What is Cinco de Mayo? @ Palomares Adobe Sunday!!

 Cinco de Mayo:  Made in California Play performance

The Historical Society of Pomona Valley and the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA present a special encore performance of our highly popular play, with special guests Global Motion World Dance Company, Flor de Mayo Folklorico, a mini Cinco de Mayo exhibition, a theatrical production, a presentation by author and professor Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, and MC Comedian Ernie G.

Pomona, CA – June 16, 2013 
El Cinco de Mayo:  Made in California performance

    

Adobe de Palomares

491 E. Arrow Highway, Pomona CA, 91767
Sunday, June 16, 2013 5:00PM - 8:00PM
5:00PM-6:00PM Cinco de Mayo
Teatro Presentation
6:00PM-8:00PM Children’s workshops on Californio history

Special Californio history exhibit
Free and open to the public.

The Cinco de Mayo, as it is known in California, is not a Mexican holiday.  In fact, in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is scarcely noticed.  El Cinco de Mayo is an American Civil War commemoration, created by Latinos living in California as a public statement about where Latinos stood on the key issues of the Civil War:

• Latinos supported freedom, and opposed slavery.
• Latinos supported racial equality, and opposed white supremacy.
• Latinos supported democracy, and opposed elitist forms of government. 

Why do we in the United States celebrate the victory of an obscure battle that took place in Mexico 150 years ago? Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated as a national holiday in Mexico because it was created and first celebrated by Latinos living in California. Learning that the Mexican army in Puebla had defeated invading French troops on May 5, 1862, Latinos in California were overjoyed that freedom and democracy had won a victory over forces of slavery and oligarchy. Latinos all over the state rejoiced and celebrated with fireworks, patriotic songs, and impromptu speeches.

Dr. David Hayes-Bautista’s book El Cinco de Mayo: An American Tradition details the real history behind this American Civil War holiday and how it originated. Dr. Hayes-Bautista has stated, “Cinco de Mayo is important to California because it was invented here.” He goes on to say, “It provides a collective identity for all Latinos, whether they were born here in California or immigrated from Mexico, Central America, or South America. It binds them together in an identity.”

Dr. David Hayes-Bautista is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the School of Medicine at UCLA. He graduated from U.C. Berkeley and completed his MA and PhD in Medical Sociology at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco. Dr. Hayes-Bautista’s research focuses on the dynamics and processes of the health of the Latino population using both quantitative data sets and qualitative observations. The Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture combines these research interests with teaching of medical students, residents, and practicing providers to manage the care of a Latino patient base effectively, efficiently, and economically. His publications have appeared in Family Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, Family Practice, Medical Care, and Salud Pública de México. 

Ernie G is one of the hottest, multi-talented, young Latino entertainers in the country today. His comedy has been seen by millions of TV viewers on shows, such as Comedy Central’s “Make Me Laugh,” B.E.T.’s “Comic View,” Ed McMahon’s “Next Big Star,” & Sí TV’s “Funny is Funny!” He is one of the original stars of Galavisión’s hit comedy show “Qué Locos!” hosted by George Lopez, - appearing six times, along with two appearances on “The Best of Qué Locos!” He has appeared on HBO Latino’s “Habla Again,” MUN2’s “Loco Comedy Jam,” as well as Sí TV’s “Latino Laugh Festival!” and their hip new show, “Inside Joke!” Currently, you can catch him on MTV Tr3s’ “Los Super Icons” and you might also remember him as the “Angry Angelino” from the Channel 13 News in Los Angeles!

A graduate of Loyola Marymount University with his B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Chicano Studies, Ernie has developed his own unique form of Comedy he calls “Latino Edutainment – Educating and Entertaining with a Latino Flavor!” and has performed for many of the country’s top organizations and corporations, including Disney, Pepsi-Co, General Mills, U.S. Armed Forces, National Council de la Raza, Latin American Educational Foundation and the Hispanic College Fund. He was honored by the City of Los Angeles with the 1st-ever Mario Moreno “Cantínflas” Award for “...representing the Latino community with the same humor and distinction as the legendary Mario Moreno “Cantínflas” and who, like Cantínflas, utilizes his power to help those most in need.”

Ernie performs his rip-roaring, high-energy comedy as Host and Producer of “Ernie G’s Comedy Fiesta!”- a National Comedy Tour featuring the country’s top Latino comedians performing in venues, colleges and universities throughout the nation. He was the Key Note Speaker at UCLA’s 32nd Annual RAZA Graduation, and continues to spread his message of Empowerment & Transformation through Laughter as the National Spokesperson for the Hispanic College Fund and Inspirational Comedian nationwide! For more information, or to order his first Comedy CD entitled, “Mama’s Boy!” please visit: ErnieG.com.      

Adobe de Palomares, Historical Society of Pomona Valley

What is the Palomares Adobe's historical significance?

Adobe de Palomares was the 13 room home of Don Ygnacio Palomares and his wife, Dona Concepcion Lopez de Palomares. The Palomares and Vejar families owned the Rancho San Jose, which covered eastern Los Angeles county, some 150 years ago. The land now covers many cities of the Pomona Valley of Southern California, including Pomona, LaVerne, San Dimas, Diamond Bar, Azusa, Covina, Walnut, Glendora, and Claremont

A Gold Rush Home: The home was started as the new home of a successful Mexican rancher. Its construction phase was from 1850 to 1854. This was the period of the great California gold rush, that was accompanied by California statehood . The house represents the meeting of two cultures: Mexican-era adobe construction combined with American influenced technology, seen in the use of milled roofing and flooring.

Freddie Rodriguez builds momentum, but signs show otherwise

First, I hope that no one tried to vote for a Democratic endorsement today... as this was a closed vote (although open to the public to view). You had to be one of the 72 individuals enumerated in the Democratic Party's bylaws (Article VIII, Section (3)(e)(1) to be specific) in order to have a vote - so I stand corrected.

