Recognizing the Area's unsung heroes (SB Sun 092306) Awards honor those who make a difference in the community.

Recognizing the area's unsung heroes
Awards honor those who make a difference in the community
By Megan Blaney, SB Sun, Staff Writer 092306

SAN BERNARDINO - Some people make a difference in the lives of others. Some are even able to positively influence an entire community. But too many times those people are, as the saying goes, unsung heroes.

To honor those who give of themselves asking for nothing in return, the San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation has held an annual award night for almost two decades.

This year, the 17th annual Black Rose and Humanitarian of the Year Awards event was Friday night at the Valencia Room at the National Orange Show Events Center.

Retired teachers Bennye and Samuel Burton of Claremont were "amazed and appreciative" to find out they were receiving special recognition for their service to the community.

The Burtons taught in the Chino Valley Unified School District for more than 30 years.

Bennye Burton said teachers are essential to a child's development.

"Children are our future," Bennye Burton said. "We have to try to do our best to train them with morals and to get them the best education they can have."

Carl Dameron of Dameron Communications in San Bernardino and professor Kathryn Ervin, professor of theater arts at Cal State San Bernardino, were emcees of Friday's event.

Community leaders must showcase the good that people are doing in the midst of a crime wave that involves blacks, Ervin said in a press release about the event.

"It's important for our people to see role models," she says. "And it's important for the rest of us to be reminded of the good things people here are doing."

Dameron said every recipient has made a difference.

"These are outstanding people," he said. "They really are the heroes of the community."

Community activist Artist Gilbert, 67, received the 2006 Juanita H. Scott Humanitarian of the Year award.

Gilbert is involved with multiple organizations and works closely with foster children at the Knotts Foster Family Agency in San Bernardino.

Gilbert said it's always important for communities to unite.

"This is a time for us to get together as a unit and give recognition to people," he said. "Hopefully this will be something that can tie us together."

Black Culture Foundation President Frank Washington III said the event represents an integration of many facets of the community.

"There's always something negative out there," Washington, 44, said. "Seems like every time that blacks get together it's for a funeral. I like for us to get together for happy times too."

Although many recipients over the years have been black, Washington said the Black Culture Foundation does not consider color when designating the awards.

"We look at people working in the community," he said. "It's not a race thing."

Former Foundation President Margaret Hill said it's not always easy to drag some of the altruists into the limelight.

"They don't do it for the glory or recognition," Hill said. "We try to seek them out sometimes it's almost like pulling teeth."

Still, she said it's important that people are aware of their positive actions.

"Even with the negative impact of what's happening, there are far more good things happening out there than bad," Hill said.

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BSRanch Perspective:

There is no way that anyone no matter who it is that is pulling that particular string will find all the unsung hero's of any city! I am sorry, but this is some kind of Politics as usual, to get some, Well, now! What do you know! "Press"!

You have to count the ones that are out there that are giving food to the hungry, or clothing to people that don't have any! There isn't one or two people in a city the size of San Bernardino, Rialto, Riverside, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga that can claim to be the hero, in a community that has a lot of hero's.

Sure in that Pile of hero's there are criminals and there is crime, but there are people like my Wife that feeds the poor through her church, However she doesn't want the public eye looking at her gracious hand giving to the people that are a little proud and a little more hungry to take the food. So, there are many hero's within the neighborhood, you just have to look around!!

BSRanch

Dial 2-1-1 for SBC Social-Services Programs (Daily Bulletin 092306)

Dial 211 for SBC Social-Services Programs
By Stephen Wall, Staff Writer

Starting this week, hundreds of local health and social-services programs can be easily accessed by San Bernardino County residents by simply picking up the phone.

A toll-free 211 call system was launched Wednesday to help residents navigate an often confusing maze of programs and services, including drug treatment, domestic-violence counseling and health care.

The new system is expected to drastically reduce the overload on the 911 network and provide an invaluable resource during natural disasters, officials said.

"San Bernardino County has never had a comprehensive database of all the county, city and nonprofit organizations in the county," said Gary Madden, 211 director for Inland Empire United Way, which provides the service from its call center in Rancho Cucamonga.

There are now about 600 agencies in the network's database offering about 1,100 programs, Madden said. The database is about 60 to 70 percent complete and is growing daily, he said.

The free and confidential service is available to residential and most cell-phone users, Madden said.

Businesses must have their phones programmed to access the 211 system, he said.

By dialing 211, the caller is connected to an English-and Spanish-speaking operator who will assess the situation and provide information and referrals. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Translations can be provided in more than 150 languages.

"The 211 system should have a major impact in the ease in which the residents of the county can access services," 2nd District County Supervisor Paul Biane said in a prepared statement.

The budget for the service this year is $800,000, with funding coming from San Bernardino County, First 5 San Bernardino, United Way and Bank of America.

United Way is applying for grants to expand the database and provide services to city and county offices, Madden said.

The 211 service has been implemented in 40 states and serves 185 million Americans, Madden said.

San Bernardino County is the eighth county in California to have 211 coverage. Riverside County's service was activated in July 2005.

Kent Paxton, Children's Network officer for San Bernardino County, said the 211 service is an excellent concept.

"Unfortunately, our health and social-service system is all over the map," Paxton said. "Typically, it's not unusual for someone to have to make three or four different calls to get where they need to be. 211 cuts through that lengthy process."

For more information on the service, call United Way at (909) 980-2857 or visit www.211sb.com.

Contact Stephen Wall at (909) 386-3916 or by e-mail at stephen.wall@sbsun.com.

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BS Ranch Perspective:

This is a long time coming, this should have been around a long time ago! I am glad that it is here now, better late then never I always say! I hope that the program is a total success, and the 2-1-1 dial in Social Service Program works well, because this is something that has been needed for a very long time, the people, & Victim's of Social Crimes such as Rape, or even that of Child Molest, now have a place to call for help other then the regular 9-1-1.

BS Ranch

D.A. Won't Seek Death Penalty (SB Sun 092306) Life without parole will be sought in fatal 2005 robbery!!

D.A. Won't Seek Death Penalty
Life without Parole will be sought in fatal 2005 robbery
Mike Cruz, SB Sun Staff Writer 092306

SAN BERNARDINO - Authorities will not seek the death penalty against four men charged in a Redlands home invasion robbery in 2005 that left one person dead and two others wounded.

Prosecutor Rod Cortez said Friday that special circumstances charges, which can be alleged when other felonies are committed in conjunction with murder, were filed against the defendants in San Bernardino Superior Court.

While special circumstances can make defendants eligible for capital punishment, top officials at the District Attorney's Office will not be seeking the death penalty against the four defendants, Donald Ray Shorts, Jamar Lavon Tucker, Michael Lamar Rose and Mark Elise Williams if they are convicted.

"The committee made the decision that the case warranted seeking life without parole," Cortez said following court proceedings.

Attorneys for the defendants, some of whom are suspected Los Angeles-area gang members, denied the additional charges during a brief arraignment Friday before Judge Arthur Harrison.

The men face charges of murder, attempted murder, carjacking, robbery and kidnapping. They are scheduled back in court Oct. 13 for a status hearing. Cortez was unsure when the trial might get under way in the case.

Authorities believe the victim, Michael Denmon, a rap musician who had produced several tapes, was carjacked in Los Angeles on April 22 and forced to go to a Redlands home where he lived with his mother, Peggy Faulkner and four children.

The assailants robbed the house and shot Faulkner, who was 51 at the time, and her 28-year-old nephew, Gerald Brooks Jr., officials said. Brooks died at the scene, but Faulkner survived, calling 9-1-1 after the assailants left the home with her son, Denmon.

Denmon was later dropped off in Fullerton, after being shot somewhere between there and Redlands, officials said. Denmon survived and made his way to a residence, where police were called.

Redlands police announced early on that the crimes were motivated by robbery and were not random.

