November 2009 Archives

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO -- Anthony Acevedo, a World War 2 veteran who labored and starved in a Nazi prison camp, was finally honored by his own government some 65 years after his ordeal.

"There's a lot to say," said Acevedo as he stood Monday before an audience that included several veterans. "If I went into details I would never finish ... I feel gratified. Thank you very much."

Acevedo, a former U.S. Army medic who lives in Yucaipa, was one of 350 Americans who the Germans imprisoned at the Berga prison camp, near the Elder River in Germany. More than 100 Americans held at Berga died in slavery or in a death march in the final weeks of the war.

During Monday's ceremony at San Bernardino County Government Center, Acevedo sat in a place of honor next to Leslie Irwin, the daughter of fellow POW Martin
Wente of Covina. A third honoree, Joseph Littell of Fallbrook, was unable to attend the event.

The Germans captured most of the Berga POWs during the Battle of Bulge, which cost some 19,000 American lives.

Acevedo was sent to the camp after being interrogated by a Gestapo officer who spoke seven languages, could draw on intelligence detailing virtually all of Acevedo's life history and no qualms over torturing Acevedo by piercing his fingernails with needles.

"All I could tell him was 'I know my serial number and my name.' That was it," Acevedo said.

The Brega POWs were taken to the prison camp after being packed into rail cars and forced to stand for the entire journey, Retired Major General Ronald Markarian of the Association of the United States Army said.

The prisoners were then forced to perform tunneling work, barely surviving on a terrible soup made of grass and rotten vegetables or bread baked with sawdust filler.

The prisoners were liberated after being forced to endure April 23, 1945, a mere 15 days before the end of the European war and after being forced to endure a death march at the hands of their enemies.

Of the original 350 captives, about 290 were still alive when the march began in early April 1945, Markarian said. The death march killed about 50 men.

Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino and Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., pushed for the federal government to finally recognize the Berga POW's service.

Baca said 13 Berga prisoners are believed to still be alive in the United States.

"As painful as these stories may be, we've got to hear these stories so we can pass them from one generation to generation," Baca said.

Readers:

Sun colleague Deborah Pfeiffer Trunnell needs your help.

It is the 40th anniversary of the infamous Altamont Speedway Free Festival, held between Tracy and Livermore in 1969.

The much maligned concert is in some circles widely known as the end of the hippie era.

If you were there, please contact reporter Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell at (909)
386-3879.

Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - An inspections program that a top Code Enforcement official calls an effective way to clean up neighborhoods is also raising the ire of landlords who say their properties are being unfairly singled out.

"It's discrimination against me. It's discrimination against my tenants," landlord Donald Yerton said. "I have to pass the costs on to them."

The effort, called the Single-Family Rental Property Inspection Program, started in November 2008 as an anti-blight measure. The program requires landlords to pay a $100 inspection fee for each home that they rent out.

The fee pays for Code Enforcement officers who inspect the exteriors of rental properties. That bill is in addition to the city's business license tax and any costs or fines that property owners incur to correct code violations.

Marianne Milligan, the city's deputy Code Enforcement director, readily acknowledged that the program hasn't helped her department make friends with local landlords but defended the program as a way to enhance the city's appearance.

"It's mixed. Many landlords are ticked off that they have to pay the $100 inspection fee, but if you talk to the neighbors ... they love it," Milligan said.

She said inspections include checks to make sure properties have proper landscaping, are well-painted, have fences in good repair and street numbers that can be easily seen by emergency responders.

Milligan also said landlords whose properties meet code can apply for a two-year break from inspections if they keep their rentals in good shape.

"There's absolutely a way to not have to pay the fee, and that's to maintain your property," she said.

The City Council voted to create the rental inspection program in April 2008.

The council followed that move that year with another strict measure, called administrative civil penalties, that allows a city hearing officer to impose a maximum daily fine of $1,000 for any violation of San Bernardino's municipal code.

According to mid-November statistics, Code Enforcement personnel found some 6,300 rental homes in the city. Department staffers estimate a full count of rental will total 7,000 to 8,000 homes.

Code Enforcement has collected more than $600,000 in revenue through the program. Milligan said the money goes to San Bernardino's general fund, but the program has not proven to be a cash cow for City Hall.

"It pretty much pays for itself and that's it," she said.

The inspection program has eight dedicated Code Enforcement officers, one supervisor and a clerk.

The program ran into a costly glitch earlier this year when many inspection notices were sent via certified homeowners who were not actually renting their properties.

Landlords like Yerton and Jorge Ramos, however, said one of their objections to the program is that homeowners are not being subjected to the same kind of scrutiny as landlords.

Yerton said he rents 10 properties in San Bernardino and maintained the inspections result in higher costs for tenants who cannot afford to buy their own homes.

"Why would these people be treated any differently than people next door? They shouldn't be, just because they are forced into renting," Yerton said.

Ramos, who said he rents out one house in San Bernardino, said he is worried about the program's costs could generate friction between himself and his tenants, who he said are behind on their rent payments.

"Right now they're picking on the middle class, or the lower middle class, in my case," Ramos said.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SEVEN OAKS DAM -- Local water providers are attempting to increase their ability to store H20 before predicted El Nino conditions hopefully bring rain to the Inland Empire.

Efforts to store more water includes work at what's called the Cuttle Weir, downstream from the Seven Oaks Dam.

Water that doesn't pass over the weir, which is higher than the downstream river bed, can be allowed to flow into one the six nearby gates and be used to recharge groundwater basins. The objective of the project, a joint venture between three Inland Empire water agencies, is to raise and strengthen the Cuttle Weir, making it possible to collect more water.

The Santa Ana River bed was dry on Tuesday while welders' tools crackled and glowed blue-white at the work site. But on a wet day, water flowing below the dam could either be collected for local supplies or be allowed to flow over the weir downstream toward the Pacific Ocean.

"What we want to do is to be able to force more water to our spreading grounds," said Manuel Colunga, field operations specialist for the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District.

Colunga's district is responsible for collecting water and storing the precious liquid underground. The other agencies involved in the project are the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and Western Municipal Water District.

The three water districts reached a deal in February 2008 to share water recharge facilities. In October of this year, the California Water Resources Control Board approved requests from San Bernardino Valley Municipal and Western Municipal to take about 200,000 acre-feet of water from Santa Ana River.

An acre-foot is the standard unit for measuring water supplies. An acre-foot contains nearly 326,000 gallons of H20 and is generally considered to be the amount of water needed to supply two families for one year.

The Cuttle Weir currently allows for 150 cubic feet of water to be diverted to spreading ponds, where water sinks down into underground basins.

Claude Seal, the Conservation District's assistant general manager, said in a written announcement that improvements at Cuttle Weir could double that amount, allowing water officials to store as much as an additional 300 acre feet of water during peak rainfalls.

There may be a chance that the winter of 2009-10 will bring some rainfall. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that El Nino conditions will result in California receiving more rainfall than usual.

Doug Headrick, deputy general manager for San Bernardino Valley Municipal, said the Cuttle Weir project could help reduce the Inland Empire's reliance on water from northern California.

Headrick said his district only received 40 percent of its contracted share of Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water this year. The reductions are a product of drought conditions and a federal court ruling intended to protect a fish species called the delta smelt.

"Next year is going to be extremely critical if it doesn't rain in Northern California," Headrick said.
Another in-progress water storage measure is San Bernardino Valley Municipal's purchase, with money from six other agencies, to buy about 16,500 acre feet of Northern California supplies.

Incidentally, the not all of the districts involved in the Cuttle Weir venture have always been on the same side. The Conservation District spent much of the past few years resisting a proposal that would have ended with their agency being folded into San Bernardino Valley Municipal.

Authorities decided to keep the agencies separate this summer.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO -- Some members of the business community may be gearing up to oppose the possible construction of a new government center on land currently occupied by Carousel Mall.

The San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce has created a committee to consider whether a new government center, or as some call it, a Taj Mahal, is a good idea. The Chamber may a take an official position in December or after the new year.

The center, if ever built, would house city and county offices and be one of downtown San Bernardino's most visible buildings. Carousel Mall occupies land just east of the 215 Freeway between Second and Fourth streets.

The question for business and civic leaders is whether a new a government building will be the kind of development that can promote further economic development or if the freeway-visible real estate is too valuable for a bunch of wonks.

Tim Prince, an attorney and member of the Chamber panel that was formed to consider the issue, is convinced that a new government building would be folly.

Prince said he expects future improvements to the 215 Freeway will make the land more attractive to private developers. He also said the many government buildings that are already in San Bernardino have not shown evidence that public sector offices promote economic vitality.

"The idea that a new government tower is going to revitalize downtown San Bernardino is bordering on insanity," Prince said in a telephone interview.

Downtown San Bernardino's government buildings include City Hall, San Bernardino County Government Center, and Rosa Parks Memorial Building, which houses state government offices.
The city's downtown is also the site of California Theatre, two supermarkets, some retail establishments and a handful of restaurants.

There are also, however, a number of vacant buildings in downtown San Bernardino and the area is not as culturally or commercially as strong as nearby Riverside.

In May, San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris went before the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to ask for the county's help in revitalization plans.

Mayoral chief of staff Jim Morrissaid Wednesday the mayor continues to support the new civic center concept.

"We have been in engaged in some active dialogue. With the departure of Mr. Uffer, I hope that doesn't derail things," said Jim Morris, referring to county supervisors' recent dismissal of former county Chief Administrative Officer Mark Uffer.

The mayor's April appearance followed closed-door supervisors meetings on the county's potential purchase of the Carousel Mall site and a consulting firm's presentation that promoted a joint city/county government center as "a monumental gateway that will welcome visitors and create a sense of arrival."

The concept was included in a plan that also focused on entertainment venues as a means to restart the downtown economy.

The consulting firm behind the recommendation, EDAW, was hired by the San Bernardino Economic Development Area.

Another group of experts from the Urban Land Institute visited San Bernardino in 2007. That visit produced a report recommending that existing county offices be improvedstay the building's current location near the intersection of Arrowhead Avenue and Court Street.

The Urban Land Institute also recommended Carousel Mall be replaced with retail, office and residential uses.

Fairview Ford, like Carousel Mall, is an existing business that has a stake in whether a new government center is built. Conceptual maps for the possible complex have shown a pond in the dealership's location.

Fairview Ford partner Nick DePasquale is also on the committee considering the civic center idea. He said he has not made up his mind whether the site is a good location for a government building, but a water feature is out of the question.

"I am not in favor of moving my business," he said.

Employees and middle managers in the city's Integrated Waste Management division earlier this week passed out 26 turkeys and made a $100 donation to Catholic Charities, employee Charles Greenwood said.

"This is the first time our department has ever done something like this," Greenwood said.

He said fellow employee Joe Green deserved particular recognition for coming up with the idea to make the donation. Former Integrated Waste Management staffer Robert Payne arranged the donations with the three charities.

