Buca di Beppo - silencing political discussion in Claremont

There are people that believe that the expression of a diverse range of views is important. Witness this Inquisitr post that states that John Kerry objects to the closure of newspapers because this would have "serious consequences for our democracy where diversity of opinion and strong debate are paramount." The post also includes author Duncan Riley's reply, "Someone needs to send Kerry a laptop with a mobile broadband card, because anyone who has ever been on the internet knows that diversity of opinion and strong debate has never been stronger than at any time in human history."

But this devotion to listening to diverse views isn't shared by at least one business in Claremont, California, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin:

An event headlined by Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist on Monday was canceled by the restaurant it was to be held at.

Gilchrist was set to speak at the Buca di Beppo restaurant in Claremont on Monday to the local Republican Club on protecting the Mexican border from illegal immigration....

The restaurant decided Gilcrest's views were not conducive with Buca Di Beppo's family atmosphere....

You will note that I did not refer to this as "censorship," because this was performed by a private party, not the government, and private parties have the right (within limits) to invite or disinvite anyone they choose.

But are limitations of political discussion truly "family-friendly"?

What a difference nine years make:

Thirteen community members representing a wide range of community interests have been appointed to serve on the City of Claremont's Community Dialogue Planning committee. The appointments, which were developed by an ad hoc committee of the City Council, were approved by the full council at its regular meeting last night.

The Dialogue Committee has been established to examine diversity and inclusiveness in Claremont. The primary objective of the committee, as outlined in a charge statement to the committee also approved by the council last night, is to: 1) identify any specific problems related to inclusiveness, and; 2) research and recommend a community dialogue process to address any problems identified.

If this committee were still constituted today, I'm sure that the committee would have a huge uproar over this silencing of political views within the city of Claremont.

Well, I think they'd have a huge uproar.

More tea in the IE

I haven't really examined the tea party movement all that much, other than hearing Bill Handel's comment that attempts of the (neo-conservative) Republicans to claim credit for it are ludicrous. Handel also noted that Obama, to date, has not raised any taxes.

Meanwhile, anti-tax protests continue, in this case motivated by the propositions on the forthcoming California ballot. I haven't really looked at the ballot measures yet, so for now I'll direct you to Matt Munson's post on Proposition 1A and let you know that another event has been scheduled:

Tea Party Street Rally - Ontario
May 18th, 2009, 5-7 p.m.
Milliken and 4th Street intersection

Are Inland Empire housing prices bottoming out?

Last Wednesday, the Press-Enterprise ran a story that discussed the March report on San Bernardino and Riverside County housing prices. Not that they're increasing, but the rate of decline is slowing. Let's all jump for joy:

DataQuick Information Systems...reported the median home price in Riverside County fell to $187,000 in March, and to $150,000 in San Bernardino County. The declines began to decelerate in Inland Southern California in February, leading economists to hope the region might be getting close to bottoming out.

More here.

But on the other hand Housing Kaboom documents the story of a home with an $865,000 price reduction. If all home prices go to $0, the market will bottom out by definition.

Was this Starbucks closure influenced by an indie competitor?

Confession of one of my obsessive activities - for the last several years, I have been keeping notebooks that list places that I visit. Initially I was REALLY obsessive and also recorded lat-long locations, but I dropped that part of the exercise very quickly. For this reason, while I often can't remember your name, I can often remember the address of the place where I met you.

Therefore, when I was scanning this Inland Valley Daily Bulletin article about Starbucks' latest round of store closures (which follows its earlier round of store closures), this location immediately caught my eye:

8880 Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga

Now I can put that into context by noting that the location is in an Albertson's shopping center, or that "Foothill Blvd." is on the historical pathway of U.S. Route 66. But there's a more significant factoid associated with this location - 8880 Foothill Blvd. is just down the street from 8916 Foothill Blvd.

Which happens to be the location of a place called Coffee Klatch. I talked about Coffee Klatch in a post in my mrontemp blog last year - they were offering free coffee while all the Starbucks, including the one across the street, were closed for barista training.

Is it possible that the 8880 Starbucks closed because enough people chose to get their coffee at a place across the street?

Actually, in this case there's another explanation - because the aforementioned Albertson's has its own Starbucks. Unless you live in Seattle, there's little need to have two Starbucks separated by a one-minute walk.

But I wouldn't be surprised if there are some "slaying the corporate beast" parties at Coffee Klatch.

Incidentally, more information about the Rancho Cucamonga Coffee Klatch can be found at the http://klatchroasting.com/content/view/25/51/ URL.

Inland Empire locations celebrating Record Store Day this Saturday, April 18

David Allen is talking about Record Store Day this Saturday, and has mentioned four stores that will participate:

• Rhino Records, Claremont


• Mad Platter, Riverside


• Dr. Strange Records, Alta Loma


• Groovetime Music Brokers, San Bernardino

So what is Record Store Day? Allen links to the official website:

The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived by Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.

This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Franscisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April.

I'm sorry, San Antonio Heights, but your reaction to Mary Petit is crappy

Our family has hosted exchange students over the years, and our German exchange student told us of the garden that her family maintains on a tract of land back in Germany.

While this is a natural thing for Europeans to do, and used to be a natural thing to do here in the United States, our continued moves toward antiseptic urbanization make even gardening a controversial issue.

Don't believe me? Look at the story of Mary Petit of San Antonio Heights (north of Upland, California), who only wanted to start a garden. The Daily Bulletin explains:

Petit's community garden is intended to be used by local gardeners and families to grow vegetables, herbs and edible flowers to be donated to families in need.

You'd think that this would bring the community together as they learned something and helped others, but it didn't:

"In my wildest dreams I never expected this type of reaction," Petit said. "I certainly expected questions and concerns and would have addressed them all or at least attempted to address them all."

The residents spoke at Monday evening's City Council meeting, citing concerns about possible increases in wildlife, people, traffic and noise from construction on the property.

Why did the neighbors raise such a big stink about the project? Well, because of the big stink:

The smell of recently dumped manure on the land was mentioned by every resident who spoke.

More here.

OK, I'll be the first to admit that manure isn't the most pleasant smell in the world (especially when concentrated), and when the wind blows toward the north, from the Chino dairy preserve to Ontario, I don't necessarily jump for joy.

But has our society reached the stage where natural animal smells are deemed to be offensive? Apparently that's the case in Upland:

In response, the council agreed to send city officials to the site at 7 a.m. Tuesday to prevent the project from moving forward.

However, I'm forced to admit that this wasn't just a simple little garden patch.

"They put in a big water main and have been doing grading without a grading permit," Mayor John Pomierski said. "You can't do something like that when you have all kinds of people on your property with traffic in and out without a conditional use permit. None of that was applied for."

Still, I hate to think that the official reaction of the city of Upland is that the only place where you can find vegetables is inside buildings such as Vons. What's next - outlawing sports in Upland because of the insurance and safety issues and requiring that sports only be watched on TV?

Don't cry over spilled milk - Stater Bros. selling Santee Dairies

From the Riverside Press-Enterprise:

Stater Bros. Holdings will sell its Santee Dairies Inc. operation to Dean Foods Inc., the nation's largest producer of dairy products, the San Bernardino-based supermarket chain said Monday in a statement.

More here, including the economics of a grocery chain owning a dairy that is trying to sell to other grocery chains. Guess what? It doesn't work.

Why you won't hear about Westland meat packing in Chino any more

This is a follow-up to a story that spread around the country a few months ago.

The Daily Bulletin reports what happened to the Westland meat packing plant after the meat recall:

The Chino meat slaughterhouse that was at the center of the nation's largest meat recall is up and running again, though under new management, a new name, and a whole lot more oversight.

The former Westland/Hallmark plant, on the corner of Yorba and Schaefer Avenues, is now under the ownership of American Beef Packers, Inc., led by two business partners Pat Carrigan and Marvin Roberts, both from Arizona.

