December 2008 Archives

A quick and incomplete roundup of stuff that's going to happen in 2009:

1. The special election to replace 4th Ward Councilman Neil Derry is scheduled to be held March 17. At least four candidates have pulled nomination papers. The nomination period is scheduled to end Jan. 8 so there will be about two months for candidates to campaign for votes in San Bernardino's northeastern neighborhoods.

2. Voters will again get to go to the polls in November to vote in the mayoral election, which may go to a runoff, as happened during the 2005-06 campaign. Mayor Pat Morris is eligible to run for reelection. His opponent in the 2006 runoff, City Attorney James F. Penman, has said he will not run.

3. City Hall officials will face a difficult and prolonged struggle to draft a budget. The process was bitter enough in 2008 but the shuttering of multiple auto dealerships and declines in consumer spending mean city officials can expect tax revenues to decline, resulting in a need to make hard choices about how the city spends taxpayer money.

During 2008, city staffers and council members proposed such measures as cutting a fire engine company, closing libraries, axing crossing guards' jobs and canceling SBPD's helicopter program. Those programs were preserved, but it's hard to imagine those or other unpopular ideas winding up on the table over the summer.

4. Police Chief Michael Billdt has said he will retire in March and the city does not have a permanent city manager. Mark Weinberg, the interim top administrator, seems to be making a good impression among San Bernardino's government figures but isn't going to be around for the long term. Replacements will have to be found.

5. Maya Cinemas plans to begin showing movies at the former CinemaStar theater as early as late February. It will be interesting to see if their plan - which includes a promised Imax screen - will succeed.

6. San Bernardino International Airport may begin passenger service during the year.

7. The city's new in-house graffiti-removal team will go to work. The decision to create the team was controversial as it is also expected to remove Los Padrinos from the city's landscape. Los Padrinos hired youths who have had problems with the law to clean away graffiti and director Max Alonso has said the organization won't survive the loss of the city contract will spell the end of the group.

Proponents of the policy change say the city-run effort _ which will be more costly than hiring Los Padrinos - will result in a superior quality of graffiti removal. Only time will tell if the plan works.

8. San Bernardino and other inland cities may find out if proposed economic stimulus measures will lead to any funding for highway work or other public works projects.

9. Crime, parolee housing/prisoner reentry, economic development plans and other perennial issues will continue to be in the news.

10. Something unexpected and significant.

Mynisha Crenshaw, 11, was murdered in Nov. 2005. This reporter joined The Sun in Jan. 2006 the reaction to the crime was still a frequent topic of news coverage. Much of 2006 was a grim year, as youths continued to fall in San Bernardino.

Sunday's retrospective piece, "Turning Point," provides some time to reflect on the news of the past three years. Here are some thoughts:

1. In the face of the recession, crime remains San Bernardino's most serious issue. Although Police Department statistics show that crime has dropped through 2008, but the numbers tell the story of a very bad situation improving to the status of being not quite as bad.

For example, SBPD reports that through November 2007, there were 44 criminal homicides in the city. Through November of this year, police report 32 criminal homicides occurred. That's still a lot, and city officials' may not face a more important decision in 2009 than who will serve as San Bernardino's next police chief. Current chief Michael Billdt has said he will retire in March.

2. Although official numbers show that crime is down this year, it's possible that Mayor Pat Morris may have made a political miscalculation earlier this year when he announced that crime was is at its lowest in San Bernardino since 1985.

Aside from setting off a debate between himself and Councilwoman Wendy McCammack over statistical methodology, it's somewhat doubtful that even though police report a decrease in crime, the average San Bernardino resident feels significantly safer now than during 2006 or 2005. Even if the mayor's calculations were dead on, Morris was at his political best in 2006 when he constantly made his case that the city needed to do more about crime and that San Bernardino needed more resources.

That style of leadership was crucial in convincing voters to pass the Measure Z sales tax hike. Residents aren't likely to say "yes" to any new taxes while the national economy is suffering as it is now, but the point isn't whether people are willing to pay even more for crime fighting.

People generally seem to respond better to vibrant leaders who ask their constituents to rise to the challenges of the day (FDR, Reagan) rather than those who bemoan a crisis of confidence or make premature declarations of "mission accomplished." Morris may be able to rally more public confidence in the city's direction in the coming year if he returns to his 2006 leadership style rather than rest the laurels on short-term improvements.

3. This summer's molestation scandal does not mean that the underlying concepts behind Operation Phoenix are flawed. Community center Mike Miller's July 2008 arrest on suspicion of child molestation opened the door to serious criticism of Phoenix, but it would be premature to close the door on Morris' efforts to make crime prevention a core element of city services.

Morris responded to Miller's arrest by restructuring Phoenix's management structure and it became clear though news reports that the chain of command needed improvement. Another fact that came to light is that the city's Parks, Recreation and Community Services department - essential to the youth services that are part of Phoenix - was severely underfunded over the years when compared to other San Bernardino departments.

The city's current budget crisis and political fallout from this summer's events do not seem to be reasons enough to scuttle the program. McCammack has repeatedly made the case that Phoenix-related youth programs may not result in dividends for several years, and she's right that money is going to be scarce. But as the City Council approaches the challenges of drafting the city's next budget, a strong case could be made to establish crime prevention programs apart from essential police services as a core component of city operations.

Fire prevention is recognized as a key aspect of city government and it would be hard to imagine any excising fire inspectors from its budget. Whether or not the crime prevention strategies that are currently part of Phoenix are the best strategies for the city could be subject to debate, but while attending an anti-gang meeting earlier this year in Apple Valley, this reporter observed what seemed to be a consensus among law enforcement that authorities cannot simply arrest society's way out of the gang problem.

Indeed, the budget shortfall could even serve as an opportunity for the city's elected officials to engage in a hard-nosed discussion and determine a baseline for city resources devoted to crime prevention strategies. Anticipating a long term approach, City Hall can plan for how resources can be allocated to recreation and youth services over the long term.

Here's some additional thoughts from City Attorney James F. Penman in relation to "Turning Point," a retrospective on the Mynisha Crenshaw murder that was published in Sunday's edition of The Sun.

Penman and Mayor Pat Morris were competing against each other in the 200-06 mayoral campaign. When Mynisha, 11, was killed in a gang shooting. The crime highlighted the issue of crime in that campaign.

Here is a follow-up on Penman's thoughts concerning how the shooting affected San Bernardino politics and policy:

City Attorney James F. Penman says the Nov. 2005 murder of 11-year-old Mynisha Crenshaw highlighted San Bernardino's crime problem, but only for a while.

"It had a short-term effect. It resulted in, first of all, there was a real spotlight on policing in San Bernardino by the press," he said.

Aside from affecting the mayoral campaign between himself and eventual winner Pat Morris, Penman said the short-term impacts of the shooting were a change in leadership in the Police Department and an influx of San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers who were assigned to assist patrol efforts in San Bernardino.

"That concentration of officers drove the crime rate back down," Penman said.

But Penman - who said San Bernardino needs 100 more cops - believes that city officials are now not doing enough to fight crime. He is concerned that City Hall has not been aggressive enough to eliminate illegal parolee housing.

Although the Measure Z sales tax has given city officials a tool to promise 40 new police officers over the 2006 force strength by June 30, 2009, Penman is not satisfied. He points to a recent ranking of San Bernardino as the 36th most dangerous city in the U.S. - actually an improvement over 2005, when the city was in 18th place - as evidence that San Bernardino has not done enough to improve safety.

"It's great to laud and say the chief is trying and really working hard, I think he is. We have some of the best police officers in the country, there are just not enough of them," Penman said.

Sunday's edition of The Sun featured an extensive retrospective of the events that followed the Nov. 2005 shooting death of 11-year-old Mynisha Crenshaw. This posting is a reprint of the small companion piece that focused on Mayor Pat Morris' thoughts on how the shooting affected San Bernardino.

