Rialto Officers Accused of Having Group Sex Parties While on Duty
Woman claims she had a love child with an officer who refused to pay child support.
Watch Rebecca Hall's Report
KTLA
2:02 PM PDT, August 6, 2010
RIALTO -- A strip club waitress who says Rialto police officers had sex with women while on duty has filed a $500,000 harassment claim with the city.
Nancy Holtgreve alleges the San Bernardino County town perpetuated a culture of sexual harassment by policemen.
The claim, filed last week, says Holtgreve and other women at the Spearmint Rhino club had sex with officers in the Rialto Police Benefit Association union building - including group sex.
The department is investigating six officers.
Holtgreve also claims officer Officer James Dobbs abused and threatened her after she gave birth to his son in March and that the department failed to protect her.
Holrgreve filed a complaint with the department in July after Dobbs allegedly failed to pay child support and threatened her.
She says Dobbs didn't want to jeopardize his child custody battle with his ex-wife or his relationship with a girlfriend.
The 37-year-old waitress has also made several damaging statements to area newspapers about the habits of various Rialto police department officers, prompting police Chief Mark Kling to place Dobbs and three other officers on paid leave.
"This is not representative of this department," Kling said. "We are going to hold these officers accountable if these allegations are true. And if the allegations aren't true, we are going to do everything we can to clear their names."
Holtgreve told several media outlets that the ordeal has been a "living hell" for her.
"Just because you're a police officer, it doesn't give you the right to use intimidation," Holtgreve said. "I guess if you pay your union dues you can do anything you want."
Her attorney says Holtgreve will sue if her claim is rejected.
City Attorney Jimmy Gutierrez says the city isn't liable because Holtgreve had consensual sex.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Rialto Strip Club Linked to Policee Sex Probe. (by Josh Dulaney) San Bernardino County Sun
Rialto strip club linked to police sex probe
Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
San Bernardino County Sun
Posted:
RIALTO - Internal investigators are probing claims that police officers were having sex on duty with employees of a popular strip club on Riverside Avenue, authorities said Monday.
"We've got confirmation that employees of the Spearmint Rhino were involved with officers in our department," Police Chief Mark Kling said.
Nancy Holtgreve, a 37-year-old server at the club, told the department in May that she had sex with Officer James Dobbs three times last year at the Rialto Police Benefit Association's union hall after she left work and while Dobbs was on duty.
Holtgreve said she and her co-workers after shifts frequently met Dobbs and other officers at a nearby 24-hour restaurant.
Neither police nor Holtgreve would confirm whether the other Spearmint Rhino employees were exotic dancers.
Holtgreve said she brought the allegations to the department because she feared for her safety when Dobbs allegedly abused and threatened her after she demanded he pay child support for their three-month-old son.
Phone messages to Dobbs though the union, at the police station and on his personal voicemail were not returned Monday.
"We know where Nancy works," Kling said. "We have talked to a number of people in this investigation and the investigation has taken us to a business and some homes."
Four officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while the department conducts an internal investigation.
Kling would not confirm the names of the officers on leave, citing the investigation.
Councilman Ed Scott, who owns a different downtown bar, said Monday he had heard rumors from his patrons that women who work at the Spearmint Rhino were involved with Rialto police officers.
"For about a week, that's what I had heard," Scott said.
Scott said he was very concerned about the allegations of officer misconduct.
"I'm concerned that a small group of them would be involved in any conduct like that with employees of any business," he said. "It certainly isn't the Spearmint Rhino's fault."
Kathy Vercher, the club's president and chief operating officer, said she was not aware of the investigation and did not want to comment.
The president of the Rialto police union said Monday he, too, was unaware of any misconduct at the union hall.
"I can unequivocally tell you that I've had no knowledge of that happening at the union hall," Sgt. Richard Royce said. "That's not what the hall is for. I do not condone and my membership doesn't condone that kind of activity."
Dobbs sometimes wanted to have sex at the union hall, where there were at least two beds, Holtgreve alleges.
Royce said there are beds in the hall, but those are for officers who need to rest after working double or graveyard shifts.
The hall, which is located near Ayala Drive and Base Line, is generally used by officers during off-shift activities and official union business, Royce said.
Royce said every union member has a key to the building, and "a lot" of city employees have one too.
But the union, in light of the allegations, has authorized funding for security upgrades that include new locks and potentially a surveillance system, he said.
"When this came to my attention, we took immediate steps to prevent it from happening," Royce said, but added: "I'm not saying it happened."
Only union members will continue to have a key or code to enter the building, Royce said.
"That's what they pay their dues for," he said.
Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
San Bernardino County Sun
Posted:
RIALTO - Internal investigators are probing claims that police officers were having sex on duty with employees of a popular strip club on Riverside Avenue, authorities said Monday.
"We've got confirmation that employees of the Spearmint Rhino were involved with officers in our department," Police Chief Mark Kling said.
Nancy Holtgreve, a 37-year-old server at the club, told the department in May that she had sex with Officer James Dobbs three times last year at the Rialto Police Benefit Association's union hall after she left work and while Dobbs was on duty.
Holtgreve said she and her co-workers after shifts frequently met Dobbs and other officers at a nearby 24-hour restaurant.
Neither police nor Holtgreve would confirm whether the other Spearmint Rhino employees were exotic dancers.
Holtgreve said she brought the allegations to the department because she feared for her safety when Dobbs allegedly abused and threatened her after she demanded he pay child support for their three-month-old son.
Phone messages to Dobbs though the union, at the police station and on his personal voicemail were not returned Monday.
"We know where Nancy works," Kling said. "We have talked to a number of people in this investigation and the investigation has taken us to a business and some homes."
Four officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while the department conducts an internal investigation.
Kling would not confirm the names of the officers on leave, citing the investigation.
Councilman Ed Scott, who owns a different downtown bar, said Monday he had heard rumors from his patrons that women who work at the Spearmint Rhino were involved with Rialto police officers.
"For about a week, that's what I had heard," Scott said.
Scott said he was very concerned about the allegations of officer misconduct.
"I'm concerned that a small group of them would be involved in any conduct like that with employees of any business," he said. "It certainly isn't the Spearmint Rhino's fault."
Kathy Vercher, the club's president and chief operating officer, said she was not aware of the investigation and did not want to comment.
The president of the Rialto police union said Monday he, too, was unaware of any misconduct at the union hall.
"I can unequivocally tell you that I've had no knowledge of that happening at the union hall," Sgt. Richard Royce said. "That's not what the hall is for. I do not condone and my membership doesn't condone that kind of activity."
Dobbs sometimes wanted to have sex at the union hall, where there were at least two beds, Holtgreve alleges.
Royce said there are beds in the hall, but those are for officers who need to rest after working double or graveyard shifts.
The hall, which is located near Ayala Drive and Base Line, is generally used by officers during off-shift activities and official union business, Royce said.
Royce said every union member has a key to the building, and "a lot" of city employees have one too.
But the union, in light of the allegations, has authorized funding for security upgrades that include new locks and potentially a surveillance system, he said.
"When this came to my attention, we took immediate steps to prevent it from happening," Royce said, but added: "I'm not saying it happened."
Only union members will continue to have a key or code to enter the building, Royce said.
"That's what they pay their dues for," he said.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Rialto scrambles to fund new pension costs
Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/23/2010 07:05:05 PM PST
RIALTO - At a time when local governments are looking to cut spending every way they can, this city is preparing to spend up to $5 million a year on upgraded pension packages for police, firefighters and other employees.
