Apple Valley Library Rebuild 'Coming Along Nicely'

9/18/2017 Apple Valley library rebuild 'coming along nicely'

Apple Valley library rebuild ‘coming along nicely’ By Matthew Cabe Staff Writer Posted Sep 17, 2017 at 4:45 PM Updated Sep 17, 2017 at 4:45 PM APPLE VALLEY — New trusses have been installed to replace those found cracked and failing by library staff in April 2015, a discovery that, in part, required a shutdown of San Bernardino County’s Newton T. Bass branch that is nearing two-and-a-half years.

Installation of the trusses is part of a full-scale rebuild of the library’s roof, a job the county’s Board of Supervisors awarded to Kitchell/CEM, Inc. in March to the tune of $4 million.

Reconstruction began in April, and the county continues to eye 2018 completion and reopening dates that have yet to be determined, according to spokesperson David Wert, who said the old roof has been demolished.

“Rough carpentry work is 90 percent complete, installation of roof insulation and thermal barriers is underway,” Wert told the Daily Press. “Installation of sheet metal flashing and gutters has begun ... The work is coming along nicely.”

Crews recently began laying roof tile and have completed about two-thirds of that work, with Wert saying the tile installation should be complete this week, weather permitting. Electrical and fire-sprinkler work will begin in October, he added.

“At this point the building is considered to be ‘weathered in,’” Wert said, “meaning the interior is now protected from the elements.”

During construction, county officials have worked with the Town of Apple Valley to minimize the impact on visitors to two Town Hall buildings, according to town spokesperson Gina Whiteside.

The parking lot is owned by the county, Whiteside said, but an easement agreement allows the town to use the lot for Town Hall parking purposes.

When the trusses arrived, the need for a staging area resulted in the squaring off of a section in the middle of the lot. Multiple spaces in the lot’s center were blocked off as a result, but steps were taken to ensure that aspect of the work started when parking

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170917/apple-valley-library-rebuild-coming-along-nicely 1/2 9/18/2017 Apple Valley library rebuild 'coming along nicely'

needs were at a minimum.

“The county coordinated the truss phase of the project toward the end of the (town’s) Sunset Concert Series,” Whiteside said. “The staging area for the trusses was re-opened on Aug. 18, three days ahead of schedule.”

Parking has been limited on occasion, especially during meetings and events that draw large crowds, such as the recent State of the Town address, but Whiteside said she was not aware of any major issues.

Town officials have kept the public informed when access is limited, she added.

“Town officials are pleased with the progress of the construction project,” Whiteside said. “We are eager to celebrate the reopening of the county library in Apple Valley, which provides a full range of services to our residents.”

Last year, a temporary library was set up on site to continue those services, Internet access being chief among them, according to numerous residents who have spoken to the Daily Press.

While construction costs stand at $4 million, the total project cost — including nearly $532,000 for the temporary library — stands at more than $6 million, according to a previous Daily Press report.

During its March 6 meeting, the board approved adding $2.2 million to the project’s budget, county documents show. That increase was the second time the board approved such a matter.

Initially, the project was budgeted at just under $3 million, but the board approved $880,000 more in June 2016.

Included in the total cost: $604,564 for project design; $300,327 for project management and inspection; and $183,400 for temporary shoring of the trusses to mitigate damage to the roof.

An additional $210,000 has been set aside for any changes or additions to the work during construction.

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170917/apple-valley-library-rebuild-coming-along-nicely 2/2 9/18/2017 Going to Nocturnal Wonderland? You’ll get to use the pool at Glen Helen Regional Park – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS Going to Nocturnal Wonderland? You’ll get to use the pool at Glen Helen Regional Park

Staff file photo Nocturnal Wonderland will be held this weekend at Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore.

By JOE NELSON | [email protected] | San Bernardino Sun PUBLISHED: September 14, 2017 at 6:43 pm | UPDATED: September 15, 2017 at 2:49 am

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Ravers and rock ‘n’ rollers will get to cool off in the swimming pool at Glen Helen Regional Park during the Nocturnal Wonderland rave beginning Friday, Sept. 15, and Cal Jam ’17 in October.

San Bernardino County supervisors on Tuesday approved a permit for concert promoter Live Nation to use the park’s swim facility from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for both events. Supervisor James Ramos was the lone dissenting vote.

The 2-day Nocturnal Wonderland electronic dance music festival will be held Friday, Sept. 15, and Saturday, Sept. 16. Cal Jam ’17 is a two- day rock music festival featuring overnight camping and Big Tony and Trouble Funk on Oct. 6 and the Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, and other rock acts on Oct. 7.

http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/14/going-to-nocturnal-wonderland-youll-get-to-use-the-pool-at-glen-helen-regional-park/ 1/3 9/18/2017 Going to Nocturnal Wonderland? You’ll get to use the pool at Glen Helen Regional Park – San Bernardino Sun

The Nocturnal Wonderland events have been held at Glen Helen since 2013, and the county has received dozens of complaints from residents in Devore and as far away as Crestline regarding noise continuing into the wee hours. Drug use regularly occurs at the events, and two men have died of fatal overdoses at the event in recent years.

Ramos disapproved of Live Nation’s permit to use the swim complex because the proposal was not rst vetted by the county’s rave task force, which last month presented 38 safety recommendations to the board, but use of the parks’ swimming pool was not among them. He said Live Nation’s new contract with the county did not address pool use and safety.

County Deputy Executive Ofcer Leonard Hernandez told Ramos the swim facility will only be open during the day for campers, and would close by nightfall.

“We do have people who make a weekend of it and camp overnight, and this would be an amenity for the campers, but is not something that is part of the Live Nation contract,” interim county Chief Executive Ofcer Dena Smith told Ramos during Tuesday’s meeting. She said the issue did not come up during discussions with the community and the task force as an area of concern.

Ramos said pool use, despite not being a part of Live Nation’s new contract, was still a component of Nocturnal Wonderland and still posed safety concerns in need of further assessment.

Supervisor Janice Rutherford, who pushed for the rave task force to be assembled aer she elded dozens of complaints from Devore residents, told Ramos Tuesday the task force was to deal with the impacts of the raves on the community, and that concertgoers using the park’s swimming pool during the day did not impact the community.

“We’re also concerned about the health and well being of the concertgoers, who in the evening time at the concerts, participate in illicit drugs. I have not heard that a concern during the day. I don’t have a problem letting the campers swim during the day,” Rutherford said.

“If you’re saying that illicit drug use is only used in the concert venue, and the boundaries going into the swimming area, people are saying we’re leaving all of our drugs behind, I don’t necessarily buy into that theory, so I will be opposing this item,” Ramos said in response to Rutherford, who countered by saying that wasn’t what she said.

Live Nation will pay the county’s Regional Park Department $5,578 in fees for pool maintenance, additional lifeguards and security, and utilities and water charges to use the pool during its off season. It will provide one lifeguard for every 50 patrons, as opposed to Regional Parks’ ratio of one lifeguard for every 75 patrons during regular operating hours.

The concert promoter will also provide security inside the swim complex, prohibit intoxicated people from entering the complex, and prohibit alcohol inside the complex.

“I hope and pray everything goes accordingly,” Ramos said Thursday in a telephone interview. “We continue to stand up for the safety of constituents and the people coming to these events.”

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NELSON_JOEJoe Nelson Joe Nelson is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked for The Sun since November 1999. He started as a crime reporter and went on to cover a variety of beats including courts and the cities of Colton, Highland and Grand Terrace. He has covered San Bernardino County since 2009. Nelson is a graduate of California State University Fullerton. In 2014, he completed a fellowship at Loyola Law School's Journalist Law School program.  Follow Joe Nelson @SBCountyNow

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http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/14/going-to-nocturnal-wonderland-youll-get-to-use-the-pool-at-glen-helen-regional-park/Join the Conversation 2/3 9/18/2017 UPDATE: A total of 68 people are arrested during two-day Nocturnal Wonderland event at Glen Helen Amphithteater - Fontana Herald News: N… UPDATE: A total of 68 people are arrested during two- day Nocturnal Wonderland event at Glen Helen Amphithteater Posted: Saturday, September 16, 2017 12:04 pm

A total of 68 people were arrested during the two-day Nocturnal Wonderland event at Glen Helen Amphitheater in Devore on Sept. 15 and 16, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

More than 16,300 people were in attendance on the first day and 21,000 people were there on the second day of the annual electronic dance music festival.

----- ON SATURDAY, seven persons were arrested on charges including being drunk in public, possession of illegal drugs, and having outstanding warrants.

California Alcoholic Beverage Control was also on site and arrested 21 individuals for various B&P violations. Two attendees were transported to local area hospitals for medical issues requiring additional treatment. In a separate investigation, a cell phone theft ring was uncovered during the event, said Lt. Doug Wolfe. More than 40 stolen cell phones were recovered and five individuals were arrested. Later, more than 20 victims were identified and their property was returned to them. ----- ON SUNDAY, 17 people were arrested for miscellaneous drug charges, trespassing and domestic violence, Wolfe said. California Alcoholic Beverage Control arrested 18 persons for various B&P violations. One attendee was transported to a local area hospital for medical issues requiring additional treatment.

http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/update-a-total-of-people-are-arrested-during-two-day/article_edcd697c-9b11-11e7-a819-53250e518d75.html… 1/1 9/18/2017 35 arrested on Day 2 of Nocturnal Wonderland EDM concert at Glen Helen – San Bernardino Sun

NEWS 35 arrested on Day 2 of Nocturnal Wonderland EDM concert at Glen Helen

File photo Nocturnal Wonderland at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore on September 5, 2015.

By JIM STEINBERG | [email protected] and STEPHEN RAMIREZ | [email protected] | San Bernardino Sun PUBLISHED: September 16, 2017 at 10:09 pm | UPDATED: September 17, 2017 at 6:56 pm

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Law enforcement agencies made 35 arrests Saturday on the second and nal day of the Nocturnal Wonderland electronic dance music event at Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrested 17 people Saturday on suspicion of miscellaneous drug-related counts, trespassing and domestic violence, a news release said.

Agents from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, working the event with the Sheriff’s Department, made 18 arrests for drug charges.

One person was taken to the hospital for a medical issue, the release said. It didn’t say what kind of medical issue or how serious the person’s condition was. Details about the two people hospitalized Friday also were not available.

Previously: 33 arrested, 2 hospitalized, cellphone the ring discovered at Day 1 of Nocturnal Wonderland

The two-day arrest total was 68 people. On Friday, authorities said, 21 people were arrested by ABC ofcers and 12 people by the Sheriff’s Department for issues including being drunk in public, possessing illegal drugs and having outstanding warrants. http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/16/seventeen-arrests-mark-day-2-of-nocturnal-wonderlands-first-three-hours/ 1/3 9/18/2017 35 arrested on Day 2 of Nocturnal Wonderland EDM concert at Glen Helen – San Bernardino Sun

Five of those 12 arrests were related to a cellphone the ring. Sheriff’s ofcials said more than 40 stolen phones were recovered Friday. The department followed up on that case Saturday, identifying more than 20 victims and returning their property to them, the news release said.

Saturday attendance was 21,100, up from the 16,000 who attended the event Friday.

Previously: Going to Nocturnal Wonderland? You’ll get to use the pool at Glen Helen Regional Park

Nocturnal Wonderland events have been held at Glen Helen since 2013.

Tags: concerts, drug-related crime, theft, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories PE, Top Stories Sun

STEINBERG_JIMJim Steinberg Jim Steinberg is a national-award winning environmental writer. He also covers medical and healthcare issues, drones and aviation, military and the cities of Fontana and Rialto.  Follow Jim Steinberg @JamesDSteinberg

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http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/16/seventeen-arrests-mark-day-2-of-nocturnal-wonderlands-first-three-hours/ 2/3 9/18/2017 33 arrested, 2 hospitalized, cellphone theft ring discovered at Nocturnal Wonderland in Devore – San Bernardino Sun

NEWSCRIME 33 arrested, 2 hospitalized, cellphone theft ring discovered at Nocturnal Wonderland in Devore

By ALEX GROVES | PUBLISHED: September 16, 2017 at 8:45 am | UPDATED: September 16, 2017 at 7:12 pm

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This photo was taken during the 2016 iteration of electronic dance music festival Nocturnal Wonderland. More than 34 arrests were made on the first day of Nocturnal Wonderland 2017. (Courtesy of Insomniac Communications)

http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/16/33-arrested-2-hospitalized-cellphone-theft-ring-discovered-at-nocturnal-wonderland-in-devore/ 1/5 9/18/2017 33 arrested, 2 hospitalized, cellphone theft ring discovered at Nocturnal Wonderland in Devore – San Bernardino Sun Thirty-three people were arrested, two people were hospitalized and more than 40 stolen cellphones were recovered on the rst night of Nocturnal Wonderland 2017 at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in Devore, sheriff’s ofcials say.

More than 16,300 people were at the rst of the two-night electronic dance music festival, according to a San Bernardino County sheriff’s news release.

Seven people people were arrested on suspicion of crimes ranging from public drunkenness and drug possession to outstanding warrants, according to the release.

Another 21 people were arrested by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for other alcohol-related offenses, the release says.

Five more people were arrested aer authorities say they uncovered a the ring at the event and recovered more than 40 stolen phones.

Two people were taken the hospital for “medical issues requiring additional treatment,” according to the release.

This is not the only Southern California music festival this year where a widespread ring of cellphone thes was discovered; cellphone the was an issue during both the rst and second weekends of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio in April.

On the rst weekend, a 36-year-old New York man was arrested as a suspect in the the of more than 100 phones.

Several festival-goers noticed their phones missing and activated the “Find My Phone” feature, which provides users with the GPS location of their device, Indio police Sgt. Dan Marshall said.

Those people ended up following the suspect through the venue and he was “quickly detained by security until law enforcement ofcers could arrive,” Marshall said.

On the second weekend, Indio ofcers and members of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Ofce arrested ve people and found more than 40 stolen cellphones, stolen credit cards and cash.

Sheriff’s ofcials were encouraging anyone who believed they may have been a victim of cellphone the to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Central Station at 655 East 3rd St. in San Bernardino or the Sheriff’s Command Post at the amphitheater.

The Nocturnal Wonderland festival concludes Saturday. http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/16/33-arrested-2-hospitalized-cellphone-theft-ring-discovered-at-nocturnal-wonderland-in-devore/ 2/5 9/18/2017 Only 33 arrests and 2 hospitalizations, 1st day of Nocturnal Wonderland went well Only 33 arrests and 2 hospitalizations, 1st day of Nocturnal Wonderland went well By Andry Bosk - September 16, 2017

Nocturnal Wonderland photo Insomniac

Insomniac’s Nocturnal Wonderland 2017 festival is off to a pretty promising start. First day of this year’s edition at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in Devore drew more than 16,300 festival goers with only 34 arrests and 2 hospitalizations reported by the sheriff’s office.

According to San Bernardino County sheriff’s news release, 7 people were arrested on suspicion of crimes ranging from public drunkenness and drug possession to outstanding warrants. Another 21 festival-goers were arrested by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for other alcohol-related offenses, the release continues.

5 more people were arrested during the first day of Nocturnal Wonderland 2017 after authorities say they uncovered what seems to be a theft ring and recovered more than 40 stolen mobile phones.

Two festival-goers were taken the hospital for “medical issues requiring additional treatment,”.

http://www.ravejungle.com/2017/09/16/nocturnal-wonderland-2017-day-1-arrests-hospitalizations/ 1/2 9/18/2017 Only 33 arrests and 2 hospitalizations, 1st day of Nocturnal Wonderland went well First Day of Nocturnal W onderland 2017 saw live performances from superstar DJs such as Dillon Francis, Trippy Turtle, Aufograf, Snails, Bijou and many more.

Andry Bosk

C.F.O of Rave Jungle, and festival addict. I like to DJ in my spare time. Get in touch with me via email.

 

http://www.ravejungle.com/2017/09/16/nocturnal-wonderland-2017-day-1-arrests-hospitalizations/ 2/2 9/18/2017 Dive into Hispanic imagery at the San Bernardino County Museum – Redlands Daily Facts

LOCAL NEWS Dive into Hispanic imagery at the San Bernardino County Museum

Guest admire works of art during the opening reception for the “El Sueño Americano, Nuestra Contribución” at the San Bernardino County Museum Thursday afternoon September 14, 2017. The exhibit is a collaboration between the Redlands-based museum and the Inland Empire Latino Art Association and features works from 20 local and outside of the area artists. The exhibit runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. (Will Lester-Inland Valley Daily Bulletin-SCNG)

By KRISTINA HERNANDEZ | [email protected] | Redlands Daily Facts PUBLISHED: September 16, 2017 at 10:12 am | UPDATED: September 16, 2017 at 5:22 pm

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The San Bernardino County Museum is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with its newest exhibit, “El Sueño Americano, Nuestra Contribución” (“The American Dream, our contribution”).

More than 20 artists have their works exhibited inside the Redlands-based museum thanks to a collaboration between the site and the Inland Empire Latino Art Association.

Each piece featured in the exhibit tells a story.

For example, Karla Herrera hopes her piece “La vaca de me tio” (My uncle’s cow) will inspire people to explore their surroundings and become one with nature.

The photograph, she explained, was taken during a trip to her uncle’s farm while a female cow was being milked. The photo is a close-up of the animal’s eye and their emotion, Herrera said.

“She was really kind and not in pain,” she said. “And my kids enjoyed it because it was a new experience for them.” http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2017/09/16/dive-into-hispanic-imagery-at-the-san-bernardino-county-museum/ 1/3 9/18/2017 Dive into Hispanic imagery at the San Bernardino County Museum – Redlands Daily Facts “El Sueño Americano, Nuestra Contribución” is not the rst time the museum has collaborated with Inland Empire Latino Art Association, a nonprot founded by Drs. Tom and Lilly Rivera in the 1980s.

Rudy Ramirez, chairman of the group, said the collaboration between the two entities took a brief hiatus. When the idea was presented to IELAA this year, artists jumped at the opportunity.

“I said, ‘heck yeah,'” Ramirez said with a chuckle. “This may be a celebration of Hispanic culture, but we are inclusive, we include everyone. Some friends who are non-Hispanic are exhibited here, too.”

“El Sueño Americano, Nuestra Contribución” is one of three new attractions the museum opened in recent weeks, including its new Hall of Biodiversty and “Sculpted by Time: Our Mountains, Faults, Lakes and Caves” exhibit. Both opened last month.

A preview for “El Sueño” held Thursday brought out museum supporters and artists to check out exhibited pieces and share their thoughts among one another. Highlights included a performance by Sinfonia Mexicana.

Museum visitors can view the exhibit now through Oct. 15. Viewing the display is included with museum admission.

The County Museum is at 2024 N. Orange Tree Lane and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

To learn more, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org or call 909-307-2669.

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Kristina Hernandez Kristina Hernandez is a reporter by day; pop culture addict by night. She has been a journalist for the Southern California News Group since 2005. She likes popcorn.  Follow Kristina Hernandez @TheFactsKris

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http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2017/09/16/dive-into-hispanic-imagery-at-the-san-bernardino-county-museum/ 2/3 9/18/2017 Hesperia family whose dog was fatally shot by deputy awarded $98,000 – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS Hesperia family whose dog was fatally shot by deputy awarded $98,000

Courtesy photo The family of 11-year German Shepherd/Labrador mix Buddy (pictured) received a $98,000 settlement from San Bernardino County. Buddy was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in June 2016. The deputy responded to the wrong address in answer to a domestic violence call.

By JOE NELSON | [email protected] | San Bernardino Sun PUBLISHED: September 15, 2017 at 4:43 pm | UPDATED: September 15, 2017 at 8:05 pm

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A Hesperia family whose beloved dog was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy who responded to the wrong address in answer to a domestic violence call has settled its federal lawsuit against San Bernardino County for $98,000.

Victorville attorneys Sharon Brunner and Jim Terrell led the lawsuit against the county and Sheriff John McMahon in U.S. District Court in Riverside in March on behalf of Debra, Dwayne and Dwight Blackmore and Antonio Cardoza, alleging unlawful seizure and other civil rights violations. The lawsuit, which was settled on July 25th, stemmed from the fatal shooting last June of the Blackmore’s beloved 11-year- old German Shepherd/Labrador mix, Buddy. http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/15/hesperia-family-whose-dog-was-fatally-shot-by-deputy-awarded-98000/ 1/3 9/18/2017 Hesperia family whose dog was fatally shot by deputy awarded $98,000 – San Bernardino Sun

Buddy was shot in the neck by an unnamed sheriff’s deputy who responded to a domestic violence call at the wrong address on June 6, 2016. Deputies were dispatched to the residence, in the 7300 block of Redwood Avenue, about 12:30 p.m. The man who called police to report the incident told the dispatcher the house was “to the le of his,” authorities said.

When deputies arrived and entered the front yard, Buddy emerged from the side of the house and began barking. An unnamed deputy shot Buddy in the neck, and the dog ran into the house, where it later died in the arms of Debra Blackmore, according to the lawsuit.

