It's Time for Rialto to Call in the EPA, (SB Sun July 16, 2007) Rialto City Council, and the Citizens should blame the Lawyers for this!

It's time for Rialto to call in the EPA

Article Launched:07/16/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

When is enough enough? When should Rialto throw in the towel and call in the big dogs? The city has been fighting for a decade to get suspected polluters, including major corporations and the Pentagon, to pay the costs of cleaning up perchlorate that has contaminated Rialto's wells. But the lawsuits and extended legal battle have cost more than $18 million so far and could go much higher. And while Rialto's city attorney seems content to play David to the suspected polluters' Goliath - albeit, with the help of a cadre of top-level lawyers - it's chiefly customers of the city's water utility that have had to bear the burden, and the brunt of the costs, with no quick end in sight. So far, the city has spent the equivalent of its Police Department's budget on the fight. The city's water agency serves about half of Rialto, with Fontana Water Co. and West Valley Water serving the rest. And so, it is about half of Rialto residents who are footing the bill for the city's legal juggernaut. The surcharge on water bills starts at $6.85 a month and rises from there. If Rialto eventually wins its case in court, resident ratepayers will be reimbursed. But that could be a long time in coming. And the total for actual cleanup of the contaminant could be $300 million. Besides ratepayers' hefty chunk, the City Council also contributed $5 million from general fund reserves to escalate the fight last year. But even the council has become leery, without seeing much in the way of results. Why won't Rialto call in the cavalry and ask the feds for help? We're sure city ratepayers would like to know. Why is it that the city has insisted on going it alone, without bringing the resources of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to bear? Commenting on Rialto's reluctance to do the logical thing, Penny Newman, executive director of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, said, "I think going with EPA and the Superfund program is probably the strongest mechanism a city or community has. I'm always amazed that people - communities - shy away from that." Indeed, Rialto has become almost territorial in pursuing the fight on its own. It's almost as if time and money were no object. Let the ratepayers pay it - that seems to be the city's attitude. But with the pricetag reaching into the millions, it's time to regroup. The city needs to take a more regional approach and spread out the costs. Rialto initially considered going with EPA. But after looking at a variety of Superfund projects, and finding that each took 17 to 27 years to start cleanup, the city felt it would take too long, said City Attorney Bob Owen. So, this is any better? How long does the city expect ratepayers to keep fronting litigation costs? The state Water Resources Control Board, which has taken over from the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board, plans hearings in August. At that time, it could order three suspected polluters - Goodrich, Pyro Spectaculars and Emhart Industries, parent company of Black and Decker - to remove the contamination. Then again, those companies all have been fighting long and hard to delay any consequences. The San Gabriel Valley Water Co., which owns Fontana Water Co., and the West Valley Water District have urged Rialto go with a regional coalition that works with the EPA. Rialto has been fighting for cleanup of the Rialto-Colton Basin, without regard for pollution of West Valley and Fontana wells. And while a fault separates the West Valley and Fontana wells from the Rialto-Colton Basin, such that the regional agency has said it can't prove the suspected Rialto-area polluters caused contamination of the other wells, it's all the more reason for a regional approach that takes all of the pollution into account. Yet Rialto persists in its one-sided struggle. Better to lean on the EPA - and save residents the aggravation.

 

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BS Ranch Perspective

 

I am wondering why, the County of San Bernardino is not mentioned in this fight for the water rights and the fight for the water, and the monies to pay for the filtration to clean out the Perchlorate from the filters. I did a vast Search across the State and found that there was over 200 Wells in California that was effected by Perchlorate, many wells had to be shut down and  some had to be filtered with the Revers Osmosis Filtration system, Each filter, I am talking about one filter, costs $4 Million Dollars, and they are very expensive. Rialto needed to have many of these Expensive Filteration systems on their system to clean the water and make it safe from Perchlorate!

 

But The question that Remains is What or who paid for the cleaning of those other 190 wells in the State of California tha that I could not find any news on? Who paid for the Filtration systems, and why didn't I find any other City's or Counties taking the Privious Owners of the Businesses to court that was responsible for placing the Perchlorate in the Water Table in the first place? I guess I can tell you that one thing is for sure.

 

Back when they started and found out that they had Perchlorate in contamination in the water table in Rialto, Rialto's Council Immediatly said that he must start a law Suit against the Businesses that were found to be responcible for the contamnation of the Perchlorate in the Water Table. I have Written all along that this was a bad Move since the Companies all have said that they were going to pay for the filters and clean up what they could of the Perchlorate from the Water Table, but Owen said that even with the Company spoksman saying that they were going to pay for their clean up.

 

I beleive that Owens, with all the extra pay that he received from the city should be held responcible for paying for the clean up of the water table, and the Perchlorate! They cannot beleive that Owen's did this law suit for the City of Rialto's Benefit, because Clearly it was not for the City of Rialto's Benefit, since it didn't benefit the City of Rialto!

 

Rialto Lost in this whole thing, Clearly since Owen's Continued his Pursuit of the Law Suit against the Businesses that admitted to being responsible for the Perchlorate Contamination of the Water Table, Dating back to World War One, and Clearly they were not the owners of those businesses then, they were the purchaser's of the businesses, so they got the businesses, and with that they inherited the responciblity of the Wrong Doings of those companies form a long time ago.   When Owen's Representing the City of Rialto Took the Responcible Businesses to Court they decided to pay for only the stuff that they were told topay for, that left a huge amount that was left unpaid and The City of Rialto's Water Department was left with these Bills for the Remaining Clean up.

 

You Clearly Cannot Blame the Businesses, but the Lawyer's that Represented the Law Suit that started it!!

 

THE LAW SUIT IS TO BLAIM FOR THE LIMITED CLEAN UP OF IT!! NOT THE BUSINESSES HERE! THE LAWYERS ARE TO BLAME!

 

When I say lawyer I mean the one that started the whole Law Suit, OWEN!

 

The City of Rialto, and The Rialto City Council should fire their council, Owen, simply has to go, he has been there long enough and has made his milliions off the city, and if left in the City Representation Positon, he will make himself a millionare over and over and over again. With Law Suits, JUST LIKE THE ONE THAT THEY JUST LOST!! 10 FOLD W/PERCHLORATE!!

 

BS Ranch

210 Freeway's About Done (Daily Bulletin 071107) Due to open 072007- UNLESS THERE IS MORE DELAYS

210 Freeway's about done

Officials move up opening of long-awaited final section

By Andrew Silva, Staff Writer Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Article Launched:07/11/2007 11:51:13 PM PDT

Could it really be? Thousands of anxious commuters may see their decade-long dream come true - in a matter of weeks. Officials had hoped to surprise the region next week by announcing the next, and final, stretch of the 210 Freeway would open next Thursday. But some of the equipment for the ramp meters experienced problems, and there are a number of little things that remain to be done. Still, they're reasonably optimistic the new freeway will be open by the end of this month. "I can't wait for it to happen," said Fontana Mayor Mark Nuaimi, who also sits on the board of San Bernardino Associated Governments, or Sanbag, which with Caltrans is finishing what may be the last new freeway in Southern California. The final 7.5 miles from Rialto to San Bernardino, under construction since 2003, will connect to the 30 Freeway at the 215 Freeway and provide an uninterrupted run from the 10 in Redlands to the 5 Freeway in the north San Fernando Valley. Originally known as the Foothill Freeway, the first segment of the freeway was completed in the Arcadia area nearly 40 years ago. After the latest portion of the freeway opened between La Verne and Fontana in November 2002, Inland Valley foothill cities saw the completed sections through their areas spark a boom in new high-quality development. Rialto and San Bernardino expect to reap the benefits next. The freeway also should take a good deal of pressure off the 10 Freeway, which resembles a parking lot during rush hours. The soon-to-be-opened freeway extension will feature three lanes plus a car-pool lane in each direction. The most expensive single component has been the bridge over Lytle Creek, designed to stand up to the nastiest earthquake the San Andreas Fault can throw at it or the worst flood the mountains can hurl through the creek. Last month, an estimated 20,000 people came out to the section in Rialto and San Bernardino for the "Come Play on the Freeway" celebration - a chance to bike, run and party on an eight-lane thoroughfare. When the opening date is firmed up, Sanbag will plan some type of special event. Staff writer Andrew Silva can be reached by e-mail at andrew.silva@sbsun.com. or by calling (909) 386-3889.