Here is Morris' perspective:

A subsequent blog-only posting will provide a similar treatment to City Attorney James F. Penman's views. Penman was Morris' opponent in the 2005-06 mayoral campaign.

Mayor Pat Morris was still a candidate and a Superior Court judge when Mynisha Crenshaw was slain.

"That tragedy really did document or highlight the tragedy of juvenile violence in our city," Morris said.

"She was the epitome of innocence," he went on. "She wasn't a gang member. She wasn't involved in any of the gang sets in our city."

The child's death led to Morris and his opponent, City Attorney James F. Penman, to focus on crime during the last months of the 2005-06 mayoral campaign.

Crime remains a central issue in San Bernardino politics.

Voices like Morris' contend that a reinforced Police Department assigned to patrolling streets and solving crimes also needs a robust offering of youth services that can help steer young people away from drugs and gangs before they wind up as a suspect or a victim.

Penman and others reply that although social services may reap long-term benefits, San Bernardino still faces an immediate need to invest more resources into fighting crime.

Policy debates aside, Morris said San Bernardino still has a lot of work to do before the city can escape its reputation as a place of violence.

"We still have a long ways to go before we can brag about the day when we have no children gunned down," the mayor said.

Here's a Wall Street Journal story about a Russian professor with KGB experience who is predicting that by fall of 2009, the United States will descend into a civil war that will lead to the country splitting into six countries.

The professor predicts that Alaska would revert to Russian control, which would be bad news for anyone hoping Sarah Palin runs for the presidency in 2012.

SB Now is on a break from politics.

John Valdivia II pulled nomination papers on Dec. 18. He is a potential candidate in the special election to succeed Neil Derry as the 4th Ward's City Council representative.

Valdivia said he works for a major pharmaceuticals company but was not willing to disclose the name of his employer before the Jan. 8 closing of the nomination period.

Asked about where he stands poltically, Valdivia said he is a registered Republican.

Valdivia - who has not previously held public office - calls the 4th Ward "the gem of the city of San Bernardino" and said he's concerned about crime and San Bernardino's economic situation.

Police Chief Michael Billdt has said he will retire in March and Valdivia said city officials need to select a new leader for the Police Department as soon as possible. He also favors increased foot and bicycle patrols.

Valdivia also said he is concerned about foreclosures and the recent wave of auto dealership closures. He would favor tax incentives or other strategies to bring replacement dealerships into San Bernardino.

"Let's make opportunities for (car) dealers to come back to our city," he said.

If elected Valdivia said he would "want to build a bridge between all the City Council members and Mayor (Pat) Morris."

Saman Saman pulled his nomination papers on Dec. 18. He is one of the potential candidates in the upcoming race to succeed Neil Derry as the 4th Ward's representative on the City Council.

Saman, who has not held public office before, said he decided to run after going to City Hall to report his concerns about homelessness near the former site of his business near Cal State San Bernardino. Saman owns BestPricedMattresses.com, which is at present an Internet-only business.

He maintained that city government is disconnected from residents.

"It's difficult to get in touch with someone and get something done," Saman said.

Concerning homelessness, Saman sees the issue as a matter for Code Enforcement officers to keep the city clean and other service providers charged with teaching skills.

Saman sees the need to improve San Bernardino's appearance as its most-pressing issue. He proposed that if the city can clean up its entry points, people will develop a greater respect for their own neighborhoods and take steps to improve the city's aesthetic appeal.

Asked about where he stands on the political spectrum, Saman didn't describe himself as conservative or liberal but as "truthful." He said he will support "whatever is good for the common good."

If elected, Saman said he doesn't have an agenda that he wants to push from the outset of his term.

"I would listen to see what's going on ... then when I get more information I can render my opinion," he said.

Joe Arnett pulled papers needed to run for City Council on Dec. 18. He is a potential candidate to succeed Neil Derry as the 4th Ward's representative on the City Council.

This would be Arnett's first attempt to run for public office. He's concerned that the city has gone in the wrong direction in recent years.

"I hope when I tell people this that it doesn't sound negative, but San Bernardino for a long time has been on a downslide," he said.

Arnett manages the educational support services team at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. He said in a telephone interview that he considers San Bernardino's most pressing issues to be jobs and crime. He's concerned that the perception of the city as a high-crime area discourages business owners from coming to the city.

Describing himself as "more conservative than liberal," Arnett said that if he is elected one of his priorities would be to streamline city services. He doesn't want to lay off city staffers but wants to do more to assure that public services are delivered efficiently.

Another of Arnett's objectives is that he wants to participate in efforts to redevelop the downtown area, which he sees as a potential means to eventually improve other parts of the city.

"I hope there would be some trickle down effect," he said.

As of late this afternoon, there are five potential candidates who have pulled papers to replace Neil Derry on the City Council.

However, one of the candidates, Manfred F. Gildner, said today that he will probably not appear on the ballot.

"I think I've decided not to run," he said. "I'm 82 and I just don't want to fool around anymore."

They remaining four candidates are Joe Arnett, Saman Saman, Fred Shorett and John Valdivia II.

Shorett has already been introduced to SB Now readers. He was the first potential candidate to emerge for the special election. Arnett, Sama and Valdivia will receive their own introductions in separate blog posts today.

The nomination period began on Dec. 18 and is scheduled to conclude on Jan. 8. The election is scheduled for March 17 as a mail-in affair.

Here's Omnitrans' press release:

Omnitrans Finalizes Purchase of Transit Station Land

San Bernardino Project to Connect Bus, Rail, and Bus Rapid Transit

San Bernardino, CA - Omnitrans has secured the deed to purchase 4.5 acres of property from the Union Pacific Railroad Company at Rialto and E Streets in San Bernardino. The agency plans a new intermodal transit station on the $1.9 million property to connect 13 of its current bus lines, its future E Street Corridor sbX bus rapid transit service, a proposed Metrolink extension, and a proposed Redlands Passenger Rail system.

"This purchase is the first step in the development of a state-of-the-art station that promises to be a convenient, efficient transportation hub for San Bernardino Valley residents," said CEO/General Manager Durand Rall. "We look forward to moving ahead with this exciting project."

Indeed, Omnitrans' centrally-located new station will replace the agency's Fourth Street Transit Mall, where 10,000 bus trips originate each day from stops scattered along a four-block area. The agency has taken on this multi-year project in collaboration with the City of San Bernardino, San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG), and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Bernardino, which is also proposing a Transit-Oriented Development Village. The Village would feature mixed-use developments such as retail, commercial, and housing, on and around the station site. The approximately $25 million station project will be funded from a combination of federal, state and local sources.

Upon approval from its Board of Directors, Omnitrans expects to release a request for proposals next March to hire a consultant team for the preliminary design phase of the station project. This phase will include pre-development, conceptual design, and visioning services for the transit station and Transit Village Development District. Construction of the station is set to begin in 2011, following completion of the final design. The San Bernardino Transit Station is scheduled to open in 2012.

Are posted here:

Ty Schuiling, San Bernardino Associated Governments' planning director, said today that California's budget problems could delay projects in San Bernardino and Rialto.

In San Bernardino, Sanbag had planned to begin work on new freeway connectors linking the 210 and 215 freeways around late summer. In Rialto, the agency planned to build a new Riverside Avenue bridge around late spring.

But last week, state financial officials stopped issuing funds from California's Pooled Money Investment Account, which led Caltrans director Will Kempton to write a letter to Sanbag and other agencies to inform them that he has decided to suspend awards of bond-funded contracts until California's money supply can flow again.

Schuiling said he nad Sanbag officials don't know how long the projects may be delayed. Even if Sacramento's situation improves, the construction funding is still contingent upon the state's ability to sell bonds in a weakened economy.