Budget plans for the 2010-11 fiscal year will have to account for the new "3 at 50" pension plan, which allows firefighters and police officers with 30 years of service to retire as early as age 50 and collect up to 90 percent of their highest annual salaries for the rest of their lives.
A slightly less generous improvement is also kicking in for the city's 400 general employees.
The combined pensions will account for roughly 10 percent of Rialto's $52 million annual budget, when they take effect next year.
City Administrator Henry Garcia had no luck in recent weeks trying to convince the workers' unions to delay implementation of the new plan because of the tough economy. The unions already gave up about $4 million in concessions to close last year's budget gap.
It'll be up to the City Council to decide where the money comes from.
"We're going to use reserves and look for funding sources that can fund it," said Councilman Ed Scott, who was among a 3-2 council majority that voted to approve the pension two years ago.
He added: "I have some faith and belief that the economy is going to turn around and we're going to find some revenue sources to deal with it."
Officials with the union representing Rialto police officers said their members have already given up plenty to help the city cope with the recession.
"We have given up pay increases, holiday hours. . .We'd given up a lot in advance so it's not a hardship on the city," said Richard Royce, president of the Rialto Police Benefit Association.
Representatives of the fire and general employees' unions could not be reached Friday or Saturday.
In the short term, the city will rely on its $31 million in economic reserves, a pot set aside for a rainy day.
Rialto isn't alone. The 3 at 50 pensions for public safety employees are as common in San Bernardino County as the government officials who worry the pricey benefit is unsustainable.
"I think in general there's concern about the retirement system across the state, the retirement system that serves government as a whole," Fontana City Manager Ken Hunt said. "Fontana is a very good system and it's very expensive. The question becomes, can it be maintained."
Last week, Orange County culminated years of negotiations about 3 at 50 when sheriff's deputies agreed to reduce the pensions for new hires. The move helps the county, but doesn't solve the long-term pension funding problem.
The thought of more local governments adopting new 3 at 50 plans in the current economy should be of huge concern to taxpayers, said Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach, who has long fought to roll back that county's 3 at 50 pensions.
"The pension contribution will be an ulcer in the budget because it will always grow and then you will have to bump other things out," he said.
A divided council
The 2008 effort to approve Rialto's new pensions was not unlike the debate that follows 3 at 50 proposals everywhere.
Supporters argue that police officers and firefighters put their lives on the line for the residents they serve, often shortening their own lives through wear, tear and exposure to a wide range of hazards.
As a result, they deserve earlier retirements and financial security.
"We're getting guys at 25, 26, 27 and they don't last much past 50," said Royce, the police union president. "This is a very hard career."
Some police and fire departments also worry about losing good employees if they can't match the pensions being offered elsewhere.
"I supported it because it's a tool the police chief needs to recruit some talent into the city," Scott said. "We had a history of not good recruitment, and when you're surrounded by municipalities that have (it), it's hard to match that."
Mayor Grace Vargas and Councilman Joe Baca Jr., joined Scott to approve Rialto's 3 at 50 pensions by one vote.
Vargas did not return a message seeking comment but Baca said the city owes it to the workers.
"We need to take care of our employees," he said. "They do a good job in the city and they should be awarded with a good retirement."
But critics argue the plans are far too generous, given the much more modest pensions typically found in the private sector. Another criticism is that, rather than spending their 50s playing golf, many maxed-out "retirees" take new jobs at other departments, collecting consulting fees or full salaries in addition to their 90 percent pensions.
"In economic terms, these people are millionaires and that's paid for by the taxpayers," said Steven Frates, senior fellow at the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College.
Councilwoman Deborah Robertson and former Councilwoman Winnie Hanson voted against Rialto's 3 at 50 plans.
"It was just a very expensive thing and I felt the city could not afford it and I think I was right," Hanson said last week.
But voting against the interests of the police and fire unions might have carried a political price. Hanson suspects the vote might have cost her a 2008 re-election bid against Ed Palmer months later.
Robertson did not return messages seeking her reasons for opposing the pensions.
It's the type of issue that can make city leaders feel as if they're in a no-win situation.
"Somewhere, the line between public safety, public good and public costs needs to be debated," said Garcia, the Rialto city administrator. "People want public safety. Here's the cost, you pay for it and that's the way it is."
Some seek to roll back pensions
In Montclair, city officials have trimmed services, frozen job vacancies, reduced overtime and benefits, and borrowed $2.5 million in General Fund money to ensure the retirement program is funded.
And even before the current recession, they sought concessions from the unions on 3 at 50.
"Every agency is struggling right now and we all do it in different ways," said Edward Starr, deputy city manager in Montclair. "You don't want to do it on the back of the employees, but you also don't want to do it on the back of the community."
Montclair went to a two-tier system in 2005. Safety personnel hired after June 29 of that year would have a "3 at 55" benefit, while those hired before then kept 3 at 50.
Montclair's experience also illustrates how pension costs can change dramatically with modest changes in the retirement age.
Starr said if all cops in Montclair were on 3 at 50, it would cost the city roughly $1.6 million a year. If all were at 3 at 55, the cost would be about $560,000 a year.
Rialto officials hope to follow suit.
"We're looking at that," said Scott. "When we go to negotiations, we would ask the labor unions to consider a two-tiered system."
Others want to take the discretion away from local governments.
A group called California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility has crafted an initiative for the November ballot that would drastically reduce pension benefits for future public employees.
According to the non-partisan Legislative Analyst's Office, the group's initiative would amend the state Constitution to limit defined-benefit pensions and retiree health benefits for state and local government employees hired on or after July 1, 2011.
The measure establishes minimum retirement ages, such as 58 for new cops and firefighters, and 60 for other public safety employees. All other new employees would submit to the full retirement age as defined by Congress, which is 67 for persons born in 1960 or after.
"It's sucking money out of our economy," said Marcia Fritz, who helped craft the initiative. "It's our money and then people start drawing on these investments and then they (retire out of state)."
Fritz estimates the measure would reduce costs statewide by $14 billion over the first six years and $533 billion over 33 years.
In the meantime, Rialto officials realize they need to increase revenue. There are high hopes for a San Bernardino County expansion of the landfill here. Also on the table is a plan to lease out the city's water department and save maintenance costs. Consolidations of city departments are also being considered.
"Right now we're going to have to make some tough decisions," Baca said.
Some officials worry it might already be too late for some cities.
Moorlach, the Orange County supervisor, pointed to the Northern California city of Vallejo, which filed for bankruptcy in 2008, in part, because of expensive retirement packages.
"We're all trying to figure out who files for Chapter 9 bankruptcy first," he said, "whether it's in Orange County or San Bernardino County."
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BS Ranch Perspective:I know this reference the retirement system that the city is claiming problems paying for, and that is that the RPBA took a 10% reduction in their pay, they have lost seven days of Holiday Time for the year, also they cannot build up more then Two Weeks of Comp. Time. They also are working on a very strict Schedule that doesn't allow Overtime Pay, they are asked to take Compensation time off, a thing that has been capped, to the point that it is only approx 80 hours cap, so if they work overtime and put in the compensation time as requested by the Management, & they start to exceed the cap, they are then asking for more trouble at work!
I know that this sounds weird since they are not paying now, they are paying the Officer with Time off, but if they don't have the manpower on the schedule they cannot allow anyone time off, that is where the Comp. Time reaches the cap fast and cannot be reduced as there is not enough Officers to make up a safe shift.
