MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 - JULY 13, 2014
riversideindependent.com
VOLUME 1, NO. 10
Latest settlement with Rite Aid reaches More than half a billion half million mark by Vickie Vértiz dollars targeted to upgrade transportation and drive job growth
-Photo by Jennifer Schlueter
In the latest of two major lawsuits, pharmacy chain Rite Aid reached a settlement with Riverside County and two other counties over claims that it did not follow consumer protection policies. The accusations involved licensed Rite Aid pharmacists who did not discuss prescriptions with new patients or the new medication of existing patients. The company will pay almost a half-million dollars to settle the lawsuit, an amount that
will be split between Riverside County and San Diego and Alameda Counties, the two other counties involved. Riverside County will receive $158,500. The complaint was initiated by a California Board of Pharmacy investigation. District attorneys in Alameda, Riverside, and San Diego counties sued the company after an undercover investigation that confirmed the allegations. The state pharmacy board requires that pharmacists speak with new patients about their prescriptions and with existing
– 6:00 p.m. During the event, a select group of the region’s leading artists will each get a box full of
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has allocated $510 million to 83 transportation projects that will put people to work improving the state’s highways, bridges, and public transit. One of the highlights of the meeting was the CTC revising its funding estimate upward for the State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) for the 201415 fiscal year from $2.2 billion to approximately $2.4 billion. The revision was in response to the new state budget, which provides $351 million in new transportation funding through the early repayment of loans made to the General Fund. The new funding includes $210 million for the SHOPP, which pays for transportation safety projects, pavement repair and preservation work, and upgrades bridges; $27 million for Caltrans maintenance projects; $100 million for city and county transportation; $9 million for bicycle and pedestrian projects under California’s new Active
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patients about their new medications. The settlement was approved Friday, June 27, in San Diego and alleged that Rite Aid pharmacists did not consult with customers who were getting new prescriptions or changing dosages of their existing ones. Like all other drugstore chains, Rite Aid must comply with state standards. Rite Aid admitted no wrongdoing. The company says it cooperated with the District AtPlease see page 2
Riverside Art Museum’s Brush Off Fundraising Event 7 artists compete to each create an assemblage work of art with “junk” in 2.5 hours The Riverside Art Museum invites the community to celebrate seven artists who will face off at the museum to each create an assemblage piece of sculpture. A panel of three
judges will choose who will be winner and who will receive the “brush off.” The Brush Off event will be held at the Riverside Art Museum on Sunday, August 10, 2014, from3:00 p.m.
New state budget also increases transportation funding by $351 Million
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RAM Brush Off Fundraising event Continued from page 1
unknown cast-off “junk.” After opening the box, they each get two and a half hours to create their masterpieces. Competing artists include Jim Berhman, Ariana Cervantes, Cosme Cordova of Division 9 Gallery, Mario Loya, Laura Ryan, Gary Rainsbarger, and Martin Sanchez of Tio’s Tacos. Each artist can bring a preapproved home toolkit. The artists all have diverse backgrounds and differing styles from figuration to abstraction to installation and even jewelry. They use various mediums from paper mache to metals to “trash.” Artist Laura Ryan is participating in the Brush Off as a way to encourage others to make art. “If one person sees hardware store items, throwaways, and junk turned into a unique piece of art....who knows? We might set a future Picasso on fire.” The panel of judges includes businessman and art collector Jerry Ruiz, curator Carolyn Schutten, and artist Douglas
McCulloh. They will evaluate the work for creative use of materials, overall aesthetic, and other aspects. There will also be an audience choice award. The event will be MC-ed by artist and RAM Trustee Greg Adamson. It will feature art-making activities for guests, a hosted bar, and hors d’oeuvres. “This is a great way for the Riverside Art Museum to share the talents of artists in our region while raising much needed funds,” says Patsy Herrera-Loya, RAM Trustee and committee chairperson. “Come and enjoy a glass of wine with us and watch the magic of artistic creation unfold before your eyes!” The event will take place on Sunday, August 10, 2014, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.riversideartmuseum.org/ brushoff Tickets are $50 and $75 and are available for purchase on the Riverside Art Mu-