Here's the forecast from the National Weather Service for San Bernardino:

Tuesday: Sunny during the day, 20 percent chance of rain at night.

Wednesday: 70 percent chance of rain.

Thursday: 50 percent chance of rain.

Friday: Slight chance of showers.

Temperatures are not expected to rise above the low 50s throughout the week.

Here's the release:

RIKKE VAN JOHNSON PRESIDENT OF BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) - Rikke Van Johnson is the new president of the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino Board of Directors.

Johnson, a 44-year-resident of San Bernardino, has served on the Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors since 2000. He is also a San Bernardino City Council member, representing the Sixth Ward.

Long before then, as a teen growing up in San Bernardino, he was a member of the Boys & Girls' Club of San Bernardino, where he swam and received guidance from the adult role models there.

"I had great supervisors when I attended the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino as a teenager," he said. This is my way of giving back for all the good this club has provided for me."

Johnson said he learned leadership skills in the Boys & Girls Club that helped him during his 27-year career with the United States Postal Service, in his current job as the manager of Greenwood Bail Bonds and as he leads both the Boys & Girls Club and the city.

As the new board president, Johnson will guide the board through its top priority for 2009, which is to raise $100,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino. This will help the program provide more services to the area's children through its programs such as Torch Club, a leadership program for preteens and Triple Play, a program that emphasizes health and fitness for children.

It will also assist the Boys & Girls Club in renovating its kitchen, which is more than 40 years old and hasn't been used for several years. After the renovation, the Boys & Girls Club will serve meals, teach children to cook and promote healthy eating as advocated in the Triple Play program.

To assist in its fund-raising venture, the Board of Directors hopes to expand its own membership. The board now has 11 members, but it's open to community leaders with the passion and tenacity to serve.

"We want people who will be able to bring in resources to meet the needs of the boys and girls who are our members," Van Johnson said. "Many of them are at-risk children, and we want the Boys & Girls Club to be everything it can to help them become successful young adults."

Van Johnson said he also hopes to recruit people to a new advisory board for a Boys & Girls Club. These are people such as elected officials and company executives, who would not have time to volunteer as a governing board member, but who are well-connected to other people in the community and could assist the governing board in that way.

Rikke Van Johnson is the elected City Council representative to the Sixth Ward of San Bernardino where he has lived for most of his life. He is the manager of Greenwood Bail Bonds, and volunteers with several groups including the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino and Westside Action Group. He is married to Sharon, and has three children and one grandchild.

The Boys & Girls' Club of San Bernardino operates clubs in the Westside and Delmann Heights neighborhoods of San Bernardino and in Rialto. It has more than 1,500 members, children and teens who are building character, developing leadership skills, building strong, healthy bodies and preparing for a successful future through the programs the Boys & Girls Club offers.

Here's the link.

Mayor Pat Morris' remarks include his request that residents help the needy this year.

"In this holiday season, give generously to our local charities that serve the stranger in need. Hope is our never-ending song that emanates from our faith."

Below is a fascinating article from the Associated Press that reveals banks who have taken money from the new bailout fund will not reveal how the money was used.

I'm no economist, but I seem to remember the argument in favor of the bailout being that lending institutions needed to borrow cash from the federal government (i.e. taxpayer money) in order to restore the credit markets that are needed to keep other businesses afloat.

But when I spoke to auto dealer Bob Hatfield of Hatfield Buick GMC in Redlands on Friday, he said customers are still not able to get the credit needed to purchase new vehicles. The context of that interview? President Bush's decision to use the bailout pool to loan $17.4 billion to General Motors and Chrysler.

I know I won't be the first person to note that Congress and the President were much tougher on the automakers than financiers. But it does seem odd that national leaders who were eager to set aside a $700 billion pool for financial firms suddenly got tough when auto firms asked for a much smaller amount of assistance. Even if the bailout is the best possible policy,

The president announced Friday that General Motors and Chrysler have three months to prove to the government that their companies can survive. The wire article posted below reports that financial firms were given no such ultimatums and that the Treasury Department didn't even to ask how banks would use billions in taxpayer money.

That, San Bernardino, is not oversight. It is an oversight.

Here's the full article.

Where'd the bailout money go? Shhhh, it's a secret

By MATT APUZZO
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON -- Think you could borrow money from a bank without saying what you were going to do with it?

Well, apparently when banks borrow from you they don't feel the same need to say how the money is spent.

After receiving billions in aid from U.S. taxpayers, the nation's largest banks say they can't track exactly how they're spending it. Some won't even talk about it.

"We're choosing not to disclose that," said Kevin Heine, spokesman for Bank of New York Mellon, which received about $3 billion.

Thomas Kelly, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, which received $25 billion in emergency bailout money, said that while some of the money was lent, some was not, and the bank has not given any accounting of exactly how the money is being used.

"We have not disclosed that to the public. We're declining to," Kelly said.

The Associated Press contacted 21 banks that received at least $1 billion in government money and asked four questions:

How much has been spent?

What was it spent on?

How much is being held in savings, and what's the plan for the rest?

None of the banks provided specific answers.

"We're not providing dollar-in, dollar-out tracking," said Barry Koling, a spokesman for Atlanta, Ga.-based SunTrust Banks Inc., which got $3.5 billion in taxpayer dollars.

Some banks said they simply didn't know where the money was going.

"We manage our capital in its aggregate," said Regions Financial Corp. spokesman Tim Deighton, who said the Birmingham, Ala.-based company is not tracking how it is spending the $3.5 billion it received as part of the financial bailout.

The answers highlight the secrecy surrounding the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which earmarked $700 billion -- about the size of the Netherlands' economy -- to help rescue the financial industry. The Treasury Department has been using the money to buy stock in U.S. banks, hoping that the sudden inflow of cash will get banks to start lending money.

There has been no accounting of how banks spend that money. Lawmakers summoned bank executives to Capitol Hill last month and implored them to lend the money -- not to hoard it or spend it on corporate bonuses, junkets or to buy other banks. But there is no process in place to make sure that's happening and there are no consequences for banks that
don't comply.

"It is entirely appropriate for the American people to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent in private industry," said Elizabeth Warren, the top congressional watchdog overseeing the financial bailout.

But, at least for now, there's no way for taxpayers to find that out.

Pressured by the Bush administration to approve the money quickly, Congress attached nearly no strings to the $700 billion bailout in October. And the Treasury Department, which doles out the money, never asked banks how it would be spent.

"Those are legitimate questions that should have been asked on Day One," said Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., a House Financial Services Committee member who opposed the bailout as it was rushed through Congress.

"Where is the money going to go to? How is it going to be spent? When are we going to get a record on it?"

Nearly every bank AP questioned -- including Citibank and Bank of America, two of the largest recipients of bailout money -- responded with generic public relations statements explaining that the money was being used to strengthen balance sheets and continue making loans to ease the credit crisis.

A few banks described company-specific programs, such as JPMorgan Chase's plan to lend $5 billion to nonprofit and health care companies next year.

Richard Becker, senior vice president of Wisconsin-based Marshall & Ilsley Corp., said
the $1.75 billion in bailout money allowed the bank to temporarily stop foreclosing on homes.

But no bank provided even the most basic accounting for the federal money.

Some said the money couldn't be tracked. Bob Denham, a spokesman for North Carolina-based BB&T Corp., said the bailout money "doesn't have its own bucket."

But he said taxpayer money wasn't used in the bank's recent purchase of a Florida
insurance company.

Asked how he could be sure, since the money wasn't being tracked, Denham said the bank would have made that deal regardless.

Others, such as Morgan Stanley spokeswoman Carissa Ramirez, offered to discuss the matter with reporters on condition of anonymity. When AP refused, Ramirez sent an e-mail saying: "We are going to decline to comment on your story."