The co-owners opened up the plant under their company last November....

Beef Packers knew it had to prove itself apart from Westland as its own company. They did so by establishing extensive training of their employees and hiring a company to analyze 24-hour surveillance video of all the live pen areas of the plant.

After nearly five months in business, Carrigan says the dark cloud left at the plant by the former company is finally lifting.

More here.

The Inland Empire Makes Stereogum

As you may know, I wrote write the music blog Empoprise-MU, and I often find myself referencing posts in Stereogum. So I was surprised to see "Glass House" mentioned in one of those posts:

Fans turning up to Jenny Lewis's set at the Glass House [April 13] received a special treat. It was not that BF Jonathan Rice came out on stage, because when is he not onstage with her, and it was not that they covered "Love Hurts" together, because they do that a bunch, too....[T]he Glass House hosted sets from Dawes and of course Ms. Lewis, who dedicated "Under The Blacklight" to her friend Blake and charmed her way through forgotten verses on "Rabbit Fur Coat."

The Glass House website is at http://theglasshouse.us/v1/home.html. It is at 200 W 2nd St in Pomona.


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David Allen...front page

OK, so maybe David Allen didn't get a promotion at the Daily Bulletin, but he did recently enjoy a professional accomplishment.

Sunday's column made it above the fold on Page 1, a first for me.

If you haven't seen the article, entitled Arena perk just the ticket for Ontario council. And (although this technically isn't an AP article) in deference to the sensitivities of the owner of Allen's newspaper, I'll just quote four words from the article:

council members get...free

That ought to convey the message. More here.

An original movie theater showing...movies

Perhaps you've noticed the Granada Theater in downtown Ontario, which lately has been functioning as a church. But lately, according to the Daily Bulletin, they've been showing movies on Fridays and Saturdays. But they're really pulling out the stops later this month:

The Granada, on April 24, will entirely recreate the experience of coming to a theater in the late 1940s. The night will begin with a swing band performance followed by a re-enactment of a live radio show during that era, [Kurt] Berntsen said. The movie "Hell's Angels" will be shown.

"People love the nostalgia of the '30s and '40s," Berntsen said.

The event will give the community an opportunity to experience what it would have been like, he said.

Berntsen, by the way, is 16 years old. He, building manager Dave Perez, and Ronald Anderson have been sponsoring the movies.

We have met the chicken-keeper, and he is us

OK, perhaps this isn't the image that the local Chambers of Commerce want to promote, but you can find the occasional chicken in this urban area. I've seen them in south Ontario, and Student in Pomona has seen them also:

The other day...I found a chicken walking around my yard. It had actually been walking around quite often in my yard and figured it was a neighbors coming to hang out.

The student, being studious, became curious:

But the other day I decided to chase it around. It had three chicks following it and I wanted to see where it'd go. As it turns out, this chicken and her chicks have been LIVING in my yard without my knowledge!

More here. But I have the perfect club for Student:


Inland Empire Poultry Club
(Riverside, California)

We are a Riverside based Poultry Club. We meet once a month at various places and talk about poultry. This includes egg laying breeds, meat breeds, and pure bred.

Ducks, chickens, and turkeys are raised by our members for the sole enjoyment of having them. Some have been raising poultry for over 40 years. We meet, talk about breeding, feeding, raising, housing, showing, and caring for our beloved fancy. If you are interested in joining this group, please contact us via e-mail and we will send you out a newsletter with the current meeting place in it.

Poultry raising is a rewarding experience. Even if it is for your own personal enjoyment. We are here to help try and educated as well as provide a friendly atmosphere of poultry minded people.

And here is a list of places to avoid:

Welcome to the DiningGuide service for the Ontario - Inland Empire area. Please select one of the listings below for a profile of a place to eat in the "Chicken" category.

You don't want to be the honored guest at a dinner.

Oh, and by the way, Student in Pomona found a rampant case of sexism within Pomona's city limits.

Chickens ARE legal to keep in Pomona BUT Roosters are not.

Man - and I mean man - the barricades for freedom, people! First they came for the roosters...

19th century Christianity in the Inland Empire, a select portion

On this Good Friday, I was curious and wanted to find out about the oldest Christian church in the Inland Empire. I still haven't found it, so I quit and concentrated on the history of a church I knew - the First United Methodist Church in Upland, California. And although it's not the oldest, it's very old indeed:

Early in 1889, a few members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Ontario began a mission fellowship among the residents of North Ontario. By 1897, the community was named Upland, and property was obtained on the corner of Euclid Avenue and "C" Street to build a chapel. That chapel was dedicated in June of 1898, with Rev. Dr. Wright as the first pastor. Rev. W.L. Miller was appointed as pastor at the regular conference in 1899.

The cornerstone of the church was laid on June 9, 1905, when the church had a membership of 188.

Inland Empire Passover Seder tonight

It's not too late. Chabad of the Inland Empire informs us that they have celebrated one Passover Seder, but will celebrate another.

Passover Community Seder
Experience a true taste of freedom.

Seders will be held on:
Wednesday, April 8 at 7:45 PM
Thursday, April 9 at 7:45 PM
at the Upland Hills Country Club
1231 East 16th Street, Upland

Whether you are an old Seder veteran or have never been to one in your life, this Seder is for you. Meet new friends of like souls and minds, in a holiday atmosphere of extended family.

Enjoy, as the story of Exodus comes alive through mystical meanings and kabalistic insights, told and explained through humor and melody by Rabbi Harlig.

Then enjoy a full course sumptuous Seder feast, with all the traditional delicacies, and hand baked “Shmurah” Matzot from Israel.

More here. And for another view of local Chabad activities, see this 2004 post from Inland Empress (no relation).

Challenging trail stuff takes planning

The Friends of the Pacific Electric Trail are preparing for the 2009 Cucamonga Challenge (see my February 14 post). But this takes some planning:

This will be our final planning meeting prior to the 2009 Cucamonga Challenge....

The meeting is at [Lions] Center at 6pm on Tuesday, April 14th...


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Ontario-based company resurrects the biometric grocery store transaction concept

Here's a press release from AllTrust Networks:

AllTrust Networks Provides Biometric Check Cashing Service for Pro’s Ranch Markets

Paycheck Secure Brings Convenience and Security

HERNDON, VA AND ONTARIO, CA – (April 7, 2009) – AllTrust Networks, the leading provider of biometric check cashing solutions, and Pro’s Ranch Markets today announced that Paycheck Secure, a fingerprint check cashing service, is available at all 11 grocery store locations across 4 states in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

Paycheck Secure uses a simple finger scan to authenticate customers' identities in order to cash checks. The check cashing system was first implemented in their Delano, CA store in 2007, to streamline the manual check processes. Now they have an automated check cashing system that enables them to quickly and accurately identify customers and view individuals’ check cashing history in advance of the transaction.

"Paycheck Secure enabled us to more confidently cash checks," said Jeff Provenzano, Vice President of Technology and Advertising at Pro’s Ranch Markets. "The Paycheck Secure check cashing system provided us with the user friendly tools and critical technology we needed to make better informed decisions. The positive customer and employee feedback, combined with the high level of service we receive from AllTrust, made it an easy decision to expand the service to all our stores."

Signing up to cash checks using Paycheck Secure is quick and easy. Customers simply provide a photo ID; two finger scans, and a smile for a digital photograph. Pro’s Ranch shoppers enroll one time, and can then quickly and securely cash checks with a quick finger scan, at any store. This multi-store technology speeds transaction times; and combined with AllTrust’s national negative database allows for better fraud control.

"Paycheck Secure offers a unique way for Pro’s Ranch customers to cash their checks rapidly and securely," said Jon Dorsey, President and CEO, AllTrust Networks. "The service also helps merchants like Pro’s Ranch dramatically reduce fraud by leveraging biometric technology to verify customers’ identities."

