“If you pursue good with labor, the labor passes away but the good remains; if you pursue evil with pleasure, the pleasure passes away and the evil remains.” —Cicero     Saluting Mt. Baldy’s Volunteer Firefighters The dedicated volunteers of the Mt. Baldy Fire Department know that seconds matter. These individuals—many with families and full-time jobs—spend hours every month training and learning about various fire suppression, medical aid, and rescue techniques so they are ready to respond when the call comes on the pagers they carry 24 hours a day. Moving from Politics to Policy How do we make sure the days of political meddling and the self-serving use of tax dollars are over in San Bernardino County? The Board of Supervisors must lead the way in changing the way we do business, set appropriate expectations for county government and shift gears from politics to policy. Our role as Supervisors is not to build political capital by doling out tax dollars to special events and pet projects, nor is it to micromanage County employees to ensure that our districts’ priorities are placed first in line, nor is it to feather our own nests by having an entourage of staff. The Role of Charity As I’ve written about public virtues the last few months, a common theme strikes me: charity. Often charity is simply defined as giving money or goods to a good cause or a needy person. Such charitable giving is necessary and welcome. There will always be people who have great physical needs, and reaching out to those people with temporal aid is an act of charity that should be embraced and encouraged. Perhaps you give to an annual fund drive, perhaps you gather up household goods to donate, perhaps you take food to those who have little. County Employee Suggestions Welcome Employee suggestions and ideas can help any business or agency work more efficiently and effectively and better serve its customers. That’s one of the reasons why the County of San Bernardino has offered an employee Suggestion Award Program since 1958. 6/18/2011 The Upland Certified Farmers Market will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in downtown Upland. This event occurs every Saturday at the same time and place. 6/18/2011 Arrowhead Regional Medical Center will host free cancer screenings from 9 to 11 a.m. at 400 N. Pepper Avenue in Colton. Space is limited for this event so arrive early.   6/18/1983 Astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman to travel into space. 6/28/1865 Two and one-half months after General Robert E. Lee's official surrender at Appomattox, the Confederate ship Shenandoah seized eleven American whaling ships in the Bering Strait. Last Issue’s Answer: The exact meaning of the word “Cucamonga” is unknown. According to some sources, it comes from a Native American word—originally Kukumo-nga—that meant “sandy place” or “place of many streams.” However, another theory reports the word meant “place of the light over the mountain.” Question: What was the name of the trailside inn that once occupied the area that is now home to the Sycamore Inn in Rancho Cucamonga?   6/13/2011 County budget hearing Scheduled for Thursday, June 16 6/13/2011 County Redistricting workshop slated for Friday, June 17 5/25/2011 Redistricting criteria adopted, website launched   Was The Rutherford Report forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe.