September | 2016 | rialtonow

Where Is The Integrity With Election Signs?

27 Sep 2016 1 Comment

If your not aware it is Election Season & Rialto is knee deep this year. With two City Council seats open with no incumbents and some serious races for Mayor and City Clerk this is one of the most turbulent elections in quite a while. As a resident and a community advocate I have always had an issue with the way our city has been treated when candidates come calling for our vote. A majority of our leaders pay a private company to plaster thousands of signs all over our poor city and then fail to remove them after the election is over. These campaign signs become a canvas for graffiti, mobile trash due to our Santa Ana winds and another eye sore in our little town. Another issue that we have noticed is the failure of city leaders to make sure that our empty businesses don’t become a dumping grounds or public eye sores. Well today’s post brings both of these issues to the same place as Deborah Robertson thinks that plastering the old MC Donald’s building on Foothill with her campaign signs.

It’s bad enough that our Mayor thinks that it is OK to plaster her largest allowed signs on the sides of buildings that are vacant and currently being marketed for lease. What worse is that the area has very quickly become an area where trash is dumped, the building is broken into and vandalized and graffiti has found its way onto the walls. It shows a lot about how Mayor Robertson feels about the way our city looks and her dedication to making Rialto a place that businesses can thrive and survive. The Mayor and her two fellow councilmen Joe Baca Jr & Ed Scott seem to think that the city has zero control over the look of Rialto’s businesses and our main city streets that connect us to the rest of the Inland Empire.

Mayor Robertson is not the only culprit others like Assembly Woman Cheryl Brown have attached signs to every wooden surface that possibly exists in Rialto. What is worse is that her signs are attached to areas where the land is for sale or lease and is full of graffiti leaving this writer to wonder if she cares what her assembly district looks like? Others Like Rafael Trujillo and Pete Aguilar have been accused of removing other signs and placing their signs where they removed another sign.

So the real question is the one above do you think that Rialto should be the land of as many signs as one can possibly get on every surface to blanket Rialto?

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Eisenhower Wins Over Rialto High School

18 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

On Friday night two Rialto rivals took the field to kickoff what seems to be a great season ahead for Eisenhower High School. Eisenhower coming off a bye week after splitting the two games of their post season came in to prove that new head coach Al Brown’s system was not only producing quality young men but a football team the is laser focused on one of the best seasons in a long time for the once famous school.

Eisenhower and Rialto were close during the 1st quarter but once the 2nd quarter began it became very clear that this game was pulling away from Rialto. The Score of 35 to 19 proved that at halftime that unless Rialto could slow Eisenhower’s momentum the gap was only going to get worse.

We spoke to Eisenhower Athletic Director Gilbert Pulido about how he liked the first half. Mr. Pulido said “he was very happy with what the team had accomplished and was wanting to skip halftime and keep playing so to not loose the momentum.”

The players proved that they were equal to the task and came out to start the third quarter like they never took a break. Standout Players were Wide Receiver #5 Nick Freeman finished the game with four touchdowns & Wide Receiver #7 Lamario Howard had two touchdowns. Quarterback Joel Ayala was masterful running the plays and dropping passes into the hands of his hungry Receivers. Number ten Sebastian Seguro had a masterful running touchdown that had everyone talking especially Wet Paint Larry that was talking to the crowds of people at the Rialto Family Festival today. He said “I was on the Rialto side of the field and #10 juked those guys and walked right in untouched.”

For Eisenhower this season has a certain set roadblock that they won’t have a home field to play on due to the construction. Local advocate and candidate for city council David Phillips is working to tackle this by making every game feel like a home game. Through promoting the game and reminding people what High School Football is really like when everyone is ready to have an awesome season.

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Rialto Police Honor Two More Officers

08 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

Rialto Police Chief Randy Deanda had the honor of promoting two more officers that have been promoted to the ranks of Cpl and Sgt. Both men have strong family ties to Rialto and the surrounding region. As this writter comes from a family of law enforcement professionals we know the stress a family can undergo having a father, husband, mother or wife woring in Public Safety. These two men take the the day in and day out work of a Public Safety officer to another level by taking on assignments in Traffic, Gangs and Narcotics assignments. These men also have strong wives and families that support the work they do in our community without support the work these our public safety officer do could eat them up from the inside out.

Cpl Palmer has been awarded by MADD not once but multiple years for having over 100 DUI arrests in a given year. Because of Cpl Palmers hard work the streets of Rialto are made safer and more pleasent to drive. It is the work of Cpl Palmer and the rest of rialto’s newly beefed up Traffic Division that took Rialto from 10 deaths due to driving infractions to only 1 this year. Eisenhower Alumni and Staff remember Cpl Palmer as a dedicated Eisenhower Alumni, Athlete and supporter of the Eisenhower Football team. Cpl Palmer was part of the glory days of High School football when Eisenhower was the team to beat in the region.

Sgt Morales has worked on many units that have worked to remove dangerous criminals from our streets as well as acting as a visable community representation for Rialto Police Department. Sgt Morales worked with the SCAT team that worked to bring the gang restriction programs that have worked to cripple gangs that had terrorized Rialto residents for decades. Sgt Morales has also worked with the confines of Rialto Police Departments youth Programs that had a goal of stopping youth crime before it got out of hand. Also as you can see in the picture above Sgt Morales does not shy away from a young ladies request for a photo. Sgt Morales seems to have a goal of wanting the youth to see him and his co-workers as a source of help and comfort and not be afriad to come to them when they need help. Sgt Morales also has a sports background as a boxer in the battle of the badges competitions.

