11/30/2017 Surgeries, therapy and pain: San Bernardino terror attack survivor details horrific journey to recovery – Daily Bulletin

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By SUZANNE HURT | shurt@scng.com | The Press-Enterprise

PUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 12:59 pm | UPDATED: November 30, 2017 at 1:16 pm

Julie Swann-Paez, a survivor of the Dec. 2 San Bernardino shooting, works with Pilates instructor Valerie Chargois to strengthen muscles duringher recovery at Pilates 909 in Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday, July 15, 2017. Swann-Paez was shot twice in the pelvis during the terror attack.(Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

She remembers the voices as she lay dying outside the Inland Regional Center on Dec. 2, 2015.

The voices kept asking her name and age, over and over, as she lay in triage with her eyes closed.

Julie Swann-Paez had been shot twice in the pelvis in a terrorist attack by her Muslim co-worker and his wife. She was losing blood and

consciousness. Her blood pressure was plummeting.

“If I can stay conscious, if I can keep answering their questions, I’m going to survive. I’ll make it if I can get to the hospital,” she told herself.

LOCAL NEWS

Surgeries, therapy and pain: San Bernardino terror attacksurvivor details horri�c journey to recovery

11/30/2017 Surgeries, therapy and pain: San Bernardino terror attack survivor details horrific journey to recovery – Daily Bulletin

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Mass shooting aftermath

Dif�culty getting treatment

The 50-year-old San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services inspector barely survived the ambulance ride to Loma Linda University

Medical Center and emergency surgery to nd and stop the bleeding.

She’d lost almost all her blood, needing more than 10 pints. Surgeons cleaned and closed the bullet wounds, repaired the damage, stabilized her

shattered pelvis by screwing protruding metal rods into her hip bones and gave her a colostomy.

A year later, she met the paramedic and EMT behind those voices. She wanted to thank them. It was the rst time she saw their faces. They told

her working amid the carnage had been somewhat traumatic. They wanted to see if she was OK.

Now, what stands out most to her about Dec. 2 was her ability at self-preservation. After the rst bullet hit, she lay curled up on the conference

room oor playing dead while the attackers sprayed bullets across the room.

As her co-workers screamed, Julie wished those near her would stop so they wouldn’t draw the shooters back to that corner and focused on

staying calm, even when she was shot a second time and blood was spilling out.

“I was imagining the sound of the ocean. Thinking about the beach — the waves hitting, the sound of the wind,” she said.

Two years later, she gets counseling for post-traumatic stress three days a week and her mind still replays parts of the attack — Syed Rizwan

Farook entering, coworkers dying.

Yet she also replays memories of what she, other survivors and trauma experts describe as secondary trauma — their problems getting medical

treatment, medicine or equipment through the county’s self-administered workers’ compensation program when doctor’s treatment requests

are denied, delayed or reduced.

County of cials didn’t step forward to help in any way and seemed to turn adversarial toward survivors like Julie who needed attorneys to help

navigate workers’ compensation to get the bene ts they’re legally entitled to after being injured at a county training event/holiday party, she

said.

State workers’ compensation division of cials told the county a year ago they don’t have to send every treatment request to outside utilization

review, but the county still is, she said, describing the county’s actions as “SB Wrong” — a play on the phrase “SB Strong” that was coined after

the attack but later felt like a slap in the face to survivors.

While she and her coworkers felt betrayed by Farook, Julie said he never made them promises, but she had higher expectations of the county.

“The real betrayal is from our employer. They have betrayed those who survived that room more than anyone,” said Julie.

For her, after-surgery pain medication has been denied. Counseling, physical therapy and medication for PTSD, anxiety and depression have

been reduced. She had to pay for her rst blood pressure medicine needed for the stress of facing treatment denials and delays.

RELATED: How San Bernardino terror attack survivors are struggling with PTSD’s ‘invisible wounds’ 2 years later

A physical therapist visited for two months while she was housebound to do limited work. Julie had three more surgeries to remove the

stabilizing rods, reverse the colostomy and remove adhesions and scar tissue in her abdomen.

Interview with Julie Swan-PaezSCNG

11/30/2017 Surgeries, therapy and pain: San Bernardino terror attack survivor details horrific journey to recovery – Daily Bulletin

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Road to recovery

Unknown future

After the rods were removed and she began walking again with a walker, she was approved for eight weeks of physical therapy in the rst 11

months to help strengthen weak muscles and work on her gait. Another six weeks were approved in November 2016, so Julie pushed herself to

do physical therapy exercises at her San Bernardino home and walk in the mornings, trying to eliminate a painful limp.

Walking 5 to 10 miles daily before the attack, Julie rarely walks and does no more than 1.5 to 2 miles. This year, her orthopedic surgeon pushed

her to do pilates — less costly than physical therapy and effective for strengthening her pelvis and other muscles to make up for muscles now

gone from the left side. Sixteen sessions a month were approved for six months, then more pilates was denied in the summer.

RELATED: Survivors of Sept. 11, Oklahoma City terror attacks share their stories, recovery

Today, Julie has pain sitting for too long, getting in and out of the car, and walking long distances or up and down stairs and hills. She can feel her

body weakening.

Hundreds of pieces of shrapnel remain embedded in her, from her pelvis and abdomen to a thigh. A bone spur from her pelvis sticking into her

bladder makes her have to urinate frequently. It will remain in her body after an attempt to remove it ended when a surgeon accidentally cut

her bladder.

She tries to think positively, but she’s embarrassed about her medical conditions. She’s worried others won’t understand.

“The type of injuries I have — you can’t see them from the outside,” she said. “I’ll never be the same. But I want to be functionally better.”

She’ll need abdomen reconstruction surgery in a few months. But rst, she’ll have recently approved surgery Dec. 5 to remove a hernia that

grew at an incision site.

Julie’s temporary disability payments have just run out. Under current law, injured California workers’ wage loss compensation of $290 a week

ends after 104 weeks. Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes, D-Grand Terrace, tried to increase the time by introducing AB44 last year to give Dec. 2

survivors up to four and half years of payments during recovery if needed.

But the bill was gutted by the Assembly Insurance Committee.

Julie was working her dream job when the attack happened. However, she can’t return to work yet because of pain, upcoming surgeries and

recovery periods. Even if she could, the county would only have to accommodate her work restrictions for a year before legally being allowed

to let her go.

But after the county’s handling of survivors’ workers’ comp treatment requests, Julie said she’s too disillusioned to return to working for San

Bernardino County. That makes her sad.

She’s applied for medical disability retirement and is considering leaving the area with her husband and family to nd a fresh start. She’d like to

work again but doesn’t know what she could do — or if she’ll be employable with her injuries.

Her future medical issues are unknown, which stands in the way of making a permanent disability settlement with the county, because that

must cover future needs.

“How would anyone else know what else is going to come up?” she said.

Two years after the attack, there’s still no permanent memorial to the 14 people who died at the Inland Regional Center or the 57 people who

survived the attack.

The only memorial, then, is the scars that remain on the bodies and psyches of those who lived.

This story is part of a four-part series on Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack survivors’ recovery and California’s workers’ compensation system. The project was

undertaken for the USC Center for Health Journalism’s California Fellowship.

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12/1/2017 Remember the victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack on Saturday - Opinion - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

http://www.vvdailypress.com/opinion/20171130/remember-victims-of-san-bernardino-terrorist-attack-on-saturday 1/2

By Robert LovingoodPosted Nov 30, 2017 at 9:02 AMUpdated at 7:41 AM

Fourteen beautiful souls were taken from us and countless others were foreverscarred on Dec. 2, 2015.

Although two years have gone by since the terrorist attack at the Inland RegionalCenter in San Bernardino, each day we think about those who are no longerwith us, those who are still healing physically and emotionally, and the impactthis horrific tragedy has had on our San Bernardino County community.

The grief, the anger and the fear remain. We are still unable to grasp what drivesthis brand of evil.

On that terrible day, the world reached out to San Bernardino County, offeredsupport, thoughts and prayers. The county community wrapped its arms aroundour County Government family and comforted us through some very dark times.

On Saturday, we will pay special remembrance to those who are no longer withus — husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers,neighbors and co-workers — and honor those who suffer still.

On this second anniversary, the County Environmental Health Services familyand the Board of Supervisors are asking the public to join us wherever you maybe in a moment of remembrance at 10:55 a.m. on Saturday. At that time thecounty will pay tribute to those who were taken from us and the survivors onour Twitter and Facebook platforms, https://twitter.com/SBCounty and

https://www.facebook.com/SanBernardinoCounty respectively.

If you fly an American flag at home or business, we ask that you lower your flagto half-staff on Saturday in honor of the lives taken and the lives shattered onthat day two years ago.

Remember the victims of the San Bernardinoterrorist attack on Saturday

12/1/2017 Remember the victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack on Saturday - Opinion - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

http://www.vvdailypress.com/opinion/20171130/remember-victims-of-san-bernardino-terrorist-attack-on-saturday 2/2

And we ask that you continue to pray for those who are still healing, and showlove and appreciation to your families, friends, and neighbors.

Finally, I am pleased to report that a great deal of progress has been made increating a permanent December 2 memorial. Under the guidance of a memorialcommittee headed by Fifth District Supervisor Josie Gonzales and includingmembers of the Environmental Health family, the county is close to selecting aconsultant with experience in public arts and memorials to guide and facilitateour search for an artist to design the memorial.

After the tragedy of December 2, I and the other members of the Board ofSupervisors vowed to stand together and help our county emerge stronger thanever before. We continue to hold each other up while offering assistance to thegrowing number of communities across our country who fall victim to this kindof violence and terror. We will never forget. We are SB Strong.

Robert Lovingood is the chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors

and represents the First District on the panel. He lives in the High Desert.

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12/1/2017 San Bernardino County to observe moment of silence on Dec. 2, second anniversary of terrorist attack – San Bernardino Sun

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By CONTRIBUTED CONTENT |PUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 7:02 pm | UPDATED: November 30, 2017 at 7:06 pm

File photoA memorial sits outside the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino four months following the Dec. 2, 2015 terrorist attack. (File photo by RickSforza/The Sun)

San Bernardino County of�cials are asking residents to observe a moment of silence Saturday, Dec. 2, the second anniversary of

the terrorist attack at Inland Regional Center that le� 14 people dead and 22 others wounded.

