10/13/2017 Bad news for firefighters: Santa Ana winds, high temperatures forecast for this weekend – San Bernardino Sun

http://www.sbsun.com/2017/10/13/bad-news-for-firefighters-santa-ana-winds-high-temperatures-forecast-for-this-weekend/ 1/3

By CITY NEWS SERVICE |PUBLISHED: October 13, 2017 at 9:30 am | UPDATED: October 13, 2017 at 9:43 am

High temperatures and low humidity are forecast to return to Riverside County on Friday, while Santa Ana winds are set to buffet the

region west of the mountains over the weekend and increase the potential for wild�res.

The warmest weather is expected Sunday, when forecasts call for highs of 91 to 97 in Riverside and Lake Elsinore, 86 to 94 in the Santa Ana

Mountains and foothills, 88 to 93 near the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning, 93 in San Bernardino, and 91 to 96 in the Coachella Valley.

The weather west of the mountains should remain relatively pleasant with clear, sunny skies. High temperatures forecast for Friday will be

82 to 87 in Riverside and Lake Elsinore, 73 to 79 in the mountains, 88 to 93 near the San Gorgonio Pass, 86 in San Bernardino and 90 to 95 in

the Coachella Valley.

The �re danger will increase beginning Saturday morning and continuing until Sunday, according to forecasts from the National Weather

Service and U.S. Forest Service.

“Temperatures will heat up and humidity will plummet west of the mountains this weekend as Santa Ana winds develop over parts of the

Inland Empire and adjacent mountains,” the weather service said.

A �re weather watch, which is slightly less serious than a red �ag warning, will go into effect at 10 a.m. Saturday and last until noon Sunday

for the Inland Empire, Riverside County valleys and the Santa Ana Mountains — which includes the Trabuco Ranger District of the

Cleveland National Forest.

According to the Forest Service’s Santa Ana Wild�re Threat Index — which lists the threat level in the Inland region as marginal — any

wild�res that erupt Saturday or Sunday “may grow rapidly” due to the Santa Ana winds.

The increased �re danger comes as �re�ghters battle the Canyon Fire 2 in the northeastern portion of Orange County — just west of

Corona.

Though the blaze was expected to be fully contained by Tuesday, Mike Lyster, spokesman for the city of Anaheim, said it is important that

residents keep up with developments this weekend in case the blaze takes off again.

Winds are expected to gust up to 30 or 40 mph beginning Sunday in parts of the Inland Empire, while humidity levels will drop to between

5 percent and 10 percent, according to the weather service.

“The locally gusty winds combined with heat, low  humidity and very dry fuels will create critical �re weather conditions,” the weather

service said.

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Bad news for firefighters: Santa Ana winds, hightemperatures forecast for this weekend

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10/13/2017 Morongo Basin resources go to Canyon 2 fire - Hi-Desert Star: News

http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_f69c1cde-af74-11e7-aa99-db52daf2f90f.html?mode=print 1/1

Morongo Basin resources go to Canyon 2 fireBy Leah Sanson, Hi-Desert Star | Posted: Thursday , October 12, 2017 10:44 am

MORONGO BASIN — Both the Cal Fire station in Yucca Valley and Morongo Valley Fire have responded to aid with the Canyon 2 fire in Orange

County.

Canyon 2 started around 9:51 a.m. Monday in the Anaheim Hills and carved a path of destruction. ByWednesday morning, it had burned more than 12 square miles, destroyed 15 structures and was 45 percentcontained.

Fire agencies have 1,600 people working on the scene of the blaze, with 255 engines and 13 helicopters.

Morongo Valley Fire sent one engine with three people on it for structure protection.

Cal Fire Yucca Valley sent engine 3567 with an engineer and two firefighters to help battle the blaze.

Another engine from Cal Fire was sent to the scene from Lucerne Valley.

“Once the personnel are released from the Canyon 2 Fire, they will go up north most likely,” Cal Fire Capt.Drew Smith said. “They need more resources up north.”

Through California, firefighters are battling 22 large wildfires that have killed at least 23 people, burnedaround 265 square miles and destroyed 3,500 structures, according to Cal Fire. Seventeen of those firesstarted in the past four days.

Engines from other stations are covering for the deployed firefighters at the Yucca Valley station.

San Bernardino County Fire also sent resources to the wildfire, a total of 17 people with five engines, butnone from the Morongo Basin.

There is an engine at the fire from Victorville, however.

10/13/2017 Death toll from Northern California fires jumps to 31; names of 10 victims released - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-northern-california-firestorms-20171012-story.html 1/7

F

Death toll from Northern California fires jumps to31; names of 10 victims released

By Louis Sahagun , Paige St. John , Nina Agrawal , Sonali Kohli , Chris Megerian and AleneTchekmedyian

OCTOBER 12, 2017, 11:20 PM | REPORTING FROM SANTA ROSA, CALIF.

ire crews began to make slow progress against wildfires that have killed at least 31 people in Northern

California’s wine country as officials continued the grim search for more bodies amid the ashes.

In Santa Rosa, the hardest hit by the fires, officials said they were stunned by the scale of the

destruction. An estimated 2,834 homes were destroyed in the city of Santa Rosa alone, along with about

400,000 square feet of commercial space, Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said in a news conference Thursday

afternoon.

Flames left entire neighborhoods and commercial districts in ruins and even destroyed the city’s newest fire

station, on Fountaingrove Parkway.

Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano told reporters that another person was found dead in his county as

search crews and cadaver dogs began sifting through debris for the first time Thursday.

Over 160,000 acres have been destroyed in northern California fires.

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10/13/2017 Death toll from Northern California fires jumps to 31; names of 10 victims released - LA Times

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Later Thursday, officials confirmed the discovery of several more bodies. Of the 31 deaths, 17 were in Sonoma

County, eight were in Mendocino County, four were in Yuba County and two were in Napa County, according to

Sonoma County, Cal Fire and Yuba County officials.

Taken together, the death toll from the wildfires in the wine country has now exceeded that of the 1991 Oakland

Hills fire, which totaled 25. The Cedar fire, which swept through San Diego County in 2003, killed 15 people and

destroyed more than 2,800 structures.

Late Thursday, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office identified 10 people who died in that county. They were:

Carol Collins-Swasey, 76, of Santa Rosa

Lynne Anderson Powell, 72, of Santa Rosa

Arthur Tasman Grant, 95, of Santa Rosa

Suiko Grant, 75, of Santa Rosa

Donna Mae Halbur, 80, of Larkfield-Wikiup

Leroy Peter Halbur, 80, of Larkfield-Wikiup

Valerie Lynn Evans, 75, of Santa Rosa

Carmen Caldentey Berriz, 75, of Apple Valley

Michael John Dornbach, 57, of Calistoga

Veronica Elizabeth McCombs, 67, of Santa Rosa

Some of the bodies were recovered intact, while others had been reduced to ashes and bones. In two cases, the

remains were identified through the serial number on medical devices, such as a metal hip replacement. Two

were identified by dental records, another through distinct tattoos. Authorities used fingerprints and family

members to identify the rest.

The average age of the 10 who were named was 75, highlighting the risk among elderly and people with

disabilities who live in rural regions where cellphones may not work.

As of late Thursday, about 400 people were still missing. The searches can take hours, and identification will be

difficult, Giordano said.

“We will do everything in our power to locate all the missing persons, and I promise you we will handle the

remains with care and get them returned to their loved ones,” Giordano said.

It could be weeks or even months before all the bodies are identified, he said.

Asked whether he expected the death toll to rise, Giordano said, “I’d be unrealistic if I didn’t.”

State and local officials expressed optimism that milder-than-expected winds and additional firefighting crews

from across California were allowing them to make progress against the worst of the fires. But forecasters say

winds and hot conditions will return Friday and Saturday.

10/13/2017 Death toll from Northern California fires jumps to 31; names of 10 victims released - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-northern-california-firestorms-20171012-story.html 3/7

“We need to hit this thing hard and get it done,” Santa Rosa Fire Chief Tom Gossner told hundreds of

firefighters battling the devastating Tubbs fire in Santa Rosa. “It’s time to finish this thing.”

Fire authorities had feared that 40-mph winds predicted for early Thursday morning would further stoke

flames and carry embers to residential areas that so far had escaped fire.

But those winds never materialized in the vicinity of Calistoga, where mandatory evacuation orders had forced

5,000 residents from their homes the previous afternoon. Cal Fire spokesman Richard Cordova said the lull

allowed crews to establish a 10% containment around the 34,200-acre Tubbs fire.

On Thursday morning, Calistoga was still a ghost town, apart from a few dozen residents who stayed behind

and a Cal Fire incident command center at the town’s Old Faithful geyser.

Motorcycle officers wearing masks were circling the deserted streets. Everything was closed in the downtown

area — the art galleries, wine tasting rooms, cafes. Thick smoke hung like fog. Roads leading into town were

closed.

There is still concern for Calistoga and elsewhere, as officials expect winds between 10 mph and 20 mph

Thursday night, and stronger seasonal winds over the weekend, Cal Fire spokeswoman Heather Williams said.

Firefighters were battling the Tubbs fire around Mt. St. Helena on Thursday morning, but they started pulling

back before noon. The fire had hopped Highway 29, which runs adjacent to the mountain north of evacuated

Calistoga.

"It's so thick [with vegetation], it's so steep. The fire is unpredictable," said Amy Head, a Cal Fire spokeswoman

on the scene. "We don't want to get trapped on this mountain."

Firefighters had been setting backfires to try to ward off further damage, and contractors were trucking up

tanks of water to resupply them. At noon Thursday, the air was thick with smoke.

Those who return “are on your own,” said Calistoga Mayor Chris Canning, warning residents not to expect

personal fire protection.

“If you are trying to visit Calistoga, you are not welcome,” Canning said. “To the Calistogans out there, stay

strong.”

About 10 miles away from the city at Napa Valley College, a Red Cross shelter swelled with hundreds of

evacuees.

Crews also managed to start a containment line for the 43,000-acre Atlas fire — good news for Napa residents

who were warned Wednesday afternoon that they might have to evacuate eastern sections of town closest to the

fire.

10/13/2017 Death toll from Northern California fires jumps to 31; names of 10 victims released - LA Times

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The Atlas fire, which began in Napa and moved into Solano County, has put the Green Valley area in danger,

Williams said. That area had mandatory evacuations earlier in the week.

“Additional resources are starting to give us the upper hand,” said Cal Fire deputy incident commander Barry

Biermann in Napa.

Firefighters in Napa and Solano counties were warned Thursday morning that critical “red flag” conditions

remain, with strong winds, low humidity and “extremely receptive fuels,” according to Thursday morning’s Cal

Fire incident management plan for the Atlas and neighboring fires.

Despite continuing red flag conditions, forecasts called for cooler daytime temperatures and relatively light

winds Thursday. Fire authorities were predicting a generally productive day.

By Thursday evening, mandatory evacuations were lifted in the areas of Silverado Country Club, Monticello

Park and the Avenues, along with areas west of Silverado Trail, between Hardman Avenue and California 128.

While that forecast may give firefighters hope, tens of thousands of residents throughout the region were still

reeling from the devastation.

The fires have consumed an estimated 180,000 acres and thousands of structures.

Beneath choking smoke-filled skies that made the morning sun appear deep orange, upscale neighborhoods on

the northern edges of Santa Rosa were in ashes, along with gas stations, big-box stores and vineyards.

