Just another week here, there and everywhere

**Update** Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona to resign**





Artists abound in Riverside this week in anticipation of a competition and art display and sale on Jan. 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the downtown library. This is fitting in a city that had to send the issue to city council on rather to reinvent itself as the "City of the Arts".

But things aren't looking too pretty this fiscal year with both the museum and library departments which participate in the arts on the list like everyone else to receive hefty budget cuts. Speaking of the library, there's still that "public" meeting on Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. in the city council chambers at City Hall to attend. Hopefully, lots of people can attend because apparently City Manager Brad Hudson's deal is that if the room isn't packed with people, then it's his way or the highway with the renovations. But it's not his library, nor that of his office. It's the city's residents and organizations like Renew the Library are part of the effort to make this process more accessible to people living in this city.


Though it would have been nice if two meetings had been scheduled to accomodate city residents, one during the day and one during the evening hours. This will happen if the city manager's office and its bosses, the city council, are truly concerned about public comments and participation in this process, albeit the track record for both hasn't been as sterling as it should have been during the last couple years. This process offers a splendid opportunity to improve that record. While it's true, there are no civic elections this year for almost everyone, there will be next year. It's never too early to start running again.

Speaking of the library, here are some upcoming events.


If you can't attend the meeting on the library/museum expansion, you can still contact your elected representatives at City Hall on this issue by phone which is 826-5991.


Also, through email at the addresses below:



mgardner@riversideca.gov

asmelendrez@riversideca.gov

rbailey@riversideca.gov

fschiavone@riversideca.gov

cmacarthur@riversideca.gov

nhart@riversideca.gov

sadams@riversideca.gov

rloveridge@riversideca.gov






Sooner than that, is the weekly city council meeting in Riverside. There's sessions in the afternoon involving the Redevelopment Agency and closed sessions involving the city council and mayor which cover property transactions, anticipated litigation and personnel issues, as evidenced by the item involving a workman's compensation claim filed by a Riverside Police Department officer. Under the Brown Act, there must be time allotted for public comment on closed session items and the final votes cast by elected officials on a closed session item is a public record.

Also up for discussion, is the renovation of the downtown pedestrian mall which could cost nearly $10 million before it's done or more likely over that amount. There's also the 23 houses in three-acre project located near the Tyler Galleria on the meeting agenda.



Speaking of housing, express your opinion about what the future holds for the housing market. Will it get worse? Will it improve? Don't hold back. Tell the survey how you really feel.





Habitat for Humanity's "green" house is being built in Riverside for a family and hopefully more similar houses will follow that are friendly to the environment and where utility bills will be lower because they are more energy efficient.


(excerpt)


The lower utility bills will leave more money for necessities, including food and clothes, said Stephanie Suarez, 27. Utilities for their two-bedroom Riverside apartment run about $200 a month.

The mortgage for her new home will be hundreds of dollars less than rent.

Stephanie's husband, Juan Suarez, 29, often pulls overtime shifts in his production warehouse job to make ends meet. Sometimes they don't, and the family must borrow from friends and family.

"We are in the hole," she said. "This is going to help out so much. Things will be so much more relaxed since we won't be so tight with rent and bills."

In 2006, the family was a victim of a rent-to-own scheme involving a house in Coronita, Stephanie Suarez said. They paid a $2,000 deposit and signed a lease but never got to move in, she said.

"It's like evil turned into something miraculous," she said. "All my life I have wanted a house."



One bit of advice in residential construction. Do not put your pipes under your foundation. Copper pipes get pinholes in them and leak. Floors look better without water on them. Jackhammers are loud. Holes aren't pretty. That is all.





More information on Habitat for Humanity including volunteer opportunities is here.





The Riverside Police Department's version of the officer-involved shooting in Casa Blanca is here. Not much new information. Unlike other shootings, the department hasn't released the name of the officer yet in this case. Don't be surprised if the department doesn't release that information this time in reflection of the changes in the tide in this city but hopefully, it will do so as it has in the past.

Does that matter? To many people, yes it does because they are concerned about incidents involving the use of lethal force. Others, perhaps not. In this case, it happened in Casa Blanca and one witness said that it involved an officer with a complaint history. If that's true, then the list of possible officers is a short one because most of the officers in that area don't have a long history of complaints except for one. There are those parties who prefer the officers' names used and the city attorney's office had to research the 2006 Copley Press decision to determine whether or not to release the names of the officers involved in the Douglas Steven Cloud and Joseph Darnell Hill shootings. Ultimately it did several weeks after the Cloud shooting.



It will be interesting to see what happens in this case and future ones.




An officer-involved shooting in Hemet with both Hemet Police Department and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department at the scene.





Two people killed in a house fire in Norco that allegedly may have been caused by candles burning. The house was apparently in foreclosure and its utilities were turned off.


More information on the resignation of Orange County Michael Carona who is stepping down to focus his time and energy fighting corruption charges filed against him in federal court.


(excerpt, Associated Press)



Carona will make the announcement on the sheriff's department Web site, saying he will retire after eight years of leadership because he doesn't want to be distracted while preparing for his trial in June, H. Dean Steward told The Orange County Register.

"While it's a combination of factors that Mike decided to retire, one of the factors is his ability to focus on his defense," Steward said. "He also wanted to make sure the department was ready for a smooth transition."



Carona is expected to make the announcement at the Sheriff Department's Web site here.


More coverage on Carona here.





At least 27 New York City Police Department officers appeared on a list to purchase steroids at a pharmacy, according to the New York Daily News.



But this agency isn't the only one to be plagued by steroid scandals.



There's also the following.


More NYPD

Boston Police Department

Arlington Police Department

Norman (Oklahoma) Police Department

Lafayette (Louisiana)Police Department

Independence Police Department

Arizona: Chandler, Mesa and Phoenix Police Departments


Minneapolis, Miami and Tampa Police Departments


North West Police (United Kingdom)





The police department and police union in Seattle are ready to tussle again over the handling of alleged misconduct, according to the Seattle Times.


(excerpt)



Who prevails could shape for years to come how the city's police officers are held accountable.

An expert panel appointed by Mayor Greg Nickels is expected to release recommendations by the end of the month for improving the disciplinary system. The police union and city officials have spent the past several months staking out ground over how far changes can go.

City officials say too much power has been ceded to the Seattle Police Officers' Guild over the years and that the expert panel's work could provide a chance to alter that.

"I think this will be a defining moment for police accountability in terms of what has to be bargained and what is a management right," said Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis, arguing that not all changes need union approval.

Guild President Rich O'Neill contends that anything other than small "tweaks" to the disciplinary system must be bargained with the union.


Apparently, the union is taking its case to the public transportation system, by putting advertisements on the city's buses.



Who's running the department depends on who you ask. Is it Mayor Greg Nickels as some have said, or the police union as police accountability expert, Dr. Samuel Walker of the University of Nebraska, Omaha has said, a relationship he called "out of whack".

Hopefully, this conflict, the latest in a series of clashes between city officials, the police chief and the police union's leadership will find resolution but in Seattle, things rarely remain quiet for long.

They can also try doing nothing about alleged police misconduct and then see what happens. That's never worked well as history has shown time and time again.





Coming Attractions




Boards and Commissions: Who controls the selection process? The answer now is not the same as it was last year. Find out why.