The pay cut, Holiday Time cap Reduction and Holiday Time reduction was done so that in the 1.5 years in the future they might be able to keep the Retirement Package, Rialto after all was working without this retirement package for three years before it was to come into existence.
Now that the time is Nearing, and they have asked the Police Department to take a Cut in Pay, and they agreed and complied, it has been really hard for a great deal of Officers to work through this cut in pay. I see it first hand Knowing Many of the Officers and their Families, the struggle has been difficult.
The City of Rialto has paid for the retirement Plan on the books for more then Thirty years, Paying the 9% of pay for the Current Retirement System, and now that they have agreed to new plan, a Plan that over 90% of all law enforcement currently have with the exception of the new hires for Orange County Sheriffs Department. Even the lower priced Departments have it, Departments such as San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, The Sheriff's department for the most part has a lower budget for their Deputies, and this you would think would make it harder for the SBSD to afford such a Retirement Plan, but they have had this said plan for close to Ten Years now.
Surly the Rialto Police Department can pay for this plan, by doing one simple thing, and this simple thing was forced upon the Police Department already and that is to tighten their belts. The Police Department Employee's have done this and they have not lost any of the officers to bankruptcy etc etc...
I am sure that the City of Rialto will be Okay, they have been Okay in the past and this is not anything to worry about, Unless the City Council Members make it hard for the Police Department. a thing that seems to be Par for the Course, since they made it such a big Headline and are attempting to make their own Employee's the bad guys like they did back in 2003 with the Contract Battle to close the Police Department and offered the job to the Sheriff of San Bernardino County!
That ended in a very embarrassing Loss to the City Council, Look at those council members that were against the Police Department, at that time, why even the Council Members that voted against the Retirement Package.. OOH THAT'S RIGHT, YOU CAN'T, THEY HAVE BEEN VOTED OFF THE CITY COUNCIL TODAY!!
BS Ranch
*Not being a Retired Employee, I am not positive on the Pay Cuts that were approved by the RPBA, especially in regards to the Holiday Time/Comp. Time. However I know that the Police Department took a TEN PERCENT cut in pay, and this was devastating for many to adjust to. This I do know first hand being friends with all my past work mates..
Monday, December 07, 2009
Energy Buyback plan means rooftop revenue for Homeowners (Press-Enterprise By David Danelski) Or Does IT?? (BS Ranch Perspective)
BS Ranch Perspective:
This law is not moving far enough to given enough incentive for those that want a solar power generation plant on their house, since you are only supposed to be generating less then or up to what you are using now, it leaves people with more of an option of paying off their mortgage first then making the huge investment in this power plant, that will not pay them enough to make a decent savings to their household!! If this power plant was to take their electric bill away from their monthly/yearly bills then there would be an incentive, but what would make and even more incentive would be to allow the homeowner to sell, power back to the State/City/or Local power Company, when they have not used as much power in their household as they have generated for that month. Sure that power that they got purchased from them would be considered to be income as a private Sales, this and only this, would lead to a way to drive people to conserve power!! Other then that if their power is reduced, yet they are still forced to pay a bill then they will take those savings and mark it as that SAVINGS, in there budget they might be easier to spend that money, but if it is marked as Earnings that would make it more likely to try to make more!! Other than that the speculation that people will try to save simply because their bill is reduced is a stupid assumption on their part!!!
BS Ranch
PS: this projected Change is bad, and the allowed buyback of power should be allowed at a profit from the homeowner!!
This law is not moving far enough to given enough incentive for those that want a solar power generation plant on their house, since you are only supposed to be generating less then or up to what you are using now, it leaves people with more of an option of paying off their mortgage first then making the huge investment in this power plant, that will not pay them enough to make a decent savings to their household!! If this power plant was to take their electric bill away from their monthly/yearly bills then there would be an incentive, but what would make and even more incentive would be to allow the homeowner to sell, power back to the State/City/or Local power Company, when they have not used as much power in their household as they have generated for that month. Sure that power that they got purchased from them would be considered to be income as a private Sales, this and only this, would lead to a way to drive people to conserve power!! Other then that if their power is reduced, yet they are still forced to pay a bill then they will take those savings and mark it as that SAVINGS, in there budget they might be easier to spend that money, but if it is marked as Earnings that would make it more likely to try to make more!! Other than that the speculation that people will try to save simply because their bill is reduced is a stupid assumption on their part!!!
BS Ranch
PS: this projected Change is bad, and the allowed buyback of power should be allowed at a profit from the homeowner!!
Energy buyback plan means rooftop revenue for homeowners
| | Download story podcast | |
12:09 AM PST on Sunday, December 6, 2009
California residents who install photovoltaic solar panels on their homes soon could be paid by their utilities if they produce more electricity than they use, the result of a state law that takes effect next year.
But don't expect a rush of people installing rooftop solar units, observers say. Here's why:
To be eligible for paybacks, homeowners and businesses cannot install solar systems that generate more electricity than they've been using. In other words, they can't put in extra solar panels with the intention of selling power to the local utility.
Story continues below
Terry Pierson / The Press-Enterprise
Riverside homeowner David Morgan has a 2.3-kilowatt solar system on his home, and he says laws governing utility buyback of unused residence-generated solar power are moving in the right direction.
The law does not apply to the 1.4 million electricity customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Once rooftop solar accounts for 2.5 percent of a utility's total power supply, no further buybacks are required.
The law's backers hope it will move California toward capturing a huge source of clean power that doesn't require construction of new long-distance power lines or building energy projects on hundreds of square miles of desert land that otherwise might be preserved for recreation or wildlife habitat.
Enough sunshine lands on California rooftops to potentially generate 50 gigawatts -- nearly the total electricity the state uses on a hot day in August -- according to estimates in a 2007 California Energy Commission report.
Some say the law's restrictions expose lawmakers' reluctance to truly embrace the potential of rooftop solar, despite the state's mandate that utilities obtain 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by next year and 33 percent by 2020.
"We are getting a lot of sloganeering, but they are really just throwing us a bone, and it is not much of one," said David Myers, executive director of The Wildlands Conservancy, an Oak Glen-based organization that raises funds to acquire wildlife habitat for permanent protection.
The bill's author, Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, said the limitations were necessary to overcome opposition from large utilities, including San Diego Gas and Electric, and the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates investor-owned utilities, including Southern California Edison.
"I got the most I could get with this bill," Huffman said. "I'd like to see as much generation from as many roofs as possible, but this was a political compromise."
Opponents said the state already requires utilities to spend about $3 billion subsidizing the cost of rooftop systems through rebates. Those who benefit from the subsidies "do not need another opportunity to receive payment from the utility," according to an analysis by the Public Utilities Commission.
Damon Franz, an analyst for the commission, said in an interview that the rule limiting how much electricity people can produce will encourage people to install smaller systems, allowing the state rebate dollars to be distributed to more homeowners. Smaller solar systems also would encourage owners to reduce their electricity consumption, in order to get paid for the unused power, he said.
A MATTER OF COSTS
Bob Botkin, solar programs manager for Southern California Edison, said the company took no position on the bill. He added, though, that encouraging people to produce only the power they use helps eliminates the cost of distributing the power to other users.
Despite the bill's limits, Huffman said, it opens the door to electricity buybacks. He is hopeful that future legislation will lift the 2.5 percent cap.
