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Rialto School Board Q&A with Russel Silva

27 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Ca, Crime, Flores Park, Flores Park Neighborhood Watch, Inland Empire, Rialto, rialto unified school district, RUSD, Russel Sliva, SB Sun, Teachers Union, Water, youth Tags: Flores Park Neighborhood Watch, High School, Rialto Middle School, Rialto Unified School District, RUSD Board, Werner Elementary

Welcome to our third RUSD Board member Q&A out of six candidates. Russel Silva carry’s the very coveted endorsement of the Flores Park Neighborhood Watch. He also is a smart person that has offered some great responses. On thing that stands out to us here is the issue of opening up the rails to trails project to schools Werner Elementary and Rialto Middle School. Their is no safety plan in place by either the city or school district but the school district is moving forward anyway. Enjoy the read.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Hollister, CA. a small agricultural community. I moved to Ontario, CA in 1982 and then I bought a house in Rialto in April 1984, where I live today.

What High School did you graduate from?

Graduated from San Benito Joint Union High School, Class of 1973. It was the only high school in San Benito County at the time.

Did you attend College? If so where did you attend and what was your major?

Went to several junior colleges; West Valley in Saratoga, CA; Chaffee and San Bernardino Valley. My interests have mostly been towards engineering. No degree.

What is your current career field? How did you find yourself picking that career?

My love is civil engineering. From the time I started working for the Engineering Department in Hollister I was hooked. Surveying, designing, drafting, inspection are just some of the duties I had. But the best fun was seeing the jobs I worked on come to life; housing tracts, shopping centers, industrial buildings, city infrastructure. As a kid growing up I never understood all the behind the scene stuff that makes a city function, or for that matter any successful organization. I guess engineering was in my blood.

How has your work life prepared you for the Rialto Unified School Board?

I have worked all my adult life so the majority of my education is a result of my ‘hands on’ experience. Having worked 24 years in the public sector and with my current job as Capital Projects Coordinator I manages bids, establish and write RFP’s and contracts for consultants and contractors, act as a project manager, and handle payment processing and change orders for the project assigned me. Every project has a budget and it I my job to make sure I stay on budget. I scrutinize all payments for accuracy and work progress, as well as all change orders to make sure that extra work does exceed the 10% public contract threshold. I rarely have contracts that exceed the 10%.

What do you see as the top three issues at Rialto Unified School District?

Of course 1) student education and performance, 2) better fiscal control and accountability, 3) student safety, including on campus bullying.

What are your thoughts on Common Core?

The basic concept of the Common Core is great as it is trying to give every child nation wide the same opportunity to succeed and graduate with the same educational skills. The down falls; 1) I think it was thrown at us too fast. Teachers were not given ample time or training to unwrap this new program and present it to the students. 2) the textbooks and technology to make CC successful are behind. 3) because the way the system is set up to be taught, many teaches are handcuffed. What I mean is teachers all have their own style of teaching, but CC doesn’t allow for that. Sometimes teachers need to add that extra pop to grab the students attention. All in all I think it is a good system, but I wish it allowed a little more flexibility for the teachers. The District needs to provide more training as well.

With the new funding program programs like ROP are now in jeopardy of being lost. What are your thoughts on eliminating categorical funding and putting these programs in jeopardy?

Eliminating categorical funding for ROP, especially in lower income communities, jeopardizes the opportunity for some of our student to succeed. Face it, there are students out there that are not wired for college. By eliminating ROP you eliminate those students from having an opportunity to step into the working class right out of high school and become a productive citizen. Case in point, I would not be where I am today without the technical skill sets I received in high school.

The city of Rialto is moving forward with their rails to trails program. Some at city hall are pushing the school district to create additional access points at schools like Rialto Middle and Werner Elementary so students can access the school from the trail. What are your thoughts on this as it creates another access point for people that don’t belong on campus?

Bad idea. Creating an access from an unmonitored, unsupervised community trail that is used not just by the average biker or walker or fitness trainer but criminals, pedifiles, child molesters, drug users and pushers is only asking for major trouble. At Warner Elementary that access gate would be 230 feet away from the nearest building and security camera. The District would have to station security to that gate every time it is in use to make sure the students are safe; and that costs money. If they use the security cameras by the time an insident is noticed and security is alerted, the incident is over and someone could be hurt. Cooperative agreement with agencies is common practice, but not at the cost of the life of a student.

Would you support working with people in the community to help Offer College and employment support to our young people as they enter the 21^st century job market?