Denmon's 2003 Land Rover and his mother's 1990s model Chrysler 300 were later found in Long Beach.

Tucker was arrested at his Los Angeles home in May 2005, while Shorts and Rose were taken into custody in Las Vegas. Not long after, Williams was arrested after he exited a bus in Long Beach.

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BS Ranch Perspective:

It might be obvious that the D.A.'s Office must feel that the Case that they have against the suspects must be strong enough for a conviction for Manslaughter, and Robbery, but they will not see the inside workings of the Death Chamber! Which is to bad, because that is what these guy's deserve, to die just like the victim that died on the night that they held up their home, Kidnapped the occupants of said home, and lifted the car, and drove away, only to be caught later. They had shot him in his own car in some jurisdiction unknown, maybe that is the preliminary thoughts on how it is handled, they don't know exactly when the victim in this case was shot.

Still, I hope that they mean life and not the 6 to 8 months of life that they really spend inside the prison system before they feel that they have been "rehabilitated" enough to re enter society!! YEA RIGHT!!!!

BSRanch

NY Man Died a Hero, but not a firefighter, fed's rule...Assoc. PRess.

NY man died a hero, but not a firefighter, feds rule

By DAVID B. CARUSO
Associated Press Writer

September 22, 2006, 3:03 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- Glenn Winuk was found in the ashes of the World Trade Center with surgical gloves on his hands and a medic's bag at his side. A card in his wallet identified him as a volunteer firefighter.

The discovery confirmed what friends already knew. As the towers burned, the 40-year-old lawyer had rushed from his nearby office to offer help as a veteran EMT.

"He died a hero," said his brother, Jay.

Yet, in the eyes of the federal government, he did not die in the line of duty.

In a decision sent to Winuk's parents days before the fifth anniversary of his death, the Justice Department rejected their application for a $250,000 benefit for public safety officers killed on the job.

Its reasoning was apologetically bureaucratic; while Winuk was an associate member of the Jericho Fire Department on Long Island, he hadn't been on active duty since 1998.

"I recognize the decedent's heroism that day and readily acknowledge and salute his bravery: Glenn J. Winuk gave unstintingly of himself, under the most dreadful circumstances, and gave unto death itself," wrote Domingo S. Herraiz, director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

"The law does not entrust me, however, with authority to distribute federal benefits in recognition of the ultimate sacrifice paid by good Samaritans, no matter how deserving," he added.

The denial is one of several difficult rulings the bureau has made while administering the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act, a 30-year-old program that provides a one-time payment to the families of slain police, firefighters and government rescue workers.

Since the program's inception, disputes have arisen regularly about deaths due to medical conditions, self-inflicted gunshots or auto wrecks.

There has been debate, too, over precisely who counts as a public safety officer.

In July, a federal judge overturned a decision to deny benefits to a civilian pilot killed battling a wildfire near Hopland, Calif. Although the program excludes contractors, the court said the aviator qualified because of his actions for the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

In March, a judge said the benefit was wrongly withheld from a 14-year-old junior firefighter hit by a car while answering an alarm on his bicycle. Christopher Kangas, of Brookhaven, Pa., was a volunteer apprentice whose duties were limited to drills and firehouse chores.

Jay Winuk said his family also plans to appeal the ruling on his brother, who was on active duty for 19 years before switching to associate status.

"It just adds salt to a wound that's about the biggest wound you could have," he said. "It's like they're trying to find every which way not to honor this guy."

An even thornier decision may lie ahead _ whether payments should go to rescue workers who inhaled trade center dust and were later diagnosed with fatal lung ailments.

An attorney for the family of New York police detective James Zadroga, who died in January, said Thursday that he plans to seek a payment under the program. Doctors blamed the 34-year-old's fatal lung problems on his work at ground zero.

"This guy deserves it," said attorney Michael Barasch. "He is no different than a cop who got shot in the chest, lingers for a year and then dies."

The Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act prohibits claims for long-term, job-related illness, but guidelines published this year said payments can be made if a death is directly caused by exposure to chemicals while on duty.

The Justice Department said it has so far paid 435 claims following the terror assault, almost all to full-time police and firefighters. That is nearly double the claims usually paid annually.

The department did not respond to repeated requests for information about how many Sept. 11 claims it denied.

A Justice Department spokeswoman said that, on average, about 10 percent of those who apply each year are ineligible.

After the attacks, Congress passed legislation speeding payments to terrorism victims. It also expanded the program to cover fire and police chaplains.

The denial of Winuk's claim came despite lobbying by high-profile officials, including former New York Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, commander of the department on Sept. 11.

"I can assure you that true firemen don't care about their 'membership status' when life is at stake, and every indication is that Glenn Winuk was a true fireman," Von Essen wrote in a letter to the Justice Department.

New York's legislature passed a law, signed by Gov. George Pataki last year, declaring that Winuk died in the line of duty. A Justice Department hearing officer also concluded he should receive the benefit, but his recommendation was overruled.

U.S. Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican, urged the department to reconsider.

"How or why you would deny this person is beyond me," he said. "To me, if there is any ambiguity ... you give the benefit of the doubt to the rescue worker."
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BSRanch Perspective:

It seems to me that there is some conflict of some kind of Deep Pocket theory here, and I feel that is not the situation here. The man Clearly had medical Gloves on and was carrying an EMT Bag that was clearly found next to his remains. He was volunteering and the Firefighters that were on that call could have commandeered his kind hearted volunteering spirit to help the community. Now he has a small child that has no father. I am supposing that he was not in the building to begin with and he had entered that building to rescue people.

IF He was in the building prior to the planes striking the building I would have reservations about giving him the benefits that they seek, however if he was down the street and ran to the WTC to help the people get out of there and see what he could do, then that is another story, he should get it.

See the man was a lawyer at a nearby office and a great EMT!! he should get full benefit's of that and be awarded of being a Volunteering ffirefighter, this was an American that went in the building just like the men and woman of the paid fire department, and he does deserve full benefit!!

BSRanch

Former employee files lawsuit vs. city, violation of 1st ammendment

Former Employee Files Lawsuit vs. City, cites violation of 1st Amendment
SB Sun, Jason Pesick, Staff Writer 092206


RIALTO -- A former city engineer says he was terminated from his job for exercising his First Amendment rights when he acted as a whistle-blower.

Fuad Modiri, who had complained that the city and his former superior were incompetent and mismanaged public funds, is suing the city and his former boss, Robert Harary, saying his civil rights were violated when he lost his job.

The question the lawsuit presents: Does a whistle-blower have the right to say his employers are incompetent and wasting public funds without being fired, even if he is correct?

Modiri filed his suit in July. He wants his job back and is seeking damages, saying the city and Harary violated his rights of free speech, association and assembly under the First and Fourteenth amendments of the Constitution.

The city says that Modiri was terminated because his work was unsatisfactory.

The case, which will not go to trial for months, raises questions related to the extent of an employees's First Amendment right to speak out about issues of public concern.

Modiri's suit cites four major policy decisions Rialto officials made as examples of incompetence and mismanagement:

* Ignored his concerns that it was not safe to open the Alder Avenue exit of the Interstate 210 extension.

* Failed to comply with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, which requires cities to meet certain environmental guidelines.

* Bungled an agreement with a contractor, which cost the city $320,131.

* Lost a $2.5 million federal grant by failing to meet grant guidelines.

Ed Zappia, who is defending the city and the former public works director Harary, said Modiri was a well-liked guy, but a marginal-to-poor employee.

In each case, Modiri says he spoke out to other government employees inside and outside Rialto and sometimes to private citizens.

His attorneys claim his speech is constitutionally protected because as a private citizen he spoke out about issues important to the public.

Peter Scheer, the executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition, said the case law on these types of cases is not settled.

"It's notclear just where the line is," Scheer said.

He said speech that stays within the office about an internal matter is not protected. He said even if speech is about public money or incompetence it probably wouldn't qualify as protected.

