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Lawsuits & The Rialto Mayors Race

19 Oct 2020 3 Comments

by rialto-now in 100 Black Men, Deborah Robertson, Ed palmer, Ed Scott, Rialto

Last week one of the candidates running for mayor hosted a Facebook live where they talked about both of their challengers and the lawsuits they have filed recently. Lupe Camacho held a Facebook Live on her campaign page where she spoke about the failed lawsuit that Mayor Deborah Robertson filed against then Councilman Ed Palmer trying to get him kick off the council because she claimed he didn’t live in the city limits when he ran for council. Then Attorney General Kamala Harris found that Mayor Robertson was wrong and her lawsuit failed to move forward.

Then Lupe Camacho began to talk about the lawsuit that Ed Palmer had against the city of Rialto Mrs Camacho made it sound like this was a tit for tat situation. Well there are years between each lawsuit and in the case of Mr Palmer his case is based off of actions he perceives were directed from the mayor in a way to hurt his business that he co owns with Eric Wilson, Patrick Smith & Timothy Stansell. Yes there are three other defendants that Mrs Camacho left out of her Facebook Live.

The case boils down to Code Enforcement officers and other City of Rialto official’s taking aim at Ed Palmers business Raquel’s Jazz Lounge and forcing them to make changes that shut the business down for months costing all four men money and their staff financial hardship. Also Mrs Camacho and others make claims that Ed Palmer is only running for Mayor to win this case and that this case was filed extremely close to the 2020 Mayor Election. This too makes little sense since Mr Palmer had no way of knowing the judge would add this to the court calendar for a jury trail this civil case has documents going back to May of 2019.

Mr Palmer seems to be doing what he has spoken about on the campaign trail, getting the city off the backs of small business owners and leveling the playing field. Mr Palmer shows this by standing by all of this scrutiny on his run for Rialto Mayor while still seeking to make sure his business and the people who run it with him are made whole.

This case reminds us of the 2016 race when Mayor Robertson who claims to be the African American Mayor for her people allowed local painter and celebrity artist Wet Paint Larry to be kicked out of his downtown studio. Wet Paint Larry worked with the mayor during her run for reelection and was repaid for his work by being targeted by the city and eventually kicked out of his studio. There was no grace for a young entrepreneur trying to make his make in society, yet Mayor Robertson lays out the golden carpet for big time developers that spend thousands in her reelection campaigns.

Another item that this writer knows that Mrs Camacho is aware of is the millions that Mayor Robertson and Councilman Ed Scott spent in lawsuits from the wrongful terminations of employees that they didn’t like. Fine people like Glen Anderson and Carl Jones dedicated their lives and lost friends working for this city. Until they dare even utter words that the mayor and Ed Scott don’t like and all of a sudden they are on the chopping block. Rialto lost a lot of amazing employees and have been in the constant cycle of lawsuits because the leadership here is destructive and lacks accountability.

Also Mrs Camacho has yet to produce the bombshell documents that she claims makes Ed Palmer a less than qualified candidate for Mayor, why is that?

Rialto Scrubs City Council Meeting Videos

08 Oct 2020 Leave a comment

There once was a time where the public had honest leadership that wanted them to be a part of the process of a prospering Rialto. Apparently those days are far behind the residents of Rialto.

Rialto moved their council meeting to YouTube to give the people a better opportunity to engage with council meetings. People could watch meetings live and make comments or watch the meetings on replay after the meeting was over. As we were cruising YouTube for some information on a new story we were surprised to find that City Council Meetings are no longer broadcast to YouTube and the old council meetings have been removed.

With a laundry list of people looking to replace your city council and mayor the question is will Rialto stand for once again being left in the dark?

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Rialto Continues Downward Spiral

02 Oct 2020 1 Comment

As the Calendar moved to October 1st Rialto proved that things are not well for the Inland Empire city. Reports came from those close to city hall that city manager Rod Foster has decided to retire from his job in Rialto with just being on the job for a little over one year.

The tension was there since the city manager became aware of possible conflict of interest issues with CDBG funds given to the mayors daughters organization. City Manager Rod Foster said the special audit, which will be conducted by the Riverside accounting firm Teaman, Ramirez & Smith, will examine federal grant funding received by all community-based organizations and nonprofits, not just Bethune Center.

Tensions have continued as Rod Foster has worked to try and deal with the $150 million in unfunded liabilities that Rialto is obligated to pay, as well as balance a budget that was on the brink of bankruptcy. Constant battling with the Mayor and trying to right the financial ship of the city while reports come out that Mayor Robertson has been fighting Rod Foster for trying to make things right. Another part to the frustration of the City Manager is the backlash the audits findings caused.