Absolutely! I love the idea of the Middle College for those students driven to achieve higher education. But I am also open to creating an internship program that will enable students to get hands on training in a field of their choosing with local agencies and business.

One big problem with our school board now is the pattern of abstaining from voting on issues leaving issues unresolved, what are your thoughts on this practice?

I think the bigger problem is that I don’t think the School Board is fully informed about many of the issues that they are asked to vote on. This leaves them having questions and discussions that lead to leaving issues unresolved. Administration works for the Board and part of their job is to keep the Board fully informed on all critical issues and contracts which I see not happening today. Many of the discussions the Board has in the open forum could have been answered with better communication from staff to the Board.

Please list any websites or social media links and/or contact information so the voters can contact your campaign.

Email:rsilva4rusdschoolboard@gmail.com Website: rsilva4rusdschoolb.wix.com/russel-silva Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008230744374&fref=ts

Rialto School Board Q&A with Don Olinger

26 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Budget, Ca, City of Rialto, Crime, Inland Empire, Rialto, rialto unified school district, RUSD, youth Tags: Don Olinger, Olinger, Rialto school board, RUSD, School Board

Don Olinger was the second candidate to respond to our Q&A opportunity for the School Board, well kind of! Instead of answering our questions he choose to send us a prepared candidate statement. One of the communities biggest issues with the current board and the district is they don’t listen to the community. In our opinion Mr. Olinger clearly has that problem as well. With that being said we are posting his statement because their are some interesting nuggets inside.

Donald D. Olinger
Birthplace………Wabash County Indiana
Rialto resident since 1957
BA ……..Manchester University
MA………Indiana University
Post Graduate….Univ. of Redlands
Career: Rialto teacher and principal
Political: Two terms (8 years) on Rialto School Board
Three terms on West Valley Water District Board of Directors
Church: Administrative Council Chairperson & Board of Trustees
Military: U.S. Navy veteran
RIALTO SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE STATEMENT by DON OLINGER

1. My major focus is to restore the luster of the RUSD, once the envy of surrounding
districts. This can be done by first identifying systemic problems which cause major
distractions from the core purpose of public education. Shoring up the deficits can best
be accomplished with meaningful stakeholder involvement in a trust relationship setting.
This begins in the boardroom, which currently is not a happy place.

2. What goes on in the boardroom affects what takes place in the classroom and vice versa.
Electing competent, knowledgeable board members is essential to implementing recent
school reforms enacted in Sacramento. Common Core State Standards and a landmark
Local Control Funding Formula will start moving schools in the right direction. The LC Action
Plan must include increased funding for early childhood education, class size reductions,
more instructional aides, counsellors, and staff development. Chronic absenteeism, lack
of interest in school and a slowing of API scores will require new strategies.

Measure Y funds are modernizing aging schools. How the remaining $61 million author-
ization is spent will require close monitoring and perhaps reassessing priorities
along the way. Garnering public support for a possible parcel tax hike is essential to
providing our students with a safe, healthy school environment.

3. Despite some excellent programs like Parent University, community forums, staff
development, student services, etc. there is a “lack of confidence” perception by many
parents. What some consider poor decisions and inaction at the top echelon foster
even more discontent. Board meetings at times are contentious which give confusing
signals to staff in implementing policy decisions. I am pleased that the Board is trying
to ease tensions in a more emotionally satisfying climate.

4. The RUSD where my children received a good education and where I enjoyed a wonderful
career has the elements of a great district but lacks a the spirit and synergy which release
the best efforts of staff, parents and students. This requires a collaborative plan of action.

5. School districts compete for the best qualified employees including the superintendent.
The reciprocal is that applicants search for the best district. Attracting the most qualified
applicants require more than a good compensation package. They want to be in a place
where employees feel appreciated, free of petty conflict and where visionary goals can
be realized. One of the most salient roles of the Board is selecting the right superintendent.
This should be a serious assignment in tandem with a professional search team and
and all stakeholders. Excessive contract perks should be avoided.

6. Sometimes new leadership on the Board is necessary to make a desirable change.
Many parents and community leaders have urged me to return to the Boardroom. They
feel that my experience on school, water and church boards, a teaching career, commitment
to high standards, personal attributes and a fondness of the RUSD make me a unique
candidate for the November 4, 2014 school board election.

Rialto School Board Q&A with Lillie Houston

26 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Ca, City of Rialto, Deborah Robertson, Inland Empire, Lillie Houston, Rialto, rialto unified school district, RUSD, youth Tags: Lillie Houston, Los Angeles City College, Rialto Unified School, Rialto Unified School Board, Rialto Unified School District, School Board

Welcome to the Rialto Unified School Board Q&A interviews. We asked all of the candidates the same questions and emailed them out Mrs. Houston was the first one to respond so she will be the first one you see. Our questions are highlighted Lillie Houston’s answers are not.

