March 2011 Archives

Debbie LeAnce is a teacher at Garey High School but that is not all she does.

She uses her time away from the classroom to assist others in various ways.

Among the work she has carried out is documenting how undocumented immigrants and their families were affected by immigration raids.

She has also worked with day laborers and helped raise awareness to the challenges they face.

This week LeAnce was recognized for her commitment to assisting others during the 7th annual Cesar E. Chavez Breakfast Thursday at the Avalon on the grounds of Fairplex.

The breakfast drew about 250 people to the event where Anthony Chavez, grandson of the late civil rights leader and United Farm Workers union co-founder, and attorney Russell Juaregui were recognized.

LeAnce spoke of various people who also work to assist others overcome challenges.

She spoke of her owns students some of whom organize activities to raise money so classmates who are undocumented can receive scholarships that will help them pay for a college education.

Average people have the ability to help others and serve as agents for positive change, she said.

"We need to remember there are every day heroes among ourselves," she said.

Opening ceremonies for Pomona American Little League will take place at 8 a.m Saturday at Washington Park, 865 E. Grand Ave.

As part of the ceremonies five former Little League players who went on to be signed by major league teams will be recognized.

Most of the players will be at spring training and will be represented by family members.

Those who will be recognized will be Daniel Cortes a 2005 seventh round pick of the Chicago White Sox; Justin Jacobs a 2006 12th round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers; Jessie Mier a 2007 12th round pick of the Houston Astros; and Vincent Velasquez, a 2010 second round pick of the Houston Astros

Members of the Pomona City Council and Planning Commission will conduct a joint study session Monday evening focusing on the city's general plan.

The two bodies will meet at 6 p.m. in Cooper Hall, located on the campus of Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second St.

During the meeting the council and commission will be given an overview of the general plan which is being updated.

The deadline to submit applications for the annual Youth Volunteer Awards is quickly approaching.

Applications are due at 5 p.m. April 1.

The award is sponsored by Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, and is meant to highlight the volunteer efforts of young people living in his district, according to a statement from Dreier's office.

High school students ages 14 to 18 who live in Dreier's district including Claremont, Glendora, La Verne, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, San Antonio Heights, San Dimas, Upland and Walnut are invited to apply.

"Each year I look forward to honoring the young people in our community," Dreier said in a statement. "It is always inspiring to see the level of responsibility and commitment they put forward. Far too often students are not recognized for the good they have done. The goal of the Youth Volunteer Award program is to highlight their efforts and ensure they receive the recognition they deserve."

Applications are available online at http://dreier.house.gov and at Dreier's district office, 510 E. Foothill Blvd., Suite 201, in San Dimas.

Applicants must submit a completed application; write a 250- to 500-word essay describing the benefits of service to the community; and submit one letter of reference.

Applicants will have an informal interview with the Youth Volunteer Award Council.

For additional information call 909-575-6226 or 888-906-2626.

Diamond Bar High School senior Jacqueline Chow is one of two California students who earned the 2010 Math and Science Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement.

The Siemens Foundation program is administered by the College Board and recognizes up to 100 of the nation's top achievers in advanced placement science and mathematics courses with a $2,000 college scholarship, according to a statement from the Walnut Valley Unified School District.

One male and one female student from each state receive the awards.

"Jackie is an incredibly humble student and has a great approach to her school work, AP tests, and her overall goals in life. She is a great kid," said Diamond Bar High Principal Catherine Real.

Chow has taken a total of 12 advanced placement tests so far, including seven in math, science, and technology, the statement said.

On all subjects and on every exam, Chow scored a 5, which is the highest possible score, the statement said.

Chow's interest in science courses come from her passion for food, the statement said.

She enjoyed learning about basic science principles such as boiling and melting points. Those principles gained greater meaning when she was cooking.

Chow is a National Merit Finalist and holds the gold Presidential Award.

Chow plans to study chemical engineering and economics in college with the goal of becoming a doctor and researcher.

Two Mt. San Antonio College students are among 77 California community college students selected for the 2011 All-California Academic teams.

The students were chosen by Phi Theta Kappa, the international community college honor society, according to a Mt. SAC statement.

Xavier Padilla of Upland and Lisa Ann Bastio of Pomona are in Mt. SAC's Honors Program. They were both recognized during the Community College League of California's awards ceremony held at the Sacramento Convention Center on March 21, the statement said.

The academic team award is based on grades, leadership, and community service.

Padilla, a business major with a 3.8 GPA, was selected for the All-California Academic First Team.

He is the student government president and was last year's student member on the college's Board of Trustees.

Padilla plans to transfer to USC, Chapman University or Columbia University as a business-entrepreneurship major, the statement said.

Bastio is an English major with a 3.75 GPA.

The mother of six was named to the All-California Academic Third Team.

She is a winner of the national 2010 Guistwhite scholarship based on academic achievement and service.

Bastio plans to transfer to USC, Pomona College, Pitzer College, or UC Riverside to study English.

Pomona Heritage's 13th annual Restoration Workshop is just around the corner.

Owners of vintage homes and those simply interested in restoring older home will benefit from attending the free workshop which is open to the public.

The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 2 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 676 N. Gibbs St.

Information on wood refinishing and interior design for homes built between 1900 to the1940s will be among the topics discussed.

Topics will include undoing past remodeling work to reveal a home's original architecture and a presentation by an architectural colorist and design consultant who specializes on interior renovations of historic homes. She is an expert on interior and exterior paint combinations.

Members of the city's planning and code enforcement departments will be on hand to take questions for workshop participants.

Local preservationist and Pomona resident John Clifford will give a presentation on the historic Mayfair Hotel that includes tours of the building. Tours of the hotel, which is being renovated, will be offered from 3 to 6 p.m.

For additional details visit the Pomona Heritage web site at http://www.pomonaheritage.org/.

Parents and care givers of children who must still travel in child car seats are invited to attend a free seat check-up event in the parking lot of the Pomona Walmart.

The service will be offered by the non-profit SafetyBeltSafe USA from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 7 in the parking lot of Walmart, 80 Rio Rancho Road.

Parents and care givers are invited to make an appointment to cut down on wait times and to avoid being turned away, the organization said in a statement.

Appointments can be made by calling the Safe Ride Helpline at 310-222-6860 after noon Monday through Friday and leaving a message.

Each year hundreds of small children die and thousands of others are injured in car crashes because the car seats they were riding in were not properly installed, the statement said.

In some cases deaths or injuries resulted because children were not buckled into their seats correctly, the statement said.

In 2010 more than 90 percent of the families who attended SafetyBeltSafe USA events in the Los Angeles area were buckling their children into car seats incorrectly, the statement said.

Teams of nationally certified child passenger safety technicians and trained volunteers will carry out child car seat inspections.

Inspections will include checking if children fit in their seat correctly, if the seat is in the safest spot in the vehicle and whether the children are being properly secured in their seats, the statement said.

The inspections are carried out with grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Friends of the Pomona Public Library will hold a book sale from noon to 3 p.m. April 9.

The sale takes place in the loading dock area adjacent to the library parking lot on the northwest corner of Garey Avenue and Seventh Street.

Published Friday, March 25, 2011

POMONA - Anthony Chavez, grandson of civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, was one of three people recognized for their commitment to serving others during Thursday's seventh annual Cesar E. Chavez Breakfast.

About 250 people gathered at the Avalon on the grounds of Fairplex for the event sponsored by the Latina and Latino Roundtable of the San Gabriel Valley and Pomona Valley, and the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire Chapter.

Chavez said words like "si se puede" - "yes we can" - are "a reminder that each of us is the keeper of my grandfather's legacy."

