Liberty Lane approval long overdue - San Bernardino County ... … · With 111 self-identied...
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10/12/2017 Liberty Lane approval long overdue – San Bernardino Sun http://www.sbsun.com/2017/10/12/liberty-lane-approval-long-overdue/ 1/3 By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | [email protected] | October 12, 2017 at 8:05 am Terry Pierson / Southern California News Group Residents watch a video of the proposed homeless veterans apartment complex, Liberty Lane, at the Redlands Community Center during a public meeting in Redlands on Aug. 30, 2017. (Terry Pierson / Southern California News Group) Aer months of delays, the Redlands City Council nally did the right thing in allowing an affordable apartment complex to move forward. “If this type of facility is Redlands’ contribution to helping solve a much bigger problem, then it would be wrong of me not to support it,” said Mayor Paul Foster at the Sept. 20 council meeting. Foster was joined by council members Paul Barich and Jon Harrison in backing the project, which was rst approved by the Planning Commission in January. The 80-unit complex, developed by A Community of Friends, will be geared towards veterans with mental illness diagnoses and their families. With the assistance of nonprot group U.S. Vets, the Loma Linda VA and the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health, the apartments will provide both affordable housing and supportive services to those who live at the property. With 111 self-identied veterans tallied in this years point-in-time homeless county in San Bernardino County, plus another 91 counted in Riverside County, the development has long held considerable potential to help ll an obvious need in the region. OPINION Liberty Lane approval long overdue
Transcript of Liberty Lane approval long overdue - San Bernardino County ... … · With 111 self-identied...
10/12/2017 Liberty Lane approval long overdue – San Bernardino Sun
http://www.sbsun.com/2017/10/12/liberty-lane-approval-long-overdue/ 1/3
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | [email protected] |October 12, 2017 at 8:05 am
Terry Pierson / Southern California News GroupResidents watch a video of the proposed homeless veterans apartment complex, Liberty Lane, at the Redlands Community Center during a publicmeeting in Redlands on Aug. 30, 2017. (Terry Pierson / Southern California News Group)
A�er months of delays, the Redlands City Council �nally did the right thing in allowing an affordable apartment complex to move forward.
“If this type of facility is Redlands’ contribution to helping solve a much bigger problem, then it would be wrong of me not to support it,”
said Mayor Paul Foster at the Sept. 20 council meeting. Foster was joined by council members Paul Barich and Jon Harrison in backing the
project, which was �rst approved by the Planning Commission in January.
The 80-unit complex, developed by A Community of Friends, will be geared towards veterans with mental illness diagnoses and their
families. With the assistance of nonpro�t group U.S. Vets, the Loma Linda VA and the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral
Health, the apartments will provide both affordable housing and supportive services to those who live at the property.
With 111 self-identi�ed veterans tallied in this years point-in-time homeless county in San Bernardino County, plus another 91 counted in
Riverside County, the development has long held considerable potential to help �ll an obvious need in the region.
OPINION
Liberty Lane approval long overdue
10/12/2017 Liberty Lane approval long overdue – San Bernardino Sun
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And yet, it was nearly derailed by pure and simple NIMBYism.
At Planning Commission and council meetings, opponents cited the possibility of more traf�c which the development would lead to, while
others raised concerns about the fact that most of the units would be speci�cally available to veterans experiencing homelessness and who
may have mental illness. The harmful implication of the latter concern of course is that people dealing with mental health issues are
necessarily more dangerous than anyone else, which isn’t true.
As fallacious and hollow as these concerns were, NIMBYs were able to make �nal approval of the Liberty Lane apartments a narrow one.
Council members Pat Gilbreath and Eddie Tejeda voted against the project, with Tejeda explaining that he didn’t want to let down people
who opposed the project and happened to be critical to his election.
Political calculations, rather than concerns with doing what is right, are likely to be a recurring issue as Inland governments work towards
developing and implementing coherent, cohesive strategies to reduce homelessness.
Still, for now, we can applaud at least one instance of a local government letting common sense and decency prevail over obstructionism.
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10/12/2017 Sheriff's Aviation crew conducts night-vision hoist rescue for injured Apple Valley teen
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20171012/sheriffs-aviation-crew-conducts-night-vision-hoist-rescue-for-injured-apple-valley-teen 1/2
By Staff ReportsPosted at 8:50 AMUpdated at 8:50 AM
BIG BEAR — An Apple Valley teenager was rescued after he slid off a large rockand onto a cliff Wednesday evening.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s helicopter 40King1 was requestedto respond to a call for a 17-year-old hiker in distress in the Castle Rock areanear Big Bear Lake at approximately 8:12 p.m.
The 40King1, which consisted of Pilot Deputy Doug Brimmer, Crew ChiefSergeant San Futscher and Tactical Flight Officer Corporal Ed Leon, located thehiker, who was reportedly stuck on the cliff and unable to get to safety, by usingGPS coordinates through a friend’s cellphone, authorities said.
After determining that a night-vision hoist was needed to get the hiker off thesteep cliff, Sgt. Futscher lowered Cpt. Leon down to the hiker and, once on theground, Leon was able to place a rescue harness on the hiker and hoist him safelyback up into the helicopter.
The victim was flown to Big Bear Airport and treated by San Bernardino CountyFire Department personnel for complaints of pain before being released to hisguardian.
Authorities encourage hikers to always be prepared when hiking in themountains, higher altitudes or the high desert. No matter the weather, hikersshould anticipate the unexpected and pack the appropriate clothes for snow, coldand rain.
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Sheri�’s Aviation crew conducts night-visionhoist rescue for injured Apple Valley teen
10/12/2017 2 injured, 37 displaced after blaze at Victorville apartments
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By Paola Baker Staff Writer Posted Oct 11, 2017 at 5:22 PMUpdated Oct 11, 2017 at 5:22 PM
VICTORVILLE — Almost 40 residents were left displaced after a blaze tore through an apartment building hereWednesday afternoon, officials said.
Reported just before 3 p.m., the fire erupted inside an apartment at the Rodeo Drive Meadows Apartments in the 14000block Rodeo Drive. Two residents were injured and Red Cross was requested to assist 37 displaced residents, SanBernardino County Fire Department Battalion Chief Joshua Sprague said.
Firefighters were initially dispatched to the blaze at 3:02 p.m., Sprague said. The fire was reported to be coming fromApartment 206, in the “B” building.
“The first engine was on scene within four minutes and reported heavy fire and smoke from the [front side] of thebuilding, so we requested a second-alarm response,” Sprague said.
As firefighters rushed to the building, they received reports that subjects were trapped inside. But Sprague said a searchquickly determined that all apartments were cleared and no one was trapped.
A woman who lived in the apartment that caught fire was injured after she fell while evacuating the building, Sprague said.Another person also reported smoke inhalation injuries. They were both taken to local hospitals for treatment.
Firefighters successfully rescued a cat and a dog from inside the building. Both were unharmed, but Sprague said anotherdog remains missing. No other injuries were reported.
With two ladder trucks, four engines, two truck companies, and two battalion chiefs, firefighters quickly got a handle onthe blaze, containing it to the “B” building before further spread. The fire was doused by 3:46 p.m., Sprague said.
“With the ladder truck we can get our guys up there on the roof and get the fire out quicker,” Sprague said.
Southern California Edison crews arrived to secure power in the building, Sprague said. The “B” building was red-tagged,with a representative from the city’s Building & Safety office left to determine if the building would be uninhabitable.
Sprague said two fire investigators responded to the blaze, which remains under investigation.
Paola Baker may be reached at 760-955-5332 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @DP_PaolaBaker.
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2 injured, 37 displaced after blaze at Victorville apartments
10/12/2017 County Fire battles large blaze in El Mirage
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By Paola Baker Staff Writer Posted Oct 11, 2017 at 12:10 PMUpdated Oct 11, 2017 at 6:03 PM
EL MIRAGE — Firefighters battled a blaze that erupted here early Wednesdaymorning.
Reported just before 10:30 a.m., San Bernardino County Fire Departmentpersonnel arrived and found several trailers up in flames in the 4600 block of ElMirage Road, according to County Fire spokesman Eric Sherwin.
It took over two hours to get the blaze under control, and County Fire BattalionChief Joshua Sprague said a marijuana grow was found inside.
Scanner traffic reported several explosions and downed power lines at thelocation. A tweet from County Fire said a “large smoke column” was visible fromthe blaze, and firefighters were in attack mode.
“Due to the amount of fire involved and lack of water supply in the area, webrought out water tenders to support fire suppression,” Sherwin said. CountyFire resources from Phelan, Oak Hills, Helendale, and Adelanto were alsorequested.
According to scanner traffic, the downed power lines were secured around 11:30a.m. Sprague said a HazMat team was requested after a vat filled with diesel wasfound in one of the trailers, which hampered firefighters’ progress.
With the assistance of a crash truck brought in from Southern CaliforniaLogistics Airport, firefighters were able to mitigate the fuel fire quickly andsafely, Sherwin said.