About AllTrust Networks

With more than five million registered consumers, AllTrust Networks (formerly BioPay Paycheck Secure) is the most widely used biometric check cashing system in the nation. Thousands of retail locations across 46-states are using the Paycheck Secure® system to quickly, safely, and easily identify customers and process financial transactions. Paycheck Secure system is a complete payroll check cashing solution designed to stop fraud and speed check cashing transactions. With a proven record of preventing losses, the product offers retailers and banks full MSB compliance features as well as embedded Check 21 processing. For more information on AllTrust Networks, visit www.alltrustnetworks.com.

About Pro's Ranch Markets

With eleven stores in four states, including five stores in Arizona, four stores in California, one store in Texas, one store in New Mexico, a restaurant, a gas station, an 80,000 square foot corporate office and warehouse in California and a 130,000 square foot warehouse in Phoenix, Pro's Ranch Markets is one of the fastest growing Hispanic Independent Grocery Retailers in the country. For more information on Pro's Ranch Markets, please visit www.prosranch.com.

While Pro's Ranch does not have any locations in the Inland Empire, the company itself is headquartered in Ontario.


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You'll note that I said "resurrect" in the title. It turns out that the use of biometrics in grocery stores was formerly undertaken by Pay By Touch, which no longer exists. See this post by Hutch Carpenter, and this Minneapolis Star Tribune article about John Rogers. I also quoted an excerpt on Pay By Touch in an Ontario Technoblog post in 2005, and I've also discussed Pay By Touch in other forums (noting that there is a difference between the technical issues related to a biometric implementation, and the business issues discussed by the Star Tribune article).

Khottognae - Background on the Temecula shooting

In case you missed it, this story came out over...

Wait a minute, it came out over the AP. Now I could follow my usual practice and link to the story, provide a brief quote, and then link to the story again, but the AP has problems with that practice. So do I just quote five words or whatever their supposed definition of fair use is? OK, I'll try that:

TEMECULA, Calif. (AP) — A gunman

Wow, that provides real context and really encourages me to visit the story, doesn't it?

Ah, forget the AP. Let's go to the Los Angeles Times instead (note that this was the version of the story as of 11:46 pm yesterday:

Four people were shot and at least two hospitalized Tuesday night at a Korean retreat in the hills east of Temecula, and investigators were continuing to search the area for possible additional victims.

Details of the incident were sketchy, but a spokesman for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said investigators believe a suspected gunman may be among the injured.

More here. And if you dig down a bit, the Times provides more details on the group and the compound:

The Kkottongnae Retreat Camp, run by the Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus, is in the 38700 block of Highway 79. Kkottongae means “flower village” in Korean and is a Christian social service organization founded in Korea. It offers help to orphans and the homeless and expanded to Los Angeles County in the late 1990s. It has branches in Lynwood, the Temecula area, Atlanta and New Jersey, according to its website.

Well, I found the group's website - http://www.flower-vill.com/ - and read a little bit about them. And if you want to find out about them, you have to find out about Choi Gwi Dong:

Choi Gwi Dong was born to a rich family in Geumwang, Eumseong County in Chungbuk province. The Japanese colonialists had then conscripted him to work in Japan . Later after being tortured during the time of the war he returned from the battlefield to find his home destroyed and his family gone. At the same time he was ill and penniless.

This miserable situation led him to live with other beggars who were living under a bridge by the Moogeuk River.

From that time, for more that 40 years, he fed and looked after those other beggars who did not even have the strength to beg for food.

In 1986, Choi Gwi Dong was awarded the Grand Prize of the Korean Catholic Church. He was praised as "a little Jesus." His response was to give the prize money of the award, 1,200,000 Korean Won to Flower Village, in order to build a house for the homeless who were dying on the streets.

This generous gift was the motivation for building a sanatorium for the elderly that eventually cost around 120,000,000 Korean Won.

While Choi Gwi Dong provided the financial backing, the spiritual leader was Fr. Oh Woong Jin:

Having firmly decided to dedicate his life to the poor, Fr. Oh was ordained to the Catholic priesthood on 3rd May, 1976

His initial appointment as a priest was to be in charge of Moogeuk parish in Geumwang Eup, Eumseong Gun, Chungcheongbuk-do.

One day he decided to follow a beggar, who in fact was Mr. Choi Gwi Dong, who was passing the parish church. He discovered that the beggar was feeding other weak beggars in their sordid hut in Mt. Yong-dam, with the food that he had been begging for during the day.

Fr. Oh could not sleep that night but stayed awake realizing in the midst of his prayers that "It is a gift of God's grace if one only has enough strength to beg for food."

The next day, Fr Oh purchased some bags of cement with all the money he had in his pocket, 1300 Korean Won, and started building a house called "House of Love" which had five rooms, with five kitchens.

Eighteen of the beggars who lived under a bridge over Moogeuk river were eventually welcomed and came to live in the newly-built house in 1976.

As a result of this story of the priest and the beggars spreading to every corner of Korea, many people wanted to help the community. At the same time the number of new beggars coming to Flower Village increased. In addition, some young people who came to help the community even wanted to live permanently for the people in Flower Village.

Consequently, since more houses and facilities were needed for accommodating "those who did not even have the strength to beg for food" and a support group was established whose members donated at least 1000 Korean Won an every month to help Flower Village . This was followed by the founding of the religious congregations of brothers and sisters of Kkottongnae - Flower Village.

A committee of priests in Cheongju diocese officially ratified the foundation of Flower Village in 29, September 1980.

Starting on Easter Sunday in 1981, the community began to recruit members of flower village nationally.

And, eventually, internationally:

American Sacred Heart House for the Elderly

A sister was sent to Los Angeles 29 August 1998, and opened Flower Village in America with the permission of Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles Archdiocese on 12 May, 1999 Flower Village established in America. After the establishment of Lynwood, Temecula, New Jersey and currently Atlanta have also been opened.

And according to this 2006 entry from Jessi, the facility serves more than just the elderly:

Hey everyone. I hope you guys are all doing great. I can't wait till the conference. I haven't been to Korea for years I am looking forward to it. I am really looking forward to this conference. Currently I'm working on planning a bible camp here at Kkottongnae in Temecula. It is schedule on the 22nd of June so it is right before my trip to Korea. We have chosen the theme "Promises of God." Please pray for all the counselors, volunteers, and most of all the kids that will attend this camp. I looking forward to meeting everyone in July. May god always bless you, Jessica Lee

Inland Empire Cold Fusion User Group April Meeting

Or, if you prefer, the IECFUG. However you refer to them, they're meeting:

Next Thursday, April 8th, is the date of our next meeting, and the topic this time around will be an overview of the Sava content management system.

Sava is a free, open source CMS for ColdFusion created and supported by Blue River Interactive Group, and we are fortunate to have two of the partners of Blue River, Sean Schroeder and Matt Levine, as our presenters this month:

Go to the post and follow the link at the end to RSVP...unless you want to pay for your own parking at Cal Poly Pomona.

Let me reinforce an Inland Empire stereotype

For the benefit of people who happen to come across this feed, the Inland Empire of California is an area east of Los Angeles that is roughly coterminous with the old 909 area code (now split into the 909 and 951 area codes). And if you listen to the radio or watch television or listen to music (Chino is an Inland Empire city), you probably know that the Inland Empire is not exactly the place where trendy people aspire to dwell.

Yup, we have a bit of a reputation.

Now when South Central (Los Angeles) got a bit of a reputation, they decided to change their name to something else. It didn't work.

And even if the Inland Empire were to change its name ("Desert Gateway," anyone?), we'd still have to overcome the stereotypes about this area.

And it doesn't help that they're sometimes true:

Sheriff's deputies were at the residence in the 11500 Oakwood Drive about 9:20 a.m. Sunday to serve a felony warrant on Arturo Gaona, 37, who was found sleeping in his bedroom.

