Local

In compliance with the office closure health order issued by Riverside County public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the Department of Waste Resources headquarters office will close to the public starting Wednesday, March 18. However, we remain operational and accessible via email and telephone communications.

While in-person office visits will be discontinued, requests for clearances relating to building permits (Form B/C/D) and recycling/trash enclosure plans are still able to be submitted via email. Also, staff is available to answer questions relating to composting/recycling, waste approval, and other services. All inquiries should be directed to WasteWebSupport@rivco.org and will be routed to the specific division for a response. If you prefer to speak with staff by phone for assistance, call (951) 486-3200.

This directive applies only to the headquarters office, as all active landfills remain operational during standard business hours. Additionally, waste recycle parks at active landfills remain open, as current procedures are in line with proper social distancing guidelines. However, as a best practice, beginning March 25, 2020, the Department will limit landfill transactions to credit/debit transactions only (no cash). 

Approximately 11,393 vote-by-mail ballots will be mailed to voters starting today, March 16, for the City of Rancho Mirage general municipal mail ballot election on April 14. To be counted, completed ballots must be received at the Registrar of Voters office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, or be postmarked on or before Election Day and received no later than three days after Election Day.

Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned through the postal service or deposited in vote-by-mail drop-off boxes located at the Rancho Mirage City Clerk’s office or the Registrar of Voters office.

Early voting at the Registrar of Voters office begins today, Mach. 16, and continues Monday through Friday (excluding county holidays), from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The April 14 election encompasses all of the City of Rancho Mirage and is not a countywide election.  It is also an all-mail ballot election, so there will be no established polling places. If you have any questions about your eligibility to vote, please contact the registrar’s office at (951) 486-7200.

Administrative buildings to close to the public starting March 17

Although classes are not in session from March 16-20 due to COVID-19 pandemic, San Bernardino City Unified Schools continue feeding and caring for children.

To support working families with no other childcare options during the week of March 16-20, all SBCUSD elementary schools are offering free, emergency childcare for enrolled students up to age 11.  Childcare will be provided to District students from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Enrolled students can receive childcare at the school closest to them, even if that is not the school they regularly attend.  Parents and guardians are asked to complete an emergency information card on the first day the student receives child care and must sign in and sign out students daily.

All children ages 18 and younger will receive free breakfast and lunch only March 16-20 and will not be asked to provide a student ID number or other identification.  Meals will be served during the following times:

Elementary Schools
Breakfast- 8:20 to 8:50 a.m.
Lunch- 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Middle Schools and High Schools
Breakfast- 7:00 to 7:25 a.m.
Lunch- 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The San Bernardino City Unified School District is doing its best to abide by social distancing guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control while also looking out for the best interests of students and employees.

Effective Tuesday, March 17, all District administrative buildings are closed to the public through April 6.  Anyone who has a need that must be addressed this week, should call the office they wish to visit and schedule an appointment.  Only authorized personnel and students receiving emergency childcare and meals can enter an SBCUSD school site.

Facts and circumstances are rapidly changing and families are encouraged to visit www.sbcusd.com/readysbcusd regularly or call the information hotline at (909) 888-KIDS (5437).

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk will be closing its offices to the public and will be providing services exclusively via mail, email or phone, effective Wednesday, March 18th until further notice. This is a precautionary measure being taken to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

“I encourage San Bernardino County residents to visit our website and utilize the many services offered via mail, email and phone,” said San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder Bob Dutton. “While our offices will not be open to the public, regular department operations will continue to ensure customer service requests are processed.”

All services, with the exception of the issuance of marriage licenses and performance of marriage ceremonies, will remain available and processed by mail, email or phone. Marriage services will be discontinued until further notice.

Additional information, including necessary forms and processes, can be accessed online by residents by visiting the Assessor-Recorder-Clerk’s website: http://www.sbcounty.gov/ARC/Main/About/ServicesAvailable.aspx or by calling: 1 (877) 885-7654.

Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County invites you to
BAG HUNGER

When You Shop at Macy’s San Bernardino and Macy’s Victoria Gardens Now through March 31, 2020

Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County (CAPSBC) is excited to be selected by Macy’s San Bernardino and Macy’s Victoria Gardens as the nonprofit beneficiary of their 2020 Bag Hunger campaign.

Every March through our Bag Hunger campaign, each Macy’s store chooses a local food bank to donate time and money to. We’re proud to be a part of this annual campaign and hope that you can help by donating your extra change when you shop.

Here’s how 2020 Bag Hunger works:

When you shop at Macy’s San Bernardino or Macy’s Victoria Gardens now through March 31, 2020, you will have an opportunity when you check out to round up your purchase to help Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County. You can round up your purchase to the nearest dollar, up to $0.99 cents.

We know you love to shop at Macy’s!….and you will be helping your fellow community members in need this month.

Macy’s San Bernardino

Inland Center Mall, 400 Inland Center Dr., San Bernardino, CA 92408

Macy’s Victoria Gardens

7855 Kew Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

To learn more about Macy’s efforts to end hunger, click here

Public Health Officer also orders social gatherings canceled of 10 or more

Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser today announced the first two deaths associated with coronavirus (COVID-19). Both deaths occurred among patients in the Coachella Valley.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the two patients,” said Kaiser. “Sadly, these outcomes are expected as we face a serious challenge and continue to make the necessary decisions to protect the health of the community.”

In addition, Kaiser today revised his previous order restricting public gatherings from 250 people or greater to no more than 10.

Kaiser’s new health order restricts mass gatherings of 10 people or more, and orders that gatherings with fewer than 10 people must have enough available room to maintain six feet of space between attendees. This is known as social distancing. There are limited exemptions to the 10-person rule, including healthcare facilities, grocery stores, daycare centers and restaurants serving take-out.

“My condolences and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones,” said Riverside County Board Chair and Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “More so now than ever before, we must practice social distancing to flatten the curve. We will be consistently working for the benefit of our communities in these tough times that are before us.”

Kaiser has also ordered the closure of all Riverside County schools from elementary to college. He also has recommended that senior citizens and those with underlying health conditions in the Coachella Valley avoid any non-essential travel. The orders have impacted religious services, weddings, sporting events and classrooms countywide.

Riverside County officials have expanded testing and the county’s public health lab is now operational, meaning local officials will not have to send testing samples to the state lab in Northern California or neighboring San Bernardino County.

“Unfortunately, the number of cases are going to keep going up for awhile,” Kaiser said. “But we’re taking steps to keep us ahead of the curve and getting people taken care of as quickly as we can. If everyone does their part we’ll get through this together.”

Residents are urged to visit www.rivcoph.org/coronavirus for updated information. They can also find information on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/countyriversidedepartmentofpublichealth) and on Twitter @rivcodoc.

By Nigel Duara and Jackie Botts, CalMatters

Six utilities serving more than 21 million Californians have announced that they will not shut off customers’ power for non-payment as the coronavirus continues to disrupt daily life.

Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Pacific Power are taking the step until further notice. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which is the nation’s largest municipal utility, will not shut off power or water for non-paying customers until at least the end of March, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District made the same announcement for its power customers.

Utilities usually protect customers who are struggling to pay bills only during major natural disasters.

“We’re trying to reduce the burdens people have,” said Pacific Power spokesman Tom Gauntt, whose company serves customers in Northern California, Oregon and Washington. “We do a similar thing during a big ice storm.”  

A seventh utility, Liberty Utilities, which serves about 50,000 electricity customers near Lake Tahoe, is considering a moratorium across the 14 states it serves, said Liberty western region spokesperson Alison Vai, but hadn’t made a final decision on Friday. 

California also has dozens of other municipally-owned electric utilities, including Pasadena, Anaheim, Riverside and Glendale.