AT&T hooks up Riverside, CA with free municipal wifi

Posted by Will on Sunday, July 8th, 2007 at 1:30 pm under Cingular/AT&T, Partnerships, Services
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IntoMobile

Life in the Inland Empire is about to get a little sweeter. The booming city of Riverside, CA., with its 300,000 residents, will happy to hear that AT&T is working with MetroFi to bring free public wireless internet access to the entire city. MetroFi's experience in deploying city-wide wireless networks will prove invaluable in covering the 55-square mile area of Riverside with the WiFi-mesh hardware on top of city-owned power poles and other infrastructure. But, as with everythign in life, the free public WiFi system will not come without strings. The MetroFi service will require citizens to endure a bit of advertising in exchange for free internet. AT&T will also offer a subscription-based service for visitors to the city - $7.99 per day or $15.99 for a weekly pass.

AT&T's move to provide free public WiFi goes against staunch opposition from industry-rival Verizon. Verizon, among others, see free municipal WiFi as a threat to their landline-based premium services - so AT&T may be trying to one-up their enemy.

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BS Ranch Perspective

I wonder if this is the move of the future for all Interenet services, I will say that Riverside might be one of the cities that could be considered largely to be one of the largest cities in the nation to be the fastest growing city in California, largely because they Offer the Internet to anyone that Has a Wireless Router for their home computer, or a Lap Top Computer!!

The Internet is something that the City's Police, Fire, Maintenence, and also their Humain Services can all use in their Trucks. they can get the new Panasonic Lap Top that is largely indistructable, Purchased by the city and workes through a city network, reference a private network, that is incripted via a 128 bit incripted Site, that will allow the city to work on a private site and be able to conduct city business all over the city on a system that is offered to everyone that has a computer, Especially a Lap Top Computer that has an Internal Antenna, to collect and interchange the Internet for everyone in the city!!

I beleive that it will be and is the wave of the future, No More Cable Internet, No more Dial up Internet, NO MORE MAKING MONEY OFF OF ISP's any more!!

The City can and will benefit because the Police Department can do all their Report Writing over the internet, In some cases the report of an incident will be on file before the party involved goes to the station and picks up their copy of the report.

The Fire Department can do all their reporting over the same network and the same will be true, the people that have had their property damaged by fire depending on the size of the fire, they could be able to pick up their bit of property from the front desk of the City's Fire Agency and they will know if the Fire Department has felt that there Fire was deliberate or not.

Maintenance all the same thing and for Humain Services, again it all is the same thing, they can and will be more efficient and more on time with their report writing and turning in of their reports. It will not take long for them to see what I am talking about.

Soon, Rialto City Council will hear about the PRO's and Con's that the City of Riverside has had with their own Internet Network Set up for freee..!!

BS Ranch

Riverside to Offer Free, Citywide Internet Access (LA Times July 11, 2007) The city hopes Tech-Savvy residents & a Business-Friendly setting with help Lure Firms to Riverside...

BS Ranch Perspective

This is something that I would vote for when it comes to that of the Utility Tax! The City of Riverside is doing this and they are in full support of their Citizens and I don't know why the Citizens or the City Council of The City of Rialto could not be involved in the Wireless service, and make Rialto a hot spot for Internet Service! Not only would this assist the City Police Department in Report-writing and filing their reports. The Police reports and the log on to their own network of coarse would be encrypted so that the reports wouldn't be passed all over the press and the like.

Now this also would help the Fire Department, with the same thing, they could do their run slips and log onto the City's Fire Department's side of things to upload their run record, to the Fire Department's Records Department, of coarse this would be done when they are not making a run this was being done when the person that they are working on is not required to be taken anyplace.

The maintenance division of the city also can use the HOT INTERNET SYSTEM that the city could offer for it's RESIDENTS FREE!!

By the city offering the Internet to It's Citizens for free would be the cutting edge of the Technology age, and the time would bring Rialto into the age of technology, If Riverside is a city that has done this for their Citizens, then the City of Rialto would be a Place that would be wonderful place to do it to as well.

Rialto along with Riverside city would both be the cutting edge cities, and they would be on great city. that has been all impressive. Especially since both of the cities are right next to each other!

BS Ranch

Riverside to offer free, citywide Internet access

The city hopes tech- savvy residents and a business-friendly setting will help lure firms.

By Sara Lin, Times Staff Writer
July 11, 2007

Graphic

Riverside on Tuesday launched a free wireless Internet network that will eventually cover the entire city — a move designed to help Riverside become a more tech-savvy, business-friendly community.

The announcement that all city residents would soon enjoy free wireless Internet access came outside City Hall, and followed a successful two-month limited launch and trial of the WiFi network.

Riverside joins about 300 cities across the nation that have provided citywide wireless networks for residents and businesses. Many charge monthly fees to go online with free access only in isolated hotspots, but Riverside will offer free citywide broadband Internet access.

Riverside resident Robert Whiting, 48, went downtown Tuesday morning with his laptop to test the new network.

"I think it's going to be awesome," Whiting said. "They don't really have the word out yet, but when they do, I think a lot of people will get enthusiastic about it."

AT&T will build the network for residents, as well as a second, separate network for city business and public safety communications.

City workers will use their network for the remote operation of ball field lights as well as water pumps and valves, which will save city staff time as well as electricity.

The wireless network will also give Riverside police officers speedier access to criminal tracking information while in the field and enable them to transmit live video from patrol car cameras to headquarters.

Currently, free wireless access for residents is available in only three areas — downtown Riverside, Hunter Technology Park and Adams Auto Center.

But officials expect that by next March, the network should be complete across the developed portion of the city, covering 55 square miles, said city spokesman Steve Reneker.

Internet users will be offered access options. Users who tap into the free service will see a 1½-inch advertising bar running across the top of their Web browser.

The free service offers users speeds up to 512 Kbps, or about 10 times faster than dial-up. Speeds up to 1 Mbps will be offered for about $8 per day; or $16 for one week.

"It's very convenient and it's free," said Carlos Sanchez, 35, a wireless technician from Riverside. "In the last month, I've probably used it 60 or 70 times to work, surf the Internet , check e-mail."

The city's wireless network rollout coincides with city efforts to build a computer-literate community.

Since November, the city has provided 600 low-income families with basic computer training and a refurbished city computer, Reneker said. Most of the computers were equipped with modems. But once the citywide wireless network is set up, city officials intend to swap the modems for wireless transmitters, he said.

By nurturing a computer-savvy population, city leaders hope to boost Riverside's reputation among technology companies looking for new cities in which to do business, said Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge.

"This is really a statement about the city being ready for the 21st century and having the technology ready for the new economy," Loveridge said.

Darren Conkerite, owner of the Back to the Grind Espresso Bar and Cafe on University Avenue in downtown Riverside, already offers free wireless to customers — and says he's not worried about competition from the city.

"It's been a tremendous draw," said Conkerite, 41.

"Giving someone anything for free is wonderful," said Conkerite.

"I'm not knocking it, but I still feel that instead of being outside they're going to come down to Back to the Grind where it's a great atmosphere and where they know they'll still get same high speed Internet they have at their house."