During a consent search of an upstairs bedroom, Sheriff's deputies discovered a full-scale clandestine methamphetamine lab....

More here.

Gee, a meth lab in the Inland Empire - who would have imagined it?

The complete police press release can be found here.

When an April Fool is not so foolish

The funny thing about fantastic April Fool's stories is that they sometimes become real.

I'll give you one example (I could give you two, but I can't). Back on April 1, the Claremont Insider ran a fake story that claimed that Bridget Healy had been named to the Board of Directors of the Claremont Chamber of Commerce. Here's an excerpt (hint: the Claremont Insider doesn't like Healy):

Failed City Council candidate Bridget Healy, who really hasn't lived in Claremont for four years, and who doesn't own or operate a business in town, has been nominated to the Board of the Claremont Chamber of Commerce. "Why not?" quipped Chamber president Barbara Jefferson, a middle manager at the Claremont University Consortium, "Heckfire, I'm not a business person, and David Cash, CUSD superintendent, certainly isn't. Nor is Ann Joslin of the Botanic Garden. Sometimes these real business people get kooky ideas like a Transient Occupancy Tax isn't for them, or maybe the crazy thought that the Village shouldn't have a 'Business Improvement District'. That's why we need Bridget: to keep these folks out of the leadership positions and toeing the Claremont Chamber Party Line."

Two days later, the Claremont Insider discovered that some of it was true:

Arrives now in the mail the April 2009 number of the Chamber newsletter, Business News, and right there on the front page is the notice of "Nominating Committees [sic] Recommendations for Board Members". Down towards the bottom of the first column is the following:

At the meeting in February the Board voted to increase its size to 20 members. The nominating committee suggested:

Ira Jackson, Drucker School of Business Management for a 3 year term expiring in 2012

Jeremy Cooper, Pay-Pro Services for a 2 year term expiring in 2011

Bridget Healy, Consultant for a 1 year term expiring in 2010

Oh boy.

What's Mike Brossard doing today?

When a Chamber of Commerce has problems of its own

Chambers of Commerce promote business - well, they're supposed to promote business. But what happens when the Chamber of Commerce itself is hurting?

In the nine months since the Ontario Chamber of Commerce made cost-cutting measures that included eliminating its president/CEO position, little has been said by the chamber's board about its future plans....

In June, Mark Smiley, who led the Ontario chamber for three years, quietly left.

Soon after, the board announced the six-person staff had been reduced as a cost-cutting measure.

The problem, of course, is that businesses are not renewing their memberships, which leads to a decrease in Chamber income. So the Chamber cut staff, and did other things:

Recently, the board decided to discontinue the printing of its business journal and make it online-based, he said. The move saves the chamber printing costs.

At the same time, the chamber has revamped its Web site to use "as an avenue and vehicle to promote events."...

Judge for yourself. Go to http://www.ontario.org/.

Carlos Herrera and family have to tread very carefully in Rancho Cucamonga

You remember Carlos Herrera, the guy who did not play nicely with his neighbors in Rancho Cucamonga. As I previously noted, this guy and his family and friends would give death threats to neighbors, broke three ribs on one neighbor, race a car within inches of other neighbors, shatter the windows and slash the tires of a neighbor, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Normally, your neighborhood watch group doesn't have to watch people IN your neighborhood. The police were called, Herrera was arrested, restraining orders were filed against him, but nothing seemed to stop him and the others from threatening the community.

Well, last October, an administrative order barred Herrera, girlfriend Jennifer Mason, and other family members/friends of the couple not to

...intimidate neighbors, vandalize property, trespass, block access to public streets and sidewalks, or possess guns or other deadly weapons.

Herrera and Mason appealed the decision, and the Rancho Cucamonga City Council unanimously rejected the appeal.

Herrera and Mason have moved away, but mediator Glenn Gottlieb put a condition on their return to Rancho Cucamonga:

Gottlieb also ordered Herrera and Mason - who now live in St. George, Utah - to give the city at least five days' notice before crossing Rancho Cucamonga city limits.

And the City Attorney is prepared to take action if they violate the administrative order:

City Attorney Jim Markman said in an interview Thursday that if Herrera or other people subject to the administrative action disobey its orders, the city could pursue legal action resulting in fines or jail time for Herrera or other potential violators.

Well, the problem's theoretically solved. But I wonder what it's like in St. George, Utah these days.

Ivory Webb Jr. revisited - and no, it's not double jeopardy

Remember Ivory Webb Jr., the cop who was arrested for excessive use of force but was later acquitted? Well, he's still fighting the case on the civil end:

A federal judge has rejected a motion to dismiss former San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy Ivory Webb as a defendant in the civil case brought by Airman Elio Carrion against Webb and the county.

Carrion was unarmed and lying on his back when Webb shot him three times in January 2006 following a high-speed chase that ended in Chino.

Oddly enough, it was Carrion's attorneys that wanted to dismiss Webb from the case:

Carrion's attorneys moved to dismiss Webb from the civil case in January because Webb, who was fired from his position at the sheriff's department following the incident, declared bankruptcy last year.

If this would have happened, then San Bernardino County would have been the sole party on the opposing end of the case. And they didn't like that:

Attorneys for San Bernardino County opposed Carrion's motion on the grounds that Webb's bankruptcy does not necessitate his removal from the case.

The county also argued that Webb must remain on the case because he must be available to testify or give a deposition about his sheriff's department training.

You see, it's all about the money, which is why bringing the same incident up in both criminal and civil court does not constitutionally constitute double jeopardy.

Don't run afoul of the business license folks

I had some European houseguests a couple of days ago, and they expressed a desire to go to Sizzler. (Hey, I was up for it.) Several Sizzlers in my area have closed, but the one at Mountain and Philadelphia in Ontario is still open. When I got there, I couldn't help but notice that their alcoholic beverage license had been suspended for violating the law with regard to the sale of alcoholic beverages. Presumably, Sizzler had been caught selling booze to underage people. While our party survived (the majority of us were under the age of 21 anyway), having big "suspended" signs all over the place probably doesn't do wonders for your business.

Especially if your business is a bar:

The Chronic Cantina sports bar may have a lot to prove to city officials in order to stay in business.

The Planning Commission last week approved a resolution to revoke the business' conditional use permit. The action may force the bar to close its doors.

In this case, however, it isn't a case of selling booze to 20 year olds. No, not quite:

There have been more than 70 police service calls since the Chronic Cantina opened in January 2008, with more than 25 people being arrested, according to the commission report.

The activities include two attempted murders, two carjackings, three felonious assaults, 14 other types of assaults, one discharging a firearm, four auto thefts, four vehicle burglaries, five thefts, three driving under the influence, five public intoxications and 33 disturbances.

Interestingly enough, things like attempted murder may not be the items that caused the Planning Commission to act.

A meeting was held in December between the owners of Chronic Cantina and city officials to discuss the crime issues, litter, posting of unpermitted advertising posters, weeds, as well as missing landscape, lack of parking lot striping and an unpermitted temporary sign....

You can try to kill anyone you want, but if you put up an unauthorized poster, we're gonna nail you...

I haven't been to the new King Taco, but Matt Munson has

If you've driven down Interstate 10 near Fairplex, you've seen the advertisements for the new King Taco that is opening in Ontario.

Well, it opened on March 30...and lines have been out the door, almost as long as the Denny's lines when they gave away free food after the Super Bowl.

I'm not a crowds person, so I'm avoiding the place until the hoopla dies down. But Matt Munson didn't:

The menu of King Taco is simple, we got no frills nachos that you can easily get at a movie theater or 7-11, burritos that are basically overpriced for what you pay for them, tacos that are not like the ones you see at Americanized Mexican fast food restaurants where you would need to order 2 or 3 to get satisfied.

