two years of accomplishment, lessons learned: james ramos · arrowhead yacht club that included the...
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1/30/2017 Two years of accomplishment, lessons learned: James Ramos
http://www.sbsun.com/opinion/20170127/twoyearsofaccomplishmentlessonslearnedjamesramos&template=printart 1/1
San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
Two years of accomplishment, lessons learned: James Ramos
By James C. Ramos
Friday, January 27, 2017
This month marked the end of my tenure as the chairman for the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.It was an honor to serve in this role for the past two years. We have accomplished many goals.
Together, we have:
• Focused our attention on housing homeless veterans;
• Launched the development of a Countywide Plan to guide land use and service decisions;
• Revitalized our county museum and broke ground on the new site of the Big Bear Alpine Zoo;
• Prioritized literacy with the Vision2Read campaign and recently began our Vision2BActive campaign;
• Raised over $270,000 for local nonprofits through the Give BIG San Bernardino County campaign;
• Secured $10.3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to end homelessness and$5 million from the U.S. Department of Education to increase services to our preschoolers;
• Increased transparency and accountability by conducting periodic reviews of our chief executive officer.
Amid these great accomplishments, our county has suffered significant loss. On Dec. 2, 2015, our county waschanged permanently. I will never forget those we lost and those who continue to suffer as they try to move pastthat horrific day. We continue to work toward recovering. One of the last acts as chairman was to work with theCEO to establish a Worker’s Compensation Taskforce comprised of representatives of our largest employeeunions and relevant county departments to work internally to examine the system and identify areas that couldbe improved.
It has been a busy two years. Much has been accomplished but there is still work to do. During my second termas supervisor, I look forward to working on issues that affect homelessness, economic development, strategiccommunity planning, employee relations and district projects. As a lifelong resident of this county whoseancestors were the first people to call San Bernardino County “home,” serving as board chairman has been agreat source of pride for my family and for me. I am looking forward to the next four years. Together, I know wecan continue to achieve great things.
Supervisor James C. Ramos represents the Third District of San Bernardino County.
URL: http://www.sbsun.com/opinion/20170127/twoyearsofaccomplishmentlessonslearnedjamesramos
© 2017 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
1/31/2017 Former PAC treasurer testifies in Colonies corruption case
http://www.dailybulletin.com/article/20170130/NEWS/170139964&template=printart 1/2
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)
Former PAC treasurer testifies in Colonies corruption case
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Monday, January 30, 2017
SAN BERNARDINO >> Betty Presley, the former longtime treasurerfor many local elected and appointed public officials, testifiedMonday in the Colonies corruption trial about political actioncommittees prosecutors allege were the recipient of $400,000 inbribes paid by a developer to former public officials.
In 2007, Presley was the treasurer for five political action committeesprosecutors say received the $400,000 in contributions from RanchoCucamongabased real estate investor group Colonies Partners LP.Three of the PACs each received $100,000 contributions fromColonies Partners, while two, allegedly controlled by former county
Assessor and Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Postmus, each received $50,000 contributions from Colonies.
The contributions were received by the PACs between late March and late June 2007, within seven months ofthe San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approving a $102 million settlement with Colonies Partners toend a nearly 5year legal battle over flood control improvements at Colonies’ 434acre residential andcommercial development in Upland, Colonies at San Antonio and Colonies Crossroads, respectively.
In May 2011, a grand jury indicted Rancho Cucamonga developer and Colonies’ comanaging partner JeffBurum, former county Supervisor Paul Biane, former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin, and Mark Kirk, formerchief of staff for erstwhile county Supervisor Gary Ovitt.
The four, along with Postmus, are alleged to have conspired to fix the Colonies’ settlement in exchange forbribes. All four defendants deny any wrongdoing.
In March 2011, Postmus entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors, pleading guilty to 10 felonies inconnection with the Colonies’ case and a companion corruption case in which he was convicted of using hiselected office of county Assessor to engage in political activities at taxpayer expense.
Postmus, who in his plea admitted to taking a $100,000 bribe from Burum, has agreed to testify against thedefendants at trial in exchange for having all but two of the felonies he pleaded guilty to dismissed. He has yetto testify.
