Before a mostly hostile crowd at the Chino Senior Center, all six of the seven members of the planning commission present gave approval to what has been dubbed the Eden project, a plan by Orbis Schafer, a division of Newport Beach-based Orbis Real Estate Partners to construct on 10 acres at the northwest corner of Euclid and Schaefer avenues a four-story, 264-unit apartment building, a 132,438-square-foot self-storage facility, a five-story parking garage, two drive-through fast food operations and a 20,800-square-foot retail center.
While 18 orange-vest or orange-shirt clad members of the Western States Carpenter Union, some of whom addressed the commission four individuals in plain clothes accompanying them and seven individuals associated with Orbis Real Estate Partners or the Allen Matkins Law Firm representing it were in favor of the project, virtually all of the remaining 108 people in the room who were not city staff or members of the press appeared to be opposed to the project.
Many of those opposed to the project did so on the basis of the contention that by both its density, height and use, it will prove incompatible with the existing residential neighborhoods it borders. Some expressed the concern that its approval will set a precedent with regard to the development of property in the Chino Agricultural Preserve that was annexed to the city roughly a quarter of a century ago. While Chino is no longer the largely agricultural and slow-paced small town that it was in the first half of the 20th Century or the progressively more suburban community it was in the latter half of the 20th Century, its 29.7-square miles, with a population density of 3,205 are far less crowded than other parts of the greater Los Angeles Metropolitan area. If the standards in Orbis’s Eden project are replicated in the development of the remainder of the remainder of the property in the former agricultural preserve, they pointed out, Chino will be on trajectory to become indistinguishable from the expanse of wall-to-wall houses and accompanying commercial and industrial uses present in central and western Los Angeles County, such as Alhambra with its 10,887 residents per square mile, West Covina and its 6,674 residents per square mile, Monterey Park and its 7,970 residents per square mile, Whittier with its 5,823 residents per square mile and Baldwin Park, with its 11,369 residents per square mile. Continue reading →

FBI agents and local law enforcement investigators who spent three solid days late last week and early this week searching for evidence at the Twentynine Palms residence of the 25-year-old man it is now their consensus opinion was solely responsible for the car bomb explosion outside the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palm Springs on May 17 have concluded their extensive survey of the property.
Normal activity in the neighborhood in the 5500 block of Adobe Road has resumed. Authorities have offered assurance that any explosives or ordnance it was earlier believed might be located on the property along with other possible hazards has been removed.
Guy Edward Bartkus, a 2017 graduate of Yucca Valley High School, drove his car into the parking lot of the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic located at 1199 North Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, about a quarter of an hour before 11 a.m. on Saturday May 17.
The clinic was closed on weekends, and this allowed him to locate his vehicle, a 2010 silver Ford Fusion with the license plate 8HWS848, close to the rear of the building. He got out of the car, bringing with him a tripod and a video camera. He placed the camera in a position calculated to bring both the Ford Fusion and the building in which the clinic was housed within the camera’s field of focus. After Bartkus tinkered with and adjusted the video equipment, what investigators have now conclusively determined was an improvised explosive device inside the vehicle containing a “substantial” quantity of a nitrate-based explosive detonated at 10:52 a.m. There was extensive but incomplete damage to the clinic, in which a huge hole was created in the wall closest to the Fusion, a major portion of the building’s roof collapsed, and a good portion of the clinic itself was sliced through. Nearby buildings sustained a lesser degree of damage, as debris was sent flying as far as an eighth of a mile away and some windows even further away than that were shattered. Continue reading →

Barely six months after the Redlands community’s self-styled social conservatives flexed their electoral muscle by electing two darlings of the political and religious right to the Redlands Unified School District Board of Trustees, a 3-to-2 majority of that panel voted to censure one of the board’s left-leaning members.
Against the odds, the demographics and an entrenched and overwhelming Democratic establishment in Golden State that has embraced liberal causes and overwhelmed Republicans, in a handful of conservative pockets in in California have shave utilized the superior numbers they have in their local jurisdictions, primarily school districts, to take up a cultural struggle that they have surprisingly, at least to some, been able to win.
In California, the Democrats dominate Sacramento and have an equally lopsided advantage in terms of representing the state in Washington, D.C. The governor, lieutenant governor, California Attorney General, California Secretary of State, the state treasurer, state controller, state comptroller, insurance commissioner and superintendent of public instruction are all Democrats. The Democrats hold a supermajority in both the upper and lower houses of the state legislature, with 31 out of 40 seats in the California Senate and 60 of 80 in the California Assembly. Both of California’s U.S. senators are Democrats and 43 of its 52 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are Democrats. Continue reading →