Whiting, who surfs the Internet daily via a dial-up connection, couldn't wait for the city's network to be finished.

"This will be great in my home. It will really speed stuff up," he said.

"It makes the city kind of cool and cutting-edge," he said. "I think a lot of other cities are going to be really jealous."

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sara.lin@latimes.com

I Have a Dream...by Martin Luther King Jr. & Deleivered on the Steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. 08281963....One of the Greatest Speaches Ever Written

"I Have A Dream"
by Martin Luther King, Jr,

Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. Source: Martin Luther King, Jr: The Peaceful Warrior, Pocket Books, NY 1968

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.

So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.

The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be ableto hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

ATF Crime Team in San Bernardino (SB Sun 070407) Hopes to ease gun violence

ATF crime team in SB

Hopes to ease gun violence

Stacia Glenn, Staff Writer San Bernardino County Sun

Article Launched:07/04/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

Photo Gallery: 07/03: Law enforcment collaboration V.C.I.T. press conference 7/03 • Mayor Pat Morris • D.A. Michael Ramos • Special Agent John Torres • SB Police Chief Michael Bildt SAN BERNARDINO - Remnants of robberies, murders and assaults were strewn across a table Tuesday: 10 handguns, three shotguns and a rifle. Once, the weapons were loaded and in the hands of criminals who struck fear in the hearts of San Bernardino residents. It is a fierce drive to build the stockpile of illegal firearms taken off the streets that called six Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents to the city on Sunday. Mayor Pat Morris, surrounded by 11 men in dark suits and two in California Highway Patrol uniforms, stepped to the podium and lifted a silver handgun with one finger, gazing at it disdainfully. "These guns on this table were picked up from the streets of our city," he told a small crowd of reporters, politicians and law-enforcement agents gathered inside police headquarters. "These guns are the cancer of America's urban society," he added. Morris lauded the massive collaboration that has allowed federal, state, county and local agencies to pool resources in hope of cutting down on violent crime. San Bernardino was one of four cities nationwide named last month as new target cities for ATF's Violent Crime Impact Team. There are 29 cities total. It's more important to focus on solutions to crime than lament being labeled as a high-crime area, said Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto. "It's not a label we want, but it's a label we need to change," he said after the news conference. "At least we're going to clear it up and make it safer, that's what's important." Statistics from other cities with Violent Crime Impact teams give a preview of what San Bernardino might expect. In a two-year span from 2004 to 2006, ATF agents took 11,100 guns off the streets in 25 cities and arrested 10,000 gang members, drug dealers and other felons. A six-month pilot program in 15 cities showed a 17 percent decline in homicides committed with guns. "We're here to take back the streets of San Bernardino. We want to ensure that San Bernardino residents have the quality of life they deserve," said John Torres, the ATF's special agent in charge. Although gangsters may have a gun-toting advantage here, he said, law enforcement wants to "put the advantage back in the hands of the citizens." That includes a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest of anyone who possesses an illegal firearm. Callers, who can remain anonymous, will receive $500 within 72 hours. The rest comes upon conviction. Call (800) ATF-GUNS. Police Chief Michael Billdt said Operation Phoenix has shown success in reducing gun violence in the city. "However, we have more work to do," he said, adding that police will concentrate on the most at-risk areas of the city. Authorities declined to list the areas for fear it would interfere with surveillance or investigations. Six male field agents, and four administrative workers, will operate out of a satellite office in San Bernardino. Riverside agents, who have an established office, will assist in certain operations. The ATF has pledged to stay a minimum of 120 days. But spokeswoman Susan Raichel couldn't recall a single team that has left a targeted city since the initiative kicked off in 2004. Top technology will help trace weapons and determine where guns are coming from and how they're reaching San Bernardino streets. The Comprehensive Crime Gun Tracing Initiative, touted by the ATF as the largest in the world, stores information on firearms sales, suspect guns and federal firearms licensees that have gone out of business. In 2005, the tracing center processed 265,800 trace requests of crime guns. Acting U.S. Attorney George Cardona said he is happy to add "another tool" - federal prosecutions - to the arsenal against gangs. Mandatory federal sentences will be slapped on anyone carrying an illegal firearm, officials said. Penalties can include a 10- to 20-year prison term in federal pens like Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Gang members are purposely exiled from the community to prevent them from remaining in touch with fellow criminals. San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos, after reminding the crowd of his war on gangs launched two years ago, laughingly said he sometimes feels like Batman guarding Gotham City. "This place is going to be, and is, America's city," Ramos said. ________________________________ BS Ranch Perspective The move from the Federal Goverment to finally Recognize that there is a need for an ATF Office here in the Inland Empire as there is in any large Metropolitin City, espeically one that has grown to such heights as this one with the Gang problems, NOT JUST IN THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO, BUT THE CITIES OF THE INLAND EMPIRE AS A WHOLE!! Rialto it started with the Gang Memebers from LA that were Paroled to serve out the remainder of their sentences, but were not allowed to go to their old neighborhoods, and be around their old Gang Members, so what they did was started their own, Gangs here in Rialto, back in the 80's Gangs like the Rollings 60's, the Hoover's the Bloods, and well the Crip's Long before they were known to be a problem in any other city they were known in Rialto. ATF helped many times back then but they didn't have a field office in which to work from to help us at a minutes notice they were only called in when we were doing Speicial Events to Serve Search Warrants and collected a great number of guns. ATF's Help was appreceated back then and it is wonderful that they found a need to finally open a field office here to help the local agencies and do their own enforcement as well. BS Ranch

3 Part Plan to Rialto Police Plan (SB Sun 07012007)

3 parts to Rialto police plan

Article Launched: 07/01/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

As part of a new policing model launched last Sunday, called the area command program, the Rialto Police Department has assigned a lieutenant to each of three areas in the city.

With lieutenants responsible for specific areas, police expect better coverage and greater accountability in those areas. The plan also enables officers to form strong relationships with residents in each area, the department says.

The lieutenants will be able to marshal resources from the Police Department and other city departments to tackle problems in their areas.

"It's basically a modern policing model for a new era for Rialto," said Police Chief Mark Kling.

- Jason Pesick

BS Ranch Perspective:

This is modeled after what San Bernardino did, they placed either Lt's in Charge of Sectors, and the Lt's broke their Sector's into Beats and the Officers worked their Beats within their Sectors, and it worked great. So in this model for example, they would spit the Three Sectors in two to each have two Beats, so they should have two officers in each area. Ontario Police Does this pattern and so does Santa Ana Police Department, so This is not a new Method of Patrol, however it is an Effective one!! With each Lt. in charge of their area comes accountability, the only thing that works independent of those areas is the Specialized Divisions Such as Traffic, Investigations, and Rialto's New Version of what was Originally Known as SCAT (Street Crime Attack Team) Formerly Called SIT (Special Investigation Team) However now they have a different acronym to make them sound better then SIT, to many jokes comes from that name.