“Although two years have gone by since the terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, each day we think about those

who are no longer with us, those who are still healing physically and emotionally, and the impact this horri�c tragedy has had on our San

Bernardino County community,” Robert Lovingood, chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement.

“The grief, the anger and the fear remain. We are still unable to grasp what drives this brand of evil.”

The attack happened as employees from the county’s Environmental Health Services Division attended a training session and holiday

luncheon at IRC. Of the 14 people who died, 13 were county employees.

“On December 2 of this year, we will pay special remembrance to those who are no longer with us – husbands, wives, mothers, fathers,

sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, neighbors and co-workers – and honor those who suffer still,” Lovingood said.

On Saturday, the county asks residents to:

LOCAL NEWS

San Bernardino County to observe moment of silence onDec. 2, second anniversary of terrorist attack

12/1/2017 San Bernardino County to observe moment of silence on Dec. 2, second anniversary of terrorist attack – San Bernardino Sun

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• Join in a moment of remembrance at 10:55 a.m. from wherever you are. The county will pay tribute to the victims on Twitter and

Facebook.

• Lower �ags to half-staff in honor of the victims

• Pray for those who are still healing, and show love and appreciation to our families, friends, and neighbors

Progress has been made to create a permanent December 2 memorial, Lovingood said. Under the guidance of a memorial committee, the

county is close to selecting a consultant to guide and facilitate the search for an artist to design the memorial.

The shooting was perpetrated by county health inspector Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik. According to the FBI, Farook

and Malik were radicalized Muslims who had long been planning a terror attack. The Redlands couple died later that day in a shootout

with authorities.

“A�er the tragedy of December 2, I and the other members of the Board of Supervisors vowed to stand together and help our county

emerge stronger than ever before,” Lovingood said in the statement. “We continue to hold each other up while offering assistance to the

growing number of communities across our country who fall victim to this kind of violence and terror.

“We will never forget. We are SB Strong.”

How to get help

• U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Document with information about how to manage stress a�er a

traumatic event: http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA13-4776/SMA13-4776.pdf

• SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline: Help and support for any distress that you or someone may be feeling related to any

disaster. Available 24/7. 800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746. Spanish speakers text Hablanos to 66746.

• San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health Community Crisis Response Team: A community-based mobile crisis response

team for those experiencing a psychiatric emergency. Available 24/7. East Valley, 909-421-9233; High Desert, 760-956-2345; West Valley, 909-

458-1517; and Morongo Basin, 760-499-4429.

• San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health Access Unit: Connections to behavioral health crisis services countywide as

well as member services and access to behavioral health services for all bene�ciaries of San Bernardino County Medi-Cal. Available 24/7.

888-743-1478 or 909-386-8256.

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12/1/2017 Here’s how much food county employees in the Transitional Assistance Department collected for low-income families – San Bernardi…

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By STAFF REPORT | |PUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 8:26 pm | UPDATED: November 30, 2017 at 8:29 pm

San Bernardino County employees in the Transitional Assistance Department collected food in 2016 for families and individuals in need to bedistributed through partner Community Action Partnership Food Bank. (Courtesy photo)

San Bernardino County employees in the Transitional Assistance Department this year collected more than 27,000 food items for those in

need to be distributed through Community Action Partnership Food Bank.

The county employees take the �rst week of October — Customer Service Week — to recognize their customers and give back to the

community with a department-wide food drive in partnership with CAP Food Bank, according to Gilbert Ramos, director of the county’s

Transitional Assistance Department. This is the third year TAD collected and donated items to the food bank.

Ramos said the chance to help feed local families, especially during the upcoming holidays, is something the staff takes pride in.

TAD employees already work with the most vulnerable in the community, and they understand the needs low-income families face on a

daily basis. TAD serves more than one million people in either CalWORKs, CalFresh, and/or MediCal programs throughout the year. And

while demand is trending downward for these programs, Ramos said in the email, the need for medical assistance has been increasing.

“We are always here for those who are in need in our community. Our department works every day to ensure San Bernardino County

residents have access to �nancial, nutritional and medical assistance, said Ramos.

LOCAL NEWS

Here’s how much food county employees in theTransitional Assistance Department collected for low-income families

12/1/2017 Here’s how much food county employees in the Transitional Assistance Department collected for low-income families – San Bernardi…

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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.

“Donating food to the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County Food Bank is just one way we can work together as we

help meet the basic needs of those in our community,” he said.

In 2016, the CAP Food Bank received and distributed $19 million worth of food. This year, the food bank saw an increase.

“We have already exceeded the amount of donated food received and distributed this year, and are projecting an estimated total of 13.5

million pounds of food valued at over $22 million,” Brandon Romano, program manager II at CAP Food Bank, said in an email. “This food

is serving over 400,000 households throughout the county.”

TAD’s annual Thanksgiving food drive is largest single food drive supporting the food bank’s annual holiday food basket program,

according to Romano. Each TAD of�ce countywide participates and all the food collected helps provide a holiday meal to feed people at no

charge.

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12/1/2017 Two connected to Colonies bribery case to appear in court in San Bernardino – San Bernardino Sun

http://www.sbsun.com/2017/11/30/two-players-in-the-ill-fated-colonies-bribery-case-to-appear-friday-in-san-bernardino-courtroom/?utm_sour… 1/3

By JOE NELSON | jnelson@scng.com | San Bernardino SunPUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 7:21 pm | UPDATED: November 30, 2017 at 8:12 pm

John “Dino” Defazio stands charged with six felony counts of perjury in connection with his 2009 grand jury testimony in the Colonies publiccorruption case, which ended in acquittal in August for three of the defendants and dismissal of all charges in September against a fourthdefendant.

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Two connected to Colonies bribery case to appear incourt in San Bernardino

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Adam Aleman, former San Bernardino County assistant assessor, and John Dino DeFazio, a High Desert developer, will both be in court on

Friday for separate hearings in connection with corruption at the Assessor’s Of�ce and allegedly lying to the Grand Jury in the ill-fated

Colonies corruption case.

Aleman testi�ed as a key witness during the marathon 8-month Colonies bribery trial, which began January 4 and ended in acquittal for

three defendants in August and charges being dismissed against a fourth defendant in September following a mistrial involving his jury.

His testimony went sideways a�er he admitted on the witness stand to lying to the grand jury, among other things.

Aleman entered into a plea bargain with the District Attorney’s Of�ce in 2009, offering to provide prosecutors evidence of bribery tied to a

$102 million legal settlement between the county and Rancho Cucamonga developer Colonies Partners LP in November 2006. In exchange,

Aleman requested that he be granted leniency for crimes he committed in the Assessor’s Of�ce in 2007 and 2008, including destruction of

evidence and vandalism.

Aleman is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.

DeFazio is charged with six felony counts of perjury in connection with his October 2009 testimony before a grand jury in the Colonies

case. He stands accused of lying about his and other people’s involvement with a political action committee tied to former county assessor

and supervisor Bill Postmus, initially a targeted defendant in the Colonies case who also entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors

and testi�ed at the Colonies trial for the prosecution. But his testimony was more favorable to the defense, as he testi�ed he did not believe

that $100,000 in contributions to his PACs by Colonies Partners LP were bribes and that there was no quid pro quo involved when he voted

in favor of the historic settlement between the county and developer.

The Colonies settlement ended a nearly �ve years of litigation over �ood control improvements at Colonies’ more than 400-acre residential

and commercial development in Upland, Colonies at San Antonio and Colonies Crossroads, respectively.

Aleman is scheduled to appear before Judge Michael A. Smith at 9 a.m. in San Bernardino Superior Court. DeFazio is scheduled to appear

before Judge J. David Mazurek at 8:30 a.m. in San Bernardino Superior Court.

READ MORE

Timeline: A look at the Colonies-San Bernardino County clash from 1999 to 2017

Colonies corruption trial

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NELSON_JOEJoe NelsonJoe Nelson is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked for The Sun since November 1999. He started as a crime reporterand went on to cover a variety of beats including courts and the cities of Colton, Highland and Grand Terrace. He has covered SanBernardino County since 2009. Nelson is a graduate of California State University Fullerton. In 2014, he completed a fellowship atLoyola Law School's Journalist Law School program.

Follow Joe Nelson @SBCountyNow

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San Bernardino SWAT at the ready, two years after terror attack By Rob McMillan

Thursday, November 30, 2017 06:02PM

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) --

The San Bernardino police SWAT team trains twice a month for a variety

of situations.

Ironically, the team was training for an active-shooter situation on Dec.

2, 2015, when two shooters stormed into the Inland Regional Center in

San Bernardino and opened fire.

"Definitely one of the most tragic days in my career," said Detective Paul

Spriggs, one of the snipers on the SWAT team.

Spriggs and his partner Officer Jason Stack, along with everyone else on

the team, stopped their drill, and rushed to the IRC.

"The SWAT was in there in 15 minutes," said Sgt. Francisco Hernandez,

one of the leaders of the team. "(It's) a remarkable response for any

SWAT team."

Fourteen people were killed by the shooters; another 22 people were

wounded. But law enforcement was largely praised for the quick

response.

Two years later, the San Bernardino police SWAT team continues to

train.

"You have to be ready all the time," said Hernandez.

The SWAT team regularly takes part in competitions, like the AARTAC

competition at the Prado Olympic shooting park in Chino.

There were four events in all: a combat course, a tactical carbine course,

a handgun course, and a relay race. Thirty-nine teams from across the

state took part, and the San Bernardino police SWAT team came in third

place.

Their reward was the use of a specialized robot for an entire year.

"This robot has a lot more capabilities," said Hernandez. "It climbs

stairs, it flips over to fix itself."

But Spriggs and Stack weren't finished after that competition. They were

accepted at the International Sniper Competition at Fort Benning,

Georgia.

"I jumped on YouTube, and saw how intense it was," said Stack. "(I) said,

oh 'This is going to be awesome!'"

Awesome. But arduous. They went up against 30 other teams; some of

them from the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps.

