Nursing program at CSUSB Palm Desert campus receives $100K grant
DA: 'Misinformation' about toddler murder case affecting proceedings
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Court strikes down IE water deal after Ontario's lawsuit reveals environmental violations, water supply risks By Joe Taglieri
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An IEUA water recycling plant. | Photo courtesy of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency
cilwoman Debra Porada said in a statement. “IEUA tried to push through a massive water deal that sent our water elsewhere without telling the full story of the adverse environmental and water supply effects of the CBP or evaluating reasonable alternatives to sending a reliable local water supply to Northern California. The court saw through it. We fought back because our future depends on protecting the resources our residents already paid for and rely on.” The IEUA did not respond to a request for comment. According to city officials, the Chino Basin Program would have transferred reliable, locally developed water paid in part by Ontario residents and the surrounding communities to the state, "leaving Ontario and neighboring communities more depen-
dent on imported water." The IEUA described the program as "the first of its kind to deliver benefits to both Northern and Southern California "through an innovative water exchange, new recycled water supply and valuable new infrastructure and upgrades." The CPB calls for sending groundwater via "a state contractor to facilitate a water exchange over 25 years," according to the IEUA. "During this time, the state could request pulse flows of water from Oroville Reservoir in Butte County to the Feather River, benefitting ecosystems and Chinook salmon." The court ruling noted that the utility violated the California Environmental Quality Act when it failed to analyze the impacts of transferring 375,000 acrefeet of water to Northern See Water suit Page 27
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Donkeys shot with arrows in Moreno Valley, suspect sought By City News Service
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t least six donkeys have been shot with arrows recently in Moreno Valley, and a local wild animal sanctuary is asking for the public's help identifying the suspect. Workers at DonkeyLand, along with help from Moreno Valley Animal Services and the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, were able to capture an injured 2-year-old female wild donkey from a herd off Pigeon Pass Road on Thursday, the group said. She was the sixth donkey recently shot with an arrow, according to the sanctuary's Facebook post. Thanks to help from animal activists, DonkeyLand is offering a $14,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for shooting the animals. The rescued donkey was named "Cupid" by the sanctuary and was admitted to the SoCal Equine vet in Norco.
joet@beaconmedianews.com California court has ruled in favor of Ontario in the city's legal challenge to the Inland Empire Utilities Agency claiming the Chino Basin Program violated state environmental law, officials announced Tuesday. According to the San Bernardino Superior Court's Sept. 4 ruling, the IEUA in May 2022 violated the California Environmental Quality Act. The court found that the agency: -- “‘piecemealed’ the evaluation of the effects of the CBP by failing to evaluate the effects of the CBP and the Feather River Exchange outside of the Chino Basin”; -- “Used an unstable and inconsistent project description that evaluates the effects of a project life of 25 years, but then justifies the CBP based on purported water supply benefits over 50 years”; and -- "Adopted a biased and determinative project objective to justify a refusal to evaluate reasonable alternatives to the CBP.” The IEUA must now set aside its certification of the Chino Basin environmental impact report and the agency's other CPB approvals. “This is a major victory for the City of Ontario and every community in the Chino Basin that depends on a secure, local water supply,” Ontario City Coun-
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California. The court also found that "the agency adopted biased objectives for the CBP to support IEUA’s refusal to evaluate a reasonable range of alternatives," officials said. Attorneys for the city argued that the CEQA violation resulted in the utility's "failure to evaluate reasonable and feasible alternatives to the CBP that would retain locally generated water for use by the residents of Ontario and other communities in the Chino Basin." Culminating with the lawsuit, the city had repeatedly raised concerns via letters, public meetings and direct outreach with the IEUA about what officials called the "the lack of transparency and analysis" surrounding the program. "By defining the contro-
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City of Palm Springs moves forward with $125M Convention Center project By City News Service
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alm Springs officials will move forward with a $125 million project to renovate and expand the Convention Center and the surrounding area. City officials announced last week the release of a request for qualifications for architectural and engineering services and an owner's representative. An additional urban design request for qualifications will be issued later this month. A pre-qualification conference will be held Wednesday and Thursday to select firms for the project. The goal of the project will be to make the Convention Center a premier destination for numerous events through modernization efforts. "The city's objective in originally building and expanding the Convention Center was to support and enhance the tourist and convention business. Looking ahead, by 2030, Palm Springs aspires to be the desert's premier center for commerce, community, and culture," said Mayor Ron deHarte. The facility, located at 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, opened See Convention center Page 28