Rick Bessinger, who within the last two months was promoted to the post of assistant sheriff, will move into the undersheriff position, effective August 24.
“I am pleased to announce that I have selected Assistant Sheriff Rick Bessinger to serve as undersheriff for our department,” Sheriff Shannon Dicus posted on the sheriff’s department’s website. “Assistant Sheriff Bessinger has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and sound decision-making skills throughout his 27 years career. His expertise in both operational and support functions of the department will enable him to excel in this role.”
According to Dicus, “His prior experience includes serving as deputy chief of the personnel/emergency services bureau as well as the desert/mountain patrol bureaus, and assignments in corrections, professional standards and specialized investigations.”
Bessinger grew up in San Bernardino, joined the department in 1996 and served in multiple basic assignments such as working the jails and patrol. After being promoted to detective, he worked within the homicide detail, as a case detective and later, upon being promoted to sergeant, as a team leader.
He served as a sergeant and watch commander in Victorville before promoting to lieutenant.
Bessinger’s wife, Roxanne, was previously a detective in the department’s crimes against children unit. She retired in late 2013. Their daughter, a former sheriff’s deputy, like her parents, at one point worked at the Victorville Sheriff’s Station.
Rick Bessinger worked extensively in the High Desert, where he resided and was a member of the Rotary Club.
After achieving the rank of captain, he oversaw the High Desert Detention Center, which houses over 2,100 inmates.
In 2018, he was transferred back to the Victorville Sheriff’s Station as the captain in command there, doubling as the Victorville chief of police.
The department underwent a management change at the top when Sheriff John McMahon somewhat abruptly retired in mid-2021, insisting that the board of supervisors replace him with his hand-picked successor, Undersheriff Shannon Dicus. While Dicus matched McMahon’s expectation of what he wanted in a sheriff and as someone to protect his legacy, the two did not share, precisely, the same vision with regard to the ideal administrative and managerial team for the department.
Looking toward his need to run for election to remain as sheriff in 2022, Dicus considered the two assistant sheriffs he had inherited from McMahon Robert Wickum and Horace Boatwright and chose Boatwright to serve as his undersheriff – second in command – in 2021, a move seen as political in nature throughout much of the department. Dicus promoted Sam Fisk to assistant sheriff thereafter and when Wickum retired, replaced him with Deputy Chief John Ades.
At that time, issues relating to the department’s operations began to manifest as problems, including overspending with regard to certain programs, ones ultimately attributed to having individuals in key leadership posts who had little or no administrative expertise.
A third assistant sheriff position was created and filled with Deputy Chief Trevor Newport. Within short order, however, Ades mysteriously and without explanation retired, prompting Dicus in August 2023 to elevate Bessinger, then a deputy chief, to assistant sheriff.
There followed the retirement of Boatwright, at which point Dicus considered his three logical alternatives – Fisk, Newport and Bessinger. His preference was Bessinger, as he is disinclined to position Fisk or Newport to become sheriff when he leaves, it is anticipated, next year. Bessinger at that point, however, had not yet reached the one-year mark in his most recent promotion. Dicus turned to Steve Higgins, who had been retired from the assistant sheriff position for three years to serve as undersheriff in a six-month assignment. During that half-year, which is to end this month, Higgins had identified a plethora of organizational flaws which had gone unaddressed or had been exacerbated during Dicus’s tenure as sheriff, aa few of which Dicus would have preferred remained uncovered.
Bessinger, who with Fisk participated in the department review of the department’s response to the 2023 mountain blizzard response during which at least 13 people perished during a less than one-month period in February and March of that year, is expected to make major corrections with regard to a host of department functions and operations.
While being placed into the undersheriff position is deemed an honor and recognition of his ability and past achievements as well as a ticket toward becoming San Bernardino County’s next sheriff, for Bessinger the assignment is a mixed blessing. The sheriff’s department has a history of moving individuals into positions that can require a degree of ability and finesse beyond what is normally cultivated in peace officers, resulting in problems that in the past have gone unresolved and which worsened upon festering. Dicus, according to those in his organization, is prone to emotional decision-making, and wants immediate results in circumstances where complication makes such resolution nuanced and difficult. While Bessinger welcomes the promotion, working for the headstrong Dicus, a forceful personality who has in the past bypassed some of his most senior officers for promotion because of his lack of confidence in them and often second-guesses his own personnel decisions, could prove a challenge.
For the time being, Dicus is electing to not fill the third assistant sheriff slot.
Bessinger will assume the position of undersheriff on August 24, 2024.
–Mark Gutglueck