“I wasn’t even allowed to help Buddy as he lay bleeding to death in the family room,” Dwayne Blackmore said in a statement. “I was detained for no reason for over 20 minutes while Buddy was dying. That made everything worse.”

Brunner and Terrell said in a statement Thursday that the Blackmore family hopes the litigation helps raise more awareness and prevents such incidents from occurring in the future.

“The Blackmore family hope through this settlement, San Bernardino County will re-evaluate and develop policies and procedures to prevent the loss and pain they suffered as a result of the needless shooting of Buddy,” Brunner and Terrell said in a press release. ”

Sheriff’s Lt. Sarkis Ohannessian, who heads the department’s public affairs division, said in an email Friday he was sure “the county took into consideration the greater good for settling the case versus a long and drawn-out trial that would cause more pain.”

“Most of us have pets that we consider our family members, and the shooting death of Buddy was a tragic incident that affected all who were involved,” Ohannessian said. “We hope time will heal the family’s pain and wish them the best.”

Tags: Inland Empire, Lawsuit, officer-involved shooting, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories Sun

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http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/15/hesperia-family-whose-dog-was-fatally-shot-by-deputy-awarded-98000/ 2/3 9/18/2017 ONT’s pursuit of Asian air traffic is paying off – Daily Bulletin

OPINION ONT’s pursuit of Asian air trafc is paying off

Steven Cheng, mayor of Taoyuan, Taiwan, right, gives a thumbs up to Curt Hagman, vice chairman of San Bernardino County board of supervisors, left, and Alan Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority, as a delegation from Taiwan visits with members of the Ontario International Airport Authority at the administration building at Ontario International Airport in Ontario on July 6, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/SCNG)

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | [email protected] | PUBLISHED: September 15, 2017 at 11:05 am | UPDATED: September 15, 2017 at 11:07 am

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It’s great to see how aggressively the Ontario International Airport Authority is pursuing passenger trafc to and from Asia.

And that approach is paying off.

China Airlines announced this month that it is exploring the launch of new service between Taiwan’s Taoyuan airport and ONT, “in order to provide travelers with more options and greater convenience for Taiwan-U.S. travel, as well as to boost bilateral cooperation on business.”

That comes after a push by OIAA to let Taiwanese airline ofcials know about ONT’s convenient location for travel to Southern California. Curt Hagman, an OIAA board member and San Bernardino County supervisor, visited Taoyuan — a city with many high-tech companies and industrial parks — in February, and then authority and county ofcials hosted a delegation from Taiwan at ONT in July.

China Airlines noted in a statement that “the airport is more convenient for travelers living on the east side of Greater Los Angeles” — meaning more convenient than LAX. That’s certainly true for residents of the San Gabriel Valley, which has a large Asian American population.

Ontario City Council — which includes OIAA members Alan Wapner and Jim Bowman, and appoints four of the ve authority members — no doubt had that population in mind in its savvy choice of Julia Gouw, retired president and chief operating ofcer of East West Bank, for the OIAA seat left vacant by Lucy Dunn’s departure. East West Bank, headquartered in Pasadena, touts on its website its “access to both the U.S. and Greater China markets.” http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/09/15/onts-pursuit-of-asian-air-traffic-is-paying-off/ 1/3 9/18/2017 ONT’s pursuit of Asian air traffic is paying off – Daily Bulletin Bowman emphasized Gouw’s experience in nancial services and international markets as assets for OIAA, along with her San Gabriel Valley connections.

The authority has ordered two boarding ramps that can accommodate the wide-body aircraft that China Airlines ies, and will improve its federal inspection station to allow more customs and immigration services.

Hagman said he thinks ONT could be “the next great international gateway in Southern California,” because it doesn’t face the growth restrictions other airports in the region do.

Bring it on. More air trafc is not only good for the airport, but for the whole Inland Empire economy.

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http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/09/15/onts-pursuit-of-asian-air-traffic-is-paying-off/ 2/3 9/18/2017 Residents should support Liberty Lane project: James Ramos – Redlands Daily Facts

OPINION Residents should support Liberty Lane project: James Ramos

Residents watch a video of the proposed homeless veterans apartment complex, Liberty Lane, at the Redlands Community Center during a public meeting in Redlands on Aug. 30, 2017. (Terry Pierson / Southern California News Group)

By JAMES RAMOS | | September 15, 2017 at 2:35 pm

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President John F. Kennedy once famously remarked, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” — a statement that motivated a generation to respond by dedicating their lives to secure freedom for many generations to come.

The loyalty and allegiance of brave men and women who serve our military is something that is praised by all, but fades away with time as they return home. Many face a different battle trying to reintegrate back into civilian lives. Tonight, thousands of veterans in America will nd themselves sleeping on the streets of the great nation they fought to protect.

Rarely does patriotism come upon us in the form of an opportunity to help those who answered the ultimate call of service. The city of Redlands has a unique opportunity to show our community’s respect toward our veterans by approving the Liberty Lane project. Liberty Lane is an 80-unit development that will provide apartments for veterans experiencing homelessness. Furthermore, the project will be equipped with around-the-clock, on-site staff and services that will be provided through San Bernardino County’s Behavioral Health Department, US VETS, and Loma Linda Veterans Affairs.

Our patriotism should go beyond just recognizing our service members on certain days of the year. If our desire is for our communities to prosper, then we have to value everyone who makes up our society, and that includes helping those who have fallen on hard times. We must stand up for our veterans who have selessly stood up for all of us.

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” — there is still time to answer the call to battle a war called homelessness. http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2017/09/15/residents-should-support-liberty-lane-project-james-ramos/ 1/3 9/18/2017 Residents should support Liberty Lane project: James Ramos – Redlands Daily Facts Patriotism is knocking; I urge you to answer by supporting the Liberty Lane project at the next Redlands City Council meeting on Sept. 19, 2017.

San Bernardino County Supervisor James Ramos represents the Third District.

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Controversy underlies BLUEJAY VILLAGE RESORT proposed Useful Links project • Social Security Sunday, Sep 17, 2017 • Board of Supervisors • 2nd District Janice Rutherford By Gail Fry • 3rd District James Ramos Over the summer, a sign was erected announcing the coming of a proposed development consisting • Animal Care & Control of a 46-room hotel, brewery & deli, malt & coffee shop, and 330-seat amphitheater in the community • Code Enforcement of Blue Jay. The development is to be constructed on the former trailer park site located on the east side of State Highway 189, behind the Union 76 Station. • Assessor • Auditor / Controller-Recorder A press release issued by Rock Ridge Resources, Inc. (Rock Ridge), dated September 6 and • Registrar of Voters obtained by The Alpenhorn News, revealed in June of 2017, Rock Ridge “submitted plans to the San Bernardino County Planning Department for a conditional use permit and approval of a $17 million- • County Parks dollar renovation project.” • Treasurer-Tax Collector • Public Works The press release describes the site as 14-acres, upon which Rock Ridge plans to construct a 4- story, 46-room hotel with banquet rooms, a spa, swimming pool, restaurant, gym and indoor • Superior Court racquetball court, a 322-seat outdoor amphitheater with an enclosed roof, a 2,100 square foot brewery, 2,700 square foot malt shop and drive-thru coffee shop and predicting “planning approval at This Week's Highlights year’s end.” Front Page ■ “In the event the proposed new project is not approved, Rock Ridge’s alternative plan involves Accusations of racism haunt school district restoration of the trailer park with 65 new trailers for lease,” the press release states. ■ Controversy underlies BLUEJAY Additionally, Rock Ridge claimed to have purchased the Union 76 gas station and convenience store VILLAGE RESORT proposed “adjacent to the proposed new development,” describing it as a “historic two-island station” with “one project of three spinning Union 76 balls in the Nation.” ■ Supervisor Rutherford addresses Crest Forest MAC Rock Ridge also revealed it purchased “the former Chevron Gas Station” on State Highway 173 in ■ Parents of special needs students Lake Arrowhead, and is planning to “construct a brand-new Union 76 station complete with a describe hardships with convenience store and drive-thru car wash.” ROWUSD consolidation ■ Sand castles cap Lake Gregory Regarding the economic viability of the project, Rock Ridge Director of Communications Derek beach season Wilksen told The Alpenhorn News, it is “optimistic as it related to Blue Jay’s, and the surrounding ■ Cedarpines Park Mutual Water areas’ economic outlook,” revealing anticipating “local and out-of-town guests.” Company seeks lower quorum Top Stories In response to statements made by San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department Senior Planner Chris ■ DUI checkpoint nabs four Warrick that the application for the conditional use permit was “incomplete” specifically in environmental impaired drivers documents, Wilksen explained, “all requirements” are “in progress.” ■ State legislators consider a tax on Lilburn Corporation is completing “its CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) report,” and Forester, Tim drinking water Moran is preparing a “forest protection plan” to “ensure that as many trees as possible are preserved” and will be My Town submitted to the “County for final approval no later than September 30, 2017,” Wilksen claimed. ■ Lake Arrowhead Home Tour this weekend Jericho Systems, Inc. will “complete the Biological Resources Report” including the “protection of the Little Bear ■ Local Boy Scout soars with the Creek and endangered species” while Rock Ridge, “working closely with the County to ascertain any impact to eagles traffic” had “already submitted a traffic study to the County” which is “under review by the traffic department” ■ explained Wilksen. Crestline Chamber welcomes Cakes by Espie However, statements by Rock Ridge about its purchase of the Union 76 Station are not without controversy. ■ Blue Jay Jazz Festival kicks off this Thursday In late May 2017, The Alpenhorn News was contacted by a community member reporting a take over of the ■ Second suspected serial arsonist business at the Union 76 Station, where someone had physically placed locks on the building and then reopened arrested under new ownership. What's up! Murra Investments, LLC President Sam Samarah confirmed the statements made to The Alpenhorn News, ■ Alpen Calendar of Events – explaining he was wrongfully evicted and received a text message on May 23, stating the “Gas Station escrow is September 14 - September 21 closed” and “we have changed locks” and “Thx for your help in getting this completed and best of luck to u Bill” ■ Alpen Calendar of Events – with Bill being Bill Moller. September 7 - September 14 Spotlight Samarah provided copies of an email exchange in early May between Samarah and David Holstein of the ■ Road Trip promotes Lake Holstein Group acknowledging the purchase of the gas station and the requirement for a “bulk sale,” with Holstein Arrowhead nationwide responding he would “check it out with out attorneys.” Samarah alleges Rock Ridge has been improperly “conducting business as Gas Station/Market using Murra Investments’ equipment, fixtures, and Goodwill since Portrait May 23, 2017.” ■ In commemoration of 9/11, we present a portrait of a lady. The Alpenhorn News obtained copies of the lease agreement between Hermine Murra and Murra Investments, Movie Reviews LLC. signed by Sam Samarah as its president and records obtained from the California Secretary of State ■ It indicate Samarah as a manager or member of the LLC. In The Kitchen with Cathy In response to questions by The Alpenhorn News, Wilksen claimed, “According to Rock Ridge’s records, Mr. ■ Wild-Caught Salmon Season Samarah was not involved in the transaction and had no ownership of the property or business.” Uncle Mott “Rock Ridge purchased the property and building from Hermine Murra of Murra Investments,” Wilksen revealed, ■ Fly Like An Eagle explaining, “At that time, the gas station was closed and considered out of business.” Keeping it Real ■ Killing the Dream http://alpenhornnews.com/controversy-underlies-bluejay-village-resort-proposed-project-p8346-155.htm 1/2 9/18/2017 Controversy underlies BLUEJAY VILLAGE RESORT proposed project

“Upon close of escrow, Rock Ridge obtained all necessary permits, established a new contract with Beck Oil, Inc. ■ President lifts ban on surplus and opened the Union 76 Station,” Wilksen concluded. military equipment

According to Rock Ridge’s August 28, 2017, report on its 2016 annual profit of $3,025,015 as well at its 2017 A View from the Right quarterly financials, the “recently purchased” Union 76 gas station and convenience store’s proximity “will serve as ■ PART V: THE NEW NORMAL OF a tremendous asset to the Blue Jay Project.” See website at http://www.rockridgeresourcesinc.com. INCREASED HOME PREMIUMS ■ PART IV: HOMEOWNERS MAY GET SOME RELIEVE Share Like 0 Kool Kids ■ Boys and Girls Club of the submit your comments Mountain Communities

PO Box 4572 Crestline, CA 92325-4572. Telephone: (909) 338-8484, Email: [email protected]

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http://alpenhornnews.com/controversy-underlies-bluejay-village-resort-proposed-project-p8346-155.htm 2/2 9/18/2017 Annual fundraiser benefits local foster youth - Inland Empire Community Newspapers Annual fundraiser benets local foster youth

By Press Release - September 15, 2017

C.A.S.A. of San Bernardino County will host their 10th annual Munchin’ at the Mansion event at the Edwards Mansion in Redlands on September 27th from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. All proceeds from this event will support the Court-Appointed Special Advocate (C.A.S.A.) program which recruits, screens, trains, and supervises community volunteers to mentor and advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children living in foster care. Adult volunteer advocates provide a stable and consistent presence in the often turbulent lives of foster youth by assisting them in navigating through life’s challenges, providing encouragement, and advocating for each child’s individual needs.

Dr. Phil, National C.A.S.A. Spokesperson, says “C.A.S.A. volunteers also help to alleviate the constant upheaval faced by foster children. Research shows that children with a C.A.S.A. volunteer are substantially less likely to be in long-term foster care, defined as three years or longer. When a C.A.S.A. volunteer is involved, a child is less likely to move from home to home, and they are 95% less likely to re-enter the foster care system.”

Cesar Navarrete, Executive Director for C.A.S.A. of San Bernardino County says, “The community’s support is of vital importance to our program and this event is one where http://iecn.com/annual-fundraiser-benefits-local-foster-youth/ 1/2 9/18/2017 Annual fundraiser benefits local foster youth - Inland Empire Community Newspapers community members can join us to learn how our program supports children in foster care, and how they can positively impact a child by becoming involved, all while enjoying a great evening.”

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. when guests arrive and are greeted by C.A.S.A. Board members and staff. The evening will be filled with music, entertainment, food, and various opportunity drawings.

Be sure to come hungry and have your taste buds ready for an exquisite array of gourmet wine and beer, as well as a vast array of fine foods and desserts presented by á la minute, Dream Dinners, Jersey Mikes, Hanger 24 Brewery, Rok N Fondue, State Street Winery, Starbucks, Brew Rebellion and Wing Stop, just to name a few.

Individuals wishing to purchase tickets to Munchin’ at the Mansion may do so by visiting us on the web at www.casaofsb.org and clicking on the “events” tab, or by calling 909-881-6760 or 760-242-5333.

Press Release

http://iecn.com/annual-fundraiser-benefits-local-foster-youth/ 2/2 9/18/2017 Valley Voices: Ride-along with a sheriff's deputy is an eye-opener

Valley Voices: Ride-along with a sheri’s deputy is an eye-opener By Mike Grabhorn / High Desert Community Coalition Posted Sep 17, 2017 at 12:01 AM Updated Sep 17, 2017 at 9:40 PM As a member of the High Desert Community Coalition (HDCC), I recently decided it would be valuable to go on a ride-along with a sheriff’s deputy in the city where I live. Part of the work of the coalition is to advocate for policies that prevent health and safety issues from occurring in our community. In order for these policies to be effective once adopted by our local City Council, our local law enforcement officers must enforce the policies. As such, it was helpful to gain a better understanding of the types of issues that local officers encounter in our community as they do their work.

I also appreciated the opportunity to get to know one of the deputies and talk with him about the work we have been doing in the community. If you would like to go on a ride-along with one of our deputies from the Victorville Sheriff’s Station, it is very simple. Go to the business office at 14200 Amargosa Road and ask for a ride-along application. You will need to provide your driver’s license number, emergency contact information and sign a release of liability.

My ride-along was on a Wednesday night 10-hour shift. The number of calls for service received in the City of Victorville each day typically ranges from 400 to 550. I explained that I sometimes hear people ask, “Why does it take so long for the Sheriff’s Department to show up?” The deputy explained that as Dispatch keys in calls, the computer electronically assigns each call a priority. A lower priority call will usually not receive a response as quickly as a higher priority call.

Our first call involved a report of a man chasing a woman with a knife in the desert. Upon arrival, a naked female was waiting. The deputies know her by name. One of the units transported her to a crisis walk-in center.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/opinion/20170917/valley-voices-ride-along-with-sheriffs-deputy-is-eye-opener 1/2 9/18/2017 Valley Voices: Ride-along with a sheriff's deputy is an eye-opener

Another call involved domestic violence. A young woman had bruises and marks on her arms. Two officers handcuffed the subject and he was in the back of a vehicle. The woman was begging the deputies to let him go. Upon leaving, the officer said he had been there several times before.

We then responded to a business alarm where a robbery had occurred two nights earlier. We waited for the owner to open the building to search the area. Then the deputies found the cause. During the break-in, the culprit had cut a hole in the roof. The saw had nicked a water line, and eventually water had found its way to an electrical panel, shutting down the power and setting off the alarm.

Next, a neighbor had reported suspicious activity at a house where the owners were not home. When we arrived, we noticed a window was broken. The deputies said someone had ransacked the house, but they could not get in touch with the owners.

My last call involved a man walking down the street with a butcher knife in Old Town. Upon arrival, we found nothing. People have told me, “The cops never get out of their cars.” That is not true. Three officers decided to check the alleys, where they catalogued graffiti for an upcoming clean-up event, noted broken windows and doors, and checked garages to make sure they were secure.

Overall, everyone I encountered was happy to answer my questions, and I learned a lot from this experience. I would recommend a ride-along to anyone who would like to learn more about how our Sheriff’s Department works. Building connections, partnerships and positive relationships between law enforcement and the community is very important. If you would like to be part of such a process, scheduling a ride-along would be a good way to get started.

Mike Grabhorn is a member of the High Desert Community Coalition. For more information about the HDCC, call 442-229-4912 or e-mail .

http://www.vvdailypress.com/opinion/20170917/valley-voices-ride-along-with-sheriffs-deputy-is-eye-opener 2/2 9/18/2017 Two men are arrested for allegedly stealing sage in North Etiwanda Preserve - Fontana Herald News: News Two men are arrested for allegedly stealing sage in North Etiwanda Preserve Posted: Friday, September 15, 2017 3:33 pm

Two Ontario men were arrested in the North Etiwanda Preserve for allegedly stealing sage, a plant which is protected by the California Endangered Species Act.

On Sept. 13, a deputy from the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department observed the two men, who were in an area of the preserve where a native sage plant is located and regularly picked illegally, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The two men were arrested on misdemeanor charges and booked into West Valley Detention Center.

Sage is an aromatic plant with leaves that are used as a culinary herb. The Rancho Cucamonga P.D. has seen an increase in the picking and harvesting of sage in and around the North Etiwanda Preserve. These actions jeopardize the continued existence of this species and affect the habitat growth of the protected areas, the Sheriff's Department said.

The Rancho Cucamonga Police Department will continue to work with the North Etiwanda Preserve stakeholders to ensure this area is protected. For more information on California laws protecting native plants, go to www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Plants/Laws

http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/two-men-are-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-sage-in-north/article_ecddfd80-9a65-11e7-8957-93988050c83b.… 1/1 9/18/2017 Sheriff’s Aviation Air Rescue 6 performs hoist rescue | Big Bear Valley News | bigbeargrizzly.net

http://www.bigbeargrizzly.net/news/sheriff-s-aviation-air-rescue-performs-hoist-rescue/article_15700e12-9bda-11e7-a380-bb8183fe840c.html

TOP STORY Sheriff’s Aviation Air Rescue 6 performs hoist rescue

20 hrs ago

On Saturday, Sept. 16, at approximately 7:55 p.m., San Bernardino County Fire received a 911 call from a reporting party in the Jenks Lake area. The call regarded a victim suffering from a medical condition while hiking. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s communications was also notified.

Deputies from Yucaipa Sheriff Station, San Bernardino County Fire personnel and Sheriff’s Aviation Unit responded to the area and began searching for the victim.

The crew located the victim, Ernest Martin Scheuer, 87, of Los Angeles, at the 8,000-foot level among large trees. He was several miles from any road. Due to the location, elevation and trees that were more than 200 feet in height, the Sheriff’s rescue helicopter was requested. Once on the scene, the crew lowered rescue personnel to the victim who was placed in a rescue basket and hoisted to the helicopter. Scheuer was flown to Arrowhead Regional http://www.bigbeargrizzly.net/news/sheriff-s-aviation-air-rescue-performs-hoist-rescue/article_15700e12-9bda-11e7-a380-bb8183fe840c.html 1/2 9/18/2017 District attorney declines to file charges in Upland homeless weed killer, gun incident – Daily Bulletin

LOCAL NEWS District attorney declines to le charges in Upland homeless weed killer, gun incident

Liset Marquez Robert Garcia walks back to his homeless encampment near the 10 Freeway in Upland, on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017

By LISET MARQUEZ | [email protected] | Inland Valley Daily Bulletin PUBLISHED: September 17, 2017 at 5:00 am | UPDATED: September 17, 2017 at 7:55 am



UPLAND >> The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Ofce has declined to le any charges in an incident in which an Upland man got into an altercation with homeless individuals, spraying weed killer on one and later pulling out a gun on them.

The Aug. 26 altercation began when the resident was cleaning up the onramp of the 10 Freeway near Mountain Avenue. The man, who was standing near the fence of the Goodwill Store parking lot, sprayed weedkiller along the edge of the fence.

His presence woke up Robert Garcia, 36, and his partner Rachel Roman, 43, who were sleeping under trees in the open space of the 10 Freeway westbound onramp.

Garcia said he witnessed the man spray his soda cup with pesticides, and when he confronted him, he was sprayed in the eye.

“A case involving both individuals was submitted to our ofce for review,” said Christopher Lee, spokesman for the district attorney, in an email response. “This case was turned down due to a lack of sufcient evidence.” http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/09/17/district-attorney-declines-to-file-charges-in-upland-homeless-weed-killer-gun-incident/ 1/4 9/18/2017 District attorney declines to file charges in Upland homeless weed killer, gun incident – Daily Bulletin A thorough case

Upland Police Department, however, said it did a complete and thorough investigation which included interviews from the scene but continued to conduct interviews later that night. A detective worked on the case one day that following week, said Upland police Capt. Cliff Mathews.

“We thought there was a case that was prosecutable and were surprised it wasn’t,” he said Friday. “In particular, the assault with the chemical, there was substantial evidence on that charge.”

Mathews said Upland Police provided a one-page report of the incident along with supplemental reports, which he said, included details of the weedkiller being sprayed on Garcia.

“We were surprised that the case was not prosecuted, but the rest of it is much cloudier,” he said.

Mathews was referring to the reports of a gun being pulled out on the homeless men.

“Displaying a gun is not an automatic chargeable offense. Whether it was lawful or illegal, and whether there is evidence or not, that’s a difcult case,” Mathews said.

Surveillance video of the incident was included as evidence, he said.

Police ofcers were called to the parking lot of the Goodwill store near the 10 Freeway on Mountain Avenue that day at 11:30 a.m. in response to the altercation, police have said.

Upland Police have said the Upland man did have a concealed weapons permit and notied authorities on the scene that he had pulled out the gun.

When ofcers arrived, they interviewed all the parties involved and witnesses. While each party accused the other of battery, neither elected to seek prosecution at the time, Upland police stated.

Unless someone else comes forward with additional evidence, either for or against criminal action, Mathews said the case will not be going back the district attorney’s ofce.

A witness account

After the Upland man sprayed Garcia in the eye, Garcia said he immediately washed out the chemicals.

“He left after I told him he owes me a dollar for my soda,” he said.

Several minutes after the confrontation involving Garcia, another dispute broke out between the Upland man and another homeless man. The Upland man had made his way to the other side of the parking lot, near the Mobil gas station, and picked up a bag of recyclables which belonged to another homeless man. When Garcia and other homeless man noticed, they notied the owner of the recyclables who then approached the Upland man.

“He was going to take his recycles so he told him, ‘They’re mine now,’ and then he told us he was going to put us all under citizens arrest for trespassing,” Garcia said, as he drank from a large soda cup while he recounted the ordeal on Sept. 11.

They started playing tug-of-war with the recycles, Garcia said of the pair.

“That’s when the guy pulled out the gun and yelled ‘Get back,’” he said, standing just a couple hundred yards from where it occurred.

According to the police report, obtained by this publication, the Upland man accused the homeless man of grabbing his arm. The homeless man told authorities that the Upland resident had pushed him, causing him to fall and cut his arm/elbow area, the report states.

“(The Upland man) told ofcers he felt threatened by the homeless subjects when he became surrounded by them,” the police report states.

The man kept the gun along the side of his body, and it wasn’t pointed at anyone, the report states.

Garcia’s account contradicts the report.

“He held it there for at least ve seconds, to my chest,” Garcia said. “I told him, ‘Go ahead, do what you got to do. At least I know where I’m going when I die.’”

Garcia said he has cell phone video and turned over to ofcers that day. He said he has since had trouble retrieving it from his phone.

A community on edge

Garcia, who has been homeless for the past four years, said it’s been difcult to nd a full-time job but does work on Saturday and Sundays holding up sign for a local car dealership. He acknowledged he has a criminal record but said he is working on getting those misdemeanors expunged.

Ask whether he felt threatened, Garcia replied: “Of course. If someone pulls a gun on you, wouldn’t you feel threatened?”

Since the incident, Garcia said he’s found it hard to sleep at night for fear he could be attacked. http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/09/17/district-attorney-declines-to-file-charges-in-upland-homeless-weed-killer-gun-incident/ 2/4 9/18/2017 District attorney declines to file charges in Upland homeless weed killer, gun incident – Daily Bulletin Christy Mac, a homeless advocate, said she was very disappointed to hear the district attorney’s ofce would not be pressing charges.

Mac said she is aware of the individual behind the incident, describing him as someone who served in law enforcement as a reghter for several years.

“I don’t think it’s right that he doesn’t have to face any consequences for his actions and he’s not held accountable,” she said.

The decision by the district attorney, Mac said, sends a clear message that ex-law enforcement ofcials “are held to a different standard.”

Like Garcia, Mac is concerned those who have issues with homeless people will try to take matters into their own hands.

“They are going to think they can go out there with their vigilante actions and nothing will happen to them,” she said by phone Friday afternoon. “No justice is served at all to the homeless.”

Mac said she heard about the incident the day it occurred and immediately began working her sources and encouraged them to press charges.

“They were scared there would be some retaliation,” she said. “I spoke to them through a mutual friend and told them if they don’t, then otherwise it’s not going to stop.”

A frustrated Mac said the homeless in Upland are now nervous and apprehensive that someone will attack them.

“They have every right to feel worried,” she said.

But Mac said she is not giving up and plans to get another advocate group involved, such as the American Civil Liberties Union.

Tags: homeless, Inland Empire, Police, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories Sun

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http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/09/17/district-attorney-declines-to-file-charges-in-upland-homeless-weed-killer-gun-incident/ 3/4 9/18/2017 13 arrested in Victor Valley during sex offender compliance operation - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

13 arrested in Victor Valley during sex oender compliance operation By Staff Reports Posted Sep 15, 2017 at 2:43 PM Updated Sep 15, 2017 at 2:43 PM Thirteen people were arrested during a sex offender compliance operation in the Victor Valley Thursday, authorities said.

Between the hours of noon and 10 p.m., San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Victor Valley Station deputies, in conjunction with County Probation officers and State Parole agents, contacted roughly 320 registered sex offenders at various locations.

With the working title of “Desert Watch,” the operation was focused on ensuring “registered sex offenders in the City of Adelanto and the unincorporated communities of the Victor Valley were in compliance with their state-mandated registration requirements,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement.

While the majority of offenders were found to be in compliance, 13 were arrested for outstanding warrants, probation violations and parole violations, authorities said.

The Sheriff’s Department encourage anyone with information on suspicious or criminal activity to contact their local Sheriff Station. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463 or visit .

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170915/13-arrested-in-victor-valley-during-sex-offender-compliance-operation?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium… 1/1 9/18/2017 CENSUS DATA CONFIRMS: HISPANICS ARE NOW A MAJORITY IN THE INLAND EMPIRE - Highland Community News: Political CENSUS DATA CONFIRMS: HISPANICS ARE NOW A MAJORITY IN THE INLAND EMPIRE Posted: Friday, September 15, 2017 4:56 pm

IEEP CHIEF ECONOMIST DR. JOHN HUSING COMMENTS ON THE NEW FINDINGS

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA (Sept. 15, 2017) — This week, the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey released its 2016 data on the larger communities in the Inland Empire. According to Inland Empire Economic Partnership (IEEP) Chief Economist Dr. John Husing, the data showed Racial mix that some improvements have occurred in the quality of life for the area, while it continued to become more diverse.

Dr. Husing adds that “these data underscore key issues facing the region that are at the forefront of work being undertaken in the region to deal with its great diversity while improving its quality of life. Fortunately, the quality of life measures are slowly improving.” Ethnically, the data showed that the inland area now has a majority of Hispanic residents (50.5 percent). This contrasts with 43.2 percent in the balance of Southern California. By county, the share was 48.4 percent in Riverside County and 52.8 percent in San Bernardino County. The white, non-Hispanic population fell to 32.8 percent for the Inland Empire roughly equal to the 33.5 percent in the rest of Southern California. Here, the shares were 36.0 percent in Riverside County and 29.2 percent in San Bernardino County. The African- American (7.0percent) and Asian (6.7 percent) populations were similar in share. A key difference was the 14.6 percent of Asians in the coastal counties. By county, a slight separation was seen in that Asians were 7.3 percent of San Bernardino County but 6.3 percent of Riverside County.

Another important fact was the continued decline in the number of uninsured inland residents largely thanks to the Affordable Care Act. In 2012 before it went into effect, there were 750,957 local persons with no health insurance representing 28.8 percent of the population. By 2016, that had fallen to 336,238 or 12.4 percent of local residents. The decline in the number of uninsured has been -55.2 percent. The share of uninsured was down -16.4 percent.

Poverty remains a major concern for the Inland Empire, but it has improved somewhat. In 2016, 17.7 percent of San Bernardino County residents were living below the poverty line, down from 19.0 percent in 2015. The Riverside County share was 15.3 percent down from 16.2 percent the prior year. For children under 18, the San Bernardino share was 26.0 percent, down from 27.4 percent. The Riverside percentage was 21.1 percent, down from 22.8 percent.

Among adults 25 and over, the share that stop their schooling with high school or less educations was 45.2 percent in Riverside County during 2016, down from 46.4 percent in 2015. In San Bernardino County, the share fell slightly to 47.6 percent in 2016 from 47.8 percent. These remained the highest shares of http://www.highlandnews.net/news/political/census-data-confirms-hispanics-are-now-a-majority-in-the/article_724fe3ec-9a71-11e7-ac1b-3f775d1cee9e… 1/3 9/18/2017 CENSUS DATA CONFIRMS: HISPANICS ARE NOW A MAJORITY IN THE INLAND EMPIRE - Highland Community News: Political marginally educated adults in Southern California. Meanwhile, the share with four year or higher degree grew slighly. It went up to 21.8 percent in Riverside County from 20.7 percent in 2015. In San Bernardino County it reached 20.0 percent, up from 19.4 percent. Both figures were well below the Inland Empire competitor counties in Southern California which ranged from 30.8 percent to 32.2 percent.

About Dr. John Husing – Dr. Husing serves as Chief Economist of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, and also develops strategic projects for the Inland Empire Business Council. Dr. Husing leads strategic projects with many prominent organizations. His work includes designing innovative programs, strategies, and policy solutions for private industries, government, and private foundation. Dr. Husing can be heard on 91.9 KVCR’S “Morning Edition,” Tuesdays at 6:45 a.m. and 8:45 a.m.

-30- The Inland Empire Economic Partnership’s mission is to help create the region’s voice for business and quality of life in San Bernardino and Riverside County. Our membership, a collection of important organizations in the private and public sector, gives the organization the knowledge and perspective needed to advocate and provide a vibrant business and living environment. Visit our site at www.ieep.com

IEEP, UCR MEDICAL SCHOOL AND LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS CREATE PARTNERSHIP TO GIVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GLIMPSE INTO HEALTHCARE CAREERS Colton, San Bernardino, Redlands, Rialto and Yucaipa Districts Send Students to Week-long Medical Career Camp RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA (July 13, 2017) — Inland Empire high school students considering a career in health care got the opportunity to see firsthand what it is like to work in the medical field during the Medical Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT) weeklong summer program at the University of California, Riverside. The week-long camp took place July 10 through July 14.

In order to show Inland Empire’s students that careers in healthcare are a possibility for them, a new and creative partnership has been created between the UCR School of Medicine and several local school districts. While the Medical Leaders of Tomorrow program has been a part of UCR’s School of Medicine pipeline programs, this is the first year that they have partnered directly with local school districts.

“The credit for this new partnership belongs with UCR Medical School Senior Associate Dean Neal Schiller, Colton Superintendent of Schools Jerry Armendadez and the other Superintendents for thinking outside of the box and working to provide local students with this amazing experience,” said Inland Empire Economic Partnership CEO, Paul Granillo. Granillo serves on the Growing Inland Achievement and San Bernardino Link Learning Hub Board of Directors which are also focused on raising the numbers of bachelor degrees being granted in the Inland Empire and providing students with real life learning experiences.

Presentations and interactive activities gave students an inside look at careers in science and health care. In addition, the students learn study skills for college success, leadership and team building skills, laboratory http://www.highlandnews.net/news/political/census-data-confirms-hispanics-are-now-a-majority-in-the/article_724fe3ec-9a71-11e7-ac1b-3f775d1cee9e… 2/3 9/18/2017 CENSUS DATA CONFIRMS: HISPANICS ARE NOW A MAJORITY IN THE INLAND EMPIRE - Highland Community News: Political tours and experiments, and learn the college admissions process.

The goal of the program is to give incoming 10th graders a week-long university experience where they will interact with faculty, medical students and hands-on training at the UCR School of Medicine.

MLT will also work together on a joint project focused on the health concerns that effect the residents of the Inland Empire.

Plans are being made to add an additional week to MLT next year for students in Riverside County School Districts.

For more information on this unique partnership, please contact IEEP at 909-944-2201 or visit www.ieep.com.

http://www.highlandnews.net/news/political/census-data-confirms-hispanics-are-now-a-majority-in-the/article_724fe3ec-9a71-11e7-ac1b-3f775d1cee9e… 3/3 9/18/2017 Over shuttered dispensaries, former Adelanto medical marijuana adviser sues mayor

Over shuttered dispensaries, former Adelanto medical marijuana adviser sues mayor By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Posted Sep 16, 2017 at 10:40 AM Updated Sep 16, 2017 at 10:40 AM Kerr has previously adamantly denied he was ever complicit in vowing to shield Salazar’s stores from enforcement.

ADELANTO — Johnny Salazar, the former commercial cannabis adviser to Adelanto whose disunion with city officials , is suing the mayor over shuttered dispensaries, singling out Rich Kerr for breaching confidence in an alleged behind-the-scenes agreement.

Salazar has said that Kerr assured him medical marijuana retail stores on Highway 395, and then Bartlett Avenue, would be unbothered as part of Salazar’s self-declared mission to provide relief to veterans and seniors, who also reportedly invested in the stores.

“I fought and fought for this for years,” Salazar said in a pre-recorded message he held to the podium microphone during Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Salazar is seeking $10,000 from Kerr in small claims court for “breach of confidence, swindling, fraud, unfaithfulness and false pretenses,” according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by the Daily Press.

Kerr was served by a member of Salazar’s Green Tree Health Healing. The mayor did not specifically address the matter publicly.

But Kerr has previously adamantly denied he was ever complicit in vowing to shield Salazar’s stores from enforcement. Dispensaries were only legalized in June, and four permits have yet to be issued to applicants, of which Salazar is not one.

The final straw for Salazar appeared to be a hearing in February. Then, the city prosecutor laid out evidence to show that Salazar had fraudulently acquired a business license for “wholesale medical marijuana” to run his Bartlett store and reneged on written promises to open merely an information center with accessory sales only. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170916/over-shuttered-dispensaries-former-adelanto-medical-marijuana-adviser-sues-mayor 1/2 9/18/2017 Over shuttered dispensaries, former Adelanto medical marijuana adviser sues mayor

Salazar was barred, officials say, from selling the product itself even as Kerr had acknowledged a layman could misinterpret the license as allowing him to do so.

Kerr has said he instructed Salazar a week prior to the Bartlett grand opening: “Under no circumstances are you to sell pot. If you sell pot, we’re shutting you down.”

But he did. And authorities soon raided it and shut it down.

Salazar took exception to the insinuation that he forged his license and to being painted as a liar. More so, he pointed to Kerr’s attendance at the Bartlett store’s grand opening as a signal that he had blessings from the top.

“I have you on video in front of my Marines, and my veterans, and Green Tree Health and Healing people,” Salazar said in the recording, “stating ... ‘go ahead and sell pot, I guess my code won’t be around or the Sheriff (Department). Looks like maybe we screwed up. You guys just be careful.’”

Salazar said the $10,000 he is seeking was calculated by factoring in time spent, meetings, loans, set-up fees, demolition fees, fines and liens.

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170916/over-shuttered-dispensaries-former-adelanto-medical-marijuana-adviser-sues-mayor 2/2 9/18/2017 More than 2,700 marijuana plants seized at 3 sites in Phelan – San Bernardino Sun

NEWSCRIME More than 2,700 marijuana plants seized at 3 sites in Phelan

File photo by Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group More than 2,700 marijuana plants were seized Friday at three separate sites in Phelan.

By JIM STEINBERG | [email protected] | San Bernardino Sun PUBLISHED: September 16, 2017 at 5:05 pm | UPDATED: September 16, 2017 at 5:12 pm

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More than 2,700 marijuana plants were seized Friday at three separate locations in the unincorporated community of Phelan, sheriff’s ofcials said.

The plants were not in compliance with California’s marijuana law or San Bernardino County’s ordinance prohibiting commercial cannabis activity, according to a San Bernardino County sheriff’s statement released Saturday.

Deputies do not believe the locations were linked together.

Here’s what happened at each location:

• 13900 block of Pacic Road, Phelan

1,683 marijuana plants seized

Two persons were arrested.

• Daisy Road, Phelan http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/16/more-than-2700-marijuana-plants-seized-at-3-sites-in-phelan/ 1/3 9/18/2017 More than 2,700 marijuana plants seized at 3 sites in Phelan – San Bernardino Sun

445 marijuana plants seized

Suspect identication pending

• 6300 block of La Mesa Road, Phelan

614 marijuana plants

Three persons were arrested.

Authorities ask that anyone with information regarding the investigations or other illegal marijuana cultivations is urged to contact the sheriff’s Gangs/Narcotics Division at 909-387-8400. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or visit www.wetip.com.

Tags: Top Stories PE, Top Stories Sun

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http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/16/more-than-2700-marijuana-plants-seized-at-3-sites-in-phelan/ 2/3 9/18/2017 Marijuana-extraction lab explosion in Adelanto sends 1 to hospital, 1 to jail – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS Marijuana-extraction lab explosion in Adelanto sends 1 to hospital, 1 to jail

A house in the 10500 block of Teakwood Way in Adelanto was badly damaged and one person was seriously injured by an explosion and fire on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials believe the home’s occupants were using butane to extract THC from marijuana. (Photo courtesy of San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department)

By JIM STEINBERG | [email protected] | San Bernardino Sun PUBLISHED: September 16, 2017 at 10:44 pm | UPDATED: September 17, 2017 at 2:43 pm

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http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/16/honey-oil-extraction-explosion-sends-one-to-hospital-one-to-jail/ 1/4 9/18/2017 Marijuana-extraction lab explosion in Adelanto sends 1 to hospital, 1 to jail – San Bernardino Sun

An explosion Friday at an Adelanto house whose occupants were believed to be using butane to make concentrated cannabis products destroyed the building, severely burned one man and sent another to jail, San Bernardino County sheriff’s ofcials said Saturday.

Chance Jones, 25, suffered 2nd-degree burns and was taken to a trauma center, according to a sheriff’s statement that lists him as a suspect but does not specify whether authorities intend to arrest him aer he recovers.

Clarence Jones, 27, was arrested on suspicion of manufacturing a controlled substance, jail records show. Bail was set at $500,000.

At 6 p.m. Friday, sheriff’s deputies and reghters responded to an explosion and re in the 10500 block of Teakwood Way in Adelanto, the sheriff’s release said.

Deputies called in the sheriff’s Marijuana Enforcement Team, which determined that butane was being used to extract concentrated THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The end products of this extraction go by names such as honey oil and wax.

Investigators seized about 11 pounds of marijuana, concentrated cannabis, seven assault ries and a handgun.

Sheriff’s ofcials warned that using butane to create honey oil is dangerous, noting that butane rapidly vaporizes into an invisible airborne gas.

“The THC extraction process is extremely dangerous and has a high potential for explosion and re,” the statement said. “This chemical extraction process is illegal and is a violation of California’s Health and Safety Code.” http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/16/honey-oil-extraction-explosion-sends-one-to-hospital-one-to-jail/ 2/4 9/18/2017 Marijuana-extraction lab explosion in Adelanto sends 1 to hospital, 1 to jail – San Bernardino Sun The statement continues: “No method of THC extraction utilizing butane is safe.”

The investigation into Friday’s explosion is ongoing, sheriff’s ofcials said.

Tags: Top Stories PE, Top Stories Sun

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http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/16/honey-oil-extraction-explosion-sends-one-to-hospital-one-to-jail/ 3/4 9/18/2017 In Adelanto, competition for coveted cannabis dispensary licenses

In Adelanto, competition for coveted cannabis dispensary licenses By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Posted Sep 17, 2017 at 4:46 PM Updated Sep 17, 2017 at 4:46 PM At 2 p.m. Friday, a subcommittee was scheduled to meet inside Mayor Rich Kerr’s office at City Hall to deliberate on which four applicants will receive licenses.