According to those close to city hall the audit of the Bethune Center-NCNW has been a source of concern for the City Manager. Supporters from that community have made it hard for him to do his job and that coupled with the barriers from elected officials his health has begun to deteriorate.

Rialto now is a city run by an all interim cast, Not one single department head is run someone looking to work long term leading Rialto:

City Administrator is now interim Stephan Erlandson
Public Works interim director Michael Tahan (Former developer and Fontana Councilman)
City Engineer interim Savat Khamphou
City Attorney interim Eric Vail
Community Services interim Sean Grayson
Rialto Fire acting Brian Park
Community Development acting Manager Karen Peterson
Building & Safety interim Justin Edson

The question is why can’t we keep good people and why are the elected officials driving away all of the talented people here?

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Rialto Mayor Robertson Ignores Constituent Over Minority Arrest Stats

01 Oct 2020 1 Comment

In what is going to be the last meeting for the Rialto City Council until after the November 3rd Election the public comment section was rocked with comments from a Rialto resident seeking help and answers.

Mr. Simmons shows up to address the political members of our community after being ignored by the mayor and even blocked from joining her virtual townhall. This coupled with many other developments over the last 3 years are a direct result of why the mayor has 2 people challenging her for her job as mayor.

One of the most troubling things that residents heard in this communication from Mr. Simmons is that we are still using money as a way to deter people from seeking public records. In this digital day and age one would think that the need to charge people hundreds of dollars for public records would be a thing of the past. Earlier this summer the mayor had BLM ask for her resignation and people that support her say she stands for her community. So now we have to ask, who is her community? BLM wanted her to resign so they are not showing much faith in her. Mr. Simmons is being ignored and locked out of her virtual townhall so he must not be a part of her community. Add to that her complete distain for anyone who even questions her motives, her habitual lies and playing favorites with tax dollars WHO IS IN HER COMMUNITY?

The fact of the matter is that Mr. Simmons who we have reached out to but not spoken to yet is simply asking for questions and is seeking to create some sort of civilian oversight. The fact that the mayor who does not know how to spin another angry minority group in her favor is why Mr. Simmons is being ignored and left out in the cold.

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Trailers for homeless with coronavirus symptoms set up at Glen Helen Regional Park Looks Like a Scam

17 Apr 2020 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in #CA31st, Ana Gonzales, and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington and Muscoy, Andy Carrizales, Aquenetta warren, Assembly Woman Eloise Reyes, Budget, Ca, Colton, Congressman Pete Aguilar, Corona Virus, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Deborah Robertson, Ed Scott, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Henry Nickel, Inland Empire, Joe Baca Jr, Josef (Joe) Britt, Rialto, San Bernardino

About 20 trailers set up at Glen Helen Regional Park will play a key role in slowing the novel coronavirus spread among the local homeless population and community.

The trailers, purchased by the state, arrived Thursday, April 9, at the park near the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County. They will house homeless individuals and families who have tested positive for COVID-19 or are suspected to have the illness.

“When our medical experts give us their very best educated medical advice, that advice applies to everyone equally,” Supervisor Josie Gonzales said referring to the guidance from public health. “We must not discriminate because the virus does not discriminate.”

The trailers are part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $150 million emergency funding package to shelter homeless people during the coronavirus pandemic. Fifteen trailers were set up this week at Riverside Municipal Airport for the same purpose.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Homeless Outreach and Proactive Enforcement, or H.O.P.E. team, has placed 26 people — some with families — in a hotel on Hospitality Lane in San Bernardino, county spokesman David Wert said.

The move has drawn the ire of San Bernardino city officials who say they were not consulted during the planning process.

Councilman Henry Nickel called the relocation of out-of-town homeless people to a city already overburdened by the population “negligent” and “irresponsible.” Even before the coronavirus pandemic swept the region, San Bernardino was stretched thin on resources for the city’s most vulnerable, he said.

In a phone interview, Nickel said city leaders still are unclear how the county plans to transition the homeless individuals out of the hotels; provide security at the facility; ensure the population doesn’t “migrate into our community”; and what impact the temporary move will have on residents’ long-term health and safety.

“It’s unacceptable,” Nickel said. “What the county has done is just unconscionable. The fact they never notified the city before engaging in this decision, to me, shows bad faith.

“We cannot trust the county in terms of their homeless operations if this is the behavior they’re going to engage in.”

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Rialto Police Ignore Rules During The Covid-19 Outbreak

17 Apr 2020 4 Comments

by rialto-now in Andy Carrizales, Ca, Corona Virus, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Currupt, Deborah Robertson, Ed Scott, Inland Empire, Rafael Trujillo, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Police Department

A local Rialto resident posted photos of Rialto Cops eating inside the Tacos Galvan restaurant on the corner of Riverside and Baseline on Thursday night. Even though the governor closed all restaurants to inside dining and everyone is asked to be masked up when entering places of business that are still open these two Rialto Cops were seen in violation of this order inside the business eating, without masks on.

