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Rafael Trujillo Exits Stage Left But May Be Waiting In The Wings

08 Dec 2015 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Ca, Cancer, Clifford Young, Colton, Crime, Currupt, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Inland Empire, Joe Baca Jr, Rialto, San Bernardino, Uncategorized, Water

Rafael Trujillo is a name you may know but may not be able to remember where from. Prior to September his greatest claim to fame would be a former aide to numerous State and Federal elected officials and a member of the Rialto Parks and Recreation Committee. He has tried to run for every local office that is available to him and has always fallen short. He has even used political favors to try and get appointed to Rialto City Council but not even that worked.

It wasn’t until a seat came open on the West Valley Water Board that Rafael found his way in. This September Rafael was appointed as a Director of the water board. He still had to cross a hurdle that he has yet to successfully win an election where the people had to choose him. He failed to win one of three seats on the water board even though he worked hard to tarnish the reputation of the only incumbent seeking re-election Alan Dyer.

At the November 5th meeting Rafael hinted at the future for him even though he had already lost the election? What pray tell can be his future when he lost the election?

On top of all this Rafael was given a glowing recommendation of his time on the board three whole months. Below is Rafael’s speech after he was given his Resolution for his three months as a water board director.

Here are our problems with this:

Two board members left with this election Betty Gosney and Rafael Trujillo. The resolutions were done on different meetings Mrs. Gosney the outgoing President and 13 year veteran did not get her resolution and was called a racist. Rafael Trujillo revived his with a unanimous vote for only three months of service.
When President Clifford Young gave Rafael Trujillo his award Mr. Young gave Rafael time to speak yet he didn’t limit him to the same three minutes that he limited all other speakers to.
Rafael refers to issues he was passionate about but fails to remember his passionate issues when accepting his public resolution.
The West Valley Water Board continues its witch hunt on Mr. Dyer and if they find enough dirt to remove him from his seat you can guarantee that Rafael will be there waiting in the wings.
Are there people on the board feeding Rafael information from closed session meetings? Everything having to do with the Boards illegal informant is done in closed session and Rafael seems to be well versed in what has been going on.

We write all of this not because we dislike Mr. Trujillo or to cause him grief we simply want to get our elected officials to work on the peoples behalf not their own.

West Valley Water Caught Playing Favorites

03 Dec 2015 4 Comments

by rialto-now in 100 Black Men, Colton, Currupt, Fontana, Inland Empire, perchlorate, Rialto, Rialto, Uncategorized

WVWD Fav

Would you believe that temporary appointed Water Board Director Rafael Trujillo who only served a few months on the Board will Recognized, Honored and Commended for his time on the water board but Betty Gosney the long time elected board member will get no such recognition? Well it is true. As you can see below that Rafael Trujillo will be recognized at tomorrows West valley Water Board Meeting. Some people are saying that Clifford Young has worked behind the scenes to be a puppet master of other people and it looks like it has worked out for Rafael with yet another recognition for following another persons agenda without thinking for himself.

The two resolutions look very different and speak to the tone the majority of the board was acting when each resolution was penned.

Here is the one for President Betty Gosney:

Adopt Resolution No. 2015-18 Commending President Betty Gosney for More than 12 Years of Dedicated Service.

Here is the one for Appointed Director Rafael Trujillo:

Approval of Resolution No. 2015-20, Recognizing, Honoring and Commending Rafael Trujillo for Outstanding Public Service as a Board Member.

So from the get go the Board majority penned resolutions that should have sounded the same yet are much more different when it comes to wording and perceived tone. Another question is why were these two resolutions made separate of each other? It would be inappropriate to deny President Gosney her Resolution and give one to Appointed Director Trujillo. President Gosney who had served on the West Valley Water board for 12 years has underwent a lot of attacks and game playing by a majority of the board especially Vice President Clifford Young. So after the lastest round of attacks and political games that were played President Gosney asked if Clifford Young’s signature could be left off the resolution which is her right. Clifford Young did not like being left out and he knew ahead of time so he invited Irma Flores to the meeting to call President Gosney a racist for not wanting the only African American member of the board’s signature on her resolution.

