Child Protective Services Took Stacy Duke to Keep Her Safe, Then Let Her Slip Away | Lois Henry

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8/21/2017 LOIS HENRY: Child protective services took Stacy Duke to keep her safe, then let her slip away | Lois Henry | bakersfield.com

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FEATURED LOIS HENRY: Child protective services took Stacy Duke to keep her safe, then let her slip away

BY LOIS HENRY [email protected] Aug 18, 2017

Lois Henry

 

http://www.bakersfield.com/columnists/lois-henry/lois-henry-child-protective-services-took-stacy-duke-to-keep/article_772a7a9e-846e-11e7-ab01-1f132… 1/5 8/21/2017 LOIS HENRY: Child protective services took Stacy Duke to keep her safe, then let her slip away | Lois Henry | bakersfield.com

Here’s what we know about Stacy Duke.

She was a 15-year-old girl passing herself off as a 22-year-old woman named Angelica Cortez working in an internet cafe who ended up murdered in a garage in south Bakersfield on a beautiful spring day this past April.

Here’s what we don’t know and I can’t seem to find out: Who the hell was supposed to be looking out for this child?

Someone — actually some agency — absolutely had responsibility for Stacy and dropped the ball big time.

In my eyes, Stacy Duke was abandoned by the very agencies that were supposed to protect her.

And no one, other than her family, seems to care.

TAKEN BY THE SYSTEM

Stacy had been in the custody of San Bernardino Child Protective Services from the time she was about 9, according to family members who live mostly in Bloomington, just south of Fontana.

And, yes, Stacy had family who very much loved her and wanted her back.

Her mom was abusing drugs and her dad was in prison so CPS took her.

Her grandma, Joyce Duke, tried to have Stacy placed in her home, but recalled being told she had no rights to the child.

COMING TO KERN

Stacy was placed in numerous foster homes and group homes sometimes in Nevada and back and forth to Kern County. She ran away from a lot of them.

She ran away from her group home here in Bakersfield and ended up in juvenile hall, according to Kern County Counsel Mark Nations.

It’s unclear how long she was in juvy but once a child enters the criminal court system, custody transfers from the child welfare agency to the Probation Department, meaning San Bernardino was no longer responsible for Stacy, Kern County was.

Stacy was due to be released from juvy on Sept. 25, 2016, according to Nations.

For unknown reasons, she was sent to the Jamison Children’s Center on Sept. 23, two days prior to her release.

That, in itself, is odd.

http://www.bakersfield.com/columnists/lois-henry/lois-henry-child-protective-services-took-stacy-duke-to-keep/article_772a7a9e-846e-11e7-ab01-1f132… 2/5 8/21/2017 LOIS HENRY: Child protective services took Stacy Duke to keep her safe, then let her slip away | Lois Henry | bakersfield.com

Jamison is an emergency shelter for children in Kern County’s child welfare system, not kids from other counties.

WHO'S IN CHARGE?

So, when Stacy was released to Jamison, her custody should have gone with her, meaning Kern County CPS should have taken control.

In fact, Nations explained that Kern County was in the process of filing a petition to get custody of Stacy.

But she ran away from Jamison the very night of her arrival.

A petition for custody was never filed.

So, custody over a 15-year-old girl hundreds of miles from her family was just, what, left to flutter into the ether? Huh?

I'm told by social services insiders, this isn't uncommon: Kern CPS removes kids from home and if they run from Jamison (which is not a locked facility) before a petition is filed, that's it.

The kids are out on the street until, or if, they make it back home or to the shelter.

Yeah, that seems like a problem.

SAFETY NET LIKE A SIEVE

Jamison made a missing person’s report on Stacy to the Sheriff’s Office, which noted she had run away with another girl that night but the other girl came back Sept. 28.

“Both were entered into the Missing Persons system and broadcasts were made at the time they were reported missing. Neither was considered at risk,” the Sheriff’s Office reported.

The last notation regarding Stacy stated she had not returned to Jamison as of Oct. 18. Done. File closed.

I would strenuously argue against the notion that neither girl was “at risk.”

They were 15-year-old girls.

I’m sure they acted tough, coming from tough backgrounds. But they were children.

RISKY SHELTER

And here’s a horrifying aside.

Since I started asking about Stacy and Jamison, I’ve learned that human traffickers often prey on boys and girls who stray from the facility and even find ways to get previously trafficked youngsters (known as renegades) placed in Jamison to recruit new “finds.”

Apparently, this is one of the little talked about, but very real reasons the state is phasing out group homes, which I recently wrote about.

NO RECORDS

If Kern CPS was in the process of filing a petition on Stacy, it seems logical that San Bernardino would have had to sign off on that change. And that the family would have been notified.

The family told me they had no idea what was going on.

So I asked to see records held by San Bernardino under Welfare and Institutions Code 10850.4.

That statute says child welfare agencies must release records after a child in their care dies if there’s a reasonable suspicion that the child died from abuse or neglect.

I’d say letting a 15-year-old girl fall through the cracks is about as neglectful as you can get. http://www.bakersfield.com/columnists/lois-henry/lois-henry-child-protective-services-took-stacy-duke-to-keep/article_772a7a9e-846e-11e7-ab01-1f132… 3/5 8/21/2017 LOIS HENRY: Child protective services took Stacy Duke to keep her safe, then let her slip away | Lois Henry | bakersfield.com

And since Probation no longer had control of Stacy and Kern didn't either, that leaves San Bernardino.

There was a bunch of back and forth, but eventually here's the answer I got: “... the minor in question was neither a dependent of San Bernardino County at the time of her death, nor did her death occur in San Bernardino County.”

Come on. The denial dance Kern and San Bernardino are going over this is looking pretty ridiculous at this point.

FAMILY TIES

When I spoke with Stacy’s family, they were just as bewildered as I was.

“After Stacy was killed, her social worker, Michael, told me San Bernardino had dropped her case last October,” Stacy’s grandma, Joyce Duke, said. “How can you drop her case? She’s only 15!”

But San Bernardino wasn't big on communication overall.

The Duke family didn’t even know Stacy had been placed in Bakersfield until she ran away from the group home and called her "nana."

That was Stacy’s thing, she ran away from foster care, always trying to get home, according to Joyce.

Joyce tried to talk to Stacy’s social worker about it.

“He said, ‘Our hands are tied, we can’t stop her,’” Joyce recalled. “I told him, ‘What happens if she gets pregnant, or raped or killed?’”

She was quiet for a long moment and I wondered if the phone had cut out.

“Then why didn’t they just give her back to Chuck?” she wondered.

'THEY WOULDN'T GIVE HER BACK'

Chuck, Charles Duke, is Stacy’s dad.

He was in prison when Stacy was taken from his ex-wife. Stacy was about 9.

Even while he was inside, he said, he started taking classes required by CPS in order to get her back when he got out.

“I never lost parental rights. They tried to take my rights, but they lost. I did all their classes. But they kept making me do classes over and over,” Charles Duke said. “Whatever I did wasn’t good enough.”

He would visit Stacy when he could but sometimes she was placed too far away (Nevada one time) for him to make the trip but he stayed in contact.

“I kept tellin’ her, ‘Just do what they tell you and finish your classes and maybe they’ll let you come home,’” he said. “But they wouldn’t give her back.”

The last he knew, Stacy was still in the Nevada group home. He was getting ready to take a bus trip to see her last fall.

Then she called some time after Christmas to say she’d been placed in a Kern County group home and had run away again.

He didn’t know the name of the Kern County group home, Stacy didn’t tell him and the home never contacted the Duke family, he said.

“We’re really aggravated with CPS,” Joyce said. “But knowing how things work, I don’t think anything can be done about them.”

I agree. But something should be done.

Someone should answer for letting Stacy slip away.

Contact Californian columnist Lois Henry at 661-395-7373 or [email protected]. Her work appears on Sundays and Wednesdays; the views expressed are her own.

http://www.bakersfield.com/columnists/lois-henry/lois-henry-child-protective-services-took-stacy-duke-to-keep/article_772a7a9e-846e-11e7-ab01-1f132…TRIAL UPDATE 4/5 8/21/2017 LOIS HENRY: Child protective services took Stacy Duke to keep her safe, then let her slip away | Lois Henry | bakersfield.com TRIAL UPDATE

Gerardo Rodriguez, 23, was charged with killing Stacy Duke, 15, who was found strangled to death in a garage where Rodriguez lived.

A competency hearing for Rodriguez is set for Sept. 14.

The details of Duke's murder are convoluted.

On April 10, Duke was having a fight with a recent ex-boyfriend and ran into the street on Farmborough Avenue, according to reports. She flagged down a passing motorist, a woman who said she was an acquaintance of Duke's.

The woman drove Duke to the house where Rodriguez lived on Dore Drive. Rodriguez may or may not have also dated Duke previously, according to reports.

Duke was alone with Rodriguez for a short amount of time in the garage of the house. The woman who drove Duke there went in some time later and found Duke dead.

The woman notified others in the house and one of them called 911.

It's unclear what the woman's relationship is, if any, to the people who lived in the house.

http://www.bakersfield.com/columnists/lois-henry/lois-henry-child-protective-services-took-stacy-duke-to-keep/article_772a7a9e-846e-11e7-ab01-1f132… 5/5 8/21/2017 A year after major fires, lessons and takeaways by those involved

A year after major res, lessons and takeaways by those involved By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Posted Aug 18, 2017 at 4:37 PM Updated Aug 18, 2017 at 6:37 PM Reflecting on their roles during the Pilot and Bluecut fires, individuals from an assortment of agencies and groups recently told the Daily Press about their biggest takeaways and lessons learned over the course of the two weeks last August that put a region on edge.

A year ago, back-to-back roaring fires born in or near the Cajon Pass tested the resolve of the region, requiring a hurried and decisive response to alarming blazes that ultimately would char nearly 45,000 acres.

A diverse deputation of responders were called upon in the interest of public safety, with some fighting the fires at ground zero and others providing the ancillary services that often get overlooked.

Reflecting on their roles during the Pilot and Bluecut fires, individuals from an assortment of agencies and groups recently told the Daily Press about their biggest takeaways and lessons learned over the course of the two weeks last August that put a region on edge.

“The big thing is, and we try real hard to do this, to make sure that we’re in uniied command and we have a captain who’s free enough so he can stay in uniied command. I think every one of these big events just reinforces that that’s a good thing.” — San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Lt. Patrick O’Brien

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Unified command essentially engages representatives from multiple involved agencies, including forestry, fire and law enforcement, who work in lock-step to ensure efficient communication and consensus in critical decision making.