Matt only gave the place a 3 out of 5. If you'd like to try the place, it's at Mountain & D.


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Follow-up on the Empoprise-IE April Fool's post

No, no, no.

When I posted David Allen named Senior Editor of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, I was kidding. I think. Mike Brossart is still at the helm.

Ironically, Allen himself may not see my post, because he is on vacation. (Yes, a paid vacation.)

I'll be off all this week on a road trip to Arizona. (Road trip!!) Unless my motel has a computer room, which it probably won't, I'm unlikely to have Internet access, so don't freak out if your comments don't get posted for a few days.

He subsequently noted that his motel did have a computer room, but hey...he's on vacation.

Incidentally, I've searched for local April Foolishness, but haven't found any yet. If you know of something, share it in the comments.

David Allen named Senior Editor of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

I've previously blogged about David Allen.

I've previously blogged about his employer, the Los Angeles Newspaper Group (part of MediaNews Group).

Now I get to blog about both of them together, because MediaNews Group announced that, effective today - April 1, 2009 - David Allen will take charge of one of its properties, having been named Senior Editor of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

Allen replaces Mike Brossart, who was named to this position a year ago. Brossart has accepted a new position that has not been identified at this time, but reading between the lines, it has something to do with Internet television.

Now I'm sure that some people wonder why David "show us the funny" Allen would be named to head the paper. However, it should be noted that Allen doesn't just write his column, but also does some general reporting for the paper.

Still, I suspect that things might change a little bit, based upon the press release.

April 1, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

David Allen Named Senior Editor of Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

DENVER, CO....David Allen, popular columnist at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA), today was named Senior Editor at the newspaper.

Allen replaces Mike Brossart, who has been named Executive Vice President of Broadband Properties for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.

"I've been watching David Allen for a long time," said MediaNews Group Chairman Dean Singleton. "I believe that Allen possesses the unique combination of skills to bring the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin into the 21st century. As a columnist and blogger with a focus on local events, David can reposition our paper to provide the type of local coverage that the national online services couldn't dream of delivering."

Allen himself stated, "I look forward to the challenges ahead, and believe that a greater emphasis on local restaurants and City Council meetings will help distinguish us from the pack. The goings-on at City Council meetings, if reported properly, will cause people to abandon TV reality shows and read the paper."

Allen assumes his duties immediately today, April 1, 2009.

###

And it looks like the Daily Bulletin has already modified its website to reflect the change.

The economics of Ontario International Airport

Via podcast, I heard about a Riverside Press-Enterprise article that shared a troubling truth about Ontario International Airport - it's expensive.

A few snippets from Kimberly Pierceall's article:

Airlines land where there's demand, and there had been swelling populations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties wanting flights nearby.

But the region's housing-focused economy has been hit hard, and passenger airlines are cutting back. A larger percentage of seats were cut back at Ontario Airport last year than any other Southern California airport....

What the airport doesn't earn from concessions, parking permits, ATM transactions, rental car fees, advertising and luggage carts, it gets from its airlines. In its last fiscal year that ended in June 2008, the airport earned $72 million in revenue. Of that, $52 million came from airlines....

In March, the airport raised the annual rate it charges airlines for terminal space from $131.36 to $190.23 per square foot until June 30, more than other Southern California airports. It is an effort to overcome a potential $4 million shortfall in annual revenue. The airport may also raise parking rates.

San Diego Airport charges $73.35 per square foot and John Wayne charges $74.29 per square foot. Long Beach Airport and Palm Springs International charge $37.44 and $20.63 respectively.

Read the rest here.

In addition to declining passenger traffic, Ontario International Airport was hit by a case of bad timing and bad luck. Long a small airport, Ontario launched upon an ambitious expansion plan, building two new terminals in 1998 and planning for a third. Then September 11 hit.

So, what did you think of the festival?

Yeah, I missed it too. But the Los Angeles Times didn't:

The fourth annual Paid Dues Festival, held Saturday at the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino, straddled the tenuous divide between serving as a celebration of the leading lights of the backpack breed of indie rap...and operating as a Petri dish for the flaws of the contemporary underground.

Despite an energetic slate of performers, the 120-acre sprawl of the NOS Events center often felt gloomy and vacant, with a 40,000 capacity but only a few thousand in attendance.

More here. Jeff Weiss notes that $40 tickets and $15 parking fees probably didn't help the attendance, but he did have praise for Atmosphere and Slaughterhouse.

And Antiquiet was ecstatic:

The annual event is a dream come true for fans of the indie/underground/backpacker scene, featuring appearances by hip-hop’s underground elite. Rap icon and core Living Legends member Murs put the festival together- which began in 2006- as a way to showcase the best & newest talent on the scene, as well as a collective of the best names in hip-hop today.

More here.

Let's get historical about Fontana

Here's another city history web page, this one from Fontana:

The earliest recorded landowner in the Fontana area was Don Antonio Maria Lugo, who received a land grant in 1813. A second grant secured the land known as Rancho de San Bernardino for his sons. The Lugo sons sold a portion of their land, which included part of what is now Fontana, to a group of Mormon settlers in 1851. The Mormon settlers eventually returned to Salt Lake City, and the Semi Tropical Land & Water Company gained control of the Rancho. Active development of the area, however, did not begin until the early 1900's when the Fontana Development Company acquired the acreage and began a community called Rosena a name that was changed to Fontana in 1913.

More here.

Granted, the Fourth Estate is in need of fixer-upping

The Claremont Insider spent some time looking at the earmarks from David Dreier, Nancy Pelosi, and Jerry Lewis, then asked,

By the way, has anyone seen the Fourth Estate poking around this information? Maybe it's too complicated or unsexy a story for a daily paper to delve into, but we think there's an audience for this, especially in these at a time when everyone's having to pinch pennies and cut back on expenses.

The thing is, the Fourth Estate doesn't have to poke into this, because, as I've noted, people like Jerry Lewis are bragging about what they've done.

The status of wireless 911 in Claremont

Wireless 911 has been problematic. Unlike a landline, where you know the exact jurisdiction in which the landline is located, wireless phones are obviously moving all over the place. While some have GPS, the positions of older phones can only be detected via triangulation between towers.

Pomona Neighborhood Watch noted the 911 capabilities in the neighboring city of Claremont.

When you dial 911 on your cell phone in the City of Claremont, the call no longer goes to the California Highway Patrol communications center; the call now goes to the Claremont Police Department communications center.

What's more interesting, however, is that the capabilities of the service depend upon your specific location, not just the city in which the phone is located.

If the caller is calling from the City boundaries the call could be sent to a surrounding city, additionally if the caller is calling from the freeway, within the City limits, the call is directed to the California Highway Patrol.


More here.

Let's get historical about Ontario

Ontario, California's web site includes the history of the city:

It was in the first week of August, 1881 when George Chaffey, a Canadian engineer, viewed the wastes known as the Cucamonga Desert and decided that this patch of land, if properly watered, could become productive and profitable. George and his brother William bought the "San Antonio lands," 6,218 acres with water rights for $60,000. This was the nucleus of their new model colony. They subsequently expanded to the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks on the south. On the north, they took in the Kincaid Ranch at San Antonio Canyon, an all-important source of water.

The Ontario Colony lands were quickly surveyed and went on sale in November, 1882. The centerpiece was Euclid Avenue, eight miles long and two hundred feet wide, the twin "driveways" separated by a parkway which was seeded in grass and lined with pepper trees. George named Euclid Avenue after the great Greek mathematician whose book Elements of Geometry had been a favorite subject for George in school.

The primary requirement, which had to be met before the land could be utilized, was that water had to be found and brought to the town. Chaffey laid miles of cement pipe for this purpose and later the San Antonio Water Co. drove a tunnel into the head of the canyon to tap the underground flow—then an innovation in the field. The need for electric power to lift water from deep wells led to the establishment of the Ontario Power Co.