With that said, it was not a surprise that Freddie Rodriguez gets the endorsement. Considering that the Torres slate won handily in the Assembly Democratic Caucus in January (disclaimer: I was part of that vote), had members of her slate win nomination to the County Central Committee, and controls a certain number of seats by virtue of being an elected official, the only question was whether he would surpass the 60% threshold, and Rodriguez did with 70% of the vote.

Rodriguez has the backing of the Democratic establishment in Sacramento and likely will be a middle of the road, reliable vote for Democratic leadership in the State Assembly that will not lead to embarrassing headlines, politically or personally. To his credit, he is the only candidate who has come up with a list of issues on his website. The Torres family has opened a lot of doors for Rodriguez - Robert Torres serves as press spokesman, his lead fundraiser is Torres's, and having a mentor in the State Legislature will help ease the transition greatly. Having the phrase "Endorsed by the Democratic Party" and a picture of Torrres and Rodriguez together on a mailer will open doors to a lot of residents who may not know much about the candidates.

But looking at the surrounding environment, it is interesting to note that out of the people Rodriguez served with - fellow City Councilmembers - none have endorsed Rodriguez. Three have endorsed Manuel Saucedo. Two have endorsed Jason Rothman, although it would be questionable if the dad didn't endorse the son.  And Paula Lantz is a former Republican so her endorsement doesn't mean that much. (Most recently her registration was changed to Decline To State, as Pomona's Republican heritage faded away.) Rodriguez's endorsement speech was unusually targeted at comparing himself to "opponents" who, among other things, voted to reduce fire services - a clear reference to Soto. But don't count Soto out since she obtained the endorsement of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, the only statewide elected official to weigh in on this race, along with Congresswoman McLeod and San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales. (I still count Haughey out, because he still doesn't have a working website.)

Overall, this is a race which will be decided by a few thousand votes, if not less. With a registration of 177,000 and an estimated turnout of below 10% - if the senate special election was any indication - the nine candidates are chasing after 17,000 votes. If you voted in the last election, and your phone number is on the voter file, it may be a good time to avoid the phone and the door this summer.

La Traviata opens June 22 at 2 pm in Pomona

Assembly District 52 - Candidates and Endorsements

First, a brief note. Did you know that if you are a registered Democrat, you have a say in who gets the endorsement of your party? Fill out the form here and snail mail or scan and email it to the address shown. This is part of the little known caucus system that doles out endorsements, since primaries were made into a "top two" system by a recent California ballot proposition. Or attend the caucus on Sunday at 3 pm, at the Ontario teachers union offices - this will be the best opportunity to meet all viable candidates. If I attend I'll make sure to tweet my thoughts and impressions, and maybe even vote on a candidate for my personal endorsement. (Disclaimer - I am a registered Democrat who has no idea who to pick at this point.)

Now onto the final list of candidates (if you missed my preliminary look, click here) and my capsule impressions of them.

Paul Vincent Avila
Ontario City Councilmember, former school board member, perennial candidate - has interesting ideas but has a tendency to speak off the cuff. Endorsed Paul Leon in the State Senate election, which caused grumblings from some Democrats that wanted to kick him out of the party (he is running as a Democrat). No website or social media presence.

Tom Haughey
Chino councilman. Runs an insurance agency. No other information available. Chino elects their councilmembers at large. Web site does not work, which is not a good sign.

Freddie Rodriguez
Pomona councilman, southwest Pomona district. Paramedic by training. Endorsed by Norma Torres and a bunch of other Latino Democrats. Touts business friendliness which may not actually be the case. Fundraising a possible concern - not very much for his mayor's race.

Jason Rothman
Pomona school board member and instructor at Cal Poly Pomona. Well liked by students. Endorsed by Faculty Association, California Teachers Association next? (Was endorsed by Pomona teacher's union in school board election.) Liberal/progressive - former Green Party member.

Manuel Saucedo
Engineer by training, former district director for Norma Torres. Worked to help high school kids enter university, and legislative staffer dating back to the Nell Soto days. Endorsed by Joe Baca, three Pomona councilmembers (the most out of any candidate), and supported by former Senator and champion of immigrant rights Gil Cedillo. Nothing on the web site about any issues he might focus on or support - even vaguely.

Danielle Soto
Former Pomona councilwoman. Currently public affairs specialist at the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and has a legislative interest in environmental issues. Granddaughter of Nell Soto. Endorsed by Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod. Lost council election by 2:1, possibly due to trash station issue. But, at least had the decency to finish her term.

Doris Wallace
Union organizer. Not much known about her - I don't even know if this is the same person that ran in a Rancho Cucamonga district over a decade ago

Dorothy Pineda
Business owner. The only Republican on the ballot, which might be good for at least a few percentage points on its own, but has no Internet presence.

Paul Leon
Mayor of Ontario. Website doesn't work. The Facebook works, although the campaign seems to like to tease its viewers like the local TV news. The Senate website works though, which gives you insight in his issues. Thinks that going "decline to state" may help get more voters, because he is not tarred with the scarlet "R" next to his name, but has pledged that his values remain the same, which are "Christian Conservative".

It may be helpful, from a pure positioning perspective, to rank the candidates from left to right, or from "progressive" to "conservative". After talking to various individuals and doing some research, you generally could rank the candidates in the following order from left to right: Rothman, Soto, Rodriguez, Saucedo, Leon - with Avila on an orthogonal compass to this and not enough information on Haughey, Wallace, or Pineda (and neither of those three likely to make the runoff).

