September 1 Sentinel Legal Notices

SUMMONS – (CITACION JUDICIAL)
CASE NUMBER (NUMERO DEL CASO) 20CECG02841
NOTICE TO DEFENDANT:
(AVISO AL DEMANDADO):
DAVID ZEPEDA; DAVID ZEPEDA, as a trustee of the Steve Cam, Lucy Cam, Joshua Keys, Sandy Keys, Wilson Wolf, Karen Wolf, James Sullivan, Sandy Sullivan, et al. Trust; and DOES 1-10, inclusive
YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF:
(LO ESTA DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE):
JOSE AGUILAR.
NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.
You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court.
There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case.
¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 dias, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su version. Lea la informacion a continuacion.
Tiene 30 DIAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una repuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefonica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y mas información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede mas cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le de un formulario de exencion de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corta le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia.
Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conace a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remission a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte.ca.gov), o poniendose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 o mas de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso.
The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y la direccion de la corte es):
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF FRESNO
1130 O STREET
FRESNO, CA 93721-2220
The name, address and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demendante que no tiene abogado, es):
Robert D. Bassett (State Bar #192169)
Quinlan, Kershaw & Fannucchi, LLP
2125 Merced Street
Fresno, CA 93721
Telephone: (559) 268-8771
DATE (Fecha): October 1, 2020
By: Clerk of the Court (Secretario) A. Ramos, Deputy (Adjunto)
Published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel on: August 11, 18, 25 and September 1, 2023

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San Bernardino Poaching Salinas City Manager, With Hiring Scheduled Next Week

By Mark Gutglueck
A five-eighths split of the San Bernardino City Council is leaning toward hiring Salinas City Manager Steven S. Carrigan as the county seat’s top municipal administrator, reliable sources have told the Sentinel.
Since shortly after the official confirmation of Mayor Helen Tran’s November 2022 election victory, Robert Field’s tenure as San Bernardino city manager essentially drew to a close. Even before Tran was sworn into the mayor’s post, the city council, in the last gasp of the administration of Mayor John Valdivia, voted unanimously to accept Field’s resignation.
Field had been hired in September 2020, a little less than halfway into Valdivia’s four-year span as mayor. Field, in an astounding misreading of political alliances and reality for someone in his position, had assumed Valdivia to not only be the titular leader of the city, but its dominant political personage as well. And while Valdivia in the months after his November 2018 election as mayor had controlled as many as five of the votes on the city council, making him the head of a ruling council coalition at that time, by the end of Summer 2019, his relationship with three of the council members he had counted upon for support in governing the county’s largest city – Councilman Teddy Sanchez, Councilwoman Sandra Ibarra and Councilman Henry Nickel – had begun to deteriorate. In March 2020, a full six months before Field was hired, then-Sixth Ward Councilwoman Bessine Richards, one of only two remaining Valdivia allies on the council, had been defeated in her reelection bid. Richards was replaced by Kimberly Calvin in December 2020.
During the three months between Field’s hiring as city manager and the installment of a differently-composed city council in December 2020 that saw Calvin replace Richards in the Sixth Ward, Ben Reynoso replace Henry Nickel in the Fifth Ward and Damon Alexander replace Jim Mulvihill in the Seventh Ward, Field on a number of issues began militating to assist Valdivia in his political agenda. That agenda involved promoting the fortunes of entities that had provided Valdivia with campaign contributions and other forms of monetary support. Those entities were seeking city contracts or project approval for their undertakings. In this way, Field, who on one level believed he was merely doing the bidding of his political masters, was actually getting crosswise of a majority of the council which was at odds with Valdivia. Continue reading

Bill Cunningham 1926-2023

Former Redlands Mayor Bill Cunningham, among the most dynamic and effective controlled-growth advocates in San Bernardino County history, died at the age of 96 on August 16.
Born October 5, 1926 in Manhattan Beach, Cunningham, the youngest of six children, grew up in Southern California. After graduating from high school in 1944, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was among the youngest of the final installment of recruits during World War II.
After his discharge as a sergeant, he enrolled at USC. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, on November 27, 1947, he stopped at the soda fountain at the drug store in Newhall for a fudge sundae, and thereupon made the acquaintance of Beverley Wheeler, who was working there. They were married on June 4, 1949.
Cunningham graduated from USC and obtained his first major teaching position at William S. Hart High School. In 1952, he and Beverley moved to Redlands when he was hired at Redlands High School as a teacher and football and track coach.
The couple purchased the 18-acre Glencairn Farm, which included orange and kiwi groves. They raised their four children there.
Cunningham taught at Redlands High School for 19 years. Thereafter, he taught at San Bernardino Valley College, from 1971 to 1982. He subsequently taught physics and astronomy part time at the University of Redlands for 15 years.
As early as the late 1950s, Cunningham had the opportunity to sell the Glencairn Farm acreage at a profit, but he was and remained committed to preserving Redlands’ agricultural district. Continue reading