Greenwood said the Salvation Army received 13 turkeys. An equal number of birds ended up in the hands of the Frazee Community Center.

"We plan on making it an annual thing," Greenwood said.

(Photo courtesy of Charles Greenwood.)

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- City Attorney James F. Penman said Wednesday that he has agreed to pay a $5,000 settlement to the state Fair Political Practices Commission over a free membership he accepted at Arrowhead Country Club.

"I didn't think I violated the law, but the FPPC feels differently. ... I have to respect their decisions," Penman said, emphasizing that his settlement is not an admission of any criminal wrongdoing.

Penman said commission staffers concluded that he did not report the full value of his honorary club membership in 2005 and 2006.

FPPC spokesman Roman Porter confirmed that an agreement was reached but said he was unable to discuss details of the investigation.

The FPPC is scheduled to decide on Dec. 10 whether to accept the settlement. The agenda for that meeting is scheduled to be released Monday, Porter said.

The settlement stems from a complaint filed in October 2007, when Penman was seeking re-election as city attorney. The complaint named several other local officials, including former Mayor Judith Valles and former Police Chief Garrett Zimmon.

Valles said there was no enforcement action.

Zimmon initially said he had no comment, adding that "I didn't participate in anything at Arrowhead Country Club."

Penman said it would be cheaper to settle the case instead of fighting the agency in an administrative law court.

He said that his 2007 re-election campaign, plus two attempts to become mayor and the school board campaign of his wife, Judi, have drained his personal finances.

The city attorney provided copies of correspondence between himself and Arrowhead Country Club management related to his honorary membership. In the earliest letter, the club wrote Penman on March 16, 1995, to extend an honorary membership.

Penman replied on March21, 1995, that he could not accept the membership because state law restricts local officials from accepting gifts from a single-source valued at more than $280 per year.

The club replied on April 22, 1995, that the membership would limit Penman to six rounds of golf per year, which the club valued at $180.

An additional letter from the club dated May 5, 1995, says Penman's honorary membership would not even have that value, since Penman would not golf. The letter also said the city attorney would be welcome at the club and could enjoy the establishment's offerings on a pay-as-you-go basis.

That is just what he did when spending time at the club's dining facilities, Penman said Wednesday.

"I paid for everything I used at the country club. Everything I consumed," Penman said.

Penman said he reported the gift on his financial disclosures, but that FPPC officials concluded that he underreported the value of the club membership in 2005 and 2006.

He said his membership ended some time in 2007.

Penman said he has mailed a check to the government, and was directed to make the check payable to California's general fund.

A publishing house's ranking of San Bernardino as America's 46th most crime afflicted city - an improvement from the city's previous ranking - doesn't change the fact that it is still the deadliest Southern California city with more than 100,000 people, Cal State San Bernardino criminologist Stephen Tibbets observed.

If slightly smaller cities were included, San Bernardino would rank second, Tibbets said Wednesday. The deadlier city of Compton's population is just under the 100,000 mark.

Tibbets' remarks come in response to CQ Press' latest crime rankings. The list has San Bernardino at the 46 spot, an improvement from 36 in the 2008 edition.

Each list is based on the previous year's crime stats. As recently as 2004, San Bernardino was ranked as America's 16th-most dangerous city.

Mayor Pat Morris said Tuesday that the new rankings show San Bernardino has "graduated to the next level of safety."

Tibbets disagreed, pointing to the city's continued status as one of Southern California's most murderous locales. He said he was pleased to see that the number of murders has declined, but noted that since the early 1990s, crime has generally dropped in large American cities.

"I think it's great news, I actually see it as the glass is half-full, but there has to be a reality check," Tibbets said. "Really, we are just as bad as we were before he took office."

Morris on Tuesday pointed to a wide array of government efforts including police hiring, GPS anklets for gang parolees, cooperation between the SBPD and ATF, recreation programs in and out of Operation Phoenix and anti-drug and -gang education in schools.

Tibbets said the world is too complex to attribute increases or decreases in crime to single factor, noting the complex interactions of poverty, gun availability, drug use, amount of juvenile offenders, dropouts and unemployment on crime rates.

The criminologist said he owns three personal firearms but said one likely factor in reducing crime since the bloody years of the early 1990s has been efforts like trigger locks or parent accountability laws.

Another factor on the national scene, Tibbets said, could be that violent offenders of the early 1990s have gotten too old to commit the kinds of crimes they did during their youths.

CQ Press' rankings rely on numbers that law enforcement agencies report to the FBI. The FBI cautions against rankings, and Tibbetts said its inevitable that people will make comparisons but agrees with the Bureau that CQ Press' method is flawed.

The rankings incorporate data for murders, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and motor vehicle theft.

Tibbets said murders and vehicle thefts are generally the only statistics that can be relied upon, because even serious crimes can go unreported by victims or misclassified by police. An example could be an aggravated assault that is classified as a misdemeanor attack in a department where brass are trying to improve the city's image.

He said he was not accusing any local departments of fudging data.

But from the perspective of comparing cities, Tibbets said enough departments across the country have been caught downgrading offenses to make any ranking that includes the six crimes counted by CQ Press an unreliable gauge of the relative dangers between cities.

Developing story ...

City Attorney James F. Penman said today that he has agreed to pay a $5,000 settlement to the state's Fair Political Practices Commission over a free membership he accepted at Arrowhead Country Club.

"I didn't think I violated the law, but the FPPC feels differently ... I have to respect their decisions," Penman said, emphasizing that his settlement is not an admission of any criminal wrongdoing.

Penman said his personal finances are drained after his unsuccessful campaigns for mayor, successful re-election for city attorney and his wife's election to school board. He said he decided that it would be cheaper to settle with the FPPC instead of fighting the agency in an administrative law court.

The settlement stems from a complaint filed in Oct. 2007, when Penman was seeking re-election for City Attorney.

Correspondence provided by Penman between himself and Arrowhead Country Club management shows the club wrote Penman on March 16, 1995 to extend an honorary membership.

Penman replied on March 21, 1995 that he could not accept the membership because state law restricts local officials from accepting gifts from a single-source valued at more than $280 per year.

The club replied on April 22, 1995 that the membership would limit Penman to six rounds of golf per year, which in the club's view set the value of membership at $180. An additional letter from the club dated May 5, 1995 states Penman's honorary membership would not even have that value, since Penman would not golf. The letter further stated the city attorney would be welcome at the club and could enjoy the establishment's offerings on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Penman said Wednesday that is just what he did when spending time at the club's dining facilities.

"I paid for everything I used at the country club. Everything I consumed," Penman said.

Penman said he reported the gift but that FPPC officials concluded that he under reported the value of the club membership. He said he has mailed a check to the government.

FPPC spokesman Roman Porter did not immediately have a comment on the situation.

The 215 Freeway's off-ramps at Inland Center Drive are scheduled to be re-opened to motorists by Wednesday, Caltrans reports.

The off-ramps were closed for construction associated with the 215 widening project.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- A new survey of national crime statistics ranks this city as the 46th most dangerous in the United States.

The ranking lists San Bernardino as California's sixth most dangerous city, but signifies an improvement for San Bernardino relative to other cities nationwide.

San Bernardino held the 36th spot in a list released about one year ago, and was America's 16th most crime-afflicted city in 2004's round of numbers.

"We've really graduated to the next level of safety," Mayor Pat Morris said.

Elsewhere, Chino Hills was ranked as San Bernardino County's safest city and the 13th safest in the country.

Publishing house CQ Press released the new round of statistics Monday. The rankings were compiled using figures for six crimes: murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary and theft. CQ Press relied on numbers that law enforcement agencies across the fifty states reported to the FBI for 2008.

The FBI, however, cautions against using crime statistics to rank cities' relative safety. The Bureau maintains that such comparisons ignore the myriad issues that affect crime rates in different jurisdictions.

CQ Press' list ranks 393 American cities with populations of 75,000 or greater. San Bernardino, which ranks as the most dangerous city in the Inland Empire, is sandwiched between Miami and Dallas on the national list.

The new round of numbers does not include 2009 statistics. Police Department figures for the first 10 months of this year show that most serious crimes are down.

Police recorded 25 murders through October, compared with 31 over the same time period last year. As a whole violent crimes in San Bernardino dropped by 3.55 percent during the time period.

On the negative side of the ledger, San Bernardino residents are experiencing an 13.4 percent increase in burglaries compared to the same time period last year.

Other crimes where San Bernardino is registering an increase include synthetic drug manufacturing -- up by nearly 64 percent compared to last year -- and prostitution/vice, which is up by about 36 percent.

Morris said he expected recent reductions in the most severe crimes will result in police having more time to concentrate on prostitution and other quality of life issue.

"We can take the resources to the lesser crimes because we have a greater handle on the greater crimes," he said.

CQ Press ranked Camden, N.J. as the United States' most dangerous city and Colonie, N.Y. as the nation's safest.

The five California cities rated as more dangerous than San Bernardino were Oakland (3), Compton (12), Richmond (14), Stockton (36) and Vallejo (43).

Crime rankings for Inland Empire, High Desert and selected Southern California cities

San Bernardino - 46
Pomona -106
Los Angeles -154
Rialto - 158
Riverside - 174
Victorville - 188
San Diego - 191
Ontario - 194
Fontana - 206
Santa Ana - 214
Hesperia - 280
Chino - 301
Rancho Cucamonga - 344
Chino Hills - 381

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO -- Unless something changes, Susan Hulse will soon become a city resident.

And she's not happy about it.

Hulse lives in one of six unincorporated county islands that are slated to be absorbed into San Bernardino's territory.

Local officials who recently decided in favor of the annexations say bringing the unincorporated land within city limits will make government services more efficient. Officials point to state law designed to accelerate annexations as the source of their authority to decide that Hulse and her neighbors should become San Bernardino residents.

But Hulse believes that authorities have made an end run around the process that would allow her and her neighbors a right to protest the annexation, a process that could lead to a vote on whether or not they join San Bernardino.

"They took away my right to vote," Hulse said during an interview Monday. "If they can take that from me, and 1,800 other residents in my pocket (of land), what can they take from me next?"
She also spoke against the annexations at the Nov. 18 meeting of the Local Agency Formation Commission. The commission approved the annexations during that meeting.

The commission, also called Lafco, has authority to decide when new cities can become incorporated and when existing cities can increase their boundaries.

Hulse's objection rests on her interpretation of the complicated rules that govern annexations in California. A 2004 law allows cities to take incorporate new chunks of land -- and gives residents of those areas no ability to protest -- if certain conditions are met.

One of the key conditions is the requirement that the area to be annexed is less than 150 acres in area. Hulse lives in a 130-acre zone to the northeast of Del Rosa Drive and Pacific Avenue.
The land is adjacent to a 61-acre area to the west. In Hulse's view, the fact that the areas are contiguous means that the annexation should be considered as a single zone of about 190 acres.

