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HomeMy WebLinkAbout36- POublic Comments 61f co�WIC SIFF'MC ` Sanborn 11' ire Profeciion Meu1t7Lanivall Connfraefors -----'� � 267 SOUTH D STREET, SAN BERNARDINO CA. 92401 City ClerkICDC Secy TELEPHONE 909/885-6000 City of San dernar0inu CA. LIC. #234889-C-16,C36 Fire Sprinklers Save Lives, Fire Sprinklers Save Property If you ask Authorities Having Jurisdiction(AHJs)about how they won sprinkler ordinances,they will typically mention factors like the policies,climate and the strength of the opposition. These factors are important, and they might seem to be— meaning that an unfavorable political climate or strong opposition will spell failure. But in fact AHJ's can alter these conditions. The right package of incentives can make politicians more receptive and neutralize opponents. The Residential Fire Safety Institute (RFSI)compiled the list of incentives. The next couple of pages list the incentives that accrue individually to the developer, builder, sprinkler installer,homeowner or to several. The purpose of incentives is to reduce the cost of installing sprinklers. It is easier to line up political support for an ordinance that has a minimal cost impact than one where the cost has not been lowered. Cost is a big objection for traditional opponents like homebuilders, so cost reductions steal thunder from their arguments. But while a zero-cost ordinance is ideal, it is usually unattainable. Therefore,AHD's need to justify the Costs of installation. Talking about"net" costs makes justification easier. Opponents try to bolster their arguments by focusing on the cost of installation and ignoring the benefits. For example,they ignore the fact that when a fire occurs in a sprinklered structure,the number of firefighters needed is reduced by one half or more,thus reducing the impact on fire department resources. To a fire department with a high EMS run load, every fire apparatus that is tied up at a fire scene deteriorates its EMS response. AHJs need to make it clear that"cost vs. benefits"extends past the installation cost for a structure. Policy makers should also consider the reduced costs to the city(e.g., fewer stations per square mile, small water mains)and the benefits to taxpayers at large(e.g., better EMS and fire response.) Some incentives will apply to individuals and others will benefit groups of individuals. But the important point to keep in mind is that each incentive will act to reduce the overall cost of sprinklers. This assumes,of course,that the individual who benefits from the incentive passes the savings along. Let's say that a jurisdiction allows narrower streets and reduced setback,which yields more sellable land to a developer. If the developer does not reduce the cost of individual lots,then the incentive's economic benefit is not passed along. This does not necessarily mean that the incentive was *S6 3-6-06 FS]�7MC Sanho>r°>rn Fire P r otecia®>rn & Mechanical Contractors 267 SOUTH D STREET, SAN BERNARDINO CA. 92401 TELEPHONE 909/885-6000 CA. LIC. #234889-C-16,C36 misguided,however, if it made the project more palatable for the developer to accept a sprinkler ordinance,then it was effective. Many of the incentives listed are construction alternatives, after called "tradeoffs". Examples are reduced ratings of separation walls or longer distances to exits. But the other categories of incentives can be just as effective, especially those that reduce the impact of an ordinance of the jurisdiction. When the City of Scottsdale, Ariz. Analyzed the cost savings of its residential sprinkler ordinance, it calculated that it saves$7 million with narrower streets, smaller water mains and less water storage. Financial incentives vary from things like direct loans for sprinkler installation to reduce tax burdens. They also depend upon state regulations,which vary in the amount of restrictions or flexibility that local governments have. The RFSI can assist AlUs with researching their options for financial incentives. When people make decisions,they always look at the `bottom line'. To a builder, the bottom line is more or less profit. To a politician,it is political capital. The value of sprinkler incentives for improving everyone's bottom line should not be overlooked. Sanborn Fire Protection a Mechanical Contractors 267 South D Street San Bernardino, CA 92401 Phone: (909)885-6000 CA Lic.#234889 C-16,C-36,MC Incentives Who benefits Developer Builder Installer Owner Reduced impact fees I X I Low-cost loans x Increased density 3tF Reduced fire flow �7� - LL Hydrant spacing x —TI Lonizer access road distance I X����� Longer distance from fire stations I X ��) x Reduced access to building sides X Narrower streets i x Fewer parking restrictions I� X�1 ;I Longer cul-de-sacs _x Reduced turnaround radius X ���� Reduced permit fees F X I X Reduced or exempted plan review fees I�X �I X _ _ �I inspections Reduced fire resistance ratings, no parapet X X walls �� Increased distance to exits X — - Single water line for domestic and Single systems Il - - - - - No separate meter for sprinkler system X No fee increase for larger meter X X No special connection charge �- No water standby fee Check valves instead of low-pressure �r —I X principle backflow preventer - -. �Lower insurance premiums X Lower ISO rating �� �— X— Reduction in annual fire service X assessment � Property tax reductions X Reduced impact fees. An impact fee is a charge a community makes to a developer to pay for improvements that are needed because of a new development. Examples are roads, sewer,water mains, water storage,parks and fire stations. Impact fees are not universal. Some communities require that the developers pay for roads, water and sewer that the development requires. To the extent that smaller water mains,narrower roads and longer distances form fire stations are given as incentives, it is possible to deduct the proportional cost of these items from the impact fee. When considering the lower cost of water, include the lower storage costs as well as water mains and hydrants. Low-cost loans. Communities have come up with a variety of ways to provide low-cost loans to building owners for installing sprinklers. This is one way to reduce the net cost of retrofitting systems in existing buildings. One state added retrofit sprinkler systems to its list of public improvements,making them eligible for low-cost,long-term loans just like sewer improvements or street lights. Many communities in the state have retrofit