Blog owner David Phillips was interviewed to speak about community, family & National Night Out
Is posting last minute agendas the best way to get the community engaged?
17 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in Barbara A. McGee, Ca, City Clerk, City of Rialto, Crime, Currupt, Deborah Robertson, Ed Scott, Inland Empire, Joe Baca Jr, joseph williams, Lillie Houston, Public Safety, Rafael Trujillo, Rialto, Rialto
Very little change has occurred over the years on various commissions. What also hasn’t changed is the way that commissioners get paid to travel all over the state and country while not doing their duties at home. We have three major commissions that are dark this month, one that refuses to post their agenda within 72 hours of the scheduled meeting time and another that has applications and documents that have time received stamps manipulated with pen to change the date something was received.
What is worse is none of the current or former commissioners have ever undergone a background check. Earlier this summer the Mayor appointed some new commissioners and the lack of background check was brought up Councilman O’Connell spoke up at that meeting and asked why? Councilman Scott said that it was not right to ask them to undergo a background check since elected officials are not back ground checked. Councilman O’Connell said elected are vetted and that is basically the same as a background check.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a printed publication that reported these issues to us? So sad that the SB Sun ignores us all together and Rialto Record just writes puff pieces for the city. Well Rialto we are here for you doing the work others refuse to do.
***** Up dated info. We called twice and finally recived an answer to why the Utility Commission agenda was not posted until 8 am the day before the meeting. Apparently there were some last minute changes to the Agenda and staff left the agenda sitting on a desk all weekend and didn’t get it up until Monday morning. Why is this an issue? Well the Utility Commission is the commission that set the failed water deal into motion, approve your trash/water/sewer rate increases and they are big time in bed with all of the utility providers in Rialto. June Hayes the Vice Chair of the commission swoons all over the utility providers and holds each ones hands right up to the decision makers in the city. Also the Brown Act states that any commission/council or other open meeting agenda must be posted 72 hours in advance. Diane from the Engineering Department said that she didn’t get it posted until after 8 am on August 17, 2015 the meeting is on August 18th, 2015 only 34 hour notice not the 72 hour minimum required by law.
What is behind the development issues in the City of Rialto?
14 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
So yesterday we issued a story on the fact that soon we would have five McDonalds in the City of Rialto. What we found out through comments on Facebook and conversations with city staff is that it looks like the planning department is allowing the franchise owner of the McDonalds on Foothill to vacate that space and build a new location on Cedar & Foothill.
Later in the meeting Ed Scott called out the community opposition to this development stating that the city can’t dictate or block businesses that are developed on private land he stated it would put the city in a tough spot, Joe Baca Jr. also echoed this statement. These two elected officials said that if McDonalds wants to build 10 of their fast food restaurants in rialto we can’t stop them. Well both these men have Facebook pages and I challenge them to engage with the large amounts of community members who disagree with this statement. People want better food choices and if they only can find those near the Super Walmart and the new retail pad at the old airport site we will continue to depress the other parts of Rialto.
We spoke to Rob Steel Development Services Director and he said that McDonalds Corporate was the one building the new location and that they were going to allow the franchise owner from the other foothill location to move into the new building. The problem we now have is there is a old empty building that will attract homeless, vandalism and further damage the appearance of Route 66. Rob Steel said that the old McDonalds is a desirable location for businesses like Tams, Albertos and Juan Pollo. With that being said that area is becoming oversaturated with those type of food options. One thing that Robb Steal said was that the city did have some say over weather that McDonalds would be constructed there. From what we can ascertain is that they choose not to. Rialto lost a Verizon Wireless location because of this and now traffic is a nightmare.
The other development issue on tap last night was the last available pad to be developed in the In & Out Burger Center. The final pad was originally slated to host a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf plus two other small retail businesses. That changed with space constraints to just a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and then Coffee Bean saw that the city had room on the price and began asking for a series of price reductions. This boils down to the “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” syndrome. The developer saw blood in the water and was taking advantage of the situation. Well when In & Out asked to purchase the pad to create a exclusive In & Out parking area Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf just walked away. What was ironic is instead of making a sale and letting In & Out develop the parking pad it seems as though the city wants to spend the money to develop the parking pad. It looks like control is an issue here and were wondering who is going to win and at what cost to the community? It looks like we sell it to In & Out for their exclusive use or the city pays to pave it for everyone’s use.
