Riverside Independent_2/10/2025 by Beacon Media News

‘Our time is now,’

Riverside mayor says in annual address

By Staff

In the annual State of the City address, Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson cited an emerging green technology economy and “unprecedented leadership on the state level” to indicate that “Our Time is Now” in Riverside.

Lock Dawson delivered the tone-setting speech Jan. 30 at the Riverside Convention Center.

The mayor said Riverside’s success stems from focusing on committed investments, partnerships and leadership that have led to a new sustainable technology economy in Riverside. She highlighted the private-public partnership that created the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture, which has infused $29 million into the local economy.

Lock Dawson also noted her position as chair of the Big City Mayors coalition that consists of the California’s 13 largest cities.

“We are not a city that settles, we are a city that seeks greatness,” Lock Dawson exclaimed during her address. “I did not run for mayor to sit back and let someone else decide our future. I ran for mayor to create our future. And if you are in this building tonight, I know you are with me.”

The mayor mentioned four sustainable technology companies that recently have become part of the local “high-tech ecosystem” that started to formulate four years ago when the California Air Resources Board relocated to Riverside, according to a city statement. Companies that either plan to relocate their headquarters to Riverside or are currently based in the city include: Ohmio Inc., which moved from New Zealand and manufactures self-driving, all-electric shuttles;

Hyundai Rotem Tech, which plans to build hydrogen-powered trains for the LA28 Olympics; Voltu Motor Inc. plans to manufacture electric, medium-duty trucks; and GreenPower Motor Co. is set to build electric buses.

More than 1,600 new businesses opened in Riverside last year, adding 13,500 jobs, according to the city.

New projects totaling more than $390 million received City Council approval, as new housing starts are set for the Mission Grove area and downtown near the Main Library.

Lock Dawson also pointed to the city’s 74 new police officers and a 25% reduction in violent crime.

Local authorities seized 3,000 pounds of fireworks last Fourth of July, and the City Council has invested

in new drone technology to make more progress in the future, the mayor reported.

Over 7,500 pieces of graffiti totaling an average of 20 per day were removed in 2024, and a new city ordinance prohibits camping near schools, shelters and parks.

“This is balancing compassion with the needs of our community,” Lock Dawson said.

The city spent a record $30 million for paving 51 miles of roads, with extra attention to high-traffic areas such as Chicago and La Sierra avenues, Market Street and Alessandro Boulevard. Additional investments are headed to the Museum of Riverside, a new Eastside Library, renovations to the

Cesar Chavez Community Center and a new gym at Bordwell Park.

Lock Daswon noted that El Dorado Park is to be renamed Tim Strack Park in honor of the late Riverside Fire Department captain.

“This park will keep Tim’s memory alive for generations of Riversiders as a testament to the power of putting service before self,” she said.

The event also featured the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce’s presentation of its Hero Award to retiring UC Riverside Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox, who has significantly expanded the university’s profile since coming to UCR in 2013, according to the city.

By Staff

San Bernardino Animal Services Department staffers have been assisting their counterparts in Los Angeles following the deadly wildfire that devastated Pacific Palisades and parts of Malibu.

On Jan. 15, the city received a formal request for animal control assistance from the city of LA following the Palisades Fire.

who transported over 100

of fentanyl pills on probation

By City News Service

Aformer Riverside County sheriff’s correctional deputy caught carrying more than 100 pounds of fentanyl on Interstate 10 was on probation Thursday after being released from jail following a plea to felony charges, to which prosecutors objected.

Jorge Alberto Oceguera Rocha, 26, of Banning last week admitted one count each of transportation of controlled substances and possession of controlled substances for sale during a status hearing before Superior Court Judge David Gunn at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

The plea was directly to the judge — and in the face of opposition from the District Attorney’s Office.

“We did object, on the record in open court, to the defendant making a plea to the court ... based on the defendant taking advantage of a position of public trust,” agency spokesman John Hall said. Gunn was unswayed. He dismissed sentence-enhancing

A San Bernardino Animal Services officer rescues a fish in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire. | Photo courtesy of the city of San Bernardino

Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson delivers the 2025 State of the City address. | Photo courtesy of the city of Riverside/YouTube

Rialto Library opens new meeting rooms available to the public

By Staff

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the San Bernardino County Library system welcomed the citizens of Rialto and beyond to a special ribbon-cutting event, revealing two brand new meeting rooms for the public to enjoy.

The meeting rooms feature state-of-the-art technology, including conference-style meeting tables and televisions for projecting presentations. The rooms can accommodate two groups of up to eight people for a larger meeting, but each room includes a partition that allows for smaller groups to meet as well, offering space for up to four separate groups.

Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis during regular library hours. In order to secure a room, patrons must have a San Bernardino County Library card, which is free for California residents. Residents who do not have a library card can begin the application process by visiting the San Bernardino County Library website.

Monday is last day to complete San Bernardino County Update survey

By Staff

The San Bernardino County Communications team, in an effort to help shape its content, invites residents to participate in its 2025 survey.

This is an opportunity to provide input on the type of county government news residents want to read. The survey contains questions that will help the Communications team understand which stories best interest residents, new topics that should be covered, and residents’ overall satisfaction with the newsletter.

You can access the survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GHPZ5ZL.

AZM

Trucks opens its first North American manufacturing plant in San Bernardino County

By Staff

ZM Trucks, North America’s newest zero-emission commercial truck brand, has chosen to locate its first North American manufacturing plant in the city of Fontana within San Bernardino County. ZM Trucks leased a 210,000 square-foot facility located at 10271 Almond Ave. to support the production of a diverse portfolio of zeroemission products including electric commercial trucks, terminal tractors and airport ground service equipment.

ZM Trucks is a subsidiary of ZO Trucks headquartered in Chuo-Ku, Tokyo.

ZM Trucks began site selection discussions with San Bernardino County in early 2024. To support ZM Trucks’ expansion planning, the county’s economic development team facilitated introductions to city partners and supported the firm’s search for the ideal site by providing extensive market information as well as state of California incentive information targeting zero-emission vehicle manufacturing.

“San Bernardino County is an ideal choice for firms in search of an abundant skilled workforce and competitive business costs. Our Economic Development team worked extensively with ZM Trucks to ensure they found the perfect site in the county to support their continued growth in the zero-emission vehicle sector. We applaud ZM Truck’s work with the logistics industry to advance the industry toward carbon neutrality. The county

is proud to now be part of their success in producing zero-emission commercial vehicles in the U.S.,” said San Bernardino County Fourth District Supervisor Curt Hagman, who worked closely with ZM Trucks to locate their plant in San Bernardino County.

“Our new Fontana facility reflects ZO Motors’ commitment to the U.S. market and sustainable innovation,” said Joost de Vries, CEO of ZO Motors. “This expansion allows us to deliver zeroemission solutions that lower total cost of ownership and drive long-term value for our customers.”

Fontana was selected due to the proactive support received from the city and county. In addition, ZM Trucks will benefit from operating in a newly constructed 2023 building.

“On behalf of the City of Fontana, I am thrilled to welcome ZM Trucks to our

vibrant community,” said Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren. “The establishment of ZM Truck’s North American manufacturing plant and regional headquarters marks an exciting chapter for both ZM Trucks and the City of Fontana. This partnership underscores Fontana’s commitment to innovation and sustainable development, bringing with it economic growth, high-quality job opportunities, and a shared commitment to advancing clean transportation solutions. We are honored to be the cornerstone of ZM Trucks’ U.S. operations and look forward to a long and successful collaboration. Welcome to Fontana, ZM Trucks!” The state-of-the-art facility is expected to begin production in the first half of 2025. At full operation, ZM Trucks will have approximately 200 employees. Projected production is 35,000 to 40,000 vehicle units per year.