Of the five PACs in question, only San Bernardino County Young Republicans was formed prior to the Nov. 28,2006 Colonies settlement. The PAC was formed in October 2004 by Biane’s chief of staff, Matt Brown, butBiane controlled it most of time, according to prior court testimony.
Still, the PAC was formed during the heated Colonies civil litigation with the county, and among the firstcontributors to the PAC was Colonies. Additionally, Burum was instrumental in getting Biane elected to countysupervisor in 2002.
The PAC received its $100,000 contribution from Colonies Partners on June 11, 2007.
1/31/2017 Former PAC treasurer testifies in Colonies corruption case
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Erwin’s PAC, Committee for Effective Government, was formed in February 2007 by Erwin, but its filing withthe Secretary of State was amended the following month, when Erwin entered into a contract with Presley toserve as the PAC’s treasurer. The PAC was refiled with the Secretary of State on March 28, 2007.
The same day, the PAC reported a $100,000 contribution from Colonies Partners, according to court testimonyMonday.
Erwin subsequently used the PAC to pay $8,000 in legal fees to attorney Alan Mohill, who defended Erwin in acivil lawsuit filed against him, Postmus and four other former Assessor’s Office employees from the scandal thaterupted in that office in 2008.
Presley testified that on June 5, 2007, she received an email from one of Postmus’ associates, Mike Richman,telling her he wanted to set up a PAC called Conservatives for a Republican Majority, which received a $50,000contribution from Colonies Partners on June 29, 2007. It was the first contribution the PAC received.
Earlier that year, on Feb. 14, 2007, Presley received an email from Adam Aleman, another associate ofPostmus’ and a key witness for the prosecution, instructing her to open the Inland Empire PAC, which would beoverseen by land developer and Postmus business associate Dino DeFazio, who was also implicated in thecriminal case.
DeFazio was the first to make a contribution to the PAC, for $2,000, Presley testified Monday.
On July 5, 2007, The Inland Empire PAC received a $50,000 contribution from Colonies Partners one weekafter Postmus’ Conservatives for a Republican Majority PAC received a $50,000 contribution from Colonies.
In August 2007, the Conservatives for a Republican Majority PAC was closed, with the remaining balance of$43,450 transferred into the Inland Empire PAC account.
Testimony continues Tuesday before Judge Michael A. Smith.
URL: http://www.dailybulletin.com/generalnews/20170130/formerpactreasurertestifiesincoloniescorruptioncase
© 2017 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)
1/31/2017 Print Article: Friends, relatives of fire chief's deceased son inspired to 'Love Like Dawson'
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Friends, relatives of fire chief's deceased son inspired to'Love Like Dawson'By ALI TADAYON20170130 15:33:48
Though friends and relatives of Dawson Hartwig – son of San BernardinoCounty Fire Chief Mark Hartwig – were devastated when he was founddead Sunday, Jan. 29, in Lake Arrowhead, they were inspired by how helived his life: full of love.
“I call him a lover, from the time he was old enough to smile and hug, hewould just love on people,” Hartwig said in an interview Monday. “Healways had a skip in his step.”
Hartwig made a post on Twitter on Sunday hours after his son was founddead around 1:10 a.m. about 30 feet underwater near the LakeArrowhead Yacht Club that included the hashtag #LoveLikeDawson. ByMonday afternoon, hundreds of people had shared messages and photoswith the hashtag on Twitter and Facebook; a Facebook page with thesame name had close to 2,000 likes. A group of friends even wrote thephrase with string on a Milliken Avenue overpass fence over the 210
Freeway in Rancho Cucamonga.
Hartwig said seeing the community’s love for his son has warmed his and his family’s hearts.
“I’m seeing so many posts from so many people, the neat thing is that so many people thought they were hisbest friends, including us,” Hartwig said. “That just goes to show you, he didn’t have a friend that he didn’tconsider his best.”
Dawson grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, where the Hartwigs still live. He graduated from Etiwanda HighSchool, where he played water polo. He walked on to the water polo team at California Baptist University, hisfather said.