A 66-year-old man who comes across as the personification of Hardtack Jack in the 1966 Eileen Hill novel “Mystery of the Blue Pelican” is being held at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles in lieu of a $295,000 bond.
Like Hardtack Jack, Michael Flinn lives – or at least until last week resided – in a rustic cabin in a remote California forest wilderness and exhibited a tendency to grow confrontational with those who intruded on his environs.
There have been reports about someone who was living in a rugged and difficult-to access area of the Angeles National Forest along the south approach to Mount Baldy going back for years.
On January 12, three men and two women were hiking along a seldom-used trail in the dense portion of the forest three to four miles past the trailhead above Mount Baldy Village when five of them encountered a man, latter determined to be Flinn. The man was unappreciative of the intrusion. Flinn was armed with a sledgehammer, which he swung with purpose at several trees while telling the five they needed to get off his property.
More than five months later, on May 16, a 32-year-old hiker and her dog were heading south on the trail through Dry Lake Canyon when she encountered Flinn, who, she later reported, was crouching down on the trail in front of her and was blocking her way forward. She made three attempts to go around him. When she did, the 6-foot tall, 170-pound Flinn came up off his haunches and threw branches toward her. She fell, and Flinn came up on her with a large branch which he lifted over his head.
Before he could actually hit the woman, however, two other hikers came down the trail. One approached Flinn, distracting him long enough for the woman to scramble past him and the other hiker assisted her and her dog to get away.
Authorities were called and Los Angeles County deputies were able to find Flinn later that afternoon. They attempted to arrest Flinn on suspicion of false imprisonment. As one of the deputies approached Flinn, who was carrying a knife but did not attempt to use it, kicked the deputy in the testicles. Shortly thereafter, he was taken into custody.
He appeared in West Covina Superior Court on Wednesday, May 21, at which point he was charged with five felony counts of making criminal threats and one felony count of false imprisonment. He pleaded not guilty.
It is believed Flinn has been living in the mountains since 2012. His last known address outside the wilderness was in Upland.
He is being held at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles in lieu of $295,000 bail.

On the evening of May 7th, 2024, I attended a city council meeting to hear Ed Torres, the president of the board at my place of worship, the Redlands Center for the Realization of Spirit, speak of the needs faced by the unsheltered here in Redlands, and how we are helping. Unfortunately, following that, we were then subjected to another public statement via zoom that was quite disturbing.
It was a man, whose name I will not repeat, which was, for all we know, not his actual name, who informed us that all the lies spread by Jews about the conditions at the Nazi’s Auschwitz concentration camp were simply untrue, and how it actually came equipped with a number of amenities that made it sound more like a summer church camp than a house of horrors.
He then went on to add that Jewish communists had capitalized on their so-called grievances only to make money, concluding with the statement that “Hitler was right,” and urging the council to pass a resolution declaring the holocaust a hoax.
Of course, I was instantly appalled, not used to hearing such talk at a Redlands city council meeting and was then overcome by a gut reaction that led me to burst out with this statement: “Cut off his mic!”
Wisely, mayor Eddie Tejeda then pointed out that, unfortunately, this man’s statement fell under the constitutionally protected right of “free speech,” which I knew, of course, but that did not temper the wounding and vile words we’d heard. Of course, it was also hate speech–which has always been an element in this country, despite the many claims that such talk is “not what we’re about.” Sometimes, it is.
Tellingly, this man had come to us via the technology of zoom, which hides the face, and is the modern-day, technological equivalent of how these voices used to conceal their identities: under white, hooded sheets.
Unfortunately, these days, certain prominent people have spoken up in ways that seem to have empowered people like this man to creep out from their crawl holes and give voice to such ideas–voices amplified by some in our media who cannot turn away from gratuitous violence and vile words.
Fortunately, one of the hopes I can find amid all the madness is this: it used to be that when a mob of white people hanged a black man for such crimes as whistling at a white woman, they would pose proudly, unmasked, in front of the dangling body for many of those photos you can see today on the internet.
Such photos don’t happen these days but make no mistake: that sentiment is still out there, hiding in the shadows, ready to pounce as it did during a rally with a current candidate for president of the United States (and now president) when he disparaged the first Somali/ emigre woman elected to Congress.
When he did that, he puffed up his chest; jutted his jaw; and remained silent as the mob began chanting “Send her back! Send her back!” To me it sounded exactly like another chant we could have heard a hundred years ago: “String her up! String her up!” as many black women were.
So, after shouting out for the city council to “Cut off his mic!” I knew I had to come here tonight and say to this mic that such words, from another of what Martin Luther King, Jr. called our “sick, white brothers,” cannot be met by silence, because, when they are, the sickness continues to spread. I invite you to please join me in speaking up. Thank you.
Phill Courtney has been a high school English teacher and twice a candidate for Congress with the Green party. His email is: pjcourntey1311@gmail.com