Suspect in Temecula woman’s death killed by police in Orange County

man suspected of killing a female acquaintance in Menifee was shot to death by police on the Newport Beach Pier Saturday after a vehicle chase, authorities said.

The Menifee Police Department said officers responded to a report of gunshots in the 25000 block of Mesa Edge Court at approximately 2:43 a.m. Saturday. They found the deceased body of a woman later identified as 38-yearold Storm Wolf of Temecula unresponsive in a silver pickup truck, which was stopped in the street.

Officers suspected she was the victim of a homicide, and the case was subsequently taken over by

detectives.

Jose Velasquez, a 45-yearold acquaintance of Wolf’s from Menifee, was identified as the primary suspect in her death, the department said, adding that Velasquez fled the scene before officers arrived.

“Following investigative leads, authorities determined that Velasquez may have traveled to the city of Santa Ana. The Santa Ana Police Department was contacted for assistance in locating him and his vehicle,” the MPD continued.

Santa Ana police located Velasquez in his vehicle in the 1400 block of North Freeman Street shortly after 6 a.m. and attempted to stop him, but he fled and a

By City News Service

pursuit ensued.

“Early this morning, our officers were requested by an outside agency to apprehend a homicide suspect in the city of Santa Ana,” the Santa Ana Police Department said. “SAPD officers located the suspect in a vehicle and attempted to apprehend him, at which point a pursuit ensued.

“The pursuit ended in the city of Newport, where an officer involved shooting occurred. Our officers were unharmed during the incident. The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

The homicide suspect was the lone occupant inside the vehicle and a firearm was located at the

scene, according to Officer Natalie Garcia of the SAPD.

The Newport Beach Police Department reported that the pursuit ended at the Newport Pier.

The pier was closed to the public while an investigation was conducted.

“At this time, the scene is secured and an investigation is underway. There are no active threats to the community,” the NBPD said.

“We recognize that multiple citizens were on the pier and may have witnessed the incident,” the Santa Ana Police Department posted on social media Saturday afternoon. “Any witnesses are asked to call the Orange County District Attorney’s Office at 714-664-3964.”

Murder victim Storm Wolf.

The Rialto Library meeting room ribbon-cutting ceremony. | Photo courtesy of Riverside County

A sprawling industrial facility in Fontana viewed from above. The building, located at 10271 Almond Ave., serves as the first North American manufacturing plant for ZM Trucks. | Photo courtesy of San Bernardino County

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How Trump’s EPA threatens efforts to clean up areas affected most by dangerous air pollution

By Lisa Song, ProPublica

This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.

MPRESS

State of California.

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ore than three years ago,ProPublica spotlightedAmerica’s “sacrifice zones,” where communities in the shadow of industrial facilities were being exposed to unacceptable amounts of toxic air pollution. Life in these places was an endless stream of burning eyes and suspicious smells, cancer diagnoses and unanswered pleas for help.

The Biden administration took action in the years that followed, doling out fines, stepping up air monitoring and tightening emissions rules for one of the most extreme carcinogens. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency requested a significant budget increase in part to issue scores of hazardous air pollution rules and fulfill its obligations under the Clean Air Act. Had the effort been successful, experts said, it could have made a meaningful difference.

President Donald Trump threatens to dismantle the steps his predecessor took to curb pollution. In just over two weeks, the Trump administration has ordered a halt to proposed regulations, fired the EPA’s inspector general, frozen federal funding for community projects and launched a process that could force thousands of EPA employees from their jobs.

So ProPublica set out to understand what modest reforms are now under threat and who will be left to safeguard these communities.

Weaknesses of State Enforcement

The first Trump administration told EPA staff to defer more to state agencies on environmental enforcement. But ProPublica has documented a long history of state failures to hold polluters accountable — mostly in areas where support for Trump is

strong.

“States generally do not have the resources, experience, equipment, nor the political will to quickly and effectively respond” to serious pollution complaints, Scott Throwe, a former senior enforcement official at the EPA, said in an email.

In Pascagoula, Mississippi, complaints from residents rolled in to the state’s environmental agency for years as a nearby oil refinery, a shipbuilding plant and other facilities regularly released carcinogens like benzene and nickel, according to emissions reports the facilities sent to the EPA.

The futility of the complaints became apparent when the nonprofit Thriving Earth Exchange learned in early 2023 that the scientific instruments state contractors had used in the neighborhood to investigate recent complaints weren’t sensitive enough to detect some of the worst chemicals at levels that could pose health risks. The instruments were designed to protect industrial workers during eight-hour workdays, not children and medically vulnerable people who need greater protections at home.

“I don’t live in this house eight hours! I live here 24/7,” said resident Barbara Weckesser, who has complained to the state about the toxic air for more than a decade.

Jan Schaefer, communications director for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, said the agency uses “scientifically sound methods and tools” to address complaints and that looking at just one episode omits “critical context and broader actions taken by the agency to address air quality concerns in Mississippi.”

Before Trump’s inauguration, the EPA’s regional office

said the state agency had applied for a grant to install air monitors, and data collection should begin this spring.

The $625,000 long-term air monitoring effort could finally determine the source and scale of the pollution, but the data it produces isn’t “going to trigger something magical to happen,” said Barbara Morin, an air pollution analyst who advises the environmental agencies of eight northeastern states. Either the state or Trump’s EPA will need to analyze the data to see what’s causing the pollution and how to stop it, Morin said.

Almost immediately after taking office, Trump ordered a freeze on all federal grants, including those at the EPA, sparking a legal battle. Nevertheless, Schaefer said the project’s schedule is on track.

The EPA confirmed that similar activities in the tiny city of Verona, Missouri, where the agency had been cracking down on an industrial plant spewing a dangerous carcinogen, remain ongoing.

While making an animal feed additive, the plant releases ethylene oxide, a colorless gas linked to leukemia and breast cancer.

In response to a request from the city’s then-mayor, Joseph Heck, the state conducted a cancer survey of residents in 2022 and determined there wasn’t enough data for detailed analysis. That same year, the plant, operated by BCP Ingredients, leaked nearly 1,300 pounds of ethylene oxide, the EPA reported.

The EPA intervened, setting up air monitoring in the town, fining the company $300,000 and ordering it to install equipment to remove 99.95% of the ethylene oxide

coming out of a particular smokestack. (BCP Ingredients didn’t return a request for comment.) “The EPA has done a lot more than I think the state can ever do,” said Heck, whose partner died of cancer in 2022. Crystal Payne was in complete remission from breast cancer before they moved to Verona, Heck said, but within a year it came back and spread to her brain and her liver.

A spokesperson with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources said the EPA used its authority under the federal Clean Air Act to compel the company to update its pollution-cutting equipment after the spill. He said the state lacks the power to do that.

“Texas Is Extremely Industry Friendly” For years, a facility that sterilizes medical equipment in Laredo, Texas, released more ethylene oxide into the air than any other industrial plant in the country, according to emission reports the facility submitted to the EPA.

Nearly 130,000 nearby residents, including more than 37,000 children, faced an elevated lifetime cancer risk, a ProPublica and Texas Tribune investigation found. The parents of two children diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia, a cancer linked to ethylene oxide exposure, recounted their ordeal and said they had no idea about the risks.