But wait there is more…… It appears that Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf wants to steal the open pad just a stones throw away from previous site. Coucilman O’Connell said last night that the pad was prime location given its location (see image below) and that he had reservations giving Coffee Bean first stab at building on that site. Councilman O’Connell wants to make sure we get the best tenant for that location and for Rialto. From the vote he was not alone the vote was 3-2 with Councilman O’Connell & Palmer voting no to give an unfair first stab to the Coffee Bean developers.
The black box indicates the location of the new development site
Print this picture or show this photo on your phone when you pay for your food to be counted.
Does Rialto need five Mc Donalds?
11 Aug 2015 1 Comment
in Assemblymember-Elect Cheryl Brown, Barbara A. McGee, Budget, Ca, City Clerk, City of Rialto, Crime, Currupt, Lazy, Public Safety, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Fire, Rialto Police Department
As the construction of yet another Mc Donald’s fast food restaurant nears completion on the corner of Cedar & Foothill in Rialto we ponder the Question does Rialto need five Mc Donald’s? Now I know what your going to say Rialto doesn’t have five Mc Donald’s and I am here to tell you soon we will. Below is a map:
The red dots are the three that come up when you Google Mc Donald’s in Rialto. Baseline, Foothill & Riverside Ave all have Mc Donald’s but there is also one inside of the Walmart across the street from the Riverside Ave location so that makes four. Number five is part of multiple deals to further burden the North West Corner of Cedar & Foothill. One of our readers posted this photo saying “Do we really need another Mc Donald’s in Rialto #healthyrialto
The multiple deals that happened to further burden the poor people of Rialto was put under the heading were trying to make things safer for Rialto. Later they admitted that it had little to do with safety and a lot to do with TAXES……. When a local community member from Flores Park Neighborhood Watch asked why this development was getting a new stoplight and cement median extension the council responded Neighborhood Watch Groups don’t make money Gas Stations & Mc Donald’s do!
Tonight the Planning Commission is going to show this off as a win during their annual report, is this a win in your eyes?
Is city council responsible for the traffic issues in Rialto?
10 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in Ca, city attorney, City of Rialto, Crime, Deborah Robertson, Ed palmer, Ed Scott, Flores Park Neighborhood Watch, Grace Vargas, Inland Empire, Jimmy Gutierrez, Joe Baca Jr, joseph williams, Lynn Hirtz, Nieghborhood Watch, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Parks, Rialto Police Department, Shawn O'Connell Tags: city of rialto, Rialto, Rialto Police, rialto police department, traffic commission
Who is to blame for the traffic problems here in Rialto? Well to determine this we need to look at how we arrived here. Rialto Police Department is looking to secure another traffic grant in the amount of $202,070. This grant is primarily to be used for DUI, seat belt and distracted driving enforcement. It can be used for other things but since we use this grant primarily for DUI enforcement Rialto Police stick to this use.
We were told at the last coffee with the chief meeting in a side conversation that the city of Rialto has been removing job openings from the list when it comes to staffing new officers. So with promotions and retirements the department is stretched to fill spots. Another area of contention is the lack of employee benefits that a officer can obtain here in Rialto verses other local departments. So what ends up happening is we train officers they get the fast paced experience that Rialto has to offer then they lateral into another agency and we are short another officer.
So the chart above is from Tab 7 on the agenda for the meeting on August 11th. We have pasted the paragraph in the chart below so you can clearly see what Rialto Police say we have in regards to traffic personnel. Now unless we have been lied to I thought we had a traffic Cpl. but with that being said does the total number of sworn personnel being six make you feel good about the cities ability to control traffic here? Now lets look at the rest of the paragraph. We could have three more officers working traffic but the problem “is not known due to budget issues”.
