Recently in Parks, Recreation and Community Events Category

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.

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.

The first of four Downtown Harvest Market events kicked off Wednesday at Court Street Square.

Vendors hawked items ranging from barbecue tri-tip sandwiches to dates to dried jujubes grown in Lucerne Valley.

Rather than being old candy left over from last year's Halloween, dried jujubes have a chewy texture and a mild taste that is hard to describe. The fruit's Wikipedia entry compares the taste to that of an apple, which is pretty close.

The next Downtown Harvest Market is scheduled to be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 14 at Court Street Square, next to City Hall.

Latin musicians Santos Rodriguez y su Compania Suave are scheduled to perform Sunday during the Smart Farmer's Market event at Placita Park.

The new farmer's market launched July 5. The hours have been moved up because of summer hear, event founder Rita Arias said.

The new hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. Placita Park is at 685 Mount Vernon Avenue. There is no charge for admission.

Janet Chaney, entertainment director for San Bernardino Farmers Fair and Market Night, said Tuesday's event will feature guest appearances by a baby zebra and other animals.

The menagerie, according to Chaney, is set to include a wallaby, pigs, parrots, llamas and other animals as part of Market Night's second annual "Critter Carnival."

The animals are scheduled to be on display from 6 p.m. to dusk, Junior University's production of "Aladdin" is set to begin at 8:15 p.m.

Market Night is at Perris Hill Park on Tuesday nights.

City Hall and Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Program announced Wednesday that the latter will donate $20,000 to keep city pools in operation.

"The grant will enable the swimming pools at Rueben Campos and Hernandez to stay open for the balance of the swim season, which ends August 29, 2009,." reads the city's announcement. "In addition, the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department will be able to open the pool at Mill Park, from July 20th through August 29th, 2009. The grant also provides for limited free swimming lessons at Ruben Campos and Hernandez pools."

Computers were stolen from the central area Operation Phoenix center during a weekend break-in, Operation Phoenix coordinator Kent Paxton said.

Paxton said four or five computers and other property was ripped off from the center, which is intended to provide children a place to play and study. He said there were actually two break-ins, one on Thursday when the alarm scared the thief (or thieves) off and another over the weekend when the thefts occurred.

He ventured that the burglary could have been retaliation for recent police and code enforcement sweeps in the area, as well as activity by the city's graffiti abatement crew.

"It could be random, although I doubt that," Paxton said.

It's possible that a suspect or suspects could have already be arrested. Police spokesman Lt. Dan Keil said he didn't immediately have detailed information on the case but it's his understanding that as of Tuesday night, the investigation was closed.

The central area Operation Phoenix center is at First Church of the Nazarene at 1605 North Sierra Way. The center serves a 20-block area north of downtown that Mayor Pat Morris and other city officials identified as one of San Bernardino's most crime-ridden areas when the program was launched in 2006.

"It's still the most challenged area in the city," Paxton said. "We've made some progress, but it's still a challenge."

Paxton said that during the month of June, there were 1,457 visits to the center.

Jumping Jack Flash, a Rolling Stones tribute band, is scheduled to be open Cal State San Bernardino's summer concert series.

The band is set to take to the stage at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the campus' Lower Commons Plaza.

More information at Cal State's Web site.

As an aside, there's an ongoing debate in The Sun's newsroom as to whether "Sticky Fingers" or "Exile on Main Street" is the superior Stones album.

A ground-breaking for the Speicher Skate Park is scheduled to be held Saturday.

Sun colleague Debbie Pfeiffer-Trunell informs me that the park is being built with built with $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds, $100,000 in donations from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and $98,000 in funding directed from Third District Supervisor Neil Derry.

The bill for the event advertises pro skaters are scheduled to be in attendance. The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Speicher Memorial Park, 1535 North Arden Street.

The City Council did not approve a budget Monday, but did OK a funding shift designed to keep two city swimming pools open for the summer, which has already gotten pretty hot.

The council shifted $25,000 from the Mayor's Office that had been set aside to support a preschool program to Parks, Recreation and Community Services to run the pools.

San Bernardino's annual Independence Day parade is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Saturday at Feldheym Library. The parade route is set to end at the crossing of Second and E Streets.

A fireworks show is scheduled to be held after the conclusion of the Inland Empire 66ers game versus the Lancaster JetHawks. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 pm. Saturday and ticket prices start at $5.

The San Bernardino Bicentennial Committee is accepting donations for festivities planned for 2010.

Donors can make out checks to the City of San Bernardino and write "Bicentennial Committee" on the memo line. Donations are tax deductible, according to the city's Web site.