The problem with Sacramento lobbyists analyzing the ground game here is that they often get it wrong. Rudy Favila and Kenny Coble never qualified; while her grandma might have called her "Dani" no one I know calls Danielle Soto that, professionally or personally; and there are nine candidates, not ten, and two on the list did not qualify (Paul Vincent Avila was the person omitted.)

Handicapping Assembly District 52

After two low turnout special elections, it's time for another special election (or two) for the State Assemblymember who will represent Pomona.

If you were one of the almost 90% of people who didn't turn out for the recent elections held in March and May, as a result of the ascension of Gloria Negrete McLeod to be our Congresswoman in Washington, there was a special election held for her State Senate seat. The field included Assemblymember and former Pomona mayor Norma Torres, San Bernardino County Auditor Larry Walker, Ontario Mayor Paul Leon, Ontario City Councilmember Paul Vincent Avila, Pomona Planning Commissioner Kenny Coble, and Rialto school board member Joanne Gilbert. Norma Torres beat Paul Leon 60-40 in the runoff, and was sworn into the State Senate on Monday.

So there is another special election upon the voters of Pomona, Chino, Ontario, to pick Torres's replacement. In a special election musical chairs scenario, turnout is guaranteed to be low. The previous group of special elections hovered around 10% turnout. Permanent absentees, where ballots are mailed to the voter automatically instead of having to be requested by the voter, are a good source of votes, but need follow up so that the ballot is not lost with the daily junk mail. A good ground game and Get Out The Vote effort can pay huge dividends. Focusing on low propensity voters - those who only participate in Presidential elections - generally pays less dividends than focusing on the person that votes in every election, although everybody will get mail and some will get phone calls. With the rise of caller ID and people not putting phone numbers on voter registrations, door to door precinct walking is important - and can be done efficiently in the long days of summer.

There are also differences between counties. Pomona, in Los Angeles County, has a much lower absentee voter rate, primarily because Los Angeles County has never focused on signing people up for permanent vote by mail status. Meanwhile, San Bernardino County, like many other counties, has promoted vote by mail because it allows for the concentration of precincts and allows for votes to be tabulated faster, an important cost savings measure in a county which span tens of thousands of square miles. This can be seen by the huge difference in vote by mail vs. in person between counties. (Incidentally, the average polling place in both counties received less than 100 voters on Election Day - a true test of patience for the precinct worker.) The turnout was also markedly higher in San Bernardino County than Los Angeles County, all due primarily to vote by mail - although LA County caught up in the runoff election since Pomona is Torres's base. Permanent absentees are perfect for campaigns because savvy ones can track the status of the vote - and continually hound the voter who does not return it.

So what are we looking at when we handicap the race?

• Endorsements - Endorsements are not just names on a flyer, but are signals to low or medium information voters as to who to support. They can also bring volunteers and campaign contributions. Unions, especially, can mobilize a motivated workforce that lives in the surrounding area. Chamber of commerce types can bring in money from big business and a lot of $4,200 contributions. Incumbent elected officials can bring their supporters to knock on doors and give money.
• Two thirds vote - The Democrats want to keep a two thirds majority in Sacramento. Therefore if this becomes a Republican vs. Democrat race, you will see a lot of money from the Democrats and their allied interests to make sure that no upset happens and that Democrats maintain that majority. This is important because it allows for the Legislature to disregard the Governor and override any vetoes, as well as pass tax increases ("revenue measures") without trying to get Republican support. 
• Demographics - The demographics of the area make it almost insurmountable for a Republican to win. But they may give it a good shot, and there is also the slight possibility that two quality Republicans or more conservative candidates could finish in the top two, and crowd out the union friendly or liberal candidates. This is what happened in the 31st Congressional District, where despite a Democratic advantage in registration two Republicans went to the runoff since the Democrats dispersed themselves among four equally strong candidates. Also, this seat is heavily Latino, although low turnout elections traditionally skew older and whiter than general elections.
• Which Democrat - Within the Democratic Party there are those who are more moderate and those who are more liberal. Even though the Democrats may have a two thirds majority business friendlier ones can easily break away and make it impossible for the legislature to override the veto. Incidentally Governor Jerry Brown is considered a fiscal conservative and is being spoken of highly by business interests and Republicans, who look to him as a "goalkeeper" against the over-regulating, over-taxing impulses of the liberals in the Legislature.
• McLeod vs. Baca - McLeod is the current Congresswoman and Baca is the Congressman she beat. The two factions have a general grudge against each other, which some have called a "blood feud". Although both are considered moderate Democrats, one issue they differ on significantly is guns. Baca was a major supporter of the NRA, while McLeod received money from Michael Bloomberg on the gun issue that may have pushed her over the top. They support opposite groups of people.
• San Bernardino County - Three out of the five announced candidates are from Pomona, but the majority of the votes are outside the city. They are a blank slate to many voters. This makes them ripe targets for mailers and calls either extolling their virtues, or providing facts about the disappointments of their careers.
• Pomona - Pomona is a fiscally challenged city with rising crime, low levels of business development, and a library running on fumes. Will this hurt the impressions of candidates whose last elected experience was serving Pomona?

What isn't here are any issues. At this stage most candidates will spew generic statements about creating jobs, preserving the environment, and improving (name portion of government here). At some point the candidates may differentiate themselves but at this stage in the game it is so preliminary.

Announced Candidates:

Scott Lay, a Sacramento "political consultant", has a great web site, Around the Capitol, which has all of the key information on probables and past results for this district. The best free source for "inside baseball" like this is his Nooner newsletter, which occasionally covers this race. A brief summary of each announced candidate follows, with links to web sites, Twitter feeds, and Facebook posts for more information. Some alleged candidates, like Kenny Coble and Paul Leon, have not updated their web sites; when they do make a formal announcement, I'll update this post.