Dawson took a break from water polo after suffering a neck injury, and was attending classes at RiversideCommunity College. He was working at the Fontana Park Aquatic Center as a lifeguard and planning totransfer back to Cal Baptist in the fall to complete his degree in sports marketing.
Dawson loved hiking, snowboarding and all things outdoors. But more than anything, Hartwig said, Dawsonloved being with his friends. He is survived by his mother, father, two brothers and two sisters.
Hartwig said the family still has many questions about what led to Dawson’s death. He left a cabin that he andhis friends were renting on Friday without a cellphone and warm clothing. His friends reported him missing at10:44 a.m. Saturday; he was found dead about 14 hours later.
But as the family adjusts to life without Dawson, they hope to focus on the way he left an impression oneveryone. Hartwig pledged on Twitter to learn from his son, and love his neighbors as well as those differentfrom him in the same way his son would have.
1/31/2017 Print Article: Friends, relatives of fire chief's deceased son inspired to 'Love Like Dawson'
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“In the short 20 years that he lived, I feel like he touched more lives than I’ll ever touch,” Hartwig said. “That’scomforting for us right now. So much of they way we treat each other and others was from the way he lovedus.”
Staff writer Beatriz Valenzuela contributed to this report.
Contact the writer: 9513689284, [email protected], @PE_alitadayon
© Copyright 2017 Freedom Communications. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service | Copyright | Site Map
1/31/2017 Trump spokesman ripped for using San Bernardino terrorist attack to justify immigration ban
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San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
Trump spokesman ripped for using San Bernardino terrorist attack to justify immigrationban
By Jeff Horseman, The PressEnterprise
Monday, January 30, 2017
Inland Rep. Pete Aguilar, DSan Bernardino, chastised the WhiteHouse on Monday for using the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attackto justify the Trump administration’s ban on immigrants from sevenmajorityMuslim countries.
During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicercited San Bernardino in defending President Donald Trump’sexecutive order, which led to chaos and protests at airportsnationwide.
“I don’t think you have to look any further than the families (who lostloved ones) in the Boston Marathon (bombing), in Atlanta, in San
Bernardino, to ask that we can go further” in protecting the country, Spicer said.
Aguilar, whose district includes San Bernardino, reacted angrily on Twitter.
“Stop exploiting the #SanBernardino community to justify #MuslimBan,” Aguilar tweeted. “Use of 12/2 attackto score political points is despicable.”
Earlier, Aguilar denounced White House advisor Kellyanne Conway’s use of terror attacks in San Bernardino,Orlando and Boston to justify the executive order.
“The use of San Bernardino as justification for this antiMuslim policy is a revolting way to exploit ourcommunity,” Aguilar tweeted.
Fourteen people were killed and 22 wounded in the Dec. 2, 2015 attack by a radicalized husband and wife at aholiday gathering and training session for San Bernardino County employees. The assailants died later that dayin a shootout with police.
Gunman Syed Rizwan Farook was born in Chicago. His wife, Tashfeen Malik, came from Pakistan and marriedFarook in Saudi Arabia. Neither Saudi Arabia nor Pakistan is on the ban list.
During last year’s campaign, Trump repeated the unsubstantiated rumor that neighbors saw suspicious activity atthe couple’s Redlands home, but didn’t call authorities for fear of being labeled bigots.
Besides Aguilar, Reps. Norma Torres, DPomona, and Mark Takano, DRiverside, have denounced Trump’simmigration order. And state Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley said: “While bolsteringour national security is important, when forced to decide between security and liberty, I will always side withliberty.”
Rep. Ken Calvert, RCorona, issued a statement defending Trump’s action.
1/31/2017 Trump spokesman ripped for using San Bernardino terrorist attack to justify immigration ban
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“Some of these nations simply are not cooperative with providing information to our national security agencies,while others simply lack the technical capability to verify identification,” he said. “That is why I do support anarrow, countrybased pause until more strenuous vetting procedures can be put in place.”
