By Michael Armijo

Walnut – The Walnut Valley Unified School District announced that it wont be able to pay their bills this school year, which opens them up to a possible “take over” by the county. The board voted 4-0, with board member Larry Reddinger absent, to declare a ‘negative certification” on their annual budget. “We are 90% salaries and benefits,” said one school official, who asked not to be named. “We can remove the negative certification if and when we get concessions from the teachers union,” they added. “Negative certification” means that the district is declaring it cannot pay its bills and is desperately short of cash. This status is reported to the LA County Office of Education (LACOE) and is required to be reported by state law. “There are only four ways to really solve this situation,” said the official. “One: reduce salaries, two: require furlough days for teachers, three: begin layoffs, or four: a freeze. But the Union isn’t budging, so the district had no choice but to declare the negative certification.” District officials said that layoffs were not something they want to consider, but with 90% of the budget being salaries and benefits, there may not be any choice. “Area districts have been utilizing furlough days to balance their budget for the past two years,” they said. “We haven’t had any. And we haven’t increased spending, but with ‘step and column’ plus rising health care and utilities, the budget keeps increasing without voting on a single expenditure.” If the district and the Union cannot agree, then the county has the opportunity to take over and is watching the district closely. Inglewood Unified is the only other district that has been stripped of its power. They also claimed “negative certification,” and has now lost all power. LACOE can now force Walnut Valley to explain how it ran short of cash, and if not satisfied with the districts plans to resolve the issue, they could begin to take over power. “Basically, the district used the money from the sale of the landfill they received to balance the budget,” officials said. “This year, the county said they can no longer use that money, which created the financial crisis. That’s how the district has been able to avoid furlough days for the past few years.” The district is facing a $4.7 million deficit to its approximately $110 million annual budget. The administration has asked the teachers to accept furlough days to help close the gap, which will amount to a cut in pay, but the teachers union has refused, according to the Walnut Valley Educators Association website. Laying off teachers, which the district said they will do if the union doesn’t accept the furlough days, will mean larger class sizes. There has already been a huge increase in kindergarten this year. The union wants more teachers hired, and the district wants to keep the class sizes the same and instead provide teachers’ aides to help out in classes with more than 22 students. For more information, please go to http://www.wvusd.k12.ca.us.

Staff Reports Riverside County – According to information submitted to the Internet Crime Complaints Center (IC3), there have been recent cyber crime trends and new twists to previously-existing cyber scams. A payment management company recently reported to the top fraud attacks most impactful to eCommerce. These attacks were identified by frequency of attack and revenue loss. In ranked order, the top nine fraud attacks identified were: 9) Triangulation Schemes 8) Phishing/Pharming/Whaling 7) Botnets 6) Re-shipping 5) Affiliate Fraud 4) Identity Theft 3) Friendly Fraud 2) Account Takeover 1) Clean Fraud. Also, several legitimate direct sales companies have seen a large surge in fake orders being places with their consultants. The consultants are contacted through the legitimate “find a consultant” link located on the various sales Websites. In each instance, the suspects are placing large orders and agreeing to pay by check. The consultant receives the check for a much larger amount than the total cost for the products. The consultants are instructed to cash the check and send the difference back to the buyer via wire transfer. The IC3 has received several complaints filed by consultants from companies affected by this scam. For more information regarding online scams, visit the IC3 Press Room page for the most current Public Service Announcements. http://www.ic3.gov/media/default.aspx.