Firefighters were called back to the scene at around 5:30 after reports of anotherblaze at the same location were received. Sherwin said it was due to “rekindling”from embers left from the earlier fire. Scanner traffic reported it was quickly
County Fire battles large blaze in El Mirage
10/12/2017 County Fire battles large blaze in El Mirage
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handled by units on scene.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials responded to investigatethe found marijuana grow, but no further details were available Wednesday.
No injuries were reported due to the blaze, which remains under investigation.
Paola Baker may be reached at 760-955-5332 or [email protected]. Follow her
on Twitter at @DP_PaolaBaker.
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10/12/2017 San Bernardino County deputies find indoor marijuana grow in Spring Valley Lake home – Daily Bulletin
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By GAIL WESSON | [email protected] | The Press-Enterprise
October 11, 2017 at 6:52 pm
Sheriff’s investigators seized more than 500 marijuana plants in an indoor growWednesday, Oct. 11, in the community of Spring Valley Lake south of Victorville.(Photo courtesy of San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department)
NEWSCRIME
San Bernardino County deputies�nd indoor marijuana grow inSpring Valley Lake home
10/12/2017 San Bernardino County deputies find indoor marijuana grow in Spring Valley Lake home – Daily Bulletin
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San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies seized more than 500 plants in an indoor
marijuana grow at a residence in Spring Valley Lake in the high desert Wednesday,
Oct. 11, according to a sheriff’s news release.
The sheriff’s gangs/narcotics division – marijuana enforcement team served a search
warrant at 9:30 a.m. in the 18200 block of Lakeview Drive in the lakeside
development south of Victorville.
An unidenti ed suspect ed from the residence through a rear door and could not
be located.
Investigators found that an indoor marijuana grow raided Wednesday, Oct. 11, in SpringValley Lake relied on stolen electricity to facilitate the grow operation. (Photo courtesy ofSan Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department)
The grower also relied on stealing electricity, estimated at in excess of several
thousand dollars, to power lighting and ventilation to control climate and odors.
Southern California Edison is participating in that aspect of the investigation, the
release stated.
Once the property owner and suspects are identi ed, the investigators will submit a
case to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Of ce for prosecution.
Anyone with information about the activity is asked to contact the sheriff’s
gangs/narcotics division at 909-387-8400. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous
may call the WeTip hotline at 800-782-7463 or submit information on the
nonpro t’s website: www.wetip.com
.
Tags: marijuana
10/12/2017 Learn how to escape from a blaze at Inland fire stations – San Bernardino Sun
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By STAFF REPORT | |PUBLISHED: October 11, 2017 at 10:23 am | UPDATED: October 11, 2017 at 3:09 pm
Several Inaland fire stations will hold open houses on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017. (File photo by Eric Reed/For The Sun/SCNG)
Several �re stations in the Inland area are holding open houses Saturday, Oct. 14 to celebrate Fire Prevention Week. Events are designed to
educate the public on ways they can protect themselves from �re.
From 9 a.m. to noon at all Cal Fire/Riverside County �re stations will provide information and educational material on how to develop and
practice a home �re escape plan. Find nearby stations at tinyurl.com/MyFireStation, or get more information at 951-940-6985.
Several Riverside city stations will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday including locations at 3401 University Ave., 9449 Andrew St.,
6395 Riverside Ave., 3510 Cranford Ave.,10191 Cypress Ave. The events will showcase the department’s personnel, �re�ghting equipment
and stations.
The Hemet Fire Department’s event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fire Station 1, 220 N. Juanita St.
San Bernardino County Fire Department stations open Saturday include #164
1825 N. Campus Ave., Upland from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and #71,16980 Arrow Blvd., Fontana from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Chino Valley Fire District’s annual open house is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fire Station 61 and Training Center, 5092 Schaefer Ave., Chino.
Fire�ghters will conduct demonstrations throughout the day, and there will be displays of �re and rescue equipment. Community
organizations, city agencies and other groups will have informational booths. Chino Valley Fire District Honor Guard will sell a hot dog
lunch for $5 as a fundraiser. Find out more at chinovalley�re.org.
Information: �repreventionweek.org
LOCAL NEWS
Learn how to escape from a blaze at Inland fire stations
10/12/2017 Man behind bars after assaulting victim, Sheriff's deputy - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20171011/man-behind-bars-after-assaulting-victim-sheriffs-deputy 1/2
By Paola Baker Staff Writer Posted Oct 11, 2017 at 6:11 PMUpdated Oct 11, 2017 at 6:11 PM
LUCERNE VALLEY — Authorities arrested a man who reportedly assaultedanother man outside his home, then attacked a Sheriff’s deputy and anotherresident, last Monday.
Jeffrey Ryan Gilbert, 44, of Lucerne Valley, was arrested after San BernardinoCounty Sheriff’s Department officials identified him as the suspect in the assault,which occurred in the 35700 block of Rosewood Avenue on Monday evening.
Gilbert reportedly resisted arrest when a Victor Valley Sheriff’s station deputycontacted him, attacking the deputy and another resident who tried to assist him,officials stated Wednesday.
Deputies were dispatched to the home at 7:05 p.m. after receiving a call of anassault. As they responded, Sheriff’s Dispatch aired the suspect’s physicaldescription.
Victor Valley Sheriff’s station Deputy Jeremy Weaver found Gilbert walkingalong the shoulder of Highway 18, near the victim’s home. Gilbert matched thedescription given by the victim, officials said, but he fled on foot when Weaverapproached him.
As Weaver caught Gilbert and attempted to handcuff him, Gilbert beganresisting and assaulted Weaver, officials said.
“A bystander witnessed the deputy being assaulted by Gilbert and stopped toassist. Gilbert continued to fight Deputy Weaver and the citizen for severalminutes,” officials stated. “Upon the second deputy’s arrival, Gilbert was takeninto custody.”
Man behind bars after assaulting victim,Sheri�’s deputy
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Officials said deputies determined Gilbert had assaulted and burglarized thevictim, who suffered major injuries and was airlifted to a trauma center. Thevictim is in stable condition as of Wednesday, officials said.
Gilbert was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and obstructing orresisting an executive officer. He made his first court appearance lastWednesday, where prosecutors charged him with attempted murder, first-degree burglary, and two counts of obstructing or resisting an executive officer,court records show.
Prosecutors also added several allegations and enhancements for causing greatbodily injury on a person and being a convicted felon. Gilbert denied all charges,allegations and enhancements, court records show.
He remains in custody at the West Valley Detention Center in lieu of $1.1million bail, booking records show. Gilbert’s next court appearance is scheduledfor Thursday.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is urged to contact DetectiveWilliam Doemner at the Lucerne Valley Substation at 760-248-7655. Personswishing to remain anonymous can contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463 or online at www.wetip.com.
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10/12/2017 Philip Kassel, longtime San Bernardino criminal defense attorney, dead at 91 – San Bernardino Sun
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By JOE NELSON | [email protected] | San Bernardino SunPUBLISHED: October 11, 2017 at 7:51 pm | UPDATED: October 12, 2017 at 8:11 am
Longtime San Bernardino criminal defense attorney Philip Kassel, a fixture in the SanBernardino County court system for more than half a century. died Tuesday. He was91.
10/12/2017 Philip Kassel, longtime San Bernardino criminal defense attorney, dead at 91 – San Bernardino Sun
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Philip Kassel, a longtime criminal defense attorney and San Bernardino resident,
died Tuesday. He was 91.
Kassel “passed peacefully” at 3:50 p.m. at Redlands Community Hospital, his son,
Sanford Kassel, said Wednesday in a telephone interview.
Born in Colton on June 28, 1926, Philip Kassel moved to San Bernardino at age �ve
and remained there most of his life. He was residing in a retirement home in
Yucaipa the last few years of his life, his son, Sanford, said.
The senior Kassel got bit by the law bug as a child attending the now-defunct
Jefferson Elementary School in downtown San Bernardino, at Sixth Street and
Arrowhead Avenue. He walked past the courthouse daily on his way home from
school, gazing in awe at the extravagant building and o�en dropping in to observe
trials in progress.
“He loved the law very much and always found it very interesting and real
exciting, ” Sanford Kassel said.
Philip Kassel graduated from San Bernardino High School in 1944, then enlisted
in the Marines. He served in the Fourth Marine Regiment, which was a part of the
6th Division. It was the original Marine regiment that was in China during the
Boxer Rebellion. They were referred to as the “China Marines,'” Sanford Kassel
said.
Kassel served as a ri�eman in the Marines, honing his sharpshooting skills
at Camp Calvin B. Matthews in La Jolla (aka the Marine Corps Ri�e Range). He
received the highest score in his platoon – 324 out of a possible 340 – and held that
record for six months. Kassel’s achievement was noted in Stars and Stripes.
A�er leaving the Marines, Kassel enrolled at San Bernardino Valley College in
1946, then transferred in 1948 to the University of Redlands, where, in 1950, he
earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He went on to the University of
Southern California, where he obtained his law degree in 1953.