Paul Vincent Avila

Occupation: Retired Counselor/Ontario City Councilmember

Web site: None

Avila is one of the more colorful elected officials in the Inland Empire. But, with big money in this race, he is unlikely to make the next round. He spent no money and got elected to Ontario City Council. That won't work for the Assembly.

Rudy Favila

Occupation: Retired Youth Authority Officer/Former Ontario Councilman

Web site: http://www.favilaforassembly.com/

Favila ran for Congress in 2000 and lost. His last elected office was in the 90's as a Ontario City Councilman. Unfortunately, he has been out of the spotlight for too long. Having a web site which is nonfunctional doesn't help.

Freddie Rodriguez

Occupation: Emergency Medical Technician, Pomona Vice Mayor

Web site: http://www.freddierodriguez.com/home

Endorsement: Senator Norma Torres

Expect plenty of mailers that have Rodriguez and Torres together. Although she may not be popular among many who are involved deeply in local Pomona politics, she has never lost an election and is not disliked by most voters. 

From the April 16, 2013 edition of the Capitol Morning Report:

Democratic fundraising consultant Connie Sanders Emerson reports being hired by Freddie Rodriguez, the Vice Mayor of Pomona and a candidate in AD 52.

For those of you who don't know what this means, a credible consultant doing fundraising can open doors and help raise money. Fundraising will be key - his mayoral race only raised about $14,000, compared to incumbent Mayor Rothman's $56,000.

Jason Rothman

Occupation: College Lecturer, Pomona School Board Member

Web site: http://www.rothmanforassembly.com/index.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasonARothman

Endorsement: California Faculty Association

Rothman is the mayor's son, but has a decent track record of his own at the Pomona School Board. The PUSD is one of the better functioning agencies in Pomona today, with rising test scores, more options for children and parents, and lower dropout rates. Education is always a key issue in elections, and Rothman was endorsed by Associated Pomona Teachers, the local teachers union, which could give him a leg up should he seek the endorsement of the statewide teachers unions. 

Manuel Saucedo

Occupation: (Former) Senior Field Representative/District Coordinator for Assemblymember Norma Torres

Web site: http://manuelsaucedo.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManuelSaucedoForStateAssembly

Endorsements: (Former) Congressman Joe Baca, Pomona Councilmembers Cristina Carrizosa, Debra Martin, John Nolte, Pitzer professor Jose Calderon

As a district director he knows the district well. He may have the best chance of making a play at the east. The Baca endorsement will be a good signal since Baca's base has historically been Ontario and eastward. If he can bag more endorsements from Chino, Montclair, and Ontario, that would help - he is in the best position to do so. 

Danielle Soto

Occupation: Staff Assistant, South Coast Air Quality Management District/Former Pomona City Councilmember

Web site: http://www.daniellesotoforassembly.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SotoforAssembly

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sotocampaign

Endorsement: Congresswoman Gloria Negrete McLeod

The Soto name has a long track record in Pomona Valley politics. However, her thumping in the First District Pomona City Council race is a cause for concern for fundraising. She was attacked on the slumping budget and the transfer station issue, with John Nolte being seen as more in touch with the community than Soto. She is a proven good fundraiser, but that was meaningless in the City Council election. The trash station makes for a good mailer if someone wants to go negative since it is not in her Council district but is close to the center of AD 52. However, I don't see her rising to the top so that anyone would need to go negative on her.

More later as this campaign develops. Feel free to share your thoughts on any of the candidates in the comment box.

Library to host Mexican Baseball display in June.

 

Note that the display will be the entire month of June and there will be a book signing on June 8 at 1:00 pm.

Proposed City Budget 2013/14

If you are interested in keeping an eye on the city budget, you can look at it here:

proposed city budget 2013/14

The budget will be approved at the beginning of June, so if you have issues to raise, please write to council members ahead of time.

Pomona Students Help Create Opera!

Great Library Event--Saturday, April 27

David C. Henley will be speaking in the Library's public conference room on Saturday, April 27. See image above for more information. Click on the image to go to the Friends of the Library's web site.

Support your library!

Gold Line

Last evening I attended a community meeting at the Palomares Community Center hosted by Councilmember Debra Martin to discuss the Gold Line train. It seems that the EIR (Environmental Impact Report) was certified in the past week and the city has some major issues with the mitigation plans for the line as it runs through Pomona.

The main issues appear to be:

• A flyover at Towne Avenue
• The Station and how it impacts Garey
• Lack of response to city concerns by the Gold Line Authority

The Gold Line, which will be completed to Azusa by 2014/15 runs alongside the BNSF tracks. Once extended, it would meet up with the MetroLink tracks at the east end of Pomona and all 3 lines would run along the same right-of-way out to Montclair. This causes a problem because the Gold Line runs to the north side of the BNSF tracks but in Pomona there is a warehouse spur which runs to the north so the Gold Line will have to "cross-over" the tracks to between the BNSF and MetroLink tracks in Pomona. The plan is for the crossover to take place at Lone Hill in Glendora and then the crossback to occur at Towne. This would mean that a large bridge over Towne would be constructed which, in its initial drawings is ugly and would negatively impact the neighborhoods at that area. PLUS: the BNSF and Metrolink trains would still have at grade crossings at Towne.

The issue at Garey is that the at grade crossing there is already causing a lot of gate closures and major delays for traffic on Garey. Adding another train every 10 minutes would increase the number of gate closings on this busy intersection.

The city would like to see all the tracks moved below grade and would like to see if something can't be done with the spur which services only 1 single warehouse.

The city has been pointing out these problems throughout the process and is upset that the Authority has pushed through the EIR with a Statement of Overriding Circumstances without addressing these negative impacts. The city is now considering whether or not they should pursue litigation under CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act).

An interesting topic. Too bad there were fewer than a dozen citizens in attendance, while there were at least half a dozen city staff there, including the Mayor, Councilperson Martin, and Councilperson Escobar. I'm sure that had there been more interest that we would have seen some interesting alternatives put forward. However, it's almost as if no one in the city cares.