requirements, and building owners who increase the size of a building over a certain area threshold are required to retrofit the entire building with sprinklers. The loan is arranged through the individual community, which floats a general obligation bond which the builder pays off over 10-20 years at a favorable interest rate. This method of financing a retrofit has a big advantage for owner who have long-term leases with tenants. The monthly payments to pay off the bond issue are considered taxes, and the state's lease laws allow tax increases to be passed along to lessees immediately. Thus,the owner can recoup the installation costs without waiting until a lease expires to negotiate a higher payment. I Increased density. Communities control the density of structures by controlling the distance between buildings and building height. There are two objectives for doing this. The first is to reduce the likelihood of a fire conflagration. The second is to control crowding and have an aesthetically pleasing environment. Both objectives are reached by setting distance requirements from the street(front yard setbacks)and from adjacent property(side yard setbacks). Reduced fire flow. The codes allow as little as 750 GPM fire flow for average sized 1-family detached homes. Since fire flow is the major factor in water main size, lower fire flows nearly always mean smaller mains. Lower fire flow also means smaller storage tanks and less pump capacity. All of these reductions can add up to a significant cost savings. For example,when Scottsdale, Arizona adopted a residential sprinkler ordinance,the estimated savings in water costs was 7 million dollars. Hydrant spacing. Many fire officials allow longer distances between hydrants when all of the property is protected with sprinklers. Demand for water is greatly reduced when sprinklers are present, and the time needed for connecting to a water supply can be relaxed. Also,most fire departments now carry large-diameter hose, which greatly reduces the friction loss in longer hose lays. When looked at on a per property basis,this cost savings can be significant. In a I-family home development, for example each hydrant may protect between 4-8 homes, depending upon the density. When hydrants cost$2,000.00 to install, a 50 percent increase in spacing equates to a sizable cost reduction per home. Longer access road distance. This incentive is related to hydrant spacing. The building and fire codes require hydrants on the property when the buildings are beyond a certain distance form a public roadway and public hydrants. Just as the spacing of public hydrants can be increased,the distance to the building can also be increased in order to delete the private hydrant requirement. Longer distance from fire stations. As new development expands the limits of a jurisdiction or is too far from existing fire stations,the issue of new stations and firefighters to staff them comes up. Because sprinklered buildings and homes need about one half or less the number of firefighters and apparatus,distances between stations can be increased. The limit in sprinklered areas is usually set at the maximum desired travel time for EMS calls. This is much farther than desired for unsprinklered areas, so the savings can be significant. One city recently projected 7 stations for a new development if sprinklers are not required, but only 3 if everything is protected with sprinklers. At an average cost of 1 million dollars per year to staff a station with just three firefighters around the clock,the sprinkler requirement will save the city 4 million dollars a year. For a more detailed discussion of the relationship between sprinklers and fire department staffing, see the Section on staffine in Answers to Home Builders. Reduced access to building sides. When a building is protected with sprinklers,the need for access to all sides for manual suppression and aerial rescue is greatly diminished. This gives the architect a lot more freedom for siting yards,parking and other uses that would not be possible if the fire department needed access. Narrower streets. Typically, streets are sized wide enough to allow two apparatus traveling in opposite directions to pass each other. Many jurisdictions allow narrower streets that leaves room for just one apparatus,the logic being that fire incidents will be for controlled incidents where the fire is often already out.Narrower streets give developers more sellable land. Fewer parking restrictions. This design freedom is related to street width and building access. Fire officials typically require "Fire Lanes," or access on the private access roads and parking lots fight up to the building. One alternative to narrower roads is to allow on-street parking that cuts the access width to one apparatus instead of two. Of course, deleting the need for complete access to all sides of a building will provide more sellable space or space that can be used for parking or other purposes. Longer cul-de-sacs. Cul-de-sacs in I-family neighborhoods are the darling of developers and city planners because the restricted access discourages through-traffic and slows vehicles. These are seen as advantages for child safety and aesthetics. Fire officials limit the length of cul-de- sacs because of the obvious disadvantages for emergency vehicles. Since sprinklered homes reduce the demand on the number of firefighters and apparatus, many fire officials allow longer dead-end streets when sprinklers are installed. Reduced turnaround radius. When cul-de-sacs are allowed, fire officials normally require wider turn-arounds when the length exceeds a specific threshold(e. g., 150 feet in the Uniform Fire Code). The wider turn-arounds, called hammerheads because of their shape,take more room,and this reduces the amount of sellable land. Reduced permit fees. Some cities agree to reduce permit fees when sprinklers are installed. Scottsdale,Arizona dropped the fire-related permit fees altogether for sprinklered buildings. The logic is that the department will absorb the cost of plan reviewers and inspectors as its contribution to lowering the net cost of sprinklers. In many cases,the increased workload will be very little for plan reviewers,who are already on hand to review the structural plans. The plumbing inspectors can be trained to handle sprinkler inspections,and fire firefighters can also be trained to do this work. Reduced or exempted plan review fees. This is often part of the building permit fee, but we kept it separate