If considered as a single area, Hulse and her neighbors would be able to formally protest the annexations. If 25 to 50 percent of registered voters and landowners protest, the objections would force a vote. If a majority were to protest, their actions would kill the annexations.

Lafco's executive director, Kathleen Rollings-McDonald, said the annexations conform to the law. The 2004 law allows reorganization containing a "number of individual unincorporated islands" if the land is substantially surrounded by other cities.

Rollings-McDonald said the islands will be officially annexed by 2010. There is technically a reconsideration period in which Hulse or other opponents could ask the Lafco's board to change their minds. An opponent's other option would be to file a lawsuit to reverse a Lafco decision.

Hulse said she will seek the aid of as many local officials as she can find to back her cause. Bob Page, chief of staff to Fifth District County Supervisor Josie Gonzales confirmed that the supervisor's office will meet with Hulse in December.

On Nov. 18, the panel also approved San Bernardino's request to annex the plum Arrowhead Springs area, which is home to Arrowhead Springs Hotel and surrounding land that could become the site of site of major development.

Lafco's policy, as explained during that meeting, is to require cities to take on the burden of governing county pockets when those cities seek permission to annex prime real estate.

Sterling 6 Cinemas in San Bernardino is scheduled to reopen Friday after being closed about two months for renovations.

The Calabasas-based Regency Theatres chain acquired Sterling 6 before the renovations, Regency's Lyndon Golin said.

Golin declined to say how much the company spent on renovations, but Regency's announcement reports the project included new carpets, screens, paint and digital sound.

Friday's first scheduled flick is "Planet 51," which has a starting time of 12:10 p.m. The cinema is near the crossing of Highland and Sterling avenues.

Golin said Sterling 6 will mark its first day back in business with free popcorn and $1 sodas.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- The city is once again mired in a budget shortfall. Revenues are reported to be $2.7 million less than projections.

There was no clear picture late Wednesday as to what effects San Bernardino's latest financial problems may have on city services. At this point, however, city leaders do not expect to begin a new round of layoffs.

City Manager Charles McNeely was quoted in the official announcement as saying the bulk of the shortfall is the result of property values falling below what was expected.

Assessed valuations within San Bernardino underwent a year-over-year drop of 17 percent, according to McNeely's office.

"The city had only projected a 6 percent drop and changes like this cause us to have to reevaluate our entire strategy," McNeely said in a press release.

City Councilwoman Wendy McCammack said late Wednesday that news did not surprise her.

"It doesn't surprise me. I think since March we've been spending beyond our means," she said.

Fontana Mayor Mark Nuaimi, who also chairs the Local Agency Formation Commission, made the following remark while presiding over a Tuesday commission meeting:

"Nobody reads The Sun. I don't read The Sun. I'm sorry for The Sun, but it's a fact."

Tuesday's public hearings dealt with San Bernardino's applications to annex the Arrowhead Springs area and six county islands. The commission approved all of the annexations, but some residents living in unincorporated areas objected to the decision.

Some who spoke up said it was their opinion that local officials did not provide enough outreach on the project. Nuami posited The Sun has zero readership after noting that the only legal requirement to notify the public was to print legal notices in the local newspaper.

This reporter has to acknowledge some bias in this matter, but it may interest Nuaimi that our latest circulation figures from September show that we had 47,015 readers that month.

It's no secret that circulation figures for U.S. newspapers have generally been on the decline this decade, but 47,015 people are a lot more than zero.

Besides, it's not like the past year or so has been easy for local government either.

The Local Agency Formation Commission on Tuesday approved San Bernardino's request to annex the Arrowhead Springs area, which includes the historic Arrowhead Springs hotel.

Mayor Pat Morris and other San Bernardino officials anticipate the hotel, which is owned by Campus Crusade for Christ and has not welcomed guests since 1999, can be the centerpiece for future development.

The city has already approved a specific plan that outlines where future homes, businesses and golf courses could be built.

The commission also approved San Bernardino's annexation of six county islands in the northern and eastern parts of the city. This move drew opposition from residents who contended that they did not want to be part of San Bernardino.

State law allows city's to annex islands of less than 150 acres without a vote of residents. The intention of the law is to reduce areas where there is a patchwork of city and county jurisdictions.

Residents who spoke against two of the annexations argued the law was being subverted since two islands actually touch each other. If taken together, the land would exceed the 150 acre threshold.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- Smokers just can't catch a break.

San Bernardino became the latest California city to restrict tobacco use Monday when the City Council voted unanimously to ban smoking in city parks. The law is scheduled to go into effect in 30 days.

Lighting up can earn smokers a $100 fine after the first offense. Those who get caught smoking again in the same year can expect to see the penalty to escalate to $200, then $500.

A fourth offense in one year makes smoking a misdemeanor, which means the unlawful use of a cigarette, cigar or pipe can be punishable by one year in jail or a $1,000 fine.

The council passed the law on its consent calendar, which is generally reserved for routine items. Jay Lindberg, a member of the public whose voice is often heard during council meetings, maintained the council was enacting an arbitrary prohibition.

"You don't need this law. It's just one more law to tie up some police work," Lindberg said.

Councilman Dennis Baxter, who pushed for the new ban, was not present Tuesday to vote for the item but advocated its passage during the previous council meeting. His request for council action included a petition with 87 signatures supporting the ban.

A UC Riverside-based group called Young Empowered Advocates for Health collected the signatures and more than 3,500 cigarette butts in advance of the council's action.

Councilwoman Wendy McCammack said the new ban is needed to protect children from secondhand smoke.

"The smoking needs to be done outside the park," she said.

Extended version of a story slated to run in Friday's edition

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- A developer's plans for the Verdemont area have some neighbors upset over a planned retaining wall that could be as high as 26 feet at its tallest point.

"We want the developer to take it back and replan it. We don't the wall," San Bernardino resident Becky Wilson said.

Another neighbor, Kimberly McNair, said she has collected some 500 signatures in opposition to the project, which would be built northwest of the crossing of Verdemont Drive and Palm Avenue.

The counter-argument holds that the wall will be covered with plants, barely visible and but one part of a 43-home development that will include a new storm basin and street lighting.

Developer Eric Borstein and Councilman Chas Kelley share that point of view.

Borstein said the wall's maximum allowable height is 26 feet but he only plans to build the wall as high as 22 feet. He said the wall's average height will be 8 feet.

"Unfortunately, there's been all this attention drawn to the project because of misinformation from a select few people in the community," Borstein said.

The developer said he has heard second- and third- hand rumors that the wall could be tower as high as 80 feet into the air.

Borstein and Kelley also said the wall will be covered with irrigation and have its own irrigation system. Opponents, however, have expressed doubt that the vegetation will be able to take root in a dry area exposed to Santa Ana winds.

Another concern of opponents' is the potential for a "void" that may exist between the Borstein development and existing homes. Kelley responded that the land between existing homes and planned homes is zoned for future residential development and the city's general plan calls for the extension of Verdemont Drive through the "void" area.

Kelley also said there are some 300 homes approved for future development north of Verdemont Drive and he predicted the Borstein development would prove a financial boon for current residents.

"We've got somebody in a down economy who wants to invest in San Bernardino ... that project is going to increase property values," he said.

McNair also brought up the issue of property values, and opined that houses built higher up the foothills than hers should be statelier than her own home.

"This is the place to build million-dollar homes," she said.

An appeal to the Planning Commission's approval of the project's tentative tract map was initially scheduled to go before the City Council on Monday.

Kelley said a procedural glitch means the item is set to be heard at the council's Dec. 7 meeting.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO -- The scheduled opening of a new Forever 21 store will enable Inland Center Mall to fill a major vacancy before the start of the holiday shopping season.

The new Forever 21 store is scheduled to hold a grand opening Saturday. The 94,000 square foot store is 20 times larger than the clothing retailer's previous store at Inland Center.

"The timing is ideal," mall property manager Arun Parmar said.

The new store is scheduled to be the mall's third anchor store, joining Sears and Macy's. Inland Center's fourth anchor store space, formerly occupied by Gottschalks prior to that chain's liquidation, is unoccupied.

The former Gottschalks space, like many other retail vacancies, was the temporary home of a Halloween store in October.

"We're really just evaluating the best fir for the shopping center and the community," Parmar said.

The new Forever 21 store is slated to open in space that became vacant as a result of Federated Department Stores' 2005 purchase of May Department Stores. The store's impending arrival is the newest development in a nearly five-year shuffling of anchor tenants at the mall.
Prior to the department store chains' merger, Inland Center and several other U.S. malls were home to both Macy's and Robinsons's-May department stores.

Federated chose to phase out the Robinson's-May brand. The Robinsons-May store at Inland Center closed in March 2006 and the mall's Macy's moved into its former competitor's spot.
Inland Center announced in early 2008 that a Mervyn's would occupy the previous Macy's location, but Mervyn's vanished from the retail map later that year.

Forever 21 is filling the gaps left by vanishing department stores. The chain has replaced Mervyn's at the Mall of Victor Valley in the High Desert and other locations.

Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter's office announced that employment referrals and information regarding medical benefits and disabled veterans' services are scheduled to be offered to veterans Wednesday at a resource fair at Plaza Park.

The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and a salute to vets and the USA is scheduled for 1 p.m. Plaza Park is near the corner of Seventh Street and Mount Vernon Avenue.

University IT manager Joe Arnett ran an aggressive campaign in his unsuccessful effort to oust Fred Shorett from the City Council seat representing San Bernardino's 4th Ward.

The race to represent the 4th Ward pitted Arnett against incumbent Fred Shorett, a local businessman.

Arnett was a virtual unknown when he entered the fray for March's Special Election, which Shorett won by a large margin.

He snagged support from the firefighters' union and council members Chas Kelley and Wendy McCammack - all Shorett supporters in the springtime contest - but the political shift was only enough to narrow the gap between the two candidates.

Arnett made firefighting a central issue of his campaign, arguing that Shorett reneged on his promise to support public safety when he chose not to support Kelley's efforts to reverse Fire Department budget cuts. Kelley sought to restore funding that allowed some engine companies to have four-person crews.

Shorett has said the city cannot afford higher staffing levels and that his position is based on fiscal prudence and that his support for the Fire Department never included any specific pledge to support a given staffing level.

The Nov. 3 vote was close enough to make Shorett nervous until updated totals came in on Nov. 6. Shorett, who has decades of business experience in the city, emerged as the victor.

Arnett posted the following post-election message on his campaign Web site.

"A sincere and heartfelt thank you goes out to all of my family, friends, volunteers' supporters and voters! The efforts you made to close an almost insurmountable deficit from the special election, a margin some would say, "Isn't worth trying." - to come so close is very disappointing yet, very much worth trying and we finished much closer than the opposition expected.