O’Brien, who’s been with the department for 29 years, was part of the Department Operations Center during both fires.

“One of our takeaways is because we didn’t have equal numbers of trained people in diferent positions in both (desert and valley) areas, one of our takeaways is (to) have people trained in both areas who can do everything.” — San Bernardino County Red Cross spokeswoman Georgia Duncan

The Red Cross played a critical part in operating shelters, particularly the much- needed location at Sultana High School during the Bluecut Fire, but their desert and valley divisions were cut off by the Cajon Pass shutdown and the snarled traffic on other corridors through the mountains.

There were more than 200 “resilient” volunteers between both divisions during the fires, with more bodies and logistical-savvy volunteers in the desert, Duncan said. The Red Cross has since made cross-training volunteers in both divisions a priority so logistics and mass care skills are equally divided between the two, she added.

“We have to quickly switch from ‘fun and event mode’ into an ‘evacuation or emergency mode’ and make sure everything’s ready. I think we can always do better and we learn from every circumstance we’re in. I think one of the key takeaways is the constant state of preparation and readiness.” — San Bernardino County Fair CEO Geoff Hinds

The fairgrounds’ large, open space and ready infrastructure make it a key facility during large-scale emergencies. It acted as a command center and emergency animal shelter during the fires.

Hinds said while the Bluecut Fire “overwhelmed our initial abilities,” including running out of equipment for animals, Fair personnel and the community stepped up to ensure the facility could adequately meet the needs required by the emergency.

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“We bent but we never broke,” he added. “We emerged from it stronger. Now we continue to prepare, we learn, we evaluate, we’re a better organization and better to support the community because what we learned.”

He also said the Fair has since established a more cohesive plan moving forward, which will continue to evolve.

“We learned the best ways to care for animals that are in shock, scared, who’ve been lifted from their barns and brought to somewhere that is very unfamiliar.” — Dave Gross, volunteer coordinator at fairground’s emergency animal shelter

More than 400 animals at the fairgrounds were handled, fed, calmed and safely returned to owners. Gross said volunteers acquired new techniques to feed the animals and to keep themselves going through long, uncertain days. He added that volunteers now have a 40-foot container full of supplies, ready for the next major emergency.

“The biggest challenge the city faced was communicating with federal ire authorities in determining appropriate boundaries for the evacuation zones.” — Hesperia city spokeswoman Rachel Molina

The Pilot Fire quickly resulted in over 5,300 evacuation orders for homes in southeast Hesperia and mountain communities. More than 82,000 residents were ordered to evacuate during the Bluecut Fire, including in parts of southwest Hesperia.

Molina said the city believed it would have been beneficial for federal authorities to consult officials in Hesperia before evacuation zones were identified.

During both incidents, the city activated its Emergency Operations Center and city employees responded after hours and on weekends to set up and hold road closures to help care for evacuated animals. Working with County Fire, the Sheriff’s Department and Red Cross, Molina said the city learned it was “well prepared” to address disasters in Hesperia and neighboring jurisdictions.

″(One) takeaway is seeing that the advanced preparation homeowners took with the Ready, Set, Go program really worked.” — County Fire spokesman Eric Sherwin

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The program teaches residents to harden their homes to the dangers of wildfires and Sherwin said those preventative measures were in play during the fires, although another of his biggest takeaways was also one of the most frustrating.

“Despite our best effort,” he said, “some people are going to ignore all of the warnings and refuse to evacuate and subsequently place themselves and public safety officials in a dangerous position that could have been avoided.”

Overall, he most recalled the courageous acts of firefighters who took a stand on multiple instances to save residents’ homes throughout the West Cajon Valley. The Bluecut Fire, which destroyed an estimated 105 homes, drew at its peak more than 2,680 personnel to fight it.

— Staf writers Charity Lindsey and Jose Quintero contributed to this report.

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170818/year-after-major-fires-lessons-and-takeaways-by-those-involved 4/4 8/21/2017 Accused serial arsonist admits setting fires

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This Week's Highlights Accused arsonist Jarrod Anthony Samra. (Photo courtesy of San Bernardino County Front Page District Attorney’s Office) ■ ALA at risk for higher insurance premiums Sunday, Aug 20, 2017 ■ Parking garage scare forces By Douglas W. Motley evacuation of village businesses ■ Accused serial arsonist admits San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos announced at an August 7 press setting fires conference that a 23-year old Yucaipa man, Jarrod Anthony Samra, had been charged with nine ■ Rim Recreation and Parks felony counts of arson related to a series of eight wildfires, some causing great bodily harm, and proposes tax hike study burning 900 acres of National Forest land and several structures. At least four of the fires posed an ■ New zoning codes, parking immediate threat to the Running Springs communities. garage repairs, fires discussed at MAC According to court documents obtained by The Alpenhorn News, “On or about August 3, 2017, in the ■ ALA scrambled to get ready for above named judicial district, the crime of Arson Causing great Bodily Injury, in violation of Penal election season Code Section 451(a), a felony, was committed by Jarrod Anthony Samra, who did willfully, unlawfully, Top Stories and maliciously set fire to forest land and property thereby causing great bodily injury to a Cal Fire ■ Mountain communities will soon Firefighter.” benefit from Chamber Partnership Program The document also charges Samra with violation of Penal Code section 451(c), also a felony, for My Town “maliciously setting fire to and burning and causing to be burned a structure and forest land.” ■ No wastewater added to Lake Additionally, Samra was charged with violation of Penal Code section 451.1, stating, “Arson was Arrowhead during study caused by use of a device designed to accelerate the fire.” ■ Run Through the Pines lures 400 “This arsonist will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Ramos said adding that Samra runners to Lake Gregory faces 19 years in state prison if convicted. Officials also confirmed that the fires took place during ■ Lawsuit claims ALA-AWAC similar times of the day and that evidence found at each of the fires was similar in nature, leading conspiracy investigators to believe the fires were related. ■ Blue Jay Jazz Festival kicks off this Thursday The fires Samra is accused of starting are the Bryant Fire 1 and 2 (Yucaipa) on July 7 and August 3, What's up! which burned over 400 acres: The Hidden Fire on July 12 (on Hwy 330); The Bridge 2 Fire on July ■ Alpen Calendar of Events – 14, which burned 460 acres; the Piedmont Fire on July 16; the Seine Fire on July 22, both in San August 17 – August 24 Bernardino near the bottom of Hwy 330 and the Trout (Hwy 330) and Helen fires in Devore, both on ■ Alpen Calendar of Events – July 28, which were stopped as spot fires. During these fires, three firefighters were injured, one August 10 – August 17 seriously. Spotlight ■ Samra was arrested on August 3, when a white GMC pickup truck he was driving was found in the Jeannine’s Home Furnishings, Gifts and Accessories, creative vicinity of Hwy 38 in Yucaipa, where the Bryant 1 and 2 fires began. A multi-agency task force had interior design been gathering evidence from the sites of the numerous fires, which led to the identification of Samra as the person responsible for starting at least eight of the current rash of fires. “This is a perfect Portrait ■ Raquel Comstock embraces community and helps others http://alpenhornnews.com/accused-serial-arsonist-admits-setting-fires-p8297-155.htm# 1/2 8/21/2017 Accused serial arsonist admits setting fires

example of public safety agencies working together to keep our communities safe,” said Sheriff John Movie Reviews McMahon. ■ Detroit One of the modern tools used by investigators was a license plate scanner. Officials said social In The Kitchen with Cathy media postings by Samra enabled investigators to trace the license plates on his vehicle once he ■ Healthy Back-to-School became a person of interest in the case. Breakfasts ■ Fresh Summer Cherries According to a Crime Summary Information Probable Cause document dated August 3, 2017 Uncle Mott obtained by The Alpenhorn News, Samra, who was “Mirandized” by investigators at the Highland ■ Drop The Big One Sheriff’s Station, admitted to setting six of the eight fires, using fireworks components. Samra – likely ■ under the advise of an attorney – subsequently pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing held on In The Summertime August 7. He remains incarcerated at the Glen Helen rehabilitation Center, with bail set at $2 million. Keeping it Real ■ Baby Boomers edged-out in 2016 Authorities said Samra is a former member of a Fire Explorer Scout program operated by the San election Manuel Fire Department. The program introduces youth to the firefighting profession by giving them ■ Justice Department threatens the experience and training in firefighting procedures. safety of San Bernardino and other U.S. Cities San Bernardino County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig said, “San Bernardino County Fire takes arson A View from the Right personally due to the extreme threat to the citizens we serve and the firefighters who put themselves ■ PART I: INSURANCE between the fire and communities they protect. Catching and convicting these criminals is a high EXTORTION ESCALATES priority.” ■ PART III: MEASURE TWICE; CUT ONCE

Share Like 1 Letters to the Editor ■ “Beware the Ides of July” submit your comments

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http://alpenhornnews.com/accused-serial-arsonist-admits-setting-fires-p8297-155.htm# 2/2 8/21/2017 Advocates celebrate and defend federal medical programs - Inland Empire Community Newspapers Advocates celebrate and defend federal medical programs

By Anthony Victoria - August 19, 2017

IECN Photo/Anthony Victoria: Health advocates congregated inside the Women's Club of San Bernardino on August 19 to celebrate the birthdays of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security and call on congressional leaders to fight to maintain health benefits to seniors and low income residents.

Dozens gathered at the Women’s Club of San Bernardino Saturday to celebrate the birthdays of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security and call on congressional leaders to fight to maintain health benefits to seniors and low income residents.

“These programs are vital to our communities,” said Katie Reed, President of the Women’s Club of San Bernardino. “Without them, many people would be without medical treatment that they truly need.”

Congress is deliberating on largely reducing funding to the three programs, according to health advocates. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican colleagues are supporting a $64 billion cut to Social Security Disability Insurance proposed by President Donald Trump in May. The program, funded by workers’ Social Security payroll tax contributions, helps qualifying disabled workers receive living support.

Ernie Powell, the grassroots director of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, refuted claims by Republican lawmakers and private health providers that Social

http://iecn.com/advocates-celebrate-defend-federal-medical-programs/ 1/2 8/21/2017 Advocates celebrate and defend federal medical programs - Inland Empire Community Newspapers Security is going broke. Powell said the Social Security program can pay full benefits all the way up to 2034 and has a $2.9 trillion surplus.