“I think it’s a good thing that the utilities realize that we are in a public health care crisis with the coronavirus pandemic. It is appropriate to make sure that people aren’t disconnected in the middle of it,” said Mark Toney, executive director of the consumer advocacy organization Utility Reform Network, based in San Francisco. “A lot of people are going to not get paid, can’t go to work, can’t collect a salary.” 

In 2017, PG&E, Edison, SDG&E and the Southern California Gas Co. shut off power to about 886,000 households, affecting more than 2.5 million people, according to a report from the Utility Reform Network. These power disconnections are most common in California’s North Coast, Central Valley, the Inland Empire and parts of Los Angeles. Zip codes with large Latino populations are disproportionately affected, according to the report.

SoCal Edison shut off power about nine times for every 100 customers in 2016, while PG&E did so about six times per 100 customers. SDG&E’s rate was three shutoffs per 100 customers, and for SDG&E it was two, according to the Utility Reform Network report. And about 1 percent to 2 percent of Pacific Power’s customers have their power shut off during a typical year, Gaunt said.

Power usage could be altered by the pandemic in unexpected ways, said Wes Jones, communications manager for San Diego Electric & Gas. People who are self-quarantining or self-isolating will likely use more power than if they went to a job. Schools are closing across the state, meaning kids could be spending more time at home, too. 

It all will likely add up to higher power bills for California customers. 

The decision to stop disconnecting customers who can’t pay bills represents a distinct change from how utilities responded to the slower-moving Great Recession, when economic disconnections nearly tripled between 2007 and 2009, according to a 2017 report from the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates privately owned utility companies. Only after the Commission intervened in 2009 did the companies stop shutting off power to customers who were late on their bills.

“I think they’re having a new relationship with their customers in acknowledging that just being punitive is not the answer,” said Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves. “And that really helping their customers stay in a home with power will only help them revive economically. And that it’s in their interest to keep these customers healthy.”

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday asked Internet and cable providers to hold off on non-payment shutoffs, to not charge late fees and to open wireless hotspots for no charge until May 13, 60 days after the request. Most major telecom providers have agreed, according to a memo by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. 

The same day the California Broadband Council moved to “formally request that providers offer free Internet services until the end of April due to the State’s pandemic emergency,” said Alice Scott-Rowe, communications deputy director for the California Department of Technology. 

About 26 percent of California households lack a broadband subscription at home, according to a Public Policy Institute of California analysis of 2017 survey data from the Census Bureau. Those without broadband will find it nearly impossible to telecommute to work or attend classes online as more workplaces and schools shut down, said Guzman Aceves.

New York and New Jersey both announced Friday that no utility will be permitted to shut off power, heat or water during the states’ emergencies. But there is no statewide edict in California.

As the coronavirus threat spreads, six California legislators have asked Gov. Gavin Newsom for a host of measures aimed at assisting low-income state residents and those facing eviction. Their letter asked for a stay on all evictions and foreclosures, along with a statewide pause on any utility shutoff and a postponement of any adversarial hearing before a housing authority for recipients of housing assistance. 

Twelve Democratic members of Congress have asked for a national moratorium on water shutoffs, citing a survey of 73 utility companies across the country that found that utilities cut water service to at least 1.4 million people in 2016, disproportionately affecting low-income and minority communities. 

ProPublica found that though large water districts in Washington state have vowed not to shut off service for non-payment, smaller towns have made no such assurances, only saying they’ll be flexible regarding bill payment. 

In the last two years, at least two states have declared moratoria on shutoffs for non-payment, both of them weather-related. In Arizona, a woman died of heat-related causes in 2018. The following summer, the state forbade utilities regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission from shutting off customer power during the state’s brutal summers. 

Wisconsin did something similar: In 2019, the state legislature passed a bill that prevents utility companies from shutting off electricity or heat from Nov. 1 to April 15. 

Guzman Aceves said it’s hard to predict how big of an economic impact the moratorium will have on utilities’ bottom line. 

“The real question is what kind of economic downturn is this virus going to cause and if we’re able to rebound? And that’s going to determine how many people are just not going to be able to pay their bills,” Guzman Aceves said. 

