On November 8th this writer was invited to participate in a strategic planning session for one of Rialto Unified School Districts Elementary Schools. I was excited to be a part of being part of shaping the future and moving the needle of change for children where they are most molded into their future self’s. I was also excited because I have a new found respect for Rialto Unified Superintendent Dr. Avila and his vision for being more aware of how to capitalize on teachable moments rather than allowing them to pass on by just to remain on a long term path to a distant future.
As I sat and listened to Dr. Avila and his team explain what we were being tasked with re-thinking our preconceived ideas of education and the school in question so that we could create a place that parents and students wanted to be. Once Dr. Avila left the mood changed rather quickly and the teachers who had been around for years fought any outside thinking or avoided any changes. They were building what was already there and I thought why are we wasting time and resources on nothing?
You see this is the greatest problem with innovative thought in public education its not that we cant afford it, the issue is older teachers don’t want to change and they don’t have to. Because they have tenure they can fight change for years and the only person that suffers is the children.
Now I’m going to let you in on the big secret there was one word that that got me attacked and shut down by half the room was that we would Guarantee that each child with find a love for learning. The word Guarantee scared the crap out of them “I can’t make a Guarantee I will get sued” or “that is a business term not meant for the classroom”. What is funny is that because public educators are so quick to take the easy road to the end of the school year millions of parents spend thousands of dollars each year for private education. What is the difference? Private schools must work as hard as possible to make sure that the student has the opportunity to fully blossom into their future self. These teachers actually told me in front of the whole group if you want that education you have to pay for it!!!!!! Man what are my tax dollars for anymore? As of February 1st 2016 Rialto Unified is paid $9,293 per student.
36
67850
Rialto Unified
232,519,852
25,022.2
9,293
Unified
At on of the more popular private schools in the region parents of elementary students would pay:
So tell me again how being innovative and giving parents the impression that your there to do you absolute best is so much more expensive?
So as I came across this video from Viral Thread it made me wonder why these teachers wouldn’t want the chance at experiencing what these teachers are the joys of making a difference. Another thing is that both the Vice Principal and Principal allowed this to happen they never stepped in.
Where do we go from here? Did we bring Dr. Avila to Rialto only to make the same mistakes over and over again or are we ready for change that will shape our children and our region?
Today word went out that Robo Calls from the number 820-2525 went out from Congressman Pete Aguilar telling Rialto Voters to vote for Rafael Trujillo for Rialto City Council. Nothing surprises us anymore the level of corruption that Mayor Robertson allows to go on at City Hall. She had ticket sales going on at city hall for the Jazz Fest that claimed a $90,000 loss to Rialto General Fund and the missuse of city accounts costing the Rialto General Fund $10,000.
Congressman Pete Aguilar is not new to playing games and not playing by the rules, his campaign has gotten so bad that signs have sprouted up this year refering to Pete as a AguLIAR. Pete Aguilar’s campaign has been at the heart of many police reports on claims of stealing or destroying Paul Chabot’s campaign signs.
Rafael Trujillo may think he needs all the help he can get since he has ran for many offices and NEVER won. He tried to bully his way into a city council seat when Mayor Robertson vacated her seat and was appointed to the West Valley Water Board only to once again loose in the election. He was recently re-appointed this summer and now he is ready to jump ship for a chance at City Council.
Think of this photo and the one above as you look to either man for leadership. Both care more for their special interest ties than they do the people.
With Nine people looking for your vote on Tuesday were looking to see who is rising to the top in the minds of our readers. Were not going to list all Nine because a few have been tossed in to make a mess of things. Below is a poll where you tell us what your top two choices are. We can’t see who voted we just want to see where our readers fall on these candidates. If you don’t see your candidate feel free to add them to the poll.
It is rare that you find incumbents in today’s political climate worth throwing your support behind. Jesse Sandoval and Lydia Salazr-Wibert are two incumbents that have earned the opportunity to represent the residents of Fontana. Looking at the list of challengers you would think that there is a need for change but for the most part the wide range of challengers comes from frustration with what Fontana’s Mayor has done to the cities reputation and the potential purchase of a third mindless vote on Fontana city council.