“That is a literal lie,” Powell said of the GOP and private health provider’s claims. “And [the success of Social Security] is based on what you and I do.”

Trump’s proposed budget also intends to slash Medicaid spending by $1.7 trillion and shift a large majority of Medicare costs to seniors by creating a voucher program, according to the California Alliance of Retired Americans.

Shirley Harlan, single payer health advocate and San Bernardino League of Women Voters member, said her pension and Social Security benefits have helped her live a comfortable lifestyle. However, she said it’s becoming difficult to keep up with the rising cost of living.

“The program will always need tweaking,” said Harlan. “I hope our stories will give our congress members courage to keep it improved, protected, and for all of us, when we were young and as we grow old.”

Congressman Pete Aguilar (D-San Bernardino) said he understands how important the three programs are to San Bernardino County families and vowed to continue to stand up for seniors and low income residents.

“We know that this is a promise and a commitment that has been made,” Aguilar expressed. “We need to do everything we can to honor that commitment and make sure you have the resources moving forward.”

Anthony Victoria

Anthony Victoria is the Community News Editor for El Chicano and Colton Courier. For news leads, he can be reached at his office: (909) 381-9898 ext. 208 or via email: [email protected]

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http://iecn.com/advocates-celebrate-defend-federal-medical-programs/ 2/2 8/21/2017 At Victorville prison, two correctional officers injured after assault by inmates

At Victorville prison, two correctional ocers injured after assault by inmates By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Posted Aug 20, 2017 at 11:26 AM Updated Aug 20, 2017 at 11:26 AM Both correctional officers were taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released, Federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Alicia Chandler said.

VICTORVILLE — Two correctional officers were assaulted by three inmates shortly after noon Saturday at the Federal Correctional Institution II, a medium- security prison housing more than 1,100 male inmates, a spokeswoman said.

Prison staff immediately responded to and secured the area. Both correctional officers were taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released, Federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Alicia Chandler said.

No weapons were used during the assault, no other staff members or inmates were injured and “at no time was the public in danger,” she said. The inmate population was returned to their housing units and the prison was placed on “a limited operational status.”

Chandler said the FBI was notified of the assault and, following the conclusion of a preliminary investigation, the prison will return to full operational status.

As of early Sunday, all visiting at the facility, located at 13777 Air Expressway Blvd., remained suspended until further notice, according to the facility website.

The facility, known by shorthand as FCI-2, is one of four facilities within the Federal Correction Complex in Victorville. It houses 1,144 male offenders.

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In May, an inmate attempted to assault a staff member at FCI-I, another medium-security facility that houses over 1,300 male inmates, spurring a lockdown.

In that incident, pepper spray was deployed to contain the situation and neither the inmate or staff suffered any injury, Chandler had said.

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

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170820/at-victorville-prison-two-correctional-officers-injured-after-assault-by-inmates 2/2 8/21/2017 Bad fire season predicted, authorities call for safety preparation - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

Bad re season predicted, authorities call for safety preparation By Rene Ray De La Cruz Staff Writer Posted Aug 18, 2017 at 5:48 PM Updated Aug 18, 2017 at 5:48 PM HESPERIA — Fire officials believe the phrase “creating defensible space” is not a suggestion, but an action essential to improving a home’s chance of surviving a wildfire.

Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, told the Daily Press the upcoming fire season looks like a bad one and property owners should take safety measures in case of a wildfire.

“Rain is always a double-edged sword for us — we get beautiful growth in the spring, which turns into dry vegetation and fuel for fire,” Martinez said. “The warm Santa Ana winds and dry vegetation make for a dangerous combination, especially in September in October. We need to be prepared.”

With over thousands of acres burned already, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said California could be in for a severe wildfire season and Max Mortiz, a fire ecology expert at the University of California, Berkeley, told Time he anticipates fire conditions this year will be “not unlike what we saw last year.”

No homes were lost in last year’s Pilot Fire near Hesperia, but more than 100 homes and more than 200 other structures were destroyed by the Bluecut Fire, which burned more than 36,000 acres.

“Creating that 100-foot buffer between a building and vegetation is one of many ways property owners can protect their homes,” Martinez said. “Along the foothill areas, we’re seeing more and more properties with defensible space. We’re also seeing a lot of properties that have not been cleared.”

Martinez said creating a defensible space also involves trimming trees/bushes, cleaning out debris, removing dead vegetation, removing pine needles, keeping the height of weeds and grass to 4 inches or less, and keeping foliage and limbs 6 feet above ground for trees over 12 feet in height.

According to Martinez, some plants present more of a fire hazard than others, such juniper, manzanita, spanish broom, chamise and greasewood. Plants that pose less of a fire risk include vinca, lilac, and ornamental trees.

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“Property owners should keep plant spacing in mind — a rule of thumb is keeping plants apart by one-half to two-times the height of the plant,” Martinez said. “And even though the shade is nice, planting trees close to one another or to a house is not a good idea.”

Martinez said firewood should be stacked tightly and be located 30 feet from structures, and property owners should consider using non-combustible fence material.

“Keep in mind, embers can travel 1 to 2 miles and many times end up in small vents or on the roofline of homes,” Martinez said. “Some residents are using flame and ember resistant vents, and using fire resistant roofing materials.”

Property owners have the option of installing a roof-mounted sprinkler system that emits a water-based flame retardant or applying protective gels and foams, said Martinez, who added the options are “smart,” but most gels only last a few hours.

“Many people hose down their properties before a fire, but we don’t recommend they stay when the fire is approaching,” Martinez said. “If it’s unsafe or we call for an evacuation, then it’s time to leave your property and head to safety.”

Martinez told the Daily Press arson activity has recently increased and authorities are asking for the public’s help in reporting suspicious activity by calling 800-472-7766.

A former fire explorer from Yucaipa was arrested earlier this month for allegedly starting eight wildfires in the San Bernardino Mountains over the last two months, including the Bryant Fire II on Aug. 3, which burned over 325 acres.

For fire safety resources and information, or to download the “Ready, Set, Go! Personal Wildfire Action Plan,” visit www.sbcfire.org.

Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227, RDeLa [email protected] or on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170818/bad-fire-season-predicted-authorities-call-for-safety-preparation 2/2 8/21/2017 Church leads 'Stop the Violence' march, candlelight vigil in Victorville

Church leads ‘Stop the Violence’ march, candlelight vigil in Victorville By Charity Lindsey Staff Writer Posted Aug 19, 2017 at 8:57 PM Updated Aug 19, 2017 at 8:57 PM VICTORVILLE — With the battle cry of “stop the violence, increase the peace,” about 200 people marched here Saturday afternoon, prompted by recent tragedies in the High Desert community.

Victory Outreach Church organized the march, which began on Hesperia and Nisqualli roads and concluded with a candlelight vigil outside the home of 12- year-old Makiya Walls, who was recently killed in a shooting.

“We’re here to take a stand against the violence that’s been taking place in our city,” Victory Outreach Senior Pastor Alex Gonzalez said. “Our purpose here today is to bring hope to this community ... We’re here just to bring a message of hope and love — that love over violence is what we’re aiming for.”

The event was held in response to “a wave of violence” in the community, including the shooting that claimed Makiya’s life on August 9 and the fatal stabbing of Victorville Galleria owner Chong Suk Hong on July 30.

Victory Outreach member Paul Amaya said he sees the violence in the community first-hand working at the High Desert Homeless Shelter, and believes there’s a close connection between violence and a lack of facilities for those in need.

“In the shelter, we’re not allowed to accept violent offenders ... that keeps them from being able to get help,” Amaya said.

The church offers recovery homes for some violent offenders through their Inner City Recovery Homes program, and Gonzalez said Saturday’s event was “just the start” of their “love over violence effort.”

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170819/church-leads-stop-violence-march-candlelight-vigil-in-victorville 1/2 8/21/2017 Church leads 'Stop the Violence' march, candlelight vigil in Victorville

After marching down Hesperia Road, the group gathered outside the home of Makiya Walls, where her grandmother, siblings and close friends were welcoming of the community support. Makiya’s mother was not in attendance, and her grandmother declined to comment for this story.

Singing Hillsong United’s “Jesus, Lover of My Soul,” members of the church took turns embracing and praying over those who were close to Makiya as tears streamed down the faces of her young siblings and friends.

“We want them to know that we love them and that we’re praying for them,” Gonzalez said to the group as they prepared to march back toward their meeting point.

Victory Outreach’s next “love over violence” event is called Operation Love and will be held at Hook Park in Victorville at 5 p.m. September 9. The event is open to the community and offers a free concert and free food for all attendees.

“We call it ‘responding to the cry of our city,’” Gonzalez said. “We want to promote peace ... We’re here to bring hope, comfort and to be a light.”

Charity Lindsey may be contacted at [email protected] or 760-951-6245. Follow her on Twitter @DP_Charity.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170819/church-leads-stop-violence-march-candlelight-vigil-in-victorville 2/2 8/21/2017 Developer to break ground on second luxury apartment complex in Donut Hole

Redlands Daily Facts (http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com)

Developer to break ground on second luxury apartment complex in Donut Hole

By Sandra Emerson, Redlands Daily Facts

Friday, August 18, 2017

REDLANDS >> The developer of Circa 2020 hopes residents who like the apartment building will find even more to love about a new project, The Crossings at Redlands.

The UCR Group, based in Redlands, will soon break ground on the 340-unit apartment complex on Lugonia Avenue next to the 304-unit Circa 2020. Like its neighbor, The Crossings has been designed to appeal to young professionals looking for upscale apartment living.

The success of Circa 2020 exceeded “our wildest dreams,” said Jim Mauge, president of the UCR development team. “It ... created the opportunity to add the next one.”

The gated complexes, located in an unincorporated area of San Bernardino County known as the donut hole, will ultimately be marketed together under the name Park West Redlands, Mauge said. The properties will maintain their own identities, however.

The multimillion-dollar Crossings complex is expected to welcome its first residents in summer 2018.

The community will offer upscale studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments featuring high ceilings, granite and quartz countertops, island kitchens, stainless steel appliances, washers and dryers, and walk-in closets.

Future residents can make use of two resort-style pools and spas, cabanas, barbecues, an entertainment and theater lounge, a fitness center, a business center and elevators in all the buildings. There also will be an internet coffee lounge, fresh food service and resort market on site.