Staff Reports LA County – Last month, there have been reports of two threats towards local schools and two school lockdowns in the local area. The first incident occurred on Thursday, Dec. 13, when a 14-year-old student at Canyon View Junior High School in San Dimas allegedly threatened to bring a gun to campus and kill a teacher, according to the LA Times. Sheriff’s spokesman Steven Whitmore said to the Times that the investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made. The second incident occurred two days after the tragedy of 20 children and 6 adults being killed in Newtown, Connecticut. On Sunday, Dec. 16, a Pomona man was arrested for allegedly making violent threats against local elementary schools. Kyle Bangayan, 24, was arrested at around 11:15 a.m. by Los Angeles police officers and FBI agents at his parents’ residence in the 1200 block of North New Hampshire Avenue in East Hollywood, according to local reports. Found at the parents’ residence were nine firearms, including rifles, a shotgun, handguns, and ammunition, officials state. However, it is not known to whom the guns belonged to. Reports state that officials searched Bangayan’s Pomona residence and didn’t find any weapons or related evidence. Bangayan’s threats were made on Facebook, where he referenced the Newton shooting. Local reports state that Bangayan was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats and held on $500,000 bail. However, prosecutors declined to file charges against Bangayan on Dec. 17 because he did not target specific schools and apparently claimed the post to be a joke. The first lockdown that occurred was on Dec. 17 at approximately 9:45 a.m., when Diamond Bar High School went on lockdown due to a suspicious man in the area. According to a post by Principal Catherine Real on the DBHS website, Diamond Bar High School was notified by the Walnut Sheriff’s Department that a suspicious individual was in the vicinity. Local reports state that the man was carrying a duffel bag and acting suspiciously. In the interest of the students’ and staff’s safety, DBHS immediately went into their lockdown procedure. At approximately 10:05 a.m., the Sheriff’s Department notified the school that the man was in question, detained and was in police custody. Local reports state that the man was a Diamond Bar resident and not a threat. The lockdown was over and the school went back to their normal bell schedule. Real ended the post to DBHS parents saying, “Please know that your child’s safety is our number one priority and once that safety was secured and verified, parents were notified as quickly as possible.” The last lockdown occurred on Dec. 21, when Diamond Ranch High School went on lockdown due to an alleged threatening call from a student. The Pomona Unified School District posted online at around 10:30 a.m. that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had directed Diamond Ranch High School to be placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure to a matter they were investigating. The post stated that all students were safe in class and parents would be notified as soon as the lockdown was lifted. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s responded to the school campus and didn’t find any evidence of any threat on campus. However, the Sheriff’s brought up additional resources to aid in sweeping the entire campus and surrounding area and the situation was named precautionary. A post at around 1:30 p.m. stated that the lockdown was lifted. Classes remained in session until 2:20 p.m., as scheduled. Parents were sent to the gym to pick up their children and the school followed emergency release protocols, meaning that only those listed on the students emergency release card were able to pick up students and picture identification was required. All school activities were cancelled for that day and arrangements were made for students to take finals in January, when students returned to school after Winter Break. The post ended with: “We thank you for your patience during this incident. We appreciated the commitment of our local law enforcement officers in keeping our students and staff members safe.” Both the LA County Police Department and Sheriff’s Department have recently announced that they will increase daily patrols around local schools to protect against potential treats. The LA County Sheriff Department posted a news release after the Newtown tragedy regarding school safety, tips for parents, teachers, and schools, and new notification systems available to the community. Read this news release at http://nixle.us/84K5H. For more information, go to http://sheriff.lacounty.gov.

Staff Reports West Covina – Two people were killed last month in two West Covina car crashes. The first crash occurred on Dec. 22 at around 2 a.m., when Baldwin Park resident, Andrew Joey Villagran, crashed his car into a pole, according to local reports. Villagran, 25, was traveling west in his 1974 Volkswagen Beetle, when his car veered to the left, crossed the eastbound lanes, and jumped the curb, according to the report. He crashed into a wooden utility pole off 15610 San Bernardino Road and later died at the USC Medical Center. The second crash occurred on Dec. 25 at around 9 p.m., when two apparent street racers crashed into a van, killing a 90-year-old woman. Rialto residents Vincent Lopez, 30, and Victor Hugo Sanchez, 34, were reported to be drinking in a nearby bar an hour before the incident. Then witnesses had seen them street racing on Lark Ellen Ave. and Merced Ave., where they also ran the corner stop signs, according to local reports. The men were reported to have crashed into a van driven by Jaime Ochoa, who was driving home his mother, Cilia La Torre, 90. La Torre had just been released from Queen of the Valley Hospital and was seated in a wheelchair secured in the van when the crash occurred. However, the impact of the collision caused her to be thrown from the van and pronounced dead at the scene. Ochoa was taken to USC Medical Center to be treated for head trauma. Lopez was taken to the Queen of Valley Hospital for leg injuries. Lopez and Sanchez were booked for suspicion of felony drunken driving and may face other charges for the death, according to reports. If anyone has information regarding either of these crashes, please contact the West Covina Police Department at (626) 939-8500.

Staff Reports

Chino Hills – Residents and officials are not happy with a residential home that has allegedly turned into a Chinese maternity hotel, which is against city code enforcement law.

City staff inspected a property at 15250 Woodglen Drive in Chino Hills through a court order on Nov. 19 and a public complaint was filed on Dec. 7.

Through the court-ordered inspection, city officials discovered that the home has been used to house 30 pregnant Chinese women that have come from China to give birth on United States soil.

The inspection also revealed that a resident was charged $150 a day for a medium-size room. An invoice showed another tenant paid $27,000 for her prenatal and postpartum care, according to local reports.

The “hotel” has been reported to be offering $5,000 to $15,000 packages, according to notinchinohills.org. These packages include transportation, meals, tours, and a hospital stay before returning to China with their American-born babies.

Officials observed raw sewage “flowing down” the property and determined that the septic system was failing, according to a city report.