Kong Returns to Pomona Fox

Click for larger view

Friends of the Pomona Fox are proud to present the return of King Kong to Pomona Sunday, March 24 at 2:00 pm (doors open at 1:00 pm--those who purchase tickets online will be admitted 15 minutes early). $8 adults, $3 children 12 and under. Tickets are available at our web site: www.pomonafox.org or at the door.
  
King Kong was released in March of 1933, but didn’t make it to the Pomona Fox until May of the same year. To promote Kong, the giant Kong head used in the film was put on display outside the theater where locals could have their photos taken with Kong (bottom). Another photo from the period (top) shows large crowds assembled for the closing night of the film


Kong made his mark in Pomona, and we’re very happy to be able to repay him on his 80th birthday, with this very special program. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KONG!

In addition to the screening of Kong, there will be lobby displays including a giant Kong hand and arm where you can take a souvenir photo (bring your own camera/cell phone) and other memorabilia from the film, and a panel discussion and some special film surprises.

This program is made possible through the generous assistance of our program sponsors. Special thanks to Scott Essman for putting together this program and to all of our volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure a quality program.

Where to Dine in Pomona?

Lately I've been thinking about where we dine in Pomona. Our city has lots of great Latin American/Mexican restaurants, but so little of anything else. Yes, we have all of the fast-food franchises, but finding a place for a nice evening sit-down meal can be a challenge for those times when you want something that's not Latin.

While we still have a Sizzler here in the city, we don't have the chains such as Outback Steakhouse, Chili's, Olive Garden, Applebee's, Red Lobster, etc. For those we need to go just outside the city limits. But what about when we want a similar dining experience here? Something beyond Food Truck Thursdays at Fairplex (although we do appreciate that and it's a place to get some great food).

Here are some of the places Mrs C and I like to go. Hopefully you'll add yours as well.

Downtown Pomona

Sakura Ichi is a very nice place for Japanese food. A good bar menu, with happy hour specials makes this a great place for those occasions when we want "small plate" fare. Of course if you want Sushi or Tempura, you can certainly get full meals in a beautiful space.

The Drink at the Fox is also a great "small plate" place but they're not open all the time and you have to kind of stumble upon them.

Pho Vi Some good Vietnamese Pho at this place. Not something we crave, but decent on a cold day.

The Hamburger House is the new name for the oft renamed 2nd Street Bistro. While we haven't been there yet, it appears to have a good menu of "gourmet" burgers.

The Rookery is the new name for the previous Joey's BBQ. Under the same ownership and management, the menu has forgone BBQ for the gourmet burger route. The burgers are fresh and well done and the appetizers, which include fried pickles, onion rings, and grilled cheese, are worth the trip. Now if the room only looked a little less like a BBQ joint. This one does compare favorably with Eureka Burger, and with wait service is a step above the new Claremont Rounders.

Alladin, Jr. Not really a fan of middle eastern cuisine, but the place seems to have a loyal clientele.

A mention has to be made of Cassie's Soul Food, which isn't a sit-down restaurant but has some great take-out.

Fairplex Area

McKinleys The restaurant in the Sheraton Fairplex offers up good solid food in a nice atmosphere. Again, you can get some great appetizers and "small plates" in the bar or have a very good/fresh salad in the main dining room. Not an everyday place, but certainly worth going to.

Finish Line This is a spot we recently rediscovered. While casual, it's a decent sit-down place with good food. We especially like their 1/2 price Mondays where any of their Main Entrees are 1/2 price. This means that you can get their NY Strip Steak dinner (Steak, mashed potatoes, vegies) for $7.50. While not the best steak dinner I've ever had, definitely the best one at $7.50. This is part of the off-track betting parlor that at night has a sports bar theme with lots of large televisions everywhere for those who like to keep an eye on the score. But they keep the sound down so it's not as intrusive as some similar places I've been in.

Pomona Valley Mining Company The old stand-by is good for an occasional dinner with an expansive view of the city.  To be honest, I usually end up there for banquets rather than a regular evening meal, but their Sunday Brunch is a must at least once or twice a year.

I'm sure that I'm forgetting some, but these seem to be the main places to go for dinner. Do you have suggestions? I'd love to hear them.
 
 

Magic Flute in Pomona April 20

Mixer for New Theater Company in Pomona

I understand there are complimentary hors d'oeuvres and wine from 4 to 7 with an opportunity to meet the company's Board members, and fantastic surprise performances.

Pics from Rehearsal

Fun times in Pomona, Sunday at 4 pm.  Reception to follow.

Local Opera Singers Sing their Hearts Out for Pomona

The talented singers of Repertory Opera Company will bring Valentine’s Day to life for Pomona and environs by singing their hearts out.  This “Serenades of Love” concert includes love duets, arias and songs to celebrate the romance of life.  The afternoon will include the sublime passionate duets from Madama Butterfly and Roméo et Juliette; blood stirring arias such as Nessun dorma, the Habanera from Carmen and Caro nome; and some teasingly amorous scenes from Magic Flute, Cosi fan tutte and the Barber of Seville.  Our basses will rumble your heartstrings with Some Enchanted Evening and My Funny Valentine.  The lovefest ends with the over the top revelry of the party scene from Act II of Strauss’ Die Fledermaus.   A reception with light refreshments follows the concert.

The performance is Sunday, February 10 at 4 pm at First Christian Church, 1751 N. Park Ave., Pomona, CA  91768.  Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for children. 

This is the first event of Repertory Opera Company’s fourth season in Pomona.  The season continues with Magic Flute April 20 at 2 pm;  La Traviata on June 22, 26 and 29; and ends with the “Manly Men of Opera” concert – featuring only bass and bass-baritones.  To buy tickets go to www.repertoryoperacompany.org or call (909) 230-4949.