Now remember we called Appointed Director Trujillo a rubber stamp for Vice President Young and originally Appointed Director Trujillo seconded the motion to approve President Gosney’s resolution for service. He changed his mind after Clifford Young instructed his fellow board members to not no on this resolution.

Personally I have always thought it was silly to give resolutions on behalf of an entire body to a specific person or group. Many times most of the elected body of any city or board have no idea who they are recognizing or even agree they should be recognized.

Below is the entire body of the Water Boards agenda tonight.

BUSINESS MATTERS Consideration of:

1. Approval Resolution No. 2015-18, Adopting the Rosenberg’s Rules of Order as Official Parliamentary Procedures for West Valley Water District Meetings.

2. Approval of Resolution No. 2015-19, Appointing Shanae Smith as Board Secretary Confidential Assistant Reporting to the Board of Directors and Two (2) Assistant Secretaries.

3. Approval of Resolution No. 2015-20, Recognizing, Honoring and Commending Rafael Trujillo for Outstanding Public Service as a Board Member.

West Valley Water Board Swears In New Members & Changes Rules

02 Dec 2015 2 Comments

by rialto-now in Clifford Young, Colton, Currupt, David Goldstein, Fontana, Inland Empire, Layoffs, perchlorate, Rialto, Rialto, Vice President Young, Water, West Valley Water District, WVWD

On Thursday December 3rd West Valley Water District ushers in a lot of change. With the coming changes the cloud of controversy that hangs over the sitting board remains.

The first order of business will be to administer the oath of office for the three board members that were elected in November. The three people include Greg Young, Alan Dyer and Donald Olinger. Greg Young was one of the three people that current Vice President of the West Valley Water Board was supporting which lays a layer of uncertainty over his seat on the Board. One of the people Greg Young replaced (Rafael Trujillo) appeared follow Clifford Young’s lead even when it led to potentially violating the Brown Act as well as possibly misappropriating funds and hiding information that the public inside closed session that should have been heard before the public. Alan Dyer the only sitting incumbent won re-election but not without being under extreme scrutiny by Clifford Young, Linda Gonzalez and the private counsel that is being paid public funds to investigate Mr. Dyers residency and secretly report back to the Water Board in closed session. Don Olinger is a common name in the city of Rialto as a former teacher, school board member and a former West Valley Water Board Director. Given the latest antics that the current board has underwent Mr Olinger has his work cut out for him.

The next major item on the board agenda is a change from the Roberts Rules of Order to the Rosenberg Rules of Order. Now you may say who cares what system they use. Well I would caution you to hold that thought it was Clifford Young who asked for this change and as he stated in the first meeting of November he is not at all happy with the increase of public participation that his actions have garnered lately. If you look below we copied some of the areas of the Rosenburg’s Rules of Order sections for you and the one that stood out the most was “a five-member body with a few members of the public in attendance” Clifford Young wants to use a system that works with low public participation.

If one is chairing or running a parliament, then Robert’s Rules of Order is a dandy and quite useful handbook for procedure in that complex setting. On the other hand, if one is running a meeting of say, a five-member body with a few members of the public in attendance, a simplified version of the rules of parliamentary procedure is in order.

Below it talks about these 21st Century rules have found a welcoming audience. How is this possible if its used to lower public attendance? We see the writting on the wall and more public elected boards will be doing what they can to get better control of what the public is ALLOWED to participate in.

These rules have been simplified for the smaller bodies we chair or in which we participate, slimmed down for the 21st Century, yet retaining the basic tenets of order to which we have grown accustomed. Interestingly enough, Rosenberg’s Rules has found a welcoming audience.

Finally this is the best part for Mr. Clifford Young he wants to be able to silence people that speak against him and his tactics.

