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Did you see my column Sunday on the upgrades to Seccombe Lake Park? I’ve been putting a little emphasis on San Bernardino this month, regretting that I hadn’t made much of a splash in the county’s namesake city up to this point.
Scarcely had I walked into the San Bernardino Council Chambers on Wednesday night for my second-ever Berdoo council meeting when Councilman Theodore Sanchez, who had toured the park with me last week, came over to share some news.
San Manuel tribal leaders had not only read that column, which included the bad news that the park had lost out on a state parks grant for the fourth time, they responded with a $1 million donation for the park.
“A million dollars, just because of your column!” Sanchez enthused, clapping me on the shoulder. Minutes later, during the meeting, he was gracious enough to give me credit by name as he announced San Manuel’s donation.
I’m still processing having written a million-dollar column. Usually they’re more the buck-ninety-eight variety.
Having peaked early, I probably should have gone home. But a few items on the agenda were interesting, and that’s why I was there, so I stuck around.
Warehouse protesters hold signs during the San Bernardino City Council meeting Wednesday. They were there to renew a call for a warehouse moratorium, which was not on the agenda. (Photo by David Allen, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The public comment period was, er, interesting. Some railed against Mayor John Valdivia — more on him in a moment. Many spoke against warehouses. And then there was the man in a long black coat who used his three minutes to promote his anti-vaccine book.
He said we’re in “a human extinction event” — not because 800,000 Americans are dead from coronavirus, but because of vaccines full of “spike proteins,” HIV, stem cells, “immortal parasites” and other dubious perils.
“You get one vaccine, you lose 25% of your immune system. You get a second shot, you lose 50%,” the man said. “You get a booster, you’re going to lose 75%.”
He’s lost 75% of something.
“Now you want to vaccinate children,” he continued. “You’re arguing: ‘My body, my right, my parasite.’”
Is anyone arguing this?
Around this time, Valdivia left the dais without explanation, handing the speaker cards to Councilman Fred Shorett to take over in his absence. Some of the remaining speakers said they wanted to wait until Valdivia returned.
“I don’t know where the mayor went and I don’t know if he’s coming back,” Shorett replied.
City Attorney Sonia Carvalho texted the mayor to ask if he was returning and he didn’t reply. Hecklers shouted from the audience, “Bring him out!” or “He probably went home.” The next speaker asked that his three minutes at the lectern be allowed to pass in silence to protest the mayor’s absence. Shorett waffled on whether that was allowed.
Councilwoman Kimberly Calvin sat with her hand on her forehead as the meeting drifted out of control.
About 20 minutes after he’d left, Valdivia returned, offering no explanation or apology.
“Thank you for finally showing up,” one speaker said. When another ran over her time, she kept going, telling the mayor over his interruptions, “You made us wait, you can wait.”
Finally came the good stuff.
You’ll recall that at the Dec. 1 meeting, Valdivia was censured after an investigation found persuasive evidence that he had misused city funds to turn a State of the City reception into a private party for his supporters and had been reimbursed for travel and meals that coincided with fund-raising meetings with donors.
Wednesday’s meeting brought two related actions.
Shorett had requested a discussion of the mayor’s salary. He said the charter reform measure of 2016 had greatly reduced the mayor’s role, yet set his salary well above his Inland Empire peers.
The mayor’s $143,000 pay is higher than the $88,000 for the mayor of Riverside, a much larger city, and about triple the $44,000 for the mayor of Fontana, the city’s equal in population. Shorett said Valdivia makes the ninth-highest mayoral salary in California.
Calvin noted that Valdivia is due for a raise Jan. 1 under the city’s formula and called his salary “absurd.”
Council members agreed that a salary closer to $50,000 was more reasonable.
Juan Figueroa said Valdivia’s main responsibility is “being spokesperson for the city.” It’s hard to say he’s doing a bang-up job when his primary appearances in this newspaper are in variations of this line: “Mayor John Valdivia did not return a call for comment.”
City Manager Rob Field said he’ll bring back “a range of options” for consideration. Any changes to the mayor’s compensation could only take place after the November 2022 mayoral election.
At 11:40 p.m., Valdivia wished his son, Andrew, a happy 10th birthday — a nice gesture, although if his son was watching at home he has a much later bedtime than I ever did — and departed. Meanwhile, a half-dozen of us in the audience who aren’t being paid $143,000 stuck it out.
The council took up its second mayoral matter, which was to seek repayment from Valdivia of those questionable expense reimbursements.
“It sounds to me like it could be done in small claims court. It’s under $10,000,” Shorett said.
Carvalho promised to bring back recommendations. She said legal costs could equal the amount sought, and added that the city might get the money back without doing anything.
“The matter has been referred to law-enforcement agencies. If they pursue charges,” Carvalho said, “they would seek restitution.”
To invoke the “Dragnet” theme song: BOM-bom-bom-bom. BOM-bom-bom-bom-BOMMM.
The meeting adjourned at 11:50 p.m. and your on-the-spot columnist wearily headed home. Had this five-hour council meeting been worth my time? Maybe, maybe not. But I had no regrets.
I felt like a million bucks.
brIEfly
After a two-year layoff, the Pomona Concert Band returns to live performance with its holiday concert at 3 p.m. Sunday outdoors at the Ganesha Park bandshell, 1575 N. White Ave. Bring a lawn chair for the free concert of Christmas and Hanukkah music. The Concert Band is readying for its 75th anniversary next year, so they know what they’re doing. The only wild card is the emcee: yours truly. But I’ll try my best.
David Allen, a mild card, writes Friday, Sunday and Wednesday. Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, like davidallencolumnist on Facebook and follow @davidallen909 on Twitter.