Scheer said the more people outside the office Modiri went to, the stronger his case, because public speech is protected. The speech not only has to be about a subject that affects the community, but it must also interest a typical resident, he said. Speaking out about the war in Iraq serves as a good example of protected speech.

Mike McGill, Modiri's attorney, said the First Amendment protects his client as a whistle-blower on a matter of public concern. McGill said the public needs to be able to expect that people knowledgeable about issues of public concern will inform them of those issues.

Zappia said Modiri is trying to portray discussions he had with other employees and officials in the regular course of his work as protected speech. For example, he said what Modiri claims to be whistle-blowing about the Alder Avenue off-ramp of the I-210 extension was actually typical of discussions government employees have about a new project.

He cited the Supreme Court's 2006 Garcetti v. Ceballos opinion, arguing that discussions between engineers about an off-ramp do not count as protected speech because they are discussions that take place in the normal course of work.

He said that even if Modiri talked to nongovernment employees about these issues, his speech is not protected because he was talking about issues related to his job.

Scheer said the Supreme court only made the issue more confusing with its recent opinion.

"We'll just have to see where it goes," he said.
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BSRanch Perspective:

This is an interesting case now isn't it. The employee that is let go because they are a "poor employee" right about the time that they are pointing out serious safety issues that ultimately had to be addressed by them because they were in a heated rush to get that intersection opened up, so that they were driving their Trucks to the County Dump Facility!

However when you have an employee that is the one that points out a safety issue to you doesn't seem to be the one that is trying to slow you down, but the one that is concerned for the public Safety!! I always thought.

This is that Bait Switch and slander. position that is going to be taken in court. He was a great employee, and I suppose that all his work evaluations all show that he is a meets or exceeds employee, but then when he suddenly pointed out the opening of Alder Ave, then he suddenly didn't get such a great millage.

I guess then he was let go, but then all he will have to do is get the evaluations in court and show that there is an inconsistency in what they are reporting even to the press.

We here at the BSRanch will keep him in our prayers!!

BSRanch

Several Drviers Get Caught in Courthouse Sting: (Fontana Herald News 092106)

Several drivers get caught in courthouse sting

By SHELLI DEROBERTIS

Several drivers learned a painful lesson last week: When you're told not to drive, don't.

The Fontana Police Department conducted a police sting on Sept. 14 at the Valley Municipal Courthouse in Fontana to catch drivers who were driving on a suspended or revoked license.

A total of eight tickets were issued, one of which included an arrest, and all of the violators had their vehicles impounded.

The sting was conducted as part of the Speed and Alcohol Violator Enforcement program (SAVE), and targeted DUI offenders because many of them are observed driving immediately after leaving the court and being ordered not to.

All unlicensed drivers were subject to a stop during the operation, regardless of the reason for their revocation or suspension.

"The whole idea is our traffic unit is trying to make the city streets safer for all the licensed, law abiding citizens," said Fontana police Sgt. Doug Wagner.

Officer Brian Heaviside was one of six motorcycle cops who participated in the two-and-a-half hour sting. "If an unlicensed driver is ticketed for being unlicensed, it's a 30-day tow," he said.

That was the case for Eustacio Ocho Mondoza of Rialto. Inside the courthouse he had just been given a $374 fine for driving without a license, and then he got into a blue Toyota Camry and drove off.

Heaviside pulled Mondoza over on Alder Avenue, within a couple hundred yards of the courthouse, and found he had a prior citation for not having a license, so his car qualified for a 30-day impound.

Mondoza was not happy. "It's my daughter's boyfriend's car," he said. He admitted that he was in the country illegally and could not get a license.

The average price it costs to get a vehicle out of impound after 30 days is

$1,000.

Jose Lopez from Ontario watched his truck get towed away after he was issued a citation for driving with an expired license.

"He is technically unlicensed because it is expired," Officer Doug Locey said as he wrote the ticket.

"He has to go to the DMV and re-apply for a license. If it's questionable and he can't prove his citizenship, he won't get his license. He has to provide a valid license to get his truck out, or after 30 days it will go into lien sale," Locey said.

"I came here for a ticket," Lopez said. "My last ticket was for no license."

He said he has been a licensed driver for 11 years, but his license expired a year ago. "I need to check it out at the DMV," Lopez said.

Albert Lara of Ventura drove to court even though his license was suspended for not paying child support.

He said he had started making his child support payments, but he didn't know how long it would take for the system to be updated.

"People gotta drive," Lara said. "It's either I come to court or I get a warrant."

Lara was given a ticket and his car was towed.

The SAVE program was implemented by the Fontana P.D. to increase the number of DUI arrests and reduce the number of alcohol and speed related fatal and injury collisions.

According to the Office of Traffic Safety, unlicensed drivers are the most dangerous on the road.

The OTS also reports that individuals with licenses that have been revoked or suspended due to a DUI are the No. 2 reason for fatal collisions.

"Most of the traffic accidents that are investigated involve unlicensed drivers," said Heaviside.

(In the photo above, a car gets towed away during the sting operation. Photo by Shelli DeRobertis.)

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BSRanch Perspective:

The sting was a success, if they got one unlicensed Driver they would have made a successful road block. There might need to be something done, the new Law that goes into effect in January 1st, 2007, that will require the Insurance company send a notice to the Department of Motor Vehicles, that you have cancelled your Insurance, which will make your license status instantly Suspended! This might be a good law, however this also might be a very bad law in one way. You decide to change your Insurance Policy to another Insurance company. Say for example the other insurance company had sent the insurance notice late to the Department of Motor Vehicles, suddenly you have insurance but your license is suspended not at anything that you have done! But for the stuff that the Insurance company has done, because they had sent the information late to the DMV.

So, what is the right answer, driving is a privilege, and it is one that needs to be upheld to the drivers that keep their nose clean. There is one thing that can and should be changed. It is hard to say who or what is driving around with out Insurance, and it is terrible if you are, and your license should be revoked and taken away!! but you should not be held responsible for the violations that the Insurance company does such as the mis-reporting that I have given with my example. I am not saying that this will happen, and more then likely there will be some victims that should not be held responsible for the problems that were given to them by their Insurance company.

Getting back to the Sting, this was something that was brought up to me several times by citizens as to why this doesn't get done, because they heard their case being heard, and they saw the defendant drive in and park in the court house. So, what they did was backed up and caught the repeat offenders that were driving in their cities, while taking care of the problem that they were there to take care of. I am sorry that they lost their truck, license and driving privileges for more then a year now! but that is what happens when you are caught driving without a license. or allowing your license to expire. I feel for these people I do, because I know how important a license is to people that don't have one. especially when you need one to get medications and the like or doctor visits and the like these doctor visits and that are not easy to do or make when they need to pick up groceries or medications for family members and the like. It is a very necessary piece of equipment that automobile.

BSRanch

Pinnacles Fire (Lake Arrowhead Mountain News 092206).

Pinnacles Fire

By Michael P. Neufeld

Wind-swept flames charred over 2,500 acres in San Bernardino National Forest on Tuesday, but no structures were lost as The Pinnacles Fire made its way toward Apple Valley.

A mountain biker called 911 at 9:29 a.m. to report the blaze near the Pinnacles Staging Area for off-road vehicles just off Highway 173, a short distance from the Arrowhead Fish and Game Conservation Club's Shooting Range.

Arriving units began their assault on the 4-7 acre fire at 9:34 a.m. and immediately ordered aircraft to assist in their efforts.

“I heard the engines coming down Grass Valley Road,” Deer Lodge Park resident Stewart Poling stated while sitting on the deck of his home that overlooks The Pinnacles area. “I was relieved when the fire began moving away from Lake Arrowhead and Deer Lodge Park.”

At 9:37 a.m., firefighters reported spotting was occurring 30-40 feet ahead of the vegetation fire that eventually rushed all around the shooting range and up the steep, inaccessible hillsides and out towards Apple Valley.