Where did you grow up?

Seattle, Washington

What High School did you graduate from?

Garfield High School

Did you attend College? If so where did you attend and what was your major?

I attended Los Angeles City College, LACC, I was studying to become an architect. At my age at that time I was required to take courses such as English, Math, Reading, Gym, Archery, etc.

How has your education prepared you for the Rialto Unified School Board?

I attended a trade school where I learn to operate the keypunch and reading machines. Mount San Antonio College, MTSAC, Walnut, CA. Associate in Science Degree in Industrial Supervision. University of Redlands; Redlands, CA Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management.

What is your current career field? How did you find yourself picking that career?

My interest was to effectively manage industrial resources which include Money, People and Things.

How has your work life prepared you for the Rialto Unified School Board?

For more than 25 years, I was a small business owner, where I had to generate my own business, manage my own contracts, stay within budget, deal with negative and positive customers to keep a harmonious relationships between the customers, staff and vendors.

What do you see as the top three issues at Rialto Unified School District?

• Lack of Financial Transparency, I will request the new Superintendent to post financial information on-line, in a downloadable format, for free public access, which includes funding awarded through Measure Y Bond.

• Lack of Ability to Improve Special Education Services, test scores and graduation rates

• Inability to develop relationship with the business community to expand job and technical training programs which provide students with good job opportunities

What are your thoughts on Common Core?

Parents and Students have many questions as it relates to will Common Core be a step forward. Teachers are supporting it, though I am not a Teachers Union Candidate, I am running to Put Students First and hold all District Administrators and Teachers accountable for meeting our mission statement. I believe Test are important for evaluating the effectiveness of the curriculum being taught and how the instruction is being given and a good way for students to measure how they are learning. With the new funding program, programs like ROP are now in jeopardy of being lost.

What are your thoughts on eliminating categorical funding and putting these programs in jeopardy?

California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) the new form of spending government dollars within School District already eliminated most categorical programs and places decision making for spending at the local Board level. ROP in my opinion is a great instrument for serving our students and shall be protected. The city of Rialto is moving forward with their rails to trails program.

Some at city hall are pushing the school district to create additional access points at schools like Rialto Middle and Werner Elementary so students can access the school from the trail. What are your thoughts on this as it creates another access point for people that don’t belong on campus?

• I believe the presentations made regarding the rails to trails program have left many unanswered questions as it relates to safety of children, how premises will be secured to protect from potential sex offenders and other criminal elements from entering campuses, I would be unable to support any project that does not have written policies and procedures in place to safeguard our students, staff and have more questions as it relates to this program I am awaiting a response.

Would you support working with people in the community to help Offer College and employment support to our young people as they enter the 21st century job market?

Yes, I owned and operated my own Small Business for 25 years and understand job creation, and developing entrepreneurs and would partner with the local business community and San Bernardino Community College District and/or interested partners of the School District, to provide our students with the technical training needed to be contributors to the economy.

One big problem with our school board now is the pattern of abstaining from voting on issues leaving issues unresolved, what are your thoughts on this practice?

Many agenda items are rushed before the School Board to vote yay or nae, while at the same time Board Members have failed to study what comes before them, until an hour before the meeting starts and doing meetings show disrespect for those speaking doing public comment by texting on there cellphones. I believe Public Comment should be moved to the start of the meeting. If and when elected, I will suggest to our Superintendents Office the Board of Education be provided with answers to priority questions pertaining to any agenda item so that we can move forward with new business, instead of dragging items unto future agendas, as long as I have all the information I need to make the best decisions that Put Students First, I will vote yes or no, an abstain vote from me will only be provided if there is a conflict of interest with an item.

Please list any websites or social media links and/or contact information so the voters can contact your campaign.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lillie-Houston-4-Rialto-School-Board/345005485652229

Home: (909) 874-1410

www.LillieHouston.com

houstoninsur@aol.com

Should Candidates Use Personal Tragedies To Get Votes?

17 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Ca, City of Rialto, Community Coalition, Deborah Robertson, Ed Scott, In & Out, Inland Empire, Public Safety, Rialto, youth Tags: city council election, city of rialto, deborah robertson, ed scott, Rialto, The Rialto Community Coalition

Here are the results from our poll thank you everyone for voting

So it all began with a post on his facebook page then the mailer, Ed Scott appears to be ok with using his son’s death to win the city council election.

