Further 210 extention to be done in '07 (Daily Bulletin 112407).

BS Ranch Perspective:

The work that they have been doing has been progressing right along, it is a wonder that they are saying that it will not be done for another year, now. The Bridges in the wash and many of them that are in the city area of San Bernardino seem to be running ahead of schedule. The bridge work that has been in the wash they are putting the top on and they will soon be placing the cross for the concrete roadway that will cross the was there and well that will fill the street or freeway road lanes and that will be done. I guess the only thing that is left is the bridges that I have just thought of that they are really just started construction on now. and these are the bridges that take the freeway across Muscoy, and the I-215, those are partially done, but not all the way. They are just working on them, but the way that they are going I predict that they will get done with them in the summer of Next year!! Which will still be ahead of schedule or ahead of the new schedule by a couple of months. The old schedule the freeway would have just opened to commuters. but they closed it for that three months, and the rains that placed it so much more behind.

I really cannot wait for it to open and start using it. because It will save time and make the neighborhood quieter with the traffic noise.

BSRanch

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Further 210 extension to be done in '07

Jeff Horwitz, Staff Writer Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Article Launched:11/24/2006 12:00:00 AM PST

The freeway extension that will shave minutes off many county residents' commutes will be here in a year. Since2003, regional transportation agency San Bernardino AssociatedGovernments has been working on the remaining eight miles separatingthe current end of the 210 Freeway in Rialto from San Bernardino, whereit will connect with Highway 30. It has already completed more than adozen bridges and overpasses for the $313 million project, and pavingof the highways in between is well under way. But one massive bridge is still under construction, SANBAGspokeswoman Cheryl Donahue said, a 558-foot span across Lytle CreekWash that, when complete, will contain nearly 4 million pounds of steeland be supported by 7-foot concrete pillars sunk 115 feet into theground. That bridge should be finished by early spring, and all theremaining highway, lighted and striped, will be open to traffic byabout this time next year, Donahue said. Recently, the work has even been on budget, with contractssigned two years back shielding the project from "the huge increases inconcrete and steel prices, with all the work going on in China,"Donahue said. While construction has gone smoothly, however, the projectis a year behind its original schedule. The holdup was largelyenvironmental, with a year's delay before SANBAG could get theappropriate clearances and permits for the project. In the area of the Lytle Creek Wash, the freeway's pathtraversed some of the same ground favored by the endangered SanBernardino kangaroo rat and the Santa Ana River woolly star, a plantwith lavender flowers. Along with other environmental impact mitigation measures,Donahue said, crews staked out the construction areas in an overnightrat relocation operation, armed with live traps baited with bird seedand rolled oats. Fourteen kangaroo rats were caged and brought to asafer habitat. With the freeway's completion next year, Donahue said, thearea's human inhabitants will also see a changed environment. Studiesand common sense suggest that the freeway will alleviate traffic on the10 Freeway, which runs largely parallel to the 210 extension. It will also reduce congestion on north-south surfacestreets, Donahue said, because residents of the foothill communitiesalong the northern edge of the San Bernardino Valley will no longerneed them to get to a freeway. Along with cars, Donahue said, her agency also expects thefreeway to bring money. Home prices usually go up when commutes areeasier, she said, and commercial areas adjacent to freeways tend toprosper. "We'll see what it does for economic development in Rialto and San Bernardino," Donahue said. Jeff Horwitz can be reached at (909) 386-3856.

'06 Victor Eyes Seat as Rialto Mayor! (SB Sun 112206)

BS Ranch Perspective:

Looks like Robertson has her eye on Grace Vargas's Seat! I don't know if there is anyone that will be able to beat the 46% of the vote that she got over the rest of the candidates for City Council, I cannot see how she was able to pull in that many Votes since she was one of the Fab Four that wanted to Sell the Police Department to the County. Then when the contract was Ironed out she was right there saying that she was marginal at best and that the Police Department is the way to go, etc etc! I don't know where she really is on an Issue. I realize that she received calls of "Treats" due to what She called Racially Motivated Comments" due to the Police Departments/Sheriff Department Contract Battle, in which she was in total Agreement with.

Robertson was in total agreement that the Sheriff Department should be the Law Enforcement Agency all the way up to when they had to cow down and say that they were in the wrong with the Way that they handled them selves regarding the Voter Laws, they kept accusing the people of "Voice United" that they were braking Voter Laws by forcing people to sign the petition under duress. Yet when it came time to tally up the signatures and say who won the signature war regarding the Petitions, the City Council along with the City Lawyer Owens Stalled!! They Purposely Stalled the outcome in hopes that there was some way that they could come up with some violation that was done by the people that were in favor of the Police Department to Stay over the Sheriff Department.

Owens Came out and said that there was a distinct violation of Voter Rules when it came to Collection of Signatures, so 4300-4900 signatures were rejected by the City clerk, a move that was not in the best interest of the citizens of Rialto, but the best interest of the wishes of the City Council and the Administrative Staff (Anything to keep the Sheriff Department Contract Dream alive). Why even when Owens, (Who is a Fully Qualified Lawyer who has passed the Bar and everything) has advised the City Clerk Barbara McGee that the Signatures that were in question were obtained in violation of of the Voter Rules regulating the collection of signatures for petitions. Mr. Owens said that the signatures collected by people that lived in the County of San Bernardino, but not the City of Rialto were in violation of these Rules. When in fact the person collecting signatures for a city has to be a Registered Voter, who lives in the County in which they were collecting signatures.

Well, to make a long story short, Owens withheld these signatures from the Citizens of Rialto, thinking that the petitions had failed yet it was brought up every meeting since they were rejected. The Sheriff was discussing the take over of Rialto City as a contract City in every County Community Speech that the Sheriff was giving, and Sheriff Penrod even included Rialto as a large portion of the State of the County Speech in which he was all set to take over the City and absorb Rialto into the County Enforcement Team when the time came.

However it was the tenacity of the people of Rialto that kept bringing the petition up in the City Council Chambers during every City Council meeting. It was then that the mayor Grace Vargas made the motion to take the petitions and have them looked over by a independent investigator. Grace Vargas said that it was a good Idea that the rejected petitions and the rejected signatures be looked at by a Independent person to see if they were in fact true independent Investigator.

The City Council elected to take them to the Registrar of Voter's since they were more up on the Voter laws then Owens was, Since he was having problems with the Voters laws since he started to deal with them when they started.

The Petitions were not at the Register of Voters for more then an hour when they got the call that Owens had been denying as not good were in fact good signatures by good signature collectors. Immediately there was 4900 signatures that were added to the 900+- signatures that we already had that were good, and that gave us 5000 signatures. Only 2900 signatures were needed to place that on the ballot. and put before the voter in the city of Rialto. The City Council Realized that Owens had broken the Election Laws, and they right away had two options one was to put it before the city as a vote the other was to put the bill into law right away. They elected to place it into an ordinance and changed the laws for Rialto right then. This historical petition for Rialto made it so that the City Council was no longer able to simply vote the Police Department away, they had to put it before the city as a vote, the second obviously was to keep the police Department!!

Now I am wondering when they are going to Get rid of Owens, who has given them this headache for so long!! Another person that needs to be taken away from the likes of duty is that of the city Administrator.

Between the two of them they make about $1,250,000.00 a year between the two (Owens $750.000.00 Garcia $500,000.00). I know that Garcia makes a little more. Now take home is about $30,000.00 a month minus the taxes. WOW, that is what I NOW MAKE IN A YEAR!!!

Robertson doesn't deserve to be The Mayor of Rialto That is true by the history that I just spelled out. It is obvious that she is not working for the best interest of the People of Rialto, I am not sure who she is working for. Let us consider this. Ed Scott is but one man who speaks with but one voice, and he had Robertson's ear, and vote all the way down to the Petitions being falsely held up, on a Voter Rule when if you read the rule that Owens was holding them on clearly states so that any 3rd grade Student can understand them regarding Voter Laws and the collection of Signatures, Yet Owens a Lawyer who is collage taught and Bar passed failed to understand the laws as they pertain to signature collection.

Who is Robertson going to listen to in order to get her feelings from. because she certainty doesn't do reading on her own, or research on her own. espeically when it was to the election laws and the collection of the signatures on petitions.