URL: http://www.sbsun.com/governmentandpolitics/20170130/trumpspokesmanrippedforusingsanbernardinoterroristattacktojustifyimmigrationban
© 2017 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
1/31/2017 Trump Travel Ban Doesn’t Bring Comfort To San Bernardino Terror Survivor « CBS Los Angeles
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SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — Julie Paez is a San Bernardinomassacre survivor. She was shot twice, but somehow made it out alive.Paez and her coworkers are back in the spotlight after Trumpadministration officials used the shooting as an example to help justify thetravel ban.
“What do we say to the family who loses somebody to terrorism,” – towhether it’s Atlanta or San Bernardino or the Boston bomber,” WhiteHouse Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on ABC’s This Week.
Neither shooter in the San Bernardino attack was from or had ties to anyof the countries named in the travel ban.
“I think they’re using us to further something that I don’t feel really reflectswhat was the truth in the attack here,” Paez said.
Paez fears the law will unleash harsh treatment on Muslims.
“The downside is that people beginbelieving that all Muslims hateAmericans and I think that’s areally scary thought to put outthere,” she said.
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1/31/2017 Trump Travel Ban Doesn’t Bring Comfort To San Bernardino Terror Survivor « CBS Los Angeles
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Julie Paez San Bernardino massacre survivor
President Trump’s Chief of Staffdefended the ban on CBS’s FaceThe Nation.
“This is not a Muslim ban. Thereason we chose those 7 countriesis that they are the ones that boththe congress and the Obama
administration both identify as being the 7 countries that were mostidentifiable with dangerous terrorism taking place in their countries. Nowyou can point to other countries like Pakistan – perhaps we need to takeit further,” Reince Preibus said.
“I wish if we were being used to further anything it would be the cause ofworkers comp, honestly,” Paez said.
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1/31/2017 Our View: Sheriff correct in investigating deputy's threat News VVdailypress.com Victorville, CA
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170131/ourviewsheriffcorrectininvestigatingdeputysthreat 1/2
TuesdayPosted at 12:01 AMUpdated at 8:37 AM
By Daily Press Editorial Board
The video of a San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputy threateningto "create" a reason to arrest a Victorville man recently plays into the public'sworst fears about law enforcement.
Duncan Hicks did nothing wrong when he went to the Victorville Sheriff'sStation to file a domestic violence incident report, yet he nearly wound uphandcuffed and in jail.
Fortunately, Hicks recorded the entire incident, which he then showed to ourreporter Rene Ray De La Cruz.
It was horrifying to listen to the unidentified deputy tell Hicks: "Duncan, youknow what man? I'm about getting tired of you and you're about to go to jail -just so you know."
When Hicks asked what he would go to jail for, the deputy responded: "I'll createsomething. Do you understand? You'll go to jail. Do you understand?"
We understand all too well. This deputy was going to break the law and create afictitious offense so he could arrest Hicks and throw him in jail. If the deputyhadn't suddenly noticed Hicks was videotaping, you can bet that's exactly whatwould have happened. The deputy also erroneously told Hicks that it was illegalfor him to record the deputy.
Our View: Sheriff correct in investigating deputy'sthreat
1/31/2017 Our View: Sheriff correct in investigating deputy's threat News VVdailypress.com Victorville, CA
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170131/ourviewsheriffcorrectininvestigatingdeputysthreat 2/2
If Hicks had been arrested, how would he have defended himself in court? Youcan bet his video would have been long gone. Who would have believed theword of someone who had been arrested - whether black, brown or white - overa sheriff's deputy?
Fortunately, Hicks did record the conversation and had the presence of mind toshow the video to our reporter. The video also has been shared with Sheriff JohnMcMahon, who in response to our request for comment on Friday told us "ouremployee's response to the citizen is not consistent with my expectations ofcustomer service. Additionally, the deputy's responses are not consistent withthe interpretation of the law."
McMahon said the Sheriff's Department will conduct an administrativeinvestigation into the incident and the four previous contacts Hicks had withdeputies to ensure all were professionally handled. McMahon also saidappropriate action will be taken once the investigation is completed.
We applaud Sheriff McMahon for launching this investigation. We hope thatthe deputy is placed on unpaid leave until it is completed and hope thedepartment looks into all his previous arrest records to see if he ever "created"any other reasons to arrest law-abiding citizens.