"Yeah, we were nervous," said Stack. "But if we made it this far, let's

push."

One of the contests involved something called "stalking." It required

crawling through the woods for nearly a mile, undetected, and hitting a

target no more than 20 inches wide.

"We don't typically train for that in law enforcement," said Spriggs. "In

law enforcement, especially in a city like San Bernardino, we knock on

someone's door, ask if we can come inside, and take over a room so we

can see across the street. We had an understanding that you have to get

from point A to point B without being seen and that's about it."

In fact, while many military teams spend several hours making their

specialized camouflage outfits, known as ghillie suits, Spriggs and Stack

ordered their suits on Amazon.

"I opened mine up the first time 20 minutes before we're supposed to

start stalking," laughed Spriggs. "We're trying to figure things out."

Despite all the obstacles, in that particular competition, Spriggs said they

finished in first place. For the week, they finished in ninth place overall.

"I think we both had a sigh of relief," said Stack. "Did we just do this?

Yeah, we just did this!"

Now, they're back in San Bernardino, with their colleagues on the SWAT

team. Training again, for the next time they're called into action.

Whenever that may be.

"I couldn't be more proud of the men and women I work with," Spriggs

said.

12/1/2017 Gearing up on safety: County Fire conducts annual swift water rescue training

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20171130/gearing-up-on-safety-county-fire-conducts-annual-swift-water-rescue-training 1/3

By Paola Baker Staff Writer Posted Nov 30, 2017 at 8:58 PMUpdated at 7:28 AM

HESPERIA — As winter approaches, public safety personnel are ensuring they’reready for the worst by conducting a swift water rescue training demonstrationthis week.

Outfitted in watertight dry suits and hauling rescue equipment, over 100 SanBernardino County Fire Department personnel prepared to work in the chillywaters of the California Aqueduct, where the demo was held this year.

“We’re gearing up for seasonal flooding that typically occurs as the winterbegins,” County Fire Battalion Chief Donnie Viloria said.

Personnel could be seen entering a section of the aqueduct off of CottonwoodAvenue on Thursday afternoon, practicing their rowing through the deceptivelycalm waters and pulling out simulated victims.

Despite appearances, aqueduct currents can sweep up a victim in a matter ofseconds — just one of the factors that make swift water rescues the mostchallenging scenario for personnel, according to Viloria.

“It’s an absolute tragedy when somebody falls in. All the cards are stacked againstyou,” Viloria said.

He mentioned other factors, such as typically frigid water temperatures, limitedvisibility, and objects dumped into the aqueduct, that can quickly change theoutcome of an ongoing rescue.

“There’s just too many dynamics to list, and that’s why this makes it the mostdynamic type of rescue there is,” Viloria said.

Gearing up on safety: County Fire conductsannual swift water rescue training

12/1/2017 Gearing up on safety: County Fire conducts annual swift water rescue training

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20171130/gearing-up-on-safety-county-fire-conducts-annual-swift-water-rescue-training 2/3

The California Aqueduct has been the scene of several high-profile tragedies inthe High Desert this year. The most recent was the death of 24-year-old Hesperiaresident Xanthel Linares, who died when her vehicle crashed into the aqueductoff Main Street in mid-September.

Viloria and paramedic/engineer Robert Stine both acknowledged the uniquehazards of the aqueduct while stressing that the demo wasn’t just specific to thatarea.

“We’re focusing on moving water in general,” Viloria said. “We’re increasing ourreadiness for a boat deployment at the aqueduct or other narrow waterchannels.”

One new technique implemented in this year’s demo included the use ofinflatable water boats to navigate swift waters. Personnel demonstrated the useof these vessels Thursday as crew members practiced rowing techniques that letthem push through the massive pressure of the moving waters.

“Water weighs. A gallon weighs 8.3 pounds,” Viloria explained. “That water willpush on us with that weight and move us.”

This can also make it incredibly difficult for victims to alert passersby.

“It’s not like in the movies, where victims are yelling and screaming for help,”Viloria said. “Your primary focus will be to keep breathing, and that water canmove you so quickly you may not have time to scream.”

This also makes searches and rescues dangerous for rescue personnel, who facehypothermia, fatigue, and even injury when deployed to a swiftwater rescue —but training sessions like these ensure they’re ready, Viloria said.

“We’re in the business of saving lives, and that’s what we’ll continue doing,”Viloria said.

Paola Baker may be reached at 760-955-5332 or PBaker@VVDailyPress.com. Follow her

on Twitter at @DP_PaolaBaker.

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12/1/2017 Highland deputy helps family in need, with a tank of gas and some lunch – San Bernardino Sun

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By STEPHEN RAMIREZ | stramirez@scng.com | Inland Valley Daily BulletinPUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 5:28 pm | UPDATED: November 30, 2017 at 5:31 pm

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Jonathan Ramstad, far left, helped a family in need while on patrol Wednesday. (Courtesy photo)

Jonathan Ramstad has had good days and bad days since becoming a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy.

Wednesday was a good one.

LOCAL NEWS

Highland deputy helps family in need, with a tank of gasand some lunch

12/1/2017 Highland deputy helps family in need, with a tank of gas and some lunch – San Bernardino Sun

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Ramstad, who works out of the Highland station, was able to give some joy to a family in need. He bought gas for their car and took them to

lunch.

“It was one of the best days of my career, by far,” Ramstad said. “It felt awesome to be able to help them.”

Ramstad met the family of eight, with six kids, a�er receiving a call for service in the area. He found the family with a car that had stalled

out. While talking to the father, he learned his life as a youngster was similar to theirs.

“I tried to get to know them,” Ramstad said. “The (father and the mother) looked down and out. He said he had lost his job, which in turn

lost their house.

“I grew up in similar circumstances. My mom was a single mother,” Ramstad added.  “It hit a so� spot for me. I could tell they had been

through a lot.”

He tried to do whatever he could to help them. He was able to get the car started long enough to get to a gas station, where he paid for their

gas.

Ramstad also invited them to lunch at a nearby McDonald’s.

He also met the family Thursday and brought them “stuff;” he did not elaborate on what he brought them.

“It was awesome,” he said of the day. “I was just glad I could help them.”

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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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12/1/2017 Sheriff’s investigators raid an unlicensed Adelanto commercial marijuana extraction lab – San Bernardino Sun

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By GAIL WESSON | gwesson@scng.com | The Press-EnterprisePUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 7:49 pm | UPDATED: November 30, 2017 at 7:53 pm

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies served a search warrant Thursday and found what they called a volatile concentrated cannabis

extraction lab in operation in Adelanto despite the fact that the state has not licensed any marijuana business for manufacturing,

according to a sheriff’s news release.

Large amounts of �nished concentrated cannabis, and propane, ethanol and butane used in the manufacturing process were seized by

deputies at Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. at 9501 Commerce Way.

Investigators raided an unlicensed commercial marijuana business in Adelanto on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of San BernardinoCounty Sheriff’s Department)

The property is described as under construction in preparation for commercial marijuana cultivation and manufacturing, but

investigators learned recently the employees already were operating the extraction lab.

The extraction process creates a higher concentration of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, that produces its high.

Narcotics investigators were assisted by investigators from the sheriff’s bomb/arson unit, San Bernardino County Fire, county Hazmat and

Adelanto city code enforcement of�cials in the 10 a.m. raid.

The city inspectors found numerous code violations for building safety, construction and operations inconsistent with the city ordinance,

the release said.

No arrests were made. Once the investigation is completed, reports will be forwarded to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s

Of�ce for review and potential �ling of criminal charges for manufacturing a controlled substance.

A state bureau is the lead agency in developing regulations for medical and adult-use cannabis in California and is responsible for

licensing such businesses.

The state issued regulations this month for adult recreational use of marijuana, which is set to begin once successful applicants get their

temporary licenses beginning in January.

Businesses must �rst apply for permission from local jurisdictions before seeking state permission to operate.

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to contact the sheriff’s gangs/narcotics division at 909-387-8400. Callers who wish

to remain anonymous may call the WeTip hotline at 909-387-8400 or submit information online at www.wetip.com

 

 

LOCAL NEWS

Sheriff’s investigators raid an unlicensed Adelantocommercial marijuana extraction lab

11/30/2017 Body found at crash site near the ignition point of Oak fire in Oak Glen – San Bernardino Sun

http://www.sbsun.com/2017/11/30/body-found-at-crash-site-near-the-ignition-point-of-oak-fire-in-oak-glen/ 1/3

By BEATRIZ E. VALENZUELA | bvalenzuela@scng.com | San Bernardino SunPUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 9:30 am | UPDATED: November 30, 2017 at 3:15 pm

Cal Fire investigates the scene of a fatal crash near the Oak Fire ignition site in Oak Glen, Calif. on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017. The body of a manwas found at the crash site, which may have started the 50-acre Oak Fire on Wednesday, according to officials. (Photo by Rachel Luna, TheSun/SCNG)

The discovery of a man’s body at the crash site near the ignition point of the 99-acre Oak �re in Oak Glen prompted the continued closure

of Oak Glen Road on Thursday, �re of�cials said.

“At this time we don’t know if the crash actually started the �re or if it’s a separate incident,” said Liz Brown, spokeswoman for Cal Fire.

Previously: Forward rate of Oak �re stopped at 50 acres; threats to homes mitigated

The fatal crash that may have started the blaze involved a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup and was reported at 12:20 p.m. Wednesday near

Serendipity Garden Weddings along Oak Glen Road about a mile north of Wildwood Canyon Road, the California Highway Patrol said in a

news release. The unidenti�ed man’s body was discovered by �re�ghters outside of the vehicle Wednesday.

Isaac Perez, of Redlands, who was doing landscaping outside the wedding venue Wednesday a�ernoon, said he and a co-worker saw a

burgundy truck pass several times along Oak Glen Road.

“He was driving kinda crazy,” said Perez on Thursday.

LOCAL NEWS

Body found at crash site near the ignition point of Oakfire in Oak Glen

11/30/2017 Body found at crash site near the ignition point of Oak fire in Oak Glen – San Bernardino Sun

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As he was tending to his truck parked along the side of the road, Perez said he noticed a cloud of dirt rise up from the ravine. A short time

later, he noticed smoke and �ames.