This Change is Great and Chief Mark Kling is doing another great thing with Rialto Police Department,

That is my thoughts on this matter any way,

BS Ranch

Toxin-Free water Demanded in Rialto (Dainly Bulletin June 28, 2007)

BS Ranch Perspective Don't get me wrong, but isn't Toxin-free water what any Home owner wants when they own their home and they pay their taxes, and then they have all that water bill paid, and suddenly they have toxic water, that is terrible for human consumption, You spend your hard earned money, that you had worked really hard for, yet you find that the place that you purchased that you figured was safe for your family is actually poisonous Water that gives everyone Cancer if they drank the water!! All you want is to keep your family SAFE!! It is no wonder that everyone is up in arms about the Contamination in the Water Supply at Rialto!! They need to Concentrate on keeping the Water Clean, rather than Suing the Company Responsible for the problem. Rialto needs to concentrate on the clean up and not on the problems surrounding the clean up. Perchlorate is nothing to play with it is a dangerous substance when left in the water supply!! BS Ranch Toxin-free water demanded in Rialto

By Jason Pesick, Staff Writer Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Article Launched:06/28/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

RIALTO - Hundreds of residents and representatives of organizations around the state came to a rowdy forum Wednesday night to demand that an ingredient used to produce rocket fuel, perchlorate, be cleaned out of the local drinking water supply. The event, held by the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, featured marching, Aztec dancers, a hearing before a panel of guest activists and calls for action. "This particular pollutant is really worrisome," said UC San Francisco medical professor Gina Solomon during a presentation on the health effects of perchlorate. Well-known activist Dolores Huerta was expected to lead a panel of guests to demand change, but she was unable to make it to the event. Perchlorate is used to produce different types of explosives, and although its health effects are not well understood, it can interfere with the thyroid gland. A number of residents took the opportunity to tell the panel - which later voted to have the State Water Resources Control Board order cleanup - about the problem. The center's executive director, Penny Newman, highlighted how much longer it has taken to clean up the perchlorate in Rialto than it took to clean up perchlorate discovered in Redlands the same year. Rialto has accused dozens of parties of being responsible for the pollution, while only one party caused the contamination in Redlands. But Newman said Redlands is a wealthier and predominately white community with more political influence than Rialto. "I don't know too many people who say race does not play a role in our society today," she said before the event. The contamination has been spreading from Rialto's north end through the city and into Colton. Local water companies have spent millions of dollars to clean it out of the water they serve their customers. The entire mess could cost $300 million to clean up. Rialto and Colton have tried a number of strategies to get the dozens of suspected polluters, which include Goodrich, Black and Decker and Pyro Spectaculars, to clean it up. A federal lawsuit is still in the early stages, and the state regulatory bodies charged with monitoring water quality have struggled to move the case forward. State hearings have been delayed numerous times, most recently from July to late August, delays Newman called "unacceptable." Contact writer Jason Pesick at (909) 386-3861 or via e-mail at jason.pesick@sbsun.com.

Officials Issue Fireworks Warning (Daily Bulletin June 27, 2007).

BS Ranch Perspective
We in the County Island area's of Rialto must remember that there is
NO FIREWORKS ALLOWED

I don't believe that Rialto will see that Fireworks are or should be seen as Illegal since they are manufactured within the city limits of Rialto, and until that changes they always will be.

Each Year the Rialto Fire Department & Rialto Police Department have to wade through the "Safe & Sane" Fireworks to get to the ones that were purchased Illegally either through Mexico, or from somebody that got them from somone that Purchased them Illegally from a Criminal that Smuggled them into the State and sold them for profit, and in more then likely will not get prosecuted for their crime, however this is the case. I hope and Pray Each Year that Nobody gets Injured from one of those Illegal Fireworks, that were more then likely Smuggled into the state Illegally.

BS Ranch

Officials issue fireworks warning

By Wes Woods II, Staff Writer

Article Launched: 06/27/2007 11:50:11 PM PDT

Steve Gallegos, a division chief with Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire, spoke about the dangers of fireworks during a news conference at the Ben Clark Training Center in Riverside. (Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino/Staff Photographer)

RIVERSIDE - Don't use fireworks.

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Photo Gallery: Dangers of fireworks
New Video: Dangers of fireworks

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The message couldn't be any clearer during a news conference Wednesday morning by Riverside County Fire Department, Sheriff's Department and Board of Supervisors.

To drive the point home, officials from the departments later lit a fuse on a Mexican-style firework to blow the fingers off a human-like doll in a Ben Clark Training Center field.

"This is a common injury," sheriff's Sgt. Robert Moquin said. "There's a big danger with the fuse."

Last year, between June 27 and July 5 in Riverside County, there were 68 fires related to fireworks, county Fire Chief John Hawkins said.

San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties are also putting out news releases and offering tips for people about fireworks, which are illegal in most areas of the two counties.

In Ontario, signs are set up telling people they should not use fireworks.

To prove their point, police will not hesitate to fine violators $1,000 and confiscate fireworks. There is even a possibility of jail time.

"We want to take as much of this stuff off the street as possible," Ontario fire Investigator Frank Huddleston said.

"Yeah, it's a big problem," Pomona fire Capt. Gil Sanchez said.

"We find that to be a problem as well as gunfire so we encourage everyone to see professional fireworks" at Fairplex.

In addition to fines, the Fire Department will confiscate the fireworks, he said.

"We do take in quite a few fireworks throughout the year. It gets more and more heavy throughout the Fourth of July holiday," Sanchez said.

Kelley Donaldson, Rancho Cucamonga fire spokeswoman, said the fine for fireworks - which are not legal in the city - is $1,000 or more depending on the amount. "Ontario and us are hitting it hard," Donaldson said.

Fireworks are legal in Fontana and Chino.

Chino Valley Independent Fire District spokesman Ryan Dacko said Chino has been fortunate to not have too many firework-related injuries. In the city, fireworks must be shot off in residential areas.

One can use fireworks if they are safe and sane, Dacko said.

At the end of the demonstration on Wednesday, police and fire officials said they wanted people to be aware of the injuries and property damage caused by fireworks.

Cpl. Frank Anderson of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Hazardous Device Team said his department would not cite anyone who voluntarily gave them their fireworks.

Staff writer Wes Woods II can be reached by e-mail at wes.woods@dailybulletin.com, or by phone at (909) 483-9378.

Cities announce rules for fireworks

Chino: Ryan Dacko, spokesman for Chino Valley Independent Fire District, said safe and sane fireworks are only allowed in residential areas such as housing complexes. They're not allowed in school areas, parks or parking lots. If the safe and sane fireworks are used outside the designated areas there can be a $500 fine. Illegal fireworks have a $1,000 fine.

Chino Hills: No fireworks are allowed. Fines are given to violators but the exact amount was not specified on Wednesday night.

Claremont: No fireworks are allowed. Police Capt. Gary Jenkins said the fine is $100 for having illegal fireworks. Jenkins said those caught with larger illegal fireworks will be arrested. The case could be tried as a misdemeanor.

Fontana: Sgt. Douglas Wagner, police spokesman, said safe and sane fireworks are legal in the city area of Fontana. Having illegal fireworks is a fine of $1,000 or more with possible jail time.

La Verne: No fireworks are allowed. A person can be charged with a misdemeanor with more dangerous fireworks like cherry bombs and bottle rockets for example. Anyone caught with illegal fireworks would be cited and given a date to appear in court.

Montclair: No fireworks are allowed. Chief Layne Shiba said the city's fine is $500, though the penalty could be more severe with more dangerous fireworks.

Ontario: No fireworks are allowed. Ontario fire Investigator Frank Huddleston said there is a fine of $1,000 and possible jail time for having fireworks.

Rancho Cucamonga: No fireworks are allowed. Kelley Donaldson, fire spokeswoman, said there is a $1,000 fine for having them.

Rialto: Safe and sane fireworks are allowed. The use of illegal fireworks could result in fines of $1,000 for the first offense and $2,000 for the second offense.

Upland: No fireworks are allowed. Fire Marshal Lou Steslicki said the city will issue citations with the amount of the fine to be determined by the court.

In unincorporated areas of the Jurupa Valley in Riverside County, fireworks are illegal. There are penalties of $500 to $1,000 for having fireworks and possible jail time. A second conviction can be punished with a $1,000 fine and imprisonment in the county jail for one year.

In Los Angeles County areas of Pomona, Diamond Bar and San Dimas, fireworks are illegal. Fines range from $500 to $1,000 with possible imprisonment in county jail. Having one pound or more of gunpowder is a felony and is punishable of imprisonment of up to one year and/or up to $5,000 fine.