Story continues below
Terry Pierson / The Press-Enterprise
David Morgan says he has enough roof space to accommodate solar panels that would supply 100 percent of the power for his household and one of his neighbor's homes.
Riverside resident David Morgan, who installed a 2.3-kilowatt solar system on his home a few years ago, said the law is moving in the right direction.
"It's on its way to be being a good thing, but it isn't going far enough," Morgan said.
Since his system provides about a third of his family's power needs, Morgan said the law gives him a financial incentive to add more solar capacity. He has enough roof space for panels that would supply 100 percent of the power for his household and one of his neighbor's homes, he said.
By the end of next year, utilities are required to set rates to reimburse customers who qualify for buybacks. Once the rate is set, residents can start earning redeemable credits for excess electricity they produce. The first checks would arrive a year later.
Huffman said under existing rules, utilities kept track of homeowners' excess electricity production. At the end of a year, if they produced more power than they used, the remaining credit was forfeited, infuriating some owners of rooftop systems.
In an e-mail to Huffman's office, San Francisco resident Douglas C. Horner Jr. wrote: "I'm not in the business of providing free power to PG&E on my dime. If they are not banking those credits, or sending me a check, then I might as well use as much power as possible ... "
INLAND ANGLE
David Wright, Riverside's utilities director, said he doesn't expect the limitations of Huffman's bill to slow rooftop solar progress in Riverside. The city is years away from seeing 2.5 percent of its power coming from rooftop solar systems, giving lawmakers time to increase the cap when necessary, he said. The city has about 107,000 meters; about 110 are connected to solar systems.
Even with local subsidies and federal tax credits, the cost of a residential solar system, depending on size, is roughly $20,000 to $50,000, akin to the cost of a new car. Consequently, few people would be inclined to build a system that produces more than their needs, Wright said.
The limitations in the law give utilities time to phase in rooftop solar and other alternative sources of electricity while paying off debts on conventional power plants, he said. Forcing the utilities to buy solar power too quickly could result in rate increases.
"It would be like paying two mortgages for two houses when you need only one house," Wright said.
Myers, of The Wildlands Conservancy, said the state needs to encourage people to invest as much as they can in rooftop solar, but instead it is setting up roadblocks that protect utility profits.
Such obstacles will result in more large-scale solar and wind energy development on previously undisturbed public land, as well as more power lines crossing public and private land to carry that energy to cities far away.
"It just doesn't make sense, when we are trying to convert to a green economy," he said. "The technology is ready and the roofs are on the grid, and no environmental impact reports are needed."
Reach David Danelski at 951-368-9471 or ddanelski@PE.com
Sunday, September 27, 2009
San Bernardino International Airport Offers incentive to passengers airlines... Press Enterprise September 24, 2009
BS Ranch Perspective:
Does the Inland Empire need another Passenger Airport? The answer is Yes! Capitalism demands it! the more the better! That is right, the more competition that is offered the better the flights prices in the area and the more that people that travel will benefit from the airport or airlines for that matter will do great having an extra out in the Inland Empire! Either that or there is not enough people in this area to sustain a full on full service Air Port such as the one that San Bernardino is trying to offer the people of the Inland Empire!
BS Ranch
San Bernardino International Airport offers incentives to passenger airlines
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09:38 PM PDT on Thursday, September 24, 2009
Looking to lure passenger carriers to a nearly completed passenger terminal, San Bernardino International Airport officials this week approved a long-discussed package of incentives, worth more than $2.5 million for each airline it can draw.
The incentives will be offered to up to four airlines that initiate commercial service. Officials during the past year have said that one major domestic airline is seriously examining the feasibility of starting service at the former Norton Air Force Base, while at least one more is considering it, though no carriers have been named.
The board of the joint-powers Inland Valley Development Agency, which oversees airport development, on Wednesday approved an incentive package that includes up to $1 million in revenue guarantees per year for the first two years of operation, and forgiveness of landing fees for five years.
It also provides for $500,000 in advertising and marketing funds, to help each airline promote its new services during the first year of operations.
"These amounts won't nearly pay all of the costs that an airline would bear to extend service, but it could make the difference in turning a profit on that service," said Don Rogers, interim director of the development agency.
Rogers said it costs an airline between $70 million and $85 million to bring new services to any airport.
Story continues below
Terry Pierson / The Press-Enterprise
The San Bernardino International Airport's new commuter terminal is nearly complete. Now the airport is moving to attract airlines.
He said money is already in the airport's budget to cover the incentives for the first two airlines that agree to start service, and funding for the other two will need to be finalized later by airport authorities.
Airport aviation director Bill Ingraham said the incentives will be offered only to airlines that can guarantee a minimum of 12 weekly departures.
Officials have said for several months that some kind of incentive package will likely be needed to attract carriers to the San Bernardino airport, in an economy where most airlines are cutting rather than adding services. "What we're doing here is formalizing that," Ingraham said.
Story continues below
Terry Pierson / The Press-Enterprise
San Bernardino International says one airline is considering landing at the airport and another might be interested.
Carriers have dropped flights over the past several months at facilities across the nation, including Ontario International Airport.
Ontario airport doesn't offer any incentives to new airlines, and the cost for doing business there is $14.50 for each passenger who gets on a plane, one of the highest in Southern California.
The Ontario airport's revenue relies on its airlines. As revenue has dropped and fewer airlines serve the airport, landing fees have risen to $2.76 per 1,000 pounds, and terminal rental rates have increased.
The San Bernardino facility's current landing fee is $1 per 1,000 pounds.
Thomas Nolan, aviation director at Palm Springs International Airport, said his airport offers incentives to new airlines on a case-by-case basis.
San Bernardino airport officials have said the main passenger terminal, which cost more than $80 million to renovate from its former military base use over the past two years, will be ready to accept commercial flights before year's end. Still being completed are final tarmac and parking lot improvements, as well as food and newsstand concessions.
Reach Lou Hirsh at 951-368-9559 or lhirsh@PE.com.
Reach Kimberly Pierceall at 951-368-9552 or kpierceall@PE.com.
What's offfered
San Bernardino International Airport officials this week approved measures to help encourage major airlines to add local service. Incentives would go to each of the first four airlines that bring in new flights.
Revenue guarantees: Up to $1 million per year for first two years.
Advertising and marketing funds: $500,000 during first year.
Landing fees: Forgiveness of payments for five years.
Source: Inland Valley Development Agency
Friday, May 15, 2009
Economic stimulus
This was an article from the St. Petersburg Times Newspaper on Sunday.
The Business Section asked readers for ideas on "How Would You Fix the Economy?"
I thought this was the BEST idea....
I think this guy nailed it!
What a Great Economic stimulus Idea, that will work.
Dear Mr. President,
Patriotic retirement:
There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force - Pay them $1 million apiece severance with the following stipulations:
1) They leave their jobs. Forty-million job openings - Unemployment fixed.
2) They buy NEW American cars. Forty-million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed.
3) They either buy a house/pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed.
It can't get any easier than that!
PS If more money is needed, have all members in Congress and cabinet members pay their taxes for change........
The Business Section asked readers for ideas on "How Would You Fix the Economy?"
I thought this was the BEST idea....
I think this guy nailed it!
What a Great Economic stimulus Idea, that will work.
Dear Mr. President,
Patriotic retirement:
There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force - Pay them $1 million apiece severance with the following stipulations:
1) They leave their jobs. Forty-million job openings - Unemployment fixed.
2) They buy NEW American cars. Forty-million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed.
3) They either buy a house/pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed.