“I was going to go down there but there wasn’t a lot I could do the �re spread so fast,” Perez said.

Thursday morning, the crushed remains of the burned out truck could be seen at the bottom of the steep hillside from the roadway. The

�ames had burned off the paint and the truck now looked white.

Initial reports from the CHP on Wednesday a�ernoon indicated that a vehicle had plunged about 200 feet into a canyon.

The San Bernardino County Coroner’s Of�ce was called to the scene and continued their investigation Thursday, the CHP said.

Fire investigators were not ready Thursday to con�rm the crash had caused the blaze.

Brown said that �re investigators must consider all possible factors before announcing the of�cial cause of the �re.

“We are de�nitely aware of the crash and it’s one of the things being investigated as a possible cause,” she said Thursday morning.

The �re was reported  around 12:30 p.m. Initial �gures showed the �ames burned about 50 acres before �re�ghters stopped its forward

spread, Brown said. Updated numbers from Thursday showed the �re consumed 99 acres and it was 30 percent contained. Three

structures were initially threatened, but no structures were lost.

At its height, 22 �re engines, six hand crews, �ve bulldozers, four air tankers and three helicopters.

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Beatriz E. Valenzuela is an award-winning journalist who’s covered breaking news in Southern California since 2006 andhas been on the front lines of several national and international news events. She’s worked for media outlets serving SouthernCalifornia readers covering education, local government, entertainment and all things nerd including comic book culture and videogames. She’s an amateur obstacle course racer, constant fact-checker, mother of three and lover of all things adorable.

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Body found at crash site near the ignition point of Oak fire in Oak GlenSCNG

12/1/2017 East Valley Water District keeps workers in the loop and in the groove – Press Enterprise

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By FIELDING BUCK | fbuck@scng.com | The Press-EnterpriseDecember 1, 2017 at 6:00 am

East Valley Water District staff member Alejandra Ronquill participates in team-building stretching exercises at the EVWD headquarters inHighland, Ca., November 20, 2107. East Valley Water District is the winner in the small businesses category of SCNG’s Top Workplaces. (JohnValenzuela/Press Enterprise/SCNG)

At the East Valley Water District, people’s desire for �exibility in the workplace gets ful�lled — literally.

The Highland-based utility has a stretching program for its employees, �ve minutes of “moving in the groove” to limber up the body and

the mind. Field workers start their shi�s with it daily. Of�ce workers do it a couple of times a week.

The stretching sessions arose out of the utility’s Leadership Academy that gives employees skills to move into management roles.

BUSINESS

East Valley Water District keeps workers in the loop andin the groove

12/1/2017 East Valley Water District keeps workers in the loop and in the groove – Press Enterprise

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EAST VALLEY WATER DISTRICT

Staff members from East Valley Water District, take a short break to participate in team-building stretching exercises at the EVWDheadquarters in Highland, Ca., November 20, 2107. East Valley Water District is the winner in the small businesses category of SCNG’sTop Workplaces. (John Valenzuela/Press Enterprise/SCNG)

“We get together a group of our future leaders for a six-month program,” said Kerrie Bryan, human resources manager. “The employees get

to come up with a real project that will better the district.”

This is the third time EVWD has made Top Workplaces and the second year in a row it has been the No. 1 small company.

In the past year, the district has had success with its cross-training program, Bryan said, enabling an employee in customer service to

transfer to the �nance department.

The district was formed in 1954 to serve then-unincorporated Highland. It now provides water and wastewater services to more than

100,000 customers in 27.7 square miles that include portions of San Bernardino and unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County.

The district’s mission statement calls for “world-class public service,” Bryan said.

“Our employees live that day to day… They love giving great customer service and helping out our communities as much as they can. I

think that’s one of the things that makes it meaningful, but also the relationships that have been established.”

In the survey, workers anonymously commented that they have creative freedom in a family environment.

“It is the best employer I have ever had,” reads one comment. “EVWD allows me to grow personally and professionally. They let me

balance work and home life. My job duties allow me to learn everyday and my job is never stagnant. I love being busy and this position is

always busy.”

Founded: 1954

Sector: Local government

Headquarters: Highland

Inland Empire employees: 66

Website: eastvalley.org

FIELDING_BUCKFielding Buck

12/1/2017 Why this longtime San Bernardino resident is citing police officers – San Bernardino Sun

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By BRIAN WHITEHEAD | bwhitehead@scng.com | San Bernardino SunPUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 4:33 pm | UPDATED: November 30, 2017 at 4:42 pm

Longtime San Bernardino resident Carol Donnelly, right, on Thursday handed out citations to police officers for going beyond the call of duty.Donnelly hopes the gesture brings the community and law enforcement closer together. (Photo by Brian Whitehead, San Bernardino Sun/SCNG)

Carol Donnelly lets police of�cers know they’re appreciated by citing them.

Oh, the irony.

For years the longtime San Bernardino resident has done positive things for law enforcement, from paying for their meals at restaurants to

handing out gratitude packets that include a “Thank you” citation, a Starbucks gi� card and a Lottery Scratcher.

Thursday, Donnelly cited of�cers Nathaniel Guzman and Michael Taylor for their service.

“They help us when they can,” she said, “we should help them when we can.”

In 1999, Donnelly, an author and a life coach, founded COPS – Citizens Offering Police Support – to bring her Simi Valley community and

those risking their lives to protect it closer together.

Her campaign followed her here.

LOCAL NEWS

Why this longtime San Bernardino resident is citingpolice officers

12/1/2017 Why this longtime San Bernardino resident is citing police officers – San Bernardino Sun

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From Ventura to San Bernardino County, Donnelly reckons she’s cited hundreds of of�cers for going beyond the call of duty. Many are

shocked by her generosity, she said.

“Their responses are very heart-touching,” she added. “Some have brought tears to my eyes.”

Donnelly is part of a silent majority of San Bernardino residents that appreciates what goes into keeping the city safe, said Capt. Harlan

Maass, 23 years an of�cer in town.

“To hear from the public that our of�cers are doing a good job is great,” Maass added.

Two years ago, Donnelly watched as San Bernardino’s �nest risked their lives to save others in the a�ermath of the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist

attack at Inland Regional Center. Fourteen people were killed in the attack; 22 were wounded.

Had it not been for those in uniform, many more could have been harmed, Donnelly said. “We need the community to be more connected

to those brave enough to have an occupation that requires a bulletproof vest.”

Donnelly’s citations include plaudits for “going beyond the call of duty;” “keeping us safe;” “quick response;” “making us proud of our local

law enforcement;” “looking good;” “your professional, but friendly attitude;” and “caring about your community.”

She includes a business card with her mantra – “Expect A Miracle” – in every packet.

“Where would we be without cops?” Donnelly said. “We’ve got to do something to put them in a positive light.”

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12/1/2017 Why this longtime San Bernardino resident is citing police officers – San Bernardino Sun

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12/1/2017 Victorville library closed for two weeks amid renovations - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA

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By Susan Monaghan, for the Daily PressPosted at 8:31 AMUpdated at 8:32 AM

The library is set to reopen on Dec. 18.

VICTORVILLE — The Victorville City Library closed on Friday for around 2 weeks for renovations set to include newcarpeting, paint and shelves. The library is set to reopen on Dec. 18.

The renovations will be paid for with a $46,028 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) through a Department ofHousing and Urban Development program. CDBG grants are awarded to entitled cities and counties for public buildingprojects and infrastructure.

“The library will be closed December 1st to the 18th so that we can spruce up the place. Too early to say New Year, NewUs?,” the official Victorville Library Twitter account tweeted on Thursday.

The renovations are part of the library’s bigger plans to create an “intellectually active learning environment,” according toCommunity Relations Specialist Lathresia Ballou.

“We are excited to be moving forward with this renovation project,” said city librarian Karen Everett. “Environments thatmake students of all ages feel good to be there increase learning and academic progress by as much as 25 percent.”

The library’s normal business hours are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridayand 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. They can be reached at 760-245-4222.

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Victorville library closed for two weeks amid renovations

11/30/2017 Inland area’s lack of downtown plan drags on economy and wages, report says – Press Enterprise

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By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY |PUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 4:11 pm | UPDATED: November 30, 2017 at 4:14 pm

KURT MILLER/THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE, SCNGThe skyline of downtown Riverside, from Mt. Rubidoux on Friday, Sept.2, 2016.

The Inland area lacks a central economic core —  a downtown — to draw better-paying jobs, leaving it with the worst private-sector average

wage for the nation’s top 50 metropolitan areas, an analysis released Thursday concludes.

“The Inland Empire is a large economy but doesn’t look like one. The region lacks dense job zones, and as a consequence also lacks the

high-skilled, high-wage jobs that tend to locate themselves in employment-dense locations,” says “Job Concentration and the Inland

Empire,” published by the UC Riverside School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development.

The Inland area’s metropolitan statistical area, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties, ranks 13th among the top 50 MSAs

based on population and workforce. It has 1.1 million payroll workers, making it the 19th largest employment center in the nation.

But it has the worst annual private-sector average wage — below $40,000.

BUSINESS

Inland area’s lack of downtown plan drags on economyand wages, report says

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“Lower than any other major economy in the nation, including Orlando, Florida — an economy that is dominated by tourism and theme

parks, traditionally low-paid sectors,” the study says. Metropolitan statistical areas are designated by the U.S. Of�ce of Management and

Budget. The MSAs de�ne large population centers along with outlying communities economically tied to it.

The paper suggests changes as “employment-dense centers simply do not grow organically. The Inland Empire has not had a guiding entity

in the past, but will need a strong organized authority to steer the region toward a plan for density,” the paper said.

“There has been a ferocious �ght against any kind of high-density development,” Christopher Thornberg, director of the center, said in a

telephone interview. “They sit around and wonder why they don’t have these high-end jobs. Well, those high-end jobs are in high-density

downtowns. Don’t build it, and they won’t come.”

Away from statistics, there are anecdotal signs of a less-than-vibrant Inland economy, the report notes. “It does not have the name

recognition that similarly ranked cities have, it’s not considered its own media market…indeed, it is the only metropolitan area ranked

among the nation’s top 25 employment centers without at least one major league sports franchise.”