Also collisions have doubled and injuries are on the rise and people are still dying. The chart tells you that 22350 CVC is the number one collision factor. What is this California Vehicle Code? It is for speeding. Followed by unsafe left turns or U turns and then its for DUI.
So what are the problems who is to blame:
- So we can’t staff our traffic division to proper levels but were adding more and more commercial traffic every three months by selling away prime property to major warehouse companies. Yet the traffic commission keeps approving these businesses stating that we have adequate staffing to keep the city safe from the massive increase of truck traffic.
- So we see that for at least the last three years U turns have been identified as being the second most cause of vehicle collisions and atributed to 69 injuries. So has public works, engineering and the traffic commission failed to recognize that they are forcing people into unsafe driving maneuvers by installing raised cement medians.
- The former Public Works Director addressed community concerns about speeding in local communities in residential areas near schools and parks by increasing the speed limit in these areas. Now you can go as fast as 40-45 MPH through most local neighborhoods Riverside Ave north of the 210 freeway is the same speed? Remember the number one cause of injuries, victims and deaths is speeding. Flores Park has been advocating for reduced speed limits and a stop sign in front of Flores Park & Dallahan Elementary for the last 5 years and the city keeps saying no. The last time they said no it was because the Neighborhood Watch Program doesn’t make money for the city.
I’m not sure about you but it looks like the Traffic Commission, Mayor, Planning Commission, Public Works and City Council have all fallen asleep at the wheel and if the community doesn’t stand up and stop this Rialto will become a traffic nightmare.
City Council meeting is August 11th at City Hall at 6 pm
PROBLEM STATEMENT Our Traffic Unit is currently staffed by a Sergeant, 2 Motor Officers, 2 Accident Investigation / DUI Enforcement Officers, 1 Commercial Enforcement Officer and 6 Parking Enforcement Civilians. Over the past several years, we lost 2 Accident Investigation / DUI Enforcement Officers due to selections to other assignments. We also lost 1 Motor Officer due to a medical retirement. The time line for the replacement of these positions is not known due to budget issues with the city. This grant will assist us in providing enforcement activities that will serve our City population that now number in excess of one hundred thousand people.
22350 CVC – No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property.
21801(a)CVC – The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left or to complete a U-turn upon a highway, or to turn left into public or private property, or an alley, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching from the opposite direction which are close enough to constitute a hazard at any time during the turning movement, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to the approaching vehicles until the left turn or U-turn can be made with reasonable safety.
23152(a)CVC – It is a misdemeanor to drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
National Night Out in Rialto & the Inland Empire
09 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
Well if you were unaware National Night Out the nationwide event to snuff out crime and to foster positive relationships between the community and Law Enforcement was on August 4th. Many cities locally took part in this years event but not as many as years past.
Rialto, Fontana, Grand Terrace, & San Bernardino all had National Night Out festival events this year. Cities like Riverside & Upland encouraged their communities to hold individual block parties and public safety personnel traveled from event to event.
On the large festival side Rialto came out as a top performer with the amount of items offered all in one area. Two of the biggest draws every year are the rides in police cars (no handcuffs required) and the Gourmet Food Trucks secured by Market Solution Services.
Probably the best music all night was the live music preformed by All Star National Anthem Performer Alexa Capelli who not only sang the National Anthem see it here but also preformed some awesome music for the crowd (see her performances on our Youtube Channel). Once she began to sing the crowd came up to the stage Leslie Parks of Rialto said “I have never heard such a powerful voice in my life” and little Stephanie Ramirez age 8 said “one day I want to be as pretty as her and sing just like her”.
Other awesome live performers brought by Lil Saint Productions were Elizabeth R Estrella and Christian Rapper Carl Fontaine. Rialto Police appear to spare no expense in putting this event together. We heard that the planning meeting was a all hands on deck type of feel.
Close on Rialto’s heels was the Lydo Apartments & ATAP After School Program that held the only large National Night Out program in San Bernardino August 4th. The San Bernardino program offered a lot of what Rialto offered and promised to step it up and put San Bernardino on the map.