While Crossings will provide slightly more amenities than Circa 2020, both communities are within walking distance of the nearby Citrus Plaza, Mountain Grove and Redlands Town Center shopping centers.

Based on market research and the experience opening Circa 2020, the developer expects The Crossings at Redlands to attract young professionals and millennials looking for smaller units and larger common areas, Mauge said.

Residents currently living in Circa 2020 are 24 to 36 years old, on average, and work at nearby hospitals and medical offices, local schools and Esri, according to the company.

“There’s over 30,000 medical employees (working locally) that are going somewhere else to rent,” said Tim Stoddard, chief financial officer with UCR. “These same people were going to Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario, down to Corona ... and now they can stay right here and they’d rather be local anyway.”

Circa 2020 is near capacity, as it has been since it opened in 2015, and has met a demand for luxury market-rate apartments in San Bernardino County, according to the developers. http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/business/20170818/developer-to-break-ground-on-second-luxury-apartment-complex-in-donut-hole&template=printart 1/2 8/21/2017 Developer to break ground on second luxury apartment complex in Donut Hole “There’s a vast reservoir of professionals or millennials who want the same experience in life as someone in Richmond, Virginia, Seattle, Washington, or Newport Beach and they have enough discretionary income to pay that,” Mauge said.

The complexes are also meant to address a demand not met by the region’s stock of older apartments.

“It’s no comparison to what we’re developing here,” Stoddard said. “We’re offering real enhanced living, both in your unit and in the amenities we offer in the projects. People just really love it.”

In addition to its amenities, Circa 2020 offers events for residents such as paint nights, cupcake decorating and movie nights, said Kelli Corcoran, construction administrator, who was the first resident to move into the complex.

“It’s really amazing,” Corcoran said. “There’s always something going on.”

The developers will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for The Crossings at Redlands at 10 a.m. Aug. 29 near Lugonia Avenue and Nevada Street.

For more information, go to www.circa2020redlands.com or www.crossingsredlands.com.

URL: http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/business/20170818/developer-to-break-ground-on-second-luxury-apartment-complex-in-donut-hole

http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/business/20170818/developer-to-break-ground-on-second-luxury-apartment-complex-in-donut-hole&template=printart 2/2 8/21/2017 Devore, Big Bear City shelters to offer discounted dog, cat adoptions for Clear the Shelters event

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

Devore, Big Bear City shelters to offer discounted dog, cat adoptions for Clear the Shelters event

Friday, August 18, 2017

Looking for a new friend that barks or purrs?

On Saturday, San Bernardino County animal shelters in Devore, at 19777 Shelter Way, and Big Bear City, at 42080 North Shore Drive, will be offering low cost adoptions during the Clear the Shelters event.

The Devore shelter only will also be participating on Sunday.

The adoption fee will be $25 for dogs, $17 for cats, and $10.50 for a turtle named Herman. There’s only one turtle.

The event is hosted by San Bernardino County Animal Care and Control.

For more information, visit http://wp.sbcounty.gov/dph/programs/acc/

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/lifestyle/20170818/devore-big-bear-city-shelters-to-offer-discounted-dog-cat-adoptions-for-clear-the-shelters-event

http://www.sbsun.com/lifestyle/20170818/devore-big-bear-city-shelters-to-offer-discounted-dog-cat-adoptions-for-clear-the-shelters-event&template=pri… 1/1 8/21/2017 How Big Bear Lake’s solar observatory is contributing to eclipse study

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

How Big Bear Lake’s solar observatory is contributing to eclipse study

By Mark Muckenfuss, The Press-Enterprise

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Most solar telescopes these days are in space. But there is still an active ground-based one perched at the end of a jetty on Big Bear Lake.

Astronomers there are excited about today’s eclipse.

Chief observer Claude Plymate is so thrilled, he left for Oregon. He’ll be in the town of Mitchell, with a host of amateur astronomers, as the moon completely blocks out the sun in that section of the United States. Plymate said he put in for vacation time 11 months ago so he could see his third total eclipse.

He has no plans to photograph it. He’s not taking his telescope. He just plans to enjoy the rare phenomenon.

“Its an experience your reptilian brain really doesn’t know quite how to deal with,” Plymate said. “Shortly before the totality hits, there are a lot of phenomena around you. Lighting looks strange, the temperature can start to drop, the breeze can suddenly drop or come up and the clouds can change. Then you see a darkening of the horizon. To the west it starts getting dark and darker and then it kind of envelopes you. Your mind does not know how to deal with this. It is not something you deal with in everyday life.”

While Plymate is drinking in the moon’s shadow, his colleague Jim Varsik will be at the controls of the Big Bear Solar Observatory’s telescope. He’ll be taking readings in support of the Citizen CATE (Continental America Telescopic Eclipse) Experiment, which is being conducted by Matt Penn at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Penn has enlisted the help of amateur astronomers at 61 stations along the course of the total eclipse to photograph the event at its apex, when the sun is completely covered. He’s expecting to get a near-continuous record of the activity of the corona as the moon’s shadow moves across the continent. The Big Bear telescope will be augmenting that data, Varsik said, by collecting data on the footpoints of the large coronal loops.

“We know there are these polar plumes that very likely will be visible around the corona,” Varsik said. “The idea of our observations would be to try to find the footpoint of those. We’ll be pointing our telescope probably at the south pole of the sun. It gives us a little more information about the polar magnetic fields. It helps us understand the overall sunspot cycle.”

The New Jersey Institute of Technology operates the Big Bear observatory, which studies various aspects of the sun year-round. Varsik said he doesn’t expect to be taking any other observations during the eclipse other than those connected with the Tucson project.

http://www.sbsun.com/science/20170820/how-big-bear-lakes-solar-observatory-is-contributing-to-eclipse-study&template=printart 1/2 8/21/2017 How Big Bear Lake’s solar observatory is contributing to eclipse study “That will probably be enough to keep us busy,” he said.

At UC Riverside, astronomer Mario De Leo-Winkler will be helping the curious observe the eclipse through special telescopes set up near the campus’ bell tower at 10 a.m. He said there is good reason to be excited.

“This hasn’t’ happened in at least 70 years,” De Leo-Winkler said. “It’s a wonderful chance for Americans. Most of the people are calling it the Great American Eclipse. I think they are spot on.”

He said Riverside observers will see a 62 percent blockage of the sun. The event will start at 9 a.m., hit its peak at 10:22 and end at 11:45.

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/science/20170820/how-big-bear-lakes-solar-observatory-is-contributing-to-eclipse-study

http://www.sbsun.com/science/20170820/how-big-bear-lakes-solar-observatory-is-contributing-to-eclipse-study&template=printart 2/2 8/21/2017 Hundreds of thousands of Californians lack access to safe drinking water. Let's fix that once and for all - LA Times

Editorial Hundreds of thousands of Californians lack access to safe drinking water. Let's fix that once and for all

A date harvest forman takes a drink of water as temperatures soar in Coachella, Calif. on Aug. 28, 2015. (Los Angeles Times)

By The Times Editorial Board

AUGUST 18, 2017, 4:00 AM

alifornia’s wet winter eased the immediate water shortages that affected most of the state, giving lawmakers and water agencies a bit of a breather as they craft new policies and design new C infrastructure to weather the next big drought (which, for all we know, may already be underway). But neither the rainfall nor the new projects and policies will help hundreds of thousands of Californians whose local water supply is contaminated. These residents must either pay an inordinate amount of their income to truck in drinkable water or suffer the dire health consequences of drinking, cooking with and bathing in poisonous H20.

At issue are shortages of wealth as well as clean water. Poverty traps people in many parts of the state where water quality has always been substandard, or where it has been made toxic by agricultural or urban runoff or drought that concentrates naturally occurring contaminants. Californians with money could move away or fund http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-drinking-water-fund-20170818-story.html 1/3 8/21/2017 Hundreds of thousands of Californians lack access to safe drinking water. Let's fix that once and for all - LA Times agencies that would build treatment plants or connect to distant sources of healthful water, but too many people don’t have those options.

Negotiations have slogged on for years about how to deal with this problem. Growers and dairy farmers have long acknowledged at least some responsibility for the nitrate contaminants that come from fertilizers and livestock but have dickered over how to apportion blame (and with it, the cost of remediation). Individual water boards around the state can proceed against presumed polluters one by one, but they each do so with their own sense of urgency, or lack thereof. Lawyers can file suit against the state’s 80,000 or so farmers, one by one, but that does little to relieve the ongoing desperation of Californians with access to neither clean water nor sufficient money to do anything about it. “ There are perhaps as many as a million Californians who don’t have [safe, affordable drinking water] and can’t afford it.

Contrary to expectations, those negotiations have produced a bill that would provide a pragmatic and timely solution to the problem. It is backed by an unusual combination of both agricultural interests and environmental justice advocates. It would establish a $100-million fund to finance projects that supply clean, safe and affordable water to people currently without it. Growers would pay a fee on fertilizer or some other assessment for a 15-year period. Water ratepayers across the state would fund most of the rest through a fee of up to $1 per month.

Should water customers in Los Angeles and other parts of the state who already pay to maintain high quality and sufficient supplies for their own use — and who likely will be paying even more for recycling and other projects — also pay a bit more to secure safe and clean water for others?

Yes.

The drought was a reminder of the degree to which Californians are interdependent, especially when it comes to water. Northern Californians have been known to complain that the water from melting Sierra snowfall and the resulting rivers and streams is theirs, and that L.A. and neighboring cities are stealing it from them. In reality, California water falls and flows in an intricate web throughout the state, from the Colorado to the Klamath to the Sacramento and the San Joaquin. Winter storms in any part of the state become our collective good fortune, and likewise drought and shortages in any part of the state stress the supply for all of us. Ratepayers pay not just for water that is locally produced, cleaned, stored and distributed, but for connections to a larger statewide system that bonds us to one another and mutually secures our supplies.

As the crippling drought began, California become the only state in the nation to adopt by law the high-minded principle that access to safe and affordable drinking water is a human right and, by implication, should be http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-drinking-water-fund-20170818-story.html 2/3 8/21/2017 Hundreds of thousands of Californians lack access to safe drinking water. Let's fix that once and for all - LA Times guaranteed for everyone in the state. But there are perhaps as many as a million Californians who don’t have it and can’t afford it. This bill — SB 623 by Sen. Bill Monning, D-Santa Cruz — can hook them up. Lawmakers should say “yes.”

