The City of Riverside

I started several weeks ago offering you my reasons for recommending the following persons for this year’s upcoming election to be held on the first Tuesday in November. I now offer you my short version for recommendation while urging you to vote by mail or go to the polls on November 4^th.

Mayor Ron Loveridge has served the people of Riverside well by providing excellent leadership throughout the Inland Empire and nation. He has provided a steady hand approach during the difficult financial crises facing the nation, state, and region. He has also been inclusive of the various cultures in the city programs. I urge you to vote Ron Loveridge for Mayor of Riverside.

Robert Byrd for Riverside County Auditor. Robert has done a good job in accounting for the people’s money. He is a man of integrity with low visibility. His experience with the county has served the people well and he deserves four more years.

I urge you to vote Robert Byrd for Riverside County Auditor.

Chuck Beaty for Riverside City Unified School District Board of Education. Chuck has represented the parents, students and district employees well since he went on the board.

I urge you to vote Chuck Beaty for Riverside School Board.

The City of San Bernardino

The City of San Bernardino city government is in need of a more professional decorum as they conduct the business of the people and I think the election of these individuals will go a long way in making that happen. Mayor Pat Morris has served the people of San Bernardino well and deserves another four years to complete some of the programs he started. Through his leadership, San Bernardino has garnered national recognition as a crimefighter by reducing the cities crime rate. He has reached out to all segments within the community to make the city’s policies, programs and employee staff more inclusive.

I urge you to vote Pat Morris for Mayor of San Bernardino.

Virginia Marquez for 1^st Ward city Council. Virginia will bring a fresh set of eyes to this ward. Esther has served the ward with distinction but during the last four years, has lost the zeal needed to address the problems. Virginia will re-energize the people to become more involved with government to help work on the many issues facing the oldest section of the city. I urge you to vote Virginia Marquez for 1^st Ward City Council.

Dennis Baxter for 2^nd Ward City Council member. Dennis has served the citizens by providing proactive leadership and always seeks ways to move the city forward. He has mastered the art of disagreeing without being disruptive with those he disagrees with.

I urge you to vote Dennis Baxter for 2^nd Ward City Council.

Fred Shorett for 4^th Ward City Council member. Fred has only been on the council for four months in filling the seat vacated by Neil Derry who was elected to the County Board of Supervisors. Fred brings a wealth of business experience with him as a retired business leader in the community. I urge you to vote Fred Shorett for 4^th Ward City Council Member.

The Holy Scripture teaches us to be careful how we mess with the anointed ones, chosen by God, to teach, lead and shepherd their flocks. As you know, the San Bernardino city council led by city attorney Jim Penman and council member Wendy McCammack gave the First Church of Nazarene and its Pastor David Rhone an ultimatum soiled with half truths and false accusations to tarnish their 90 year good reputation in the city.

To me as a believer, God decided this was one issue where His chosen ones must take a stand against a city government decision to regulate who can or cannot attend their religious institutions. Unlike anything I have seen since the police killing of Tyisha Miller in Riverside has the clergy spoken so united against local government. They came to the podium last Monday evening one by one to voice condemnation, disbelief, outrage and disappointment with the council. They were Nazarene, Baptist, Pentecostal , Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist, Non-Denominational of al l races and genders speaking for the council to rescind and apologize for their actions. However, prior to the clergy speaking, council member Rikke Van Johnson gave a compelling speech for his motion to rescind the previous ultimatum action of the council with an apology to the church and pastor. Before he could finish, a second came from Dennis Baxter and Tobin Brinker. That set the stage for the public to let their voices be heard.

As they spoke for and some against the action of the council , it occurred to me that people forget the church and its members are citizens who pay taxes. The church is made up of doctors, lawyers, educators, business leaders, union workers, publishers, elected officials and voters al l trying to help our fellow citizens with obtaining a better life. The church has a higher responsibility to protect the rights and freedoms of its members when it comes to rights. So when the council made its decision with the ultimatum it crossed the line of governing of the people to dictating to the people and the church said no way.

So in a five vote for and two against the council rescinded its previous action of an ultimatum to the Church of the Nazarene.