Deputies like this give the Sheriff's Department a black eye and erode the public'strust in law enforcement. This kind of behavior cannot be tolerated and we trustMcMahon will ensure that it isn't.
1/31/2017 Barstow residents sweep up the town
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170131/barstowresidentssweepuptown 1/2
TuesdayPosted at 8:38 AMUpdated at 8:38 AM
By Monica Solano Staff Writer
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BARSTOW - Residents of Barstow may have noticed Saturday morning thatdowntown was just a little cleaner than usual, and there's a good reason why.
Approximately 45 volunteers, young and old, walked through downtown MainStreet cleaning up the town during the 3rd annual "Clean Sweep Winter 2017,"hosted by the Downtown Business Association of Barstow, and sponsored byArtistically Clean.
"Seeing everyone who came out and took the time to clean shows me that we'rea small town with an incredible heart," said Founder of Artistically Clean BennieFedrick. "We all have a great time doing this and it really brings a sense of unityto the community."
Fedrick said he and the other volunteers make an effort to clean up the city everythree months in hopes of making a difference. With brooms, rakes, gumscrapers and trash bags in hand, the group headed out after gathering for a smallpep talk and prayer circle.
While one team swept and disposed of used cigarette butts off the ground,others pulled out weeds growing alongside the sidewalk. Another group scrapedgum off of buildings or light poles.
Barstow residents sweep up the town
1/31/2017 Barstow residents sweep up the town
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"I've been helping Bennie out with this project for a while now and it's veryrefreshing seeing all these residents come together for their city," saidDowntown Business Association member Paul Courtney. "When people cometo visit any city the first thing they notice is the downtown area and if it's nottaken care of that speaks a lot about the city. Today showed an example to othersthat we care and we can make a difference."
Courtney and a few other of his representatives graciously bought coffee,doughnuts and sandwiches for all the hardworking residents.
Whanita Venable 18, of Barstow, and Melonie Reliford, 25, of Victorville, toldthe Daily Press this was their first time helping out and it was great to see thecity so clean.
"I live just around the corner from here and it felt great to be a part of somethinglike this, despite how cold it was this morning," Venable said.
After all was said and clean, the team happily looked at the progress they hadmade while Courtney suggested planting flowers to continue and beautify theirtown.
Monica Solano can be reached at or at760-951-6231. Follow her on Twitter
1/31/2017 Exact amount uncertain in Adelanto Little League embezzlement case
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170130/exactamountuncertaininadelantolittleleagueembezzlementcase 1/2
MondayPosted Jan 30, 2017 at 5:27 PMUpdated Jan 30, 2017 at 5:27 PM
By Matthew Cabe Staff Writer
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VICTORVILLE - The dollar amount a former treasurer will pay back to theAdelanto Little League following her sentencing remains unknown.
San Bernardino County District Attorney spokesman Chris Lee told the DailyPress restitution in the embezzlement case involving Stacy Lynn Blandon will beordered once more information becomes available.
"Restitution in this matter has not been ordered yet as we are currently trying toobtain information surrounding the exact amount," Lee said via email.
Blandon was sentenced Jan. 19 to 36 months probation after pleading no contestto one count of embezzlement exceeding $950 in value. Pursuant to the pleabargain, the charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.
In December 2015, the Daily Press first reported that San Bernardino CountySheriff's Department officials were investigating allegations that possibly morethan $15,000 may have been missing from the league - an amount Little LeagueCalifornia District 49 Administrator Martin Hoover confirmed was accurate.
On Monday, Lee said he could not go into specifics of the case as a restitutionhearing is pending, but he said a judge will determine the restitution amountbased on evidence presented at that hearing.
Exact amount uncertain in Adelanto Little Leagueembezzlement case
1/31/2017 Exact amount uncertain in Adelanto Little League embezzlement case
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"Whatever amount we can prove was stolen will be ordered paid back inrestitution by the defendant," Lee said. "It's not uncommon that restitution isdetermined at a later date at a separate hearing."