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
BY THE GRAND TERRACE CITY COUNCIL
HEARING DATE: Tuesday, May 27, 2025
PLACE: Council Chambers, 22795 Barton Road, Grand Terrace, California
TIME: 6:00 P.M.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAND TERRACE IS SCHEDULED TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING AT THE ABOVE TIME AND PLACE REGARDING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Grand Terrace will hold a public hearing on May 27, 2025, to consider the proposed revisions to the Facility Use Fees as part of the Facility Use Agreement. The public hearing is being held to gather public input and feedback on the proposed fee structure, which will help ensure the continued maintenance and operational integrity of the City’s facilities.
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CHANGES:
• The proposed revisions to the Facility Use Fees are aimed at better managing the increased workload on the City’s Public Works maintenance staff and promoting equitable access to City facilities for community organizations and outside teams.
• The fee structure includes a $50 fee for setup and a $50 fee for breakdown for facility rentals. This includes returning the room to its standard layout as determined by the Public Works Department.
• A provision to waive the setup and breakdown fee if the applicant sets up and returns the room to its standard layout themselves. Failure to comply will result in a deduction from their deposit.
• The revised agreement will specify that shelters and fields cannot be rented to individuals or organizations not listed on the original agreement, and rental privileges may be terminated in such cases.
The public hearing will provide an opportunity for oral and written statements to be submitted by property owners and members of the public. Written comments must be received by the City Clerk either before or during the hearing. Please note that any comments received after the conclusion of the public hearing will not be considered.
For additional information or inquiries:
Contact Shanita Tillman, Senior Management Analyst, Public Works Department, at (909) 954-5191 or via email at stillman@grandterrace-ca.gov.
Published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel on May 16 and May 23, 2025.

FBN 20250004031
The following entity is doing business primarily in San Bernardino County as
THAT SCRAPBOOKING LADY 435 N 12th AVENUE UPLAND, CA 91786: LAURIE L JENKINS
Business Mailing Address: 435 N 12th AVENUE UPLAND, CA 91786
The business is conducted by: AN INDIVIDUAL
The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A
By signing, I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime (B&P Code 179130). I am also aware that all information on this statement becomes Public Record upon filing.
/s/ LAURIE L JENKINS
Statement filed with the County Clerk of San Bernardino on: 04/28/2025
I hereby certify that this copy is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office San Bernardino County Clerk By:/Deputy J9965
Notice-This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14400 et seq., Business and Professions Code).
Published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel on May 2, 9, 16 & 23, 2025.

NOTICE OF PUBIC LIEN SALE
Notice is hereby given that personal property in the following units will be sold at public auction pursuant to Sections 21701-21716 of the California Self-Service Storage Facility Act. A public lien sale will be conducted by www.storagetreasures.com on the 30th day of May 2025, at or after 9:00 am. The property is stored by All American Storage Ontario located at 505 S. Mountain Avenue, Ontario, CA 91762. Purchases must be made in CASH ONLY. Items are sold AS IS WHERE IS and must be removed at the time of sale. All American Storage Ontario reserves the right to refuse any bid or cancel auction. The items to be sold are generally described as follows: miscellaneous personal and household goods stored by the following persons:
Unit Name
B004 Alex Rivera Roque
D086 Monica Avalos Pina
D043 Michael Barnett
B052 Lawanna Guthrie
C016 Jose L Martinez Valencia
C071 Abel G Garcia Deleon
C141 Bernard Thompson
C150 Beatrice Curry
D092 Irma Esquivel
D140 Jason E Rhoades
E055 Teresa T Taylor
E094 Jake R Morel
Dated: 5/15/2025
Signed: Garrett Gossett
storagetreasures.com
Sales subject to prior cancellation in the event of settlement between Owner and obligated party.
Published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel on May 16, 2025 and May 23, 2025

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