ADELANTO — Six applicants have filed for four coveted medical cannabis dispensary permits, according to City Manager Gabriel Elliott.

At 2 p.m. Friday, Elliott, Mayor Rich Kerr, Mayor Pro Tem Jermaine Wright and two residents appointed at-large to a subcommittee were scheduled to meet inside Kerr’s office at City Hall to deliberate on which four applicants will receive licenses.

“We need to go over, preliminary, what we’re going to do,” Kerr said Wednesday evening. “We want to get this done and over.”

Adelanto’s push to issue licenses for dispensaries in two zones, legalized within city limits at the end of June, is fueled by two objectives: To collect on the expected revenues they’ll produce and to quickly enable patients access to cannabis for medicine.

and the subcommittee, officially filled out Wednesday by the appointments of residents Robert Andrade and Maggie Airy, will act as a Brown Act body and maintain an ongoing function since permits could be relinquished in the future and the number of permits could change as the city grows.

Kerr vowed that the process would be “as transparent as possible.”

One applicant vying for a license is Victorville resident and Edible Arrangements business owner Manny Serrano, who is an executive with MJRX Corporation. Serrano and his brother, attorney David Serrano, bought the Jet Room in Adelanto

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170917/in-adelanto-competition-for-coveted-cannabis-dispensary-licenses 1/2 9/18/2017 In Adelanto, competition for coveted cannabis dispensary licenses

, who later expressed support from the dais to re-zone for dispensaries the land encompassing the property.

, including the Jet Room on Adelanto Road, Manny Serrano said MJRX had invested $1.2 million cash into the property, which had been abandoned since the late-1990s.

At the time, Serrano appeared comfortable with the presumptive investment for the under-construction and would-be dispensary, a white-marbled floor facility housing artifacts of the old restaurant and pub, because he said only two applicants had applied.

With six applicants now announced by Elliott, it’s conceivable the Serranos could be left out, albeit unlikely. The two have invested up to $40 million in land purchases elsewhere in the city, Serrano has said, in industrial zones allowing cultivation and manufacturing.

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170917/in-adelanto-competition-for-coveted-cannabis-dispensary-licenses 2/2 9/18/2017 Unemployment rate in San Bernardino County goes down in August - Fontana Herald News: Business Unemployment rate in San Bernardino County goes down in August Posted: Saturday, September 16, 2017 12:24 pm

The unemployment rate in San Bernardino County went down slightly during the month of August, according to data released on Sept. 15 by the California Employment Development Department (EDD).

The jobless rate went down from 5.9 percent to 5.8 percent, the EDD said.

The unemployment rate in Riverside County was 6.5 percent. In August, California’s unemployment rate rose to 5.1 percent, while the state’s non-farm payroll employment fell by 8,200 jobs.

The United States unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage point in August to 4.4 percent, with employers nationwide adding 156,000 non-farm payroll jobs.

http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/business/unemployment-rate-in-san-bernardino-county-goes-down-in-august/article_ad4d9a54-9b14-11e7-9ce1-ff9… 1/1 9/18/2017 Inland jobs numbers show a big yearly gain for construction – Press Enterprise

BUSINESS Inland jobs numbers show a big yearly gain for construction

Homes were under construction in Beaumont in late 2016.

By FIELDING BUCK | [email protected] | The Press-Enterprise September 15, 2017 at 9:47 am

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Job gains in government and construction offset losses in several sectors, according to the California Employment Development Department’s labor force report for the Inland Empire in August.

The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area added a total of 6,800 nonfarm jobs between July and August.

Although state government dropped 500 jobs, local governments added 7,100.

The Inland area gained 1,200 construction jobs as well as 800 education and health services jobs, 500 nancial services jobs, and 100 information jobs.

Most job losses, 1,100, occurred in leisure and hospitality.

Since August of 2016, the Inland Empire has gained 34,100 jobs, 15,800 of them in construction.

Unemployment was 6.2 percent for the two counties in August, up from a revised 6.1 percent in July. Riverside County had 6.5 percent unemployment, and San Bernardino County had 5.8 percent.

Check back later today for more about the region’s workforce.

http://www.pe.com/2017/09/15/inland-jobs-numbers-show-a-big-yearly-gain-for-construction/ 1/3 9/18/2017 Public safety remains a high priority in the city | Local News | newsmirror.net

http://www.newsmirror.net/news/local/public-safety-remains-a-high-priority-in-the-city/article_2c66a176-996e-11e7-938d-07506b4db1cb.html Public safety remains a high priority in the city

Mayor Dick Riddell Sep 16, 2017 Updated Sep 16, 2017

Public safety remains a high priority for the city of Yucaipa as we continue to endure the “unintended” consequences of California Assembly Bill 109; the 2011 Public Safety Realignment to reduce prison overcrowding, California Proposition 47, which reduced penalties for certain crimes, and California Proposition 57, which allows early release and parole consideration for “non-violent” felons in state prison. I would like to take this opportunity to provide an update on recent and coming

Yucaipa Police Department stang changes, personnel additions and investments in other hi-tech; tools; intended to help mitigate the impact of these statewide challenges on our community:

• A city-wide “beat system” is being implemented that will assign deputies to specic areas, increasing police presence and reducing response times, while focusing on collaboration with citizens, business partners and organizations to reduce and prevent criminal activity.

In an eort to implement this system, the city council approved a budget service level option in February for the additional “full service” deputies required to initiate the program. The additional deputies included the transfer of two trac ocers and two new ocers with the elimination of one Sheri’s Service Specialist position. It is anticipated the last position will be included in an updated Schedule A contract amendment with the Sheri’s Department this month and lled by October. The cost of a “full service” deputy position is approximately $200,000 per year.

• The city has partnered with the Uptown Association to provide private security in the Uptown area, working in close collaboration with our Police Department.

• A Crime Prevention Task force has been formed for the Uptown area, providing an opportunity to strengthen partnerships between the police department, business owners and residents.

• At the direction of city council, city sta is also implementing new technology that lends to the prevention and solving of crime, at the cost of approximately $835,000.

Sixty-one surveillance cameras have been installed throughout the city over the last several years, with more to come. These cameras are linked to the Yucaipa Police Department and have been instrumental in criminal investigations as well as preventing unlawful activity, in real time. In addition, the installation of automated license plate reading (ALPR) cameras at major interchanges have created a “geofence” around our city, by identifying stolen vehicles and vehicles connected to crimes.

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http://www.newsmirror.net/news/local/public-safety-remains-a-high-priority-in-the-city/article_2c66a176-996e-11e7-938d-07506b4db1cb.html 1/2 9/18/2017 Public safety remains a high priority in the city | Local News | newsmirror.net

The latest implementation phase has also included mobile units with more anticipated in the coming years. The use of this technology has already been instrumental in the apprehension of individuals accused of car theft, arson and other crimes in the short time it has been in service.

• Ongoing Neighborhood Watch and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is being oered to educate community members to recognize suspicious activity and to “see something say something” in an ongoing eort to prevent crime.

• Two park rangers have been added to the city’s sta over the last several years in an eort to provide added security in our parks and facilities.

• A Homeless Coalition has been formed to coordinate a comprehensive approach to maintaining a safe and clean environment for residents while connecting homeless persons to services and resources. This coalition is comprised of representatives from the Yucaipa Police Department, San Bernardino County Sheri’s Department Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement (H.O.P.E. Team), the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health, local residents, business owners and city sta to include one code enforcement sta member assigned primarily to deal with homeless related issues.

Members of the Yucaipa City Council are always open to and appreciative of our citizens’ input. We are committed to both short and long-term strategies that will have a positive impact on public safety, not only in our Uptown area, but in our neighborhoods throughout the city. It remains clear that the majority of our citizens feel a sense of ownership for our community’s safety and well-being and for that we are very proud.

http://www.newsmirror.net/news/local/public-safety-remains-a-high-priority-in-the-city/article_2c66a176-996e-11e7-938d-07506b4db1cb.html 2/2 9/18/2017 'I love you, mom'

‘I love you, mom’ By Staff Reports Posted Sep 15, 2017 at 6:58 AM Updated Sep 15, 2017 at 6:25 PM HESPERIA — The sister of a woman who died after her car crashed into the California Aqueduct early Friday morning said the victim called her mother as the vehicle sank.

Annette Gonzales told the Daily Press on Friday that her sister, whom she identified as Xanthel Linares, 24, of Hesperia, called their mother when the crash occurred, telling her what happened and that she was going in the water.

“And the last thing she said was, “I love you, mom,’” Gonzales said. “I think she knew she tried everything to get out and couldn’t, and wanted to say bye to our mom.”

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Hesperia Station deputies and County Fire personnel responded to a report of a single-vehicle crash near the intersection of Main Street and Escondido Avenue at approximately 12:07 a.m.

Positive identification of the victim is pending completion of the Sheriff-Coroner investigation, but family members identified her as Linares, 24.

According to authorities, witnesses reported a vehicle traveling west on Main Street had “left the roadway and entered the California Aqueduct.”

“Within minutes, deputies arrived and located a black 2017 Kia Forte submerged in the California Aqueduct,” officials said in a statement.

“Water flow in the California Aqueduct was immediately stopped by the State of California Department of Water Resources and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dive Team responded to the scene to assist.”

Divers located the vehicle roughly 1,400 feet south of the Main Street bridge completely submerged at approximately 2:30 a.m., authorities said. Linares was found inside and pronounced dead at the scene.

The Hesperia Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) is conducting the investigation into the crash and westbound Main Street was closed until approximately 4 a.m. from Pyrite to Escondido avenues.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170915/i-love-you-mom 1/2 9/18/2017 'I love you, mom'

Linares is survived by her mother, three sisters, a brother and her beloved mini- schnauzer, Chiquis. She had just celebrated her 24th birthday in July, her sister Annette Gonzales told the Daily Press. She said her sister was a childhood cancer survivor, born and raised at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.

The family has lived in the High Desert since 2005. Linares graduated from Victor Valley College in 2014, and would have completed her bachelor’s degree in December, according to Gonzales.

“She was studying to be a social worker because she wanted to give those children who come from broken homes a place to be loved and feel free,” Gonzales said.

According to Gonzales, her sister had just dropped off a friend after hanging out in Crestline and was heading home at the time of the crash.

The family plans to meet with Hesperia city officials soon to discuss what can be done to secure that intersection with the aqueduct. In early March, a mother and two children died in a crash in nearly the same spot, raising questions about the security around the aqueduct.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation and anyone with information is urged to contact Deputy Dustin Whitson at the Hesperia Sheriff’s Station at 760-947-1500. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463 or visit .

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170915/i-love-you-mom 2/2 9/18/2017 Helendale school district: Teacher resigned after inappropriate messages to students – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS Helendale school district: Teacher resigned after inappropriate messages to students

In 2014, Riverside Middle School, located in Helendale, Ca. sent a letter to the CTC stating that a middle school teacher had resigned after evidence came forward that he was grooming female students for possible sexual abuse. (Sarah Alvarado for The Sun)

By BEAU YARBROUGH | [email protected] | Inland Valley Daily Bulletin PUBLISHED: September 17, 2017 at 8:01 am | UPDATED: September 17, 2017 at 11:07 am

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In 2014, a Helendale School District middle school math teacher and soccer coach resigned aer evidence of inappropriate communications with female middle and high school students, according to a document newly released by the district.

Five years ago, this news organization asked local public school districts for ve years of teacher complaints, along with documents and information about the outcomes of the investigations. The request was in response to the Los Angeles Unied School District’s 2011 Miramonte Elementary School sex scandal. The resulting series of articles, titled Safe Schools, looked at teacher complaints in school districts across Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

On July 3, ve years aer the original set of California Public Records Act requests, this publication sent out a new wave of requests to local school districts, covering the 2012-13 through the 2016-17 school years. This article is part of a new series of Safe School 2017 articles. http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/17/helendale-school-district-teacher-quit-after-inappropriate-messages-to-students/ 1/3 9/18/2017 Helendale school district: Teacher resigned after inappropriate messages to students – San Bernardino Sun

In a 2014 letter sent to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, which handles the credentials required to teach at a public K- 12 school in California, Helendale Superintendent Ross Swearingen outlined the district’s concerns about the male teacher, whose name is redacted in the copy of the letter released by the district.

“On Thursday, March 13th,” the letter begins, “a parent of a student at Riverview Middle School contacted me to le a complaint against one of our credentialed employees.”

The teacher had asked the complainant’s ninth-grade daughter to serve as manager for the middle school soccer team.

The teacher began texting the girl, but those escalated “to a more personal level, and in some of the texts (the teacher) had used the terms ‘sweetheart’ in describing (the girl) and on different occasions he had stated ‘I love you!’ to different responses (the girl) had given him relating to her willingness to assist with the soccer team.”

The teacher also gave the girl pills, which he did not identify to her, to help her with her snifes. The teacher warned the girl not to tell anyone he had given her the pills and to return them to him if she didn’t want to take them, as they were expensive. A district investigation showed that one set, given to her on March 10, were Claritin-D allergy pills and another set, given to her on March 13, were a homeopathic allergy treatment.

On March 13, the teacher approached the girl during soccer practice, with a plug for a radio in her hand.

He reportedly “pushed it against her abdomen and stated that the plug could be plugged into her because ‘she was hot.’ ”

Later at practice, the teacher approached her and apologized for what he said was an inappropriate comment.

When the girl and a friend returned soccer balls to his classroom aer practice, the teacher gave her a bag with pasta sauce and avocados, because, he said, he knew she and her friend liked pasta.

The girl reported the events to her parents that night, who contacted the district.

During the district’s investigation the next day, ofcials found the teacher had been sending text messages to another female student, calling her a “sweetheart” and other endearments. He had given another female student a birthday card on her birthday.

When the teacher was interviewed on March 14, he admitted to everything except saying “I love you” to the girls, which he said he didn’t remember doing.

“When we offered to show him the transcripts of the texts later in the interview, he admitted that there were things he had le out or not admitted to during the interview,” the letter to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing reads in part.

At the end of the interview, on the advice of his California Teachers Association representative, the teacher volunteered to resign; the school board was set to vote on not renewing his contract the next day. Following the interview, the teacher was placed on paid administrative leave the rest of the year. And on Saturday, March 15, the board voted to approve his resignation.

The next week, a female seventh-grade student came forward with a letter the teacher had given her inside a math textbook, along with a greeting card and a ash drive. The letter was similar to the text messages sent to other girls, and included the teacher’s request to keep the communications a secret.

“Please don’t share this picture with anyone. I trust you on this,” the letter reads in part. “I wish I could talk to you face to face and tell you my thoughts in this letter. I don’t want anyone to take things the wrong way and all of a sudden I nd myself at risk of losing my job.”

During his March 14 interview, the teacher had said he had not had inappropriate communications with any girls other than the ones he had been questioned about.

The full text of the letter, card and the image on the ash drive were not included in the documents released by the Helendale School District in response to the public records act request.

“It is my opinion that the commission take this matter under investigation and take whatever actions possible to no longer allow (the teacher) to teach in a classroom in California,” Swearingen’s letter concludes, “as I believe that if he has access to students, especially female students, they will be at risk of his grooming behaviors and where that could go beyond that.”

Tags: education, Top Stories Sun

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http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/17/helendale-school-district-teacher-quit-after-inappropriate-messages-to-students/Family Fun With a Car Camping Road Adventure: 7 2/3 9/18/2017 Civil rights groups plan large protest at embattled Victorville auto dealership – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS Civil rights groups plan large protest at embattled Victorville auto dealership

Rancho Motor Company in Victorville

By JOE NELSON | [email protected] | San Bernardino Sun PUBLISHED: September 15, 2017 at 9:23 pm | UPDATED: September 16, 2017 at 12:05 pm

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The Victor Valley NAACP and National Action Network are planning a Nov. 10 protest outside Rancho Motor Company in Victorville, which since February has been embroiled in lawsuits alleging systemic bank and credit fraud and racial discrimination.

Victor Valley NAACP President Bill Thomas; the Rev. Jonathan Moseley, vice president of the National Action Network’s Los Angeles ofce; and Clion Harris, San Bernardino American News publisher, Victor Valley NAACP member and retired sheriff’s deputy, sent letters dated Sept. 8 to Victorville City Manager Doug Robertson and Victorville sheriff’s Capt. Jonathan Schuller, informing them of the scheduled protest. They said 150 to 200 people plan to attend the protest, and inquired as to whether they would need a permit to hold the protest.

“The purpose of this gathering is to protest Rancho Motor’s racist and predatory practices toward minority groups, specically the African American community,” the identical letters stated.

Since February, former Rancho Motor Company employees have come forward alleging a racist, sexist culture at the 46-year-old family- owned business, which they say engages in and encourages systemic bank and credit fraud to close more deals and rake in more prots. One former employee, Danny Braun, who is a retired San Bernardino County sheriff’s sergeant, said he le the company but continued to stay on the payroll to keep quiet aer he began complaining to company owner and president John Wilkins about the dealership’s business practices, racism and sexism. http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/15/civil-rights-groups-plan-large-protest-at-embattled-victorville-auto-dealership/ 1/3 9/18/2017 Civil rights groups plan large protest at embattled Victorville auto dealership – San Bernardino Sun

On Sept. 7, Rancho’s former nance manager, Rene Williams, sued the company alleging he was hired in April as a “token black” employee in an effort to quell the negative publicity surrounding the company’s legal issues and allegations of racism. Prior to going to work for Rancho, Williams was working at another auto dealership and was contacted by Rancho General Manager Jason Wilkins, who asked him to apply for work at Rancho, according to the lawsuit. Williams was subsequently hired as Rancho’s new nance manager.

“It did not take long for plaintiff to suffer discrimination and harassment from Jason Wilkins as a result of his race,” according to the lawsuit, which stated Wilkins was oen hostile to Williams, ying into a rage and throwing objects in his ofce, leading Williams to believe Wilkins was going to physically attack him. Wilkins oen criticised Williams’ work, yelling and cursing at him, slamming les on his desk, and accusing Williams of thinking he had “black privilege,” the lawsuit claims.

When Williams complained to Wilkins’ father and company owner and president John Wilkins, the senior Wilkins just “smiled and shrugged his shoulders and did nothing and rather, acted to protect his son,” the lawsuit alleges.

Williams was red in June, his attorney Tristan Pelayes said.

Neither Wilkins nor John Musella, a spokesman for the company, responded to requests for comment Friday. They have denied the allegations.

Williams’ lawsuit was the second to be led against Rancho Motor Company, an afliate of General Motors, by one of its former nance managers.

In February, Christopher White sued the dealership, alleging he and other Rancho employees were pressured and encouraged to falsify customer employment and salary information on loan applications to ensure loan approval. The company also fostered a workplace culture rife with racial discrimination and sexual harassment, where managers regularly referred to minorities in pejorative terms and boasted about sexual exploits, or made sexually offensive comments about employees and customers, according to the suit.

Many of the allegations in White’s lawsuit echoed those in Williams’ lawsuit, particularly the allegations of racism toward blacks and other minority groups.

White’s lawsuit countered one led by the dealership against him in January 2016 alleging breach of contract. The company accused White of stealing sensitive customer information from the company.

The dealership alleged White, prior to his Dec. 8, 2016, resignation, took photographs of ve customer credit applications containing condential information on eight customers, then emailed the photographed documents from his work email account to his private Gmail account, which violated a 2012 condentiality agreement he signed when he began working for the company.

White said in an interview he kept the customer records to prove the alleged fraud.

