MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2014 - DECEMBER 28, 2014
riversideindependent.com
VOLUME 1, NO. 34
Rep. Schiff Announces Federal Funding for Earthquake Early Warning System
Tough Competition for Ambulance Company Contracts
by terry miller
by Vickie Vértiz
year ago. Badgett had been planning to retire on Dec. 19, but agreed to fill the Interim Assistant City Manager role at the request of City Manager Scott Barber. Barber, who is retiring Dec. 30, said Badgett’s knowledge of the city and his executive leadership skills make him especially valuable during the
It is starting to look like Riverside will now be allowing four new companies to provide nonemergency ambulance service in the city, reported The PressEnterprise. On Tuesday, December 15, the Rvierside City Council voted to give a four-year franchise to Orange-based Care Ambulance and to send three other applications from companies to public hearings on January 6, which is the last step before getting approvals. The companies were identified as Carson-based AmeriCare Ambulance, Mission Ambulance, and Cavalry Ambulance, the latter are both based in Corona. The decision means that, for AMR, their control over the ambulance market is ending. Many in the business, said the paper, have called their business “a de facto monopoly.” AMR also provides 911 ambulances through a nearly-exclusive contract with Riverside County, added the Enterprise. While emergency calls are processed by the county, but outside Riverside, the nonemergency ambulance business is a wide open market with many providers. The votes were nearly unanimous, but Councilman Chris Mac Arthur dissented each of the four times while Councilman Jim Perry voted against approving AmeriCare. However, another councilman, Paul Davis, actually recused himself from
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Congressman Adam Schiff (D¬Burbank) announced that Congress has included $5 million in funds this year towards the Earthquake Early Warning System during a press conference at Caltech Monday morning. - Photo by Terry Miller
On Monday morning Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) announced that Congress has included $5 million in FY 2015 funding bill, also known as the CROmnibus, for a West Coast Earthquake Early
Warning System, the first time Congress has ever provided funding specifically for the system. A limited system developed by Caltech, UC-Berkeley and University of Washington, in conjunction with the United State Geological Survey (USGS),
has already been deployed and has proven that the early warning technology is sound. This $5 million in funding will allow those developing the statewide system to begin purchasing and Please see page 4
Steve Badgett Named Interim Assistant City Manager in Riverside Deputy General Manager/ COO of Riverside Public Utilities has served City for 24 years Steve Badgett, a key member of the Riverside Public Utilities management team for nearly 15 years, has been named Interim Assistant City Manager for the City of Riverside, effective Dec. 22. Badgett will fill the role of Assistant City Manager Belinda Graham, who is retiring Dec. 25.
A 24-year RPU veteran, Badgett has been Deputy General Manager, the second-highest position in the utility, since 2000 and has been Chief Operating Officer, supervising 600 employees, for about a year. A 40-year veteran of the utility industry, Badgett served as RPU’s Interim General Manager for four months prior to the hiring of General Manager Girish Balachandran about a
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Crafton Hills College is One of the Top 10 Fastest Growing Community Colleges in the Nation Yucaipa, CA--We’re bucking the trend! Crafton Hills College is one of the California Community College who saw enrollment growth last year. In fact, CHC was the ninth fastest growing community college in the nation in its size category (5,000-9,999 students). Across the nation there was a decline in enrollments by 2.2% from 2012-2013, according to Community College Week (12-08-2014), using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). It is common for college enrollments to decrease when the economy improves, as occurred the last few years. However, Crafton Hills College grew 7.9%, thanks in
part to the passage of Proposition 30, which provided funding for the college to offer more courses. “We have strategically managed our enrollment by offering the classes of highest need for our students,” says Dr. Bryan Reece, vice president of instruction. “Our beautiful campus, with outstanding faculty and transfer opportunities has made Crafton Hills the college of choice in our community,” says Dr. Cheryl Marshall, president. “We expect to see additional growth this year as well.” Crafton Hills shared the top ten in its category with three other California colleges. California colleges also dominated the 10,000+ category, taking the top five spots.