The chair should always ensure that debate and discussion of an agenda item focuses on the item and the policy in question, not the personalities of the members of the body. Debate on policy is healthy, debate on personalities is not. The chair has the right to cut off discussion that is too personal, is too loud, or is too crude

It is unfair to ask someone to bottle up their passion for a given issue but when it comes to elected power and water issues nobody seems to want to play fair lately.

Join us:

WEST VALLEY WATER DISTRICT

855 West Base Line Road, Rialto, CA

BOARD MEETING AGENDA

Thursday, December 3, 2015 – 6:00 p.m.

Brown Act Violation Rumors Swirl Around Closed Session Information

19 Nov 2015 1 Comment

According to SB Sun Reporter Ryan Hagen the city council in a closed session decided to terminate City Manager Allen Parker’s employment with San Bernardino. According to Ryan Hagen’s story and comments to Rialto Now we see some major Brown Act Violations. First is the fact that the City Attorney never reported the closed session report and second that Ryan Hagen’s source decided to take Closed Session information out of the room and divulge it to the public.

As your used to reading here the Brown Act is used as more of a tool to keep information away from the public rather than make sure that public officials are playing by a set of rules that keeps them accountable before the people. Below you will see the various times local elected bodies have violated this act:

San Bernardino City Council Members divulging closed session information.
West Valley Water use of private counsel to investigate other members and report back to the entire board.
Rialto City Council members walking into June Hayes public comment trap.

The list can go on and on…….

The issue here is that San Bernardino City Council seems to think they are above the law. I don’t fault Ryan Hagen too much for allowing someone to go off the record but….. normally when I allow someone to go off the record I find another source that is willing to go on the record so I can show proof that I am not fabricating information. Leticia Garcia posted the following statement on the “I Love San Bernardino” Facebook page:

“As an FYI. It is a violation of the Brown Act to divulge closed session information. The Sun is irresponsible to condone and report the information without also reporting the offense to the DA Public Integrity Unit.

Why do the residents of this city allow their elected officials to be corrupt unchecked?

I want to know who divulged this? A person in the room is beholden to the Brown Act and as such, would only be an elected or the City Manager. This person should RESIGN from office or Administration immediately!

According to Mrs. Garcia “We should demand from Ryan Hagen that he divulge the name of his source!!!” We called Ryan Hagen and he was not prepared to divulge his source but did say that “he believed it was appropriate to report the communication because it was an informational item and not an item that had anything to do with litigation.”

“Allen Parker’s last day as city manager will be Dec. 31, after the City Council agreed Monday to modify his contract to include a year’s severance pay in exchange for his resignation, according to a source who was in the room for the closed-session vote. However, Monday’s vote was not to dismiss Parker. Instead, according to the source, the City Council agreed to give him a year’s salary — $221,976 — and benefits for himself and his wife.”

So what do you think? Should the press have to follow the same laws that elected officials are supposed to? When will the DA and his defunct Public Integrity Unit start requiring that local elected bodies start following the very set of rules that are there to level the playing field for the public?

http://www.sbsun.com/government-and-politics/20151118/source-san-bernardino-city-manager-allen-parker-to-leave-post-dec-31

Video by rialto-now

West Valley Water Board Directors Not Prepared At Regularly Scheduled Meeting

16 Nov 2015 2 Comments

On November 5th 2015 the West Valley Water Board held their regular meeting with their new 6pm. Even though the meeting time had changed the way the board acts towards vendors, staff, media and rate payers has not changed. Our staff was not in attendance mostly due to schedule conflicts and partly was we didn’t want to poke the tiger too much. The meeting from what we heard was well attended when compared to past meetings yet Vice President Young and Director Gonzales were upset to the point of bringing it up multiple times that we were not in attendance. The early part of the meeting things seemed a little tense.