More here.

Cal Poly Pomona in NCAA Men's Basketball finals. Yes, that's right.

Everybody and their mother is forgetting about the NCAA Division II basketball tournament.

Unless you track Cal Poly Pomona:

Cal Poly Pomona was the lowest seed in the Elite Eight and the largest school. Now they are in the Final Four of the NCAA Division II Championships.

And according to a link I found here, Cal Poly Pomona defeated Augusta State by a score of 74 to 70 today, and are going to the final on March 28. Also see this link.

I will be occupied elsewhere, but good luck to Cal Poly Pomona.

Mid-day car wash

I'm taking the day off to complete various errands, which means I can get a car wash on a weekday, in the middle of the day.

Haven't been to Valero (5515 Holt, Montclair) in a while. The interior store has been reduced in size, but presumably the wash is the same.

If it's Friday, it's checkpoint time - but what kind of checkpoint?

One of the blogs I follow goes by various names, but in essence the most accurate name is the name that is printed in the title area - the Inland Empire Crime Blog.

Last weekend, the blog had two separate posts about checkpoints that were held on Friday, March 20 - one in Coachella (a town southeast of Palm Springs) and one in San Bernardino.

First, in Coachella:

The City of Coachella conducted a DUI Checkpoint on Avenue 49 at Grapefruit Blvd on 3/20/09. The checkpoint was in operation between the hours of 7:00 P.M. and 2:00 A.M. A total of (1600) vehicles passed through the checkpoint during this operation and 1300 vehicles were screened.

Four people were arrested and booked for various crimes. Their names are in the blog post.

In addition:

The checkpoint personnel cited (26) drivers for the following vehicle violations:

1) (3) for driving on a suspended drivers license
2) (15) for driving without a drivers license
3) (8) hazardous equipment violation
4) (18) vehicles were towed

Meanwhile, in San Bernardino,

Traffic Sgt R. Lawhead explains that the San Bernardino Police Department conducted a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, March 20, 2009 from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM, in the 600 block of West Highland Avenue, in San Bernardino. During this operation a total of 842 vehicles were screened. A total 36 vehicles were impounded, 28 of which were held for 30 days. Officers wrote 46 citations, 37 of which were for unlicensed or suspended licensed drivers. There were also a total of 5 arrests on various charges.

The San Bernardino press release also took time to explain why they think DUI checkpoints are important:

DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving.

All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. This DUI/Drivers License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as insuring drivers have a valid driver’s license. A major component of these checkpoints is to increase awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to encourage sober designated drivers.

A DUI checkpoint is a proven effective method for achieving this goal. By publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, the San Bernardino Police Department believes motorists can be deterred from drinking and driving.

As I've said before, however, most of the people who get in trouble at DUI checkpoints don't get in trouble for DUI. Even when you look at the four people who were arrested in Coachella, one was arrested on a weapons charge. While I'm not arguing that people engaging in criminal acts should run free, perhaps the "DUI checkpoint" is not named properly.

Your thoughts?

Red Cross Walk in Claremont

The Claremont Insider reports that the Claremont Red Cross will have a 5k fundraising walk on Saturday, March 28 at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.

You have until Thursday, March 26, to register. Registration for adults is $25, for youths 3-17 it's $20, and it's $80 for families.

More here.

Sadly, there's a local angle to the Montana plane crash

Over the weekend, a plane crashed in Montana, killing all aboard. Both the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and the Los Angeles Times are reporting that, despite the fact that the plane crashed in Butte, there is a local angle to the story.

The Times article includes a picture of Amy Jacobson of St. Helena, California, and her family. Amy is the daughter of Redlands dentist Irving M. "Bud" Feldkamp III, and the sister of Vanessa Pullen. Amy and Vanessa were among those who died in the plane crash. Irving had driven ahead and was planning to meet his daughters and the rest of the family and friends who were on the plane.

See the linked news articles for more information.

There is also a statement from Loma Linda University:

On Sunday,March 22, a tragic plane crash inMontana abruptly ended the lives of six Loma Linda University alumni, and seven of their children.The professional pilot of the plane also died in this accident.There were no survivors.Our entire Loma Linda University andMedical Center family joins in expressing our sincerest sympathy to the grieving relatives and other loved ones at this time of unimaginable loss.

The deceased are:

Vanessa Feldkamp Pullen, School of Medicine (’98), husbandMichael Pullen,
School of Dentistry (’99), children Sydney (age 10) and Christopher (age 7) Amy Feldkamp Jacobson,DentalHygiene (’97), husband Erin Jacobson, School of Medicine (’00), children Taylor (age 4),Ava Grace (age 3), Jude (age 2) KristenMautz Ching, School of Nursing (’00), husband Brent Ching, School of Dentistry (’98), childrenHailey (age 5) and Caleb (age 4) Buddy Summerfield, pilot

Words cannot express the sadness we feel for our colleagues who are family members and friends of those who lost their lives.Numbered among the many who now mourn are those who serve with us in our educational and health ministries.

Our prayer is that our Lord will give us a special measure of his mercy as we share the deep sadness of this loss and as we reach out in love to embrace those who are grieving.

From the office of the deans of Loma Linda University School ofMedicine, School of Dentistry, and School of Nursing.

Everest - where to dine when you're getting evicted

Around the same time as the Pomobama hoopla, David Allen went out to eat at Everest in Upland.

It's another of those burger palaces that has a zillion items on the menu, sort of the spiritual opposite of In-N-Out: not only a dozen styles of hamburger but pastrami and other kinds of sandwiches, basic Mexican items, salads, breakfasts, even an "old fashioned Sloppy Joe" ($2.99).

I never even thought of BUYING a Sloppy Joe. Must check out.

One thing that Allen neglected to mention is that Everest Drive-In is a short walk from the Broadstone Foothill Apartment complex, which I haven't discussed in almost a month.

Paramount-Pomona???

An interesting item from a David Allen reader:

Sometime during the past few weeks, a mistake has appeared in Google Maps: The place name 'Paramount' has appeared on the west side of Pomona. I've lived in this part of town for more than 50 years, and Paramount has never been a local name.

I nosed around, and it's not just Google Maps. CitySquares:

Welcome to CitySquares, your local city guide to Paramount, Pomona! Take a few minutes to browse around and discover the neighborhoods and the businesses in Paramount, Pomona, as well as local news and events.

And then there's this:

We are # 1 Water Damage Restoration Company Proudly Serving Paramount, Narod, Sunsweet, Montclair, San Dimas in Pomona, CA

Now Pomona, Montclair, and San Dimas are local city names, and Narod is a historical name. I'm not familiar with Sunsweet.

Paramount, of course, is a city over 30 miles southwest of Pomona.

But then I found two things that made a bit more sense. Here's a SuperPages business listing:

Paramount Acme Duplex Inc
Pomona, CA 91766
(909) 397-9003

And then I found this MySpace profile for a Cal Poly Pomona student who originally comes from Paramount, and therefore lists her hometown as "Paramount/Pomona."

Though I hope that Google, SuperPages, etc. aren't getting their information from city names on MySpace profiles.

However, at least I now know that I can go to Pomona and become a movie star.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES is in the Services, N.E.C. industry in POMONA, CA. This company currently has approximately 250 to 500 employees and annual sales of $75,000,000 to $199,999,999.

386 S THOMAS ST
POMONA, CA 91766
Phone: (323) 956-5779
Key Facts
Location Type: Branch
Industry: Services, N.E.C.
Ownership: Public
Sales Range: $75,000,000 to $199,999,999
Employees: 250 to 500


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I knew Lindsay Lohan was hanging out in this area at one point, but I thought she was doing community service. I guess she was working.

The next step in brick and mortar elimination - do away with the polling place

Normally California is supposed to be the alfalfa-eating trendsetter for things, but Matt Munson noted that Washington and Oregon beat us to something, and that conservative Orange County was the next to adopt the new idea.