Measure K, which will appear on the San Bernardino County ballot, will increase the transient occupancy tax from 7 to 11 percent in the unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County.
According to county officials, Measure K, if passed, will generate an estimated $9.4 million in additional annual funding for infrastructure, public safety, reductions in homelessness and other services.
The transient occupancy tax, referred to as TOT, is borne by guests paying for temporary lodging at hotels, motels, inns, and other places where one resides on a temporary basis through renting a room, bed, or additional space, such as with what are referred to as air mattress bed & breakfasts, or Airbnbs, for less than 30 days.
San Bernardino County officials say they might as well seek revenue through the TOT imposed, for the most part, on outsiders visiting the county, rather than using other revenue enhancements and taxes that would be paid by the county’s nearly 2.2 million residents. Continue reading →

Redlands Out From Underneath
Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has declared an end to the Oriental fruit fly quarantine in the Redlands area following eradication of the invasive species.
On September 27, 2023, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture imposed a quarantine in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The quarantine covered 102 square miles of San Bernardino County. Redlands, which is one of the communities in San Bernardino County which has preserved significant portions of historic agricultural property, was at the epicenter of the infestation.
According to APHIS, 1,200 acres of commercial agriculture production of citrus, apples, avocados, peaches and other stone fruits were affected.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture, known by its acronym CDFA worked in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner, and the San Bernardino County Agricultural Commissioner in arresting the migration of the pest, doing so with the cooperation of the local populace, which complied, for the most part, with orders to refrain from removing fruit from trees and further demands that they not move any produce from their property. If fruit fell from trees, residents were urged to double-bag it and place it in a trash bin rather than green waste bins or other organic refuse designations. Continue reading →

According to the county, “The Registrar of Voters (ROV) is working closely with several city and town clerks to explain to local candidates an error that led five office-seekers to believe they had qualified for the Nov. 5 ballot when they had not.

On Friday, August 9, after the candidate filing period closed, the ROV discovered a clerical error that affected the evaluation of nomination petition signatures for city candidates.  To ensure each candidate met their nomination petition requirement, ROV staff reevaluated all petitions for the city candidates. As a result of this reevaluation, eight candidates were determined to be impacted.

This affected candidates in the cities of Highland, Rialto, Hesperia, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Twentynine Palms and the Town of Apple Valley.

Five of the eight candidates did not meet their nomination requirements, and therefore, did not qualify as a candidate for the ballot. The ROV immediately communicated this change of status to these city clerks. These five candidates may file a legal challenge to request relief from the courts. Any legal challenges must be resolved by Aug. 29, after which no changes can be made to the ballot.

Three of the eight candidates had the opportunity to obtain additional signatures due to the extension of the candidate filing period through 5 p.m. Wednesday.  These deadlines were extended because the incumbents in those contests had not filed candidacy papers.

These findings were promptly addressed by performing subsequent audits to confirm the findings. In the future, these additional audits will be added to our candidate filing processes and our petition signature review processes.

The mission of the ROV is to conduct the County’s elections in a fair, accessible, secure, transparent, and efficient manner, upholding the highest level of election standards and accuracy, while always providing excellent customer service to the diverse population it serves.

The Registrar of Voters values its partnerships with the city clerks and continues to provide its assistance throughout this process.”

