February 5, 2016
Hagman Makes Veterans Health Care His Priority
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, January 26th, 2016 expanded medical services to veterans who have faced unacceptable and medically
hazardous waiting times for essential medical care, or for whom a regular Veterans Administration medical facility is simply inaccessible. Through innovative
partnerships with private and public agencies, the County of San Bernardino will rescue veterans waiting for critical health procedures and specialty care that
require immediate attention. The partnership is part of the Veteran Choice Program, and will make it possible for San Bernardino County Veterans to receive
time-critical care from health care providers in our communities rather than the Veterans Administration.
“It is my honor to improve San Bernardino County veterans’ quality of life by giving them the medical care they need and deserve when they need it. Our men
and women in uniform placed their lives on the line for our nation, and they deserve health care unchained by bureaucracy and responsive now to their needs” said
Hagman. “I will do everything in my power to ensure veterans receive the quality care they deserve in San Bernardino County.”
In addition to approving Veterans Choice, the Board of Supervisors also established policies that effectively eliminated homelessness for veterans in the
county last year. A total of 401 San Bernardino County veterans were identified as homeless, and a County government led advisory group of community and private
partners found housing for all of them by the end of 2015. These 401 veterans had their housing issues resolved, along with 100 additional veterans who either
became homeless or moved into the County after the count was completed.
“I’m focused on solving problems as your Supervisor and housing homeless veterans have been one of my first priorities.” commented Hagman. U.S. Veterans
Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald met with the Board to praise their success as a model of what can be done in housing homeless veterans.
The Board of Supervisors applied existing resources to find housing for all the homeless veterans, but this time changed the focus on how resources would be
applied. For instance, some landlords were hesitant to rent to homeless veterans because of other costs, but the Board tapped into one-time general fund resources
to cover security deposits and any other costs to help landlords feel secure in leasing to them.
You're Invited to the Health Fair!
Supervisor Hagman’s office, in partnership with the City of Ontario, the Inland Empire Health Plan and the Department of Public Health, is hosting a
free health
fair on Friday, February 26, 2016 at the Westwind Community Center at 2455 East Riverside Drive, Ontario from 10 am to 1 pm. Health Fair activities will include
free
blood pressure screenings, free diabetic screenings and access to a variety of educational materials, including lectures by local medical professionals.
Hagman expressed his support for American Heart Month and upcoming health fair by stating, “The goal of this health fair is to bring attention to this illness
and to provide resources and information to the community about preventing heart disease through simple lifestyle changes and identifying treatable risk factors
such as diabetes and high blood pressure”. Supervisor Hagman has invited the American Heart Association to participate during Friday’s health fair to provide free
blood pressure and diabetic screenings to residents that would like to ensure their heart is in good shape.
Give your heart the gift of health during American Heart Month, and join Supervisor Hagman and his team on February 26th from 10 am to 1 pm. Please contact
Eshani.Karu@bos.sbcounty.gov
or
Jeremiah.Brosowske@bos.sbcounty.gov for additional information.
Register:
http://hagmanhealthfair.eventbrite.com/.
San Bernardino County Fights Human Trafficking
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is fighting the fastest growing criminal industry in the world – human trafficking. People around
the world and in our very own county are being deprived of their basic freedoms and human rights by being exploited and coerced into forced labor
or prostitution – sometimes both. The County is doing its part in rescuing exploited people and prosecuting the perpetrators behind this heinous
abuse of human rights by working with our District Attorney to crack down on Johns.
The District Attorney’s Office (DA) investigates and prosecutes those who participate in these crimes in San Bernardino County. One way to deter
customers is through the release of names and photographs of defendants convicted of solicitation in the county. A special unit, the San Bernardino
County Human Trafficking Joint Investigative Task Force made 221 arrests in 2014 and since the inception of the #STOPTHEJOHN project, 57 defendants
have had their photographs released to the public. These photographs can be seen by clicking on this link:
Stop-the-John Project
Supervisor Hagman strongly supports San Bernardino County’s tough approach stating, “We are doing everything we can to track down perpetrators and
bring them to justice. Criminals who exploit others will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and we will not back down until those
being exploited are freed from this horrible abuse and loss of personal freedom”.
According to official numbers released by the DA, San Bernardino County’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, “convicted 14 traffickers who were
sentenced to state prison for a total of 69 years and 4 months” in 2013. These numbers went up in 2014, with “17 traffickers who were sentenced
to state prison for a total of 66 years and two months with one life sentence”. Last year, “25 traffickers were sentenced to state prison for a
total of 214 years and 2 months, with three life sentences”. Additional information can be accessed through:
Human Trafficking Statistics
The ongoing efforts of the County of San Bernardino and District Attorney involve help from the community and local law enforcement. San Bernardino
County has worked hard to develop partnerships with other Government Organization Partners, NGO Partners, and Law Enforcement Agencies, to combat
human trafficking. A full list of these organizations can be found at the following link:
Training and Partnerships
Members of the community can get involved with outreach and education or find out more about services available to victims by contacting the San
Bernardino County Coalition Against Sexual Exploitation (CASE) at (909) 383-9677. Additional contact information and resources can be found on the DA’s website at:
Human Trafficking Resources
Supervisor Hagman encourages residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity stating, “I hope that our County continues to work towards
eradicating this industry within our borders. To do so we will need all hands on deck, helping to report, track down, prosecute, and convict those
who take advantage of other human beings. Doing anything less would be an injustice to the victims of human trafficking”.