Board Vice President Young, Gonzales & Trujillo were not prepared for this meeting. Time and time again they were asking to have business items tabled many into the last meeting of 2015 which was six weeks from the date of the last meeting of the 2015 year. At one point Board Director Linda Gonzales states that she works 8-5 and doesn’t have time to look over her board packet material?????? When did it become the rate payers responsibility to make sure you had enough time to do your job? Why did you run for a Civil Service position if your not prepared to put in the work? Director Gonzales didn’t have time to read her board packet but she had time to hobnob with various elected officials and complain about her dislike of the food they provided her.

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Join Paul Chabot for Coffee & Conversation November 19th

Second was they spend so much time fighting former General Managers and politicking from the dais that they are not paying bills in a timely fashion leaving space and bills unpaid which is beyond unfair. If you have a dispute over the costs have the client come to a meeting and ask your questions and them come to a majority consensus and pay what the vendor has coming to them. Vivian Moreno a Riverside Based activist asks the board why they act like the West Valley Water District doesn’t know what they are paying. Both President Gosney and General Manager spoke up after Mrs. Moreno asked them why they didn’t know what they were paying. President Gosney said that each bill came with a list of items for which the total bill represented.

The boards lack of direction and the constant fighting with vendors and ratepayers seems to be blowing up in their faces. It has already cost ratepayers a board director as President Gosney decided not to seek another term as a water board director. Vice President Young has asked that the 15 percent rate increases that are scheduled to be on the next two years be added to the last meeting of 2015.

Stay tuned for more on this as the saga seems far from over………………..

Video by rialto-now

Coffee with Congressional Candidate Paul Chabot

13 Nov 2015 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Andy Carrizales, Ca, City of Rialto, Coffee Nutz, Colton, congress, Congressman Pete Aguilar, Ed palmer, Ed Scott, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Inland Empire, Lynn Hirtz, Mike Story, paul chabot for congress, pete aguilar, Rialto, Rialto, San Bernardino, Shawn O'Connell, youth Tags: paul chabot for congress

http://www.paulchabot.com/

Rialto Police Department Experiences Highs and Lows This Week

09 Nov 2015 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Budget, Burglury, Ca, city attorney, City of Rialto, Colton, Crime, Ed palmer, Fontana, Freinds of Rialto K9, Friends of Rialto K9, Grand Terrace, Inland Empire, Public Safety, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Police Department, rialto unified school district, San Bernardino, SB Sun, SCAT, SWAT, youth

Photo that rialto Police Placed on their Facebook Page to announce the passing of K9 from Rialto PD

With K9 programs that offer Canine Officers that are skilled in tracking and stopping dangerous criminals as well as locating drugs and firearms on a downward trend in the Inland Empire it is vital that the agencies that still use this very successful program be given kudos for the work they do. If the City of Rialto would have outsourced police operations to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department all those years ago Rialto would not have a lot of what we now have but most notably for this story there would not be a K9 program. The sheriff’s department disbanded their K9 program except for bloodhounds that work search and rescue which is a great service but when your looking for an armed suspect nothing compares to a German Shepard or Belgian Malanois that has pure speed and strength to subdue the ugliest of bad guys. These dogs also provide a great benefit of locating drugs and weapons from bad guys. The last time we spoke to Officer Anderson he told us that the K9 officers in Rialto get called all over Southern California to assist other agencies when a K9 Dog is required and what is cool about that is Rialto gets to bill that agency for the cost of sending that officer to the given call.

iecn photo/yazmin alvarez Rialto Police Departments Glen Anderson watches on as his K-9, Gilley, enjoys taking a bite out of Redlands Police Chief Mark Garcia during a fundraiser Aug. 30.