Video by rialto-now

Eisenhower High Football Splits Pre Season Games

06 Sep 2016 1 Comment

The Eisenhower High School Varsity Football team kicked off the upcoming season with two pre-season games. Playing without a home stadium this year will be challenging but they seem equal to the task and there are some Rialto residents that are working to make each game feel like a home game and travel where the team goes.

As you can see Eisenhower split the pre-season with a commanding win over Tahquitz. Coach Brown was happy with what he saw from his team. Even though Eisenhower lost to Roosevelt the team was out muscled by the other team but fought and learned a lot about what the regular season had in store for them.

Eisenhower will kick off the regular season away on September 16th at Rialto High School at 7pm

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Is Rialto City Council Lying to Residents?

06 Sep 2016 1 Comment

We have been told by staff and city council that the truck traffic that is soon to increase once the newly built warehouses are filled will not impact residents and that measures have been put into place to push traffic towards Laurel Ave and not Ayala where the area is more dense with family homes. The result so far with just a few of the newly built warehouses in place is that the truck traffic is engulfing the Ayala & Baseline intersection and tucks are making the area very dangerous because they seem unable to obey the traffic signals or fit into the poorly designed separation medians that only allow for three cars maximum to turn left on Ayala let alone massive Big Rig Trucks.

Well after a recent community outreach meeting where residents were asked to show up and voice their concern about the Retail project that is finally kicking off the topic wasn’t the new shopping center it was the damage that the increased truck traffic was causing. Due to the widening of Ayala the grass trees and bushes at the top end of Cedar were removed. This with the increase in truck traffic has residents unable to open their windows for fresh air and some residents are forced to wash down their homes exterior walls due to all the soot and road dust that now rains down over family homes.

Staff did state that the once empty land has always been zoned for commercial warehouse use. It seems that our airport was the only thing keeping people from having harmful, toxic pollutants rain down over their homes.

Staff, Councilman Ed Scott and Mayor Deborah Robertson have all said that the trucks will be diverted away from RIALTO homes. In this first video you will see that is not the case. Not one sign or road median does anything to stop trucks from heading towards heavily populated areas.

In this video you will see another view of a diffrent area of warehouses in the old airport area where truck traffic is allowed to go wherever they wish.

What this proves is that we need leaders that want to hear from the people BEFORE they drop massive development on single family communities.

Video by rialto-now

September Is Going To Be A Very Busy Month

04 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

Well the summer is winding down were having cooler days everyone in the region is back to school and our High Schools have just finished Pre-Season football games. We also have a laundry list of people looking for your vote in just a couple of months!!!!!!

So with such a busy September who can keep track? Well were here to let you know whats going on in Rialto and why its important to you!

September Events

9/6/16 Promotional PD Pinnings 3:00 PM 214 N. Palm Gym

9/6/16 6:30 PM Council Chambers Parks & Rec Commission Smoke Free Park Ordinance. Coalition members attending.

9/7/16 6:00 PM Traffic Commission meeting

9/10/16 10:00 am 9/11 15 year Remembrance Ceremony at Fire Station and RPD.

9/13/16 8:00 am Coffee With the Chief Cocos

9/17/16 10:00 am Family Festival Civic Center

9/26/16 Rotary Golf Tourament Arrowhead Country Club 8:00 am

9/28/16 6:00 – 9:00 PM Citizen Academy starts. Goes until November 30th.

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Own It Rialto Shows Up At Morgan Elementary In A Big Way

01 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

Photo of former Eisenhower High Grad Lewis pumping up Morgan Students Photo Credit Emily Rickard Photo

Written By Mr. Inland Empire

What do you get when you take educators full of passion add a little alumni from Eisenhower High School and top it off with local celebrities like Wet Paint Larry? You get Own It Rialto and over 500 empowered young people.

Own It Rialto led by Eisenhower teacher Chad Rickard and his wife Emily have one goal in mind change Rialto for the better. Chad & Emily have taken on the task of taking the energy and passion former Eisenhower High students have once they graduate from High School and have turned that energy loose on Rialto in awesome ways. With the help of the popular Street Artist Wet Paint Larry and the Rialto Police Department Own It Rialto has targeted to areas that they want to launch their efforts. Local events, Morgan Elementary Students and a better understanding of how their local leaders represent them.

As a kick off to working with Morgan Students the group made wrist bands that had the name of their group “Own It Rialto” and the year that class will graduate. Group leader Chad Rickard said “we want these kids to know we expect them to graduate so if nobody else in their lives expect it someone will”.

Own It Rialto came out with Wet Paint Larry and a Tug of War contest between Morgan Elementary students and Own It Rialto member Louis Redd. The game was crafted to teach the students if they worked together and helped each other out that they could do anything. The students were victorious in the game with a little help from Rialto Police Officer Rice from the Community Policing Program. Next Morgan Elementary students were shown what Own It Rialto is and how it is possible to overcome a bad situation and do amazing things. Main speaker Esli Brito spoke to the kids about issues that they all deal with. Esli spoke about coming to this country at a young age and overcoming cultural and language barriers. Esli is just one of the many group members that want local kids to know that they can do anything. From local celebrities like Wet Paint Larry, Rialto alum Niyi Obileye that are acting in films, Police officers like Rialto Officer Rice and even Julie Vega who is going after her passion of being a chef.

Chad Rickard had a message for Rialto that he posted on Facebook:

“Our next steps will be to start volunteering in after-school programs and develop programs to help them in areas such as reading, athletics, and entrepreneuership. If you are someone or know someone who would like to get involved, please contact me. This was a beautiful experience today; thank you to all those who made it possible.Larry Jones Emily Rickard Esli Brito Julie Vega Niyi Obileye Louis Redd David Phillips Jessica Banks Ana I. Gonzalez Thank you to Principal Vara and Morgan Elementary. Thank you Scott Sparks for letting me hang out with little students instead of my own for a morning!”