Tags: Inland Empire, Lawsuit, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories Sun

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VIEW COMMENTS http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/15/civil-rights-groups-plan-large-protest-at-embattled-victorville-auto-dealership/ 2/3 9/18/2017 Accusations of racism haunt school district

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This Week's Highlights Front Page ■ Accusations of racism haunt school district ■ Controversy underlies BLUEJAY VILLAGE RESORT proposed project ■ Supervisor Rutherford addresses Crest Forest MAC ■ Parents of special needs students describe hardships with ROWUSD consolidation ■ Sand castles cap Lake Gregory beach season ■ Cedarpines Park Mutual Water Company seeks lower quorum Top Stories ■ DUI checkpoint nabs four impaired drivers ■ State legislators consider a tax on drinking water My Town ■ Lake Arrowhead Home Tour this Rim of the World Unified School District Employee Jennyfer Thompson speaking about how weekend she discovered the black baby doll hanging by a noose at the school district’s transportation ■ Local Boy Scout soars with the office at the September 7 workshop meeting (Photo by Gail Fry) eagles Sunday, Sep 17, 2017 ■ Crestline Chamber welcomes Cakes by Espie By Gail Fry ■ Blue Jay Jazz Festival kicks off this Thursday An incident involving an elementary school student dangling a black baby doll by a noose out a ■ Second suspected serial arsonist school bus window and the subsequent handling of the doll by Rim of the World Unified School arrested District employees has continued to raise accusations of racism at the district. Opposing scenarios What's up! were presented before a full house at the district’s September 7 workshop meeting. ■ Alpen Calendar of Events – September 14 - September 21 The incident, occurring late May 2017 and reported on in a June edition of The Alpenhorn News, ■ regained attention when The Sun, The Press Enterprise and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (The Sun) Alpen Calendar of Events – September 7 - September 14 printed a September 1 article citing ROWUSD employees Jennyfer Thompson, Sandi Renfro and brothers Harry and Shane McLelland as sources. Spotlight ■ Road Trip promotes Lake In the article, Renfro and the McLelland’s point fingers at recently promoted ROWUSD Supervisor of Arrowhead nationwide Transportation Jennifer Kawell for allowing retired bus driver Susie Miller to hang and openly display Portrait the black baby doll within the transportation office for an extended period of time. ■ In commemoration of 9/11, we present a portrait of a lady. ROWUSD’s September 7 workshop meeting attracted opposing scenarios of the incident as well as concern about the racist symbolism of a black baby doll hanging from a noose in a school district Movie Reviews where only 14 or .007 percent of its 1,922 students are identified as African-American. ■ It In The Kitchen with Cathy Dr. Ana Wilson, a tutor at Charles Hoffman Elementary School, was first to publicly comment. “I look ■ Wild-Caught Salmon Season like you up here, I’m white as many of you in here,” Wilson voiced affixing a yellow Star of David to her blouse explaining, “But you see I’m not like you, I’m a Jew” adding her grandson and two Uncle Mott granddaughters are bi-racial. ■ Fly Like An Eagle Keeping it Real ■ Killing the Dream http://alpenhornnews.com/accusations-of-racism-haunt-school-district-p8347-155.htm 1/2 9/18/2017 Accusations of racism haunt school district

“Lastly I’m not like you, I’m married to my wife,” Wilson voiced, explaining she read this “because we ■ President lifts ban on surplus are dealing with racism, with cultures of sexism, xenophobia, homophobia and we need to confront military equipment this.” A View from the Right ■ “I am the parent that found the black baby doll hanging by its neck in Jennifer Kawell's office,” PART V: THE NEW NORMAL OF INCREASED HOME PREMIUMS ROWUSD employee Jennyfer Thompson voiced, objecting to the district’s handling of the incident. ■ Thompson alleged retired ROWUSD bus driver Susie Elliot hung “the black baby doll up by its neck” PART IV: HOMEOWNERS MAY GET SOME RELIEVE and Kawell allowed it, laughed about it, and denied requests to take it down. Kool Kids “You called it an ‘unfortunate incident’ when in all reality this is a bunch of serious, maybe even ■ Boys and Girls Club of the criminal acts committed by your employees,” Thompson opined, concluding, “If appropriate actions Mountain Communities would have been taken, I wouldn't be standing here right now!” Kawell had Celeste Bryant, an African-American, read a statement on her behalf, alleging the four district employees cited in the article sought out The Sun, “to falsely and maliciously conspire together for their own personal gains” because they wanted her position. Kawell claimed she was unaware “of the doll’s presence or location in the dispatch office until May 25,” when she “removed the toy doll and contacted the assistant superintendent and followed his direction on the appropriate action” the incident was “thoroughly investigated” and involved employees disciplined. Kawell declared she will not tolerate “racism, intolerance and racially insensitive behavior” and decried her personal information being released and family being threatened. ROWUSD Superintendent Michelle Murphy, hired on July 1, regained her composure before speaking, “Let me very clear about something, images or behavior that communicate racism or intolerance will not be tolerated in this district even if these actions are taken through ignorance or insensitivity; they simply are not allowed.” She expressed confidence in “our process and what we have done.” ROWUSD Chairwoman Cindy Gardner described the incident as “an insensitive lapse of judgment,” assuring ROWUSD strives to create “success for every single student, no matter what their color, their sexual preference, their religious base and foundation, we are inclusive.” ROWUSD Trustee Scott Markovich characterized the incident as a “personnel issue” which they cannot comment on, cautioning against “casting judgment” and reminding of “due process in this country.” “I’m against racism, as a board member, as an American citizen, as a Californian,” Markovich declared, while commending speakers for being civil. ROWUSD Trustee Richard Lavin spoke of symbols and their meaning including the “misnamed” ‘Confederate Flag’ opining it “should not be permitted to fly over any part of our campuses.” Lavin described the flag of the United States of America as “the only flag we pledge to and the only flag we need” urging the board to “adopt this as our district’s policy.” ROWUSD Trustee Leslie Bramson explained she is married to a “full-blooded Jewish man,” assuring the district views its students and families as “individuals whom we love and respect” regardless of their “color, their ethnicity, their sexual background, anything.” ROWUSD Trustee James Foley, “I just want to thank everybody for coming out tonight and expressing your opinions, your thoughts and your views to the board, thank you.” San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department Public Information Officer Gilbert Flores acknowledged an ongoing investigation into the “harassing emails and phone calls that the district has been receiving since the article came out in the Sun and the Press Enterprise.” Flores said the elementary school student had “dangled the doll out the window” and to be considered a hate crime it would need to be “target specific” and there was “no intent” to “threaten or try to incite fear.”

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http://alpenhornnews.com/accusations-of-racism-haunt-school-district-p8347-155.htm 2/2 9/18/2017 Panhandling, loitering enforcement at Adelanto Market Place leads to 3 arrests - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Panhandling, loitering enforcement at Adelanto Market Place leads to 3 arrests By Staff Reports Posted Sep 15, 2017 at 2:57 PM Updated Sep 15, 2017 at 2:57 PM ADELANTO — Three people were arrested as a result of a panhandling and loitering enforcement operation at the Adelanto Market Place Wednesday.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Victor Valley Station deputies, working in conjunction with security personnel from Stater Bros., conducted the operation as part of an “ongoing effort to ensure the safety of citizens patronizing the Adelanto Market Place,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement.

As a result of the operation, nine pedestrians were contacted, four traffic stops were made, three vehicle checks were conducted and three arrests were made, according to authorities.

“Citizens have the right to feel safe in the community they live and do business (in),” sheriff’s officials said. “If you are approached by subjects in a parking lot and feel uncomfortable, call 911 or your local law enforcement agency.

“Always remember to have your car keys in your hand while walking to or from your vehicle, keep your purse close to you, and never lay your purse or wallet in the shopping cart. Always be aware of your surroundings, do not walk while distracted on your cellphone, and if out at night walk in lighted areas. Criminals watch for someone who is distracted or unaware of their surroundings.”

Anyone with questions regarding the operation is urged to contact Detective Osvaldo Pelayes at the Victory Valley Station at 760-552-6801. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463 or visit .

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170915/panhandling-loitering-enforcement-at-adelanto-market-place-leads-to-3-arrests?utm_source=SFMC&utm… 1/1 9/18/2017 On homelessness, Victorville embraces gradual progress, aware of risk

On homelessness, Victorville embraces gradual progress, aware of risk By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Posted Sep 16, 2017 at 10:37 AM Updated Sep 16, 2017 at 10:37 AM In the conservative High Desert, City Manager Doug Robertson is aware that some might rather see a far more aggressive approach than a compartmental strategy.

VICTORVILLE — City officials view a program offering the homeless a free bus ticket to support elsewhere as one tool toward combating a problem more prevalent here than almost anywhere else in San Bernardino County.

The Victim Assistance Program , already relocating 15 willing individuals to family and friends, in one instance as far away as New York, since its inception in July, authorities said.

The program is a partnership between the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which identifies candidates, and the city, which bankrolls it.

According to City Manager Doug Robertson, who spoke at length to the Daily Press about the city’s homelessness struggles, no amount of money spent on the program — which could also include plane tickets — is too much.

“If they’re successful reuniting someone with a family member, there’s no cap,” Robertson said. “There’s no reason to have a cap, because it helps with the public perception of safety in Victorville and I can’t think of a ticket anywhere that is going to be more expensive than the cost to public safety on this end.”

The promising plan, an admittedly gradual approach, comes as the city was counted this year as having in the county and as .

Homelessness has long been problematic in Victorville, whereas it’s seemed to only graze neighboring municipalities, leaving city officials at a loss over why they’re bearing the brunt. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170916/on-homelessness-victorville-embraces-gradual-progress-aware-of-risk 1/3 9/18/2017 On homelessness, Victorville embraces gradual progress, aware of risk

certainly hasn’t relieved the issue, but officials are actively working to soften the impact. Robertson said weather, freeway access and possibly the “convenience factor” of established homeless services here have all likely contributed.

But city leaders in the past, he suggested, were also maybe too hands-off with engaging the county, the entity which receives the funding and administers social services programs. A renewed sense of cooperation, he said, could prove to be a boon to tackling the problem.

“I think what the current City Council has recognized is that, from a funding/legal sense, yes, that’s true — it’s a social issue. But it’s impacting the businesses and residents of Victorville,” he said, “so they wanted to take somewhat extraordinary measures to get more involved to help solve the problem, but in a balanced, measured way that doesn’t create additional problems.”

Part of that engagement has led to a rather unique initiative, whereby the old Queens Motel on Stoddard Wells Road, a one-time “absolute mess” shuttered for health reasons, will be given a county-approved $3 million makeover .

The 61-unit motel will be converted into a 30-unit one-bedroom apartment complex, according to county spokeswoman Felisa Cardona, who said the county Housing Authority-approved project will use a model that “quickly connects homeless individuals and families to permanent housing without preconditions and barriers to entry, such as sobriety, treatment or service participation.”

The county has committed to social services there for 20 years, Robertson said, and officials have targeted mid-2018 for occupancy readiness.

While the project could reduce the numbers of homeless on the streets and in shelters, city officials are also boosting code enforcement efforts in an attempt to break-up the seemingly regular appearance of encampments that have plagued downtown and isolated shopping centers.

In 2015, when authorities kicked out homeless from the Mojave riverbed, community concerns were that the mass exodus could cause a migration to mid-town or the outskirts of downtown, but Robertson said evidence so far has shown little of that.

Still, business owners, particularly in the Old Town district, have oft complained about the makeshift residences staked near them, which they say has threatened safety and business. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170916/on-homelessness-victorville-embraces-gradual-progress-aware-of-risk 2/3 9/18/2017 On homelessness, Victorville embraces gradual progress, aware of risk

City officials say code enforcement has increased contacts with businesses to control what they can, but the legal precariousness in addressing the homeless has meant diluted, procedural tactics. After all, homelessness, in itself, is not illegal.

Backed by local ordinances, the city has focused on breaking up loitering on private property, and has worked with property owners to post “no trespassing” or “no loitering signs” because those can shorten the mitigation process.

Ultimately, the goal is compliance, but the challenges faced include having to store and not immediately dispose of property found on the streets, which could otherwise be deemed trash, in the event someone comes to claim it.

Code officers have also conducted nighttime operations at the former Target shopping center parking lot, a particularly popular homeless-gathering site off Palmdale Road.

“We’ve had some success there,” Robertson said, “but it always feels like it’s temporary.”

In the conservative High Desert, he is aware that some might rather see a far more aggressive approach, and that the compartmental strategy may seem too slow-moving or offer up “the public perception we’re doing nothing.”

Yet he said officials believe that success will likely hinge on focusing on the homeless individual and not the whole, “because everyone’s different.”

“I will tell you,” he concluded, “if someone wants assistance who is homeless, there is assistance.”

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170916/on-homelessness-victorville-embraces-gradual-progress-aware-of-risk 3/3 9/18/2017 How San Diego's neighbors are dealing with growing homelessness - The San Diego Union-Tribune

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How San Diego's neighbors are dealing with growing homelessness

A cyclist passes the row of tents and tarps along the Santa Ana River near Angel Stadium on Thursday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By Gary W arth

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017, 8:35 AM | SAN DIEGO

he deadly hepatitis A outbreak has put San Diego’s difficulty in dealing with its growing homeless T population in the national spotlight.

Other cities, including the big one just up the coast, have greater numbers of homeless, fewer shelter beds and also have seen a variety of diseases spread among people living on the street — though nothing that compares with the local hepatitis scourge.

Different cities have taken different approaches to the problem, with some sanctioning homeless encampments and others committing millions and even billions of dollars to create housing.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/homelessness/sd-me-homeless-region-20170914-story.html 1/4 9/18/2017 How San Diego's neighbors are dealing with growing homelessness - The San Diego Union-Tribune Many have found themselves in the same position as San Diego, with people on the street far outnumbering shelter beds, prompting cities to turn to large industrial tents similar to the ones Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced Wednesday.

There were about 550,000 homeless people in the nation in 2016, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported after counts across the country. This year’s count found San Diego County’s 9,116 homeless people, including 5,621 who were unsheltered, was the fourth largest in the nation and a 5 percent increase from 2016. The increase among San Diego’s unshetered was 14 percent.

The situation is much worse in Los Angeles, where this year’s count found 57,794 homeless people, including 42,828 who were unsheltered, a 23 percent jump from last year.

As a comparison, 62 percent of San Diego County’s homeless were unsheltered, while 74 percent are unsheltered in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles has responded to its homeless situation with one of the nation’s biggest financial commitments to increase housing.

Last November, city residents approved bond measure Proposition HHH to provide $1.2 billion to build permanent housing during the next decade. In March, county voters approved Measure H to increase sales tax 0.25 percent over 10 years and generate $3.5 billion for rent subsidies and services.

The combined amounts were far greater than any city had made to help the homeless, surpassing the $2.6 billion investment New York Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged in 2015 to create 15,000 supportive housing units over 15 years for the city’s 73,500 homeless people.

In Orange County, this year’s count found 4,792 homeless people, with 2,584 unsheltered, or 54 percent. The number of homeless overall was up 7.6 percent from the last count in 2015.

Hundreds of homeless people in Orange County live in an encampment along the Santa Ana River. County officials have been unable to legally evacuate people from the land, so instead they have brought in portable showers twice a week. The county would not, however, allow a nonprofit to install portable toilets in the area.

In 2010, Orange County adopted its Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, with goals that included creating a centralized intake facility, an expanded homeless information system, year-round emergency centers, more permanent housing and support services.

Last October, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California released a report that said the plan had fallen short, and homelessness had increased since 2010.

Things improved in May, when Orange County opened its first year-round shelter, a 200-bed facility in a converted warehouse. July saw the opening of HomeAid Orange County, which shelters 10 to 15 families a night. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/homelessness/sd-me-homeless-region-20170914-story.html 2/4 9/18/2017 How San Diego's neighbors are dealing with growing homelessness - The San Diego Union-Tribune In Santa Cruz County, the annual count found 2,249 homeless people, a 14.5 percent jump from the 2015 count. Of those, 1,799 were unsheltered, a staggering 80 percent.

The Santa Cruz City Council formed a subcommittee to study homelessness this year and made a series of recommendations that included creating a year-round emergency shelter and bringing in sanitary facilities and storage lockers downtown.

“It was ripe in time to figure out what we could do,” said Santa Cruz Deputy City Manager Scott Collins.

The city still is far short on shelters.

Santa Cruz also had a hepatitis A outbreak among its homeless community this year. Collins said there were no fatalities, but 70 people were infected. The city responded with vaccinations, hand-washing stations and portable toilets downtown and began power-washing sidewalks and public rights-of-way, similar to steps San Diego has taken recently with its more serious outbreak that has left 16 dead and about 400 hospitalized.

In 2012, Los Angeles began a similar street-washing program after meningitis was diagnosed in four homeless people.

The weekly cleaning began after the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health discovered human waste, injection needles, condoms and a rat infestation in a nine-block area.

Jonathan Herrera, Mayor Faulconer’s senior adviser on homeless coordination, said he and others in the city have been keeping tabs on what other cities are doing to address their homeless problems.

“I think it’s imperative as we move forward that we don’t reinvent the wheel and we learn from the failures and successes of folks in L.A. and Orange County,” he said.

Herrera participates in a working group of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and on Monday he is leaving with a delegation for a Portland, Ore., conference held by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

The conference will include site visits to homeless providers and information about working with state governments on homelessness and contributing factors of homelessness on the west coast.

Herrera also has visited a “tiny house” homeless community in Seattle with San Diego City Council members and toured homeless navigation centers in that city and San Francisco.

Herrera also has checked out San Francisco’s Pit Stop program, a mobile restroom that serves the homeless, and has looked into Los Angeles’ plan to acquire “nuisance motels” for shelters, Albuquerque’s homeless work program and a sanctioned zone for homeless tent communities in Sacramento.

San Diego’s latest effort to help the homeless was announced Wednesday by Faulconer, who said the city was bringing back large industrial tents that once had been used as shelters.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/homelessness/sd-me-homeless-region-20170914-story.html 3/4 9/18/2017 How San Diego's neighbors are dealing with growing homelessness - The San Diego Union-Tribune To try and turn the tide on the hepatitis A outbreak, San Diego has given vaccinations to some 20,000 people over several months, installed dozens of hand-washing stations across the city and opened up some public restrooms 24 hours a day, particularly in Balboa Park.

Saturday morning, the city announced it has installed the first of numerous portable public restrooms planned in the downtown area at First Avenue and C Street near City Hall. The facility will have full-time security and will be cleaned twice a day.

The tent plan isn’t unique to San Diego.

Kurt Lundell, business development manager for Sprung Structures, said his company has provided tents to use as homeless shelters in Oceanside, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orange County, Santa Clarita, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz,Santa Monica, Hawaii and Albuquerque.

The structures’ use for homeless people has become so common that the company markets the tents on its website as “the ideal solution for homeless shelters.”

While the large framed tents are faster to construct than actual buildings, Faulconer said Wednesday that the first of three tents planned for San Diego won’t be up until December.

Local businessman Dan Shea, who has been pushing the the tent plan with Padres Managing Partner Peter Seidler, has been in contact with the company for months and explained that it takes about 60 days for Sprung Structures to manufacture and deliver a tent once it’s ordered, and another couple of weeks for it to be constructed. [email protected]

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

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This article is related to: Homelessness, San Diego County, Hepatitis, Bill de Blasio

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/homelessness/sd-me-homeless-region-20170914-story.html 4/4 9/18/2017 Anaheim's emergency declaration sets stage for removal of huge homeless encampment - LA Times

Anaheim's emergency declaration sets stage for removal of huge homeless encampment

Fredrick "Batman" Reid, 32, homeless since he was 16 and lives in a tent along the Santa Ana River Trail. Video by Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

By Anh Do

SEPTEMBER 14, 2017, 3:25 PM

long the Santa Ana River in the shadow of Disneyland and Anaheim Stadium, scores of homeless people young and old have set up makeshift encampments A of tarps and tents. They have swelled in recent month and become the latest symbol of Orange County’s worsening homeless problem.

“Many times, things appear hopeless because we have nothing — not even restrooms,” said Tammy Schuler, 41, who shares her cluttered tarp-covered plot on the trail with her boyfriend and younger brother. “We trade and try to help each other. We have no choice.”

But this way of life has sparked a backlash from nearby residents as well as joggers and cyclists who say the camps have increased crime and blight.

Anaheim this week declared a state of emergency, clearing the way for the removal of hundreds of people living in a landscape dotted with trash and used hypodermic needles and lacking toilet facilities.

It’s the latest and perhaps boldest move to date to deal with the county’s homeless problem. Earlier this summer, Anaheim removed bus benches across the street from Disneyland following complaints about the homeless population sleeping on them around the amusement park.

The Santa Ana River is just one of several flash points in Orange County’s homeless crisis. Another is the Santa Ana Civic Center, where a large homeless camp has formed.

In early May, authorities in Orange County reported an 8% increase in the area’s homeless population over two years. Among nearly 4,800 homeless individuals, more than half were living without shelter. While cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco have long dealt with large homeless communities, officials in Orange County said they are still working on ways to help with massive needs and coordinate resources among numerous cities. School is back in session! Sponsor a student today START NOW › http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-anaheim-homeless-emergency-20170913-story.html 1/3 9/18/2017 Anaheim's emergency declaration sets stage for removal of huge homeless encampment - LA Times

The Anaheim City Council’s vote just past midnight Wednesday morning came amid growing concerns about the swelling homeless population along the river, not far from Angel Stadium.

The vote followed a county Board of Supervisors vote Tuesday at which all five members approved an increase in the Orange County sheriff’s patrol in the flood control channels along the riverbed. Residents and business owners said that for years, they’ve tried to get the attention of the city and the county to clean up the area, which is a designated National Historic Trail. With the number of homeless people living along the riverbed growing, more than 13,000 people signed a petition calling for their removal.

“We are trying to bring everyone to the table to work on this crisis. We need to be nimble moving forward,” said Councilwoman Kris Murray, who initiated the emergency resolution named Operation Home S.A.F.E.

During almost four hours of public comment, speakers both praised and criticized Murray for the idea, with County Supervisor Todd Spitzer backing her and pledging funding.

“I really believe the riverbed cannot become Orange County’s skid row,” he said.

He predicted that with a stronger law enforcement presence, at least 20% of the homeless will leave willingly, fearing arrests for drugs or contraband. City Net, a group contracted to work with the riverbed population, last counted 422 adults at the site. Spitzer said statistics show that 12% come from outside California, while 26% are from Anaheim.

Mark Daniels, a lifelong resident of Anaheim, told the council that the crisis “is so colossal, far beyond the reach of the county of Orange. Even if you clear the river out, where are these people going to go ultimately?”