She only listened to Owens who, I think this might be a streach but I beleive that they all were taking orders from one person that was calling the shots, it was not the Current Mayor, it was either the Mayor Pro-Temp Sampson (who lost his job this last time to Baca Jr.), but he was following the one person that hates the Police Department!! That person is the only one that has an active Law Suit against the cities Police Department for Wrongful Detainment. That person is none other then City Councilmemeber Ed Scott!!

Ed Scott was the one that wanted the Sheriff Department to take over and be the law Enforcement for the area. Now Ed Scott, needs to be voted off the council. and be gone!! take my word on it along with Robertson. they really need to go, why she was relelected,?? I don't have a Clue?? Ed Scott is the one that was the puppet master and Robertson, Joe Sampson, and Whinnie Hanson were the Puppets being told what to do, how to vote what to say by Ed Scott the Puppet master!!

BSRanch

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'06 victor eyes seat as mayor

Jason Pesick, Staff Writer

Article Launched:11/22/2006 12:00:00 AM PST

RIALTO - The November election isn't even a month old, but the 2008 race for mayor of has apparently already begun.

Councilwoman Deborah Robertson announced her 2008 candidacy for mayor after she won re-election to the City Council on Nov. 7.

Robertson,who was first elected to the council in 2000, was the biggestvote-getter in the city election earlier this month, finishing with 28percent of the vote - 461 votes ahead of Assemblyman Joe Baca Jr.,D-Rialto, who won the other contested seat.

Robertson said she has made no formal announcement but thatshe plans to run for mayor in 2008 and is letting people know about it.

"I'm very goal-oriented. I've always been," she said.

Thecity's main priorities should be renewing the utility-users tax,dealing with the city's contaminated drinking water supply and workingon economic development, Robertson said.

Robertson currently works as a deputy district director for Caltrans.

Transient Burglar Arrested by Police (Daily Bulletin 12306) Katrice N. Smart Arrested!!

BS Ranch Perspective:

This is Wonderful News!!

On my previous Writing regarding this story, I said that the best way was that they had to Catch her in the act, and in some cases they did. One Victim Woke up while she was in their house!! Tuesday, the Victim woke up only to see Smart standing over him, he quickly acted and tried to detain her in his home, but she slipped out and got away. An area check and contact with an employee of the East Jackson Remodel, remembers a woman that was fitting her discription in the area of the East Jackson Apartments. An Area check found her and she was placed under arrest!!

ANOTHER GREAT JOB BY THE DEDICATED MEN AND WOMAN OF THE RIALTO POLICE DEPARTMENT!!

The Department now that deserves the 3%@50 Retirement More then any of the other departments that have it, Right Now! Espeically with what they have been through this past year!!

BSRanch

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Transient burglar arrested by police

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Article Launched:11/23/2006 12:00:00 AM PST

RIALTO- She targeted homes with open or unlocked doors - casually walkinginto the dwellings late at night or in the wee hours and taking purses,wallets and other small items she could quickly make off with. For more than a month, police suspect 21-year-old transientKatrice Nichole Smart burglarized at least 10 homes in the area ofRiverside and Etiwanda avenues, making off with mostly cash shepilfered from wallets and purses while residents slept in their beds,police said. But sometimes the sounds of a burglar sifting throughpossessions roused residents from their slumber. One resident caughtthe suspected burglar in the act and tried to detain her, but she brokefree and ran off. On other occasions when she was caught in the act,she was able to flee before police arrived, Rialto police Sgt. ReinhardBurkholder said. About 9 p.m. Tuesday, Smart's luck ran out. The RialtoPolice Department's Street Crime Attack Team located her at an EastJackson Street apartment, where she had been staying with anacquaintance, and arrested her. "During an interview, she admitted to at least five of ourburglaries," Burkholder said. "And then she also told us that thepurses and wallets that she did take, she would take the money out ofthem and discard the purse or wallet into a trash can." Before the woman's arrest, police asked employees atseveral convenience stores in the area if they'd seen anyone matchingthe description of the suspected burglar. "One of the workers said a person fitting the descriptionhad been in the store and was causing a problem, and they startedtaking pictures of her," Burkholder said, adding that the pictures weregiven to detectives, who then circulated them around the departmentasking if anyone recognized or had contact with the woman. Cpl. John Black recognized the woman as someone he had aprior run-in with on the street, and gave detectives a name. Furtherinvestigation led police to the East Jackson Street apartment complexwhere Smart had been staying, Burkholder said. Smart, who has several criminal convictions dating back to2003 including two petty thefts, burglary, and battery, was booked intothe West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion ofburglary. She is expected to be arraigned Monday in Fontana SuperiorCourt. Contact writer Joe Nelson at (909) 386-3887 or via e-mail at joe.nelson@sbsun.com.

Elusive Cat Burgler Hits at least 10 Rialto Homes..(Press-Enterprise 112106)

BS Ranch Perspective:

These Cat Burglars are the worse of all Burglaries, you usually don't sustain any damage to your home but you realize that the suspect watched you sleep, that is horror, and you realize that they could have hit you or struck you with anything before you woke up to confront them they had the drop on you the whole time. The only thing is that if you had more then one person sleeping in your house at one time that they might have felt. After all the more quite Cat Burglars are the more that they can get away with stuff, if you have however a yap or a Jack Russell Terror would solve this problem, but then a German Shepherd would also stop this problem too.

BS Ranch

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Elusive cat burglar hits at least 10 Rialto homes

BURGLARIES: The suspect has hit at least 10 Rialto homes -- some with residents sleeping inside.

10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, November 21, 2006

By PAUL LAROCCO
The Press-Enterprise

RIALTO - A slippery cat burglar hasthe attention of police after hitting at least 10 homes within the sameneighborhood over the past month, twice breaking loose from victims whoattempted to tackle her in the act.

The woman began her spate of break-ins on Oct. 19, and has used thesame technique to burglarize five other homes in the area of Riversideand Etiwanda Avenues, said Rialto police Sgt. Reinhard Burkholder.

The latest burglary occurred on Saturday, said Burkholder, who did not disclose how much property was taken.

Usually wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt, the woman enters homes inthe night by finding unlocked doors and windows. She searches primarilyfor purses, wallets and jewelry, Burkholder said, and unusually,doesn't just focus on unoccupied homes.

"She knows they're home," Burkholder said. "But she'll try to get as much as she can before anyone notices."

She has been confronted by victims during the burglaries twice, butmanaged the "wrestle herself away" as they tried to detain her,Burkholder said.

Police are looking for a woman in connection with the case: KatriceNichole Smart, 21, a transient. She is 5 feet 6 inches tall, 180pounds, with shoulder-length hair and a large gap between her upperfront teeth.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Carl Jones at 909-820-2596.

Reach Paul LaRocco at 909-806-3064 or plarocco@PE.com

Woman Wanted for 10+ Burglaries in the Rialto Area! (Fox News)

BS Ranch Perspective:

Now is the second most hardest part of the Investigation. You have the Suspect Identified, Rounding them up for the Arrest is the next hardest part. Identification is the First. The Third of coarse is getting the conviction! This case looks like a pretty good one however they got great Circumstantial Evidence and they have the finger prints and the like from the entrances. They just have to Catch her, and if the can Catch her in the act of entering a home, that would seal the deal and make the other cases tie in better with the M.O.! The sooner she is arrested the better, that way there are people with less loss and less property damage!!!

Good Luck Rialto Police Detectives, Police Officers and the like. this Smart Girl looks familiar to even me, with out knowing her history, it is hard to say.

BS Ranch

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Woman Wanted for 10+ Burglaries in Rialto Area

Last Edited: Tuesday, 21 Nov 2006, 6:19 PM PST

Created: Tuesday, 21 Nov 2006, 6:16 PM PST

Burglary Suspect, Katrice Nichole Smart Detectives were able to positively identify a suspect as burglarizingat least 10 different homes in the neighborhood of Riverside andEtiwanda in Rialto. Accordingto police, the suspect enters the residences through opened or unlockeddoors. In some cases the victims are asleep inside the residence. Onnumerous cases the victims would awake to the sounds of the suspectgoing through their property, but the suspect would leave the residenceprior to the police arriving on scene. The suspect, identified viaphoto line-ups, has been identified as 21-year old Katrice NicholeSmart. Smart is described as an African-American woman, 5'6"tall, 180 pounds, with shoulder length hair. She has a large gapbetween her top front teeth. She is known to be homeless, and has beenseen in the area of Baseline and Sycamore Avenue. Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to please contact the Rialto Police Department, 909-820-2550.