A�er law school, Kassel joined the San Bernardino County Bar Association in 1955
and went to work for the District Attorney’s Of�ce for two years.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos issued a statement
Wednesday, saying, “Mr. Kassel was a good attorney and a gentleman. I had the
pleasure of trying a case against him early in my career, and during that time, I
learned a lot from Phil about how to respect the court and the process. He was the
model of integrity. I consider him one of the cornerstones of our legal community
and his legacy will live on through his family. May he rest in peace.”
10/12/2017 Philip Kassel, longtime San Bernardino criminal defense attorney, dead at 91 – San Bernardino Sun
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Kassel subsequently went into private practice as a criminal defense attorney in
1957 with partners Bob Holcomb, the former mayor of San Bernardino, and Tom
Perry. He continued working as a criminal defense attorney for more than half a
century, developing a solid reputation as a brilliant attorney and compassionate
human being.
“He was always one to want to help the unfortunate or an underdog, some more
than others,” Sanford Kassel said. “He was always very charitable and loved by
many.”
Kassel was a mentor and inspiration to many in the legal profession.
San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Donna Garza said in a telephone interview
Wednesday she was fortunate enough to be mentored by Kassel when she worked
as a county prosecutor. The two battled it out during a 1987 trial in a
misdemeanor case. Kassel prevailed.
“Being a young prosecutor, he de�nitely schooled me on how to present a case,”
said Garza, a judge of 19 years. “He could speak to a jury so humbly. He was so
one-on-one with them. He was able to get his thoughts across so simply and so
succinctly.”
An avid �sherman, Kassel formed the “Big 10,” an elite club of sorts of
experienced anglers that included Bob Holcomb and former San Bernardino
Police Chief Mel Owens. The group remained intact for more than 50 years, in
various forms.
When the years caught up with Kassel, and he was no longer able to stand on the
rocking deck of a boat during oceanic �shing outings, he enjoyed sitting down
and just watching others �sh, Sanford Kassel said.
“He had a passion for �shing and always made us promise that he would be
buried in his �shing Khakis, and his glasses, and with a light jacket because he did
not want to get cold,” Sanford Kassel said, adding that the family plans to honor
that wish.
10/12/2017 Philip Kassel, longtime San Bernardino criminal defense attorney, dead at 91 – San Bernardino Sun
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Philip Kassel (R), with youngest son Gregory, during one of the family’s manyfishing outings.
Kassel was also a longtime member of the San Bernardino Masonic Lodge, a
reputed historian, especially of local history, and was the recipient of multiple
awards by the San Bernardino County Bar Association including the John B. Surr
Award in 2007 and more recently, in 2015, the George W. Porter Criminal Trial
Attorney Award.
As it turned out, law was in the family blood. Kassel’s two sons, Sanford and
Gregory, are both attorneys working in San Bernardino — Sanford, a personal
injury attorney, and Gregory, a criminal defense attorney. Philip Kassel’s
grandson, Gavin Kassel (Sanford Kassel’s son), was sworn-in as an attorney by San
Bernardino Superior Court Judge Michael Dest in December 2012. Gavin works in
his father Sanford Kassel’s law of�ce on Court Street, which has been in business
for 38 years.
Zachary Herrick, another grandson of the Kassel family patriarch, is in his �rst
year of law school in San Diego, Sanford Kassel said.
Philip Kassel is survived by sons Sanford, of Laguna Niguel, Gregory, of Yucaipa,
daughter Melinda Herrick, of Laguna Niguel, �ve grandchildren and one great-
grandchild. He was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Barbara, who died
in 2007.
10/12/2017 Philip Kassel, longtime San Bernardino criminal defense attorney, dead at 91 – San Bernardino Sun
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A funeral service is planned for 11 a.m. Monday at Bobbitt Memorial Chapel in
San Bernardino. Entombment follows at Home of Eternity Cemetery &
Mausoleum in San Bernardino.
In lieu of �owers, the Kassel family asks that food contributions be made to the
Salvation Army, 363 S. Doolittle Rd., in San Bernardino.
NELSON_JOEJoe NelsonJoe Nelson is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked for TheSun since November 1999. He started as a crime reporter and went on to cover avariety of beats including courts and the cities of Colton, Highland and GrandTerrace. He has covered San Bernardino County since 2009. Nelson is a graduateof California State University Fullerton. In 2014, he completed a fellowship atLoyola Law School's Journalist Law School program.
Follow Joe Nelson @SBCountyNow
Tags: Echo Code, lawyers, Obituaries, obituary,Top Stories PE, Top Stories Sun
10/12/2017 Bloomington High School celebrates grand opening of new football stadium - Fontana Herald News: Sports
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Bloomington High School celebrates grand opening ofnew football stadiumBy ALEJANDRO CANO | Posted: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 4:47 pm
The Bloomington community celebrated on Oct. 6 the grandopening of the brand new football stadium at BloomingtonHigh School -- and the beginning of a broader initiative totransform the campus.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held prior to the first homeleague game between the Bruins and Colton High School.
The ceremony was attended by State Sen. Connie Leyva,Assemblymember Eloise Gomez Reyes, San BernardinoCounty Supervisor Josie Gonzales, and the entire ColtonJoint Unified School District Board.
“We are a proud school,” said Bloomington Principal SandyTorres.
The BHS stadium project included new home and visitorbleachers with total seating capacity of more than 4,200 with a press box, new parking area, and home andvisitor ticket booths, concessions, team rooms and restrooms, according to district leaders.
In addition, the BHS baseball fields are also being renovated. This is part of an effort to accommodate theschool’s needs, said Gonzales.
“A state-of-the art auditorium cafeteria, new baseball fields, and new student parking are currently underconstruction,” she added.
Daniela Lopez, the ASB president, said that already school pride has increased, with several alumni takinginterest in attending the school’s games and events. Lopez thanked the district leaders for their work andcommitment and added that many memories will be made at the new stadium.
The stadium will host football games as well as track and field and soccer competitions. Now, BHS has aplace of its own to host graduation ceremonies.
The celebration included performances of the songs "High Hopes" and "Seize the Day" by the school'smusicians.
Prior to the ribbon cutting, the BHS band passionately played the Fight Song, which was applauded byalumni in attendance.
According to the district, the new stadium is only the beginning of several projects that would improve thequality of education for students. There are also plans to break ground on a new stadium at Colton HighSchool.
Bruins
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for theopening of the new stadium at BloomingtonHigh School. (Herald News photo byAlejandro Cano)
10/12/2017 Bloomington High School celebrates grand opening of new football stadium - Fontana Herald News: Sports
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The projects are possible thanks in part to a voter-approved $225 million Measure G school bond.
10/12/2017 Ayala High teacher Alexis King wins $25k award – Daily Bulletin
http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/10/11/ayala-high-teacher-alexis-king-wins-25k-award/ 1/6
By BEAU YARBROUGH | [email protected] | Inland Valley Daily
Bulletin
PUBLISHED: October 11, 2017 at 12:10 pm | UPDATED: October 12, 2017 at 12:54 am
English teacher Alexis King is congratulated from Warren Reed, athletic director, afterreceiving the Milken Educator Award on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, at Ruben S. AyalaHigh School in Chino Hills. (Stan Lim, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
English teacher Alexis King found herself the focus of an Ayala High School assembly
on Tuesday morning, and walked away from it with an award and $25,000.
LOCAL NEWS
Ayala High teacher Alexis King wins$25k award
10/12/2017 Ayala High teacher Alexis King wins $25k award – Daily Bulletin
http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/10/11/ayala-high-teacher-alexis-king-wins-25k-award/ 2/6
“I was totally surprised. It is such an honor to get this award,” King wrote in an email
afterward. “I had no idea it was happening, and I just feel so grateful and awe-struck
to be given this opportunity. Everyone at Ayala is so supportive and they have made
this a truly great day.”
King is the rst of up to 45 honorees this year who will receive the Milken Educator
Award, which comes with an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize. She’s the rst Chino
Valley Uni ed teacher to win the award, and a former San Bernardino County
Teacher of the Year.
The Milken awards have been given annually for 30 years by the Milken Family
Foundation, recognizing classroom innovators at the beginning or middle of their
careers. The awards alternate annually between elementary and secondary
educators.
“I am really excited for the opportunities that come with being a part of the Milken
Educator Awards,” King wrote. “I look forward to meeting other teachers and
working together to help our students. I think that is the biggest difference with this
award, after all the excitement of today, I will have the opportunity to work with
some amazing educators.”
Educators do not know they’re under consideration for the award and cannot apply
for it. Instead, they are selected through a con dential process and reviewed by
panels appointed by state departments of education, with the nal approval by the
Milken Family Foundation.
10/12/2017 Ayala High teacher Alexis King wins $25k award – Daily Bulletin
http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/10/11/ayala-high-teacher-alexis-king-wins-25k-award/ 3/6
“It takes a special teacher to spark curiosity and instill a love of learning – and that is
Alexis King,” Milken Family Foundation chairman and co-founder Lowell Milken said.
“Both high-achieving students and those who struggle make tremendous gains, not
only in academic progress, but in understanding the materials and applying literary
concepts to real-world experiences.”
