Jim Steinberg, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/27/2012 12:07:27 AM PDT
RIALTO – The Rialto City Council on Tuesday voted to end the contentious issue of a whooping rate increase by voting 4-1 for its approval.
The issue, and a related agreement to outsource the city’s water and sewer operations to New Jersey-based American Water Works Co. Inc., have been a boiling point for many residents for over a year.
The council’s action will propel water and sewer rates 114.8 percent by 2016.
Because the city of Rialto hasn’t increased rates for years, many residents recognize that rates need to go up, but think the increase should be spread out over more years.
Only Councilman Joe Baca Jr. opposed the rate increase.
As part of the meeting, the council decided not to schedule a referendum during the Nov. 6 general election on that outsourcing agreement – even though the city was presented with more than enough valid signatures to make that happen.
The petitions, gathered by the Utility Workers Union of America, did not include a copy of the concession agreement, Rialto City Attorney Jimmy Gutierrez said in an interview.
Under a provision of the election code, which Gutierrez said was written to encompass city ordinances, a copy of the ordinance must accompany the petitions “so that people know what they are signing.”
In those situations where there are other documents, courts have ruled that they too must be included, he said.
“You got to give all the information to the public,” Gutierrez said.
With the petitions circulated by the union, a copy of the city council resolution on the concession agreement was the only document included, he said. “How’s the public going to know what it’s signing without a copy of the concession agreement,” he said.
When asked how a document spanning hundreds and hundreds of pages, as is the case of the concession agreement, could be part of a petition being passed from one person to the next, Gutierrez said, “yeah, but that’s what the law says.”
Later he said that at least a summary of the agreement should have been included along with the petitions.
Contacted late Tuesday night, Utility Workers spokesman Mark Brooks said that the union’s legal team would need to evaluate the city’s position.
The union submitted 6,379 signatures and of those, 1,545 were declared invalid during a certification process conducted by the county Elections Bureau. That left 4,834 valid signatures – well above the amount needed to put the issue before voters.
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This is an example of the deconstruction of the voting process. How pathetic it is for a rate increase of 114% when people are struggling to keep afloat and pay their bills during this unrelenting Great Recession.
(Actually it’s a depression but tell no one.)
Time for the residents to take it to the ballot box and vote out the supporters.
So the city of Rialto hired the Sopranos to run the water dept.?
@Anonymous, the Sopranos have a job. They run the HDWD (Hi-Desert Water District)in Yucca Valley. Sorry.
You’re both wrong, the Sopranos run the one in Colton, Run a few background checks, I know a few who will flee.
Congressman’s Son May Face Molestation Charges
October 1, 2012, Diamond Bar, CA. A criminal trial is scheduled to commence during the first week of October. The victims are Congressman Gary Miller, his spouse, Cathy and their three grandchildren. The accused are Jennifer Lopez DeJongh, mother of the three grandchildren, and her spouse, George DeJongh, stepfather of those children. Both are being accused of Child Custody Deprivation of the three grandchildren although neither the Congressman nor his spouse had any custodial rights. In fact, court documents show that Jennifer Lopez DeJongh and Brian Miller (the Congressman’s son) had joint legal custody of the Congressman’s grandchildren. The Court had granted Jennifer Lopez DeJongh full physical custody.
The alleged crime revolves around Jennifer Lopez DeJongh’s refusal to deliver her three children to the home of the Congressman for a visit for the purpose of reunification with the father, Brian Miller.
The father has been accused of the sexual molestation of his three sons and has a long history of violence. Besides a Restraining Order for assaulting Jennifer Lopez DeJongh, he was convicted in Orange County for child endangerment and assault.
Even though Brian Miller is the father of the three children, the deputy district attorney, Whelma Llanos, is not calling him as a witness nor is she calling the three children who are victims to testify.
Here are some highlights of the possible testimony at trial:
• A respected therapist will testify that he reported to the Department of Child Protective Services that the father, Brian Miller, sexually molested his three sons, Brian Christopher, Christian and Evan.
• A doctor, who specializes in clinical psychology, will testify that she conducted a psychosexual analysis of Brian Miller and found, among other things, that Brian Miller exhibits deviant sexual behavior toward children the same age as his children.
• A grammar school principal will testify that one of the boys exposed his genitals during a Show and Tell exercise to explain what the boy’s father did to him.
• The three boys will testify for the defense. They have already been deposed and have expressed their desire to tell the court, in detail, about their father sexually molesting them. Their testimony should be sufficient to have their father arrested and charged.
• Although the defense is calling Brian Miller as a witness, he may assert his right under the 5th Amendment of self-incrimination. However, in other court documents, Brian Miller, the biological father, admitted to many issues including the forcing of the boys to sleep nude, in their bed, with him while he, himself was also nude.
The jury trial is to be held at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, 210 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA. Case Number BA332537.