California Highway Patrol and San Bernardino County Sheriff's department personnel responded to the area along with Caltrans crews to close roads in the area including Highway 173 to allow access by arriving U.S. Forest Service fire crews. A second alarm was quickly announced bringing San Bernardino County, California Department of Forestry (CDF), Crest Forest Fire, Running Springs Fire, Big Bear Lake and a host of other engines and water tenders into the area.

Grass Valley Road, a two-lane roadway that dead ends into Highway 173 about a half-mile from the shooting range quickly became clogged forcing additional law enforcement response to the area.

Long-time Deer Lodge Park resident Duane Banner, who had watched fire sweep through the area consuming about 60,000 acres in 1999 during the Willow Fire, quickly moved his tractor into place and began clearing an area around some new homes being built in the area.

“It appears to be moving away from us,” Banner said. “My wife, Carol, called me and told me to get home because something was happening as fire trucks with lights and sirens kept passing our house.”

Forest Service Incident Commander Randy Clauson eventually had over 500 firefighters on the blaze along with resources including engine companies, water tenders, dozers, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft.

Helicopters took water from Papoose Lake and Highway 173 near the Lake Arrowhead Marina quickly became a traffic nightmare as people stopped to observe the constant flow of choppers as they quickly filled their buckets and storage tanks and returned to drop water on the fast-moving Pinnacles Fire.

Lake Arrowhead Community Services District (LACSD) personnel at the Green Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant, about a half-mile from the start point of the fire, began filling a holding pond with thousands of gallons of treated waste water to help reduce the travel time for the choppers.

The incident commander was notified at 10:15 a.m. LACSD was already filling the holding pond. It was not clear at deadline whether the pond was every used in the aerial assault on the fire.

One casualty as the rapidly growing fire swept through The Pinnacles was the wooden guardrail on the Kinley Creek Bridge. Cones were placed on the edge of the roadbed to warn fire engines the guardrail was destroyed.

“A unit from Rancho Cucamonga made quick work of extinguishing the guardrail,” Forest Service Public Affairs Officer John Miller said. “It was burning when I drove across it.” The “narrow bridge” signs at both ends of the bridge were not damaged as the fire moved through the area, which is also known as habitat for the Arroyo Toad (Bufo californicus).

San Bernardino National Forest Ranger Allison Stewart was on scene most of the day and early evening as more and more fire personnel converged on the command center established at the U.S. Forest Service Rock Camp station.

“We're pleased that we had such a quick response,” Stewart stated. “The cooperation between the Forest Service and San Bernardino County Fire has been excellent all day as more resources rolled in. We were a bit concerned additional resources would not be available because of other wildfires in Southern California, but everything we've asked for has arrived and firefighters are making excellent progress on the fire.

“Our immediate concern this evening,” Stewart explained late Tuesday after officials declared the fire five (5) percent contained, “is for the high desert communities where the fire is bumping against the area where those folks live.”

Voluntary evacuations were ordered by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in Apple Valley Highlands and the Mariana Heights area prompting officials to open an evacuation center at Victor Valley College. The Horseman Center in Apple Valley was established as an animal shelter.

Capt. Joe Catalano and Lt. Tony Nicassio from the Twin Peaks Sheriff's station spent considerable time at the command center and established contact with deputies in the Apple Valley area to help direct the evacuation plan, if necessary.

“I was working in Redlands,” Deer Lodge Park resident Mike Zetlmaier reported, “and as I drove up Highway 18 near Crestline I couldn't believe what I was seeing.”

INVESTIGATION

The cause of the fire that started within a few feet of Highway 173 is still under investigation. Several Forest Service law enforcement personnel and arson investigators spent hours at what was believed to be the ignition point combing the area for clues as to how the fire began.

Law Enforcement Officer Brad Burns said it was still too early to announce the cause of the wildfire. “It could have been any number of things including the exhaust of a car or off-road vehicle.”

Burns said that while the ignition point was near the shooting range it apparently did not play a role in the fire.

However, the California Department of Corrections brought in prison fire crews from as far north as Mariposa County and the shooting range was established as their base camp. Two helicopters landed on the actually shooting range to drop off firefighters and be equipped with buckets and snorkels by CDF crews.

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It is another busy fire Season, and we are just about 3/4 the way through. It is terrible when the Santa Ana Winds are going to be blowing all weekend long and they are battling three major fires in the Southern California Area that will be effected by the Santa Ana winds. This places most of the California Fire Fighters in a very thin position trying to battle all the fires down here, especially when they start heading for the structures.

I wish that I was and could still fight fires to help in some way, as it is the only way that I can help is to rescue Livestock with a Stock trailer that I have!!

BSRanch

Fontana Officers Not Charged in Shooting Death (Daily Bulletin 092006)

Fontana Officers Not Charged in Shooting Death
Wes Woods, Daily Bulletin 092006

FONTANA -- The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges Tuesday against two Fontana police officers in the March shooting death of a San Bernardino man.

Ralph Larios, of San Bernardino, was shot and killed March 30 in a fatal officer-involved death.

The shooting was ruled as self-defense because the officers protected each other and stopped a felony, a San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office news release reported.

The two officers, whose names were not identified, fired 10 total shots at Larios that hit his left shoulder and under his nose among other locations, the report said.

The report ruled the shooting as self-defense because Larios shot and wounded an officer with a .32 caliber semi-automatic handgun.

The officers were armed with .40 caliber semi-automatic handguns.

"I'm very regretful a life was lost but I don't think it was the fault of the police officers involved," said Victor R. Stull, San Bernardino County supervising deputy district attorney who wrote the report.

Names of the officers were not released because the incident was a gang-involved shooting, Stull said.

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This is wonderful news, I didn't think that he was going to be found guilty of anything based upon what I was reading in the news papers, but sometimes you don't get to see or read about the whole case. There are certain things that they withhold from the Press for Investigation reasons. However I am pleased that this officer gets to go back to work, however I know that it will not be easy for the Officer to live with the shooting in their heart! They must forever attempt to be forgiven in some fashioned, or try to make out like they are tough and say mean things that they don't feel, but down deep, they are crying out and this can lead to depression, so I hope that they have a balance that they can acheve at work and they might have some kind of release such as a Pastor, or Ministor of their Church, or a doctor of Psycology, that can help too. Anything even a friend, that they can trust.

BSRanch

Rialto Man Suspected of Insurance Fraud (Daily Bulletin 092006)

Rialto Man Suspected of Insurance Fraud
Wes Woods Daily Bulletin 092006

RIALTO -- A Rialto man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of felony insurance fraud after a surveillance tape showed him lifting wooden pallets into the back of his truck.

Vinicio Godinez, 25, of Rialto, turned himself in to district attorney investigators Monday and was arrested on suspicion of the charges without incident. He was booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga where his bail was set at $25,000.

Godinez was released on his own recognizance, said San Bernardino County District Attorney's Workers' Compensation Fraud Unit investigator Nancy Lewis.

Springfield Insurance referred the case to the county, Lewis said.

She said insurance cases are common in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, and each have their own workers' compensation fraud unit.

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

BSRanch Perspective:

You don't see this report everyday, so it makes you wonder if this unit exsists! I guess the so called workers compensation Violation Unit Consists of Two men and a Video Camera along with one digital with a powerful Lens. All kidding aside, I always worried about my case when I was at home, not that I was in violation of any thing, because I made sure that my Physical Theripist, and Doctor Knew what I was doing at home. The Physical Theripist thought that it was good for me to get out and try and do things becuase it was part of my theripy.

But I don't think that I could have ever loaded my truck with a bunch of pallets let alone one pallet. Why today I would have a great deal of trouble loading a pallet. sure I might be able to get one or two, but it would be painful!! Very painful INDEED!!

