Ducks to Help Open In-Line Rink in Corona, CA

The Anaheim Ducks and Anaheim Hockey Club (In-line) announced today that a new in-line rink will open in Corona, Calif., this January (2008). The rink, named the Anaheim Hockey Club of Corona, will serve as the Ducks’ official in-line facility and complement Anaheim ICE, the club’s official practice facility. Renovations are underway, which will make Anaheim Hockey Club the premiere in-line facility in Southern California.

“The expansion of both ice and in-line hockey at the youth level is critical to the future of our sport,” said Anaheim Ducks CEO Michael Schulman. “The Samuelis have made strong financial commitments in those areas over the last two years, including the renovation of the new Anaheim Hockey Club of Corona.”

Anaheim Hockey Club (AHC) will be operated by Ken Murchison, who has over 12 years experience in facility management. Murchison has 25 years tenure as a hockey player and coach and will serve as head coach to the roller hockey elite teams housed at the facility. With the Ducks support, AHC’s objective is to create a management template that will serve as a model for future in-line rinks across the region.

“We are extremely excited to venture into a partnership with the Samuelis and Anaheim Ducks that is committed to growing hockey in Southern California,” said Murchison. “This is the support our hockey community needs for long-term growth.”

AHC will assist in the growth and advancement of roller hockey in the United States, striving to provide the community with organized roller hockey in a healthy and safe environment.

AHC is now registering youth and adult players for their hockey programs. For registration information, visit www.anaheimhockeyclub.com. The facility will serve as an extension of the Ducks’ on-going efforts to promote youth hockey in Southern California by developing fans and players at a young age.

“We’re happy to support and assist with the cross-promotion of in-line and ice hockey in order to build on the growing popularity of the sport in Southern California,” said Art Trottier, General Manager of Anaheim ICE.

AHC will be comprised of two standard sized rinks (180 x 80), housed in a completely enclosed building. In addition, the building will be fully air conditioned with various amenities, making AHC the only rink of its kind in the area. It’s conveniently located adjacent to the 91 and 71 freeways in Corona, giving the facility high visibility to over 232,000 passing cars each day. The Ducks will have signage and visibility in the rink. The elite travel program, the Anaheim Bulldogs, will change their name and colors to the Jr. Ducks, giving the club national recognition in the sport of in-line hockey.

With the rink set to re-open in January 2008, renovations will be on-going with a grand opening taking place later in the year. Anaheim Hockey Club is located at 4325 Prado Rd., #101, Corona, CA 92880.

January Symposium on Climate Change and Global Carbon Footprint

A day-long symposium consisting of multiple panel discussions involving key influential leaders in the areas of education, economic development, green technology, sustainability and government. Moderators and discussion leaders will be representing the Inland Empire’s U.S Green Building Council, WRCOG the Western Riverside Council of Governments and CINC, among others.

Who:
Richard Fedrizzi, founding Chairman of the U.S Green Building Council, will be the keynote speaker at the Green Institute for Village Empowerment’s January Symposium. He will address changes in the current climate and effective ways to help reduce our global carbon footprint.

When:
Wednesday, January 23, 2008

8:30 a.m. Registration
9:30 a.m. Welcome – Green Valley Initiative, Green Valley Strategic Plan
10:00 a.m. Keynote Speaker, Richard Fedrizzi
11:20 a.m. Panel Discussions
12:15 p.m. Developing Green Villages (Lunch Provided)
1:00 p.m. Green Action Plan

Panel Discussions
4:10 p.m. Green Idea Challenge YouTube Presentation
4:45 p.m. Networking Reception
6:00 p.m. Green Film Festival

Where:
Dos Lagos Media Center: Krikorian Premiere Theatres
2710 Lakeshore Drive, Corona
Web cast: http://www.giveforthefuture.org/
Reservations Required: (323) 350-5750 or LesHamasaki@yahoo.com

About Rick Fedrizzi:
Rick Fedrizzi, Founding Chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council and Vice Chairman of the World Green Building Council, is a frequent speaker on green marketing, industrial ecology and sustainable “green” building design. Mr. Fedrizzi is the founder and president of Green-Think, an environmentally focused marketing and communications consulting firm, which he established after his distinguished 25 year career at Carrier Corporation. His experience includes membership on the Greening of the White House feasibility study team that developed the environmental, energy audits and upgrade recommendations announced by President Clinton. He has worked with the U.S Department of Energy to advise them on manufacturing and green building technologies in the development of the National Energy Policy Plan.

About Green Institute for Village Empowerment (GIVE):
GIVE is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing philanthropic and educational efforts that expand sustainable communities and promote a better quality of life. Formed by SE Corporation, GIVE hosts monthly symposiums and special events in its mission to educate the public about issues related to sustainability. For more information, visit www.GiveForTheFuture.org or www.GreenValleyNow.org

Random Blogs: Fender Guitar Factory and "I'm Engaged"!

Day 41 Fender Guitar Factory, Corona, CA



Since I checked out the Fender Museum, I was curious about the factory. The woman at the counter for the museum was nice when I asked her a couple of questions. I just wanted to know why would Fender put a museum in Corona. It turns out that one of their factories is in Corona. She said that she used to work there, and that it is a pity that they don't do tours since so many people would love to see that. She is right, I know that I would.

The Museum is a non profit that gets sponsorship from Fender. They do not own the museum, but they do have a factory in Corona. Weird to think that Clapton maybe playing a product of the Inland Empire. So I went to find the museum. They are on 311 Cessena Cir, Corona, CA 92880. I found them with a quick online yellow pages search. The other address that you may find if you do the same, 2621 Research Dr, Corona, CA 92882, is vacant. I think that they moved from the one to the other.

Now I am curious if I should be staking out the building for views of Stevie Vai or Avril Lavigne, maybe even Clapton himself has graced the IE....Thanks for looking.

I'm Engaged



okay, so I just got ENGAGED last night at 10:05 pm. Charles and I were walking around the lake at dos lagos and we sat on a bench that was familiar to us both. it was freezing that night and just as we were standing up to leave he got down on his knees and with the most nervous voice, he proposed!!!! I just wanted to laugh cuz Charlie sounded like he just went through puberty and had the LOWEST voice I've ever heard!! he's sooooo adorable! I haven't stopped smiling since and we are just incredibly happy. We are trying to figure out a good date, April 25th sounds good but nothing's set in stone!!! WE both have A LOT of work to do now.... it'll be an adventure!! love you all

Business Notes: Dos Lagos, Momotree and Office Growth!

Dos Lagos showcases art, music

Greg Adamson is a local artist who creates paintings to live music on stage at the Dos Lagos Amphitheater. He will complete the second of two large paintings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at Art@the Heart of Dos Lagos, a collaboration of art and live music hosted by the Corona Art Association. Admission is free.

Adamson, a member of the Corona Art Association, sees a close connection between visual art and music.

"I am often drawn to musicians as subjects because I identify with the zone they seem to occupy when performing," he said. "I find myself in that same zone when I'm painting to music."

In addition to Adamson painting with band Derrick Edmondson, several art association members will be displaying and creating art on the Plaza near the Dos Lagos Amphitheater.

Information: www.PromenadeShopsatDosLagos.com, www.PM-Lifestyle.com.

Momotree coming to V.G.

Newly founded retailer Momotree will soon be joining the merchant lineup at Victoria Gardens.

The store, which will sell trendy apparel, accessories and collectibles and carry fashion lines such as Tokidoki, Harajuku Lovers, Tarina Tarantino and much more anime-based merchandise, is set to open in May.

"Momotree will bring an entirely new genre of products to Victoria Gardens, providing shoppers with even more choices," said Christine C. Pham, general manager of Victoria Gardens.

All the merchandise is hand-selected and meant to appeal to customers of all ages.

"Momotree was fortunate to find available space at Victoria Gardens," said store co-owner John Sugita. "It is the ideal conduit to bring these urban, pop-art inspired products to the Inland Empire."

Information: http://www.momotree.com/ , http://www.victoriagardensie.com/.

G&E sees strong office growth

Grubb & Ellis Co. says the 2008 commercial real estate outlook is good for the Inland Empire.

The industrial market is expected to further solidify its position as Southern California's leading distribution hub. The office market will see an increase in vacancy as supply outpaces demand and white-collar job growth slows with the slowing economy.

In the retail market, the weak housing market may bruise consumer confidence, but the Inland Empire seems somewhat immune as much of the area's local population is underserved by retailers in all categories.

The office development boom, which began in 2005, will slow in 2008 as developers become more cautious. Fallout in the local housing market coupled with the shaky mortgage industry will affect tenants, some of which will downsize their operations and sublet space.

The Inland Empire will continue to be an industrial powerhouse in 2008, benefiting from its proximity to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, competitive rents, Los Angeles' under 2 percent vacancy rate, and available space to accommodate large warehouse users.

The Inland Empire has not been immune to fallout from the subprime lending crisis and its impact on consumer confidence. Nonetheless, the retail market has continued to exhibit strength.

Information: http://www.grubb-ellis.com/.

City struggles to define itself

Norco wants 'Western' buildings, but leaders disagree on specifics

How Western is Western? That's the question Norco has been asking lately.

Planning officials are a little torn about whether proposed new businesses, such as Bob's Big Boy, meet the city's Western design guidelines.

Those guidelines are in the form of a checklist the Planning Commission uses when reviewing architectural plans. The issue, despite the guidelines, is just exactly "Western" means.

"Everyone has a different idea of what they personally see as Western," said Mayor Frank Hall.

"There is not one uniform look. We want architects to use the Western motif as a guideline."

At the Dec. 19 council meeting, Hall asked that the City Council hold a joint meeting with the Planning Commission to "see if we can get on the same track."

As a commissioner, Pat Hedges said she uses the checklist as a guide to make sure buildings are up to the standards.

In the last year and a half she has been on the commission, Hedges said the council has supported the board's decisions.

Traditionally, Sixth Street has had the more Old Western feel, Hall said. He believes because Hamner has much more room for development, it should be left open for a more modern theme.

"Basically, there (is) a strong consensus that (on) Sixth Street we want a Western theme, but it's loosely defined. Even the checklist is subjective," said commissioner Mike Harris.

Hall said the city needs to be able to be lenient on the design guidelines to be able to attract a diversity of retailers.

"Our base is retail sales. We rely on that for the economy of the city," Hall said.

Harris understands the need for the design guidelines to be looser on Hamner especially when they are competing with Eastvale and Corona for economic development.

"The expenses (of buildings) go up, and the attractiveness goes down," Harris said.

Harris said one solution would be to put together a specific plan for Hamner.

Harris also said he thinks the Planning Commission comes in too late in the review process.

"Instead of working with the applicant, we're almost in the position of critiquing or judging," he said.

Harris believes the city should consider establishing an architectural review board, which would consist of a planning commissioner, city staff, as well as an architect who would meet to review early plans.

It would streamline the whole Western design issue, he said, because the architectural review board would determine if a project met guidelines early on.