City Attorney Penman crossed the line that organized crime never crossed and that was messing with the church. However, after listening to Penman’s 20 minute response to their criticism, he sounded like Pharaoh when Moses went to free the Israelites. His heart got harder. Instead of Penman apologizing and moving on, he rationalized why he was right in what he did. It was a great day in the history of the city to see the Faith based community come together in support of justice and good government. And for you Mr. Penman you don’t mess with the anointed.

Virginia Marquez for 1st Ward

I have known Esther Estrada since the sixties when she was active in organizing and confronting the establishment for better government on behalf of the voiceless. She has, over the past years, served the citizens well while gaining valuable experience as a council member. While this is great Esther, it appears to me she has lost the zeal in her approach to exercising that experience on the council thus losing her influence. She has become more of a follower than a leader. Al so Esther has not attempted to engage in building relationships with the Black community within her ward which comprises a substantial portion of the citizens.

Now we have a newcomer in Virginia Marquez seeking to provide a fresh look at some old issues we face in the city. Virginia is new to politics but not the city and area. Her experience from working in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation could be that much needed asset as we tackle those seeking reentry back into our community. She presents herself as a person who is willing to listen before jumping to quick action as the council did recently with the Church of Nazarene.

The first ward has many issues in need of new energy and a cooperative approach with others on the council as we move forward. Therefore, I urge the citizens in the first ward to elect Virginia Marquez.

Fred Shorett for the 4th Ward

Fred Shorett is new on the council for just four months but is no stranger to the community of San Bernardino. He is a native of the city and has retired as a business owner and has a lot of experience that can help our city recover from years of bickering politics. During his short time on the council , Fred has shown constraint in some of the discussions of knee jerk reactions that have surfaced. Even during the Nazarene discussion, he cautioned the council that we pay staff to do a job and he does not expect them to cal l him on everything in the city. It is clear he wants to set policy and procedures for staff to follow and then al low them to do their job, while holding them accountable for their actions. This is sound policy setting and practices for council members to follow.

Therefore, I urge the citizens in the fourth ward to keep Fred Shorett as their city council member.

I’m sure you have heard the phrase “Girls Gone Wild” as used with the uncensored out of control college students on break from school where anything goes.

Well to borrow the phrase and apply it to San Bernardino City Attorney Jim Penman’s behavior after the last council meeting for the past two weeks in my opinion is appropriate.

Penman was upset because he was left out of an investigation that involved a sex offender at a local church where the city has a youth program. The inquiry was given from Mayor Pat Morris to city manager Charles McNeely and to the police chief Keith Kilmer for proper investigation. The police reported out their findings to the council and public that everything was appropriate with all public agencies required to know of the offender.

The thing that has sent Penman into orbit is he was not notified by anyone and Chief Kilmer told Penman there was no need for notification while McNeely told Penman the buck stops at his office. This is the first time Penman has been rebuked in public by a chief of police and a city manager.

Penman lit out the very next day to pass out flyers to members of the church, the charter school parents at the church, and all the youth who attend the city’s Operation Phoenix recreation programs that a sex offender was loose at the church. This was not true because the offender was no longer employed plus everyone in authority had knowledge of the person which had no contact with children. If that was not enough, Penman heard that the parents of the charter school were holding a meeting. Penman went to the meeting uninvited took over the meeting by telling the parents he is the city attorney and he can attend any meeting in this city without being invited (to paraphrase his statement). This was after they told him to leave. Penman did not leave until one of the male parents told him I will remove him with bodily force. The next day Judith Penman, Penman’s wife, came to the school to apologize on behalf of her husband’s actions. Since Judith Penman is on the local school board with some authority over charter schools, the parents feared retaliation from her. In addition to all of that, one of Penman’s staff investigators told the pastor of the church, not knowing he was the pastor, Penman is going to have him investigated.