Most banks wouldn't say why they were keeping the details secret.

"We're not sharing any other details. We're just not at this time," said Wendy Walker, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Comerica Inc., which received $2.25 billion from the government.

One didn't even want to say they wouldn't say.

Heine, the New York Mellon Corp. spokesman who said he wouldn't share spending specifics, added: "I just would prefer if you wouldn't say that we're not going to discuss those details."

The banks which came closest to answering the questions were those, such as U.S. Bancorp and Huntington Bancshares Inc., that only recently received the money and have yet to spend it.

But neither provided anything more than a generic summary of how the money would be spent.

Lawmakers say they want to tighten restrictions on the remaining, yet-to-be-released $350 billion block of bailout money before more cash is handed out. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the department is trying to step up its monitoring of bank spending.

"What we've been doing here is moving, I think, with lightning speed to put necessary programs in place, to develop them, implement them, and then we need to monitor them while we're doing this," Paulson said at a recent forum in New York. "So we're building this organization as we're going."

Warren, the congressional watchdog appointed by Democrats, said her oversight panel will try to force the banks to say where they've spent the money.

"It would take a lot of nerve not to give answers," she said.

But Warren said she's surprised she even has to ask.

"If the appropriate restrictions were put on the money to begin with, if the appropriate transparency was in place, then we wouldn't be in a position where you're trying to call every recipient and get the basic information that should already be in public documents," she said.

Garrett, the New Jersey congressman, said the nation might never get a clear answer on where hundreds of billions of dollars went.

Associated Press writers Stevenson Jacobs in New York and Christopher S. Rugaber and Daniel Wagner in Washington
contributed to this report.

Here are memos and letters related today's story on the City Council's decision to cancel San Bernardino's contract with Los Padrinos in favor of a city run anti-graffiti team.

Los Padrinos documents.pdf

I received an interesting call from a reader this week who informed me that an Orange County Superior Court judge has ruled against the city of Fullerton's ability to issue photo enforcement tickets for red light violations.

The problem, in the view of Commissioner Allen Kelley Stone, was that Fullerton's contract with Nestor Traffic Systems contains a provision to renegotiate the fee that the city pays to Nestor for operating the cameras.

San Bernardino also contracts with Nestor. It's not yet clear if Stone's ruling will have any repercussions here, but the legal issues are interesting.

Stone wrote that "the provision that fees could be renegotiated 'down' if it is determined fees paid to NTS exceed 'net program revenues being realized,' indirectly ties fees to NTS to the amount of revenue generated from the program. If insufficient revenue is generated to cover the monthly fee, the fee could be 'negotiated down.' As such, NTS has an incentive to ensure sufficient revenues are generated to cover the monthly fee."

California law prohibits cities from signing pay-per-ticket contracts. Fullerton Police Lt. Kevin Hamilton oversees traffic enforcement in that city and said the renegotiation clause was never exercised.

"We were in compliance," Hamilton said.

For the time being, Orange County courts will not uphold photo enforcement tickets issued in Fullerton, Hamilton said. He said Stone's ruling may be appealed and that Fullerton's city attorney is slated to meet with Nestor's counsel to renegotiate the deal.

I have yet to confirm whether San Bernardino's contract has the same provision that Stone objected to in Orange County. If the clause is there, Stone's ruling would not force San Bernardino to stop issuing photo enforcement tickets since San Bernardino is not in Orange County.

Whether or not a similar case in San Bernardino County will result in a similar ruling or whether officials' expectation of a similar case leads them to alter policies remains to be seen.

From Mayor Pat Morris' office:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS PROVIDES HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR SAN BERNARDINO YOUTH

-- Tribe to donate sports equipment for distribution to city youth through Operation Phoenix --

DECEMBER 16, 2008

SAN BERNARDINO, CA - On Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at 7:30 a.m., San Bernardino Mayor Patrick J. Morris and representatives from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will shop for sports equipment at the Big 5 Sporting Goods store at 245 North E. Street in San Bernardino. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has offered to donate sports equipment to 150 needy youth in San Bernardino this holiday season. The sports equipment will be distributed to qualified youth at the City's community centers in the Operation Phoenix areas.

"I continue to be impressed with the generosity of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and the multitude of ways they give back to our community," said Mayor Pat Morris. "Through the Children's Fund and Operation Phoenix Foundation, we are again providing holiday gifts to families in need and youth in our city. During this process, we found there were very few gifts appropriate for our older youth. We are grateful that the Tribe agreed to step-in at the last moment and help us fill that void through the donation of sports equipment, which is a wonderful gift that encourages healthy activity and lifestyles for our youth."

"The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is happy once again to team up with Mayor Morris to make the Holidays just a kittle brighter for some of the children in the city of San Bernardino," said James Ramos, San Manuel tribal chairman. "We wish all the children and families our sincere best for the Holiday Season and a joyous New Year!"

Several commenters have made their case today on SB Now that Fifth Ward Councilman Chas Kelley's reason for supporting a city takeover of graffiti abatement stems to his beef with Los Padrinos Youth Services over trees that were planted - and died - in the area around where E Street becomes Kendall Drive, near Castaway Restaurant.

"If anyone's saying it's about trees, that's bunk," Kelley said.

The scuttlebutt among those who think Kelley has something personal against Los Padrinos seems to be based on the idea that Kelley wanted trees planted near the restaurant and when the landscaping failed to thrive, decided to have Los Padrinos run out of town.

Los Padrinos has contracted with San Bernardino for several years to remove graffiti around town. The organization's tool kit includes a water sprayer and Kelley and Los Padrinos director Max Alonso both said that cleanup crews for a time were tasked with watering the new landscaping. The events happened back in 2007, Alonso said.

Kelley's account of the story is that since Los Padrinos could not legally stop their trucks on the curvy road near the trees to water the plants, the trees could not be watered and died.

"Unfortunately, the trees died. I was disappointed but it wasn't Los Padrinos' fault," he said.

Alonso remembered things differently. Although he did not accuse Kelley of wanting to take away Los Padrinos' contract because of the trees, he said that he has not been on friendly terms with Kelley since the trees died..

On the broader issue of Los Padrinos' contract, Kelley said the reason he and others wanted city staffers to take over graffiti abatement is for quality control reasons. Kelley said he was dissatisfied with Los Padrinos' record keeping and although a city-run program will cost more, he echoed interim Code Enforcement chief Wayne Harp's assessment that San Bernardino will create a "Cadillac" program.

For example, Kelley said, city staffers who are set to begin working in January are expected to repaint entire walls that have been vandalized, rather than do patch up work with colors that may not match surrounding paint.

He further argued against the notion he sought to kill Los Padrinos' contract out of spite because two other council members and Mayor Pat Morris (breaking a 3-3 tie) also cast votes on Nov. 3 to make graffiti abatement a city-run operation.

"If this was just a Chas Kelley thing it would have crashed and burned," he said.

Los Padrinos Youth Services will not see 2009, director Max Alonso said this morning.

Los Padrinos has contracted with San Bernardino to remove graffiti for 16 years and its last day will be Dec. 30, Alonso said in a telephone interview. The organization employs ex offenders to clean away taggers' messes.

The City Council on Monday voted 4-2 to authorize the hiring of a new in-house graffiti clean up crew. Mayor Pat Morris said during Monday's meeting that there was a chance Los Padrinos could stay alive as a nonprofit contractor tasked with boarding up abandoned buildings.

But Alonso said definitively that such a plan will not happen.

Alonso also said that it's not true that he planned to retire. The idea was carried by multiple voices Monday night but he said it was city officials who made the decision for him to retire by ending Los Padrinos' contract.

"The city's got its head in its underwear," Alonso said.