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and Chino Valley
Uni ed Superintendent Wayne Joseph were also on hand at the assembly.
“It’s truly an honor to join the outstanding team of educators and staff at Ruben S.
Ayala High School to honor Alexis King,” said Torlakson, a former high school science
teacher and coach. “This terri c teacher does great work every day and is a role
model for instructors all over California.”
Congratulations to Ayala HS teacher Alexis King on the @MilkenEducator Award! It was a joy to be part of today's celebration ofteaching.3:07 PM - Oct 10, 2017
6 33
Tom Torlakson @TomTorlakson
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10/12/2017 Ayala High teacher Alexis King wins $25k award – Daily Bulletin
http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/10/11/ayala-high-teacher-alexis-king-wins-25k-award/ 4/6
King, who has been teaching for a decade, leans heavily on making her English
classes interactive experiences, including allowing students to use their cellphones
for certain assignments to do in-class research or take online quizzes.
“Good teachers help students learn; incredible teachers create the loft to help kids
soar to their true potential. Alexis King is one of those incredible teachers, so
deserving of the prestigious Milken Educator Award,” Joseph said. “As an English
teacher, she is an inspiration to her students, many of whom have pursued teaching
because of her passion. As the Chair of the English Department and organizer of
new teacher orientations, she is a mentor to her peers. Receiving this prestigious
award is a testament to her dedication and talents.”
The chair of Ayala’s English department, King’s classroom assignments include peer-
editing assignments modeled on speed dating and CSI-inspired investigations into
the death of Julius Caesar.
All of us on the @Chino_Hills City Council @councilchick@PhotoMayor @Ray4ChinoHills are proud to honor Ayala HSteacher Alexis King! twitter.com/Milken/status/…12:51 PM - Oct 10, 2017
2 4
Brian Johsz @BrianJohsz
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She teaches general education, AVID college preparatory classes and Advanced
Placement classes. According to the Milken Family Foundation, more than 75
percent of King’s AP students pass their AP exams. Last year, just over half of those
taking the AP English exams did so.
As for what she’s going to do with the money?
“Honestly, I am still in shock,” King wrote. “I have not even thought about that.”
Beau Yarbrough
Tags: Echo Code, Education
10/12/2017 Cafe Rio Mexican Grill cuts giant burrito as part of opening day festivities
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20171011/cafe-rio-mexican-grill-cuts-giant-burrito-as-part-of-opening-day-festivities 1/2
By Rene Ray De La Cruz Staff Writer Posted Oct 11, 2017 at 3:03 PMUpdated Oct 11, 2017 at 3:03 PM
VICTORVILLE — Cafe Rio Mexican Grill made its introduction to the Restaurant Row family with a ribbon- and giant-burrito-cutting celebration on Wednesday.
The fast-casual restaurant rolled out the red carpet to hundreds of guests who were anxious to try fresh, made-from-scratch dishes prepared at the eatery located on Amargosa Road in Victorville.
“Our team is very excited to serve the entire High Desert community,” Cafe Rio General Manager Felix Perez told the DailyPress before rolling out the nearly 2-foot-long burrito. “The community doesn’t know us yet, but as soon as they give us atry — they’re going to fall in love with us.”
A Cafe Rio employee rolled out fresh tortillas as Victor Valley Chamber of Commerce Sales Manager Ruby Hume and herfriends were the first customers to place an order, which included tostadas, burritos, tacos, salads and drinks.
As more customers streamed into the restaurant, employees working the kitchen, prep line and counter would stopworking for a brief moment to chant various lines such as, ’Try our salads they’re the best, we’re so fresh we beat the rest.”
Cafe Rio specializes in made-from-scratch meals and authentic dishes that are inspired by recipes and traditional cookingfound in Northern Mexico’s Rio Grande region, Southern Texas and New Mexico.
As part of the festivities, Cafe Rio gave away free meals to the first 300 guests, and also presented a check for $2,500 toCommunity Action Partnership of San Bernardino County as part of their opening day tradition and mission to supportthe community.
Jennifer Burns, media/community relations representative for Cafe Rio, told the Daily Press the company is excited aboutits introduction to the High Desert and may be looking to expand in the region.
Cafe Rio shares the multi-tenant building with Nekter Juice, Which Wich Sandwiches, Pieology, Ono Hawaiian BBQ, andStarbucks, which made its introduction to the new development nearly two weeks ago and celebrated with a ribbon cuttingabout an hour after Cafe Rio.
The multi-tenant building is located next to two buildings which will house The Habit Burger and California’s first CrackerBarrel Old Country Store, both still in the construction phase. Cracker Barrel officials told the Daily Press that February isthe target opening month.
Founded 20 years ago and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Cafe Rio operates over 100 restaurants in 11 states, mainly inthe western U.S. The company’s wide variety of menu items include burritos, tortillas, salads and tacos that are customizedby using various proteins and sauces.
Cafe Rio is located at 11604 Amargosa Road in Victorville. For more information on Cafe Rio, visit www.caferio.com.
Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227, RDeLa [email protected], Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz and
Instagram @reneraydelacruz
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Cafe Rio Mexican Grill cuts giant burrito as part of opening dayfestivities
San Bernardino parole program helps its “students” reenter the community successfully
http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/san-bernardino-parole-program-helps-its-students-reenter-
the-community-succ Embed from Getty Images
A unique partnership between California State University San Bernardino and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) gives state parolees a better path to success and away from a return to prison. Created in 2010, the Cal State Reentry Initiative (CSRI), provides a variety of services to recently paroled inmates who return to the region from the state’s prisons.
“One of the reasons I became so passionate about reentry was that, for anyone who lives or works inside, we know what matters is when you get out," said Dr. Carolyn Eggleston, CSRI’s program administrator and a CSUSB faculty member who has worked in correctional education for 40 years. "You can try to take classes and try to decide you’re not going to do that life anymore, but without help on the outside, it’s almost impossible.”
Before opening its doors, the key individuals of CSRI spent several years planning with community stakeholders to develop this community-based, comprehensive program. Working with local elected officials, law enforcement, county schools and nonprofit providers, CSRI’s leadership structured the program to meet not only the needs of the CDCR and the parolee, but also the community.
CSRI has four locations in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties and each serve 150 people at any point in time, except the recently-opened Indio office, which handles about 50. Each site provides service to approximately 300 (except Indio) over the course of the year. The program offers court-ordered classes some must take to complete their parole such as substance abuse education, 52-week batterer’s intervention and anger management, as well as voluntary classes. Students also have access to much-needed services such as housing, transportation assistance, education and employment.
CSRI has provided services to 4,582 parolees since opening. Eggleston credits a strong team for it’s success. “The senior staff who really run the place are Director of Operations Elaine Zucco, Director of Administration Eric Goddard, and Director of Program Quality Andrea Mitchel.”
And because CSRI is administered through CSUSB, the parolees are referred to as “students” and the offices have the feel of a college student union. “It needs to be a place where people are comfortable," said Eggleston. "We have seen across the country some of the day reporting centers that are really ‘prison-lite’ and people are treated like they were in prison. People don’t continue coming to those.”
Though CSRI has a rigorous attendance requirement, each student has individualized, customized schedules. The goal is to provide programming to address the criminogenic needs each student. “CSRI uses an evidence-based assessment to create a customized program for each student. We set high expectations for attendance and students are meeting these expectations,” said Zucco.
In addition to the court-ordered classes, voluntary classes are offered depending on the needs of each center. These classes include public speaking, cognitive-behavior therapy, life skills, art, GED,
and adult basic education, Spanish and current events. Some of these are taught by university interns and volunteers.
There is a computer center that has the feel of an internet café where students can search for jobs and a closet full of interview-ready clothing. The program is free, but students are asked to provide “sweat equity,” meaning they have to show up and do the work.
There is a referral list of potential students with priority to those who were just released from prison. When inmates are released, they are given $200 and told to return to the parole office nearest to where their crime was committed, which is sometimes miles away from where they were incarcerated.
“We know that the most important 48 or 72 hours after they get released is the time we really want to get them, because they’re lost and that’s the time that they’re most likely to go back to their old patterns,” added Eggleston.
And, according to Eggleston, it is hard work to successfully reenter. “We’ve taken somebody who’s already demonstrated he’s not a good community member, put him inside for X number of years and told him what to do at every moment, then send him back home telling him to do better without any help in the community and sometimes with real dis-incentives. I believe there are a lot of people who, when they get out decide they want to go straight, but they just haven’t learned how. And that’s what makes reentry so crucial, because there needs to be a place for people who are interested in changing.”
“A surprising number of people who come back after they’re successful,” she added. “It’s an educational program at its heart, but it’s also a safe haven. We’ve actually had students tell us, ‘This is the safest place in San Bernardino.'”
She spoke of one former student who, with the support of a San Bernardino city councilmember, got a job as a trash collector. “Although that’s not a glamorous job, he is so thrilled. He got employee of the month. Te has a pension started. He has a health benefits and is just so happy to be doing this job and it’s worked really well.”
