By Emily Aguilar

Eastvale – While the rest of the world celebrated the arrival of 2016, Eastvale city council members welcomed the new year by addressing exciting legal matters; such as the city amendment regarding marijuana dispensaries, and the selection of the PFM Asset Management LLC as the city’s investment advisor.

The January 13th meeting began with a closed session where the council members dealt with an existing proceeding entitled City of Eastvale v. County of Riverside. After discussing behind closed doors, the council announced that they would not take action on the unnamed case.

The first announcement of the evening was the introduction of the city’s New Fire Paramedic Squad Truck. Justin Schneider, who spoke on behalf of his squad, accompanied the council outside to show them the truck that was purchased. The truck comes with features including open space for the firemen to change into their attire and tools such as the Jaws of Life.

Also introduced this evening were the new Code Enforcement Officer, Avis Hatcher, and Senior Management Analyst, Tamara Irwin. Both women were selected because of their impressive employment history, education, and willingness to work with the city; they are expected to begin work soon.

All items on the consent calendar were motioned. The first request regarding business items for the council was to approve the selection of PFM Assessment LLC Management as the city’s investment advisor. At the moment, Eastvale currently invests funds with the State of California Local Agency Investment Fund (LAIF) and in Certificates of Deposits (CD’s). However, the city is seeking to improve the annual rate of return fees; thus, the city’s Finance Committee has sought business with PFM Assessment. The fiscal impact of the decision would include 10 basis points for the initial $25 million in assets managed, as well as 8 basis points for the next $25 million. Under this investment advisor, the city is expected to earn 1.12% yearly return fees. The city motioned the approval of this recommendation. Moving on from this item, the council then listened to an update status on the Flood Control Project. During a rainstorm in early January, the Public Works Staff noticed that the intersection between Citrus and Country Fair Drive, and the northeast corner of Hamner Avenue and Limonite Avenue both amassed heavy flooding. Due to the lack of drainage on these streets, the flooding was high enough to spill to other streets and reach over the sidewalks. The city is looking to install water drainages to not only get rid of the excess water, but to conserve it for later use as well. The city hopes to talk to JCSD and develop the water conservation plan soon.

Before concluding the first meeting, the council took a moment to share their committee reports. Council Member Adam Rush reflected on his trip to Washington, where he discussed the construction project on the 15 Freeway. There was also a Southern California Association of Governments meeting held on January 7^th, where attendees discussed the possible growth of job employment in local counties. Mayor Ike Bootsma discussed the Fallen Soldiers event he attended, where in which the city council members were complimented for their contribution to respecting the legacy of the soldiers lost in the line of duty.

Two weeks later, on January 27, the second council meeting for January began with Sharon Link’s Community Foundation Update. Link first addressed the issue regarding damaged banners; a failure that is attributed to the company the Foundation hired to handle the banners. While the Foundation is hopeful that the replacement banners will arrive soon, they are also seeking to work with a different company. On a lighter note, the Sponsor Campaign is set to begin soon, a celebration for which fliers will soon be handed out. Also, Link overviewed some events for the upcoming year, including the State of the City event on April 5th.

Following the Community Foundation Update, the council took the opportunity to award Richelle Barrios, Alexia Hernandez, and Yvette Hernandez for volunteering their time to the Spark of Love Toy Drive.

Julia Sung, the Eleanor Roosevelt High School ASB member responsible for the Student Liaison Report, announced that RHIS had held their first Science Fair Exposition, where in which students showcased their science projects. Weeks ago, thirteen Eastvale Elementary students were recognized for academic achievements by the district, a testament to the good education that Eastvale schools deliver. In her final report, Sung announced that ERHS was visited by a business named LCAT, who hope to assist the school in the development of “real life” and “college readiness” programs.

All items were motioned on the consent calendar.

It should be noted that Adam Rush had not arrived when the meeting began, and because the heart of the meeting would be discussing the medical marijuana dispensaries and ordinances (which were initially going to be discussed after the consent calendar items were motioned), the council took a moment to reorganize the agenda items in hopes that Rush would arrive. Thus, the council sat in and listened to item 9.1 under the City Council Business Items: the comprehensive annual financial report for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. The only recommendation for this item was that the council receive and file this information.

The council took a ten minute break hoping that Rush would arrive. He did not, and so the meeting proceeded without him.