Charming country towns of little more than a few antique shops, the post office and a grocery store remained

emptied by evacuation orders.

Road closures are turning routine drives into long, circuitous routes across a landscape with fires burning and

columns of smoke rising in almost every direction.

“It may be several days or more than a week before people who’ve been displaced can start the process of

healing and rebuilding,” said Cordova, the Cal Fire spokesman. “That cannot happen until we remove all the

hazards out there: downed power lines, toppled trees, smoldering hot spots and power outages.”

Thousands of people forced from their homes remain gathered in Red Cross shelters, and some still don’t know

whether they have a home to return to.

Some in need are staying away from the shelters, afraid that officials will ask about immigration status.

Giordano, the Sonoma County sheriff, assured the public Thursday afternoon that while shelters will ask for

names as a way to keep track of people and aid in finding missing persons, they cannot ask about immigration

status.

“No one involved in this process is going to ask any immigration questions. It’s not appropriate, it’s not going to

happen," Giordano said “We’re only asking names, your immigration status is irrelevant. ... Help is there for

10/13/2017 Death toll from Northern California fires jumps to 31; names of 10 victims released - LA Times

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everyone.”

Throughout the region, major highways and country lanes were packed with PG&E trucks aggressively working

to restore communications by repairing downed power lines and replacing destroyed telephone poles.

There are a total of 17 fires in the area, Williams said.

The weaker winds also aided firefighters on the 9,500-acre Partrick fire, but the danger of its pushing into

Sonoma and Vineburg remained Thursday.

The Mendocino Lake Complex fires, which includes the Redwood and Sulphur fires, reached 32,500 acres by

Thursday, she said. The larger, 29,500-acre Redwood fire is 5% contained, and the Sulphur fire is 40%

contained, Williams said.

“They do have structures that have been destroyed — a couple hundred residential structures and nearly 100

outbuildings,” she said.

The area saw mandatory evacuations Monday night in Potter Valley.

The winds can reignite embers and send them hurtling through the air. If they land in areas not yet burned,

there would be little that firefighters could do to stop them from setting off new conflagrations, officials said.

“Every glowing ember is a ticking time bomb,” said Stephen Warren, a Cal Fire apparatus engineer.

In addition to Calistoga, residents of Geyserville, in Sonoma County, were ordered to leave their homes

Wednesday night, and some in the northeast portion of Santa Rosa were advised to evacuate voluntarily.

Sonoma County also ordered Rio Lindo Adventist Academy, a boarding school on the outskirts of Healdsburg

near the edge of the Tubbs fire, to prepare to evacuate if necessary. The school is “up a very long, narrow, two-

lane road,” said Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Jones “Logistically, it’s a nightmare to evacuate.”

“We’ve had big fires in the past,” Gov. Jerry Brown said Wednesday at a briefing with state and federal fire

officials. “This is one of the biggest.”

Statewide, 30 air tankers, nearly 75 helicopters and 550 fire engines with several thousand firefighters already

have been pressed into service. State officials have requested more than 300 additional engines from other

states and the federal government.

Santa Rosa lost landmarks in the fire, including the home of “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz.

ALSO

Firefighters tell residents in Napa County to flee, but some refuse

10/13/2017 Death toll from Northern California fires jumps to 31; names of 10 victims released - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-northern-california-firestorms-20171012-story.html 6/7

As California burns, here's what you need to know about fire insurance

Why many didn't get cellphone warnings before Northern California wildfires swept through

UPDATES:

10 p.m.: Updated with loss Peanuts creator’s home.

9 p.m. : This article was updated new forecast.

7:25 p.m.: This article was updated with information about how the bodies were identified, as well as how

many people remain missing.

6:55 p.m.: This article was updated with context about other wildfires.

6:20 p.m.: This article was updated with the identities of 10 people killed in the wildfire.

6:15 p.m.: This article was updated with a new death toll.

5:45 p.m.: This article was updated with tweaks to the top.

4 p.m.: This article was updated with new details from Santa Rosa.

2 p.m. : This article was updated with information about destruction in Santa Rosa, attempts to combat the

Tubbs fire near Calistoga and access to shelters.

1:20 p.m. : This article was updated with a revised death toll and information about firefighting efforts near

Calistoga.

12:20 p.m.: This article was updated with information about searches for fire victims.

11:45 a.m. : This article was updated with information about search and rescue efforts, and information about

the city of Calistoga.

10:45 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano.

9:50 a.m.: This article was updated with a revised death toll and comments from Calistoga Mayor Chris

Canning.

9:05 a.m.: This article was updated with more information about the fires and firefighting efforts.

This article was originally published at 6:25 a.m.

Copyright © 2017, Los Angeles Times

10/13/2017 Northern California firestorm brings illness, strains healthcare system - LA Times

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Hospitals evacuated, medical offices destroyed

Northern California firestorm brings illness, strainshealthcare system

By Soumya Karlamangla

OCTOBER 12, 2017, 8:35 PM

T he deadly Northern California fires — by forcing the evacuation of severalhospitals and clinics and destroying the homes of many doctors and nurses —have put a strain on available medical services.

The Petaluma Health Center canceled all scheduled appointments this week to maketime for people requiring urgent care. They’ve treated asthmatics struggling to breatheamid some of the most unhealthy air in Bay Area history, as well as people who sprainedtheir ankles or forgot to grab their medications as they raced from burning homes innearby Santa Rosa, clinic chief administrative officer Pedro Toledo said.

Echoing health providers across the region, Toledo said the situation has been especiallystressful because the danger isn’t gone. The many fires devastating wine country arenowhere near containment, and the clinic could be threatened if the wind changes. Thisweek, staff made emergency supply kits for their cars.

“A major earthquake hits and then it’s over … we still have no sense of when this isgoing to end,” Toledo said. “This thing could get worse.”

As the Tubbs fire closed in Monday morning, staff evacuated more than 200 patientsfrom Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa and Sutter Santa Rosa Regional hospitals. Videofootage showed people in scrubs wheeling patients hooked up to IVs out of the Kaiserhospital — with orange flames just feet away.

The hospitals that remain open have been treating the transferred patients, as well astending to those suffering from severe smoke inhalation or burns. Others have shownup at emergency rooms after being injured while evacuating, in car crashes or falls.

10/13/2017 Northern California firestorm brings illness, strains healthcare system - LA Times

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Skies filled with smoke

Short on medical supplies

“There’s certainly been a strain on some of our facilities,” said Dr. Josh Weil, assistantphysician-in-chief at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa.

Weil said staff were using medical offices on the Santa Rosa campus, which escapeddamage, as a command center, but that the rapidly changing conditions made it difficultto plan.

About 150 Kaiser employees, including Weil, already had lost their homes to fire, hesaid. And those who haven’t were monitoring the potential risk to theirs.

“You keep thinking … ‘All right, we’re through this.’ And then we’re not,” Weil said. “Youthink it’s safe, and then it’s under threat again. You think it’s safe … and then it’s gone.”

The air quality in the Bay Area has been abysmal this week. Cars are filled with ash, andapartments smell like smoke. The air feels thick.

Health officials have advised residents not to go outdoors unless absolutely necessary.The polluted air can cause coughing or dizziness. It also can exacerbate emphysema,asthma and other lung diseases.

Toledo said that on Wednesday alone the clinic treated 600 patients, most of whomwere complaining of smoke-related issues. Asthma flare-ups. Red and stinging eyes.Many asked for inhalers to breathe easier.

Doctors and nurses at the clinic wore masks and handed them out to patients.

One company installed air purifiers to try to help with the smoke at three of its dialysisclinics, said Gerry Argue, a division vice president at DaVita.

“The dialysis patient population is already quite fragile ... so they’re more vulnerable,”Argue said.

According to weather experts, shifting conditions make it hard to know when the airquality will improve.

10/13/2017 Northern California firestorm brings illness, strains healthcare system - LA Times

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Shivawn Brady, who evacuated from her Glen Ellen home in the Sonoma Valley onMonday, has been helping distribute goods to shelters across the region.

“From what I’m hearing, the hardest thing is getting hold of medical supplies,” Bradysaid.

The need was particularly severe, she said, at shelters housing patients evacuated fromnursing homes. Requests have come in for syringes, inhalers, bed pans, eye drops,hydrocortisone cream and glucometers to check for diabetic patients’ blood sugar levels.

“They’re just in short supply everywhere,” Brady said.

After the roof of the Vista Family Health Center began to melt Monday morning, SantaRosa Community Health Centers CEO Naomi Fuchs said, sprinklers flooded the facilitythat treats 27,000 patients a year.

Now staff members are trying to serve patients from the system’s other facilities andhave set up a phone bank to answer people’s medical questions.

Fuchs said the most common requests have come from residents who evacuated withouttheir prescription medications.

“We’re trying to do as much medicine as we can without having people come into theclinic,” she said.

She recalled holding a meeting this week and seeing her staff, many of whom had losttheir homes, eager to work.

“Tears just started streaming down my face,” Fuchs said, describing it as both“heartbreaking and heartwarming.”

Please consider subscribing today to support stories like this one. Already a subscriber?Your support makes our work possible. Thank you. Get full access to our signaturejournalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks.

soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com

10/13/2017 Horrific toll of firestorms comes into focus as firefighters make progress - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-northern-california-fires-progress-20171013-story.html 1/4

C

Horrific toll of firestorms comes into focus asfirefighters make progress

By Chris Megerian , Nina Agrawal , Sonali Kohli and Hailey Branson-Potts

OCTOBER 13, 2017, 6:30 AM | REPORTING FROM CALISTOGA, CALIF.

alistoga was a ghost town Thursday. Thick smoke hung in the air like fog. Motorcycle cops in masks

circled deserted streets. Everything downtown was closed — the art galleries, the cafes, the wine-

tasting rooms.

But the fact that this Napa County wine country town was still standing was seen as a victory after days of

relentless destruction in Northern California from one of the worst firestorms in state history.

The entire town of Calistoga had been evacuated the previous day amid fire authorities’ fears that 40-mph

winds would drive the massive, deadly Tubbs fire toward Calistoga after it wiped out huge swaths of Santa Rosa.

The good news — and weary fire crews clung to any good news — was that, as of Thursday afternoon, the wind

wasn’t as bad as expected and crews were beginning to get a handle on some of the blazes. But officials stressed

the conditions remain highly dangerous. Erratic winds are expected this weekend, and the mass evacuations are

expected to continue.School is back in session! Sponsor a student today START NOW ›

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Firefighters did take advantage of a lull in the winds beginning Wednesday night, said Richard Cordova, a

spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, allowing crews to establish 10%

containment around the 34,270-acre blaze, which had killed at least 17 people in neighboring Sonoma County

as of Thursday night.

But to the west in Santa Rosa, the full scope of the catastrophic fires was coming into grim focus. Stunned city

officials said Thursday that an estimated 2,834 homes and 400,000 square feet of commercial space have been

destroyed, mostly on Sunday night and Monday morning. Even the city’s newest fire station, along

Fountaingrove Parkway, has been lost, Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said.

Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano said authorities were "moving into a recovery phase" in the burned-

out neighborhoods of Santa Rosa and that this process will be long and painful.

“So far, in the recoveries, we have found bodies that were almost completely intact, and we have found bodies

that were nothing more than ash and bone,” he said, noting that in the latter cases, sometimes the only way to

identify someone was through a medical device, such as a metal hip replacement with an identification number.