Another former student was a lifer who spent 45 years in prison and returned to the area with no family connections. Through CSRI, he was able to obtain housing, get a part-time job and start community college. But he developed cancer. Dr. Eggleston recalled a conversation she had with him in the hospital, "'You finally have things going you’re way and here you are with cancer.' And he responded with something I’ve taken with me and used when I’m feeling sorry for myself. ‘You know, but I have friends now that I didn’t have. I have people who care about me when I didn’t have that and I’m not dying in prison.’”
At the end of the day, Eggleston expressed why programs such as CSRI are important: “It’s really for all of us. And the dollars spent in reentry are a fraction of the dollars spent to incarcerate somebody.”
10/12/2017 Woman shot in the head following possible botched robbery attempt in San Bernardino – San Bernardino Sun
http://www.sbsun.com/2017/10/12/woman-shot-in-the-head-following-possible-botched-robbery-attempt-in-san-bernardino/?utm_source=dlvr… 1/3
By BEATRIZ E. VALENZUELA |PUBLISHED: October 12, 2017 at 8:22 am | UPDATED: October 12, 2017 at 8:35 am
Courtesy Newspro News HDA woman is placed into an ambulance after being shot in the head during a possiblebotched robbery in San Bernardino.
NEWSCRIME
Woman shot in the headfollowing possible botchedrobbery attempt in SanBernardino
10/12/2017 Woman shot in the head following possible botched robbery attempt in San Bernardino – San Bernardino Sun
http://www.sbsun.com/2017/10/12/woman-shot-in-the-head-following-possible-botched-robbery-attempt-in-san-bernardino/?utm_source=dlvr… 2/3
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A 22-year-old woman is in critical condition a�er being shot in the head following
what may have been a botched armed robbery attempt in San Bernardino on
Wednesday night, police said.
The woman and her boyfriend had just le� a 7-Eleven near Highland and
Mountain View avenues around 10 p.m. when the couple was confronted by two
men, according to San Bernardino police.
“It is unclear if it was an attempted robbery or something else but the male began
to struggle with one of the suspects and the other suspect pulled out a gun and
�red two rounds,” said Lt. Mike Madden in an email. “One of the rounds struck
the 22-year-old female.”
The two men then ran off.
Video from the scene shows the woman with a wound to her forehead being
loaded into an ambulance as someone begs her to open her eyes.
The shooting is under investigation.
Police ask anyone with information to contact the San Bernardino Police
Department in 909-384-5742.
Beatriz E. Valenzuela
Tags: shooting, Top Stories PE, Top Stories Sun
10/12/2017 State Supreme Court to decide if L.A. County sheriff can give names of problem deputies to prosecutors - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brady-supreme-court-20171011-story.html 1/3
T
State Supreme Court to decide if L.A. Countysheriff can give names of problem deputies toprosecutors
By Maya Lau
OCTOBER 11, 2017, 6:35 PM
he debate over a secret list of 300 Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies with histories of dishonesty
or similar misconduct is now before the California Supreme Court.
In an order filed Wednesday, the court said it would consider an appeal made by Sheriff Jim
McDonnell in his attempt to reveal to prosecutors the names of deputies whose past wrongdoing could call into
question their credibility as witnesses in criminal proceedings.
The announcement is the latest turn in a closely watched case pitting the privacy rights of law enforcement
officers against the rights of criminal defendants. The issue has inspired an unusual alliance between
Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell is seeking to give prosecutors the names of deputies with histories of dishonesty and similarmisconduct. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
10/12/2017 State Supreme Court to decide if L.A. County sheriff can give names of problem deputies to prosecutors - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brady-supreme-court-20171011-story.html 2/3
professional associations representing some public defenders and prosecutors in California — as well as state
Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California — all of whom are
publicly supporting McDonnell’s position in the case.
The legal battle began a year ago when the union that represents rank-and-file deputies in L.A. County went to
court to block McDonnell from giving the list to prosecutors, arguing that doing so would violate state officer
confidentiality laws and cast an unfair light on deputies whose mistakes were long ago.
The list identifies deputies found by internal investigators to have committed acts of “moral turpitude” such as
lying, falsifying evidence, stealing and domestic abuse.
The issue before the state Supreme Court is whether McDonnell can give the name and employee number of a
deputy with misconduct to prosecutors if that deputy is a potential witness in a pending criminal prosecution.
In July, a divided three-judge panel of the state’s 2nd District Court of Appeal held that the names are
confidential and barred McDonnell from sending the names to prosecutors even in pending cases in which the
deputy is expected to testify.
A high court ruling would only address whether the deputies’ identities would be revealed to prosecutors, not
whether they would become public.
California has some of the strongest protections on law enforcement officer records in the country. Discipline
hearings, personnel files and even the names of officers investigated by internal affairs are secret.
Police agencies in at least 22 counties across the state regularly give local prosecutors the names of officers
found in internal investigations to have committed certain types of misconduct as part of the prosecution team’s
so-called “Brady obligation,” according to the California District Attorneys Assn., which sent a letter in support
of McDonnell to the high court.
The 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brady vs. Maryland obligates prosecutors to turn over evidence
favorable to defendants, which could include information that undermines an officer’s credibility.
“We have just learned that the Supreme Court of California will review the merits of our appeal,” McDonnell
said in a statement Wednesday night. “I have heard from law enforcement across the state and all eyes are upon
the court as we seek the legal clarity we need to move forward.”
The Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs has argued that disclosure of the list to prosecutors violates the
state’s police confidentiality laws, and that the appellate court’s recent decision does not impair a defendant’s
right to a fair trial.
Elizabeth Gibbons, an attorney for the deputies union, has previously said that deputies on the list should not
be seen as “problematic” because some are exemplary officers who have made minor mistakes in the past. She
did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
10/12/2017 State Supreme Court to decide if L.A. County sheriff can give names of problem deputies to prosecutors - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brady-supreme-court-20171011-story.html 3/3
“I am confident the court will conclude the sheriff may turn over the list to the district attorney,” said Peter
Eliasberg, chief counsel for the ACLU of Southern California. He predicted the court could find that the transfer
doesn’t conflict with state officer confidentiality laws or that the Brady decision requires the district attorney to
have the names.
The state Supreme Court ruled in an unrelated case in 2015 that the San Francisco Police Department acted
“laudably” by sending the names of officers with potential credibility problems to prosecutors.
Twitter: @mayalau
UPDATES:
6:35 p.m.: This article was updated with background about the legal battle and a comment from Eliasberg.
This article was originally published at 4:45 p.m.
Copyright © 2017, Los Angeles Times
This article is related to: Jim McDonnell
Sonoma County officials opted not to send mass alert on
deadly fire
By Joaquin Palomino and Kimberly Veklerov
October 12, 2017 Updated: October 12, 2017 8:06am
hoto: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle IMAGE 1 OF 86
Ana Alvarez, center, watches the fire along Highway 12, with her kids, Pilar Cerna, 14, and Javier Cerna,
7, and her sister, Lupe Alvarez, rear, outside Eldridge, Calif., on Tuesday, October 10, 2017. Sonoma ...
more
As fires that would prove devastating burned across the North Bay late
Sunday, Sonoma County considered sending a mass alert to cell phones in the
region to warn of the rapidly spreading flames. But county officials decided
against it, worried that doing so might create widespread panic and hinder the
ability of first responders to combat the blazes.
It’s unclear how much that decision might have affected area residents’
responses to the deadly wildfires, particularly since many cell phone towers
were destroyed in the blaze, making such messages undeliverable. But it adds
to concerns that some in the fires’ paths were not alerted about the danger,
leaving them little time to flee.
As of Wednesday evening, 13 people were confirmed dead in the Sonoma
County fires, and officials expected the total to rise.
In the early hours of the blaze, officials at the Sonoma County Fire and
Emergency Services Department discussed sending something similar to an
Amber Alert to cell phones in the area, but chose not to since it would have
gone to tens of thousands of people not in immediate danger.
The type of warning, called a Wireless Emergency Alert, can only target phones in large geographic areas, according to Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services Coordinator Zachary Hamill, who made the decision not to send the wireless alert together with the county’s emergency manager, Christopher Helgren.
“If I had done the Wireless Emergency Alert I would have been notifying
Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Sonoma — all of the cities and
unincorporated areas in the county,” Hamill said. “And I didn’t need to do
that, I needed to focus on who specifically needed” help. Jennifer Larocque, a
spokeswoman for Sonoma County, said that sending such a widespread
warning could have made it hard for first responders to combat the fire and
help those in need.
“Providing mass information to people not affected could have caused mass
traffic backups, which could have impacted emergency service providers and
delayed emergency response,” Larocque said.
The Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services Department is one of
dozens of California agencies that can send Wireless Emergency Alerts,
according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which administers
the service. All major cell phone carriers have the technology, and everyone
targeted by the alerts receives them unless they have actively opted not to get
them.
Use of the alerts — in which only 90 characters can be transmitted — has seen
mixed success in California when used for wildfire warnings.
