Photo By: Michael Armijo
I Love Lucy star, Desi Arnaz, once owned this home on Citrus Ave. in Eastvale.

By K.P. Sander Eastvale – There is a beautiful home, nestled behind a forest of Mexican and California palm trees, located on Citrus Street in Eastvale. You’ve probably driven past it dozens of times without paying it much attention, or even knowing that the home once belonged to Desi Arnaz, of I Love Lucy fame. And until recently, the property at Granja Vista del Rio was well cared for, with horses and cattle grazing in lush green fields. The immense 365 acre property was once the home of Bert Altfillisch, a construction company owner and breeder and trainer of thoroughbred horses, who passed away in 2006. In 1984, he was hired to demolish and grade a property in Corona to make way for a factory, but there was a perfectly good Spanish-style home still standing. Due to the history surrounding this house, Altfillisch made arrangements to move the home across the Santa Ana Riverbed to his property in Eastvale. Bil VanLeeuwen, a neighbor of Altfillisch, can remember when the house first came to rest on the property. “It took a lot of work for Bert to restore it and bring it back to life”, he says. The house was refurbished to its former dignity and has been a handsome landmark for over 30 years. Desi Arnaz, perhaps better known as Ricky Ricardo, also dabbled in horse breeding back in the 1960s. After he and Lucille Ball divorced, Arnaz became the owner of the Corona Breeding Farm located near Lincoln Avenue and Rincon Street. There he designed and built a 4,400 square-foot dream home reminiscent of his Cuban childhood. The breeding business was dissolved and the farm sold about ten years later, but the beautiful home is still intact on the Altfillisch property at Granja Vista del Rio. On March 24, 2012, The Press Enterprise printed a great story about the property and the magical environment it provided for Desi Arnaz and his children back in the day. Desi Arnaz, Jr. was reported as saying, “It’s a great house. I had horses and go-karts. Back then we were the only people out there. It used to be all horses and cattle farms. It was fun”. Arnaz also said of his father, “He loved animals and he loved nature. One of the great things my father gave to me is an appreciation of nature. He’d look at a sunset and say, “God really outdid himself.” Bert Altfillisch’s son, Steve, who inherited the home, wanted the Desi Arnaz house to remain a part of Eastvale and Corona’s (and his father’s) history. The Press Enterprise article said, “It was my father’s wish to keep it intact. And that’s my wish. I want to do something special with it”. Steve envisioned making the home a wedding destination and meeting/event venue. Much of the surrounding property has already been sold off for development. Toward that end, Richard Welch, Director of Parks and Community Affairs for Jurupa Community Services District, states that JCSD is in the process of purchasing the home along with some land around it, including a completed trail to connect Riverwalk Park and Community Park. While the primary interest of the area is the need to continue the Eastvale Trail to the eastern city limits, JCSD is interested in discussing the possibility of protecting the site. The Desi House will be explored as a wedding destination/meeting venue, among other options. Planning meetings will be scheduled in the near future. Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball’s I Love Lucy is a charming part of Americana. Let’s hope a part of Mr. Arnaz is able to stay in the history of Eastvale.

By K.P. Sander Eastvale – Overall, the City of Eastvale does have one of the lowest crime rates in the area. Neighborhood Scout (neighborhoodscout.com) gives it a ranking of 72.5% within a 1 mile radius outside the city, and a 62.45% ranking within a 5 mile radius (based upon 100% being low crime rates, and 10% being high). CNN Money (money.cnn.com) rates Eastvale as 3 of 1,000 people affected for Personal Crime, and 31 of 1,000 for Property Crime. But let’s go directly to the source and see the recent crime statistics for our fair city. According to the Eastvale Town Hall Meeting of August 6, the following information is regarding crimes as reported to the FBI. This information is for January 1 to June 30: The Incident numbers are listed for 2011/2012/2013 for comparison: Murder: 1/0/0 Rape: 3/1/3 Robbery: 13/7/6 Aggravated Assault: 29/24/43 Burglary: 104/148/101 Stolen Vehicles: 67/46/62 Theft (Grand, Petty, Vehicle): 348/322/336 Arson: 2/2/1 GRAND TOTALS: 567/550/552 Crime trending in Eastvale for vehicular and residential burglaries most often happened Tuesday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm. During the period of January 1 to June 30 of 2013, Eastvale Crime Statistics reported 14,452 calls for service, 5,394 traffic and parking citations, 19 DUI arrests, 38 injuries, 64 non-injury collisions, and 0 fatalities. Most calls for service are ranked by priority. Priority 1 is characterized by a threat to human life marked by violence and the potential for serious injury; Priority 2 is for urgent, but non-life threatening calls; Priority 3 is for non-urgent nor life-threatening calls; and Priority 4 is for most past calls, with the exception of several felonies. The response time to these calls, from January 1 to June 30, 2013, is as follows: Call Priority/ # of Calls/ Minutes to Respond. 1/ 112/ 5.81 2/ 2,605/ 16.10 3/ 2,219/ 26.99 4/ 1,196/ 47.97 Marijuana Grow Houses seem to be in the news quite a bit lately, and Eastvale has identified at least 31 of these houses to date. Grow Houses are a crime, and are identified by abnormal signs of occupancy. • Windows are often covered from inside the residence. • Commercial-grade air conditioners and electrical equipment may be seen being moved in or installed. • Individuals other than uniformed utility workers may be accessing electrical vaults near the street. • Lights and televisions are set on timers, turning on and off and at the same times daily. • Individuals may arrive and leave within a few hours on a regular basis, and may pull directly into the garage and immediately shut the door. • There may be a constant humming sound coming from the residence. If you suspect a Marijuana Grow House in your neighborhood, contact your local law enforcement (listed below). The City of Eastvale is also home to L.E.A.F.F. (Law Enforcement AND Fire Fighters), the only organization of Law Enforcement and Firefighters in the entire nation. L.E.A.F.F. is a group of approximately 2,500 police and fire personnel who call Eastvale home and are dedicated to ensuring that it remains a great place to live. This is definitely a contributing factor to our low crime rates. You can find more information about L.E.A.F.F. by visiting http://www.eleaff.org. You can help to keep the crime rates in Eastvale low by doing a few simple things as well. Keep your doors locked, get involved in a Neighborhood Watch program, keep spare keys with a trusted friend or neighbor (as opposed to under the doormat), and eliminate places intruders may hide such as dark entryways or overgrown shrubbery. If you have information regarding a crime or need to contact our local Sheriff’s department, utilize the following information. As always, if you have an emergency, dial 911. Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station: (951) 955-2600 Danny Feltenberger, Captain Michael Yates, Lieutenant: (951) 955-2612; myates@riversidesheriff.org 7477 Mission Boulevard Jurupa Valley, CA 92509 Norco Sheriff: (951) 270-5673.