"When you consider how far the "Go With JOE" campaign has come, netting 19.8% of the vote last March in the special election to 47.5% now - and that we came within 5% of the Mayor's chosen candidate with congressional support, we simply had time expire.

"I feel confident we would have won based on momentum had there been a few more weeks.

"The political status quo managed to dodge a bullet and got a bit lucky libeling me the weekend before election with last minute mailers and an early endorsement from fire management all worked to confuse just enough voters. That I suppose is the game of politics and the will of the people.

"I'll continue in some manner to represent issues important to us 4th warders and the city and I will continue to work for transparent, honest and accountable public service representation focused on fixing the problems facing our community.

"Again, thank you to everyone.

"Best Regards,
Joe Arnett"

Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - Movie fans will almost certainly have to go somewhere other than downtown to watch this year's slate of holiday films and Oscar bait.

The chief executive of Maya Cinemas, Moctesuma Esparza, said Monday that he's not ready to say when projectors may start rolling at the downtown cinema building where his Los Angeles-based theater company wants to do business.

"I'm reluctant to give you a date because I'm disappointed with how the government processing has gone," Esparza said.

The City Council has chosen Maya Cinemas as the likely successor to CinemaStar. The latter company bailed from the downtown cinema, located near the crossing of Fourth and E Streets, in September 2008.

The San Bernardino Economic Development Agency has applied for a federal loan to help finance Maya Cinemas' project.

Esparza and EDA chief Emil Marzullo have said the government has approved the financing plans, but Uncle Sam has not yet dispatched the necessary paperwork for the council to move forward.

In April, a council majority agreed to borrow $9 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Maya later agreed to take on half of the debt, but the deal has yet to be formally approved.

Esparza said that if the feds relay their approval by the end of the year, it would be conceivable to start showing movies in March.

Here's an article a colleague wrote about Sgt. Stephen Cook, who has served two tours in Iraq and another in Afghanistan. I wrote an article about Cook last year, and am glad to know that he has returned to his homeland.

Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell
Staff Writer

Staff Sgt. Stephen Cook signed off every e-mail sent home from Iraq during his last tour of duty the same way: "I do what I do, so others won't have to."

No matter what myriad horrors the young soldier experienced during three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, he never once forgot he was there to serve his country.

"A lot of people do it to get the GI Bill and then get a rude awakening when they are deployed," he said on the eve of Veterans Day. "Honestly, once I became a teenager and realized how great our country is, I knew I had to serve."

The 30-year-old Cook, of San Bernardino, spent most of his youth going beyond the call of duty, from his first tour soon after the initial invasion of Iraq to his last, when he and fellow soldiers began to question what they were doing there.

Cook was introduced to military life early. As a boy, he lived all over the world with his parents, who were in the U.S. Air Force. Home included bases in Holland, Texas and California. When the family settled in Southern California, he graduated from Bonita High School in La Verne.

"It was interesting, an adventure. Some people say they have known their best friend since kindergarten," he said. "As for me, I didn't meet mine until sophomore year in high school."

He enlisted in the Army during his senior year. After a two-week vacation on the East Coast, he went into basic training.

He has been with the 315th Psychological Operations Company, based in Upland, since 1997.

Initially, he was in the motor pool before switching jobs to become a psychological operations specialist, which he remains to this day.

His first deployment was to Iraq in the spring of 2003. It was a heady, exciting time for the American troops.

Although there were signs of war everywhere, from the smell of death in buildings to blood-stained streets, the Iraqi people were in a celebratory mood following the fall of Saddam Hussein and happy to see the troops.

"Everyone was so friendly, they would chant, `good good Bush' and `good, good mister,"' he said. "I was a turret gunner and they treated me like a movie star."

But by the end of the tour, the people's elation had turned to anger. There were small-arms attacks and more suicide bombers. People went from "happy to see you" to "we want you out of here."

Cook came home, working as a bank teller and substitute teacher for the Fontana Unified School District before leaving for his second deployment to Afghanistan in February 2006.

Because the mission was classified, all he can say is he found Afghanistan to be more intense and violent than Iraq.

Life returned to normal after his second deployment. He studied Spanish for a time in Mexico, bought a home with his fiancee in San Bernardino and had a baby boy.

So when he leaned he was to be deployed for a third time, he was reluctant to go.

"I tried to fight it, even contacted my congressman," he said. "Because I wanted to be with my family, my son and I felt like I had done my duty."

It was to no avail. He was deployed to Iraq in August, 2008.

This time, he saw more suffering.

There was more sectarian violence, and two of the convoys he was in were hit by improvised explosive devices.

"It made you get focused, seeing soldiers crying for help," he said. "At the same time it was difficult working with Iraqi security forces and my fellow soldiers were themselves tired of serving in Iraq."

Now that Cook, who earned a Bronze Star on his third tour, is home, all he wants is to get on with his life and find stability.

Today, Veterans Day, he and his fiancee hope to visit Knott's Berry Farm and get a free meal at an Applebee's restaurant.

"The ultimate goal of any American soldier is to go to war and serve his country, and I did it three times," he said. "So I will be celebrating."

An updated vote tally shows that Virginia Marquez, Jason Desjardins and Fred Shorett are still leading their respective council races.

The updated numbers include late-arriving mail-in ballots that were not counted Tuesday, the day San Bernardino's voters went to the polls.

New numbers from the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters show that Marquez now has 34 vote lead over incumbent Esther Estrada in the race to represent the city's 1st Ward. Marquez has 637 votes (51.37 percent) to Estrada's 603 (48.63 percent).

In the 2nd Ward Race, Desjardins' count is now 628 votes (52.95 percent) to incumbent Dennis Baxter's 558 votes (47.05 percent).

In the 4th Ward Race, incumbent Fred Shorett has 1958 votes (52.45 percent) to challenger Joe Arnett's 1775 votes (47.55 percent).

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- City Attorney James F. Penman said he's ready for the political climate at City Hall to calm down after his defeat in the mayoral election.

"I hope it changes. I've extended the olive branch to the mayor several times," Penman said Wednesday.

Semi-official election results credited Penman with 37 percent of the vote. Mayor Pat Morris was reelected with about 55 percent of votes cast.

Whatever the number of olive branches that have been extended between Penman and Morris, there have also been repeated flare-ups between the two officials within City Hall and on the campaign trail.

The most recent tensions grew out of a memo that was leaked during the Sept. 21 City Council meeting. The document reported circumstances of a sex offender who performed work at a church that hosts a city youth center.

The council voted that day to demand the church ban sex offenders or lose money that pays for the youth center. Penman accused Morris of trying to cover up a danger to children and sent investigators to pass out notification flyers around the church.

Local clergy viewed the ultimatum as a threat to their First Amendment rights and crowded an October council meeting to protest Penman's and the council's actions. A council majority rescinded its demand.

At the time, Penman called protest a campaign stunt organized by pro-Morris clergy. Wednesday, he said he didn't think the episode was a decisive moment in the campaign.
"I think the mayor has a strong following. He's very charismatic and I think a lot of people like him," Penman said.

Penman said on election night that Morris' support probably includes a contingent of ex-convicts. He did not press that line of argument in an interview Wednesday.

Penman's signature campaign issue was an eastside redevelopment project that is intended to transform a cluster of apartments along 19th Street and Sunrise Lane.

Morris viewed the project, which would include the demolition of 144 apartment units, as means to transform the area and provide housing to people who are poor, but law abiding.

Penman maintained that federal requirements to lease 100 units to low-income tenants would eventually result in parolees living in apartments improved at taxpayer expense.

"I did the best I could to stop it by running for mayor," Penman said.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO -- The vast majority of registered voters here chose not to participate in the city election.

San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Kari Verjil said there are 69,202 people listed on San Bernardino's voting rolls, and 12,295 of them voted on Tuesday.

Those numbers calculate to a voter turnout of just under 18 percent. In other words, less than one-fifth of San Bernardino's registered voters chose to exercise their right to help decide who will lead the city as mayor.

In case anyone cares, incumbent Mayor Pat Morris won another four-year term. He defeated two challengers, City Attorney James F. Penman and contractor Rick Avila.

"We deal with the reality of we have. This (low turnout) is not unique to our city," Morris said. "For reasons that are not readily apparent, the level of interest, the level of involvement is modest."

Turnout for Tuesday's election continues the decline in voter participation in recent city elections.

In 2007, when Penman's office and four council seats were up for a vote, about 21 percent of registered voters actually cast ballots.

About 23 percent of San Bernardino's voters participated in the February 2006 run-off between Morris and Penman.

In the November 2005 mayoral election, representative democracy was worth the time of nearly 26 percent of the city's registered voters.

Morris suggested that San Bernardino may increase voter turnout in the future by following the example of Riverside and shifting its elections to even-numbered years, when state and federal offices are also on the ballot.

Riverside also had an mayoral election Tuesday. That city's incumbent, Ron Loveridge, cq won an abbreviated three-year term.

Riverside's next mayoral election is set for June 2012, which is also the year of the next presidential primary.

Three of San Bernardino's City Council seats, those representing the city's 1st, 2nd and 4th wards, were also up for a vote on Tuesday.

A handful of votes could make a big difference in the 1st Ward contest. Challenger Virginia Marquez enjoyed a nine-vote lead over incumbent Esther Estrada when semi-official results came out late Tuesday.

Elections officials are scheduled to announce their next updated vote count at 5 p.m. Friday.
Verjil said there are roughly 6,000 late-arriving mail-in ballots from races across the county that have yet to be counted.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO -- The county's top election official said Wednesday that her office is likely to perform a hand count before certifying results in the race to represent the city's 1st Ward.

"I might do that because this is such a close race," said Kari Verjil, registrar of voters for San Bernardino County.

Semi-official election results show challenger Virginia Marquez with a nine-vote lead over incumbent Esther Estrada, the City Council's longest serving member. The 1st Ward includes downtown, part of the Westside and the area around San Bernardino International Airport.
Verjil said she plans to record final election results by Nov. 23.

A hand count would be technically different from a recount. A candidate or citizen would be able to request a recount after the Registrar of Voters office completes its canvassing of votes cast in Tuesday's election.

Even if a hand count shows that semi-official results in the 1st Ward race were completely accurate, there is still a chance that Estrada could emerge as the ultimate winner.

"Like anything else, if it's not documented, it doesn't exist, so I'm waiting for the official numbers," said Marquez, who on Wednesday was nonetheless excited by the possibility that she was the victorious candidate.

Verjil said there are some 6,000 mail-in ballots from across San Bernardino County that have yet to be counted. An estimated 175 of those ballots are from 1st Ward voters.

"The 1st Ward's decision hasn't been made," Estrada said.

The uncounted ballots could have been hand-delivered to elections officials on Tuesday or arrived in the mail prior to the Election Day deadline.

The Registrar of Voters next scheduled update on election results is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday.
Tuesday's election also included contests for the Mayor's Office and the 2nd and 4th council wards.