Although there have been few instances of the alerts being deployed in
situations similar to the Wine Country fires, on at least one occasion the
technology seemed to create more confusion than help. In June, a swath of
Southern California was ordered to “evacuate now” as crews battled a fire in
Riverside County. Neighboring police and fire departments took to social
media to explain the order did not apply to their areas.
Rather than deploy the wireless alert system, Sonoma County emergency
officials tried to warn residents and issue evacuation orders through multiple
avenues, including broadcasting on the radio, robo-calling residents, sending
email and text alerts and physically knocking on doors or announcing orders
through P.A. systems.
Still, many people, some in areas decimated by the fires, said they never
received an official warning and fled only after being awakened by the smell of
smoke, the sound of sirens, or neighbors pounding on their doors.
One of the warnings was a “reverse 911” call, which went out to all landline
telephones in unincorporated parts of Sonoma County. “We can circle this
neighborhood, and it will call all those houses,” Sonoma County Sheriff Rob
Giordano said at a Wednesday news conference.
Along with automated calls to landlines, the county has other alert systems for
cell phones, but they are available only to those who register to receive them.
“If you don’t sign your cell phone up, you don’t get that service,” Giordano
said.
One system, called Nixle, is widely used by law enforcement. Joel Rosen, chief
marketing officer of Nixle’s parent company Everbridge, said that prior to the
fires, about 300,000 people in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties
were signed up to receive the alerts, about a third of the total population. Since
the fires began, the number of people signed up for alerts has sharply
increased, Rosen said.
Another emergency notification system in Sonoma County, SoCo Alerts, had
10,557 people signed up in mid-June. Just 7,658 of those were in Santa Rosa
— a city of more than 175,000 that was devastated by the fire.
Santa Rosa Fire Department spokesman Paul Lowenthal helped make the call
to evacuate parts of the city early Monday morning as the Tubbs Fire raced
toward residential and commercial neighborhoods. When emergency
responders arrived to help residents, smoke was already choking the air,
embers were falling, and cell service was out, he said.
“During your typical California wildfire you craft messages, get evacuation
plans, run them through law enforcement and operations and everyone agrees
on them and works out sheltering needs,” Lowenthal said. “This was not that
type of incident. ... This was nothing like anything I have ever experienced
around here.”
Hamill, emergency coordinator of the Sonoma County Fire and Emergency
Services Department, said the county will review its decision not to issue a
Wireless Emergency Alert when they are no longer fighting the blaze.
“It’s possible we could have said, ‘Hey, be on the lookout, if you feel like your
life is in danger, please evacuate,’ but we didn’t obviously,” Hamill said.
“We’ve never done an evacuation to this scale ever before, so this will have to
be one of those after action items we review and determine how we can do this
better next time.”
Joaquin Palomino and Kimberly Veklerov are San Francisco Chronicle staff
writers. Email: [email protected], [email protected].
Twitter: @JoaquinPalomino, @Kveklerov
10/12/2017 No cellphone warnings before Northern California wildfires swept through - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-california-fire-emergency-alert-20171011-story.html 1/4
A
No cellphone warnings before Northern California wildfires sweptthrough
By Phil Willon, Chris Megerian, Paige St. John and Rong-Gong Lin II
OCTOBER 12, 2017, 7:35 AM | REPORTING FROM SANTA ROSA, CALIF.
s fast-moving fires invaded neighborhoods across Northern California this week, residents in Napa and Sonoma counties said they were alerted
to the approaching disaster by frantic shouts from neighbors, honking horns, blaring smoke alarms and even the noise of an American flag
whipping in the intense winds.
But it’s becoming increasingly clear that many residents did not receive warnings on their cellphones similar to an Amber Alert. The so-called Wireless
Emergency Alert sends loud, screeching alarms or vibrations to all cellphones in a geographic area unless a user specifically opts out.
On Wednesday, officials faced questions about why authorities could not reach more people as the fires barreled toward homes late Sunday night and early
Monday morning.
Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano said Wednesday that the county sent out warnings through its SoCoAlert service and Nixle, both systems that
require residents to register in advance in order to receive messages. The county also sent out reverse 911 calls to landlines in unincorporated areas. Santa
Rosa, where block after block of suburban homes was destroyed, sent out alerts through SoCoAlert, Nixle and on social media.
Sonoma County is among dozens of California jurisdictions that applied for and received authority from the federal government to issue Wireless
Emergency Alerts. It’s unclear whether the county tried to use the system this week and, if so, why it didn’t reach some people.
Napa County issued alerts through Nixle, but officials said some residents had trouble receiving the warnings.
The death toll from the fires rose Wednesday to at least 23, with some victims simply unable to outrun the flames. An estimated 3,500 homes, businesses
and other structures were burned.
In the devastated Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa, some residents of scorched homes said they were surprised they didn’t get an alert on their
phones.
Over 160,000 acres have been destroyed in northern California fires.
10/12/2017 No cellphone warnings before Northern California wildfires swept through - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-california-fire-emergency-alert-20171011-story.html 2/4
Michael Desmond, 59, a retired homeland security investigator, said he was lying in bed Sunday night skimming news stories on his iPad when he heard a
commotion outside. Finally, he heard what a firefighter was saying: “Firestorm. Get out of here now! Take nothing! Just go!”
“So I got my dog. I got my wallet. Got my keys. And left,” he said Wednesday, as he walked down the street of his neighborhood carrying a charred
mailbox, one of the few things he was able to salvage from his home destroyed by wildfire.
“I think they were totally unprepared for this,” he said.
A few blocks away, high school teacher Anna Solano, 50, said she also received no phone warning.
Solano, who on Wednesday sifted through the ashes of her home looking for keys to equipment lockers and classrooms, had smelled smoke earlier Sunday
evening but thought there was just a house fire in the area. About 2:30 a.m. Monday, a man knocked on her door and kept banging, waking up Solano’s
dog, who eventually woke her up.
“That gentleman saved our lives. A stranger,” she said. “We saw the fire coming. We left here in five minutes.”
The fire — one of the most destructive in California history — moved through northern Santa Rosa swiftly, with winds clocking 50 mph carrying embers
that ignited numerous spot fires, burning down entire neighborhoods.
“The fire came through the night. It was rapidly moving,” said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “Some
people were awakened while the fire was actually on their doorstep.”
Sonoma County officials said it will take time to determine the reach of the alerts they tried to issue.
“I don’t know how effective that was,” said Giordano, the Sonoma County sheriff. “It’s going to take a long time until we understand that.”
The Wireless Emergency Alert system was rolled out in 2012, and California used it to send an Amber Alert for the first time in 2013. The alerts are
transmitted on an exclusive frequency that can reach many people at the same time, and Amber Alerts — which notify the public of the case of an abducted
child — have proven effective.
Alerts like these have been used to warn New Yorkers about the approach of Hurricane Sandy and tell the people of Moore, Okla., about the arrival of a
massive tornado.
But some local jurisdictions don’t use them — or don’t know how.
This year, San Jose officials were roundly chastised for failing to warn the public about destructive floodwaters before they overflowed through densely
populated neighborhoods along Coyote Creek amid the winter’s heavy rains.
In July, a withering report concluded that in San Jose, “there was a general lack of institutional knowledge” on how to broadcast alerts on the Wireless
Emergency Alert system. San Jose itself at the time was not set up to issue such alerts on its own. Santa Clara County did have the ability to do so, but no
one from the city asked the county to release an alert on its behalf.
For local authorities to use the federal system, municipalities need to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to become an alerting
authority. The city of Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco and Sacramento County are among the jurisdictions that have registered to use the
wireless alert system.
Napa County is not listed. Heather Ruiz, a spokeswoman for the Napa County Office of Emergency Services, said her county has not been using the
Wireless Emergency Alert system and was not sure if they had the ability to do so. Instead, they issue alerts through Nixle.
Mark Eggan, Napa County Sheriff’s Office information technology chief, said 1,500 people responded to a Nixle alert Sunday night by clicking on a link to
the department’s web server, causing it to crash. During the server’s crash, people could read the brief message on their phones, but the link to get further
information did not work. Eggan said the system had never been taxed like that before.
This week, Napa County officials said it’s possible alerts were hampered by fire damage to cellphone towers. The fragility of the cellphone tower network —
highlighted by natural disasters in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico — caused the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, to put the
spotlight on technology in cellphones that can be used to receive alerts through a chip that can receive FM radio signals, which can work even when
cellphone towers are powerless or destroyed.
Though other cellphone manufacturers equip their phones with FM chips, Apple says its most recent models, the iPhone 7 and 8, do not have them.
“It is time for Apple to step up to the plate and put the safety of the American people first,” Pai said in a statement released last month.
10/12/2017 No cellphone warnings before Northern California wildfires swept through - LA Times
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Pai said he has long urged cellphone manufacturers that had turned off FM chips on their cellphones to reactivate them so that people can use them to “get
vital access to life-saving information.” He applauded companies that have done so, and singled out Apple as “the one major phone manufacturer that has
resisted doing so.”
In a statement, Apple said the company “cares deeply about the safety of our users” and noted that users can dial emergency services and receive Amber
Alerts and emergency weather notifications. The company did not respond to questions about whether the company would install FM chips in future
models of the iPhone.