Co-owners Hai Yong Wu and Yi Wang, who own the home built in the mid 70’s, purchased the home through a California based corporation, Los Angeles Hermas, Inc. They face numerous code enforcement violations.

Through property meter readings, the city was able to determine that more than 100,000 gallons of water, or an average of 4,000 gallons per day, was being used at the facility from Sept. through Dec 2012. Septic systems in that area were designed to handle only 1,500 gallons a day, almost one third of the current use, the complaint said.

The city also observed a dining area, dining schedule, a “lobby”, recreation areas, a luggage dolly, and brochures advertising the hotel as “USA Los Angeles Hermas International Guidance on How to Have an American Baby,” the complaint said.

Chino Hills City Mayor, Peter Rogers, said that until the 14th Amendment of the Constitution is amended or eliminated, what is being done by the operators of these birthing tourism programs is not illegal, according to last week’s City Council meeting minutes.

The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution states a child born in the US is granted citizenship and will receive a birth certificate.

Chino Hills residents protested off of Peyton Avenue and Chino Hills Parkway early last month regarding the “hotel”. Residents held signs saying “Not in Chino Hills, Not Anywhere” and “No Birth Tourism”.

Among the protestors was the “Not in Chino Hills” group, which was organized just a few weeks ago. According to their website, the mission of “Not in Chino Hills” is to preserve their family oriented community. The alleged Maternity Hotel is their first issue to face.

The City Attorney, Mark Hensley, announced at the Dec. 11 council meeting that their office will seek an immediate order requiring the operations at the property cease, and that the property “cannot be inhabited until brought to compliance with city zoning, building and safety codes.”

Hensley also said there is the possibility of a court hearing within the next four weeks.

The inspection report also indicates the home had been subdivide, without proper permits, lacked emergency escape windows, unpermitted gas lines for a secondary kitchen, no smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors, and unpermitted electrical and plumbing connections in the 17 room facility. Rooms also resembled a hotel, with matching monograms, keyed locks on each door, and water buckets to wash with.

The home appears to be empty now with the lights completely out at night and the property appears to be uninhabited, according to local reports. But some have reported seeing construction trucks that appear to be working on sewer lines.

Several calls to Wu and Wang were not answered nor returned.

Photo By Diane Armijo

By Erika Aguilar and Michael Armijo Walnut – One of Walnut’s iconic restaurants, Taco Factory on Lemon Avenue and La Puente, has closed because the landlord refused to renew the lease, said owner Raquel Guillen. The Walnut Taco Factory had been there for over 26 years. The Taco Factory previously had nine locations in Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Bernardino County, until a few weeks ago when Guillen was notified by her landlord that her very first location in Walnut was shutting down. “The landlord did not renew my lease and it took me by surprise,” Guillen said, “I’ve been at that location for over 26 years and never had an issue with the leasing renewal.” She also added that she had great relationships with her prior two landlords and that closing down her very first store came as a shock. “This is what can happens when you don’t own your own building,” she said. Guillen and her staff recently cleared out all of the equipment from the Taco Factory. Holding back tears, she shared, “I had an emotional attachment to that restaurant.” Several calls to The Weekly News by residents felt it was discrimination, that the landlord wanted to place an Asian food based restaurant in that spot. B ut calls to the landlord by The Weekly News and by the former tenant Guillen were not answered. “Losing my first store in Walnut was a tough lesson I learned. I am curious to see what kind of food will be sold there now,” said Guillen. But she is relentless and unwilling to yield to the recent events that have occurred. “I am trying to find a new location in Walnut because that is where I started,” she said. She has already met with a new landlord and is trying to reopen another location. She indicated that she had eight employees working at the Walnut restaurant location and that she did not want to let them go. “We’re making arrangements to relocate our employees to the other locations,” she said. But still the question remains, “Why did they not renew her lease?” She recalled, “I remember we ran out of meat, beans, rice, and everything the first day we opened in Walnut.” “I ran a bridal shop in Pico Rivera for eight years and decided to open up my own restaurant in Walnut when I moved and bought a house in that city,” she said. The City of Walnut only had a pizza place, a bank, and a supermarket located in that shopping center back in the 1980s. Gullien said she always passed by Lemon Avenue and La Puente Road and believed that she could run a successful restaurant business at that location, so that working parents like her could purchase authentic Mexican food at a low cost to feed their children. “I was a working, single mom at the age of 24 and I didn’t want to cook when I got off work. I felt that the city needed more local restaurants to pick up food for their kids on the way home, and since the restaurant business was familiar to me, I followed my dream,” she said. Reminiscing back to the days of her childhood when she would hear the clunking sounds of pot and pans in her parents’ restaurant kitchen, and the aroma of fresh homemade corn and flour tortillas, Raquel Guillen pursued the “American dream” of opening her first restaurant. It began in 1984 at a small, 600 foot square leasing space in Walnut, California. Guillen expressed that her late son, George, designed her first restaurant logo when he was in junior high school. It was a drawing of a man wearing a hat, known as a sombrero in Spanish, taking a nap while homemade tortillas were falling into a pot off the machine line. She explained that she redesigned the logo in 2006, after she witnessed a Cal Poly Pomona Chicano Studies Professor explain to his students at the Diamond Bar Taco Factory that the old logo misrepresented Latinos as being lazy and always making tortillas. She revealed, “Chicomecóatl” also known as “Xently,” was her choice for the new Taco Factory logo. The logo represents the “goddess of corn” and the “maize deity” of Aztec/Mexican history in 15th-16th early century. “It is very important to me because she is a woman and represents corn,” Guillen conveyed. With determination and respect for the residents of the City of Walnut, she has pride for her clientele and everything that they have done for her and her family. Guillen said that the residents of Walnut are even driving to the Taco Factory location in Diamond Bar. Guillen owns and runs other restaurant locations in Claremont, Chino Hills, Fontana, Irvine, Rancho Cucamonga, and Upland and two locations in Irvine. “This wasn’t something I was expecting, but we’ll see what happens in the near future,” she said.