A statement from Midwest Sterilization Corporation, which operates the Laredo plant, said the company “meets or exceeds all federal and state law requirements” and performs the “important job” of sterilizing medical equipment, which “saves lives.”

Smog over the Inland Empire. | Photo by Bryan Ungard CC BY-SA 2.0

U.S. Small Business Administration

SBA disaster assistance for homeowners, renters, nonprofits and businesses of all sizes affected by the wildfires and straight-line winds in California.

See if your county is eligible for an SBA disaster loan.

Types of available disaster loans:

• Home Disaster Loans: Loans to homeowners or renters to repair or replace disaster-damaged real estate and personal property, including automobiles.

• Business Physical Disaster Loans: Loans to businesses to repair or replace disaster-damaged property owned by the business, including real estate, inventories, supplies, machinery and equipment. Businesses of any size are eligible. Private, nonprofit organizations such as charities, churches, private universities and other entities are also eligible.

• Economic Injury Disaster Loans: Working capital loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private, nonprofit organizations of all sizes meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster. These loans are intended to assist through the disaster recovery period.

Assessor’s disaster response

The Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office is supporting property owners during this difficult time. While a comprehensive damage assessment is underway, the agency is mobilizing resources to assist affected residents, including:

• On-the-ground support: Assessor staff will be present at the Local Assistance Centers to provide guidance and resources to property owners.

• Property tax relief: The county will process “misfortune and calamity” claims to provide property tax relief for damaged or destroyed properties.

“Misfortune and calamity” property tax relief

Property owners whose homes or businesses were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires may qualify for temporary property tax relief under the “Misfortune and Calamity” program.

Key Details:

• Eligibility: The damage must exceed $10,000 in current market value.

• Filing deadline: Claims must be filed within 12 months of the date of the damage.

• Benefits: Approved claims may result in temporary property tax reductions, with values adjusted until repairs or rebuilding are completed.

• For more information or to download the claim form ADS820, visit assessor.lacounty.gov/tax-relief/disaster-relief or call 213-974-3211.

Assessor’s Office updates

As of Jan. 13, all in-person operations at assessor offices have resumed. However, officials encouraged the public to use assessor. lacounty.gov to complete tasks online whenever possible.

It’s also recommended to request the United States Post Office to hold or reroute your mail. Please go here for more information.

e-Service account sign-up

Property owners were encouraged to sign up for an “Assessor e-Service Account” on the agency’s website to:

• Enroll in the Homeowner Alert Program, which sends email notifications within 48 hours of specific activities on your property records; and

• Access the e-File Program to handle property-related filings conveniently.

Visit assessor.lacounty.gov or call 213-974-3211 to learn more about filing a claim or to receive assistance.

Photo courtesy of Canva

After the EPA released a report in 2016 on the dangers of ethylene oxide, Texas’ environmental agency conducted its own review of the federal study. The state concluded that people could safely inhale the chemical at concentrations thousands of times higher than the EPA’s safe limit.

The state then passed a rule that meant that polluters didn’t need to lower their emissions.

Richard Richter, a spokesperson for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said the agency conducted an in-depth analysis that “led to the conclusion that there was inadequate evidence to support” a link between ethylene oxide and breast cancer.

Scientists told ProPublica that the state agency reached that verdict only after wrongfully excluding studies that linked ethylene oxide to breast cancer and using a flawed analysis of the data EPA relied on.

The state is the nation’s top ethylene oxide polluter and home to 26 facilities that emit ethylene oxide, according to ProPublica’s 2021 analysis of EPA data from 2014 through 2018.

“Texas is extremely industry friendly,” said Tricia Cortez, executive director of the nonprofit Rio Grande International Study Center.

Cortez said deferring more responsibility to the states “would be disastrous for normal everyday people. … Why should it matter how much you’re protected based on your state’s affiliation? People exposed to something so horrible and cancer-causing should have the same protection everywhere.”

Representatives for Trump’s transition team didn’t return a request for comment.

Hannah Perls, a senior staff attorney at Harvard’s

Air pollution

Environmental & Energy Law Program, said giving states more control over how they implement and enforce federal laws enables “legal sacrifice zones,” reinforcing or creating disparities based on geography.

Federal Rules in Danger

One important reform that promises relief for the residents of Laredo is an updated rule adopted by the EPA last spring.

Prompted by a lawsuit brought by Cortez’s group, the federal agency’s rule will eventually require facilities nationwide, including those in Texas, to conduct air monitoring for ethylene oxide and add equipment to reduce emissions of the chemical by 90%.

Facilities have until 2026 to comply and can ask for extensions beyond that.

But the attorney reportedly nominated to lead the Trump EPA’s air pollution efforts is a friend of the industry that depends on the chemical. Aaron Szabo recently represented the Advanced Medical Technology Association, an industry trade group that includes commercial sterilizers that use ethylene oxide. (His work for the group was first reported by Politico.) Last year, according to his lobbying report, Szabo lobbied the EPA on its “regulations related to the use of ethylene oxide from commercial sterilizer facilities.”

Szabo didn’t return a request for comment.

Trump and his key picks for important positions in his government have made it clear they intend to roll back environmental protections that burden industry.

How far they go will have lasting consequences for residents in the more than 1,000 hot spots ProPublica’s 2021 analysis identified as having elevated and often unacceptable cancer risks from industrial air pollution.

Another rule issued by the EPA last year offers a new way to tackle pollution in Calvert City, Kentucky.

Last June, a local chemical plant operated by Westlake Vinyls leaked 153 pounds of ethylene dichloride, a dangerous carcinogen, according to EPA records.

It was the latest in a series of problems at the factory that state and federal fines had failed to stop. From 2020 to 2023, the EPA had found 46 instances when the facility didn’t correctly operate controls for the chemical. During one inspection, the concentration of dangerous gases coming from a tank was so high that it overwhelmed the EPA’s measuring instrument, according to agency records obtained by ProPublica. Westlake did not respond to requests for comment.

The EPA’s updated rule will require more than 100 facilities, including Westlake and the refinery in Pascagoula, to install air monitors along the fence line, or perimeter. The monitors will measure up to six toxic gases, and the data will be posted online. (It’s unclear exactly which chemicals these two facilities would monitor, though the requirement could cover ethylene dichloride.)

Michael Koerber, a former EPA air quality expert, said the rule could finally give residents some much-needed transparency. Koerber said an earlier EPA rule, which required oil refineries to install fence line monitoring for benzene, led to a significant decrease in benzene from those facilities.

But the new rule doesn’t fully take effect until next year.

That leaves its enforcement up to the Trump administration.

Republished with Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

CA’s K-12 schools prepare for possibility of immigration authorities on campus

By Suzanne Potter, Producer, Public News Service

Californiaschool districts are working to reassure parents who may be scared to bring their kids to school - since the Trump administration made it clear that immigration authorities will no longer be discouraged from conducting raids in sensitive places such as schools, churches, and health-care facilities.

Data show that one in ten children in California has an undocumented parent.

Laura Fisher - the assistant superintendent of student support services with Desert Sands Unified School District, about 2 1/2 hours north of the border - said while the district does have to comply with a judicial subpoena, student safety comes first.

“We’d be asking for the officers’ credentials, contact information, the details of the request,” said Fisher, “and ask to see a copy of any reason for them being on the school grounds, and any documentation that authorizes their school access - before we would allow anything.”

DSUSD recently sent home a letter to all parents

reassuring them that the district has protocols in place and will protect the confidentiality of student data if ICE shows up.

Fisher said schools will work to minimize any disruption on campus, and provide mental-health counseling upon request.