Deborah Roinson Wins Big Announces Run for Rialto Mayor in 2008??

BS Ranch Perspective:

Well isn't this some kind of news, this woman along with Edward Scott and "Joe" Sampson, and Winnie Hanson all tried to Re-Develop the Police Department and give it to the County of San Bernardino. They wanted to allow Sheriff Penrod to try to solve the crime problems when the primary responsibility of the Sheriff is to maintain the Jail and Prisoners of the County!! They are also responsible to look for violent criminals as their second responsibility!

Deborah Robertson only came to her senses after the public had spoken. There was a massive Signature drive for a new Law that stated that the City council no longer had the sole power and decision to take the beloved Police Department of the city of Rialto and Change it without a Vote of the People of Rialto. The People of Rialto would have to vote over 50% that they would want the Sheriff Department to come in and be the law enforcer for the city.

If that Rialto City Council (Made up of Deborah Robertson: Y, Ed Scott: Y, Joe Sampson: Y, Winnie Hanson: Y, and Mayor Grace Vargas: N) had voted to go with a Law Enforcement Agency that does have it's own SWAT team that is Nationally Recognised and is a good team, they have the largest Law Enforcement Air Force in the USA with 3-5 Helicopters, 4-7 fixed wing plans of various sizes, they have the crime lab, Coroners Office, with Forensics. the Sheriff Department did away with the K-9 Division when Penrod became Sheriff or just before. Their Homicide Division is a centralized Division and responds to the Homicides that occur all over the county, and they work out of the Central Patrol Offices or the main Sheriff's Headquarters. They don't have such a great clearance record, only a 67% when the Rialto Detectives that they are trading with has a clearance rate on homicides of over 89% somewhere in that area. I am not positive on the clearance statistic for the Homicide for the Detectives of Rialto, but I do know that it is about a 25% better clearance record then the Sheriff's Department in the same area. Even the Burglaries and shootings our Detectives even though they are so much more short handed then the Sheriff Department is with all the resources that they have, Rialto does a better job then the Sheriff Department does in all aspects of the Job of keeping the Streets safer for the Citizens of Rialto.

You have to understand that this is the Safety of the people that live and work in Rialto that we are talking about here. The people that drive through, the people that Work 8-10 hours a day in Rialto and spend a majority of their time here because they work at the Warehouse such as the Toys~R~Us Warehouse or the new Target Western Distribution Center, in the North end of the city!! they have a right to be safe at work. not to mention the 90,000. to 100, 000.00 people that need to know that their City Council is looking out for their Best interest, By Making the Votes and Decisions that will make the place that they live safer and more economical to live, not more expensive and more crime riddled!!

That is just what Deborah Robinson was doing teaming up with Ed Scott, Winnie Hanson, and Joe Sampson, I am just happy now that Grace has some help on the council when Joe Baca Jr. takes over to help her. He will be an asset to the people of Rialto, he will look out to what is best for the city of Rialto I hope he will, Knowing his father like I do, I hope that he will continue to fight for the good and the better of the people of rialto. It really meant a lot to me, and a lot of people that Joe Baca Jr. stood with his father and argued for the Police Department to stay when we were down but not completely out.

I also want to Thank Owens!! The city Attorney for being such a great Strategical Genius by LOOSING EVERY COURT BATTLE AGAINST THE, (How did Mr. Owens put it?) LAWYER FROM RIVERSIDE THAT DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE VOTER LAWS IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. But when in Court!! OWENS LOST EVERY TIME!!! THANK YOU MR OWENS!!

PLEASE IF YOU ARE SMART, I KNOW YOU ARE!! YOU WILL THINK TWICE ABOUT VOTING FOR HER FOR MAYOR, BECAUSE OF HER POOR DECISIONS SURROUNDING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE POLICE, AND SAFETY OF THE CITY!!

Because of the ugliness of this battle that was done between the Police and City Council, and City Administration. The City Administrator found it necessary to bring in the Fire Department's Union to fight the Police Departments Union in fighting for their vary existence. This battle has left a Scar so deep in the city that they are no longer getting along with each other. They handle calls with each other and that is about it, other then that they are just cold and not talking to each other. I worked hard to make friends across the street and this is all cold and thrown away. There are some very good men to know and get to know and be friends with on the Fire Department, Knowing this is hard to be in this battle with my Police Brothers. but I'm in it because I am a loyal soldier. This SCAR, and hate, and insults is all caused by the city council and their fight to rid the City of the Police Department, and pulling the Fire Departments Union in to fight with them. They made certain Promises to the Fire Department I know the City Administrator did Garcia is good at that. HE promised if the Utility Tax was to pass, and the RPBA (Rialto Police Benefit Association) was to help, they would give us the Retirement package that we were asking for. the 3% @50 Retirement package, all but 2 other agencies have this retirement package. Even the Smaller City Colton has the 3% @50 Retirement and Rialto Police still does not. Upland and San Bernardino City doesn't as well.

San Bernardino City has a modified Retirement plan that is 3% @ 55 Rather then at 50, and this contract year they are asking the city to change to the 3% at 50 instead of what they have. If they get it then Upland and Rialto are the only two cities. Rialto and Upland become the training cities with a lot of turn over for the rest of the cities in the area, what that means is that they would pay to train someone to be a great police officer and they would leave as soon as they get their probationary period over with, to get that 3% at 50 Retirement package, rather than stick around and hope to get it with the Department that they are at. They will go to a department that has it and they will do it, this happens over and over and over. Rialto was a training city when I started and since My accident in 1997, I would say that approximately 90% of the Department has left/ Passed away/ or Retired due to injuries caused on duty!

BS Ranch

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Deborah Robinson Wins Big Announces Run for Rialto Mayor in 2008

Tuesday, 14 November 2006

RIALTO By Cheryl Brown Election Night Winners: School Board member Joanne Gilbert, Assemblymember Wilmer Carter and City Councilwoman Deborah Robertson. Deborah Robertson handily won re-election for one of two seats on the Rialto City Council. Incumbent Joe Sampson lost his re-election bid to former Assemblymember Joe Baca Jr. who lost his bid as the Democratic nominee for State Senate in June. Robertson announced, "I am running for the Mayor of Rialto in '08." She said that the city of Rialto residents are owed a better community. "The city is moving in the right direction. I will be working on my platform. Projects we will see in a couple of years will bring a significant amount of mixed use development. It will bring significant amenities for our middle income lifestyle," she said. Joanne Gilbert won by a big margin one of two seats in the Rialto Unified School District. She will be joined by John R. Kazalunas who beat Corey Jackson out by less than three percentage points.

Retail, Residental Project to be presented to Rialto City Residents.

BS Ranch Perspective:

Wow, this is a wonderful Idea!! Actually if they can get the monies and the developers to get involved that quickly sounds like they already have this underway. IT is weird that they didn't seek comment from "The Mouth" of the City Council "Ed Scott" on this matter, I suppose he said that he was abstaining from this decision making all the way because it was within a 500 foot area from his business, and he doesn't want to make anyone think that he has any input.

However Having said all the good stuff, there is no law that states that he cannot be behind closed doors pulling all the strings for his puppet's to work for him, I am not talking about the newly elected Baca, but Hanson, and Robertson. Flores Jr. Is well respected not only by the paper obviously but by this writer too!! I know Joe pretty well and He is a good Stand up guy, really one that you would want in your corner.

I do have to say that this over all is a great Idea, especially if it grabs the look of the old City Hall, Fire Station One, Police Station that was located where that park is located today! May it go forth and be built and make the downtown a better place for the Run~Whatcha~ Brung, and maybe we can make it more than a one day event, and it can be moved to a three day event again. It will be interesting to see..

BS Ranch

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Retail, residential project to be presented to residents

12:35 AM PST on Wednesday, November 15, 2006

By MASSIEL LADRÓN DE GUEVARA
The Press-Enterprise

Rialto officials not only want people to shop in the city's downtown area, they want them to live there, too.

