Red Words

Looking back at some of the year's big stories:

- The city's budget shortfall was the dominant story in 2007 and promises to be the one of the biggest issues for 2008 as well.
The City Council confronted money problems last February by instituting a hiring freeze after five straight years in which the council approved spending plans that allowed expenditures to exceed revenues. Councilmembers passed a balanced budget law in May.
Accordingly, the council adopted a balanced budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008 and City Manager N. Enrique Martinez assured the council at a December City Council meeting that Redland's budget is expected to be in the black on that date.
The issue is not yet fully resolved. Redlands faces a budget shortfall as large as $3.2 million for the coming fiscal year if officials hire new employees to fill vacant positions.

- Voters cast ballots for fiscal conservatism in November when challenger Jerry Bean emerged as the top vote-getter in a seven-candidate race. Bean campaigned on a platform that stressed his intent to pursue a more efficient and leaner City Hall. Incumbent Pete Aguilar took second place, while Gilberto Gil, a California parole officer with close ties to the city's public employee unions, lost his seat on the council.

- City Manager N. Enrique Martinez came to the city in April as Redlands' top administrator. Martinez started work in Redlands after being placed on administrative leave from the same post in Lynwood.It turned out that Lynwood's council commissioned an investigation of Martinez that concluded he married a subordinate without notifying his superiors there and committed a technical violation of his employment contract.
Martinez's supporters on the Redlands City Council countered that he was retaliated against in Lynwood for not cooperating with shenanigans perpetrated by officials there. Redlands officials have since given Martinez a wide berth to craft fiscal policy and reorganize the city.
Things have not gone as well for the Lynwood officials who Martinez left behind. Los Angeles County prosectors filed charges against two Lynwood council members who were since recalled - along with another pair of officials - by voters in that city.

- Longtime City Treasurer Mike Reynolds waltzed into his eighth term in office as he faced no opponent in the 2007 election but ended the year with career, reputation and freedom in jeopardy after being charged with three felonies.
Reynolds was arrested in late October after his office was investigated by the District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit. He was charged with misappropriation of public funds and two related crimes. Prosecutors have alleged that the treasurer illegally moved about $38,000 from an account under his control to the city's general account to conceal a shortage in Redlands' petty cash supplies.
He pleaded not guilty in San Bernardino Superior Court on Dec. 5. His attorney, Patrick Milligan, has said the transfer was a legitimate use of Reynolds' authority and blamed a subordinate Treasurer's Office employee for faulty bookkeeping.
Reynolds' next court appearance is set for Feb. 13.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Redlands Shakespeare Festival artistic director Steven Sabel said the theater organization could have a new board of directors by Jan. 3 or Jan. 4.

The old board, save for University of Redlands professor Eric Hill, quit their posts in mid-December for reasons that have yet to be made clear. Sabel called the mass resignation part of the festival's natural evolution, but that account has been disputed by Pomona-based attorney Russell Dalton, who has represented the ex-board members.

Dalton has said the former board members wanted to conduct an investigation into Festival management, but that effort was thwarted.

Hill will not be a part of the new board, he has said. His role is simply to keep the job long enough to transfer power to new board members.

In other Shakespeare Festival news, Sabel said he plans on directing only one of the three plays performed during the 2008 Festival. Previously, Sabel has directed a pair of plays.

Sabel said he plans on directing either "Antony and Cleopatra" or "Macbeth." The third play on the 2008 schedule is "Twelfth Night."

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Assuming breaking news hasn't changed the layout of Friday's edition, The Sun will carry a story on Friday on based on the fact that the F.Y.E. (For Your Entertainment) store on Orange Street is set to close on Jan. 17.

It's well known that record stores have been falling by the wayside lately, and the trend has been very noticeable in Redlands this year. Besides the coming loss of F.Y.E. (which was once part of the Wherehouse chain), Songsearch, a store that dealt in used CDs on State Street, packed up this year. Another store that went out of business was American Beat Records. The Redlands Daily Facts reported that store, which used to be in the Redlands Mall, closed on Jan. 1 2007.