It could take weeks, or even months, to identify the most incinerated bodies, Giordano said. Law enforcement

officers were walking with cadaver dogs through destroyed neighborhoods where it was likely that bodies would

be found, he added.

At least 17 fires were burning in Northern California, and authorities on Thursday raised the death toll for all

the blazes to 31. Local officials said they had begun the search for more bodies amid the ashes of burned

communities. Hundreds remained missing.

Still, state and local officials throughout Northern California expressed optimism that milder-than-expected

winds and the arrival of more firefighting crews would allow them to make progress against the worst of the

blazes.

Crews managed to start a containment line for the 43,762-acre Atlas fire, which began in Napa and moved into

Solano County.

“We are beginning to contain this fire, and that is the story of the day,” Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos

said.

Though firefighters found hope in cooler daytime temperatures and relatively light winds, thousands of

residents were reeling from the devastation. The fires had consumed at least 180,000 acres in Northern

California.

Around Santa Rosa, hotels were sold out, packed with people who lost their homes or didn’t know when they

could return. Restaurants were providing free food to evacuees, and some residents had already begun filling

out insurance paperwork as they wondered where they would go.

10/13/2017 Horrific toll of firestorms comes into focus as firefighters make progress - LA Times

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Teams from the Napa County coroner were on Atlas Peak Road outside Napa on Thursday, checking the

addresses of people reported missing, “kind of like wellness checks,” said sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Foster. At one

address, the news was good.

“The property was intact,” he said. Residents must have escaped.

Road closures throughout the region turned routine drives into long, circuitous routes through an apocalyptic

landscape. Major highways and country lanes were packed with utility trucks as crews worked to repair downed

power lines and replace destroyed telephone poles.

Firefighters who had been battling flames around Mt. St. Helena struggled Thursday. They pulled back before

noon after the fire hopped Highway 29, which runs adjacent to the mountain north of evacuated Calistoga.

“It’s so steep. The fire is unpredictable,” said Amy Head, a Cal Fire spokeswoman on the scene. “We don’t want

to get trapped on this mountain.”

After regrouping nearby, firefighters returned to the mountain in the afternoon, clearing brush in hopes of

slowing the fire’s advance.

There was still concern for Calistoga and elsewhere, as officials expected winds between 10 and 20 mph

Thursday night and stronger seasonal winds over the weekend, Cal Fire spokeswoman Heather Williams said.

Those who return “are on your own,” said Calistoga Mayor Chris Canning. “To the Calistogans out there, stay

strong.”

Hundreds of people from the Calistoga area remained at the Red Cross shelter at nearby Napa Valley College.

Dan Sutidze, 55, had evacuated with his mother-in-law. They had packed a bag earlier this week and were

thinking about unpacking it when police came by their house Wednesday and told them to clear out. They slept

in their sedan with their two dogs, Lexi and Buba, because dogs weren’t allowed in the shelter. A neighbor

remained behind and has been sending updates, he said.

“He said everything is fine,” Sutidze said.

Some refused to evacuate Calistoga. Robert Hooten, a 51-year-old former firefighter, remained but said he was

ready to leave if necessary.

“We’ve got go-bags,” Hooten said.

His neighbor, Mike Haswell, 64, also stayed home, along with his wife, dogs and cats.

“We’ve been here 20 years,” he said. “A lot of memories.”

10/13/2017 Horrific toll of firestorms comes into focus as firefighters make progress - LA Times

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Haswell sells equipment to wineries and lives next to an open lot and across the street from a vineyard. He used

a hose to wet his roof and thought he should be safe, “unless it got really, really windy with a lot of embers.”

chris.megerian@latimes.com

nina.agrawal@latimes.com

sonali.kohli@latimes.com

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Megerian reported from Calistoga, Agrawal reported from Santa Rosa, and Kohli and Branson-

Potts reported from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Paige St. John in Napa, Louis Sahagun in

Santa Rosa and Javier Panzar in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

ALSO

Northern California firestorm brings illness, strains healthcare system

Napa, Sonoma counties did not issue Amber Alert-style warnings ahead of fires

What causes the powerful, dry winds that are fanning the flames in Napa and Sonoma counties

UPDATES:

6:30 a.m .: This article was updated to reflect the latest death tolls.

This article was originally published at 3 a.m.

Copyright © 2017, Los Angeles Times

This article is related to: Motorcycles, California Wine Country Fires

10/13/2017 California Wildfires Spur Emergency Messaging Signups

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TNS

California Wildfires Spur Emergency MessagingSignupsSan Francisco-based Nixle saw as many as 15,000 new registrants per hour as wildfiresburned in the Napa region.

BY BENNY EVANGELISTA, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE / OCTOBER 11, 2017

A KTLA cameraman gets his shot while a wall of flames jumps Highway 173 and erupts in a previously unburntarea near Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. With only 5 percentcontainment, the Pilot fire started Sunday afternoon and has quickly spread into the hills and mountains,consuming trees and brush in its path. (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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(TNS) — Nixle, an emergency messaging service that started in San Francisco in 2007,has become a vital link for official information in the Wine Country fires.

Nearly a half-million people have signed up for alerts from more than two dozen city,county and other emergency services agencies in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lakecounties, Joel Rosen, chief marketing officer of Nixle’s parent, software companyEverbridge, said Tuesday.

Since the fires started, and the first Nixle notification(https://local.nixle.com/alert/6197177/) was transmitted at 10:51 p.m. on Sunday, Nixlehas counted about 15,000 new registrations per hour, a total of about 150,000 moreusers, Rosen said.

Nixle, whose offices are in the South of Market area, allows police, fire, medical services,city government and other public service agencies to send public alerts that areaccessible in various ways: mobile phone texts, phone calls, recorded messages andwebsite posts, which can be shared on social media. Users can choose one or moreforms.

Most of the time, text messages can alert residents to problems such as an accident thatclosed a road or a missing person. Under more dire circumstances, the multiple formatsincrease the chances one or more messages will find a way to get through even withcellular system outages, Rosen said.

Residents can sign up for the service by sending a text with their ZIP code to 888-777.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s office used Nixle to first alert residents about the multiplefires, followed by the first evacuation alert (https://local.nixle.com/alert/6197185/) 12minutes later. The service also gained popularity recently during hurricanes Harvey andIrma.

Nixle doesn’t require users to pay or download a separate app, although there is an appavailable. Everbridge licenses use of the system to public agencies that send themessages.

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California Partners with Developer on New App for Wildfire Alerts andEducation (http://www.govtech.com/applications/California-Partners-with-Developer-on-New-App-for-Wildfire-Alerts-and-Education.html)

Sonoma County also has its own system called SoCoAlert(http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/FES/Emergency-Management/SoCoAlert/). And localagencies can use the Wireless Emergency Alerts system, while the American Red Crossand the Federal Emergency Management Agency also have apps to distributeinformation such as shelters opening.

Before a disaster strikes, people should research how their local government agenciestransmit alerts, said Jeannette Sutton, an assistant professor at the University ofKentucky’s communications department and a specialist in disaster alerts.

Public agencies “will use different alerting tools,” she said in an email. “One couldliterally have 100 apps on their phone and try to tune into all of them. The confusionthat comes from looking for the most up-to-date information with conflictinginformation is enough to make anyone crazy.”

San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management (http://www.sf72.org/connect)recommends staying connected through various channels, including:

Facebook: Creating a Facebook group can connect someone to their “inner circle soyou can easily send messages, share supplies and make a plan together,” and in anemergency, you can post whether you are safe.Twitter: Follow feeds from the city’s emergency services department(https://twitter.com/SF_Emergency), SF72org (https://twitter.com/sf72org), 511.org(https://twitter.com/511SFBay) and SF311.org (https://twitter.com/511SFBay).Nextdoor (https://nextdoor.com/): This app and Web service allows residents in aneighborhood to share information.

Sutton noted that Twitter and Nextdoor will “include a lot of public chatter, someaccurate, some not,” so knowing in advance who has “the most relevant and breakingnews and will keep them updated” is vital.

©2017 the San Francisco Chronicle Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

RE LATED

10/13/2017 California firestorm takes deadly toll on elderly; average age of victims identified so far is 79 - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-norcal-fires-elderly-20171012-story.html 1/4

A

California firestorm takes deadly toll on elderly;average age of victims identified so far is 79

By Alene Tchekmedyian and Esmeralda Bermudez

OCTOBER 13, 2017, 8:30 AM

s authorities begin to identify those killed in the wildfires raging across Northern California, a grim

pattern is emerging.

Among the dozen people identified by Sonoma and Napa county officials as of late Thursday, the

average age of those who died was 79. The youngest victim was 57, the oldest 100.

“The bulk of them are in their 70s and 80s, so there is that commonality,” Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano

told reporters at a news briefing.

A majority were found inside their homes, unable to escape as the fire bore down. At least one was confined to a

wheelchair. Another was lying next to a vehicle.

Contra Costa County paramedics help Bill Parras, 96, leave his home in Calistoga, Calif., during this week's wildfires. (Marcus Yam / LosAngeles Times)

10/13/2017 California firestorm takes deadly toll on elderly; average age of victims identified so far is 79 - LA Times

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The trend highlights a risk for elderly people when a natural disaster strikes: Health problems may limit

mobility. They may no longer drive, and often live in areas with unreliable cellphone service.

In Sonoma County, where most of the fatalities occurred, 18% of the population is over the age of 62, compared

with 11% for all of California.

“With any sort of disaster … the elderly may not have transportation, they may not have access to evacuate as

fast as possible,” said Sonoma County spokesman Scott Alonso. “They may be wheelchair-bound, they may have

access issues — those folks may take more care to evacuate safely.”

That’s why, he said, police officers were going door-to-door Sunday night alerting people to get out. But he said

it’s too early to tell whether the elderly were disproportionately affected.

That was the case two years ago when the fast-moving Valley fire ripped through Lake County and took the lives

of four people. They were a 72-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis trapped in her home, and three men over

the age of 65, two of whom decided not to evacuate.

The Butte fire that year didn’t spread as quickly, though the two people killed were seniors: a one-legged 65-

year-old man who stayed home to protect his property and an 82-year-old man.

A 2008 report criticized disaster response systems in California. The state Department of Social Services

subsequently launched functional assessment service teams, which consist of government workers and

volunteers who deploy to shelters to observe conditions and identify what’s missing. The teams assess the needs

of seniors and those with disabilities, working to get them the services and equipment they need.

On Sunday night when the Atlas fire erupted, Sara and Charles Rippey were home in Napa with their caretaker,

Maria Sandovar. Strong winds made the lights flicker. Sandovar looked out the back window and saw that the

home’s fence was on fire.

She ran to lift Sara, 98, out of bed and onto her wheelchair. Charles, 100, was in the hallway.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

In a matter of minutes, black smoke had filled the house.

Sandovar called out to Charles, but there was no response. Without electricity, she could not open the garage

door to get Sara out.

She jumped over a collapsed fence and escaped, just before the roof crashed down. Neither Sara nor Charles

would survive.

Their son said their family was struggling with the tragedy, but they also felt a sense of peace that the couple

died together.

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10/13/2017 California firestorm takes deadly toll on elderly; average age of victims identified so far is 79 - LA Times

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Sara’s health had severely declined since she suffered a stroke five years ago. Charles never left her side, not

even to grab dinner with their son, who visited two to three times a week.

