San Bernardino Press MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014 - JUNE 29, 2014
sanbernardinopress.com
Public housing to be demolished for mixed-income development by Vickie Vértiz The City Council voted to demolish 252 public housing units at Ninth Street and Valencia Avenue, The decision follows a six to one vote at the City Council meeting on Monday, with Councilman John Valdivia opposing the plan. As the San Bernardino Sun reported recently, in place of those low-income units is a housing development project that will build the same number of units, also adding mixed-income units, 73 affordable senior housing units, 38 for-sale condominiums, 48 market-rate rentals, and community facilities. The development group is the Rancho Cucamongabased National CORE and was granted $1.5 million of uncommitted Home Investment Partnership funds from the federal government. The award left the bankrupt city $4,000 of the total funds. The funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development is designed
swers. They will make and use science field notebooks to help focus observations and collect data, and take home to use as they continue animal studies on their own. And of course, they will pet, cuddle and romp with Exploration Station residents. All animals—all week long!” During a family party from 1:30 to 2:30 on the last day of Day Camp, campers will become interpretive guides, sharing what they learned with Please see page 3
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services such as parks, libraries, police, or firefighting. According to the Sun, Brandon Mims, the city’s deputy housing director said the funds Please see page 3
Registration open for County Museum Summer Day Camp session Registrations are being accepted for a week-long San Bernardino County Museum Summer Day Camp session that starts on Monday, July 7 and runs through Friday, July 11at the museum in Redlands. Camp starts at 8:30 a.m. and lasts to 2:30 p.m. Campers must be at least 7 years old and have finished first grade. The fee is $155 per child ($135 per child for members of the Museum Association). Summer Day Camp registration forms are available at the museum’s
front desk, on line atwww.sbcounty.gov/museum, or can be requested by calling (909) 3072669. “The theme of this Summer Day Camp session is Investigating Animals,” said Jolene Redvale, the museum’s curator of education. “From the microscopic to the gigantic, furred, feathered and fabulous, kids love animals. We’ll collect, observe, and study animals and their behavior. Campers will pose scientific questions and conduct research to find an-
SBCCD board’s local hire policy keeps jobs and wages in the Inland Empire In November, 2013, the Board of Trustees of the San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) unanimously approved Policy number BP 6610 in order to create opportunities for local hires and local business participation on district capital improvement and construction projects. A recent review of the projects administered by the facilities offices of the District show that the policy has been implemented with great success. “Between November 2013, when our local workforce participation statistics were last evaluated, and April 2014, the latest date for which data is available, the current local workforce analysis on our nine active Measure M Bond projects, four at San Bernardino Valley College and five at Crafton Hills College, indicates that we have used 80% local workforce, which supports our commitment to keeping our resources here in the Inland Empire,” said SBCCD Chancellor Bruce Baron. “The combined value of the contracts involved for these projects is in excess of $15.5 million, of which wages are a substantial component.” BP 6610 sets Board Goals of 50% participation of local hires and 25% participation of local busi-
Waterman Gardens Community Center -Photo by Jennifer Schlueter
to create more affordable housing for low -income families. This designation means the funds cannot be used for other city expenses or budget lines such as the general fund that pays for departments and
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Rep. Chu reacts to visiting Residential city clean-up days June 28 & 29, 8-11am temporary shelter for have unwanted NO HAZARDOUS MAunaccompanied minors itemsDosuchyouas appliances, mat- TERIALS - This includes Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27) visited the Naval Base Ventura County in Oxnard, California over the weekend, a temporary shelter where unaccompanied children are being transferred and housed. President Obama recently announced a multi-agency directive to respond to the surge of unaccompanied children crossing the border without a parent or legal guardian. The Naval Base is expected to house up to 600 children, ranging from ages 13 to 17. “Seeing the children today hit home for me that this is a humanitarian crisis that requires a humanitarian solution,” said Rep. Chu. “These children made the life or death decision to leave their home and cross the border alone -- to flee the extreme violence and
crime that has taken a foothold in Central America. Their safety and addressing the underlying international factors causing this crisis is of upmost concern. I look forward to exploring humanitarian solutions during the House Judiciary hearing on this issue next week.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken steps to address this issue with the goal to safely and quickly transport the unaccompanied children to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as the law requires. On June 1, at the direction of President Obama, a Unified Coordination Group, with the Federal Management Agency (FEMA) at its head, was established to leverage resources to provide humanitarian relief to the ongoing situation.