It can't get any easier than that!
PS If more money is needed, have all members in Congress and cabinet members pay their taxes for change........
A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Rialto to fight blight with Grant Money (Inland Daily Bulletin Sept 30, 2008) When is that Construction going to start for Rialto Renaissance??
BS Ranch Perspective:
Home improvement problems are important, but what I was wondering is when the Rialto Renaissance was going to get underway!! I am looking so forward to shopping in the new shopping center that once was the Historic Rialto Miro Field Airport!! That they were so eager to get rid of for a pipe dream of a, what TARGET STORE?
BS Ranch
Rialto to fight blight with grant money
Article Created: 09/30/2008 09:03:02 PM PDT
The city will receive about $5.5 million in grant money from Housing and Urban Development's $3.92 billion Neighborhood Stabilization Program designed to help local governments buy, fix and sell properties abandoned to foreclosure.
"We could intervene in the marketplace for a portfolio of single-family units," said Robb Steel, economic development director. "It could possibly be a financing mechanism for soft-second (mortgages) for buyers."
City leaders can also use the grant to demolish abandoned properties and offer down payment and closing-cost assistance to home buyers whose household incomes do not exceed 120 percent of area median income.
They can also create land banks to assemble, temporarily manage and dispose of vacant land for the purpose of stabilizing neighborhoods and encouraging reuse or redevelopment of urban property.
The city may also revitalize some of its troubled multifamily projects, Steel said.
He said officials are looking forward to two workshops where they will further explore their options.
At the same time, they are reminding residents of two programs they hope will curb blight and encourage more buyers to fill abandoned houses.
"Some of the properties out there are in pretty bad shape," said John Dutrey, housing program manager.
The Minor Rehabilitation Home Repair program will assist homeowners and first-time home buyers with repairs to their homes.
A homeowner with a fixed-rate mortgage on the house in which he lives may borrow up to $10,000 at a zero percent interest rate, to do repairs. There are no equity requirements, Dutrey said.
Qualified home buyers who purchase vacant, foreclosed homes will also be eligible.
Dutrey said some of the vacant houses need up to $20,000 in work.
The Emergency Mobile Home Repair program is a grant for owner-occupied mobile homes.
Mobile-home owners who need emergency repairs may apply for up to $7,000 to correct code violations, safety and hazardous conditions.
Applicants must have resided in the mobile home for at least one year.
Both programs require prospective applicants to meet low- to moderate-income guidelines, and the properties must be located within the city.
"We're looking to do two things with these houses," Dutrey said. "Get a family in, and get the property looking better in town."
Steel said the HUD grant may not necessarily go to the two programs, but that the projects it funds would not supplant them either.
For information on the city's home repair programs, call (909) 879-1140.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
EPA ducks perchlorate standards (Contra Costa Times September 27, 2008) White House Edits Draft!!
BS Ranch Perspective:
Alright everybody that drinks water in the City of Rialto, get ready to suffer from Cancer and the like it is great that the government is standing by everything that we do for them! The Tax Dollars at work I always say. Drink up and get that Stomach Cancer and dwindle away to nothing! I have seen this happen first hand!
That is the scary part, and to have the Government, our Government turn their backs on the tax payers of the Inland Empire is beside me!!
BS Ranch
EPA ducks perchlorate standards
White House edits draft
Article Launched: 09/27/2008 08:23:17 PM PDT
The decision, first reported by The Washington Post, came in a document indicating the EPA had made a "preliminary regulatory determination" not to set a standard.
The Sun has obtained a summary of the report from staff for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
According to the summary, the EPA draft underwent heavy editing from the White House, and the EPA's original suggestion to have a 45-day comment period was reduced to 30 days.
Perchlorate has been found at 400 sites nationwide, including more than 100 in California.
Locally, it has been found in especially high concentrations around Riverside, the San Gabriel Valley, Redlands and Rialto, where the EPA is close to naming a 160-acre area a Superfund site.
Perchlorate can interfere with the thyroid gland, affecting metabolism as well as mental and physical development.
California has set a maximum standard of 6 parts per billion, and Massachusetts has set one at 2 ppb in drinking water.
In 2002, EPA scientists developed a draft protective level of 1 ppb for drinking water, assuming all perchlorate intake comes from water. In reality, perchlorate is also found in milk, breast milk, lettuce and other food sources.
The National Academy of Sciences
was then tasked with coming up with a recommendation and came up with a reference dose of about 20 ppb, assuming a body weight of 150 pounds and that all perchlorate is ingested through water.Environmentalists and some members of Congress blasted the news as an example of the White House and Pentagon - much of the perchlorate contamination is at old Pentagon and defense contractor sites - influencing the EPA.
"The Defense Department's response to perchlorate contamination raises serious questions about the appropriateness of its role in the EPA's internal regulatory process," Rep. Hilda Solis, an El Monte Democrat, and Rep. Gene Green, a Texas Democrat wrote to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson.
The Sept. 23 letter asks for all communications on the issue since last year.
EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones said the agency plans to issue the preliminary determination in the next couple of weeks and the final one by the end of the year but that "no decision has been made."
"This is an open and transparent process," she said.
Solis and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., have sponsored legislation to require the EPA to set a perchlorate standard.
In March, the Government Accountability Office criticized the EPA's risk assessment process and said it is not transparent enough and allows too much influence from other federal agencies, including the White House.
Boxer mentioned the issue at a May committee hearing.
"We had a full hearing on a GAO report ... and the fact that EPA is trying to shunt the scientists to the back, put the (Department of Defense) contractors to the front - at the table - and they said it's very dangerous," she said at the May hearing.
An EPA decision not to regulate perchlorate in drinking water would not have a major effect on Superfund sites with perchlorate, like the one on its way to Rialto, said Kevin Mayer, the EPA's regional perchlorate manager and a Superfund project manager.
Treatment systems the EPA uses in Rialto should remove all perchlorate from the water, he said, but the agency won't have to clean water contaminated at lower levels than the state standard, 6 ppb.
"In a Superfund program, we're required to meet federal and state standards, and we're required to assess the risks for those contaminants that don't have standards," he said.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
California Attorney General Takes Orange County Deputies' side in Pention Fight!! (L.A. Times September 3, 2008)
California attorney general takes Orange County deputies' side in pension fight
Jerry Brown speaks of filing a brief opposing the county's effort to slash the benefits. The county's lawsuit seeks to repeal a retroactive increase, saying it was unconstitutional.
California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown waded into the legal fray Tuesday between Orange County and the union that represents sheriff's deputies, taking the union's side and saying he would seek to file a brief opposing the county's effort to slash deputies' pensions.
Brown's entry came after months of discussions with Tom Umberg, a former Democratic state assemblyman now representing the deputies union as a lawyer in the case, and Wayne Quint, the president of the union.
Brown's entry came after months of discussions with Tom Umberg, a former Democratic state assemblyman now representing the deputies union as a lawyer in the case, and Wayne Quint, the president of the union.
The two flew to Oakland to meet with Brown on two occasions in recent months, according to people familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about them.
In announcing his intent to file a friend-of-the-court brief, Brown said in a statement: "The deputy sheriffs put their lives on the line for us, and they deserve fair compensation for their hard work serving and protecting the people of Orange County. County supervisors are not entitled to suddenly change their minds and decide to take away important pension benefits that the deputies bargained for in good faith."