Anthony Chavez is the son of Paul Chavez who was the middle son of the late civil rights leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union.

Part of Chavez's work involves speaking to student and community groups on behalf of the Cesar Chavez Foundation, created to continue Cesar Chavez's work, according to event organizers.

In addition, Chavez works with young people to spread the word of the importance of service learning and giving of one's self to others.

After the event the young Chavez said his grandfather carried out his work for the benefit of others with the help of many people.

In order to tackle any of the many problems affecting society, people must give of themselves to find solutions.

"We all have a stake in this and we all have individual responsibility," the young Chavez said.

Roundtable President Jose Calderon said the breakfast is part of an effort to bring people of all walks of life together, unified by a commitment to make positive change in society without the use of violence, something that Cesar Chavez believed in strongly.

The event also highlights another part of Cesar Chavez's legacy - service to others.

The honorees are people who are involved at the grassroots level building communities and assisting people facing great challenges, Calderon said.

Attorney Russell Jauregui was recognized for his tireless efforts in support of undocumented students pursuing a college education, serving as a legal coordinator and observer at marches and picket lines, and in voter rights and registration efforts. His work has benefited people in both Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire.

Jauregui said the people he works with inspire him.

That includes young illegal immigrants who came into the country as children and are now attending college. They are seeking passage of federal legislation, referred to as the Dream Act, that would put them on a path to citizenship if they meet certain requirements.

Garey High School teacher Debbie LeAnce was recognized for her work in several areas including her commitment to students as an educator, for her work with day laborers and for efforts investigating and documenting abuses against undocumented immigrants.

She works in both Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire.

Published Thursday, March 24, 2011

POMONA - The American Museum of Ceramic Art will be able to move from its current location to a new site a few blocks away as a result of City Council actions this week.

Council members gave preliminary approval to an ordinance amending its Downtown Specific Plan and approved a conditional use permit. Both were necessary to allow for the museum and a ceramics school to open in the 300 block of North Garey Avenue.

The final vote on the ordinance is expected to take place April 4.

Museum founder David Armstrong said the building once occupied by Pomona First Federal Savings will require some improvements but no major remodeling will be needed for the site to serve as the new home of the museum.

"This building couldn't have been built better to fit our needs," Armstrong said recently.

Some work, such as the removal of carpeting to prepare part of the building as exhibit space, has begun, he said.

Work is being completed in a portion of the building where ceramic artists' studios will be available for lease within two weeks, Armstrong said.

Upgrades to the exhibit space will completed by October in order to set up the first exhibit in the new location for a November opening.

The exhibit will be part of the "Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980" initiative.

About 30 prestigious art institutions across Southern California will take part in the initiative, which will shine a light on the modern art produced in the region after World War II.

The Getty Foundation awarded $6.7 million in grants to the institutions.

AMOCA received $141,000 to plan its own exhibit, "Common Ground: Ceramics in Southern California 1945-1975" along with an additional $50,000 for publication support, according to Getty.

The exhibit will open Nov. 12 and end March 31, 2012, said Museum Director Christy Johnson.

The Getty Foundation's interim director, Joan Weinstein, said AMOCA submitted a proposal that focuses on ceramic arts, which was a very important part of the post World War II art scene in Southern California.

Los Angeles and Southern California are places "where the limits of ceramic arts where pushed," Weinstein said.

Artists took ceramics beyond the utilitarian and into the realm of sculpture, she said.

"Some of the greatest experimentation took place in Southern California," Weinstein said. AMOCA's proposal "was a perfect fit with Pacific Standard Time and it tells part of the story."

AMOCA's new building will add to the exhibit because it has a mural created by Pomona native and internationally known artist Millard Sheets.

The mural, "Panorama of the Pomona Valley," depicts the 100 years preceding the incorporation of Pomona and significant historic events within that period, including the arrival of the railroad that "changed the face of Pomona forever," Armstrong said.

Sheets considered the mural one of his finest, Armstrong said.

Having a building with a Sheets mural "couldn't be more perfect," Weinstein said.

"Millard Sheets is really a pivotal figure in the development of California arts," she said.

Mayor Elliott Rothman said the museum's move to the new location will establish another area where cultural activities will flourish within the city.

The larger museum will be an asset Pomona will be able to capitalize on as it draws visitors to the area, he said.

Rothman is familiar with Armstrong's work restoring and improving older buildings in the city.

"I've seen the projects Dave has pulled off and they have always been a home run," Rothman said. "I'm predicting another home run."

Published Thursday, March 24, 2011

POMONA - Not long ago, the building at 563 N. Mountain View Ave. was a deteriorated duplex with roof, floor and lead problems.

Through the collaboration of city departments, neighborhood groups and federal stimulus money, what was once an eyesore is close to becoming the city's newest community center.

The tentatively named Garfield Park Community Center is expected to be ready this summer, offering youth activities and other community programs, said Armando Lopez, a housing analyst for the city.

The building was purchased and rehabilitated with $463,000 in federal stimulus funds. It will have a small computer lab, a room that can accommodate about 40 people for a meeting and a small kitchen.

Because the city has limited money, it is taking proposals from nongovernment agencies that could provide programming at the center without paying rent, said Mark Gluba, assistant to the city manager.

At least one city staff member is expected to be based in the center, Gluba said.

The project is expected to have a significant impact in the neighborhood, offering services to residents "and you take back a park in the process," Lopez said.

Garfield Park has had a history of serving as a gathering spot for the homeless and drug users, but many see that pattern changing.

The Rev. Rick DeBruyne, pastor of Lincoln Avenue Community Church, has been working with various neighborhoods to address crime and other problems.

Residents and the city must work together to address problems, he said.

City agencies such as the Police Department can clear out the negative element, "but now it's up to us to keep it clean," DeBruyne said.

Lopez said youth and families are increasingly using the park, but some families would still prefer their children play on the street where they can see them instead of the park. Especially if city staff or volunteers aren't present.

The constant presence of people at the center is expected to change that situation, resulting in more young people taking part in youth and recreational activities, he said.

Debra Mashek and her husband, Stewart Wattson, live across the street and are excited to have a center opening in their neighborhood soon.

Mashek predicted the center will become "a hub of community activity."

Through the efforts of the city and community volunteers youth activities are being organized at Garfield Park, but that's not always enough, she said. Sometimes, an indoor location is needed.

"I'm just so excited to have a gathering space," Mashek said.

Adults will also have a place where they can host Neighborhood Watch group meetings, she said.

Sometimes it's hard to start Neighborhood Watch groups in the area because people aren't comfortable hosting such a meeting, Wattson said.

Having a community center where residents can meet will help people feel more comfortable about becoming involved in Neighborhood Watch, he said.

Wattson said that with time the center can become a place where children can have a variety of activities and adults can have programs such as nutrition workshops and language courses.

It may be possible to someday have English as a second language and Spanish as a second language courses that could help neighbors improve communication among themselves, Wattson and Mashek agreed.

Mayor Elliott Rothman said the program has involved numerous partnerships and a great deal of creativity.

Once open, "it's definitely going to serve a need," he said.

Hip-hop artist Nate Dogg, a north Pomona resident, was a
humble man who would occasionally get help from fellow music artists
taking care of household projects, a neighbor recalled Friday.

Pomona resident Logan GrosJean, who lived next door to
Nathaniel Hale, better known as Nate Dogg, said Hale had not been
staying in his Pomona home for about a year and a half.

Hale, 41, died Tuesday night after several years of poor health that
followed strokes he suffered in 2007 and 2008.