The results of the 1st Ward election could determine whether reelected Mayor Pat Morris cq can continue to govern with a council majority on his side.

The council frequently votes 4-3 on controversial issues. The majority supports Morris and Estrada joined council members Chas Kelley and Wendy McCammack on the dissenting bloc.
Morris supported Marquez's campaign, and his favored candidate in the 4th Ward contest, Fred Shorett, stands to win reelection.

In the 2nd Ward, however, challenger Jason Desjardins is the likely winner over Morris-friendly incumbent Dennis Baxter.

Desjardins had the same campaign consultant as City Attorney James F. Penman, Morris' leading opponent in the mayoral race. Desjardins said Wednesday that he doesn't want to be considered tied to any political cliques.

"Until you see me vote, it would be kind of hard to paint me into that corner," Desjardins said.
All three council elections were close. Desjardins had a 50 vote advantage over Baxter in the most recent vote count. Shorett won 98 votes more than Arnett.

With all precincts reporting, here are Tuesday night's election results:

Mayor Pat Morris won reelection with nearly 55 percent of the vote.

His closest challenger, City Attorney James F. Penman, claimed about 37 percent of the vote. The third candidate, contractor Rick Avila, earned about 8 percent of the vote.

In the 1st Ward City Council race, challenger Virginia Marquez had a nine-vote lead over incumbent Esther Estrada, the council's longest serving member. The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters' next update is scheduled to be released at 5 p.m. Friday.

If Marquez is certified as the winner, she can expect to join Jason Desjardins in ousting an incumbent. Desjardins claimed about 52 percent of the vote and defeated 2nd Ward incumbent Dennis Baxter.

In the 4th Ward race, incumbent Fred Shorett won nearly 52 percent of the vote and held off challenger Joe Arnett.

Early voting results show Mayor Pat Morris may be on the road to winning a second term.

Morris has 53.84 percent of the vote, leading rivals James F. Penman and Rick Avila, as first round of ballot results was released shortly before 8:30 p.m.

Penman, who currently serves as City Attorney, trails with 37.31 percent of the vote. Avila, a contractor, has 8.85 percent of the vote in the first round of election results.

The first round of ballot figures included only 39 of 178 precincts.

In council races, incumbent Esther Estrada leads Virginia Marquez in the 1st Ward race.

Challenger Jason Desjardins is ahead of incumbent Dennis Baxter in the 2nd Ward race.

Challenger Joe Arnett is ahead of incumbent Fred Shorett in the 4th Ward race.

Only a small number of votes are in so far, so the leads may change as the night progresses.

San Bernardino mayoral candidates reveal public safety platforms

Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - Public safety - the top issue in the city's last mayoral race - could very well remain voters' top concern in 2009.

FBI statistics show that serious crimes have diminished within the past four years, but violence and property offenses remain at levels unacceptable to candidates and citizens alike.

Crime statistics compiled by the FBI show that from 2005 to 2008, the number of reported violent crimes in San Bernardino dropped from 2,510 to 2,074. Criminal homicides within the same time period declined from 58 to 32.

It's worth noting that California as a whole became a less violent state during those years. Statewide, violent crimes decreased from about 190,000 offenses to about 185,000 acts of violence. Murders in the Golden State dipped from 2,503 slayings in 2005 to 2,142 killings in 2008.

Of the three mayoral candidates vying for office, the two who hold jobs at City Hall - incumbent Mayor Pat Morris and City Attorney James F. Penman - view the statistics in very different ways.

Whereas Morris says the absolute numbers show San Bernardino has made substantial progress in reducing violence within city limits, Penman has focused on how the stats show San Bernardino's crime relative to other cities. According to Penman, San Bernardino ranked as the state's fourth-most violent city compared to the sixth-most dangerous city in 2005.

Morris and Penman, as well as mayoral hopeful Rick Avila also have differing views on how to achieve fire safety in a town that sits at the base of some highly-flammable foothills.

The election is Nov. 3.

Rick Avila
In an interview, Avila remarked on how San Bernardino's crime issue is interconnected to its economic development issue. Since the city needs money to maintain its Police and Fire departments, Avila made another pitch for his proposal to cut fees and taxes as a way to offer a carrot to new business, which he said are needed to generate tax revenue to hire more police and enhance Fire Department staffing so engine companies can have four firefighters riding on each rig.

Avila also said that he supports the deployment of surveillance cameras and in areas that have a high incidence of crime and identify funding to bring helicopter patrols back to San Bernardino. Avila emphasized that he also wants to wants to hire a team of grant writers who would seek state and federal funds that could be passed along to youth sports leagues and music and arts program to bolster crime prevention efforts.

In a state where the corrections system is so messed up that thousands of inmates could soon be granted early release, Avila doesn't see crime as a problem that can be solved simply through more and more arrests.

"So what's the use of arresting these people when their going to get out?," Avila asked. "So what we have to do is prevent them from going to jail in the first place."

Avila also opined that city leadership has a lot of work to do to foster trust between police and the community. He said he wants to see the Police Department make greater use of foot patrols and less-lethal arms, and if elected, would personally appear at town hall meetings throughout the city to talk about law enforcement policies.

Regarding fire protection, Avila said he wants to find money to purchase two water tenders for the Fire Department and coordinate with the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire to conduct prescribed burns in the local foothills.

Pat Morris
Morris is counting on voters to agree with his view that San Bernardino has become a safer city since he took office in 2006.

A platform statement from the Morris campaign points to FBI statistics that show murders have dropped by nearly half from 2005 through 2008.

Other accomplishments cited by the Morris campaign include the passage of Measure Z - a 2006 tax measure that allowed the city to hire more cops, partnership with other law enforcement agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and collaborations with nonprofit entities like Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy and the Urban Youth Conservation Corps that are intended to help prevent high-risk individuals from committing crimes.

Since the 2005 campaign, Morris has used the term Operation Phoenix to describe a range of anti-crime policies that include increased police patrols, partnership with nonprofits and other government agencies and new youth services.

"We have aggressively pursued every available funding source to expand our anti-crime strategies. During my administration, San Bernardino has received $1.8 million in grant funding and over $2 million of in-kind services and support from outside agencies," Morris reported in a written statement.

In terms of the future, Morris said the city needs to local resources to retain 16 Police Department positions that are set to be hired through federal grants. The U.S. Department of Justice granted the money this year. He also wants to develop programs to oversee and rehabilitate parolees.

"It is not enough for us to act tough and say parolees don't come here,' because they are already here and will keep coming. And while we have adopted a moratorium on parolee housing, it is not enough. We have had a moratorium in place for two years, and the number of parolees living here has not diminished," Morris wrote in a statement.

Morris said City Hall needs to demand state funding for programs that would place parolees under supervision while also providing job training and other educational services in hopes of reintegrating ex-cons into society. He also defends the recent decision to redevelop apartments on Sunrise Lane and 19th Street arguing that units rehabilitated as low-income housing will be placed in the care of a responsible nonprofit and that 60 percent of the apartments in the redevelopment area will be demolished.

The Morris campaign also maintains that Fire Department staffing should fluctuate so that more firefighters are on shift when there is a greater risk of major fires. He also wants to consider staffing plans that focus on the delivery of medical service, as Morris reports that calls for paramedic services make up more than 80 percent of the Fire Department's calls.

James F. Penman
Penman's campaign is banking on voters feeling that their neighborhoods were safer four years ago.

His campaign has zeroed in on a recently approved eastside redevelopment project as a way to distinguish his anti-crime policies from the incumbent mayor's. Whereas Morris sees the redevelopment of apartments on Sunrise Lane and 19th street as a means to transform that neighborhood into a safer place, Penman says he is convinced that promised screening efforts will not block parolees from living in apartments that are to be redeveloped at taxpayer expense.

"We must reverse the Mayor and Council's recent decision to spend over $8.4 million on low-income, Arden-Guthrie type housing because it will bring more parolees and graffiti to our city. Most poor people are honest, not criminals but most criminals and parolees are also poor," Penman wrote in an e-mail.

"Therefore, more parolees will live in these new apartments and be highly active throughout our city," he continued.

Penman also asserts that the kind of parolee rehabilitation programs favored by Morris will have the unintended consequence of attracting a greater number of ex-prisoners to San Bernardino.

Penman also took issue with the city's administration of Operation Phoenix youth centers. In July of 2008, the manager of the city's flagship Operation Phoenix center was arrested on suspicion of child molestation.

This past Monday, an unknown party informed city officials and by extension the public, the church that hosts the same Operation Phoenix center had allowed a registered sex offender to work on the premises.

The council responded by demanding the church ban sex offenders from its premises, and the church's pastor - a Morris supporter - has in turn argued that the council's demand infringes upon its Constitutional freedom to decide who the church ministers to.
Police said an investigators determined that the offender was not a danger to children and that his working there was not illegal, but Penman was not satisfied with that.

"San Bernardino spends far too much time and money, as this most recent Operation Phoenix sex-registrant debacle demonstrates, to rehabilitate violent criminals, parolees, and sex-offenders while we do too little to protect our children and families from these predators," Penman wrote.

Penman also wrote that he wants to combine police patrols and investigations with more aggressive Code Enforcement work throughout the city. He also wants increased Fire Department staffing to ensure that engine companies are staffed with four crew members each.

Mayoral candidates spar over graffiti abatement in SB
Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - Three people are asking to be mayor this year, and one of the biggest issues of the campaign could be 1,500 or so taggers who won't stop writing on the walls.

If there's one thing that candidates agree on, it's that the preponderance of graffiti and other visual blight in San Bernardino is one of the most important challenges to overcome if the town is to have more success in attracting investment.

"If we clean our city they will come," mayoral challenger Rick Avila said. "That's the main thing. People are afraid to open shops in the city because of graffiti."

But this year's contenders don't agree on how to solve the problem.

The two mayoral candidates who hold positions in city government - incumbent Mayor Pat Morris and City Attorney James F. Penman - are diametrically opposed regarding San Bernardino's relatively new graffiti-abatement team.

Morris continues to support the City Council's 2008 decision to take graffiti removal in-house, whereas Penman wants to restore San Bernardino's relationship with Los Padrinos, the nonprofit that painted over taggers' messes until last year's policy change.
Mayoral candidates also expressed varying views on Code Enforcement and nuisance-related issues.

The election is Nov. 3.

RICK AVILA
In an interview Friday, Avila restated his view that the Police Department needs to place uniformed cops on constant anti-vandal surveillance.

"Saturate the graffiti hot spots, graffiti-ridden areas with uniformed officers for 24 hours a day," Avila said.

Avila also wants to install surveillance cameras around vandals' favorite targets that could provide live video to patrol cars.

Technology currently advertised on the market includes cameras that can at least dispatch live text messages to patrol officers after detecting possible graffiti.