- Wes Woods II, Marilee Lorusso

A Super Wal-Mart in Rialto? (SB Sun June 27, 2007) Residents have a Chance to Comment..Lowe's Home Builders would Replace the current Wal-Mart's Locat

BS Ranch Perspective

The opportunity for Rialto not only to have a Super Wal-Mart, isn't that much of a great thing for me, because they still don't offer as much savings as Stator Bro's Does, So the biggest of the two issues here is that there would be a Home Improvement Store in an area where a Store, that sold the same things in Fact it was a Drive-Thu Lumber Yard, Where you could purchase all kinds of home improvement goods from that store at a discounted Price. Now Mind You, it wasn't a Lowe's Home Improvement Store, that has many Home Improvement Stores that would and could support the Store in the Same Location where the current Wal-Mart is.

I say that it is a great Idea that this be done, however if one or Both goes under I will be upset, not for me and my having to go elsewhere to shop, but for the people of Rialto that will have to go elsewhere to shop and will not have either of these stores when they have grown to rely on them, Especially Wal-Mart!!

BS Ranch

A super Wal-Mart in Rialto?

Residents now have chance to comment

Jason Pesick, Staff Writer San Bernardino County Sun

Article Launched:06/27/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

RIALTO - Now is the public's chance to tell officials what it thinks about putting a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the city. A report on the environmental ramifications - everything from air quality to traffic - of the proposed store is available for public comment until July 2. The 24-hour Wal-Mart Supercenter would be part of a 284,000-square-foot commercial center on Riverside Avenue south of San Bernardino Avenue. A Lowe's home improvement store would replace the current Wal-Mart on Riverside Avenue. The rest of the center housing the new Supercenter would have a gas station and at least two restaurants. Although the new store and commercial center will bring the city jobs, Wal-Mart Supercenters are often a source of controversy. Wal-Mart has been criticized around the country for what are perceived as unfair labor practices. Residents also worry that Supercenters take customers from small, mom and pop businesses. "I don't look at it as a threat. I look at it as an avenue to bring people down Riverside Avenue," said Joe Flores Jr., president of the city's downtown Business Improvement District Association. But large stores can have dramatic influence on the local environment and generate significant community discord. According to the report on the proposed Supercenter in Rialto, the project would create more than 500 new car trips during the morning traffic peak, more than 1,500 during the evening peak and more than 2,000 during the Saturday peak traffic period. The county Grand Jury has also investigated the effects of Wal-Mart on the area. "We are engaged in an investigative effort to ascertain how a large retail business, such as Wal-Mart, affects the economic welfare of smaller businesses, as well as car and foot traffic in the surrounding area," reads a letter the Grand Jury sent to Rialto Mayor Grace Vargas in December. Plans to build supercenters are moving forward throughout the state, including in Fontana, Redlands, Highland and Ontario, where a group has started a Web site called www.stopwalmartontario.com to put a halt to the plans. But traditional Wal-Marts and the larger supercenters also have low prices, provide jobs and an economic boost to cities. The Supercenter in Rialto should provide the city with $500,000 in sales tax revenue a year, City Administrator Henry Garcia has said. People may have problems with Wal-Mart, but they sure show up to shop there in large numbers, said Rialto Economic Development Director Robb Steel. Flores, also a local businessman, said downtown business owners will have to be creative and stress what they can offer their clients to make sure they can compete if the Supercenter is built. Building a Supercenter on an open field and putting a Lowe's where the current Wal-Mart is would be preferable to allowing the area to turn into a bunch of strip malls, Flores said. At Johnson's Hardware, a downtown business that dates to 1895, business went down for a few years after the nearby Home Depot was built, said Irma Lopez, the manager. The new Supercenter doesn't scare her as much as the Lowe's that would replace the current Wal-Mart. "That wouldn't be good news," she said. Anyone who wants to review the environmental impact report should visit the city Department of Development Services or call the city at (909) 820-2525.

Water-Contamination Hearing Deferred Again (The Press Enterprise Sat. June 23, 2007)

Water-contamination hearing deferred again

		Download story podcast

10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, June 23, 2007

The Press-Enterprise

A state hearing to assign blame for the Inland region's largest unabated plume of groundwater pollution was delayed until August, marking at least the third postponement in the case.

The hearing was expected to begin July 9 before the chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board. At issue is a six-mile plume of perchlorate -- an ingredient of rocket fuel -- that has tainted more than a dozen drinking-water wells in Rialto and Colton.

The hearing is rescheduled for the weeks of Aug. 20 and Aug. 27 with specific dates to be announced later.

Reach Jennifer Bowles at 951-368-9548 or jbowles@PE.com or visit her blog at www.PE.com/blogs

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BS Ranch Perspective

Well it seems that this whole thing would go a whole lot smoother if they would allow the companies that said that they would pay for the contamination from the beginning, but Owen wanted to see a larger pay check at the benefit of who, Himself? or was it really for the people of Rialto? I wonder, because the people of 'Black and Decker' have said they were willing to pay for what ever there company was responsible for regarding the Perchlorate contamination.

I am not all together sure that Rialto is the only city on the list of City's that are in the Law Suit against all the Businesses, regarding the Perchlorate Contamination. The list of Cities and or People involved in the Law Suit.

BS Ranch

Rialto City Council Delays Utility Tax Ballot Measure (Press Enterprise June 19, 2007)

Rialto City Council delays utility tax ballot measure

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10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 19, 2007

By MASSIEL LADRÓN DE GUEVARA
The Press-Enterprise

A perplexed Rialto City Council agreed Tuesday to hold off on putting the city's utility users tax on the November ballot after a handful of residents expressed concern at extending the tax, saying there was not enough information for them to see how their money has been spent thus far.

The council was reviewing whether to call a special election so residents could vote on extending the tax until June 2018. It was being considered because the tax is set to expire June 2008.

But many of the residents present said 10 years is too long of an extension and added that they are unclear on how the money is being spent.

Toby Polinger, of Rialto, said he wants a clearer picture of how money is being spent because he has not seen any documents outlining expenditures.

"I don't doubt there are reports out there that show it," he said. "I just haven't seen them."

City Administrator Henry Garcia said the money is audited each year and each dollar is accounted for. Several council members said there have been community meetings, although poorly attended, where the use of the money has been explained.

To the residents who requested that the tax be lowered, Garcia said there is no way it could be done.

"It cannot be less than 8 percent under any circumstance," he said. "In order for us to restore the Police Department, sustain the enormous growth in our city and ensure capable funding revenue, it's important this moves forward."

The residents' questions on how the money is spent showed little progress has been made in gaining people's trust, Garcia said.

"If in 36 months, with all we have done to keep the community informed and rebuild, there is doubt, we might as well just wait and let" the tax expire, he said.

Councilman Joe Baca Jr. said he wants to explore the option of putting the tax on the February ballot, although the possibility of doing that still has to be determined.

Residents first voted on the tax in 2003 because there was not enough money in the city's general fund to provide quality services despite eliminating 40 positions from the city's work force, records show. It was approved by five votes.

The 8 percent tax, which applies to all utilities and is levied on every nonexempt resident and business in Rialto, represents nearly one-fourth of the city's general fund, records show. Exceptions are allowed for people age 65 and older and for households that qualify as very low income

"As we stand today, it's a critical revenue source that is being depended upon by the Police Department and Fire Department," Assistant City Manager Kirby Warner said.

Because new technology made it possible for people to avoid the utility tax on their home phone lines by using Internet-based phone service, a broader, more comprehensive definition of telephone communication that is taxable will be included, records show.

City Clerk Barbara McGee said the cost of a November election would be clearer in July, when other cities that will have something on the ballot and will share the cost of the election with Rialto will have filed the required paperwork.