Sixth Ward Councilman Rikke Van Johnson was appointed as Mayor Pro Tempore by a 4-2 council vote Monday night.

Generally, a council member in any city holding the Mayor Pro Tem position assumes the mayor's duties at city council meetings whenever the mayor is absent. The posting is little more than honorific that council members give to a respected colleague.

San Bernardino is different. As Mayor Pro Tem, Johnson will have authority to decide who among his five council colleagues will sit on the various committees that focus on specific city issues like the budget, law enforcement and new laws.

That power was previously held by First Ward Councilwoman Esther Estrada, who had the authority to make committee assignments by virtue of her status as the longest-serving member of the City Council.

The council made the decision to choose who gets to make committee assignments in October. Estrada and 7th Ward Councilwoman Wendy McCammack decried the move as a power grab. Their argument was that Estrada was being punished for seeking to use the council's rarely exercised subpoena power to investigate Operation Phoenix.

Third Ward Councilman Tobin Brinker pushed for the change. He said at the time that his idea was not about Operation Phoenix but making the council more democratic.

The council did not issue any subpoenas. Estrada and McCammack were the only members to support the plan. Operation Phoenix is an anti-crime program involving police, recreation and other programs that was dogged by scandal after recreation supervisor Mike Miller was arrested in July on suspicion of child molestation. He has been charged with more than twenty felony counts and has pleaded not guilty.

Estrada and McCammack repeated their line of thinking Monday, and Estrada accused Johnson of working against her in exchange for the chance to hold a leadership position.

"I was never, to put it simply, double-crossed until now," said Estrada, who lamented that a history of close cooperation between herself and representatives of the 6th Ward (both contain Westside neighborhoods) has come to end.

"May you enjoy your title, and whatever that comes with it, up to and including tearing up the special relationship that has always existed between the council members of the 1st and 6th wards," she said.

Johnson did not address Estrada's accusations Monday. After being named to the post, he said it will be his plan to rotate committee memberships "so they (council members) won't feel that by sitting on a committee for a long time that they have taken ownership of the committee."

In an interview Tuesday, Johnson denied that he voted to reduce Estrada's role within the council to elevate himself. He said having the council select its own leader is a better way to run city business.

"Just because it's tradition doesn't mean it's the best way of doing things," he said, adding his view that giving his colleagues a chance to serve on new panels will make them smarter.

"You learn more about the functions of the city in those different capacities," he said.

Johnson also acknowledged that his political relationship with Estrada "may be broken down."

"Whether we always have a relationship, maybe, maybe not," he said. "I don't have anything against her. I've learned a lot from her."

The council voted tonight to allow the hiring of seven new employees to take over graffiti abatement.

The vote was a touchy subject because the plan could spell the end of Los Padrinos Youth Services, a contractor that has previously been San Bernardino's on-call force to clear away tagging.

The council voted 4-2 to greenlight the hiring plan. Councilmen Dennis Baxter, Tobin Brinker, Chas Kelley and Rikke Van Johnson voted for the move.

Councilwomen Esther Estrada and Wendy McCammack voted no.

Los Padrinos director Max Alonso did not speak at the council meeting. He has previously said that losing the San Bernardino contract could be the end of his organization.

City officials said during the night's discussions that Alonso has planned to retire. SB Now will attempt to contact Alonso during business hours Tuesday for more information.

The council's action allows the Public Services Department to hire six new maintenance workers and a new lead maintenance worker. The hires are expected to cost $637,000 over the first six months of 2009.

Los Padrinos Youth Services has given former offenders a chance to find jobs clearing up graffiti. Carolina Chavez, who spoke in favor of the contractor, said before the council voted that she objected to the plan because people who have worked for Los Padrinos will not be able to work for the city.

"They all applied," she said. "Within a week they all received a decline letter because of their records."

Mayor Pat Morris said there may be some possibility that Los Padrinos could survive as a nonprofit that the city would hire to board up vacant properties. As of tonight, that idea was more of a concept than a plan.

Kelley, who represents the city's Fifth Ward, maintained that Los Padrinos has failed to adequately clean up graffiti. He said vandalism in the downtown area is an embarrassment to the entire city.

"Business provide services and goods, and when they don't provide services and goods efficiently they go out of business," Kelley said.

He added his view that the city wasn't getting its money's worth for the $59,000 per month that Los Padrinos received.

Taking graffiti abatement operations in house will be more costly for San Bernardino than contracting with Los Padrinos. Brinker, who represents the Third Ward, said that the plan will allow San Bernardino officials to have more control over the quality of graffiti removal work.

McCammack opined that the move will not work out. She said she was concerned that San Bernardino may not be able to afford the costs of keeping the new maintenance workers on staff.

She also maintained the new plan abandons the rehabilitation efforts that were part of Los Padrinos' approach.

"I'd rather give it to Los Padrinos, at least they keep people off the street," McCammack said.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - There's a sequel planned for the downtown movie theater.
Los Angeles-based Maya Cinemas is now poised to do business at the Fourth Street theater that until recently housed CinemaStar.

The City Council -acting as the commission that oversees redevelopment - approved the $4.6 million sale of the theater property Monday night by unanimous vote.

The theater building has been vacant since late September when CinemaStar's operators shut down. It was something of a surprise ending for San Bernardino movie goers.

Maya Cinemas plans to renovate the entire theater, which may reopen as early as Feb. 27.

Company CEO Moctesuma Esparza said his company will need to create a new experience at the theater in order to attract CinemaStar's lost business.

"When we open the theater again, it's got to look and feel different," he said. "It's got to have enough pizzazz. The people are going to feel differently (about the redesigned cinema) than about the old theater."

Maya Cinemas emerged as the heir apparent to CinemaStar in late October when the City Council granted the firm an exclusive right to negotiate with San Bernardino officials to buy the cinema.

Nevertheless, representatives of two other movie exhibitors came to Monday's City Council meeting to ask for the council to give them a chance to buy the theater.

The San Bernardino Economic Development Agency owned the movie theater while CinemaStar was still in business. Maya Cinemas' purchase of the property paves the way for San Bernardino officials to exit the business of socialized film exhibition.

The deal is also expected to lead to new development in the area, as Maya Cinemas have asserted that the company plans to not only refurbish the movie theater but to complete a multi-phase project involving new retail and restaurants.

Esparza promises that the redesigned theater will feature an Imax screen for large-format movies.

The City Council held off of its approval of the plan in November because of concerns about the financing plan. EDA officials plan to seek more than $8 million in loans from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help Maya remodel the Fourth Street theater.

Interim EDA chief Emil Marzullo said Maya's anticipated cash flow is expected to repay the loan, which will be leveraged against San Bernardino's ability to receive Community Development Block Grants.

The city receives about $3.7 million worth of CDBG funds per year. The money can be used for a variety of purposes.

Marzullo said he's confident that Maya will hold up its end of the deal. He does not expect San Bernardino to lose any grants because of Monday's council vote.
"The chances of that are slim and none," he said.

Here's an issue that we'll be following. The California Air Resources Board on Friday approved new diesel regulations that are expected to affect the state's entire trucking industry.

Proponents of the new rules say that diesel trucks are a major source of air pollution and that more stringent rules are needed to reduce toxic smog that hovers over the state's freeways. Voices within the trucking industry had sought rules that would have been somewhat easier on trucking companies. The industry did not deny that pollution exists but truckers maintained that the current recession makes them less than excited about the prospect of having to purchase new trucks.

The ARB's announcement follows after the jump:

Today's City Council agenda will give officials a chance to sell the CinemaStar property downtown to Los Angeles-based Maya Cinemas.

Emil Marzullo, the interim head of the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency, recommends that the council approve the sale. The report prepared for the meeting shows that Maya would pay $4.6 million for the property.