since some fire departments levy a plan review fee in addition to the building permit fee. The logic for reducing it or deleting the entire fee is the same as stated above for permit fees. Reduced or exempted fees for field inspections. This can be related to permit fees,but like plan review fees, some fire departments levy this separately. Some even charge for annual inspections.All of these charges are eligible for becoming incentives. Reduced fire resistance ratings, no parapet walls. This can yield a significant cost savings. For residential occupancies,most of it is limited to multi-family dwellings, although the garage separation in 1-family homes is a candidate. There are three types of separations: area, occupancy and vertical. In theory, area separation walls are designed to limit the spread of fires. They are usually a minimum of 2-hour fire resistance and in some occupancies are required to extend above the roof(parapet walls). Experience has shown,however,that this often does not hold,so fire officials have been willing to accept sprinklers in lieu of them. You will also find that fire officials will amend their building code to drop the language that allows area separation walls to reduce building area below the threshold for sprinklers. Occupancy separations walls, like area separation walls,are supposed to limit fire spread between different occupancies. An example is the separation between a restaurant and dwelling units. The problem of theory v. experience holds here, also.Vertical separations are not usually considered for reduction in fire resistance,and certainly not for exemption. Increased distance to exits. This design alternative is already in the building codes,although fire officials could decide to make the distance even more liberal in some cases. The logic of the distance-to- exit requirements is that people should be able to exit to fresh air quickly in the event of a fire. With sprinkler present,the logic is that the fire will be kept small or completely extinguished,thereby reducing the need for quicker egress. Single water line for domestic and sprinkler systems. Some water authorities have required that sprinkler systems be supplied by a separate water line from the public main. Why?Not for any reasons that we have seen as valid. The sprinkler and plumbing standards both allow a single pipe to supply both needs as long as they are large enough, so it is not difficult to show that this design alternative is acceptable. No separate meter for sprinkler system. Even where water authorities accept a single water line, some will require a meter on the sprinkler line where is splits from the domestic supply. Their logic is that they need to monitor for leaks, but it is obvious that any sprinkler leaks will be immediately noticed. No fee increase for larger meter. You will note that we show this as a benefit to the installer and owner. The reason is that some jurisdictions levy a one-time fee for the meter,while others will add a monthly fee. The owner would be stuck with the monthly fee, so any reduction here may benefit the owner as well as the installer. A larger meter is usually needed when sprinklers are installed. Water authorities have some curious notions when it comes to residential fire sprinklers and water meters. When a larger meter is requested,they automatically think that more water will be used and therefore the owner should pay more. The reverse is actually true; When sprinklers are installed,the water used in a fire will be one tenth the amount used by firefighters, so sprinklers significantly reduce demand on the water system. But unless water authorities are educated about this very simple fact,they will continue to think 'larger means more water." One way to get more money is to charge so-called "commercial" rates for the larger meter. One would think that a slightly larger meter would have a slightly higher cost. In fact,the cost can more than double, and this tells us that water purveyors are using this simply as a way to increase revenues. A typical 1-family home will have a 3/4" supply line from the water main,a 5/8"meter and 1/2" plumbing lines. If sprinklers are installed, designers may ask for a 1" supply line, and they will always ask for a 3/4" meter-even if the 3/4" supply line will suffice. The reason for needing a minimum of a 3/4"meter is because a 5/8" meter does not have enough capacity to flow the amount of water to supply the sprinklers,which is a minimum of 26 GPM at the two remote sprinklers. This applies to all types of sprinkler systems including the new multi-purpose system that uses 1/2" plumbing pipe. This sounds counterintuitive, because why do we need a 3/4" meter if it goes to 1/2" pipe?It is because the 1/2" multi-purpose system uses a different type of sprinkler fitting with four ports. At least three of the ports must bring water into the fitting, so the sprinkler is actually being supplied by three 1/2" lines. If the water authority is using the meter larger issue as a revenue enhancer,this is a good candidate for a cost reduction incentive. As we said at the top, it will take some education to show them that sprinklers actually reduce demand on the water system so there is absolutely no logic for homeowners to pay commercial meter prices. After the education, some arm twisting might be needed. Water authorities that have used such devices to increase revenues will need to find ways to replace it or do with less. One good way to approach them is to tell them that the reduction can be their contribution to solving the community's fire problem and conserving water at the same time. No special connection charge. Many water authorities will demand a special fee for connecting a sprinkler system,even though it adds mere minutes to an inspector's time when approving the water connections. To us, this is simply another way to get more revenue. It is hard for them to defend and thus is a good candidate for a cost reduction incentive. The same logic we suggested in the section on meter charges can be used here. Make them part of the solution by reducing these fees. No water standby fee. Some water authorities have created monthly "water standby" fees for commercial sprinkler systems. Their reasoning is that is that more connections mean more water and more maintenance. There is no basis for either position. Like residential sprinklers, commercial sprinklers will save huge amounts of water that would be needed to manually suppress a fire.As for maintenance costs,a