A special election can cost from $30,000 to $100,000, she said.

If the tax is put on the February ballot, it will still be considered a special election, and the cost would be nearly identical, she said.

More discussion on when to put the matter before the voters will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

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

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BS Ranch Perspective

The Rialto City Council is going to put off the Thought of a Special Election right now? I guess that there was to much publicity for this meeting and even thought there was not that many people there at the meeting the Council felt that there was way to many people there to make the Vote Public! The only Voice of Reason again was that of Joe Baca Jr. Asking to look into the possiblity of putting the speicial Election of the City's Utility Tax on Febuary's Ballot to try and save the City some money, Which Makes a whole lot of sense!! Since there has been a whole lot of money that has been waised over the last 10 years!!

Let me see, The City Council Voted to close the Doors on their own Police Department, Then spent a whole lot of money trying to keep their decision to Contract with the Sheriff Department, there is not a anything know or said if the City Council spent money to the San Bernardino Sheriff Department in their Planning to Bring the Rialto Police into their fold!

The Rialto City Council looked at the 3%@50 Retirement plan and said that the Sheriff Department had that retirement plan, so they figured that they would save money and contract with them. Rialto City Council didn't realize that you get what you pay for and there was a great deal of people that came to speak on behalf of that. Adelanto's Crime Rate Doubled in almost every catagory, Schedule One Felonies, Schedule Two Felonies and all Misdemeanors. The City Council was crazy for even thinking about this fact, not only were they willing to do this, but they were willing to fight to keep the contract. Which might mean that there was some kind of penalty for the City of Rialto backing out of the Contract with the Sheriff's Department!

The City Council would have had to let the public know if there was some kind of penalty for not signing the contract when we were so close to signing and didn't due to the pressure brought from the Citizens that live in Rialto, and wanted their Law Enforcement Not to change, after so many years. The fight brought by the Citizens of Rialto, was so powerful, that the Rialto City Council had to sit up straight and take notice and not just read the minutes of what they had but vote the petition into LAW! Especially after their delay tactic was proven to be an Idiot move by the City Attorny, Owen, (whom should find another job either in another city or actually being an attorney for clients instead of one client, the City).

Again, I am asking if the City's Administrator is representing the People of Rialto, The reason that I ask this is that he gets this Utility Tax voted in 10 years ago, and and the then they try to close the doors on the Police Department, instead of embracing what they have in a city and building from there. They could have had the 3%@50 Retirement plan, instead The City Administrator, took the oppertunity to push the Police Department down when the fight began between the Sheriff Contract and Police Department. The Council was shown plans for and Purchased over $10Million (Ten Million Dollars) for Fire Department equipment, not only that but the Fire department and Maintenance got the Raises and Employee Contracts that they wanted, when the Police Department got NOTHING, until they settled the battle of the Police/Sheriff Contract Negotiation situation. When it was found that the Sheriff's Department was not going to be the Law Enforcement Agency for the City of Rialto and the Police Department was going to stay, and all would be well at Rialto City. The only thing was that they needed to get rid of the Police Chief at that time and the "Under Chief" to clean up the corruption within the Department!

When it was time that they sat down and started to Negotiate the Contract for the RPBA (Rialto Police Benefit Association) The first three contracts were not anywhere near what the City promised and or Said that they were going to give in good faith to the Police Department at the time that the contract was negotiated that was the problem because they were backed away from the table several times, all because the City's Negotiator kept pulling away the stuff that was promised by the City Council. Since the City Council was not there they didn't have to answer to the claims of the lies that were being told. It was a great tactic at that time.

When they finally got a contact that they both could agree to it was Crackers and Crumbs of what they should have gotten in respect to what they were promised. The City Council had spent so much money on the Fire Departments Equipment, that when it came time to Purchase Equipment for the Police Department, they could not and almost didn't have the money for the Police Units, and the Light Bars, and Unitrol Box's etc etc... At the time that they signed the Police Department's Contract, The Police Department had a Fleet of Police Cars that were well over used with some that had close to two hundred miles on them, the break off before they change them out to a new car was at 90, to 120,000 Miles now. I believe that was the miles that it was at when my accident had occurred, simply because the cars were lasting longer. They were taken out of patrol at 70,000 to 80,000 and then were dressed up for an Law Enforcement Tech, or a Volunteer, etc etc... some after that even were used in the Building Maintenance Department etc etc... I guess they go all over the city when they are done. However this time the city didn't spend any money on any replacement vehicles.

The City Administrator, and some on the City Council wanted to keep the Officers in the Patrol Units with no Relief in sight, They Kept the Officers in their broken down falling apart Patrol Cars, and what happened was that they kept arresting people and the Crime Rate Dropped in Rialto, Due to the Hard Work that they did from the cars that were breaking down and not running right, They would spend the beginning of the shift getting their Unit running Right!!

Now they are running on new cars, they have a new Chief, Mark Kling, who the RPBA has given approval and Respect to. I have met him once and he has been really nice, Personable, he is a really nice guy!

The Police Department is on the way to recovery, however the City Council has been the one that has brought a little bit of sabotage to their own budget, and now they want to extend the Money, so the Rialto City Council will try to correct the problems that they have made in the previous Council. Surely, you cannot blame Joe Baca Jr. for the problems of the City Council in the past!!

I hope that they Do NOT GET THE TAX EXTENSION!!

The City Council pays a wage to Two People that are getting close to $1.75 Million dollars in Annual wages, That was about half as much in the first year that the Sheriff's Department was going to charge for Law Enforcement. So that is a Subsequent amount, and it is a pretty good amount that could be applied towards a 3%@50 Retirement plan for the City of Rialto's Employee's, Now if they get this Retirement in their first year ten the Utility Tax might be something that would be a Necessary, however again Some of the Salaries of upper management has to come down..

BS Ranch

Event Draws a Crowd to 210 (SB Sun 062407)

Event draws crowd to 210

Freeway section hosts activities

By George Watson, Staff Writer

Article Launched: 06/24/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

RIALTO - With both of his tiny hands clenched around the steering wheel, Isaac Ruiz found himself buzzing along the freeway.

It was the typical stuff found on Southern California highways: rude drivers weaving to and from, changing lanes without using their signals, and driving inappropriately slow in the faster lanes.

Suddenly, traffic slammed to a halt. He threw his hands up in frustration.

"I was like, `errrarrrrrrrggghhhhhh!"' he said. "Keep it going! Get it going! Get it going now!"

And just like that, the 210 Freeway extension gave birth to its first traffic jam.

Of course, Isaac is 6 years old and was driving a go-cart around a course made of plastic during Saturday's Play on the 210 Freeway event, which was attended by thousands to celebrate the unofficial opening of the east-west artery expected to be an economic boon and a savior for drivers. When power was lost to the machine pumping air into the inflatable course, two large pieces fell to the pristine pavement and blocked the way.

Isaac's father, Carlos Ruiz, said his son and daughter, Naomi, 3, were just enthused to check out the roadway, actually slated to open Aug. 31.

"They've been waiting for weeks, saying, `We

get to play on the freeway!"' said Ruiz, 35, of San Bernardino. "I told them it was the only time I could say to them, `Go play on the freeway."'

Sean McGee, 7, of San Bernardino, who sang with the Taft T. Newman Children's Choir at the morning ribbon-cutting ceremony, knew he was violating his mother's cardinal rule of "don't go on the street, or you'll get run over," he said. But this time, he had permission.

During any other time, he said, "I'd be grounded."

Lee Burns, 12, of San Bernardino found the pavement to be perfect for skateboarding.

"It's good," he said. "It's not too rough. It's not too hard. It's cool. But it's hot."

