TERRACETRUTH

Sign Off

It is with mixed feelings that I write this, the final post on the Terracetruth Blog.  I have determined that, for a variety of reasons, I am unable to continue the maintenance of the blog.  I've been doing this for 2 1/2 years and have enjoyed it very much.  I hope that I have been a source of information and discussion during that time. 

I appreciate all of you who read the blog regularly; especially those of you on the mailing list for allowing me into your computers from time to time.  My "hit" numbers have continued to grow since the beginning, peaking during the recall effort and Bill Postmus posts, so the political interest is out there. Politics and sports have always been my twin passions, so maybe I'll do something directly related to one of those subjects.

anyway...thanx for reading and stay involved,

Brian

Town Center Development

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Looks like our town center is on the move again.  The center, which is proposed on Barton Road around Miguel Jr's, has been in the planning stage for some time now.  I support the center, but don't think a Denny's restaurant is the way to go.  A Chili's is fine, but I've been in enough all-nite restaurants in my day to know that they are crime magnets.  With the exception of travelers or cops, anybody who's eating out at 3 in the morning is up to no good or is about to be up to no good.  We don't need that.

Brian

Election Time

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As the article shows, so far we have six possible candidates for three city council seats in the November election.  The issues are largely unchanged from the 2006 election.  They still include the new high school, development, traffic, and eminent domain.  It appears that the senior center and power plant have been removed from the slate of issues, at least for now.  I will be attempting to contact the new candidates for their views on these issues, as I did in 2006.

In a little town such as this, I believe that less government is probably better government.  As long as the bills are paid, the public is protected, and the streets are maintained, we'll be fine.  As I've said all along though, if there is anything extra in the budget, I would like to see the city become more involved in youth programs or in our youth sports leagues.  This would be my challenge to the new candidates should they be elected.  The burden placed on private citizens to organize and run our youth sports leagues is a heavy one.  We gladly accept this responsibility and enjoy the work, although any help that the city could offer would be greatly appreciated.

As always, Terracetruth encourages all residents to become involved in the process.  We encourage you to attend candidate forums and/or debates when they occur, and we definitely encourage you to vote.

more to come,

Brian

Power Plant Plans "Off the Table"

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AES corporation has pulled their application to build a 300 MW power plant on Taylor Street, adjacent to the proposed high school.  AES was attempting to sell the project to another company before it was even built.  This sale fell apart, which caused the entire project to fall apart and the license applications to be withdrawn.

Some residents were concerned about the proposed power plant site being so close to the new high school.  The Colton School District passed a resolution last year, condemning the construction of power plants near schools, and was awaiting the results of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) from the California Energy Commission (CEC). The school district was concerned about the power plant, but was proceeding as though the EIR would be clean.  This blog and the GT City Council had reserved judgment on the project pending the release of that EIR, which was never released.

I had yet to decide if this project was too close to the new school, or if it would be good for Grand Terrace.  Now, it appears that this decision won't be necessary.  The upside to this license withdrawal is the high school.  Now perhaps the school district will feel better about the high school project.  At the very least, this removes an excuse for opposing the high school.

Brian

Murder in GT?

As you all probably know by now, last week a train ran over a body near Main Street in Grand Terrace, near the Riverside-San Bernardino county line.  According to reports, the 44 yr-old victim had apparently been shot prior to being hit by the train.  The question on everybody's mind is, "Did this incident take place within the city limits of Grand Terrace?"  If so, this would be only the second homicide in Grand Terrace in over 20 years. 

I'll keep you informed as the investigation unfolds.  Some in town would have us believe that this possible homicide indicates an increase of crime in the area, and would use this as yet another excuse not to build the new high school nearby.  This, of course, is ludicrous.  One dumped body does not make a crime wave, nor do train tracks always represent a "bad area of town."  This is simply more of the same obstructionist drivel to which we've become accustomed from this group.

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Brian

Blue Mountain Villas and Park

There is a wonderful sight to behold for Grand Terrace Seniors at the corner of Grand Terrace Road and Mt. Vernon Avenue.  That sight is the rapidly expanding structure that is the Blue Mountain Villas Senior Apartments and Center.  The center has been rising from its foundation on a daily basis since the rejection of the final injunction request in a San Bernardino courtroom.  The building is almost completely enclosed and due to be completed by the end of this year.  Congratulations to our seniors...they deserve no less.  We hope the center and adjacent quiet park will provide years of enjoyment and comfort to all seniors in the community.

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It's Over Bill

My intention is not to "kick a man when he's down," but to keep you informed.  I've said all that needs to be said about Bill Postmus, but here's a collection of recent articles to look through if you haven't already seen them.

I only hope the voters remember this experience next time a 29 yr old (Postmus when he first ran) with absolutely no life experience runs for a top position in the largest county in the United States.  Way too much power...way too fast.

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I must admit; I never saw this one coming.

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thanks for reading,

Brian

Postmus Redux

Former Chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Bill Postmus is in the news again.  I'm sure we all remember that in the last election, he was elected to the post of San Bernardino County Assessor, a position for which he had no experience and to which he had no business being elected.  I predicted then that we hadn't heard the last of Postmus and his crew and sadly, I was correct.  One of his top aides, assistant assessor Adam Aleman was recently arrested for six felonies including lying to the grand jury and destroying government records.  The grand jury also issued a scathing report, outlining how the assessor's office is being used as a political tool by Bill Postmus and his crew.