“when did become ok to sit and eat at restaurants again because I’m headed to the first bar I find”

Even though Mayor Robertson and the Chief of Police Mark Kling have posted numerous videos telling you to follow the rules the employees seem to be above the law or rules. In the video below the mayor talks about covering your face and she applauds Gavin Newsome for his actions during this time.

So if we have to follow the rules shouldn’t our cops to? If this is really as scary as the mainstream media is making it out to be shouldn’t every Front Line Cop be masked up?

Coronavirus Effects Rialto Economy

13 Mar 2020 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in #CA31st, Ana Gonzales, and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington and Muscoy, Andy Carrizales, Ca, city attorney, City of Rialto, Colton, Corona Virus, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Currupt, Ed Scott, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Inland Empire, Joe Baca Jr, Public Safety, Rafael Trujillo, Rialto, San Bernardino

The Rialto City Council scheduled an emergency meeting to address the Corona Virus outbreak. The enacted an emergency declaration that gave the City Manager supreme powers over events, staffing and public safety. City Manager Rod Foster took this meeting to remind us that even though he works here he is not effected by the decisions made in the city of Rialto as he lives in a wealthy area of Orange County.

Some say that the action is premature given that the school district is on spring break and that there are no confirmed cases in Rialto or San Bernardino County. Others say that we must be early to keep the citizens safe. Councilman Ed Scott (who will comment some inappropriate comments on this post) spoke about being one of the people that is a high risk for having an extreme reaction to this virus given his advanced age and long list of medial conditions. Ed Scott spoke to racial profiling as his wife who is Asian decent were verbally attacked and berated at San Manuel Casino because this Corona Virus originated from China. It was sad to hear that still we are so ignorant because these type of things must stop.

Councilman Ed Scott and Councilman Joe Baca Jr. spoke about the threat to seniors and how we would handle our senior center operations. Councilman Joe Baca Jr. asked that city facilities be deep cleaned and that the senior center would take priority. Councilman Ed Scott said that the City of Fontana told him that they were restricting their senior center to only seniors. That is interesting because that building is a public building and is a community center as well. Many of the people who use that facility rely on the computers and other facilities to function in a tech world.

Clearly this outbreak has made us forget the poor and disadvantaged. Mayor Robertson also pointed out that 80% of the management staff are coming from a county that has had a large number of Corona Virus cases in Orange County. Maybe we should have thought about that when choosing people who live nowhere near Rialto. The reason this is an issue is when it comes to asking people to telecommute what happens if your Director of Emergency Services gets stuck over an hour an way?

The council called for Social Distancing in light of the virus outbreak and were unaware on how we could do this without hurting our new and “vibrant” economy. Rialto Flooring posted a video this morning the day after this meeting of a very empty downtown which they said was extremely rare. The mayor suggested that people utilize the delivery services or ordering out.

Ex-Rialto police officer sentenced to 2 years in prison for having unregistered firearms, silencers

13 Mar 2020 1 Comment

A Corona lawyer and former Rialto police officer was sentenced Thursday to two years in federal prison after unregistered weapons and bomb-making materials were found in his possession.

Sergio Lopez de Tirado, 44, was sentenced for possessing unregistered firearms, silencers and a hand grenade that were found inside his truck during a law enforcement stop, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

He plead guilty in April 2019 to one count of possession of unregistered firearms and a destructive device.

Law enforcement officials found Lopez de Tirado asleep and apparently intoxicated in the passenger seat of a pickup truck that was parked with its door open, blocking a Norco driveway, on Dec. 21, 2018.

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Two Council Members Enter Runoff For 5th District seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors

05 Mar 2020 10 Comments

by rialto-now in #CA31st, and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington and Muscoy, Ca, City of Rialto, Colton, Congressman Pete Aguilar, Currupt, Ed Scott, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Jesse Armendarez, Joe Baca Jr, Rafael Trujillo, Rialto, San Bernardino

Rialto Councilman Joe Baca Jr and Fontana Councilman Jesse Armendarez have finished in the top two spots in the Election to replace termed out Supervisor Josie Gonzalez. In the presidential primary election on March 3, Baca Jr. received 12,442 votes (39.38 percent of the total) and Armendarez gained 8,624 votes (27.30 percent), according to final unofficial results released by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Office.

This election had four people running for the newly open seat. Business Owner Nadia Renner & Colton School Board Member Dan Flores both finished at the bottom of the race. Since nobody obtained more than 50% of the total vote the top two vote getters will be in a runoff in the November Presidential Election. One interesting portion of this race was how people decided how and when to enter the race.