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seum’s website or by calling 951.684.7111. Artist sponsorships include keeping the final piece of art created and are available for $500. All proceeds from the event benefit the Riverside Art Museum. A 60-plus-year-old, private, non-profit cultural arts institution housed in a National Historic 1929 building designed by Hearst Castle and AIA Gold Medal-winning architect Julia Morgan, the museum welcomes over 50,000 visitors a year. In recent years, RAM has expanded its free art programming for at-risk and underserved youth, including a year-round art class at Path of Life’s transitional living shelter in Moreno Valley and at Riverside Juvenile Hall. Recent awards include Riverside Downtown Partnership’s Arts and Culture Award for innovative programming and outreach, and Riverside County Juvenile Justice/Delinquency Prevention’s Public and Pri-
vate Partnership Award for RAM’s dedication and service to the youth of the Riverside County Probation Department. RAM relies on the generosity of members and donors to support its exhibitions, education programs, and special events. A 60-plus-year-old, private, non-profit cultural arts institution housed in a National Historic 1929 building designed by Hearst Castle and AIA Gold Medal-winning architect Julia Morgan, the museum welcomes over 50,000 visitors a year. The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m. For information on exhibits, events, classes, memberships, or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.RiversideArtMuseum.org. Find us on Facebook (www.facebook. com/riversideartmuseum), Twitter (RAMRiverside), Instagram (@riversideartmuseum), and Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/ ramarts).
Rite Aid settlement Continued from page 1
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torneys to resolve the issue. The company also said that it is committed to having its pharmacists provide “appropriate counseling.” In 2013, another settlement was reached in a civil enforcement lawsuit that alleged Rite Aid had unlawfully handled and disposed of hazardous waste and related materials for over six years, also in California. The Desert Sun reported that the lawsuit claimed that Rite Aid stores, mostly in Riverside County, were improperly handling and disposing of pesticides, bleach, paint, aerosols, automotive products and solvents, pharmaceutical and bio hazardous wastes and other toxic, ignitable and corrosive materials. For three years, waste inspections were conducted at Rite Aid facilities and at landfills throughout the state by deputy
district attorneys, investigators, and environmental regulators statewide, and the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Riverside County District Attorney. The office of the district attorney revealed through these inspections that Rite Aid unlawfully sent hazardous waste to local landfills. The Desert Sun also reported that, under the first lawsuit, Rite Aid was forced to pay $10.35 million in civil penalties and costs and an additional $1.9 million to fund environmental projects that furthered consumer protection and environmental enforcement in the state. C u r rently, there are 582 Rite Aid pharmacies in California, and 39 of those are in Riverside County. The CVS pharmacy chain made a similar settlement to this one with by Riverside, San Diego and Alameda counties in December 2013.
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Transportation upgrade and job growth Continued from page 1
Transportation Program; and $5 million to mitigate environmental effects of proposed transportation improvements. The $510 million in CTC funding allocations include nearly $163 million for “fix it first” projects that will repair bumpy pavement, preserve roads that are in good condition from deteriorating and upgrade bridges to make them safer and stronger. Most of California’s highways are more than a half-century old, and they carry nearly half of the nation’s container freight – heavy loads that pound our highways more than any other state. “To get the most bang for the buck for taxpayers, Caltrans targets dollars where they are most effective - pavement preservation,” Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty said. “Every $1 spent on preventive pavement maintenance saves Californians $11 that would have been spent on expensive pavement repairs.” The allocations also include $104 million from Proposition 1B, a transportation bond approved by voters in 2006. To date, more than $17 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been put to work statewide for transportation purposes. Here are some of the significant projects that will improve and/or preserve California’s valuable investments in its transportation system that received allocations: $71 million - Fairway Drive Grade Separation Project - Construct a roadway underpass on Fairway Drive and a doubletrack railroad bridge in the city of Industry. $5.8 million - Washington Boulevard Widening and Reconstruction – Widen Washington Boulevard from two lanes to three lanes in each direction, upgrade traffic signals and street lighting, and improve sidewalks in the city of Commerce.