Special to The Press-Enterprise A $26 million mixed-use development project in downtown Rialto that would include low-income senior housing units, retail space, a community center and underground parking will be presented to business owners and area residents Thursday.

Plans for a $26 million mixed-use development project are being presented to business owners and residents in the vicinity of Rialto and Riverside avenues Thursday in an effort to get feedback and keep people informed of the city's plans, said John Dutrey, Rialto housing program manager.

The city is looking at building 117 low-income senior housing units, 5,222 square feet of retail space, a 3,700-square-foot community center and 148 underground parking spaces at Rialto and Riverside avenues, he said.

Funding for the proposed Crossroads Project will come from federal tax credits, private sources and the redevelopment agency, he said.

Property owners and merchants are invited to attend a meeting at Rialto City Hall, where they will be encouraged to offer opinions and ask questions before the project proceeds, Dutrey said.

"We think the future of mixed-use development will become more of a reality in the downtown area because of the surrounding retail and the proximity to the Metrolink station," Dutrey said.

The Crossroads Project would be the first mixed-use project in Rialto, said Robb Steel, the city's economic development director said.

City officials hope to bring in several more mixed-use projects, he said.

"I think it will create for the downtown a 24-hour activity center and it will be a signature building on a major corner," Steel said.

The city is negotiating with the owners of a vacant church, a single-family residence and a dog grooming business to acquire their land for the project, Steel said.

The properties were appraised and offers have been made to each owner, he said.

There has been no negative response and it probably will be a matter of reaching the best price for each property, Steel said.

Once negotiations are completed, it will take six months to a year to get permits for the project, said Rod MacDonald, partner with KDF Communities, the proposed developer of the Crossroads Project.

Construction time should about 13 months, he said.

The building's design will have some elements similar to the former Rialto City Hall, which occupied the corner of Riverside and Rialto avenues.

"There has been a movement recently in Southern California to recapture the main street, and this is a good example of that," MacDonald said.

The movement gives cities more viable downtowns and provides entertainment close to home, in some cases within walking distance, for residents he said.

Joe Flores Jr., who owns an upholstery supply store on Riverside Avenue, said he thinks the project is a good idea.

"If everything works out the way they say it's going to work out, it will be an asset," Flores said.

"Anytime you can increase retail space in the downtown and bring people in too, it's a win-win situation," he said.

Reach Massiel Ladrón De Guevara at 909-806-3054 or mdeguevara@PE.com

Dad Turns in Sons in Shooting

Dad Turns in Sons in Shooting

BSRanch Perspective:

This is a good thing, However one of the most hardest things in the world to do for a parent, to turn in his own son's in a shooting that they committed against a former gang member that was trying to turn his life around after spending a long time in prison. He was purchasing some Beer at a Market in the 900 Block of West Foothill and the suspects followed him from the store and killed him by shooting him in the back. One of the, cowards way of getting revenge.

I am just proud for what the father did and consider him a hero, even though he is, hurting pretty bad inside for what his children have done at such a young age.

We should Pray for the Father for his bravery and working is way through this and showing his children what was right from wrong by making that hard phone call and turning them in.

BSRanch

Dad turns in sons in shooting

CRIME: Officials say two more suspects are sought in the killing outside a convenience store.

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, October 23, 2006

By JULIE FARREN
The Press-Enterprise

Two teens accused of killing a 26-year-old man as he left a Rialto convenience store Wednesday were turned in by their father Monday to San Bernardino Juvenile Court, a Rialto Police Department spokesman said.

The youths, identified as Marcos Torres, 15, and Rogelio Torres, 17, were brought to Juvenile Court at about 11:30 a.m. by their father, who was not identified, said Rialto Sgt. Reinhard Burkholder in a news release.

The teens will be charged as adults, the news release said.

Raymond Garnica, of Rialto, had entered Carter's Liquor after 8 a.m. Wednesday to buy beer and a pack of gum. A store surveillance camera shows two people trailing behind him.

Garnica left the store at Spruce Street and Lorraine Way with his beer but forgot the pack of gum. He returned to the store to get the gum and gave the older suspect a dime to help him make his purchase, then left.

The suspects followed him out of the store, and according to witness reports, argued with him before one of the suspects fired at him from the middle of the street.

Police arrived to find Garnica lying on the sidewalk. He was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Police also are looking for two more suspects.

Anyone with information can contact Detective Kurt Kitterle at 909-820-2590 or 820-2550.

Reach Julie Farren at 909-806-3066 or jfarren@PE.com

SBPD, Police Union Look to the Future!!!!

SBPD, Police Union Look to the Future!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BS Ranch Perspective:

cannot help but notice one thing, that the San Bernardino Police Department has also moved to get away from their 3% at 55 and change it to 3% @ 50 retirement, just like every other Police Department in the Inland Empire except Two other departments, Upland, and Rialto!! Rialto was almost Disband and Contracted with the Sheriff Department all over the Retirement of the Officers, however The Sheriff Department does not offer any Medical benefits to their Deputies when they retire now at 50 anyway. They don't get any Medical at all for the retired Deputies. So you might be getting the 3% At 50 but no Medical Benefits, and that can cost you up to $700 a month or more!

Now that SBPD wants to have the 3% @ 50 Retirement, and if they get it then the City of Rialto, and the City of Upland will have to pony up and pay for the Benefit of having a lower crime rate with their own police department! Because when Ed Scott was trying desperately to get the Crime Rate in Rialto to bloom Higher an higher by cutting back on all the maintenance to the Police Cars, and the Officers Pay, not to mention that they were cutting back on the Officers Benefits by not paying for new people to replace the ones that left. so when they were down over 20 officers the Police Officers that were working at Rialto Police department still lowered the crime some 15% with less officers. Now that they have to keep the Police Department they need to figure out a way that they can pay them and give them the benefits that they deserve such as the 3% at 50 retirement package. SBPD is going to get it, and eventually so is Upland and then the city of Rialto will have no choice. because Rialto becomes a training facility as it always has been.

The people that Rialto seems to not want around seem to leave and go to other agencies and excel, to the point that some of them are Sergeants, and Captains at other departments. I don't have an Idea why they wanted to get rid of them. Maybe because they were good and they knew it.

BSRanch

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SBPD, police union look to the future

Article Launched:10/22/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT

By Gina Tenorio

Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - They had common goals. Or so they would all eventually learn.

City officials, San Bernardino police administrators and the Police Officers Association agreed last summer that whatever benefits package they hammered out during yearlong contract negotiations would be the ones they would be presenting to any future job candidates.

The negotiations wrapped up in late August.

"I think we reached a package that everyone could live with," said City Manager Fred Wilson, who worked closely with the Police Department and association.

Starting next year, officers will see a gradual increase in the annual uniform allowance, said the association's president, Sgt. Rich Lawhead.

"We will receive $975 overall annually," Lawhead said. "It will go up gradually until (late 2008). Before that, we got $600 annually."

This will help officers who are paying upwards of $140 for a good pair of wool uniform pants, he said.

The new contract also aims to entice experienced officers to join the San Bernardino Police Department by offering a sign-on bonus, said police Lt. Ted Henson, who heads the Police Department Personnel and Training Unit.

Any officer with two years of continuous service with a California municipal law-enforcement agency would be eligible for a $5,000 sign-on bonus. Entry-level recruits would be eligible for $2,500, Henson said.

The association also secured a little bit more for an officer's medical benefits after retirement. A sworn officer who works continuously for 30 years or more is eligible for $450 a month to pay for medical needs. A 20-year veteran may get the minimum of $200.

But the most significant change was the new retirement plan known as the 3 percent at 50, in which officers could retire at age 50 and receive 3 percent of their pay multiplied by the number of years worked.

Previously, it was 3 percent at 55, Lawhead said.

All of these added features and expenses, to be implemented in phases and completely in place by 2009, will add $2.8 million to the annual cost of running the Police Department.

The cost is worth it to a city looking to increase the size of its police force to fully staff Mayor Pat Morris' Operation Phoenix and the Police Department's crime-fighting initiatives.

Without these options, San Bernardino police are not as capable of competing against a throng of police departments scrambling to fill their staffs.