In November of 1996, the passage of Proposition 215 legalized marijuana use for patrons who need the drug for health concerns.  Throughout the years, other bills have been introduced to protect these legitimate patrons from legal punishment. Whether or not marijuana use (be it for medical purposes or leisure enjoyment) is questionable on a legal scale, Governor Brown has signed three bills into law, jointly called the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act, or MMRSA, which allows California cities and businesses to prohibit the use of medical marijuana as long as the businesses have licenses to prohibit such actions. Brown’s law was taken into effect this year, and cities must conceive an ordinance by March 1st that claims whether or not they would allow the cultivation and use of medical marijuana.

Eastvale has already prohibited the use of marijuana dispensaries, but in the face of the MMRSA bills, the council was asked to motion two ordinances entitled Ordinance 16-03 and Ordinance 16-04, of which the council ultimately chose to motion. The first ordinance was motioned as an urgency ordinance, meaning that 16-03 would be taken into effect immediately; on the contrary, 16-04 was motioned as a non-urgency ordinance. The council chose to motion these two ordinances and prohibit access to medical marijuana under the pretenses that they want to “avoid the risks of criminal activity, degradation of the natural environment, malodorous smells and indoor electrical fire hazards that may result from such activities.”

After this discussion, the council listened to the Staff Reports. It was stated that Eastvale’s police department has organized a Homeless Outreach Team, which seeks help for homeless individuals in the city. As of now, they have reported that while the city has handled problems with panhandlers and other individuals, they debunked the rumor that homeless people were living near river bottoms or other out-of-zone areas.

Before concluding, the council members gave their communications report. Tessari gave an overview regarding the creation of the new STEM academy, stating that the groundbreaking event is set to happen in 2017, with Phase 1 of the construction being completed in 2018. The school will to be built near the Roosevelt campus. Mayor Bootsma shared the fact that the Riverside Transit System has increased the amount of riders over the past year, while other transit systems, such as those in the Los Angeles area, have decreased. Mayor Bootsma also mentioned that the city council members came together to discuss the traffic issue caused by entering and exiting Silver Lakes Park, and are  hoping that the issue can be resolved through further communication and appropriate planning.

By Sarah Sanchez

Eastvale – The holidays have come and gone, but the news didn’t stop for the celebrations. A variety of events occurred in Eastvale during the season, and articles about them were posted on our Facebook page (Facebook.com/EastvaleCommunityNews) during the month of December.

Last month, our trending posts included these stories: Burglary and mail theft suspects arrested; a Lake Norconian Club Pavilion event that honored Pearl Harbor Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines; a Juice It Up Grand Opening announcement; and a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department reminder that firing guns into the air on New Year’s Eve is dangerous and forbidden.

Our most popular post on Facebook last month was a warning to the community about coyotes in the area, along with a flyer on what to do if a coyote is seen. The post originated from an Eastvale resident that said coyotes had attacked his 50-pound dog, who later underwent surgery. The attack occurred at his home, which is near the River Walk trail. Many community members commented on the post, saying that they’ve seen coyotes in other places, including off Orange and Sumner, off 68th and Pats Ranch Road, near Vandermolen Elementary, near the Jurupa Hills Golf Course, and in Mira Loma off Bain.  About 120 community members shared this post to warn their families and friends about the coyotes having been seen in the area. The community also discussed ways to keep pets safe from coyotes.

Don’t miss out on important announcements that happen in our community. Follow us on our Facebook page (Facebook.com/EastvaleCommunityNews) for articles, meetings, city news releases, yard sales, and events posted on a daily basis.

Every Thursday, we post notices of local yard sales for the weekend and allow you to post your own yard sale notice in the comments. On Fridays, we post the weekend events and link it to our local monthly calendar. We also post the online version of the full Eastvale Community Newspaper for you to download, save, or print out.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram at @EastvaleNews, and subscribe to our website at anapr.com in order to stay up to date on what’s happening in the community. Use #ILoveEastvaleNews to tell us why YOU love Eastvale News.

Keep on Trending, Eastvale!