In July 2001, GrosJean moved into the neighborhood where Hale lived
and recalls seeing artist Snoop Dogg assisting Hale with household
chores such as moving furniture, setting up sound equipment and even
a pool table.

"I've seen Snoop help around the house four or five times,"
said GrosJean, 21.

Snoop Dogg, a Diamond Bar resident, lived in nearby
Claremont from 1994 to 2007, according to property records.

GrosJean said when he moved into the neighborhood the first person he
met was Hale, who did not use his famous moniker.

"He was outside. We went over and introduced ourselves. He said 'I'm
Nate.' Then his last name."

GrosJean, a Cal Poly Pomona student majoring in sociology
with an emphasis in criminology, said he was interested in
alternative rock before he met his famous neighbor and later became
interested in hip-hop.

"Living next to him got me into the hip-hop genre. It's just one of
those things where you become a fan of someone because you met them,"
he said.

"He was really, really cool, a really humble guy. I never realized
who he was until I started school. People would say 'Oh, you moved
into the house next to Nate Dogg's.' I wouldn't say we were friends,
but we would talk all the time. We would have 20- to 30-minute
conversations."

GrosJean said Nate Dogg's job was not as easy as some might think.

"A lot of work goes into it," GrosJean said. "I would hear different
beats to different songs. He would keep his window open and sit there
for hours and hours on end at the mixing board. It's not an easy
industry."

GrosJean remembers coming home after school "and I would hear the
beats and hear him working."

One time, a tour bus drove into the cul-de-sac where
GrosJean lives.

Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes were in the bus.

"All those guys would travel together. It was cool to see them in
real life, not on TV or listening to their songs," he said.

wes.woods@inlandnewspapers.com

Pomona Charter Review Commission members went over a proposal
this week that involves adding a section to the City Charter calling
for the creation of an ethics commission.

The proposal was returned to a commission committee, which will further
research the matter after some commission members expressed
concerns.

The proposal called for using a model similar to the one used by San
Diego.

Some commission members had questions about matters related to
expenses associated with creating such a body.

At a time when the city is struggling financially, the proposed
commission would add to city expenses by requiring a dedicated staff
that would do initial investigation work into ethics issues involving
city officials, city staff and ethic related matters.

Assistant City Attorney Andrew Jared also had questions about wording
that was vague and failed to detail some of the proposed commission's
intended mission, should it be created.

Committee members are expected to meet with Jared in order to clear
up questions and refine the proposal.

The full commission is expected to meet again at 6:30 p.m. March 30
in the City Council Conference Room of Pomona City Hall, 505 S. Garey
Ave.

Temple Beth Israel in Pomona will host its annual Purim
Carnival from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

The carnival will include games, inflatable bounce structures,
entertainment and a barbecue lunch.

Temple Beth Israel is at 3033 N. Towne Ave.

The Pomona Breakfast Optimist Club is inviting the public to
attend the organization's annual youth speech contest.

The event will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the board room of the Pomona Unified School District's Education
Center, 800 S. Garey Ave.

Young people will deliver speeches that are inspired by the following
topic: "If I were leader of the free world, the first issue I would
address would be ..."

Judging will be based on a criteria that includes poise, content of
speech, delivery, presentation and overall speech effectiveness,
according to a statement from the club.

Awards will be presented to the top three speakers in the boys and
girls divisions.

Local winners will have a chance to advance to the Optimist zone
competition and possibly go on to compete at the district level where
prizes include college scholarships.

"Young students today have many fresh ideas and opinions about the
world and the world's future," said Vernon Price, the local club's
contest chairman. "As Optimists, it is our goal to encourage students
and do what we can to bring out the best in each of them."

For more information on Optimist International, visit
www.optimist.org or call 909-392-8666.

Parents of children enrolled in schools surrounding Simons
Middle School are invited to attend the next Coffee with the
Superintendent on March 31.

Superintendent Richard Martinez will host the casual gathering where
parents can bring up any school-related questions or concerns for
discussion.

The gathering will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Simons Middle School, 900 E.
Franklin Ave.

Parents who have children enrolled at Simons Middle School, as well
as Garey High and Alcott, Washington and Philadelphia elementary
schools, are invited to attend.

Puttin' on the Hits, the annual scholarship fundraiser
organized by the Mt. San Antonio College Faculty Association, returns
to the campus next month.

The performances will be offered at the Clarke Theater on the Mt. SAC
campus, 1100 N. Grand Ave., Walnut.

One performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 1.

Two performances -- at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. -- will be offered April
2.

Faculty members, staffers and students will slip into costumes and
transform themselves into some of the biggest names in the music
industry, then lip sync to the stars' hit recordings, according to an
university news release.

The program, which has been organized annually for 13 years, will
have "Music of the Movies" as this year's theme and will showcase a
variety of musical styles including country, swing, R & B, hip-hop and rock 'n' roll.
General admission tickets are $20 each.

Seniors and students can purchase tickets for a discount price of $15
that are good for the Saturday matinee performance.

For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit www.4tix.org
or call the Mt. SAC Performing Arts Box Office at 909-468-4050.

Western University of Health Sciences' College of Veterinary
Medicine will have its sixth annual open house on April 2.

The event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the central walkway of the university on East
Second Street, between Palomares Street and Towne Avenue.

Taking part in the open house will be the Aquarium of the Pacific's
Aquarium on Wheels and law enforcement canines, according to a statement from the university.

Low-cost pet vaccinations and microchipping will also be available at
the event.

Microchipping services will be offered for $10 per animal and
vaccines will be $10 each.

Local animal shelters will have pets available for adoption.

Veterinary medicine students will offer tips on proper pet care and
provide tours of the college and its animal medical care facility.

Several fast-food chains will have food for sale at the event.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are invited to attend the event.

Scouting groups participate in the event as part of learning about
proper animal care leading to earning merit badges.

An art contest and drawings will be part of the event.

For more event information, including scout group registration, visit
www.westernu.edu/cvmopenhouse.

Car enthusiasts will be gearing up for the return of the annual Prolong Twilight Cruise Nights at Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports
Museum.

Owners of hot rods, classic cars and vintage race cars take part in the monthly family-friendly events at the museum, located on the
grounds of Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave.

Visitors can tour the museum, enter their own vehicles in competition, participate in drawings and other activities.

The free events take place every first Wednesday of the month, from 4 to 8 p.m., beginning April 6.

Two cruise nights have been scheduled for August.

No cruise night will be scheduled in September when the L.A. County
Fair is under way.

The last cruise night of the year will take place in December and
will include a toy collection component.

For more information, visit museum.nhra.com or call 909-622-2133.

Published Friday, March 18, 2011

The California public should not be concerned about exposure to a radioactive plume produced by reactors at a Japanese nuclear power plant, experts said Thursday.

Scientists predict a plume will reach the West Coast late today but radiation levels are expected to be so low they won't pose any health risk.

The damage to nuclear reactors in Japan has led to concerns about radiation exposure in California.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said Japan's nuclear emergency does not present a danger to California residents, the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health said in a statement released Thursday.

The California Department of Public Health is monitoring the situation and working with several federal agencies - including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the California Emergency Management Agency - the statement said.

This week, public health officials for both Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties discouraged members of the public from taking potassium iodide tablets as a way to prevent radiation absorption.

The tablets should not be taken unless authorities direct people to do so, the statement said.

Potassium iodide tablets can present a danger to people with allergies to iodine, shellfish or who have thyroid problems.

David Patterson, director of environmental health and safety at Cal Poly Pomona, said any contamination will have to travel a huge distance before it reaches Southern California.

Should any contamination reach the area it will have dissipated by the time it arrives.

