Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Open Board of Directors Meeting
3200 Inland Empire Boulevard, First Floor
Ontario, California
Minutes
Present: Patti Arlt, Deborah Barmack, Peter Barmack, Carole Beswick, Tom Brickley, Ann Bryan, Mike Burrows, Ken Coate, Adam Eventov, Louis Goodwin, Dick Hart, Scott Hofferber, Mark Kaenel, Lowell King, P.T. McEwen, John Mirau, Dan Murphy, Roman Nava, Tom Nightingale, Cid Pinedo, Brian Reider, Elizabeth Romero, Kristine Scott, Paul Shimoff, Hassan Webb and Ray Wolfe.
Guests: Greg Bradbard, Kevin & Maribel Brown, Phil Cochran, Karen Feld, Mark Hanson, Peggi Hazlett, Michael Kennedy, Gordon Nichols, John Novak, Boris Medzhibovsky, B.J. Patterson, Tami Sipos and Todd Warden
Announcements: 1) Committee chairs were asked to provide their initial federal issues/topics of concern to staff as soon as possible as appointments are being scheduled. This year a Committee Room has been provided on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 from 2-4 p.m. for the Inland Action group so that members of Congress may meet with the entire delegation. 2) Last week a majority of the members present voted to extend the invitation of membership to Inland Empire Health Plan.
M/S/P: Minutes from February 14, 2017.
Cid Pinedo introduced San Bernardino County Supervisor Janice Rutherford.
Supervisor Rutherford stated that she was very pleased to see so many west end business people attending the Inland Action meeting. The west end of the county has for the last decade experienced tremendous growth but needs civic business leadership. She expressed that she believes regional leadership is needed and that business can and must hold those in leadership accountable.
She is in her second year as a Board Member of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The SCAQMD is charged with cleaning our air and meeting the increasingly stringent federal EPA air quality standards. SCAQMD regulates stationary sources (refineries, dry cleaners, manufacturing) but has no authority over mobile sources. Our air quality has improved dramatically over the years but the “low hanging fruit” is already gone. Currently over 80% of our air pollution is caused from mobile sources (ships, trains, trucks, cars, planes) over which the SCAQMD has no authority. The new SCAQMD Plan (AQMP) is a document that sets new goals for Southern California to achieve the EPA standards.
An amendment to the proposed AQMP introduced at the last meeting includes a warehouse amendment that places responsibility on the warehouses for the emission from trucks that enter their yard. Efficient and economical goods movement is essential to the region’s economy. The Inland Empire is home to the busiest and most important corridors in the nation. These proposed measures would harm goods movement and an industry that creates many stable middle income jobs. We do not need an ineffective policy which adds to the list of disincentives to be in California. Unfortunately a majority of the Board members are not empathetic with the Inland Empire or business. Some Board members speak despairingly of logistics and the trucking industry and others have expressed a wish that all manufacturing disappear from California. The AQMP proposes many measures of which air quality benefits cannot be quantified. The Plan often refers to merits as “to be determined” or TBD measures. Strategies that have totally unknown benefits should not be included in our plans to meet air quality.
The vote by Board members will take place on March 3, 2017. The Supervisor believes at this point the Board will approve the AQMP. She urged those present to leverage relationships and connect with board members by letters, phone etc. regarding their support. The new EPA Secretary may have an effect on the challenges we face.
The repeal of the Affordable Care Act will dramatically impact our regions hospitals. Arrowhead Regional Medical Hospital treats some 275,000 patients per year with Medicare reimbursements a critical component. IEHP estimates some 270,000 will lose coverage and many jobs are at stake. The Supervisor is closely tracking changes from the new administration.
The County has continued their successful program beginning in 2015 of housing homeless Veteran’s. They are now tackling the chronic homeless. They will use a similar formula as with the Veteran’s program by having private, government and faith based groups work together to provide wrap around services and available housing facilities.
A Q & A period followed.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 a.m.