Orange County is doing something novel they are asking for permission from the state govenrment to make all elections mail only so they can save on staffing polling booths and sample ballot printing. Orange County expects to save $200,000 if the state approves this reform that is also used in Washington and Oregon.

It actually makes sense, inasmuch as everything has been computerized and centralized anyway. Provided that the mail works, this could be a good idea.

I just won't get an "I Voted" sticker any more.

I was against it before I was for it, part two

You can't have it both ways, Jerry.

From Inland Empire News:

Congress has approved a $410 billion federal spending bill that includes funds for San Bernardino and Riverside County projects sought by Congressman Jerry Lewis for needs ranging from a regional law enforcement fingerprint program to vital transportation and water system improvements.

The projects were approved as part of an omnibus spending bill that funds nearly all of the federal government’s operations beyond defense and homeland security. It will go into effect as soon as it is signed by President Obama.

Now I'm sure that if you honestly ask the rest of Congress about these things in Lewis' district, they'd confess that it's just a bunch of pork. But to Lewis, and to Lewis' constituents, these are extremely vital programs. You see, Congressman Lewis is against pork:

Lewis voted against the bill when it was considered in the House of Representatives because it includes massive new spending on programs that will not have an immediate effect on the faltering national economy.

So, in essence, Lewis is claiming credit for bringing funds to his district, even though he originally opposed the whole idea. And, in fact, the rest of the press release details every dollar that Lewis brought to his district. A sample:

The spending bill approves $2.8 million requested by Congressman Lewis to continue space radiation research through use of the Proton Beam Accelerator at Loma Linda University Medical Center. The project, which has received more than $50 million secured by Lewis over the past nine years, provides the National Aeronautics and Space Administration the ability to test human and spacesuit reaction to radiation levels that are expected to occur in space.

OK, I'm going to say something completely uncaring and cold. We've been sending people into space for almost a half-century now. Is it extremely critical and vital that we perform this testing right now? And how will this, in Lewis' own words, "have an immediate effect on the faltering national economy"?

The nerve.

Pomona on Obama in Pomona

When looking at Obama's visit to Pomona, it's best to look at the people who are in Pomona.

Goddess of Pomona has a business idea.

And speaking of t-shirts, the Daily Bulletin records one family's t-shirt inspiration. But they're from Chino Hills, so let's go back to...

Goddess of Pomona (again), talking about a man who was cruising down Holt Boulevard.

As was Original Skrip.

Sustainability Seminar in Pomona

M-M-M-My Pomona links to a Student in Pomona post about the 6th annual Sustainability Seminar, scheduled for Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 341 Kingsley.


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More information at http://www.regen.org/.

Foggy

Ontario, California.

Anti-government protest moves due to red tape

Follow-up.

Matt Munson's post at IE Politics says it all:

I recently let our readers know about a special event to protest against government abuse and waste in San Bernardino, but due to city red tape it got moved to Rancho Cuccamonga.

Here are the details:

Date: Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Time: 5pm-7pm

Place: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Foothill/Day Creek (on Foothill)
by Victoria Gardens

Dinner at Los Alazanes

850 N Mountain (at I), Ontario. The building formerly housed a Taco Bell, but it moved to a new building across the street.

Jim Erwin arrested

I haven't been following this story, and Inland Utopia hasn't discussed the guy. Could someone fill me in?

From IE Politics:

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

MICHAEL A. RAMOS District Attorney
Contact person: Susan Mickey 909-382-3665

Date: March 19, 2009

San Bernardino County District Attorney Arrests Jim Erwin

San Bernardino, CA – Today, as a result of the ongoing criminal investigation into the San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office, District Attorney Investigators from the Public Integrity Unit arrested James H. Erwin, 46. Erwin, who is County Supervisor Neil Derry’s Chief of Staff, was arrested this morning without incident at the County Government Center.

Erwin was charged with ten felony counts including: Eight counts of Perjury by Declaration (PC 118) and two counts of Offering a False or Forged Instrument for Filing (PC 115(a). If convicted on all counts, Erwin could receive as much as 11 years in state prison. Bail was set in the amount of $220,000.The criminal investigation is continuing. A copy of the complaint is attached or may be requested by contacting Susan Mickey at 909-382-3665.

President Obama Visits Pomona

As previously noted, today was the day that President Obama visited Pomona. Claremeont Insider linked to David Allen's pre-visit post:

The president is scheduled to tour the Edison International Vehicle Electrics Plant, 265 N. East End Ave., at 10:30 a.m. Students from Village Academy School, which Obama mentioned in a speech last week, and who will be the subject of a "20/20" report on ABC-TV on Friday, will be brought over to the plant to meet him.


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The public naturally couldn't enter the Edison facility, but the press could. From the New York Times:

President Obama arrived at the Edison International plant to talk up his proposals to promote the development of electric and hybrid vehicles. “Millions of jobs depend” on the work being done at plants like Edison, Mr. Obama said. He checked out prototypes of Ford electric and alternative fuel vehicles, asked lots of questions about batteries and marveled at the gas tank of a Ford Truck with plug-in technology....

He even managed to get a joke in, referring to his time away from the Beltway:

“[T]his is a good place to come and re-charge your batteries.”

President Obama, what a gas.

So much for the Wild West image of San Dimas, part two

If you ever visit downtown San Dimas, you can't help but notice the western motif, which suggests that San Dimas is a "Wild West" kind of town.

It is nothing of the sort, as I previously noted when talking about how Sid Maksoudian's application to join the San Dimas Chamber of Commerce was denied because he...he...he said bad things about the Chamber.

But it's not just private groups that want to keep everything nice and neat and orderly in San Dimas. Take a look at Heidi Daniels' plight:

Since December, the city has been after Wine Shop owner Heidi Daniels to tear down an unpermitted canopy in front of the store, which Daniels said was to keep customers warm. And Daniels defied the city every step of way until Monday, when she finally had the canopy removed after the city threatened to take her landlord to court.

So why did Daniels want the canopy?

Daniels was first ordered to take the canopy down Dec. 19 but refused, citing the down economy and her need to do what is best for her customers.

But the city, you see, is more concerned with having zoning codes than actually having viable businesses in San Dimas. While the Planning Commission has now agreed, via a 3-2 vote, to review the restrictions on temporary structures, not all agree.

"We got a beautiful city and to me a temporary structure can diminish the view of a business," said Planning Commission Chairman Jim Schoonover, who was one of the two dissenting votes. "I think we should have a full understanding (of codes). A permanent structure gives you that understanding, a temporary is there for a couple months and gone, continually changing the view of the property, and I would like to avoid that."

So, Schoonover's concern is that structures may - shudder - temporarily change the view of what people see.

If that's Schoonover's prime worry, then he'd better ban hair salons from San Dimas pronto.

You wouldn't want to upset the consistency of the Wild West image.

David Allen talks about "Pomona presidential precedent"

"Non-illiterate alliteration rules" is Allen's apparent aphorism.

As I've previously mentioned, President Barack Obama will be coming to Pomona tomorrow. In today's Daily Bulletin column, Allen notes that Obama will be the fifth sitting President to visit the city. The others were Benjamin Harrison, 1891; William McKinley, 1901; William Howard Taft, 1911; and Herbert Hoover, 1932.

But Allen is convinced that some sitting President must have visited Pomona between 1932 and 2009.

You'd think LBJ would have toured General Dynamics, or Nixon would've visited the L.A. County Fair. Or Clinton would've gone to Donut & Burger for one of each.

And Allen has also blogged about Taft's visit. Both the article and the blog post reproduce the end of Taft's speech:

"As I go through this country and see all this beautiful fruit -- and I am a fruit eater -- I feel as if I would like to have a good deal bigger capacity than I have in order that I might carry away even more delightful recollections of Pomona. Good-by."

