Newly elected Rialto mayor Deborah Robertson sits down for an interview at her home in Rialto on Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Robertson made history this November election with becoming Rialto’s first black mayor. (Rachel Luna / Staff Photographer)
What is the given tag line when T.V. cops are looking to find a criminal act? Follow the money. Well the publicly elected person that oversees the cities finances has called a foul on Mayor Deborah Robertson & City Clerk Barbara McGee. Accusations of gifts of public funds and misuse of city employee’s duties has led Edward Carrillo to file a complaint with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit on the actions of the Mayor and City Clerk when it comes to private events that get thousands of public tax dollars to fund them.
If the mayor had your neighbors roof repaired and repaired their bathrooms would that be a proper use of tax dollars? Below is a snap shot of one of many pages to Edward Carrillo’s complaints to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit asking for an investigation into these tactics.
Edward Carrillo says that the money spent over the years on events like those below were a misuse of public resources for their personal gain or benefit. So in a scramble to make these charges null and void the Mayor is trying to get the city council to call her events city events and not just into the future but PRIOR events as well. Mayor Robertson believes that if she can get two of her colleagues to go along she can skirt the investigation by the public integrity unit. What this has done is force the Mayor, City Clerk and other Council Members to try and cover their tracks.
The sad part is Mayor Robertson is lumping these events geared to promote her in a positive light in the community with real city events that are of a community interest.
State of Women Conference – ($9,000)
Run Around the Rocks – ($1,500) **Now we know why the Mayor skipped the Rialto Police Fallen Officer Memorial 5K
Below are a few of the many REAL public events that Mayor Robertson is using as leverage to get her private events approved. What is sad is in the two events above that shows another $10,500 that could be used to highlight Rialto Athletes or Really make a summer series that people want to attend.
Sports Hall of Fame – is a dynamic recognition ceremony that honors athletes that have brought honor and fame to the City of Rialto. The Athletes recognized range from individuals to championship teams.($3,800)
Summer Series – this event is designed to keep children entertained in a safe, affordable, productive environment during the summer months while school is out. There are combo movies/concert series, as well as other events in the parks with a variety of activities, like “Bark in the Park”, “Sounds of Rialto” and Pool Activities covering May through August.($9,000)
The answer is simple:
Mayor Robertson should remove herself from the room as she has a conflict of interest in this item.
Council should make a motion to approve all of the events except for the State of Women Conference & Run Around the Rocks
Any Council member that try’s to help the mayor avoid a investigation by voting these two events in should be put on notice that this will effect re-elcetion.
Roberto told us “its not fair that the people we elect spend more time trying to hurt us rather than help us.
Cindy said in a quote “I voted for Mayor Robertson as did my family and she not only helped put her opponent back on council but she is doing the same things we expected from him (ed scott)”
Speaking of the election when looking for a photo for this story we stumbled on a story that Josh Dulaney did on the win over Ed Scott.
Robertson didn’t hesitate in saying she will bring a different kind of leadership than Vargas, who had a reputation for being swayed by other council members when it came time to vote.
“There’s a difference between Grace and I,” she said. “Grace was there and Grace was led. I’m there and I’m very comfortable with leading.”
Robertson pledges to bring transparency to City Hall, and says the top priorities are jobs, economic development, a healthy community and open space issues.
How is spending public money on non city events transparency? How are you leading if you are not listening to your colleagues?
Email Drobertson@rialtoca.gov and let the mayor know what you expect out of her as Rialto’s Mayor
So 2016 is underway and with that comes the first round of Area Command meetings held by the Rialto Police department. With recent retirements and promotions the program has gone through some major changes. Normally change would be bad but these changes have moved key people into great leadership roles. The Area Command program is now anchored once again by to great and passionate leaders in Lt. Kurkusky in the south and newly promoted Lt. Smith in the north.
We missed the first Area Command Meeting on the south end but covered the Area Command meeting in the north and since they share the same info this is a great breakdown of what happened.
Over 50 residents filled up an assembly room at the Sunrise church on north Riverside Ave. The program began with newly promoted Lt. Smith introducing himself.