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has declared an end to the Oriental fruit fly quarantine in the Redlands area following eradication of the invasive species.
On September 27, 2023, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture imposed a quarantine in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The quarantine covered 102 square miles of San Bernardino County. Redlands, which is one of the communities in San Bernardino County which has preserved significant portions of historic agricultural property, was at the epicenter of the infestation.
According to APHIS, 1,200 acres of commercial agriculture production of citrus, apples, avocados, peaches and other stone fruits were affected.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture, known by its acronym CDFA worked in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner, and the San Bernardino County Agricultural Commissioner in arresting the migration of the pest, doing so with the cooperation of the local populace, which complied, for the most part, with orders to refrain from removing fruit from trees and further demands that they not move any produce from their property. If fruit fell from trees, residents were urged to double-bag it and place it in a trash bin rather than green waste bins or other organic refuse designations.
Work crews consisting of a combination of California Department of Food and Agriculture and U.S. Department of Agriculture employees, California Conservation Corps crews, and private contractors specializing in fruit removal then methodically worked their way from one end of the target area to the other, going on to private property to pick up the contaminated, or potentially contaminated, fruit, disposing it into containers from which it was impossible for the flies, larvae or maggots to escape.
California and its fruit industry have been buffeted over the years by several pests, including Mediterranean, Mexican, Tau, melon, peach and guava fruit flies. Oriental fruit flies are most easily distinguished from other flies by their yellow color.
The oriental fruit fly, previously known by the scientific name, Dacus dorsalis and now referred to as Bactrocera dorsalis, is a species of tephritid fruit fly that was endemic to Southeast Asia. It is a major pest species, with a broad host range of cultivated and wild fruits. Having left its native Asia, it is a highly invasive pest that now has a presence in at least 65 countries. It is believed to have invaded Hawaii in 1945 as a contaminant of military material returning from the western Pacific war zone, in particular Taiwan and the Mariana Islands. Fruit imported to the mainland from Hawaii is generally fumigated to prevent the pest from coming her. But fruit brought by travelers, most likely from Hawaii but also from Southeast Asia and other Pacific islands has likely allowed the flies to get into California it is believed for the first time in 1960, at which point it began to immediately ravage fruit and vegetables. Eradication efforts by the CDFA and the United States Department of Agriculture have been an ongoing struggle since then.
According to the CDFA, female flies lay eggs in groups of three to 30 under the skin of host fruits. Larvae tunnel through the host and emerge approximately 10 days later. Flies mature into adulthood in 10 to 12 days and usually live up to 90 days. Adult flies are strong fliers and can travel as far as thirty miles for sustenance. This aggressive search for food allows the pest to infest a region quickly
The lifting of this quarantine signals the successful completion of a nearly 11-month-long collaborative effort to eradicate four unique invasive fruit fly species (Tau, Queensland, Mediterranean and Oriental) from seven quarantine areas across seven California counties — San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Clara, Sacramento and Contra Costa.
“This was an unprecedented situation for California to experience this many active invasive fruit fly quarantines at one time,” said Victoria Hornbaker, director of CDFA’s Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division. “The response to these destructive invasive species was an enormous effort, and thanks to the cooperation of residents, the agricultural industry, and our government partners at the local and federal levels, we’re incredibly proud to have successfully lifted all active invasive fruit fly quarantines in the state of California.”
Officials said the USDA made critical investments in the response with personnel and funding, and that commitment underscores the importance of ongoing investment in pest exclusion activities.
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, “It’s important to remember that the threat of new fruit fly introductions remains. Left unchecked, they can endanger the state’s natural environment, agriculture, and economy. Agricultural officials urge residents to follow simple precautions and stay vigilant for signs of invasive species. To help prevent any future introductions, residents should:

• Cooperate with agricultural officials and allow them access to your garden to place traps, inspect plants, conduct necessary treatments or remove potentially infested produce.
• Buy fruit trees and vegetable plants from licensed California nurseries. Purchasing agricultural goods from uncertified sources can spread invasive pests. Source your plants locally and responsibly. To find a licensed nursery near you, visit CDFA’s Directory of Licensed Nurseries.
• Inspect your garden for signs of invasive fruit flies or maggots and report any findings to CDFA at 1-800-491-1899 or your local county agricultural commissioner’s office.
• When entering the United States from another country, avoid bringing agricultural products — including fruits or vegetables. Help us protect our agricultural and natural resources and California’s unique biodiversity from invasive fruit flies — please Don’t Pack a Pest (www.dontpackapest.com) when traveling or mailing/receiving packages.”

More can be learned about this invasive species and how to protect the county’s fruits and vegetables at  CAFruitFly.com, rivcoawm.org or awm.sbcounty.gov.

Attack On CIM Guard Revives Chino Valley’s Death Row Inmate Transfer Misgivings

The resourceful though unsuccessful attempt on the life of a correctional officer by an inmate at the California Institution for Men in Chino has revived concerns about security issues involving the influx of Death Row inmates at the facility.
At roughly 8:30 p.m. on Sunday evening August 11, 2024, Kevin G. Roby, 60, clad only in boxer shorts, exited his housing unit and was observed by penal officers shortly thereafter.
Prison guards shouted orders at Roby to return to his housing unit as he began to walk toward the main prison yard. Roby continued and when several officers approached him and employed chemical mace in an effort to restrain him, he used a “shank,” a metal blade he or someone else had fashioned in one of the prison’s workshops which he had pulled from his underwear, to stab one of the guards in the side of his head, opening up a four-inch gash, but failing to reach the victim’s jugular vein or carotid artery.
There were contradictory reports about the action Roby had engaged in. In one account, it was related that the convict had used the element of surprise in wielding the makeshift knife. In another version it was put forth that he had armed himself with the knife and had it in his hand while he was yet heading toward the prison yard and had issued warnings that he would kill anyone in the yard well before a Code I response was ordered and several of the corrections officers formed a skirmish line in order to close in on him in a methodical fashion. Another variation held that Roby had bolted toward the line of correction officers, managing to stab a single guard before he was swarmed by at least six others. Continue reading →