Orange County Splotches State Housing Mandates

Though the once-spirited effort by a handful of San Bernardino County cities to prevent the State of California from usurping a substantial portion of local land use authority has been abandoned, several of their counterparts in Orange County are appealing to the California Supreme Court consider countermanding the state’s mandate that Southern California cities and counties accommodate 1.34 million new homes before the end of the decade.
Traditionally in California and most of the country, land use authority – decisions on what can be built, to what standards and intensity – is exercised at the local, i.e., city or county level. Federal and state governments set building standards with regard to construction and things like fire safety and have qualified autonomy on development issues on state-owned and federal-owned land. Planning processes take place generally in California at the municipal and county levels, such that within city/incorporated town limits, that control is exercised by the cities and towns themselves.
Under this arrangement, theoretically and for the most part practically, through their elected leadership local residents had some level of control with regard to the tenor of development, its intensity, its quality, its mix, its character and nature, and its density.
In recent years, the cost of housing in California has escalated dramatically beyond what was already a significant inflationary scale and the incidence of homelessness has increased. State officials in California, seeking to induce more and intensified home building, over the past nine years have been accommodating of the development industry. Continue reading

Ontario Using Eminent Domain To Seize Part Or All Of 16 Parcels For Widenings Or Housing Projects

The City of Ontario on August 15 used its power of eminent domain to force the sale of 16 pieces of property.
Despite conducting the vote on the condemnation process at three public hearings held in the course of the August 15 meeting, nowhere in the documentation filed or recorded in conjunction with the action did the city specify the precise acreage of the property seized nor the prices to be provided for it.
Fourteen of the acquisitions were of portions of Assessor Parcel Numbers 0110-061-10, 0110-061-21, 0110-061-24, 0110-061-25, 0110-061-30, 0110-061-31, 0110-131-20, 1048-472-15, 1048-472-22, 1048-472-24, 1048-472-25, 1049-141-24, 1049-141-25, 1049-141-30 and 1049-141-31, all of which were, according to the city, “necessary for the construction of the Grove Avenue and Holt Boulevard Intersection Widening Project.”
A portion of Parcel Number 0110-061-10 was acquired from Crossroad Ontario LLC for a permanent easement and temporary construction easement at 1207 E. Holt Boulevard.
A portion of Parcel Number 0110-061-21 was acquired from OM Sai Hospitality, Inc. for a permanent easement and temporary construction easement. The site address is 1217 E. Holt Boulevard.
A portion of Parcel Number 0110-061-24 was acquired from Hideo Kikumoto and Jeanette M. Kikumoto as Trustees of the Kikumoto Trust dated June 27, 1988 for a permanent easement and temporary construction easement. The site address is 1315 E. Holt Boulevard. Continue reading

County Supervisors Settle On Promoting Snoke To Acting CEO

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has elevated Luther Snoke, the county’s chief operating officer for the last 33 months, to the role of acting county chief executive officer in the aftermath of Leonard Hernandez’s forced exit from the county CEO position.
On August 8, Chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors Dawn Rowe, the last of a dwindling list of Hernandez’s defenders, reluctantly accepted that Hernandez would need to depart from the county after a revolt by a cross section of the county’s mid-level managers took place the previous week.
In July, after Hernandez had temporarily surrendered to Snoke day-to-day management of the county while he was away on vacation, a concerted move to block Hernandez from returning to his perch as the county’s top staff member materialized. That coup included inducing Pam Williams, Hernandez’s mistress whom he had promoted to the position of the county’s chief of administration within days of his assuming the position of county CEO in October 2020, to come forward and acknowledge the intimate relationship with sexual overtones that she had with Hernandez, while simultaneously seeking whistleblower protection.
Though multiple employees within county government’s executive and managerial echelons for some time had been aware of the relationship between Hernandez and Williams and had concerns that it was compromising the professional integrity of the organization, Hernandez and the county’s director of human resources, Diane Rundles, whom he promoted to the position of deputy executive officer in February, were able to squelch further discussion of the matter or criticism by terminating or forcing the resignations of those who complained about it. Continue reading

Ontario Uses Eminent Domain To Seize 16 Properties

The City of Ontario on August 15 used its power of eminent domain to force the sale of 16 pieces of property.
Despite conducting the vote on the condemnation process at three public hearings held in the course of the August 15 meeting, nowhere in the documentation filed or recorded in conjunction with the action did the city specify the precise acreage of the property seized nor the prices to be provided for it.
Fourteen of the acquisitions were of portions of Assessor Parcel Numbers 0110-061-10, 0110- 061-21, 0110-061-24, 0110-061-25, 0110-061-30, 0110-061-31, 0110-131-20, 1048-472-15, 1048-472-22, 1048-472-24, 1048-472-25, 1049-141-24, 1049-141-25, 1049-141-30 and 1049- 141-31, all of which were, according to the city, “necessary for the construction of the Grove Avenue and Holt Boulevard Intersection Widening Project.”
A portion of Parcel Number 0110-061-10 was acquired from Crossroad Ontario LLC for a permanent easement and temporary construction easement at 1207 E. Holt Boulevard.
A portion of Parcel Number 0110-061-21 was acquired from OM Sai Hospitality, Inc. for a permanent easement and temporary construction easement. The site address is 1217 E. Holt Boulevard.
A portion of Parcel Number 0110-061-24 was acquired from Hideo Kikumoto and Jeanette M. Kikumoto as Trustees of the Kikumoto Trust dated June 27, 1988 for a permanent easement and temporary construction easement. The site address is 1315 E. Holt Boulevard. Continue reading

