July 13, 2010 9:27 AM
Brooke Edwards

VICTORVILLE • One council member had no idea the city’s EB-5 investor program was being questioned by federal officials until reading about it in Sunday’s Press Dispatch, reflecting a communication gap she’s been raising concerns about for the last two years.

“I’m tired of it,” Councilwoman JoAnn Almond said by phone Monday, with a promise from City Manager Jim Cox when he returned to Victorville in January 2009 that all five members would always get the same information.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sent a notice May 4 of its “intent to terminate” Victorville’s EB-5 regional center, which allows the city to solicit $500,000 loans from foreign citizens in exchange for U.S. visas. Mayor Rudy Cabriales and Councilman Terry Caldwell both signed letters included in the city’s response to that notice, standing by the city’s program and vouching for the projects it focuses on.

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Rothschild and Councilman Ryan McEachron said they found out about the letter during recent trips to City Hall, with a concerted effort to stay “engaged” and up-to-date with what’s going on in the city.

“I knew about it because I ask about it every week,” Rothschild said. “So if somebody doesn’t know something, it’s their problem.”

To read responses from McEachron and Cox, see Tuesday’s Daily Press for the full story. To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call (760) 241-7755, 1-800-553-2006 or click here.