Redlands isn't alone here. Virgin Megastore's West Hollywood location has shut down (the Ontario store is set to stay in business) and Tower Records stores are a thing of the past. The closures really aren't that surprising. Big stores like Best Buy have long sold CDs at significantly lower prices that music retailers. I remember that when I applied for a part-time job at the Best Buy store in City of Industry several years ago and I attended an informational meeting where someone from store management said the store is willing to eat a loss on CDs to attract customers to the store in hopes that consumers will purchase other goods that Best Buy makes a profit on. Stores that make CDs their bread-and-butter don't have that option.

So things appear to be dismal for the old-fashioned chain record stores. Whether people keep buying CDs at big box stores like Best Buy or Target remains to be seen, but the growing popularity of the MP3 format suggests that CDs, by and large are going the way of the vinyl record, especially since the affluent customers who frequent stores like Best Buy like to be keyed in to the latest technology.

But I'm not certain that all record stores will disappear. I think some of the smaller indie stores might be nimble enough to stay alive, but will probably have to change. Bill Plaster, the owner of Dr. Strange Records in Alta Loma, told me he's trying to stay in business by carrying more goods that can't be downloaded - in his case, punk rock clothing - to keep his brick-and-mortar operation afloat while the CD trade declines.

Punk music brings up an interesting point. Despite the generally anti-capitalist ideas shouted by many punk rock bands, entrepreneurial efforts played a big part in the growth of punk music. Punk bands that couldn't get their records promoted by the big labels often started their own companies. Black Flag had SST Records. Minor Threat put its releases out on Dischord Records. The Dead Kennedys had Alternative Tentacles. Instead of playing by the same rules as the major labels, early punk rockers decided to play a different game.

Something similar could happen to record stores, regardless of which genres of music they sell. If I had to predict the future, I think the future of the music business will be the story of big, Internet based companies that are built to capture the mainstream market while a handful of "High Fidelity"-esque indie stores remain as niche businesses. These stores are likely to wind up carrying several non-music goods, like clothing, memorabilia and the like, and will cater primarily to customers seeking out-of-the-mainstream artists and the experience of shopping in a record store where one can browse the aisles rather than scroll through a list of tunes on a Web site.

Supermarkets seem to be going through a similar evolution. There has been a lot of newspaper ink devoted to the question of whether 20th century chains like Vons and Albertsons can compete in a marketplace where Wal-Mart Supercenters can fight for customers by maintaining lower prices. Not surprisingly, a lot of customers gravitate to lower-priced stores. But at that the same time, there's a subset of grocery shoppers that seeks specialty foods and a more neighborly shopping experience, thus places like Gerrard's Market in Redlands and niche chains like Whole Foods Market stay in business without being able to maintain the same economies of scale as the Wal-Marts and Targets of the world.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Redlands firefighter/paramedic Dustin Whitaker said city fire crews have spent part of the day handing out toys to local families as part of the annual Spark of Love project.

"It's enough for 600 kids so far," he said.

Christmas isn't until Tuesday (in case anyone forgot), and firefighters are still collecting toys even as playthings are being handed out.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On Tuesday, the City Council voted to hire an auditing firm to examine cash handling operations in the City Treasurer's office and and other city departments.

Accounting firm Lance, Soll & Lunghard, LLP won a $9,975 contract to conduct the audit. The contract calls for the firm to look at several procedures, including cashiering activities, bank account reconciliation and processing of petty cash requests.

The audit is not limited to the Treasurer's Office, but follows news of problems within that office. City Treasurer Mike Reynolds was arrested in October on suspicion of misappropriation of public funds and two related felonies involving financial records-keeping.

The charges stem from Reynolds' transfer of about $38,000 from an account under his control to the city's general account. The prosecution has alleged that Reynolds moved the funds to hide a shortage in the petty cash fund.

Reynolds pleaded innocent to the charges in San Bernardino Superior Court on Dec. 5. His attorney, Patrick Milligan, has asserted that a subordinate employee in the Treasurer's Office failed to keep proper records of the city's petty cash funds and maintained two sets of books.