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tresses, tires, broken furniture, electronic waste and tree limbs that you need to get rid of? If so, the City of San Bernardino invites City residents to take advantage of a free residential dump site between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on the following dates. This is for household refuse only. Be prepared to show proof of residency with a driver's license or gas/electric/ water bill.
paints, batteries and household or industrial chemicals, etc. NO CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS – This includes concrete and roofing material. Saturday Location: Lytle Creek Park 380 S K St (K St & Oak) Sunday Location: Perris Hill Park 1135 E Highland Ave (Highland Ave & Valencia)
SBCCD keeps jobs and wages Continued from page 1
nesses in District Bid projects. The goals are reflective of the demographics of the community and the Board clarified that it is their intent to not only meet the goals but to exceed them. The Policy defines “local” as individuals or businesses that reside or have their principal headquarters or a permanently staffed regional office in the Inland Empire. Bid documents include language that advises all bidders of the District’s strong preference that contractors hire local residents and that they participate in Apprenticeship programs to ensure the ongoing development of a competently trained local workforce. The policy articulates the Board’s express commitment to the use of local contractors, subcontractors and businesses. Those goals are further enforced by the Construction Training Collaborative recently undertaken by the SBCCD and other community partners. Chancellor Baron noted, “These results do not come easily and we have been very conscious of the need to maintain extensive outreach in order to have sufficient local contractors, subcontractors and businesses participate in our construction projects. Five of the nine projects were completed using 100% local workforce participation. Of the remaining four, one was at 65% (the new science
-Photo by Terry Miller
building at Crafton), one at 75% (the SBVC Auditorium), one at 81% (the physical education complex at Crafton) and the OE2 Building at Crafton used 90% local workforce. Even the projects using less than 100% local labor were well in excess of the goals set by the Board’s policy. Total employment numbers were 105 local and 26 non-local, which means we keep the jobs and the wages here in our community.” Contractors must document their efforts to comply with the policy, which requires a good-faith, verified effort. As an alternative, the bidder may certify that it intends to perform 95% of the work with its own employees.
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hlr media EDITORIAL editor@sanbernardinopress.com Editor Jennifer Schlueter Publisher HLR Media Advertising advertising@hlrmedia.com Submissions:
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Public housing to be demolished Continued from page 1
could have been used for community rehabilitation, which encourages first-time purchases, mobile home renovation, and other programs related to improvements. Dissenting Council member Valdivia said that the money could better be spent on other projects, suggesting that National CORE “has a good story” that would find private investors to support the project instead of using what amounts to taxpayer funds. Residents had equally differing views on the mat-
Summer Day Camp at the County Museum Continued from page 1
Alhambra PRESS
Baldwin Park
INDEPENDENT
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family and friends in the Exploration Station Live Animal Gallery. Space is limited and early registration is encouraged. All materials and activities are included in the fees; campers bring their own sack lunch and snack. Some camp activities are sponsored in part by Loma Linda University and the National Science Foundation. A limited number of scholarships are available by application; contact the museum’s education division for information. The San Bernardino County Museum is at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. For more information, visit www.sb countymuseum.org. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices or other auxiliary aids are needed in order to participate in museum exhibits or programs, requests should be made through Museum Visitor Services at least three business days prior to your visit. Visitor Services’ telephone number is 909-307-2669 ext. 229 or (TDD) 909-792-1462.