New Year--New/Old Issues

Monday is the first council meeting of the new year. The new council members have been seated and this will be their first chance to do some actual work. We will be looking to see how things progress. The agenda is posted online at: http://public-records.ci.pomona.ca.us.

Among the items on the agenda is:

• Appointment of new VPD (downtown Vehicle Parking District) commissioners
• Funding of a little over $40,000 for the Chamber of Commerce
• Funding of $50,000 for the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center (Day Labor Center)
• The widening proposals for the 71 Freeway from the 10 to the 60
• The normal requests for funding for community items (this time holiday event at Ralph Welch Park and Martin Luther King breakfast).
• Along with several other contracts and misc items.

If you have an opinion on any of these issues, I look forward to seeing you at the council chambers on Monday at 6:45 pm.

Library Task Force Meeting

The Library Task Force that was put together by Councilmember Paula Lantz after the library's decimation last year will be meeting again on Monday at 9:00 am in the Library's conference room. The TF has not met since before the election and it's now time to strategize about moving forward. The meeting is open to all and we'd love to see as many people as can make it on a Monday morning as possible. The fight is not yet over to SAVE OUR LIBRARY!

Council Swearing in Monday

Monday's city council meeting promises to be short, with the only agendized item the certification of the election and the swearing in of the elected/reelected councilmembers and mayor. There will also be a reception for the new council in the plaza outside the council chambers.

There will surely be thank you speeches for the outgoing members and welcome speeches for the new members.

Festivities start at 6:00 pm (earlier than the normal 6:45 council start times). The public is, as always, invited to attend. This will be a good opportunity to get to the know the council.

Old city council continuing to sit for one more meeting?

Update - the item failed on a 3-3 vote. Carrizosa, Rodriguez, and Rothman voted to deny the plan amendment, Soto, Lantz, and Escobar voted against the denial. 

So it appears from the agenda posting. Since the County has not yet certified the election (scheduled for December 4), that would mean that the existing city council, with the defeated members of District 1 and District 6, would continue to sit in office on December 3.

As Monica Rodriguez of the Daily Bulletin expects that the City Council will make a decision on the equipment dealer issue, rather than punting the item to the new council in two weeks, this item will be taken up near the end of Monday's meeting. These are items 16 and 17. While I do appreciate the resident who submitted my blog post for the record (see the second to last page on Item 16), it will be better if residents show up and make their opinions known at the public hearing, beginning some time after 6:45 p.m. tonight at Pomona City Hall. Certainly other cities are watching - if the Planning Commission decision gets overturned, you can bet other cities will be picking up the phone to King Equipment and encouraging them to reuse their closed auto dealerships, and other businesses will get calls for other cities soliciting them to move to communities which are friendlier to business than Pomona.

Pomona Christmas Parade 2012

There's only a little more than a week until the Downtown Pomona Christmas Parade and Holiday at the Plaza, on Saturday Dec. 8 at 10:00 am. This year's parade looks to be the biggest ever with nearly 120 entrants walking and riding the 2-mile route from Second and Gibbs to Park Ave. then south to 7th Street.

This year's theme for the parade is A Golden Christmas and will feature as grand marshall, Olympic gold medalist in skeet shooting, Kimberly “Kim” Rhode. Rhode. ACal Poly Pomona alumnus, she is the first American in history to win medals in five consecutive Olympic Games in an individual sport. As the United States’ first Gold medal winner at the London Games this past summer, she matched the world record by hitting 99 out of the 100 clays.

Also featured in this year's parade will be the Parade's "Community Heroes," retired Pomona Police detective Danny Kono and Detective Jennifer Turpin who were the lead officers who broke the Ethan Esparza murder case; Donna Dolgovin, founder of Helping Hands Caring Hearts ministry; and Tommy Manning, a community activist who helped subdue a violent airline passenger on a flight from Chicago to Long Beach.


Participating in the parade will be children's groups, service clubs, car clubs, equestrian units as well as military and high school marching bands.

The parade begins at 10 a.m at East Second and Gibbs Streets. The parade will travel west on Second Street and cross Garey Avenue before heading south on Park Avenue. The procession will turn east on Seventh Street and end in front of the Pomona Civic Center Plaza.

Following the parade, festivities will continue at the plaza with the annual Holiday at the Plaza. Holiday at the Plaza is a fun community event for children and adults of all ages. You'll be able to visit Santa and his elves; enjoy food, entertainment, crafts, local information vendors, and more. Various organizations will have booths where you can purchase last minute Christmas gifts or participate in a fun activity. Additionally there will be snow and fun activities for the family.

Hope to see you all there.
 

Pomona not business friendly? Starts at the top

At the November 19 City Council meeting was a surreal scene. Not the folks trying to relitigate the election, but for what the Pomona City Council, especially allegedly pro-business members, are doing to drive away business.

What was nominally a routine item to process an addition of allowable uses in a commercial zone turned into an almost hour-long digression after Freddie Rodriguez mouthed some objections to push back the issue to the future. King Equipment is a vendor of scissor lifts, forklifts, and golf carts. They have outgrown their Ontario location and thought that the former Rancho Valley Chevrolet building and site would be a good location for them, such that the building is already built and can accommodate their needs. The Planning Commission certainly thought so, voting 7-0 to approve both the zone amendment and the conditional use permit. According to the applicant's representative, King Equipment could generate over $10 million annually in sales to Pomona, and an additional $10 million in leases. This is over six figures of sales tax revenue per year that the City is abandoning.