So far, she said, the district has not seen a significant drop in attendance since the inauguration.

Luis Valentino recently retired as superintendent at Coachella Valley Unified School District.

He said the Trump administration’s new policy will

hurt teacher retention, and place undue pressure on staff, students, and families.

“It is creating an environment of fear that will make it very difficult for school systems to recover from,” said Valentino. “The amount of stress that is being placed on the students and on communities, it could be irreparable. It’s going to be as bad if not worse than COVID was.”

References:

Attorney General Bonta Issues Guidance on Educational Rights of Immigrant Students and Their Families CA Attorney General Bonta 1/6/25

| Photo by Peg Hunter CC BY-NC 2.0

How climate change could upend the American dream

By Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica

Houses in the Altadena and Pacific Palisades neighborhoods were still ablaze when talk turned to the cost of the Los Angeles firestorms and who would pay for it. Now it appears that the total damage and economic loss could be more than $250 billion. This, after a year in which hurricanes Milton and Helene and other extreme weather events had already exacted tens of billions of dollars in American disaster losses.

As the compounding impacts of climate-driven disasters take effect, we are seeing home insurance prices spike around the country, pushing up the costs of owning a home. In some cases, insurance companies are pulling out of towns altogether. And in others, people are beginning to move away.

One little-discussed result is that soaring home prices in the United States may have peaked in the places most at risk, leaving the nation on the precipice of a generational decline. That’s the finding of a new analysis by the First Street, a research firm that studies climate threats to housing and provides some of the best climate adaptation data available, both freely and commercially. The analysis predicts an extraordinary reversal in housing fortunes for Americans — nearly $1.5 trillion in asset losses over the next 30 years.

The implications are staggering: Many Americans could face a paradigm shift in the way they save and how they define their economic security. Climate change is upending the basic assumption that Americans can continue to build wealth and financial security by owning their own home. In a sense, it is upending the American dream.

Homeownership is the bedrock of America’s economy. Residential real estate in the United States is worth nearly $50 trillion — almost double

the size of the entire gross domestic product. Almost two-thirds of American adults are homeowners, and the median house here has appreciated more than 58% over the past two decades, even after accounting for inflation. In Pacific Palisades and Altadena, that evolution elevated many residents into the upper middle class. Across the country homes are the largest asset for most families — who hold approximately 67% of their savings in their primary residence.

That is an awful lot to lose: for individuals, and for the nation’s economy.

The First Street researchers found that climate pressures are the main factor driving up insurance costs. Average premiums have risen 31% across the country since 2019, and are steeper in high-risk climate zones. Over the next 30 years, if insurance prices are unhindered, they will, on average, leap an additional 29%, according to First Street. Rates in Miami could quadruple. In Sacramento, California, they could double.

And that’s where the systemic economic risk comes in. Not long ago, insurance premiums were a modest cost of owning a home, amounting to about 8% of an average mortgage payment. But insurance costs today are about one-fifth the size of a typical payment, outpacing inflation and even the rate of appreciation on the homes themselves. That makes owning property, on paper anyway, a bad investment. First Street forecasts that three decades from now — the term of the classic American mortgage — houses will be worth, on average, 6% less than they are today. They project that decline across the vast majority of the nation, affirming fears that many economists and climate analysts have held for a long time.

Part of the problem is that many people were coaxed into living in the very high-risk areas they call home precisely by the availability of insurance that was cheaper than it should have been. For years, as climate-driven floods, hurricanes and wildfires have piled up, so have economic losses. Insurance companies canceled policies, but in response, states redoubled support for homeowners, promising economic stability even if that insurance — required by most mortgage lenders — one day disappeared. It kept costs manageable and quelled anxiety, and economies continued to hum.

But those discounts “muffled the free market price signals,” according to Matthew Kahn, an economist at the University of Southern California who studies markets and climate change. They also “slowed down our adaptation,” making dangerous places like Florida’s coastlines and California’s fire-prone hillsides seem safer than they are. First Street found that today, insurance underprices climate risk for 39 million properties across the continental United States — meaning that for 27% of properties in the country, premiums are too low to cover their climate exposure.

No wonder costs are rising. Insurers are playing catch-up. But it means Americans are playing catchup, too, in terms of evaluating where they live. And that leads to the potential for large numbers of people to begin to move. First Street, in fact, correlates the rise in insurance rates and dropping property values with widespread climate migration, predicting that more than 55 million Americans will migrate in response to climate risks inside this country within the next three decades, and that more than 5 million Americans

will migrate this year. First Street’s analysts posit that climate risk is becoming just as important as schools and waterfront views when people purchase a home, and that while property values are likely to drop in most places, they will rise — by more than 10% by midcentury — in the safer regions.

There are many reasons to be cautious about these projections. Precise estimates for climate migration in the United States have remained elusive in large part because modeling for human behavior in all its diverse motives is nearly impossible. First Street’s economic models also don’t capture the immense equity many Americans have accumulated in those properties as home values have lurched upward over the past two decades, equity that gives many people a cushion larger than the relatively modest projected losses. The models assume that all the past patterns of reckless building and

zoning will continue, and they don’t account for the nation’s housing shortage, nor the difference between longtime homeowners and a new generation trying to buy now.

However imprecise, First Street’s work “plays the role of Paul Revere, of the challenge we could face if we fail to adapt,” Kahn said. Climatedriven costs and climate risk may drive sweeping change in both homeownership and migration, at the same time that both of those factors are expected to continue to increase.

It means that homeowners will need to be far wealthier, or renters will have to pay much more.

Like many aspects of the climate challenge, this one will also drive climate haves and have-nots further apart, especially as relatively safe regions emerge, and discerning buyers flock to their appreciating real estate markets.

No one is abandoning Los Angeles. Its wealth, density

and government support make it far more resilient than places like Paradise, California, the New Jersey shore or Florida. But it will be economically and physically transformed. Pacific Palisades will probably be rebuilt to its past splendor: Its homeowners can afford it. Altadena, a middle-class neighborhood, may face a different fate: Its properties are more likely to be snatched up by investors, gentrified and made unaffordable by both the cost of rebuilding, insurance and upscaling of new homes as they are rebuilt.

In that way, Altadena may prove to be the true harbinger — of a future in which no one but the rich owns their own homes, where insurance is a luxury good and where renters pay a monthly toll to large private equity landowners who may be better suited to manage that risk.

Republished with Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins Phase 2 of debris removal in Los Angeles wildfire recovery on Tuesday. | Photo courtesy of Mayra Beltra/Los Angeles County

Notice of Intent to Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration

To: [ x ] Interested Individuals

[ x ] State Clearinghouse

[ x ] County Clerk County of Los Angeles

From: City of Arcadia

240 West Huntington Dr. Arcadia, CA 91066

Project Title: CEQA Mitigated Negative Declaration City of Arcadia Goldring Well and PFAS Treatment Plant

Project Location: City of Arcadia

Applicant: City of Arcadia

240 West Huntington Dr. Arcadia, CA 91066

Project Description:

Background

The City of Arcadia (City) serves water to over 57,000 residents, primarily with water pumped from the Main San Gabriel Basin (Main Basin), the West Unit of the Raymond Basin (Pasadena Subarea), and the East Unit of the Raymond Basin (Santa Anita Subarea). The City’s water supply system consists of eleven (11) active wells with a combined capacity of over 12,000 gallons per minute (gpm), nine (9) booster pump stations, fifteen (15) active reservoirs, two (2) active water forebays, and over 168 miles of distribution pipelines distributing flows into nine (9) pressure zones to over 13,400 service connections.