Harris said he drew inspiration for the review board from cities such as Temecula and Brea that have similar systems in place.

The council will meet in late January for strategic planning and is expected to set a meeting with the Planning Commission.

The Green Valley Initiative: Opportunity Takes Root in the Inland Empire

Imagine the Inland Empire for what it could be: a progressive region, with people working together to bring about a higher quality of life.

Imagine a new standard of living that includes:

• Shorter commutes, so that parents can come home to have dinner with their children
• Cleaner air, to help reduce the asthma and allergy rates among our children\
• Higher-paying jobs, to boost the affluence of the region and the career opportunities of the people who live here

The effort to get there has already begun. On October 22, the Green Valley Initiative put recommendations for a plan before the counties and the state to bring balanced housing and jobs so people can work closer to home, to encourage smart infrastructure to make getting around a lot easier and to educate the public - and best of all, our children - to be sensitive to the environment when making choices in their lives.

During this meeting Bridgett Luther, Director of the California Department of Conservation, announced that the Inland Empire has been chosen to host a pilot recycling program, giving proof that green practices will soon become a way of life for the region.

The dual-county economic development plan is designed to stimulate an economy built on green technologies. Similar to what happened with computers in California's Silicon Valley, the Green Valley Initiative has plans to establish the Inland Empire as the nation's leader in renewable energies, green building materials, alternative transportation options and alternative fuels.

Our region is the ideal place for this to happen. An unprecedented 2 million people will move into the area in the next 15 years, bringing with them a need for new buildings, new roads, new schools and a new perspective on our future.

We are located close to interstate freeways, rail, international airports and harbors that can support businesses here. We have the consumer base and workforce to feed a thriving green economy.

Some green companies already established in the Inland Empire include: Kramer Junction Solar Farms, Phoenix Electric Car company, the Palm Springs Wind Farms, and a waste-to-energy plant at Romoland, to name a few.

With the work of dozens of stakeholders: from mayors of cities to county supervisors, environmental groups, financial and economic development experts, representatives of the region's cultural and educational institutions, and community members, we can clean up our region and attract businesses with high-paying jobs, products and services related to environmentally based technologies.

We invite everyone to get involved. For more information visit www.GreenValleyNow.org

Weekend Events at The Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos.

Art @ The Heart of Dos LagosThe Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos presents Art @ The Heart of Dos Lagos hosted by the Corona Art Association. Join local artists for a special collaboration of the visual and performing arts. Artists will be painting and sculpting to live music at the beautiful Dos Lagos Amphitheater in Corona, CA. Join us on Friday, December 21 and 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM as we celebrate the arts. Admission is free. For additional information, call (951) 277-7601 or visit www.PromenadeShopsAtDosLagos.com

Saturday Night "Flashback" Concerts Join KOLA 99.9 Saturday December 22 and 29 for a special "Flashback" Concert Series from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at the beautiful Dos Lagos Amphitheater. Groove to your favorite 60's, 70's and 80's music; and, test your knowledge of Classic Rock, Pop and Soul with KOLA's trivia contest. Stop by for your chance to win prizes and merchant gift cards from The Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos. Admission is free. Call (951) 277-7601 or visit www.PromenadeShopsAtDosLagos.com for additional information.

Local Auction: Troy Lee Designs!!!

Occasionally we come across items we need to part with. Some of these items are sold with proceeds to benefit charity. Others we simply have no room for in our showroom. To give everyone a fair opportunity to purchase these items, we put them up for auction and the item goes to the highest bidder. Most of our auctions will be available on eBay, the leading online auction website.Items currently up for bid are listed below. Clicking on a link will take you to that item's auction on eBay. You are not obligated to purchase the item until placing a bid. Items up for bid will include spare bike parts from our race team, spare parts from SEMA cars, or one-of-a-kind collector's items like helmets and motorcycles. Auctions only last a short time, so be quick!

More flee state than move in

California's population continued to grow modestly in the last fiscal year despite a significant exodus of residents to other states, according to a state report released Wednesday.

The annual study by the Department of Finance showed that 89,000 more people moved out of California than moved here from elsewhere in the United States. California's population did grow in fiscal 2007 -- but the growth rested on births and the arrival of more than 200,000 immigrants from other countries.

The shift dovetails with the state's weakening economy and is most likely related, said Howard Roth, chief economist for the Department of Finance.

Those who left, Roth said, were fleeing an economy in which just 5,800 jobs per month were created -- down from more than 20,000 per month the previous year. Jobs were lost in housing, finance, construction and other sectors, and key indicators like the number of automobiles sold were also down, he said.

People who are leaving the state, he said, are probably doing so because they believe they'll do better elsewhere.

"If you're someone in finance and you haven't already been laid off . . . or if you've lost your job here and maybe your house, maybe you're thinking that there are better prospects out there in other states," he said.

The trend toward reduced "domestic migration" -- which began in 2005 and has increased dramatically since -- is a sharp turnaround from nearly a decade of sustained population growth.

While the state lost many residents during the economic downturn of the 1990s, people had been steadily moving to California from other states since 1999.

But once the housing bubble burst, the trend reversed.

The story was repeated in Southern California, where every county except Riverside and San Diego saw a decrease in "domestic migration.

"In Los Angeles County alone, nearly 115,000 fewer residents came from other states and California counties than moved to other states and counties. The county ended up with a total increase in population thanks to 91,000 births and an influx of 70,000 residents from foreign countries. (The county now has roughly 10,294,000 residents).

Since 2000, about 500,000 more people have left Los Angeles County than have moved here from other parts of the U.S. and California, the figures show.

Orange County also had a modest increase of about 23,000 people overall, though there was a deficit of about 22,000 residents among those who moved to or from other parts of the U.S. (Orange County's population is 3,098,000). The picture in Ventura County was similar: an increase of 7,700 people overall to a total population of 827,000, but a deficit of 3,100 among people who moved domestically.

Many of those who left Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties moved to the Inland Empire, according to economist Roth. Riverside County, for example, showed a net increase in the number of people moving in from other parts of the state or country, as well as an increase of 61,000 people overall. Still, the county's overall growth rate of 3.3% was slower than the year before, when the population climbed by 4.26%.

The slowdown in Inland Empire growth will probably get worse next year as regional housing sales continue to slow, said John Husing, an economist who studies Inland Empire counties.

The number of houses sold in Riverside and San Bernardino counties in the first quarter of 2007 was about half the number sold in the first quarter of 2006, he said.

"The slowdown in the housing market attacks the fundamental strength of the Inland economy," Husing said. "I personally think we're heading into a recession here.

"The report placed the state's population as of July 1 at 37,771,000 people. It added about 438,000 residents in the previous year.

Linda Gage, the state demographer who put together this year's report, said officials started with census figures, and then used such information as school registration, new birth certificates, driver's license applications and tax records to determine how many people have moved to the state and where they came from.

Gage said state's population has been boosted by births. There were 327,000 more births than deaths in California -- and that has helped mask those leaving the state.

The exodus is in some ways similar to the early 1990s, when a national recession, tumbling housing market and massive cutbacks in Southern California's defense industry at the end of the Cold War prompted 1.2 million people to move to other states.

But Roth said the trend should be less severe this time because the state's economic problems -- and image problems -- are not as great.

"It won't be the lasting problem we had in the 1990s," Roth said. "It will go away."

X Fest December 2007 in Riverside, CA

X Fest December 2007 in Riverside, CA

In the WTF File: Mother Arrested For Supplying Laughing Gas To Teen Son's Party

A mother was arrested for supplying nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, to her 13-year-old son and his friends.

Maria Antonia Mendez, 28, allegedly gave the gas to the teenagers, who used it to get high. The teens were discovered after skipping school in Lake Elsinore, said Sgt. Evan Petersen of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities discovered the incident after being notified by school officials of the teenagers' repeated school absences. The AP reported that deputies armed with a search warrant discovered cans of nitrous oxide. The teens, investigators said, apparently filled balloons with the gas and inhaled it.

Mendez was also reported to have participated in the "ditch parties." She was charged with multiple counts of child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

An ABC article said that Mendez's son was placed in protective custody.

T & A Lingerie the Plus Size Lingerie Superstore is Opening the Door for the 51% of Full Figured/ BBW Woman

T & A Lingerie a division of Klone Media, LLC. based in Mira Loma, CA is leading the way for the plus size intimate apparel retail industry. At T & A Lingerie they understand that women of all sizes are sexy and not just the entertainers portrayed on the big and small screen.

T & A Lingerie is currently serving their client's needs by providing plus size intimate apparel from sizes 1X-6X including but not limited to Babydolls, Corsets, Camisoles, Teddies, Fantasy Costumes, Leather & Vinyl. T & A Lingerie understands that the media often portrays sexy as stick thin often gaunt, waif and underfed looking women strutting down a catwalk or on the cover of a fashion magazine. T & A Lingerie understands that all women need to look and feel sexy that is why they offer lingerie in sizes that fit the average woman. "Many full figured women just do not feel comfortable going into a store to search for intimate apparel. Clients can now discreetly go on our site preview and price out what they are looking for and order and receive their products right to their door 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," said Gary Martin, Operations Manager of T & A Lingerie. To preview the great all plus size lingerie collection go to www.tandalingerie.com. T & A Lingerie offers a $5.95 flat rate to all customers in United States, Alaska & Hawaii included. Stop by today to see what T & A has to offer you.

Supervisors won't back Jurupa district on seizing Calvert property (aka 'How Ken Calvert Stole Christmas')

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday dealt a setback to a Jurupa-area park district's efforts to gain ownership of 4 acres sold to Rep. Ken Calvert and his partners in a disputed transaction.

Supervisor John Tavaglione, whose Second District includes the Jurupa area, urged his board colleagues to vote down the request by the Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District to allow the use of eminent domain to seize the land.

The vote was 5-0.

Tavaglione chastised the park district and the Jurupa Community Services District, which sold the land to the Calvert partnership without the state-required notification to other governmental agencies that the Limonite Avenue property was on the market. The park district has sought the land since at least 2001 as the site for a park or a youth sports field.

Tavaglione said he was unhappy that the long-feuding districts appeared to be trying to drag supervisors into the land dispute.

"The community deserves better," he said.

Eminent domain is the process by which a government agency can acquire private property for public use by paying fair market value. If negotiations with the property owner fail, the case goes to court and the owner can be forced to sell.

Dan Rodriguez, the park district's general manager, said he was poised to fill out a speaker's request form to address supervisors Tuesday when he noticed that the item was listed on the consent calendar, which is always approved as a block item.

"The supervisor pulled the item, he spoke, they voted on it and it was a done deal," Rodriguez said. "I was truly surprised."

Calvert, R-Corona, reached at his Washington D.C. office, said he shared Tavaglione's sense that he was being drawn into a local dispute against his will.

"I feel like I'm in the middle of a circular firing squad," Calvert said, adding that he hoped the two districts would be able to settle their differences.

Calvert and his partners want to build a ministorage facility on the property.