Blandon was named the league's treasurer for the 2015 season, according to aprevious Daily Press report. The DA's office filed charges against Blandon inMarch 2016, three months after league officials reported to authorities that theyfound money unaccounted for while reviewing their books.
In their complaint, prosecutors said the wrong-doing occurred between Sept. 23,2014, and Oct. 20, 2015.
Blandon's no-contest plea also dismissed a misdemeanor charge of falselyreporting a criminal offense that stemmed from a Feb. 3, 2015, incident in whichshe allegedly reported a felony to a Little League official despite knowing thereport was false, according to the prosecution.
In addition to probation, Blandon was ordered to pay $235 to the court. Lee saida restitution hearing will be set once an exact amount is determined by the DA'soffice.
Matthew Cabe can be reached at or at 760-951-6254. Follow him on Twitter .
1/31/2017 Fontana woman gets caught up in immigration ban, finally makes it home
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Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)
Fontana woman gets caught up in immigration ban, finally makes it home
By Liset Márquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Monday, January 30, 2017
LOS ANGELES >> A Fontana woman reunited with her family Monday after being detained in Saudi Arabiaand again at Los Angeles International Airport as a result of President Donald Trump’s executive order.
Areej Ali, who has a green card, had trouble coming home from Sudan where she attended a family wedding.Ali was detained for 10 hours in Saudi Arabia while on a connection flight from Sudan to LAX.
Through the help of friends and family in California, and the use of social media, they were able to get Sen.Kamala Harris to intervene and get Ali on a flight back to the United States.
Family friend Gadeer Muhammad, who lives in Fresno, said she became aware about her friend’s situationthrough Facebook.
Muhammad said Ali was traveling with her mom, who is a U.S. citizen, when she was detained. The air carrierreportedly stopped her at Jeddah Airport in Saudi Arabia because officials there were concerned about gettingfined, she said.
Muhammad said this was the first time in 26 years the U.S. resident had left the country for her sister’s wedding.
“It turned a happy experience into a nightmare for them,” Muhammad said, who lived in Fontana for 13 years.She and Ali became friends while at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga.
When the family learned about Trump’s executive order, Muhammad said Ali and her family immediatelybooked a flight home to avoid getting caught up in the issue.
The executive order suspends resettlement of Syrian refugees indefinitely, suspends all other refugeeresettlement for 120 days, and bans the entry of nationals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia andYemen for 90 days.
“She never expected this to happen to her,” Muhammad said. “They were devastated and have had to go throughso much the last few days.”
More to come.
URL: http://www.dailybulletin.com/socialaffairs/20170130/fontanawomangetscaughtupinimmigrationbanfinallymakesithome
© 2017 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)
1/31/2017 Hidden Tavern restaurant on tap to open soon in former Beef 'O' Brady's building in Hesperia
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MondayPosted Jan 30, 2017 at 4:13 PMUpdated Jan 30, 2017 at 5:06 PM
By Rene Ray De La Cruz Staff Writer
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HESPERIA - An abandoned building that once served beer, food and televisedsports is undergoing a resurrection of sorts.
Billed as an American sports restaurant, the Hidden Tavern is expected to opennext month in the same building that once housed Beef 'O' Brady's on MainStreet in Hesperia.
Hidden Tavern management recently conducted open interviews at the eaterysandwiched between an AMPM and 76 gas stations, across the street from theHigh Desert Gateway shopping center.
"We have another round of interviews coming up and we're excited to get ourrestaurant opened," said the eatery's owner, who wished to remain anonymous."Our goal is to serve great food and work with our local breweries to offer thebest beer available."
The owner said the new store is almost a plug-and-play situation because theinterior of the Beef 'O' Brady's building was "pretty much untouched after theyvacated."
"It came fully equipped and all TVs, chairs, tables, decorations and 25 taps," theowner said. "It's an ideal situation for us."
Hidden Tavern restaurant on tap to open soon informer Beef 'O' Brady's building in Hesperia
1/31/2017 Hidden Tavern restaurant on tap to open soon in former Beef 'O' Brady's building in Hesperia
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The restaurant is in the process of obtaining its liquor license and working withthe City of Hesperia for various inspections.