"The simple mechanism of moving it will dilute the concentration," Patterson said.

In addition to the distance the plume must travel, it could be affected by other factors, such as rain that would help to dilute any contamination even further, he said.

"If it does make it to California we may not be able to measure it let alone affect us," Patterson said.

Although most people don't realize it, we are frequently exposed to natural sources of radiation in the course of our daily activities. People are exposed to higher levels of radiation from X-rays or from flying in an airplane than they would be from the plume, said Adam Edwards, assistant professor of physics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont.

Variations in elevation, atmospheric conditions and the Earth's magnetic field can change the amount of cosmic radiation that we receive, the commission's website said.

The place where we live can also make a difference in the radiation we are exposed to, Edwards said.

"Living in Denver there is more radiation than on the coast because of the higher altitude," he said. "There are natural variations from state to state."

Health professionals are monitoring the situation and are prepared should an emergency arise.

At Arrowhead Regional Medical Center policies are in place to address emergencies that involve radiation exposure, said Scott Smith, Arrowhead's emergency preparedness coordinator.

Policies exist to prevent contamination of the hospital, its patients and personnel and to treat people who may have been exposed to radiation, he said.

Arrowhead's radiology personnel are trained to determine if someone has been exposed to radiation and to what level, Smith said.

A team of more than 100 staff members is trained to carry out decontamination of patients who have been exposed, he said.

Arrowhead's emergency room has access to a wide range of resources addressing the medical treatment of patients exposed to radiation, Smith said.

At this point those services aren't expected to be needed.

"This plume may come," he said, "but (radiation) may not even be detectable" because it will be so low.

Rather than worrying about the plume, residents should use this situation as a reminder that they should be prepared for earthquakes, which are not uncommon in this region, Patterson said.

The problems at the Japanese nuclear power plant came in the aftermath of last week's 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami that followed.

"Obviously this is a reminder for us to look at our survival kits, food and clothing," he said.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said residents should prepare for earthquakes and have a basic emergency kit for any type of disaster.

The county's Office of Emergency Management recommends the kit contain 10 essential items: water, food, cash and important documents, clothes, flashlights, a first aid kit, prescription medications a person must take, a radio, toiletries and tools.

Families should also have a communications plan with a pre-planned place to meet and a designated out-of-state contact in case family members are in different locations at the time of a disaster, according to a statement from L.A. County Department of Public Health.

Published Wednesday, March 16, 2011

POMONA - More than 200 teachers, parents, students and administrators gathered in front of the school district Education Center on Tuesday afternoon to rally in support of education.

The rally was one of several held around the state in which participants wore red to show their support for education and called on California legislators to invest in schools.

People at the Pomona Unified School District rally carried signs that read, "Cuts Hurt Kids."

Others held signs that said, "Let Voters Decide." The signs referred to Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to place a measure on the June ballot to extend the life of some taxes. The money from extending the taxes would go to education and avoid billions of dollars in additional education cuts.

So far, Brown has not secured enough Republican support to place the tax measure on the ballot.

Alex Ramsey, 25, of Rancho Cucamonga was among those at the Pomona rally.

Ramsey, a student in Pomona Unified's Adult Education barber program, said had never attended such an event.

He said he chose to attend because he is worried about the educational opportunities that could be lost as a result of budget cuts.

"Things are just getting out of hand," he said.

If the barber courses are cut, Ramsey said he will find somewhere else to continue his training, but that may not be so easy for others.

"It's not really about me. It's about the people who are going to be in my position later that need to better their life," he said.

Raul Cos of Pomona has three children who graduated from Pomona Unified schools and has a fourth who is a senior at Pomona High.

Cos said he's concerned about the cuts and the impact they will have on future generations of students.

"We're going to have chaos," he said in Spanish. "We're going to have more vandalism, more crime and more illiteracy."

Tuesday was a significant day for educators.

March 15 is the deadline for school districts to notify teachers, counselors and other certificated employees that they may not have jobs after the end of the current academic year.

The deadline to issue final layoff notices is May 15.

In California, preliminary layoff notices have been issued to almost 500 school employees in San Francisco, 540 in Oakland, nearly 900 in San Diego, and about 5,000 in Los Angeles, according to the California Teachers Association.

Pomona Unified issued about 270 last month.

Alida Magallon, a teacher in the district's child development program, was among those who received a preliminary layoff notice.

The work she and other teachers like her perform is valuable, she said.

She works with parents and children ages 3 and under.

"Those are the formative years," Magallon said. "If we can invest now, we'll save later."

The savings will come from having successful students who graduate from high school and go on to become productive members of society, she said.

Superintendent Richard Martinez said after the rally that education and students must be a priority for state legislators.

Education "is the investment in the future, and it's not being seen as a priority," Martinez said.

Martinez said he realizes dollars are scarce.

"We know there is less money. But it's about shifting priorities," he said.

Martinez and others said voters have to be given a chance to decide if they wish to support a tax extension.

Educator Hank Mollet, a parent and past Pomona Unified school board candidate, encouraged rally participants to call their representatives in Sacramento to urge them to put the tax measures on the ballot.

Legislators should "put (the measures) on the ballot and stop playing political games where children are the losers," Mollet said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Layoff notices

A list of Inland Valley school districts and the number of preliminary layoff notices they will send out to their certificated staff appears below.

Districts had until Tuesday to send out the notices informing teachers, counselors, nurses and other certificated personnel that they may not have a job come the 2011-12 school year.

Alta Loma - 18

Bonita Unified - 0

Central - 5

Chaffey Joint Union High - 0

Chino Valley Unified - 98

Claremont Unified - 0

Cucamonga - 8

Etiwanda - 0

Fontana Unified - 119

Ontario-Montclair - 86

Pomona Unified - 270

Mountain View - 7

Mount Baldy - 1

Upland Unified - 22

Total: 634

- Canan Tasci

POMONA - The third- and fourth-graders at St. Madeleine Catholic School didn't know it but on Monday morning they helped kick off a series of assemblies that are part of the Pomona Unified Peace Project.

The project is an anti-bullying and anti-violence initiative being carried out by the Superintendent's Faith-based Roundtable, which consists of more than 40 clergy and lay members representing 15 different faith traditions within the Pomona Unified School District and beyond.

As part of the project Roundtable members will conduct assemblies throughout the week at more than 30 schools - public, parochial and charter - to talk with students about bullying.

Pomona City Council members recently declared March "Bullying Prevention Month" in the city and this week "Anti-bullying Awareness Week."

On Monday St. Madeleine's students shared with Roundtable members their ideas of what a bully is and what constitutes bullying behavior.

"It's a mean person that's harassing someone," a young boy said.

"It's trying to make people feel sad," a little girl said.

"Is bullying an accident?" asked Anne Coleman, a member of the Roundtable representing David and Margaret Youth and Family Services in La Verne.

No, the students said, the bully knows he or she is doing something hurtful.

Students watched a video produced by Pomona Unified School District in which district students depicted bullying scenarios.

The scenarios came from ideas Pomona Unified teachers, staff, administrators and students offered to a Roundtable development team, said Anne Henderson, a Roundtable member and a representative of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pomona

"Some skits were scripted and some where improvised by the kids," she said.

After each scenario was screened the third- and fourth-graders identified the negative behavior.

But what should they do if they or a someone else is being bullied, Coleman asked.

Someone should be told, one child said.

There were three words to remember, Coleman said.

Stop, walk and talk.

Tell the bully to stop, walk away, and talk to an adult about what happened, she said.

Walking away is important because "they can't bully you if you're not there," Henderson said.

A bully won't act either if he or she doesn't have an audience, she said.