OIAA Selects New CEO
The Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) recently announced their offer to hire Kelly J. Fredericks as the new Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of Ontario Airport. This marks the first major action by the newly empowered OIAA after gaining control of the airport pursuant to a 2015
agreement with Los Angeles World Airways (LAWA) that ended almost 40 years of control by LAWA of the Ontario International Airport.
“Fredericks is a rising star in the aviation industry and brings a long history of leadership and proven performance to the table. The Board is
confident that Kelly can implement our vision of turning Ontario International Airport into a major destination for people and cargo in the
western United States,” explained Supervisor Hagman. He noted, “I personally look forward to greatly increasing the number of passengers and
amount of cargo handled by Ontario Airport in the next decade. The airport will play a major role in the economic revitalization of San
Bernardino County and Southern California, and will add thousands of new, high paying jobs to our region.”
Fredericks is highly-respected in the airport/aviation industry and boasts 32 years of aviation related experience. He has served in a number
of management/leadership roles over the course of his career, and he has provided planning, design, operations, and management guidance to a
variety of airports as a consultant.
Prior to his selection to the position of CEO of Ontario Airport, Fredericks worked as the CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) which
oversees the operation and development of a six airport system. Kelly has also served as the Executive Director of Erie Municipal Airport Authority
and worked as a Deputy Aviation Director for the Allegheny County Department of Aviation.
The OIAA is tasked with turning around an airport that saw passenger traffic drop from 7.2 million in 2007 to 3.8 million in 2015. The agency now
has the independence and authority to change policies and hire personnel who will fulfill its expansive vision. The most important hire is the
new CEO, who has broad authority under the direction of the Board to take actions that will facilitate bringing more airlines and more flights
to the airport. OIAA is convinced that Fredericks’ extensive background and success in the aviation industry is the perfect fit to revitalizing
Ontario Airport.
February is Black History Month
To recognize the contributions of African Americans to our community, the San Bernardino County Association of African American Employees will host the 23nd
Annual Black History Month & Scholarship Celebration. The theme of the event is, "Grounded in the Past...Living in the Present...Leaning Towards the Future"
The featured guest speaker will be Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson of Louisiana. She is Louisiana's 25th Chief Justice. She is the second woman, and
first African American Chief Justice in the nation.
The Celebration will honor a number of prominent citizens: Phyllis Morris, County of San Bernardino Public Defender, Paulette Ward, County of San Bernardino
Deputy Public Defender and President of Richard T. Fields Bar Association, Cheryl Brown, 47th District Assembly Member and Founder/Owner of Black Voice News,
Regina Weatherspoon-Bell, Director of Dreamers, Visionaries and Leaders and 1st District Supervisor Field Representative, Shelley Kennedy-Smith, Riverside
County Sheriffs Chief Deputy, 7th woman and 1st African American woman appointed to serve in this position, and Kiry Gray, District Executive and Clerk of
Court, United States District Court, Central District of California.
The event will also recognize local Community High School and College SBCAAAE Scholarship Recipients. The Celebration will be held Saturday, February 27,
2016 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m at the National Orange Show Events Center 689 S. E St. San Bernardino. Tickets may also be purchased by contacting SBCAAAE at
SBCAAAE@yahoo.com or via mail, check payable to SBCAAAE to PO Box 11734, San Bernardino, CA 92423.
Play Go Fish! With Our Regional Parks
The San Bernardino County Regional Parks Department hosts many events for the public to learn to fish and improve their fishing skills.
Regional Parks hosts fishing workshops for children and adults as well as trout derbies for kids and all ages. The workshops begin with
participants traveling through stations lead by volunteer fishing specialists to learn the basic fundamentals of lake shore fishing. These
stations include knot tying, casting, cleaning, cooking and more. Immediately following the educational stations participants can choose to
partake in a two hour open fishing session where all tackle and equipment is provided. The workshops run from 7:30 a.m. through 1:00 p.m.
The Junior Fishing Workshops (for children ages 7 to 15 years old) for 2016 are: Glen Helen on February 20, Mojave Narrows on March 5, Yucaipa
on April 9, and Cucamonga-Guasti on April 23. The cost is $8 and children must be accompanied by an adult.
The Trout Derbies for Kids (ages 7-15 only) this year are: Yucaipa on February 6, Cucamonga-Guasti on March 19, and Mojave Narrows on April 16.
The cost is $4 per child. There are many prizes available including one for the smallest trout caught.
Trout Derbies for all ages this year are: Yucaipa on February 27, Prado on March 12, and Mojave Narrows on April 2. The cost is $20 per participant
and many prizes are awarded, including $800 in cash.
All events are co-sponsored by the Friends Of Regional Parks (F.O.R. Parks). All fees above also require the $10 vehicle entry fee. Any
person age 16 or over wishing to fish must have a valid California State Fishing License which is available at certain local retailers or online at
www.wildlife.ca.gov. For more information about any of these events contact Regional
Parks at (909) 38-PARKS (387-2757) or visit their
website:
www.sbcounty.gov/parks.