Open interviews will be held Wednesday and Thursday for servers, bartenders,busers, host/hostess, food runners, security, line cooks, bakers, prep cooks anddishwashers. Applicants must be 18 or older. Search Hidden Tavern onFacebook for interview times.
"So happy to hear that a new restaurant is opening in Hesperia," Mayor PaulRuss told the Daily Press. "I think a new place gives people an option for dining,gathering to watch a game or for a meeting."
In April, many were shocked when they discovered a "permanently CLOSED"sign on the door of Beef 'O' Brady's.
Many in the local business community told the Daily Press they suspected theopening of BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse in Victorville in February of last yearspelled the demise of Beef 'O' Brady's.
Self-touted as as one of the "fastest growing kid friendly restaurants in thecountry," the Hesperia Beef 'O' Brady's made the Daily Press Best of the Desert2015 in the Sports Bar category. The restaurant also served several groups,including the Hesperia Chamber of Commerce and the High Desert Patriots FanClub, which filled the restaurant in 2015 to watch the Super Bowl betweenSeattle and New England.
The Hidden Tavern is at 12728 Main St. in Hesperia. For more information, call760-947-0099 or visit
Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227, RDeLa or on Twitter .
1/31/2017 Print Article: Air pollution linked to Alzheimer's disease, study says
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Air pollution linked to Alzheimer's disease, study saysBy DAVID DANELSKI20170131 07:02:54
Research led by USC scientists provides new evidence that exposure todiesel soot and other kinds of fineparticle air pollution may increase ourrisk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, published today in the journal Translational Psychiatry, foundthat elderly women living in areas of the United States where fineparticleair pollution exceeded federal health standards were nearly twice as likelyto develop dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Women who already had high genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’sfaced an even greater risk, the study found. These women had a 263
percent increased risk for the disease.
If these findings hold up in the general population, air pollution could be responsible for about 21 percent ofdementia cases, the study says.
Dr. JiuChiuan Chen, a senior coauthor of the study and a USC associate professor of preventive medicine,said by telephone that these results concern him because they suggest the federal health standard for particlepollution may not be tough enough to protect the 16 to 20percent of people with higher genetic risk forAlzheimer’s.
“We really don’t know if the health goal is providing a safe margin for those with greater risk,” said Chen, ofUSC’s Keck School of Medicine. “This is something that the policymakers need to be aware of.”
The researchers analyzed health data from 3,647 elderly women, ages 65 to 79, gathered in 48 states between1999 and 2010. The data was originally collected for a federally funded study examining the outcomes ofhormonal therapies, Chen said. None of the women had dementia when they enrolled in the research.
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Chen’s colleagues then followed up in the laboratory by examining the brains of female mice that carry thegenes associated with Alzheimer’s. The mice were exposed to controlled amounts of fineparticle air pollutionfor 15 weeks.
The exposed mice were 60 percent more likely to have amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer disease intheir brains when compared to mice not exposed to the pollution. These sticky plaques are toxic and cause theprogressive decline of brain function that eventually ends in death.
The study has implications for smoggy Southern California.
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In 2015, the region failed to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deadline to bring fineparticlepollution down to the federal health standard for daily exposure. Unhealthful levels of such pollution wererecorded during 17 days last year within our oceantomountains air basin. That, however, was an improvementfrom 2015, when 26 unhealthful days were logged.
Officials at the South Coast Air Quality Management District now expect to bring daily levels of fineparticlepollution down to the federal health standard by the end of 2019, district spokeswoman Tina Cox said in anemail.
Fineparticle pollution is a toxic stew of soot, chemical compounds and other airborne specks no bigger than 2.5microns in diameter or about 1/28th the width of a human hair. People living near freeways, ports andwarehouse complexes are exposed to higher amounts because it is a component of diesel exhaust.
Earlier studies have blamed this kind of air pollution for early deaths, heart disease, stroke, and reduced lungfunction in children.
Jo Kay Ghosh, the air district’s health effects officer, spoke highly of USC’s brain study because it combinedepidemiological observations on elderly women with laboratory work on mice.