“We need relief,” fellow resident Mary Sitter said. “I don’t want to see needles in my yard, feces in my yard. Shame on all of you for letting this go as long as it has.”

Homeless advocates appealed to the council not to “play politics with people’s lives,” pleading for authorities to add portable toilets and to treat the population with respect while searching for solutions.

“These are our neighbors. Their only crime is not being able to afford a place to live,” said Eve Garrow, a homelessness policy analyst for the American Civil Liberties Union, adding that the wait for affordable housing in one of the most expensive counties in the nation can stretch as long as 10 years.

Murray’s resolution is designed to heighten awareness of the homeless “chaos” in Anaheim, whose street population has ballooned beyond 900, she said. Staff and officials plan to push for an additional 100 beds at the Bridges at Kraemer Place, a county-run shelter in Anaheim, in addition to asking armories that serve as seasonal shelters to open before winter.

She also suggested that the city and county link hands to set up a temporary, 500-bed shelter, apart from launching a community triage day when multiple groups including nonprofit and faith-based organizations along with agencies at every level would work to relocate the homeless. Once they leave the riverbed, officials could begin enforcing Anaheim’s anti-camping ordinance.

“The riverbed is a prison without walls,” said Councilwoman Lucille Kring, before embracing Murray’s resolution.

Councilman Stephen Faessel urged his colleagues to name a homeless “czar” to be the point person responsible for executing Anaheim’s vision, saying “services must be balanced with enforcement.”

Nearing midnight Tuesday, after more than 60 people had spoken on the issue, the audience pushed for a vote. Councilman Jose Moreno spoke up and labeled the resolution “a temporary fix,” offering a series of amendments that he said would zero in on funding Murray’s demands. He also said many of the actions she was proposing were already being done by staff. The two sparred on semantics, prompting more catcalls and muttered obscenities from observers.

Mayor Tom Tait spoke up, saying: “This issue is so big. This is something that we as a society need to solve — and we need to solve in a humane, kind way.”

After the ballot count, as a few dozen remaining people filed out of the council chambers before 1 a.m., some yawning loudly, one activist made plans with another to visit the riverbed over the weekend. She wondered if some of the out-of-towners will be making tracks to another state, trying their luck elsewhere.

[email protected]

Twitter: @newsterrier

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UPDATES: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-anaheim-homeless-emergency-20170913-story.html 2/3 9/18/2017 After Anaheim declares state of emergency, Santa Ana River homeless wonder what’s next – Orange County Register

NEWS After Anaheim declares state of emergency, Santa Ana River homeless wonder what’s next

By JOSEPH PIMENTEL | [email protected] and THERESA WALKER | [email protected] | Orange County Register PUBLISHED: September 13, 2017 at 9:56 pm | UPDATED: September 15, 2017 at 12:34 pm

240 COMMENTS

Heather Smith-Bush isn’t sure what to make of rumors she has heard about how the city of Anaheim plans to move hundreds of homeless people like her out of the tents and makeshift shelters where they live along the Santa Ana River Trail.

What Smith-Bush does know is this: If somebody is willing to help her get into housing — and out of the tent she lives in across a chain link fence from Angel Stadium — she’s all for it. So long as she can bring Shera, her pit bull companion.

“Housing would be great,” the 42-year-old woman said Wednesday afternoon. “I would grab my dog, my purse and be gone.”

Hours earlier, after a marathon meeting, the Anaheim City Council had declared a public health and safety state of emergency in light of the city’s growing homeless crisis, with the council’s particular concern focused on the encampments that stretch for miles along the river bank near Anaheim Stadium and the Honda Center.

Anaheim’s homeless population is around 900 people, nearly a fifth of Orange County’s total homeless count of about 4,700. Nearly half of the city’s homeless population has settled in at the river bed – based on a nonprofit’s recent count of 422 people living in the encampments clustered between Chapman Avenue and Ball Road.

The city has dubbed the bold step it took Wednesday “Operation Home Safe” after a proposal initiated by Councilwoman Kris Murray to solve the polarizing issue that has pitted frustrated and angry residents and business owners against homeless people and their advocates.

The plan calls for better cooperation among the city, county and neighboring municipalities, additional mental and behavioral health services outreach, an expanded law enforcement presence and a temporary emergency homeless shelter for people living on the city’s streets, in its parks, and along the adjacent riverbed.

Murray made it clear that once a temporary shelter is set up, those who refuse service or decline to move to the shelter could be dealt with by local law enforcement. Anaheim has an anti-camping ordinance that prevents people from loitering in public places such as parks. The plan takes effect right away.

“Winter is coming,” Murray said. “We need to move quickly. Those people are living in a flood control channel. We need to move them from the riverbed to a more safe, secure and sanitary shelter.”

At least some change along the river bed is expected this week. On Friday, the Anaheim Police Department plans to increase its presence along there, the same day the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will begin to patrol the area. City officials say police will not evict the homeless; rather they will mostly walk around, survey the area to make sure it’s free of crime, and provide community policing.

In the coming days, the city manager will designate a point person – a homeless czar – to oversee Murray’s program and work with county officials.

By the end of next week, the city plans to convene an emergency planning group of city staff and members of government agencies from neighboring cities, nonprofits and law enforcement. Chief among the group’s goals: identifying a piece of property, building or vacant land to possibly serve as the proposed 500-bed temporary emergency transitional shelter.

One site doesn’t need to house all 500 homeless. It could be a collection of buildings or land sites, Murray said.

The city also will reach out to the county to possibly open the armories in Fullerton and Santa Ana in October, earlier than usual. The armories, each with about 200 beds, have served in the past as winter shelters from November to April.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/09/13/after-anaheim-declares-a-state-of-emergency-homeless-along-river-bed-ponder-whats-next/ 1/4 9/18/2017 After Anaheim declares state of emergency, Santa Ana River homeless wonder what’s next – Orange County Register

Additionally, city staff is preparing to make plans to meet with the county to expedite the addition of 100 more beds at the Bridges at Kraemer Place in Anaheim, the county’s year-round homeless shelter that opened with 100 beds in May. And in a month or so, the City Council will meet to discuss ways to fund Murray’s lofty project.

“We are activating this right away,” Murray said. “We are reaching out to state and federal resources and mapping out all available resources we have today.”

City of Orange Councilman Mike Alvarez said he has corresponded with Murray and looks forward to working with and supporting Anaheim and the county to end homelessness along the riverbed.

At the Orange City Council meeting on Tuesday, Alvarez said his city is reviewing its loitering, vagrancy and panhandling laws in an effort to strengthen them.

“We want our police department to have more tools to work with,” he said.

Residents in Orange have lost patience, Alvarez added: “They wanted us to do something about this yesterday. I feel the same way. We waited a little too long. We’ve been doing what we can but we need to participate as a group. It needs to be a concerted effort.”

With ramped-up enforcement as one of the major elements in Murray’s plan, homeless advocate Mohammed Aly, a lawyer who founded the Orange County Poverty Alleviation Coalition, said he and others are preparing to educate the homeless about their rights.

Aly, who plans to pass out leaflets on Friday as the police presence begins, worries that local law enforcement will evict homeless people before they’ve been assisted in finding shelter or housing.

“If these officers evict any homeless without providing an alternative, that’s when the lawsuits will start,” Aly said.

Eve Garrow, a homelessness policy analyst with the Orange County office of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, expressed concern over Murray’s proposal and said the ACLU will keep a close watch on law enforcement practices at the riverbed.

“We’re definitely not against law enforcement to protect and serve people living in the encampments,” Garrow said. “But we oppose law enforcement harassing and giving them tickets or moving them out under the guise of housing that doesn’t exist.”

Tags: Anaheim, homeless, Top Stories OCR

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Theresa Walker. Theresa Walker Register Theresa Walker is a Southern California native who has been a staff writer at The Orange County Register since 1992. Writer. // She specializes in human interest stories and social issues, such as homelessness. She also covers nonprofits and MORE philanthropy in Orange County. She loves telling stories about ordinary people who do the extraordinary in their INFORMATION:communities. Associate Mug Shot taken August 24, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER  Follow Theresa Walker @TellTheresa http://www.ocregister.com/2017/09/13/after-anaheim-declares-a-state-of-emergency-homeless-along-river-bed-ponder-whats-next/Join the Conversation 2/4 9/18/2017 San Diego is struggling with a huge hepatitis A outbreak. Is it coming to L.A.? - LA Times San Diego is struggling with a huge hepatitis A outbreak. Is it coming to L.A.?

By Soumya Karlamangla

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017, 7:00 AM

ealth officials in San Diego have scrambled for months to contain an outbreak of hepatitis A — vaccinating more than 19,000 people, putting up H posters at bus stations and distributing hand sanitizer and cleansing wipes. Despite those efforts, 16 people have died of the highly contagious virus in San Diego County and hundreds have become ill in what officials say is the nation’s second-largest outbreak of hepatitis A in decades.

Earlier this month, San Diego officials declared a public health emergency.

Though Los Angeles has so far escaped an outbreak, public health officials are hoping to head off a similar emergency. They say the virus could easily spread to Los Angeles because of its proximity to San Diego and the region’s large homeless population.

San Diego opens downtown restrooms amid hepatitis A crisis »

“We know it’s getting worse in San Diego, so we’re really ramping up,” said Cristin Mondy, the county’s area health officer for a region that includes downtown Los Angeles.

In their efforts to get their outbreak under control, San Diego health officials have adopted a technique from L.A. that they hope will stop cases from spreading locally: washing the streets with bleach.

“They didn’t have any outbreaks. We did. So we were like, ‘What’s going on there?’ ” said San Diego County public health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten. “That’s what we wanted to replicate here.”

Several hundred infected in San Diego

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-hepatitis-los-angeles-20170914-htmlstory.html 1/5 9/18/2017 San Diego is struggling with a huge hepatitis A outbreak. Is it coming to L.A.? - LA Times Hepatitis A is transmitted through feces, either through close contact, often sexual, with an infected person or by eating contaminated foods. The virus can cause liver damage or even death, especially for people who already have other liver diseases, such as hepatitis B or C.

San Diego health officials first identified an outbreak in March but traced the first case back to November.

Since November, 421 people in San Diego County have been infected with the virus, including the 16 who died, health officials said. Typically there are only two or three cases of hepatitis A per month in the county. The majority of those infected in the ongoing outbreak were either homeless or illicit-drug users, with cases concentrated in downtown San Diego and the cities of El Cajon, Santee and La Mesa, Wooten said.

A related outbreak began in Santa Cruz County as well this year, where 69 people have been infected by the same strain of hepatitis A so far, she said. Though hepatitis A is often contracted through contaminated food, the strain circulating in San Diego and Santa Cruz isn’t associated with food, but instead seems to be spreading from person to person, she said.

“We know that the numbers are going to increase, and they’ve been increasing since we first identified the outbreak,” Wooten said.

Since the spring, San Diego officials have put together a command center that meets once a week to map strategy. They investigate every case to find out who else might have been exposed and give them medicines. They sent out an alert Friday to try to locate anyone who might have caught the virus from an infected patient at a restaurant in Pacific Beach.

Workers have also visited homeless encampments and riverbeds to vaccinate thousands of people. Earlier this month they installed 40 hand-washing stations in areas of the city of San Diego with high homeless populations.

Unsanitary conditions make it more likely for hepatitis A to spread. A common way for the virus to be transmitted is when an infected person uses the bathroom and doesn’t wash their hands, experts say.

San Diego outbreak

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-hepatitis-los-angeles-20170914-htmlstory.html 2/5 9/18/2017 San Diego is struggling with a huge hepatitis A outbreak. Is it coming to L.A.? - LA Times began in Nov. 2016

421 people infected

292 hospitalized

16 died

patients ages range from 5 to 87

65% of cases in homeless or illicit drug users, or both

68% of cases were men

Sources: San Diego County Health and Human Services Department

Wooten said that over the summer she looked into ways that other health departments manage disease risk, especially those with big homeless populations. That’s when she learned that L.A. not only washes streets with water, but sanitizes them with bleach.

On Monday, San Diego crews began cleaning streets with a bleach solution, she said.

“We know that individuals here are ill, they’re on the streets, and there’s fecal material on the streets,” Wooten said. “Sanitation is going to help that.”

County health officials and city leaders will visit L.A. next week to see the practice firsthand, she said.

Gonzalo Barriga of the Los Angeles Department of Public Works said the protocol, known as Operation Healthy Streets, began after the city was cited in 2012 for multiple health hazards on skid row.

Now, city workers regularly clean sections of sidewalk in the neighborhood, with each street getting washed every two weeks, he said. Inspectors ask homeless people to remove their belongings from an area. Then they spray a bleach solution on any biohazards or waste on the street, such as feces or syringes, and dispose of them, said Barriga, who oversees the inspectors.

Then they wash the streets with water, followed by misting with a liquid that’s about 10% bleach, he said.

Los Angeles could be the next region hit http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-hepatitis-los-angeles-20170914-htmlstory.html 3/5 9/18/2017 San Diego is struggling with a huge hepatitis A outbreak. Is it coming to L.A.? - LA Times Cleaning the streets is especially important because health workers have been struggling to get people vaccinated against hepatitis A, Mondy said. Typically only children and people at high risk are vaccinated for hepatitis A, but the county is now recommending vaccines for all homeless people as well as illicit-drug users.

Cases of hepatitis in the United States have hit historic lows since a vaccine was introduced in 1995. Since then, there’s been only one outbreak bigger than San Diego’s, in which more than 900 people were infected after eating contaminated green onions served at a restaurant in Pennsylvania in 2003.

In Los Angeles County, 55 people have been diagnosed with hepatitis A since November, which is in line with the average case numbers for previous years, according to data from the health department. Five of the people infected lived in either San Diego or Santa Cruz counties when they were exposed, officials say.

Mondy said many people she approaches about getting a hepatitis shot don’t feel a sense of urgency because there’s no outbreak in L.A. So far county health officials have given out 1,000 vaccines, but they’re considering offering restaurant gift cards as an incentive to get more people to get inoculated.

Mondy said officials are targeting soup kitchens and clinics near Union Station and the downtown Greyhound bus station, because that’s where people are likely to arrive from San Diego.

“We’re trying our best to prevent this outbreak from happening,” she said. “We can see that there’s potential based on what’s going on in San Diego and Santa Cruz, so we’re making sure that our population is protected.”

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-hepatitis-los-angeles-20170914-htmlstory.html 4/5 9/18/2017 Will the Southland wind up holding much of the $17-billion bill for the delta water tunnels? - LA Times

Will the Southland wind up holding much of the $17-billion bill for the delta water tunnels?

A waterway along Route 4 in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, right outside of Stockton. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

By Bettina Boxall

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017, 5:00 AM

ome of the state’s biggest water districts are about to make their opening moves in a financial chess game that ultimately could saddle the Southland with much of the bill for re-engineering the failing S heart of California’s water system. In coming weeks, the districts are expected to decide if they want to sign on to California WaterFix — a long- planned proposal to construct two massive tunnels that would change the way water supplies move through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Backers long have operated under the assumption that the cost, now estimated at nearly $17 billion, would be split among customers of the big government water projects according to the size of their contracts for delta supplies. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-tunnels-bill-20170918-story.html 1/4 9/18/2017 Will the Southland wind up holding much of the $17-billion bill for the delta water tunnels? - LA Times Under that scenario, the largely urban agencies supplied by the State Water Project would pick up 55% of the tunnel tab, and the largely agricultural districts supplied by the federal Central Valley Project would pay for 45%.

But as the votes approach, there are growing doubts that agriculture will agree to pay that much.

“What happens if Central Valley farmers aren’t paying their share? Who’s going to get stuck with the costs?” said Mark Gold, who represents Los Angeles on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California board. “That’s one of the big questions that’s out there. And to be honest, that’s not been very well-answered.”

The MWD is scheduled to vote Oct. 10 on a $4.3-billion tunnel buy-in. That amounts to 26% of the project, reflecting the district’s giant contract in the State Water Project.

As the biggest player, MWD’s support is vital. Other agencies with potentially large stakes in WaterFix are the Kern County Water Agency, a state contractor that serves irrigation districts in the southern San Joaquin Valley; the huge Westlands Water District, which gets delta supplies from the Central Valley Project; and the Santa Clara Valley Water District in the Bay Area.

“I think the level of participation is, if I had to guess, going to be different than 55-45. I don’t know how it’s going to play out,” said Curtis Creel, the Kern agency’s general manager.

“We think this is a good project. California needs to do this,” he said. “We also recognize that there may be folks out there that say, ‘I agree, but we simply can’t afford it, so we can’t participate.’ ”

Adding to the funding questions is the fact that two groups that by law get Central Valley Project water from the delta — wildlife refuges and irrigation districts with senior water rights — do not have to share the tunnel costs.

But even if tunnel backers, all of whom are due to vote this fall, don’t vote to fully fund the project, it won’t be the end of WaterFix. It will be the beginning of deal making.

MWD, for example, could enlarge its stake by buying or leasing part of another agency’s share. It then could keep the extra water for its own customers’ use or sell it in dry years to other districts.

“Kern and [MWD] are the people who really do well in a project like this because we have storage,” MWD General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger said. His agency has a large Riverside County reservoir, and Kern County has several groundwater banks.

“If I got 40% of the benefits of this project, I would be more than happy to recommend to my board, let’s pay 40%,” Kightlinger said. “We’re the ones that can take and utilize that 40%…. Now, the board may disagree and say that’s too rich. That’s their option. But I’m not asking them to commit to that at the outset.”

Of course, a bigger investment would push up ratepayer costs.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-tunnels-bill-20170918-story.html 2/4 9/18/2017 Will the Southland wind up holding much of the $17-billion bill for the delta water tunnels? - LA Times A recent analysis by the Los Angeles Office of Public Accountability said WaterFix could add anywhere from $10.44 to $51.72 a year to the water bills of the city’s median single-family residence. The high number was partly based on the State Water Project paying for 68% of the project.

Another alternative would be to downsize WaterFix to match whatever water districts are willing to pay.

“You could potentially build a smaller system,” said Karla Nemeth, deputy secretary for water policy at the California Natural Resources Agency.

But after a decade of planning and multiple revisions to the current proposal, Kightlinger said he didn’t think there would be much interest in starting over.

He also said his board “has made it very clear” that it doesn’t want to strike any deal that would amount to a subsidy for farmers’ tunnel share.

Yet if the urban sector takes on a bigger portion of WaterFix, it is not clear how that could be avoided.

For one thing, the tunnels would be incorporated into the system that currently delivers water from the delta, making it difficult to ensure that agencies that don’t participate in the project don’t somehow benefit from it.

“There’s going to be fighting in the future forever between the parties that opted out and the parties that opted in over how much water the parties that opted out ought to get,” said Keith Lewinger, who represents the San Diego County Water Authority on the MWD board.

“I guarantee there will be litigation over that,” he said.

And if urban agencies sell tunnel water to irrigation districts during dry years, can — or will — it be priced to fully reflect the capital costs of the supplies?

Those who doubt agriculture’s willingness to pay its way got some ammunition in a report released this month by the U.S. Interior Department’s inspector general.

The office found that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees the Central Valley Project, improperly left federal taxpayers on the hook for $50 million in tunnel-planning costs that irrigation districts should have paid for.

Thanks to what the inspector general called a “complex, obscure process,” Central Valley Project contractors between 2009 and mid-2016 contributed only 18% of the more than $250 million in planning costs. State Water Project agencies, including MWD, contributed 47%.

Christopher Thornberg, a founding partner of Beacon Economics who has consulted for MWD on WaterFix, says growers can afford the tunnels. After all, he said, even during the recent drought, California agriculture enjoyed record revenues and high employment.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-tunnels-bill-20170918-story.html 3/4 9/18/2017 Will the Southland wind up holding much of the $17-billion bill for the delta water tunnels? - LA Times “Economically, it’s realistic. The farmers have as much to gain from these tunnels as anybody else,” he said. “Are they going to pay for it? Politically is it reasonable to assume that? The answer is almost assuredly ‘no.’

“They’re constantly crying poor, and they get away with it,” he said. “And my guess is … this will happen this time as well.” [email protected]

Twitter: @boxall

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-tunnels-bill-20170918-story.html 4/4 9/18/2017 In California's Capitol, the real battles are often between the Assembly and the Senate - LA Times

In California's Capitol, the real battles are often between the Assembly and the Senate

A view from the balcony shows the red-carpeted Senate chamber on Friday. (David Butow / David Butow/Redux)

By Chris Megerian and Melanie Mason

SEPTEMBER 17, 2017 | REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO

hen it comes to politics, most people think in terms of red versus blue, with Republicans fighting W Democrats. But in California’s Statehouse, the battle line often is between red and green, the colors of the carpets in the Senate and Assembly chambers.

Over the years, the mood has ranged from friendly rivalry to open warfare between the two houses, which bookmark either side of the Capitol’s ornate rotunda.

By the time the legislative session ended in the early morning hours on Saturday, some Capitol veterans said they felt the tension has worsened.