Milligan has said the problems stem from incompetence, rather than willfull misconduct, on the part of the assistant city treasurer. he has claimed that Reynolds made the transfer to prevent city funds from being short and that he was investigating petty cash discrepancies at the time of his arrest.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 6:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Redlands Shakespeare Festival artistic director Steven Sabel said he has already lined up a new board of directors for theater company, which lost much of its leadership last week due to an as-yet unrevealed dispute between Sabel and the Festival's former board of directors.

"We have the new board lined up, but haven't been able to get together to do the transfer," Sabel said.

Last week, the Festival's entire board decided to quit. University of Redlands professor Eric Hill has said he will remain on the board for a short time, leaving as soon as the new board is in place.

Pomona-based attorney Russell Dalton represents Hill and the other former board members, but has said he cannot disclose the reason the clients opted to resign. He disputed Sabel's statements that the resignations were part of the theater company's growth.

"The board was investigating very serious issues," Dalton said. "In the end, they were thwarted in their investigation attempt."

For his part, Sabel has said one of the former board members failed in an attempt to take over the Festival.

More to come, I'm sure.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 4:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New City Councilman Jerry Bean based on his campaign on the idea that he could bring a businessman's perspective to City Hall and it seemed if he was fitting into that role during Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Bean, a newspaper executive with Century Group Newspapers, won approval for his idea to have financial data reported to the council quarterly instead of two times each year. City staffers have six weeks to figure out how to do that.

During that discussion, City Manager N. Enrique Martinez reported that Redlands' sales tax revenues for the current fiscal year are about $350,000 lower than expected, but Martinez was emphatic that the city would close the budget year ending June 30 with a budget gap. He noted that gas franchise revenues accrued from fuel sent to the Mountainview Power Plant through Redlands pipelines are about $400,000 higher than prevously anticipated.

Later, Bean criticized a plan to spend about $414,000 on a new bulldozer. Bean didn't object to the purchase itself but the fact that the city only received two bids and that Redlands staffers specified that they wanted a Caterpillar dozer, thus shutting out other manufacturers' machines from the process.

Quality of Life director Gary Van Dorst explained that Caterpillar dozers are the brand of choice for landfills and that it would be easier to get parts and service for that brand.

Bean reluctantly voted with the rest of the council to approve the purchase.Riverside-based Johnson Machinery Co. was the winning bidder.

Martinez and Finance Director Tina Kundig said city staffers are working on a new purchasing policy that will require the city to get at least three bids for equipment or services before new purchases can be approved.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

State Sen. Bob Dutton is scheduled to visit with Redlands' City Council on Tuesday. It's a public meeting, so those who want to drop by can do so.

Dutton staffer Larry Broedow said the senator is likely to discuss transportation issues and the state budget crisis. Here in the Golden State, it seems like budget shortfalls have become a way of life.

Last month, the Legislative Analyst's Office published a report with the findings that a $4.1 billion reserve in California's 2007-08 budget will be wiped out when the fiscal year on June 30, and the state will instead finish the year nearly $1.9 billion in the hole.

There's more. (Or is it less?) A $9.8-billion deficit is projected to smack Sacramento at the end of the 2008-09 budget year.

On his Web site, Dutton has posted a statement asserting his view that the state's problem is overspending, not a shortage of revenues, so he's likely to repeat that view when he visits Redlands.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Looks like there have been some big changes in the leadership for the Redlands Shakespeare Festival. Professional courtesy requires me give a shout out to Vanessa Overbeck at the Redlands Daily Facts, The Sun's sister paper, for getting this story first.

First, I'll post what The Facts has already put online. I'll add some info I've just received below.

Shakespeare Festival board members quit

By VANESSA D. OVERBECK, Staff Writer

Article Launched: 12/13/2007 11:41:01 AM PST

REDLANDS - The Redlands Shakespeare Festival will be looking for entirely new leadership this year. The board of directors resigned Wednesday in what Director Paul Jacques called a complete walkout.

Jacques refused to comment on the board's reason for the exodus.

He cited personal and professional reasons and referred all questions to his attorney.

The Redlands Shakespeare Festival presents works by the celebrated author free at the Redlands Bowl in May.