BSRanch

Saving a Jewel in our backyard (092106 The Signal News for Santa Clarita Valley, Ca)

Saving a Jewel in our Backyard

Commentary by Maria Gutzeit

Thursday September 21, 2006

My husband and I just got back from a fabulous vacation biking and hiking through numerous national parks in Utah and Arizona. One of the first interesting pieces of mail I got upon my return was a postcard mailer on Rep. Buck McKeon's pending legislation, H.R. 5149. What a convenient coincidence.

We've always loved the outdoors. The reason I specified "west of the Mississippi" when interviewing for my first job after college was that I love the West. Compared to the Midwest and the East, where I was born, the West, even today, is wilder and less polished - less tamed.

The reason I have stayed close to Santa Clarita all these years is the ease of "getting out of town." We can go to the beach or the mountains without sitting in gridlock for hours. My absolute favorite place to go is the Eastern Sierra - the very place McKeon's bill seeks to protect.

For those of you who haven't yet been there, the Eastern Sierras are an uncrowded jewel on the backside of Yosemite. The sense of space and peacefulness is like none other. We try to go every year, since it's only a 4- to 5-hour drive, traffic-free. It's dog-friendly too. Unlike in national parks, your pups can head out on the trail with you. Some years, we don't make it up for a visit, but just the idea that it is there, waiting for us to escape to it, is wonderful. It is an outdoor lover's haven.

What McKeon's bill would do is add a layer of protection to some of the federal lands in Inyo and Mono counties, near the area of Bishop and Mammoth Lakes. This measure, endorsed by Inyo and Mono county supervisors, would protect the fabulous recreation in the area by designating it as wilderness. Support has also come from businessmen, environmentalists, Republicans, Democrats and landowners from Santa Clarita northward.

Why is the mailer asking us to express support for McKeon's bill? Because lawmakers in Washington, D.C., may not know how much we value the great outdoors here in California. A "wilderness" designation will protect pristine areas from further development while still allowing the activities we enjoy, such as camping, hunting, skiing and fishing.

Many folks are unfamiliar with the "wilderness" designation.

Way back in 1968, Edward Abbey wrote about his summers in some of the West's remarkable public lands in his book, "Desert Solitaire." Nearly 40 years ago he told of the push to pave and allegedly "civilize" the national parks. His suggestions? Ban automobiles from parks. Build no new roads in parks, and keep the existing roads for bicycles and shuttles. Get the rangers out of the ticket booths and back onto the trails to assist people. His radical idea was to divert money from road repairs to ranger guide services, free to the public.

In his crusty way, he said people should be allowed to "take risks, for God's sake, let them get lost, sunburnt, stranded, drowned, eaten by bears, buried under avalanches - that is the right and privilege of any free American."

Even for those needing a bit of help or not willing to be buried under avalanches, he said wild areas would allow "a man on foot, on horseback" to "see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than motorized tourists can in a hundred miles."

I concur wholeheartedly.

One reason businesses support H.R. 5149 is that it will fuel the tourism industry. People need to buy gear such as tents, skis and hiking boots, and they use other services such as hotels and grocery stores. Trip outfitters can take people deep into the wilderness by horseback, and tour guides and related services will exist for those not willing to completely rough it.

Wilderness areas, such as the one proposed by McKeon in the Eastern Sierra, are protected and accessible so that people of all skill levels can enjoy and have their wild experience.

Protecting places like this isn't just good for those of us in the suburbs who want to get away; wilderness also creates jobs for the Eastern Sierra community.

Coming off of two weeks spent solely on bike and on foot - sheepishly I admit the tour van carried our luggage - one of the first things I realized was how great our wild lands are, and how lucky we are to have them. I also noticed how living out of a duffle bag leaves you free to focus on what's around you - the simple change of weather and seasons. Most importantly, with no TV, newspaper or cell phone, you really get to know the people you're with.

McKeon's legislation will protect recreation areas right in our backyard. Approximately 40,000 acres of land would be designated as wilderness and left for hikers, fishermen, equestrians and trip outfitters.

Generations to come, those seeking a temporary break from "progress" in our great metropolis, will be able to take their families to this pristine area to be refreshed and revitalized.

The beauty and history of the Eastern Sierras mean so much to so many in Santa Clarita. With Congress back in session, please act now to urge Buck McKeon and his fellow representatives to prioritize and pass H.R. 5149 this year.

For more on H.R. 5149, visit www.californiawild.org/EasternSierra.html. Maria Gutzeit is a Santa Clarita resident. Her column reflects her own views, and not necessarily those of The Signal.

Copyright:The Signal
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BSRanch Perspective

This H.R. 5149 is a little bit much, what she has written is an area that is and has been covered for a great deal of time. Yosemite, has been a national park for years and this is a large part of this park. but they should relax some of the area in the White Mountains, becuase that area has been used and by generations of Bishop Living Natives for Trail Drives 4X4 Drives, and althought the Whites are a Beutiful String of Desert Moutains, that is just what they are. The area that needs to be preserved is just that of the Bristlcone Tree area, and that is all. The Mountain Trails East of Bishop, should be allowed to be used for that of Trail drives Deer Hunting and the like. They have been used for Generations upon Generations. When I grew up I learned how to drive in the White Mountains, We drove up, over and down into Fish Lake Valley, which is the next valley East of the Owens Valley.

So, I know that there are Bristlecone Pines growing and have been growing in the White Mountain range since before Big Pine was a Town Ship Located 15 miles S/of Bishop, and 15 miles South of where the area that I learned how to drive and stay on the road.

So, when they say that the area should be allowed to have trailes re-opended I say that it should be in the White Moutains in the esatern sierra Moutains. !!

BSRanch

Council Candidate Leverages State Title (SB Sun 092006) Lines blur between lame duck assemblyman duties, local polititcs

Council candidate leverages state title
Lines blur between lame-duck assemblyman duties, local politics
Jason Pesick, SB Sun Staff Writer

When you are running for office, it's good to have a political title, even a lame-duck one.

Take Assemblyman Joe Baca Jr., who's had a tumble from his lofty state office and is now seeking election to City Council in Rialto.

The Legislature is no longer in session. But Baca still has his title until Dec. 4.

As Election Day draws closer, the candidate is putting himself front-and-center with the voters of Rialto, using every advantage he can exploit - including drawing on his Assembly office to leverage public events, using his dad's name - Rep. Joe Baca - and even borrowing dad's staff, who "volunteer" to help Joe Jr.

That Assembly title looked good on banners at the Boys and Girls Club in Rialto last week.

And it sounded good Wednesday at a Town Hall meeting for small businesses in the Community Room of the Rialto Park and Recreation Center. The invitation was from Assemblyman Baca.

Nothing political, of course.

And there are other fringe benefits to being a Baca, especially when your dad is a congressman from - oh yes, Rialto.

Professional staffers from Rep. Baca's office are willing - make that eager - to volunteer to help you out.

Rafael Hernandez Trujillo sent out the press release for last week's child-safety event at the Boys and Girls Club. The news release lists him as a press secretary for the younger Baca.

But Trujillo is an employee of Rep. Baca, the assemblyman's father.

A May 18 article in "The Hill," a publication based in Washington, D.C., reported that former staffers for Rep. Baca said the congressman sent them to California in 2004 to campaign for Joe Baca Jr. in his primary campaign for the state Assembly.

In response to questions about why he is working for both Bacas, Trujillo said he often works for Baca Jr. during his lunch hour or after work.

"The congressman doesn't have anything to do with that. It's on my own time," he said.

And Trujillo must have spent his own time to attend Thursday evening's Stranger Danger Camp at the Boys and Girls Club. Baca co-hosted the event with the Rialto Police Department. Rialto Mayor Grace Vargas and San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales also attended. The event aimed to teach children how to be safe and to teach parents about Megan's Law, a database of sex offenders.