The Rev. Rick DeBruyne, pastor at Lincoln Avenue Community Church, told the students they should think of their safety.

If one student is being harassed by 20 other youths the best thing to do is not try to intervene but instead find an adult who can get help, he said.

After the presentation the students pledged to treat fellow students and adults with respect; not to bully others; to speak up if they or someone they know is bullied, and to do their best to treat everyone fairly.

Third-grader Chloe Camacho, 9, of Ontario said after the presentation she won't be a bully.

"I'll never bully someone. I was kind of mean to my cousin when I was a little girl. Now she's bullying me back," Chloe said.

Chloe said she handles the matter by telling her parents and her cousin's parents.

Third-grader Christian Erickson, 8, of San Dimas said it's necessary to take action when someone is being bullied.

"I learned when you see someone bullying somebody you tell a police officer or a teacher," he said.

St. Madeleine Catholic School Principal Adela Solis said the Roundtable's presentation was a valuable activity.

Bullying is something that is discussed at the school and children are reminded to treat others as they would like to be treated.

The presentation was useful in that it gave students a different perspective of bullying.

"Especially with this age, when they think of bullying they think of pushing and they think of fighting," Solis said.

Children may not necessarily think of teasing or pulling another child's hair as bullying as the video depicted, Solis said.

The Pomona Unified Peace Project is the first effort of the Roundtable, which came together about 10 months ago on the invitation of Pomona Unified School District Superintendent Richard Martinez.

Initially the Roundtable came about as an informal group to talk about the school district with members going back to their houses of worship to share the information.

But Roundtable members have taken on as part of their work supporting youth and the community throughout the district.

Henderson said a great deal of collaboration has take place to carry out the Peace Project initiative.

The efforts include spreading the anti-bullying message among youth at schools but also outside, DeBruyne said.

"It is being implemented in some way in the 15 faith communities," he said.

The participating religious leaders are spreading the message in various ways such as incorporating it into their religious services or through youth group activities, he said.

Published Monday, March 14, 2011

POMONA - City Council members recently approved a cooperative agreement between the city and its redevelopment agency that will allow the city to carry out a series of redevelopment projects.

The action was one of several the City Council took at at a special March 8 meeting meant prepare the city in case the state eliminates municipal and county redevelopment agencies and to protect redevelopment agency assets.

Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed eliminating redevelopment agencies in the state in order to allocate the funds now spent by the agencies for other local government needs.

"I'm hoping (the actions) put us in a better position," Mayor Elliott Rothman said. "But until the powers that be in Sacramento make a decision we can only hope for the best."

Rothman, like other local government elected officials, is awaiting word of what steps state legislators will take.

Under the agreement the city would carry out 16 projects that could come to fruition in the coming five years, said Redevelopment Director Raymond Fong.

The projects would require some degree of financial assistance totaling about $154 million, Fong said.

The redevelopment agency will reimburse the city for those costs using available tax dollars generated by the agency's projects, he said.

A number of the projects have developers in carrying them out but are waiting for a better economic climate, Fong said.

Projects include residential, retail and municipal developments such as the construction of a new police headquarters.

The development projects could require financial assistance ranging from $1 million to $40 million, a city staff report said.

However, "if you support the agreement it does not mean you approve funding for the projects," Fong told council members at the meeting.

Any requests for financial assistance would have to go to the City Council for individual approval, he said.

City Council members also authorized the repayment of loans the city made to the redevelopment agency.

The redevelopment agency will repay the city's general fund $4.1 million in advances and interest, according to a city staff report.

About $1.8 million consisted of advances the city made to the agency in the early days of the redevelopment agency, Fong said.

Another $1.3 million is interest and the remaining $1 million is money the city loaned the agency to make an Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund payment to the state, he said.

Council members also voted in favor of amending the city's capital improvement plan to include $3.5 million in unallocated funds that would go toward the costs of building a downtown parking structure.

Councilman Steve Atchley said after the meeting some of the actions he and fellow council members approved can help the city.

Once developers come into the city and are ready to complete any of various development projects it will help the city and will "generate some income" for it, Atchley said.

Published Saturday, March 12, 2011

POMONA - About 150 people gathered at the Pomona Unified School District Education Center this week to learn about a proposal calling for the establishment of a waste transfer station in southern Pomona.

City of Industry-based Grand Central Recycling and Transfer Station Inc. is seeking to build a waste transfer station on 10.5 acres of land on the 1300 block of East Ninth Street.

Members of the Pomona Valley Cluster of One LA, a grassroots group focusing on issues affecting families such as education, public safety and employment opportunities, organized the meeting.

"This is a huge, very impactful project," said Lisa Engdahl, a One LA leader, on Friday.

During the meeting, which took place Thursday evening, members of One LA explained the project is one that will increase noise, traffic and generate air pollution from the increase in trucks traveling to and from the facility. The increased pollution will create condition that will present health risks to residents living nearby and students attending schools in the surrounding area, organizers said.

Some homes are located on Ninth Street but several neighborhoods are situated in the area around the proposed project site including a large one to the west of the location.

A total of 10 schools are within a one-mile radius of the proposed project site, Sara Stephens, a leader with One LA said Thursday.

"The most vulnerable people will be affected most adversely," Engdahl said Thursday.

A transfer station is a facility where local trash trucks drop their loads which are then moved onto larger trucks and taken to landfills.

According to the revised draft environmental impact report on the Pomona Valley Transfer Station, the facility would have the capacity to process 1,500 tons of trash a day.

Among the concerns of Pomona residents involved in One LA is that similar facilities to the one being proposed can handle as much as 5,000 tons a day, Stephens said.

The environmental report says an estimated 45 to 50 jobs would be generated and there is no guarantee they would go to Pomona residents, Stephens said.

Carolina Alvarez was among those attending the meeting. She lives a short distance from the proposed transfer station and has two young children attending Washington Elementary which is among the closest schools to the site.

"I don't like this, it's not right," Alvarez said in Spanish after the meeting.

The facility and the trash it will process should be located in a different place that isn't close to neighborhoods, she said.

Alvarez is particularly concerned about the health risks such a facility would present for her children and the many children living in her neighborhood.

Alvarez said she's concerned enough about the proposed transfer station that she is willing talk to other residents urging them to oppose the proposal.

Carlos Francisco Aragon Lopez lives on Ninth Street. He isn't a father but he's concerned about having the proposed transfer station in the neighborhood and the effect it will have on the entire area.

"Why not look for a more viable option?" he asked in Spanish.

"The interests of the public should come before private interests," he said.

Mayor Elliott Rothman said the matter must still go to the city's Planning Commission before it goes to the City Council.

Before making any decision, council members will review the environmental impact report on the project and carefully weigh the comments the public and other entities are submitting to the city and look for potential challenges.

Among the factors Rothman said he will be reviewing will be environmental factors including "a clean vehicle fleet."

He said he preferred to not speak on the topic until after the comment period on the environmental report closes on Monday.

Rothman said Pomona is trying to address its waste collection costs without increasing collection fees.

It would also like to have a cleaner trash collection truck fleet but doesn't have the resources to replace diesel-burning vehicles, he said.

Residents at Thursday's meeting signed letters opposing the proposed transfer station that will be turned into the city's Planning Department Monday.

About 100 letters were turned in Thursday and many attendees took copies to distribute to neighbors, meeting organizers said.

Those letters will ensure residents have gone on the record opposing the project as part of the process of reviewing the environmental report, Engdahl said.

Published Wednesday, March 9, 2011

POMONA - The City Council on Monday approved the allocation of $765,000 in redevelopment agency funds toward a series of unidentified projects.