Jesse Sandoval:
Jesse has lived in Fontana since 1967 and has been an elected Councilmember since 2012. Jesse has been married to his wife Mary (a school board member) for 30 years and raised 3 children and at least one grandchild. Jesse worked for the FUSD for 20 years and now works for the City of San Bernardino. Jesse has always had a reputation for being an active parent and has been involved in School Site Council and PTA. Jesse also has worked as a Commissioner for Parks & recreation, sponsorship of the annual Veteran’s Day Essay Contest and Coaching Youth Athletics. Jesse has been active with groups like Southwest Little League, Fontana Pop Warner, Jr all American Football and Fontana Girls Softball. As a councilman he is also an active part of the Senior Community in Fontana. He leads the Fontana Senior Softball Team and spends frequent hours conversing and dinning with the seniors that frequent the Fontana Community Senior Center. Jesse is a great person to re-elect as Fontana’s Councilman because he has proven over the last four years that he:
Has a true open door policy.
Keeps an open mind.
Lends a listening ear to all community concerns.
Lydia Salazr-Wibert:
Lydia Salazar-Wibert was elected to the Fontana City Council in November 2012. Her current term will expire in November 2016.
Prior to joining the City Council, Mrs. Salazar-Wibert was an active member of the Fontana community and has been for 26 years. She served on the Parks and Recreation Commission for 11 years and has been a Fontana Police Volunteer for 17 years. Mrs. Salazar-Wibert has been an active community member supporting schools and also Veteran’s groups
Mrs. Salazar-Wibert is married with 9 children. She is employed with the Fontana Unified School District as a Child Welfare and Attendance Liaison. In her employment, she addresses the needs, welfare, and attendance of the children. With her personal and work experience with children she understands how important a supportive family is. With her knowledge of the city, she helps families needing support to find any available resources to help them thrive.
Lydia has and continues to be actively involved and participates in a number of community organizations like those listed below, but not limited to:
Fontana Police Volunteer 1994- Present
Co-Founder of Fontana Santa’s Toy Give Away 1996- Present
Student Attendance Review Board Member 1996- Present
Women’s Club Member 1997- Present
Gangs and Drugs Task Force member 1999- Present
Volunteer American Cancer Society 2000- Present
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commissioner 2003- 2010
American Legion Post 772 2007- Present
Rotary Club of Fontana Member 2007- Present
Fontana Kiwanis Member 2014-Present
Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House Advisory Member 2012-Present
Board of Directors Member for Marygold Condominium Association 2007- Present
Fontana Parks and Recreation Commissioner 1997-2008
School Boundary Committee Member 1996- 2006
Volunteer Special Olympics 1996- 2000
School District Advisory Committee 1996-2000
Fontana Community Little League Board Member 1990-2000
PTA, Past President, Member, Including PTA Council 5th District 1992-1999
VFW Post 6563 Auxiliary Lifetime Member
San Bernardino County Solid Waste Advisory Task (SWAT) Force
Housing Authority Chair
Lydia has received several awards for her outstanding volunteerism (excellence, leadership and dependability) and volunteer of the year from the Fontana Police Department. She has also been recognized as a Woman of Distinction for the 63rd Assembly District. The City of Fontana has also recognized Lydia for her contribution of volunteer work to the community.
Mrs. Salazar-Wibert is the co-founder of the Fontana Santa’s Toy Giveaway Program that has been serving thousands of Fontana children every Christmas for the last seventeen years. This community event involves hundreds of volunteers that bring Christmas joy to the families of this community.
In 2014, Mrs. Salazar-Wibert and the Fontana Unified School District started the “Make a Difference Day” in the City of Fontana. With hundreds of volunteers, they collected clothes for the Fontana Unified School District clothes closet, facilitated food collection for local churches, held a resume and application workshop for high school students, and cleaned up a local high school.
Our team has been getting bombarded with emails and Facebook posts looking for information on who to vote for in the upcoming election. So were putting out our guide to tell you who we think is the best candidate for the Rialto Region. We are covering Rialto and a few surrounding cities since our reader footprint has grown so much. Please don’t let a bad candidate keep you from voting if you don’t like someone running for office just skip that section and move on to the next. Also remember that your local leader will have a greater effect on your life than someone who runs on a larger scale.