Checks can be mailed to the following address:

San Bernardino Bicentennial Committee
San Bernardino City Hall
Office of the Mayor
300 N. D Street, 6th Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92418

Those who want to donate can also use their credit cards to give money on the city's Web site.

This has been a pretty good week for Parks, Recreation and Community Services, a department that seemed to barely escape elimination during February's budget cuts.

The council voted Monday to retain staffers who were set to be laid off and today, city officials announced that two swimming pools that were expected to be closed for the summer could be open to the public.

Mayor Pat Morris said by telephone that the swimming pool at Ruben Campos Community Center on the Westside is scheduled to open Monday.

Previously, city officials had only planned on opening the swimming facilities at Jerry Lewis Swim Center at Perris Hill Park. All other pools were to be closed because of budget cuts, but Morris said dollars are being diverted from the Mayor's Office to pay for the pools.

The pool at Rudy C. Hernandez Community Center downtown is also now set to open for summertime.

The City Council is scheduled to vote Monday on a plan designed to keep parks employees working for the city.

The plan includes a move to restore 11 parks maintenance jobs to the budget and have park work performed by city workers instead of contractors. Parks and recreation chief Kevin Hawkins' request for council action reports that this change could save the city about $25,000.

Combined with other personnel moves, Hawkins reports the city can achieve $1.1 million in savings.

In February, then- interim City Manager Mark F. Weinberg proposed a budget cutting plan that would have eliminated San Bernardino's parks maintenance staff. At the time, the City Council preserved a dozen jobs by having city employees perform landscaping jobs, such as mowing the grass that grows on medians, that were previously done by contract workers.

Since February's round of budget cuts, parks employees say there have only been six city employees who were actually charged with taking care of San Bernardino's parkland.

National Weather Service forecasters are predicting sunny skies over San Bernardino throughout the Memorial Day Weekend.

Thus it's unlikely that fairgoers attending the first night of the 2009 National Orange Show Festival will be sent home early tonight, as they were in 2008 when a thunderstorm quickly convinced show organizers to send people home.

San Bernardino lore holds that the National Orange Show Events Center sits on the site of an old American Indian burial ground and that the annual Orange Show is cursed to be held on stormy days. An alternate theory is that it rains a lot in the spring.

This year, meteorologists are predicting clear skies and temperatures in the 80s through Monday. If there's no curse to fret over, that means there's little to worry about other than the recession, the breakdown of California government and the impending war against the machines, i.e., whether the new Terminator:Salvation movie turns out to be lame.

A new promotion for the San Bernardino Farmers Fair and Market will give patrons a chance to win coupons that can be redeemed at the event.

This is the first time market night organizers have offered coupons to draw customers to the event.

"We're trying something new," market night manager Cheryl Margolis said.

Organizers plan to hold drawings for $100 worth of coupons tonight. Customers can register between 6 and 6:45 p.m. at the Patrons of the Roosevelt Bowl Booth for opportunities to win the first half of the coupons and between 7 and 7:45 p.m. for opportunities to win the second half.

Patrons of the Roosevelt Bowl president Susan Lien Longville said the drawings will be held at market night events during May. She expects organizers to issue coupons through October, but they may change the way customers receive coupons.

Longville said the coupons may entice customers looking for a chance to get $5 worth of fresh produce for free.

San Bernardino Farmers Fair and Market night is held from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays until the end of October at Perris Hill Park, 1001 East Highland Ave.

San Bernardino is scheduled to celebrate the 199th anniversary of its name at noon May 20 at City Hall Plaza.

The celebration is slated to include a cake baked at Art Institute of California - Inland Empire and cheerleaders from San Bernardino High School.

The event flier proclaims that "San Bernardino Parties Like it's 199," meaning there's one year to go for the burg's planned bicentennial bash. There was no word if the sky will turn purple.

The bicentennial event will mark the 200th anniversary of the name San Bernardino, but as Sun columnist John Weeks has reported, it's not the actual birthday for the city itself.

Father Francisco Dumetz gave San Bernardino its name in May 1810 after traveling from Mission San Gabriel. The Mormon wagon train carrying settler who would establish the town that became San Bernardino did not reach the valley until June 1851.

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- Mayor Pat Morris cq and local spiritual leaders celebrated the city's religious diversity during the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.

"Adonai. Allah. Spirit. Yeshua. Savior. Mother Earth. Lord God. We use different names, but each implies a recognition that there is something beyond us, a higher power," said Rabbi Hillel Cohn cq of Temple Emanu El while delivering the invocation.

Cohn went on to ask those assembled Valencia Room of the National Orange Show Events Center to take part in a moment of silence.