"Many agencies are having a difficult time filling their vacancies," Henson said. "They are employing a number of tools and programs to attract interest."

Many police departments, such as the one in Rialto, which struggled to hammer out a contract following turmoil last year - city officials considered scrapping the Police Department and contracting with the Sheriff's Department - have begun offering new officers a $5,000 signing bonus. Sworn personnel who brought in new officers were offered $1,000, Rialto police officials said in September.

Most police departments are after experienced officers with two or more years of training, Henson said. Tried and tested officers take less time to train. And it is easier to judge their on-the-job integrity, Henson added.

"A lot of the transgressions made by officers points to the urgency (of) selecting these qualified officers," Henson said. "You can hire character and you can teach skill."

Henson did not disclose how many officers the Police Department currently employs. It was authorized to have 330 as of Oct. 1. That's the highest number of authorized personnel in at least six years.

But hiring is not easy, especially as attrition continues to take its course. Since Oct. 1, the Police Department has lost a total of 16 officers.

Meanwhile, it has hired 17 novice officers and brought in in two more experienced officers from other departments since the start of 2006.

Henson, Lawhead and Wilson are looking ahead, however, and feel strongly the new contract, though much more costly than before, will make an impact.

"There's no shortcut to get where you want to go," Henson said.

Contact writer Gina Tenorio at (909) 386-3854 or via e-mail at gina.tenorio@sbsun.com.

Water Quality Panel May Select Perchlorate Cleanup Czar (SB Sun 101306)

Water Quality Panel may select Perchlorate Cleanup Czar
Jason Pesick San Bernardino Sun Staff Writer Article Launched 10/13/2006

The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board today will consider allowing a retired state water official to determine whether to force three corporations to clean up perchlorate contamination in Rialto.

The action would represent another step in the process to clean up the water contamination that was first discovered in 1997.

"I think they have to take some strong action," said state Sen. Nell Soto, D-Ontario, chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Perchlorate Contamination.

Perchlorate is a chemical used in the production of products such as fireworks and rocket fuel and can interfere with the functioning of the thyroid gland.

The resolution up for consideration would delegate the water board's authority to an independent hearing officer to issue what are known as cleanup and abatement orders that force polluters to clean up contamination they caused.

The three corporations that would face cleanup orders are Black & Decker Corp., Goodrich Corp. and the fireworks company Pyro Spectacular. In 2003, the board issued a similar order against San Bernardino County for perchlorate flowing from its property on Rialto's north side.

The hearing officer would be Walt Pettit,

who was the executive director of the state Water Resources Control Board until 2000.

The move to delegate authority to Pettit was the result of allegations made by Emhart Industries, owned by Black & Decker, that the regional board is biased, according to Kurt Berchtold, the board's assistant executive officer.

He said Emhart claimed that because the board's staff, which investigates allegations against the corporations, has been communicating with board members for years on the issue of perchlorate contamination, the board members themselves are compromised.

"They're just using bogus tactics to hinder the process," Paul Van Dyke, Soto's chief of staff, said about Emhart.

Soto said the board has been too passive in its efforts to clean up the contamination. She said she is not thrilled the board is delegating its authority to Pettit, but also said, "I think anything they do is better than what's going on now."

---

BS Ranch Perspective:

It sounds like they are going after the businesses that are not doing business in Rialto, BF Goodrich/Good Year is not doing any more business in Rialto any more, neither is Black and Decker that know of, but then I am in the little picture of the whole thing. Sure they send out this DVD of them complaining about the Contaminant being in the soil and they have talked a little about how to get it out of the soil, however not that much, as if the Filter is a Non Patented Filterization that they are not allowed to talk about just yet, because they are just getting them on line, and the Patent is pending!

I am just a concerned Citizen that wants clean clear water when I turn on the faucet, to drink some water. I don't trust 8 million parts per gallon either, I am wanting it to be 1 billion or 8 trillion parts per quart!! that is what I consider to be safe!! Not the EPA's version of what they consider to be a safe drinking water. I think that Redlands has the right Idea when it comes to Drinking water. Re-Drill Wells and find wells that don't have Perchclorate and then pipe it to reservoirs in the city for storage!! Great Idea!!

BS Ranch

Firefighter Pay at Issue in Upland....Better benefits elswhere cites why city has trouble with turnover

Firefighter pay at issue in
Upland

Better benefits elsewhere cited as
why city has trouble with turnover

By
Lori Consalvo, Staff Writer

Article Launched:10/08/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT

Turnover is increasing at the Upland Fire Department, and as
firefighters start negotiations this month with the city's Human Resources
Department, they're looking to improve their wages and benefits.

"The problem is, there is so much turnover," said John Fowler,
president of the Upland Firefighters Association. "We have lost about 35 guys
since 1992. Four or five of them went to Ontario (Fire Department) because wages
and benefits are better."

About 10 years ago, under a different City Council, Upland
firefighters and police officers were on the same wage and benefit levels, Mayor
John Pomierski said. But the city started to experience major financial problems
and in order to balance the budget, took money from an account designated for
firefighters.

"The city was so strapped for money," Pomierski said. "We have
been trying to build back up ever since, trying to get the fire department back
up in line with the police officers."

Despite the upgrade process, some firefighters said they have
seen the department's morale slip as its finances have lagged behind other
cities. And they've started looking for new places to work.

Victor Lopez, 31, was with Upland for 11 months before he
started looking elsewhere.

"(Upland)

was a good way to get into the
fire department," Lopez said.

But he soon realized that other cities could offer more money
and a better retirement plan.

He said he preferred Ontario, which was known for its high
salaries, good retirement plan and manpower.

"They have two medics on each unit and four men on their
trucks," Lopez said. "Ontario has eight fire stations, compared to Upland's
four."

Lopez has been with Ontario for about three years.

"My family was a huge factor in transferring. My kids and wife
have all of their benefits paid for," he said.

Later this month, the association will submit a proposal to the
city for higher total compensation.

The process, which takes several months, will most likely not be
considered by the City Council until early next year.

According to last year's budget, firefighters in Upland were
paid a starting monthly wage of $4,408, while Ontario firefighters received
$4,442 monthly.

The $34 difference may not sound like much, but Ontario recently
went to negotiations with its own City Council. The department confirmed that
over the next four years, firefighters will experience multiple increases
totaling 10 percent.

"When it comes to negotiations, the fire department compares
themselves to other cities in the area as leverage," Pomierski said. "They
compare themselves to other departments close to the same size to see what they
get paid and what their allowance is."

Fowler, who is also a fire captain, said Upland and
Rialto are the only two cities that have not upgraded to better retirement plans
and higher wages.

"Our medical is still so far down. We are behind in medical,
dental, vacation and retirement," said Fowler. "Across the board, we're low in
all areas."

Fowler said he is not trying to blame the City Council, which
has been supportive of increasing wages since 2000.

"(Upland) has done a good job restoring the budget and bringing
money into the city. The mayor has been very good at getting our wages up,"
he said.

But salary is not the highest concern for the Upland department,
said Fowler, who at 49 would be eligible to retire in a year in most other
cities.

"I can't afford to retire. I'll have to work for another five
years," he said.

The top priority for negotiations this year is to receive a
better benefits and retirement package, he said.

"We don't want to be the highest paid, we just want to get to
the average of total compensation so our guys won't leave," Fowler said. "Kids
come here to gain experience as a firefighter. We train them with our dollars,
and then they move on to something better. Some of them like it here, fall in
love with the city, but they have to look out for themselves and their
families."

Upland Fire Department:

Starting wage for a firefighter is $4,408 per month.

The retirement formula is 2 percent at 50. This means that when
a firefighter retires at the age of 50, every year of service will be multiplied
by 2 percent, equaling a pension percent of salary.

Insurance and benefits for a firefighter are given in a lump sum
of $766 per month.

Ontario Fire Department:

Starting wage for a firefighter is $4,442 per month.

The retirement formula is 3 percent at 50.

Insurance and benefits for a firefighter are given monthly in
three different categories:

- Single: $405

- Two-party: $801

- Family: $1,037

Lori Consalvo can be reached by e-mail at
lori.consalvo@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9391.