Earlier this week, Vice President Mike Pence said it’s “heartbreaking to think that many of the fallen represent

our most vulnerable, in some cases senior citizens who simply were not able to escape the flames that overcame

their homes.”

“They are in our prayers,” he added.

As of late Thursday, about 400 people remain missing in Sonoma County.

In the days after the fires erupted, family members described agonizing efforts to search for their elderly loved

ones.

Theresa Brandi searched for more than 24 hours for her aunt and uncle, 90 and 92, who live in a community for

older adults in the Oakmont neighborhood of Santa Rosa.

She called their cellphone at least 100 times, she said. Nearby hospitals had been evacuated, so she couldn’t call

them. She dialed shelters, checked the Red Cross website for updates and filed a missing-person report.

“He’s not in the best of health and she’s not, she’s got back problems,” Brandi said. “He can’t even go down the

block sometimes.”

She worried they left their cellphone behind, forgot her number — or worse.

“That is what is just terrifying — to hear nothing,” she said. “Nothing at all.”

The couple’s neighborhood was spared, and eventually Brandi found her aunt and uncle at an evacuation

shelter. They hadn’t reached out, she said, because they didn’t want to bother anyone.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

ALSO

Wildfire burns home of ‘Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz

Firestorm brings illness, strains healthcare system

What causes the powerful, dry winds that are fanning the flames in Napa and Sonoma counties

UPDATES:

10/13/2017 Marina del Rey, Newport Beach have region’s highest rents. Lowest? Try Highland – Orange County Register

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/10/13/marina-del-rey-newport-beach-have-regions-highest-rents/ 1/3

By JEFF COLLINS | JeffCollins@scng.com | Orange County RegisterPUBLISHED: October 13, 2017 at 9:47 am | UPDATED: October 13, 2017 at 9:53 am

0 COMMENTS

Southern California�s most expensive city for renters was Marina del Rey last month, the massive yacht harbor ensconced between Venice Beachand Playa del Rey. (Courtesy of Wikimedia)

Southern California’s most expensive city for renters was Marina del Rey last month, the massive yacht harbor ensconced between Venice

Beach and Playa del Rey.

No. 2 and 3 on the list: Newport Beach and Irvine.

That’s the verdict of the online rental site, ApartmentList.com, in its September rent report.

The most economical places for renters last month were the cities of Highland and San Bernardino.

The average Marina del Rey two-bedroom apartment had an asking rent of $4,540 a month, ApartmentList reported. Newport Beach’s

average two-bedroom had an asking rent of $2,760 a month, while Irvine’s rent was $2,090 a month.

A two-bedroom apartment in Highland, on the other hand, averaged a mere $1,010 a month, or less than a fourth the rent in Marina del

Rey, but about 80 miles further from the beach.

BUSINESS

Marina del Rey, Newport Beach have region’s highestrents. Lowest? Try Highland

10/13/2017 Marina del Rey, Newport Beach have region’s highest rents. Lowest? Try Highland – Orange County Register

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VIEW COMMENTS

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community.Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials thatare unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise

The average two-bedroom rent in Highland’s neighbor, the city of San Bernardino, was $1,030 a month in September.

ApartmentList provided rent information for 53 Southern California cities.

The numbers are skewed somewhat higher since they reflect rents landlords charge new tenants. Existing tenants who have lived in their

apartments awhile tend to pay less than newer neighbors.

Victorville had the fastest-rising apartment rent in the region last month. The average two-bedroom rent there was up 15.9 percent from

the year before. But even after its rents rose to $1,320 a month, Victorville still ranked 44th among the 53 cities in the survey.

Two cities saw rents go down from a year ago. West Hollywood’s two-bedroom rent fell 9.1 percent last month to $2,320 a month.

Pasadena’s rent decreased 0.8 percent to $2,060 a month.

The cheapest city for renters within Orange County was Santa Ana – if you can call $1,840 a month cheap for a two-bedroom apartment.

Fullerton had the second-lowest Orange County rent in ApartmentList’s survey at $1,960 a month.

Los Angeles County’s most economical city was Pomona. Rent there averaged $1,470 a month.

In Riverside County, two-bedroom apartment rents ranged from a low of $1,150 a month in Palm Springs – yes, Palm Springs – to $2,120

a month in Corona. The average two-bedroom rent in the city of Riverside was $1,280 a month.

The priciest city in San Bernardino County was Chino Hills. Rent for a two-bedroom apartment there averaged $1,940 a month in

September.

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Jeff CollinsFor more than a decade, Jeff Collins has followed housing and real estate, covering market booms and busts and allaspects of the real estate industry. He has been tracking rents and home prices, and has explored solutions to criticalproblems such as Southern California’s housing shortage and affordability crisis. Before joining the Orange CountyRegister in 1990, he covered a wide range of topics for daily newspapers in Kansas, El Paso and Dallas. A SouthernCalifornia native, he studied at UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine. He later earned a master’s degree from the USC Schoolof Journalism.

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10/13/2017 This Desert Life: A Mark Twain Bridge too far

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20171012/this-desert-life-mark-twain-bridge-too-far 1/3

By Matthew Cabe Staff Writer Posted Oct 12, 2017 at 7:33 PMUpdated Oct 12, 2017 at 7:33 PM

Note: This is the sec ond in a t wo-part serie s. Read the �irst part her e.

Three months before Councilman Robert May proposed bringing the Mark TwainMemorial Bridge to Hesperia in April 1995, a section of Rock Springs Road collapsedinto the Mojave River.

The new year brought a series of relentless storms to California and the High Desert,closing sections of 23 Hesperia roads and forcing the Council to declare a local state ofemergency amid sidewalk-to-sidewalk flooding along Main Street.

The Rock Springs collapse furthered May’s interest in the iconic Hannibal, Missouri,bridge once officials in that city announced it was up for grabs because, from a practicalstandpoint, May saw in it a solution to the troublesome road that washed out wheneverthe Mojave overflowed.

But May’s plan evolved beyond practicality by the time Hesperia sent a formal proposalto Hannibal that included a Twain-themed amusement park and shops at HesperiaLake Park.

Missouri’s Historic Bridge Coordinator Randall Dawdy liked the proposal, but localreaction remained mixed.

Twain devotee Don Tucker, who had mounted the Huck Finn Jubilee at MojaveNarrows Regional Park for 19 straight summers, said the possibility of the bridge fromTwain’s boyhood home ending up in Hesperia was “a kick” even though the author hadno direct link to the area.

Hesperia resident Bill Hern was less enthusiastic, calling the plan “a grossly misplacedsense of priorities” in a letter to the Daily Press.

“I can think of no better way to put Hesperia on the map,” Hern wrote, “than to fix up,clean up, make safe and secure, quiet down and create an environment where citizensare proud of where they live and are willing to share it with others.”

This Desert Life: A Mark Twain Bridge too far

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A fair point. Hern wanted energies focused on improving what Hesperia already hadbut, in fairness, May saw the bridge as a means to that end.

Hannibal’s freebie wouldn’t come sans a price tag, though. Dismantling, shipping andreconstructing the Twain bridge would have cost millions or, in other words, moneyHesperia didn’t have.

The Council adopted a budget that included $12.6 million in both operating expensesand revenue. They also eliminated 13 positions and laid off two employees with hopesthat the move would bring the city’s finances into the black in Fiscal Year 1995-96.

But the cuts were only expected to increase the General Fund to a total of $711,500,nowhere near enough for May’s extravagant venture. The city did have time to applyfor grants, however, given that Dawdy indicated relocation wouldn’t happen before1998.

In the end, though, Hesperia made it’s mind up before that. Total cost of relocation —$11.4 million — was revealed in February 1997, and the city quickly balked.

May was off the Council by then and City Engineer Phil Wray had been replaced byJohn Sullivan, so no one was around to defend the plan when Sullivan said this:

“That’s money we really don’t have. My recommendation to the City Council is thatthey not pursue it any further ... I’ve driven over that bridge. It’s just like every otherbridge out there in the Midwest.”

Mayor Rosemarie James agreed, saying the city couldn’t afford to be interested. Withno objection, May’s dream quietly died. The frustration 20 years later is the MarkTwain Memorial Bridge wasn’t “just like every other bridge out there.”

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt personally dedicated its 2,636-foot span on Sept.4, 1936. It stood, in FDR’s words, as a symbol of “what can be accomplished by thecooperation of local governments with the federal.”

But the bridge was also symbolic of that connective tissue that binds all Americansregardless of state lines. And more than that, given its namesake, it served as areminder of the uniqueness of the American voice.

Despite dreams of touristy gimmicks and boundless tax dollars, May must’ve beencognizant of those symbols when he proposed the plan to his fellow Council members.Hopefully he was, anyway.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught.

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The 5.4 million-pound bridge remained in Hannibal and — symbolism or no — wasdemolished in 2001. Explosives reduced rusted iron to rubble that fell to earth,spawning a plume of dust that rose to obscure sight.

When it finally dissipated into nothingness, so too did another piece of history.

Matthew Cabe can be reached at or at 760-951-6254.

Follow him on Twitter .

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10/13/2017 State hears locals’ takes on Joshua Tree changes - Hi-Desert Star: News

http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_49c38988-af75-11e7-b1fa-7379c89ccb0e.html?mode=print 1/2

State hears locals’ takes on Joshua Tree changesBy Leah Sanson, Hi-Desert Star | Posted: Thursday , October 12, 2017 10:46 am

JOSHUA TREE — Caltrans heard citizens’ opinions about the new improvements to

downtown Joshua Tree during the Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council

meeting Monday.

Four months ago, the downtown area gained a bike lane andmore parking spaces, which are now diagonal instead ofparallel, and the speed limit was reduced from 45 miles perhour to 40.

Caltrans Government and Legislative Affairs Liaison DavidMatza, District 8 public information officer Terri Kasingaand sustainability asset and innovation manager LoriEspinoza came to the meeting to answer communityquestions on the effectiveness of the completed project.

“Traffic calming features take time. It is like a dominoeffect,” Espinoza said.

Lt. Eric Robles, commander of the Morongo Basin CHP office, said there have been fewer crashes since thestriping went in.

“So far so good. So far there has only been one minor traffic collision in the area since the striping,” Roblessaid. “I don’t know if it is the striping or the reduced speed limit, but whatever the case, we’ll take it.”

“Thank you. I truly believe that it is doing what it’s supposed to,” Joshua Tree community member GayleAustin said. “I think that the project is working wonderfully.”

Others thought the project was not well thought out.

“This has not resolved most of the issues at the intersection of Twentynine Palms Highway and Sunset,”Joshua Tree business owner Celeste Doyle said. “There are still illegal U-turns all day long.”

Multiple community members also expressed their frustration that the bike lanes do not really go anywhereafter downtown Joshua Tree.

Mark Lundquist explained that through a project that is supposed to travel through the entire Basin, thecounty hopes to connect the bike lanes in Joshua Tree.

“Right now they are just the bike lanes that go to nowhere but we plan on attaching them to the bike lanesthroughout the rest of the Morongo Basin,” Lundquist said.

“If I can connect Morongo Valley to Twentynine Palms, I can retire,” he joked.

Bicycle safety is a two-waystreet

Bikers including county Supervisor JamesRamos in prepare to use the new bike pathin Joshua Tree on May 31.