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Steve Badgett Continued from page 1
pending transition period. “Steve Badgett’s management expertise and knowledge of Riverside make him an excellent choice to provide continued strong leadership in the City Manager’s Office,” Barber said. “Riverside is very fortunate to have someone of Steve’s caliber who is willing to step in and assume such an important role.” Badgett initially will work with Barber, then team with the city’s Interim City Manager, whom the City Council is expected to name soon, and Assistant City Manager Deanna Lorson to form the City’s executive leadership team. “I look forward to ensuring the City of Riverside continues to maintain a tradition of excellence in the executive leadership team,” Badgett said. “Riverside has been a very big part of my professional life, and I am honored to be able to provide steady leadership during the upcoming transition.” At RPU, Badgett has been a member of utility’s executive leadership team for many years, guiding the development of the utility’s strategy and
policies. He also is responsible for power delivery, supervising 225 employees who engineer, build, maintain and operate the city’s electric, streetlight and telecommunications systems. Prior to being named Deputy General Manager in 2000, Badgett served as the utility’s Principal Electrical Engineer/ Engineering Manager and, before that, Senior Electrical Engineer, Capital Projects. He began his career at Memphis Light, Gas and Water in Memphis, Tennessee. In addition to a number of leadership roles on regional, state and national utilityrelated boards, Badgett also is very active in Riverside’s business and professional community. He has chaired the Leadership Steering Committee for the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce and has been a member of the Board of Advisors to the Department of Electrical Engineering at UC Riverside. He is a 2006 graduate of Leadership Riverside. Badgett’s salary as Interim City Manager will be $241,584.
Riverside Festival of Lights, Christmas Eve, Dec. 24 The 22nd Annual Riverside Festival of Lights on Main Street Riverside is your chance to experience the most dazzling holiday spectacle south of the North Pole. The Festival offers holiday merriment in Downtown Riverside with activities that include holiday decorations, an ice rink, holiday-themed vendors; family-friendly live entertainment; and of course, Santa Claus. The magic continues for festivalgoers as they glide under the stars on the Inland Em-
pire’s first outdoor ice skating rink located on Main Street Riverside between University and Mission Inn Avenues. The Riverside Festival of Lights allows everyone - no matter what age - to be filled with wonder and anticipation of the magic of the holidays. Don’t miss your opportunity to be part of this wonderful Riverside tradition. Visit www. RiversideFestivalofLights.com for more dates and information on things to see and do. Cost: Free.
DECEMBER 22, 2014 - DECEMBER 28, 2014 | 3
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You’d Better Watch Out, I’m Telling You Why: Cops Are Cracking Down on Drunk Driving Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over This time of year, with all the holiday office parties and festive occasions with friends and families, many partygoers will be drinking. If you’re celebrating with alcohol this holiday season, the San Gabriel Police Department has a message for you, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” Due to the increase in drunk-driving-related fatalities around the holidays each year, law enforcement agencies across America will be out in force December 12 through January 1, 2015 — actively searching for drunk or drug impaired drivers. The San Gabriel Police Department will be conducting a DUI/ Driver’s License Checkpoint on Friday, December 12, 2014. The DUI checkpoint will be from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Additionally, police, sheriff and the CHP throughout the region are deploying multiple DUI operations. The facts are grim: in December 2012 there were 830 people killed in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher; 26 of those deaths occurred on Christmas Day. On average, a third (31%) of all crash fatalities in America involves drunk driving. But on Christmas day 2012, the percentage jumped to 36 percent. Every year, more than 10,322 people are killed by drunk drivers in America, with 802 of those in California alone. In California, an additional 24,000 are seriously injured. Some startling data from NHTSA shows that during the holiday season in 2012, 40 percent of the drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes had at least one prior DUI on their record. Many of the offenders were young drivers: during that same holiday period 37 percent of the 21 to 24 year old drivers in fatal crashes were drunk. Surprisingly, almost 1 out of 6 drivers under the age of 21 in those fatal crashes were
also drunk, even though they’re too young to legally buy or consume alcohol. If you’re drinking and driving, law enforcement will be out to find and arrest you – no warnings, no excuses. The only way to truly avoid a DUI is to drive sober. There are many ways to get home safely after drinking, and driving isn’t one of them. Designate a sober driver ahead of time, or call a friend or family member. You could also use public transportation or call a taxi. The cost of cab fare is nothing compared to a $10,000 DUI or the cost of someone’s life, and the ‘inconvenience’ of not driv-
ing your own car home is nothing compared to the inconvenience of spending the holidays behind bars. This holiday season don’t let the festivities turn into fatalities. Funding is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who reminds everyone, Report Drunk Drivers! – Call 9-1-1. The Office of Traffic Safety is offering a free mobile app – DDVIP – aimed at thanking the sober designated driver with perks and free offers at area bars and restaurants.