Rodriguez said the park district board will call a special meeting on Jan. 3 to weigh its options in closed session.

The Jurupa district provides parks, arenas and recreation services to the unincorporated west Riverside County communities of Mira Loma, Glen Avon, Pedley, Sunnyslope and Rubidoux.
The Riverside County grand jury concluded last summer that the community services district did not follow state law and recommended that the district turn over to the park district the $1.2 million it received from the sale.

The community services district has maintained all along that it did nothing improper.

Editor's opinion: Shame on you Ken Calvert! Self Storage over a Youth Sports Park...you really have your community, priorities and (apparently) pocketbook in check!

Monster Energy new Supercross sponsor

Live Nation Motor Sports, Inc., has announced that Monster Energy has signed on as the title sponsor of AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, effective immediately. This exceptional move designates the 2008 title as: Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship.

Monster Beverage Company, a Corona CA-based company that’s part of the Hansen Natural empire, has been dialed into action sports and supercross since the drink’s inception - sponsoring both individual athletes and supercross teams as well as numerous amateur motocross racers, teams and programs. The agreement to become the title sponsor of supercross marks Monster Energy’s initial venture into a title sponsorship of a major pro motorcycle racing championship.

“We are absolutely thrilled to announce Monster Energy as the title sponsor of supercross,” said Charlie Mancuso, president of Live Nation Motor Sports, Inc. “It was challenging to find a title sponsor partner that is the right fit for supercross. As a company and brand Monster Energy has proven street credibility within supercross and throughout the action sports industry, while Monster Beverage Company is a cutting edge company that’s on the rise. Live Nation Motor Sports is certain Monster Energy will help elevate supercross to the next level given Monster Energy’s keen marketing sense, recognizable brand strength and powerful distribution system. Monster Energy is a perfect fit for supercross.”

Live Nation Motor Sports, Inc. together with the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) also announced the consolidation of the AMA Supercross Series and the FIM World Supercross GP into one unified championship. The 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, will for the first time ever, crown one overall supercross champion.

“We appreciate the AMA and FIM working with us to merge the two series into one,” added Mancuso. “We have only scheduled one international race for 2008, in Toronto, Canada on March 29. The plan is to add a second international race to the schedule in future years. Building the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, into a strategic worldwide sports and entertainment brand will continue to be the focus of the AMA, the FIM, Monster Energy and Live Nation.”

PFF Bancorp CEO bullish on Inland Empire despite declining housing market

PFF Bancorp, the parent firm of PFF Bank & Trust, has a history dating to 1892 in the Pomona Valley, but it was not involved in the ill-fated financing trend of the current decade: subprime mortgage lending to borrowers with questionable credit.

However, like many financial companies nationwide with a stake in the homebuilding industry, said President and CEO Kevin McCarthy, PFF felt the fallout when borrowers began defaulting on home loans they couldn't afford when introductory rates expired.

Dropping demand and tightened credit standards left builders with a growing glut of newly constructed houses, and some are having difficulties paying back their construction loans from banks such as PFF.

PFF's finances remain sound, McCarthy said, but the company responded to the housing situation in October by placing $34 million in reserve to guard against expected losses from construction loans.
The 55-year-old McCarthy grew up in Claremont and has seen plenty of housing market ups and downs since joining PFF in 1978, when it was still called Pomona First Federal. He remains bullish on the Inland region's chances of bouncing back from the housing slump as long-term population growth continues.

"In the long run, the Inland Empire is going to be seen as still having some of the most affordable housing in California," said McCarthy, who is based at the company's headquarters in Rancho Cucamonga.

PFF Bank & Trust has 38 offices around Southern California, and its $4.5 billion in assets makes it the second-largest banking institution with Inland headquarters.

Q: How do you retain good employees?

A: We have a career (path) program. We help our workers pay tuition at two-year and four-year colleges to learn new skills. If they learn those skills, they move up in the company and they stay with us. The average tenure of many of our current employees is 15 to 20 years.

Q: How does being in the Inland Empire affect your company?

A: We're able to grow our business based on the natural growth of the Inland Empire. We don't have to acquire other banks to grow, and we don't have to go outside of our area to get new business. That's rare in banking -- you don't have many regions in the country where that is the case.

Q: Why did you choose this industry?

A: My original interest was in international banking and finance. I decided on community banking because it places a bigger emphasis on service. Your success is measured on how you provide service to your customers.

Q: What are the major changes you see for your industry in the next five years?

A: With the changes that are being made in management, and also some of the new (government) oversight, the banking industry is going to be stronger than it's ever been. When you raise the credit standards, that's going to ensure that the people who get loans for a house are the people who can afford to have a house. That's good for everyone.

Q: What is your advice for other executives?

A: The advice I would give is that the employees in your organization are the most important thing. Your success is going to be based on the quality of service that your employees are giving to your customers.

Q: What do you do to distinguish your company from others in the field?

A: For us it's our familiarity with the Inland Empire. We know the market, we know our customers, and they come back to us because of that knowledge.

Sports Briefs (Corona and Chino Hills)

Three of the top quarterbacks in the state of California, Santa Ana Mater Dei's Matt Barkley, Corona Centennial's Matt Scott and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame's Dayne Crist have been announced as three of the seven finalists for the inaugural Joe Montana Quarterback of the Year Award, presented to the top high school quarterback in the country.

The award is presented by DeBartolo Sports University.

In seperate news...

The award for Offensive Player of the Year was shared by a pair of midfielders in Jackie Kaeding (Coralville, IA) and Kelsey Shaw (Chino Hills, CA). The tandem combined for five goals and three assists and both will return in 2008.

“HOLY BOONDOGLE BATMAN. THAT COST $180K?!?”

As business after small business shuts down here in Temecula (T-town), and homeowner after homeowner just walks away from the home they hoped would one leverage them into a higher tax bracket, Al Rattan’s favorite group of big spenders, the T-town city council, made one blacksmith’s Christmas bright. Budgeted at $180,000, the city council paid out the large sum for the ‘wall hanging’ that graces one side of the Overland Overpass. Long hailed as idiotic by the hoi polloi, the idea of hanging anything over the side of an overpass, illegal by the Highway Patrol but OK by the city, was always one that seemed to be half-baked at best. Kept off the front burner in the main stream (local) media, the grumbling which started when the scripture was first viewed, and only grew louder when the price tag was once again exposed to the public, who paid for what has lovingly been called a ‘turd salad’. When you think about the fact that on a good year, the TVIFF (Temecula Valley International Film and Music Festival) only gets $30K to host it’s gala week long affair and the city just spent $87K for a report about the Youth Master Plan (not the master plan itself), it’s easy to see just where Big AL is getting his ‘political bedfellows cut up T-town pie’ talk to tell the Rescue Temecula townsfolk. In all honesty, you would think that all that money could have been used to help keep some of the small business open during this recession as well as stock some food pantries for the fire and layoff victims instead of buying a blacksmith a bigger bass boat. Still one wonders if all those kind Murr-ville folk who drained Cuppy’s Coffee cup are aware that T-town city is poised to take a bite out of Murrieta by glomming up French Valley and their 48,000 home tax base and including it in the land the T-town city council is annexing. Bet you thought only the Quarry land was up for grabs. Forty-eight thousand homes with families is not ‘chicken feed’ for the T-town forces.

Yard House Makes Its Riverside Debut at The Galleria at Tyler

Award-Winning Eatery Opens Its First Riverside Location; Dazzling Savvy Shoppers and Residents With Its American Fusion Fare and 130 Taps of Beer

Yard House, the popular eatery known for its great food, classic rock, and the world's largest selection of beer, opened its first Riverside location yesterday at The Galleria at Tyler. The 10,000-square-foot, freestanding restaurant, located beneath the center's new cinema complex, welcomed its first guests on Sunday for lunch, and crowds continued to pour in throughout the day for dinner and late-night dining.

"We're extremely excited to be part of the Riverside community," said Steele Platt, founder and CEO of the popular restaurant chain. "My partners and I are extremely fastidious when selecting a location. The Galleria at Tyler met all our needs. It's more than just a place to shop, it's a destination. We feel our concept will be a nice complement to the current tenant mix."

Yard House at The Galleria at Tyler boasts both indoor and outdoor dining with a guest capacity of nearly 450. The striking interior showcases a contrasting mix of warm woods, stainless steel accents, and original artwork by Southern California artist Jerome Gastaldi complete with a signature oval bar and fleet of 130 handles. The glass-enclosed keg room is essentially the pulse of the operation, and has the capability to house as much as 400 kegs and more than 1,000 gallons of beer at a time. More than three miles of steel beer lines stretch overhead from the keg room to the signature island bar, creating a rather intricate network in which to transport the chilled liquid. In addition, there is an assembly of individual pumps circulating as much as 2,000 gallons of coolant every hour in order to keep the beer consistently fresh and perfectly chilled.

Some two-dozen plasma screens are strategically placed throughout the restaurant so guests can enjoy the latest sporting or news events. The state-of-the-art sound system features a library of more than 5,000 hand-picked, digital titles of classic rock tunes with an eclectic mix of '70s disco hits and '80s new wave sounds. Original play lists are created daily from Platt's Newport Coast home then sent on to the restaurant via the Internet. The custom sound system is so sophisticated that Platt can instantly alter or reprogram the music to reflect the age and preference of guests.

"Music is as equally important as our food, beer and service," says Platt. "We take it very seriously. The one thing we don't want our guests to hear is the clatter of forks, knives and spoons, which is typical in other restaurants. We strive for our guests to have fun and truly enjoyable experience at Yard House." Platt added that a limited list of songs from Yard House's vast music selection can be downloaded and purchased at the company's website (www.yardhouse.com/music.asp) via iTunes.
Adding to the ambiance is a menu of American Fusion fare created by award-winning Executive Chef and Partner Carlito Jocson. With a nod to his Filipino heritage, many of Chef Jocson's dishes feature flavors of the Pacific Rim, which are then infused with more traditional fare. The menu, which boasts more than 100 items, includes a creative list of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, rice and pasta dishes, as well as steak and seafood. A prix fixe children's menu, printed on a 12-page activity book, features a selection of items found on the regular menu only served in age-appropriate portions and accompanied with a choice of side dishes, a Kustom Kooler and fresh fruit dessert bar.

Yard House will be closed on Christmas Day, but will welcome guests for a "come as you are" New Year's Eve where no reservations are needed and guests are served on a first come, first served basis. Guests can order a complete meal or stop in for drinks and appetizers on their way to or from another celebration. At midnight, complimentary hats, party favors and a glass of champagne will be given to all guests.

Platt and his partners, Jocson and Harald Herrmann, president and chief operating officer, recently sold 70 percent of Yard House to a private equity firm in order to expand the concept in more markets at a brisker pace. Within the next year, Yard House will open in Las Vegas, and downtown Los Angeles, and a new bar and grill concept is being readied for nearby Chino Hills. Yard House is open daily from 11am and features lunch, dinner, a weekday happy hour, and late-night dining. For more information, call Yard House at The Galleria at Tyler at 951.688.YARD(9273) or visit www.yardhouse.com.