All of the K9 Police Handlers are great guys but Officer Anderson stood out to me as one of those special Officers that was a great representation of the K9 program and the Department as a whole. So when I opened up my Facebook and saw the message below I was sad to see the passing of a great Canine member of Rialto Police Department:

Today, as a Department and as a community we mourn the loss of our K-9, Gilley. Gilley was a Belgian Malanois who served along side his partner and best friend, Officer Glen Anderson, together they kept the citizens of Rialto safe. Gilley served our community, and all of his law enforcement partners for eight outstanding years. Gilley served as a Patrol, Narcotics and SWAT Canine. His impressive eight year stats are as follows: Gilley located and recovered over 108 pounds …of methamphetamine, 380 pounds of marijuana, 131 pounds of cocaine, 51 pounds of heroin and seized over $2 million dollars in cash. Additionally, Gilley saved the department countless man hours during searches for suspects and evidence. Gilley will truly be missed by us all.

**** Update ****

K9 Gilley was injured during a swat operation and when he was taken to the vet it was found that Gilley had a tumor on his heart which was causing fluid to collect around his organs which led to his death according to Captain Randy Deanda at the November 10th city council meeting.

**** Update *****

iecn photo/yazmin alvarez
Chewy, Rialto Police Departments Narcotics Unit K-9, enjoys a few belly rubs from children.

Last time we talked to Officer Anderson he told us that Gilley was on the older side of life and that his work days were almost to an end. So even though we knew he wouldn’t be here forever it makes us sad to see the time come at all. We will truly miss Gilley but now its time to help the foundation that makes our K9 program possible The Friend’s of Rialto K9 is a foundation that makes Rialto’s K9 program and you can help by donating to help because this will be the second dog they would had to have replaced in the last 12 months.

On a positive note our most recent K9 Officer/Canine team that have just been together as of July of 2015 won a 2nd place award at this last weekends K9 event hosted by Riverside Sheriffs department. Dane Stordahl & K9 Bunker were awarded 2nd place award for ‘article search’ during Saturday’s (11/07/15) Riverside Sheriffs K9 trial. In a statement released by Councilman Shawn O’Connell he gave praise to the Officer/K9 team:

It is amazing when you consider 61 dogs participated and you’ve only been partnered with Bunker since July 2015. On behalf of the City of Rialto, I appreciate the hard work and dedication you have shown this department and our city. The Rialto Police Department family should be very proud.

What’s On Tap For This Weeks City Council Meeting Tuesday November 10th

09 Nov 2015 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Ca, City of Rialto, Deborah Robertson, Inland Empire, Public Safety, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Fire, Rialto Parks, Rialto Police Department, Shawn O'Connell, Veolia, Water, wwwstoprialtowaterratehikes.com

Hello Rialto Now readers as the year begins to draw to a close there is still plenty to keep our eyes on when it comes to the cast of characters known as the Rialto City Council. This weeks meeting is full of tasty little nuggets that are important for you to know about:

There are 8 presentations and proclamations here are the ones who stand out:

Proclamation-Small Business Saturday-Mayor Deborah Robertson – Not sure what Mayor Robertson knows about Small Business when she spends more time with big corporations like Wal-Mart.

Proclamation-Purple Heart City-Mayor Deborah Robertson – Looks like this is a way to honor a select few Purple Heart Veterans who support her as Mayor.

Proclamation-Law Enforcement Records and Support Personnel Day Mayor Deborah Robertson – Not sure when our Mayor began to LIKE our police

Resolution-Veterans Wall of Freedom-Council Member Ed Palmer – Not sure what this is but it may mean a Veterans Wall in Rialto.

Presentation-Excellence in Law Enforcement Research Award from International Associations of Chiefs of Police-Captain Randy DeAnda – The last award from the glory days.

Presentation-2015 CNN Heroes Award-Kim Carter Time for Change Foundation – This presentation upsets me because Mrs. Carter isn’t a resident here in Rialto her business is in San Bernardino and she has been all over the place talking about how this award and the potential $100,000 payoff is for a program for San Bernardino, made in San Bernardino she never references any other community.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Request City Council to Approve Resolution No. 6846 to Establish a New Full-Time Classification of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Establish the Basic Compensation Rate. Eliminate the Part-Time EMT Classification from the City’s List of Approved Classifications.