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Another suggestion community members had for Caltrans was to allow only right turns at Sunset Avenue toheighten downtown safety.

Caltrans also announced pedestrian beacons are coming to the intersections of Twentynine Palms Highwayand Tamarisk Avenue in Twentynine Palms and Twentynine Palms Highway and Park Avenue in MorongoValley.

10/13/2017 Women Warriors Fitness Challenge and Leaders Empowerment Symposium coming to the High Desert

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By Rene Ray De La Cruz Staff Writer Posted at 9:30 AMUpdated at 9:30 AM

APPLE VALLEY — The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is looking for anarmy of female warriors who are looking for a challenge.

The Sheriff’s Department and the Today’s Woman Foundation will host the 2017Women Warriors Fitness Challenge and Women Leaders Empowerment Symposiumon Oct. 21 on the campus of Apple Valley High School.

The free event will include the opportunity for women 18 and over to hearinspirational speakers, participate in self-defense training and compete in the WomenWarriors Fitness Challenge.

Candace Sanchez, a background investigator for the Sheriff’s Employee ResourcesDivision, told the Daily Press they expect 300 women to attend the event.”

“This will be the first time our fitness challenge will be held in the High Desert and thefirst time adding the symposium,“Sanchez said. ”“We’ve been conducting the fitnesschallenge for the last five years down the hill and we’re excited about partnering withthe Today’s Woman Foundation to host the event in the High Desert.”

The atmosphere at the event will be “motivational” in nature and no woman shouldfeel intimidated during the fitness challenge or self-defense course, which will beconducted by deputies who will “encourage and inspire” women to challenge their“inner warrior while having a good time,” according to Sanchez.

“We’ve had women at all physical levels participate in our past fitness challenges,”Sanchez said. “Many of them have even surprised themselves by what they haveaccomplished. Some have even gone on to become deputies.”

Women Warriors Fitness Challenge and LeadersEmpowerment Symposium coming to the HighDesert

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Speakers at the symposium include several from the Sheriff’s Department, includingDeputy Chief Lana Tomlin, the highest ranking woman in the department;Captain/Chief Danielle Boldt of the Rancho Cucamonga Station; and Sgt. Laura Addyfrom the Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center.

Tomlin is the former captain of the Apple Valley Station and Boldt is the first female totake command at the Rancho Cucamonga Station, Sanchez said.

Cindie Schmidt, the executive director of the Today’s Women Foundation and thefounder of Happy Healthy Kids, will also speak.

Events for individuals and teams in the fitness challenge include a 400-yard dash, thePursuit and Rescue Course, and the Push-Up/Sit-up challenge. The Pursuit and RescueCourse includes climbing walls and fences, and dragging a 165-pound dummy. Medalsand trophies will be awarded to the winners of each event.

Check-in begins at 7 a.m., with the symposium starting at 8 a.m. and the fitnesschallenge and self-defense course starting at 9 a.m. on Oct. 21 at Apple Valley HighSchool, 11837 Navajo Road.

The pre-registration deadline is Oct. 19, with early registrants receiving a free T-shirt.Participants who complete the fitness challenge will also receive a Women WarriorFinisher T-shirt. There is also same-day registration. Men are allowed to be spectatorsat the events.

To register or for more information, visit

Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227,RDeLa

, Twitter and Instagram

.

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10/13/2017 Rim Stabilizes Budget - Mountain News : News

http://www.mountain-news.com/news/article_4b40f25a-af70-11e7-aca3-7f7f28efa10d.html?mode=print 1/2

Rim Stabilizes BudgetBy Andr ea Gar cia, Reporter | Posted: Thursday , October 12, 2017 10:10 am

The revised budget for Rim of the World Unified SchoolDistrict has been submitted and is on its way to be reviewedfor approval by the San Bernardino County Superintendentof Schools. During a board workshop on Oct. 5, ChiefBusiness Official Jenny Haberlin presented to the board andto Superintendent Michelle Murphy the finalized budget.

In that budget, it was outlined that the deficit that was $4.5million for its end-of-third-year budget has since dropped toapproximately $2 million, according to Haberlin.

Changes have been continual since the district heard of thelikelihood of a rejected budget in July. Most of the changes inthe revised budget include reduction. However, the districtdid receive one-time revenue that Governor Jerry Brownadded to the state budget for this year, which helped in thefinancial forecast for the 2017/18 school year.

“Right now [this money] is just helping the bottom line,” Haberlin explained. This revenue, however, willbe reduced for the school year 2018-19.

In addition, Haberlin said that some unrestricted expenditures were transferred to one-time grants andrestricted accounts.

“When we reopened the ’17/18 [school year budget] to revise it, we made some cuts on our plannedexpenditures,” Haberlin noted. Some of these cuts include the elimination of additional Advancement ViaIndividual Determination (AVID) support in the amount of $12,700; elimination of additional PositiveBehavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) money for $24,200; and a 10 percent reduction to athletics inthe amount of $19,000.

In terms of the elimination of some support funds for AVID and PBIS, Haberlin mentioned that it is possiblethat outside sources will provide these programs with donations. The Rim Educational Foundation is anoutside source that has provided donations for programs like these in the past, Haberlin commented.

In addition to the outlined cuts, the revised budget also has within it proposed layoffs for the 2017/18 schoolyear, but those layoffs have not yet been made specific to people or positions.

ENROLLMENT

Enrollment for the first month of the school year has been completed, and the district currently has 3,336students — 50 more students than it projected at the end of the 2016/17 school year. When compared withAugust 2016 and August 2017, that is a drop in approximately 152 students, Haberlin pointed out, which is

Rim Stabilizes Budget

Above is a chart outlining the first month inattendance for each school site.

10/13/2017 Rim Stabilizes Budget - Mountain News : News

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a 4.2 percent decline. The district usually accounts for a projected three percent decline year to year, and atwo percent decline mid-year.

This year the district has urged all school sites to strive for 95 percent and above in Average DailyAttendance (ADA), since it translates into dollars. The more students in class, the better — the morestudents absent means fewer funds for the district.

At the end of month one, Mountain High School came in at 96 percent, with Lake Arrowhead Elementaryand Charles Hoffman Elementary at 96 percent, as well, just a few points behind. Rim High School totaled95 percent, with Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate School a few points behind. Valley of EnchantmentElementary School came in at 94 percent.

“Month one and month two are always the highest attendance months,” Haberlin expressed. “It is notunusual to see these numbers.”

WHAT’S TO COME

The district will continue to monitor its enrollment and attendance numbers, await budget approval andmonitor its expenditures, begin initiating layoffs and prepare for its first interim report, due in December.

10/13/2017 Redlands bids farewell to Councilwoman Pat Gilbreath – Redlands Daily Facts

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By SANDRA EMERSON | semerson@scng.com | Redlands Daily Facts

PUBLISHED: October 12, 2017 at 4:16 pm | UPDATED: October 13, 2017 at 12:50 am

Councilwoman Pat Gilbreath will be remembered for her devotion to God and her

community.

“She truly felt that she had a God-given mission to serve this community in the

manner in which she did for so long,” the Rev. Lowell Linden said at a memorial

service for Gilbreath Thursday, Oct. 12, at the First Congregational Church of

Redlands, where she served as treasurer and sang in the choir until her death Oct. 3.

She was 75.

“She encouraged us to live within the limits of our budget,” Linden said. “She

encouraged us to make certain that we honored our mission and outreach

commitments.”

The service, led by the Rev. Steven Davis, was attended by a couple hundred people,

including her family, colleagues at City Hall and fellow members of the Redlands City

Council, as well as elected of cials from outside the city, such as San Bernardino

County supervisors James Ramos and Josie Gonzales and Assemblyman Marc

Steinorth.

Larry Burgess, former director of the A.K. Smiley Public LIbrary, recalled Gilbreath’s

kindness and guidance while he served as interim city manager and her commitment

to the Redlands historical museum.

LOCAL NEWS

Redlands bids farewell toCouncilwoman Pat Gilbreath

10/13/2017 Redlands bids farewell to Councilwoman Pat Gilbreath – Redlands Daily Facts

http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2017/10/12/redlands-bids-farewell-to-councilwoman-pat-gilbreath/ 2/4

In their words

“Pat was the boost in the goal that got us going,” Burgess said. “She continued to

attend every time, the meetings that we had and the programs that we had in

support of this effort. I’m sorry she will not be able to see it completed, but it will be.”

Gilbreath was also instrumental in forming the Redlands Community Foundation,

which now has more than $4 million in assets, and the addition of the Contemporary

Club to the library’s campus.

“She believed in the future,” Burgess said. “She believed in good deeds. She saw a

need and then she saw to the deed.”

Gilbreath, the longest serving Redlands City Council member, was a stabilizing force

of continuity on the council, Mayor Paul Foster said.

“Pat was the epitome of the de nition of a servant leader,” he said, and recalled a

conversation with her about the future of Redlands.

“She shared with me how pleased she was with the direction we had chosen to go,”

Foster said. “As you would expect she was particularly pleased with the nancial

position of the city, but she said to me, ‘Paul, we can do even more if we keep focused

on the future together.’”

Gilbreath was proud of the city’s commitment to improving infrastructure and

economic development, as well as the efforts to bring passenger rail service back to

the city, Foster said.

“For all of our city family,” Foster said, “I would just say we will sorely miss her

commitment to our joint success as a leadership team, her thoughtful insight on

issues, her calm and gracious presence and approach to dif cult subjects and

decisions, her determination and her honesty.”

Many who knew Councilwoman Pat Gilbreath took to Facebook following her death

Oct. 3 to express their grief and share condolences. Here are a few of their tributes:

“Redlands has lost an amazing woman, and I have lost a great friend. As a city council

member for more than twenty years, Pat Gilbreath exempli ed what it means to be

an engaging civic leader, and never hesitated to put Redlands rst. She will be dearly

missed by so many of the lives she touched.”

— Assemblyman Marc Steinorth

10/13/2017 Redlands bids farewell to Councilwoman Pat Gilbreath – Redlands Daily Facts

http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2017/10/12/redlands-bids-farewell-to-councilwoman-pat-gilbreath/ 3/4

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“Pat was an amazing woman and did so much for the Redlands Community. She was

always kind to me and took the time to help all of us at Hangar 24 through the city

processes. Thank you for everything Pat. We will miss you.”

— Ben Cook, owner of Hangar 24 Craft Brewery

“This afternoon I was given the news that my sweet Pat had passed away. She was a

mentor, friend, and honorary family member who taught me so many things about

life. I am going to miss our long talks about changing the world and how she always

would refer to me as her girl, but more than anything I will miss her wit, humor, and

joyous laugh. What a phenomenal woman. I was so lucky to have her in my life all of

these years.”

— Jenny Megenney, friend

“Pat was one of the most compassionate, caring, and dedicated people I’ve ever

known. She served her community and those around her not for her own personal

agenda, but because it was the right thing to do. Yesterday afternoon as I was

passing through downtown, from the bell tower of one of the local churches, came

the old hymn “Onward Christian Soldier,” and I was struck, through the fog of my

grief, by what a ne tribute that song was for the passing of such a great woman. Her

loss will be deeply felt by the community and everyone who knew her, myself most

de nitely included.”

— Phil Dockery, Redlands resident

Sandra EmersonSandra Emerson covers the cities of Redlands, Highland andYucaipa for the Redlands Daily Facts and The Sun.