large meter does not create that much more of a maintenance cost, certainly not the charges we have seen. Water standby fees can be hundreds of dollars a month,which the owner is stuck with. We have always argued against water standby fees for commercial sprinkler systems and have helped jurisdictions get them dropped. They certainly should not be applied to residential systems for the same reasons noted above, and this makes the charge a good candidate for a cost reduction incentive. Check valves instead of low-pressure-principle backflow preventer. In the recent past,health authorities have become more concerned about potable water becoming contaminated if stagnant water leaks into the system. The initial concern was lawn sprinklers. A check valve is installed where the lawn sprinkler line is connected to the potable water line. If the water pressure in the potable water system got lower than that pressure in the lawn system,the fear was that the check valve could leak. The concern was heightened by the fact that this could siphon ground water contaminated with lawn chemicals. Then someone realized that fire sprinkler systems had stagnant water held in place by check valves, and the argument for better protection spread to them as well. The answer in many states has been to require a"low-pressure-principle"backflow prevention valve. This is s sophisticated device with a series of valves that are designed to detect a pressure reduction and keep the check valves shut. The health authorities in many jurisdictions have successfully argued that even a double check valve on a sprinkler system is not enough and that the low-pressure-principle valve is needed. Low-pressure-principle valves are costly. They also require annual inspections and maintenance by a specialist. If you can get the water and health authorities to accept a normal check valve in lieu of the low-pressure principle type,you can save the installer and owner a lot of money. When we last checked prices,the low-pressure-principle backflow preventer for a 1-family home was $600.00. This is a very significant increase in the cost of a residential sprinkler system, so reducing it can be quite an incentive. Lower insurance premiums. More property insurers are reducing premiums when residential sprinklers are installed. The reduction runs from 10-20 percent in the U. S.to over 40 percent in Canada. One caveat for 1-family homes here is that the reduction may only apply to the fire portion of the premium, so check before making estimates of the dollars to be saved. A homeowners policy is called a multi-peril policy because it covers more than fire. Things like theft and liability are also included, and the fire portion of the total premium may be 25-35 percent. If the insurer says that they will reduce the fire portion by 20 percent, then this can only be applied to the fire portion and not the total premium. For owners of apartments and commercial buildings,the news is better. Insurers are willing to reduce the liability portion as well, and we saw one report where this was decreased by 50 percent. In these cases,the insurance savings can be very significant. Lower ISO rating. When property insurers set the premium for an individual building,they do it in two segments. The first is a baseline rate(they call it the basis rate), and it is determined by the amount of public fire protection. An insurance service called the Insurance Services Office (ISO)periodically evaluates the water supply and fire department in every city, and it gives the city a rating of 1 to 10. A 10 indicates that there is no fire department, and the basis rate for this city is the highest. Correspondingly, a city with an ISO rating of 1 has the lowest basis rate. The second segment is the individual rate for each building, and it depends upon the material used in the structure,the type of occupancy and the built-in fire protection. Fire sprinklers can reduce this part of the premium by 5-20 percent. This is independent of the basis rate, so a building in a city with a high ISO rating can still get an insurance break from sprinklers. The news is not as good for owners of 1-family homes. In most areas, once the ISO rating drops below 7,homeowners do not get a reduced basis rate,only commercial building owners. In some states,homeowners will get a break down to an ISO 5. On the other hand, lower ISO ratings do not necessarily improve life safety for homeowners. The objective of the ISO rating is to give credit where the risk of conflagration has been reduced. Consequently,the rating schedule focuses on the amount of water available for fire suppression and the firefighters and apparatus needed to pump the desired amount. Homeowners pay for the increased benefit to commercial building owners but do not necessarily get any additional benefit themselves. Reduction in annual fire service assessment. Some jurisdictions that have volunteer fire departments levy an annual fire service fee to pay for apparatus and equipment. Since sprinklers will reduce the demand on the fire department, some jurisdictions have considered reducing the fire assessment as an incentive to get sprinklers installed. Property tax reductions. A lot of jurisdictions, especially those with career fire departments,pay for the fire service by levying property taxes. If the property tax is based on the assessed valuation of structures. buildings,this will increase the tax burden for owner of sprinklered homes and buildings. When a permit is issued for things like sprinkler installation,the tax assessor checks the cost of the addition and increases the assessed valuation accordingly. Thus, owners of sprinklered homes and buildings must pay more taxes even though they have significantly reduced the demand on the jurisdiction's water system and fire department. To counter this, some jurisdictions will ignore the increased valuation caused by sprinkler systems. ^ oo 3 awewry„y, �' 1 r { e �Wi 7. tiw .. 