After Lt. Smith’s introduction he had officer Wilson come up and talk about the Operation Lifesaver Program. Though the programs ideas sound good some are leary of it. One reason that people are leary of this program is the fact that we’re tracking people and creating a regular access point into someone’s home (“to change the battery”). Second is the style of equipment used it’s very old tech and reminds us of what was innovative back in the 80’s. Finally getting grants are good but with every grant comes a long list of rules you must follow and some out there don’t trust Washington at all.
Next up was Cpl. Marquez who had the original task of overseeing the Rialto Reentry Program but now has a long list of other programs that have been added to his plate. The Reentry program is the first thing Cpl. Marquez spoke about:
Next Cpl. Marquez spoke about the next program that he oversees which is the Crime Free Multi Housing Program. This is a program that is aimed at keeping multi housing projects safe:
Next Cpl. Marquez spoke about the Nixle Program a program where you can get direct information from the police department. He also goes over the Text to Tip portion of the program.
Next Cpl. Marquez talks about the Homeless Outreach program and explains what him team will do in this program.
Next up Councilman O’Connell goes over his first quarter Rialto Rap Up. This is where he talks about what is important to the community and he makes himself available to questions from the community. Here is a copy of the Press Release he is reading from:
Officer Anderson was next up to talk to the community about the Inland Regional Center Terrorist Attack in San Bernardino. Officer Anderson is a longtime SWAT Officer and former K9 Handler. He and his team were in the main fight when the two ISIS Terrorists were shot and killed.
Rialto Fire on scene at the San Bernardino Terrorist Attack.
Officer Anderson also talks about the Foundation that makes the Rialto Police K9 program possible The Friends Of Rialto Police K9 he invites the community to interact with the K9 program through their Facebook Page.
Next the Terrorism Detective from Rialto Police gave us a terrorism threat assessment training of some sort that was a little confusing. We have heard this Detective give presentations before and they seemed to flow better. The title of the powerpoint and a lot of the information that was given didn’t seem to match up.
Earlier today Cpl Hintz and his team were involved in a high speed chase as they proceeded to stop a suspected stolen vehicle. Cpl Hintz the officer was able to end the pursuit with no injuries. Suspect tried to elude PD but was found him hiding in a yard.
No matter what the city or population having the right leader is key to finding success. As we usher in 2016 two local cities will have new faces running their police departments. Last December Rialto Police Chief Tony Farrar retired handing off the reigns to former Police Captain Randy Deanda. Today we learn via a Press Release that Fontana Police Chief Rodney Jones will retire effective February 5th handing off the reigns to Captain Bob Ramsey who will serve as Interim Chief of Police.
Police Chief Rodney Jones has had a ruff couple years with the creation of the Fontana Police Regional Air Support program and the rising costs of providing police services to the city of Fontana. The air support program began with Rialto, Fontana and Colton. After its creation Redlands joined in offering the services of its fixed wing aircraft. Just a few days ago news hit that cash strapped Colton would not be participating in the air support program leaving an estimated $90K that needed to be covered by the three remaining agencies, couple that with the recent tension in city council in regards to the budget and how much of that budget the Police Department used.
In the Press Release Cindy from Fontana said “it sounded like the Chief wasn’t ready to go but it was Ken Hunt’s decision”. She is right many have asked why the Press Release was framed this way? “I fully support and appreciate the decision of the City Manager,” said Chief Jones “The timing is right because there are a number of candidates in the department’s command staff that could take over leadership of this great department.”
Kathy from Fontana said that she sees through the smoke and says “it feels like Chief Jones is being fired but is being given the chance to save face and retire.”
Other sources say that City Manger Hunt was made to look bad by Mayor Warren when she asked City Manager Hunt if he was part of the air support program negotiations. Ken Hunt said that he wasn’t part of the negotiations and Mayor Warren thanked Chief Jones. Days later the Chief is announcing his retirement without city council knowledge. Sources say that this was done because there wasn’t majority approval on the council to fire the current police chief.
Chief Jones accomplishments were listed in the Press Release as:
$12 million building expansion of the Fontana Police Department
Implementation of the Fontana Leadership Intervention Program (FLIP) with the Fontana Unified School District
Implementation of the Fontana Re-entry Support Team (FRST)
Implementation of the Fontana PD Rapid Response Team (RRT)
Jointly Implemented the Inland Valley SWAT (IVS) team with Rialto and Colton
Developed the Fontana PD helicopter program proudly serving Rialto and Redlands
Only time will tell how much of an issue this decision will be for the clearly fractured City Council and how much input City Manager Ken Hunt will have. Lets not forget the portion of the community that wasn’t entirely happy with some of the choices that were made under Chief Jones leadership. This promises to be a wild ride of an appointment.