Council members voted unanimously to amend the city's capital improvement program to include the money. The council has not yet decided what projects will receive the funds.

City administrators had recommended the money pay for improvements to the Civic Center Plaza, which would include paving the area, adding a platform to a portable stage and removing a shuttered fountain. However, Public Works Director Daryl Grigsby was asked by council members to provide other options at a later date on how the funds could be used.

In 2004, council members were presented a series of options on how to refurbish the plaza. Each option offered a suggestion on how to deal with the fountain.

According to a city report, cost estimates in 2004 started at $174,125, which included demolishing the fountain. The full restoration of the fountain and placement of a bronze statue of the Goddess Pomona in the area would have cost $1.17 million.

Removing the fountain was found to be "consistent with our existing available funding," according to a staff report discussed Monday.

Councilwoman Paula Lantz said she understood city staffers recommendation to remove the fountain, but added, "We're awarding money for a project we haven't even discussed as a council."

Grigsby said because the funds are tied to the city's Redevelopment Agency, there are limits on how the money can be used. However, he said possible uses include using the money to pay for street lights and street improvements.

Redevelopment Director Raymond Fong told council members at a study session last week that the city's Redevelopment Agency had $4.19 million not allocated to any projects. Funding could be used to improve Civic Center Plaza and construct a parking structure in downtown, Fong said.

The city has applied for a grant from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and, if the city's bid is successful, the grant would be used to pay for a parking structure, Fong said. If the city receives the grant, it must provide a 30 percent match, which could be paid with redevelopment funds, he said.

Published Sunday, March 6, 2011

POMONA - It's a mass of steel girders now, but Krista Struve already has begun making plans to book one of the largest rooms in the conference center under construction at Fairplex.

Struve, event coordinator for Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation, is planning to book space at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel and Conference Center for an 800-guest holiday event the employees and leadership of the medical institution will attend.

It's not always easy to find a place that can accommodate a group of that size in the immediate area, she said.

In the past "we've been really limited," she said. "Now with this I'm really excited."

The conference center will consist of the existing 35,000-square-foot Building 8 near White Avenue and the Sheraton and a 50,000-square-foot addition now under construction.

Building 8, which was built in the 1937, can accommodate 150 to 200 booths for exhibitors, said Tim McGill, director of sales and marketing for the Sheraton.

The addition will have a series of meeting rooms ranging from 1,200 to 12,000 square feet, said John Gilbert, the hotel's general manager.

A cyber cafe, a meeting room with the latest technology for conducting teleconferences, classrooms, and two ballrooms, one of them with the capacity to seat 1,000 at a banquet, will be in the new building, Gilbert said.

The ballroom will be the largest in eastern Los Angeles County, said Dwight Richards, vice president of operations for the Los Angeles County Fair Association.

A pre-function area leading to the ballrooms has an attention-grabbing curved, almost tubelike, wall.

"The architectural bend is going to set this off from other conference centers in the country," McGill said.

"The idea is people will come and see the uniqueness of the building and remember it," Richards said.

The center is expected to hold about 250 events a year mostly trade shows, corporate conferences, meetings of local organizations and some social events, Richards said.

Fairplex expects a strong number of regional conferences at the new center, he said.

Plans call for creating a greenbelt connecting the hotel and center with an area suitable for outdoor weddings along with construction of a drive leading directly to center, McGill said.

Groundbreaking for the $30 million construction project took place in February 2010. At the time, the building was expected to be completed by this month.

Construction was delayed by rainy weather and the need to make some design adjustments after construction began, Richards said.

Fairplex officials expect the conference center to be completed in August. The first major event at the new facility will be the premiere celebration that leads up to the opening of the L.A. County Fair, he said.

Once the center is completely up and running it's expected to employ about 270 people, Richards said.

Getting to this point has taken about a decade.

"There's no question this has taken an awfully long time," Richards said.

During the past 10 years, the public's traveling habits have changed as have the costs of construction materials, said Mike Seder, vice president of finance and chief financial officer of the county fair association.

Those factors, along economic climate have worked in Fairplex's favor resulting in competitive construction costs.

Assembling the financing for the project was challenging but came together with the involvement of various entities, Seder said.

The financing involves a combination of private loans, federal grants, Pomona redevelopment agency assistance and Recovery Zone Facility Bonds allocated to Los Angeles County as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he said.

When the center is completed it will be a valuable addition to Fairplex, Richards said.

"What makes Fairplex great is it has such wonderful, unique assets," Richards said.

How many places can say they have "a hotel, a conference center and a road course in one spot?" he said.

The conference center is expect to act as an economic booster for the area.

Pomona Redevelopment Director Raymond Fong said the center could potentially serve as the site of conferences with 2,000 to 5,000 participants over two or three days.

That many guests would mean business for other area hotels including the Shilo Inn on the western end of the city.

People attending conferences will want to break away at the end of a day of activities and could decide to visit downtown Pomona.

By working in conjunction with Fairplex, plans can be developed to offer shuttle service along with maps and brochures of downtown activities to guests, Fong said.

The conference center "is going to be a draw of business that doesn't normally come to Pomona," Fong said.

Neighboring La Verne also will benefit from the center.

Conference guests can travel a short distance where they can shop and dine, said Brian McNerney, president and chief executive officer of the La Verne Chamber of Commerce.

Local businesses and organizations also will benefit from the opening of the conference center since they now will have a more options for organizing anything from business meetings to large-scale fundraising events, he said.

Groups currently turn to the University of La Verne and Hillcrest Homes when they are in need of meeting facilities or space for other functions, McNerney said.

Sometimes those facilities aren't large enough and groups find they must go to places in Ontario, he said.

The new conference center at Fairplex will provide some choices in addition to some additional conveniences, McNerney said.

"It gives us a lot of options, easy access and ample parking," he said.

Driving to Fairplex to attend a conference or other event could also bump up participation in activities.

At a time when gas prices are climbing, people would prefer to cut the distance they have to drive to get to an event, McNerney said.

Many organizations in Pomona have been waiting for the completion of the conference center, said Frank Garcia, executive director of the Pomona Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber is planning to organize Pomona's State of the City function at the conference center and could possibly have other events such as the annual Taste of Pomona, he said.

"To have our own conference center will make a big difference," Garcia said.

Various groups including Pomona Unified School District and Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center said the conference center provides a local resource they could potentially use for various types of events ranging from professional conferences to community meetings.

Struve, of Casa Colina, said the new center could provide a location for Casa Colina's Tribute to Caring, a gala fundraising event.

Casa Colina has generally gone outside of the city to find a large enough facility for the event.

Depending on the costs, the conference center could be considered for the gala, she said.

Not only is it a local business, but it will have suitable facilities for a formal event and lodging should guests prefer to spend the night in the city.

"It's nice to have all those resources," Struve said.

Published Sunday, March 6, 2011

POMONA - Fairplex is generally humming with activities on weekends, but it's less busy on Mondays through Thursdays.

The conference center currently under construction at Fairplex is expected to boost weekday activities by providing a facility that can accommodate regional trade shows, corporate conferences, meetings of local organizations and some social events.

If the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center is as successful as expected, it could lead to the eventual expansion of the hotel, said Mike Seder, vice president of finance and chief financial officer for the Los Angeles County Fair Association.

However, Fairplex leadership is several years away from taking on such a project, said Dwight Richards, vice president of operations for the association.

Before Fairplex takes on such a project other things must come about, including a stronger economic environment, Seder said.

When conditions are favorable, it's possible 100 additional rooms could be added, he said.

Such a project could be five to 10 years away from coming together, Richards said.