As is so often the case with California water, it is possible to keep wrangling for years over who is taking what from whom, and difficult to craft a workable solution that provides immediate relief. This is one such solution, and lawmakers should not allow it to evaporate.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-drinking-water-fund-20170818-story.html 3/3 8/21/2017 Inland Empire residents asked to help save state’s citrus industry from deadly disease

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

Inland Empire residents asked to help save state’s citrus industry from deadly disease

By Mark Muckenfuss, The Press-Enterprise

Friday, August 18, 2017

RIVERSIDE >> Agriculture and citrus experts told Riverside residents at a meeting Thursday it will take a coordinated community effort to protect not only local citrus trees but the state’s $3.3 billion citrus industry from the growing threat of citrus greening disease.

“If we can’t take care of this together, we will not take care of it,” said Alan Washburn, a grower liaison with Riverside County’s citrus pest and disease prevention.

Washburn addressed about 100 people crowded into a meeting room at Riverside’s Arlington Library. Many were alarmed by the announcement, two weeks ago, of a confirmed case of citrus greening disease in the city.

A single tree near the interchange of the 60, 91 and 215 freeways tested positive for the disease. It was removed and destroyed. State agricultural workers are surveying a mile area around that tree and a 5-mile-radius quarantine is expected to be established in the coming days.

Citrus greening is a bacterial disease carried by the Asian citrus psyllid.

The psyllid appeared in Southern California in 2008. The first case of citrus greening appeared in Hacienda Heights in 2012. So far 80 trees in Los Angeles and Orange counties have been identified with the disease, which kills citrus trees within three to five years. There is no known cure.

The battle has been focused on controlling the Asian citrus psyllid, which is a relatively harmless pest unless it is carrying the disease. The tiny aphid-like bugs are prolific and spread quickly.

“You could walk to pretty much any tree in Riverside and find the psyllid or signs of the psyllid,” said Victoria Hornbaker, an integrated pest control expert with the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

She and other officials talked about the importance of treating trees with both topical and root-based chemicals to fight the psyllid. Organic and biological treatments are not an option, they said.

They suggested the following tips for treating citrus trees and emphasized that September is the best time to treat with the systemic product Merit, the only available pesticide that affects the psyllid:

• Water trees well, several days before application, making sure the ground is saturated.

• Apply Merit liberally around the root area and then water lightly; citrus roots are shallow.

• The topical pyrethroid Tempo should be applied when psyllids are observed. Psyllids typically can be found in new growth at the end of branches. Washburn suggests a treatment in January in anticipation of budding activity in the spring. http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20170818/inland-empire-residents-asked-to-help-save-states-citrus-industry-from-deadly-disease&tem… 1/2 8/21/2017 Inland Empire residents asked to help save state’s citrus industry from deadly disease • Homeowners who don’t want to treat their trees should remove them.

Peggy Mauk, who oversees the Citrus Variety Collection at UC Riverside, a repository for more than 1,000 types of citrus, said nonchemical treatments aren’t effective enough.

“One individual that’s (infected) can infect many trees,” Mauk said. In killing the psyllid, “You need to get as close to 100 percent as possible.” She and Washburn said coordination is key.

“There is a future for us,” Washburn said. “We just have to work together to protect our trees.”

More information on treating trees can be found at www.californiacitrusthreat.org.

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20170818/inland-empire-residents-asked-to-help-save-states-citrus-industry-from-deadly-disease

http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20170818/inland-empire-residents-asked-to-help-save-states-citrus-industry-from-deadly-disease&tem… 2/2 8/21/2017 Lessons learned from Joshua Tree pipe break: Too many are unprepared - Hi-Desert Star: News Lessons learned from Joshua Tree pipe break: Too many are unprepared By Sara Kernan, Hi-Desert Star | Posted: Friday, August 18, 2017 5:58 pm

JOSHUA TREE — Directors of Joshua Basin Water District received an informational debriefing Wednesday about a mainline break that occurred July 27.

Though the situation is still being reviewed, the report delivered by General Manager Curt Sauer explained the timeline of events and identified areas where the district excelled and areas for improvement.

“We’re still talking, we’re still debriefing and we’re still Emergency supply learning,” he said. Joshua Basin Water District opened its Some staff members spent around 31 hours with limited or doors to distribute water to customers who no sleep after completing their normal shift Friday and then did not have emergency water on Friday, working through the night and into the next day to resolve July 28. A precautionary boil order was left the problem. Marina West, general manager of Bighorn- in effect over the weekend as crews tested Desert View Water District, and staff were instrumental in the water after a mainline break. helping with the broken pipe, and Twentynine Palms Water District was on standby, Sauer said. The area of pipe that broke was a 20-inch mainline pipe that collapsed inward, Sauer said. The water district is still looking into what caused the break. Challenges for the crews making the repairs included the close proximity of an 8-inch pipe that staff had to navigate around. In addition, temperatures were above 100 that day. The debriefing also reviewed how the water district activated its emergency operations center and how the community was informed. Randy Mayes handled that aspect, working with Kathleen Radnich to inform the public.

County and state water authorities were contacted and issued a precautionary boil order. Restaurants, the hospital and media were also contacted and the district tried to send a robocall to all customers.

However, 960 customers never gave the district their phone number or did not update it, 444 hung up when they heard it was an automated call and 769 didn’t answer and didn’t have a voicemail set up. Around 2,000 of the total customers of Joshua Basin Water District did not receive the robocall. “Communication goes both ways and our community has to work with us,” Radnich said. The take-away from the break that Sauer identified was that most people in Joshua Tree do not have an emergency supply of water or food.

http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_8d50860a-8479-11e7-b7bc-8f9931d96f50.html?mode=print 1/2 8/21/2017 Lessons learned from Joshua Tree pipe break: Too many are unprepared - Hi-Desert Star: News Directors thanked the staff for their diligence and discussed providing a relief station to protect crews from the elements.

Joshua Basin Water District meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of every month at 61750 Chollita Road.

http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_8d50860a-8479-11e7-b7bc-8f9931d96f50.html?mode=print 2/2 8/21/2017 Needles courthouse offering free self-help services beginning Sept. 1

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

Needles courthouse offering free self-help services beginning Sept. 1

Friday, August 18, 2017

The Needles courthouse will begin offering free legal counseling and paperwork preparation services to residents on the first Friday of every month beginning Sept. 1.

Residents can get questions answered about family law, child support, guardianship, landlord-tenant disputes or small claims cases.

Court staff also can assist with preparing necessary forms and review completed forms to ensure they are ready for filing.

Court staff, however, are not allowed to provide legal advice to interested parties, only practical legal information — directing them to necessary resources and answering questions regarding process and procedure.

Business hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All services are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

The courthouse is located at 1111 Bailey Ave. in Needles.

Self-help services are also provided at two locations in San Bernardino and in Fontana, Victorville, Barstow, Joshua Tree, Needles and the Rancho Cucamonga branch of the San Bernardino County Law Library.

For information, call 909-708-8861 or go to www.sb- court.org/Divisions/FamilyCourtServices/SelfHelpFamilyLawVideos.aspx.

— Joe Nelson, Staff Writer

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/government-and-politics/20170818/needles-courthouse-offering-free-self-help-services-beginning-sept-1

http://www.sbsun.com/government-and-politics/20170818/needles-courthouse-offering-free-self-help-services-beginning-sept-1&template=printart 1/1 8/21/2017 Our House shelter moves to new house in Mentone

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

Our House shelter moves to new house in Mentone

Shelter supports homeless children and those in crisis

By Sandra Emerson, Redlands Daily Facts

Sunday, August 20, 2017

MENTONE >> A house for youth in crisis has finally found its own house.

Our House, which provides emergency shelter for boys and girls ages 11 to 17, has moved to a new location in Mentone.

“I think this is a fresh start for everybody,” said Devin Baze, shelter manager. “Everybody gets a new beginning.”

Our House had been looking for a new location for a while, Baze said, knowing that its previous landlord wanted to do something different with the building at Sylvan Park in Redlands.

The organization was able to purchase its new building in Mentone, which gives it a stronger sense of ownership and the ability to make changes.

“It’s the little things,” Baze said. “Like being able to choose the paint on the walls. It just makes it feel like you’ve got ownership over it.”

The youth shelter, which opened in 2012, will be able to serve up to 14 children in the new facility.

The new location has a room for counseling sessions, a kitchen and office area.

Boys will stay on one side of the house, with girls on the other. A large living room gives them a place to gather and relax, while a building at the back of the property provides a pool table, games and space for tutoring.

“Here, the ability to leave the house and come back here if they want, it gives them a little extra freedom, a little extra space,” Baze said. “It’s very positive.”

Our House, under the umbrella of Victorville-based Family Assistance Program, assists homeless and runaway youth and administers an early intervention program for parents looking to help their children.

“We deal with a lot of homeless, runaway youth and parents that come in dropping off their child hoping to find a solution for whatever crisis is going on at home,” said April Zamora, who is a case manager at the shelter along with Jessica Whitacre.

As case managers, Zamora and Whitacre work to find the best plan for each child.

“They let us know what their goals are and we try to take them on the right path so they can accomplish those goals,” Zamora said. “If that’s finally passing a class or getting enrolled in school, nothing is too small for them to accomplish.”

http://www.sbsun.com/social-affairs/20170820/our-house-shelter-moves-to-new-house-in-mentone&template=printart 1/2 8/21/2017 Our House shelter moves to new house in Mentone Young people living in the house work with staff on their schedule, what food they want to eat and what programming they are interested in.

“We really focus on positive youth development,” Baze said. “They get a lot of say in what they get to do.”

Some of the youth may be more relaxed and interested in hanging out around the house, while others want to go hiking or other activities, Baze said. Sometimes, he said, youth will come in with behavioral issues that require more supervision.

“It can be a challenge sometimes,” said Baze, who has worked for Our House for the past three years. “This is a fantastic job. I think everyone who works here really cares about kids.”

For more information on Our House visit the shelter at 1387 Jasper Ave. or call 909-335-2676.

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/social-affairs/20170820/our-house-shelter-moves-to-new-house-in-mentone

http://www.sbsun.com/social-affairs/20170820/our-house-shelter-moves-to-new-house-in-mentone&template=printart 2/2 8/21/2017 Parents of Inland Empire autistic kids aim to remove the stress from eating out

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

Parents of Inland Empire autistic kids aim to remove the stress from eating out

By Stephen Wall, The Press-Enterprise

Saturday, August 19, 2017

The stares. The dirty looks. The criticism of their parenting. It was all too much for Mike and Cassidi Rand.

