The San Bernardino County News of Note from Around the Largest County in the Lower 48 States Friday, FebruarySentinel 21, 2020 A Fortunado Publication in conjunction with Countywide News Service 10808 Foothill Blvd. Suite 160-446 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 (951) 567-1936 Effort By SB’s Valdivia & Carvalho To Muzzle Councilwoman Ibarra Fails Planners Sought By Mark Gutglueck gage in open statements proceedings, and on two who resigned last month. former staffers, Mirna To Block Appeal Long ongoing at- Valdivia has consistently occasions adjourning Those claims accuse Cisneros and Karen Cer- tempts by San Bernardi- endeavored to curtail. the meetings and then Valdivia of subjecting vantes, filed on Febru- Of Commission’s no Mayor John Valdivia This week was the walking away from dais the two women to sexual ary 13 state that Valdivia Project Vote and a more recent ef- second time Ibarra took as she attempted to sum- harassment and engag- sought to involve them in fort by San Bernardino recourse in utilizing the mon the council’s atten- ing in a wide manner of or otherwise disclosed to The repeated refusal Deputy City Attorney pulpit normally reserved tion to an issue. This improprieties, and fur- them that he has misused of multiple employees Sonia Carvalho to muz- for members of the pub- week, Ibarra’s move car- ther allege that the city’s public funds or received within the City of Up- zle City Councilwoman lic addressing the coun- ried with it a certain poi- senior management and donations of money land’s planning division Sandra Ibarra fell short cil during city council gnancy and gravitas, as the city attorney’s office or gifts he has not dis- to allow one of the city’s this week, with Ibarra meetings. On a relatively Valdivia is under heavy failed to act to curtail his closed. residents to file an appeal descending from the consistent basis, Valdiv- scrutiny and attack behavior after the wom- Ibarra was elected to of the planning commis- council dais during ia has slighted Ibarra in based upon legal claims en made internal com- represent the city’s Sec- sion’s approval of the this week’s city council the past, refusing to rec- lodged against him and plaints while they were ond Ward in 2018, the Amazon Distribution meeting to utilize the ognize her to allow her the city by two of his yet employed. More- same year that Valdivia, Center project has inten- public microphone to en- to speak during council former staff members over, the claims his two who at that time See P 2 sified the distrust with which a contingent of Opmanis Headed To Trial In Shooting Death Case Marred By Video Alteration city residents have come to regard City Hall. Judge Charles Umeda nary hearing, a legal who was in the compa- nis severely, resulting in Davis and Shuey had ex- Despite the refusal of yesterday ruled that Alex proceeding which had ny of two other bikers, Opmanis having to be tensive criminal records. the top echelon of the Opmanis will face a jury been spread out over a Shane Codman, then 29, hospitalized, undergoing Initially, the agency that city’s administrators and of his peers on charges three-week duration, and and Robert Shuey, also facial surgery, and losing investigated the shoot- community develop- he murdered Sammy Da- which resumed and con- 29, when the incident oc- a portion of his vision in ing, the San Bernardino ment staff to allow Steve vis in a confrontation in cluded six days after the curred. Opmanis did not his left eye. Evidence and County Sheriff’s De- Bierbaum to make a for- the parking lot of Good- third and last day of tes- previously know Davis. testimony presented dur- partment, which had ac- mal presentation of the win’s Market in Crest- timony and presentation He did, however, have ing the preliminary hear- cess to a full unedited grounds for his protest line last July. of evidence on February an earlier relationship ing indicated Davis had and unaltered video of of the planning commis- Yesterday, February 14. with both Codman and initiated an assault on the shooting, made a sion’s action in order to 20, was the fourth day The then-27-year-old Shuey, which included Opmanis in the seconds determination that Op- persuade the city council of the now-28-year-old Opmanis shot and killed an incident during which prior to Opmanis fatally manis had acted in self- to rescind or otherwise Opmanis’s prelimi- Davis, 29, a motorcyclist Shuey had beaten Opma- wounding him. Both defense. It was See P 4 deny the project approv- Environmentalists & California In 7th Ward Run, Negrete Advocates Utilizing SB’s al, after he approached those ranked a bit lower AG Sue To Block Eastgate Plan Advantages To Overcome Its Confounding