 Concern Expressed Over Housing Homeless And Serving The Elderly At Patton State Hospital

By John Marquez
As a concerned citizen, I want to express my strong opposition to Assembly Bill 349, authored by James Ramos. While I acknowledge the intention behind the bill is to address the urgent issues of housing and mental health treatment for homeless individuals, I believe that the proposed approach of lumping homeless people with elderly, senior individuals for treatment at Patton State Hospital is not a suitable solution and raises serious concerns.
First and foremost, I am deeply concerned about the potential consequences of co-locating homeless individuals with elderly patients in a mental health treatment setting. The needs of these two groups are vastly different and combining them in the same facility could lead to conflicts, safety concerns, and inadequate care for both populations.
Patton State Hospital also treats those who are deemed incompetent to stand trial such as crime offenders with mental health disorders as well as subjects who are found to be not guilty by reason of insanity.
Elderly individuals may require specialized care that caters to their medical and cognitive needs, while homeless individuals may require more comprehensive and holistic approaches to address their unique challenges, including social support systems, addiction recovery services, and pathways to stable housing.
Moreover, housing homeless individuals at Patton State Hospital, which traditionally serves as a mental health facility, raises questions about the appropriateness of the environment for individuals who do not have severe mental illnesses. Placing homeless individuals in a facility designed for psychiatric treatment might inadvertently stigmatize them and exacerbate the social challenges they already face. It is essential to consider alternative approaches that prioritize creating safe and supportive environments specifically tailored to the needs of homeless individuals.
Additionally, elderly people may view treatment at Patton State Hospital as a step towards being committed by the judicial system for treatment.
AB 349 might inadvertently divert resources away from improving and expanding dedicated homeless shelters, transitional housing programs, and community-based mental health services. These resources are crucial for addressing the underlying causes of homelessness and mental health challenges, and redirecting them to a single facility could limit the effectiveness of broader solutions.
Lawmakers need to consider a more nuanced and comprehensive approach that includes input from a diverse range of stakeholders, including experts in homelessness, mental health, social services, and community organizations. We need solutions that address the root causes of homelessness and mental health issues while respecting the dignity and unique needs of each affected individual.
While I support the efforts to address the critical issues of homelessness and mental health, I cannot support AB 349 in its current form. I kindly request Assemblyman Ramos to reconsider the proposed approach and explore alternative strategies that prioritize appropriate care, housing, and support for both homeless and elderly individuals.
I hope lawmakers will make decisions that reflect the best interests of our community and ensure the well-being of all individuals involved.
According to the Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
AB 349, as amended, by Assemblyman James Ramos, would allow Patton State Hospital to be leased to provide housing and mental health services for homeless individuals.
Existing law authorizes the California Department of General Services to perform various duties relating to state real property, including authorizing the director of general services to let [i.e., lease] a building located at Patton State Hospital to a nonprofit corporation or local government, for a period not to exceed 20 years, for the purpose of providing services to elderly persons.
Assemblyman Ramos’s bill would delete the 20-year lease maximum and would additionally authorize the director of general services to lease the building described above for the purposes of providing housing to homeless individuals and providing mental health services to those individuals.
AB 349 states:
The People of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 14672.95 of the Government Code is amended to read:
14672.95. Notwithstanding Section 14670, the director of general services may, with the consent of the State Department of State Hospitals, let a building located at Patton State Hospital to a nonprofit corporation or local government for either of the following purposes:
(a) Providing services to elderly persons.
(b) Providing housing to homeless individuals and providing mental health services to those individuals.
John Marquez is a concerned citizen of San Bernardino County.

Tropical Storm Hilary’s Mountain Area Destruction Extended To Woman Perishing

While Tropical Storm Hilary manifested as mostly medium-intensity rain in the urbanized valley areas in the western, central and eastern portions of lower San Bernardino Valley on Sunday, August 20, the impact of the storm was more pronounced in certain mountain and desert areas.
Flooding and road washouts resulted in what is believed to have been at least one death and a handful of injuries. At certain spots on roadways along Routes 18, 38 and 330 leading to and from the San Bernardino Mountains, conditions could have resulted in further fatalities but did not, in no little due to the rapid response of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and San Bernardino County Department of Public Works.
At various spans along Highway 38 from Jenks Lake Road to Lakewood Road, at a spot on Glass Road near Seven Oaks and Highway 38, on Radford Camp Road in the Seven Oaks environs, on Oak Glen Road from Harris Road to Casa Blanca Avenue and on Potato Canyon Road in the Oak Glen district, substantial portions of roadway collapsed, such that motorists and their vehicles transiting those areas would have been likely to tumble downward dozens, scores or even as much as hundreds of feet, risking injury or death. The San Bernardino County Department of Public Works, the sheriff’s department, the county fire department and Caltrans acted with alacrity in closing down those roads. Continue reading