---

BS Ranch Perspective:

It looks like Upland Fire has something in common with
Rialto Fire, & Police! Rialto Police/Fire and Upland Fire are the
only agencies in the Inland Empire that do not offer something better then
that of 2% at 50. 99% of the Departments Officer a Retirement
plan of 3% at 50 years of age. Lets look at some of the other Agencies
that offer less. San Bernardino Police Department Offers 3% @ 55 and that
is better then 2% at 50 any day!!

The trouble is that Rialto City Council thinks
that the Retirement that one gets doesn't count towards what one did
for their employer, well I worked hard for the city of Rialto, and I
am here to say that they are wrong! The people that work hard
for the city of Rialto deserve to retire at a time in their life
when they are at an age that they should not be placing their life on the line
to save public safety. The people that reach fifty in the line of law
enforcement deserve to retire, it is much to dangerous of a
career these days to keep going on and on,

So I say to you, Please Remember that Rialto should Retire
at a Respectable age like their Counter parts in other sixties, are finding
themselves. Why even the County of San Bernardino has the retirement of 3%
at 50! Just two city's in the Inland Empire now don't offers the
newly Changed Retirement Plan and that all should change. Please Ed Scott
Find the money. You Seem to be finding the money to fight the County on the
Perchlorate, when we should be working with the County and not fighting with
them. You are Wasting City Dollars that could be used to pay for a more
responsible Retirement plan for the Employee's of Rialto a 3% @ 50 Retirement
Plan for all employees!! that is and would be the best yet!!

BSRanch

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Rialto Plan Aims to Fix City's Infrastructure (Daily Bulletin 100906)

Rialto Plan Aims to Fix City's Infrastracture
By Jason Pesick, Daily Bulletin Staff Writer Article Launched: 10/09/2006 12:00

RIALTO - The long-awaited widening of the Riverside Avenue bridge above the 10 Freeway is one of 131 projects the city hopes to complete in the next five years.

The $31 million project was included in the 2007-11 Capital Improvement Program the City Council approved Tuesday night. The annual document lays out $106 million in major purchases and construction projects.

The plan, which city officials stress is dynamic and subject to change, focuses on upgrading the city's infrastructure, improving facilities, public safety and the city's appearance. Most of the funding, $57 million, will be used for transportation and flood-control projects, while about one-quarter is aimed at redevelopment proposals.

"The focus over the last couple of years has been transportation," said Mike Story, Rialto's development services director.

Cheryl Donahue, a spokeswoman for San Bernardino Associated Governments, said the Riverside Avenue bridge project is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2008 and will likely take 20 months to complete. She said the city first started doing work on the project in 1997, but a lack of funding and environmental requirements have delayed the project.

"This is one of the interchanges where traffic actually

backs up onto the freeway," Donahue said.

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Mayor Grace Vargas said the project has increased from about $11 million since 1997.

"All of our projects are seeing just gigantic increases in costs," Donahue said. She said the widening of 215 Freeway in San Bernardino increased in cost from $250 million to $640 million. She attributed the increases to building material shortages, which are in large part the result of the tremendous amount of construction taking place in China. She also said contractors have tended to be more selective in which projects they take.

The entire $106 million figure for the program represents money already allocated to projects currently under way, funding from a number of different sources, including grants and money that will be spent during the next five years.

Aside from the road-widening project above 10 Freeway, $18.3 million is dedicated to the Willow Winchester Neighborhood Revitalization Project, which will refurbish a condominium complex in an effort to decrease blight in the area.

The city will continue to revitalize its downtown street-scape by spending nearly $1.5 million in the next three years. It will also spend $8 million to spruce up Foothill Boulevard and the surrounding buildings.

The city will also spend $2.5 million to extend Pepper Avenue to the 210 Freeway.

Another major project is the $7.4 million plan to prepare a site for for a new $100 million regional biosolids processing facility.

Many of the projects are improvements to city buildings, such as the Senior Center. For example, the plan calls for replacing roofs and air-conditioning units in city buildings.

The city also plans to purchase a number of public safety vehicles. These purchases include $180,000 for a new ambulance, $825,000 for two fire engines and more than $5 million for 29 police vehicles through 2011.

The soccer fields at Jerry Eaves Park will be illuminated thanks to a $900,000 grant from the county. Rialto Park will also receive a $2.5 million upgrade.

---

BS Ranch Perspective:

The plans outlined in this article are very strong and imaginative! They are very good Ideas, but some they have already been told to pound sand by the environmentalist groups that they will take them to a very pricey court battle, I am talking of coarse about the Pepper Ave Extension and Onramps to the Interstate 210 freeway! They need to be done, because the City needs more of a reach to the Freeway then just Riverside, Ayala, & Alder Avenues! Pepper would be great and it would also give that eastern reach to the on ramp. Plus they can extend complete the extension also to the Frontage Road (Highland Ave) if they would Extend Pepper fully to the next step, that would also relieve that traffic off of the Frontage road, from Easton Ave. Off of Riverside.

I do realize that the Fire Engines that they got when the Utility tax was voted in was five years ago, and that one or two are ready to be rotated out and new ones rotated in, but there is still the problem of the equipment for the Police Department! The radio's that they have are good and it is better now that the Police Officers have their radio's Issued to them. I do feel that they should get all the money's worth with the radios and get the Direct Connect telephone service with them, because without that you are wasting money and the police Officers time.

Most of the Ideas are good ones, I feel that they are missing a few things however again it's the support of the Police Department.

BS Ranch

Area's Rehabilitation Begins (Press Enterprise 100906) Rialto: A $37Million Effort to upgrade a blighted neighborhood gets under way

Area's rehabilitation begins

RIALTO: A $37 million effort to upgrade a blighted neighborhood gets under way.

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, October 9, 2006

By MASSIEL LADRÓN DE GUEVARA
The Press-Enterprise

A bulldozer punched through the wall of an apartment in Rialto's Willow-Winchester area Monday to mark the beginning of the neighborhood's rehabilitation.

It was a moment four years in the making, said John Dutrey, Rialto's housing specialist.

The area had been a problem for several years because of crime, blight, homicides and gangs, but in 18 months it will be a beautiful community where families will be safe and can enjoy a community center, Dutrey said.

Rialto and nonprofit Southern California Housing Development Corp. invested $37 million to purchase the 160 apartment units in the area to rehabilitate them, place onsite management and build a community center.

The center will offer such after-school activities as arts and crafts and computer classes, and English as a second language classes will be offered at no cost to adults, Dutrey said.

A coin-operated laundry and basketball courts also will be available to residents of the apartment units, said Julie Mungai, senior project manager for the nonprofit group.

The goal is to help low-income families live in a safe neighborhood, Mungai said. Rent will range between $350 and $850 for the two- and three-bedroom units.

Bridget Boyd, who has lived in the Willow-Winchester area on and off since 1976, said the project is the answer to her prayers for the community.

"We will be able to be proud to live here again," she said.

Several residents expressed a desire to volunteer at the community center when it opens to ensure children have somewhere fun and safe to spend time.

Margiteen Rawls, who lives across the street from the Willow-Winchester project area, said she would love to volunteer at the center.

"So many little kids are getting killed out on the streets that it'd be wonderful for them to have a place to be safe from the outside craziness," Rawls said.

Mayor Grace Vargas said although it will be an expensive project, the investment is well worth it.

"Residents are going to be able to be safe, children will be able to play outside and it will eliminate calls to police officers so they can be somewhere else patrolling the city," she said.

Reach Massiel Ladrón De Guevara at 909-806-3054 or mdeguevara@PE.com

---

BS Ranch Perspective:

History is going to repeat itself with these apartments or Condo's what ever they are being past as these days! They are right North of the Eisenhower High School, which is a breeding ground for the Drugs to start and get going, that area was once swept through in 1994 and we spent a whole week preparing for the one night of raids. That was back when welfare was supporting many of the apartments that were there and they were cleaned out when the raids were done. No Rent then there was no apartment. The Police Department went in with SWAT, County Welfare, Probation, Parole Officers, and there was drug warrants served, the area was called drug free went we finished, but the whole thing took a month to complete. Now the city wants to invest and take the property over as imminent domain, and rejuvenate the property and then allow a private firm, Non Profit Organization Operates the Management, and Oversees the Renting of each place.