Follow Sandra Emerson @TheFactsSandra

Tags:  Echo Code, Top Stories RDF

10/13/2017 IE law enforcement, firefighters hold fundraiser for wounded officers shot in Las Vegas massacre | abc7.com

http://abc7.com/society/ie-law-enforcement-hold-fundraiser-for-officers-shot-in-las-vegas-massacre/2526337/ 1/4

UPLAND, Calif. (KABC) --

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LAS VEGAS MASS SHOOTING

IE law enforcement, firefighters hold fundraiser for wounded officers shot in LasVegas massacre

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There was an inspiring show of support in the Inland Empire for three wounded victims of the Las Vegas shooting and their families. (KABC)

By Josh Haskell

Thursday, October 12, 2017 08:23PM

There was an inspiring show of support in the Inland Empire for three wounded victims of the Las Vegasshooting and their families.

Members of law enforcement and firefighters from throughout the county turned out for a Thursday night fundraiser at the Wicked Cowin Upland.

Many said they're thankful their three colleagues survived the Las Vegas shooting but know they have a long road ahead.

Ontario Police Department Officer Mike Gracia was shot in the head during the Route 91 Harvest Festival and is out of the hospital at arehab facility.

MORE: Southern Cali fo rn ia v ictims i n Las V egas mass sh ooting

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10/13/2017 IE law enforcement, firefighters hold fundraiser for wounded officers shot in Las Vegas massacre | abc7.com

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San Bernardino County firefighter Mike Kordich was also wounded in the shooting and is back home.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Brad Powers was also off-duty at the concert and injured. He is still being treated in aLas Vegas hospital.

Family members of the victims, as well as IE residents, were being served by law enforcement officers. T-shirts were being sold and at onepoint, a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter flew over to show support.

"It's been a blessing. We've had a ton of outpouring from all the neighboring law enforcement," said Mike Gracia's uncle, Reuben Gracia."It's just been phenomenal."

All of the proceeds will go to help the families of the three wounded victims to help pay for their medical bills.

"They're going to have a long road to recovery, and we as a community have their backs," said Megan Arciniega of Ontario PD. "They haveours, we have there's, so this event is here to raise money and bond with the PD's and the sheriff's department."

Report a T ypo

Related Topics:

society las vegas mass shooting fundraiser mass shooting police firefighters Upland San Bernardino County Las Vegas Nevada

(Copyright ©2017 KABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.)

Hannah Ahlers, a mother of three and Beaumont resident. (Instagram)

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10/13/2017 Children’s Fund celebrates 30 years helping Inland Empire’s vulnerable youth – Daily Bulletin

http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/10/11/childrens-fund-celebrates-30-years-helping-inland-empires-vulnerable-youth/ 1/3

By SUZANNE SPROUL | ssproul@scng.com | Daily Bulletin

PUBLISHED: October 11, 2017 at 3:38 pm | UPDATED: October 11, 2017 at 4:49 pm

Children’s Fund tends to the needs — both physical and emotional — of some of San Bernardino County’s most vulnerable individuals.

The nonpro t, created by the late Jack Brown and former San Bernardino mayor Pat Morris, thought there was a better way to deliver services

to at-risk children. Together, they helped forge a public/private partnership between the county and private individuals to provide clothing,

food, shelter, medical care, educational opportunities, but most of all hope. It began 30 years ago and to date Children’s Fund has served more

than 1.4 million youngsters.

That’s a lot to celebrate. And celebrate supporters did at a recent 30th anniversary gala at the Padua Hills Theatre in Claremont.

“It was a wonderful evening. We had past and current board members, auxiliary members, San Bernardino County Supervisor James Ramos,

San Bernardino County Uni ed School District Superintendent Dale Marsden, friends from Chaffey College and Cal Poly Pomona and Cal

State San Bernardino, Toyota. The room was lled with people who have long believed and supported the mission of Children’s Fund,’’ said Cid

Pinedo, Children’s Fund chief executive of cer.

Although Pinedo is new to Children’s Fund — he recently started in his new position in August — he’s not new to the organization. “I’ve known

about Children’s Fund for years. Its Celebration of Giving was my rst introduction. Now to come full circle, it’s exciting. It sounds like a cliché,

but I stand on the shoulders of those who for the last 30 years have helped children and I look forward to building and expanding on what they

have done.”

Pinedo is an educator, advocate, and fundraiser whose work in the Inland Empire is well-known. His past positions have included working with

the Hope Through Housing Foundation, the National Community Renaissance and the Chaffey Community College District. He is vice

chairman of the board of the Los Angeles County Fair Association and is a member of the boards of Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center,

Southern California Edison’s Consumer Advisory Panel and Bright Prospect.

He grew up in El Monte in what he called an under-resourced community. Pinedo said he learned the value of work and dedication and how

together both can bring about change.

Too many of the young people Children’s Fund serves have already experienced much hardship in their lives. The nonpro t gives them support

and hope in many ways including holiday gifts; backpacks lled with school supplies; and emergency and general care. Children’s Fund has

provided 1,000 beds to children used to sleeping on oors or with three or four other people. “If you’re hungry, cold and scared, they don’t care

what two plus two is,’’ Pinedo said. “Access without support is not opportunity.”

But community input shows them others are willing to help and that education matters. “I want to nd ways to grow our program’s success, to

emphasize and launch preventive programs so we can take care of basic needs but also look at how we can break the cycles of poverty and

abuse and build these children’s capacity to do for themselves.”

Help is welcome all year, but Children’s Fund supporters are gearing up for the 2017 version of Celebration of Giving. Last year, the nonpro t

helped distribute 30,000 toys to children who wouldn’t have gotten anything for Christmas. The need continues. The toy drive will be from 1 to

4 p.m. Dec. 1-15. Donations can be dropped off at its warehouse at 1140 E. Cooley Ave., San Bernardino. For more information about Children’s

Fund and how you can help, visit http://www.childrensfundonline.org

Main Street Theatre hosts wine party — MainStreet Theatre Company is having its “For the Love of Wine’’ fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 21, from

7-11 p.m. in Celebration Hall at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, 12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga.

LOCAL NEWS

Children’s Fund celebrates 30 years helping Inland Empire’svulnerable youth

10/13/2017 Children’s Fund celebrates 30 years helping Inland Empire’s vulnerable youth – Daily Bulletin

http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/10/11/childrens-fund-celebrates-30-years-helping-inland-empires-vulnerable-youth/ 2/3

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If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the rightside of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.

There will be food, craft beers, a live and silent auction, music, dancing, and, yes, wine. Proceeds will bene t the company, which provides

quality productions for children and families. Costumes are optional. The evening will be produced by Doug and Dee Morris and Lane and Leslie

Matsuno.

Tickets are $65 for this adults-only event. For information, call 909-477-2752.

Send news of social events with charitable purposes to SSproul@scng.com or on Twitter @SuzanneSproul. Include a contact phone number. Attach high-

resolution JPEG photos, and include group name and identi cation of individuals from left to right.

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Suzanne SproulSuzanne Sproul is a lucky wife and proud mom of two great daughters. She’s a transplanted Snow Bird from Chicago whoprefers warm climates, particularly central Florida and its beautiful Gulf Coast and Southern California, where she’s livedmost of her life. The University of Florida J-school graduate has been a city reporter and features editor, but has spent thepast 27 fun years covering stories she loves -- features about SoCal’s diverse and trendy homes+gardens and eclectic

arts/entertainment along with her weekly column about the good people of the Inland Empire. When she’s not ling stories, you can nd hergardening at home, biking with her husband, jumping around in Zumba class, organizing family adventures – digging for hanksite clusters atthe Gem-o-Rama in Trona, anyone? – or rooting for favored sports teams. I’m looking at you USC Trojans, University of California DavisAggies, University of Florida Gators and those loveable Chicago Cubs, World Champions 2016. Life really is good!

Follow Suzanne Sproul @SuzanneSproul

Tags:  philanthropy, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories Sun

10/13/2017 Breaking ground: Route 66 Veterans Memorial Corridor project kicks off in Barstow

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20171012/breaking-ground-route-66-veterans-memorial-corridor-project-kicks-off-in-barstow 1/2

By Paola Baker Staff Writer Posted Oct 12, 2017 at 4:35 PMUpdated Oct 12, 2017 at 4:35 PM

Funded by a $1 million grant from CalFire, the multi-year project will honor militaryvets by planting over 3,000 trees along sections of Route 66. Each tree will have amarker attached with the veteran’s dog tags, rank and branch of service, and a GPSmarker.

BARSTOW — With a poignant smile on her face, Linda Soza wiped tears from her eyes as she broke ground on the site indowntown Barstow where her brother’s tree will grow.

“He was 22 when he joined, and we were all so shocked — we never thought he would join,” Soza said on Thursday. “But hedid so well in there. This is great to see. It’s quite an honor.”

Soza’s brother, the late Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Soza, served 22 years as a combat medic in the U.S. Army before retirement,his sister said. He now holds the additional distinction of having the first tree for the Route 66 Veterans MemorialCorridor project planted in his honor.

“This is something living, and we’re looking forward to coming back and visiting,” Linda Soza said.

Equal parts solemn, passionate and light-hearted, Thursday’s ceremony served as the kick-off event for the project. Fundedby a $1 million grant from CalFire, the multi-year project will honor military vets by planting over 3,000 trees alongsections of Route 66. Each tree will have a marker attached with the veteran’s dog tags, rank and branch of service, alongwith a GPS marker.

Thursday’s ceremony, attended by residents, city and county officials, public safety personnel and several others, wasorganized by the Incredible Edible Community Garden (IEGC) organization, who brought the tree-planting project tofruition.

“We like to think of it as a green ticker-tape parade,” IEGC coordinator Mary Petit said, referring to the famous ticker-tapeparades held in New York City.

Barstow city officials fully embraced the idea, making it the first city to have trees planted. The enthusiasm was on fulldisplay during Thursday’s ceremony, which started with a solemn posting of the colors by the Marine Corps Logistics Base(MCLB)’s Color Guard.

Isis Fuentes, an aide for Assemblyman Jay Obernolte, presented certificates to volunteers instrumental to the project, whileMayor Pro Tem Carmen Hernandez presented a $2,500 donation from the Mojave Desert Air Quality ManagementDistrict (MDAQMD), of which she is a board member.

“I always say we’re the little engine that could, and this shows that,” Mayor Pro Tem Carmen Hernandez said. “We’rehonored that we can make this donation. We want to see this project move forward.”

Petit reiterated the statement, calling Barstow “the little city that could” when it came to their embrace of the project.

“I have to say, Barstow is in a league of its own — everyone here has been so helpful,” Petit said. “I’m so happy we could kickoff this project in Barstow.”

After remarks from several others, including a representative for Supervisor James Ramos, Miss Barstow Jessie McKinnon,Mrs. Route 66 Cindy Salvino, local military vets and organizers grabbed golden shovels and prepared to plant the first twoof 28 trees total.

Breaking ground: Route 66 Veterans Memorial Corridor project kicks o�in Barstow

10/13/2017 Breaking ground: Route 66 Veterans Memorial Corridor project kicks off in Barstow

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20171012/breaking-ground-route-66-veterans-memorial-corridor-project-kicks-off-in-barstow 2/2

Marine vet and American Legion spokesman Scott Figueroa, who had the crowd in stitches as he recalled how he wentfrom flipping burgers to escorting presidents through dangerous assignments, told the Daily Press he was “overwhelmed”to know a tree in his honor will now grow in the town he grew up in.