The tallest building in the two-county area is the 27-story hotel attached to the Morongo Casino, and the largest of�ce building in the area

is in the city of San Bernardino and is only nine stories, the report says.

Thornberg said there is an of�ce vacancy rate of 22 percent in the Inland area, but that’s because available of�ces are inadequate for what

employers need. “It’s not just an excess of of�ce space; it’s what kind of of�ce space,” he said.

Also cited by the paper and Thornberg:

Job concentration: The Inland area has an average of 647 jobs per square kilometer, while Denver and San Diego have concentrations of

more than 2,000 jobs per square kilometer. The Inland area has the lowest job concentration of any of the nation’s 48 largest economies, “it

has a degree of job concentration that is typical of an economy less than half its size.”

Low pay: The Inland area also has a much higher-than-normal share of low-paying jobs such as logistics, administrative and retail, while

jobs that pay higher wages, such as �nance, professional services, education and management are underrepresented in the area when

compared with economic areas of roughly equal size, the report said.

While low educational attainment is o�en blamed for low-wage jobs — 42 percent of the Inland workforce has a high school degree or less

—  that may not account for gap in wages, the paper said.

“The labor force re�ects the jobs, rather than the jobs re�ect the labor force,” Thornberg said. That view is contrary to that of a lot of

developers, he added, “but the higher your education, the more likely you are to drive into Los Angeles, Orange County or San Diego for

work.”

The Inland area “can learn from the mistakes of other metro regions and properly plan for the inevitable challenges that face dense

economies,” the paper said.

“If you want to be small-town America, �ne, but then don’t (complain) that you don’t have big-city jobs,” Thornberg said.

Richard K. De Atley

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12/1/2017 Inland roads will get better — to the tune of $1 billion in fixes – San Bernardino Sun

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By IMRAN GHORI | ighori@scng.com | The Press-EnterprisePUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 6:26 pm | UPDATED: December 1, 2017 at 12:56 am

Inland drivers now paying higher gas taxes will soon see something for their money — about $1 billion worth of road, bridge and other

repairs.

That’s the price tag for long-needed �xes approved for San Bernardino and Riverside counties, said John Bulinski, director of Caltrans

District 8, which covers both counties.

Bulinski, who appeared Thursday, Nov. 30, with other transportation of�cials at a Caltrans forum in Riverside, said the agency will be

taking a more aggressive approach to address maintenance needs because of the passage in April of SB1, a transportation funding bill.

The 12-cent gas tax increase went into effect Nov. 1 and is expected to raise $5.4 billion over the next decade to repair highways and roads,

build new freeways and pay for other transportation improvements.

In the past, Caltrans has had to take a more cautious “band-aid” approach to repairs, he said during the event at the Riverside Convention

Center. But the new bill will mean long-lasting improvements on a large backlog of maintenance projects, Bulinski said.

The 10 Freeway in both counties will see major pavement repair work with four separate projects covering just over 300 miles of freeway

lanes. Work will start between 2020 and 2023.

The biggest of those is a 116-mile project in the Riverside County desert. The work is from Highway 177 in Desert Center near Joshua Tree

National Park to near the Arizona border and it will cost $399 million to improve shoulders, ramps and pavement. It could begin in March

2020.

One project, a $10.1-million repaving on 27 miles of the 10 Freeway and Highway 95 near Needles, already began in August. A $42 million

pavement project on the 210 Freeway, from San Bernardino to Redlands, is set to start in March 2019.

Drainage improvements also are planned on Highway 18 between San Bernardino and Highway 138 to reduce �ooding. Several bridges,

including those near Colton and Rancho Cucamonga, will be rebuilt.

The money for Caltrans repair projects represents only one part of the pot of money provided through SB1.

The California Transportation Commission will also award $1 billion across the state in January and February for improvement projects on

freeways that are considered congested or are part of a critical trade corridor.

Cities and counties will also get a share of SB1 money for maintenance and have put together their lists. Riverside County has budgeted $42

million worth of additional projects for the next two �scal years that wouldn’t be possible without the dollars, said Patricia Romo,

transportation director for the county and a panelist at the forum.

Construction contracts will be awarded starting in January with some work beginning next summer, she said. They include road repair

projects in Riverside County on the Ramona Expressway between Perris and San Jacinto as well as near Hemet, Riverside and several

desert areas.

“These are roads we’ve been struggling to patch them, potholes have been occurring (and) there’s lots of cracking,” Romo said.

State Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, who provided a crucial vote to pass the bill, said legislators are working on a constitutional

amendment that will go before voters next year to ensure that the money can only be spent on transportation work.

“It’s critical that all of us maintain the public’s con�dence in the way those pennies, those dollars are going to be tracked and spent,” Roth

said.

LOCAL NEWS

Inland roads will get better — to the tune of $1 billion infixes

12/1/2017 Inland roads will get better — to the tune of $1 billion in fixes – San Bernardino Sun

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Roth and other forum speakers also addressed an effort underway to repeal the 12-cent gas through a ballot measure that could go to voters

in November 2018.

Lucy Dunn, a California Transportation Commission member, said that, between now and then, Caltrans and other agencies need to

demonstrate how the money is being used to �x potholes and ease traf�c congestion.

“We have a window of opportunity to show some great progress — a one-year window,” she said.

THREE KEY PROJECTS

Inland area freeway work to be paid for by SB1 includes:

Project: Pavement replacement, shoulder and ramp improvements

Where: 10 Freeway in Riverside County, from Highway 177 near Desert Center to near the Arizona border.

Cost: $399 million

Timeline: Could start in March 2020

Project: Pavement replacement

Where: 10 Freeway, from the Los Angeles County border to the 15 Freeway

Cost: $91.8 million

Timeline: Construction starts in 2024

Project: Replacement of 63 culverts to reduce �ooding and improve drainage

Where: Highway 18, from 48th Street in San Bernardino through the mountains to Highway 138.

Cost: $11.7 million

Timeline: Construction starts in December 2022

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Imran GhoriImran Ghori has been a reporter with The Press-Enterprise since 1999. He covers Moreno Valley andJurupa Valley.

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Tags:  echo code, roads, Top Stories PE, transportation

12/1/2017 Complaint alleges Califorina Amazon workers denied overtime pay, rest breaks | The Sacramento Bee

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article187336243.html 1/5

BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE

Amazon workers sue, claiming denied overtime pay, rest breaks

BY MARK GLOVERmglover@sacbee.com

NOVEMBER 30, 2017 10:52 AM

UPDATED NOVEMBER 30, 2017 03:17 PM

Workers at Amazon.com’s California distribution centers, including the recently opened Sacramento fulfillment center at Metro Air Park, have filed aclass-action complaint that contends they have been denied rest breaks, overtime pay and appropriate payment of wages.

The complaint, filed Monday in Sacramento County Superior Court names Amazon and Golden State FC LLC, a Palm Springs firm identified as thecompany that runs Amazon facilities in the state, as defendants.

The primary plaintiff in the filing is identified as Romeo Palma, a Sacramento resident who works at Amazon’s fulfillment center near SacramentoInternational Airport. The complaint says Palma “is assisting with packaging and fulfillment of internet merchandise orders for shipment.”

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12/1/2017 Complaint alleges Califorina Amazon workers denied overtime pay, rest breaks | The Sacramento Bee

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In a phone interview Thursday, Los Angeles attorney Joshua Haffner, representing the workers, said the suit covers “all” Amazon facilities inCalifornia, including various satellite facilities besides the typically sprawling fulfillment centers.

“Amazon should pay its non-exempt workers according to law,” he said. “They’re working long shifts. They should get rest breaks and be paidovertime.”

Haffner said “thousands” of Amazon workers are part of the complaint, which asks the court to maintain it as a class-action suit.

Amazon released this statement: “We follow all state and federal employment regulations, but we have a long-standing practice of not commenting onpending litigation.”

Seattle-based Amazon formally launched its 855,000-square-foot Sacramento fulfillment center Oct. 25. The site is designed to sort, pack and shipcomparatively small customer items such as books, electronics and toys. It’s expected to ultimately employ about 1,500.

The local facility and other Amazon centers statewide currently are staffed to handle the holiday season shopping rush, when millions of customerorders and deliveries will be handled between now and Christmas Day.

Amazon also operates extensive distribution centers in other California communities, including Patterson and San Bernardino.

The complaint contends that Palma and other Amazon employees regularly work more than 10 hours at a time, “without (Amazon) providing orcompensating for a third rest break at the overtime rate, as required by California law.”

The filing mentions specific times when Palma allegedly was denied a required rest break, and accompanying overtime pay, including Nov. 18-19.

The complaint also cites what it calls Amazon’s “general practice” of requiring workers to clock-in at a specific site at the large fulfillment centers,then travel/walk to their work shift site, adding yet more uncompensated time to long shifts.

The complaint seeks payment of unpaid wages, restitution and statutory penalties.

Mark Glover: 916-321-1184, @markhglover

If Sacramento offers cash for jobs, it better hope automation doesn’t take them away

Workers once cooked soup here. Now they ship your Christmas presents

RELATED STORIES FROM THE SACRAMENTO BEE

12/1/2017 LA County under ongoing investigation for using taxpayer money to promote homeless tax – Daily News

http://www.dailynews.com/2017/11/30/la-county-under-ongoing-investigation-for-using-taxpayer-money-to-promote-homeless-tax/ 1/4

By SUSAN ABRAM | sabram@scng.com | Daily NewsPUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 6:55 pm | UPDATED: November 30, 2017 at 8:59 pm

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks in favor of Measure H on the March 7th ballot. Proponents say the measure will provide 350 million in aid to thehomeless in Los Angeles County. A kick-off for the measure was held Monday at the PATH Supportive Housing complex in Los Angeles. (Photo byDavid Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Los Angeles County officials are under investigation by a state agency for allegedly using taxpayer money to fund promotional campaigns in

favor of Measure H, the half-cent sales tax that voters passed this year, to help people who are homeless.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and its President, Jon Coupal, filed a complaint with the state’s Fair Political Practices

Commission in March. Coupal and the association allege that in addition to using taxpayer money, the county also failed to file any

campaign reports for its activity.