To enhance the water supply for the City and the City of Sierra Madre (“Sierra Madre”), the City and Sierra Madre are partnering to design, permit, construct, and operate a new well in the Main Basin.

Project Description

The proposed project consists of the construction and operation of a groundwater production well, the construction and operation of a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) or Ion Exchange (IX) treatment system with pre-filters consisting of 2 pairs of vessels for the removal of Per and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the extracted groundwater, the construction and operation of a new 30,000 gallons backwash tank with a new 4-inch diameter sewer pipeline, and the construction and operation of a new 30-inch diameter Reinforced Concrete Pipe (RCP) storm drain pipeline approximately 1,400 feet in length connecting from the cul-de-sac at Kardashian Avenue and Goldring Road, going westerly on Randolph Street and connecting to the existing 57-inch RCP on Peck Road (Project). The City of Arcadia’s (City) Goldring Well will be located approximately 200 feet south of the intersection of Kardashian Avenue and Goldring Road, within the existing City’s Public Works Yard.

The proposed Project is located in an open, paved and graded property with a total size of approximately 5 acres owned by the City. The project construction site for the well, pipeline, and PFAS treatment plant is constrained to a designated area covering roughly 5,000 square feet, equivalent to 0.15 acres in total.

THIS NOTICE IS TO ADVISE INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS THAT the City of Arcadia has prepared a

[ x ] Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND)

For the project identified above. As mandated by State law, the minimum public review period for this document is:

[ x ] 30 days (MND was submitted to the State Clearinghouse for review)

For the project identified above. As mandated by State law, the minimum public review period for this document is:

[ x ] 30 days (MND was submitted to the State Clearinghouse for review)

Begins: February 10, 2025

Ends: March 11, 2025

Begins: February 10, 2025

Ends: March 11, 2025

This document is available for review at:

City of Arcadia City of Arcadia Office of the City Clerk Public Works Services Department

City of Arcadia City of Arcadia Office of the City Clerk Public Works Services Department 240 West Huntington Dr. 11800 Goldring Road Arcadia, CA 91066 Arcadia, CA 91066

240 West Huntington Dr. 11800 Goldring Road Arcadia, CA 91066 Arcadia, CA 91066

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council will hold a public hearing and consider the Public Works Services Department’s recommendation for the City of Arcadia Goldring Well and PFAS Treatment Plant project:

A. CEQA – Notice of Intent to Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND)

Project Description: The proposed project consists of the construction and operation of a groundwater production well (Goldring Well), the construction and operation of a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) or Ion Exchange (IX) treatment system with pre-filters consisting of 2 pairs of vessels for the removal of Per and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the extracted groundwater, the construction and operation of a new 30,000 gallons backwash tank with a new 4-inch diameter sewer pipeline, and the construction and operation of a new 30-inch diameter Reinforced Concrete Pipe (RCP) storm drain pipeline approximately 1,400 feet in length connecting from the cul-de-sac at Kardashian Avenue and Goldring Road, going westerly on Randolph Street and connecting to the existing 57-inch RCP on Peck Road (Project). The City of Arcadia’s (City) Goldring Well will be located approximately 200 feet south of the intersection of Kardashian Avenue and Goldring Road, within the existing City of Arcadia Public Works Services Department Yard.

P.O. Box 60021 Arcadia, CA 91066

A Notice of Intent to adopt the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration will be circulated for public review, for a period of 30 days ( February 10, 2025, to March 11, 2025) and posted at the L.A. County Recorder’s Office on February 10, 2025. This notice will be mailed and published in the Arcadia Weekly on February 10, 2025. Copies of the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration will be available for review by the public at the City Clerk’s Office and the Arcadia Library. For further information, contact the City of Arcadia Public Works Services Department at (626) 254-2721 Monday through Thursday between the hours of 6:45 a.m. and 5:00

www.ArcadiaCA.gov/noticesanddecisions.

Publish February 10 & 17, 2025

请致电 (626) 574-5455，向市书记官办公室了解详情。

Probate Notices

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: TSUI GIA TANG CASE NO. 25STPB00788

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of TSUI GIA TANG.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by JENNIFER GO in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that JENNIFER GO be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

tative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administra-tion authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objec-tion to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

Contact Person: Tiffany Lee Senior Civil Engineer; (626) 254-2721

Contact Person: Tiffany Lee, Senior Civil Engineer; (626) 254-2721

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner JACK A. MARSH - SBN 150847 LAW OFFICES OF JACK A. MARSH

215 N. MARENGO AVE., FLOOR 3 PASADENA CA 91101

Telephone (626) 397-9990

A HEARING on the petition will be held on Feb. 27, 2025 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 5 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your ap-pearance may be in person or by your attorney.

Written comments regarding the proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration must be submitted to the City prior to 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the 30-day public review/comment period (March 11, 2025). All written comments should indicate a contact person for your agency or organization, if applicable, and reference the project name. Responsible agencies are requested to indicate their statutory responsibilities in connection with this project when responding.

Signature:

Printed Name: Tiffany Lee

Title: Senior Civil Engineer

Publish February 10, 17, 2025

Date: February 10, 2025

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 02/25/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 44 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court

2/3, 2/6, 2/10/25 CNS-3891339# ARCADIA WEEKLY

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF NORMA JANE McCORMICK

Case No. 25STPB00869

To all heirs, beneficiaries, cred-itors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of NORMA JANE McCORMICK

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by John Bowman in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that John Bowman be appointed as personal represen-

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowl-edgeable in California law. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of

Case No. PGPA2119840

NOTICE IS HEREBYGIVEN:

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council regarding proposed amendments to the Glendale General Plan Safety Element. In compliance with recent State legislation (SB 1035, SB 1241, SB 99, AB 747, and AB 1409), the City is revising its 2003 Safety Element to include updated information on natural hazards such as wildfires and floods, as well as evacuation and emergency preparedness and response. The Draft 2025 Safety Element Update also addresses recent State Law (SB 379) requiring the Safety Element to identify how these and other hazards in Glendale are exacerbated by climate change, and what populations, locations, and community features are particularly vulnerable to climate hazards and changing climate conditions. The Draft 2025 Update includes two new appendices: a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (Appendix B) and an Evacuation Analysis (Appendix C).

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:

Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), staff has determined, and will recommend that the Planning Commission and the City Council find, that these proposed amendments contained in the subject Ordinance are exempt from CEQA.

In accordance with the State CEQA Guidelines, the proposed General Plan Safety Element update has been determined to be an exempt project pursuant to Section 15060(c)(2) in that the proposed amendments, which are primarily limited to policy modifications and updates in compliance with Government Code Section 65302(g)(1) through (g)(9) related to climate change, evacuations and wildfire risks, are not anticipated to result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, nor will the proposed changes have the potential for causing significant effect on the environment.

Pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (b) and (f), the proposed amendments involve minor alterations to "Existing Facilities", specifically, publicly owned utilities used to provide electric power, natural gas, sewerage, or other public utilities. The actions also involve minor alterations to "Existing Facilities" for the addition of safety or health protection devices, either during construction or in conjunction with existing structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, including navigational devices.

The 2025 Safety Element Update is further anticipated to result in the reduction of potential short-and long-term community risks resulting from fires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, climate change, and other related hazards. The Project is exempt from CEQA for the reasons outlined in the State CEQA Guideline sections cited above.

PUBLIC HEARING INFORMATION: The Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing in the Municipal Services Building, Hearing Room, 633 East Broadway, Room 105, Glendale, on March 5, 2025, at or after the hour of 5:00 p.m. The Planning Commission will be asked to make a recommendation to the City Council concerning the 2025 Safety Element Update.