TAB ITEMS

TAB2 Request City Council to Approve the Community Services Department Athletic Field and Allocation Policy.

This is the Policy that the Recreation Commision and the City Council have been kicking back and forth leaving youth sports programs in the lurch.

TAB3 Request City Council to Consider Amendment No. 4 to Employment Agreement between the City of Rialto and Michael Story, City Administrator for changes to be effective from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2017.

Looks like Mike Story is going to be made whole again after giving up a lot what we don’t understand is where is all this money coming from?

TAB8 Request City Council to Ratify the Termination of the Contract Services Agreement with Commercial Cleaning Systems and Approve a Professional Services Agreement with ABM in the Amount of $23,728.13 Per Month Not To Exceed Five Months for a total of $118,610.66 for Janitorial Services and an additional $31,359.37 for Consumable Supplies.

Yet another attempt to find someone that can clean up after the filth our local elected officials leave behind.

TAB10 Request City Council to receive and file a status update on the Concession Agreement Water and Wastewater Capital Improvement Program; provide direction to staff as appropriate. approving staff to return in February 2015 with a status update on the Concession Agreement Water and Wastewater Capital Improvement Program for the next three months.

Here is yet another opportunity for the Gang of four to try and save the poor water deal that they threw us into. Last time they met Ed Scott said he wanted to not charge the public the next scheduled rate increase but we know he was just saying that he really doesn’t care about the rate payers. What is scary is that were bringing in massive amounts of large developments and we have done ZERO to upgrade our old overtaxed system why are they letting Rialto Water Services get away with this? Well its because four of the five elected leaders have taken money from the Rialto Water Services gang and now they need to pay it back in the form of FAVORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regular Meeting Tuesday November 10th at 6pm

Rialto Now “Spotlight” on Former Rialto Unified Student Anahi Velasco

23 Oct 2015 Leave a comment

Covering Rialto one story at a time Rialto Now on Facebook “LIKE” us!

When it comes to what types of stories drive traffic (people reading our blog) negative or stories of gloom and doom are the ones that drive people to your site. Even the larger media sources know that a hard hitting story of corruption or illegal activities will be very highly seen. What I love about our audience is that these “Spotlight” stories are all positive and you guys and gals read them just as much as the latest scandal to hit a local area here in Rialto.

We met Anahi Velasco through the personal Social Media post of Rialto Unified School District Public Relations Director Syeda Jafri she took a picture of some former students at Coffee Nutzz in Rialto and spoke about how Rialto grads are effecting and changing the world we live in. Well we reached out to Anahi and asked if she would participate in our “Spotlight” and she jumped at the chance.

Here you go:

Rialto Now – Who raised you? What were the occupations of your parents/caregivers?

Anahi Velasco – My parents worked hard to provide everything they could for us to succeed. My mom has generally worked at factories and my dad has been on disability since I was like 10 years old or so. We also created our own family-run business in San Bernardino to be able to afford a roof on our heads, food on the table and clothes on our back. I started working there when I was 12 and stopped when my school load increased dramatically during my junior year in high school.

Rialto Now – Pets? Are you a dog or cat person?

Anahi Velasco – I’m definitely a dog person!! I have my eleven-year old Chihuahua named Mini-Mi who had a very difficult time understanding that I wouldn’t be home anymore. When I moved out my first year of college, my mom told me that she would hide under the BBQ grill and wouldn’t come out to eat. My mom had to literally put food and water under the BBQ in order for her to actually eat. It was very sad! To my surprise, she somehow got pregnant (I am saying somehow because I thought she was too old to have more puppies), and had three puppies. One of those puppies looked identical to her when she was a puppy. I decided to keep her and name her “Bella” because she was as beautiful as her mother.

Rialto Now – What schools did you attend?

Anahi Velasco – Dunn Elementary School, Kolb Middle School and Eisenhower High School!

Rialto Now – What was your favorite year of school? What was your favorite subject?