1�g�'_ ..:�,- x �_.' To Deputy Sheriff: Joe Palomino Reference: Criminal Complaint against Jay Lindberg I forgot to tell you that My wife,Maureen Lindberg, is running against Jerry Eaves in the next election and I am running against Jerry Lewis for the 40th Congressional district. I bet he forgot to mention that. This looks like a politically motivated persecution. I went to that meeting to address the killing of Paul Wells,Geoffrey Hill and an e-mail I received from C.Casey that is included in the 6 pages I am fasting to you. The circumstances surrounding that e-mail is it was between the dates that Geoffrey Hill was killed in San Diego County and the date he was found with a bullet in his head. Geoffrey Hill was investigating corruption in the mountains and forwarding the material he was uncovering to the DOJ before he was killed. The Sheriffs department set him up and raided his house in late November in the mountains. They took his computer and his files with them. Several days later he turned up missing and was not found until almost two weeks later in San Diego County dead. Over the Thanksgiving weekend I received an e-mail from Deathinsurance@mtnempire.net(C Casey). It reads: Do you ever go shooting?A Bunch of us guys train out here in the high desert near San Diego. I expressed interest in the offer. His letter and my response are included in the Netscape file C:\windows\desktop\vanety\Deathinsurance.htin. When I found out about the death of Geoffrey Hill and the circumstances surrounding his death I checked my computer and I found my reply to his message. I was in court a few days later with some friends of Geoffrey's and was asked if this e-mail was for real. When I stated yes, I found out that Geoffrey was receiving death threats,C Casey was probably Captain Casey of the Sheriffs department in the mountains and mtnempire.net is a county government server. This letter was a terrorist threat if I ever saw one. I'm glad I kept it. Here was my second reply to the letter from Deathinsurance: I hear you bagged a trouble maker last time out. If you spent a little time training these folks you'd have a lot better hunt. I guess that's not your style is it?Not much to brag about, shooting fish in a barrel. I provided five pages of information to each board member and a copy of The e-mail. Those pages of information are what made Jerry file because he knew when he read them I had the evidence to convict. Three pages state the criminal acts involved in the killing of Paul Wells and the exhibits to back up those claims. The e-mail and a citizen letter for my candidacy were the other two pages. I talked about the killing of Geoffrey Hill and the logistics that would go along with it. If a Captain of the Sheriffs department was in on the killing,the Sheriff and a Supervisor would be in the loop as well. The reason Jerry is so concerned with my investigation into the Death of Paul Wells is because Jerry knows Larry Conley personally. Larry Conley is the one running this "Harvesting with Hospice" program in San Bernardino. He knows Larry Conley well enough to know that if anyone put handcuffs on him the first words out of his mouth would be, "Jerry Eaves was in the middle of it."Larry Conley can make Jerry Eaves an accessory in a 187 and Jerry knows it. I need to keep Jerry alive on this one because Jerry is the lynch pin that ties County government to the "Harvesting with Hospice Program."He's the one that pushed the buttons that shut down the investigations from the city police to the Feds. When Jerry Eaves,the Fat Rat goes down, he will take all his buddies with him. That's how we clean up the corruption. Sincerely, Jay Lindberg Now I get to find out if you are part of an execution team. #36 3-6- 00 * * * ACTIVITY REPORT Mar. 4 '00 10:45 TRNS. TOTAL PAGE 001123 RECV. TOTAL PAGE 001720 TRNS. No. DATE START TIME PARTNER PAGE RESULT ERROR -ODE 1 Dec. 22 17:50 9'22 9093873668 5 OK 2 Dec.22 18:30 9'26 916 653 5271 4 OK 3 Dec.22 19:09 11'47 909 386 5246 7 OK 4 Dec.23 11:40 2'07 916 653 5271 2 OK 5 Jan. 13 13:58 1'47 909 882 4231 1 E-30 6 Feb.26 17: 13 1'47 909 9416880 1 OK ? Feb. 26 17:15 1'27 909 9418680 1 OK 8 Feb.26 17:22 1'04 909 9418860 1 OK 9 Mar. 2 11:23 0'40 0 1 E-21 10 Mar. 2 11:25 1'03 0 2 OK 11 Mar. 2 11:33 1'03 0 2 OK 12 Mar. 4 10:35 2'13 2 E-50 RECV. No. DATE START TIME PARTNER PAGE RESULT ERROR GOOF 1 Jan. 11 11:45 0134 **********+*****+*.**+** 0 E-10 2 Jan. 11 12:47 0'34 ************************ 0 E-10 3 Jan. 11 12:58 0116 ************************ 0 E-20 4 Jan. 11 13:04 0'35 **********************+* 0 E-10 5 Jan. 13 .13:59 0105 ++ww+++ww+ww+wwwrtwwrtrtrtrtrt 0 E-20 6 Feb. 17 21:05 0'07 ***rtrtrtrtwrtrtrtrtrtwrtrtrtw++++++ 0 E-20 7 Feb.29 14:06 9'14 202 263 0502 14 E-50 8 Mar. 2 11:21 0'34 rt*++++rtw++++++++++wrtwwrtw 0 E-10 LY�'W .fie n Y £ y e Lr,_ Y• .�F��F �ag _ JH t �irw ti kCcf} nousmg plans upset residents, activists 8yA\DREP'SIL\:� Z00 Q designed to preserve the character of Y Smrf writer 2_ Z2- the mountain as much as possible. i JAN' —In the brisk morning "This is not an Orange County sub- BLUE air. the pzsczfitl stand of pine and oak division where you terrace the hill- .. hardly seems a battleground for one of sides,' he said standing among the u the most heated fights in the mountains trees on his land. "It's a designing - t in recent years. - with-nature concept, where you try to Lifetime mountain build within the site resident Rob Roy. �- I and not alter it" I I owner of Roy Forest _ The 2,000 Products in Colton ;' I square foot town. plans to build 10 r homes well be set tow'nhomes and 171 .c back at least 70 feet custom home sites on N k - from Grass Valley Road with forest be - the 182-acre forested , 1 parcel across Grass - irowhead tween the homes and `I Valley Road from the the road.The overall _ I Lake Arrowhead a BLUE ',.w density of the project - .-o x will work out to a Country Club 1 a C little more than one Saplings like this one may be lost Opponents worry o - if the land is developed,which is about impacts on ttaf- _ . trait per acre. The why Lake Arrowhead resident abo p ftc, schools and rile :'.' "� hotrta will nm from Mary Smith said she's against the _ Sky Fo"rest $41)0,(100 up to $l 182-acre community cncironment. _. y: million proposed I But for many. the STAFF GRAPHIC called Eagle Ridge at Lake Arrow- bieeest concern is "I'm proud of this head.The 'mountain' is overdevel- more visceral. project. This project is not only good oped as it is, she said. "They're cumin- our mountain into for me, it's good for the mountain,"he a city and we don't want it," said 30- said wrote a paper last year arguing it must year-old Tim Stine of Running The history have been the site of the last major In- I Springs. dian battle in Southern Califontia I Roy argues his proposed Eagle It's not the first battle the site has Ridge Estates at Lake Arrowhead will seen. Based on historical descriptions of See MOUNTAINIS6 • o tv roiect One local historian, Geoffrey Hill. _ - - - � ��� g 1k��� lik 1116 .111V U P Continued from 81 and Roy lxtught it in 1991 when