“I’d like to think that this is something (the utilities) can weather. I have no idea what this virus is capable of.”

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Jackie Botts and Nigel Duara are reporters with CalMatters. This article is part of The California Divide, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequity and economic survival in California.

Parent Management Services, Inc., is looking for a Part-time Administrative Assistant. The ideal candidate must be flexible, well-organized and have good people skills. He/she must be a quick learner and able to follow through on multi-task instructions. He/she must be computer-literate with knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel programs. The ideal candidate has social media promotions experience (preferred). He/she must have reliable transportation.

Summary of position: Assist geriatric care managers in providing excellent care for senior clientele. Able to work with senior population with understanding and kindness, as well as maintain professional, business relationships with various providers, responsible parties, etc. May include delivering supplies, receiving and sending faxes, emails, scans. Able to maintain files, office organization. Understanding of medical terminology very helpful, but not essential. Must be extremely accurate in data input.  

Salary commensurate with experience. Benefits and growth will be available for 20+ hours a week employees. May be able to accommodate flexible schedule school, family). Please review the website at www.parentcarems.com before applying. Resumes may be sent to C.Michaelis@parentcarems.com. Hiring immediately.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Nicole Ramos was recently selected as Director of Marketing and Communications at Omnitrans, bringing more than 20 years of transit communications and management experience to the position.

Ramos will oversee and guide a team of 16 employees to implement all aspects of marketing and communications for the agency including campaigns, customer service, promotions, partnerships, outreach, customer satisfaction, growth-based initiatives and team development for San Bernardino County’s largest public transit provider.

“With her expertise, enthusiasm and constant desire to excel, I am excited to see Nicole elevate Omnitrans’ presence among our community and those we serve,” said Interim CEO/General Manager Erin Rogers.

“It has been my pleasure to represent Omnitrans’ customer service and marketing efforts for the past 19 years, and I look forward to leading that team to support Omnitrans’ dynamic growth and sustainable future,” said Ramos.

After beginning her transit career at Foothill Transit, Ramos joined Omnitrans as a Marketing Specialist in 2001. She was promoted to Outreach Specialist in 2009, became Marketing Manager in 2014, and has most recently served as Interim Director of Marketing since last October.

Her tenure at the agency includes initiatives including co-founding the Transit Community Outreach Group and implementing Omnitrans’ Travel Training Bus program. In her new role, Ramos also will serve as chief spokesperson for the agency.

Ramos is a graduate of the University of La Verne.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Time for Change Foundation’s (TFCF) 18th Annual Awards Gala, “Vision 20/20: Our Future is Crystal Clear!” will honor outstanding individuals and organizations that go above and beyond for our community and serve as the bright lights that help those in need envision the path to a crystal clear future.

“She was a kind spirit, yet a fighter, with a strong desire to serve others; and a tireless advocate for women’s health.” shares Kim Carter, Founder of Time For Change Foundation, in reflecting on their long standing friendship and their shared mission.

The inaugural award is being presented to Nancy Negrette, who serves as both the Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Stater Bros. Markets, the largest private employer in the Inland Empire currently operating 169 supermarkets, as well as Chairman and President for Stater Bros. Charities, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports critical needs in the communities where Stater Bros. employees live and work. Since 2008, Stater Bros. Charities has provided over $30 million to countless local organizations and causes that benefit hunger relief, children’s well-being, education, health, and help for our nation’s veterans, and active service members.

“As an agency that helps disenfranchised women, it is empowering to see strong women pave the way for us to follow,” said Vanessa Perez, Director of Time for Change Foundation, “Nancy Negrette is a change agent and her commitment to our community is worthy of recognition!”

To purchase tickets for the event or to become a sponsor and increase your business’ visibility in the community, please visit their website at www.TimeForChangeFoundation.org, or please contact Vanessa Perez at (909) 886-2994 or by email at vperez@timeforchangefoundation.org.