Every time the Victorville couple dined out with their autistic son, they felt like other patrons were judging them, whether they said anything to them or not. They stopped going to most restaurants because of the stress and anxiety they felt whenever Peyton, now 7, had outbursts or refused to sit still.

“You may not see the eyes looking at you, but you can feel the eyes looking at you,” Mike Rand said. “It was very uncomfortable.”

The Rands no longer have to worry if Peyton throws a tantrum or drops his drink.

Nearly a year ago, they started a local chapter of a national group, Autism Eats, which aims to make eating out a fun and relaxing experience for parents whose children have autism, a neurological disorder that inhibits a child’s ability to interact with the world. Symptoms range from an inability to look people in the eye to constant repetition of words to odd emotional outbursts. There is no single known cause.

Every month or so, the group hosts parties at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, which reserves a large area for families who feast on pizza and pasta while enjoying appearances by a magician, superheroes, “Star Wars” characters and other entertainers.

“Nobody in here is going to care that your child is screaming or yelling or having a fit,” Mike Rand said during a recent gathering at the BJ’s in Rancho Cucamonga. “Everyone is the same. We’re all equals.”

Solutions sought

Autism Eats is one of several Inland efforts to improve accommodations for people with the disorder, which is exploding across the country. A southwest Riverside County task force and a Temecula nonprofit are among those seeking solutions to challenges affecting autistic children and their families.

Cases of autism have risen nationally to one in 68 children — nearly twice the 2004 rate. Boys are almost five times as likely to be diagnosed as girls, a 2016 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. The Inland area has about 12,000 children and adults with autism, according to Autism Society Inland Empire.

“It’s a public health crisis that needs to be addressed,” said Temecula City Councilman Mike Naggar, whose son has autism.

Cases have skyrocketed mainly because the criteria for diagnosing autism has been broadened considerably, said Alison Singer, president of the New York City-based Autism Science Foundation.

http://www.dailybulletin.com/health/20170819/parents-of-inland-empire-autistic-kids-aim-to-remove-the-stress-from-eating-out&template=printart 1/3 8/21/2017 Parents of Inland Empire autistic kids aim to remove the stress from eating out People with average or above average IQs but still have difficulty getting along with others are now considered autistic, she said.

Also, she said, scientific studies have shown that older mothers and fathers have a greater risk of having kids with autism — a situation that’s worsened as more parents wait longer to have children.

Finally, advances in medicine and technology have increased the survival rate of premature babies, many of whom have developmental issues including autism, she said.

Naggar organized the Southwest Riverside Autism Task Force in 2010 after his then 5-year-old son, Liam, was diagnosed with the disorder. The group, which consists of elected officials from Temecula, Murrieta, Perris, Wildomar, Hemet, Menifee, Canyon Lake and Lake Elsinore, created a resource guide and tackled jobs, housing and other issues.

“We have to start incorporating them into our community, teaching them job skills, or they’re the coach potatoes, welfare recipients and criminals of the future if we don’t do anything,” Naggar said.

Temecula includes the special-needs community in city activities, programs and services, he said.

The city hosts Easter egg hunts for kids with autism. At carnivals, children with autism wear arm bands letting them go to the front of the line. Twice a year, the city partners with Spero Vineyards in Temecula Valley Wine Country on an eight-week job training program teaching 10 autistic and special needs youth about the winemaking business.

The city opened Eagle Soar Playground and Splash Pad at Margarita Community Park, which has equipment with colors and sounds that are attractive to special needs children. It includes placards explaining autism and Down syndrome to promote awareness and understanding by others.

Temecula also has plans for a 245-unit condominium project near Pechanga Resort & Casino that could open in spring 2019. Prior to construction, buyers at the proposed Cypress Ridge development can select specially designed light fixtures, ceilings, windows, doors and other accommodations for people with special needs, city officials said.

Another effort is led by Mark Anselmo, a founder of the Temecula nonprofit Our Nicholas Foundation, which was started in 2005, a couple years after his son, Nicholas, now 16, was diagnosed with autism.

The group’s activities include teen dance parties, sensory-friendly movie nights with the lights turned up and the sound turned down, as well as an annual soccer season that teaches autistic kids to play with other children and young adults.

Focusing on food

A few years ago, the foundation and Autism Society Inland Empire started Exceptional Diners, a program for restaurants that aims to cut the wait time for families with autistic children.

Richie’s Real American Diner, which has three Inland restaurants, tries to seat patrons with autism right away and give them fast service.

As soon as the family arrives at their table, the server brings French fries, mashed potatoes “or something right off the grill to keep that kiddo occupied and happy,” said Jack Williams, who owns the Murrieta and Temecula locations with his wife, Linda. His daughter and son-in-law own a third restaurant at Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga.

“You respect everybody and you want to help anyone who has the slightest handicap or disability of any type have the best experience,” Jack Williams said. “Go out of your way 100 percent for that person or that family.” http://www.dailybulletin.com/health/20170819/parents-of-inland-empire-autistic-kids-aim-to-remove-the-stress-from-eating-out&template=printart 2/3 8/21/2017 Parents of Inland Empire autistic kids aim to remove the stress from eating out In San Bernardino County, Autism Eats has held eight events since forming last September — all at BJ’s, where Cassidi Rand is a senior manager at the Victorville restaurant.

The group’s first gathering outside the High Desert was to the Rancho Cucamonga eatery in early August. While enjoying lunch, about 60 people were treated to table-side card tricks by magician Jonathan Molo, who also performed after the meal.

“For them to come out like this, it’s a huge moment,” Cassidi Rand said. “Today, we had a little girl drink from a straw for the first time. They see other kids and feel comfortable.”

Mike Rand, 33, said he hopes the parties are “a stepping stone” for families that will no longer be afraid to take their autistic kids to other public places such supermarkets and movie theaters.

Melody Stillwell and her husband David, who live in Chino Hills, took their two autistic boys, ages 7 and 10, to the Rancho Cucamonga event. It was a great way to meet other families going through the same struggles, Melody Stillwell said.

“The kids can be themselves, the families can be themselves,” she said. “They don’t have to worry, ‘Are we being too loud?'”

Rialto resident Alena Torres, 31, sat in a corner of the restaurant with her 10-year-old daughter, Kylie, who can’t talk, has severe anxiety and gets upset and aggressive in unfamiliar places.

“I avoided going out for a very long time,” Torres said. “She never gets to experience this. It makes me feel good that there are people out there who understand.”

ABOUT THE GROUP

Name: Autism Eats

Founded: 2014 by Leonard and Delphine Zohn, a Massachusetts couple who have an autistic son

Locally: Mike and Cassidi Rand started a Victorville branch in September 2016

What it is: Every month or so, the group holds parties at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse with all-you-can eat meals and entertainment for families with autistic children.

Purpose: Offer a stress-free dining experience for parents who don’t have to worry if their autistic kids have outbursts or refuse to sit still.

Contact: 760-900-2303 or [email protected]; https://www.facebook.com/autismeatsHD/

URL: http://www.dailybulletin.com/health/20170819/parents-of-inland-empire-autistic-kids-aim-to-remove-the-stress-from-eating-out

http://www.dailybulletin.com/health/20170819/parents-of-inland-empire-autistic-kids-aim-to-remove-the-stress-from-eating-out&template=printart 3/3 8/21/2017 Parking garage scare forces evacuation of village businesses

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Parking garage scare forces evacuation of village businesses Useful Links

This Week's Highlights Front Page ■ ALA at risk for higher insurance premiums ■ Parking garage scare forces A portion of the upper deck parking lot at Lake Arrowhead Village remains closed while evacuation of village businesses crews complete parking garage renovations. (Photo by Douglas W. Motley) ■ Accused serial arsonist admits setting fires Sunday, Aug 20, 2017 ■ Rim Recreation and Parks By Douglas W. Motley proposes tax hike study ■ New zoning codes, parking A loud, reverberating boom, followed by shaking sent employees and customers of several Lake garage repairs, fires discussed at Arrowhead Village businesses packing around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 8, when, according to MAC village management a tension cable supporting one of the parking garage’s many support beams ■ ALA scrambled to get ready for shifted, causing a compressed piece of concrete to fracture and shift nearly two inches. election season Top Stories Noting that 32 construction workers were conducting renovations to the aging structure at the time of ■ Mountain communities will soon the occurrence, General Contractor Chad Logan, owner of Riverside-based Logan Construction, said benefit from Chamber Partnership he was thankful that there were no injuries. According to Logan, nothing broke off and no beams Program came off of columns supporting the parking lot above the garage. My Town “There was a loud boom and shaking, but I didn’t think anything of it because I knew they were ■ No wastewater added to Lake working down below me,” said Linda Doyle, who with her husband, Dave, owns and operates Lake Arrowhead during study Arrowhead Deli, Pizza and Family Fun Center on the uppermost level of Lake Arrowhead Village. ■ Run Through the Pines lures 400 runners to Lake Gregory About 15 minutes later, said Doyle, someone from village management told her that she and her ■ Lawsuit claims ALA-AWAC customers and employees had just 15 minutes to evacuate the building and move their vehicles off of conspiracy the section of the parking lot that’s directly above the parking garage. ■ Blue Jay Jazz Festival kicks off this Thursday “Around 12:30 p.m. on Friday Chad (General Contractor Chad Logan) reassured us that it was okay What's up! to go back inside because the county had given approval to go back in,” Doyle said. ■ Alpen Calendar of Events – August 17 – August 24 Noting that she has noticed changes in the parking lot over the 16 years she and her husband have ■ Alpen Calendar of Events – been operating their business in the village, Doyle said, “They’re shoring everything up for the safety August 10 – August 17 of our family and customers. Rumors are spreading like wildfire, that’s scary,” she said adding, “We don’t want you to be scared to sit on our patio, even though you can’t park your cars here.” Spotlight ■ Jeannine’s Home Furnishings, Other businesses in the upper level of the village that were affected by the ordered evacuation and Gifts and Accessories, creative closure include the village security office and Lake Arrowhead Chalets. Stater Brothers Market and interior design other businesses that are not located above the parking garage were not affected, other than by the Portrait loss of about half of the available parking spaces on the upper deck. ■ Raquel Comstock embraces community and helps others http://alpenhornnews.com/parking-garage-scare-forces-evacuation-of-village-businesses-p8299-155.htm 1/2 8/21/2017 Parking garage scare forces evacuation of village businesses