homes and businesses surround are other sites in the area with i the fight, Hill was convinced the that party went into bankruptcy, it and several hundred acres near higher wildlife values. .. . For 1 parcel is Indian Hill, where on When residents got wind of Big Bear Lake were more impor- this reason we will no longer be Jan. 31, 1867,white settlers from the land swap, they formed Save tant to save. seeking 10 purchase your proper- f San Bernardino fought about 60 Our Forest Association to try to "The parcel was difficult for ry•" a American Indians and then fol- save the parcel. us to manage because it was sur. Roy said his opponents have F lowed them north to the desert "It's one of the last forests of rounded by development," said never made an offer, other than s where the settlers massacred the that type in the greater Lake Ar- Ernie Dierking, director of lands .asking him to donate the land, I; Indians at Chimney Rock in Lu- rowhead area," said Diane and minerals for the Forest Serv- while opponents say he has nev- it ceme Valley. Stockl, chairwoman of the At- ice in San Bernardino. "People er agreed to an appraisal or any Roy disputes that, saying a towhead Forest Preservation Ac- were using it as their backyard." other serious steps that could it state archaeologist said it's im- tion Committee. Her second That's the crux of Roy's de- lead to a sale. _ it possible to determine where the home is adjacent to Roy's land. fense: Other parcels were much And with a county Planning battle took place. ' The area and nearby Grass more important environmentally Commission hearing on March n; But the recent history of the Valley Creek is a major wildlife and though his land is gorgeous, 2, and possibly a major step to- rr site is even more controversial. corridor, she said, and residents it's not critical to the survival of ward getting approval to build, n, Until 1988 the land belonged to routinely see bears,coyotes,bob-. rare species. he has no intention of selling fi the U.S. Forest Service, and it cats and mountain lions. There "This was all environmental now. was that parcel that sparked the also arc concerns about the rare lmdeout piece,"he said. But what would it take to get Cr formation of the Save Our Forest southern rubber boa, Andrew's The motley his ear? Association, even before Roy marble butterfly and the southern CL"No less than $12 million;' pl bought it. flying squirrel. Efforts to buy the land for he said. And that would have to qt In a deal with The Nature The butterfly has been spotted. Preservation have gone nowhere. be cash. Bi Conservancy — all environ- on the site, the snake was found The state Assembly last year The battle f° mental group that buys land to near — but not on — the site authorized$2 million to buy land protect it — the Forest Service and the squirrel has not been in the San Bernardino Mountains With a conservation sale all ah Lot four other parcels near Big seen on the parcel by biologists. after opponents asked for help in but impossible, critics will focus lh, Bear Lake to protect some sensi• But the arcs is still considered preserving the site. on environmental issues. La live plants. In return, the Nature good habitat for those and other n... ... n,.. a .e.,_- - Geoffrey Hill, D.Litt. Box 1057 Twin Peaks, Ca. 92391 USA (909) 337-0883 AN OPEN LETTER TO JUDGE JOHN P . WADE REGARDING THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL CONVICTION & SENTENCING OF JEFF WRIGHT August 31 , 1998 John P . Wade Superior Court Judge Superior Court 351 N. Arrowhead Ave . San Bernardino, Ca. fax ( 909 ) 387-4428 Judge Wade, I am a psychotherapist, a college instructor, an author, a scholar and a social commentator on various media. Please acknowledge this letter as a sincere protest against your sentencing Jeff Wright to jail for a year and a half. Please also realize that Jeff Wright is not merely some street urchin gadfly with no supporters behind him. I am happy to say there are numerous intelligent, educated, professional persons and many others in San Bernardino county who are outraged at the shocking sentencing you have imposed upon Mr. Wright. I also happen to know there is much more behind the scenes of what has obviously been an egregious , illegal railroading of this opponent of governmental abuse. I 'm convinced that Mr. Wright has been completely robbed of his constitutional right of free speech and his right of redressing government. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that there is a serious , vested interest in keeping Mr . Wright behind bars and away from county government because of special monied interests , including the Ward Valley nuclear waste dump proponents . I would highly recommend that you reverse your decision of Mr. Wright ' s sentencing. Please release Mr . Wright from jail . He no more deserves to be there than any citizen who expresses his constitutional rights . Let me inform you that there is a growing movement of concerned and outraged citizens in San Bernardino county who are seriously considering a recall effort of z all public , officials , including the county supervisors , yourself and others involved with this outrageous and egregious behavior by public officials . Furthermore, this growing movement of citizens is increasing affiliations with environmental and social-activist groups who monitor and fight such governmental abuses . Additionally, there are investigative journalists who are presently looking into what increasingly appears to be some potentially explosive and scandalous corruption in county government. If Mr. Wright remains behind bars, I will personally do everything I can within my power to initiate a recall of your judgeship, even to the extent of organizing and speaking at public meetings to rally the citizens of this county around the cause. I once gave political speeches on behalf of a state governor and U.S . Presidential candidate, and I know how to motivate people against illegal and abusive forms of government . If you persist in your determination to keep Jeff Wright locked up, let this letter stand as a public challenge for you to join me in a moderated public debate on the issue of constitutional law. I 've lectured on over 100 topics including justice, government and politics , and I would love to have the opportunity to meet you on your own professional turf. Please release Mr. Wright. He is not a criminal , and he does not deserve to be locked up to keep the guilty safe from his legitimate redresses of government. Thank