The future of the festival is in question. However, board member Eric Hill, a University of Redlands professor, will stay on until a new board is in place, Jacques said.

The board of directors also included President Ellen Schollenberger, Richard McCarty, Mary Dalton, Katherine Thomerson, Connie Jury, Heide Wilson and Dorothy Richardson.

The Redlands Shakespeare Festival has a Web site - www.redlandsshakespearefestival.com - and many of the director's e-mail addresses are listed if interested parties wish to contact them regarding the fate of the festival.

For an update on this story visit the Redlands Daily Facts Web site at www.redlandsdailyfacts.com.

E-mail Staff Writer Vanessa D. Overbeck at voverbeck@redlandsdailyfacts.com

Thursday afternoon, I spoke with Festival artistic director Steven Sabel and Bill Arsenault, who is a consultant for California Heart and Surgical Hospital, which is yet to open in Loma Linda. The hospital ties in to the story because it's the festival's title sponsor.

I also received an e-mail from board member Eric Hill, who Sabel confirmed for me is the lone member of the previous board to keep his position. Here's part of his letter:

"I can't comment on others' reasons for leaving the Board. I can say
that, though they have stepped down from the Board, I don't think I misspeak in saying that they continue to share the vision that our community should have a permanent, quality Shakespeare festival. During
their tenure on the Board, their efforts to provide our community with this Festival have been invaluable, and the incoming Board will benefit greatly from the work they have done and the groundwork they have laid.

"Aside from attending to the day-to-day business of supporting the Festival, they have helped the organization to evolve into a professional, permanent institution, something that our community should be able to take pride in for years to come. I expect that the new Board will soon meet, though the Holidays are just around the corner, so things might be a little delayed."

Sabel, for his part, disputed the notion that the Festival's board of directors quit en masse. He described the changes as part of an ongoing reorganization of the board.

Whatever changes occur, it looks like the California Heart and Surgical Hospital will have a greater say in the Festival's strategic decisions. Arsenault said that on Wednesday, he made a presentation to the old board expressing the hospital's interest in being represented on the board, although he said he did not present any ultimatums nor did he attend the meeting with the intention of spurring a boardroom shakeup.

"It was a maybe. It wasn't (give us) a seat on the board or we're out of here," he said.

But a shakeup is what happened. Sabel said a future board will include himself, a hospital representative and others with expertise in fields such as the law or accounting that may be beneficial to the Festival's activities.

Sabel also said the Festival's 2008 "Season of Power" is still a go. Next year's trio of performances is set to be comprised of "Twelfth Night," "Antony and Cleopatra" and this blogger's favorite Shakespearian play, "Macbeth."

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There was once a popular rock band from England called The Beatles. They released records and played concerts and made a lot of money.

They were so big that singer John Lennon infamously pronounced in 1966 that his band was "more popular than Jesus." I don't know if there's a way to quantify whether there were actually more Beatles fans than practicing Christians, but it seems at least clear that Lennon - if not bigger than Jesus - at least had a bigger ego back then whichever celebrity is currently coming off as the most sanctimonious.

The Beatles - and Jesus - actually do tie in to Redlands. Ken Mansfield, the former U.S. manager for the band's Apple Records is scheduled to visit Trinity Church in Redlands on Saturday. I can't say whether Mansfield will address John Lennon's famous quote but I'm guessing that he would disagree with the singer.

Mansfield is the author of a book called "The Beatles, the Bible and Bodega Bay: My Long and Winding Road," and his event at the church is called "The Beatles, The Bible and Beyond." It seems to me that The Beatles, as far as religion is concerned, are more often associated with Eastern spirituality or no religion at all (Lennon's "Imagine") so Mansfield's take on rock music and religion could be interesting.

For those who may want to attend, Mansfield's talk is scheduled for 7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Trinity Church, 1551 Reservoir Road. There's actually an admission fee of $5 for the event and the church's Web site has info at www.trinityonline.org.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's an announcement from San Bernardino Associated Governments on closures on the 10 Freeway.

