Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Open Board of Directors Meeting
San Bernardino Community College District
114 S. Del Rosa Drive
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Minutes
Present: Deborah Barmack, Peter Barmack, Rigo Bejarano, Carole Beswick, Tom Brickley, Ann Bryan, Rachelle Bussell, Ken Coate, Scott Davis, Louis Goodwin, Scott Hofferber, Matthew Isaac, Jay Jimenez, Erik Johnson, Lowell King, Pam Langford, John Mirau, Dan Murphy, John Prentice, Jan Remm, Kristine Scott, Paul Shimoff, and Ray Wolfe.
Guests: Trish Almiron and Vikki Osterman
Announcements: 1) Committees were reminded that the final draft of issue papers for the Sacramento advocacy trip are due today. 2) The ground breaking for the new Adult and Children’s Hospital Towers at Loma Linda University Hospital will be held on May 22 beginning at 2 p.m. The program is expected to be 30 min. and special seating has been arranged for Inland Action members. 3) There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Devore Interchange on May 20, 2016 at 18291 Cajon Court, San Bernardino beginning at 9:30a.m. Please Rsvp to info@devoreinterchangeproject.com or call 951-462-1106
M/S/P: Minutes from April 26, 2016
Kristine Scott introduced Mayor L. Dennis Michael, City of Rancho Cucamonga and President of the League of California Cities.
A lifelong resident of Rancho Cucamonga, L. Dennis Michael was elected to the Rancho Cucamonga City Council in 2004 after his retirement from a successful career in the city’s Fire Department. He was first elected Mayor in 2010 and again in 2014.
Mayor Michael is actively involved in a number of regional and state boards and committees. He sits on the San Bernardino County Associated Government (SANBAG) and is a member of SANBAG’s General Policy, Metro Valley and Commuter Rail/Transit committees. He serves on the League of California Cities statewide Board of Directors and is currently serving as their president. The League of California Cities is an association of California city officials who work together to enhance their knowledge and skills, exchange information, and combine resources so that they may influence policy decisions that affect cities. Their mission is to expand and protect local control for cities through education and advocacy, to enhance the quality of life for all Californians.
The three top issues of focus for the League and the City of Rancho Cucamonga are affordable housing, reducing homelessness and repair of local infrastructure. The Empire Lakes project in Rancho Cucamonga will change and redevelop the privately owned golf course into a much needed mixed use housing development. Empire Lakes, as proposed, will be comprised of a combination of high density residential, commercial, and office uses in an “urban” setting. The physical arrangement of the project is intended to reduce reliance on automobiles, and encourage walking, bicycling, and use of mass transit including the Metrolink Station immediately north of the project site. The Mayor encourages these mixed use projects and hopes that builders will also plan to blend affordability for all income levels and long term needs.
Mayor Michael is an advocate for Express lanes on both the I-10 and I-15. He encouraged Inland Action to continue and strengthen the Express Lanes coalition as he has seen support waning. The gas tax does not keep up with needs of our infrastructure and has been further reduced by higher efficiency vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles. Republicans have made it clear that they will not support a tax increase unless there is substantial reform in CalTrans and CEQA. Additionally they do not want the gas tax marginalized by the current distribution formula. These changes are not only unlikely, they would not come close to getting us out of our $11B deficit. As a logistics corridor we need to maintain our roads and increase capacity. The Fix Our Roads Coalition (www.fixourroads.com) as individuals, businesses and local electeds joining together to help address the issue.
California has the largest homeless population in the country and it is a responsibility for us all. He applauded San Bernardino County and the collaborative team that was successful in placing over 400 homeless veterans. This commitment is important to continue and expand. Getting the homeless into housing is the first step in order to create stability. Only then can the many issues of homelessness be addressed.
Recently numerous cities have faced voting rights lawsuits or the threat of one. Cities that have a population of 100,000 or more could be sued if they have a city wide at-large system alleging that it violates voting rights by diluting the power of the city’s minority voters. In a district based system the city would be divided into voting areas with each area electing a city council member to represent it. Some cities have placed the decision on the ballot for the voters to decide but even if residents vote to maintain the at-large system the City is still at risk for costly lawsuits.
The Mayor stated that all cities benefit from a positive happening in the Inland Empire. He believes that the Inland Empire and our importance is now beginning to be recognized by both state and federal legislators.
A Q & A period followed.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 a.m.