I am a skeptic, I feel that the gangs will work their way in slowly and the management will get shot any time that they move against the gang that is in control of the neighborhood. IT is going to still be a fight.

BS Ranch

Rialto Begins Rental Project (SB Sun 101006) Rialto begins to bulldoze walls to start project for rentals.

Rialto begins Rental Project
Jason Pesick, SB Sun Staff Writer

RIALTO - A bulldozer knocked down the wall of a blighted condo Monday, symbolizing the start of the Willow-Winchester Neighborhood Revitalization Project to remake a troubled neighborhood.

The groundbreaking marked the beginning of an 18-month construction process that will rebuild housing on nine acres in the high-crime area near the intersection of Willow Avenue and Winchester Drive.

"I stayed, and I prayed, and this is the result of my prayer," said resident Bridget Boyd, who grew up in the neighborhood.

The $31 million project - $13.3 million of which will come from the city - aims to transform 160 individually owned condominium units into an affordable rental-housing community. The community will be developed and managed by the Southern California Housing Development Corp., a nonprofit developer. The rest of the money will come from a number of lenders, the county and the state.

For years, nearly all of the units had different owners, and only 13 of them actually lived in the condos. Most of the rest were absentee landlords who did not maintain the property well, SoCal Housing and Rialto officials said.

The disorganized ownership-and- management scheme helped foster one of the

city's most dangerous areas, averaging two to three homicides and 700 calls for police service a year, said Housing Director John Dutrey.

For the past five years, the neighborhood has been the top crime district in the city, said police Lt. Randy DeAnda. He compared the neighborhood to the Glenwood Apartments, a once high-crime housing complex that SoCal Housing also recently renovated and turned into affordable apartments now known as Renaissance Village.

Boyd said she moved into a condo in 1976 with her mother and stayed for 20 years before moving out. She said it was a beautiful place when she was growing up.

More recently, however, Boyd said she moved back into the same unit she grew up in and described the area as like a "war zone."

Upon her return, she said her reaction was to say, "Jesus, what happened? Who did it?"

She said she wanted to leave right away but stayed until now. She plans to move back in once the renovation is complete.

The Rialto Housing Authority used eminent domain to acquire many of the units at a cost of about $80,000 per unit, Rialto Economic Development Director Robb Steel said. The city had to go to court to acquire two of the units, he said. Many of the residents have either been permanently relocated or will be able to move into the completed units, according to the city and SoCal Housing.

Even though the city ended up contributing more than twice the amount it originally intended to contribute to the project, the mayor and City Council members praised the project.

"We are here to celebrate the victory against crime and blight," Mayor Grace Vargas said. She added that the area used to give her the chills.

Monday's groundbreaking ceremony under a white tent brought an air of sophistication into this gritty neighborhood. Tuxedo-clad workers served hors d'oeuvres to a crowd that included only a half dozen community residents among city employees, officials and SoCal Housing representatives.

Once completed, the complex will have 152 two- and three-bedroom units with rents ranging from $350 to $850 a month, said Julie Mungai, a senior project manager at SoCal Housing.

She said a 6,300-square-foot community center will serve the entire city by offering services such as after-school programs. She said there will also be a children's playground and basketball court.

---

BS Ranch Perspective:

History does Repeat itself, they will reduce Calls for Service for a time, how ever History will repeat itself, the area that was used for, and multiplied crime, was the prefect location. The High School was just South of the Complex with a large wall that was easily climbed and gotten over, Much easer for the crime factor than the Officer chasing the criminal. They know that area better then we do, When you live in an area, you have the tenancy to get to know all the cracks in the walls and the ways to sneak around!

The city will learn that the money that they are wasting there would have been better spent on a Retirement plan that was 3% at 50 years of Age vs. 2% at 50 years of age. There is a huge difference in that one percent!!

BSRanch

DUI Suspect Rearrested After Crash (SB Sun 100706)

RIALTO
DUI suspect rearrested after crash

A man arrested on suspicion of drunken driving was re-arrested hours later after he crashed into a car and threatened to hurt the driver if he called police, officers said.

Shay Ralph Johnson, 23, of San

Bernardino was booked on suspicion of felony drunken driving, felony hit-and-run, terrorist threats and violating parole, said Rialto police Sgt. Vince Licata.

Rialto police initially arrested Johnson about 2 a.m. Friday in the 100 block of East Foothill Boulevard. His wife pulled up while he was being given sobriety tests.

Officers brought him to the station for more tests and to sober up, Licata said. Johnson and his car were released to his wife about 5:30 a.m.

The woman drove to where she had left her car to obtain an item and then planned to drive her husband home in his car. But he began arguing with her and demanded he drive.

When she insisted he couldn't drive, Johnson threatened to hurt her and then kicked her out of the vehicle, Licata said. The woman got into her own car and began following her husband.

"He smashes into a vehicle, launches that vehicle into a couple parked cars," Licata said. "He goes over to the driver and threatens him with violence if he calls the police."

The other driver received moderate injuries and complained of pain to his neck and back. He was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton for treatment.

Johnson ran to a pay phone and called a friend to pick him up.

Police went to the man's home in San Bernardino and arrested him again. He was booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

============================================================

BSRanch Perspective:

The Responsiblity for someone to take custody of a person that is intoxicated from a police station to take them home on their citation is and can be a tragity, and this can and will come back to bite the city of Rialto, espeically if there were people hurt! See the law clearly states that you take them into custody and hold them until they are sober enough to operate a motor vehicle safely, well in this case they decided that he was cooperative and nice that they would give him a brake and allow him to call his girl friend, to come pick him up and take him into her custody! She signs paper work stating that she is taking full responobilty for everything that he does, so if he were to get into another car and cause an accident that person is liable and can be held responcible for all the actions that this person has taken. If this is the case then this citation Release is now going to be tested in the State of California. There are many Departments that have this polocy, and they will rethink it when this case is done. I will say that and the citation release polocy will be a thing of the past once again!! because of one mans actions! to ruin it for everyone!!

BSRanch

Rialto Plans to Spend$106Million for Improvements (Daily Bulletin 100606)

Rialto plans to spend $106M for improvements

Jason Pesick, Staff Writer

Article Launched:10/06/2006 01:00:00 AM PDT

RIALTO - The long- awaited widening of the Riverside Avenue bridge above Interstate 10 is one of 131 projects the city hopes to complete in the next five years.

The $31million project was included in the 2007-11 capital- improvement program the City Council approved Tuesday night. The document lays out $106million in major purchases and construction projects.

The plan, which city officials stress is dynamic and subject to change, focuses on upgrading the city's infrastructure, improving facilities, public safety and the city's appearance.

Most of the funding, $57million, will be used for transportation and flood-control projects, while about one-quarter is aimed at redevelopment proposals.

"The focus over the last couple of years has been transportation," said Mike Story, Rialto's development services director.

Cheryl Donahue, a spokeswoman for San Bernardino Associated Governments, the county's transportation authority, said the Riverside Avenue bridge project is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2008 and will likely take 20 months to complete.

She said the city first started doing work on the project in 1997, but a lack of funding and environmental requirements have delayed it.

"This is one of the interchanges where traffic actually backs up onto the freeway," Donahue said.

At Tuesday's council meeting, Mayor Grace Vargas said the project's cost has increased from about $11 million since 1997.

"All of our projects are seeing just gigantic increases in costs," Donahue said.

She said the widening of Interstate 215 in San Bernardino increased in cost from $250million to $640million.

She attributed the increases to building material shortages, which are in large part the result of the tremendous amount of construction taking place in China. She also said contractors have tended to be more selective about which projects they take.

The entire $106million figure for Rialto's program represents money already allocated to projects currently under way and funding from a number of sources, including grants and money that will be spent over the next five years.

Aside from the road widening project above I-10, $18.3million is dedicated to the Willow Winchester Neighborhood Revitalization Project, which will refurbish a condominium complex in an effort to decrease blight in the area.

The city will continue to revitalize its downtown streetscape by spending nearly $1.5million over the next three years. It will also spend $8million to spruce up Foothill Boulevard and surrounding buildings.

The city will also spend $2.5 million to extend Pepper Avenue to the Interstate 210 extension.

Another major project is the $7.4million plan to prepare a site for a new $100million regional biosolids-processing facility.