Avila also said that he thinks the city's Code Enforcement officers need to concentrate their efforts on the city's apartments and spend less time looking for violations at owner-occupied homes.

"I don't want this to be a city where slumlords can make a profit off of our residents," Avila said.

The candidate said he wants to look for some kind of federal grant that would enable the city to help landlords install security fences to keep taggers and other criminals out of apartment complexes.

Avila was also said he has spoken with many San Bernardino homeowners who feel that they are being picked on by Code Enforcement staffers.

"I would trim down the code enforcement," Avila said. "I hear too many times from residents. I feel they're being harassed and they're being charged for more like a nuisance type of a crime. To me its not really important."

PAT MORRIS
Morris considers the city's anti-graffiti team to be a critical asset to prevent vandalism.

"Make no mistake, we have a long road to travel before winning the road on graffiti, but we now have the sustainable, consistent, accountable and professional battle plan needed for victory," reads a platform statement from the Morris campaign.

Official city statistics show that when the Public Services Department's graffiti clean-up personnel took over from Los Padrinos in January, the crew received 705 work orders, of which it closed 353.

In June, the city's clean up crew closed 1,374 work orders and took in 1,362 new requests to clean up graffiti.

City figures also show that response times shrunk from 25 days to close a graffiti abatement order in January to one day in August.

The Morris campaign asserts Public Service's crew initially had to deal with a serious backlog, and has since evolved into a more efficient unit.

The incumbent also also emphasizes an imperative to eliminate "crime-infested housing."
Morris supports ongoing redevelopment projects that include the demolition of apartment complexes such as the "Meridians" on the city's western limit and a rehabilitation project on Sunrise Land and 19th Street on the city's eastside.

The latter project has been controversial, as supporters have said it will clean up troubled apartments and opponents reply that the work would perpetuate low-income housing.

The law requires some of the rehabilitated apartments to be rented to low-income tenants, and the plan calls for new occupants to pass a screening process. Morris' campaign also reports the project would actually replace 60 percent of the apartments in the project area with single-family homes and senior housing.

"What we need to help solve our crime problem and restore our local economy is more proactive aggressive strategies like those being deployed at the crime infested housing at Meridian and Sunrise. What we do not need is continued inaction and reactionary strategies that have been ineffective over the past twenty years," Morris wrote in a statement.

JAMES F. PENMAN
Penman said when he announced his plans to run for mayor in July - after having said multiple times that he would not seek the office - that one of reasons he changed his mind was the council's 2008 decision to scrap City Hall's relationship with Los Padrinos.
The candidate considers Los Padrinos to have been an organization that could successfully rehabilitate taggers while putting them to work.

"This program will also help our community by employing local youth who learned employment skills and received the positive reinforcement of a paycheck and the responsibility of holding a job," Penman wrote in an e-mail.

Penman also supports the deployment of surveillance cameras and undercover police around spots where vandals frequently strike. He also wants to take advantage of existing state laws to impose penalties on taggers' parents and take vandals' drivers' licenses away.

The candidate also contends that the eastside rehabilitation project slated for Sunrise Lane and 19th Street near the site of the now-demolished "Arden Guthrie" apartments will actually attract vandals to San Bernardino.

"That's why I will support a strict citywide ban on additional group homes for criminal offenders and repeal Mayor Morris' disastrous decision to build the Arden Guthrie housing project," Penman wrote.

"These graffiti gangs will continue to grow and thrive if we build more low-income housing to attract more parolees to our city," he continued.

Penman also writes that if elected mayor, he would seek to foster greater cooperation between the City Attorney's Office and Code Enforcement, Fire and Police departments to fight nuisances.

He maintains that closer cooperation between those departments can generate the necessary evidence to file civil cases and obtain court rulings to shut down apartments, motels and homes where gangsters and drug dealers congregate and do business.

San Bernardino mayoral candidates discuss economics

Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - San Bernardino voters will need to consider many important issues when they vote this year.

Economic development is the first issue that San Bernardino candidates will discuss in a series of articles planned for this month. The next story will focus on graffiti and "broken windows" issues and a third will deal with crime and law enforcement, and keeping the city's budget balanced.

San Bernardino is a city where economic hardship as been a part of life even before the recession hit the nation. The city never fully recovered from the job losses that occurred after Fontana's Kaiser Steel shutdown in the mid-1980s and when Norton Air Force closed in the mid-1990s.

The recession and the wave of foreclosures that it spawned created yet more challenges for San Bernardino.

However, the city may enjoy a window of opportunity in the next few years if major transportation projects are successful.

The expansion of the 215 Freeway, potential passenger air service at the former Norton Air Force Base and a new high-speed bus line running from northern San Bernardino to Loma Linda could all present business opportunities within San Bernardino.

City voters will have to decide Nov. 3 which candidates offer the best ideas and possess superior skills to position the city for new business and job growth.

Below are what this year's mayoral candidates have to say. Council candidates addressed the same issue in Sunday's Sun.

In the mayoral race, Mayor Pat Morris is running for a second term. He is being challenged by City Attorney James. F. Penman and contractor Rick Avila.
Rick Avila

Avila says the city can attract business by reducing the city's utility users tax and increasing the number of police officers assigned to catching vandals.

"I want to give incentives to new business by lowering impact fees, utility tax, red tape at City Hall," Avila said.

Avila said that having uniformed police officers visible 24 hours per day around graffiti hot-spots is a necessity to keeping the city looking clean and ready for business.

Attracting new entertainment options is also important to Avila.
Although the San Bernardino Economic Development agency is working on a plan to bring a new cinema operator to downtown, Avila thinks the E Street corridor is a better location for a movie theater.

What Avila wants to see downtown is a 14,000- to 17,000 seat sports arena that he said could be a venue for a minor league hockey team, something Ontario already has in the Reign. A freeway-visible arena, Avila said, would be a magnet for new restaurants, coffee shops and night clubs and be a way to put San Bernardino on the map.

"Right now is the time to build. I'm in the construction industry, and you could probably build for half-price now," Avila said.

Pat Morris
Morris' platform streses crime fighting as a prerequisite for any economic development.
"I will continue to aggressively fight violent crime and redouble our efforts on quality of life crimes, like graffiti and blight, until our city's image and reputation have been transformed," reads Morris' platform.

Morris' platform also calls for future investments into infrastructure, remaking downtown San Bernardino, supporting the city's hospitality industry and redeveloping the land around Arrowhead Springs Hotel.

Infrastructure, in the words of Morris' campaign "is a double whammy in terms of job creation. Infrastructure projects themselves create immediate high-paying jobs, and once completed, the new infrastructure creates a better and lower-cost business environment that attracts and promotes private investment, which results in additional job creation."

He also calls for the city to fight Sacramento's plan to balance the state budget with local redevelopment dollars and asserts that its critical for the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency to accomplish in-progress plans to bring a movie theater back to downtown "First on the list for downtown must be reopening the movie theater complex as soon as possible," reads Morris' platform. "The movie theater must be upgraded as a first class facility that attracts patrons from throughout the region."

James F. Penman
Penman also contends that San Bernardino's economic problems won't be solved until the city achieves greater success against crime and blight.

He asserts that business owners interested in setting up shop here often lose that interest after driving around town and seeing vandalism, homelessness and other signs that suggest San Bernardino is not a prime business location.

"Make San Bernardino safe by taking tough, no-nonsense action to clean up graffiti, rid our city of gang crime, and strengthen our moratorium against parolee housing," Penman wrote in an e-mail.

Penman writes that the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency has "top notch" leadership, but criticizes the agency for spending time on plans to rehabilitate low-income apartments, such as a cluster of eastside four-plexes on Sunrise Lane and 19th Street near the former site of the Arden-Guthries.

Penman says he would cancel that reverse project if elected.

The candidate also wants to join forces with the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce (Penman's wife Judi Penman is the Chamber's executive director) to establish citizen's business development committee with figures from the realms of business, labor and education.

The candidate also writes that he would use the city's bully pulpit in support of a proposed conversion of Pacific High School into a vocational academy.

"This priority will result in a skilled work force being created in our city that will serve the entire region," Penman wrote.

The debate over eastside redevelopment

One of the more stark differences between Morris and Penman this year pertains to the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency's plan to redevelop several apartments on Sunrise Lane and 19th street, a neighborhood that is adjacent to the now-demolished apartments that were known as the Arden Guthries.

The plan, which the City Council approved by a single vote, calls for the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency to use federal dollars to purchase and redevelop foreclosed and abandoned apartment buildings. By law, any tenants who displaced through redevelopment work must receive financial assistance to find a new home.

Morris considers the project a bold plan to reduce crime in one of the city's more troubled areas. He and other redevelopment proponents maintain that the nonprofit hired to acquire and rebuild apartments will be able to prevent felons and other troubled individuals from renting the apartments, which in compliance with federal law, will be rented to low-income earners.

Supporters of the redevelopment work also note that the plan also calls for a reduction of apartments, as many four-plexes are slated to demolished to make way for single-family homes and senior housing.

Penman, however, has contended that the plan is doomed to failure.
He maintains that the plan to bring in a nonprofit to manage refurbished apartments will not guarantee that parolees and troublemakers will not slip through the cracks and end up living in the redevelopment area.

Penman also says he is concerned that city and EDA policies that make San Bernardino appear to be particularly friendly to low-income housing can make the city vulnerable at a time when the state's prison system appears to be falling apart. Officials are anticipating the potential release of tens of thousands of inmates, and Penman says he is concerned that the more low-income apartments there are in San Bernardino, the more likely prisons officials will direct newly-released cons to the city.

San Bernardino mayoral candidates discuss economics

Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - San Bernardino voters will need to consider many important issues when they vote this year.

Economic development is the first issue that San Bernardino candidates will discuss in a series of articles planned for this month. The next story will focus on graffiti and "broken windows" issues and a third will deal with crime and law enforcement, and keeping the city's budget balanced.

San Bernardino is a city where economic hardship as been a part of life even before the recession hit the nation. The city never fully recovered from the job losses that occurred after Fontana's Kaiser Steel shutdown in the mid-1980s and when Norton Air Force closed in the mid-1990s.

The recession and the wave of foreclosures that it spawned created yet more challenges for San Bernardino.

However, the city may enjoy a window of opportunity in the next few years if major transportation projects are successful.

The expansion of the 215 Freeway, potential passenger air service at the former Norton Air Force Base and a new high-speed bus line running from northern San Bernardino to Loma Linda could all present business opportunities within San Bernardino.

City voters will have to decide Nov. 3 which candidates offer the best ideas and possess superior skills to position the city for new business and job growth.

Below are what this year's mayoral candidates have to say. Council candidates addressed the same issue in Sunday's Sun.

In the mayoral race, Mayor Pat Morris is running for a second term. He is being challenged by City Attorney James. F. Penman and contractor Rick Avila.
Rick Avila

Avila says the city can attract business by reducing the city's utility users tax and increasing the number of police officers assigned to catching vandals.

