessive­force findings.) The steep drop in incidents and complaints once body cameras were deployed arguably indicates that many more incidents should have resulted in officers being disciplined.

What camera tests, comparative data and common sense tell us, is this: Police departments cannot be counted on to police themselves. When cameras provide oversight, rather than an internal affairs process that almost always exonerates officers, things change.

The young female police officer I deposed, the one who was present when the elderly woman was thrown down the stairs, was a product of the old system of oversight. She didn't break ranks. She admitted seeing the elderly woman standing at the top of the stairs and seeing the accused officer heading toward her but said she didn't see how the woman ended up at the bottom of the stairs. Her attention, she claimed, had been diverted at the precise moment the woman was injured.

Could I prove it was a lie? No, but from her pained expression and the rest of the evidence, I believe it was. (The Los Angeles Police Department later settled with the woman's family.) My guess is that this officer believed that by saying more, she risked becoming a department pariah and perhaps damaging her career.

A video camera has no such concerns: It's not thinking about having a beer with the guys or making lieutenant; it isn't a compromised process in which the police try to police themselves. It records what it records and ultimately allows us to decide what's right.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op­ed/la­oe­muller­body­camera­data­shows­unnecessary­force­20150508­story.html 2/3 5/11/2015 To police the police, body cameras are a must ­ LA Times Police departments everywhere must follow the Los Angeles Police Commission's recent decision and make body cameras a mandatory part of every officer's equipment.

James S. Muller has litigated civil rights cases, and in particular police excessive­force cases, for 28 years in Los Angeles.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op­ed/la­oe­muller­body­camera­data­shows­unnecessary­force­20150508­story.html 3/3 5/11/2015 Unemployment rate drops to lowest level in almost seven years Unemployment rate drops to lowest level in almost seven years By Kevin Smith , San Gabriel Valley Tribune sbsun.com

The U.S. economy rebounded in April with 223,000 new jobs and the nation’s unemployment rate dipped to 5.4 percent, its lowest level in nearly seven years.

Friday’s Labor Department report should help to dispel concerns that the economy was on the brink of another extended slowdown after a bleak winter stalled economic growth.

April’s reading was especially welcome in light of the previous month’s report. March initially showed a gain of 126,000 jobs, although those numbers were later downgraded to just 85,000.

Employment growth for February was revised upward from 264,00 to 266,000. But when revisions for those two months are added together it results in 39,000 fewer jobs than were initially reported.

The nation’s unemployment rate had been stuck at 5.5 percent in February and March before dropping to 5.4 percent last month. That was down from 6.2 percent a year earlier.

“Given what we saw in March and with the very low rate of growth in the first quarter I was a little nervous about this report coming out,” said Kimberly Ritter­Martinez, an economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. “But I see this month as a return to trend. Now we can say that the slowdown in March was due to transitory factors. It’s kind of a sigh of relief.”

The nation’s economy expanded at an anemic 0.2 percent annual rate during the first quarter, according to a Commerce Department report last month. That followed a 2.2 percent pace in the fourth quarter of 2014 and a 5 percent pace in the third quarter.

Economists note that April’s 5.4 percent unemployment rate is the “headline” jobless rate. When those who have given up looking for work and other part­time employees who would prefer to be working full time are factored in, the more comprehensive unemployment rate was 10.8 percent.

California’s most recent jobs report showed a similar downward trend in unemployment. The state’s jobless rate for March was 6.5 percent, its lowest level in seven years.

Employers often have been reluctant to hire full­time workers. But Staci Johnson, vice president of marketing for Roth Staffing Cos., says that’s changing. The Orange­based business operates several staffing agencies that place clients in temporary and direct­hire positions.

“We’re seeing more direct­hire positions,” she said. “The labor market is starting to shrink and it’s harder to find candidates now. That was not the case two or three year ago.”

Wage growth in the U.S. has remained stubbornly slow in recent years and the Labor http://www.sbsun.com/business/20150508/unemployment­rate­drops­to­lowest­level­in­almost­seven­years/1 1/2 5/11/2015 Unemployment rate drops to lowest level in almost seven years Department’s April report shows that average hourly earnings increased just 3 cents last month to $24.87. That still outpaced the recent inflation rate and was up 53 cents from a year ago.

“We’ve seen steady growth but we really need to see the labor market tighten up,” Ritter­ Martinez said. “Once that happens it will put upward pressure on wages. Hopefully we’ll see that later this year. This is the biggest major weakness we’re dealing with. We really need to see that come up because it affects consumer spending, and that in turn affects GDP (gross domestic product) growth.”