A spokesman with the association said Thursday an estimated $1 million was used by the county to promote the measure, including video

advertisements, “which encourage voters to support Measure H,” according to the complaint.

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LA County under ongoing investigation for using taxpayermoney to promote homeless tax

12/1/2017 LA County under ongoing investigation for using taxpayer money to promote homeless tax – Daily News

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RELATED STORY: LA County’s sales tax increases Sunday to help the homeless. Here’s how much

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in December to place Measure H, a quarter-cent sales tax on the March ballot.

“Soon after the vote, the County began a full-blown, multi-faceted, multi-media campaign to support passage of Measure H,” according to

the complaint. “The County’s campaign advertisements each unambiguously urge voters to cast a ‘yes’ vote on Measure H and is using

public funds to pay for their effort.

“Additionally, the communications are in no way a ‘fair presentation’ of facts that serve only an informational purpose — none of the

communications (not one) even mentions the sales tax increase that is at the core of the ballot measure,” according to the complaint.

The Fair Political Practices Commission promotes “the integrity of state and local government in California through fair, impartial

interpretation and enforcement of political campaign, lobbying and conflict of interest laws,”according to its mission statement. The county

could face a penalty as high as $5,000 per violation.

A request for a response from the Los Angeles County’s office of communications was not immediately returned Thursday.

RELATED STORY: Find out how LA County plans to spend $355 million a year to fight homelessness

Voters approved Measure H in the March 7 election. It is projected to raise $355 million a year for 10 years to help homeless people

transition into planned affordable housing among other initiatives, officials have said. The funding is expected to help 45,000 families and

individuals escape homelessness within five years and prevent homelessness for 30,000 others.

.

susan-abram Susan Abram

Susan Abram covers public health and county government for the Los Angeles Daily News and the Southern CaliforniaNews Group.

Follow Susan Abram @sabramLA

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Tags: Echo Code, government, homeless, LA County Board of Supervisors, LA news,San Fernando Valley, Top Stories LADN

12/1/2017 New California law expands low-income parents’ access to subsidized child care – Daily Bulletin

http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/11/30/new-california-law-expands-low-income-parents-access-to-subsidized-child-care/?utm_source=dlvr.i… 1/3

By EDSOURCE |

November 30, 2017 at 7:29 pm

A new state law clarifies that parents enrolled in English as a second language or GED classes can state this as a qualifying need for statesubsidized child care. PHOTO: Liv Ames for EdSource

By ASHLEY HOPKINSON, EdSource

In an effort to remove obstacles for Californians trying to succeed in the labor market, a new law could make access to child care easier for low-

income parents taking classes to learn English or complete high school.

The law will expand the eligibility requirements for subsidized child care. It will make low-income parents who are are enrolled in English as a

second language classes (ESL) or a program to earn a high school diploma or general education development certi cate (GED) eligible to place

their children in subsidized care.

Although in the past some parents taking ESL classes were considered eligible for subsidized care, it was not speci cally listed as a factor for

eligibility.

Under existing law, low-income families who met the income criteria and who were participating in vocational training could qualify for state

child care services. Vocational training, also referred to as career technical education, provides workforce training that leads directly into

professional elds such as health care or of ce management. However the law did not clearly spell out what courses quali ed as vocational

training, advocates said.

NEWS

New California law expands low-income parents’ access tosubsidized child care

12/1/2017 New California law expands low-income parents’ access to subsidized child care – Daily Bulletin

http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/11/30/new-california-law-expands-low-income-parents-access-to-subsidized-child-care/?utm_source=dlvr.i… 2/3

The new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last month, addresses a major obstacle that parents, especially those who are low-income, face — how

to nd or pay for child care while they try to improve the skills they need to succeed in the workplace. Kristen Schumacher, a policy analyst with

the California Budget and Policy Center, said including ESL and GED classes in the eligibility criteria for child care is “a common sense change

that could help many parents overcome barriers to employment and self-suf ciency.”

The change in the law was necessary to ensure that all child care centers were interpreting eligibility the same way, said Jennifer Greppi, an

advocate with Parent Voices, a nonpro t that advocates for child care policies. Some child care centers accepted English as a second language

classes as a type of vocational training, while others did not, she said. This meant that some parents were deemed ineligible for subsidized care,

she added.

“The purpose of the new law is to make sure everyone is on the same page so it doesn’t matter what agency (child care center) you go to, this is

the rule for everyone,” she said.

Assembly Bill 273 will take effect Jan.1, 2018. The provision was co-sponsored by the Women’s Policy Institute/Women’s Foundation of

California and Parent Voices. It was authored by Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters.

The new law applies to subsidized child care and preschool programs funded through the California Department of Education, including the

California State Preschool Program and the migrant child care program.

To make sure child care agencies and programs are aware of the new law, the Department of Education will release a bulletin that explains the

new provisions under AB 273 and provides guidance to child care centers to ensure written information is available to parents, said Jonathan

Mendick, a spokesman for the department.

According to the California Budget and Policy Center, in comparison to other states, California has one of the highest percentages of adults

who speak limited English and also one of the lowest percentages of adults with a high school diploma. Speci cally, it states that 1.6 million low-

income children in California have parents who speak limited English and/or do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent, such as a GED.

“This is concerning because parents’ English-language pro ciency and educational achievement are critical pathways to family economic

security and improving children’s well-being,” it states.

In a recent report by the Migration Policy Institute, titled “Dual Language Learners: A Demographic and Policy Pro le for California,”

researchers highlighted gaps in the education and income of parents of dual language learners and non-dual language learners. The report

de nes dual language learners as children 8 and younger with at least one parent who speaks a language other than English at home. Among

parents of dual language learners, researchers found that 29 percent have less than a high school education compared to 5 percent for parents

of non-dual language learners.

Still, the new law does not add any additional child care slots for low-income families or guarantee that families who are taking English as a

second language classes or high school equivalency courses will receive state subsidized child care. Greppi said the intent of the law is not to

say, “If you take ESL you will get child care,” but rather that if there is a spot available, parents who are taking those classes now have a

qualifying need.

Greppi said there isn’t a precise count of families who were turned away previously, but she estimates that at least a few thousand parents will

bene t from child care services now that the law has been clari ed. The law creates an additional avenue for low-income families to access the

child care they need to complete their education and earn higher incomes, she said.

The impact also goes beyond increasing family income. Greppi said it will help families in other practical ways, such as parents who become

uent in English being better able to navigate the range of services provided by any number of agencies. “We really see this as two-generational

learning,” Greppi said. “Unlocking the opportunity for the child’s growing and learning but also for the parents to grow their ability to get better

jobs and be better able to navigate systems, social services, K-12 and health.”

This story originally appeared on EdSource.org. EdSource is an independent journalism organization that works to engage Californians on key education

challenges with the goal of enhancing learning success.

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Tags:  Education

11/30/2017 Southern California News Group promotes Scott Kaufman to opinion editor – Daily Bulletin

http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/11/30/southern-california-news-group-promotes-scott-kaufman-to-opinion-editor/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_… 1/3

By MARILYN KALFUS | mkalfus@scng.com | Orange County Register

November 30, 2017 at 4:16 pm

Southern California News Group Opinion Editor Scott Kaufman on Thursday, November 30, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange CountyRegister/SCNG)

Scott Kaufman, interim opinion editor for Southern California News Group, has been promoted to the position permanently, publisher Ron

Hasse announced on Thursday, Nov. 30.

Kaufman, 30, held the job temporarily after former opinion editor Brian Calle left to run LA Weekly, an alternative newspaper in Los Angeles.

“I am pleased to announce that Scott Kaufman has accepted the position of Southern California News Group opinion editor,” said SCNG

Publisher Ron Hasse. “Our opinion coverage is a vitally important platform to facilitate a dialogue and debate around issues that matter most to

our communities. I am con dent Scott will prove an articulate and knowledgeable leader of this critically important department.”

SCNG executive editor Frank Pine described Kaufman as “a thoughtful and graceful writer” who appreciates diversity in political viewpoints.

“We’re delighted to make it of cial,” Pine said. “We have great con dence that Scott is going to help us reach a much broader audience,

especially online and through social media.”

The Register and other SCNG newspapers will continue their editorial philosophy.

BUSINESS

Southern California News Group promotes Scott Kaufmanto opinion editor

11/30/2017 Southern California News Group promotes Scott Kaufman to opinion editor – Daily Bulletin

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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.

“At the same time, we don’t want to be an echo chamber,” Kaufman said in an interview. “I don’t think you can have a rmly held belief unless

you can defend it against other people who disagree.”

He added, “We all seem to see the same issues. It’s the solutions where we disagree. I don’t think solutions are as far apart as people make them

out to be.”

Said Pine, “Now more than ever, it’s particularly important for the public to engage in a meaningful exchange of ideas in a thoughtful and

reasoned manner. We want to facilitate that discussion and create a place for people to have it.”

Previously, Kaufman held the roles of deputy editorial editor for SCNG and was public editor and an editorial writer at the Orange County

Register. SCNG purchased the newspaper in 2016.

Prior to working for the Register, Kaufman worked as a general assignment reporter for the Santa Barbara News-Press.

Kaufman is married to Claire Kaufman, a quality-control scientist working in San Diego. The couple lives in Oceanside.

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Marilyn KalfusMarilyn Kalfus covers news, issues, and trends for The Orange County Register's award-winning Sunday Real Estate section,which in 2015 snagged rst place for best U.S. newspaper real estate section from the National Association of Real EstateEditors. She also writes stories, edits photos and puts together slideshows for our popular Hot Homes feature about iconic,

big-ticket and unusual properties on the market. On weekends, she edits police, breaking news and general assignment reporters. Follow Marilyn Kalfus @mkalfus

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11/30/2017 With San Antonio Heights dark, in Upland a star is born – San Bernardino Sun

http://www.sbsun.com/2017/11/30/with-san-antonio-heights-dark-in-upland-a-star-is-born/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter 1/3

By DAVID ALLEN | dallen@scng.com | Inland Valley Daily BulletinNovember 30, 2017 at 3:04 pm

There’s a star on Euclid Avenue, but in a new location: Upland City Hall. After learning San Antonio Heights might not light its star, the city made itsown. (Photo by David Allen)

There’s no star from San Antonio Heights to guide us this year. In a modest step toward keeping the spirit of the season alive, Upland built

its own.