Jurisdictions in California with authority to issue Wireless Emergency Alerts, which are transmitted through FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and
Warning System (IPAWS), as of Aug. 8:
Alameda County Operational Area
Butte County
California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
California Highway Patrol
City of Lancaster
City of Los Angeles
City of Monterey Park
City of Moreno Valley Emergency Operations Center
City of Oakland
City of Rancho Cucamonga
City of San Leandro
City of Tehachapi
City of Torrance Police Department
Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
County of Sacramento
County of Tulare
County of Tuolumne
Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office
Lake County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services
Madera County Sheriff's Department
Marin County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services
Mendocino County Sheriff's Office
Merced County Office of Emergency Services
Mono County Sheriff's Office
Monterey County
Northern California Regional Intelligence Center
Orange County
Placer County Office of Emergency Services
Riverside & San Bernardino Counties (LECC)
San Diego County Office of Emergency Services
San Francisco Department of Emergency Management
San Francisco International Airport
San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services
San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services
Santa Barbara County
Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Services
Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1
Shasta Area Safety Communications Agency (SHASCOM)
Siskiyou County
Solano County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services
Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services Department
Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services
Tehama County Sheriff's Office
Town of Truckee Police Department
Ventura County Sheriff's Office - Office of Emergency Services
Yolo County
10/12/2017 No cellphone warnings before Northern California wildfires swept through - LA Times
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Jurisdictions in California in the process of obtaining the ability to issue the system used to issue Wireless Emergency Alerts, as of Aug. 8:
Arcata Police Department
Camp Roberts Maneuver Training Center
City of Benicia
City of Culver City
City of Duarte
Clearlake Police Department
Fort Hunter Liggett
Glendora Police Department
Los Angeles County Los Angeles World Airports
Mariposa County Sheriff's Office
San Bernardino County Fire Department
San Mateo County
Union City Police Department
United States Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey
UCLA
U.S. Army Garrison Fort Irwin
Source: FEMA
Willon reported from Santa Rosa, Megerian from Mather, Calif., St. John from Napa, and Lin from Los Angeles.
UPDATES:
7:30 a.m.: Updated with added map, image of alert.
Originally posted at 7:40 p.m. Wednesday
Copyright © 2017, Los Angeles Times
This article is related to: Wildfires, Apple Inc., AMBER Alert, Hurricane Sandy (2012)
10/12/2017 BOE hiring investigation finds favoritism | The Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/the-public-eye/article178147311.html 1/8
THE PUBLIC EYE
‘We were forced to hire people.’ Investigation focuses on state tax agency’s hiring.
BY ADAM [email protected]
OCTOBER 12, 2017 12:01 AM
John Calzada wishes he’d never taken the job that placed him directly in between a California tax agency and one of the politicians who was electedto lead it.
Calzada left that job last year when a state investigation found that he’d swayed the agency’s hiring process to favor candidates connected to Board ofEqualization member George Runner.
The report said Calzada pressured managers to interview the sons of someone who worked for Runner, inappropriately involved Runner’s staff inselecting candidates for entry-level civil service jobs and helped hire one job candidate on a rushed timeline that secured him a better pension than hewould have received had he started work a day later.
Calzada resigned before the state completed the investigation. He told investigators he had no real influence over hiring, but they didn’t believe him.
“Your influence over which candidates were selected for interview was not only inappropriate but also provided at least strong influence of suggestionas to who would eventually be selected for the positions,” the report said.
A year later, Calzada insists investigators and his former colleagues misinterpreted his assignment as a liaison between Runner’s staff and the Board
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10/12/2017 BOE hiring investigation finds favoritism | The Sacramento Bee
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of Equalization’s tax collectors and auditors. He said he merely passed along recommendations for the agency to consider and did not direct hires.
“Nobody was under any pressure to hire anyone,” said Calzada, who worked at the Board of Equalization for 27 years. “The reality is the peopledoing the hiring at those offices were at my level or above me. They didn’t need to listen to me.”
Neither Runner nor members of Runner’s staff were interviewed for the personnel investigation. Runner, too, contends the investigatorsmisinterpreted his role in recommending job candidates.
“I recommended plenty of people for state jobs, for military promotions,” he said, “Anybody should be glad to recommend somebody if he hasconfidence in terms of someone doing a job. That applies equally to my position at the BOE, where I was elected to be involved and engaged in theeffective operation of the organization.”
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On its own, the investigation that ended Calzada’s state career charges that a well-placed manager circumvented hiring rules that aim to preventfavoritism and nepotism from taking root in the state’s workforce.
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But the investigation also opens a ground-level window on more damaging trends at the Board of Equalization, the 124-year-old tax agency thatlawmakers gutted this summer.
The Board of Equalization was a unique agency that collected $60 billion a year in taxes and fees. It was the only state tax department in the countryoverseen by elected officials who also served as arbiters of tax disputes.
Two audits since 2015 found that the agency could not properly allocate tax revenue.
One concluded its leaders bent to the whims of elected leaders, allowing elected members to reassign tax collectors for pet projects.
One more soon-to-be-released audit found that 1-in-5 of the agency’s employees worked with a relative, according to sources who received updateson it.
“It’s situation after situation where it was all about hiring your relatives or your political loyalists over someone who wanted to do the job,” saidAssemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, who held hearings on the Board of Equalization last spring and advanced the proposal to break it apart.
State government has general anti-nepotism guidance that it delivers to hiring managers. It allows state departments to reject candidates if hiringrelatives of other employees would hurt morale or create a perception of unfairness.
The state also has a merit-based hiring system that is designed to prevent nepotism by rigidly requiring job candidates to take exams, placethemselves on lists for open jobs and pursue interviews.
The Board of Equalization last year was developing its own anti-nepotism policy after its elected leaders learned about conflicts of interest in one ofits departments.
But before the board could vote on the policy, the Legislature stripped it of its power and staff. Nearly all of its 4,200 employees now work for a newtax-collecting department controlled by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Calzada in his last assignment at the agency held a position as an assistant chief of field operations in between the Board of Equalization’s civilservants and the staff for the elected members who set policy and settled tax disputes. He took the job in 2011, viewing it as a big promotion thatwould help him and his family.
Assistant chiefs of field operations are required to stay in touch with the offices of elected members to share information about events, staff changesand taxpayer complaints. Calzada’s assignment aligned him with Runner’s district, which includes the Central Valley and some of Southern California.
Calzada in September 2012 wrote to managers in field offices that he wanted a say on hiring decisions. Investigators found several messages in whichhe recommended candidates for interviews.
“I will review recommendations and provide final approval on hires,” he wrote in an e-mail cited by Board of Equalization investigators.
He said an interview that he was following direction from Runner’s staff in requesting information about job candidates, and he wanted to make surethat job candidates did not have conflicts in which they worked directly with relatives.
“Almost everyone there has someone they’re related to, and that didn’t seem odd,” said Calzada, whose wife also worked there. “That’s just theculture you grew up in.”
He caught the attention of then-Board of Equalization Executive Director Cynthia Bridges in September 2015 when an anonymous state worker wroteto her complaining that Calzada had “pre-selected” job candidates, according to the investigative report.
Bridges opened an internal investigation that focused first on an allegation that Calzada skewed the agency’s hiring process to find jobs for the sons ofone of Runner’s staff members, according to the report.
In November 2012, Calzada acknowledges that he passed along an unmarked envelope to a hiring manager. He wrote an email to the managersaying, “I have an envelope for you,” according to the investigative report.
In subsequent messages, Calzada wrote that Runner’s staff member “was very adamant that you get it today,” the report shows. The envelopecontained an application from the son of Runner’s staff member.
Calzada said he did not know what was in the envelope when he gave it to the hiring manager, and learned about its contents later that day.
Other emails showed that Calzada kept the father of the job candidate apprised of the application’s progress.
10/12/2017 BOE hiring investigation finds favoritism | The Sacramento Bee
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That son did not make the cut when he took a mandatory exam to apply for a state job. He finished a rank below the cutoff. The investigation saidsomeone made phone calls to get a waiver for the son to be considered for the job. Calzada was not involved in the waiver, the investigation said.
The son of Runner’s staff member began a job at the Board of Equalization on Dec. 31, 2012, a day before a law took effect restricting pensionbenefits for state workers hired after Jan. 1, 2013.
Investigators linked Calzada to the hiring of another son of the same Runner staff member in 2014.
In that case, Calzada removed from interviews a supervisor who was outspoken in his opposition to hiring relatives of people who worked on thepolitical staffs of Board of Equalization members, according to the investigation.
As a result, the supervisor who wanted to avoid conflicts of interest between civil servants and the agency’s political staff did not get to participate inthat job candidate’s interview panel, according to the investigation.
Calzada said in an interview that he noticed other leaders at the agency nudged their kids into careers at the Board of Equalization. He did not wantthe children of the board’s political staff members to be excluded from opportunities that were offered to the children of civil servants.