The meeting can be viewed on Charter Cable Channel 6 or streamed online at: https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/management-services/gtv6/live-video-stream

For public comments and questions during the meeting call 818-937-8100. City staff will be submitting these questions and comments in real time to the appropriate person during the City Council meeting.

Information on the 2025 Safety Element Update can be obtained on the City’s websites at https://www.glendaleplan.com/safety-element and https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/community-development/planning/city-wide-plans/safety-element.

Copies of the materials will also be available for review prior to the scheduled Planning Commission hearing in the Community Development Department office, Room 103 of the Municipal Services Building, 633 East Broadway. Staff reports are accessible prior to the meeting through hyperlinks in the ‘Current and Upcoming Meetings’ section. Website Address: www.GlendaleCA.gov/agendas

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS: If you desire more information, please contact Vilia Zemaitaitis, Deputy Director of Long Range Planning, in the Community Development Department at 818-548-2140 or via email at vzemaitaitis@glendaleca.gov.

Any person having an interest in the subject project may participate in the hearing, by phone as outlined above, and may be heard in support of his/her opinion. Any person protesting may file a duly signed and acknowledged written protest with the Director of Community Development not later than the hour set for public hearing before the Planning Commission. "Acknowledged" shall mean a declaration of property ownership (or occupant if not owner) under penalty of perjury. If you challenge the decision of this project in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Glendale, at or prior to the public hearing. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, please notify the Community Development Department at least 48 hours (or two business days) for requests regarding sign language translation and Braille transcription services.

Dated: February 10, 2025

Published February 10, 2025

GLENDALEI NDEPENDENT

Dr. Suzie Abajian The City Clerk of the City of Glendale

Public Notice

Housing Authority of The City of Glendale

Proposed PHA 5 Year Plan & Annual Plan

In accordance with Section 5A of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (USHA), as amended by Section 511 of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998, the Housing Authority of the City of Glendale (Housing Authority) has prepared a draft PHA 5 Year Plan and Annual Plan for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 for public review and comment. The public hearing on the PHA 5 Year Plan and Annual Plan will be held before the Housing Authority of the City of Glendale. The public may be present in person or watch and participate from the safety of their homes. Meetings are broadcast live on Glendale TV, viewable on Spectrum Cable, channel 6, and AT&T U-verse, channel 99. Meetings are also streamed live in high definition (HD) on the city’s webpage, glendaleca.gov/live, on YouTube.com/myglendale, and on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire devices using a free app called Screenweave and choosing “Glendale TV” from the menu.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025 (Time TBD)

COUNCIL CHAMBERS

613 E. Broadway, 2nd Floor Glendale, CA 91206

The proposed plan is available during a 45-day public review and comment period, from February 14, 2025, to March 31, 2025, and can be viewed online at the following webpage: https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/community-development/housing/ plans-reports-and-loan-forms You may also obtain a copy of the plan via email. The public is invited to submit written comments concerning the Plan to: City of Glendale, Department of Community Development, Attn: Edgar Akopyan, 141 N. Glendale Avenue, Room 202, Glendale, CA 91206 or via email eakopyan@glendaleca.gov.

Publish February 3, 10, 2025

GLENDALE INDEPENDENT

NOTICE INVITING BIDS

NOTICE is hereby given that the City of Glendale (“City”) will receive sealed bids, until the bid deadline established below for the following work of improvement: Painting Street Light Standards on Rossmoyne Neighborhood and Honolulu Road Area for Glendale Water and Power

SPECIFICATIONS NO. 3995

Bid Deadline: Submit before 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5,2025

www.Notiecfiling.com

Bids to be submitted in Duplicate to: City Clerk Office 613 E. Broadway, Room 110 Glendale, CA. 91206-4393

Bids Opening: 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5,2025 at the City Council Chambers, 633 E. Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206 NO LATE BIDS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Bidding Documents Available: (Specifications and drawings) February 5, 2025, at 8:00

a.m.Office of Glendale Water & Power Electric Engineering, 141 N Glendale Ave, 4th Level, City of Glendale, CA 91206

Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: Date/Time: February 12, 2025, at 9:00 AM– at least one week after publication of Notice Location: At the intersection of Mountain Street and Rossmoyne Avenue in the City of Glendale.

City of Glendale Contact Person: Catherine Babakhanlou: Project Manager Phone: 818-550-4583

E-mail:cbabakhanlou@GlendaleCA.gov

NO LATE PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

City of Glendale Contact Person for RFP Process: Mr. Sean Toro Public Works FMD Email: storo@GlendaleCA.gov. No phone calls please

Project Description: The City is soliciting written proposals from experienced Fire Systems firms to perform all aspects for services related to the Design Build of the Fire Systems Improvements at Various City Facilities Project.

The Consultant will perform the Services according to: • Specification No. 3961.

A potential Proposer should read this document in its entirety before preparing and submitting a Proposal.

Dated this ______ day of _____________, 2025, City of Glendale, California.

Suzie Abajian, Ph.D., City Clerk of the City

Published on January 10, 13, 2025

GLENDALE INDEPENDENT

NOTICE INVITING PROPOSALS

NOTICE is hereby given that the City of Glendale (“City”) will receive Proposals until the deadline established below for the following project:

Design Build of the Fire Systems Improvements at Various City Facilities Project

Proposal Submittal Deadline: Submit before 4:00 p.m. on March 19, 2025

Proposal Submittal Location: 633 E. Broadway, Room 209, Glendale, CA 91206

A prospective Proposer may receive this RFP by mail, e-mail, in person or online at: https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/finance/purchasing/rfp-rfq-bid-page

Distribution of the RFP in no way represents the City’s acceptance of a Proposer’s qualifications, reputation, or ability to perform the Services.

Pasadena City Notices

NOTICE OF SOLICITATION OF APPLICATIONS TO FILL UPCOMING SCHEDULED END OF TERMS FOR MEMBERS ON THE PASADENA RENTAL HOUSING BOARD

Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with Pasadena City Charter, Section 1811, a Pasadena Rental Housing Board has been established to administer and enforce Article XVIII of the City Charter, “The Pasadena Fair and Equitable Housing Charter Amendment”. The Board is comprised of eleven (11) members consisting of seven (7)Tenant Members, and four (4) At-Large Members. In addition, there are two (2) alternates, one serving as the alternate for the Tenant Members and one serving as the alternate for the At-Large Members.

The Pasadena City Council is now soliciting applications from candidates seeking consideration for appointment to fill scheduled term expirations occurring on May 24, 2025 for the following positions:

Brandon Lamar District 3/Tenant

Yaneli Soriano Santiago District 5/Tenant

Deborah Dunlop District 7/Tenant

Allison Henry At Large

Adela Torres At Large

Each of the above members listed are eligible for reappointment, at the discretion of the appointing authority. For PRHB Tenant Member positions representing Districts 3, 5, and 7, appointments or reappointments will be made by nomination of the Councilmember representing that district and ratified by the City Council collectively. For At Large PRHB Member positions, appointments or reappointments will be made by the City Council collectively.

Tenant members and members of their Extended Families may not have owned, managed, or had a 5% or greater ownership stake in rental units in Los Angeles County in the three years prior to applying to this position.