The Sheraton, which was built in 1992, currently has 247 suites.

Once open, the conference center is expected to draw groups that need something bigger than the meeting facilities the hotel currently offers, but smaller than than a location such as the Ontario Convention Center.

The conference center will offer clients large meeting facilities, along with exhibit space and even the use of other Fairplex resources, Richards said.

Published Saturday, March 4, 2011

By Monica Rodriguez and Wes Woods II, Staff Writers

POMONA - The streets of Pomona's Arts Colony will be awash in music this weekend with back-to-back festivals bringing a variety of rock performers and aficionados to the area.

The first event - the Scion Rock Fest - starts at 4 p.m. today.

Tickets to the event, which wraps up at 12:30 a.m., have sold out.

The third annual Scion Rock Fest will primarily feature death metal acts, including genre pioneers Morbid Angel from Tampa, Fla. Other notable acts include Obituary, Death Angel and Immolation.

Scion Rock Fest is a promotional festival sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales. Company officials distributed tickets to Scion car owners and those interested in Scion products, said Jerry Tessier, Fox Theater manager and an organizer of the event.

The auto manufacturer carries out festivals such as today's in different parts of the country, and, this year, was in search of location in the Los Angeles area for the event, Tessier said.

It just so happens Tessier and others downtown had developed a plan for such an event.

"Our goal is to do festivals a couple times a year," Tessier said.

The event will have three stages.

Audiences will be able to see performers at a stage set up at Thomas Plaza.

More performers will be on a stage set up on Thomas Street between Second and Third streets.

The third stage featuring the headliners will be at the Fox Theater, Tessier said.

Having a large corporation like Toyota bring in a major event such as this one is significant, Tessier said.

The event is also noteworthy because it says something about downtown, based on the demographics of Scion customers, which attracts younger drivers, he said.

"It's says we're the up and coming, hip, young scene," Tessier said.

On Sunday, the March Madness Music Festival will use the same three-stage format used today.

The festival is expected to draw between 5,000 and 7,000 people to see an eclectic mix of music that will appeal to a wide range of tastes and age groups, said John Pena, organizer and downtown business owner.

"We went for the young families between the ages of 23 and 40 for (the) musical format," Pena said. "We went with 1980s bands for Stage 1. Stage 2 is more like house and top 40 hits, and inside the Fox Theater, it's more house and electro for ages 12 to 21."

March Madness will begin at noon and concludes at 8 p.m. During that time, guests will be able listen to music, purchase arts and crafts and have a bite to eat in a family-friendly environment, Pena said.

Pena also has plans to organize addition music festivals this year with the next coming as early as June.

Having such an event shines a spotlight on all that Pomona has to offer visitors, including entertainment, art and a diverse cultural, he said.

"We need to showcase how beautiful Pomona really is," Pena said.

Larry Egan, executive director of the Downtown Pomona Owners Association, said business people in the area embraced this weekend's activities early on.

"It's really kind of an honor (Toyota) picked Pomona," Egan said. "We're delighted to have them."

Some street closures will be required for the two events, said Pomona police Corporal Ryan Rodriguez who handles special events.

Second Street will be closed between Garey Avenue and Main Street.

Thomas Street will be closed between Second and Fourth streets.

Third Street will have crossing guards in the area west of Garey and east of Thomas.

Streets will close today at noon and re-open after midnight.

Sunday streets will close at 10 a.m. and open about 10:30p.m.

Published Friday, March 3, 2011

POMONA - With children's books and red-and-white hats in hand, a group of Vons employees Wednesday brought Read Across America to young patients at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.

Teresa Gamboa is the assistant manager of a Vons in Walnut, but on Wednesday she knelt next to 4-year-old Montclair resident Isaac Estrada and read portions of Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hears a Who!"

"See, Horton is a real big elephant," Gamboa said.

Debra Baker also spent a few minutes with Isaac. Baker is a district employee coordinator with the Vons' Human Resources Department but has a knack for magic tricks.

Baker held a dark velvet-like bag in front of Isaac where Gamboa placed three brightly colored cords. Baker waved a magic wand over the bag while saying, "abracadabra." The cords disappeared.

Then she made the cords re-appear. Isaac's face lit up.

A few steps away, Scott Bartlett, the assistant manager of a Vons in Fontana, read to Noah Salem, 4, of Upland.

After reading to Noah, Bartlett chatted a moment with the boy about his stuffed animal, a blue dinosaur named Dump Truck.

"Nobody wants to be in a hospital. I thought this would liven their day, and I feel good doing it," he said.

A student from Pomona's School of Arts and Enterprise was the top winner of the Pomona Breakfast Optimist Club essay contest.

First place went to Julian Damien Marenco, 17.

The second place award went to Adriel Pao, 17, a student at Village Academy High School.

Third place went to Vishra Patel, 17, of Village Academy High School.

Participants in the contest were asked to write an essay using "How my education is the key to a successful future" as the topic of their work, said Vernon Price, chairman of the club's essay contest.

Winners were presented medallions and certificates.

The club received 26 entries and the top five have been entered in the club's district competition, Price said.

The Optimist district level competition will have young people from across Southern California and Nevada competing for scholarships, he said.

Winners at that level will be selected in April, Price said.

District level winners go on to participate in the 2011 Optimist International Essay Contest.

Pomona Unified School District Superintendent Richard Martinez will be the guest speaker at the upcoming meeting of the Willie White Park Focus Group.

The group's monthly meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at Willie White Park Community Center, 365 Battram St.

As part of his talk Martinez will speak on Pomona Unified schools, the district's budget and what is on the horizon for the district.

Following his talk, he will take questions from the public.

The Willie White Park Focus Group hosts monthly meetings that are open to the public.

At the monthly meetings guests speakers from local and state government speak about issues of interest to the community.

For information call Melba Robison at (909) 596-4273 or M. Joyce Bakersmith at (909) 392-8666.

Mt. San Antonio College faculty members will take part in an art exhibit that will take begin Monday and end April 14 at the Mt. SAC Art Gallery located on the campus, 1100 N. Grand Ave. in Walnut.

"Transition: In Memory of Richard Raynard" is free and open to the public.

Raynard was a retired professor of art and art history who taught at the college for 27 years and died recently.

Close to 30 full and part-time faculty members of the college's art, animation, and photography departments will participate in the exhibit.

An opening reception will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday in the Art Gallery.

Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday nights; and March 19 and April 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For information call the Art Gallery at (909) 594-5611, ext. 4328.

A member of Western University of Health Sciences faculty will soon take over as president of the American Academy of Osteopathy.

Dr. Michael Seffinger is chairman of the department of neuromusculoskeletal medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine found within the University's College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific.

Seffinger will be sworn in as the 75th president of the American Academy of Osteopathy on Saturday during the 2011 American Academy of Osteopathy Convocation in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The American Academy of Osteopathy is an organization within the American Osteopathic Association.

The academy is dedicated to teaching, researching and advancing the philosophy, science and art of osteopathic principles and practices with a focus on osteopathic manipulative medicine, Seffinger said in a university statement.

Seffinger is vice chairman of the American Osteopathic Association's Bureau of Osteopathic Clinical Education and Research. He is an associate editor and author for the Association's standard textbook, "Foundations for Osteopathic Medicine," and serves on the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association advisory board. Seffinger also served as managing editor of the California DO Journal of the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California from 2004 to 2008, the statement said.

He is a past California State Osteopathic Association's Most Valuable Physician Award recipient.

Owners of vintage homes will want to make time to attend Pomona Heritage's 13th annual Restoration Workshop.

The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 2 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 676 N. Gibbs St.

