In all of the turmoil since the latest officer involved actions in 2014 one local leader calls for his colleagues and the media to ACT NOW in response to the rise in the war on police officers in the united states. Councilman Shawn O’Connell from the city of Rialto penned a statement that will make you think about the men and women that keep us safe in this country. (See Below)
I agree with Councilman O’Connell and wish people would take a step back and help our police. When our police feel supported and understood they feel more comfortable to do their jobs extremely well. Also the trend of holding court on the street with a cop is a poor choice. Police officers are not the lawyers, judges or jury they are a protection and information source for our legal system. As community leaders and media sources we need to do more than a simple call for calm and turn down the rhetoric.
In an effort to help promote healthy lifestyles in Rialto for area teens, the Rialto Community Coalition will be holding a Substance Abuse Prevention Event at the Skate Park on Willow Avenue next to the Johnson Center on November 24, 2014 from 1PM – 4PM.
“Meeting teens where they are is vital to successful prevention methods,” said David Phillips a Rialto Community Coalition member. Many times we see Skateboarders as bad kids or trouble makers but once you get to know them and learn more about skateboarding you can see all the talent and potential that lies within”. As the Neighborhood Watch Captain of the Flores Park Group and being involved in many different other community groups, I understand that it is vital to reach out to our youth, especially starting with the skateboarders. There was a stretch where the skate parks were having issues with drugs and gangs. The key to safety was getting adults in the community to invest in a safe atmosphere for teens to skateboard. It takes more that money it takes personal time”.
The Rialto Community Coalition hopes to add to the success of their other public forum at Eisenhower High School called “Don’t Go There” where they used exhibits, media, and a powerful presentation from Ray Lozano to highlight the dangers of using drugs and alcohol. At the upcoming #SoberSkater event, participants will be asked to sign a pledge that states that they choose to be a Sober Skater. Also, the planning committee chose the name #SoberSkater to help attract teenagers on social media using hashtags since this is the way teens interact and seek out information on social media sites.
Michael Townsend, a Prevention Specialist with Central Valley Prevention Program, had this to say about the #SoberSkater event:
“The best way to prevent underage drinking and drug use is to identify the target population, develop ways to reach them, and increase enforcement during high risk times. By hosting the #SoberSkater event, the Rialto Community Coalition is doing exactly that. They have identified Thanksgiving break as a high risk time for underage drinking and drug use and they have identified skaters as their target population. In addition, they are working closely with the Rialto Police Department regarding their enforcement efforts. The Rialto Community Coalition members realize that having youth, who have made a commitment to sobriety, speaking directly to other youth, is a very effective method of getting their message out. So the coalition has engaged youth in this campaign to reduce social hosting.”
The event will include a semi-pro skateboard team called NAI (New Age Intelligence), gourmet food trucks, live music, vendors, and resource providers. There will also be a best trick contest. For more information, visit their Facebook event page at the link below.
Since this is the beginning of the school year, and the Rialto Unified School District has expressed interest in collaborating with us, we need to take this opportunity to begin planning our next community action project in Rialto. You are needed now, more than ever, to emphasize the dangers and consequences of underage drinking and drug use to students (and adults) in Rialto.
The Coalition will be going over its next community action project slated for November come out and help them make this project the best ever.
The Rialto Community Coalition is having their October Meeting this coming Tuesday October 7th at Fire Station 202 at 1700 N Riverside Ave from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Come out and learn what they have been up to in the community and what they have planned for November where they will be targeting youth to help them realize drugs and alcohol have no place in a healthy active life.
Rialto Now was started because we saw two big problems:
1.Local media refused to give Rialto the coverage it deserved.
2.Local elected officials ran around like nobody was watching their dirty dealings.
We can say that hundreds of people visit this page every week and we have seen major changes in the way elected officials are held accountable. Another big issue we saw that needed attention was our growing problem with drug and alcohol use especially in our young people. We banded together with the Rialto Community Coalition and working with the community policing Cpl. Cameron Nelson & Mental Health Services Program Facilitator Michael Townsend Rialto has made major strides in making positive change in our communities overall health. One major outside player in helping us get up to speed on resources to help support a healthy community is Paul Chabot. Paul Chabot is a leader with Drug Free California, Inland Valley Drug Fee Council & Drug Free Rancho Cucamonga. Paul has been a front line advocate to keep drugs away from our children as well as a working in the military and in law enforcement laying his life on the line for people he does not know.