“It seems significantly heightened,” said Jennifer Fearing, a lobbyist whose clients include animal rights and nonprofit groups. The situation was exacerbated, she said, by a flood of controversial and consequential http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-capitol-assembly-senate-20170917-story.html 1/3 9/18/2017 In California's Capitol, the real battles are often between the Assembly and the Senate - LA Times proposals that originated in the more-liberal Senate, an imbalance that left the more-moderate Assembly feeling like a dumping ground for political hot potatoes.

Lawmakers did approve major legislation this year, including funding for affordable housing, new protections for immigrants who are in the country illegally and an extension for the state’s cap-and-trade program. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) likes to say it was one of the most productive sessions in California’s history.

But reminders of the tension bubbled beneath the surface and sometimes broke into public view.

After lawmakers finished their work, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) began his closing speech with a dig at the occasionally loquacious De León.

“The pro tem began his goodnight speech about an hour and a half ago,” he said, drawing chuckles from the chamber. “I won’t last that long.”

Anthony Reyes, a spokesman for De León, didn’t appreciate the jab.

“I don’t understand why he engenders this bitterness toward the pro tem in his house,” Reyes posted on Twitter on Saturday morning. “Results in serious petulance over there.”

Catch up with our coverage from the Capitol on Essential Politics »

During Thursday night’s debate on housing legislation, Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian (D-Sherman Oaks) initially refused to vote yes on a key measure that originated in the Senate.

“I was frustrated with the way some things we being handled from the Senate leadership,” he said. “I had decided that I would, from time to time, abstain on several bills at a time indiscriminately just so there would be a certain level of discomfort.”

After holding out for an hour, Nazarian eventually voted yes.

Relationships between the chambers frayed earlier this year when senators approved legislation for a single- payer, government-run healthcare system in California. The idea has been a goal of progressive advocates for years, but the proposal didn’t include any details on how the state would pay for it.

Assembly members felt the Senate was tossing a controversial issue in their laps. Rendon halted the proposal and dismissed it as purely “symbolic” with “no substance.”

Sam Blakeslee, a former assemblyman and senator from the Central Coast, said there has always been “a vast cultural divide” between the Assembly and Senate.

“The latter, the so-called upper body, often holds the former in quiet contempt,” he said. “Assembly members resent this elitism and often relish sabotaging Senate bills.” http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-capitol-assembly-senate-20170917-story.html 2/3 9/18/2017 In California's Capitol, the real battles are often between the Assembly and the Senate - LA Times V. John White, a veteran energy advocate, shared a version of an adage that circulates around the Democrat- dominated Capitol: “The Republicans are the opposition, but the other house is the enemy.”

Times staff writers Liam Dillon and Patrick McGreevy contributed to this report. [email protected]

Twitter: @chrismegerian

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http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-capitol-assembly-senate-20170917-story.html 3/3 9/18/2017 How Facebook posts led to the ouster of the conservative mayor of a liberal Bay Area town - LA Times

California Journal How Facebook posts led to the ouster of the conservative mayor of a liberal Bay Area town

At home Sunday, Jeff Wieler, the former mayor of Piedmont, a ritzy residential city in the Oakland Hills, talked about the events that led to his resignation from the Piedmont City Council. His conservative social media posts caused a citywide revolt. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times)

By Robin Abcarian

SEPTEMBER 12, 2017, 8:20 AM | REPORTING FROM PIEDMONT, CA

fter a few days of thought, Jeff Wieler decided to invite me over to his hillside home. I could A understand his reluctance. The last few weeks have not been pleasant for Wieler, who was forced to step down as mayor of Piedmont, a charming and affluent city nestled in the Oakland Hills. He was not particularly eager to meet with a journalist. But he also wanted a chance to explain himself.

A couple of weeks ago, what seemed to be a routine Facebook argument over whether President Trump had properly condemned the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Va., mushroomed into a townwide controversy that led to

http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-piedmont-mayor-20170912-story.html 1/4 9/18/2017 How Facebook posts led to the ouster of the conservative mayor of a liberal Bay Area town - LA Times sharp words, revelations about disparaging or vulgar social media posts and the end of his tenure as a city official.

A registered Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic city, Wieler, 66, believes he has been unfairly pilloried for posting what he considers provocative articles from a variety of mostly conservative publications:

“Black Lives Matter encourages cop killing.”

“The Left is dangerous and un-American.”

“Transgenders are mentally ill.”

“Now and then I would see an article, something that really gave an interesting point of view,” he told me. “The Atlantic, or Salon or National Review. All kinds of places. I would post it and say ‘interesting perspective’ or ‘good points’ or ‘worth reading.’”

You can imagine how those headlines went over with his fellow Piedmonters.

Things blew up after Conna McCarthy, a community activist, tangled with Wieler over Charlottesville. After a back-and-forth on Facebook about whether Trump was forceful enough in his condemnation, McCarthy suggested that Wieler open the Aug. 21 council meeting with a moment of silence for the victims of Charlottesville.

He accused McCarthy, daughter of the late Democratic California Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy, of being a “lurid partisan” and said, “The only moment of silence you will get is when I stop engaging with you.” His cranky words set off the citizen revolt that led to his resignation. (He did end up starting the meeting with a moment of silenceSchool after is Councilwomanback in session! Teddy Gray King put it on the council’s agenda.) Sponsor a student today START NOW › Then someone unearthed a recent post about Hillary Clinton on the social media site Quora. “Having a vagina,” Wieler wrote, “is not a vision that inspires. And before some feminist harpy objects to the last sentence, let me say that I dearly love vaginas.”

“I feel bad for him,” said McCarthy, when we spoke Monday. “His thoughts are free speech. But when you see that he sits on different governmental committees — with folks from Oakland and Berkeley — and he’s representing our town? That is not a good look for us. Our children are suspended from school for saying the things our mayor has said publicly.”

On Sunday evening, Wieler opened his front door and ushered me into his well-appointed living room. He sat next to a white marble fireplace in a red leather wingback chair. A couple of times over two hours, he removed and replaced a brace on his left arm. Seven years ago, a stroke left him with a clenched left hand, and it still causes him discomfort. http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-piedmont-mayor-20170912-story.html 2/4 9/18/2017 How Facebook posts led to the ouster of the conservative mayor of a liberal Bay Area town - LA Times Wieler was engaging and funny. Although he penned a letter of apology to Piedmont when he resigned, he was still wrestling emotionally with events of the last few weeks.

A graduate of Princeton and Harvard Business School, Wieler recounted a career that took him around the country to companies as varied as Sara Lee and Loomis Armored. He also had a disastrous stint importing invisible zippers from China before ending up as chief financial officer and assistant head of school for Redwood Day, a private school in Oakland. He retired in 2010.

One detail that surprised me: In the late 1980s, before he married his wife, Jean, he spent several months at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, a spiritual mecca for seekers around the world. He went there, he said, to recharge his batteries and try to figure out what he wanted out of life.

“Esalen is the most brilliant piece of management I’ve ever seen,” Wieler said. “They have a work-scholar program. They have a farm, a garden, rooms, laundry, a kitchen, which need workers. So you pay them to let you work.”

Turned out what he wanted was to be paid for his labor, so he returned to corporate life.

It grew dark outside as we talked. I could tell he was angry and hurt that his days as a Piedmont official had come to such an ignominious end. Even the Piedmont Post, a staunch Wieler ally that had inexplicably ignored the mounting controversy, turned on him after a barrage of criticism from readers.

“It’s been brutal,” Wieler said. “I’m not a saint. I know I can be blunt. But I spent 25 years trying to improve this town and I think I did a damn good job. But if I am the center of a firestorm, and a majority of the City Council decides to have a special meeting to discuss removing me as mayor, I don’t want to put the city through this.”

: :

Last week, after accepting Wieler’s resignation, the Piedmont City Council installed a new mayor, Councilman Bob McBain. Wieler told me that McBain, a friend, was “instrumental” in persuading him to step down, not just from the ceremonial mayoral post, but from the City Council entirely.

When I first read about Wieler’s downfall, I assumed it was a case of political correctness run amok, of an ultra- liberal town rising up against a conservative contrarian for daring to go against the political grain.

There was some of that. But that’s not the whole story.

Wieler deeply offended his constituents, dozens of whom turned out to the Aug. 21 meeting to register their displeasure with his social media posts and tone. Jessica Berg, who grew up in Piedmont and moved back to raise her children, seemed to sum up the feelings of many when she said that “the comments from our mayor undo the good work people are doing.”

http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-piedmont-mayor-20170912-story.html 3/4 9/18/2017 How Facebook posts led to the ouster of the conservative mayor of a liberal Bay Area town - LA Times It takes a certain temperament to be a successful city leader, even in a tiny place like Piedmont. A mayor has to be in tune with his town. Wieler, sadly, was way off key.

“There is some tragedy there,” McCarthy said. “You can’t be angry at him. But at the same time it wasn’t possible for him to stay in that elected position. He just didn’t fit in.”

By stepping down without a fight, Wieler did the right thing for the city he loves. I asked him what he planned to do with the 15 or 20 hours a week he once spent on town business. He said he’d spend more time in physical therapy for his arm, and try to figure out a way to be useful to Piedmont.

“And gripe,” he said with a smile. “To my wife.”

More columns »

For more on politics » [email protected]

Twitter: @AbcarianLAT

More from Robin Abcarian

UPDATES:

8:20 a.m .: This article was updated with an explanation that the mayoral post is ceremonial.

This article was originally published at 4 a.m.

This article is related to: Donald Trump

http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-piedmont-mayor-20170912-story.html 4/4 9/18/2017 Hear about the tract house that went for $800,000 above asking? Welcome to California 2017 - LA Times

Column Hear about the tract house that went for $800,000 above asking? Welcome to California 2017

Online real estate ad for Sunnyvale home that went for nearly $800,000 over the asking price. (Keller Williams real estate)

By Steve Lopez

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017, 9:25 AM

he population of California was just above 10 million when I joined the party in 1953. Today we’ve got nearly four times as many T residents, or just short of 40 million. Is that too many people?

Plenty of folks think so, judging by the reaction I get whenever I write about California’s housing crisis. That was true last week, after I said a basket of bills to finance more housing would offer some pain relief if not a cure.

What crisis? readers asked.

“The issue in California is not lack of housing, but an oversupply of people,” wrote Sunnyvale resident Mark Baker, who advocated for a population cap. “The only solution is to reduce the number of people living in California through reduced immigration and births.”

But birth and immigration rates are in decline, and even mass deportation — as some readers recommended — wouldn’t free up enough housing. The California Department of Housing and Community Development says 1.8 million new housing units are needed by 2025 to handle projected growth.

Can’t afford California? Go somewhere else! http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-housing-population-20170916-story.html 1/3 9/18/2017 Hear about the tract house that went for $800,000 above asking? Welcome to California 2017 - LA Times Another gaggle of readers suggested that anyone who has trouble paying the rent or the mortgage in high-rent districts should move east, or to the Central Valley, or out of state. We do have what could be an enduring water shortage, after all.

“You can only build so much density, only so much infrastructure, only so much mass transit,” said Michael Bracken, a Palm Desert economist who believes that companies and people have to move to places where the cost of living is cheaper and “there’s more elbow room.”

“There’s only a ‘crisis’ if you believe — as you seem to — that every person who wants to live here should be able to, full stop,” wrote Richard Schenkman.

“I happen to live in Hollywood, which I have watched become decimated, uglified, and over-packed with humans, cranes, autos and more, thanks to rampant over-development,” Schenkman went on, adding that it takes as long as 12 minutes to drive a little more than half a mile as he heads east and west.

The former New Yorker said he doesn’t have all the answers, but far more mass transit is at the top of his wish list.

‘Who gets to close the door and turn out the lights?’ To be honest, I’m just as bothered as anyone else about the madness of getting from here to there, and I don’t have all the answers, either. When I first lived in Los Angeles, in the late 1990s, I wondered how many more people Southern California could accommodate before we were all trapped in hell’s parking lot.

But I don’t know how you can cap population.

“I’ve seen the same trajectory and wondered many times over the years if there were too many of us,” said D.J. Waldie, the brilliant observer of L.A. life and history and author of “Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir.” “But I could never see a ceiling. Who gets to close the door and turn out the lights?”

Some people will choose to leave, said Waldie, “But lots of people live where they live because they get some kind of psychic benefit from living there. They’re loyal to it, it’s in their hearts, and they can’t tear that part out and live where...planners think they ought to live.”

And you can’t ignore the fact that middle-class and working-poor people, already living here, are critical to the economy but they’re being tortured by the ever-rising cost of scarce housing and obscenely long commutes.

Last week I wrote about a house I bought in San Jose in 1983, for $130,000, that would sell for more than $1 million today. Lots of readers pointed out that interest rates are much lower now, so the price difference isn’t as dramatic as it might sound. And that’s true, but my point stands:

Buying and renting are more expensive when inventory is low and demand high. The evidence reached a level of absurdity last week in Sunnyvale.

$800,000 over asking price in Sunnyvale A three-bedroom, two-bath house in Sunnyvale was listed for $1.6 million, drew a bidding war and sold for nearly $800,000 above asking.

We may be closing in on the day when a $1-million listing sells for $2 million, even as the homeless count rises. If and when that happens, we’ll deserve whatever horror is visited upon us, be it locusts, pestilence, rabid coyotes or $5,000 iPhones.

My old newspaper, the San Jose Mercury News, reported that dozens of Silicon Valley houses have sold for more than $200,000 above asking price in the last month, including a 1,200-square-foot home that went for $1.83 million, $433,000 more than it was listed for. Is it sick of me to hope it has termites?

If you drive a truck in Silicon Valley, or teach, or draw blood at a hospital, or sweep the floor under a social media mogul’s feet, may God bless you and yours. Your options are to live in a shack near a canal in cow chip country two hours away, work three jobs, or plow half your take- home into a $2,300-a-month, one-bedroom apartment, the going average in Santa Clara County.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-housing-population-20170916-story.html 2/3 9/18/2017 Hear about the tract house that went for $800,000 above asking? Welcome to California 2017 - LA Times For all the reasons I listed last week, housing construction has lagged for years. Peter Schrag, retired newsman and author of “Paradise Lost,” which chronicled California’s retrenchment from its era of investment and expansion, offers another reason:

“Proposition 13 discourages people from moving into smaller places,” Schrag said, citing himself as an example. At 86, he’s lived in the same house in Oakland for 20 years, partly because of the tax advantages.

“That means it becomes increasingly difficult for younger home buyers because they have to pay taxes on the going market rate. The whole housing market is distorted by that.”

A study by McKinsey & Company, a consulting firm, found that California ranks 49th out of 50 states in housing units per capita, and that New York, to name just one state, added 80% more housing units per capita than California in the five years ending in 2014.

“As a result,” said the report, “California’s real estate prices have increased by more than 15% since 2009, but median income by only 5%.”

We have to build, folks, for the benefit of working people, not those who can pay $800,000 above asking. And it’s not just about creating new housing, but keeping existing rents from ballooning because of scarcity.

We can’t build carelessly, as we’ve done so many times in the past, and not where the scale and character of established neighborhoods are unfairly compromised. But as close as possible to where we work and shop, and where the trains and buses run, so it’s possible to live a full life free from the soul-sapping, time-sucking monotony of slow, bumper-to-bumper torment.

From horizontal to vertical I’d like to see more dedicated busways because that’s a cheaper investment than rail. I’d like to see bikeways on secondary streets, instead of stealing traffic lanes on primary thoroughfares.

Southern California has taken steps, big and small, smart but not always, to design such a place. It’s not for everyone, but we’ve run out of the horizontal and all that’s left is the vertical, here in the beautiful mess Carey McWilliams once called “a gigantic improvisation.”

As for the whole of the state, we still haven’t figured out where we’re headed or how we’ll manage, but hasn’t that always been part of the attraction?

Get more of Steve Lopez’s work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopez

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This article is related to: Housing Market, Real Estate, Immigration

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-housing-population-20170916-story.html 3/3 9/18/2017 Fresno County agency won't release names with salaries | The Fresno Bee

LOCAL

Fresno public agency won’t release employees’ names with salaries. Now a watchdog sues

BY LEWIS GRISWOLD [email protected]

SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 4:53 PM Taxpayers pay the salaries of public employees, but do their names have to be identiﬁed with their wages?

That is the heart of a new dispute in Fresno County Superior Court. A public agency in Fresno County is keeping secret the identities of its employees so their salaries can’t be published next to their names, and that upsets a watchdog group.

Under the California Public Records Act, the public has the right to know who is getting paid public money, Transparent California said in a lawsuit ﬁled Monday in Fresno County Superior Court.

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Transparent California is a watchdog group that has made a name for itself posting the names and salaries of public employees – from university presidents to entry-level clerks.

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article172971306.html 1/5 9/18/2017 Fresno County agency won't release names with salaries | The Fresno Bee

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Last year, the group made headlines when it exposed that a janitor at Bay Area Rapid Transit, whose job title was “system service worker,” was being paid $270,000 a year, including overtime and beneﬁts.

But the Fresno Council of Governments told Transparent California that state law requires only the release of the job title of the employee and the salary amount, not the name of the worker.

A Fresno County judge could make the ﬁnal call.

WHATEVER INTEREST EMPLOYEES HAVE IN PRIVACY, IF ANY, IS OUTWEIGHED BY A VERY“ STRONG PUBLIC INTEREST IN KNOWING HOW THE GOVERNMENT SPENDS ITS MONEY. Transparent California

The Fresno Council of Goverments has 28 employees and 16 unpaid board members. It is partially supported by dues from its 16 members, but the major revenue sources include federal and state grants. The agency has no taxing or legislative authority.

In 2015, it had a total payroll of $2.8 million including salaries and beneﬁts, according to information on the state Controller’s Ofﬁce website.

Transparent California ﬁled a petition for a writ of mandate asking that a judge order the Fresno Council of Governments, a transportation planning agency that doles out road-building money to cities and the county, to divulge the names along with the salary amounts.

The group has requested names, salaries and job titles from 10 other Council of Governments around the state, and Fresno is the only one not to share the information, said Robert Fellner, research director for Nevada Policy Research Institute, a think tank and the parent group of Transparent California that is based in Las Vegas.

“This kind of response is extremely rare,” Fellner said. “They sent us a very long letter saying we’re deliberately not providing you names.”

The letter by Les Beshears, ﬁnance director, is included in the lawsuit as an exhibit. The Fresno Council of Governments did not return a call from The Bee asking for comment.

HERE, ONCE AGAIN, IS THE INFORMATION WE CAN LEGALLY PROVIDE…IN“ THE FORMAT PROVIDE TO THE STATE CONTROLLER’S OFFICE. Les Beshears, Fresno Council of Governments

Beshears wrote in the letter that a similar case went to the First District Court of Appeal after a lower court ordered the release of salary information without the names of the individual employees.

The appeals court pointed to a section of the California Public Records Act that states, “Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require disclosure of records that...would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” Beshears wrote.

“Here, once again, is the information we can legally provide…in the format provided to the State Controller’s Ofﬁce,” Beshears wrote. The state Controller’s Ofﬁce lists job titles and salary, but not names.

Transparent California’s petition states that the case Beshears cited has been overruled.

Additionally, the letter by the agency cites a section of law that applies to personnel ﬁles, the lawsuit states. Records of names are not exempt from disclosure, and the release of the names is not an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, it states.

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article172971306.html 2/5 9/18/2017 Fresno County agency won't release names with salaries | The Fresno Bee

“Whatever interest employees have in privacy, if any, is outweighed by a very strong public interest in knowing how the government spends its money,” it states.

The Fresno Council of Governments has 30 days to respond after it is formally served a copy of the petition.

Lewis Griswold: 559-441-6104, @fb_LewGriswold

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http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article172971306.html 3/5 9/18/2017 CEQA is not the enemy of housing

CEQA is not the enemy of housing By Bryan Baker Posted Sep 15, 2017 at 3:29 PM Updated Sep 15, 2017 at 3:29 PM Both Republican and Democratic leaders in California talk a lot about the cost of housing in our state. But politicians often use crises for their own political agenda. A classic example was Assemblyman Jay Obernolte’s recent commentary in the Daily Press (“Proposed housing crisis solutions will cost Californians even more,” 9/10/2017). Obernolte singled out California’s Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as “the biggest regulatory hurdle” to housing construction. Based on Obernolte’s assessment, you would think that California’s housing prices and supply are at critical levels solely because of government regulation.

Let’s look at housing in the High Desert and Inland Empire. The median price of a single-family house in San Bernardino County in July was $266,250, according to the California Association of Realtors. According to Trulia, the median recent sale price for Hesperia’s zip 92345 was $187,000. These prices compare favorably to the median price of existing houses in the United States overall, which is $258,000, according to Zillow. Housing prices in our area are certainly not out of line with the country as a whole.

How about supply? Based on Obernolte’s comments, one might guess that burdensome California laws have prevented our local governments from approving new housing. This is not the case at all. For example, the Tapestry Project in Hesperia recently resolved all lawsuits and is authorized to build around 16,000 houses in the next few years. A project called Hacienda at Fairview received approval several years ago to build over 3,000 houses east of Apple Valley. But none of those houses have been built yet, and not because of regulatory holdup.