He did not verbalize what those objections were, although Cristina Carrizosa expressed some uncertainty about a construction dealer coexisting with a Target (and a future home improvement store, which has not been signed yet, that may be more compatible with the type of equipment sold). But these items were discussed at the Planning Commission level, and were presumably resolved. Certainly no one objected to it at that stage, hence the 7-0 vote. Rodriguez wanted to push the issue to the end of January, something that Paula Lantz objected to strongly, and others piled on. Therefore, this matter was postponed only two weeks - while not as damaging as two months, still enough to add uncertainty.

Also, City staff failed to notify the applicant that an appeal to the conditional use permit approval was filed. The City Clerk made an excuse that the appeal was filed too late, and would have been sent to the applicant on Tuesday, and Community Development Director Mark Lazaretto also stated that normal procedures would have been followed, which did not entail giving the applicant a courtesy contact on the appeal - indeed, Planning Manager Brad Johnson informed the applicant that the zone amendment item was routine and did not warn the applicant of any problems.

Incidentally Freddie Rodriguez campaigned against red tape for Pomona businesses. Yet by not clearly articulating what exactly the issue was at the meeting, there is no way for the future business owner to address it. It took another council member to state her objections to the project, which while reasonable should have been made earlier in the process. So King Equipment may end up going to Chino or Chino Hills (which also have vacant auto dealerships and lower sales taxes than Pomona to boot), leaving the Rancho Valley Chevrolet empty and moving sales tax revenue to another city. Also, overturning a 7-0 Planning Commission decision sets a horrible precedent to businesses, who will not spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours preparing plans and elevations, and paying fees for a project that will not happen.

With the new City Council members Debra Martin and John Nolte being sworn in two weeks, this will be one of their first decisions - to determine whether Pomona will continue to attract business, or show, as with the transfer station decision and other choices, that Pomona wants to be too perfect, when being perfect leads to bankruptcy.

Show up on the evening of December 3 and urge the City Council to not schedule a public hearing for the conditional use permit appeal and approve the zone amendment to allow construction equipment dealers as the same as auto dealers, still subject to individual site-specific conditions. Support Pomona tax revenue and oppose last minute surprises sprung by politicians. More details as the meeting gets closer.

Pomona's Opera Company announces its Fourth Season

Click here to buy tickets

Pomona city council and water board races wrapup

Some thoughts as I look at the numbers:

• Good work for John Nolte, completely dominating the field. While I understood the depth of some of the community's anger over the trash station, I was surprised that it seemed to spread beyond the immediate vicinity of the station, or just in the South Pomona area. In the Roosevelt Elementary School and Kellogg Park areas, Nolte won by over a two to one margin. 
• Where was the Soto machine? You could see that the Torres family still had a good base of supporters and volunteers, based on the strong showing of Robert Torres. But Danielle Soto's weak showing may put the nail in the coffin for this political family. How were the slate mailers in District 1? Did Soto purchase the slates in that district? 
• Debra Martin's victory over a crowded field is a victory for the grassroots. It is good to see that someone from the "peanut gallery" was able to win a seat on the city council. Steven Atchley, with his tendency to pontificate from the dais, now no longer has a platform to share his views. Some of them may be correct, but often the tone seemed patronizing and dismissive. Let's hope that Martin can cut down on the talk and make decisions, instead of spending ten minutes on some tangent.
• Paula Lantz rode Lincoln Park and absentee ballots for the win. Juan Carlos Juarez did not campaign in Lincoln Park substantially, and it showed with a 2:1 spread of the votes in the precinct, and most of the absentee votes. Meanwhile Juarez did quite well on the sections of the district between Holt and Kingsley, east of San Antonio. Although Juarez is only down by 90 votes, given the strong absentee ballot showing, unless he can get the late absentees to break for him he is not going to win. This is where the opposition to the trash station really helped Juarez. Any council member from District 4 needs to pay close attention to this area, which has historically experienced a lot of crime and quality of life issues.
• Will "Fred" Lantz quit running again for water board? While John W. "Fred" Lantz bought up all the slate mailers and had a good ballot statement, he still lost to the incumbent, John Mendoza. Mendoza's key precincts were in north Pomona and the same precincts that Juarez carried. Whether it's incumbency, a Hispanic last name, or just good old fashioned door knocking, Mendoza has proven that he is not just a gadfly but can win re-election. Now it will be up to Fred Lantz to determine if he wants to try again for 2016, and risk being labeled a perennial candidate. Meanwhile Jerry Perez, despite being supported by other water board members, finished a distant third. He campaigned on the Golden State Water Company rate increase issue, despite the fact that Pomona has city-owned water. That will be an awkward conversation back at the water board in December.  
• Congratulations to Fred Lantz for winning the water board seat on late absentees and provisionals. Demerits to John Mendoza for failing to show up to Board meetings the day after election. At least finish your term, like Danielle Soto did.

Pomona mayoral race wrapup

Here's my takeaway on the mayor's race.