The sale was stalled last month because the financing plan was not fully worked out. The plan calls for an $8 million-plus federal loan to help Maya Cinemas renovate the theater building.

Maya's plans call for an Imax theater to be built at the site as well.

U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Anaheim, does not represent the Inland Empire. Nevertheless, her annual tradition of sending Christmas cards to her constituents, is something that prompts a few laughs from political observers (OK, bloggers) from different corners of this great nation.

This year, the distinguished gentlelady from Orange County shows herself riding a motorcycle on a southwestern highway while wearing a revealing tank top. Her cat, which in a previous card was shown with it's tail on fire, also goes along for the ride.

The Orange County Register has a slideshow.

Third District Supervisor Neil Derry has endorsed Fred Shorett, a potential candidate for an upcoming special election to decide who will fill a City Council vacancy.

Shorett, a business-minded Republican, is planning to make a go for the City Council seat that Derry held until being sworn in as Supervisor on Dec. 1.

Dena Peters, also a registered Republican, has also filed papers needed to prepare for a campaign. The council seat is officially nonpartisan and the formal nomination period is scheduled to begin Dec. 18 and to end Jan. 8.

Derry represented San Bernardino's 4th Ward, which is the northeastern part of the city.

The election is scheduled to be conducted on March 17. City officials plan to conduct the vote almost entirely by mail-in ballot.

I'm still waiting to find out how drivers who erroneously received red light tickets at a Westside intersection can remedy their situation.

The problem with the tickets is that until Nov. 18, drivers passing through the intersection of Ninth Street and Mount Vernon Avenue were not given enough time to stop. Police acknowledged in a recent TV news report that the yellow light interval was one-half second too short. A red light camera system snapped photos of drivers who received tickets despite the timing error.

The error has already prompted city officials to announce that citations issued before the yellow light problem was corrected will be dismissed. However's it's still not clear what procedures need to be followed so motorists can clear their driving records and get their money back.

Echoing Police Capt. Scott Paterson, City Attorney James F. Penman said Thursday that the tickets will be dismissed. He said late in the day that his office was waiting to hear from court officials what people need to do to clear their cases.

It was not certain if drivers need to visit San Bernardino County Superior Court to resolve their situation. Generally, drivers who fail to take care of a ticket by legal deadlines get arrest warrants, so it may be necessary for people to go to court even though the fines will not be collected.

Another issue is how drivers who already paid tickets will be able to get their money back. Word is that the City Manager's office is handling that work. SB Now has left a message with the responsible employee and is waiting for additional details.

Here's the National Orange Show Events Center's statement on the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees decision to strike. The local chapter of the IATSE decided to picket last Friday and Saturday, and the union says the crux of their disagreement is that stagehands have worked without a contract since 2006.

The statement:

"The management of the National Orange Show has always been ready, willing and available to meet with the IATSE union in good faith. There are legitimate and honest differences of opinion between both parties, which should be resolved at the bargaining table, not on a picket line.

"The strike and picketing this past weekend was an obvious attempt on the part of IATSE to intimidate those in attendance at holiday charitable events held on the grounds of the National Orange Show. It is unfortunate that IATSE has chosen this unwarranted method of protest, rather than meeting with the National Orange Show managment.

"The National Orange Show has not prohibited IATSE crews from working on the National Orange Show grounds. Indeed, IATSE crews were working on the grounds last Friday and Saturday.

"To our patrons, we regret any inconvenience this has caused, or may cause."

More than 300 volunteers arrived Thursday morning at Nunez Park to help build a new playground.

The project is the third time that city parks officials and Kaboom, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, have joined forces to build a new playground at a city facility. Kaboom also helped a San Bernardino charter school build a playground this year.

Many of the volunteers came from Home Deport stores in the Inland Empire and other parts of Southern California.

I spoke with a gentleman at one of the region's larger churches Wednesday our city desk got a tip that the number of people seeking food has significantly increased lately. He confirmed that, but was unwilling to let us come by to do an article. He said he was worried that publicity would attract more hungry to the church and overwhelm the congregation's ability to supply food.

Another reporter has also told me that Mary's Mercy Center on the Westside has seen a 25 percent increase in the number of poor and others served. Mary's Mercy Center helps people get food, clothing, showers, etc.

The contenders:

1. In the West Coast corner is California. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced today that "we're heading towards a financial Armageddon." The governor issued a press release reporting that the state is $14.8 billion in the red, which is more than $3 billion worse than the figure that was used as recently as Tuesday.

Top state officials say California's financial picture is so bad that the government's ability to issue bonds may freeze within weeks. They speak of a scenario in which California loses its ability to pay for public works projects, a turn of events that could cost as many as 200,000 jobs. This of course, is all at a time when political leaders are offering proposals to funnel money into infrastructure projects as a means to help those who are already unemployed to find work.

2.In the Midwest Corner is Illinois. The state is home to Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, who along with his chief of staff, were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of a mind-boggling degree of corruption.

The federal allegations against the Illinois governor include conspiracy to sell Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder and to extort the Tribune Co. into firing members of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a news conference Tuesday in regards to Illinois that "if it isn't the most corrupt state in the United State's, it's certainly one hell of a competitor."

Fitzgerald's quote was good enough to make The Daily Show's "moment of zen." But what do you think San Bernardino? Does California have more problems than Illinois? Or is it the other way around?

By Andrew Edwards
[BYSOURCE]Staff Writer
[BODY]SAN BERNARDINO -- Yoli Catalano paid nearly $450 after receiving a ticket based on photo evidence that she ran a red light.

Catalano's predicament may seem straightforward. Pay the ticket and move on. But there's a twist.

After paying her ticket, Catalano, a San Bernardino resident in her seventies, found out that the traffic signal at the crossing wasn't set up properly because the yellow light interval was off by a fraction of a second, meaning that she and other drivers had less time to react to by the time the red light gave the sigbal to stop.

"It was yellow, and immediately, when I went in to the intersection the flash was on," Catalano recalled. "I thought, 'Geez, that was fast. It couldn't have been for me.'"

But it was. Catalano's ticket claimed she ran a red light at the intersection of Ninth Street and Mount Vernon Avenue on Oct. 21.

San Bernardino Police spokesman Capt. Scott Paterson said authorities will not collect fines from people who received tickets while the yellow light's timing was off.

"While it's still a violation, in fairness to people, we need dismiss these tickets," Paterson said Wednesday. "When we're off, we're off. We need to fix it up."

In regards to people like Catalano, who have already paid, Paterson said there will be an avenue to seek refunds. He did not have access to specifics late Wednesday and pledged to supply details today.

Catalano said that after spending money on the fine and traffic school, her son told her about a television news report regarding the yellow light problem at the intersection where a red light camera took her picture.

San Bernardino Police confirmed in a Channel 9 (KCAL) new story aired Dec. 1 that the yellow light internal at Ninth and Mount Vernon was one-half second too short.

"It's a trap," Catalano said. "My son is a police officer in Huntington Beach and he said that's a trap. Those things are money makers."

Police told the TV station that the error was corrected on Nov. 18. That's nearly one month after Catalano was accused of running a red light at the intersection.

Los Angeles County faced a similar issue in 2003 when a red light camera system at an East Los Angeles intersection snapped photos of drivers when the light was still yellow.

A judge then reversed more than 2,000 convictions and ordered at least $500,000 in fines to be refunded, according to a 2003 article in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

California Treasurer Bill Lockyer told state legislators on Monday that California's fiscal situation is so dire that the state government may be unable to finance infrastructure and other projects within two weeks.

The Associated Press reports that Lockyer warned that unless lawmakers can solve an $11.2 billion shortfall, about $5 billion in loans for highway, school and other projects would be denied.

I spoke to Caltrans spokeswoman Rose Melgoza today, who said Lockyer's warning does not mean that highway crews will stop working in two weeks if the Legislature fails to solve the financial crisis.