Challenges within the city’s ex- Within less than a was filed on January 29, Esmeralda Negrete nia attractions.” ecutive suite, personnel month, two lawsuits 2020 with the United says she is seeking a Municipal officials there consented to accept have been filed against States Court of Appeals position on the San Ber- have allowed the city’s and file the document. the Federal Aviation for the Ninth Circuit in nardino City Council greatness to fall from Though Bierbaum Administration, the San the form of a petition representing the city’s their grasp, she said. through persistence and Bernardino International for review of the Federal Seventh Ward because “I have seen the better by deviating from the Airport and Hillwood Aviation Administra- city officials are squan- years and I am confident protocol dictated by Enterprises targeting tion’s finding that there dering the enviable op- that we can bring back the city as to the proper the Eastgate air logistics were no significant envi- portunity they have to the luster of our city,” channel through which facility, which local of- ronmental impacts from capitalize on the com- she said. to make a request for a ficials have touted as a the project. That action munity’s advantages to Negrete said, “I be- rehearing succeeded in major breakthrough for was brought by the Cen- overcome its challenges. lieve that resident ser- slipping his objections Esmeralda Negrete the long-awaited civilian ter for Community Ac- “San Bernardino has vices need to come first to the project into the reconversion of Norton tion & Environmental so much potential,” she hour from the beach, the and I will collaborate record, the manner by Air Force Base. Justice, the Sierra Club, told the Sentinel. “It’s mountains and close to to provide those quality which city officials ini- in a perfect location, an The first of those suits Teamsters Lo- See P 5 many Southern Califor- services to our See P 18 tially blocked the filing has served to convince County Transportation Agency Rethinking Rejection Of Gold Line To Airport many that the city is Less than a month national Airport, the regional transportation override countywide, passenger cars and must engaged in an effort to after an assemblyman San Bernardino County agency. With a board with the proceeds dedi- share its track with at game its own system. whose district straddles Transportation Author- composed of representa- cated to paying for road least four freight trains On February 12, the Los Angeles and San ity moved to reexamine tives from all 24 of the improvements. on a daily basis, such Upland Planning Com- Bernardino counties the public mass transit county’s cities as well as In 1992, the Metro- that it features depar- mission, with Com- drafted legislation to to options for access to the its five county supervi- Link commuter rail sys- tures no more frequently missioner Alexander create a new govern- aerodrome. sors, the agency, known tem was established be- than every half hour. Novikov absent, consid- mental financing entity The San Bernardino by its acronym SBCTA, tween Union Station in In 2003, the first link ered Amazon’s proposed to counteract a move by County Transporta- is charged with manag- Los Angeles and the City of the light passenger 201,096 -square-foot San Bernardino County tion Authority, formerly ing the expenditure of of San Bernardino on a rail Gold Line was es- distribution center to be transportation officials known as San Bernardi- Measure I money. Mea- long existing track origi- tablished between Union located north of Foot- to abandon the exten- no Associated Govern- sure I was first passed by nally designed for heavy Station and Sierra Madre hill and south of Cable sion of Los Angeles ments (SANBAG) is, as San Bernardino County’s engines pulling freight Villa in Los Angeles Airport. In the course of County’s light rail Gold its name implies, San voters in 1989, providing cars. MetroLink utilizes County. Over $1 bil- the hearing, the commis- lion has been Line to Ontario Inter- Bernardino County’s for a half-cent sales tax diesel engines to pull its See P 5 sion, joined by See P 3 Friday, February 21, 2020 San Bernardino County Sentinel Page 2 with other pressing chal- political irrelevancy and Valdivia attempted to City Manager & The San Bernardino County lenges facing the city. in no small measure suc- ply her with gin and ton- Contract City Attor- The second element that ceeding. Casting about ics, at one point whisper- ney’s Firm Shrunk fully sundered the Vald- for some means of as- ing in her ear that “This From Reining In via/Ibarra alliance came serting herself, Ibarra at is not like at work and Sentinel Published in San Bernardino County.