you for considering this . Sincerely Dr. Hi cc : various websites and newsgroups on the internet San Bernardino Bar Association California Bar Association California Commission on Judicial Performance American Bar Association various law journals various free speech and constitutional law groups various environmental & Ward Valley groups (909) 981-2030 Fax (909) 981-0910 Marjorie M. Mikels Attorney at Law 201 N. First Avenue Upland, CA 91786-6061 February 23, 2000 The San Bernardino County SUN 399 N. "D" Street San Bernardino, CA 92401 Attn.: Editor Re: Geoffrey Hill Dear Editor: Thank you for Andrew Sava's excellent article published on 2/22/00 concerning the Rob Roy housing development in Blue Jay. The article credits `local historian" Geoffrey Hill with preparation of a paper arguing the site was the location of the `last major Indian battle in Southern California." One important fact was omitted, however. That same Geoffrey Hill, who was also a psychotherapist, a college instructor, an author, a scholar and a social commentator on various media, was found in northern San Diego County (Borrego Desert) on 11/28/99 with a bullet in his head, shortly after delivering that paper. It is also true, perhaps coincidental, that Mr. Hill wrote a spirited letter to Judge John P. Wade in the months before his death, protesting vigorously Wade's sentencing of Jeff Wright to jail for a year and a half. I have included herewith a copy of Geoffrey Hill's August 31, 1998, open letter to Judge Wade, and respectfully request that in honor of Geoffrey Hill, who seems to have sacrificed his life for his beliefs, his letter be published. Thank you for your dedication to publishing the important news of our community. incerely, MARJORIE MUSSER MI KELS Shooting fish in a barrel Page 1 of 2 In a message dated 12/10/1999 5:07:20 PM Pacific Standard Time, Drgwarwhr writes: <<Subj:Fish in a barrel Date: 12/10/1999 5:07:20 PM Pacific Standard Time From:Drgwarwhr To: deathinsurance @mtnempire.net(C Casey) Hi Capt, I hear you bagged a trouble maker the last time out. If you spent a little time training these folks you'd have a lot better hunt. I guess that's not your style is it Not much to brag about, shooting fish in a barrel. Sincerely, Jay>>> Date: 12/02/1999 12:22:15 PM Pacific Standard Time From: Drgwarwhr@aol.com To: Deathinsurance@mtnempire.net >Hi C. Casey, >I'm in San Bernardino. My phone number is 909-864-0731. Give me a call. We're looking for citizens >in a land full of servants and slaves. You can also do an author search under DRGWARWHR@aol.com >for more of my work. I would like to hear from you. >Sincerely, >Jay Lindberg ZReply-to: 1p Drgwhr ay,November 25, 1999 5:46 PM hinsurance@mtnempire.net(C Casey) athinsurance@mtnempire.net(C Casey) help Drgwhr To: Drgwarwhr@aol.com Jay: Do you ever go shooting?A bunch of us guys train out here in the high desert near San Diego. -----Original Message-- --------------------Headers-------------- — — — Retum-Path: Received: from rly-za0l.mx.aol.com(rly-za0l.mail.aol.com [172.31.36.97])by air- za04.mail.aol.com(vx)with ESMTP; Thu,02 Dec 1999 15:22:15 -0500 Received: from mail.mmempire.net(mail.mtnempire.net [208.193.146.2])by rly-za0l.mx.aol.com (v65.4)with ESMTP; Thu, 02 Dec 1999 15:22:05 -0500 Received: from sd-152-203.13.cari.net(216.98.152.203) by mail.mtnempire.net(FirstClass Mail Server v5.50)with SMTP transient id 220; Thu,02 Dec 1999 12:20:03 -0800 X-Sender: deathinsurance@mtnempire.net Message-ID: <013fO lbf3d03$a1729320$919862d8@cxl28196a> Reply-To: "C Casey" From: "C Casey" To: Justice for the oppressors Page 1 of 1 Sent: Thursday, September 16, 1999 8:43 AM Subject: FWD: 3 of 4 Deltas Just Killed in"Training Accidents" were at Waco! Tyranny,like hell, is not easily conquered.". Thomas Paine >Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 14:27:08-0500 >AS THREATENED CIA AGENT TALKS, SUBPOENAS FLY AND DELTA FORCE PERSONNEL PRESENT AT WACO SUDDENLY DIE.... >MYSTERIOUS DELTA FORCE DEATHS—FALLING OUT OF HELICOPTERS,DROWNING, GUNSHOTS....? >ALEX JONES: "THESE ARE NOT BEING REPORTED IN THE NATIONAL MEDIA AS TRAINING ACCIDENTS NORMALLY WOULD BE,AND INSIDE SOURCES LINK THESE MEN TO THE SLAUGHTER AT WACO" FAYETTVILLE ONLINE >http://www.infowars.com/training_deaths.htmi >Radio talk show host Alex Jones asserted today that he has confirmed that at least 3 of the 4 Delta Force members killed in training accidents on 2 successive days last week were at Waco during the siege that killed 86 Branch Davidians. >The 3 dead Delta Force soldiers confirmed to have been at Waco were Lt. Col. Timothy A. Boyles, Sgt. Eric Ellingson,and Master Sgt. Gaetano Cutino. Cutino was the brother of Judge Fran Gull of Fort Wayne,Indiana. >The presence at Waco of the 4th dead Delta Force member, Sgt. Jamey Dimase,3rd Battalion,75th Ranger Regiment,Fort Benning,Ga., has yet to be confirmed or denied. >Alex Jones can be heard daily on shortwave radio at 9.400 MHz from Ipm 2pm. Jones also has a web page at >David Feustel REULES @hdcdojnet.state.ca.us Drgwarwhr @aol.com From: REULES @hdcdojnet.state.ca.us (Steve Reule) To: Drgwarwhr @aol.com Hello. I forwarded your current e-mail also to the Public Inquiry Unit. You can e-mail them directly at piu @hdcdoj net.state.ca.us if you need to. Webmaster (California Dept Of Justice) >>> <Drgwarwhr @aol.com> 06/24/99 01:20AM >>> Thanks Steve, Thank you for forwarding the information. The Coroner's office informed us today that they see no evidence that his death was hastened. They refuse to put it in writing. We also found out that the two Morphine prescriptions that were filled on July, 24, 1997 were not on file at the Bureau of narcotics enforcement either. What we are seeing is the use of a fraudulent Hospice diagnosis providing emergency access by nursing staff to Schedule two narcotics. There is no follow-up on the scripts within 72 hours. This machine is a butcher and well connected. We have enough evidence for someone from the DOJ to run with. We already have Paul's medical records and the financial shakedown evidence is rude. I look forward to hearing from you soon. I will feel a lot more comfortable when I am not sitting on all this evidence. In a message dated 6/21/99 8:07:21 AM Pacific Daylight Time, REULES @hdcdojnet.state.ca.us writes: << Subj : Re: Email to the Webmaster Date: 6/21/99 8:07:21 AM Pacific Daylight Time From: REULES @hdcdoj net.state.ca.us (Steve Reule) To: Drgwarwhr @aol.com Thank you for your e-mail message. It has been forwarded to the appropriate area