ter. Scott Olson agreed with Valdivia when he said, “There are 47 mobile home parks in San Bernardino, with thousands of residents.” Olson believes that using the funds for new projects instead of rehabilitating local homes sends the message that the council does not care about those families. Other residents agreed with the pro-build council members. Some believe the project, aimed at luring higher income individuals, will lift a troubled region out of poverty, and in turn help the city in its current state of need. The Sun reported on one woman with this idea. “We need to take pocket areas that are blighted ... and bring them up so people can say I’m proud to live in Waterman Gardens,” said Tracylynn Sharitt, local resident. She added, “That’s what we need. These people are offering it. ... Let’s be an example, for once, of how we can do something right.” The question remains about how the current residents, who live in the housing project, will fare given this decision. In many other similar development projects across the south land, previous residents are not able to move back in to their former homes, essentially being displaced by development, with no guaran-
tee of a financial return for the city or the developer. Higher income families and individuals also require other amenities which the neighborhood does not offer, making the sell of condominiums at market rates subject to the health of the economy, local jobs, and the whims of people who do not already live in the area. The project plans to offer 75 affordable units at Ninth Street and Valencia Avenue and spread them out into two buildings. The layout includes a 2,200-square-foot clubhouse, a play area for children, and a 1,000-square-foot laundry and maintenance space. Councilman Henry Nickel thought of the investment this way: he calculated that the $1.5 million of HUD money that the city is spending, if divided by 75 market-rate units which will be added to Waterman Gardens, equals an investment on the part of the city of about $20,000 per unit. “That investment is going to bring people to our community who spend money, who bring jobs,” he said. “I guarantee you, we’ll recoup that $20,000 very soon.” For the sake of the city and families who need affordable homes, the city hopes he is right in his assertion. The expansion of Waterman Gardens will begin in February.
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“It’s a Great Day for Business in San Bernardino” golf tournament June 27, 11am The San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their annual “It’s a Great Day for Business in San Bernardino” Golf Tournament benefiting the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce at the San Bernardino Golf Club at 1494 South Waterman Avenue in San Bernardino, commencing at 11:00 a.m. The package includes on-course competitions, goody bag, raffle for a year’s unlimited free golf at the course for one lucky winner, lunch, beer and soda during the game, team prizes, awards and a great buffet
dinner at the end of the day. The Cummings Auto Group have sponsored the hole-inone competition where some lucky participant could win a brand new 2014XV Subaru Crosstrek, other sponsorship opportunities are still available ranging from a tee sponsor for as little as $100.00 to a dinner sponsor for $2,500.00. The event is open to the public and a place may be reserved by contacting the Chamber at (909) 885-7515, the cost is $95.00 per person (or a team of four for $380.00) which includes 18 holes of golf, lunch dinner and beverages throughout the game.
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Historic resolution to overturn Citizens United passes Senate Judiciary Committee Mike Gatto's call for action sparks national movement to force Congress to limit corporate personhood When Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) introduced AJR 1 last year, he was the first legislator in the United States to utilize a rare procedure that would require Congress to begin the process of amending the United States Constitution to address the Supreme Court’s decisions in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. More than a year later, AJR 1 took a major step forward, passing the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 5-2. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for a full vote of the Chamber. If approved, it will be transmitted directly to President Obama and Congress. In the process, Gatto has sparked a national movement that has already seen Vermont pass a resolution modeled on Gatto’s, and Illinois has proposed a similar resolution that is currently making its way through the legislative process. “Campaign spending is at historic highs while accountability and responsibility are at all-time lows. The time for action is now,” said Gatto. “Most Americans are fed up with the notion that money is speech and that moneyed interests can drown out the speech of average citizens.” Citizens United and the related case of McCutcheon vs. FEC have opened the floodgates to unlimited and largely anonymous campaign donations, blinding political watchdogs and inviting corruption at all levels of government. Despite mass outrage from the public, the Supreme Court has refused to revisit the case leaving a Constitutional Amendment as the only viable
alternative for reformers like Gatto seeking transparency and accountability in campaign financing. Historically, all amendments to the U.S. Constitution have started in Congress, and been ratified later by 3/4 of the states. AJR 1 takes advantage of the rarely-used Article V process for amending the federal Constitution, which allows states to demand that Congress act. If 2/3 of the states make such a demand, Congress must call a constitutional convention on the topic. Several states and municipalities have already passed informal resolutions condemning the Citizens United decision, but Gatto was the first to introduce a resolution to utilize the Article V process, a strategy which has since been repeated by several states and which has successfully spurred Congress to take action in the past. According to a 2007 article in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, at least four different amendments to the U.S. Constitution have been proposed by Congress in part because of Article V actions. For example, the amendments that repealed prohibition and allowed for the direct election of Senators were first demanded by state legislatures under Article V. “I doubt our Founding Fathers had the free-speech rights of multi-national and foreign corporations in mind when they drafted the First Amendment,” said Gatto. “But the Founding Fathers did anticipate that every once in a while, the states would need to prod Congress to act to amend the Constitution. That’s what we are doing.”