“Well I’m going to say this, if somebody tells me they have a predisposition to not hiring somebody, I’ve got to alleviate that problem and not create aproblem down the road,” he told Board of Equalization investigators.
Board of Equalization investigators turned up two more instances in which Calzada pushed recommendations for job candidates from Runner’s staff.
“We were forced to hire people,” Siobhan Guiney, a Board of Equalization employee who worked for Calzada, told investigators. She lost her jobbecause of her own role in rushing the hiring of a son of Runner’s staff member. She told investigators she was pressured to sign a name on adocument to make sure that the son would start work before Jan. 1, 2013.
One was a young woman who was recommended for a position by Runner’s chief of staff in 2012. The report said she did not make the cut when shewas given an interview at Calzada’s direction. She got a job with the agency anyway.
“What, we have 3,000 damn positions at the BOE and you can’t get like one person hired to help out?” Calzada reportedly told a manager as hepressed for her hire.
In 2015, Calzada passed along a recommendation from Runner’s staff to hire one of Runner’s temporary employees.
“Get him on as soon as possible. We can loan him back to the member,” Calzada wrote in an email obtained by the investigators.
Looking back, Calzada said the agency in recent years was at war with itself, with some employees favoring civil servants and others siding withelected members. His job as an assistant chief of field operations put him in the middle of it.
“I had no power. I didn’t influence anybody,” he said. “If you believe board members exerted pressure, they wouldn’t need a little guy like me to doit.”
Adam Ashton: 916-321-1063, @Adam_Ashton. Sign up for state worker news alerts at sacbee.com/newsletters.
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10/11/2017 Las Vegas Shooting Victim Sues Owner of Mandalay Bay - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/las-vegas-shooting-victim-sues-owner-of-mandalay-bay-1507762479?mod=e2tw 1/3
LAS VEGAS—A victim in the Las Vegas shooting is suing the owner of Mandalay BayResort and Casino, where the gunman used a 32nd-floor suite as his perch, claiming thecompany didn’t do enough to prevent the Oct. 1 attack that killed 58 people and injuredhundreds more.
The negligence lawsuit filed Tuesday on behalf of a California college student is believedto be the first to target MGM Resorts International , which owns Mandalay Bay. The suitblames MGM for alleged lapses including failing to notice the shooter was stockpilingweapons in his suite and not responding quickly enough to the shooting of a Mandalaysecurity guard outside the gunman’s room.
Gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on the guard, Jesus Campos, six minutes beforeturning his weapons on the crowd below, according to a revised timeline outlined thisweek by law enforcement. The apparent gap in response time could expose the casino tosignificant liability, legal experts said Wednesday.
MGM has cast doubt on the revised timeline, saying the company “cannot be certainabout the most recent timeline that has been communicated publicly” by police andbelieves “what is currently being expressed may not be accurate.”
The change in timeline raises a question whether Paddock might have been stoppedbefore he fired on the crowd. Police said Paddock shot Mr. Campos in the leg.
The lawsuit also names concert promoter Live Nation , Paddock’s estate, and Slide FireSolutions, the maker of a “bump stock” device that helps semiautomatic weapons firefaster.
In a statement, MGM spokeswoman Debra DeShong said “we are not going to try thiscase in the public domain and we will give our response through the appropriate legalchannels.”
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U.S.
Las Vegas Shooting Victim Sues Ownerof Mandalay BayLawsuit filed on behalf of injured California college student also names concert promoterand cites security concerns about music venue
The gunman in the Las Vegas shooting Oct, 1 fired from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, where hehad broken windows. PHOTO: JOHN LOCHER/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oct. 11, 2017 6:54 p.m. ETBy Sara Randazzo, Jim Carlton and Chris Kirkham
10/11/2017 Las Vegas Shooting Victim Sues Owner of Mandalay Bay - WSJ
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A Live Nation spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit but said the companyis devastated by the tragedy and cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Slide Fire is separately named in a lawsuit filed Friday by the Brady Center to PreventGun Violence, a nonprofit focused on reducing gun-related deaths. The Moran, Texascompany couldn’t be reached for comment.
Plaintiff Paige Gasper, 21 years old, was attending the Route 91 Harvest music festivalOct. 1 when bullets began raining down on the crowd, according to the complaint, filedTuesday in state court in Las Vegas. A bullet struck her side, shattering ribs andlacerating her liver, the complaint said. She was trampled as she tried to flee andeventually made it out of the venue and to a hospital with the assistance of strangers,according to her lawyers.
Ms. Gasper’s mother, Heather Selken, said at a press conference Wednesday that herdaughter is a senior studying psychology at Sonoma State University who holds downthree jobs.
The lawsuit takes issue with the security at the festival, claiming Live Nation and MGM,which owns the land where the event was held, negligently failed to design proper exitsor train staff on what to do in an emergency.
Chad Pinkerton, a Houston-based attorney on Ms. Gasper’s legal team, also claimed noPA announcements were made to direct concertgoers where to flee when the shootingbroke out.
Other civil lawsuits are likely to be filed in the coming days, according to legal expertsand plaintiffs’ lawyers working with concertgoers and families of those killed.
Litigation stemming from mass shootings, however, has often faced roadblocks in court.
Movie theater operator Cinemark largely defeated lawsuits trying to hold it liable for arampage at an Aurora, Colo., theater in 2012 that killed 12 people and injured 70 others.
A court ruled against the families of those killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook ElementarySchool shooting who sued companies involved in the making and selling of the gun usedin the Newtown, Conn., attack. The case is on appeal.
Outside of litigation, victims can also recoup money from donation-based compensationfunds that are often set up following incidents of mass violence. Funds following the2016 shooting at an Orlando night club and the 2013 Boston-marathon bombing raisedtens of millions of dollars. At least $10 million has been raised for Las Vegas victimsaccording to a GoFundMe page.
Many lawsuits are pursued for purposes that go beyond financial recovery, legal expertssay, such as trying to hold the responsible parties accountable.
Ms. Gasper’s mother said Wednesday the family’s interest is primarily in ensuring thatthis kind of attack doesn’t take place again—not financial compensation. “Our drivingforce is wanting change in practices and security,” Ms. Selken said.
The first officers arrived on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay about 2 minutes afterPaddock stopped shooting, and about 12 minutes after he started, according to police.
According to police radio communications reviewed by The Wall Street Journal andprovided by Broadcastify, a firm that collects live audio from public agencies, the firstmention of the shooting on police radio occurred at about 10:06 p.m.
That was about a minute after police said Paddock started firing into the crowd below,and seven minutes after police said he shot Mr. Campos. There is no mention on theaudio reviewed by The Journal of police being alerted to the shooting of the securityguard before Paddock began shooting.
The communications first reference a call from Mandalay Bay security at about 10:24p.m., when a dispatcher refers to Mandalay Bay security reporting “shots fired on 29 and
10/11/2017 Las Vegas Shooting Victim Sues Owner of Mandalay Bay - WSJ
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32nd levels.”
Authorities haven’t released 911 records from that night, citing the open investigationinto the shooting.
Write to Sara Randazzo at [email protected], Jim Carlton [email protected] and Chris Kirkham at [email protected]
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10/12/2017 In the wake of mass killing, Las Vegas reaches out to tourists with a new ad - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-vegas-shooting-ad-20171011-story.html 1/2
T
In the wake of mass killing, Las Vegas reaches out to tourists with anew ad
By Hugo Martin
OCTOBER 11, 2017, 10:35 PM
en days after a mass shooting killed dozens and injured hundreds in Las Vegas, the city that thrives on tourists, gambling and good times
launched an ad to encourage visitors to return.
The new ad, released Wednesday by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, features photos and Twitter posts from Vegas fans
expressing support and vowing to come back.
“No one and nothing will stop me from going to Vegas,” said one Twitter post shown in the ad.
“We love Vegas. Always have. Always will,” read another post in the ad, which did not explicitly mention the Oct. 1 shooting.
Rossi Ralenkotter, chief executive of the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, said the ad, which will launch this week on national television and
social media sites, is intended to reflect the mood of longtime visitors to the gambling mecca in Nevada.
He said focus groups and surveys showed strong support for the town in the wake of the massacre.
“People were saying how much they love Las Vegas and they support us and the victims and the first responders,” he said. “We really did see this pouring
out of love and compassion from our customers and friends.”
The Oct. 1 shooting killed 58 people and injured nearly 500 others who were attending an outdoor country music concert.
Tourism is the city’s biggest industry, with Las Vegas breaking visitation records for the last three years in a row. Las Vegas welcomed almost 43 million
visitors last year, with hotel occupancy rates at about 90%, according to the authority. The tourist industry in Las Vegas employs about 400,000 people.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau launches a new ad in the wake of the mass shooting.
10/12/2017 In the wake of mass killing, Las Vegas reaches out to tourists with a new ad - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-vegas-shooting-ad-20171011-story.html 2/2
For years, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority relied on a tourism campaign with the motto “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” The
motto has been incorporated into television ads that depicted Las Vegas as an adult playground where anything goes.
Ralenkotter said the authority will return to such ads “at some point in time.”
To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
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