“It is novel to see the use of both epidemiological and toxicological approaches together in the investigation,which adds to the strength of the study,” she said in an email.
Keith N. Fargo, director of scientific programs and outreach at the Chicagobased Alzheimer’s Association,welcomed the new research, but he cautioned against drawing definitive conclusions from the results.
Fargo said he was not convinced that the new analysis of health data from elderly women fully accounted forother Alzheimer’s risk factors, such as lower education, midlife obesity and lack of exercise.
He also noted that only 20 mice were used in the study’s laboratory analysis.
The study “needs more confirmation,” Fargo said. “But we believe this is an important area and that we need todo more of this kind of research.”
Chen said the analysis factored in the other risks associated with Alzheimer’s, but he agreed more research isneeded to confirm the results.
The study follows earlier research that has found that pollution particles are so tiny they can move from theblood stream through cell walls and go into our brains. There, the particles trigger a immune system responsethat results in the formation of plaques associated with brain disease.
“Our study has global implications as pollution knows no borders,” Caleb Finch, cosenior author of the studyand a professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, said in a statement.
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1/31/2017 Tesla batteries now help Southern California power grid in wake of Aliso Canyon leak
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Tesla batteries now help Southern California power grid in wake of Aliso Canyon leak
By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Monday, January 30, 2017
ONTARIO >> They charge sixfigure cars, and now — in response tonatural gas shortages following a catastrophic gas leak in the SanFernando Valley in 201516 — an Ontario field of supersized Teslalithium batteries powers homes.
On Monday, the public got its first peek at the new installation atSouthern California Edison’s Mira Loma Substation in Ontario, whichhas been operational since the end of the 2016 and was built in 88days.
• Video: Get a look inside a giant Tesla battery
The 20 megawatt lithium ion battery system — a combination of two identical systems sitting side by sidecomprised of 400 modular “power pack” battery units neatly lined in rows along 1.5 acres — can store up to 80megawatthours and power 15,000 homes for 4 hours, Paul Griffo, a spokesman for Southern California Edison,said.
Tesla Motors Chief Technical Officer J.B. Straubel, who was on hand to speak at the grand opening, toldreporters each of the energy storage system’s white, rectangular power pack units carries about 16 lithium ionpods, and the batteries can be charged on a daily basis and last for 10 years, he said.
“This battery is actually more rugged and robust and designed for that kind of industrial usage, whereas thevehicle batteries are designed to last the life of the vehicle, but you don’t need to take your vehicle at a full cycleevery single day,” Straubel said.
Redundancy is built in, so there’s always a backup supply for the grid, he added.
Another, albeit smaller, field of Tesla batteries is being built on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
The speed at which the project came about was prompted by the closure of the Aliso Canyon natural gasreservoir in late 2015, after a major leak released more than 1.6 million pounds of methane and displaced morethan 8,000 residents in the Porter Ranch area of the San Fernando Valley.
Because natural gas powers electricity generating stations, the Aliso Canyon facility had been a major source ofenergy for the region, particularly during the winter months for the region’s heating needs. But without a keysource of energy, Southern California was at greater risk of rolling blackouts.
Because of the loss, the California Public Utilities Commission ordered energy providers last May to beginbuilding and utilizing more energy storage systems for use during peak times.
Enter Tesla Motors, which won the bid to provide an energy storage system to Southern California Edison.Unlike traditional electric generators, the batteries can be deployed quickly at scale and do not require any wateror gas pipelines, according to Tesla.
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Under normal circumstances, a project like the one at Mira Loma, could have taken two years to procure,officials said.
“SCE and Tesla just signed the contract for this project in midSeptember of last year, and it was operational bythe end of the year,” SCE CEO Kevin Payne said. “It represents a big step forward in deploying batterytechnology and an incredible achievement for the SCE and Tesla team.”
The Ontario project could not have also come without the arrival in early 2016 of Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada,Grant Davis, an SCE engineer, said. The factory, which produces the heavyduty lithium ion batteries used fortheir cars and for industrial energy storage “power pack” systems, finally became operational a year ago.
“Once they had the Gigafactory online, they were able to get this many batteries here in that time frame,” Davissaid.
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