Mortgage-Relief Plan Divides Neighbors

A mortgage-relief plan being pushed by the government is supposed to help debt-laden homeowners across America. But it's creating dashed hopes and fresh tensions in this city that mushroomed during the subprime-lending boom.

Shannon Kelly was excited when she first heard about the plan, rushing to tape a TV news report about it. But her hope of escaping a sinkhole of debt was short-lived: Her adjustable-rate mortgage doesn't qualify for a bailout under the terms outlined by the Bush administration and the mortgage industry.

Across town, in a condominium development riddled with foreclosures, there was holiday cheer for Karey Kelly, who is no relation. With monthly payments on her $351,000 mortgage set for a punishing rise in January, the single mother already had applied for an extension of her rate when the government-backed initiative was unveiled. Her credit score is on the cusp of the limit, but "I'm pretty positive that I meet the plan's criteria," Ms. Kelly says.

The Bush administration has touted the plan, announced this month, as a potential lifeline for hundreds of thousands of subprime borrowers, as well as a means to cushion the economy from the mortgage meltdown. Supporters say the proposal to freeze interest rates for certain buyers and accelerate loan refinancing for others aims to target deserving debtors and avoid aiding those who really can't afford their homes. Congress joined the rescue effort last week, passing legislation to help borrowers with mortgages up to $417,000 to secure refinancing.

Yet Southern California, an epicenter of foreclosures, poses a particularly tough challenge because of the mix of adjustable-rate loans and high home prices that put many mortgages above the ceiling for government guarantees. The relief efforts so far have been met with skepticism.

The prospect of aid for some borrowers, but not others, brings another layer of discord to neighborhoods already racked by plummeting home values, rising bank repossessions and vacant houses whose owners simply up and left.

Surveying Calle Canon Road, a one-block street with five current or pending foreclosures, homeowner Josefina Navarro says, "It's very frustrating that people are going to be saved, but it's good for them, I suppose." In October, the interest rate on the mortgage she and her husband secured in 2004 rose nearly two percentage points. The Navarros recently refinanced into a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, but she says they are struggling to make monthly payments that are $400 higher than those under their original loan.

Microcosm of Devastation

The bedroom community of Corona is a microcosm of the looming devastation for homeowners in California's so-called Inland Empire, the vast Riverside and San Bernardino counties east of Los Angeles. Nationwide, California is among the leaders in foreclosure filings this year. It notched state-record highs for default notices and homes lost to lenders in the June-to-September quarter, according to DataQuick Information Systems, a La Jolla, Calif., real-estate research firm.
The state's highest number of foreclosures is in the Inland Empire, a region of 4.1 million people. The area might seem ripe for the mortgage-rescue plan, which would freeze interest rates for certain borrowers who have kept current on their loan payments but can't afford scheduled interest-rate increases over the next two years. The Inland Empire was a builder's delight in recent years as middle-class families increasingly were priced out of Los Angeles and Orange County. Giants such as Lennar Corp., KB Home and Beazer Homes USA Inc. uprooted citrus groves and paved over dairy farms to blanket the area with tract housing and upscale developments.

Incentives and adjustable-rate mortgages got first-timers into homes without any down payment and enabled refinancing. Many who refinanced drained their equity, betting that home values would keep soaring. Now tens of thousands of homeowners are exposed to unaffordable interest rates and a sluggish resale market.

Corona lawyer Nathan Fransen says he has nearly 100 clients trying to avoid foreclosure but none appear eligible for the rescue package. "The government has misread California. Most foreclosures here are on loans that haven't adjusted, meaning that people can't afford what they have now," says Mr. Fransen. He lives in a gated community where he says dozens of million-dollar homes face foreclosure. "The plan won't help much here, and the problem is going to get worse."

A Surge in Business

Locksmith Henry Almendarez, changing the lock one recent morning on a mobile home whose indebted owners had fled, says he expects a surge in eviction business once mortgages reset to higher rates. Shawnie Card, a Riverside County Sheriff's Department corporal presiding over this mobile-home lockout near Corona, says her department is mulling adding a fourth deputy to the eviction beat because of foreclosures. She isn't looking forward to the work. She recalls a heartbreaking eviction before Christmas a few years ago. "The family's little boy asked me: 'How is Santa going to find us?' " Ms. Card says.

The Inland Empire has suffered housing busts before. In the early 1990s, a recession triggered widespread foreclosures that turned 40% of San Bernardino city's housing stock into rental units. The question today is whether the subprime crisis here will spark a broader recession.

The Inland Empire has emerged as a hub of industry, warehousing and services and it has surpassed San Diego county in jobs. In Corona -- which grew rapidly in recent years to 145,000 residents -- and in surrounding areas, new shopping centers are opening, office buildings are rising and housing projects that were in the pipeline before the subprime crisis are being built.

Still, local governments expect lower growth in tax revenue because of the mortgage bust, and economist John Husing predicts the number of area jobs could decline next year as expansion slows. Mr. Husing is an authority on the Inland Empire, a term coined in the 1950s as the region evolved from an agriculture belt to a suburban sprawl of 48 cities, interlacing highways and grueling commutes. "My sense is that the [rescue] plan won't help," Mr. Husing says. "A lot of people made dumb decisions."

On Calle Canon Road, residents say they were drawn to the street by the two-story, 4,000-square-foot homes, built on some of the biggest lots in the area. Developer William Lyon Homes Inc. was selling stucco-and-stone-faced models in 2004, starting at around $500,000. Other than the high-tension power lines overhead, the mountainside setting is idyllic. The nearby highway to San Diego is hidden from view, and Calle Canon Road rises to a park with a baseball field bounded by an orange grove, a playground and grass-grazing wild rabbits.

Today, four of the 11 properties on one side of Calle Canon Road are abandoned, and some sport big foreclosure-auction notices. At least three foreclosed homes were originally bought by investors who never lived in them, and one was never occupied. A "Bank Owned" for-sale sign is visible at a house on a cross street. Of the scores of houses for sale in the area, about half are in default or foreclosure, real-estate agents say.

Jim Saffold traded up to this groomed hillside neighborhood from a nearby subdivision in 2004. He bought a house from a speculator and refinanced through his wife's hairdresser-turned-mortgage-broker. The new loan brought him current on various debts, but saddled him with unsustainable monthly payments that he hoped to reduce through another refinancing. But falling home values nixed that plan.

Now, more than $16,000 behind in mortgage payments and expecting a notice of default any day, the retired public-school-district employee has put the house up for sale. The asking price is $599,000, which is less than he owes on the mortgage. He can't qualify for the government-backed plan because he hasn't paid since August.

"It's not that we don't want to pay. It's that we can't pay," Mr. Saffold says. "I've kicked myself so many times."

Selene Lefranc was the first resident of Calle Canon Road, moving there in 2004. Today she has mixed feelings about the rescue plan. "It will help me in my job," says the mortgage-loan officer, whose husband is a Los Angeles policeman. "But it's unfair to responsible homeowners like us."
She says speculators hurt the neighborhood. But she says some neighbors refinanced at 100% of their home's value at the market peak and now face expensive interest-rate resets.

Her home is adorned with elaborate Christmas decorations. But dark houses sandwiching hers, and other vacant residences nearby, indicate some homeowners aren't waiting around for aid. In recent months, moving trucks have pulled up unexpectedly to homes on Calle Canon Road and neighbors have vanished.

"It's a sad situation. My kids keep asking me: Why is everyone moving out?" says Kevin Peterkin, who lives near one of the vacant homes. "They're wondering if we're going to move, too."

He initially thought nothing of it when the people living two houses away recently loaded motorcycles and other belongings into a truck. "I figured they were putting things in storage," he recalls. "Then all of a sudden, they were gone. They didn't say anything."

The case of Karenn and Steve Oropeza from down the street shows how Inland Empire buyers complicated their lives by overextending themselves.

'The New Orange County'

The Oropezas arrived at Calle Canon Road in 2004. Corona appealed to them because of its quality of life and regional cachet. "It was labeled as the new Orange County," Mrs. Oropeza says. Public records show they paid $557,000 for a four-bedroom house and took out a $500,000 mortgage. Her husband is an area manager for an auto-parts retailer and she is a purchasing manager for a firm that sells dietary supplements.

As property values skyrocketed, they refinanced three times, most recently in late 2006, for $835,000, Mr. Oropeza says.

The couple say they used some of the money they pulled out of the house for home improvement, such as a backyard waterfall. But Mr. Oropeza says the bulk was used to pay off credit-card arrears. "We were in a vicious cycle of refinancing our home to get out of debt," he says. "We banked on selling the house, but that's where we failed."

The couple listed the house several times, even before the final refinancing, which raised their monthly payments to about $6,300. Earlier this year, they were asking $839,000 for the house. But it just sat. Elsie Cambone, the Coldwell Banker agent who had the listing, says prospective buyers were put off by the vacant home next door.

Meanwhile, Mr. Oropeza expected to be transferred to Texas, so the couple began house hunting there in 2006. In June, they bought a 3,600-square-foot home for $283,000 in the Houston suburb of Katy, Mrs. Oropeza says. "It was easy. We had good credit. The deal was done in seven days."
In the run-up to their move, she says, the couple lived off credit cards to "make sure we had cash for the house payments" in Corona. They packed up in June, and then took their 9-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter on a long-planned Caribbean vacation. They returned to Calle Canon Road, "got in our cars and drove to Texas," Mrs. Oropeza says.

Neighbors Ms. Lefranc and Mr. Saffold are dismayed over the Oropezas' departure and note that shortly before leaving, the couple bought a new Lexus. "I think they took money out of their house and split," Ms. Lefranc says.

Mrs. Oropeza says that she and her husband recently bought a Lexus and a Chevrolet Suburban with no money down. She denies that the family intended to abandon the house. The choice was straightforward, she says: "It was easier to keep the house in Texas than the one in California."

Countdown to Foreclosure

The couple stopped making their Corona mortgage payments in June, triggering a notice of default 90 days later and starting the countdown to foreclosure. The family is now living in Texas. But Mr. Oropeza says he no longer expects a transfer, so every other week, sometimes more often, he says he flies west to make his usual rounds of retail locations in the Inland Empire. Mrs. Oropeza says she travels to Orange County every three weeks for her job.

"We're sad because there goes our credit, and because people think we are a bunch of flakes who walked away from the house and tried to make money," Mrs. Oropeza says. The property's for-sale listing has expired. "We have zero expectation that we can sell this house," she says. After the government-brokered mortgage plan was announced, Mr. Oropeza says he called the toll-free helpline and left a message, though he doubts he will qualify to get his Corona house back.

Next door is a vacant house. Pete Nyiri, the real-estate broker who handled that property before it went to auction, says he's been amassing bank-owned listings like never before. His Top Producers Realty business in Corona represents some 150 properties and works exclusively on foreclosures, giving his corporate motto an ironic ring: "Selling the American Dream since 1969."

