The December 2 murderous spree by Sayed Farook and Tashfeen Malik at the Inland Regional Center has prompted county officials to integrate a host of security measures into the operations at fourt of the county’s major public buildings.
This week, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors committed to spending an indeterminate amount of money to repair or upgrade or otherwise install structural elements or equipment at the county’s main administrative building in downtown San Bernardino, the nearby six story county building that once housed the county’s hall of records, the satellite assessor’s office in Rancho Cucamonga and the West Valley Courthouse in Rancho Cucamonga to lessen the chance that weapons or explosive devices can be brought inside.
On December 2, 2015, 14 people, all of whom worked as county employees in the Department of Public Health’s Environmental Health Services Division were killed and 22 others were seriously injured in a mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California perpetrated by Farook and Malik at a San Bernardino County Department of Public Health training event and holiday party involving roughly 80 employees in a rented banquet room.
Terry W. Thompson, the director of the county’s real estate division, this week asked the board of supervisors to “continue the original finding made by the Board of Supervisors on December 4, 2015, that there is substantial evidence that the shooting on December 2, 2015 at the Inland Regional Center, located at 1365 S. Waterman Avenue in San Bernardino, created an emergency pursuant to Public Contract Code section 22050, requiring immediate
action to prevent or mitigate the loss or impairment of life, health, property, and essential service to the public, necessitating the remodel/renovations of portions of the county government center, located at 385 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, the old hall of records, located at 172 West 3rd Street, San Bernardino, the county office building located at 8575 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, the Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse located at 8303 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, and repairs/renovations at other county facilities required for security and to allow staff to provide services, and delegating authority to the chief executive officer to direct the purchasing agent to issue purchase orders for the repairs or improvements.”
Thompson said “a team led by the real estate services department (RESD), including the project management division (PMD), information services department, and purchasing department” had already formed with the assignment of determining how “to procure the necessary repairs, renovations and improvements to the county government center, the old hall of records, a county office building in Rancho Cucamonga, the Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse, and repairs/renovations at other county facilities, required for security and to allow staff to continue to provide services. Following the incident on December 2, 2015, the team began to analyze the requirements for transition space for the Department of Public Health – Environmental Health Services Division.”
Thompson continued, “As allowed under the emergency finding originally made by the board on December 4, 2015, RESD and PMD conducted several site visits and completed tenant improvements necessary to provide the temporary transition space and are evaluating options for long term office space, so as to continue to provide a safe working environment in a continuing effort to ensure the safety of the employees and allow for the continuation of services to the public.”
On a motion by supervisor Robert A. Lovingood, seconded by Curt Hagman, the board unanimously approved Thompson’s request.
Consistent with the emergency findings previously made by the Board, Angeles Contractor, Inc. has been contracted to remodel portions of the old hall of records and the Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse, and under the direction of Greg Devereaux, the county’s chief executive officer, the purchasing agent has been authorized to issue purchase orders to several other vendors including, but not limited to, DLR Group, G/M Building Interiors, Lemay Construction, Santa Fe Building Maintenance, Mission Building Services, Beltmann Moving and Storage, and Allied Barton Security Services LP to prepare interior work areas within the county facilities.