Melgoza said maintenance work and projects that have already been financed will go forward. What's at risk, she said, are bond-funded projects that are otherwise on track to be accomplished within a time frame of about five years.

Examples of projects that may be in jeopardy, Melgoza said, include the addition of a slow lane for trucks on the eastbound lanes of the 10 Freeway between Live Oak Canyon Road in Yucaipa and Ford Street in Redlands. Another is freeway widening and interchange improvements along the the 10 at Cherry, Citrus and Cedar avenues in Fontana and Rialto.

Melgoza said the 215 widening project that's in progress in San Bernardino will not be canceled if the state's financial mechanism falls apart in the way Lockyer described.

Here's an extra-long document from the U.S. Conference of Mayors that was referred to in today's "Road to Recovery" article. The document has a bevy of public works projects that San Bernardino and other cities are showcasing as efforts that could immediately move forward if Congress accepts President-elect Barack Obama's proposal to spend a mountain of money on infrastructure and other projects in an attempt to stimulate the economy.

Potential projects - and funding requests - for SB include $8 million for hangar upgrades at San Bernardino International Airport, $16 million for capital improvements at Rowe and Villasenor libraries, $22 million for seismic retrofitting and renovations at City Hall and $223 million for a light rail line linking San Bernardino to Redlands.

The National Weather Service reports that a high wind warning for the San Bernardino region will be in effect until 10 p.m. tonight.

The winds are generated from high pressure over the Great Basin region. As many local commuters know, the Santa Anas can make driving along the 15 and 210 freeways into a kind of mini adventure.

A number of local governments are hosting a "Business Survival Workshop" Tuesday morning at the Gonzales Center in Colton.

Reservations will be required. Here is the event flyer.

The stagehands union at the National Orange Show Events Center has gone on strike.

Rob Szoke, the business agent for the local chapter of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said the union has worked without a contract for two years. He said the union represents about 80 employees.

He said employees picketed Friday and Saturday, but were not on the lines today. He said he's optimistic that the dispute can be resolved within the week.

"We just had a little practice strike," he said. "I don't think anyone wants this. No one ever does."

A representative of the National Orange Show Events Center could not be reached immediately for comment. SB Now will post any response as soon one is received.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- Nick DePasquale sells Fords but wants his competition at General Motors to stay alive.

DePasquale, a partner at Fairview Ford in San Bernardino, says that during the past few years, the word around Ford was "not to root against GM."

The idea of team Ford wanting General Motors to succeed may seem about as likely as a UCLA Bruins fan shouting "Fight on" during Saturday's rivalry game against the USC Trojans.

But DePasquale says that Ford won't be able to survive if General Motors goes belly up.
His reason? He reasons that American companies that manufacture automotive components get most of their business from General Motors. If General Motors fades away, its suppliers could be the next companies to go out of business.

DePasquale said that would lead to Ford facing the possibly fatal problem of not being able to buy the components needed to assemble the cars and trucks that he sells at his dealership.

"Our future is tenuous without a manufacturer," said DePasquale, who would in turn be faced with the choice of closing up shop or selling another line of vehicles if Ford crashes.

"It wouldn't be an easy road and it would be a terrible economy to reinvent yourself," he said later
For DePasquale and other auto dealers, Congress' decision could determine whether they have to reengineer their careers.

The Big Three automakers went to Washington, D.C. on Thursday in another attempt to obtain $34 billion in federal assistance at a time when American politics is being dominated by news of once-towering firms seeking government bailouts.

"No thinking person thinks that all three companies can survive," Sen. Bob Corker, R--Tennessee, said.

Congress -- quick to provide billions worth of assistance to financial institutions -- seems to be less willing to provide a bailout package to Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.

"Be honest and tell me ... just tell me if things stay the way they are now, are you going to be back in a year asking for more money?," Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. asked.

Senator Richard Shelby, cq a Republican from Alabama, questioned whether the Big Three could do more than sustain their troubled firms for a few months and whether automakers would be able to repay billions in federal assistance.

Auto executives became something of a laughingstock after the public learned that they flew aboard private jets on their previous Capitol trip in search federal aid. This time, Big Three leaders made their journey in environmentally-fashionable hybrid vehicles.

Executives have agreed to government oversight similar to that which could be exercised by a bankruptcy court, if Congress agrees to a bailout.

"I probably need to think about that a little bit. It sounds right, but I just don't know all of the implications," Ford chief executive Alan Mulally said.

But management and labor alike reject the notion of doing business under bankruptcy protections.

Ron Gettelfinger, president of United Auto Workers, rejected bankruptcy, maintaining that Americans would not by cars from bankrupt manufacturers.

Inland Empire economist John Husing said that if the Big Three collapse, the most obvious repercussions in around the San Bernardino region will be the affect on auto dealerships.

The area has already lost several dealerships, including Moss Bros. Ford in Colton, Center Chevrolet in San Bernardino and Saturn of Loma Linda. Husing noted that additional closures would not only add to region's unemployment but further the problems of local governments that need sales tax revenues to pay their bills.

Regarding the auto bailout, Husing said his own mind is divided on whether Congress should provide the aid. He said traditional bankruptcy protections may provide a better alternative.
"It is to take companies that are dire financial straits and give them a pause where they can reorganize," Husing said.

"It wipes out shareholders. It wipes out the creditors," he added. "The major political difficulty is it wipes out the union contracts."

Like Husing, Cal State San Bernardino economics professor Thomas Pierce said the part of the inland economy that's most clearly going to affected by the outcome of the bailout debate will be auto dealerships.

Pierce had a more favorable view of the proposed bailout, provided that the Big Three can present a satsifactory survival plan to Congress.

General Motors, for example, has proposed increasing its efforts to produce alternative fuel vehicles while also cutting back on its brands and dealerships while also seeking other cost reductions.
General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner has also agreed to cut his salary to $1 per year if Washington agrees to the bailout.

San Bernardino is hosting a Housing Summit tonight to discuss the city's future housing needs.

The Inland Empire has taken a bruising during the current foreclosure crisis and the summit could be a chance to learn about how San Bernardino officials are reacting to economic developments.

The meeting is scheduled to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at the former Woolworth building at 396 North E Street.

Here's an unusual piece of news from New York City. The Daily News "stole" the Empire State Building by drafting fake documents as part of a story on real estate fraud.

Here's the link.

I spoke with SBPD information technology manager Michael Eckley today during the department's open house. Eckley's job includes upgrading the Police Department's Web site, which is scheduled for improvements in the wake of this year's decision to close down the department's community policing substations.

The planned upgrades - public access to crime maps, more contact information posted for commanders and key officers, etcetera - are clearly good ideas. That said, it's hard to see how any Internet service can replace a brick-and-mortar substation that provided San Bernardino residents a place to meet police personnel on a face-to-face basis. As I've reported previously, the Redlands Police Department was also forced by budget pressures to close substations in 2007.

Although I don't know offhand whether other departments have made similar cutbacks, it's more likely than not that 2009 will be a year of tough choices for Inland Empire governments. The tax revenues just aren't going to be enough to avoid budget cuts.

Wednesday's open house also afforded what appeared to be more than 50 residents a chance to walk through SBPD's station and see department equipment, including a new SWAT team van that has room for eight officers, weapons and ammo and a computer system that Lt. Dave Harp said will allow SWAT officers to be self-sufficient in the field.

Here's a short article that's set to run in The Sun about SBPD's plans to upgrade their Web site and patrol car technology:

The city library's Acadmey of Public Scholars' next discussion will revolve around 16th century humanist Michel de Montaigne's "An Apology for Raymond Sebond."