The attorney general's decision has the potential to bring more attention to the case, a high-stakes battle over public employee retirement benefits that could have far-reaching consequences yet has received little attention outside the public employee pension realm.
In announcing his intent to file a friend-of-the-court brief, Brown said in a statement: "The deputy sheriffs put their lives on the line for us, and they deserve fair compensation for their hard work serving and protecting the people of Orange County. County supervisors are not entitled to suddenly change their minds and decide to take away important pension benefits that the deputies bargained for in good faith."
The attorney general's decision has the potential to bring more attention to the case, a high-stakes battle over public employee retirement benefits that could have far-reaching consequences yet has received little attention outside the public employee pension realm.
"We are glad the attorney general is interceding," said Quint, president of the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs. "It truly reflects the magnitude of the issue."
At issue is the structure of a labor contract between the union and the county that has been adopted by countless government agencies throughout the state for all manner of public employees, including police, teachers and general government workers. All but two of California's 58 counties have adopted the same type of deal with their public safety unions.
The 2001 agreement increased pensions by one-third and granted the benefit retroactively. This year, the county, now led by an entirely new Board of Supervisors, concluded that the retroactive portion was unconstitutional because it violated a state prohibition on pay for work already performed, and filed a lawsuit seeking to repeal that part of the contract.
Board of Supervisors Chairman John Moorlach estimates that the deal allows deputies, on average, to retire with a pension of $70,000 a year, and that the retroactive portion will cost the county $187 million over the next 30 years.
Brown's announcement did not articulate the legal grounds on which he intends to challenge the county's lawsuit. A spokeswoman for the attorney general said the legal arguments were still being developed and were not ready to be unveiled.
Separately, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the $230-billion public pension fund that administers benefits for government workers, said Brown would be representing its interests in the court case. CalPERS contends that the benefits are constitutional.
Mario Mainero, the chief of staff to Moorlach, who led the county to file the suit, criticized Brown's decision to get involved as political and said his initial comments indicate that he doesn't understand the basis of the lawsuit.
"It's pretty clear here that Atty. Gen. Brown, who apparently wants to be governor again, is going to try to gain the support of people who can raise a lot of money for him," Mainero said.
christian.berthelsen
@latimes.com
At issue is the structure of a labor contract between the union and the county that has been adopted by countless government agencies throughout the state for all manner of public employees, including police, teachers and general government workers. All but two of California's 58 counties have adopted the same type of deal with their public safety unions.
The 2001 agreement increased pensions by one-third and granted the benefit retroactively. This year, the county, now led by an entirely new Board of Supervisors, concluded that the retroactive portion was unconstitutional because it violated a state prohibition on pay for work already performed, and filed a lawsuit seeking to repeal that part of the contract.
Board of Supervisors Chairman John Moorlach estimates that the deal allows deputies, on average, to retire with a pension of $70,000 a year, and that the retroactive portion will cost the county $187 million over the next 30 years.
Brown's announcement did not articulate the legal grounds on which he intends to challenge the county's lawsuit. A spokeswoman for the attorney general said the legal arguments were still being developed and were not ready to be unveiled.
Separately, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the $230-billion public pension fund that administers benefits for government workers, said Brown would be representing its interests in the court case. CalPERS contends that the benefits are constitutional.
Mario Mainero, the chief of staff to Moorlach, who led the county to file the suit, criticized Brown's decision to get involved as political and said his initial comments indicate that he doesn't understand the basis of the lawsuit.
"It's pretty clear here that Atty. Gen. Brown, who apparently wants to be governor again, is going to try to gain the support of people who can raise a lot of money for him," Mainero said.
christian.berthelsen
@latimes.com
Monday, June 16, 2008
Rialto Looking to Upgrade Its Down-Home Downtown (Inland Empire Daily Bulletin) June 13, 2008
BS Ranch Perspective:
Looks like Rialto now has the right idea with downtown's Improvements! The way that I see it is that they are looking to a slow build up of the downtown area with a 10 year build up. There is an old time Dance Club that will be opening soon, however with the Current DUI Laws that are on the book, it is difficult for type of Dance Clubs, which rely on the drinking of the patrons to sustain their business, and keep them in bread and butter!! But many of the Dance Clubs that have come before have fallen down, especially with the current DUI Laws that are on the books. Which has forced people into Alcohol Classes that are designed to make the person that is picked up on the DUI Charged convinced that they are an alcoholic!
It seems that the more DUI's that get arrested from a Certain Club also gets the word out that the law enforcement works it pretty steady and it doesn't matter if you have nude girls and boys in that club working for you, they will not come in with that kind of enforcement outside!!
So, they are forced to close or move to another location! For the sake of this new place I hope that they do well!
I also cannot wait for the new Lowe's to open up, it will be nice to have it down in the southern end of the city. I am just sorry that they are so far away from me!! Once again with these Gas Prices I am forced to shop closer and use Aces on Highland Ave in Muscoy! just because of the $4.40 a gallon that I just paid for gas!
BSR
Rialto looking to upgrade its down-home downtown
Article Created: 06/13/2008 08:32:07 PM PDT
But it also has a fair bit of turnover, a number of vacant buildings and no real draw to attract pedestrians.
Bringing some life to downtown once again seems to be a priority at City Hall. A new plan to guide the way has been completed and a number of modest or sizable projects are in the works.
"But the bottom line is there is a change coming through," said Joe Flores Jr., president of the Downtown Business Improvement District Association and owner of J & J Auto Fabrics.
In July, the City Council will decide whether to adopt a vision plan developed for downtown. The plan has a wish list that would take tens of millions of dollars to complete.
The recommendations include adding housing downtown, taking advantage of the Metrolink station for development, and building a new civic center with connections to Riverside Avenue.
Also recommended is cleaning up Trickleside Alley west of Riverside Avenue by putting the power lines underground, improving building facades and opening businesses to the alley.
In addition, the city wants to put together a deal with Newport Beach-based KDF Communities to build a 117-unit affordable senior housing project with 5,000 square feet of retail on the first floor.
"We've been going back and forth and negotiating a lot," said city Housing Manager John Dutrey.
The city is also
planning to expand its Metrolink parking lot and has been aggressively making facade upgrades to improve the look of buildings downtown.
"We're going back to how downtowns used to be - a destination where people can park the car and be able to walk around," Dutrey said.
The Mexican restaurant Cuca's was recently remodeled, and new businesses like an art gallery and clothing boutique are on the way.
Brian Powell, whose sister, Tanya Powell, opened Todie's Apparel on Riverside Avenue about 1<MD+,%30,%55,%70>1/<MD-,%0,%55,%70>2 months ago, said business has been good.
"People are starting to respond pretty well," he said.
A new, midpriced, American restaurant should be coming to the downtown by the middle of next year, said developer Scott Beard, who is behind the restaurant - kind of like City Hall's own Old Ebbitt Grill, which is near the White House.
"I think there's no sit-down dinner place in Rialto that's any good in my opinion," he said, referring to places that serve American food.
The Alley Kat Jazz Lounge, which will feature live music at night, should be opening by next month.
Dangers do loom for downtown. The weak economy isn't helping revitalization efforts, and a Wal-Mart Supercenter and Lowe's store are on their way two miles south of downtown.
The vision plan isn't the first time the city has tried to bring more life downtown.
"We've had a multitude of these visioning programs that have been done over the years," Beard said. "Obviously, we're hopeful that this one takes hold and the city has the patience and the fortitude."
Dutrey said fulfilling the vision will take time, but it will happen.