INTERSTATE 10 WIDENING PROJECT IN REDLANDS WILL REQUIRE TEMPORARY FREEWAY LANE AND RAMP CLOSURES, WEEK OF DECEMBER 10th.

The Interstate 10 widening project in Redlands will require freeway and ramp closures. These closures will allow crews to apply joint seal to the bridges, work on drainage system, install guard rail, stripe roadway and remove remporary barriers.

INTERSTATE 10 WESTBOUND:
Interstate 10 westbound – Lane closure, Dec. 10-14, 8 pm-4 am, and Dec. 14-15, 9 pm-6 am:
Westbound Interstate 10 intermittent lane closures will occur on two lanes between Sixth Street and Ford Street, December 10 to December 14 from 8 pm to 4 am each night and from 9 pm December 14 to 6 am December 15. A minimum of one lane will remain open during these closures.

Ford Street westbound on-ramp – Full closure, Dec. 10-14, 8 pm-4 am and Dec. 14-15, 9 pm-6 am:
Westbound Ford Street on-ramp will close intermittently December 10 to December 14 from 8 pm to 4 am each night and from 9 pm December 14 to 6 am December 15. During these closures, motorists can use University Street as an alternate ramp.

University St westbound on-ramp - Full closure, Dec. 10-14, 8 pm-4 am and Dec. 14-15, 9 pm-6 am:
Westbound University Street on-ramp will close from intermittently December 10 to December 14 from 8 pm to 4 am each night and from 9 pm December 14 to 6 am December 15. During these closures, motorists can use Ford Street as an alternate ramp.

Orange Street westbound on-ramp – Full closure, Dec. 10-14, 8 pm-4 am and Dec. 14-15, 9 pm-6 am:
Westbound Orange Street on-ramp will close intermittently December 10 to December 14 from 8 pm to 4 am each night and from 9 pm December 14 to 6 am December 15. During these closures, motorists can use University Street as an alternate ramp.

Redlands Ave. westbound off-ramp – Full closure, Dec. 10-14, 8 pm-4 am and Dec. 14-15, 9 pm-6 am:
Westbound Redlands Avenue off-ramp will close intermittently from December 10 to December 14, 8 pm to 4 am each night and from 9 pm December 14 to 6 am December 15. During these closures, motorists can use Wabash Avenue as an alternate ramp.

Cypress Ave westbound off-ramp – Full closure, Dec. 10-14, 8 pm-4 am and Dec 14-15, 9 pm-6 am:
Westbound Cypress Avenue off-ramp will close intermittently December 10 to December 14 from 8 pm to 4 am each night and from 9 pm December 14 to 6 am December 15. During these closures, motorists can use Sixth Street as an alternate ramp.

Sixth St westbound off-ramp – Full closure, Dec. 10-14, 8 pm-4 am and Dec. 14-15, 9 pm-6 am
Westbound Sixth Street off-ramp will close intermittently December 10 to December 14 from 8 pm to 4 am each night and from 9 pm December 14 to 6 am December 15. During these closures, motorists can use Cypress Avenue as an alternate ramp.

INTERSTATE 10 EASTOUND:
Interstate 10 eastbound – Lane closure, Dec. 10-14, 9 pm-5 am and Dec. 14-15, 11 pm-7 am:
Eastbound Interstate 10 intermittent lane closures will occur on three lanes between Sixth Street and Ford Street, December 10 to December 14, 9 pm to 5 am each night and from 11 pm December 14 to 7 am December 15. A minimum of one lane will remain open during these closures.

Cypress Ave eastbound on-ramp - Full closure, Dec. 10-14, 9 pm-5 am and Dec. 14-15, 11 pm-7 am:
Eastbound Cypress Avenue on-ramp will close intermittently from December 10 to December 14, 9 pm to 5 am each night and from 11 pm December 14 to 7 am December 15. During these closures, motorists can use Sixth Street as an alternate ramp.

Sixth Street eastbound on-ramp - Full closure, Dec. 10-14, 9 pm-5 am and Dec. 14-15, 11 pm-7 am:
Eastbound Sixth Street on-ramp will close intermittently from December 10 to December 14, 9 pm to 5 am each night and from 11 pm December 14 to 7 am December 15. During these closures, motorists can use Tennessee Street as an alternate ramp.