Well, Obama is significantly slimmer than Taft, but we grow a lot less fruit out here nowadays.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes sold

Pete Marshall of the Daily Bulletin is reporting that Hank Stickney, majority owner of the minor league baseball team the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, has sold the franchise to a group headed by Bobby Brett. George Brett is also a participant in the deal, as is brother J.B. and the family of deceased brother Ken.

If you thought traffic cameras always made money for a city, you're wrong

Upland is pulling out its traffic cameras:

The Upland City Council and Mayor John Pomierski at the March 9 council meeting approved the cancellation of a contract with Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc.

The red-light cameras are installed at three intersections - Mountain Avenue and Foothill Boulevard, Mountain and 8th Street, and Euclid Avenue and Foothill.

The city has been losing money on the contract since the cameras were installed five years ago, Police Chief Steve Adams said.

More here.

Vibrant Pomona, and it's not a marketing term

Pomona isn't just a city where electric cars are tested. But let's take a step back; several years ago there was a marketer for one of the cigarette companies that liked to use words such as "vibrant" - a choice of words that I later parodied. (And the story of the marketer hit a bad bump.)

But the word "vibrant" can also be used in a meaningful context, which is what Metro Pomona did in describing the Arts Walk on Saturday, March 14:

There's no other way to describe last night's Arts Walk....Vibrant! Downtown Pomona was bustling with activity. The sidewalks, galleries, restaurants, and clubs were overflowing with visitors. People of all ages came, saw, enjoyed, and were impressed. The art galleries continued to out-do themselves as they always do with exciting images and talent.

But it wasn't just the brick and mortar:

The farmers market hosted over 1700 visitors and featured a "pirate band" in full regalia, aaarrr!

If you missed the fun, don't fret:

[T]he next Arts Walk will be Saturday, March 28, coupled with the Collector's Street Fair and Metro Night Out.

I have another commitment that day, but I encourage you to go and enjoy yourself.

Read the rest of the Metro Pomona post here.

Pomona gets Presidential on Thursday

Both David Allen and Original Skrip are reporting that Pomona, California will get a special visitor on Thursday - President Barack Obama. Allen links to an L.A. Observed piece with more details.

Obama will make a private visit to the Edison International Vehicle Electric Plant in Pomona. Edison discussed the Pomona facility in a 2002 press release:

SCE and Toyota began the 100,000-mile RAV-4 EV project in February 2000 to obtain data on costs, maintenance, battery life, charging issues and other factors with EVs that are used continually long-term. Employees with long commutes drive the vehicles daily to and from work-either SCE's headquarters in Rosemead, Calif., or its state-of-the-art EV Technical Center in Pomona, Calif. The test data also showed that EVs with advanced batteries are cost-effective to operate and have an equal lifecycle of comparable internal combustion engine vehicles.

Not only have the EVs met the employees' driving needs, they have proven reliable, with just minimal routine maintenance required, and have demonstrated the long-term durability of the battery packs, motors, controllers and other components. Given the successful operation of these EVs to date, SCE plans to continue using them even after they roll past 100,000 miles.

And coincidentally (or perhaps not), USA Today recently ran an article:

[T]he switch to electric cars is expected to be gradual....To prepare for that day, SoCal Edison runs prototype electric vehicles through their paces at its test facility in Pomona, a few miles east of headquarters. Ford chose SoCal Edison as a testing partner in 2007 for its experimental plug-in hybrid Escape SUVs. It recently announced it's adding seven other utilities to the program. Its goal is to have a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle on the market by 2012.

Other makers contribute models for testing, such as a new Mitsubishi iMiEV subcompact and a Daimler plug-in hybrid van undergoing evaluation recently. Kjaer says SoCal Edison and other utilities are working with General Motors on its Chevy Volt plug-in electric, which is supposed to hit the roads next year.

As for the long term, mechanics work on the fleet of RAV4s that have collectively logged more than 17 million miles since 1999. Today, the fleet achieves 120,000 miles a month.

"We have more data than Toyota does on this fleet," Kjaer says.

I was against it before I was for it

iePolitics shared an article from the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

It details how the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors really really objected to state proposals to jack up taxes to fix the state budget.

In a letter to the county's lawmakers shortly before the budget bills passed the Legislature, Board of Supervisors Chairman Gary Ovitt said higher taxes should not be part of any deal. The full board later voted to adopt the position.

"Raising taxes will punish the very individuals that are struggling to make ends meet and potentially prolong California's recession," Ovitt wrote.

I'm proud to see my board standing up for me. And after the budget passed, with the higher taxes that the Board of Supervisors warned about, the Board boldly took a stand.

But don't expect the county to turn away tax-tainted money because of philosophical objections.

"It would only hurt San Bernardino County for residents to pay those higher taxes and not have the money return from the state," Ovitt chief of staff Mark Kirk said.

Which shows that in politics, whether you're conservative or liberal, the goal of your term in office isn't to implement your poltical agenda. The goal of your term in office is to get the goodies.

San Bernardino County Republican Women Federated Newsletter gets a revamp

From Whiterosie at iepolitics:

I am the new editor of the San Bernardino County Republican Women Federated newsletter....

I expect to have the newsletter in everyone’s inbox at 12:01 am on April 1. If you want to receive it, you don’t have to be a member. You don’t even have to be a Republican.

But do you have to be a woman? I assume not, but just asking.

More information on how to subscribe, and how to contribute, can be found here. Look for Facebook and MySpace pages in the future.

One gallon assorted WHAT?

I misread "salvia."

Lowe's, Upland California, earlier today.

That's the night that the lights went on in Olinda

On my afternoon commute home, I often choose to avoid State Route 57 and go through Carbon Canyon instead. Because of this, I'm certain that the residents of Carbon Canyon hate me, and all of the thousands of people like me, who roar through their canyon.

Actually, we don't roar through their canyon. The traffic is often so backed up that we putter through the communities, a bumper-to-bumper line of cars shattering the quaintness of the canyon area.

And if it's tough to drive there through rush hour, then it must be tough to live there.

Technically I've strayed outside of the Inland Empire by talking about Olinda in this post, but this story affects a lot of Inland Empire residents like me who commute through Olinda. From the Carbon Canyon Chronicle:

An 18 February article in the Orange County Register announced that a traffic light will soon be erected on Carbon Canyon Road at Olinda Place/Ruby Drive in Olinda Village. The $350,000 project, largely paid for with federal funds and supplemented on the order of 10% by Brea's Traffic Impact Fee, is slated to begin by late Spring and should take about four months to complete.

The quest for a signal at this location has been going on for many years and has been avidly pursued by residents of Olinda Village (including Hollydale Mobile Home Estates, as well as parishioners at Samsung Presbyterian Church adjacent to Hollydale.)

And there may be more signals on the road in the future.

[O]ne of the negotiated points between the developer and the City of Chino Hills concerning the proposed Stonefield housing project just east of Western Hills Golf Course has been that the former has offered to pay for traffic signals at Fairway Drive and Canon Lane.

Oh - and yes, there is a "Samsung Presbyterian Church" in Olinda. I am not a Calvinist so I probably wouldn't attend anyway, but would I also have problems because of my telephone preferences? And how do they minister to the young iPhone crowd?

Nice quiet neighborhood

Housing Kaboom reports about a developer who developed a tract of homes, but didn't sell all of them.

In fact, the developer didn't come close to selling all of them.

Specifically, the developer sold ONE of them.

One poor fella now finds himself the only homeowner in the tract. The builder has packed it it and the tract sits half built. There are 3 beautiful models, 8 partially built homes (they only need flooring, countertops and appliances) and the rest are just graded lots.

Frankly, this calls for some real estate-ese. In addition to "nice quiet neighborhood," I suggest the following:

Room to grow
No noisy neighbors
Feels like your own estate