Dan Flores more than just a School Board Member for the Colton Joint School District he was Supervisor Josie Gonzalez Chief of Staff. Dan Flores was seen as the heir to the throne when it came to the 5th Supervisors Seat. Dan spent the longest building his campaign and seemed to have support from many areas across the district, that was until the filling period loomed in the distance. Councilman Joe Baca Jr has been seeking an exit to teaching and being a Council Member on the Rialto City Council and it seems he found his out. Even though Rialto seems to be booming with economic activity, there are a lot of looming issues that the current council has been ignoring or kicking down the road. Councilman Jesse Armendez is an entirely different situation because he only got into local politics to be a paid puppet for Fontana Mayor Aquenetta Warren. Fontana Mayor Warren has spent the last six years buying elections and putting people on boards so she can feed contracts to her donors and control elected bodies.

Most people we spoke to thought both Councilmen were grasping at straws entering this race. Joe Baca Sr has done much damage to the Baca dynasty name and Joe Baca Jr seems like a vanilla local elected official looking for new power and a bigger paycheck. Jesse Armendarez looked even worse, with very little elected experience and little to no name recognition outside of the Fontana political structure. Yet both Councilmen used some divisive tactics to overcome the other two running for Supervisor to. Joe Baca Jr used his ability to fund raise from local and regional Democrats as well as using his name recognition to overcome his opponents. Jesse Armendez tactics were business as usual for an Aquentta Warren Campaign. Using the force behind the Inland Empire Business Alliance coupled with some lies in the campaign Jesse finished in the top two.

Jesse Armendez worked to lure in Democrats that were undecided between the two Democrats in the race coupled with his lack of name recognition by putting out different mailers. If you were registered Democrat you got a flyer that said Jesse was a Democrat, Republicans got a mailer labeling him as a Republican. Jesse’s PAC’s also spent money sending out lies in mailers that Dan Flores a long time Democrat was a Trump Republican. Donald Trump should make sure he creates space between himself and Mayor Warren since she seems quick to use Trump hate to derail campaigns. This Campaign came down to Moderate Democrats vrs Progressive Democrats. Political power houses like Congress Woman Norma Torres and Congress Man Pete Aguilar supported Dan Flores.

Former Officer Glen Anderson Gets Case Heard On Appeal

24 Nov 2019 1 Comment

by rialto-now in #CA31st, and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington and Muscoy, Andy Carrizales, Burglury, Ca, city attorney, City of Rialto, Colton, Crime, Currupt, Deborah Robertson, Ed palmer, Ed Scott, Fontana, Freinds of Rialto K9, Friends of Rialto K9, Grand Terrace, Inland Empire, Joe Baca Jr, Mike Story, Paul Stella, Public Safety, Rafael Trujillo, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Parks, Rialto Police Department, rialto unified school district, San Bernardino

On November 6th former officer Glen Anderson took his lawsuit over wrongful termination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Officer Glen Anderson’s case was dismissed on summary judgement and his legal team is seeking an appeal of that ruling to send his case before a jury.

Officer Anderson’s attorney does his best to nail down that the career of Officer Anderson was ended because the text he sent to James Freeman was then forwarded to Councilman Ed Scott. He works to show that all of the other cases leveled at Officer Anderson were because they could not legally fire Officer Anderson over the text messages alone.

The attorney for the City of Rialto claim that the claim that Officer Anderson was fired over a text message was false. The attorney for the city of Rialto states that nobody fired officer Anderson over Free Speech issues.

The text in question was sent to Political Consultant James Freeman who then in error sent that text message to Councilman Ed Scott. Once Councilman Ed Scott found out that Officer Glen Anderson was texting out the council he became irate. When speaking to Councilman O’Connell and former Councilman Ed Palmer at the time of the investigations there was a clear message that Officer Anderson needed to be dealt with over that text message.

We found the words of the Attorney for the city of Rialto puzzling because he claims that neither the Chief or Mike Story the City Manager had any knowledge of the K9 yard or its construction. The K9 yard was well known throughout the department and the community. The only way Chief Farrar or Deanda could claim not knowing about the K9 yard would be because they are lying or ignorant! City Administrator Mike Story sent years back where the K9 yard used to be located as he was on a mission to build Councilman Joe Baca Jr the 2nd most expensive park in the city Bud Bender park.

No matter if the 9th circuit allows this case go to a jury the people of Rialto should question the leadership of city hall and of the police department. Even no the current leadership of the police department allow people who broke more rules and laws continue to work and hold high ranking jobs within the Rialto Police Department still. The only difference between Glen Anderson and other officers is that the other officers protect Ed Scott and don’t hold him accountable. Remember this all started with a text message sent to Councilman Ed Scott!