First off let me be the first to say it’s been nice not having the bully of Rialto on city council. Heck he hasn’t even inserted himself into the area of politics since his departure almost 2 years ago when the voters choose Deborah Robertson for mayor over Ed Scott. He did pop his head out looking to seek the appointed position that was given to Lynn Hirtz but since then the only thing to come from him is sports and work at his bar.

If you have not seen the facebook post we have it below:

Now let me reassure everyone that the School District, Rialto Police & Fire, City of Rialto & The Rialto Community Coalition have been working very hard to deal with this very issue. Now I’m not sure if this made a difference but once Ed Scott Was exited from local politics all of the walls began crashing down. The Rialto Community Coalition held its first public call to action event “Don’t Go There” at Eisenhower High School, City Council Members began to engage with our local prevention and advocacy programs, School District and Rialto City have found new innovative ways to begin working together. Heck even retail development came on like a flood starting with In & Out (pushed to completion by the community not city council). Now we have a Wing Stop, Jersey Mikes, Chipotle, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Pieology coming to Rialto.

So were looking for your thoughts after everything that Ed Scott has put Rialto through are we really willing to give him a second chance to bully and take advantage of Rialto? I feel sorry for the Scott Family for their loss no parent should ever outlive their child but is that alone reason enough to give him elected power once again?

Rialto Community Coalition Meeting This Tuesday

06 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington and Muscoy, Assemblymember-Elect Cheryl Brown, City of Rialto, Colton, Community Coalition, Crime, davidsMarketing, Grand Terrace, Public Safety, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Fire, Rialto Police Department, Shawn O'Connell, youth

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.

Why Rialto Now Supports Paul Chabot for Congress District 31

06 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Budget, Ca, City of Rialto, Community Coalition, Crime, Currupt, davidsMarketing, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Inland Empire, Public Safety, Rialto, San Bernardino, youth

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.

http://www.paulchabot.com/

http://www.drugfreecaliforia.org

http://www.ivdfc.org

http://www.drugfreerc.org

City Council Re-Cap

29 Sep 2014 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Ca, City of Rialto, Community Coalition, Crime, Currupt, Inland Empire, Joe Baca Jr, Josef (Joe) Britt, June Hayes, Lynn Hirtz, Mike Story, Public Safety, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Police Department, Uncategorized, Water, youth

Hello Rialto Now readers hope everyone is doing well as we close out September and move into October. Our last council meeting had some high points and low points. First let’s start with the high points.

High points came in the beginning of the meeting when Rialto PD displayed the Rialto PD Breast Cancer patch that officers will be sporting on both their shoulders. The design and implementation of this patch was funded from donated work and money meaning no tax payer money was used for this program. You can buy one of these patches for yourself and the proceeds go to a charity called Michelle’s Place http://www.michellesplace.org a Breast Cancer Resource Center. Find the Pictures below for an example of the patch and how you can purchase your patch.

Another high point was the celebration of a well-known business and their 30 years in operation here in Rialto. Brothers Pizza is the best pizza joint around and that has to be attributed to the details that Maria and her staff put into every meal they produce. Brother’s pizza may have moved around the city having three different store fronts in 30 years but they never left Rialto. Below is a picture of Maria at the meeting next time you’re in congratulating them on all their success.

Now onto the Low Points, it began with TAB 1 when on the face it looked like the city was allocating money to a street widening project harmless right? Wrong TAB 1 was a attempt to take money from existing projects to funnel those monies into the Bud Bender Park rehab project. The money grabs consisted of:

Taking money from the painting of the community center project.
Taking money already allocated from CBG monies for the Maple street widening project.
Money left over from a community block grant that didn’t meet the council’s targeted goals for this year.

Councilman Joe Baca Jr. appeared to be the driving force behind this money shuffle and his colleges were not on his side. June Hayes, David Phillips & Parks & Rec Commissioner Joe Britt all spoke out on this issue. Councilman Baca kept referring back to major safety issues at the park and even stated that the park was not safe and full of criminal activity resided there. Two million dollars of CBG money has already been allocated for this project. David Phillips gave the council the live within your means speech and it worked because council moved to keep everything the way it was and look at ways to stretch the money and make the park safe. It’s just sad that we still have some that are trying to do a back door shuffle of money but it was nice to have Council Members like Shawn O’Connell & Lynn Hirtz that have the cities best in mind.