• Rothman rules Phillips Ranch. Despite living in the Westmont area, Mayor Elliott Rothman cleaned up in District 5, which includes Westmont and Phillips Ranch. He gained over 60% of the vote in District 5, which is the highest turnout district in the city, and 52% in District 6 (north Pomona), the second highest turnout district in the city. While Councilman Freddie Rodriguez won his own District 2 (southwest Pomona) it was only by a 42% share. With District 2 being the lowest turnout district in the city, it didn't help in his insurgent campaign.
• Will all this "Moochie" talk stop if he gets a majority? Once all of the absentee and provisional ballots are counted, it is likely that Rothman will get a majority of the votes in the mayor's race. Yes, the Mayor can have a "Mayor Quimby"-esque feel to his style. He seems lackadaisical, meetings start late, breaks run long, and as David Allen has noted in the past, he likes to dodge long meetings and squirm his way out of taking positions. The family picture of him in a Hawaiian shirt may seem cheesy. But the charges of corruption haven't stuck. (Why are secretaries from JC Penney and bank tellers giving him $1,000 contributions?) The story about the DA investigation of his contributors fizzled when no one made it a campaign issue. The talks of the instant recall when he got elected fizzled out. Despite losing money from the Kinde Durkee fiasco he was able to pull it off with a home-spun campaign of flyers and magnets. Tomas Ursua's camp did more aggressive door to door canvassing, and so did Freddie Rodriguez, but Rothman's base is where the voters are, and it shows. 
• Less visible union involvement. Other than the shadowy "Citizens for Local Government Accountability" supporting incumbents with their single flyer mailing, there were considerably fewer independent expenditures dropped in my mailbox this cycle for the mayor's race. Maybe they know where to target (more when I do my council wrap up) but I did not receive anything from the unions on this race. Maybe they thought that unseating an incumbent was too difficult, or that the incumbent had it covered and they could focus their attention on other issues, like Proposition 32.
• Tomas Ursua can't do math. Could it have hurt his campaign? Tomas Ursua, to use another Simpsons analogy, came in as the Lyle Lanley promising to balance the budget without new taxes by "realigning and restructuring services", and by hiring local youth to "patrol their neighborhoods" (a giant liability risk for the city if I've ever seen one). The problem is that, short of outsourcing the police department and the library (which residents have vehemently rejected), there is not enough money there. Pensions have been earned and any attempt at taking earned pensions away would result in a lawsuit. Pomona's pay is already below average and many middle managers refuse to take the promotions that would get them showing up to the City Council every Monday night. Promising the moon didn't help. In addition, despite having an urban planning background, Ursua pushed for more single family homes in Pomona, when the trend is going towards mixed-use development of the type that Rothman has been pushing for downtown. 
• Freddie Rodriguez had a realistic vision, but he was unable to articulate substantive differences between the mayor. Looking back at my Twitter notes he had innovative, realistic ideas like partnering up with other cities for service delivery, expanding neighborhood watch, and streamlining business regulations and red tape. However, the mailers stayed positive, which is nice, but failed to make much of an impression in my mind to contrast with the status quo.
• Game ball goes to Elliott Rothman: For (probably) winning a majority of the votes in the election, and for correctly predicting at the mayoral debate that every Pomona measure would fail. May you be more energetic in your second term.

Pomona election measures wrapup

Did you know that the results by community and by district are out on the County's web site? (Click on "votes cast by community".) These numbers do not include late absentee and provisional ballots, but do include all absentees verified prior to election day, as well as all regularly voted ballots.

Some thoughts:

• Measure T would have resulted in North Pomona and Phillips Ranch electing councilmembers for the center city and South Pomona. Despite District 5 having over 20% less population than the other districts, District 5 has the second highest number of votes cast out of all of the six council districts. District 6, in north Pomona, has the highest voter population in the area, although this may have been boosted by competitive local races. Measure T received a majority in District 1, yet how would west Pomona feel about Phillips Ranch picking their council person? It is easy to see how passage of this would have led immediately to legal action for violation of the Voting Rights Act.
• Charter reform too complicated? The Charter Reform Commission's changes failed to register with voters. There was a substantial dropoff in votes recorded for this measure, compared to the other measures. For some reason, Phillips Ranch voters (District 5) rejected Measure U in greater numbers than the rest of the city.
• Hotel tax increase fails narrowly: Although unlikely, it could still pass once all absentee and provisional ballots are counted. District 4 (east Pomona) passed the measure while all other districts rejected it in similar percentages. The property transfer tax failed more substantially.
• Why does Phillips Ranch hate the library? In District 5, Measure X failed by a 51-49 margin. Only District 2 (southwest Pomona), where the library is actually located, passed it by the sufficient 2/3 margin. District 6 in North Pomona also notably had reduced levels of support for the library, with a 59/41 split. When you consider that District 5 and 6 comprised 20% and 24% of the citywide vote, respectively, while District 2 only had 12% of the citywide vote, the measure was doomed to failure if people in the outer areas of Pomona don't feel connected to the City. District 5 and 6 are generally more affluent than the rest of Pomona, and for those who need to use a library, the libraries in Diamond Bar, La Verne, and Claremont are closer to them than Pomona's. County libraries don't have the historic breadth of Pomona's, but they are much better at stocking new and popular material than the Pomona library.
  
  How was the campaign in Phillips Ranch? How was the campaign in general? While my Pomona residence received door knockers and canvassers for some of the mayoral candidates and John Mendoza, there did not appear to be any mailers or canvassers for the library tax. The campaign seemed to be yard signs (who don't vote), articles in the newspaper, and neighbors talking to each other, which works great in areas which support the library. Although there was no organized opposition, there was the sentiment out of many people that libraries are a non essential service and that Pomona could mooch off other cities' libraries. How did the pro-library tax people counter that perception? For those in Phillips Ranch, did you see people talking about the library tax? 

Later we'll look at the mayor's race and individual council races by precinct. You can review the citywide results by district here.

a fresh voice

Anonymous posted this as a comment under a 2008 post, which means that few people will see it.  So I'm taking the liberty (sorry, Anon!) of reposting as a post of its own.  -- meg

Hey guys, I'm a newb to the Pomona blogs but glad they exist! Thanks for caring about our town. I actually bought Nell Soto's old house on Orange Grove and Huntington in district 1 (and since then had numerous knocks on the door with some interesting stories).

I had no idea when I bought the place 3 years ago that Pomona had such neglected areas, or that there was such corruption in our elected officials. Since moving in I've experienced auto theft, drug deals on my block, and a general lack of neighborly behavior. That being said, I want to help facilitate some change in this town and have no idea how. I call the graffiti hotline and ask Pomona pd to come by when homeless are going through my trashcans or soliciting off the White ave off ramp but that's not much. What would you suggest?