The Board’s duties include making rules and regulations to implement Article XVIII of the City Charter, setting allowable rent increases, determining and publicizing the Annual General Adjustment in rents, appointing hearing officers, conducting hearings on petitions for rent adjustments for individual properties, adopting a budget, pursuing civil remedies against those who violate Article XVIII of the City Charter, holding public hearings, establishing a schedule of penalties for violations of Article XVIII of the City Charter, and establishing and maintaining a registry of rental housing in Pasadena.

The City encourages interested residents of Pasadena to apply for appointment to the Board. In addition to a completed application, applicants must circulate a nomination petition and gather a minimum of 25 qualified signatures from residents living in the same Pasadena Council District as the applicant. A declaration of financial interests of the applicant, and of his or her Extended Family members, is required for those seeking appointment to the Tenant position and will be a public record. Nomination petitions and application materials are available in the City Clerk’s Office.

The application period for this appointment will open on Monday, February 10, 2025 at 7:30 a.m. with a deadline to submit forms by Monday, April 21, 2025 by 5:30 p.m. Application forms can be obtained by contacting the Pasadena City Clerk’s Office during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.:

City of Pasadena, Office of the City Clerk 100 North Garfield Avenue, Room S228 Pasadena, California 91101 (626)744-4124, cityclerk@cityofpasadena.net

Mark Jomsky City Clerk

Published and Posted: Monday, February 10, 2025 PASADENA PRESS

codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

JEAN UTLEY LAVINGER

CASE NO. 25STPB00960

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of JEAN UTLEY LAVINGER.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by VICTORIA ANNE LAVINGER in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that VICTORIA ANNE LAVINGER be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s WILL ad codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The WILL and any

LEGALS

hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

Attorney for Petitioner

ROBERT R. BOWNE II - SBN 179960

4421 W. RIVERSIDE DRIVE BURBANK CA 91505

Telephone (818) 846-0170 2/6, 2/10, 2/13/25

CNS-3892443# BURBANK INDEPENDENT

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF STELLA QUIMIRO

Case No. 25STPB00963

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of STELLA QUIMIRO

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Daniel F. Quimiro in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Daniel F. Quimiro be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on Feb. 28, 2025 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 11 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

9530 E IMPERIAL HWY STE J DOWNEY CA 90242-3041 CN113962 QUIMIRO Feb 6,10,13, 2025 WEST COVINA PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: MARIA DEL PRADO GREENWAY CASE NO. 25STPB01016

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of MARIA DEL PRADO GREENWAY.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by LEONARD FRANCIS GREENWAY in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that LEONARD FRANCIS GREENWAY be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with limited authority. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 03/03/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 2D located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

Attorney for Petitioner

MATTHEW C. YU ESQ. - SBN 256235

THE LAW OFFICE OF MATTHEW C YU 23001 HAWTHORNE BLVD. #210 TORRANCE CA 90505

tions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 03/05/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 5 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

Attorney for Petitioner

BRITTANY DUKE - SBN 279489

BARBARO, CHINEN, PITZER & DUKE LLP

301 E. COLORADO BLVD., #700 PASADENA CA 91101

Telephone (626) 793-5196

2/6, 2/10, 2/13/25

CNS-3893255# PASADENA PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: JANICE J. BROWNING CASE NO. 25STPB00891

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of JANICE J. BROWNING.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by BRENDA L. BROWNING in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that BRENDA L. BROWNING be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s WILL and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The WILL and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

Attorney for Petitioner

PATRICK A. LIDDELL - SBN 082320

MELBY & ANDERSON

550 N. BRAND BLVD., FLOOR 14 GLENDALE CA 91203

Telephone (818) 246-5644

2/6, 2/10, 2/13/25

CNS-3893488# GLENDALE INDEPENDENT

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: STEPHEN MARLIN SHIRLEY CASE NO. PROVA2500083

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of STEPHEN MARLIN SHIRLEY.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by NANCY ROSTKOWSKI in the Superior Court of California, County of SAN BERNARDINO. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that NANCY ROSTKOWSKI be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 03/11/25 at 9:00AM in Dept. F2 located at 17780 ARROW BLVD, FONTANA, CA 92335

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 02/28/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 4 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

Attorney for petitioner: RICHARD A LEHN

Telephone (310) 891-0016 2/6, 2/10, 2/13/25 CNS-3893197# GLENDALE INDEPENDENT

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

JANET RAE TEN EYCK

CASE NO. 25STPB01108

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of JANET RAE TEN EYCK.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by LISA ANN MILLSAP in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that LISA ANN MILLSAP be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE PETITION requests the decedent’s WILL and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The WILL and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many ac-

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 02/28/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 5 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

LESLIE E. RILEY - SBN 265987

VARNER & BRANDT LLP

3237 E GUASTI RD STE 220 ONTARIO CA 91761

Telephone (909) 931-0879

2/6,

Riverside County Board of Supervisors appoints new health officer

By Staff

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors appointed Dr. Jennifer R. Chevinsky as the county’s new Public Health Officer. She succeeds Dr. Geoffrey Leung, who recently announced his decision to step away from the position.

“We deeply appreciate Dr. Leung’s outstanding leadership and dedicated service and are privileged to welcome Dr. Jennifer Chevinsky as our new Public Health Officer,” said Riverside County Board Chair and Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “Dr. Chevinsky brings an exceptional breadth of experience and knowledge in public health, making her an invaluable asset to our community. Her expertise and dedication will help us address complex challenges as we strive to promote overall health and vitality for all residents.”

Chevinsky, the county’s deputy public health officer

since 2021, is board certified in preventive medicine, lifestyle medicine, and health care administration, leadership and management. While overseeing the Division of Infectious Disease, Community Health Planning and Health Equity for Riverside University Health System – Public Health (RUHS-PH), she has been instrumental in the county’s response to COVID-19, Mpox and H5N1.

The county health officer works closely with state and federal agencies, and is responsible for developing public health policy, overseeing the enforcement of California codes and regulations, and acting as a spokesperson and trusted voice during outbreaks or emergencies to inform policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.

Chevinsky earned her medical degree at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and completed her residen-

cy and a master’s degree in public health at Loma Linda

University (LLU). She served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion while also responding to infectious disease-related outbreaks. Chevinsky is also an assistant professor for LLU’s Department of Preventive Medicine and School of Public Health and serves on state and national public health committees.

“I am honored to serve as the Health Officer for Riverside County and look forward to continuing the important work of the department,” said Chevinsky. “Public Health is about protecting and improving the health and well-being of communities by preventing disease, promoting healthy behaviors and ensuring access to essential healthcare services.”

Animal Services Deputy

Animal Services and Riverside County, San Bernardino County and the city of Mission Viejo in Orange County sent animal control officers to the fire zone to search for and rescue pets and wild animals that were lost, left behind or injured.

“Helping other jurisdictions in need following a disaster is not only the right thing to do, but our staff gain crucial skills that can help San Bernardino’s residents if something were to happen here,” San Bernardino Animal Services Director Kris Watson said in a statement Tuesday.

Animal Services Supervisor Arianna Gonzalez, Lead Animal Control Officer Eduardo Alvarez and Animal

Control Officers Patrick Galvan, Jasmine Torres and Estevan Barajas worked in shifts traveling to Los Angeles to take part in the effort.

“Seeing the devastation was heartbreaking and the conditions were difficult, but locating lost pets and returning them to their grateful owners was very rewarding,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “The appreciation from local residents, including comedian Jay Leno, made the hard work worth it.”

The officers’ day would start with a list of addresses and pet owners hoping to locate or get an update on pets they had to leave behind, according to the city statement.