Anahi Velasco – My favorite subject was chemistry because the teacher challenged us. Her goal was to prepare us for college, not for high school graduation. She was a great mentor for me who taught me the real value of family time. It’s because of her that I began to strengthen my relationship with my parents and opened up more conversations with them about what I’m doing at school and what I plan to do for my future.

Rialto Now – What are you passionate about?

Anahi Velasco – This is probably the most difficult question to ask me. I am passionate about so many things which is my biggest problem. If I had to choose one area that I’m passionate about though, it’d be education. In order to change the world, we need to be educated. I’m not only referring to our educational system though, I’m also talking about the education we receive at home. That education is the most important education that we’ll ever receive.

Rialto Now – What did you love about living in Rialto?

Anahi Velasco – I loved knowing that we have people from different cultures who get along. We have respect for each other’s cultures. I especially love the community-wide events because that’s when you see everyone come together.

Rialto Now – Where did you hang out in Rialto?

Anahi Velasco – I think I spent most of my time at Eisenhower! I had honors classes, AP classes and I was also enrolled at San Bernardino Valley College. I was at Eisenhower for most of my day to catch up on my homework, attend meetings, tutor other students, listen to my mentors or lead workshops. I had created a student-run organization with my friends and Mr. G, the former Career Center Technician at Eisenhower HS. So a lot of times I was running around on campus doing something for that organization. I also had an internship at Channel 3 with Gabriel Felton and an internship at the Rialto Unified School District, so I’d be there too throughout the week.

Rialto Now – Where was your favorite place to eat in Rialto?

Anahi Velasco – I can’t decide between George’s Burgers or a small taco place near the liquor store and the laundry mat. I love George’s Burger’s Swiss Burger and fries, yet I also loved the small talks that I had with the wonderful lady at the taco place. My mom would leave money with her so that I can stop by and eat quickly if I was going to stay at school late. She was always very kind and asked me questions about my future. She doesn’t work there anymore, but I’ll never forget her!

Rialto Now – Who are the top 2 people that influenced you here in Rialto?

Anahi Velasco – I can’t name 2 because there have been so many people in my life that have had a huge impact on my life and it wouldn’t be fair. They know who they are.

Rialto Now – Tell us about college. What school are you at? What is your major? Best thing about college & worst thing about college?

Anahi Velasco – I’m double majoring in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and Radio – TV – Film at California State University, Fullerton. The best thing about college is the amount of support professors and staff offer me. They are my best resources and always make time to meet with me if I need their guidance. They have experience in their fields and have lots of connections. The worst thing about college is parking and finding a nice affordable place to live (finding roommates too!)

Rialto Now – If money wasn’t an issue what would be your dream forever job?

Anahi Velasco – I don’t think I’ve ever realistically thought of money as being one of the biggest factors of what my “dream job” would be. I’ve listened to so many high-level executives say over and over again that we need to follow our passion and money would come after. So without saying any position titles or specific occupations, I’d say my dream job is to interact and engage with the youth to listen to their stories and share their triumphs. Everyone has barriers that keep them from moving forward, but only a few are successful in overcoming their barriers and using it as a motivation for their future.

Rialto Now – What would you tell young people today that you wish you would have known when you were young?

Anahi Velasco – I wish I would have been able to recognize all of the sacrifices and huge efforts my parents make for me to succeed. I didn’t notice all of the little things until my second semester of sophomore year in high school. I sincerely wish I would have invited my parents to all of the parent meetings they held at school or back to school nights. I always felt like they were too busy or would be tired to attend, so I didn’t invite them.

During my junior and senior year in high school, they took me everywhere. If I had a meeting, they were the first to offer to take me even though I told them I could walk. I was also enrolled at San Bernardino Valley College program, so they took me to school as early as 6:30am and picked me up as late as 10:00pm.