“The military changed my life,” Figueroa said. “It’s going to be great to see a tree planted in my honor in downtown.”

The Route 66 Veterans Memorial Corridor project will have kick-off ceremonies in San Bernardino and Fontana Friday,with tree-planting ceremonies scheduled in each city.

A military convoy of approximately 65 vehicles will be making stops at the Route 66 Museum on Sixth Street and the SanBernardino County Fairgrounds in Victorville Friday.

For more information on the project, how to volunteer, or to make a donation, contact IEGC coordinator Eleanor Torresat 909-499-9733. Donations can also be made online at .

Paola Baker may be reached at 760-955-5332 or . Follow her on Twitter at

.

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10/13/2017 American Green Inc (OTCMKTS:ERBB) Completes First Phase Of Its Move into Nipton | MMJ Observer

https://www.mmjobserver.com/american-green-inc-otcmktserbb-completes-first-phase-of-its-move-into-nipton/29041/ 1/3

American Green Inc (OTCMKTS:ERBB) has completed first phase of its integration intoNipton, CA. It has plans set for presentation to the respective regulatory entities so as to facilitateand achieve their stated objectives for the town’s future becoming the preliminary energy-independent cannabis-friendly city in America.

The initial phase was equal parts renovation and cleaning, and the other was the muster of aprofessional plan for the subsequent phase. The Nipton Improvement Fund, which is intended tohelp interested folks in being a part of history in partaking and actualizing the fruits of their input isset to start this month.

The details

David Gwyther, the President of American Green, expressed that not only have they been able tomake fast changes to the current infrastructure, they have also established a robust developmentplan to present to required entities for consideration, and, expectantly, their nod — San BernardinoCounty being on the top of list.

With the realistic development strategies and state/county governance having a major interest inadvancing the region and town correctly along with them, they are assured in their ability togenerate tax revenues and employment which they consider will justify any measures they take inand around Nipton.

In addition, the American Green will soon present its over 70,000 approved shareholders anopportunity to be part of Nipton history. The company will make available a tile (1-foot by 1-foot),inscribed with the buyer name, which will become a part of Nipton’s town walkway. Moreover, thetile buyer will get a certificate showcasing their purchase and when visiting, they will get a mapshowing the site of their tile and a 10% discount off of products in The Nipton Trading Post(cigarettes and alcohol are not eligible). This Nipton tailored tile sale will be presented first toparticipants on the American Green’s Email Alert list.

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10/13/2017 San Bernardino man accused of pointing laser at sheriff’s helicopter – San Bernardino Sun

http://www.sbsun.com/2017/10/12/san-bernardino-man-accused-of-pointing-laser-at-sheriffs-helicopter/ 1/3

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By STEPHEN RAMIREZ | stramirez@scng.com | San Gabriel Valley TribunePUBLISHED: October 12, 2017 at 1:33 pm | UPDATED: October 12, 2017 at 1:38 pm

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A 35-year-old San Bernardino man is in jail a�er authorities say he pointed a laser at a San Bernardino County sheriff’s helicopter,

department of�cials said.

Christopher Wayne Flora was arrested in San Bernardino on suspicion of discharging a laser at an operations control center aircra�, a

felony, jail records showed. He was booked at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino. Bail is set at $25,000.

Related: Helicopter pilot dazed by laser in Moreno Valley prompts federal prosecution

The incident occurred early Wednesday morning near the 600 block of 20th Street. A sheriff’s helicopter was on patrol in a San Bernardino

neighborhood when the crew’s vision was struck several times by a purple laser, a sheriff’s news release said. The crew was able to �nd the

source of the light ray, pinpointing a person in his backyard.

San Bernardino police of�cers were alerted to the residence and interviewed a male and female. They ruled out the female, identi�ed

Flora as the suspect and arrested him, the release said.

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Stephen RamirezSteve Ramirez writes about public safety issues including criminal justice and �res in Inland Southern California. Hepreviously covered high schools, college football and motor sports for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune since 1989. He's abig fan of Buddy Holly and loves World War II movies.

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San Bernardino man accused of pointing laser atsheriff’s helicopter

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10/13/2017 Marijuana dispensary security officer shoots man after robbery attempt, San Bernardino police say – San Bernardino Sun

http://www.sbsun.com/2017/10/13/marijuana-dispensary-security-officer-shoots-man-after-robbery-attempt-san-bernardino-police-say/ 1/2

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By BEATRIZ E. VALENZUELA |PUBLISHED: October 13, 2017 at 8:30 am | UPDATED: October 13, 2017 at 9:19 am

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If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the rightside of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.

A security of�cer shot and wounded a man thwarting an attempted robbery at a San Bernardino marijuana dispensary Thursday night,

according to San Bernardino police.

Of�cers were called to the 300 block of West 16th Street around 8:30 p.m. on reports of “multiple shots were �red,” according to of�cials.

They learned a security of�cer opened �re on a man who possibly had tried to rob the dispensary, according to Lt. Michael Madden,

however he said witnesses were “less than forthcoming with of�cers about what took place.”

Police of�cials did not say how extensive the wounded person’s injuries were but he was eventually placed under arrest. His name was not

immediately available.

The shooting is under investigation. Police ask anyone who may have witnesses anything to call the San Bernardino Police Department at

909-384-5742.

Beatriz E. Valenzuela

NEWSCRIME

Marijuana dispensary security officer shoots man afterrobbery attempt, San Bernardino police say

Tags:  marijuana dispensaries, shooting, Top Stories PE, Top Stories Sun

10/13/2017 Los Angeles-Orange County economy hits $1 trillion – Orange County Register

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/10/13/los-angeles-orange-county-economy-hits-1-trillion/ 1/4

By JONATHAN LANSNER | jlansner@scng.com | Orange County RegisterPUBLISHED: October 13, 2017 at 9:38 am | UPDATED: October 13, 2017 at 9:49 am

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The value of all work done in Los Angeles and Orange County passed $1 trillion in2016. (Ken Steinhardt, Staff File)

Welcome the economy of Los Angeles and Orange counties to the trillion-dollar

club.

BUSINESS

Los Angeles-Orange Countyeconomy hits $1 trillion

10/13/2017 Los Angeles-Orange County economy hits $1 trillion – Orange County Register

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/10/13/los-angeles-orange-county-economy-hits-1-trillion/ 2/4

The federal government’s recently released annual accounting of business

output of U.S. metro areas shows the L.A.-O.C. region’s gross domestic product

— a broad measure of the value of all business done in a geographic region —

rose by $38 billion last year to $1.002 trillion.

Amid all the twists and turns the L.A.-O.C. economy has endured in recent years,

it’s easy to forget just how big it is.

Having a 13-digit economy is a rarity. L.A.-O.C. is only the second U.S. metro area

in this club: The New York City-New Jersey area had an output of $1.66 trillion

last year. Plus, only three states and 15 nations have larger GDPs.

To put the local business bounty into proper perspective, ponder these data

nuggets:

Regionally, last year’s expansion was like adding the entire economy of Little

Rock, Ark., or Akron, Ohio.

Nationally, if L.A.-O.C. was its own state, its annual output would rank behind

California, New York and Texas and just ahead of Florida.

Or globally, local GDP is on par with the national outputs of Mexico or Indonesia.

To the east, the GDP of Riverside and San Bernardino counties may seem modest

at $149 billion in 2016. But the Inland Empire is the nation’s 23rd busiest

business market, and its economy is roughly equal to the output of Nevada or

Kansas or Hungary.

And to the south, San Diego County’s GDP last year was $215 billion, No. 17

nationwide. Or on the scale of South Carolina or Vietnam.

Add these five counties together and you have half of California’s $2.6 trillion

economy.

Now, business size can matter. But “real” growth in gross domestic product —

that’s after-inflation progress — is the true yardstick of economic performance.

And we see around the region that 2016 was a year of cooling growth.

The L.A.-O.C’s real GDP grew 2.1 percent last year, and my trusty spreadsheet

tells me that was pretty run-of-the-mill — ranking 27th best among the 50 largest

metro areas nationwide. Last year’s growth was a dip from 4.7 percent growth in

2015 (ranking No. 14) and 3.9 percent growth in 2014 (12th best).

In the Inland Empire, the economy grew 2.6 percent last year, 17th best among

the 50 largest. It was a dip from 4 percent in 2015, which also ranked No. 17.

10/13/2017 Los Angeles-Orange County economy hits $1 trillion – Orange County Register

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/10/13/los-angeles-orange-county-economy-hits-1-trillion/ 3/4

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Meanwhile, San Diego sputtered: 0.3 percent growth last year — eight worst

among the 50 largest — and 0.4 percent in 2015, fourth worst.

By no means were all economic ills cured by the L.A.-O.C rebound since the Great

Recession. Poverty, homelessness, and financial inequality still present local

challenges. And the growth likely exacerbated the housing shortage and created

more congestion.

Since 2011, real GDP in L.A.-O.C — that’s after inflation — averaged 3.1 percent

annual growth. Sure, that rise is not Silicon Valley’s nation-leading 6.5 percent

annual expansion rate in the period. Or the 6.1 percent pace of runner-up Austin,

Texas.

But considering all the griping I’ve heard about regional economic deficiencies,

L.A.-O.C handily beating the nation’s 2.2 percent yearly pace is certainly

noteworthy.

And L.A.-O.C’s growth ranking 12th best among the top 50 U.S. markets in the

past five years? Not too shabby.

JonathanLansner Jonathan Lansner

Jonathan Lansner has been the Orange County Registerbusiness columnist since 1997 and has covered the local business scene for thenewspaper since 1986. He is a past president of the Society of AmericanBusiness Editors and Writers and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania'sWharton School.

Follow Jonathan Lansner @jonlan

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10/13/2017 These 2,450 Acres Near L.A. Are California’s Next Big Development Fight | PublicCEO

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These 2,450 Acres Near L.A. AreCalifornia’s Next Big Development

FightPOSTED BY : NEXT CITY OCTOBER 12, 2017

An emerald island in a sea of gray and brown sprawl is atthe heart of a raging debate over the road to sustainability.By Will Doig.

The Pomona Freeway from Los Angeles to Chino Hills is pretty charmless. Lots of gas station signage

and personal injury attorneys promising to “fight for you.” But the defining landmark is a web of 500-

kilovolt power lines, the electrical lifeblood of a heavily air-conditioned region and an eyesore marring

the California sunset.

As the L.A. sprawl has crept steadily eastward, such large-scale energy infrastructure projects have run

into opposition from the communities in which they’re being built. Chino Hills is one such community.

A quiet, picturesque exurb with breathtaking views of the San Gabriel Mountains, its rows of pristine

hillside houses are a real estate agent’s dream. Part of the town’s appeal stems from its prime location

astride Tres Hermanos Ranch, a swath of 2,450 acres of undeveloped wetlands and undulating hills.

Tres Hermanos is part of one of the largest expanses of developable open space in a corridor covered

in strip malls and subdivisions, an emerald island in a sea of gray and brown sprawl.

“This is real coastal sage scrub,” says Robin Smith, bending down to touch the crispy-looking bushes

that rise to our ankles. Smith’s house is located just 200 feet from the boundary of this land, which she

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Next City is a non-profit organization with a mission to inspire social, economic and environmental

change in cities by creating media and events around the world.