In addition to skateboarding and little motorized cars, kids and adults alike could listen to live music, browse through the dozens of booths hawking food and goods, lug their way up a climbing wall, partake in road races or check out some of the classic cars on hand.

Keegan Holden, 31, of Rialto was there displaying his candy-apple red '65 Lincoln Continental for the first time.

But he was just as interested in getting a glimpse of the freeway that will help out his installation business, K's Garage Doors.

"This freeway is going to give me a lot more time to do business," he said.

That was a focal point at the ceremony held to celebrate the freeway and dedicate the roadway to the late Rep. George E. Brown Jr., California's longest tenured congressman.

"The future of this area, as I have said many times, is going to skyrocket," said Josie Gonzales, the San Bernardino County supervisor whose district includes the freeway extension. "Everything you see here, take a look, it will be different."

Speaker after speaker also lauded Brown, a Democrat from San Bernardino, as a visionary leader.

"George would be humbled by the recognition," said his widow, Marta Macias Brown.

And while Brown might have claimed he didn't deserve it, as his widow said, the dignitaries all insisted that the famed congressman, one of the first to oppose the Vietnam War, did indeed deserve the honor.

Opening Day

RIALTO -It was the question on everyone's mind Saturday: When will the 210 Freeway extension open?

As elected leaders and other dignitaries gathered in Rialto to celebrate the near-opening of the east-west freeway, even San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris pressed transportation officials for not only a date, but, with his tongue placed only somewhat in cheek, the exact moment.

"It will be open by the time school starts," Tony Grasso, SANBAG's executive director, said to an enthused crowd.

But when Darren Kettle, director of freeway construction for the county transportation authority, was cornered later in the day, he gave a far firmer answer: "We are saying Aug. 31. If not a little earlier."

Completion of the freeway will provide another direct link between San Bernardino and Los Angeles County.

- George Watson

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BS Ranch Perspective

It is my belief that if they are going to have a party then why will they not open the rest of the freeway, the lines are drawn, most if not all the on/off ramps are in repair and ready for use, but they say by the time that school starts, yet they have a party now and get everyone excited about the party now. I for one don't understand, the freeway is done for them to break out the cake and Ice cream.

BS Ranch

San Bernardino Associated Governments Host Festival on 210 Freeway Before it Opens.

San Bernardino Associated Governments hosts festival on 210 freeway before it opens

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11:02 AM PDT on Sunday, June 24, 2007

By CHRIS RICHARD
The Press-Enterprise

Video: Cyclists and skateboarders play on the I-215

As traffic jams go, this was one of a kind.

No bumper-to-bumper, no exhaust haze, no white-knuckled drivers, no blaring horns.

Just a leisurely crowd milling around vintage cars and rows of brightly colored fair pavilions.

And, at one edge of the throng, a knot of government officials, many in shorts or khakis, with a bright red ribbon and an oversized pair of scissors.

The occasion was "Come Play on the Freeway: the Finale," a festival sponsored by the San Bernardino Associated Governments on Saturday to celebrate the pending completion of Interstate 210 in Rialto and San Bernardino.

SANBAG spokeswoman Cheryl Donahue estimated the crowd at about 20,000.

"I thought it was important to be here," said Delores King, of Fontana, pausing as she strolled down the No. 1 lane just west of the State Street offramp.

A few feet away, King's 5-week-old granddaughter, Jaelnn Dixon, snoozed in a frilly pink stroller.

Caltrans spokeswoman Rose Melgoza said officials hope to open the roadway in September, just in time for King's fall semester at Valley College, where she is studying nursing.

King said being able to drive the 210 will cut her commuting time in half.

"I can't wait to use this freeway," she said. "Someday, I'll remind Jaelnn that she was here today."

Completion of what is known as the Foothill Freeway comes 10 years after SANBAG broke ground. The first six miles of the route, from Rancho Cucamonga to Fontana, opened in 2001.

Story continues below

Amanda Lucidon / The Press-Enterprise

Gabriel Perez, 5, and other children ride bumper cars at the San Bernardino Associated Governments' freeway celebration.

Another segment, 14 miles between La Verne and Rancho Cucamonga, was added a year later.

In 2005, a two-mile stretch from Fontana to Rialto opened, leaving only the section between Rialto and San Bernardino.

The completed freeway will span 28.2 miles from La Verne to San Bernardino, where it will connect to Highway 30. Highway 30 will become part of the 210, completing the connection to Interstate 10 in Redlands.

Speaking at Saturday's ribbon-cutting ceremony, San Bernardino City Councilman Rikke Van Johnson predicted that the freeway will help loosen the economic chokehold imposed on his Westside ward by Interstate 215.

That freeway, completed in 1959, split San Bernardino from north to south. Its offramps were built to direct traffic to the east, away from the Westside and toward downtown San Bernardino.

"We've waited a lifetime for this freeway to right some wrongs that were done with the 215," Johnson said.

He predicted that the State Street offramp, the first freeway access to his ward in almost 50 years, will bring a surge in development.

To highlight the transformation, San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris showed off an artist's renderings of historic scenes that will be included in a mural on a Union Pacific bridge spanning the roadway.

He said muralist Edward Perez and a work crew were up until 2 a.m. Saturday, laying down primer over the graffiti that had scarred the bridge.

Perez and students from five San Bernardino high schools will paint the mural within the next five weeks, Morris said.

Reach Chris Richard at 909-806-3076 or crichard@PE.com

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BS Ranch Perspective

I feel that the "Festival" was nice, and there was a great turn out, however I hope that they understand that the people of the festival and myself are expecting that the Freeway is within a week from opening. I do not believe that the people that put this 'Festival' on are not and do not have any clue as to when the freeway will open, however I hope that it opens soon, the traffic by my house and the people that live off Riverside between Cactus and Riverside on Easton Ave know that there are a whole lot of cars that speed by there once peaceful street! Riverside Ave used to be at least 36% quieter then what it is now, with all the added Detoured traffic. It sucks. I cannot wait for the new Freeway to open. I bet that the Traffic on Riverside Ave will drop over 50%!!
BS Ranch

At Least Five Die In Three-Vehicle Crash (Victorville Daily Press June 24, 2007)

At least five die in three-vehicle crash

Fred Miller / Special to the Daily Press

The shattered remains of a motor home and a sedan involved in a fatal accident block all lanes of Highway 395, two miles south of Kramer Junction. The accident, which occurred Saturday afternoon, claimed at least five lives and injured eight.

By KATHERINE ROSENBERG Staff Writer and Frederick Miller Special to the Daily Press

KRAMER JUNCTION — A three-vehicle crash left at least five people dead around 3 p.m. Saturday on Highway 395, officials said.

Estimates are that 11 people were trapped in a van that caught on fire, including a couple and nine juveniles, according to Battalion Chief Tim Sappek of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

Three people, including an off-duty battalion chief from Corona, were able to pull two people from the van before the fire got too large to continue.

"The people were alive when the van was on fire. They were trapped and they were screaming. They got one man who was outside the van and a woman from the van out ... when fire got too well established for them to continue," Sappek said.

Off-duty Battalion Chief David Shoemaker, Eric Luning of Bakersfield and Donald Bronaugh of Rialto were the good Samaritans who worked to save the individuals they could after witnessing the crash.

"Someone was able to get the back doors off it and ... it was getting really hot and the flames were starting to come over the inside of the van and a woman was screaming about her leg... eventually we were able to get her leg free and that was great to get her out of there," Shoemaker said.

There was speculation on the California Highway Patrol's Web site that some of the deceased were in a church van at the time of the crash, but that could not be confirmed by CHP representatives late Saturday night.

The accident was called out to officials from the CHPs Barstow office and two vehicles hauling trailers are said to have rolled over, possible striking a third, according to the Web site.