The Mayor's Prayer Breakfast coincided with this year's commemoration of the National Day of Prayer, which President Truman proclaimed in 1952.

More than six decades later, the National Day of Prayer Task Force, an Evangelical nonprofit that is not part of the federal government, promotes the day for worship in accordance with Judeo-Christian worship. The mayor's breakfast was much more ecumenical. The event recognized Buddhism, Islam and the traditional beliefs of the San Manuel Band of Serrano Indians as well as Judaism and Christianity.

"Our city is not only the oldest and most historic city in the Inland Empire, we are the most culturally and religiously diverse," Morris said.

That diversity was featured on the Valencia Room's stage Thursday by monks from Khmer Buddhist Temple of San Bernardino who prayed while girls performed a wishing dance in traditional Cambodian dance costume.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stake president Dale T. Poulsen cq read poetry, and 13-year-old Jayavana Herbert cq performed a praise dance to the music of Christian song.

Victory Outreach senior pastor Rick Alanis cq called upon those at the breakfast to remember the needy, even if the economy prevents those asked for help from providing material aid.

"We have to be willing to give, and we may not be able to give money or resources, but we can give the bread of faith, we can give the bread of hope and we can give the bread of love," Alanis said.

San Manuel Chairman James Ramos cq sang a historic bighorn sheep song in his tribe's native language. He rattled the song's rhythm by shaking a mass of strung hooves while he sang.

Cal State San Bernardino world language and literature professor Dany Doueiri, who is a co-founder of Islamicity.org, gave an account of the diversity within his own life.
Doueiri said his ancestors include an Orthodox Jew and an Orthodox Christian.

He was delivered by a Catholic nun when he was born in Kikwit, now in Democratic Republic of Congo. Later, he married a woman of Irish-Dutch ancestry and said he has an Evangelical pastor as a brother-in-law.

"It really shows you how we are no longer the products of one religions, we are no longer the product of one ethnicity," Doueiri said.

Train aficionados may want to make a stop at Santa Fe Deport on Saturday for National Train Day events.

National Train Day commemorates the anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The famed golden spike was hammered into the 1,776-mile railroad May 10, 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah.

Visitors to Santa Fe Depot, which is home to the San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum, can expect to see a BNSF locomotive, model trains, kiddie rides and information related to Inland Empire rail projects.

The event is scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Santa Fe Depot, 1170 West Third Street.

The San Bernardino Farmer's Fair & Market Night is scheduled to open a new season tonight at Perris Hill Park, 1001 East Highland Ave.

From the city's Web site:

Reminder to the San Bernardino community. The City of San Bernardino has again been selected to participate in another community-build playground event at the Hernandez Community Center, located at 222 N. Lugo, in Meadowbrook Park. The build honors the legacy and values of Cesar Chavez.

The KaBoom funding partner is California Volunteers; the Andrus Family Trust provided the local funding in honor of Al Guhin.

We would like to extend a special invitation to the Community to attend the playground build, this Saturday on April 25th. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m., with an anticipated completion time of 4:00 p.m. Come participate in the KaBoom experience, helping to create a sense of community through People, Parks and Programs.

San Bernardino Professional Firefighters spokesman Tom Rubio just confirmed for me that the Berdoo Bikes & Blues Rendezvous won't happen this year.

But event organizers say the event is still expected to happen in 2010.

Bikes & Blues debuted in 2008. The streets of downtown San Bernardino filled with long lines of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, with a few Triumph and Indian models thrown in.

The event was set to make a return May 9 of this year. Rubio said the decision to postpone the event was based on the idea that one day was not enough for the festival and difficulties posed by the recession.

The dates and location for a 2010 event have yet to be announced. The event could be held April 30 and May 1 of 2010,
"We're having a little tough time getting sponsors," Rubio said.

The Center for Individual Development - a San Bernardino-based recreational facility for disabled children and adults - is holding a weekend fundraiser at TGIFriday's restaurant in San Bernardino.

The restaurant has agreed to donate 20 percent of diners' bills to CID on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The eatery is at 390 East Hospitality Lane, San Bernardino.

Here is the CID Flier.doc. I've been told that diners can participate in the fundraiser without a flier if they tell their server that they want to help CID.

The City Council on Monday approved a deal with the Center for Individual Development that calls for the center's foundation to pay nearly $152,000 to keep the Center open through June 2010.

The Center, which provides recreational opportunities for disabled children and adults, faced elimination during the city's recent round of budget cuts. Calling upon the Friends of the CID to provide funding means the Friends of the CID need money.