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cherishes with zeal. “California native landscape is unique in the world,” she says. “That’s why back in

the old days you had these legends of golden California, because it was really true.”

Tres Hermanos isn’t a public park. Though it’s located within the boundaries of Chino Hills and the

neighboring town of Diamond Bar, those towns don’t actually own it. That’s because in the 1970s, Tres

Hermanos was bought by City of Industry, another municipality located 20-odd miles west down the

Pomona Freeway. Five years ago, the state of California took control of the land from Industry. On Aug.

24, it gave the city, its former owner, the green light to buy it back.

Read the full story at Next City.

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Commentary: Pensions vs. SplitRoll

October 12, 2017

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TestingOctober 12, 2017

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Commentary: Pensions vs. Split RollPOSTED BY : JOEL FOX OCTOBER 12, 2017

By Joel Fox.

I guess I should use the old vaudeville line: Stop me if you’ve heard this one: the push to

increase commercial property taxes is about government pension costs. Returning to this

subject at this time (I wrote on the same subject for the Sacramento Bee last April) is

prompted by the coming together of a couple of recent events.

There was the League of Women Voters and other groups hosting a meeting in Los Angeles

this past weekend to “educate” people and advocate for a split roll property tax seeking to

raise billions of tax dollars on the back of businesses. Also last week, Stanford University’s

Institute for Policy Research issued a report by professor and former Democratic legislator Joe

Nation describing the pension burden that is beginning to strangle state and local

governments in California.

The services that are affected by both the split roll rally and the Stanford report are quite

similar.

Supporters of the split roll say that raising taxes on commercial property will provide $9 billion

a year needed for schools and services provided by local governments. Meanwhile, Joe

Nation’s report says that because of pension contributions by employers (i.e. governments)

increasing an average of 400% over the past 15 years, educational services, recreation,

community services and others are squeezed for lack of money.

Many “core mission services,” as defined by the Stanford report, will be starved of money

because of pension demands. The split roll advocates talk about the need for more money for

local services. What they don’t tell you is that money for those services is being diverted to

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Big Development Fight

ABOUT JOEL FOX

Editor of Fox & Hounds and President of the Small Business Action Committee.

cover the pension requirements of state and local governments because these governments

made generous promises to workers and accepted revenue projections to cover those

promises that did not play out.

Instead of admitting that more money is needed to cover pension costs, split roll advocates

create a false argument about business dodging its fair share of property taxes. They claim

homeowners now pay a much larger share of the property tax burden than they did prior to

Proposition 13. A Legislative Analyst’s Office report undercuts that false claim.

The report states in part, “Homeowners pay a slightly larger share of property taxes today

than they did when Proposition 13 passed. Proposition 13 does not appear to have caused

this increase. … In part, this may be due to faster growth in the number of residential

properties than the number of commercial and industrial properties.”

The so-called grassroots activity seeking support for a split roll is backed by powerful public

employee unions who support more revenues to cover the pension costs. Yet, you won’t hear

anything from the split roll advocates about the pensions strangling local budgets or pushing

some cities toward bankruptcies.

Meanwhile, the Stanford study makes it clear with numerous examples that pensions are

absorbing greater and greater portions of local government budgets. The Stanford study

states clearly there is “agreement on one fact: public pension costs are making it harder to

provide services that have traditionally been considered part of government’s core mission.”

Originally posted at Fox & Hounds Daily.

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10/13/2017 Brown signs bills to help California women, families

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By Kathleen Ronayne / Associated PressPosted Oct 12, 2017 at 4:04 PMUpdated Oct 12, 2017 at 4:04 PM

SACRAMENTO — California women will have more tools to fight pay discrimination,more resources to buy diapers and pay for childcare, and more opportunities forparental leave under bills signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown.

“California is not just about Silicon Valley, it’s not just about agriculture, it’s not justabout Hollywood — it’s about families and kids,” Brown said before signing the billsoutside a Sacramento center that provides resources for homeless women.

The 26-member legislative Women’s Caucus championed the nine bills aimed atimproving the lives of California women and families, with several focusing on victimsof domestic violence. They are broad in scope, aimed at helping women in theworkplace and at home.

“California is once again leading the way when it comes to helping women who need itthe most,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzales Fletcher of San Diego.

One bill requires small businesses employing between 20 and 49 people to offer 12weeks of unpaid maternity and paternity leave to employees, giving new parentsassurance they can stay home with their children without being fired. Existing state lawonly imposes that requires for larger companies.

Another workplace-focused bill bans employers from asking applicants about their pastsalaries. That builds on a 2015 law signed by Brown making it easier for women topush for equal pay.

Several other bills focus on health and wellness. Among them is a requirement thatpublic schools with high populations of low-income students provide free tampons andmenstrual products in women’s and girl’s restrooms. Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia,chair of the Women’s Caucus, has dubbed herself the “tampon queen” in her fight forthe bill.

“I’ve heard from young girls across the state who miss school on a regular basis becausethey can’t afford these products,” Garcia said.

Brown signs bills to help California women, families

10/13/2017 Brown signs bills to help California women, families

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A bill by Gonzales Fletcher will allow low-income women on public assistance to getup to $30 a month help to buy diapers for children under three. Brown vetoed a similarbill last year.

Other bills in the package will:

Make obtaining sexual images or sexual acts through extortion a crime,sometimes called “sextortion” Allow parents taking English as a second language or high school equivalencycourses to be eligible for subsidized childcare Provide homeless benefits such as hotel vouchers to domestic violence victimswho are awaiting shelter space Require the state to keep rape kits on file for 20 years Ensure women are given information about breast cancer susceptibility genes

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10/13/2017 Bad traffic in L.A.'s toll lanes? Blame the 25% of drivers who don't pay to use them, officials say - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-toll-lane-cheating-20170929-story.html 1/4

F

Bad traffic in L.A.'s toll lanes? Blame the 25% ofdrivers who don't pay to use them, officials say

By Laura J. Nelson

OCTOBER 13, 2017, 5:00 AM

or nearly five years, the 110 Freeway’s carpool lanes have been open to solo drivers who want to avoid

bumper-to-bumper traffic.

But that privilege comes at a price. Driving the 11-mile toll route from the 105 Freeway to downtown

Los Angeles can cost $20 or more during the most congested periods of morning rush hour — for the drivers

who actually pay, that is.

On any given morning, more than 25% of drivers in the toll lanes have evaded the single-driver toll, a problem

that has become the top issue for Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s traffic officials. The high scofflaw

As traffic grows more sluggish in Los Angeles County's toll lanes on the 110 and 10 freeways, officials say they may crack down on theestimated 25% to 30% of solo drivers who aren't paying to use the lanes. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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10/13/2017 Bad traffic in L.A.'s toll lanes? Blame the 25% of drivers who don't pay to use them, officials say - LA Times

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rate has harmed the efficiency of the lanes, driving up prices and slowing down speeds for the customers who

did pay to enter, they said.

Most drivers who cheat are alone in the car and switch their transponders to a carpool setting to avoid the toll,

officials said. Drivers with two or more people in the vehicle are not charged for using the toll lanes.

Metro relies on California Highway Patrol officers who prowl the lanes to look for violators, and catching them

en masse is next to impossible.

“It’s a threat to the validity of the whole program,” said Martin Wachs, a distinguished professor emeritus of

urban planning at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs. “You can’t charge people to use a system that you’re

not willing to enforce.”

Los Angeles County toll lane drivers are charged a per-mile price that changes as often as every five minutes,

based on the congestion in the paid lanes. As traffic slows down, the per-mile price rises until it hits a Metro-

mandated ceiling of $1.90 per mile.

In theory, the highest prices will keep some users out of the lanes, or force others to exit, leaving zippier travel

speeds for those who do pay. But so many drivers are using the lanes without considering the price that the

algorithm isn’t regulating congestion as it should.

To tally the cheaters, Metro workers stood on overpasses, counted the number of occupants in each vehicle that

went by and compared that figure to the transponder setting.

The findings — that 25% to 30% of drivers are driving alone and are not paying — have been fairly consistent for

more than a year, surprising some Metro executives.

“We thought people would be more honest,” Metro deputy executive officer Kathleen McCune said.

“It’s a threat to the validity of the whole program.

You can’t charge people to use a system thatyou’re not willing to enforce.

— Martin Wachs, a UCLA distinguished professor emeritus

“We thought people would be more honest.

— Metro deputy executive director Kathleen McCune

10/13/2017 Bad traffic in L.A.'s toll lanes? Blame the 25% of drivers who don't pay to use them, officials say - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-toll-lane-cheating-20170929-story.html 3/4

When the highest tolls have no effect on congestion in the lanes, Metro turns to “carpool only” mode, barring

solo drivers from entering the lanes until travel speeds rise. The use of “HOV Only” status rose 15% over the last

fiscal year, to 352 hours — an average of more than one hour per workday.

Along the length of the 110 Freeway, toll lane speeds remained unchanged over the past year, hovering between

51 mph and 52 mph as vehicle volumes rose. But speeds along the northbound 110 between Slauson Avenue and

downtown Los Angeles fell as low as 30 mph last year during morning rush hour.

All carpool and toll lanes that receive federal funds are required to maintain average speeds of 45 mph at least

90% of the time during peak periods. Currently, only one-third of the lanes in California meet that goal,

according to Caltrans.

Rather than invest in more CHP enforcement, Metro is developing an automated system designed to detect the

number of occupants in a car and issue a ticket if the transponder setting does not match. The system should be

finished next year, officials said.

Each violation will be double-checked by a human employee during the first six months of the program, with

the goal of teaching the automated system to become more accurate over time, said Shahrzad Amiri, a Metro

executive officer.

Not all the drivers who are cheating the toll will leave the lanes once they get ticketed, but “a good chunk

would,” Amiri said. She said that enforcement, combined with a slate of other possible policy changes aimed at

pushing more drivers out of the lanes, will bring speeds back up.

That includes Metro’s push to raise the carpool requirement to three people per vehicle in Los Angeles County

lanes. That decision lies with Caltrans, which is preparing a recommendation for next fall, spokeswoman

Lauren Wonder said.

Metro also is planning to provide toll credits to some frequent toll lane users who have the flexibility to shift the

time of their commutes by about an hour, to relieve some of the pressure during the most congested periods of

the day.

This fall, or early next year, Metro also plans to start charging a toll to drivers in zero-emission vehicles, who

can use the toll lanes for free. California allows agencies to charge discounted tolls to those drivers. Metro has

not set a fee structure yet, Amiri said.

That idea has received some pushback from elected officials, including Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila

Kuehl, who said at a Metro meeting last month that the privilege to use the toll lanes without paying is an

important incentive to shift drivers to more fuel-efficient vehicles.

But in its purest form, Wachs said, congestion pricing involves charging every road user to use the toll lanes,

regardless of what vehicle is driven.

10/13/2017 Bad traffic in L.A.'s toll lanes? Blame the 25% of drivers who don't pay to use them, officials say - LA Times

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“The idea that we would give discounts based on what fuel the vehicles use is a distraction from the main

purpose of the policy, which is to manage highway capacity,” Wachs said. “They’re competing goals.

laura.nelson@latimes.com

Twitter: @laura_nelson

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This article is related to: Sheila Kuehl