Mr. Nyiri sends out four drivers daily to monitor properties, offer cash to coax people out of their homes and accompany sheriff's deputies on lockouts. Reflecting on his bountiful business, Mr. Nyiri says, "We'd like to see this end, to be honest. We're being worked to death."

A small glimmer of progress emerged on Calle Canon Road one recent afternoon. At a vacant home flanking Ms. Lefranc's, the front door -- normally sealed with a lockbox -- was open. Inside, Chris Jensen, an appraiser, was taking stock for a woman who bid on the house at an October foreclosure auction.

The hints of new life in the neighborhood -- and the prospect of a government-backed mortgage lifeline -- clash with warning signs. To the south, unfinished developments aggressively market new homes. Shaking her head, Ms. Lefranc sighs, "They keep building houses."

Shipping ports spring up inland

It's nowhere near an ocean, but plans are in the works to turn Prichard, an unincorporated crossroads in the mountains of West Virginia, into an international port.

Prichard, about 20 miles southwest of Huntington, is one of several locations nationwide where state and business leaders are building or planning inland ports — terminals away from the coasts where goods can be moved among trucks, trains and even planes.

A facility opened near Dallas in September, and ground has been broken for one near San Antonio. Other ports are planned in California, North Carolina and Virginia.

Driving the push are the 50 million containers projected to go through U.S. seaports each year by 2020, up from 20 million in 2000 and a million in 1970, according to Scott Hercik, transportation adviser to the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The inland port in Prichard, and another in Roanoke, Va. — both still in the developmental stages — are part of the five-year Heartland Corridor project that in 2005 won $143 million in federal funding, according to a report on inland ports by the Tioga Group, a freight transportation consulting firm.
Jim Booton, a Wayne County, W.Va., commissioner, says officials in Prichard hope a rail connection to the busy seaport of Norfolk, Va., nearly 500 miles away, could draw businesses in search of faster movement of goods. "People think of those facilities (as) needing to be on a large body of water," he said. "But they depend on rail and they depend on road."

The federal-state Appalachian Regional Commission sees a chance to create jobs in a poor region via a network of mountain ports, Hercik said. It is helping North Carolina pay for a $250,000 feasibility study.

The 34-employee Okuno International plant in Prichard is a possible client. It receives parts from its Japanese parent company by way of the West Coast, a journey of up to a month, operations manager Maria O'Reilly said. She said a new port would be worth considering.

Every major railroad company is building or considering versions of them, said Robert Harrison, deputy director of the Center for Transportation Research of the University of Texas at Austin.
The initiatives could help keep jobs in the country by allowing companies with U.S. facilities to better compete, Harrison said.

Some efforts to establish inland ports have not been successful.

North Carolina's Global TransPark was created in 1991 as a public-private partnership, but it fell short of predictions in attracting air cargo operations, according to the Tioga Group report. The report blames the facility's Kinston location, far from population centers, for its woes.

Despite threats from lawmakers to close the money-losing facility, the state has continued to pay $1.6 million a year to subsidize it, according to the report.

Still, businesses have flocked to the areas around terminals in Fort Worth and Front Royal, Va., both conceived in the 1980s.

"It has really driven economic growth," said Joe Harris, spokesman for the Virginia Port Authority. "Large distribution centers and warehouses have popped up literally next door (to Front Royal's Virginia Inland Port), because they can get their goods quicker."

Harris said the port has created 7,000 jobs nearby.

Others have taken notice.

In Texas, Union Pacific opened its $100 million, 360-acre terminal near Dallas in September, a month after the company broke ground on a 300-acre terminal on the outskirts of San Antonio, according to the company's website.

In a region that handles about 40% of U.S. imports, local officials with the Southern California Association of Governments are discussing potential sites for inland ports — in northern Los Angeles County and to the east in the Inland Empire region, association spokesman Jeff Lustgarten said.

Locations are increasingly moving away from major cities to reduce the environmental cost of the country's swelling transportation system, Harrison said.

"Efficiency means less engines idling, less queues," he said.

300 foot jump at Lake Elsinore MX Park

Rock Band Shipment Stolen at Gunpoint

A Michigan-bound shipment containing over 1,000 copies of Rock Band (PS2, PS3, X360) was hijacked at gunpoint earlier this week, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Developed by Harmonix and published by Electronic Arts, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 bundles of Rock Band--containing a guitar, drum kit, microphone, and the game itself--sell for $170. The software is also sold by itself for $60, with the PlayStation 2 version, due out December 18, $10 cheaper on both counts.

According to driver Nirmal Singh, a truck pulled up alongside his 18-wheeler while on California's Pomona Freeway and its occupants motioned for him to pull over for inspection. Singh complied, and was promptly held at gunpoint and blindfolded while the men drove the semi to an unknown location.
After unloading the cargo, the hijackers took the vehicle and Singh to a spot in Riverside, CA and left him with instructions not to emerge from it until 15 minutes had passed.

"We're glad no one got hurt," said EA spokesperson Bryce Baer. "We hope these guys end up forming a rock band in jail."

"Trucks and trailers do get stolen, but never in this way," A&N Truck Lines president Paul Sandhu, who noted the shipment was insured. "This is very rare."

Authorities believe the theft was an inside job due to the thieves' knowledge of the truck's contents, though they currently have no suspects. If arrested, those involved in the act could face life sentences due to Singh's kidnapping.

Bridal Shows for 2008

Are you getting married next year? Know someone who is? Well, then come out and see us on January 6th at the Ontario Doubletree Hotel. Brideworld is hosting their annual Ontario Convention Center Bridal Show showcasing the best of your Inland Empire vendors.

Can't make the Show in January? Visit us on March 30 at the Eagle Glen Golf Club in Corona, Ca. for yet another show! This one is a little smaller, but worth it!

Call us for details! 877-373-9379

Another Solid OL Recruit... Paging Darrel Scott (and Katoa Update!)

Max Tuioti-Mariner, a Three or Four Star Lineman from Corona, CA committed to CU today. At about 6'3" and 300 pounds, this kid has a "mean streak" that people love to see in run blockers (Ahem, Darrel?). He picked CU over Oregon and Cal, among others. This gives CU a respectable two offensive linemen in the 2008 class. While not flashy (last year we had what, 8?), the number is one that builds depth and keeps runners happy. Max's signing puts CU's class rank currently around 22nd in the nation. The class is starting to fill up rapidly. CU is hoping to sign between 18 and 20 recruits, and this signing brings the total number of commitments to 15, including a Mr. Lynn Katoa. Oh yes, did you think we had forgotten about him?

Lynn Katoa is now being listed as a "soft verbal" by Scout and Rival. Frankly, I don't know how much stock to put into these rumors. They were started by Soonerscoop.com, not Katoa, via a quote that the youngster acknowledges but says does not take mean he is decommitting. A nice little article helps sum this up for us. A quote:

"I'm still solidly committed to Colorado," he said, acknowledging he had heard about the Web site's report. "There's been a lot of mixed-up communication, back and forth. . . . The commitment to Colorado is still there."

Basically, when people hound you and won't stop until they get the answer they want *cough* Sooner website *Cough*, why wouldn't you say there is still a chance? It is called "pity". Isn't that what the girl told Lloyd in a certain movie?

As we all know, it is still early in the process. So many of these kids are going to be harassed that we will almost certainly lose a few of them.... But who knows who we will gain? There have been rumors on certain Defensive Linemen.

Life as a Buff is pretty good for a 6 and 6 team!

SPLIT ENDS is NOW CASTING SEASON 3!!!

SPLIT ENDS is now CASTING SEASON 3 for hair salons and hair sylists to APPEAR on the show. Stylists switch settings and roles. We're looking for all kinds of stylists from the Inland Empire/Orange County who would like to represent their salon. MUST BE FROM THE INLAND EMPIRE AND ORANGE COUNTY!

AUDITIONS - Sunday, December 16th and Monday, December 17th NOON - 4pm

OPEN CALL - 3-4 Stylists from each salon who wish to appear on the show must come along for the audition with the stylist to be featured.

*MUST CALL TO SCHEDULE AN AUDITION

For more information or to apply please click below:http://www.realitywanted.com/index.php/latest/1930

Temecula Doctors launch new spa

A pair of local emergency medicine doctors is smoothing out a new cosmetic treatment spa in Temecula by also offering basic medical care.

Big Apple Physicians Health & Wellness Center opened Nov. 27 at 31685 Temecula Parkway following an investment of $600,000 to $700,000.

The venture offers wrinkle-smoothing Botox and Restylane treatments, skin resurfacing, acne treatment, cellulite reduction and other aesthetic treatments. The center also accepts patients suffering from minor injuries, viruses or other non-emergency ailments for a $100 fee. The center will not conduct surgical procedures.

“If you can’t get in to the see the doctor and you have the flu, or you have a scrape that needs minor suturing, you can come here,” said Gary L’Archeveque, sales and marketing manager. The center may also offer home doctor visits for simple medical and cosmetic treatments for fees ranging from $250 and up, he said. The price will factor in the physician’s travel time.

Ownership of Big Apple is shared equally between Gary’s wife Dee Maria L’Archeveque, and Jaroslaw Sasanka.

Dee Maria L’Archeveque is director of emergency medicine at Community Hospital of San Bernardino. Sasanka is an emergency room physician at Barstow Community Hospital. Both physicians plan to maintain their hospital jobs while operating the center.

The company leases space in a 3,800-square-foot facility.

Over the past year, the doctors gained certification from the Aesthetic Enhancement Institute on use of aesthetic lasers, Botox, Restylane, Juviderm and lipodissolves, injections that dissolve fat, Gary L’Archeveque said.

Dee Maria L’Archeveque became interested in cosmetic procedures about five years ago after meeting with a representative from a company that makes cosmetic lasers, Gary L’Archeveque said. Over time she gained experience working in aesthetic practices, he said.

The business currently employs six people, including the two physicians. It plans to hire an additional staff member next year, Gary L’Archeveque said. Big Apple Physicians Health & Wellness Center hopes to treat 100 to 200 patients a month, he said.

L’Archeveque received her medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Gary and Dee Maria L’Archeveque moved to Temecula about a month ago from La Crescenta. They had boarded thoroughbred race horses in Temecula before moving to the area.

Fishing Anyone: Corona Lake Yields Trout!

At least two dozen rainbow trout over 10 pounds were caught this past week at Corona Lake in the best trophy trout bite of the season so far. The biggest rainbow reported in the big fish bite was a 17-pound rainbow landed by Ralph Ortiz, Fontana, fishing chartreuse Nitro Bait from a boat. The best action has been for boat anglers fishing near the dam, but a lot of quality fish are also being landed by shore anglers. The lake's water level has come up, and the best action has been on Nitro Baits in rainbow or chartreuse or inflated nightcrawlers doused with Nitro Grease or Gravy. Information: 951-277-4489 or www.fishinglakes.com.

Artist ADA PASSARO in Corona, CA January 8th, 2008.