The number of long­term unemployed Americans who have been without work for 27 weeks or longer was little changed last month at 2.5 million. That represents 29 percent of the nation’s unemployed and it was down more than 6 percentage points from a year earlier.

The percentage of long­term unemployed has averaged 25 percent since 1990, although it exceeded 45 percent during the worst of the recession.

Last month’s biggest employment boost came in professional and business services, which added 62,000 jobs. Health care and the construction industry each added another 45,000 jobs. Leisure and hospitality added 17,000, and transportation and warehousing boosted payrolls by 15,200.

Manufacturing — which has lost scores of jobs in recent years from companies shifting work overseas where labor is cheaper — added just 1,000 jobs.

Losses were seen in mining and logging and wholesale trade.

The biggest year­over­year employment gains came in professional and business services (up 654,000), education and health (564,000), trade transportation and utilities (555,000) and leisure and hospitality (434,000).

The construction sector added another 280,000 jobs and manufacturing added 180,000.

Two of the Southland’s more important industries are lagging in growth when compared with the national trend.

Los Angeles County’s motion picture and sound recording industry posted year­over­year growth of just 0.6 percent in March, the most recent month for which figures are available. That was well below the nation’s annual growth rate of 3.2 percent in April.

Southern California’s transportation and warehousing sector grew by 2.9 percent in March while the national uptick in April was 3.4 percent.

http://www.sbsun.com/business/20150508/unemployment­rate­drops­to­lowest­level­in­almost­seven­years/1 2/2

MAY 07, 2015 BY ED COGHLAN Report: California millennials fall behind in job market

California millennials are having a tough time in the state's economy.

That's the gist of a report issued by the Young Invincibles who this week unveiled its report: "Through Their Eyes: The Challenges Facing Young Workers in California's Post-Recession Economy". The report looks at the driving forces behind unemployment and underemployment among Millennial Californians (those in the 18-34 age range).

The Young Invincibles, a national non-profit that focuses on issues affecting the young, concluded their Jobs Tour project in California, which generated interesting feedback. They spoke with 200 millennials at 13 different locations that reflected California's diversity.

Irving Pineda, who led the Tour, said: "From L.A. to San Francisco, we talked with hundreds of young people about their experiences searching for work: several Millennials are pursuing higher education and yet, lack the skills or resources to navigate today's tough job market."

The Great Recession hit young workers harder than any other age group, and six years later our generation still grapples for economic stability. California’s young adults are no exception. The unemployment rate of Californians aged 16 to 24 is 20.2 percent Over the last ten years, median incomes for 18- to 24-year-old Californians have fallen by a quarter, driven by falling wages in the leisure & hospitality, retail & wholesale, healthcare, and education sectors. Wages also plummeted in those sectors for workers ages 25- to 34-years old, while the wages of those 35+ years of age dropped by less than 5 percent on average

How the millennials enter and ultimately thrive in the workforce is critical to the future of California's economy, especially since they'll become a bigger and bigger percentage of that workforce.

"Our economy demands a skilled and educated workforce. It's why we are investing and need to continue to invest in career and technical education to train our workforce, particularly our young people, for jobs in the growing fields of California's diverse economy," said Eloy Ortiz Oakley, president-superintendent of Long Beach City College and co- chair of the California Economic Summit Steering Committee.

The report lays out a roadmap with ways to create more opportunities for millennials including boosting funds and support for career technical education (CTE), Linked Learning career pathway programs, and apprenticeships in California.

The Governor’s 2015 budget proposed a Career Technical Education Incentive Grant program which would spend $750 million over three years on creating and building quality CTE programs that offer skills and practical experience.

To boost job prospects for young adults, California needs to address the growing skills gap and diversify its employment opportunities. It begins with education. Keeping people in school and inspiring them to careers are critical needs.

"We have two Californias: one getting richer and one getting poorer. To remedy, our young people need to finish high school and be college and career ready to fill the millions of jobs that we will need to sustain California's economy in the 21st century," said Paul Granillo, president and CEO of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership and co-chair of the California Economic Summit Steering Committee.

The Summit, which will be held in Ontario on November 12 and 13th, is regions-based effort that is designed to help identify policies that can increase middle class jobs and recently issued Roadmap to Share Prosperity, proposals aimed helping every region in California concentrate its efforts to accelerate middle class job growth.

The Young Invincibles report says California will have a shortage of 3.2 million college-educated workers by 2025-- jobs either that are yet to be created by California's dynamic and changing economy or those that will be left vacant by retiring baby boomers.

"We can do better in California to set up our generation for the workforce. Their success is critical to the future of our economy" said Irving Pineda.

Categories: Jobs, Workforce http://www.caeconomy.org/reporting/entry/california-millennials-fall-behind-in-job-market