By Raymond Mendoza
Eastvale – A recent Riverside County Superior Court ruling has Eastvale city government employees baffled after their city was denied debt forgiveness and use of Senate Bill funds after Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar had theirs granted.
The ruling came down from Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia on Monday, Nov. 30, stating that he did not have the authority to erase the city’s debt- thereby making the city financially responsible for nearly $5 million in unpaid bills.
The question of debt forgiveness and who would receive part of the beneficial $23.7 million comes from Senate Bill 107- which was signed by Governor Jerry Brown in September. The bill was created to provide relief for the debts of Jurupa Valley, Menifee, Wildomar and Eastvale since these cities were affected by the loss of vehicle-license fee revenue. Brown signed the bill which stipulated that Riverside County would provide these funds to the debt-ridden cities.
However, by March, Eastvale had already paid all of its outstanding debts. When Riverside County was in the process of providing accounting processes of debts owed by each of the aforementioned cities to the State Department of Finance, Eastvale was shown to not need the funds because it had already paid its debts.
As a result of hearing about the newly approved funds, Eastvale government officials stopped paying their bills for law enforcement and other Riverside county-provided services under the assumption that SB 107 funds would apply to them- resulting in nearly $5 million in unpaid bills.
Eastvale City Manager Michele Nissen stated that she was unable to comment on matters regarding the ongoing lawsuit, but that an appeal was filed last week.

Photo by: City of Eastvale/JAB Photography
City officials and CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department personnel take part in the ceremonial groundbreaking on Dec. 8 for Eastvale’s Fire Station No. 31.

By Emily Aguilar

The groundbreaking ceremony for Fire Station 31 made December 8 a special day in Eastvale.  Although Eastvale already has one fire station on Hamner Avenue, the city decided that it would be best to build a second fire station on Chandler Avenue to serve the western portion of the city.  Construction has already started and should be completed within the next year or so. Numerous guests, ranging from city officials to Cal Fire firefighters, were invited to commemorate the groundbreaking in a city that makes safety a “number one priority”.

The ceremony proved to be an event praising Eastvale’s “smart, progressive” steps toward public safety. A passionate Cal Fire Chief John Hawkins opened his statement by speaking about the recent terrorist attacks that have devastated the country. He stated that we as Americans must not “run fearfully” from cowards who want to deprive the country of peace. Chief Hawkins said that he regards Eastvale as a “lead horse” that leads its citizens towards safety, and he praised officials for caring deeply about those who inhabit the city. To conclude the speech, he stated that he and his workers feel like it is an honorable obligation to ensure that city residents receive the safety they expect and deserve. His speech was met with applause.

The city also received two certificates of recognition from Assemblyman Eric Linder and Senator Roth. Mayor Ike Bootsma took a moment to thank construction planning personnel, Cal Fire, and city members for working with the city to plan the construction of the fire station, emphasizing once again that it is the city’s obligation to attend to the “growing needs” of the community.

Photo by: City of Eastvale/JAB Photography
Eastvale Mayor Ike Bootsma and City Manager Michelle Nissen stand proudly next to a CAL FIRE engine truck at the groundbreaking ceremony for the city’s second fire station.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Martin Photography

By Carol Heyen

EASTVALE-Coyote spotting has become commonplace in Eastvale and the Inland Empire.  Coyotes primarily hunt rodents and wild rabbits for food, but they have seemed to acquire a taste for our pets the last few years.

As wild spaces are developed, coyotes are being pushed out of their wild habitats and into our backyards.  Attacks that have resulted in severe injury or death to pet cats and dogs have occurred all around Eastvale in the last few months -near the River Trail, close to Harada, Vandermolen and Ronald Reagan Elementary schools, and in the Avonlea neighborhood.

Coyotes are opportunists by nature, and they will take advantage of every possibility for food that is presented.  Coyotes are attracted to garbage cans, fruit trees (and the rodents who feed on the fallen fruit) and of course, our pets.  What can you do to keep your beloved Fido and Fluffy safe?

Neighboring cities and the Inland Valley Humane Society have released a list of strategies to help:

• Securing garbage in tightly-closed containers
• Removing sources of water
• Locking pets inside at night
• Trimming shrubbery, as to not give the coyotes any hiding places
• Never let your dog off-leash in wild areas – Coyotes sometimes hunt in packs and have been known to lure dogs into ambushes

Other common-sense measures include not trying to tame the coyotes (or any other wild animal), and keeping your dog on a short leash while walking. Never leave small children or pets alone in your yard- coyotes can easily jump a 6-foot wall or fence, and there have been many dogs and cats in Eastvale and the surrounding areas that have been attacked while in their own backyard.

Coyotes are most active at dawn and dusk.  They will be even more active in the next few months as they will need to find food and water for the pups that will be born this spring. If you come in contact with a coyote, raise your hands above your head, making yourself seem as large as possible, and shout loudly or throw something, like a rock, to scare it off.  Garden hoses, air horns, pepper spray and whistles are also good deterrents, according to the Indefinitely Wild website.

If coyotes are afraid of human contact, and they don’t have any readily-available food or water sources, they may stay away from our neighborhoods.  Until then, be vigilant to keep your pets and families safe.