Photo courtesy: Walnut Valley Unified School District

By Sarah Armijo Walnut – Walnut Valley Unified Superintendent Dr. Dean Conklin announced his retirement, which will be in effect June 30, 2013. Conklin sent out a letter regarding his decision to the district staff and Board of Trustees last week. He states that he announced his retirement six months early to provide the Board of Trustees time to find the next superintendent and ensure a smooth transition. In the letter to his staff, he explained that he is not retiring because he is frustrated or disenchanted with his job. He says he loves his job and every job he’s had in the past. “My decision is all about the quality of life, and the quality of my life is very good. That being said, I have been touched by the fact that I do have friends and mentors who are dealing with health issues; a reminder that life is precious, and not to be taken for granted. This reality has definitely had a place in the decision I have made,” says Conklin. At age 57, Conklin has served 33 years in public education, including seven years as superintendent. He has been working in the Walnut Valley District for 15 years now and says he will miss the students, Cabinet, administrators, teachers, staff members and the Board of Trustees. “Walnut Valley Unified is an extraordinary place, and I have been truly honored to serve in the capacity of superintendent. You are a very professional staff, and totally dedicated to the District. Your commitment is the major reason that this District enjoys the reputation it does,” says Conklin. He adds, “The years I have spent in the Walnut Valley Unified School District have been a remarkable experience, and I have been blessed.” Conklin ends his letter with letting his staff know that he will be committed to finish the task at hand over the next six months. He says he will help build consensus in the WVUSD district and renew dedication to keeping the educational programs vibrant and effective. He also says that he will help resolve WVUSD’s current financial problems during these last six months as superintendent. “I believe that the solutions to our financial challenges are within our grasp.”

Staff Reports

This is the last weekend you can enter to win our latest Facebook Giveaway! Read below to find out the two easy steps to enter!

We have been giving away prizes throughout this past year. Thirteen winners have already received beach cruisers, circus tickets, gift certificates, a Date Night package, a runner’s ipod, a brand new KHS bike, and even an IPAD!

For this month’s Facebook Giveaway, the prize will be a Gift Basket valued at $100 made by Gift Baskets by Rita!!

Gift Baskets by Rita has been in business for over 10 years because of the quality ingredients in each basket. Some contain fine chocolates, gourmet crackers and meats, name brand apple ciders, fine wines, and many other superior items. These items are all placed into sturdy, higher grade baskets. She doesn’t use the flimsy baskets you would see at a discount or warehouse store, that way your client or family member knows you care enough to get a handmade item instead of an assembly line product.

Gift Baskets by Rita has been making gift baskets for companies including major banks and high end real estate companies, but she’s always serving the small business owner with affordable promises.

To enter this Facebook Giveaway to win one of Rita’s quality Gift Baskets, here’s what you do: First “LIKE” our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/theweeklynews), then press “JOIN” on the “Facebook Online Giveaway Dec. 19” event page. Two steps and you will be entered to win!

If you do not Like our Facebook page, you will not be eligible to win, even if you pressed Join. You MUST do BOTH before midnight on December 19 or you will be disqualified. The winner will be picked and announced in a video message on Facebook and published in The Weekly News, the Eastvale Community News and the SGV Community News.

Please note that this is an online event. You do not need to be present on day of event. Everyone is eligible to win, except ABC Public Relations staff.

For more information, check out the details to the event page or call (909) 464-1200. For more information on Gift Baskets by Rita, call (909) 643-6928.