"I want to give incentives to new business by lowering impact fees, utility tax, red tape at City Hall," Avila said.

Avila said that having uniformed police officers visible 24 hours per day around graffiti hot-spots is a necessity to keeping the city looking clean and ready for business.

Attracting new entertainment options is also important to Avila.
Although the San Bernardino Economic Development agency is working on a plan to bring a new cinema operator to downtown, Avila thinks the E Street corridor is a better location for a movie theater.

What Avila wants to see downtown is a 14,000- to 17,000 seat sports arena that he said could be a venue for a minor league hockey team, something Ontario already has in the Reign. A freeway-visible arena, Avila said, would be a magnet for new restaurants, coffee shops and night clubs and be a way to put San Bernardino on the map.

"Right now is the time to build. I'm in the construction industry, and you could probably build for half-price now," Avila said.

Pat Morris
Morris' platform streses crime fighting as a prerequisite for any economic development.
"I will continue to aggressively fight violent crime and redouble our efforts on quality of life crimes, like graffiti and blight, until our city's image and reputation have been transformed," reads Morris' platform.

Morris' platform also calls for future investments into infrastructure, remaking downtown San Bernardino, supporting the city's hospitality industry and redeveloping the land around Arrowhead Springs Hotel.

Infrastructure, in the words of Morris' campaign "is a double whammy in terms of job creation. Infrastructure projects themselves create immediate high-paying jobs, and once completed, the new infrastructure creates a better and lower-cost business environment that attracts and promotes private investment, which results in additional job creation."

He also calls for the city to fight Sacramento's plan to balance the state budget with local redevelopment dollars and asserts that its critical for the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency to accomplish in-progress plans to bring a movie theater back to downtown "First on the list for downtown must be reopening the movie theater complex as soon as possible," reads Morris' platform. "The movie theater must be upgraded as a first class facility that attracts patrons from throughout the region."

James F. Penman
Penman also contends that San Bernardino's economic problems won't be solved until the city achieves greater success against crime and blight.

He asserts that business owners interested in setting up shop here often lose that interest after driving around town and seeing vandalism, homelessness and other signs that suggest San Bernardino is not a prime business location.

"Make San Bernardino safe by taking tough, no-nonsense action to clean up graffiti, rid our city of gang crime, and strengthen our moratorium against parolee housing," Penman wrote in an e-mail.

Penman writes that the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency has "top notch" leadership, but criticizes the agency for spending time on plans to rehabilitate low-income apartments, such as a cluster of eastside four-plexes on Sunrise Lane and 19th Street near the former site of the Arden-Guthries.

Penman says he would cancel that reverse project if elected.

The candidate also wants to join forces with the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce (Penman's wife Judi Penman is the Chamber's executive director) to establish citizen's business development committee with figures from the realms of business, labor and education.

The candidate also writes that he would use the city's bully pulpit in support of a proposed conversion of Pacific High School into a vocational academy.

"This priority will result in a skilled work force being created in our city that will serve the entire region," Penman wrote.

The debate over eastside redevelopment

One of the more stark differences between Morris and Penman this year pertains to the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency's plan to redevelop several apartments on Sunrise Lane and 19th street, a neighborhood that is adjacent to the now-demolished apartments that were known as the Arden Guthries.

The plan, which the City Council approved by a single vote, calls for the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency to use federal dollars to purchase and redevelop foreclosed and abandoned apartment buildings. By law, any tenants who displaced through redevelopment work must receive financial assistance to find a new home.

Morris considers the project a bold plan to reduce crime in one of the city's more troubled areas. He and other redevelopment proponents maintain that the nonprofit hired to acquire and rebuild apartments will be able to prevent felons and other troubled individuals from renting the apartments, which in compliance with federal law, will be rented to low-income earners.

Supporters of the redevelopment work also note that the plan also calls for a reduction of apartments, as many four-plexes are slated to demolished to make way for single-family homes and senior housing.

Penman, however, has contended that the plan is doomed to failure.
He maintains that the plan to bring in a nonprofit to manage refurbished apartments will not guarantee that parolees and troublemakers will not slip through the cracks and end up living in the redevelopment area.

Penman also says he is concerned that city and EDA policies that make San Bernardino appear to be particularly friendly to low-income housing can make the city vulnerable at a time when the state's prison system appears to be falling apart. Officials are anticipating the potential release of tens of thousands of inmates, and Penman says he is concerned that the more low-income apartments there are in San Bernardino, the more likely prisons officials will direct newly-released cons to the city.

San Bernardino council hopefuls respond to public safety issues

Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - Just about any candidate running for local office will identify public safety as among their highest priorities.

It's up to the voters to decide who is best suited to help craft their town's policies for law enforcement and firefighting.

The city's Police and Fire departments are its most expensive operations, so politicos attempting to quickly increase the amount of funding allocated to public safety may have to perform some fiscal gymnastics at a time when tax revenues are scarce.

This year's election has three City Council seats up for grabs. Two candidates each are competing for the honor of representing San Bernardino's 1st, 2nd and 4th council wards.

The election is Nov. 3.

In the race to represent the city's 1st Ward, challenger Virginia Marquez is running against incumbent Esther Estrada. In her day job, Estrada is executive director of Casa Ramona Academy. Marquez is a part-time field representative for U.S. Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino. The 1st Ward comprises downtown and part of the Westside.

Estrada's public safety platform calls for a broken windows theory style emphasis on increased code enforcement activities. She also wants to see police officers and firefighters spend more time in schools teaching children how to stay safe.

"Code Enforcement has to concentrate on those violations that contribute to making our city look bad," Estrada wrote in an e-mail.

"Junk cars on front lawns and in our streets need to be cleaned up.
"Overgrown vegetation has to be taken out and we should see if there are service clubs that can help seniors who can't do the work," Estrada said.

Estrada further proposes that City Hall enlist service organizations to help care for city parks and streets, since the city does not have sufficient funds in its budget to hire enough workers to take on these tasks. At present, the Parks, Recreation and Community Services department heavily relies on county inmates and volunteers to care for San Bernardino's green spaces.

The incumbent also maintains that educational programs can help prevent crime while saving the money that would otherwise be spent on future law enforcement activities.
"We need to attack the cycle of irresponsibility at a very young age.

People need to go to the schools and talk about what happens if kids do not respect other people's property.
Sooner or later, they end up in prison," Estrada wrote.

Marquez's platform statement notes that she supports a "community policing" style of law enforcement.

Community policing generally refers to a law enforcement strategy that asks police to deepen ties with city residents and attempt to solve neighborhood problems in addition to patrols and investigations.

"This concept will open the lines of communication between police staff and community members," Marquez wrote in an e-mail.

Marquez also wants the Fire Department to host several fire safety fairs throughout the year to advertise the importance of families' having fire detectors and their own household escape plans.

"These safeguards are also simple, yet effective," Marquez wrote.

In the 2nd Ward contest, incumbent Dennis Baxter faces challenger Jason Desjardins.
Baxter is general manager of local radio stations KCAA and Desjardins owns Big Z Auto Works. The 2nd Ward includes land north of downtown and surrounding Perris Hill Park.

Baxter wrote that the city can benefit in the short term from a U.S. Department of Justice grant that can enable the Police Department to hire 16 officers.

The challenge, he writes, is obtaining funds to keep police on the payroll over the long term as the federal funds will dry up in three years.

"Other non-traditional municipal funding sources must be identified as we did by using Home Depot and Chrysler Corporation to fund several "KABOOM" playground projects in City Parks," Baxter wrote.

"Budget strategy on the City level in the future will require more "out of the box" thinking and a team approach with all our elected and department heads, working together."

Desjardins' platform includes support a ban on group homes for parolees, sex offenders and people with drug problems. He writes that he disagrees strongly with his opponent's recent dissent from a City Council vote to ban such facilities.

Baxter voted against a new city law to prohibit group homes for parolees or sex offenders after questioning whether the ordinance, as written, would stand up to a challenge in court.

City Attorney James F. Penman, who proposed the law and contended that it could block new parolees from moving to San Bernardino, acknowledged at the meeting when the council adopted the law that he could not guarantee a judge would uphold the entirety of the ordinance.

Desjardins also emphasized that he wants to identify funding that can be used to increase Fire Department staffing so that engine companies have four crew members, instead of three.

"My first action as our city councilman will be to restore these budget cuts and return San Bernardino fire engine crews to the national safety standard of four firefighters per engine," Desjardins wrote.

San Bernardino's 4th Ward comprises the city's northeastern neighborhoods. The race to represent the ward features incumbent businessman Fred Shorett and challenger Joe Arnett. Arnett is an IT manager for Loma Linda University.

Arnett's campaign launched with a push to seek more funding for the Fire Department. Like Desjardins, he is calling for four-person engine companies to allow firefighters to enter a burning house without needing to call for backup. The law requires firefighters going inside a burning to building to adhere to a two-in/two-out policy unless its obvious that someone inside needs to be rescued.

"The delays caused by the City Council's fire safety cuts will put the lives of 4th Ward residents - whose homes are often on the front line of wildfires - in much greater jeopardy," Arnett wrote in an e-mail.

Arnett's campaign statement also repeats his opposition to an eastside redevelopment project slated to include the rehabilitation of apartments on 19th Street and Sunrise Lane, which is near the site where the now-demolished apartments of the "Arden-Guthries" once stood.

Proponents of the redevelopment work say the project will strike a blow against crime by significantly reducing the number of low-rent apartments in the area and hiring a nonprofit to manage the redeveloped complexes while being able to screen out potential troublemakers. Arnett and other opponents, however, insist that legal requirements that apartments be let to low-income tenants will result in the neighborhood existing as a high-crime area even after redevelopment.

"My first action as our new 4th ward councilman will be to reverse the City Council's disastrous vote for slum housing," Arnett wrote.

Shorett's public safety platform calls for increased volunteer programs and educational initiatives to augment public safety efforts at a time when the city's budget is severely constrained.

"Faced with mounting fiscal deficits, I will initiate new policies to encourage a new era in volunteerism, reaching out to our retirees to enhance the "eyes and ears" of our police and fire departments" Shorett wrote in an e-mail. "There are no-cost programs that have become best practices in many communities including fire watch and neighborhood patrols."

Shorett also writes that he wants to provide Police and Fire department leadership with the resources necessary to fulfill their missions, but sees public safety as requiring a broader set of policy initiatives than the work done by those departments. Shorett's platform also calls for crime prevention that he asserts can be achieved by maintaining library and parks programs for youth and working with local schools to create conflict resolution and peer mediation programs.

"Dollar for dollar, these programs are some of the best investments in public safety we can make," he wrote.

San Bernardino council candidates weigh in on vandalism

Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - Many people would agree that the city looks a mess.