The Corona Art Association is proud to feature Riverside pastel/plein air artist ADA PASSARO on Jan. 8, 2008 at 7:00 PM.

Ada will demonstrate in soft pastels her first love. She holds a Bacherlor of Arts Degree from UCLA. Further studies were at Chouinard Art Institute and the Art Center School of Design. She is a member of numerous pastel organizations and art associations. She is a charter member of the Plein Air Artists of Riverside (PAAR)

Join us in the ART HOUSE GALLERY on the grounds of the Corona Heritage Park, 510 W. Foothill Parkway, (one block W. of Main St.)

Enjoy ADA's pastel demo, light refreshments, raffles, chance to win one of Ada's pictures. Also wander the house to view the lastest show by CAA.Information: Jill, 951-898-9554

So Much for Skyrocketing Rents

As long as there has been talk of the housing bubble popping, there has been talk of rents skyrocketing to meet the falling prices. This is all part of the “buy now or priced out forever” tack that infected any discussions with potential homebuyers from about 2003 to 2007.

I clearly debunked this myth (and drew criticism from Robert Coté, now RobDawg of exurbannation.blogspot.com fame) back in my “John Doe” days early on in the nether regions of 2006. To understand the point of difference between Rob and I, he argued that rents were more driven by costs to the landlord while I argued it was purely a housing stock supply/demand curve. Clearly, I believe I won that argument.

A recent article from PE.com expands on that notion and comes to the same conclusion that I did… I believe we have massively overbuilt for the prices being entertained. Only the raging California economy has bolstered the rents here (they have risen quite robustly in the past 10 years), and the weaking credit markets will put downward pressure on rents (or at least stagnating them). This is not just wishful thinking on my part as I’m a renter, it’s real out there, having been able to pay the same rent for the past 3 years. The fact that this article is set in the Inland Empire, doesn’t negate the validity of the argument, it only provides us insight into the future of more central areas.

There are so many Inland homes for sale, that even if no more come on the market, it will take more than two years to sell the houses available, according to the California Association of Realtors.

That’s just the beginning, for those considering renting out their homes, it also looks bad.

“People who can’t sell their homes have two choices,” said John Denver, owner of Perris-based John Denver Realty. “They can stop payments and let them go back to the bank or rent them out.”

Most will take a financial loss as landlords, he said, because the monthly mortgage payments are greater than the rent they can get. Bill Santoro, owner of 1st Rate Rentals, a rental management company with properties throughout most of Riverside County, said the monthly shortfall averages $500. Denver said he is seeing some landlords taking monthly losses of as much as $1,000.

“It is a good time to be a renter and a lousy time to become a landlord,” said Denver. He said in the past six months, the average time it takes to rent out a house in Perris has lengthened from two or three weeks to two months. Rents have fallen about 5 percent. He said the average monthly rent has slipped to $1,100 in Perris.

This imbalance is caused because not only has the housing market weakened, so has the job market. Most notably in Orange County, the center of the universe in the now almost entirely imploded subprime mortgage lending environment. The now defunct employers were formerly the who’s who of local businesses. Even Option One (the subprime arm of H&R Block) had hoped to seal the already pre-implosion deal sale to Cerberus which unraveled this week amid the decision to simply shut down and lay everyone off. And to imagine that the original deal was for more than $1Billion. What was once an asset is now a liability.

The same could be said about owning a property. It’s very likely that housing prices will slam back to 2002-2003 pricing levels before the end of 2008, much faster than I had previously believed possible. In fact, I would argue that the problems of the local housing market are so bad and visible, you can nearly taste it in every neighborhood. They all have a house or two or three or dozen that cannot sell at the prices offered. Watch for the special series on this type of house.

In other comments at that time, I stated:

However, just as importantly, the shortage of construction labor has increased construction costs about 25% in the past 5 years. Hardly huge, but I believe after you see an easing of building due to overbuilding in the US, we will have substantially cheaper construction costs due to cheaper inputs (materials and labor).

My last post stated as a quote from Fortune Magazine:

The cost of construction has gone down around 35%, from $85 to $54 per square foot. “Developers can now sell their houses for at least 20% less than a year ago and still make decent margins,” says Phillips.

That’s deflation defined. It would be good to read through a previous post about inflation.

Then it happens.

The bubble pops. It becomes self evident that the prices moves were irrational, and it painfully returns to it’s longer-term trend. Bubbles are not price inflation, they are driven by inflation. The only way that bubbles can form is by a single enabling forces: monetary inflation. Instead of the money chasing a fixed set of goods and inflating their prices, humans instead choose to purchase assets. That’s not inflation. It may look like it, but it’s only temporary, not systemic.

Before you begin to think that I am a current FED apologist, consider what I believe to be the root of financial bubbles… monetary inflation. That is controlled by the Federal Reserve.

With all of that ground covered… if we are experiencing inflation, why are labor costs coming down? If we are experiencing deflation, why are metals prices going up? The answer is simple. The world has too much productive capacity and too much money. One’s deflationary, the other’s inflationary. Like giant gods battling each other, noone can be sure of the eventual winner, but we can be sure of the losers, non-dieties. The common man in the US will have to eventually match the quality of life of the common man elsewhere in the world if we develop a global economy (arguably already here).

Are rents going up? In the long run. In the long run we are all dead.

Riverside City Fire Department: Hiring!

The Riverside city fire dept. will be accepting applications for firefighter and fire medic, starting January of 14th 2008 until January 25th 2008.

The written exam will be 2-14-08.If you do not have a california state certified fire academy, 1 year of full time experience with a municipal fire department may substitute for the certified fire academy.

Salary is $4547 - $6089
Paramedics receive a 15% pay differential.

Miramonte to Supply Z Gallerie Decorative Wine Bottle.

Miramonte Winery has agreed to supply home furnishings retailer Z Gallerie with wine for its first decorative wine bottle, in addition to providing 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon for Z Gallerie’s Skeleton Cellars decorative wine bottle,Miramonte will manage all of the online sales of the product, which can be purchased empty or full of fine wine at www.zgallerie.com and www.celebrationcellars.com. The empty 750 ml bottle sells for $32, while the version filled with Miramonte wine is available for $64.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to further expand our line of custom art label wines,” said Cane Vanderhoof, who owns Miramonte and Celebrity Cellars custom bottling and etching business. “To meet growing demand for these specialized products, we are in the process of increasing our staff by about 40 percent.

”Earlier this year Miramonte agreed to provide etched bottles and wine to Celebrity Cellars, a California company that produces highly collectible, very limited edition, star tribute wine bottles for notables such as the Kiss, Rolling Stones, Madonna and Celine Dion.

Miramonte also created and manages wine clubs for the celebrities.

The Z Gallerie bottle comes with an artful canvas label illustrated with a chic silver skull. The 2005 Miramonte Cabernet Sauvignon features deep, concentrated blueberry, blackberry and cherry flavors, with nuances of lavender, fresh mocha and toasted oak.

It was aged two years in premium French oak.Founded in 1979, Los Angeles-based Z Gallerie employs more than 1,000 workers at 76 stores in 24 states. One of its newest stores recently opened at Dos Lagos south of Corona.

Miramonte this year moved the Celebration Cellars bottle-etching business out of its winery on Rancho California Road to a 5,700-square-foot industrial building in Temecula. It employs as many as 50 workers during peak periods.

Celebration Cellars has been a leading producer of etched and personalized wine and champagne bottles for individuals, corporations and celebrities for the past 15 years. In that time, the company has shipped thousands of bottles of wine to customers from Antarctica to Saudi Arabia.

Since acquiring Miramonte in 2001, Vanderhoof has help make it one of the most respected and heavily awarded wineries in Southern California. He works hard to produce wines of depth, character and sophistication in a style that focuses on intensity, individuality, regional distinction and elegance of expression.

IT Innovators Recognized as Best of California

Public agencies and leaders in California will be honored for their outstanding information technology (IT) innovations and contributions to the region by the Center for Digital Government at its 2007 Best of California awards program on Dec. 12 in Sacramento.

"Public agencies in California are coming off of a very ambitious and productive year, which the Center for Digital Government is delighted to recognize with this year's Best of California awards," says Paul Taylor, chief strategy officer for the Center for Digital Government. "The field was the most competitive to date, reflecting a strong and diverse body of work from state government agencies. Leaders stepped up, project teams delivered on time, on budget and often against the odds, and the operations people made it work on the ground. Agencies sought out ways to help each other solve tough problems, build and share applications and deliver services more efficiently. The winners are being recognized for what they did with what they know -- public policy and administration, process reengineering, software development, technology deployment and operations -- but more importantly, they did so in a way that represents the finest traditions of public service."

This year's Best of California is the seventh annual celebration where the Center, a division of e.Republic, Inc., is recognizing the dedication to craft and commitment to public service in California's public sector IT community.

Winners in each category of the 2007 Best of California awards program are:

Leadership Awards:

Demonstrated Leadership in Management of Information Technology: Steve Reneker, chief information officer, City of Riverside

Most Innovative Use of Technology: SmartRiverside Digital Inclusion, City of Riverside

Ali Sahabi talks about the Green Valley Initiative (Corona, CA)

Ali Sahabi, President of SE Corporation and Founder of Green Institute for Village Empowerment (GIVE), talks about the Green Valley Initiative designed to create a sustainable community in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, CA.

Regal Entertainment Group Announces Grand Opening Details for Eastvale Gateway Stadium 14

Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE:RGC), a leading motion picture exhibitor owning and operating the largest theatre circuit in the United States, today announced grand opening details for the new Edwards Eastvale Gateway Stadium 14. The new theatre will host promotional activities beginning Monday, December 10 with three full days of films and special events to benefit local charities. On Thursday evening December 13 the new theatre will host a special 11:59PM screening of I Am Legend. The official grand opening day will be Friday, December 14.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Business Wire EON) December 7, 2007 -- Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE:RGC), a leading motion picture exhibitor owning and operating the largest theatre circuit in the United States, today announced grand opening details for the new Edwards Eastvale Gateway Stadium 14. The new theatre will host promotional activities beginning Monday, December 10 with three full days of films and special events to benefit local charities. On Thursday evening December 13 the new theatre will host a special 11:59PM screening of I Am Legend. The official grand opening day will be Friday, December 14.

“Edwards Eastvale Gateway Stadium 14 will provide our moviegoers all the latest in theatre amenities including digital projection systems in every auditorium. The new theatre will offer an outstanding moviegoing experience in a convenient and accessible location just off the freeway,” stated Dick Westerling, Regal Entertainment Group Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advertising. “We are committed to serving Riverside County, and the Edwards Eastvale Gateway will be a great addition to our existing theatres in the area. The state-of-the-art theatre will provide a terrific entertainment destination for shoppers and diners at Eastvale Gateway. ”

The modern movie theatre with 14 screens covers 53,000 square feet and includes approximately 2,300 seats. Moviegoers will enjoy stadium seating, with each row elevated for an unobstructed view, and plush high-back rocking chairs featuring cupholder armrests which move out of the way to form seats for two. The Eastvale Gateway location will be equipped with the latest in digital projection equipment in every auditorium.