Other large events were in Grand Terrace, Montclair and Fontana. Fontana held their event at Fontana Park in the area known as Summit. They had vendors, food and Mc Gruff the Crime Dog. Kids got to get there face painted and take pictures with police officer and many different vehicles. See a great photo from Edward Ornelas below.
Held on August 8th was the National Night Out event in Perris Ca. Perris Mayor Daryl Busch said residents will gain a new appreciation for law enforcement and public safety at National Night Out.
“It is a great, and I want to emphasize great, outreach effort on the part of our public safety folks to show all the varied aspects of their jobs,” Busch said. “Most people only see police on motorcycles or in patrol cars, but this event provide the chance to view the full spectrum of services they provide to our community.”
Perris officials we’re on hand to accept a plaque for their continuing support of law enforcement and public safety. The day’s activities included static displays, food and drink vendors, as well as games and jumpers for children. Taken from http://www.cityofperris.org/news/2015_stories/08-04-15_national-night-out.html
There were cities that went with the smaller block parties but Riverside had over 20 block parties going on all over the city. Upland also went the block party route and Councilwoman Carol Timm posted on Facebook pictures of her and public safety officials going from block party to block party.
Some remarked that it is vital that Upland gets in and around the community as the Pro Drug Lobby is currently working to attack the Ordnance that Upland has to ban Medical Marijuana shops in the city of Upland.
No matter what city your in one thing is true we need to stop fighting our Public Safety officers and we need to collaborate together to help make everyone’s life more enjoyable.
School starts in Rialto with new superintendent Cuauhtémoc Avila at the helm
06 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in Ca, City of Rialto, Colton, Crime, Currupt, Edgar Montes, Joe Baca Jr, Public Safety, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Police Department, rialto unified school district, RUSD, San Bernardino, SB Sun, youth Tags: Cuauhtémoc, eisenhower high school, Rialto, Rialto Unified School District, RUSD, Scott Sparks
Can one person really make a difference? Well, I guess it all depends on the person’s position and the scale of the change. In Rialto they made a change to the top level official in Rialto Unified School District, but what Rialto parents and community members are looking for may not happen right away if at all.
Credit RUSD twitter account
Rialto Unified has been full of scandals and challenges over the years. Some of them you can read about in the article Beau Yarbrough from The Sun Newspaper wrote about the Superintendent’s first day of school tour (a tour only some news media was informed about apparently) read his article here. What Beau’s article misses to point out is the rampant culture of abusive staff, the constant struggle between parents and local administrators, loss of thousands of dollars in local control funding to RUSD elementary sites and the issues that come with having schools that are policed by over taxed and dangerous cities like Colton and San Bernardino.
We were not able to be a part of this First Day of School tour with new Superintendent Cuauhtémoc Avila but at National Night Out we were able to speak with Scott Sparks, Principal of Eisenhower High School and some of the many staff from around the district. All were ready to meet their students Wednesday morning. We asked Mr. Sparks if he was ready for the first day, he said with much enthusiasm that we’re ready and excited for the students. Eisenhower has been a shinning jewel for the RUSD. Mr. Sparks in his third year as Principal of Eisenhower High has been reaching out to the community to seek out the best learning experience for the students in his care. He is also lucky to have stories of concerned staff helping children outside of work hours. Like when Mark Steeter, a teacher at Eisenhower High School ended up saving a toddler’s life on his 30th wedding anniversary trip over Memorial Day weekend.
One statement Beau got from new Superintendent Cuauhtémoc Avila was that he had changes but he wanted to move slowly. This isn’t sitting well with parents who are struggling. Many parents of special education students were looking for new Superintendent Cuauhtémoc Avila to make quick changes and help them get a proper education for their children.
It looks like we are in a wait and see pattern with new Superintendent Cuauhtémoc Avila. Only time will tell in we see positive changes and results for our students in Rialto Unified School District.