Councilman Shawn O’Connell continues his track record of meeting all of his campaign promises and keeping the community informed with his 2016 Rialto Year Update. Councilman O’Connell is the only elected official to who not only worked diligently to make good on what he said on his first run on the good ole campaign trail, he has done everything he promised with a year to spare in his political career.
To top it off Councilman O’Connell one of Rialto’s most influential people in Rialto in 2015 has just released his yearly update for 2016 which you can see below is an update of what is vital to residents, what has been done and what is coming up. Councilman O’Connell normally releases these Press Releases before each area command meeting as a way to give the community an honest and unbiased look at what is vital to the community.
So as we said Councilman O’Connell releases these Press Releases before each Area Command meeting series and tonight kicks off the first Area Command for the South Part of the city. They will be discussing things to consider during an “Active Shooter” incident. Several Rialto Police Department SWAT officers who responded to the Inland Regional Center incident in San Bernardino will be in attendance and provide insight on their experiences that day.
Join Rialto PD and Various City Department heads this week to get your information for 2016.
Well here we go again we have another example of what today’s elected official calls being moral, ethical leaders in today’s society. Instead of saying yes I said that yes it is on my website he trys to explain away a conversational statement by saying that wasn’t on my Congress Website it was on My Campaign Website? Wait so were only supposed to be honorable and fourth right on our official websites? Does the Campaign Website give him the opportunity to split the baby? What makes matters worse is the statement in question is Pete Aguilar calling out Republicans for their Campaign tactics when he wont follow the same rules for himself.
Before we move into the three people we will be highlighting we would like to thank the many people that made their voices heard in this poll seeking the community’s input on who impacted Rialto and left a mark that will stand the test of time. These three men all would have been men that I would have chosen as being key to Rialto moving forward in the way that it has.
Police Chief Tony Farrar
Police Chief Farrar is a 34 year veteran of Law Enforcement with 26 of those years were spent right here in Rialto. The Bio below is the best reflection of Chief Farrar’s body of work.
Tony Farrar is chief of the Rialto (CA) Police Department. A police officer for over 30 years, Chief Farrar is a graduate of the California Peace Officers Standards and Training (CA POST) Executive Leadership Command College and the Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University. He is also an adjunct instructor through the Coast Community College District.
Chief Farrar holds masters’ degrees in both administration of justice and business administration and a bachelor’s degree in police science. He also graduated from the Police Executive Program at Cambridge University’s Institute of Criminology (United Kingdom) with a master’s degree in criminology in July 2013.
Chief Farrar is a graduate of the CA POST Master Instructor Development Program and a certified trainer in the six different CA POST disciplines. He is also a certified trainer through the California Association of Tactical Officers and the National Tactical Officers Association.
In 2009, Chief Farrar received the CA POST Individual Excellence in Training Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to law enforcement training and encourages innovation, quality, and effectiveness.
Chief Farrar has extensive tactical operations expertise and has shared his knowledge through presentations to law enforcement personnel, community groups, and the private sector throughout California and in other states. He has developed several law enforcement conferences and training venues, and his written materials have been published in both domestic and international publications.
In 2009, Chief Farrar participated in a Homeland Security Training Mission in Israel, training with experts in law enforcement, the military, and the private sector. In 2010, Chief Farrar participated in a Humanitarian Mission to Haiti, assisting with relief efforts and evaluating first response plans.
Most recently, Chief Farrar concluded an extensive yearlong study to evaluate the effect of body-worn video cameras on police use-of-force. This randomized controlled trial represents the first experimental evaluation of body-worn video cameras used in police patrol practices. Cameras were deployed to all patrol officers in the Rialto (CA) Police Department. Every police patrol shift during the 12-month period was assigned to experimental or control conditions. In July 2013, Chief Farrar received the 2013 Award for Excellence in Evidence-Based Policing for this study from the Society of Evidence-Based Policing at the 2013 Conference on Evidence-Based Policing at the University of Cambridge (UK). The award is given annually for outstanding policing research that advances the evidence base in policing and informs police practice.