Hesperia and Apple Valley have several thousand empty house lots that require no regulatory approval beyond local permits, but few have been built upon in the past several years. A recent report by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office concluded that in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, more housing units were built in the past few decades than were needed for growth. In sum, regulations are not preventing building houses in the High Desert or Inland Empire.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170915/ceqa-is-not-enemy-of-housing 1/2 9/18/2017 CEQA is not the enemy of housing

California does have sky-high housing prices in urban areas along the coast. Newport Beach’s median price is about $1.7 million, for example. Why? Primarily, it’s Economics 101: supply and demand. The supply of land near the coast is very limited, and it isn’t growing. Demand is high: lots of people want to live or own property near the coast. But the coastal areas of California are just about fully built out. Little undeveloped land is available in urban areas near the coast to build upon. It’s no wonder, given the high demand and low supply, that prices have risen so high. Higher density may be part of the answer there, though of course Americans like to have their elbow room and their yards, so it’s a tough sell to convince people to buy into denser developments.

CEQA may be little known to most residents. But it is one of the few laws in California that lets ordinary citizens challenge big-money developers when they want to have their way with local cities and governments. CEQA requires a review of the impacts of major developments on human and environmental conditions. It’s been the law in California since 1970. It certainly hasn’t prevented building in California; we have millions more housing units now than back then.

CEQA almost never prevents housing projects from being constructed. In fact, few projects receive any challenge to their CEQA process. But it can make projects a bit better. Tapestry, for instance, was widely reviled by local and Hesperia residents. Yet it gained final approval with a modest trimming of units, which thankfully spared much of scenic Summit Valley.

CEQA is not the reason housing is expensive in California. National and regional economic factors are by far the most influential reasons. Sure, we need to work on making housing more affordable, particularly in coastal urban areas. But gutting the modest environmental protections we have is not the solution.

Bryan Baker lives in Apple Valley.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170915/ceqa-is-not-enemy-of-housing 2/2 9/18/2017 'California versus Trump' became an instant rallying cry. But 'resistance' has been more complicated - LA Times 'California versus Trump' became an instant rallying cry. But 'resistance' has been more complicated

By Melanie Mason and Jazmine Ulloa

SEPTEMBER 17, 2017, 12:05 AM | REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO

ithin a day of President Trump’s election last November, California's top Democratic lawmakers responded with a joint statement that contained W an audacious promise. It was their state, not Washington, D.C., that would be the "keeper of the nation's future."

An artistic rendering of that vow, with looping calligraphy and a roaring Grizzly, is now on display in the offices of Senate leader Kevin de León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. In the wake of Trump's win, the words seemed to be a sort of foundational document — California's declaration of resistance.

That pugilistic posture is often conveyed in shorthand: California versus Trump. But the ensuing legislative year, which ended Friday, revealed the messy reality of squaring up against the federal government.

“It’s been challenging,” De León (D-Los Angeles) said, bleary-eyed as he took a break during the final days of the session. “You have to debate, you have to negotiate, you have to make your case, and I think at the end of the day, we’ll still have the most far- reaching policy in the nation.”

The Capitol’s ruling Democrats introduced more than 35 bills to mount policy blockades against Trump. Four have since become law or part of the state budget, and eight more await the governor’s signature. Some have been scaled back from their original sweeping premise, and many early bills flamed out entirely. The most acid-tipped barbs came from more than two dozen resolutions, mainly regarding Trump’s conduct, which do not carry the force of law.

But for some members, even those had value. As proceedings limped into Friday evening, the Assembly lobbed another salvo, a resolution calling for a congressional censure of Trump’s reaction after a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-trump-resistance-20170917-htmlstory.html 1/6 9/18/2017 'California versus Trump' became an instant rallying cry. But 'resistance' has been more complicated - LA Times “I would like to move on to another subject, too,” said Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), the daughter of Arkansas sharecroppers. “But I keep getting pulled back to reality …. Hatred and discrimination is a weed, and it grows best in neglect.”

The very first day of the legislative session was marked by denunciations of Trump in both houses, when the president was weeks away from occupying the Oval Office. He’s been inescapable ever since, seeping into the political atmosphere of a state he has yet to visit as president.

Fears that Trump would create a federal registry of Muslims prompted a bill that would ban the state from sharing information for any database based on religion, ethnicity or national origin. The president’s break from precedent in deciding not to release his tax returns inspired a measure that would require such disclosure from presidential candidates to appear on the California ballot. Both measures now await a decision by the governor.

In a state that’s home to more than 2.3 million people without legal residency, immigration policy drove a slew of actions. The centerpiece was De León’s “sanctuary state” bill, an effort to shield people from deportation by limiting communication between law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

The broad protections in his proposal quickly collided with opposition from law enforcement and unease from Brown. Just days before the close of session, the governor and De Léon agreed to scale back the bill, permitting communication with immigration authorities if the inmate was previously convicted with one of roughly 800 crimes.

The changes were meant to guard against backlash from the public, should the proposal be perceived as shielding violent criminals from immigration enforcement. Nancy McFadden, Brown’s top advisor, said they sought to balance the goals of aiding immigrants “without going so far that we end up hurting ourselves and starting to sway public opinion against the very thing we’re trying to do.”

“We do not want more people to join the Trump train of hate,” she added.

Other ambitious bills stalled entirely. De León’s proposal to enshrine large portions of federal environmental regulations, such as clean air and water protections, into state http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-trump-resistance-20170917-htmlstory.html 2/6 9/18/2017 'California versus Trump' became an instant rallying cry. But 'resistance' has been more complicated - LA Times law — in anticipation of rollbacks from the Trump administration — withered without a vote Friday night. And two bills that would punish private companies that aided Trump in his as-yet unrealized bid to build a wall on the country’s southern border failed to advance.

Still, the California-versus-Trump narrative persisted, reliably attracting national attention when state leaders threw out jabs. But their feistiness belied a vulnerability to the mercy of a federal government that is tightly intertwined with the state.

The push by Trump and congressional Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act underscored how exposed the state really is. A successful rollback threatened to financially cripple the state, which had fully embraced Obamacare.

But officials acknowledged the state has been spared, thanks to the president’s legislative fumbles.

“We've been fortunate that he's politically impotent,” Rendon said, adding that if Trump improved his success rate in enacting his agenda, “there’s not a whole heck of a lot that we can do."

The next venue for more assertive action from California officials is likely to be the courts, where the rights of states versus the federal government are tested. Just as conservative Texas used litigation in an attempt to stymie then-President Obama on immigration and environmental policy, California is looking to the judiciary to block Trump’s goals.

In January, Rendon and De León hired former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. to help plot the Legislature’s legal strategy, although only the state Senate continued the relationship after several months.

State Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra has sued the Trump administration six times since April and filed amicus briefs opposing a number of the president’s policies, including the travel ban on people from certain Muslim-majority countries. Among the lawsuits are challenges to the Department of Education for delaying protections for student borrowers and to the Justice Department for threatening to withhold money from jurisdictions with “sanctuary” policies that protect immigrants. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-trump-resistance-20170917-htmlstory.html 3/6 9/18/2017 'California versus Trump' became an instant rallying cry. But 'resistance' has been more complicated - LA Times The exacting work of litigation does not always align with the urgency of politics. When Trump announced plans to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, an Obama-era program to shield from deportation around 800,000 young adults who were brought to the country illegally, 15 states quickly responded with a court challenge. California was not among them; Becerra filed his own lawsuit five days later.

“When we filed our lawsuit to defend the DACA recipients, people said, ‘How come you didn’t do it last week when they did it in New York?’” Becerra recalled with a chuckle. “I said, look, we have to do this the right way.”

Texas was Obama's chief antagonist. In Trump's America, California is eager for the part »

Throughout the year, the desire to challenge Trump was “an important component. We had to spend time on it, no doubt,” McFadden said. “But it hasn’t been the sole focus. And it shouldn’t be.”

Trump had little to do with the year’s biggest legislative battles. The nail-biter votes were on hiking the state’s gas tax to repair roads and bridges, and securing a package of bills to promote affordable housing — issues that had eluded lawmakers for years. The push to extend the cap-and-trade program, California's signature tool to combat climate change, was colored by the president's rejection of action on the environment, but it would have been a top priority of Brown's no matter who occupied the White House.

"The president didn't create the water crisis,” said Assembly GOP Leader Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley). “He didn't create the housing crisis that we have. He didn't create the fact that we haven't built enough freeways and we're stuck in traffic. None of that was created by him."

Meanwhile, in resolutions, the Trump critiques could be most scathing — using his loss of the popular vote to prompt a call to abolish the electoral college or pointedly noting his fondness for Russia. But they also led legislative leaders to share their own backgrounds, stories they said painted the diverse picture of California families.

In one frank exchange over a resolution to condemn Trump’s DACA decision, Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) said his experience as the son of http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-trump-resistance-20170917-htmlstory.html 4/6 9/18/2017 'California versus Trump' became an instant rallying cry. But 'resistance' has been more complicated - LA Times Mexican immigrants without legal status was not much different than that of a “Dreamer,” save for where he was born.

“I was born here, and yes, I became an ‘anchor baby,’” he said, identifying with a derogatory term for the child of a mother without U.S. citizenship.

But the zeal to denounce Trump could also be alienating to Republicans, who felt Democrats were going out of their way to verbally kneecap the president.

"It’s been so partisan,” said Sen. Joel Anderson (R-Alpine). “If you had a solid message going to Trump, wouldn't it be better if the Trump supporters were on board with the resolution, so it solved the problem?”

The unease wasn’t limited to Republicans. Rendon (D-Paramount) declared in February he was tired of talking about Trump and said last week he fretted at times that Democrats “devolved into symbolism.” He made a point of reminding his members multiple times of the need to keep focus on “California’s business,” and in conversations with reporters, he implied his Senate colleagues were not doing the same.

For De Léon, the appetite to take shots at Trump remains strong.

“Donald Trump is a threat to everything that we stand for as a great state,” he said. “So, it’s not just as president of the Senate, or as a senator, but more importantly as an ordinary citizen and son of a single immigrant mother do I take these positions.”

His partner in resistance, Rendon, has moved away from seeking direct confrontation with the president. Instead, his focus has turned inward, arguing a successful California is the best way to undermine Trump.

Rendon said he’s not even too sure about the term “resistance,” which he says evokes France under Nazi rule in World War II. He wobbled on whether it is an apt metaphor for California today.

“I think, yeah, to an extent it is,” he said, before reversing himself. “No, I don't actually.

“There was a point early in the year at which I thought California was going to feel like it was an occupied state,” he continued. “I no longer feel that way …. California's firmly in control of its own destiny.”

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-trump-resistance-20170917-htmlstory.html 5/6 9/18/2017 California 'sanctuary' bill gets support from law enforcement, rebuke from Trump administration - LA Times

California 'sanctuary' bill gets support from law enforcement, rebuke from Trump administration

Los Angeles County Sheriff James McDonnell. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

By Gale Holland

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017, 4:15 PM

alifornia’s new “sanctuary state” bill limiting local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agents drew support Saturday from Los Angeles officials, but a stinging rebuke from the C Trump administration, whose Justice Department said the measure “undermines national security and law enforcement.”

Mayor Eric Garcetti said he was “grateful” to the legislature, while Police Chief Charlie Beck said the bill built on 40 years of the city’s efforts to foster trust in immigrant communities.

“We are committed to reducing crime through community partnerships and constitutional policing,” said Beck.

The legislation passed early Saturday drastically scaled back the version first introduced, the result of tough negotiations between Gov. Jerry Brown and the bill’s author, Sen. Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), in the final weeks of the legislative session. The bill, SB 54, must still be signed by the governor.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-mcdonnell-immigration-20170916-story.html 1/3 9/18/2017 California 'sanctuary' bill gets support from law enforcement, rebuke from Trump administration - LA Times Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, an early and prominent opponent of the bill, said the changes had satisfied his concerns that it would hurt immigrants more than it would help them.

“While not perfect, [the bill] kept intact our ability to maintain partnerships with federal law enforcement officials who help us in the fight against gangs, drugs and human trafficking,” McDonnell said in a written statement. “It also retains the controlled access that the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement has to our jails.”

The Trump administration, which earlier threatened to withhold federal grants from sanctuary cities, warned that the bill threatened public safety.

"Just last month another illegal alien allegedly killed a community volunteer, yet state lawmakers inexplicably voted today to return criminal aliens back onto our streets,” said Devin O'Malley, a spokesman for the U.S Department of Justice. “This abandonment of the rule of law by the Legislature continues to put Californians at risk, and undermines national security and law enforcement.”

Called the “California Values Act,” the sanctuary bill initially would have barred state and local enforcement from holding, questioning or sharing information with federal immigration agents about immigrants in custody unless the immigrants had violent or serious criminal convictions.

McDonnell had broken ranks with many other Los Angeles elected officials by opposing the initial legislation, arguing that if immigration agents could not pick up people from the jails, they would go looking for them in the streets, spreading fear and curtailing immigrants’ cooperation in criminal cases.

The amended bill would allow federal immigration authorities to keep working with state corrections officials and to continue entering county jails to question immigrants. The legislation would also permit police and sheriffs to share information and transfer people to immigration authorities if they have been convicted of one or more crimes from a list of 800 outlined in a previous law, the California Trust Act.

Under added provisions of the bill, however, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation would have to develop new standards to protect people held on immigration violations, and to allow immigrant inmates to receive credit toward their sentences for time served if they complete rehabilitation and educational programs while incarcerated.

The state attorney general’s office would have to develop recommendations that limit immigration agents' access to personal information. The attorney general also has broad authority under the state Constitution to ensure that police and sheriffs’ agencies follow SB 54’s provisions should it be signed into law.

More than 150 communities have laws or policies that restrict the ability of police and jails to hand over people who are in the country illegally to federal immigration officers. The Trump administration in April warned nine jurisdictions, including Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans and New York, that they risked losing federal grants by sidestepping cooperation with federal agencies.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-mcdonnell-immigration-20170916-story.html 2/3 9/18/2017 California 'sanctuary' bill gets support from law enforcement, rebuke from Trump administration - LA Times Top politicians in Los Angeles — a fulcrum of Trump resistance — had avoided the sanctuary label. But the City Council this month moved to declare L.A. a “city of sanctuary,” in response to Trump’s August announcement that he would unwind a program protecting immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said the bill achieved only “incremental” progress, and he called on local law enforcement to fully implement its provisions.

“The scapegoating and persecution of immigrants is what has made our community unsafe,” Alvarado said. “With this bill, our state is telling Trump: ‘Mr. Trump, you can keep your money. We’ll keep our immigrant community.’ ” [email protected]

Twitter: @geholland

Times staff writers Jazmine Ulloa and Andrea Castillo contributed to this story.

UPDATES:

4:15 p.m .: This article was updated with additional comments from local and federal officials.

1:20 p.m . This article was updated with addition comments from local and federal officials.

This article was originally published at 11:50 a.m.

This article is related to: Immigration, Donald Trump, Jim McDonnell, U.S. Department of Justice, Eric Garcetti

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-mcdonnell-immigration-20170916-story.html 3/3 9/18/2017 Bill would require pet stores to sell rescue animals

Bill would require pet stores to sell rescue animals By Kathleen Ronayne / Associated Press Posted Sep 15, 2017 at 12:20 PM Updated Sep 15, 2017 at 12:20 PM SACRAMENTO — California could become the first state to ban the sale of animals from so-called puppy mills or mass breeding operations under legislation sent Thursday to Gov. Jerry Brown by lawmakers.

Animal rights groups are cheering the bill by Democratic Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell to require pet stores to work with animal shelters or rescue operations if they want to sell dogs, cats or rabbit.

Thirty-six cities in California, including Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Francisco already have similar bans in place, but no statewide bans exist.

“We’ve actually seen a thriving pet industry based on the model of getting these from shelters,” said Democratic Assemblyman Matt Dababneh of Encino.

Brown spokesman Brian Ferguson declined to comment on whether the governor plans to sign it.

Private breeders would still be allowed to sell dogs, cats and rabbits directly to individuals.

Supporters of the bill say it’s aimed at encouraging families and individual buyers to work directly with breeders or to adopt pets in shelters. It also would ensure animals are bred and sold healthily and humanely, supporters said.

Few pet stores in California are still selling animals and many already team up with rescue organizations to facilitate adoptions, according to O’Donnell’s office.

“Californians spend more than $250 million a year to house and euthanize animals in our shelters,” O’Donnell said in a statement. “Protecting the pets that make our house a home is an effort that makes us all proud.”

The bill would also require pet stores to maintain records showing where each dog, cat or rabbit it sells came from and to publicly display that information. A violation of the law would carry a $500 civil fine.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170915/bill-would-require-pet-stores-to-sell-rescue-animals 1/2 9/18/2017 Bill would require pet stores to sell rescue animals

Meanwhile, a bill seeking to phase out fossil fuels in California’s energy grid was struggling in the Assembly.

Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, said the bill lacks support and won’t come up for a vote in the Utilities and Energy Committee that he leads. SB100 was written by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, who is pressuring the Assembly to approve the bill by Friday.

Several celebrities, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio, have tweeted their support this week.

A bill to require presidential candidates to share their tax returns to be allowed on the California primary ballot cleared the Assembly, putting it one step closer to becoming law. It now needs final approval from the Senate before going to Brown. If he signs it, California would be the first state with such a requirement after a flurry of bills in other states stalled earlier this year.

The Assembly killed a bill that would have required middle and high schools to start school at 8:30 a.m. or later. Supporters said later school start times would improve students’ energy levels and performance, but detractors said the decisions should be made by local communities.

Other legislation sent to Brown on Thursday would:

Allow Californians to choose a third gender option of ‘non-binary’ when applying for a driver’s license or other state-issued identification card.

End a practice known as school lunch shaming, in which children are denied a meal or given an alternative if their parents fail to pay their lunch bills. Backers of the bill say children shouldn’t be used as debt-collection instruments.

Add school sexual assault response guidelines to state law after a Trump administration official said it would roll back the rules at the federal level.

Prohibit the sale of marijuana edibles shaped like a person, animal, insect or fruit. It’s an attempt to prevent pot-infused sweets from appealing to children.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170915/bill-would-require-pet-stores-to-sell-rescue-animals 2/2 9/18/2017 What Do Mass Shooters Have in Common? (Hint: It's Not Gun Type or Religion) - Breitbart

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What Do Mass Shooters Have in Common? (Hint: It’s Not Gun Type or Religion) 3 0

http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/09/18/mass-shooters-the-common-thread-for-mass-public-attackers-hint-its-not-gun-type-or-religion/ 1/7 9/18/2017 What Do Mass Shooters Have in Common? (Hint: It's Not Gun Type or Religion) - Breitbart

AFP

by AWR HAWKINS 18 Sep 2017 18

A common thread for mass public attackers is not religion, or the type of gun used, but anti-social behavior.

That’s the observation made by the Washington Post’s Alex Yablon:

I’ve become accustomed to the standard public discussion that follows mass shootings: What could have possibly motivated such senseless acts of violence? School shootings in particular tend to generate plenty of political debate, either about the shooters’ beliefs (occult activity, in Christopher Harper Mercer’s case; violent video games and music, in Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold’s; misogyny, masculinity and entitlement in a host of others) or the role of firearms in their lives.

…

My experience suggests that the outsize attention paid to the shooter’s particular beliefs obscures the real connections between mass shooters. What binds them together and elevates their likelihood of killing in this particular fashion is not any particular belief set but a history of antisocial, sometimes violent conduct.

This is an important point at a time when Democrats and the establishment media inaccurately describe AR-15s as the weapon of choice for mass public attackers, or highlight the religion of the attacker (at least, when doing so allows them to denigrate Judeo-Christian traditions).

SIGN UP TO GET BREITBART NEWS His observation about the past antisocial behavior of mass killers matches that of Duke University psychiatrist Jeffrey Swanson, who said, following the June 12, 2016, attack on DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX the Orlando Pulse nightclub, “Most people who commit serious crimes, that’s not where they began. They didn’t just start committing gun homicides.” Enter your email address SIGN ME UP Yablon uses this observation to push more gun control, in the form of background checks that detect mental illness before it spirals into violence like the December 14, 2012, attack on Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connectivu. But in this example, the problem

http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/09/18/mass-shooters-the-common-thread-for-mass-public-attackers-hint-its-not-gun-type-or-religion/ 2/7 9/18/2017 What Do Mass Shooters Have in Common? (Hint: It's Not Gun Type or Religion) - Breitbart with a gun control push is that background checks had absolutely nothing to do with the Sandy Hook attack. Rather, the attacker stole his guns.

And if we look at other attacks, even Yablon admits that many mass attackers acquire their guns via background checks, and that is because anti-social behavior with no criminal record does not necessarily indicate that violence toward others is forthcoming.

An important point that Yablon overlooks is the contribution gun-free zones make to mass public attacks. After all, it was a gun-free zone that allowed the Sandy Hook attacker to shoot innocents for over nine minutes with no armed resistance. The Orland Pulse was gun-free, as was the San Bernardino County buidling, Umpqua Community College, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, the LaFayette movie theater, the Aurora movie theater, and on and on.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host BREITBART CONNECT of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at [email protected].

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