The next low point was TAB 2 which was Client First the cities IT company looking for the last year extension on their contract and to add a $14,000 a month project manager to the contract brining the third year just over $500,000 for IT services. The first issue was with the services the company was providing. This was in reference to lost content on the city website, lost emails for city officials and the complication of getting information to the general public. City council did extend their contract for the last year but didn’t take on their project manager. Instead they directed George Harris to put out an RFP and look for an outside project manager that is separate from Client First.

The last low point of the evening was city councils decision to change the Renaissance plan from a beautiful residential/retail/community center area to a big collection of Industrial buildings. So city council sold away your water company, jacked up your rates, shut down one of the last airport hubs in the region all to build more warehouse space and drown the city in truck traffic. If you would like to know what the north end of rialto will look like just drive down cherry and see what it looks like at Cherry & Valley. As it is now the trucks are unsafe they run lights and drive way to fast and it seems we are powerless to stop them. This is one low point with no upside.

Rialto Family Festival 2014 Event Re-Cap

22 Sep 2014 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Assemblymember-Elect Cheryl Brown, Ca, City of Rialto, Community Coalition, davidsMarketing, Deborah Robertson, Inland Empire, Joe Baca Jr, Mike Story, Nieghborhood Watch, Public Safety, Rafael Trujillo, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Fire, Rialto Police Department, Shawn O'Connell, SWAT, tennis, youth Tags: City Council, Community College Board, david phillips, deborah robertson, Rialto, Rialto Unified School Board

Hello Rialto Now Readers hos is everyone on this fine September day? Who went to Rialto’s Family Festival? Well we did and it was quite an amazing time 2nd only to National Night Out. There was literally something for everyone. There were 2 stages, over 50 vendors, kids fun zone, carnival style food court and police K9 demonstrations.

Rialto Police K9 Cars

With the election so close this event was full of people looking for your vote in November. From Rialto Unified School Board, City Council, Community College Board and even congress the vote stumping was in full force. We were able to put together a nice collage for you of some of the VIP action at the event.

Included in this photo are David Phillips, Joseph Williams, Deborah Robertson, Lynn Hirtz & Cheryl Brown

This event was full of cool and interesting vendors and they were spread wide and far. This event took over the entire Civic Center.

From the top running right to left we have Market Solutions Services, Russell Silva for School Board, Kiwanas Finger Print Station, Joe Britt for City Council, Mad Jakes Kettle Corn, It Works & Shred Fest.

These were not all of the vendors but just a taste. It was an amazing afternoon of information, resources and fun! Our hats go off to the City Clerk’s Office for pulling this one off.

Mayor Robertsons Trees of the Rialto Civic Center Map

Mayor Robertson still had her massive mini tent with seating and tables but she added some healthy games and a map of the many different types of trees and their uses. It was interesting and we can only guess that this was an attempt to silence critics of her hospitality booth last year. Many questioned the need for it or why it wasn’t a joint effort with the entire council? I too wait for the day when we can pool resources and work together to make a great representation of our local government. Maybe next year, with that being said the mayor was very nice and hospitable.

We had a booth were we helped the Rialto Community Coalition http://www.facebook.com/rialtocoalition do surveys on Prescription Drug Disposal and we had sponsors from the Ontario Improv comedian Mel Austin from Squeaky Clean Comedy http://ontario.improv.com/event.cfm?id=316184 , Divine Creativity http://www.facebook.com/divinecreativity from Fontana & Paul Chabot http://www.paulchabot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/rialtonow

Rialto Community Coalition Meetings

29 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Assemblymember-Elect Cheryl Brown, Ca, City of Rialto, Community Coalition, davidsMarketing, Grand Terrace, Inland Empire, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Fire, Rialto Police Department, Shawn O'Connell, youth Tags: Rialto, Rialto Community Coalition, Rialto Unified School District, Riverside Avenue

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.

Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rialtocoalition

Coffee With The Chief

12 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Andy Carrizales, Assemblymember-Elect Cheryl Brown, Ca, City of Rialto, Crime, davidsMarketing, Inland Empire, Nieghborhood Watch, Public Safety, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Police Department, SCAT, Shawn O'Connell, Street Crime Attack Team, SWAT, youth Tags: Chief Farrar, Chief of Police, Coffee Nutz, law enforcement, tony farrar

Rialto is lucky to have a Chief of Police like Tony Farrar. Chief Farrar really wants to hear from you the community he is one of those gems in law enforcement that really cares.

So come out tomorrow August 12th at Coffee Nutz on Foothill at 8am and have some coffee with the chief of police and get some awesome updates on the Public Safety environment here in the city.