A 10-by-10-foot, LED star is perched atop the arched entrance to the Civic Center plaza along Euclid Avenue. It was lighted Monday night

along with the Christmas tree during a ceremony with singers and refreshments.

The star is very much like the 75-foot version that has burned from the foothills every Christmas season since 1968 and featured on a

popular Huell Howser episode. That was intentional.

“The inspiration, quite honestly, is we had gotten information that the people responsible for the star in San Antonio Heights were not

going to put the star up,” Marty Thouvenell, the interim city manager, told me this week. “I thought we should have one at City Hall so

people can see it as they go by. We’ve got a lot of positive comments about it.”

The Upland star, which is about 15 feet off the ground, can’t be seen from more than a block away, what with the tree-lined Euclid median

in the way. The Heights star at the top of Euclid can normally be seen by much of the valley. But any star in a storm, right?

Thouvenell said he and other Upland of�cials heard at the Nov. 16 annual meeting of the Heights Association that the star might not be

lighted this year, with various reasons given concerning funding. The Heights got into a political and legal �ght with San Bernardino

County over the Heights’ annexation into a county �re district, for which some blame Upland.

Thouvenell said he doesn’t know if Heights residents think they’re punishing Upland by leaving the star dark and said he doesn’t care.

“Collectively we thought we should put one up ourselves so people can see there’s a feeling for Christmas,” Thouvenell said. “If they do light

it, ours will still be here, and I suspect it will be here for years to come.”

LOCAL NEWS

With San Antonio Heights dark, in Upland a star is born

11/30/2017 With San Antonio Heights dark, in Upland a star is born – San Bernardino Sun

http://www.sbsun.com/2017/11/30/with-san-antonio-heights-dark-in-upland-a-star-is-born/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter 2/3

Oh no, Oh Queso

Online only

Valley Vignette

Speaking of a feeling for Christmas, Thouvenell will be grand marshal of the Upland Christmas Parade Dec. 9 at 11 a.m. It will be his last

hurrah, in a way, as he is retiring Dec. 31 to make way for a full-time city manager. If you like the star, you might show up and thank him.

Meanwhile, if there’s a star rising over City Hall, three wise men can’t be far behind, right? Lord knows Upland could use them.

I had never introduced myself at Oh Queso, a combination Mexican and hamburger restaurant in Chino Hills, despite eventually noticing a

print-out of my Restaurant of the Week blog post about them on a bulletin board behind the counter. But then word came that the

restaurant would be closing this past Monday, and that owners Chris and Jona Aguirre had thanked me on Facebook for saving their

business at its lowest point.

Who knew? I went in for lunch Sunday, ordered one last burger (sob!), paid and stuck out my hand.

Chris told me Oh Queso had been on the verge of closing in 2013 when business one day became so brisk that extra help had to be called

in. A customer explained that the restaurant had just been featured on a local blog and presented the print-out.

Few restaurants ever appear to realize I’ve written about them and the impact is usually limited to the waistlines of a few devoted followers.

My guess is that a dozen readers went into Oh Queso and then word of mouth took over. Still, it’s nice to know Oh Queso became a success

rather than a failure.

It’s closing now only because the Aguirres, who each have other jobs, are worn out trying to operate a restaurant in their off-hours. The

biggest blow may be to Chris’ father, Manny, who would come in most mornings to roast chiles and make the salsas. Manny, who’s 90, is

said to have asked: “What am I going to do now?”

On my blog in the past few weeks: the burning “microbus” in Claremont is seen; the L.A. County Arboretum is visited; the old Pomona

YMCA is toured; readers and I share the books we read in October; and food is consumed at Schaefer’s in Chino, Frary Dining Hall in

Claremont, Donahoo’s Chicken in Rubidoux, Bert and Rocky’s in Claremont and El Buen Gusto in Pomona. Consume my blog at

insidesocal.com/davidallen.

I was eating lunch on the patio of a Rancho Cucamonga sandwich shop last week when who should walk up but Diana Sholley and her

husband, Dan, out running errands. Dan has joined Diana, our former features columnist, in retirement, and a�er selling their Upland

home they’re now living happily in the High Desert. Nice of them to drop in (even if they didn’t know I’d be there).

Drop in on David Allen Friday, Sunday and Wednesday. Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, visit insidesocal.com/davidallen, likedavidallencolumnist on Facebook, follow @davidallen909 on Twitter and buy “Getting Started” and “Pomona A to Z.”

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ALLEN-DAVID-1 David Allen

Since 1997, David Allen has been taking up valuable newsprint and pixels at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, where he isa columnist and blogger (insidesocal.com/davidallen). Among his specialties: city council meetings, arts and culture, people, places,local history, dining and a log in a �eld that resembled the Loch Ness monster. The Illinois native has spent his newspaper career inCalifornia, starting in 1987 at the Santa Rosa News-Herald and continuing at the Rohnert Park-Cotati Clarion, Petaluma Argus-Courierand Victor Valley Daily Press. A resident of Claremont who roots for the St. Louis Cardinals and knows far too much about Marvel

Tags:  David Allen Column, Top Stories IVDB

12/1/2017 Conservative activist arrested at City Council meeting sues Huntington Park, accusing city of trolling him - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-huntington-park-council-meeting-arrest-20171201-story.html 1/2

A

Conservative activist arrested at City Council meeting suesHuntington Park, accusing city of trolling him

By Hailey Branson-Potts

DECEMBER 1, 2017, 5:00 AM

rthur Christopher Schaper sat in the back of the Huntington Park City Council chambers, wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap and a

Donald Trump flag around his shoulders like a cape.

The council warned him he was disrupting the June meeting. Police officers asked him to leave. He refused, likening himself to Rosa Parks.

Schaper was arrested on suspicion of two misdemeanor counts of disturbing a public meeting and disobeying a police officer, according to the Huntington

Park Police Department.

Now, more than five months later, Schaper has sued the city of Huntington Park, claiming he was wrongfully arrested and that the city trolled him with

“false notices” to appear in court when the case had not yet been presented by police to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Schaper, who was profiled by The Times three days before his arrest, is a familiar, confrontational — and, some say, racist — presence at Huntington Park

council meetings, where he rails against “illegal aliens,” and heckles for his Facebook Live audience. Police officers who attend the meetings are so familiar

with him that they call him by his first name.

On June 6, Schaper and a cadre of anti-illegal immigration activists loudly laughed through the public comments of a man who told the council that

Schaper was a white supremacist.

Members of the City Council warned Schaper twice that he was disrupting the meeting before asking police to escort him out.

An Inglewood police officer talks to outspoken conservative activist Arthur Schaper at a town hall meeting held by Maxine Waters in May. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

12/1/2017 Conservative activist arrested at City Council meeting sues Huntington Park, accusing city of trolling him - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-huntington-park-council-meeting-arrest-20171201-story.html 2/2

“You have to leave or we’re going to take you to jail,” a Huntington Park police officer told him. “I don’t want to do that if we don’t have to. This isn’t worth

going to jail for.”

“They said the same thing to Rosa Parks,” Schaper said, just before he was arrested.

Schaper, the president of the Beach Cities Republicans club, wrote on his blog that he sat in jail for two hours and was released with a citation and notice

to appear at a Downey courthouse three months later.

On Sept. 6, he wrote, he showed up, but his name was not listed on a court calendar. A proof of appearance document from the court, which he posted,

said no case had yet been filed.

"I was astounded that the Huntington Park police department couldn't bother to file anything with the District Attorney's office in the last three months.

Would it really have taken them that long?" he wrote.

He was rescheduled to appear Oct. 23. The same thing happened. His court date has since been rescheduled two more times.

Misdemeanor charges must be filed within one year of an arrest, said Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

As of Thursday, no charges had been filed.

Santiago said police presented a case to the district attorney’s office, which will decide whether to pursue charges, on Nov. 22.

That was the same day Schaper sued the city for $10,000 in small claims court, records show. He claimed a “gross violation of civil rights” and said “city

police harass plaintiff with false notices to appear in court.”

Schaper reached out separately to two Times reporters about the case this week. Before a reporter could discuss it with him, he declined further comment,

citing his displeasure with The Times’ profile of him.

Huntington Park Police Lt. Patrick Kraut, who is handling the case, refused to discuss the arrest or name the suspected charges on which Schaper was

arrested. Local law enforcement agencies are required by the California Public Records Act to provide the charges on which a person is held and factual

circumstances surrounding an arrest.

Kraut told a Times reporter that Schaper “has a copy of the citation” and that she should get it from him.

Lt. Al Martinez, a spokesman for the department, later provided the two misdemeanor charges on which Schaper was held.

Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who now is a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said it’s hard to say if the police would keep

refusing to present a case out of spite or if the “inefficiency” of an overburdened court system was to blame.

“If there’s bad blood between them, you would hope [police] would pay attention so they don’t make mistakes,” she said. “If they are just hassling him,

that would be totally inappropriate.”

Still, with the “enormous volume of misdemeanor and infraction cases” that regularly cause delays in local courts, Schaper’s alleged crime, Levenson said,

“is not one that would be the highest priority, even though you think he’s constantly on their minds.”

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

Copyright © 2017, Los Angeles Times

This article is related to: Law Enforcement, Donald Trump, California Public Records Act

12/1/2017 Homeless street services stall as encampments continue to grow - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hope-police-funding-20171130-htmlstory.html 1/6

Homeless street services stall as encampmentscontinue to grow

By Gale Holland

DECEMBER 1, 2017, 5:00 AM

High above the Metro Gold Line tracks, a string of lean-tos that Lee Brown callshis “three-bedroom condominium” is tethered to a hilltop fence in Elysian Park.

The four-man, two-dog tent city — one of several camps in the 600-acre parknorth of downtown Los Angeles — has remained intact for at least two years,passed from one homeless person to the next, Brown said.