Officer Eric Denny of the CHP said the initial call was that people in a three-vehicle accident were caught inside a vehicle. When they arrived they found that a Ford F-250 was traveling northbound when for an unknown reason it drifted into the southbound lanes and collided with the van before hitting a Toyota Corolla.

Initial reports from the location were that up to eight other people were injured, several of whom had to be flown by air ambulance to trauma centers.

The Major Accident Investigation Team was called to the scene to continue the investigation.

Highway 395 was still closed as of 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

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BS Ranch Perspective

There still is some great Hero's that work here in Rialto, it is just a shame that they have to make their homes so far away from Rialto, If they had a more affordable wage they could call Rialto home. In order for a Rialto Employee to spend wisely they must purchase their home over a 20 minute away from Rialto,

However, having said that, the people that are in need are comforted to know that they might be on their way home and can offer their help, because they will stop to help as in this case on this particular Instance.
BS Ranch

Council to Decide on Special Election for Tax (SB Sun June, 19, 2007) The Council will vote to have costly Special Election and TAX will Fail!

Council to decide on special election for tax

Jason Pesick, Staff Writer San Bernardino County Sun

Article Launched:06/19/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

RIALTO - Voters will likely get to decide in November whether to extend the city's controversial utility-users tax for another decade. At today's City Council meeting, the council is expected to call for a special election to approve extending the tax from 2008 to 2018. "It's unfortunately a necessary thing right now," said Councilman Ed Scott. The tax, an 8 percent charge on utility bills, brings in almost a quarter of the city's General Fund revenues. Officials say they can't run the city at a standard residents expect without it. During the 1999-2000 fiscal year, the city faced a budget crisis and had to lay off about 50 workers - 10 to 15 percent of its employees, said Assistant City Administrator Kirby Warner. But residents don't seem to be in love with the tax. Voters approved it by five votes in 2003. Pam Machain, who at 50 has lived in the city since she was in third grade, said she doesn't think the tax, which she said costs her about $30 to $40 a month, has helped out that much. "I'm pretty much decided that I'm not going to vote for it right now," she said. She said she doesn't trust city officials anymore after the council voted to get rid of the Police Department in 2005, a vote it later reversed. Getting the tax passed will not be a "slam dunk," Scott said. "I think it's going to take some significant communication with the community," he said. The tax has brought in about $12.8 million this fiscal year and is expected to bring in $13.5 million next year, making it the largest source of money to the General Fund. "It's an essential funding mechanism," said City Administrator Henry Garcia. Garcia and Warner said they decided to recommend extending the tax for 10 years because it will take at least seven years to rebuild the Police Department. Even though the tax is the largest source of revenue for the General Fund, about three-quarters of it goes to public safety, Warner said. Since 2003, the Fire Department has been able to add 10 positions, said Chief Steve Wells. Before the tax passed, he said, Station 204 in the Las Colinas area was not staffed most of the time, and the department had stopped using the ladder truck. According to a city fact sheet on the tax, it has allowed the city to eliminate its budget deficit, add 20 police employees in addition to the fire personnel and employees in other city departments, add 59 police and code- enforcement vehicles, add 20 other city vehicles and fully staff Station 204. With all the economic development taking place in Rialto, especially with the approaching opening of the 210 Freeway extension, some members of the council hoped the tax could be replaced or at least reduced with sales-tax revenue. But that's just not possible, Garcia and Warner said. A Wal-Mart supercenter in the planning stages would generate $500,000 in sales taxes per year, Garcia said, which means it would take 24 supercenters to make up for the tax. And the city's needs will only expand as the new development comes online. Besides, more than 50 percent of California residents pay a utility tax, Warner said. There are also low-income and senior- citizen exemptions to make it more bearable. Don King, a 73-year-old retired pharmaceutical sales representative, said he will probably support the tax. He's noticed city services improving, he said. His street is now swept regularly, which he said hadn't happened in years. Even though Garcia and Warner say the facts are on their side, a number of residents said the city needs to level with them and hold public meetings on the issue. Scott said there should be public meetings similar to the large, well-publicized meetings the city has held to talk about drinking water contamination in the city. Donald Balderrama, a retired high-school teacher who lives in Rialto, said he supported the tax last time but that people are skeptical about whether the tax is necessary. "I don't think it will pass. I really don't think so," he said. "People need to be informed." Contact writer Jason Pesick at (909) 386-3861 or via e-mail at jason.pesick@sbsun.com. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BS Ranch Perspective The Rialto City Council will have another Election to vote on Extending the Utility Tax, they will say that it is a necessity to keep the city running the best that it can and keep the employees happy that work for the city. I can tell you that the Police Department has been totally Fixed, they got the Right Chief to return the Police department to the glory days that it was back when Ray Farmer was chief and there was much of more of a watch your partner's Back to the department, that has returned instead of worrying about your own back and now you feel that there are people that are looking out for you as a Police Department should. The only thing that is missing in the Police Department is the 3%@50 Retirement Plan that 98% of every other Law Enforcement Agency in the United States now has. Rialto is in a Small class of Law Enforcement Agencies that don't have that and what that does it makes Rialto a Training Ground for people that are just out of the Academy! You really would have to take note that if you would want the Officers that you have now to consider to stay here in Rialto and finish their career's here, that they should have this Retirement Plan, the other just is an Obsolete Plan anymore. The Law Enforcement Officer is a Young Game and there are not many Officers that are out there chasing People that are on Narcotics at the age of 50, that don't come up with some kind of injury that they are retired on, with a Full 50% Tax Free Pension, for a say 38% disability, then they go and work at say an Insurance company making say $50,000. a year and another $25,000 a year tax free that is like making a whopping take home of $75, 000.00 if they have tax write offs. So, they don't have much hard work to do and they make pretty good money. Ten years ago when my accident happened we didn't make as much as they do now, and with my house payment I was close to losing my home, it was a struggle. I Have to say, If it was not for the Men, and Woman of the RPBA (Rialto Police Benefit Association) Members back then that Elected to write myself and my Wife a little bit of money to help us through the hard situation, we would have lost our home. I really don't think that I properly thanked them, I guess it was because I was so over whelmed with the accident, Pain, Doctor Appointments, Pain, The adjustment to medication, Pain, all the new treatment that I had questions about, Pain, and the Physical Therapy, and OH YEA, The constant throbbing Pain, that continues to this day!!! Thank you RPBA, A Little late, and well now it is a little hidden too (I am sorry about that). The Special Election costs the city some $40,000.00 from previous stated amounts from city council meetings, I could be wrong, they might be a whole lot more. But they are willing just as they were to fight the RPBA, to have a Special Election to continue a Tax that is at a time when people are wanting to lower the cost of their living if anything due to the current cost of Gasoline used to motivate their internal combustion engines to work and to play! The Only Point that the City Council will have is that you are currently paying the TAX and you will not see it at all! and if we don't get this tax we will be in such a bind that we will fall apart and turn the whole government over to the Sheriff of SB County and they will run the Fire Department and Police Department so you will lose both parts that you fought so eagerly to keep. However they spent upwards of a million to fight the Police Department, and when it was time to keep the Police Department they had spent all the money that was collected from the Utility Tax Increase on the Millions and Millions of dollars collected on new Fire equipment!! all to make the Police Department Jealous, and to top this all off The Council had asked the Fire Department to Campaign against The Police Department During the Fight for the Sheriff Department with the enticement of a 3% at 50 Retirement in their contract!! But since the Fire Department didn't successfully get rid of the Police Department then they lost their 3% at 50 Contract Special. Please they are mishandling funds, the City administrator, and the city Councilor should be the ones that go, they make to much money. the city administrator makes $734, 000.00 a year, and the Cities Attorney makes a little less. then that . Together they clear, Almost a quarter million shy of two million. BS Ranch