So what happens when he decides to run for Congress? His opponent decides to take a million dollar hand shake from the democrat party and attack Paul Chabot with lies that he hates children and schools. Then he has the gall to write an op-ed in the Press Enterprise about his ability to work with both sides. Well Mr. Aguilar have you forgotten when your Quality Life Department at City Hall almost shut down a bake sale for the popular No Kid Hungry campaign? Here is what happened and the stress that this mayor’s city put on local people trying to help hungry kids:
Hey guess what??! After having the bake sale for 7 years, and the last three years alone at Ed Hales Park in downtown Redlands…the City of Redlands has just turned us down citing that city parks are no longer allowed to sell “merchandise”. I am beyond angry. Never mind the fact that the WEEKLY market night occurs all the way through State Street and there are dozens of vendors that sell food and merchandise all along the street and everyone passes through Ed Hales to eat food. I am absolutely speechless. So now I have no location.
Oh…but they will give me a park permit, I just can’t sell anything.
Absolutely livid.
It’s official. The City of Redlands will not allow our event at our usual location of Ed Hales Park. This is pretty disappointing. I now need to work quickly to secure a new location, especially within the next couple of days because I have 1000 flyers that are due to be printed and distributed at next weekends Take the Cake Bake Off and they will need to be edited with a new location.
Location update: I received a reply from the property manager of the Redlands Mall but…approval had to be requested from someone in Dallas and unfortunately he did not reply today but apparently will be reminded tomorrow. Although not tec…hnically approved, I was getting a good impression from the property manager. Downside and gamble…I’m taking a risk by approving my 1000 flyers to be rush printed by Saturday morning with this location so I can distribute them at the Take the Cake Bake Off this Saturday. Lets hope this location sticks. For those that know the area, it is the corner of Orange Street and State Street where it is a semi-covered veranda on the outside of the mall. Very high visibility for those on Orange and those entering State Street. This better work!!!
Redlands mall said no. I authorized our flyers yesterday taking a gamble…lost that gamble. Feeling officially defeated and ready to throw in the towel.
From Toni Momberger regarding our inability to get approval from anyone on securing a location for the bake sale: Kristina Hernandez at the Redlands Daily Facts is working on a story about this. If anyone wants to comment. Contact her by email at kristina.hernandez@langnews.com
Please feel free to contact Kristina if you would like to share your opinion, or are familiar with our past events, have been a volunteer, etc. Please share too.
Talk about exhausting…how about this new update…
Out of nowhere I got a call from the city’s Quality of Life department today. They want to try to accommodate us by letting us have the sale not at Ed Hales Park but, wait for it….in the street directly in front of the park. This would require blocking off a section of street to have the event. This street encroachment is not covered under th…e park municipal code they’ve been citing therefore would be allowed. I have a tentative meeting on Monday with a rep and a city engineer to work it out. Nothing finalized but it looks like we’re going to be back at Ed Hales…sort of. My head hurts just thinking about it but it is a step back in the right direction.
Oh boy did I cause a stir. An article about our location situation came out today in the Redlands Daily Facts (front page!). The Quality of Life director immediately contacted the reporter…the reporter then called me…then a revised story was issued online. Needless to say, I’m done arguing over their poor communication and politics, but in the end our location is now 100% approved at Ed Hales Park.
Who’s ready for a bake sale?!
It took the community members 18 days and a miss print of 1000 flyers to finally get the spot they had used for years before 2014. If Mayor Aguilar can’t handle a bake sale at a small downtown park what makes him thing we can trust him to stay on track in Washington. It is time to call Pete Aguilar to stop the party politics and games and run a campaign that is on the issues. Below is Paul Chabot’s website for his campaign I urge you to give this man your vote and tell your friends about Paul. If you would like a yard sign we have those for you just email davidsmarketing@aol.com with your address and we will get you a sign.
The City of Rialto’s next Garage (Yard) Sale Weekend is September 5th, 6th & 7th. No permits required if conducted during a designated Yard Sale weekend. If you have any questions or need additional information, please call (909) 820-2517.
A lot has changed in the last 2 years and one thing that changed was the need to pay and pull a permit for a yard sale on one of the four designated weekends throughout the year. What was refreshing to hear and see was a council candidate that made some statements about need changes that needed t happen to make the normal citizens life easier. One of those things were removing the need to pay for a permit. Councilman O’Connell came out and spoke to the residents and told them that the licenses were burdensome ( Here is a video of that conversation http://youtu.be/lBg9dr_Y6PQ ).
So long story short its important to know who your voting for and why. With this years crowd of candidates we need to make sure we know who is running and if they will be good for Rialto’s forward progress.
Visit this Facebook Event page and list your yard sale or find a local yard sale to shop from https://www.facebook.com/events/689679527773575/?context=create&ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming&source=49
Our next Rialto Community Coalition meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 2, 2014 at 6:30PM at the Fire Station located at 1700 N. Riverside Avenue.