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I have a couple quick points to make now that you've read the recent Press Enterprise articles on this matter:

Point #1: I am still totally flabbergasted...astounded that Bill Postmus was elected to the assessor's office.  He had never even had a real full time job until he became a county supervisor and from the time he was elected, he used San Bernardino County as his political launch pad.  He has been embroiled in one controversy after another since his election to the board of supervisors (remember the unauthorized land settlement and vacation to Colorado in a county car with a county gas card).  The point here is that he had absolutely no assessor or tax experience, and he abused the public trust in the only job that he ever worked.

Point #2:  Postmus showed his true intentions immediately upon assuming authority in the assessor's office by positioning his former aide and campaign manager, 24 year old Adam Aleman, as an assistant assessor, one of the top positions in the office.  This kid wasn't even finished with his college degree and he had a $114,000 annual income.  Score!!  Not to worry though, us taxpayers paid over $8,000 so Aleman could finish his degree while holding a top position in county government...25 years old!!!   By the way, the county limit on tuition assistance is $1,000 per employee.  Postmus says that he'll pay closer attention in the future.  Gee, thanks!

Point #3:  Now Aleman, the boy wonder...rising star in the Republican Party...a good boy, has allegedly destroyed some documents; done some lying under oath.  We're so surprised!!!   This can't be!!!   Well...yes it can...it is.  Perhaps Aleman was a good boy at one time.  Perhaps he's been corrupted by the stench of the culture that surrounds Bill Postmus.  Any person who thinks its ok to run a large organization with no experience and who appoints friends and supporters with no experience has, at best, a serious judgement problem.  At worst, he has an arrogance and complete indifference to voters, their hard earned tax money, and their trust.  I suspect the latter is the case in this instance.

I realize that I have probably stepped on some Grand Terrace toes with this post and that is truly unfortunate.  I have no beef with any of our government officials in GT, but this really steams me (can you tell).  This guy has been using, and continues to use, San Bernardino County as his toilet and we, the voters, continue to allow it. Now, as it begins to crumble around him, how many will go to jail until the real culprit is dealt with.  If you voted for him, you bought part of this problem.  Let's fix it before it really gets embarrassing (state or national level).  Vote him out!

I apologize for the tone...I'm simply fed up.

Brian

High School Meeting

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This article has some interesting statements regarding the new high school.  It appears that School Board Trustee Mel Albiso has accepted that this school will be built.  He still wants his new high school in Bloomington, but says, "That will have no effect on the Grand Terrace High School."

The next school board meeting related to the new high school is on Tuesday, July 8th at the school board headquarters in Colton.

Brian

 

High School News Clips

Throughout my daily travels around Grand Terrace, I continue to encounter people with a variety of opinions on whether the high school will ever be built in Grand Terrace.  The opinions range from, "I don't think so," to "I've given up," to "It'll never happen."  Nothing I say is changing anybody's mind at this point.  I know this school has been delayed for years and years, but this time is different.  The site has been chosen, money allocated, land acquired, and the final tenant is moving.  Now that a large business has been moved to San Bernardino by eminent domain and 25 million dollars has already been invested, the point of no return has been passed in my opinion.  This school will be built, the only question remaining is, "will ground break this year or next?"   In an effort to comfort all of you doubters, I've poked around and found a few news items designed to ease your doubt.  Hope you enjoy.   BTW, I know this looks stupid underlined, but my underline function is "stuck" and I'm tired of fighting with it.   Brian   News Briefs:   Inland Timber Plans Move: Inland Timber plans to relocate from Grand Terrace, Ca., to a new 36.2-acre site in nearby San Bernardino. Its current location has been acquired through eminent domain so a new high school can be built. Inland wants to build a 5,322-sq. ft. office building, 12,000-sq. ft. storage shed, and 29,000-sq. ft. milling business at the new property. The site is adjacent to a store owned by Stock Building Supply, the North Carolina-based parent of Inland Timber.    From the Press Enterprise News Clips:

Grundman (Alice Grundman, School District Director of Facilities, Planning, and Construction) said she knows that as the years pass, people have begun to doubt whether a school will be built.  But she wants to dismiss those thoughts, saying the district has come too far to turn back.  "There is no reason to walk away at this point," she said. "The district has invested far too much effort. It will happen."  Last year, the district had scheduled a groundbreaking for the school but it was canceled for legal reasons.  Now that the process has progressed, some trustees are pushing the district to reschedule the event. Marge Mendoza-Ware (school board trustee) said the district has discussed building this high school for 10 years. The process has taken too long, she said.  "Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong with trying to find suitable property," she said.  "So now that we've established that this is the location, I would love to have a groundbreaking to tell folks that we're serious and this is going to happen." As the only trustee who lives in Grand Terrace, Kent Taylor said he is committed to making sure the high school is built. He said a groundbreaking would go a long way in reassuring the community that "we are keeping our promise." District officials say they are in dire need of this third high school.  Grundman said Colton and Bloomington high schools are crowded and officials have had to put in more portable classrooms.  The portables take up play fields, parking lots and open space that students should be able to use, she added.  Once the district acquires all the property, Grundman said building the school will take at least two years. School district spokeswoman Katie Orloff said officials are still negotiating with remaining landowners on the Grand Terrace high school site, but that no one has to worry about things falling apart. "We're doing this project," Orloff said. Terracetruth note:  The negotiations failed and the eminent domain process has been completed.  The land for the high school is all in the hands of the school district and the final tenants are moving. Brian