Here's some excerpt's from an Oregon State University description of the work:

"Who is Raymond Sebond, and why does he need an Apology? If you are not familiar with the classical use of the word "apology" as in Plato's dialogue of that name, an apology is a defense. Raymond Sebond was a Spanish theologian (possibly a Catalan) who wrote a book called Natural Theology or The Book of Creatures, written in the 1420s or 30s. The book, written in scholastic Latin, aims to firmly establish one in the Catholic faith, free of wavering and doubt. ...

"Why did Montaigne write a defense of the Natural Theology and given that Sebond's book aimed to remove man's doubts, what role could skepticism play in such a defense? In Montaigne's hands, Sebond's method shows enlightened Christians that revealed truths and the book of Nature properly read say the same things. The Apology is divided into two sections which correspond to two assertions of Sebond. The first is that man, when properly enlightened can read the book of Nature correctly. The second is that without God's grace, man can never read the book of Nature correctly. Sebond had been criticized on the grounds that "...Christians do themselves wrong in wishing to support their belief with human reason; belief is grasped only by faith and by private inspiration from God's grace." (quoted in Screech trans, An Apology for Raymond Sebond Pg. xvi). Montaigne dismisses this view rather quickly. Once one has Faith, it is reasonable to draw on ones other faculties to support it. The second, and much longer section of the Apology is aimed to counter the charge that Sebond's arguments that unaided human reason cannot read the book of Nature are weak. It is here that Montaigne deploys his arsenal of skeptical arguments to show that unaided human reason (not to mention the senses) cannot give us knowledge. If we were to look at a complete translation of the Apology for Raymond Sebond, we would find that all of the reading we are going to do comes near the end of the second and largest part of that work."

The Academy of Public Scholars' next meeting is scheduled to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 11 at Panera Bread, 1092 East Hospitality Lane.

Reference librarian Eric Kessler is scheduled to lead the discussion. It's OK to attend without having previously digested Montaigne's essay.

The City Council formally called for a special election to replace outgoing councilman Neil Derry.

Derry resigned as of 11:59 a.m. today to take a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. Until today, Derry represented the city's 4th Ward, which comprises the northeastern part of the city.

The council set the nomination period for candidates wishing to succeed Derry to begin on Dec. 18 and end on Jan. 8. The election, to be conducted almost entirely by mail-in ballot, is set for March 17.

Here's a longer version of an article that Sun county reporter Lauren McSherry and myself wrote on former 4th Ward Councilman Neil Derry's elevation to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

By Lauren McSherry and Andrew Edwards
Staff Writers

Neil Derry was not often in the county's political spotlight during his seven years on the San Bernardino City Council, but he stepped into a larger role by ousting longtime Supervisor Dennis Hansberger in the June 3 election.

On Monday, Derry -- who previously served on behalf of San Bernardino's northeastern area -- was sworn in as 3rd District Supervisor. He now represents a vast territory stretching from San Bernardino north to Big Bear Lake and east to Yucca Valley.

"I plan on bringing new leadership into the 3rd district and the county of San Bernardino," Derry said Monday. "I plan on serving the district aggressively."

Derry exits a City Council that over the course of the past few months has had to confront some divisive issues. Officials have dealt with a range of subjects including the arrest of youth center supervisor on suspicion of child molestation, cops' vote of no confidence in the police chief and budget cuts.

The Board of Supervisors has had its share of drama this year as well. Supervisors acknowledge that some constituents have pressured them to discipline Assessor Bill Postmus, who multiple sources say has battled an addiction to methamphetamine.

Meanwhile, San Bernardino Mountain dwellers -- now represented by Derry -- have been working to rebuild their homes after the Grass Valley and Slide fires devastated their communities in October 2007.

Derry was first elected to the San Bernardino City Council in 2001, defeating former Mayor Bob Holcomb for an opportunity to represent northeastern San Bernardino.

In the seven years since he was first elected, Derry established himself in part as a staunch advocate for public city in a city that has seen more than its share of gang-related violence.

He also experienced a major disaster during his first term. After the Old Fire burned a path through San Bernardino in 2003, Derry supported a move to waive permit and inspection fees for fire victims who sought to rebuild homes in the city.

Derry said Monday after the swearing in ceremony that he was motivated to run for supervisor to address the pockets of crime in the unincorporated areas of San Bernardino and because he perceived a lack of cooperation between the county and city on some issues.

Longtime San Bernardino councilwoman Esther Estrada had a somewhat different take. She noted that she and Derry have different viewpoints - she sees herself as a proponent for social services whereas she considers Derry to be a proponent of business - but said Derry's new job as a county supervisor could be beneficial for the city.

However, she said she was pleased with Hansberger's relationship with the city and said San Bernardino officials can also communicate with 5th District Supervisor Josie Gonzales, who also represents part of the city.

San Bernardino councilwoman Wendy McCammack said she hoped that Derry's elevation to the Board of Supervisors means that he will be able to push new resources to the city to help police supress crime.

Derry has enjoyed strong financial support from law enforcement unions during his campaigns and from has pushed for the San Bernardino Police Department to receive a greater share of public funding.

Derry was at the center of an important debate in 2006, when San Bernardino voters passed Measure Z -- a quarter-cent sales tax hike -- to raise money for crime fighting efforts.
But voters also passed Measure YY, a nonbinding ballot referendum that gave voters a way to tell city officials that they wanted new tax revenues to finance crime prevention programs in addition to beefing up the city's police force.

But to Derry, Measure Z was sold to the public as a "police tax" and after its passage, he argued that the tax's sole purpose should be to enhance policing and code enforcement. A majority of the council initially agreed with him, voting in February 2007 to direct the first batch of Measure Z revenues entirely to the Police Department.

Things would change. For the current budget year, the council opted to spend more than $160,000 in Measure Z funds on programs to keep children away from crime.

Council colleague Dennis Baxter was on the opposite side of Measure Z debate, but nonetheless credited Derry for not changing his position on the subject.

"I've always been an advocate for the aspects of prevention, intervention, as well as policing," Baxter said. "Once again, he was consistent. He wasn't all over the map."

Another councilman, Rikke Van Johnson, said he the city would miss Derry's leadership, although the two are far from ideological twins.

"We were practivally on opposite ends of the spectrum," Johnson said. "But I still respected his view because he was articulate in defending his positions."

Like public safety, the stewardship of taxpayer money is a universal job requirement for all elected officials. As a supervisor, Derry can't escape the financial challenges that all local governments are dealing with as tax revenues plummet in the new recession.

"Every municipality is going to be facing the same issues. We're dealing with limited dollars," Johnson said. "We're going to have to make choices that are not going to be well received by the people."

With Derry so new to the county's political stage, political insiders have been left wondering what direction his leadership style will take.

"My hope is that he finds a way to work closely with his colleagues," said Assemblyman Anthony Adams, R-Claremont. Adams' district stretches to include parts of the San Bernardino Valley.

Asked if he perceived Derry as more of a renegade maverick or a bridge builder, Adams said, "It's difficult to say I would hope for a collaboraritve effort. Politics is a team sport."

Current supervisors Josie Gonzales and Brad Mitzelfelt were also sworn in to four-year terms. During the swearing in ceremony, the supervisors avoided mention of Postmus' name in their speeches although they alluded to the turmoil coming out of the Assessor's Office.

Derry, who ran on a government reform platform, said a proposal for an ethics commission _ designed as an independent body to investigate corruption allegations - is in the works.

Gonzales seemed to be referring to Postmus when, in her speech, she asked voters to evict her from office if she stops doing her best.

"We have enough to deal with individuals who do not take their offices seriously," she said.

Mitzelfelt, won election in June, formerly served as Postmus' chief of staff and was appointed to fill Postmus' seat as supervisor after Postmus was elected assessor in 2006.

In his speech, Mitzelfelt said he had spent 22 months as supervisor, serving out "someone else's term."