United States Senator – Kamala Harris/ Neither choice is great but Kamala Harris just seems more level headed.
Congressional District 8 – Paul Cook/ Mr Cook has served in this seat for a while and has done a fair job representing the people of his district.
Congressional District 31 – Paul Chabot/ Mr Chabot has worked hard for the region to make sure working families can thrive and survive. Mr Chabot also has an innovative idea to bring a Joint Forces Base to San Bernardino which would be a grand shot in the arm for that once great city. Also with National Safety such a big concern Paul Chabot has the experience working in the military to keep the IE safe.
Congressional District 35 – Norma Torres/ Even though we don’t always agree with Congresswoman Torres she has proven that she will listen and speak to the people. Mrs. Torres is one of those congressional members that wont shy away from talking to community members and she holds more events for the community than any other current congressional member. Her opponent Tyler Fishella doesn’t live here or even know the issues of the region. Three times we had interviews set up with him and he canceled each time Mrs Torres has never denied anyone the pleasure of a conversation.
State Assembly District 40 – Marc Stienorth/ Marc Stienorth has an opponent in Abigail Medina and this woman is beyond dangerous. She has time and time again ignored the Brown Act has a San Bernardino City School Board Member and spearheaded allowing students of the San Bernardino School District to bring Marijuana, Knives and fight on campus and be able to avoid the normal consequences that come along with these types of crimes. Instead of the School Police issuing a citation the student will get a slap on the wrist and be sent on their way.
State Assembly District 47 – Eloise Reyes/ Incumbent Cheryl Brown voted one way on raising gas prices then voted differently when big environmental organizations applied preasure. Cheryl Brown ignored my local schools request to have her out and cheryl brown went out of her way to attack residents that question her and call them names at political events. Cheryl Brown is a big part of the problem when it comes to blocking worthy causes from access to helping people. She only allows people access to the people when they fall into political favor. We need leaders that stand for their morals and actually listen to the people. Eloise sits on a local CAG group and has had some heated arguments but after its said and done she can still act like respectful person.
San Bernardino Community College District Board Member Area 1 – Paul Rasso/ Mr Rasso is a dedicated community leader that has already dedicated years to developing our future leaders. Paul Rasso works hard and would be a breath of fresh air on the college board.
Rasso, 50, an Office Machine Technician for the Colton Joint Unified School District currently serves as chairman of both Colton’s Parks and Recreation Commission and the Community Coalition for Change. He expressed confidence in helping to bridge gaps between the district’s two colleges (San Bernardino Valley and Crafton Hills) and employers, as well as ensure quality education and support services for students.
“I want to be able to close the gap to help these students,” said Rasso. “These kids can have a familiar face that can help them find the right resources. We should not just tell our kids, ‘Go to college and do this, and this.’ We should be able to tell them, ‘We can help you.”
Fontana Unified School Board – Lorena Corona & Mars Serna/ You get two votes here and we have seen Mars Serna do some good and we hope he can shake the stink of some of the ugly people backing his campaign and do some good things for Fontana Schools.
Rialto Unified School Board – Joe Martinez and Nancy O’Kelly/ On this one you get 3 votes these two incumbents are a good choice.
Chaffey Joint Union High School District – Matthew Munson
Fontana City Council – JESUS “JESSE” SANDOVAL & LYDIA SALAZAR-WIBERT/ These two incumbents have been working hard for the people of Fontana. They both have stood up to the heavy hand of the Mayor of Fontana and now even though Lydia allowed the Mayor to use her family to re elected two years ago the Mayor is now turning on Lydia. Don’t fall for the lies Vote to keep these two incumbents working for fontana.