Rialto Community Forum
26 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
The Mayor and City Council are inviting community members to attend this special forum regarding what Rialto is doing about the Water Conservation issue. Speakers from water agencies that are touched by Rialto will be in attendance to help residents understand what we are doing and why we need to conserve. This forum takes place Thursday, July 30 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Rialto City Hall Council Chambers, 150 South Palm Ave, Rialto, CA. For additional information, please contact the Administration Office at (909) 421-4991.
Third Birthday, Meetings and Other Fun Stuff In Rialto
21 Jul 2015 1 Comment
in Ca, City of Rialto, Currupt, Ed palmer, Ed Scott, In & Out, Inland Empire, joseph williams
Farmer’s Market — 3rd Birthday
Please join us July 22 to celebrate the 3rd Birthday of the Rialto Certified Farmer’s Market. Healthy Rialto giveaways will be provided to the first 20 people. The Rialto Certified Farmer’s Market takes place every Wednesday from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm located at 150 So. Palm Ave. EBT and WIC are accepted. For more information, please contact the Rialto City Clerk’s Office at (909) 820-2519 or cityclerk@rialtoca.gov.
Economic Development Committee Meeting
We must monitor this Committee, you think that your city council collectively makes decisions. No committees like this one and others make decisions then put together staff reports that help their special interests and city council blindly makes a motion, a second then passes staff reports that they don’t know anything about or don’t understand.
Also watch Public Works Director Robert Eizenbiez give a private Toll Lanes presentation to a select few skipping the people who pay his salary the PEOPLE.
On the Coffee Bean potential site in the In & Out shopping center there is a lot going on there. First there is the option to allow Coffee Bean build a coffee shop in the last remaining pad there, In & Out has offered to purchase the pad to build a In & Out Exclusive parking lot. Remember this Committee is made up of people who benifit from the most lucrative deal not the best deal for the city. Councilman Ed Scott has a financial relationship with the person brokering these deals, Mayor Robertson who is on this committee has close ties to Ed Scott now and will be running for Mayor next year.
Also the city is still using the old tired line of off peak use who has been to Starbucks is there ever a time the parking lot and drive thru isn’t busy? How about the Coffee Bean in North Fontana or Victoria Gardens do they have a down time? How about instead of allowing McDonald’s to build a fifth fast food restaurant on the corner of Cedar & Foothill why not put the Coffee Bean there? Because the people running this city lack vision.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AGENDA
Wednesday, July 22, 2015 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
City Council Chambers – 150 S. Palm Avenue
I. Call to Order / Roll Call / Review of Agenda Items 1:00 PM
II. Review/ Approval of Minutes – June 17, 2015
III. Review / Modification of Agenda Items for Discussion
IV. Reports/Discussion Items
1. KORE Infrastructure (Robb Steel)
http://www.rialtoca.gov/development_5538.php
2. Consideration of Participating in Delinquent Property Tax Program and Amendments to Fiscal Agent Agreements (George Harris II)
3. Purchase of CRW TRAKiT – Land Management System (John Dutrey)
4. Proposal to Increase to Optional Method to Calculate Business License Fees for Distribution Centers (Greg Lantz)
5. Amendment to the Coffee Bean PSA (Greg Lantz)
6. Appointment of Ad-Hoc Committee to Negotiate Changes to the Contracts of Sale and Terms of a Development Agreement for Renaissance Rialto Project (Robb Steel)
V. Updates
1. Successor Agency/Oversight Board Updates (John Dutrey)
2. SANBAG Update (Robert Eisenbeisz)
VI. Upcoming Meetings / Other Discussion Items
VII. Adjournment
The Healthy Rialto program is looking for your input to make sure that the program represents the community here in Rialto. Join the team from Inland Empire Youth 4 Today, Inland Valley Drug Free Coalition, the Tobacco Control Program and many many more
Healthy Rialto Collaborative Meeting
The next Healthy Rialto Collaborative Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 23, at 6:00 pm, at the Rialto City Clerk’s Office, 290 W. Rialto. During this meeting, we will be discussing key components of building a healthy community. Your feedback and participation is greatly appreciated. For more information, please contact Kiara Brown in the City Clerk’s Office at (909) 820-2519 or kibrown@rialtoca.gov.
rialtonow 