Last year, Los Angeles put money behind various efforts to curb encampmentslike Brown’s until the city’s ambitious housing construction program takes hold.

Funding for one strategy — camp cleanups or sweeps — expanded to $13 million.But spending on services for people living in the streets — mobile showers,housing navigation centers, storage facilities and homeless parking lots — laggedbehind.

Of the $7.5 million budgeted for “street strategies” in 2016-17, more than $2million was returned to city coffers, and nearly $2 million was diverted to campsweeps, according to figures provided by city officials. Last month, the cityapproved an additional $509,000 transfer from services to homeless outreachworkers to accompany cleanup teams.

Advocates say hygiene, storage and other services help homeless people get backinto the mainstream. But no navigation centers have opened, storage facilities areavailable only on skid row and, to a limited extent, in Venice, and one small city-funded parking program opened in South Los Angeles in June.

“Institutionally we have not instigated a sense of urgency about the street strategystuff,” Westside Councilman Mike Bonin said at a recent homelessness committeemeeting. ”It doesn’t seem this is where we’re putting our shoulder.”

12/1/2017 Homeless street services stall as encampments continue to grow - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hope-police-funding-20171130-htmlstory.html 2/6

A spokesman for Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city has expanded homelessoutreach, added drop-in and access centers, and spent $4.2 million on skid rowstorage and nighttime bathroom access. A $450,000 hygiene center withshowers, wash stations and bathrooms is set to open on skid row as soon as nextweek.

“Mayor Garcetti is leading an aggressive effort to keep our streets clean and safe,”press secretary Alex Comisar said in a statement. “This strategy includes targetingdrug dealers and other criminals who prey on our vulnerable homelesspopulation, and continuing focused street cleanups to keep our sidewalks healthy,and prevent disease.”

But some advocates say the city may have missed an opportunity to curtail thecamps — the most visible and politically toxic manifestation of the city’s homelesscrisis.

In contrast to in many other cities, three-quarters of L.A.’s 34,000 homelesspeople live outdoors — on sidewalks and in canyons, riverbeds and alleys.Homeless vehicles and encampments jumped 25%, to 14,412 countywide inJanuary, the last official count.

12/1/2017 Homeless street services stall as encampments continue to grow - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hope-police-funding-20171130-htmlstory.html 3/6

“That money was supposed to get people off the street,” said Greg Spiegel,director of strategic initiatives for the Inner Cities Law Center and until 1½ yearsago the mayor’s top homelessness policy adviser.

Part of the problem, officials said, was that they had trouble finding agencies thatwould provide the services the city was funding.

Community opposition also worked against the city.

A proposed storage and service site in San Pedro was killed after public protests,and neighbors filed suit to stall Bonin’s proposal to turn an old senior center inVenice into a homeless center.

Other delays were self-inflicted. For example, it took nearly two years for cityofficials to decide that churches could allow homeless people with cars orcampers to park overnight on their property, Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson said.

Lee Brown locks up his encampment in Elysian Park as his friend Billy Nelson heads to his encampment. (Wally Skalij / LosAngeles Times)

12/1/2017 Homeless street services stall as encampments continue to grow - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hope-police-funding-20171130-htmlstory.html 4/6

“I think the city has failed miserably,” West San Fernando Valley CouncilmanMitchell Englander said of the city’s homeless street strategy.

Tent-city sweeps are popular with homeowners and business owners, who takethe brunt of the aggressive panhandling, public urination and disorder that goesalong with many camps.

In Los Angeles, many cleanups are conducted by the Homeless Outreach andProactive Engagement, or HOPE, teams, which include police officers, sanitationand outreach workers and mental health providers. They offer shelter andservices to camp residents.

The presence of officers intimidates homeless people, making it harder to getthem off the streets, some outreach workers say.

Despite a strict protocol against displacing homeless people or destroying theirproperty, officers still push tent cities from block to block, homeless people say,and sanitation workers throw away important belongings, including IDs andcomputers. Eight of the 10 outreach teams the city funded last year includedpolice officers.

Meanwhile, the city a year ago passed a new ban on sleeping in vehicles nearhomes, parks and schools. In the San Fernando Valley, the city impounded somany largely derelict campers and RVs that Englander set up a new, temporarylot for the overflow, he said.

Some industrial districts were overrun by encampments pushed out of residentialor other neighborhoods, occupants said. More than 600 business owners andtenants from industrial parks in Chatsworth and Northridge petitioned the city inOctober, calling for an end to the encampments and a more permanent solutionto the homelessness crisis.

“They’re just pushing the problem around,” said Scott Caswell, a commercial realestate broker. “Homeless people need something better than what we’re offering.”

Some nonprofit groups and council offices stepped into the breach with services,including mobile showers. San Francisco-based Lava Mae brings showers and

12/1/2017 Homeless street services stall as encampments continue to grow - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hope-police-funding-20171130-htmlstory.html 5/6

Copyright © 2017, Los Angeles Times

bathrooms to downtown, skid row, South Central L.A., Venice and ManchesterSquare on a rotating basis.

The nonprofit group rejected public funding, officials said, but the city isproviding municipal water hookups.

“It’s beautiful,” said Terrell McGuire, 41, emerging from a Lava Mae shower. “Ifeel like a whole new person when I get out."

But earlier this year, as homeless people lined up to shower one morning, anLAPD officer ticketed Lava Mae’s truck and staff vehicles outside skid row’sGladys Park, said Sanjay Gupta, the nonprofit’s L.A. mobile services manager.

The officer, who was filmed during the ticketing, said the vehicles were in the wayof a cleanup, and the group needed written permission to park on the street,Gupta said.

“I can’t believe it’s taken this long to get bathrooms,” Harris-Dawson, who chairsthe council’s homelessness committee, said recently. “People don’t stop takingcare of their bodily functions, even if you don’t provide bathrooms for them.“

Back at Elysian Park, Billy Nelson said mobile showers might have helped himearlier this year, when he was awarded a federal grant to go back to school.

Nelson acknowledged he dropped the ball on the grant, but said he worried hecouldn’t get presentable for the classroom. Homeless people in the park open awater line or use the sprinklers to wash up, he said.

Nelson said he wouldn’t use storage, and no longer had a car, so parking was out.The best way for the city to help him is by getting him housing, he said.

“We don’t like it here, we just like it more than a tent on the sidewalk,” Nelsonsaid.

gholland@latimes.com

Twitter: @geholland

12/1/2017 Alameda County takes brakes off 54,000 drivers, reverses license suspensions for unpaid traffic fines – The Mercury News

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/30/alameda-county-takes-brakes-off-54000-drivers-reverses-license-suspensions-for-unpaid-traffic-fin… 1/3

BREAKING NEWS Former Trump national security adviser Flynn pleads guilty to lying to FBI about contacts with Russian ambassador

OAKLAND — About 54,000 drivers who live in Alameda County and had their license suspended for unpaid parking tickets are gettingsome relief, and the right to drive again.

In a rst for the state, Alameda County Superior Court on Monday reversed license suspensions for people who were penalized becausethey couldn’t afford to pay traf c nes. It’s the rst county in the state to do so.

The court directed the Department of Motor Vehicles to lift suspensions for drivers who owe old failure to pay tickets and nes prior toJune 2017. A state law, AB 103 kicked in after that making it illegal to suspend someone’s driver’s license solely because of their inabilityto pay. California began ramping up the practice in recent years to make up for state budget cuts and to pressure people who weredelinquent into paying overdue tickets. According to advocacy groups, the license suspensions disproportionately affect poor peoplewho simply don’t have the money.

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Alameda County takes brakes off 54,000 drivers, reverseslicense suspensions for unpaid traf c nes

10

Ray Chavez (Bay Area News Group)Alameda County Superior Court has restored drivers licenses to 54,000 people who lost their driving privileges becausethey couldn’t afford traf c nes

By TAMMERLIN DRUMMOND | tdrummond@bayareanewsgroup.com |PUBLISHED: November 30, 2017 at 4:33 pm | UPDATED: December 1, 2017 at 5:11 am

12/1/2017 Alameda County takes brakes off 54,000 drivers, reverses license suspensions for unpaid traffic fines – The Mercury News

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/30/alameda-county-takes-brakes-off-54000-drivers-reverses-license-suspensions-for-unpaid-traffic-fin… 2/3

“When people lose their licenses they overwhelmingly lose their jobs because 80 percent of Californians either drive to work or have todrive at work,” said Brittany Stonesifer, a staff attorney for Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, part of a coalition of legal groupsthat has taken legal action to help people who couldn’t pay citations get their licenses restored.  “It also affects being able to take yourkids to school or take a family member to the doctor. If you can afford to pay $500 to $800 and late fee you can move on, but for low-income and people of color, it creates this whole cycle of poverty.”

Hundreds of thousands of Californians have had their licenses suspended, and of those poor people are disproportionately impacted bythe practice, according to a 2015 report,  “Not Just a Ferguson Problem – How Traf c Courts Drive Inequality in California.”

Advocacy groups are pressing other counties to follow Alameda’s example. Unless they do, people who received license suspensionsprior to the change in the law in June still cannot legally drive because the courts have not reversed their license suspensions nordirected the DMV to reinstate them.

A coalition of advocacy groups sued the DMV in October on behalf of low-income drivers who had lost their licenses. Stonesifer said theagency has since agreed to stop taking way licenses for nonpayment statewide but has not set a timeline.

Drivers whose licenses have been restored in Alameda County will still have to go through a DMV process in order to be able to legallydrive.

“We are trying to determine what our best action would be to help all those people who are bene tting from this court action,” saidArmando Botello, a DMV spokesman.

It’s unclear how drivers will be noti ed or whether they will have to pay fees. There is normally a $55 charge to get a license reinstated.

“That’s one of the things we’re trying to work out,” Stonesifer said. “Ideally, we want them to be noti ed that they’ve been restored,they won’t have to pay a fee and it will be as easy as possible for the person who has been harmed.”

 

 

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Tammerlin Drummond Tammerlin Drummond is a reporter covering East Bay culture and a formercolumnist and editorial writer for the Bay Area News Group.

Follow Tammerlin Drummond @tammerlin

Tags: Courts, Crime, Regional, Transportation