Grand Terrace City Council – Brian L. Reinarz
Ontario City Council – Richard Roybal & Ruben Valencia
Rancho Cucamonga City Council – Curtis PITTS ( Vote Only for Him)
Redlands City Council – Ken Hunter (only vote for Ken)
Rialto Mayor – Edward Palmer
Rialto City Council – David Phillips & Joe Britt
Rialto City Clerk – Ana Gonzalez
Upland Mayor – Glenn Bozar
Upland City Council – Dan Morgan
Board of Directors Division 1, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District – Ed Killgore
Board of Directors Division 2, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District – Randall Cenciros
Proposition 51 – NO/ If you approve this $9 billion dollar the total projected cost will be $17.5 Billion when it is all said and done.
Proposition 52 – NO/ Obama Care hospital tax.
Proposition 53 – YES/ Requires voter approval for bonds over 2 billion dollars.
Proposition 54 – YES/ Leaders must post a bill 72 hours before voting on it opening them up to voter review.
Proposition 55 YES/ Fund our schools
Proposition 56 – YES/ Keep kids from smoking cigarettes.
Proposition 57 – NO/ Further reduces sentences of inmates and release more felons into our neighborhoods.
Proposition 58 – NO/ They are using teaching english as a way to force kids to be bilingual.
Proposition 59 – NO/ This is a government ploy to restrict FREE SPEECH.
Proposition 60 – YES/ Anything that will help get rid of the adult film industry.
Proposition 61 – NO/ Will increase drug prices on Veterans and millions of Californians.
Proposition 62 – NO/ Without the death penalty there will not be an ultimate price for the worst of the worst.
Proposition 63 – NO/ Just say no to background checks on ammo that will push more ammo sales underground.
Proposition 64 – NO/ Just Say No to recreational drug use in California. Each home can have 6 pot plants and kids will be marketed to on TV bad for California bad for families.
Proposition 65 – NO/ Money will go right into special interests pockets.
Proposition 66 – YES/ Speeds up the death penalty process.
Proposition 67 – NO/ Take back control of what type of bag you use.
Etiwanda School District Measure Measure I
City of San Bernardino Measures Measure L – NO/ The framers of this charter change have thrown in a couple of good things to take your eyes away from all the bad like removing your right to vote for your City Clerk. The backers of this Measure are John Longville and Chris Mann two men that have been caught more than once looking at their own best interests and shutting up the community. John Longville seen in the video below.
City of San Bernardino Measure N – NO/ San Bernardino doesn’t need anymore drugs.
City of San Bernardino Measure O – NO/ San Bernardino doesn’t need anymore drugs.
City of San Bernardino Measure P – NO/ San Bernardino doesn’t need anymore drugs.
City of Upland Measure Measure U – NO/ Will flood Upland with harmful drugs that will be sold by the strip club owner in Upland.
KFI Traffic first reported a accident on the 10 westbound at Rancho Ave where wood was dropped on the 10 freeway causing a backup that streached to the 215 freeway.
Now the San Bernardino Sun is reporting more details below:
A big-rig carrying a forklift struck a bridge under construction on the westbound 10 Freeway, forcing officials to initiate a SigAlert Wednesday morning.
“At approximately 9 a.m., a tractor-trailer carrying a forklift struck a beam of the Pepper Avenue overpass above the 10 Freeway,” California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Alvarez said. “No injuries were reported, and crews estimate a reopening of the freeway to be around 1 p.m.”
All westbound lanes are closed. Traffic is being diverted off the freeway and back on again.
Alvarez said a few cars were damaged from the falling debris but didn’t go into detail.
Investigators are on scene trying to determine if the load height was over the limit.
As SANBAG looks to add toll lanes to the 10 freeway more accidents like these are coming due to the fact that lanes will be shrunk to fit in the toll lanes on a already tight freeway.
As has been very well covered is Presidential Candidate Hilary Clinton calling her opponents supporters deplorable. Well in a recent interview Councilman Ed Scott was quoted in the San Bernardino Sun article calling the people who run to seek political office Crazy.
“Generally, during an election year, when we have council races, we go dark in October,” Councilman Ed Scott said. “So that we don’t have all the crazy election antics at city council meetings.” – Rialto Councilman Ed Scott
This is a failed statement because we have been told that the council goes dark to allow incumbents the ability to equally campaign just as their challengers. We can tell you that the crazy antics (public holding our leaders feet to the fire) go on year round and this is one of the few opportunities that Mr. Scott can shut down the community.