The free workshop, which is open to the public, will have information on a variety of topics useful for those restoring older homes.

Information on wood refinishing, interior design for homes built from the 1900 to 1940s will be among the various topics to be discussed.

One speaker will discuss her experiences undoing past remodeling work in order to bring back the original architecture of her home.

Members of the city's planning and code enforcement departments will also participate in the event and will be available to take questions from those attending.

Local preservationist and Pomona resident John Clifford will give a noon presentation on the historic Mayfair Hotel.

Lunch will be offered for a small fee.

For additional details visit the Pomona Heritage web site at http://www.pomonaheritage.org/.

College graduation, marriage and the birth of a child are moments in life people enjoy discussing.

"There are certain areas of life that are so easy to talk about. Talk about terminal illness or end of life and everyone becomes quiet," said Kathy Yeatman-Stock, a licensed clinical social worker at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center's Robert and Beverly Lewis Family Cancer Care Center.

To help families broach difficult topics related to our older years the hospital's Cancer Care Center is offering a seminar titled "Do We Really Need To Talk About It?"

The free seminar will begin at 6:30 p.m. March 16 at the Robert and Beverly Lewis Family Cancer Care Center, 1910 Royalty Drive. Guests are asked to RSVP by calling 909-865-9858.

Putting off conversations about where we want to live in our golden years, about our health care, even our funeral arrangements until we are in crisis only make the situation more difficult, Yeatman-Stock said.

Making such decisions when family members can talk about their preferences is important.

"By talking when we're feeling well we can ask questions," Yeatman-Stock said.

The seminar is intended to educate attendees and provide resources to begin having conversations about advanced care planning and how to document ones wishes, she said.

"Advanced care planning is an on-going process," Yeatman-Stock said adding its something that should be revisited regularly in order to address changing situations such as living arrangements.

A person may decide he would prefer to live at home instead of moving to a retirement community but as the person ages he may needs some assistance at home to carry out daily activities, she said.

The better prepared families are the greater sense of peace and control everyone has, Yeatman-Stock said.

Pomona City Council members took up the topic of Angelo's Pizzeria during this week's meeting.

The establishment's owner and operator, Jason Abboud, submitted a letter last month requesting the City Council review his business's conditional use permit which city leaders have modified twice.

Abboud would like council members to lift a restriction barring him from selling hard liquor at the establishment.

Council members voted unanimously to send the matter to the city's Planning Commission.

The commission will hold a public hearing on the matter and then forward a recommendation to the City Council which will make a final decision on the matter.

Council members set the hard liquor restriction in February 2010.

In December 2007 Angelo's was allowed to serve alcohol and have entertainment but some time after the business became associated with problems such as fights and arrests for public intoxication.

City personnel also sought to have Abboud address a number of issues at the business related to permits, exterior lighting, security plans and other matters.

Modifications to the business's conditional use permit were made late in 2009 and again in early 2010 when the council limited alcohol sales to beer and wine.

Abboud was given the opportunity to request the ban to be lifted if the establishment operated without incidents for a year.

Abboud has addressed all but one of the city's concerns, according to a city staff report. The one outstanding item is Abboud's failure to sign a certificate of compliance in which he agrees to operate the business in accordance with the regulations set by the city.

A city staff report said Pomona police have had reports of some incidents at the establishment.

City Council members will meet Monday night and are expected to vote on a resolution opposing Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to eliminate redevelopment agencies.

The governor is proposing eliminating the agencies in order to use that money to cover other local government services.

Pomona's redevelopment agency personnel are looking for ways to protect agency assets and prepare for its possible dismantling.

Earlier this week Pomona Redevelopment Director Raymond Fong recommended the City Council use $4.19 million not designated for any specific purpose to two projects.

Fong recommended part of the money be used to go toward the construction of a parking structure in the downtown area which could be built if the city is able to secure a grant from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Another part of the money could be used to make improvements to the city's Civic Center Plaza.

A proposal will go to the City Council Monday night calling for appropriating $765,000 to make improvements to the Civic Center Plaza.

Plans call for removing the fountain in the plaza and not replacing it, according to a city staff report.

Plans would also including building a pad where the city's mobile stage could be set up for special events, improving the tiles paving the area, electrical systems and other improvements.

A series of options on how the plaza could be refurbished were presented to city leaders in 2004.

The options ranged from spending $174,125 for the demolition of the fountain to spending $1.17 million and included placement of a bronze statue of the goddess Pomona in the area, a city staff report said.

Removing the fountain was found to be "consistent with our existing available funding," the staff report said.

Parents with children enrolled in Pomona schools surrounding Marshall Middle School are invited to attend the next "Coffee with the Superintendent" on Thursday.

Superintendent Richard Martinez will host the casual gathering where parents can bring any school-related questions or concerns and discuss them with him.

The gathering will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Marshall Middle School, 1921 Arroyo Ave.

Parents with children enrolled at Marshall Middle School, Garey High, along with Kellogg, Cortez, Arroyo, Roosevelt and Westmont elementary schools are invited to attend.

A series of free screenings designed to meet the health needs of women will be offered from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. March 12 at Western University of Health Sciences' Patient Care Center, 795 E. Second St.

The services will be provided in Suite 5 on the Center's fifth floor.

The university's Pomona Community Health Action team will conduct physical exams, Pap smear tests, breast exams and other health screenings along with providing information on proper nutrition and fitness.

Free parking will be available inside the university's parking structure on the southwest corner of Second Street and Towne Avenue.

The Friends of the Pomona Public Library will have a book sale from noon to 3 p.m. on March 12.

The sale will take place near the library's loading dock adjacent to its parking lot on the corner of Garey Avenue and Seventh Street.

Included in the sale will be hardcover books and paperbacks, children's books, biographies and non-fiction titles.

Students enrolled in grades 3 through 12 who live or attend school within the boundaries of the Pomona Unified School District are invited to participate in the Pomona Unified Peace Project Art Contest.

Deadline to submit entries is March 17.

Young artists are asked to contrast hurtful and peaceful attitudes and behaviors while giving emphasis to positive behaviors.

Artists can explore topics such as smoking, bullying, joining gangs and skipping school and positive behavior such as showing kindness to others, being active in clubs and taking advantage of learning opportunities at school and regularly being in school.

Artwork must be submitted to the school district's Gear Up office by 5 p.m. March 17. The office is within the Village at Indian Hill complex found on Holt Avenue and Indian Hill Boulevard. The office can be reached from Entrance 3.

Applications and themes are available online at www.pusd.org or by contacting Nancy Matarrita at (909)629-5277, ext. 3014.

The Latino-Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valley and the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement of the San Gabriel Valley-Inland Empire will hold the 7th annual Cesar E. Chavez Breakfast Fundraiser on March 24.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. at The Avalon on the grounds of Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave.

This year's keynote speaker will be Anthony Chavez, grandson of civil rights leader and United Farm Workers union co-founder Cesar Chavez, the Roundtable announced recently.

Anthony Chavez will be among those recognized during this year's breakfast for their commitment to service to others.

He serves as a spokesman for the Cesar Chavez Foundation and advocates for worker rights and for reforms in the agriculture industry, according to a statement from the Roundtable.

Also being recognized will be Russell Jauregui, an immigration lawyer who was worked to promote immigrant, voter and civil rights in Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire, the statement said.

Garey High School teacher Debbie LeAnce will be recognized for her work raising awareness of day labor centers, for her efforts to raise money for student scholarships and her work in various immigration matters in the Inland Empire, the statement said.

For information on the breakfast e-mail calderon.rose@gmail.com or call 909-599-8193.