To that end, the Friends of the CID is holding a fundraiser Friday, Saturday and Sunday at T.G.I. Fridays restaurant at 390 East Hospitality Lane. Diners who bring The Friends' flier to the restaurant can have a percentage of their bill donated.

The flier is a necessity. The CID can be contacted by calling (909) 384-5427.

The Center for Individual Development, a recreational facility for disabled people that barely survived San Bernardino's recent budget cuts, reports that it needs to raise $1 million to stay alive over the long term.

The city stopped funding the Center, but its foundation agreed to supply money to keep the facility open through June 2010.

But what will happen to the Center after June 2010 is unknown.

"If sufficient funds are not raised, CID programs programs will need to close in two years when those funds are exhausted," according to a letter signed by CID program manager Ken Joswiak and CID recreation therapist Cynthia Alvarado.

Toward that end, the CID has an open house and awards reception scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Center, 8088 Palm Lane, San Bernardino.

Joswiak said the Center is always fundraising but Wednesday's open house is planned as the kickoff to the new campaign.

The city's round of budget cuts doesn't only eliminate rank-and-file jobs. A quartet of senior management positions are also slated to be eliminated.

Those positions are:

- Animal Control Director (Estimated savings of $125,089 in Fiscal 2009-10.)

- Code Enforcement Director (Estimated savings of $219,530 in Fiscal 2009-10.)

- Facilities Management Director (Estimated savings of $178,576 in Fiscal 2009-10.)

- Information Technology Director (Estimated Savings of $171,600 in Fiscal 2009-10.)

City Hall officials are considering a departmental merger that would place Animal Control and Code Enforcement under Parks, Recreation and Community Services.

"A portion of my proposed savings over the next 16 months comes from the consolidation of some operating departments. In particular, it is recommended that the Parks Director assume responsibility for Animal Control and Code Enforcement Services. The library would retain its
autonomy," interim City Manager Mark Weinberg wrote in an email.

"It should be pointed out that I have purposely recommended that any organizational restructuring be deferred to the start of the next fiscal year. This will give the new permanent City Manager an opportunity to review my recommendations and make modifications to suit his or her vision of the organization," he continued.

A groundbreaking event for Ronald Reagan Park is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. Monday in northern San Bernardino, near the crossing of Irvington and Chestnut avenues.

Here's a nugget found in a city document related to proposed budget cuts:

"Parks, Recreation and Community Services could be consolidated with the Library, Code Enforcement or other departments. The Parks Division could be maintained, separated or contracted out for increased beautification efforts. The merging of Library and Recreation (Community Services Department) would allow the shifting of satellite branches to the community centers. Determination for executive oversight or exploration of Recreation Services staffing would need to be determined. The elimination of support personnel in any departmental consolidation would also be General Fund savings."

The author of the proposal is not listed in the document. Any thoughts? Recreation and library services may mesh well but I wonder what people think about mixing code enforcement work to a department that's mission is essentially to provide residents with places to relax and have fun.

City officials are currently considering proposals to save money by laying off parks employees responsible for taking care of the city's parks and contracting for the service.

Here's the story I wrote that takes our first look at how budget cuts could affect the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

During Monday night's budget talks, 1st Ward Councilwoman Esther Estrada said an unnamed entity has expressed interest in purchasing the Norton Recreation Center, which is near San Bernardino International Airport.

The rec center and Galaxy Grand Ballroom or slated for closure in interim City Manager Mark Weinberg's new budget cut proposal. The move would lead to a pair of layoffs and is projected to save about $40,000 between April 1 and June 30.

City Finance Director Barbara Pachon said staffers are compiling a list of real estate that could be sold, although Weinberg said it could be difficult to close land deals quickly in the current economic climate.

However, Estrada emphasized that the city may have a ready buyer and that she wants officials to move quickly to sell surplus land when possible.

Mayor Pat Morris said it may be difficult to sell the property under current federal law because the U.S. Air Force gave the facilities to San Bernardino for recreational purposes after the closure of Norton Air Force Base. Morris said he would contact Reps. Joe Baca and Jerry Lewis regarding any necessary legislative action to allow a sale.

Kaboom sounds like a sound effect that would belong in the 1960s "Batman" television series, but it's actually a nonprofit that supports playground construction.

San Bernardino's fourth Kaboom build of the year is scheduled for Dec. 11 at Nunez Park. The nonprofit has previously aided the city at Lytle Creek Park, Delmann Heights Park and Soar Charter Academy.

Kaboom projects depend heavily on volunteers. Anyone interested in helping out can call Juanita Webster at Ruben Campos Community Center at (909) 384-5421.