Whoever wins the Nov. 3 elections will take part in governing a city that like other urban environments, is slogging through a long battle against taggers. The graffiti problem is one issue that voters can consider when deciding who to cast ballots for.

Besides the mayoral race, this year's contests include competitions for three of San Bernardino's seven City Council seats. Two candidates are on the ballot in each council race.

Graffiti has lately received more attention from city officials, as police and other city staffers have recently worked to development an idea being called SB TAAG.

SB TAAG, or San Bernardino Taking Action Against Graffiti, would include educational efforts toward schools and the community at large to impress upon youths the idea that graffiti is a serious problem.

The plan also calls for cooperation between multiple agencies, such BNSF Railway police and the San Bernardino District Attorney's office, to arrest and prosecute vandals.

Mayor Pat Morris and City Attorney James F. Penman - two of three contenders in this year's mayoral race - have themselves been involved in graffiti-related efforts.

Morris has called for a new law to hold juvenile vandals' parents financially responsible for their children's crimes. Also, one of Penman's deputies has proposed the crafting of anti-tagger injunctions to prevent vandals from congregating around graffiti hot spots.

These efforts follow action taken in 2008 to cancel the city's graffiti abatement contract with Los Padrinos - an outfit that sought to help troubled youths by putting them to work painting over graffiti - and take graffiti removal in-house.

Council candidates' views on the issue follow:
FIRST WARD CITY COUNCIL RACE
San Bernardino's 1st Ward includes downtown and part of the Westside. Incumbent Esther Estrada, who is also executive director of Casa Ramona Academy, is running against Virginia Marquez. Marquez is a part-time field representative for U.S. Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino.

ESTHER ESTRADA
Estrada did not respond to an e-mail and phone calls asking for a written campaign platform statement.

VIRGINIA MARQUEZ
Marquez asserts that City Hall needs master plan that would lay out short- and long-term anti-vandalism strategies and a corps of "volunteer graffiti workers" that would work under the auspices of the Police and Public Services departments.

"The residents of this City are ultimately the 'eyes and ears' of our communities and will partner with these departments in an effort to accomplish this mission," Marquez wrote in an e-mail.

Marquez also calls for increased lessons at elementary schools to teach children to respect others' property and understand the demoralizing effects of graffiti on a city.

SECOND WARD CITY COUNCIL RACE
The race to represent the city's 2nd Ward, which includes the neighborhoods north of downtown and around Perris Hill Park, features incumbent Dennis Baxter and challenger Jason Desjardins.

Baxter is general manager of radio station KCAA and Desjardins owns Big Z Auto Works.

DENNIS BAXTER
Baxter contends that San Bernardino improved its anti-graffiti efforts when the city created its own clean-up force to replace Los Padrinos.

"Now we need to focus more attention on trying to get compensation from the vandals," Baxter wrote in an e-mail. "If the perpetrators are youth, then their parents must been held accountable and pay for the repairs including the replacement of expensive windows that have been etched with acid."

Baxter also writes that San Bernardino officials should also pay attention to businesses that fail to repair broken windows or other problems. He maintains that government intrusion into business is not always the best policy, but that the city also has a duty to protect residents' health and safety.

"I have been stunned by how many businesses do not apply for funding available to help fix and clean up some of these problems," Baxter writes.

JASON DESJARDINS
Desjardins' platform calls for strict deadlines to remove graffiti, a code enforcement "crackdown" and restitution penalties for vandals or their parents.

The candidate also aligns himself with the city attorney's stance to block any kind of new parolee housing within city limits.

"I will support a strict no-new group home policy for San Bernardino to keep additional parolees and sex offenders out of our city," Desjardins wrote in an e-mail.

FOURTH WARD CITY COUNCIL RACE
The Fourth Ward comprises San Bernardino's northeastern neighborhoods. Incumbent Fred Shorett, a businessman, is facing challenger Joe Arnett. Arnett works as an IT manager at Loma Linda University.

JOE ARNETT
Arnett, who is working with the same campaign consultant as Desjardins, also maintains that the city has too many group homes, needs tight deadlines for graffiti removal, and should fine juvenile taggers' parents.

"At a minimum, I suggest doubling the penalty both in terms of cost and community service time spent in the field," Arnett wrote in an e-mail.

He also supports the use of Administrative Civil Penalties, a mechanism favored by the city attorney that allows for a maximum fine of $1,000 per day to be imposed for any municipal code violation.

Arnett also wants to host monthly volunteer clean up days in the 4th Ward and a citywide policy to limit future low-income housing projects to senior housing complexes.

FRED SHORETT
Shorett also calls for vandals' parents to be held responsible for their children's crimes.
He also wants to consider publishing the names of taggers or their parents.

"Public exposure will ensure that our citizens know who in their neighborhoods are responsible for these hideous crimes and waste of taxpayer's dollars," Shorett wrote in an e-mail.

Shorett also wants to reexamine existing curfew laws and push the San Bernardino City Unified School District to place all campuses on a traditional schedule so police can have an easier time identifying truant youth.

San Bernardino City Council keys in on economy
Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - City voters will soon have a chance to decide which candidates are best suited to help craft policies that can enable the town to improve its economic standing.

Three City Council members - representing San Bernardino's 1st, 2nd and 4th wards - each face a single opponent in this year's election.

If the national recession comes to an end in the next four years, whoever wins those contests can be expected to have a vote on whether to go forward with future redevelopment proposals, new laws that could change the city's business climate and 1st Ward City Council race.

The 1st Ward includes downtown and part of the city's Westside. Incumbent Esther Estrada, the council's longest serving member, faces challenger Virginia Marquez, who is a part-time field representative for Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino.

Esther Estrada considers San Bernardino International Airport and the future development of a new downtown civic center as keys to the city's economy.

Regarding the airport, Estrada said she is counting on passenger service to begin in the near future.

She sits on the boards for both the airport and the Inland Valley Development Agency, or IVDA, which is responsible for redeveloping the land around the airport. Stater Bros.' corporate headquarters and other businesses are in that area, and Estrada supports the use of IVDA tax revenues to subsidize airport construction.

"I have tried to make sure that we bring in as many jobs as possible," she said.

Estrada also favors the idea of building a joint city/county civic center where the struggling Carousel Mall stands downtown. Proponents have said such a project could create a freeway-visible landmark for San Bernardino.

For the Westside, Estrada expects business to pick up on Mount Vernon Avenue after a new gas station opens there.

Virginia Marquez reports that her economic priorities for the city are the Mount Vernon Avenue corridor, Carousel Mall and San Bernardino International Airport.

Marquez considers Mount Vernon Avenue spots like Placita Park and the Mount Vernon Bridge to be significant city landmarks and the mall to be the city's "face" for motorists arriving in San Bernardino via the 215 Freeway.

"As the City Council member from the 1st Ward, I will be open-minded and work with the city's Economic Development Agency, other government officials and developers to bring businesses into the Mount Vernon Corridor and Carousel Mall," Marquez said in a written statement.

Marquez's platform includes seeking to work closely with the Inland Valley Development Agency on plans to bring more business to the area around San Bernardino International Airport.

Second Ward council incumbent Dennis Baxter is running against Jason Desjardins, the owner of a small business. The city's 2nd Ward includes many of the neighborhoods north of downtown and surrounding Perris Hill Park.

Dennis Baxter's platform echoes a common theme among many of this year's candidates. He asserts that San Bernardino must overcome its reputation as a crime-ridden city. He writes that publicizing FBI statistics showing crime reductions over recent years could help.

"Attracting new businesses to our city will remain a challenging task so long as business leaders perceive San Bernardino to be unsafe. Our reduction in major crime numbers over the last three years received more attention from the federal government - including even the White House - than it did here at home," Baxter wrote in an e-mail.

Baxter also supports business incentives such as tax breaks and the establishment of a one-stop center for businesses that need permits from city agencies.

Jason Desjardins said in an interview that he is running as a pro-business moderate. He said the animosity that is often on display at City Council meetings can be as much of an obstacle to business growth as bad decisions.

"You have disrespect from both sides," he said. "I am a moderate. As a businessman, I've had to deal with both sides."

Desjardins' priorities include reducing the city's utility user tax and creating a business advisory council in his ward to support small business.

The candidate threw his hat in the ring after speaking against the now-moribund proposal to create a city-run tow impound yard. Desjardins said he will divest himself of the towing business if he wins the election.

Fourth Ward council incumbent Fred Shorett, who won the special election to fill a council vacancy in March, is running against challenger Joe Arnett. Arnett, who also ran in the springtime contest, is an information technology manager at Loma Linda University.
Joe Arnett shares the common view that graffiti is a major impediment to economic development.

He also wants to reduce city fees and regulations in order to make it easier for the business community to deal with City Hall.

Arnett contends that San Bernardino does not need more minimum-wage employers and says the city should pursue federal grants to attract environmental and technology firms with the object of becoming the "'green jobs' capital of the Inland Empire."

"Bio-fuel technology that can be converted to diesel, jet fuel and other types of energy resources will be significant for our growth and development," Arnett wrote in an e-mail.
Arnett's platform also calls for the creation of a marketing plan to attract new employers as well as job training and mentoring programs at City Hall.

Fred Shorett is part of the general consensus that reducing crime is an imperative to establishing a healthier business climate. He also wants San Bernardino officials to establish property-based business improvement districts along the city's primary business corridors: Highland Avenue, Base Line, E Street and 40th Street.

The creation of such districts would empower the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency to provide loans to business owners for marketing, security and physical improvements to their shops. He also sees the return of a movie theater to downtown as a vital improvement.

Shorett further contends that San Bernardino officials need to cease the hard-nosed City Hall politics and aggressively promote city assets like Cal State San Bernardino, San Bernardino International Airport and local water supplies.

"One major asset that cannot be ignored is the historic Arrowhead Springs Hotel property. This unique and historic property has the potential to provide high-end housing, resort and boutique commercial development that our city desperately needs," Shorett wrote in an e-mail.

The City Council voted (surprise, surprise) 4 to 3 Monday to hire a new communications manager to work for City Manager Charles McNeely.

Council members Dennis Baxter, Tobin Brinker, Fred Shorett and Rikke Van Johnson voted to make the hire. Council members Esther Estrada, Chas Kelley and Wendy McCammack voted no.

The hire, revealed in the request of council action as Heather Gray, is scheduled to begin work Tuesday with a salary of $9,027 per month, subject to be cut 10 percent in accord with the city's across-the-board salary cuts.

How long the new hire gets to stay on the job could very well depend on the outcome of Tuesday's elections.

McNeely, hired on the recommendation of Mayor Pat Morris, has said the new position is vital to get the word out on San Bernardino and plans to pay Gray's salary without using the general fund. Nevertheless, mayoral candidate City Attorney James F. Penman has said the position is a poor use of city funds and has pledged to axe the job from the payroll if he wins.