University St eastbound off-ramp - Full closure, Dec. 10-14, 9 pm-5 am and Dec 14-15, 11 pm-7 am:
Eastbound University Street off-ramp will close intermittently from December 10 to December 14, 9 pm to 5 am each night and from 11 pm December 14 to 7 am December 15. During these closures, motorists can use Orange Street as an alternate off-ramp.

Ford Street eastbound off-ramp - Full closure, Dec. 10-14, 9 pm-5 am and Dec. 14-15, 11 pm 7 am
Eastbound Ford Street off-ramp will close intermittently from December 10 to December 14, 9 pm to 5 am each night and from 11 pm December 14 to 7 am December 15. During these closures, motorists can use Orange Street as an alternate ramp.

* Please note that no consecutive ramp closures will occur.
Please follow posted signs and drive carefully through the construction area. For more project information, please call the Interstate 10 helpline at (909) 889-8611 ext. 102 or visit the San Bernardino Associated Governments website at www.sanbag.ca.gov.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 7:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Get ready to get soaked, Redlanders.

According to the National Weather Service, there is a 100 percent chance of rain on Friday. Forecasters also have the area on a flash flood watch through Friday evening.

The city today advanced the usual warning when heavy rains are expected. People should steer clear of storm drains and flood control basins. Friday will not be a good day to take a stroll along the historic Zanja irrigation ditch. (A side note: If anyone knows how the Spanish word "Zanja" came to be pronounced as "sankee," please let me know.)

Also, don't try to drive across any flooded streets. Who hasn't seen news video of someone trapped on top of their car after their thinking they could ford an avenue that looks like a river.

Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Topoleski said the city has gathered caches of sandbags to fortify property against floodwaters but isn't just handing them out somewhere.

People who expect flooding problems can request sandbags from the Police Department by calling (909) 798-7681. The city doesn't want folks to call 911 unless there they are at risk from actual flooding or there is an imminent risk of flooding.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 6:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

City Treasurer Mike Reynolds, who has been charged with misappropriation of public funds and two related offenses, is scheduled to appear in San Bernardino Superior Court Wednesday morning.

His attorney, Patrick Milligan, said in a telephone interview that Reynolds plans to plead innocent and will ask for future court proceedings to be pushed back to February.

The charges against Reynolds center around Reynolds' transfer of about $38,000 from the Treasurer's Trust Account to the city's general fund. Prosecutors have alleged that Reynolds sought to cover up a hole in Redlands' petty cash supplies. Milligan said Reynolds was investigating a possible accounting error and did not want the city to be short on any dollars.

Reynolds was arrested in late October after being investigated by the District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 5:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Sunny-Cal Milling facility, an industrial relic at the corner of Oriental Avenue and Texas Street, may not be long for this world.

Monday, Redlands' Environmental Review Committee decided to move a proposal to demolish the mill on to the Historic and Scenic Preservation Commission. Community Development Director Jeff Shaw said the commission could make a decision on the project in January.

San Bernardino-based Harber Companies has proposed the demolition.

"We plan on putting in an upscale retail center there," the company's Bob Harber said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

The Sunny-Cal facility has been out of commission during the months that I have covered Redlands. Shaw told me the facility was used in the past by truckers who would pick up animal feed to be hauled to other destinations.

Here's a link that shows a photo:

The demolition proposal is required to go before the town's preservation commission because the milling facility is more than 50 years old. According to a city document, the building was built around 1938 and is currently "in disrepair and appears to be infested with pigeons and rodents."

The document also states that the mill's structural integrity has been compromised by weather and wear and that the place isn't safe for visitors.

If the Sunny-Cal mill is indeed torn down, city officials would likely retain a set of photos showing what the place used to look like. A document prepared by Redlands associate planner Tamara Alaniz states that the site is not historically significant but that archival photographs should be delivered the A.K. Smiley Public Library and the city's planning division.

Posted by Andrew Edwards at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)