Ed Scott is no stranger to yelling at the community and city staff behind closed doors and in the public. Ed Scott used to accuse the press of misquoting him but once we began covering this city we found that Mr. Scott opens himself up to being quoted for the words that pour over his lips. Once we began making public the videos of City Council leaders acting in ways that are not appropriate the leaders who were in the wrong have grown concerned.
Below is a recent video of Ed Scott blindly threatening the community at large that he is coming after someone. This is a concern because he has used actual litigation against citizens who worked to oppose his past attempts to outsource Rialto’s Police Department.
What all this proves is that as we are voting that we vote for leaders who will lead the people not threaten and shut them down.
On Wednesday October 5th we brought you the story of the Werner Elementary safety issues.
That same evening the parents and community came out to speak to the Rialto Traffic Commission on the issues with speeding & safety in front of their school. Listed on the Commission agenda was the anticipated attendance of current Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson the parents and community were hoping to get to speak to her publicly. Well once again the Mayor was a No Show and only represented an empty seat.
Jasmine Avila carried the group with a prepared statement that pointed out the mayors history with transportation and her campaign promise to make Rialto a safe place to live work and play. The group now calls on Mayor Robertson to turn words into actions and help make the front of their school a safe place for our kids.
The group has heard from the mayor already stating that any solution would not work because of where Rialto Unified School District decided to place this school even though the city was not in favor of the location. Two parents from the group also addressed the Commissioners one explaining how the parents are choosing to solve the problem of traffic.
The parents and the community they have rallied to their side are sticking to the issue that something needs to be done. After the meeting Mr. David Phillips a community member and local advocate running for city council was able to introduce the group to City Administrator Mike Story who told the group that they are going to meet down at the school in the coming week with all parties to see what can be done to make the street safer for students. Mike Story said that the meeting will consist of Public Works Director Robert Eiezenbiez, Rialto Police Sgt, RUSD top leadership and others to see first hand what is going on and how they can come to a solution.
During the Commission meeting the Chair Dennis Barton told the group that traffic signals must be warranted via rules that the city and state are bound to. We didn’t get to ask Mr. Barton if the short traffic signals on foothill and Baseline were held against those same standards?
In the midst of an election year the amount of ducking and hiding that is going on is way out of character leaving one to believe if the Mayor still wants to be Rialto’s Mayor? Then enters Councilman Ed Scott who wants you to forget that the area the schools are in were once zoned for commercial purposes would need to be re-zoned before RUSD could build a school there.
“I was extremely concerned when the school district decided to build schools there, because it’s on a major industrial-type street. I think the school district should have done some better planning than put a school there,” he said. “I agree, it’s something that needs to be looked at, and the school district needs to participate in it, since it’s something they decided to do. … Whenever you build a school, you have to think about the children that you’re educating and make sure they’re in a safe situation.” Councilman Ed Scott
The problem is IF the mayor and councilman Ed Scott were so against this school being built why did they approve the land re-zoning? Well it is because our leaders refuse to make the hard decisions that may not be popular but necessary. Because not allowing the school to be built would not have been popular and the Mayor and Ed Scott are only interested in the popular vote.
The Rialto Police Benefit Association has recently released endorsements for the 2016 Presidential Election year.
From what we have heard is Rialto Police Benefit Association has endorsed Ed Palmer for the office of Rialto Mayor over current Mayor Deborah Robertson. Also in the race for City Council the Rialto Police Benefit Association has chosen to only endorse one candidate for the two open City Council seats. The winner of the sole endorsement is candidate Lynn Hirtz a two time councilwoman looking to once again win a seat on Rialto’s City Council along with eight other Rialto Residents.
The Resident to challenge long time City Clerk Barbara McGee also secured an endorsement for her run for City Clerk. Ana Gonzales released a statement on her facebook page today hailing the endorsement of this public safety agency:
“Great news everyone! We have more endorsements! First of all I want to thank our Rialto Police Benefit Association and our awesome RialtoProfessional Firefighters Local 3688 for endorsing our campaign! I am so honored and thankful to all of you! I am determined to bring our community residents, law enforcement, and firefighters together, to support each other and work in unity to create a safe Rialto for everyone. Thank you Police and Fire!!!”