Everyone is invited to enjoy this new entertainment destination on Monday, December 10; Tuesday, December 11; and Wednesday, December 12. These Preview Events will feature $2 movies, $2 popcorn and $2 soft drinks with proceeds benefiting local charities.

PREVIEW EVENTS
$2 Movies, $2 Popcorn, $2 Soft Drinks

Monday, December 10
“From Books to Box Office”
Sponsored by Riverside Press Enterprise
Proceeds to benefit Newspapers in Education

Tuesday, December 11
“Music & Movies at Edwards”
Sponsored by KFROG Radio
Proceeds to benefit Fender Center for Music Education

Wednesday, December 12
“Superheroes for Variety”
Sponsored by KIIS FM
Proceeds to benefit Variety of Southern California
MOVIES AND SHOWTIMES

Monday 12/10, Tuesday 12/11 & Wednesday 12/12
Bridge to Terabithia

Friday, December 14
GRAND OPENING
First-run films including: Alvin and the Chipmunks and I Am Legend
The “Regal Treatment”
Enjoy free popcorn and free soft drink with each paid admission December 14 – 23.
Free Movie T-Shirts
Win a T-shirt with the first 200 tickets sold at the box office each day, December 14 – 16 and December 21 – 23.
Grand Opening Sweepstakes
Sign-up or use your Regal Crown Club card from December 14 – January 10 to be automatically entered to win a $2,000 Eastvale Gateway Shopping Spree!

Edwards Eastvale Gateway Stadium 14 will also offer the Regal Crown Club to reward frequent guests. More than 10-million moviegoers have joined the Regal Crown Club to make it the most popular loyalty program in the industry. Through the Regal Crown Club moviegoers accumulate credits at the box office and concession stand to earn free popcorn, soft drinks and movies. Membership is free and is available either at the theatre or online at www.REGmovies.com.

For added convenience, Edwards offers a variety of ticketing options including internet ticketing, tickets by phone through 1-800-FANDANGO and Regal Express ticket kiosks for self-serve convenience, in addition to traditional walk-up service at the computerized box office.

The Second Annual Corona Heritage Park Fundraiser: $5.00 OFF

Save $5.00 off any tree 5' to 6' tall and over. Redeemable only at Corona Heritage Park Christmas Tree lot open daily and evenings through Christmas Eve. Please share this offer with friends and family and print as many coupons as needed. Only one coupon per each tree purchase. This coupon must be printed and presented in person at the time of purchase and is not transferable.Corona Heritage Park Christmas Trees · 510 W Foothill Pkwy · Corona, CA · 951-272-6211

The Shoppes at Chino Hills (Opening May 2008)

The Shoppes Retail Center will have approximately357,811 square feet of retail, restaurant, service andoffice building area on 26.18 acres.

The City of Chino Hills partnership with Opus Westhas brought to fruition our long-term goal to maximize the commercial potential of the old Community Park site on Grand Avenue and State Route 71.

The project captures the City Council’s vision of a lifestyle center that will become the center of the community, “main street Chino Hills.” This 360,000 s.f. open-air lifestyle retail center is part of a 50-acre development with a synergy all its own. It will include a combination of upscale retail, restaurants, and eateries, that are linked to a luxury multi-family community and the Government Center.

Site Plan

The Shoppes project has already attracted a strong tenant line-up. The list of signed leases for the Shoppes at Chino Hills is as of November 30, 2007.
Active R/S
Claire's
PacSun
American Eagle
Coldwater Creek
Panera Bread
Ann Taylor Loft
Dali Boutique
P.F. Chang's
Aveda
Fuzziwig's Candy Factory
Pinkberry Yogurt
Banana Republic
H & M
SGH (Sun Glass Hut)
Barnes & Noble
J. Jill
Trader Joe's
Bath & Body Works
Jos. A. Banks
Victoria's Secret
Brighton Collectables
Lane Bryant/Cacique
Walking Company
California Pizza Kitchen (CPK)
Lululemon Athletica
Wood Ranch
Chico's
Mint Footware
White House /Black Market
Children's Place
New York & Co.
Yardhouse Grill

TOP KEEPER JOINS LANCERS (Corona, CA)

California Baptist just made its defense that much better when Camryn Rogers signed to play for the Lancers in 2009. The best goalie in the Inland Empire was listed as the top player to watch in the Press Enterprise’s 10 players to watch.

“Cami has explosive leg strength that allows her to provide excellent goal coverage both laterally and vertically,” said first-year CBU head coach Jacob Medina. “Her experience at both the club and high school levels has shaped her into a defensive leader with great ability to vocally direct and anchor her defense.She will provide the women’s water polo team with excellent depth at the goalie position.”

The senior at Santiago High in Corona, Calif., was an All-CIF first team selection as a junior. She also earned all-county honors and is a two-time All-Mountain League selection. An All-America honorable mention in 2007, Rogers was the defensive MVP of the Mountain League and holds every Santiago High goalie record.

NOTICE OF CITY COUNCIL REORGANIZATION

Please be advised that at an Adjourned Regular Meeting held on Tuesday, December 4, 2007, the City Council reorganized as follows:

MAYOR JEFF MILLER
MAYOR PRO TEM STEVE NOLAN
COUNCILMEMBER EUGENE MONTANEZ
COUNCILMEMBER STAN SKIPWORTH
COUNCILMEMBER KAREN SPIEGEL

Parsons Brinckerhoff To Engineer Toll Road

The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) has awarded a contract to PB to provide engineering services for a major expansion of the SR-91 toll road in Riverside County, California. The project will study the addition of one general purpose lane and two toll lanes in each direction on SR-91 from SR-241 to Pierce Street through the City of Corona (approximately 12 miles). It includes widening of existing under crossings and water crossings, and realignment and reconstruction of existing exit and entrance ramps within the project limits.

The project also entails a direct connector to link I-15 to the toll lanes and potentially extend this connection five miles along I-15. The expansion, with an estimated construction cost of $1 billion, is a flagship project within the RCTC’s 10-year construction program. The segment of SR-91 is one of the most congested routes in Southern California. The current average daily traffic of 280,000 vehicles is expected to increase by 60 to 70 percent over the next 20 years. As the prime consultant on the project, PB is responsible for preparation of a California Department of Transportation project report, traffic engineering, preliminary engineering and all environmental documentation for the project.

Klann sees bright future for renewable fuel from ag waste

Arnold Klann, president and CEO of BlueFire Ethanol, says his California-based cellulosic business will use ag waste to make alternative transportation fuel as soon as the methods exist to harvest and store it.

The industry will benefit Midwest farmers, he said "Our types of plants would help them by giving them another profit...," he said during a phone interview.

Initially in 1992, Arkenol -- another company owned by Klann -- wanted to use ag waste as the primary feedstock for their cellulosic ethanol. They found certain ag residuals contained lignin, a "glue" that holds the sugar molecules together. By burning the lignin, they could efficiently unlock the sugar molecules to make ethanol.

However, ag waste wasn't considered "credit worthy" by investors because it wasn't harvested or stored for a cellulosic ethanol application.

This made investors -- who are generally hesitant to get involved with new technology as it is -- unwilling to support the project.

Because funding couldn't be found for an ag waste project, BlueFire switched its focus to converting urban waste for alternative transportation fuel. The company wants to build biorefineries on or near landfills, waste collection and waste separation sites to reduce transportation costs and use a reliable, available feedstock source.

Klann said the infrastructure to secure ag waste for cellulosic ethanol is almost in place.

"They're working on it," he said. He sees it becoming a reliable feedstock in the next couple years.

In the meantime, BlueFire is in the final development stages of its first production facility in Corona, with the help of a $40 million grant from the Department of Energy.

It is one of 16 companies, out of 143, that have been invited to put in a formal application for a $200 million DOE loan guarantee under the Energy Policy Act Title XVII program to build a 55 million gallon urban ethanol plant at an as of yet unannounced location.

"It's basically a high concentration acid that's used to dissolve the cellulose into components," such as sugars, lignin and residual minerals, said Klann. Sugar is used for ethanol while lignin is burned for power and steam generation. The acid is re-used so the plant's waste is reduced.

A plant in Japan that converts wood and ag waste to ethanol has paid licensing fees to use their patented process since 2002. Klann said seeing the technology in practice has helped BlueFire receive funding for their U.S. projects.

Eventually, BlueFire wants to build plants across the world.

While the United States has tremendous energy needs, Klann said everyone is dealing with the world's declining oil supply and some countries are challenged with the need to import 100 percent of their energy. Ethanol facilities could make a positive social and economic impact, he said.

"Our technology allows us to help those countries and help those people get the country stabilized and improve that country as a whole," said Klann.

Here in the United States, Klann said both ethanol from corn and cellulose will be needed to meet the country's alternative fuel goals.

"I don't see (corn and cellulosic ethanol) as competing, rather it's the next step in the process of meeting the administration's requirement," he said, referencing President Bush's call to replace 20 percent of the United State's energy needs with alternative fuels by 2017.

West Coast Customs Facility Tour! Corona, CA

Panattoni Invests $6M in Corona Industrial Property

Developer Plans New Distribution Center Project at 1346 Railroad

Panattoni Development purchased the industrial building at 1346 Railroad St. in Corona from 1346 Railroad Associates Ltd. for $6 million, or about $42.50 per square foot. It was reported that the buyer would tear down the building and construct a new distribution center. The schedule of construction was undisclosed. This building was vacant at the time of sale. Peter Sowa of Cushman and Wakefield in Irvine represented both sides.

Philippine court convicts 14 militants in 2001 kidnapping

MANILA, Philippines: Fourteen Muslim militants were sentenced to life in prison Thursday for the 2001 kidnapping of a U.S. missionary couple and 18 others in a yearlong jungle ordeal that prompted U.S.-backed offensives against the guerrillas.

Gracia Burnham, of Wichita, Kan., survived the captivity, but her husband, Martin, was killed during a military rescue in June 2002. Guillermo Sobero of Corona, Calif., was beheaded by the rebels.
Most of the top leaders of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group, which orchestrated the abductions at a resort island, have been killed in clashes since the trial opened in 2003. Philippine officials have credited the U.S. counterterrorism training that started in 2002 for many of the battlefield successes.

"We commend the justice system for showing the rule of law," said Robert Courtney, the U.S. Justice Department's attache at the Manila embassy. He said he would relay the decision to Gracia Burnham.
The Burnhams, missionaries for the Florida-based New Tribes Mission, were celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary when they were snatched by the Abu Sayyaf at the upscale Dos Palmas resort on Palawan island in May 2001, and taken by speedboat to southern Basilan island.

The rescue operation left a Filipino nurse dead, and two Filipino security guards from the resort also were beheaded by the rebels. The other hostages were released or managed to escape.

"The trauma is still very much here. No amount of money can compensate," said former hostage Buddy Recio, who was held for seven days. "We are still suffering from the nightmare."