Tell the story of the Mission Inn The Mission Inn Foundation is recruiting trainees to become a docent (tour guide) at the Mission Inn for the 2014-2015 season. The docent training class will begin in September and run through April. Classes meet one night a week. In addition, docents participate in quarterly educational forums, visits to historic sites in So. Ca. and staying at the hotel at a reduced rate at the annual Docent Sleepover. The Mission Inn Foundation, founded in 1976, gives tours of the historic Mission Inn Hotel and Spa, and operates the Mission Inn Museum, also.
Docents will learn the history of not only the Mission Inn, but the city of Riverside, early California, and provide visitors a glimpse into their past. If you have an interest in the history of the Mission Inn and Riverside and would like to become a docent, applications are being accepted until July 31, 2014. Applications can be downloaded online at www. missioninnmuseum.com., picked up at the Mission Inn Museum, or requested by mail from the Mission Inn Foundation, 3696 Main Street, Riverside, CA 92501. If you are interested, apply soon as the class is limited.
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Levi Ponce: A talented muralist envisioning community improvement through painting By JENNIFER schlueter A close friend recommended I check out Levi Ponce’s art (www.leviponce.com). Thrilled about what I saw, we set up an interview at the location of his next mural on a Sunday. In the afternoon, I arrive at Plaza de la Raza in Lincoln Heights, where Levi and his crew had already been working for two hours on a memorial painting for Mexican –American starlet Jenni Rivera who died in a plane crash 2012. Approximately a dozen people stand around the shaded spot where Levi is painting alongside his father and a few
da Vinci. When I ask him if he prefers realistic styles, he says no; he loves everything that looks good: sculpture, graffiti, pop art, etc. In 2011, the artist, who works in visual effects for his day time job in the film industry, started to use his art to bring the community of his hometown Pacoima together. When he paints, he invites everyone to join. Together with his father and many other volunteers, he transformed graffiti marked walls of his neighborhood into what is now called the “Mural Mile.” The strip on Van Nuys
“I've always been the kid with the paint brush in his hand” - Levi Ponce other artists he had invited to join, including Rivera’s son Mike. While Levi’s father is coloring the yellow flowers at the bottom of a painting, Levi stands on a ladder shading Rivera’s face. The bilingual artist tells me that he has been painting since he was 4 and that he has “always been the kid with a paint brush in his hand.” Levi idolizes his father with whom he regularly paints, and legendary Classics such as Salvador Dali, Michelangelo, and Leonardo
Boulevard between Arleta and Herrick Avenue now hosts more than 20 murals depicting Levi’s interpretation of Mona Lisa, a tribute to Michelangelo, several portraits, etc. According to a Huffington post article, Kevin Taylor, chairman of the Reseda Neighborhood Council, praises Levi’s and his work: “Levi is without a doubt one of the most important artists in Los Angeles right now, “ he said. “With the work he’s doing, his skill level, talent, the speed with which he works
Levi Ponce painting with his father -Photo by Jennifer Schlueter
and the positive messages he brings to his murals, what he’s bringing to communities that need his work ... To have the opportunity to have him painting here in Reseda is a huge honor, and the murals that he’s leaving here are treasures.” However, the Cal State Northridge graduate does not limit his murals to the San Fernando Valley. With his art, he wants to “paint cities, not walls,” as he says. His murals and paintings are all over Los Angeles, but also on the east coast. His eyes light up when Levi tells me about his ultimate goal to tour the world while painting, but especially in Brazil, where they have “a mean street art game,” as he describes it.
When I ask the artist for a message that he wants to get out, he says: “You don’t need your city’s permission if you want to do something positive.” He is not interested in starting his own organization to help communities, but would rather have existing organizations work closer together instead of competing with them by starting his own. After all, “I just want to paint,” he states. Levi does not get paid for his murals; he finances them out of his own pocket. By painting them, he not only beautifies communities, but also engages them to work together. More information about Levi Ponce and his art can be found on www.leviponce.com.