"So it's not going to happen in the next five to 10 years."
jason.pesick@
inlandnewspapers.com
(909) 386-3861
Rialto City Looking for Spark in Renaissance Rialto Plan (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin) June 10, 2008
BS Ranch Perspective:
I am still one that is against this plan, since the airport has been here for so long, and is something that is unique to the city, that San Bernardino is only now getting, and Rialto is giving that up to them, just to have what every other city has!! A Shopping Center, and more housing!
I Agree that housing and business brings in more Tax money that the city can use to pay towards more jobs and higher pay to the existing jobs that are currently in the city, which is something that is good, but Rialto has not had such a great history with a speedy plan for expansion!!
I believe that in the Current Housing Market, that if and when the Airport is closed, and then the City of Rialto has to Pay for the Moving of The Current Businesses at the Airport to Move to San Bernardino, that also Includes the San Bernardino Sheriffs Aviation, and Mercy Air, Both of which have been housed at Rialto Airport since they started, because of the central Location to the South/West County Area, or Inland Empire!
It is only right to keep them in the central area, so that they don't' have to ruin their response time to calls that they currently have to Ontario, Chino and the High Desert. However it is noted that the High Desert Calls to Victorville and Apple Valley will not increase or decrease that much since San Bernardino Airport is just two to three miles to the South of Rialto Airports current location!!, therefore it would only add a couple of minutes to the call for service. But the Far West end of Ontario can make a bit of difference from San Bernardino Airport, since they would take off and then have to fly back over the Airport in which they took off to begin with to get to Ontario. I completely forgot the Copter that takes off for the city of Fontana Police Department and is currently housed at Rialto Airport. They will suffer a great deal of call for service loss of time since they would either have to find a place in their city to have a helicopters-pad in order to gas and keep the copter during their shift for quicker response time! However other then that, I believe out of all the people that have a heliport at Rialto Airport the one that would be the most angry about the move would be Fontana Police Agency!! It would be awful for them the most, for the calls for service that they would have to wait for their copter that was usually a four minute wait is now a seven to ten minute wait!!
San Bernardino Sheriff's Departments Central Patrol will be effected a little by the move, but the move will cost the Sheriff Department a whole bunch, by having to move their whole equipment hangers to the new facilities that will have to be built, provided that the Sheriff's Department Built the current Hanger that they are currently houses there several fixed wing aircrafts, along with their Helicopters.
The City of Rialto will not see a great deal of moving on the build up, since they didn't take any opportunity to allow businesses to build on the Newly Made Easton Ave. (I-210 Business Route). This so called Business Route is not so much of a business route since there has not been any, None of the Businesses that have build opened or started to sell anything to anyone. Even when the Freeway was under construction! Now Rialto if they were a Smart City they would have done like that of their Counter Part, Fontana, and sold Business Construction Permits to businesses that wanted to build on Easton Ave, at the Intersections like Ayala, Alder, Cactus, or even any of the stretches between that could have had some Car lots like that of Fontana.
Maybe Rialto could have had some Hotels or Restaurants built! But they didn't' they want to close a land mark like the Airport, and put it all in one small area of the city and call it a huge expansion with housing business, and well a little of everything!! Everything but, an Airport!!
BS Ranch
City looking for spark in Renaissance Rialto plan
Article Created: 06/10/2008 09:12:19 PM PDT
In recent weeks, city officials have completed negotiations with a number of government agencies so the city can turn the Rialto Municipal Airport into the Renaissance Rialto development project.
The next step is to complete the plans and send them to the City Council - something that probably won't happen until the fall or end of the year.
But now there are murmurs that the plans need an extra spark.
"I'm convinced that the smart thing to do is to make Rialto a destination spot," said City Councilman Ed Scott. He mentioned the California Speedway in Fontana and the new stadium in Ontario as examples of regional draws.
The airport sits in the heart of what city officials and a development partnership between the Upland-based Lewis Group and Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood want to turn into Renaissance Rialto.
The latest plans for the project include shopping, about 2,000 homes, a school, parks and industrial and office space. A SuperTarget would anchor the retail center.
"We're going to need at some point to be very clear on what we're trying to accomplish," said City Councilwoman Deborah Robertson.
She said she is a fan of transit-oriented development and might want to bring an educational institution specializing in local concerns like
transportation and logistics, environmental issues or language to the city.
"I think we all are looking for the ideal draw," she said.
A regional draw could be a good idea as long as it complements other landmarks, like the Speedway, said City Councilwoman Winnie Hanson.
"I'm interested. I think it's a great thing to explore," she said.
Hanson said she doubted altering the project would delay it.
Approving the plan is important so the developers can start purchasing the airport property from Rialto and fronting money to relocate the tenants. Many tenants also won't sign on to fill the shopping area until a project has been passed.
The airport probably won't be closed for two more years because new facilities have to be built for the tenants before they can leave Rialto. Money to do that will initially come from the developers once a project is approved.
In the past few weeks, the city and the Federal Aviation Administration formally agreed on the value of the airport land and Caltrans officials agreed to give Rialto access to property the city needs to build Renaissance.
Federal legislation passed in 2005 allowed the city to close the airport with the condition that it had to pay 45percent of the value of the airport property to San Bernardino International Airport, which will receive many of Rialto's tenants.
Rialto has also submitted an airport closure plan to the FAA.
"I don't think we have any issues with this plan," said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Rialto City Council gives chilly reception to fuel pipeline proposal (Press Enterprise May 6, 2008)
BS Ranch Perspective:
My feelings on this is that the Gas Line should have been proposed thought as a closed session and not such a public affair, now there is a problem of a terror situation where some Nimrod wants to make a name for himself and blow up the line etc, But, we cannot go back and re-light the candle. To reroute the pipe line only thought an Industrial area, would only move the pipeline approximately fifteen hundred feet to Locust Ave. If there was an accidental Explosion of that pipeline the street of Linden would be effected, it might not be as much, but it would still be effected, especially of the falling waist that is unburned from the gas the spouts from the pipeline. Then in the more then thirty years that they have had these pipe lines they have had only one, ONE, incident, where the pipe burst, & that was caused because of a derailed Train!!
BS Ranch
My feelings on this is that the Gas Line should have been proposed thought as a closed session and not such a public affair, now there is a problem of a terror situation where some Nimrod wants to make a name for himself and blow up the line etc, But, we cannot go back and re-light the candle. To reroute the pipe line only thought an Industrial area, would only move the pipeline approximately fifteen hundred feet to Locust Ave. If there was an accidental Explosion of that pipeline the street of Linden would be effected, it might not be as much, but it would still be effected, especially of the falling waist that is unburned from the gas the spouts from the pipeline. Then in the more then thirty years that they have had these pipe lines they have had only one, ONE, incident, where the pipe burst, & that was caused because of a derailed Train!!
BS Ranch
Rialto City Council gives chilly reception to fuel pipeline proposal
| | ||
| | Download story podcast | |
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 6, 2008
RIALTO - The Texas company that wants to expand its 233-mile, Rialto-to-Las Vegas fuel pipeline should choose a route far from residential neighborhoods and must guarantee the safety of the drinking water supply, city leaders said Tuesday night.
A representative of Houston-based Kinder Morgan Energy Partners came to the Rialto City Council meeting to outline the company's plan to add a 16-inch-diameter underground pipeline to its existing system, called the CalNev Pipeline.
