Sentinel
by Mark Gutglueck, 8/19/11 - The San Bernardino County Sentinel Colton – Having reached an impasse over work schedule reductions with the bargaining units for the two major groups of its utility workers, the city of Colton exercised its legal authority to impose its “last, best and final offer” on municipal electrical and water employees on August 16. Imposing a contract on municipal employees is a relatively rare occurrence. But the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents both water and electrical division employees, was unable to come to terms with the city over worker furloughs. The union had already accepted terms...
by Mark Gutglueck, 8/19/11 - The San Bernardino County Sentinel San Bernardino County - Motions to dismiss 18 of the 29 conspiracy, bribery and extortion charges against three former public officials and the developer accused of bribing them will be heard today. At press time, attorneys for the four defendants in the so-called Colonies bribery case – former San Bernardino County supervisor Paul Biane, former assistant assessor Jim Erwin, supervisor Gary Ovitt’s former chief of staff Mark Kirk, and businessman Jeff Burum – were set to argue that charges which were improperly lodged against the four should be dropped when they are arraigned...
by Mark Gutglueck, 8/11/11 - The San Bernardino County Sentinel Efforts by Chino Hills residents to effectively block Southern California Edison construction workers’ access to the sites within that company’s utility corridor through the city where the erection of 200-foot-high transmission towers is ongoing was thwarted last week. Southern California Edison is now proceeding with the placement of the 200-foot-high transmission towers as part of what is known as the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project, which was initiated in 2008 as part of a state of California-supported effort to intensify wind generated energy development in the Tehachapi Pass, where electricity generating windmills were...
by Mark Gutglueck, 8/11/11 - The San Bernardino County Sentinel There is less than a clear consensus among the county’s transportation agency officials as to the advisability of incorporating toll lanes along Interstate-10, Interstate-215 and Interstate-15. Such additions are at least a half-decade away. Roughly three quarters of the board members of San Bernardino Associated Governments, which serves as San Bernardino County’s transportation agency, appear disposed to at least considering the concept. Last week they voted to approve expenditures of $13.7 million to facilitate studies and planning toward toll road development in conjunction with private sector companies that would participate in such...
With the exception of those in San Diego County, public schools throughout Southern California have significantly curtailed, if not entirely discontinued, their gymnastics programs. In decades past, gymnastics was arguably the signature athletic activity for girls at the high school level in California. It was in gymnastics that young women were able to consistently and impressively outperform young men, who in nearly all other fields of sports endeavor monopolized the attention and funding provided for sports activities. In an ironic development, it was an attempt to more fairly distribute along gender lines the money provided for athletics that doomed gymnastics...
by Mark Gutglueck, 6/24/11 - The San Bernardino County Sentinel NEEDLES – The sale of the Colorado River Medical Center has yet to be finalized, despite the elapsing of more than seven weeks since the June 20 deadline for the signing of a purchase and sale agreement. Needles Hospital, Inc., a non-profit group that was put together by former city councilwoman Rebecca Valentine which had committed to keeping the management and operation of the facility under local control, last year had set a December date for the purchase. There were reworkings of the sale arrangement, however and on April 21 the Needles...
by Mark Gutglueck, 8/12/11 - The San Bernardino County Sentinel The Hesperia Unified School District has placed district police chief Mike Graham on paid administrative leave. Graham’s forced departure from his post comes after four months of escalating sparring between Graham, accompanied by his officers, and district superintendent Mark McKinney that followed hints the district might do away with the district police department as it struggles with diminishing operating funds. On March 28, Graham appeared before the school board with Hesperia City Councilman Bill Holland and leveled an accusation that McKinney was involved in preventing what both characterized as illegal activity within...
by Mark Gutglueck, 8/12/11 - The San Bernardino County Sentinel CHINO HILLS – In a unanimous vote that drew a standing ovation from those assembled in the meeting chambers, the city council in the county’s southwesternmost municipality agreed to amend its development code to allow a Hindu congregation to complete a temple that will have spires as high as 78 feet. In 2003, the Chino Hills planning commission recommended the approval of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple on a 20-acre property off Fairfield Ranch Road near the 71 Freeway. The city council then approved the project in 2004, but only on the...
by Mark Gutglueck, 8/12/11 - The San Bernardino County Sentinel Former Upland community development director Jeff Bloom has so far refused to submit to questioning by investigators looking into allegations of illegal or inappropriate activity at City Hall and/or in the police department, the Sentinel has learned. Bloom insisted on having a lawyer present before talking to investigators, and at press time, the Yorba Linda-based investigation and legal services firm retained by the city to look into the actions of former police chief Steve Adams has not been able to conduct an intended interview with Bloom, which would be the final element...
by Mark Gutglueck, 8/4/11 - The San Bernardino County Sentinel In the two months that he has been in place as Upland city manager, Stephen Dunn has effectuated the first several steps of what promises to be a major reorganization of the City of Gracious Living’s governmental structure. In June 2010, Upland was rocked by an FBI raid of City Hall and in March of this year it saw its reputation tarnished further by the indictment of John Pomierski, who had served as Upland’s mayor for ten years and two months until his resignation just one week before his indictment. Indicted...
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