"Timing is everything," said Councilman Ed Scott, referring to the approaching election. Scott said that although he supports the safety program and its goals, helping a City Council candidate put on an event may not be an appropriate use of police resources.

Inside and outside the Boys and Girls Club were signs that read "Joe Baca Jr., Assemblyman 62nd District." He told his audience "Congressman Baca" got the funding for the building.

Rialto police Lt. Joe Cirilo and a contingent of police officers represented the department at the event. Cirilo is a member of the Boys and Girls Club's executive board and is also the department's community-relations officer.

When asked if he worried it might appear the Police Department was supporting Baca, Cirilo said, "That's not why I'm here." He said he was there to discuss children's safety.

The town-hall meeting was aimed at the local business community. It backfired a bit. The Rialto Chamber of Commerce was listed as co-sponsor, but the chamber's executive director, Roslyn Garner, said the organization never gave permission to be listed as a sponsor.

Garner sent a letter to Baca on Friday asking him to remove the chamber's name from the event.

"We are very concerned about this misrepresentation of the Rialto Chamber of Commerce's position related to this item at a time when you are running for the Rialto City Council," she wrote.

Larry Thornburg, Rialto's director of Recreation and Community Services, said it is the city's practice to allow other government entities to use facilities at no cost. "A political event wouldn't be acceptable."

Garner said the chamber does not endorse political candidates and doesn't want to get involved in city politics.

In addition, Garner said Baca is no longer a member of the chamber because he did not pay his dues this year.

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BSRanch Perspective:

Joe Baca Jr. is just using what he has at his fingertips to help him get elected to the City Council. As we have seen in all Politital Races every thing is a go as long as it is legal, and that is just what Joe Baca Jr. is doing. We here at the BSRanch don't get involved in any Political Races, however due to the underhanded Political Tactics that were used in the past against their own Division, namely the Police Department, We are giving our full Endorcement for the Candidate, Joe Baca Jr. for City Council. He really wants this and we need a person like him to keep our Police Department safe. I feel that he also might fight for a 3% at 50 Retirement plan for the Officers that are there to keep them happy and that way Rialto is not just a 1.5 year training ground for Officers to gain good traing in Policing and then they take that training to other departments and advance with thier knowledge.

BSRanch

Paths ran parallel for suspect, slain girl. (Press Enterprise, Sept. 20, 2006)

Paths ran parallel for suspect, slain girl

12:06 AM PDT on Wednesday, September 20, 2006

By LISA O'NEILL HILL, BEN GOAD and JOHN ASBURY
The Press-Enterprise

The two teenagers had a lot in common.

Mark Zaleski / The Press-Enterprise A tearful Daniela Loza, 15, talks about her boyfriend, Anthony Bobadilla, also 15. He is one of the three suspects in the stabbing death of Kayla Wood. Priscilla Loza, Daniela's sister, is nearby to comfort her.

Both were thrust into the foster-care system when their parents were arrested. Both were runaways.

Now, one is dead, and the other is charged in the killing.

Kayla Wood, 16, was found stabbed to death Sept. 9 in a burned building in Moreno Valley.

Anthony Bobadilla, 15, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to torture and murder charges in Kayla's death.

Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Michael Hestrin has declined to speak about specifics of the case, but he has said that the girl suffered a brutal death.

Jose Alfredo Solarza, 15, Bobadilla's cousin, and a 19-year-old man, Roman Gabriel Aldana, also have pleaded not guilty to charges in the girl's death. Bobadilla and Solarza were arraigned in Riverside County Juvenile Court. They are being charged as adults and will next appear, along with Aldana, in Riverside County Superior Court on Oct. 10.

Parents Arrested

Bobadilla landed in foster care after Riverside police arrested his parents late last year. He was lonely and upset, his girlfriend said. He ran away, staying with friends.

"He would always talk about how he missed his mom and dad," said girlfriend Daniela Loza, 15, of Riverside. She broke down crying repeatedly during interviews Tuesday.

Daniela Loza and her sister, Priscilla Loza, 23, said they cannot believe that the good-hearted person they know is capable of such crimes.

In recent months, they said, Bobadilla had become part of their family. He would meet Daniela after her school day ended and help her mother with chores. He enjoyed brushing Daniela's long, dark hair.

But he yearned to have his family back and was confused about the circumstances that tore it apart, the sisters said.

"I think he was just lost," Priscilla Loza said.

Kayla, a blond, blue-eyed girl who dreamed of being a model, also appeared lost, records and interviews show. She ran away almost daily from a Moreno Valley group home that specializes in caring for children who have been sexually abused or have substance-abuse issues.

She had been sexually abused by a relative and was diagnosed with a mental disorder, and authorities suspected that she was involved in prostitution.

At age 13, she was placed in the foster system after her mother's arrest on drug charges. She moved in with her grandmother in Oregon for a time but was returned to the foster system in Moreno Valley because her grandmother said she could not control her, child welfare authorities said.

Kayla ran away from the group home for the last time on Aug. 31.

A small memorial, made up of few candles and two small bouquets of dried flowers, remained Tuesday in front of the burned-out abandoned home where Kayla's body was found.

Her aunt, Ann Wood, said she has no idea how Kayla crossed paths with the teenagers accused of killing her. Daniela Loza said Bobadilla had never mentioned Kayla's name.

Wood, a resident of Hesperia, said she wishes she had spent more time with her niece and remains angry that Kayla encountered danger after fleeing what was supposed to be the protective environment of a group home. She added that Kayla's and Bobadilla's pasts in foster care point to their difficult lives.

"This only goes to show that these kids need their family's love," she said.

Could Not Care for Him

After Bobadilla's parents were arrested, the rest of the family left him to the foster system because, for various reasons, they could not care for him, said Priscilla Guzman, 18, of Rialto, a cousin.

Prosecutors filed charges against Bobadilla on Friday, then amended their complaint with charges against Solarza on Monday. At a brief court hearing Tuesday morning, the teenagers, both with closely cropped hair and wearing orange jumpsuits, showed no obvious emotion.

Columba Caperon, Solarza's mother, attended the hearing with his aunt and two brothers. They asked a judge about visiting the teenage cousins in custody, and Caperon said Bobadilla, her sister's son, has no parent to visit him because his mother and father both are incarcerated.

"I want the authorities to investigate this ... because they have been threatened at gunpoint," she said.

The judge cut her off.

The family declined to comment after the hearing.

Aldana, 19, the adult suspect in Kayla's killing, was arraigned in Riverside County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon. He remained stoic as a court-appointed attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

His mother, Virginia Berella, reached at her Moreno Valley home, said she did not hear anything about her son's possible involvement until investigators showed up to question her 5-year-old grandson. She declined to comment further.

Parents in Court

Hours before Aldana's hearing, the parents of one of his co-defendants, Bobadilla, appeared in the same courtroom as defendants in a sexual-assault case involving children.

Jose Bobadilla, 35, and his wife, Isidra Caperon, 36, face various charges stemming from the alleged molestation of children from 1995 to 2005, when the couple was arrested and charged, court records show.

Jose Bobadilla is charged with willful cruelty to a child and four counts of committing lewd acts on a child under 14.

He is described as actively molesting children, while Caperon, who is also known as Sheila Bobadilla, is accused of allowing the acts to occur and not reporting them. She is charged with three counts of willful cruelty to a child, court records show.

Both are being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. They are to return to court Oct. 25.

Guzman, the younger Bobadilla's cousin, said the teen's father learned of his son's arrest from jail. The father was in shock, she said.

"He felt like he had no right to tell him what to do because he had no example to show him," she said.

Bobadilla remained scarred by the breakup in his family, the Lozas said. He had nowhere to go, they said. Daniela Loza said he trusted her more than anyone else and loved her.

She said they had met at a dance at Riverside's Sierra Middle School.

He lived briefly in a group home in Calimesa and also lived in foster care in Murrieta. At some point, he ran away, the Lozas said. He was desperate to go back to school, they said.