My mom also tried her best to always provide me with snacks and food. Many times I would be so busy that I forgot to eat, but I would always be able to count on one of my backpack pockets to have some sort of snack. I didn’t expect it, but it was always there. Even to this day, when I visit my parents on the weekends, I drive back to Orange County and find snacks hidden throughout my car. I absolutely love my parents!

I know that some youth have trouble recognizing the efforts our parents back and sometimes even feel like our parents don’t understand us. Well, how could they possibly understand us if we don’t talk to them? If we don’t communicate with them and share our struggles and successes with them? It’s all about communication. We need to communicate with each other and value each other for who we are. I’m not ashamed to say that I love my parents and although I excluded them from certain events throughout middle school and high school, they were my main motivation to succeed.

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Local Ratepayers Call For Leadership On The West Valley Water Board

21 Oct 2015 Leave a comment

If you were not aware a lot of issues have been brewing on the West Valley Water Board. From rate increases to political positioning it looks like the trouble has boiled over into ratepayers actually attending meetings and calling out into the light some issues that appear to be more serious than anyone first thought. Over the last three years there has been a series of regular rate increases that have set off a firestorm of controversy and led certain people to act in ways that now that have people questioning certain board members agendas.

Board Director Linda Gonzalez, Recently Appointed Board Director Rafael Trullio & Vice President Clifford Young are leading the charge that they are the voices of reason and will be the team to lower WVWD ratepayers rates. Current President Betty Gosney said the rates were increased to make sure that WVWD could afford to deliver water to it’s customers.

Fast forward to today and the WVWB has approved the use of PUBLIC funds to investigate current Board Member Alan Dyer on his residency and former WVWD General Manager Butch Ariza on his ability to run for the water district. Clifford Young, Linda Gonzalez and Rafael Truillo are also calling into question where Mr. Ariza’s campaign funds came from. Clifford Young, Linda Gonzalez and Rafael Truillo claim that election funds came from people who currently hold contracts with WVWD. Well if this isn’t ok then someone better tell every other political person because sadly this is all to common take the money out of politics and this won’t be an issue.

There are two sides to every story and were asking for everyone for their statements. On the residents side of things Mr. O’Connell the Author of this flyer (see above) has gone on record See Below:

“I have said numerous times and I will continue to say it, the public doesn’t trust politicians and there are reasons why. You need to earned that back.

Some of the reasons were clearly visible at the West Valley Water District Board meetings that I attended on 10/12/15-noon and 10/15/15.

The first thing I noticed was a clear lack of effective leadership, poor decision-making and a form of bullying going on.

After exiting from close session, the first thing the board did was fire their attorney by a vote of 3 to 2 (YES – Young, Gonzalez and Trujillo).

Instead of having another attorney available to step in or even closing the Special Meeting until the next regular meeting – 3 days later, the board members continued without any legal help. Normally this shouldn’t be a problem but this board kept stepping into quicksand -potentially violating the Brown act.

On at least two occasions, myself and another citizen informed the board that they were violating the Brown act. (Brown act – a law that effectively states that elected officials must do their business in public. There very strict requirements and significant penalties for failing to follow it.)

I was surprised at what they were doing, since every elected officia has to take a class that teaches the Brown act.

This flyer is based on two meetings that I recently attended at the West Valley Water District. (10/12/15, 10/15/15)

I, along with 50+ private citizens were stunned buy what we witnessed by our elected WVWD Board members. We pay to much money to see it wasted at their level. Whether it’s them spending money on things that they have no mandate or doing things in such a reckless manner as to open the district up for Financial loss. They need to be good stewards of our money.

Not all was loss. I appreciated Director Gonzalez coming down and providing snacks for the children, as well as speaking with all of us. That showed a small level of commitment to community that I respected.

What I wrote below is just a small sample of the problems facing this board. I will be starting a Facebook page to link the YouTube videos, so you can see for yourself. Shawn O’Connell”

Keep checking back as we will update you as more statements come in and to keep plugged in visit https://www.facebook.com/WVWDBoard

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