Many of the projects are improvements to city buildings, such as the Senior Center. For example, the plan calls for replacing roofs and air-conditioning units in city buildings.

The city also plans to purchase a number of public-safety vehicles. The purchases include $180,000 for a new ambulance, $825,000 for two fire engines and more than $5million for 29 police vehicles through 2011.

The soccer fields at Jerry Eaves Park will be illuminated thanks to a $900,000 grant from the county. Rialto City Park will also receive a $2.5million upgrade.

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BS Ranch Perspective:

It seems that they are finally going to do what Fontana did about 10 years ago, and Rialto had slated to do 10 years ago but the Sierra Club, the one true friend to the Environment, stopped the expansion of the I-10/Riverside Crossing Bridge because of an Insect that is a natural Migrant to that area, but there is plenty of open areas down in the south end that have been built on without any stoppage from the Sierra Club, only when the City or Government wants to do anything is when they start to place a stoppage or argument, which I don't under stand.

I guess what they do, is threaten the large company that is getting ready to build a huge complex that they will close down the construction with law suits and a request for an environmental study, which takes a long time. Then the business gives a very large donation to the Sierra Club and all litigation is dropped, and they go away!! But the government doesn't play that game because it is Tax payers money.

The Sierra Club, should figure out that people should be wanting to give to their cause willingly and not through Non-Profit hijacking of their money and their company.

I think that the Sierra Club should Be Forced to pay for the $11 million difference from yesterday to today's cost in the expansion since the 1 acre of land that will be used to build on will be made better more access to cars and less accidents and loss of human life.

BS Ranch

Convicted Murderer From Rialto Sentenced to Death (Daily Bulletin 100506)

Convicted murderer from Rialto sentenced to death

By Melissa Pinion-Whitt, Daily Bulletin Staff Writer

Article Launched:10/05/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT

Louis Mitchell Jr., who grinned a month ago when jurors recommended he receive the death penalty, was not beaming during his sentencing Wednesday.

The convicted murderer stared forward, stone-faced and silent as a judge sentenced him to death, rather than life in prison.

"The weight of the evidence overwhelmingly supports the jury's verdict," San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Brian McCarville said.

The judge said Mitchell's victims were "particularly vulnerable" at the time they were shot and killed.

The 36-year-old Rialto man, who tested positive for PCP the day he was arrested, may have also been under the influence of drugs the day before when he went on a shooting rampage in Colton and San Bernardino.

But evidence of that was "tenuous at best," McCarville said.

McCarville sentenced Mitchell to death for the Aug. 8, 2005, murders of Mario Lopez, 59, and Patrick Mawikere, 20, at the California Auto Specialists auto dealership in Colton, where the two worked. He also imposed a death sentence for the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Susano Torres at a San Bernardino apartment complex.

Mitchell received life with the possibility of parole for the nonfatal shootings of Juan Bizzotto and Jerry Payan, who were wounded

at the car dealership, and Torres' 19-year-old brother, Armando Torres. He received a sentence of 25 years to life in prison for use of a firearm on each count.

Mitchell was arrested the day after the shootings on 19th Street in San Bernardino after threatening three people with a gun.

Payan, 37, said he and Bizzotto have undergone numerous surgeries and continue to receive therapy. Payan, who worked as a sales manager at the dealership, suffered a bullet wound to his arm and cuts to his legs from smashing through the glass of the business.

But the mental wounds will likely take longer to heal, Payan said.

Bizzotto is still traumatized because he watched all his colleagues get shot, he said.

"The best I can do is just talk to him all the time," Payan said. "We're going to stay close to each other. He lives down the street from me. We're going to pull through this somehow."

Mitchell's relatives and members of the victims' families were among about 15 people scattered throughout the courtroom Wednesday.

The judge's ruling generated no verbal reaction from the audience after McCarville warned relatives that the outbursts heard during the jury's verdict were unacceptable.

Outside the courtroom, family members embraced and wiped away tears. Lopez's mother declined comment, as did Mitchell's father.

Payan said the judge's decision gave the families a bit of closure.

"This is the end for him," he said. "It's not the end for us."

Contact writer Melissa Pinion-Whitt at (909) 386-3878 or via e-mail at melissa.pinion-whitt@sbsun.com.

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BS Ranch Perspective:

I just wanted to write a thanks to those that were able to serve on the Jury. They heard the evidence and well if what they heard was enough to convict this man of Murder then the Evidence was there and they did a good job. My heart and prayers go to the family of the victim, it isn't much for them to get for the loss of a family member, but in today's day and age when you see and read about so many murders that are unsolved, even with all the technology that we have to convict or find the murderer to convict. It is sad and brings a tear to my eye. God bless those that see loss every day, especially in this case. God Bless,

BS Ranch

Rialto Ought to Seek Cooperation on Perchlorate (Daily Bulletin!!100406)

Rialto Ought to Seek Cooperation on Perchlorate

Rialto may have a case against San Bernardino County in expecting it to help resolve the issue of perchlorate contamination polluting city wells. But it is going about the process of seeking compensation for its efforts entirely the wrong way.

Rather than suing the county once again, as it did last week, Rialto needs to gain the county’s cooperation in going after the real culprits – the companies that actually leaked the pollutant into the groundwater. And we don’t see how filing another lawsuit will achieve that salutary effect.

Having failed to get satisfactory results from a lawsuit it filed in 2004 against the county and 41 other entities, Rialto now has veered off on a sidetrack to go after the county alone in a lawsuit filed in state court. The city claims the county is in violation of a 1998 agreement to hold the city harmless in the county’s expansion of the Mid-Valley Sanitary Landfill in the north end of town. What that means exactly is up to legal conjecture, what with the county insisting it is providing clean water to residents, and the city insisting the county owes it for perchlorate-related costs so far.

But let’s remember, though the county bought the landfill, it

isn’t the one that did the dumping. And it’s beyond us why Rialto would want the county to take the fall, when the real bandits are getting away.

Whatever the case, it is city residents, whose water bills include a surcharge to fund the cleanup effort, who are paying the costs of the city’s inability to get the true polluters to pay the damages.

More to the point, perhaps, is the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board’s 2003 order to the county to investigate and clean up perchlorate contamination flowing from its property. That is what Rialto should be pressing with the county – not some new lawsuit, which remains a sideshow to the ongoing federal litigation.

The city’s initial lawsuit targets not only the county, but the U.S. Department of Defense and 40 corporations suspected of dumping the chemical used in the manufacture of fireworks and explosives into the groundwater decades ago. It is those companies that should be in Rialto’s, and the county’s, sights. It is those companies that should be paying the estimated $200 million to $300 million worth of cleanup and treatment costs, without leaving it to ratepayers to pony it up over the next 50 years.

We’d bet Rialto would have a lot better luck in pursuing that outcome, if it were to bring the county on board in seeking reimbursement from the companies at fault. Cooperation tends to work better than holding a stick over someone's head.

But neither is the county innocent. It needs to fulfill its obligations and stop playing an adversary role. Most important, it must step up to the plate to help Rialto recoup its losses. Let’s just say it’s for the sake of ratepayers more than it is Rialto’s.

Disagree? We’d like to hear from you. Write us at letters@dailybulletin.com.

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BS Ranch Perspective:

This is the most insightful article that I have seen on this subject, and they seem to be more informed then the others that seem to just put the story out there! I have said that Ed Scott and Mr. Owens, Mr. Garcia all are in the wrong here. they need to sit at the table with the County Supervisors, and the County Lawyer's and Engineers along with the people that have the power in the county to figure out how to come to some kind of an understanding to which they are working together and not against each other on the Perchlorate situation. The Powers that Be in Rialto are making the Perchlorate situation Cost the City and County of Rialto & San Bernardino a whole lot more than it should! They better pull their suits and start paying their half, and shut up before the judge in the case makes the city responsible for the whole thing and walks away, leaving the city of Rialto, Owens, Garcia, Scott, Sampson, Hanson, Robertson and Vargas all pay the bill with the newly failed renewal of the Utility tax!! The city will be going backwards again, all at the cost of the people that I have been writing to get rid of, Owens, Gonzales, Scott, Sampson, and Robertson the city would be better off.

BSRanch