Lake Arrowhead Chalets General Manager Denise Vasquez told The Alpenhorn News Monday her Movie Reviews first thought following the loud boom and shaking was, “What the heck was that? I already knew they ■ Detroit were working below, so I knew it had something to do with the structure. It went boom and then shook like an earthquake, so we vacated just in case there were issues.” In The Kitchen with Cathy ■ Healthy Back-to-School Vasquez said her timeshare rental business didn’t suffer from lost business as much as other village Breakfasts tenants because she was able to conduct business by phone. “By Friday, we were able to come back ■ Fresh Summer Cherries in and complete business transactions with our customers.” Uncle Mott ■ Drop The Big One Explaining that there have been three crews working 20 hours a day, seven-days-a-week since May ■ on rehabilitating the village’s parking garage, Lake Arrowhead Village General Manager John Wick In The Summertime told The Alpenhorn News last week that the repairs exceed original specifications and that he Keeping it Real expects them to be completed by Labor Day. ■ Baby Boomers edged-out in 2016 election At an estimated cost of about $1 million, Wick said crews are recoating rebar, even though it had not ■ Justice Department threatens the shown signs of corrosion, wrapping columns with fiber and then removing damaged concrete and safety of San Bernardino and injecting an epoxy composite strengthening compound to add extra strength to the columns. other U.S. Cities A View from the Right As for the current shortage of nearly 400 parking spaces in the village Wick said, “We are doing all ■ PART I: INSURANCE we can to accommodate locals and visitors.” He said village tenants and employees are currently EXTORTION ESCALATES parking at nearby, off-site locations and that they are being reimbursed for parking fees at the Burnt ■ PART III: MEASURE TWICE; Mill Beach Club and are additionally able to park at other off-site locations at Lakeview Realty and CUT ONCE Tasty Chicken and Ribs, as well as at Rim High School on Fridays after 5 p.m. and all day Saturday and Sunday and Labor Day Monday. Those parking at the high school will be reimbursed for Letters to the Editor transport to the village provided by MARTA or the Trolley. ■ “Beware the Ides of July” In an effort to accommodate customers and employees, Wick said, village management and the merchants association will reimburse customers and employees who take any mountain transportation service to the village through Labor Day weekend. “Turn in your receipts within three days of riding to get reimbursed in full.”

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Rim Recreation and Parks proposes tax hike study Useful Links Sunday, Aug 13, 2017 • Social Security By Rhea-Frances Tetley • Board of Supervisors • 2nd District Janice Rutherford At a recent board meeting, directors of the Rim of the World Recreation and Parks District (Rec & • 3rd District James Ramos Parks) discussed the details of a potential Crestline park, as well as funding a research survey on a proposed ballot measure to raise property taxes to support the park district. • Animal Care & Control • Code Enforcement The public had brought many ideas forward at a July 10 committee meeting. Lawrence Mainez said, • Assessor “The meeting showed a pathway to bring an awesome park to the Crestline area.” The first recommendation was to apply to the Forest Service for both the Pacific Pines and the Old Mill Road • Auditor / Controller-Recorder sites under consideration and the staff assured the board that the USFS applications would meet the • Registrar of Voters July 31 deadline. • County Parks The district is continuing discussions with the Rim School District regarding a joint use of the Lake • Treasurer-Tax Collector Gregory Education Center. This joint use proposal will be subject to county planning review, which • Public Works they believe has a 99 percent chance of getting approved. They hope to move into the facility this • Superior Court September. This Week's Highlights If Rec & Parks does get the facility, Director Mick Hill said, “It is important to not undermine local businesses; we cannot directly compete with them and should only offer programs not available in Front Page the private sector.” Director Jason Bill suggested feeder programs where the fundamentals are ■ ALA at risk for higher insurance taught, such as basketball, since there are no basketball leagues in Crestline and the gym at the premiums Lake Gregory site would be perfect for that. ■ Parking garage scare forces evacuation of village businesses Rec & Parks recommended drafting a letter to the County Regional Parks board requesting a ■ Accused serial arsonist admits meaningful discussion of the future of the ‘ballfields’ at Lake Gregory Regional Park. After discussion, setting fires it was said this will be fruitless, since Cal Parks, if they get their 20-year lease will have complete ■ Rim Recreation and Parks control over the area, which is now storing lake dredgings. proposes tax hike study ■ New zoning codes, parking Concerning the undeveloped 17-acre parcel behind Lake Gregory Elementary School, it was agreed garage repairs, fires discussed at by the board the other potential park sites had fewer challenges and that the other sites should be MAC investigated first. ■ ALA scrambled to get ready for election season Staff members were authorized to hire Strategy Research Institute, represented by local resident Gary Manross, to conduct a survey and research study to see what issues interest the local voters Top Stories and whether a ballot measure to raise the tax rate would pass. Not more than $20,000 was approved ■ Mountain communities will soon for this survey. benefit from Chamber Partnership Program Also at the meeting, Rick DePrisco passed out a balance sheet to the board members and discussed My Town whether funds should be moved to a reserve fund, which would be a little more difficult to access in ■ No wastewater added to Lake case of a fiscal emergency. After discussion, it was decided to keep the funds where they are, until Arrowhead during study after the October audit and then choose in which operating or reserve fund the money should be ■ Run Through the Pines lures 400 kept. runners to Lake Gregory ■ Lawsuit claims ALA-AWAC The August 12 ‘Run Through the Pines’ signups are ahead of schedule, reported Director Bob conspiracy KInzel. “This signup rate is higher than last year at this point, with 117 runners already registered with ■ Blue Jay Jazz Festival kicks off three weeks to go. We anticipate approximately 500 runners this year. We still need volunteers to this Thursday work the race.” What's up! A new Sportball program teaching fundamentals will be coming to Rec & Parks this fall, including an ■ Alpen Calendar of Events – after-school sports program at MPH. Also, a Special Olympics program is beginning with bowling in August 17 – August 24 late August and will run through November. There is no cost to the athlete, as Special Olympics will ■ Alpen Calendar of Events – pick up all expenses. August 10 – August 17 Spotlight At the conclusion of the meeting, General Manager Karen Reams was congratulated on her recently ■ Jeannine’s Home Furnishings, awarded Recognition in Special District Governance certificate. Gifts and Accessories, creative interior design Portrait ■ Raquel Comstock embraces Like 0 Share community and helps others http://alpenhornnews.com/rim-recreation-and-parks-proposes-tax-hike-study-p8288-155.htm 1/2 8/21/2017 San Bernardino City Council to decide: Does spending federal money on homeless help?

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

San Bernardino City Council to decide: Does spending federal money on homeless help?

By Ryan Hagen, The Sun

Friday, August 18, 2017

SAN BERNARDINO >> A meeting Monday will decide whether the city will spend $880,000 of federal money on a plan to help homeless people here or return the money out of fears that it will ultimately attract more homeless people to the city and burden taxpayers.

The meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. in the board room at 201 North E St., continues a City Council meeting Wednesday where council members said they wouldn’t approve the plan until they got more answers.

The thrust of their questions: Will this project attract more homeless people to San Bernardino, burdening residents and discouraging business?

“After meeting with constituents, there were a number of concerns raised,” said Councilman Henry Nickel. “There are remain concerns that as we build more facilities that accommodate these type of individuals, that it does attract more of those types of individuals to our community. It serves as a magnet to attract these type of individuals that seek services.”

The City Council has already approved the project itself, which is to convert 21 apartments on Golden Avenue near Highland Avenue into 38 permanent housing units for homeless and low-income individuals, along with supportive services such as job placement and mental health counseling. The total cost is estimated at close to $4 million.

This $880,000 would be used as a loan to help the developer acquire the property.

The nonprofit in charge of the project, Inland Empire Housing First Programs - Step Up, has projects in other cities and would house homeless people from those cities there, Kim Albers, the organization’s vice president, said during the meeting.

“So I don’t think in any way this particular project could serve as a magnet,” Albers said, adding that outreach would focus on the area immediately around the project.

Councilman Jim Mulvihill added that the program is intensive and longterm — not an overnight shelter — making it unlikely to result in any new people on the streets, he said.

Nickel as well as Councilman John Valdivia and Councilwoman Bessine Richard expressed concern that San Bernardino was taking on the burden of other cities’ homeless populations, attracting more homeless and focusing resources on that issue instead of attracting business.

That led Richard to suggest continuing the discussion later.

The city faces a relatively tight deadline: The federal HOME funds must be spent by Aug. 31, or they will be reclaimed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for use in other parts of the country, http://www.sbsun.com/social-affairs/20170818/san-bernardino-city-council-to-decide-does-spending-federal-money-on-homeless-help&template=printart 1/2 8/21/2017 San Bernardino City Council to decide: Does spending federal money on homeless help? according to city staff.

A persistent concern among many in San Bernardino — as well as other cities like Redlands, where the number of homeless people counted rose this year — is that offering services to homeless people will draw people from other communities.

That’s why the county intends to go to every city with a double-digit number of homeless people to bring them into the program and create a level playing field, the county’s homelessness czar, Philip Mangano, told the San Bernardino City Council in April.

An update on other cities’ efforts to address homelessness was promised for Monday’s meeting, as is a draft of a letter from Mayor Carey Davis to other mayors saying he expected them to shoulder their share of the burden.

Davis noted that, according to Point In Time counts held each year, the number of homeless in the city has dropped from 908 people in 2013 to 491 in 2017.

“The efforts this city has been putting forward in addressing the homeless problem have been showing results,” Davis said. “The city has reduced its homeless population, according to the Point in Time count, by 46 percent.”

That remains significantly more than any other city in the county.

If it proceeds on schedule, the units would be available in August 2018.

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/social-affairs/20170818/san-bernardino-city-council-to-decide-does-spending-federal-money-on-homeless-help

http://www.sbsun.com/social-affairs/20170818/san-bernardino-city-council-to-decide-does-spending-federal-money-on-homeless-help&template=printart 2/2 8/21/2017 San Bernardino’s Carousel Mall closes, brings strong emotions

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

San Bernardino’s Carousel Mall closes, brings strong emotions

By Ryan Hagen, The Sun

Friday, August 18, 2017

SAN BERNARDINO >> Anyone trying to visit the 43-acre downtown mall that for decades housed some of the city’s most bustling destinations would only have to get within a few feet of the entrance before they saw the 8 1/2-by-11-inch piece of paper with a brief message printed in black and white.