Currently, Kinder Morgan owns and operates a 14-inch-diameter and an 8-inch-diameter pipeline, both of which originate at a tank farm at 2359 S. Riverside Ave., south of Interstate 10. The pipelines transport "refined petroleum products," including jet fuel, diesel and gasoline, said Allan Campbell, the company's director of project permitting.
Once the largest pipeline is built, the smallest would be taken out of service, Campbell told the City Council. Kinder Morgan wants to expand CalNev's capacity to supply more aviation fuel to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, based on projections that passenger travel will increase significantly in the next 20 years.
Rialto council members gave the proposal a rather chilly reception.
"I'm adamantly opposed to your project," Councilman Ed Scott said. "Your (company's) maintenance and safety record is less than stellar."
The CalNev Pipeline exploded in May 1989 along Duffy Street in San Bernardino, about two weeks after it was damaged in a train derailment. Two people were killed and 31 injured in that accident. Kinder Morgan didn't own the pipeline then.
Scott outlined his fears that any leak of fuel from the pipeline could pollute Rialto's drinking water supply, which already is tainted with the chemical perchlorate.
The city has spent millions of dollars over the years outfitting its wells with equipment that removes perchlorate -- and Rialto is trying to get the businesses and governments that allegedly polluted the water decades ago to help pay for the cleanup.
"You have the potential for contaminating the drinking water for 100,000 residents of our community," Scott said.
Further, the councilman told Campbell that Kinder Morgan's franchise agreement with Rialto is "old and archaic," and that the company ought to be a good corporate citizen and renegotiate it.
The pact, believed to have been executed in the 1960s, pays Rialto $193 per year to run the fuel pipeline several miles through town, Mike Story, the city's director of development services, told the council. Outside the meeting, Story said the franchise agreement expires in 2018.
The current pipeline runs near some homes and schools. Its route along Linden Avenue goes directly past Wilmer Amina Carter High School. Scott wondered aloud how the Rialto Unified School District received permission to build the school next to the pipeline.
Rialto resident Patty Salas has lived on Linden Avenue, directly across the street from Carter High, for 35 years. She told the council that the city should insist on the 16-inch pipeline being built only through industrial areas, away from residential neighborhoods.
Reach Mary Bender at 909-806-3056 or mbender@PE.com
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Rialto Police Reintroduce Bicycle Patrols, Anti-Gang Unit, Mobil Command (Press Enterprise April 27, 2008)
Rialto police reintroduce bicycle patrols, anti-gang unit, mobile command
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11:14 AM PDT on Sunday, April 27, 2008
Video: The ups and downs of Rialto police on bikes
RIALTO - The two Rialto police officers outside Wal-Mart didn't turn heads.
It was a quiet Sunday morning, and officers Shaun Mooney and Mike Morales were ticketing a car illegally parked in a handicapped space.
There wasn't a patrol car in sight -- and that was exactly the point.
"People aren't expecting police on bikes," Morales said.
He and his partner are on the department's bicycle patrol, one of several details recently revived by Chief Mark Kling after disappearing under tumultuous past administrations.
Since taking the job in late 2006, shortly after city leaders ditched a plan to disband the department and have county sheriff's deputies take over, Kling has led a steady rebuilding effort.
Story continues below
Greg Vojtko / The Press-Enterprise
Rialto police officers Carla McCullough and Mike Morales are on patrol atop their bicycles on Riverside Avenue in Rialto. Officers regularly ride bicycles in pairs through the city's most troubled apartment complexes and busiest commercial centers.
An anti-gang detail, the return of bike officers and an expanded traffic division are among the changes.
"We're starting to do things that we should have been doing all along," Kling said. "We're examining every single aspect of the department and trying to make it better."
People already have noticed. When Wal-Mart's private security guard, Elizabeth Suer, saw the officers ride through the crowded parking lot, she enthusiastically flagged them down.
"It's about time," she said later of the return of bicycle officers. "We could use them here."
Pedaling Police
Mooney and Morales are members of a team of five officers who ride mountain bikes, in pairs, at least twice a month through Rialto's busiest commercials centers and most troubled apartment complexes.
The philosophy is that an officer on two wheels can go places -- both noticed and unnoticed -- that an officer in a patrol car can't.
Story continues below
"We interact a lot more," Mooney said. "It's all proactive, and when we're in our cars we can't say that."
On the recent Sunday, the two officers pedaled through Rialto's downtown, then south to the stretch of motels, gas stations and shopping plazas along Interstate 10.
They stopped a homeless woman cutting copper wire behind a Hometown Buffet; a man jaywalking across busy Riverside Avenue; and a teen using a knife to slice open a pack of peanuts near a convenience store.
The longhaired, backpack-toting teen, who said he was passing through from Venice Beach to Arizona, bristled when the officers attempted to question him.
"You should thank us because you could easily get robbed standing here," Mooney told him. "We get a lot of drug dealing in this area."
A supervisor said that kind of interaction is the point of the patrols, which are slated to expand to a full-time detail in coming months.
"It gives us a leg up," said Sgt. Vince Licata, a member of the department's original bicycle patrol in the early 1990s. "There's an element of surprise to it. Most of the criminals don't expect this."
The Return
To revive the bicycle team, Rialto police reached out to the community. Local homebuilders donated thousands of dollars to purchase the bikes, special uniforms and wireless communication tools used by the officers.
The patrols were eliminated during former Chief Michael Meyers' tenure, which ended with a no-confidence vote by officers and the City Council's vote to disband the department.
By the time the council backed off that decision and an interim chief had stabilized the department, Kling inherited a force that was a shell of its former self. Dozens of officers had quit. He slowly began recruiting and budgeting improvements.
In late 2006, Kling formed the Street Crime Attack Team, made up of four gang investigators and a sergeant. He also expanded the narcotics and detective bureaus.
Today, Kling proudly points out a new $350,000 computer system in the department and a $205,000 mobile command center that can serve as a main dispatch center should power to the main station fail. The former crisis-negotiation van was a converted Frito-Lay box truck.
There still are budget issues and several open positions yet to be filled, but Kling said that the mood in the department has turned a corner.
"I think the employees here went through tremendous turmoil they'll never forget," he said. "Now, all these good ideas, they're coming from within the department."
Reach Paul LaRocco at 909-806-3064 or plarocco@PE.com
Rialto police have revived or expanded several details since the department was nearly disbanded in 2005.
Bicycle Patrols: Donations from local businesses helped purchase equipment and uniforms for the team to return last May.
Street Crime Attack
Team: Specialized anti-gang detail returned in 2006.
Mobile Command
Center: Department spent $200,000 for the crisis-negotiation vehicle that arrived last month. Officers previously used a converted Frito-Lay truck.
Source: Rialto police Department
BS Ranch Perspective:
The Rialto Police Department was the first Agency in the Inland Empire to start a Bicycle Patrol, Myself, Officer Joe Castillo (God rest his soul), then Officer Tony Farrar (now he is Capt. Tony Farrar), Officer Todd Wright, Officer Tim Lane (now Sergent Tim Lane), I believe that even Matt Huddleston (God Rest his soul) had a turn on the bikes for a short time during the start of the patrol!
At that time there was a dream of having a full time Bicycle patrol, but Capt. Becknell could not perswaide the chief to the idea of a full time Bicycle Patrol Division at that time, it was then that I switched to the Motorcycle Patrol of the Traffic Division especially since I could and was able to ride the Police Motor's before going to Motor School, with the training of the Motor Officer, which helped me during my time at Motorcycle School.
BS Ranch
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