On a MySpace profile, Bobadilla identifies himself as a 17-year-old from Riverside.

"Hey whats up my name is Anthony and I don't go to school," reads the profile, which features a photograph of Bobadilla. "If I had the chance I would go. I currently a (sic) a runaway from a foster home. I'm in love with this girl named Daniela. She means a lot to me and I'll do anything 4 her."

About three weeks ago, Anthony visited his mother in jail, the Lozas said.

He was happy to see her, they said.

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BSRanch Perspective:

For an adult to abuse a child a small inocent mind. Givnig this mind such stress that she feels that she has such stressful mental disorder from it to where she is given medication to treat said mental illness. They didn't feel any security at home that when one of them got a boy friend they ran away with him. Now the one that was sickest, and needed medication to keep her thoughts straight due to the treatment that she had through her life. Now both Parents are in Jail, along with the boy friend for Killing the sister, and trying to hide the crime by setting the corps on fire in a building. but as criminals find out the hard way is that di doesn't work.

No, these girls didn't get a fair shake but who does in this day and age, who does? In this case everyone lost, the girls lost a sister, parents, boy friends, the Parents lost freedom, chidren, and what they thought was Love for their children, and they also live with the guilt of what they did to those innocent children, but if I know criminals they don't care. That is why we have prisons, because they don't care. if they live you live or what!!

BSRanch

Commercial Flights Could Go To San Bernardino (KCBS2 092006)

Commercial Flights Could Go To San Bernardino

(AP) SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. Commercial airline traffic could touch down at San Bernardino International Airport within two years.

San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa discussed the air field's future as a prime location to take overflow from the crowded Los Angeles International Airport 70 miles away.

Morris said the discussion focused on the role San Bernardino International Airport might play as air travel increases
and as Los Angeles and Ontario International airports reach their limits.

The San Bernardino air field, once Norton Air Force Base, has long been touted by regional economists and civic leaders as a potential spring for renewed economic growth in San Bernardino and surrounding cities.

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BSRanch Perspective:

There is one thing that I have to say and that is great. Morris is the best Mayor that San Bernardino has had in a great long time. He really is out to do some things for San Bernardino and getting it to grow, instead of talking of the crime situation all the time he looks for ways to end the Criminal Problem that San Bernardino has.

When they say that flights can Respectivly come in in two years, I beleive it and it would be great to book flights out of San Bernardino instead of Ontario, because it is closer to me then the original.

So, Mayor Morris, I am fully behind you and I support your every move to get the Airport under way. I just pray that the closure of the Rialto airport doesn't make problems for San Beranrdino, due to the increased flights that come in and the smaller planes need to land and they need a smaller airport to land them. But if they cannot allow that then

That would be bad, and then Ed Scott and Rep. Miller would have egg on their collar and the FAA would stand grinning and say I told you we were against the closure of that airport..

BSRanch

Mayors tallk Flights (SB Sun 092006) Morris, Villaraigosa Discuss SBIA's Reginal Role in Future.

Mayors Talk Flights
Morris, Villaraigosa Discuss SBIA's Reginal Role in Future.
Robert Rogers, SB Sun Staff Writer

San Bernardino International Airport is in a prime position to take on overflow from LAX, and commercial airlines could touch down on its runway within 24 months, the San Bernardino Mayor's Office said Tuesday.

The news emerged following a 75-minute meeting between San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in which they chatted about SBIA's future, Villaraigosa's move to command his city's troubled school district and other issues their cities face.

"The airport was the issue obviously on the top of our minds," Morris said minutes after the meeting. "(Villaraigosa) is very interested and excited that our international airport is almost operational and welcomed the opening of a third runway to load and unload passengers at the east end of the Los Angeles Basin."

The meeting at Los Angeles City Hall was arranged following Morris and Villaraigosa's first meeting months ago at a Las Vegas conference.

The meeting marked the first one-on-one between the 69-year-old former judge and the upstart 53-year-old former labor organizer who has made a big splash with his progressive platform and drive to commandeer the nation's second-largest school system.

The key issue the mayors discussed was the role SBIA might play as air travel increases and as Los Angeles and Ontario International airports reach their limits, Morris said.

SBIA, once Norton Air Force Base, has long been touted by regional economists and civic leaders as a potential spring for renewed economic growth in San Bernardino and surrounding cities.

What emerged out of Tuesday's meeting was more mutual understanding than iron-clad alliance.

"There is not a substantive agreement, just an understanding of where SBIA fits into this area of mutual regional concern," said Jim Morris, Mayor Morris' son and chief of staff. "Obviously, the (passenger) cap at LAX will have an effect on passenger travel in the region."

Jim Morris said it could be 12 to 24 months before a passenger-carrying airline lands at the San Bernardino airport. But, he said, such challenges as insufficient infrastructure still stand in the way.

But air travel was not the extent of the meeting. Aides for Villaraigosa characterized the discussion as much longer than typical meetings the mayor grants and said the men met as equals.

"It was a very good discussion, about 50-50 in terms of who talked and who listened," said Diego Alvarez, Villaraigosa's associate director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs. "He likes that Mayor Morris is tackling issues in his city, and there are a lot of similarities between the men and their cities."

The conversation also focused on Villaraigosa's bitter battle for control of Los Angeles Unified School District, Morris said.

Villaraigosa succeeded, with the help of the state Legislature, in becoming the first mayor west of the Mississippi to assume partial control of his city's public school system.

The San Bernardino City Unified School District, which is ranked at the bottom nationally in terms of graduation rates, faces problems similar to those of its larger Los Angeles counterpart.

Morris said he took keen interest in what Villaraigosa had to say about wresting control of the school district but added that he had "no plans" to undertake a similar quest.

Morris did, however, stop short of saying he would never seek some control of the district.

"I'm going to watch with intense interest how his oversight of 12 schools fares," Morris said. "If he is successful, it will no doubt open the door for similar quests for reform."

Morris added that he was confident Villaraigosa's move would "bear success." He was, however, quick to emphasize that he didn't covet the same role in San Bernardino and seeks to strengthen partnerships with the school district.

"I have my hands full with public safety and economic development," Morris said. "And while I will watch with interest Villaraigosa's quest to improve the school system, I do not have my eyes on controlling the school district. I want to be a partner."

Arturo Delgado, superintendent of the San Bernardino district, said the jury is still out on whether Villaraigosa's move is good for the Los Angeles district.

"I don't know what benefit the mayor intervening would have over there. It sounds like an experiment, not necessarily a step in the right direction," Delgado said.

"I have a very good relationship with Pat Morris, and the school district right now has the right leadership and is headed in the right direction."

City Attorney James F. Penman said he was not surprised by the meeting of the two mayors or Morris' interest in Villaraigosa's unorthodox leadership because both Penman and Morris have studied former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's leadership model, thought to be the forerunner of Villaraigosa's take-charge stance.

Penman said his office has not been asked to look into the legality of mayoral control of schools in the area.

Morris said he and Villaraigosa also spoke about public-safety challenges. Morris has thrown his support behind a sales-tax hike he says San Bernardino needs to hire 40 more police officers, and Villaraigosa is scrounging funds to bolster his force by 1,000.

The mayors also discussed the need for master planning to expedite goods movement from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach through the Inland Empire and on the widespread homelessness in both cities.

"While our cities in many ways mirror each other, just in different sizes, we also find ourselves very much in sync philosophically," Morris said. "Our views resonate one with one another's."

Morris said he and Villaraigosa planned to have each other's staffs work to coordinate another meeting, but no date was set.

There still might be much to discuss.

"They talked about regional aviation needs, transportation needs, public-safety needs and what things both cities have done with regard to gangs and other challenges facing our youth," Alvarez said. "It was a wide discussion."