Chief Farrar is a member of the California Police Chiefs Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and the Society of Evidence Based Policing. http://www.policefoundation.org/team_detail/chief-tony-farrar/
On the side of the community I can recall the first time I met Chief Farrar it was in a meeting with his predecessor then Chief Mark Kling and even though I didn’t know it I would come to respect that Captain that terrified me with his silence. Chief Farrar had a REAL open door policy with the community and his department. He never made you feel inferior before him and he worked tirelessly to make Rialto the technological leader in today’s world of policing. Even when you didn’t see eye to eye with Chief Farrar he gave you the respect he wanted in return. He brought back real Community Policing and bridged the gap that existed between the community and our law enforcement agency.
As Chief Farrar retires I wish him the best and Rialto wont be the same without him at the helm.
Council member Shawn O’Connell
Shawn O’Connell has been described in his most recent position as the type of elected official that our forefathers had envisioned when they set up our democracy. A person from the people who served the people. Councilman O’Connell wasn’t always a councilman he also served Rialto Police his last rank was Sergeant. Shawn O’Connell was involved in an accident off duty that left him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Shawn down but far from out worked to regain his strength and became the leader behind the group Voice United and group of people that seeked to demand that our elected officials work and speak for the people. Shawn took the work of advocacy very seriously and was a key part of keeping the city of Rialto from outsourcing police services to the SB Sheriff’s Department. Since December 12th of 2012 Now Councilman O’Connell has worked for the PEOPLE. He went as far as to kick off his campaign after he was sworn in as a Councilmember to give out his Home Phone number here is Shawn’s first words after being sworn into the Rialto City Council as reported by the Pasadena News
“O’Connell described his campaign as a grassroots effort and thanked his supporters. Then he announced his phone number.
“I will not forget that I work for you,” he said.”
Councilman O’Connell has lived by those words standing up for the community even when it went against the fray or ruffled feathers of his fellow members he is here to do the work of the people.
Councilman O’Connell was involved in a series of events where he made the people of Rialto Proud. He participated in the 1st annual Rialto Police Fallen Officer Memorial 5k and formed a team of people that supported our Rialto Police officers. Councilman O’Connell helped bring actual real facts to Rialto voters as the city asked them to approve a measure to raise much needed funds for Rialto’s future. Councilman O’Connell didn’t want the issue to rely on scare tactics but real tangible reasons that Measure W was needed. Councilman O’Connell also is probably the only elected official to come in with a list of things that he would like to see changed in Rialto and he has accomplished all of those issues as he enters the last year of his first term on the Rialto City Council. Councilman O’Connell does so much that lives behind the scenes or out of the public eye because he is not looking to be known by the crowd for what he does but rather in the lives of those his actions touch. In the video below Councilman O’Connell shares a personal story of leaving his mothers funeral at the age of 18 looking out the rear window of the car he was in and saw all the lives that she touched. Well Councilman O’Connell your mother must be smiling down on you from heaven for the life of good work you have done with your 44 years on this planet.
Gino Garcia
We have known Gino Garcia for a few years and though he is at times quiet he is loud with passion and drive for a healthier Rialto. His passion for the health of his community proves why the community chose him as one of the Top Three most Influential people of 2015. We reached out to Gino to learn even more about him and what makes him the man so many people admire. Here is what he wanted to say about why he works so hard to make Rialto a healthier place to work, play and live:
Hello fellow Rialto residents. Thank you for giving me the time to connect and share a bit about myself and the personal mission I have to make Rialto a healthier place to live. My name is Gino Garcia and I have lived in Rialto with my wife and two daughters since 2010. When we moved to Rialto I was in the process of starting my own fitness business and was actively plotting potential cities where I felt my business could thrive. After conducting research and determining there was no type of fitness service or dominant business within Rialto that offered the quality of training and fitness culture I sought to establish and build, I made the decision to launch Vibe Fitness in our city. Aside from the business aspect, it just made sense to improve my own city where my family would be living before going out and improving someone else’s home city.