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4 | DECEMBER 22, 2014 - DECEMBER 28, 2014
Ambulance Company Contracts Continued from page 1
voting on AmeriCare. Mac Arthur stated that he did not believe a case had been made that proved a need for more ambulance companies. He added to the paper that the municipal code requires that this kind of need be shown before granting entry to additional franchises. The councilman also said he worried the city will “lose money that AMR pays them to get longer emergency response times” according to the Enterprise. That funding totals approximately $1.5 million per year and helps fund the paramedics in the City of Riverside. Normally, they are the ones who first respond in an emergency. The paper quoted Riverside Fire Chief Michael Moore: Even though that funding is not connected to non-emergency ambulance service, Mac Arthur still remained concerned about the agreement with AMR. He thinks it will lead to a change in response times and funding. “Their contract [is] up in June and I [am] not sure that they [are] going to want the same
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deal that they have now,” he told the paper. Mac Arthur added that he had never heard a complaint about the service provided by AMR. However, it was reported that in the Enterprise that several hospital officials have repeatedly told the council more companies will help reduce patient waiting times and costs. Additionally, several council members have said their constituents support more options, which is supposed to provide more competitive pricing in an open market. “The public [is] demanding it,” said Councilman Mike Soubirous to the paper. “We have to do what [is] right for the people.” Councilman Steve Adams requested that a report be generated in six months on how the new system is working now that additional companies will be offering competition and service. Finally, the paper added that Moore said the city can cancel a franchise after a year for any reason, especially if the change in service is ineffective in lowering wait times.
Straight No Chaser The sensational all-male a cappella group Straight No Chaser brings The Happy Hour Tour to the Fox Performing Arts Center for one night only on Tuesday, Dec.
Earthquake Early Warning System
30 at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the Fox Performing Arts Center box office, Ticketmaster.com, FoxRiversideLive.com, or by calling 800745-3000.
-Photo by Terry Miller
installing additional sensors, build new stations, speed up the ShakeAlert system, and come closer to deploying comprehensive early earthquake warning coverage throughout earthquake prone regions of the West Coast. “An earthquake early-warning system is essential to save lives, reduce property damage and protect critical infrastructure. This five million dollar federal investment is a down payment on building an integrated, statewide system,” said Senator Feinstein. “These federal dollars are sorely needed, but more funding is still necessary to complete the system. While the state and private sector must contribute their fair share, I will continue to work with West Coast senators and representatives to prioritize federal funds for this life-saving project. We must get it done before the next major earthquake strikes.” “It’s absolutely critical that the West Coast implement and build out an earthquake early warning system to give us a heads up before the ‘big one’ hits, so we can save lives and protect infrastructure,” said Congressman Schiff. “This funding will help build out additional stations, speed up the ShakeAlert system, and make it more reliable in our highest priority areas - including Los Angeles and the Bay Area - and those critical few seconds
or a minute of warning will allow people to seek cover, automatically slow or stop trains, and pause surgeries. This first phase of funding will allow the work to begin expanding the system, and we will continue to work to secure future funding along with our other federal, state and local partners.” “We at Caltech applaud Congress for approving the impactful initial funding for an earthquake early warning system,” said Thomas F. Rosenbaum, president of the California Institute of Technology. “This vital step toward implementation wouldn’t be possible without the leadership of the California congressional delegation.” Earlier this year, Schiff led a group of 25 Members from California, Washington and Oregon in organizing a request that the committee fund an early earthquake warning system. Schiff s letter requested additional funding for the Earthquake Hazards Program in USGS to kickstart the process of building out the early warning system so we can be ready for the next big quake. Senator. Feinstein was critical in securing the language in the Senate -Appropriations bill. The text in the bill reads: Funding for Natural Hazards programs includes $59,503,000 for earthquake hazards, of which $5,000,000 is provided to transition the earthquake early warning demonstration project into an operational capability on the West Coast. A critical component of the earthquake early warning system is maintaining the existing realtime broadband and strong motion seismic networks along with geodetic monitoring networks. As the earthquake early warning system is developed, USGS is directed to collaborate with universities, companies and other Federal agencies with expertise and existing digital seismic observing networks to continue precise observation of critical fault locations.