In one instance, San Bernardino officers informed a resident whose home was destroyed that the 28 fish in one of her koi ponds had survived the blaze. San Bernardino personnel were able to find and evacuate the fish, which are now recovering in a pond at DreamWorks Studios.

“She was so happy that their fish were OK,” Gonzalez said. “It gave them hope in what was a terrible situation.”

Officials said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the city for paid staff time.

The 23,448-acre Palisades Fire caused the deaths of at least 12 people, destroyed 6,837 structures and damaged 1,017.

allegations of perpetrating a drug-related offense while armed and imposed a four-year term of incarceration, which would have been served in county jail because the offenses were categorized as nonviolent.

However, after factoring state credits intended to reduce overcrowding in correctional facilities and adding the time Rocha had already spent behind bars, awaiting disposition of his case, the defendant’s sentence was stayed, and he was released from the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on Thursday. He is now on mandatory supervision for 16 months.

Rocha resigned his position with the sheriff’s department immediately after he was arrested in September 2023.

Investigators said the defendant was driving in the area of I-10 and County Line Road in Calimesa when he was stopped by law enforcement in the predawn hours of Sept. 17, 2023.

Rocha had been one of more than a dozen people under surveillance as part of “Operation Hotline Bling,” a joint federal-local law enforcement crackdown on the Sinaloa drug trafficking network based in Mexico.

“After a K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics within the vehicle, a search was conducted,” sheriff’s

Leung served in the role for nearly four years after his appointment by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in March 2021. Since then, Leung shepherded the county through the COVID pandemic and its recovery. Additionally, he spearheaded the launch of the Blue Zones initiative in Banning, Mead Valley, French Valley, Corona, Coachella and the city of Riverside to increase access to health and wellbeing for individuals who live and work in those areas. Leung also helped develop the Whole Person Health Score, an assessment that allows healthcare providers to identify factors affecting a patient’s health such as social support systems and financial stress.

Leung will stay on in a consultative role through April to ensure a smooth transition, at which point he will move to a part time position within RUHS.

Capt. Rob Roggeveen said at the time. “Located in the vehicle was (104) pounds of packaged fentanyl pills — M30s. Also located in the vehicle was a loaded handgun.”

Rocha was taken into custody without incident.

The sheriff’s captain didn’t say how long the Special Investigations Bureau had been monitoring the defendant, or what evidence prompted the investigation

into his narcotics dealing for the Sinaloa cartel, which did not include “smuggling narcotics into the Riverside County jail system.”

Operation Hotline Bling resulted in charges against 15 people throughout the region, including the defendant.

He was hired by the department in April 2019 and had been assigned to the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

San Bernardino Animal Services officers survey the devastation of the Palisades Fire. | Photo courtesy of the city of San Bernardino

Jorge Alberto Oceguera Rocha. | Photo courtesy of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department

| Photo courtesy of Riverside CountyBY-SA 2.0

Riverside County crackdown on sex trafficking nets over 100 arrests

By City News Service

Aseries of law enforcementoperations throughout Riverside County targeting suspects seeking or engaged in illicit sexual services netted 112 arrests, authorities said Wednesday.

The county’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force joined other agencies statewide in Operation Reclaim and Rebuild, with the goal of cracking down on individuals allegedly involved in prostitution rings and escort services, most of them based online, as well as rescuing the victims.

The effort ran Jan. 26-Feb. 1 in Riverside County, with identical sweeps taking place in numerous other jurisdictions across California, according to Sgt. Jeff Hammond of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

“The operation targeted commercial sex work and

those who demand these unlawful activities, which fuels an illicit underground economy,” Hammond said. “Often, individuals engaging in acts of prostitution are being forced to commit sexual acts against their will.”

Arrests were made in the Coachella Valley, as well as Banning, Beaumont, Calimesa, Corona, Eastvale, Hemet, Home Gardens, Jurupa Valley, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Norco, Perris, Riverside, San Jacinto, Temecula and Winchester.

Most of the individuals apprehended in the county operation were booked on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution, pimping and pandering, though some had outstanding warrants and were in possession of controlled substances, according to Hammond.

“Various services and resources were provided and offered to 13 possible victims of human trafficking” the sergeant said, without disclosing who they were or whether any of them were minors.

He said Operation Reclaim and Rebuild netted a total of 547 arrests and 177 victim rescues statewide.

“Prostitution is not a ‘victimless crime,’” Hammond said. “Those victimized by commercial sexual exploitation frequently have long histories of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children estimates 1 in 6 endangered runaways are likely victims of sex trafficking.”

The operation was conducted as part of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Man charged with killing Aguanga woman, setting fires to cover up crime

A48-year-oldman accused of killing a woman at an Aguanga RV park and setting multiple fires in an attempt to cover up the crime was charged Thursday with first-degree murder and other offenses.

Preston Garrett Young of Aguanga was arrested Tuesday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation.

Along with murder, Young is charged with three counts of arson, one count of possession of a zip gun, a special circumstance allegation of perpetrating arson in the commission of a homicide and sentence-enhancing allegations of using incendi-

ary devices to ignite fires, as well as allegations of starting fires in an area where a state of emergency exists due to wildfires last summer.

Young, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center, was slated to make his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Feb. 3, county fire personnel were called to the Jojoba Hills RV Resort on Highway 79, near Rainbow Road, after several fires were reported, including one involving a travel trailer.

Lock Dawson presented the Mayor’s Innovation Award to the Riverside Community College District for its Mapping Articulated Pathways initiative. MAP converts prior military training and work experience into course credits for veterans and working adults, officials said.

Lock Dawson credited the community with decades of work that has grown Riverside to become the 12th-largest city in the state. She recently was selected as chair of the Big City Mayor’s coalition, which officials said puts the city in an advantageous position to advocate for more housing

By City News Service

Engine crews deployed to the trailer fire, along with a blaze in a storage yard to the west and a spot fire in a nearby ravine.

By 5:45 p.m., firefighters completely contained all of the blazes, which together consumed just over two acres, according to officials at the scene.

While scouring the burned-out trailer, firefighters came upon the body of the victim, identified in court documents only as “Carol W.”

Central Homicide Unit detectives were immediately alerted and initiated an investigation, Sgt. Lance Stoyer said.

He did not disclose the exact manner of her death, nor a possible motive.

The sergeant said that Young was identified by undisclosed witnesses “as the subject possibly involved in the fatal fire.”

According to Stoyer, “information was developed” that supported the allegations, culminating in an arrest warrant being obtained and served on the defendant Tuesday morning, when he was taken into custody without incident near the intersection of Highways 79 and 371.

Young has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

Riverside mayor

production, a reduction in homelessness and other quality-of-life issues.

“This year, for the first time, Riverside is not just at the table with this powerful bipartisan coalition of leaders from places like Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego,” Lock Dawson said. “We’ve claimed the

head of the table! This is a great honor, not for me, but for all of us who have worked so tirelessly to lift up our community to its rightful place in our great state.”

The mayor also spoke with pride about the city’s the top-ranked STEM school in California, as well as UC Riverside is a national leader

in social mobility and the city’s No. 3 ranking in the nation for family-owned businesses. Time magazine ranks Riverside as a top destination in the country for millennials, she added.

Lock Dawson praised Riverside residents who represented the U.S. in the recent Olympic games —

women’s water polo athlete Emily Ausmus, a King High School graduate, and men’s water polo conditioning coach Christopher Bates.

“It was a special moment to know two Riversiders donned our nation’s colors and competed against the best in the world,” Lock Dawson said.

Garett Preston Young. | Photo courtesy of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department

| Photo by joebelanger/Envato