From day one my personal mission was to create energy, excitement, and enhance the living experience of residents who came into contact with my business. You see, as a United States Marine I understood the power of creating community, culture, and team for the sake of fueling and completing a mission. I knew my passion to help others achieve their personal level of greatness would create something special within Rialto. Since the start of Vibe Fitness in 2012, the mission of making Rialto a healthier place to live has been active and successful thus far. The trend of a healthier Rialto was highlighted in 2015 through several events and program collaborations between city organizations and my business. Two projects that really fueled the healthier Rialto mission were the hosting “Operation Fitness Fury” at Rialto City Park in March and the collaboration between the Rialto Pride Platoon and I.
Operation Fitness Fury attracted over 150 residents from all over the Inland Empire for a morning of health and fitness to promote active and healthy lifestyles. The event consisted of group workouts, giveaways, and the promotion of several wellness organizations within the city. Another highlight was the successful completion of two Rialto Pride Platoon programs throughout 2015 which graduated over 60 high school youth from the program. On a physical and mental level combined, both these projects were key components in the success of making Rialto a healthier place to live in 2015. I am excited what 2016 will bring for our city and I believe strongly in my mission.
The focus for 2016 will be to continue building from the generated momentum that has been created in 2015. The goal will be to attract larger community involvement to wellness events for the sake of enhancing Rialto’s living experience across the entire city. This can be accomplished by working with other wellness organizations and city departments to create massive energy and traction to propel the healthier Rialto mission forward. In addition, it will require residents just like you to get involved either through active participation or support.
I will end by saying that my hope is you will be part of the healthier Rialto mission in 2016 at some capacity. The mission is not just about physical exercise; it’s about improving ALL aspects that make our city what it is. The mindset, pride, loyalty, compassion, and synergy we as residents should have when it comes to our city. The healthier Rialto mission is about us taking charge of our city and working together as residents to enhance the living experience we share. I hope we can meet at some point in 2016; I invite and encourage you to connect with me or my business on the web by visiting the websites below. Happy Holidays!
This effort to find the most influential people in Rialto was an awesome adventure into being able to highlight three awesome men who have one goal in mind make Rialto better for you the community. All three have one thing in mind that we need to be reminded of. Each man has at one or more times wore a uniform and swore an oath to protect the people and freedom that makes America the country we call home. The staff here at Rialto Now thank the community for choosing these three men and giving us the honor of highlighting them in this special way.
Before we close out this post we would also like to thank the many other people on the poll for what they have done big or small to make an impact on Rialto. It is people like you that show the upcoming generation how vital it is to stand and advocate for your community and its people.
Everyone have a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.
David Phillips will sit down with one of Rialto’s finest public safety officers and we learn how to be safe this holiday season and other great things in store for the Community of Rialto. Listen to the show and find out all the upcoming news, retirements and new promotions. Also hear about what Rialto Police added to the Terrorist attack on San Bernardino last week.
Watch live at www.kcaaradio.com or listen at AM 1050 or FM 106.3 or FM 106.5
Like the Facebook page for the video podcast and other updates on what is going on in the Inland Empire https://www.facebook.com/inlandcommunity/
Were sure you have heard by now that the former county health inspector turned radical terrorist effected the fine city of Rialto and also left his mark on the community. By now you have also heard the scare tactics being spread throughout social media. These tactics are not linked to any fact and have opened the door to sick people using peoples fear to feed their sick minds. As we have stated many times in the last 6 years Rialto is in a unique position to feel safe and know that our public safety officials are more than equal to the task of keeping us safe.
What these terrorist attacks have also shown us is that terror does not play by our set rules of engagement. We also saw that seeing something that doesn’t look right and not reporting it because we didn’t want to sound racist can cost lives. The mantra of SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING is not just a catchy phrase it is a call to let the authorities know if something doesn’t look right. Neighbors and other people in Redlands saw activity that didn’t look right for MONTHS and said nothing. It is beyond comprehension to know we could have saved 14 lives and kept 21 people from being injured if someone had made a phone call.
We cannot change the past but it is beyond vital that we learn from it. Our all time favorite quote is “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” by George Santayana. If we cannot learn from our past we will keep making the same mistakes. St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Coffee Nutzz and Carter High School are just a few of the locations that the county health inspector turned radical terrorist had some type of ties. Probably the most chilling tie were the photos found in the terrorists possession of Carter High School. Luckily our public safety officials were equal to the task to see that our schools were safe.
So we need to show our public safety officials that we will not remain silent. We need to share information that they need to keep us safe. One great way yo do that is Area Command Meetings see the flyer below:
rialtonow 