Defendant Toting Hannoh, who was found guilty, struck a defiant note. Asked if this was the end of the Abu Sayyaf, he said: "No, it will become stronger."

Out of 85 suspects originally charged with kidnapping, 23 were captured and tried, and 18 appeared in court.

Four were acquitted Thursday. Four others were killed in a botched prison break in 2005, and one has been cleared of charges.

Among those acquitted was the only woman in the group, Star Till, the sister of rebel leader Abu Serbia, who was killed by troops after the abductions.

"I'm so happy. Thanks to Allah! I'm taking my daughter home," said her mother, Assure Churning. "She was never a terrorist."

Gracia Burnham returned to the Philippines in 2004 to testify against her captors. She told the court she learned from Abu Serbia that the rebels received a ransom from an unknown source, but that the guerrillas still refused to free her and her husband.

Burnham recounted her ordeal in a book, "In the Presence of My Enemies," which aroused controversy in the Philippines because of her allegations that an unnamed Filipino general tried to get half of a possible ransom for the hostages and that soldiers delivered food and sold weapons to the guerrillas.

A year after the resort raid, the U.S. military began sending troops and instructors to train Filipino soldiers in counterterrorism.

U.S.-backed offensives had dislodged the guerrillas from their bases on Basilan, but they have remained a major threat and continued to regroup. Officials estimate their number is down to about 300 guerrillas from about 1,000 in 2001.

The overall leader, Khadaffy Janjalani, was killed last September in fighting on southern Jolo island. His presumed successor, Abu Sulaiman, was shot dead in a separate clash earlier this year.

Corona weighs El Cerrito annexation

As Corona officials consider plans to annex the El Cerrito community to the south of the city, many in the unincorporated valley are already planning to decline the invitation to join the city.

The Corona City Council today will decide whether to annex almost 85 acres of El Cerrito and rezone about 18 acres from animal-keeping residential use to commercial zoning. The proposal has triggered a backlash from some residents who see their valley as an island surrounded by unchecked commercialization.

For Corona officials, however, El Cerrito has long been slated for annexation, and it is part of the city's vision for the future and for a thriving commercial corridor along Interstate 15.

The triangle of land up for annexation sits at the city border west of I-15 and north of Foothill Parkway. It consists of a small neighborhood of roughly 80 large-lot homes built a little more than 20 years ago. Back then, it was a remote community that attracted people who valued their independence and favored septic tanks and open space over strip malls and noise ordinances.

Though urban sprawl has already crept up on the valley, a vocal group of residents hopes to derail commercial development by speaking out at today's meeting.

Owners of the 18 acres up for commercial zoning have not said how the land will be developed, and city officials have not yet approved a specific project. However, at a recent Planning Commission meeting, a representative of the owner said that a developer has expressed interest in building a four-story hotel at the site.

The possibility of a hotel development has evoked passionate reactions from neighbors both for and against it.

"I moved in here 12 years ago, and there was always supposed to be homes built in that area," said El Cerrito resident Paula Meservy. "Homes are for families -- people who have an investment in the community and care about their neighbors."

A four-story hotel, she said, would dwarf the homes while creating traffic and bringing in people who do not necessarily share El Cerrito's sense of community and identity. Meservy said she also worries that a commercial development will open the floodgates for more retail projects to invade the area's remaining open space.

While the vocal majority of neighbors have come out against the project and the annexation, some see the proposals as a welcome improvement.

At the Long household, which abuts the proposed development, Bruce Long is in favor of a hotel while his wife signed a petition to oppose it. Like many of their neighbors, they have strong feelings about the project, and he plans to speak out at today's council meeting.

"The area has been vacant for a while, and it's nothing but a big trash dump," he said. "So if someone is going to come in and clean it up and landscape it, then good."

Long said he attended a community meeting with the land's owner and left confident that any commercial project would be compatible with the needs of the community. With today's economic climate, it is unlikely that the land could be used for housing as originally planned, he added.

City staffers have recommended that the City Council move forward with the annexation and zone change, said Corona Senior Planner Jason Moquin.

"It's a logical extension of the commercial corridor along the 15," he said. In recent years, Corona housing projects have spread south, supporting large retail projects along the I-15 including The Crossings and Dos Lagos shopping centers.

A small portion of the acreage is already zoned for commercial, and Foothill Parkway is going to become a major thoroughfare and gateway into Corona, said City Councilman Eugene Montanez. With or without annexation, El Cerrito is going to experience growing pains, he predicted.

If the council approves the zone change and annexation proposal, a commercial development would still have to get final approval from the city, Moquin said. And residents would still have a chance to protest or support the annexation before the Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission makes the final decision.

If more than 50 percent of the registered voters or landowners within the proposed annexation area sign written protests, then an election would be called and scheduled for a vote, according to state law.

Christmas at NORTHPOINT in Corona, CA

Celebrate Christmas at NORTHPOINT EV FREE Sunday, December 16 at 3:00 and 6:00PM.

988 West Ontario Avenue
Corona, Ca
951-734-1335
northpointcorona.org

Come and join us for a wonderful concert of Christmas music featuring our Celebration Choir and orchestra.

Houston Applauds the California Transportation Commission for Prompt and Fair Action

Plan will equitably distribute $3 billion to rebuild transportation infrastructure.

Last week the California Transportation Commission approved guidelines for making use of a $3 billion goods movement improvement fund. This $3 billion portion of Proposition 1B will go towards upgrading trade corridors by easing trucking, rail, and port congestion statewide.

“Voters from across California approved our transportation infrastructure bond last November, and we will all take part in paying them off. Therefore, it is fair and appropriate that our Northern California streets, highways, and railways receive their fair share of the dollars,” Houston said.

Under the CTC’s decision, Los Angeles and the Inland Empire are set to receive up to 56% of the fund, or $1.7 billion. The Bay Area, Central Valley, and Sacramento Valley will share up to 27% of the fund, or $840 million.

“Like Southern California, the Bay area and Central Valley are also suffering from worn down, insufficient infrastructure and need this important funding,” said Assemblyman Houston.
Of the $3 billion in goods movement funds, some Los Angeles and the Inland Empire politicians have demanded 86% of these funds which were meant to benefit the entire state. Southern California ports receive the majority of the shipping containers entering and leaving the state, but Northern California ports in Oakland and Stockton are also main trade corridors for the state and suffer from outdated infrastructure.

“Not only has the CTC made the wise decision to address a state-wide problem by appropriating money fairly, but it has done so in a timely fashion. Voters who approved last November’s will soon see the benefits of these vital improvements. Better shipping routes means less traffic for commuters and lower transportation costs that translate to lower costs for everyone,” said Houston.

Pete from FallOutBoy to be in Riverside, CA

Pete will be signing in the Musical Instruments store at the Riverside, CA Best Buy this Friday night, December 7 from 7-9 PM!

The address for the store is:
3900 Tyler Street
Riverside, CA

Death row inmate’s sentence upheld

The 9th Circuit rejects arguments that Kevin Cooper was framed in the 1983 murders of four people in Chino Hills.

Calling the evidence of his guilt "overwhelming," a federal appeals court in San Francisco on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Kevin Cooper, who was convicted of a rampage 25 years ago that left a Chino Hills couple and two children dead.

Hyatt Place Hotel calls Downtown Riverside home

It's official! The City Council approved the new Hyatt Place Hotel.

The Hyatt Place Hotel fulfills the Council's vision of an additional first-class hotel in downtown. It adds a significant positive element to the Riverside Renaissance as the first hotel to be approved in downtown in the past couple of decades. The hotel adds critical room capacity needed to enhance conference and meeting venue options at the Convention Center while bringing additional business travelers and tourists downtown to enjoy the arts and cultural venues, specialty retailers and a large selection of restaurant options.

The hotel features contemporary Spanish colonial revival architecture specifically designed to complement andblend with the historic character of downtown Riverside. The courtyard design features a swimming pool, a fitness center and meeting room space. The lobby includes a large sitting area with fireplace and dining areas including a sunroom for breakfast and limited food service. Each room has business-friendly internet access, 42-inch flat screen televisions, granite counter tops, a spacious sitting area and separate sleeping area.

The five-story, 125-room all-suite hotel begins construction next spring at the southeast corner of Market and Fifth Streets within sight of Raincross Square, the City's Convention Center. This is a flagship tenant for the larger Fox Plaza mixed-use retail and residential project planned between Fifth Street and Mission Inn Avenue on both sides of Market Street that the City Council will review in early 2008.

Thank you, Hyatt Place Hotel, for “feeling the momentum” and selecting downtown Riverside for your next outstanding location!

Riverside, CA Mission Inn: festival of Lights

Community Read: Unbowed

Mira Loma’s Community Read for this year is Unbowed, the autobiography of Wangari Maathai. Political intrigue, social concern, and ecological miracles–you’ll find them all in this story of the founder of the Green Belt Movement. The first meeting is Tuesday, December 18th, at 12:15 in the Mira Loma library.This novel is also perfect for students in my classes looking for a book to read and complete a review for extra credit. Books are available for checking out in the library.

SoCal nursing home fined $100,000 for patient's death

A Riverside County nursing home was fined $100,000 for the death of a 91-year-old woman who was dropped on her head.

Citrus Nursing Center in Fontana was cited last month for failing to provide patient safety, according to the California Department of Health.

The nursing home is owned by Sunmar Healthcare in Brea. A call to owner Frank Johnson on Saturday was not immediately returned.

The elderly patient was injured on Feb. 24 as a nursing assistant improperly tried to transfer her from a wheelchair to a bed without help, according to a health department citation. She died nine days later.

The nursing home can appeal the penalty.

The home also was fined a total of $25,000 last year in connection with the 2004 death of a patient who died from a bacterial infection and for failing to contact a doctor about a diabetic patient whose blood-sugar levels had reached unsafe levels.

Those fines are being appealed, said Ken August, a health department spokesman.

ULI will look at trends

The Urban Land Institute's Emerging Trends in Real Estate conference will present a forecast of the Inland Empire Real Estate market in 2008.

The event, which will be held today at Eagle Glen Country Club, will feature the presentation of a national real estate trends report by ULI and PricewaterhouseCoopers, which draws on the views of 600 real estate industry leaders, experts and executives from around the country. This will be followed by a panel of local experts who will address how these trends will impact the Inland Empire.

Rick Kalvoda, director of real estate valuation and analysis for Real Estate Advisory Services Group PriceWaterhouseCoopers, is the featured speaker who will present the national report.

Michael Morris, vice-president of the Inland Empire for LNR Property Corporation, will discuss office development; Michael Faelin, director of retail properties for The Garrett Group, will discuss retail development; Leonard R. Santoro, senior vice-president of industrial properties at CB Richard Ellis, will discuss industrial real estate; John Young, president of Young Homes, will discuss residential real estate; and John Burns, president of John Burns Real Estate Consulting, will serve as moderator.

The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and the cost for ULI members is $55, for non-members $75.

Information: www.uli.org