Another candidate to secure the endorsement of the Rialto Police Benefit Association is Paul Chabot who is looking for a rematch of two years ago when he lost a very close race to the current Congressman Pete Aguilar representing the 31st Congressional District. Pete Aguilar has had a ruff time selling himself to voters who are looking for safety after he called for tougher gun control in an interview on Waterman Ave just hours after Inland Valley SWAT officers killed the San Bernardino Terrorists. In a state with the toughest gun control laws people were looking for something that Congressman Aguilar just couldn’t give his constituents. In a statement from the Chabot campaign the following was released:
“Today, Paul Chabot announced the endorsement of the Rialto Police Benefit Association. which represents 137 sworn and non sworn members.
President of the Rialto Police Officers Association, Richard Royce, released the following statement, ” Our membership recognizes your leadership and voted to support your campaign. The RPBA offers this endorsement with respect and appreciation for your continued support for the Rialto Police Benefit Association and its members.”
Chabot stated, “I am thankful to the men and women of the Rialto Police Department for their support of my candidacy. We need more cops in Congress who can speak to the challenges and dangers of the job. Violent crime is rampant throughout the Congressional 31st district and I pledge to make public safety a top priority of our Nation.”
Chabot is endorsed by numerous police organizations and leaders from around the region, state and country.”
Former Councilman Shawn O’Connell would be proud of these endorsements. He was a great fan of Paul Chabot and worked hard with all three candidates to make Rialto a better place to live.
One of the most difficult issues to tackle in Rialto is traffic. Our schools fall victim to traffic issues more than other areas because of the flood of pedestrian traffic mixed with vehicle traffic. Community Advocates constantly harp on leaders slow response to community issues. Normally it takes tragedy to move leaders into action. Community leaders like David Phillips who is also running for city council have worked to move change before we suffer any tragedy. Below is a video of Rialto Unified School District Safety Chief praising Mr. Phillips for his work in regards to safety.
Werner Elementary has not been so lucky in the area of skirting tragedy in regards to traffic safety. Even though parents have been advocating for more safety measures the best that could be done was a public safety officer twice a week. Well that clearly wasn’t enough because on September 13th a parent was involved in a major traffic collision that totaled out her car. The accident was so severe that her vehicle was pushed into oncoming traffic nearly colliding with a big rig truck. The parents vehicle was a total loss and there were children inside the vehicle.
Werner Elementary has been impacted because they are located on a very busy street that has the following issues:
People use Rialto Ave as an alternative to Foothill.
The area is mainly used for industrial uses.
Heavy traffic from large amount of big rig truck traffic.
Reports are that the parents have been requesting a stoplight in front of their school but have been net with opposition. The claims are that the another stoplight would be too close to the stoplight at Larch and Rialto Ave. This made us think of last year when the Flores Park Community Group worked to reverse a decision to put in a stoplight between Linden and Cedar on Foothill Blvd. The community thought that the lights would be too close and create a traffic nightmare. The city moved forward anyway under the guise of SAFETY.
Now we have a safety issue and the city is saying that the situation can’t be helped. Parents have told us that Mayor Robertson have told them that the city didn’t want a school there but the school didn’t listen. The Mayor also said that there are already lights at Cedar and Larch and any other lights would be too close. We walked the distance between the light at Cedar to the middle light and the distance was 316 paces. What is ironic is that this is the same distance from Larch to the middle of the school 316 paces. What is ironic is that the Mayor would make such statements especially in an election year.
The parents have collected 540 signatures to show city hall that the community is serious about wanting a stoplight in front of the school. The parents were disappointed to find out that the city council meetings have been canceled for the month of October leaving them with no opportunity to reach out to there city leaders. They were happy to know that our commissioners are still working and plan to attend tonights Transportation meeting tonight along with Werner Principal Mrs. Roman. The meeting tonight is at 6pm at city hall 150 S Palm.
rialtonow 