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BSRanch Perspective:

Now, the discussion was done and it was said that they could have commercial flights come into the San Bernardino Airport in Two Years? I would say that they need a large amount of work to be done on the Termenals or we will be entering plans the old fashioned way, by walking up a flight of stairs that are attached to a pickup truck, which pulls up next to the door of the Jet, the people then walk out onto the Tarmac and gather in a line and walk up the stairs. If they are wondering what kind of Security problems that they have now at the airports I am wondering what kind they will have if we are walking up a flight of stairs that are rolled up next to the Jets side door, and the people have to enter the plane via the Asphault Paved ground that surrounds the plane. There are so many places that some unknown person could place an object that doesn't belong on that flight upon the whieels or th elike up to that plane.

Other then that, I have no objections to the Two Year plan to get commercial fights in the air. I just hope that they get the Termenal fixed up and well built, I suppose that they need some kind of confermation that they will receive flights and then they can get some people organized to donate and make the airport have a termanel simular to that of what they might have at the Ontario Airport!!

Still Morris has been the best Mayor for San Bernardino and the Inland Empire, at such a time that Growth is the key, He has taken the reins by the horn, and even though they is some in Rialto that have tried, they have to many self interest at heart. Morris, all seems to be for that of the development of San Bernardino and not all for Morris, so Ed Scott, Debra Robertson, I never thought I would say this one, but Joe Sampson, should take a note and Training guid from that of Morris, and not that of City Admin. Garcia, and Owens, and Ed Scott!!

BSRanch

FDA links toxic spinach to California ( UPI 092106)

FDA links toxic spinach to California
By UPI Staff
United Press International
September 21, 2006

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The search for the source of the 146 cases of E. coli infection from spinach in 23 U.S. states has been narrowed to a single region in California.

Health officials in New Mexico were able to genetically match a bacteria sample found in a bag of spinach to other findings, which narrowed the search for the source, the Washington Post reported.

David Acheson, a senior food safety official with the Food and Drug Administration told a news conference it was a major break.

"Yesterday, we narrowed it to California," he said. "Today, we narrowed it down to three counties. We're hoping to narrow it down to a field and ... to a spinach leaf."

Regardless, in a news release, the agency dealt another blow to the spinach industry, which has already lost an estimated $100 million, officials said.

"FDA advises consumers to not eat fresh spinach or products that contain fresh spinach until further notice," the release said.

The outbreak has killed one person and is suspected in another death, public health officials said.

Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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BSRancher Perspective:

My thoughts on this is that there is a suspect out there that has done the impossible, and made a terrorist attack on that of the Spinach Farmers. Unfortunatly they finally feel that they have found where it started from in a farm down by Fresno, however I still have reservations that it might be part of some kind of terrorist attack, espeically when not even a day later they have milk it is Unpastureized, milk that is effected, however it was less then one day and there was milk that was the poisen that landed children in the Loma Linda Hospital.

Well, I also have some reservations that it was just a coincidence as well espeicially since there has not been another attack since the milk attack. so I might be wrong as I usually am.

BSRanch

Venezuela's Chavez calls Bush the devil (UPI 092106 )

Venezuela's Chavez calls Bush the devil
By UPI Staff
United Press International
September 21, 2006

UNITED NATIONS (UPI) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lambasted President Bush at the United Nations Wednesday calling him "el diablo" -- the devil.

"The devil lives in this country. Yesterday (Tuesday) the devil came here, right here ... it still smells from sulfur today," said Chavez before an audience of world leaders, some of whom applauded the outspoken Venezuelan leader's remarks.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said he would not react to Chavez's "comic strip approach" to diplomacy. The White House also refused comments on the remarks.

Relations between Caracas and Washington have been tense in recent years. The Bush administration accuses Chavez of trying to promote his brand of socialism throughout the region, while the Venezuelan president alleges the White House played a role in the April 2002 coup attempt that saw Chavez briefly deposed.

Recently Chavez forged an oil drilling agreement with Iran for exploration in Venezuela. He has also fostered close ties to Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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BSRanch Perspective:

You know it takes a Devil to try to devert the name of what he is to another, so if there ever was a devil it is this Chavez. The sad thing is that he has a bunch of support in the UN, and elsewhere, since he received some recoginition when he gave his speach at the UN. It is a sad affair when he is a leader of a country that has major amounts of Oil and he has majaor amounts of money, so he can just give aid to others if he wishes. He gave aid to the people of Katrina, to make Bush look like a fool, in his own country. However the only way that inforamtion came out was through Spike Lee's Documentry of the Katrina Incident. It was a horror story from a great many people of what happend to them and their accounts of what happend. there.

Chaves send fresh water and food down to help those that needed food and water, and he thought that he would make Bush loook like a fool, and that was why he has made the start of his speach he is getting information from the people that live in the Gulf Coast that are effected by the Katrina Incident. The depression in that area still runs deep, one year later and they have not rebuilt anything.

BSRanch

San Bernardino Deputy Faces New Charges in Videotaped Shooting (Assoc. Press. 091206) Ivory J. Webb, charged with onnnn honspossu

San Bernardino Deputy Faces New Charge in Videotaped Shooting

SAN BERNARDINO, CA (AP) -- A former sheriff's deputy who was videotaped shooting an unarmed man faces a new charge as his trial approaches.

Ivory J. Webb, already charged with attempted voluntary manslaughter, was charged with an additional count of assault with a firearm. He pleaded not guilty to both charges Monday. He faces more than 18 years in state prison if convicted of the manslaughter charge, and up to 17 years in prison if found guilty of the assault charge.

Webb, 45, shot Elio Carrion, an Air Force senior airman, on January 29 following a brief high-speed chase in Chino, 45 miles east of Los Angeles. The nighttime recording shows Carrion, who was the passenger in a Corvette eluding officers, lying on the ground as the deputy orders him to get up. When he begins to rise, Carrion is shot in the chest, shoulder and left thigh.

Carrion, 22, who had just returned from a tour in Iraq, survived the shooting.

Prosecutors said that to reach a guilty verdict in the manslaughter charge, the jury must believe Webb intended to kill Carrion. The new assault charge will give jurors an alternative if they don't believe Webb was set on killing Carrion, said Deputy District Attorney Lewis Cope.

Webb was scheduled to return to court for a November 3 hearing.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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BSRanch Perspective

Let me see, we are going to hold trial and convict all on what Facts that we see on a Video Tape!! Myself for one don't think that this is a fair shake of a trial, sure it looks bad on the video tape! I don't know of anyone that can say with all honesty that any Killing of a Human Being is a joyous Occasion!! This is not what we are here to see how well the killing came across.

You must take into consideration the Deputy's frame of mind, what was he thinking, was he in FEAR OF LOSING HIS LIFE OR THE LIVES OF OTHERS? The Video is not the whole case and you cannot bring your life to support the whole case around that video tape.

That officer Might have saw, what he thought was a gun, in that guys hand. It might have been a shiny reflection of his ring, but for all intensive purpose, at that split moment that Reflection on that Ring might have looked like a gun, and he took the action that he did, After all he only had a split second to react to the Ring shining in the Dark, there are a lot of explanations that can clear a persons name.

I am Saddened and I feel helpless that the Criminal Justice System has resorted to the justice of one tape. One Magnetic Tape that has one very small part to the whole story filmed upon it. Just like the professional movies that win The Oscars there is a whole story behind the making of what is on the screen during that movie, and sometimes we are given the opportunity to see what they do. such as the grips made the replica front gates to "Grace Land" during the filming of the story of Elvis Presley's Life. The gates and driveway leading into Graceland look right, but to save on building costs in the budget they made the gate I/3 smaller then the original gate at Graceland.

Please Except my Apologies for the victim and the victims family, because either way, if the Deputy is guilty or Innocent, it doesn't change the out come of the case. I know this, and placing this guy in jail when he very well acted in the best interest of the Videographer, and himself in his thoughts at that time! This case should be judged by the totality of the case I cannot say this enough!!

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