Since this is the beginning of the school year, and the Rialto Unified School District has expressed interest in collaborating with us, we need to take this opportunity to begin planning our next community action project in Rialto. You are needed now, more than ever, to emphasize the dangers and consequences of underage drinking and drug use to students (and adults) in Rialto… By the way, a couple of staff members from the Department of Behavioral Health will be attending our meeting to discuss effective policies, data collection, and media strategies concerning perceived norms and youth access to alcohol and other drugs. Our input and collective work will help in the development of a five-year strategic plan for “Environmental Prevention” in San Bernardino County.
This Tuesday is a major June Primary for many local seats that impact your life in major ways. From Sheriff to Congress seats are up for grabs and polling close.
What makes it even more interesting is with the new primary system you can have the top two candidates be from the same political affiliation running against each other. Below we will have a poll for each race for you to choose who your voting for.
These polls are confidential and the only thing we ever see are the results nobody’s personal information will collected or seen.
Congressional District 31
Congressional district 31 is full of names you know and some you don’t. The only one that matters as far as we are concerned is Paul Chabot a long time advocate for our local communities & Families. He is a former Navy Officer, worked for 2 presidents, 1 governor & advocate for the Drug Free California program. Paul is a local advocate ready to effect the IE in a big way.
Congressional District 35
San Bernardino County Sheriff
For Sheriff were torn between Clifton Harris and John McMahon. Sheriff McMahon was appointed right before the Christopher Dorner case where we lost a Deputy to this evil man and he handled it as well as can be expected. We don’t care for his lax style of protecting our youth and families but we feel we can work with him on that. We do like Clifton Harris and his desire to improve relations between the community and the Sheriff Department. We have to say NO to Paul Schrader he is a pro drug Sheriff that has spent his time pandering to marijuana users and people that are making it easier for our kids to obtain drugs and further medicating our society with a harmful substance. Paul Schrader also is against DUI enforcement & has been encouraging people to interfere with police activities like DUI check points and Fire Arms Buy Back programs. If he is our sheriff this county will fall into disarray.
Governor
We are supporting Tim Donnelly to advance in this primary. Tim has stood in the GAP for what is right and just even when it goes against his own parties wishes. We need a Governor that will leave the special interests, kill the bullet train to nowhere & fight for a California that isn’t spend crazy.
Ca Assembly District 47
In our opinion Cheryl Brown has been a perfect replacement for Mrs. Carter. She is a strong advocate for our communities and jobs a vote for her is a vote for forward positive progress.
Rialto Now is working to help The Rec Center a private non profit organization that brings recreation and community service services to cities that don’t already have them win the opportunity to have the team with Inland Empire Explorer shoot a show at their location. You can help with taking one minute out of your day each day to click the link below and vote for them.
Which location should Inland Empire Explorer visit next?
inlandempireexplorer.poll-campaign.com
Tell us where you think the Inland Empire Explorer television crew should go next! VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE I.E. location…the winning location will be highlighted on an upcoming episode of Inland Empire Explorer on KVCR-PBS, channel 24 throughout the Inland Empire.
On Friday April 4th the Rialto Community Coalition held a Substance Abuse prevention forum at Eisenhower High School. The event included a vendor resource zone with education a resource tools for attendees, speakers from Rialto Police Department, Rialto Unified Public Safety, Principle Scott Sparks, Key note speech from Prevention Specialist Ray Lozano and a Q&A Panel.
Speaker Ray Lozano gave a riveting presentation on the dangers and effects of drugs and alcohol on a young persons system. Ray Lozano used props and audience participation to make sure the information was interesting and hit home.
Jennifer Ariza from The Rec Center came with videos and tools to educate parents and students of the effects and dangers of substance abuse. Farmers Insurance Services came out and showed event attendees the dangers of alcohol use and driving. The African American Health Coalition came with resources and training event attendees could utilize at the event and after.
99.1 KGGI with Diana Wehbe and KC were on hand and Laniea Dominguez from Comedy for Causes was the event MC.
Campus Security Officer Juan addressed the public on a incident where a student was almost dumped by his FREINDS by the side of a building after giving the teen synthetic marijuana which resulted in the teen experiencing cardiac arrest. If the campus security officer had not found the teen he may have met a dire consequence.
All throughout the event the message was driven home to parents and teens that if your depending on your friends to notice when your life is in danger your depending on the wrong people.
Ray Lozano said that the #1 reason teens use drugs for the first time is because they are bored. This drove the point home to youth and adults to help us find other ways to curb boredom and make better choices.
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