“Please be advised that Carousel Mall is permanently closed to public access,” reads the message, taped to locked doors that otherwise look the same as they once did every night. “We thank you for your years of loyal patronage.”

There aren’t a lot of would-be visitors these days.

Built in 1972 as Central City Mall and renamed Carousel Mall when a merry-go-round was added in 1991 as part of an effort to jump-start already dwindling business, the mall had lost all of its anchor stores by 2003.

Even as store after store left without a replacement, 14 tenants remained until July.

That’s when the city forced out the last of its tenants, as it prepares for a revitalization project that will involve demolishing the mall. Restaurants, retail, offices and housing are all part of the replacement plan.

The downtown property is one of 300 owned by the city through its Economic Development Agency, which like all of the state’s other redevelopment agencies was eliminated in 2012.

“The development is expected to serve as a catalyst for downtown San Bernardino by building upon the pre- existing foot traffic brought in by the Regal Cinema and California Theatre,” the city says in its plan for the area. “The city in conjunction with AECOM and The Fransen Co. are working on this two-phase project consisting of the 5.5-acre Theater Square district and 42.7-acre Carousel Mall.”

The mall’s last tenants aren’t on board.

“For the mall merchants, it was very distressing to hear the mall was going to be sold or torn down,” said Mark Westwood, general manager of KCAA 1050 AM, 106.5 FM and 102.3 FM. “It really could be turned into a successful mall if they managed it right. ... I don’t have any faith in the plan they have.”

Westwood worked six years at KCAA when it was based in Carousel Mall. Now, despite a lifetime living in San Bernardino, he’s moved the operation to Redlands — and says he wouldn’t return if the city invited him.

Before the City Council signed onto the latest redevelopment plan, in 2015, they were already blocking business, in Westwood’s estimation.

“There was no Christmas music at Christmas time, there was no Santa, no Easter Bunny at Easter time,” he said. “I remember a woman came in and asked, ‘Is it OK for me to be here?’ ” This was around Christmastime, and http://www.sbsun.com/business/20170818/san-bernardinos-carousel-mall-closes-brings-strong-emotions?source=most_viewed&template=printart 1/2 8/21/2017 San Bernardino’s Carousel Mall closes, brings strong emotions it’s not that she wasn’t comfortable – she thought she might not have permission.”

City officials see the mall’s demise as part of not just the city’s struggles — its 2012 bankruptcy filing was preceded by scores of closed businesses, amid high crime and poverty — but a national move away from indoor malls.

A report from Credit Suisse predicted this year that if the current pace of retail bankruptcies, store closures and increased e-commerce buying continues, as many as 25 percent of the nation’s malls will close by 2022. Online shopping is a major driver, but so is the perception that indoor malls are old and tired, according to analysts.

Westwood says other local malls, such as Galleria at Tyler in Riverside and Redlands Mall, show success is possible. Redlands Mall closed in 2010, but officials in that city have plans that include a mixed-use retail/residential project with additional parking for downtown.

Westwood said San Bernardino’s plan for Carousel Mall should be more like the Redlands Mall.

He isn’t the only one with strong memories of the downtown mall.

A tribute video posted on Facebook by Joaquin Alva on Aug. 1 had 136,000 views and 615 comments.

“I remember growing up and going here almost every weekend in the 80’s n 90’s,” one person responded. “I’m sad a piece of my childhood is actually dead now.”

Not all the memories were positive, though.

“There must be a god, finally tearing down that eyesore,” another commenter said. “Hope they can get rid of the permanent urine stench (that) lingers.”

The city plans to first bring restaurants and retail to Theater Square, which borders the mall to the north, building off the 700,000 moviegoers who come to Regal Cinema in a year. New construction there is expected in 24 to 36 months, according to Community Development Director Mark Persico.

Profits from that sale are then planned for the Carousel Mall revitalization.

Downtown revitalization is necessary for the city to succeed, say advocates, including Councilman Henry Nickel.

“Change is often difficult, and it’s a chapter of our history that I think we can look at with a smile, but I think it’s time to move on,” Nickel said, noting that people made memories in the buildings that were on the site before the mall. “I went there as a kid, and I have memories there, so I get it. But it’s time for us to look forward to the next chapter and the new memories that will be made and an even better place to spend time and money.”

URL: http://www.sbsun.com/business/20170818/san-bernardinos-carousel-mall-closes-brings-strong-emotions

http://www.sbsun.com/business/20170818/san-bernardinos-carousel-mall-closes-brings-strong-emotions?source=most_viewed&template=printart 2/2 8/21/2017 Sheriff: Trump Wants Us To Break The Law

HOMEPAGE NEXT IN POLITICS MENU ‹ › MENU

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Sheriﬀ: Trump Wants Us To Break The Law The Trump administration is pushing sheriffs to keep illegal immigrants in jail for longer than is constitutionally allowed—and it's putting sympathetic sheriffs in a tough spot.

BETSY WOODRUFF 08.19.17 8:21 AM ET

President Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants has some sheriffs worried the White House is pushing them to break the law – demanding they violate the Fourth Amendment or face vilification from the commander-in-chief. http://www.thedailybeast.com/sheriff-trump-wants-us-to-break-the-law 1/6 8/21/2017 Sheriff: Trump Wants Us To Break The Law “It’s a total mess,” said Bob Gualtieri, the sheriff of Pinellas County, Fla. ‹ HOMEPAGE NEXT IN POLITICS › MENU At issue is a complicated question: Should sheriffs keep undocumented immigrants in their jails for more time than otherwise necessary so that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers can pick them up to be deported?

The White House is demanding sheriffs do just that, by honoring ICE’s requests that sheriffs keep certain people locked up long enough for the agency to take them into custody. Those requests are called detainers. And many sheriffs would happily comply – except that federal courts have ruled repeatedly that the Fourth Amendment bars them from keeping an undocumented immigrant in jail who would otherwise go free.

“If we violate the law by doing what they ask us to do, we’re subjecting ourselves, no question, to civil liability and civil rights violations,” Gualtieri said.

He added that he spoke about the issue recently with Stephen Miller – a top White House advisor working on immigration – who didn’t seem to understand his Constitutional concerns.

“My takeaway from that conversation with Stephen Miller is that he was uninformed about this problem,” Gualtieri said. “I think that there are certain admin officials who think that these warrants [detainers] solve the problem, and are saying, ‘What are you sheriffs doing? Why aren’t you cooperating?’ when they don’t know that it is clearly a problem and that we can’t do it.”

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“I give them the absolute benefit of the doubt,” Gualtieri added. “I think that they’re uninformed on the problem.”

A White House spokesperson directed The Daily Beast to ICE for comment on this story. And ICE spokesperson Liz Johnson said the agency is exploring “a variety of options that address the concerns of our sheriff partners when honoring ICE detainers.”

“A variety of options are under review,” she said in a statement, “but no final decisions or formal plans have been submitted for action at this time.”

“The agency maintains that detainers are legally-authorized requests, upon which a law enforcement agency may rely, to continue to maintain custody of an alien for up to 48 hours so that ICE may safely assume custody for removal purposes,” she added.

Sheriff Richard Stanek, of Hennepin County, Minn., told The Daily Beast that ICE is demanding sheriffs violate the Constitution. GET THE BEAST IN YOUR INBOX! Enter your email address By clicking “Subscribe,” you agree to have read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

http://www.thedailybeast.com/sheriff-trump-wants-us-to-break-the-law 2/6 8/21/2017 Sheriff: Trump Wants Us To Break The Law “The current ICE detainer notion that Sheriffs can and should hold alleged illegal aliens beyond the time that their local ‹ HOMEPAGE NEXT IN POLITICS › MENU charges are adjudicated is in violation of their constitutional rights while in the United States of America, and ICE knows this,” he said in a statement provided to The Daily Beast. “The U.S. courts have ruled against this notion time and time again – the way forward for ICE and local Sheriffs in partnership to protect public safety is a solution that both provides for public safety while at the same time protecting an individual’s constitutional rights.”

Most experts estimate that about 40 percent of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. came here legally but then stayed longer than their visas allowed. Overstaying a visa is a civil offense, not a criminal one. When an undocumented immigrant who has overstayed a visa gets arrested for an unrelated offense, ICE will sometimes ask the sheriff to keep that immigrant in custody for longer than necessary so their officers can pick the immigrant up to be deported.

But jailing someone who hasn’t committed a crime violates the Fourth Amendment, according to several federal judges. And when sheriffs do so, immigrants’ rights groups sometimes sue them. For cash-strapped law enforcement offices, these suits can be a real threat. In 2014, an Oregon sheriff’s office paid $100,000 to settle such a lawsuit.

Despite those legal fears, many sheriffs want to help the Trump administration with its deportation efforts. Gualtieri is one of those sheriffs, and he told The Daily Beast he’s found a work-around: His office has signed a contract with ICE to essentially become a temporary ICE detention facility when ICE requests they do so.

The set-up lets Gualtieri hold undocumented immigrants if ICE asks him to. He is heading the National Sheriffs Association’s efforts to resolve the issue. Other sheriffs say they also want to make the same agreement with ICE.

There are two issues, though, according to Gualtieri: The White House doesn’t get it, and the bureaucracy at ICE isn’t moving quickly enough to sign up sheriffs.

“We can’t keep doing it this way,” he told The Daily Beast. “The sheriffs are in the absolute definition of a dilemma because we want to cooperate – we don’t want criminal illegals on the street, we don’t want a Kate Steinle situation, we want people safe – but at the same time, we’re obligated to follow the law.”

Gualtieri has visited Washington multiple times over the last few months and had numerous conversations with administration officials. His goal is to get ICE to sign contracts with the sheriffs who want them, so those sheriffs won’t risk lawsuits by cooperating with the agency.

But working with ICE is taking a long time, despite the White House’s insistence that sheriffs cooperate immediately. And the situation has some sheriffs quite irked.

Sheriff Greg Champagne of St. Charles Parish, La., is on the executive committee of the National Sheriffs Association. Along with Gualtieri, he is working with ICE on the issue. And he said it’s been tough. All he wants, he told The Daily Beast, is to sign an agreement with the agency so he can keep undocumented immigrants in his jail without potentially getting sued. But the ICE bureaucracy is taking forever.

“It just needs to be expedited,” he said. “They need the people to do it, they need the effort to do it. We’re a little frustrated.”