Now if this sounds bizarre, it is not. I spoke with the pastor and could not believe what he was telling me. The story sounded like members of Hitler’s army were operating here in San Bernardino. When you also take into account the fact that Penman led the council into taking an ultimatum vote for the church not to allow members of his church, with past criminal sex records, to attend church on Sundays, it has sent shockwaves throughout the community. The city pays the church approximately $300 dollars a month to operate the Phoenix Program according to the pastor. Penman’s actions remind me of the Girls Gone Wild video where they become drunk off of freedom by doing whatever they think they have a right to do. In Penman’s case he had never been told to “butt out” of these kinds of issues unless a legal question comes up. I want to commend the city manager for standing up to manage the affairs of the city and the chief of police for saying investigating these types of crimes is his duty and responsibility. By the way, the chief did a very professional investigation based on the report he gave to the council. The matter should have concluded at that point but Penman and Councilmember Wendy McCammack would not let it rest until a vote was taken. Now the faith based community is in an uproar over Penman’s actions and they should be. Penman is behaving like a spoiled brat who cannot have his way. It is now time for the citizens to either recall him from office or change the charter to have the position of city attorney appointed. Either way, the current city attorney has gone wild.

In the movie “The Shawshank Redemption” starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman” Morgan’s character recites a line about Tim’s character “I miss my friend.” They met while imprisoned and became close friends. They served for many years together and Tim, who was serving time for a crime he did not commit and Morgan for a murder he did commit. Tim broke out of prison, thus leaving a void of friendship for Morgan that led to the line I remember so well, “I miss my friend.” Morgan was eventually released years later after serving forty years of a life sentence.  Tim told Morgan if you ever get out to look him up on a beach somewhere south of the border. The movie comes to and end with both of them reuniting on the beach.

Well this past week, one of my friends, Rev. Roy “Brother Roy” Harris dropped in on me with his family.  We were never in prison unless you would count living on the Westside of San Bernardino as a prison. Our friendship grew out of our close relationship as workers in the communication business and our love for our Lord Jesus Christ. Brother Roy had a radio program on KUOR at the University of Redlands that he broadcast every Sunday morning. “God’s Good Old Gospel Music” he would say.

Every Sunday morning I would go by the radio station to see Brother Roy after delivering my papers to the churches in the communities of San Bernardino, Rialto, Fontana, Ontario, Riverside, and Moreno Valley with the last stop in Redlands. I would be listening to the music played by my friend Brother Roy over the radio. Once I was at the station of course brother Roy would have me speak to his huge listening audience.  I remember Roy announcing the birth of his son Ubrail to all of us. I remember his wife Carolyn saying she would never get up at four in the morning to do the program. Well before they moved to Texas, guess what?  Sister Carolyn was called into the ministry and was cohost to God’s Good Old Gospel Music with her husband.  Our daughter Regina became the babysitter for Ubrail so the family had a special bond. Then there was the time when Hardy II was on deaths bed and Brother Roy announced it over the radio for the saints of God to pray for him. The entire church community prayed in unison for a boy they never met because of Brother Roy’s program. I like for all to know Hardy is doing just fine today and talked with him in person Tuesday.  I cannot count the times we broke bread together around each others table sharing each others plight with our place of employment or what God would have us do in certain situations. I remember when Brother Roy was offered his church and that required a tremendous decision from him. When he decided to go fulltime God moved him from a shopping center store front into a church on Waterman Ave.

I was sad to see he and Carolyn leave our area because they were such a blessing to our community and my family in particular. I had just mentioned to my wife several days ago that I missed Brother Roy with his God’s Good Old Gospel Music and then he dropped in.  They are here in celebration of their 25^th wedding anniversary where they renewed their vows at Rev Hubbard’s Community Church in Redlands. Yes I miss seeing my friend but he told me he stays in touch with us every week through www.blackvoicenews.com. It was nice to lay eyes on him, Carolyn and Ubrail.

City Council: Caution on Violating One’s Rights

The city council in San Bernardino sent the pastor of a church in the city to not grant employment to a man who was convicted as a sex offender. The discussion came about when someone leaked a letter to the council members that was written by the police chief to the pastor of his investigation of the matter that no laws were being violated by the church. The city council is saying that since the city contracts with them for youth services they want the church in essence to give up its main mission of forgiveness and redemption of the fallen.  The pastor has rejected the council’s demand and I cannot blame him. If the fallen cannot find re-entry back into the community through the church then we are all doomed. Now mind you, of the ones requesting he not be employed at the church, are the same ones who advocate no prevention or intervention programs.  I caution the council that while you have a responsibility to protect the citizens, you should do so without politics entering into leaked letters or violating the rights of anyone including people with prior convictions.