within the Department. Webmaster (California Department Of Justice) >>> <Drgwarwhr @aol.com> 06/20/99 02:34AM >>> Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by (Drgwarwhr @aol.com) on Sunday, June 20, 1999 at 02:34:21 submit: SEND MESSAGE Name: Jay Lindberg Address: 6340 Orange Knoll City: San Bernardino State: California Zip: 92404 Phone: 909-864-0731 Message: Given: Paul Wells, age 75, died 8-9-97, not embalmed, buried Riverside Veterans Memorial cemetary. Circumstances surrounding death 1) Hospice diagnosis 7/14/97 for lung cancer nonexistent 2) No Coroner's rollout 3) Duragesic Patches on patient 8-6-97 till death, prescription-not on file at BNE in Sacramento 4) Caregivers Denied Patient Prednisone-Prednisone withdrawals 7/1/97 to death 5) Two prescriptions for morphine 7/24/97 for pneumonia 6) $200,000 in cash and assets transferred to caregivers 7/24/97-7/28/97 non-blood relatives with Power of Attorney over healthcare dated 7/20/97. Placed in medical files several months after patient death. 7) Bronchoscopy-neg brushings and washings-non malignant 4/17/97 8) Caregivers controlled burial 9) Family denied access to patient after transfer of assets to caregivers. 10) Advanced directive signed 7/20/97. four days after patient placed on Hospice illegally. # 3G �_6 _0� 11) Coroner's report has over 40 errors and omissions, many critical. Coroner refusing to correct report, stone walling investigation for almost two years. 12) Bronchoscopy results on 4/17/97 missing from electronic data base, Hospice Plan of Care notes, Death cart. Coroner's Report, HBCM notes, all VNA\Hospice notes. 13) Signature cards at Bank of America are missing. 14) DA, San Bernardino Police Department, SBSD see no criminal conduct. 15) Special Agent, Chuck Conley from Cal. DOJ refused to get involved while Dan Lundgren was AG. Conflict of Interest. Larry Conley, a likely defendant is an informant. 16) Special agent, Tracy Thompson, Riverside FBI refused to investigate as well. Claim of budget priorities. 17) Cal. Medical Board Stonewalled 18) VA Inspector General's office refused to investigate, Jurisdiction conflicts. 19) Family of deceased acquired medical records for the patient shortly after death. Records include lab tests, as well. Medical records are relatively complete. 20) The prescription for Duragesic patches, dated 8/6/97 may be part of a missing booklet of scripts. It is number 57 of 99 and the doctor had received another lot of 99 scripts in March of 97. Were any of the block of scripts belonging to this script #9507700557 reported as stolen or lost? 21) Not one investigative agency called to verify if the copy of the Duragesic patch prescription at the BNE. Question: autopsy info needed. 1) deceased not embalmed, can level of narcotics from morphine,Duragesic patch and other drugs still be detected to decide if patient died from overdose or just detected. 2)Can Prednisone detection be done to show patient was denied this medication? 3)Can approximate body weight at time of death still be calculated? 4)Can tissue samples at this stage eliminate lung cancer or COPD as cause of death? Medical records support this conclusion. 5) If patient was starved to death while sedated, can that be detected at this stage. 6)These people are working with hospice on a very regular basis. What additional evidence can I get to force this into the criminal courts? 7) Larry Conley, has been working, HARVEST WITH HOSPICE, since the late 1980s. How the hell am I support to stop this guy if the drug war has made him untouchable? 8) Are we dealing with the Obstruction of Justice Show or the DOJ? We have enough information to put these folks away and I make a lousy target. Right now my mother and I feel like one. I would appreciate some assistance in this matter. When an informant can pillage and kill with immunity, the government is the terrorist. I would appreciate a confirmation that you received this letter. Thank you. Sincerely, Jay Lindberg ----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- Return-Path: <REULES @hdcdojnet.state.ca.us> Received: from rly-ycOl.mx.aol.com (rly-ycO 1.mail.aol.com [172.18.149.33] ) by air-ycO 1.mail.aol.com (v59.51) with SMTP; Thu, 24 Jun 1999 11:10:47 -0400 Received: from mudd.hdcdoj net.state.ca.us (mudd.hdcdoj net.state.ca.us [167.10.5.136] ) by rly-ycOl.mx.aol.com (vx) with SMTP; Thu, 24 Jun 1999 Received: from hdcdoj net.state.ca.us by mudd.hdcdoj net.state.ca.us (8.8.8+Sun/SMI-SVR4) id IAA15849; Thu, 24 Jun 1999 08:10:46 -0700 (PDT) Received: from DOM#u#DOJ-Message_Server by hdcdojnet.state.ca.us with Novell GroupWise; Thu, 24 Jun 1999 08:08:45 -0700 Message-Id: <s771e78d.031 @hdcdojnet.state.ca.us> X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise 5.2 Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 08:08:19 -0700 From: "Steve Reule" <REULES @hdcdoj net.state.ca.us> To: Drgwarwhr @aol.com Page 1 of 1 (Excerpted from "Censored'97: The News that Didn't Make the News"by Peter Phillips(Sonoma State University)&Project Censored). DIVIDE AND CONQUER New—York Ronald Duchin, senior vice-president of PR spy firm Mongoven,Biscoe,and Duchin is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College who worked as a special assistant to the secretary of defense and director of public affairs for the Veterans of Foreign Wars before becoming a flack Activists,he explained, fall into four categories: radicals,opportunists,idealists and realists. He follows a three- step strategy to neutralize them: 1) isolate the radicals; 2) "cultivate"the idealists and"educate"them into becoming realists; then 3)co-opt the realists into agreeing with industry. According to Duchin, radical activists "want to change the system;have underlying socio/political motives [and] see multinational corporations as inherently evil...These organizations do not trust the...federal, state and local governments to protect them and to safeguard the environment. They believe, rather,that individuals and local groups should have direct power over industry... I would categorize their principal aims right now as social justice and political empowerment." Idealists are also "hard to deal with." They"want a perfect world and find it easy to brand any product or practice which can be shown to mark that perfection as evil. Because of their intrinsic altruism, however, and because they have nothing perceptible to be gained by holding their position, they are easily believed by both the media and the public, and sometimes even politicians." However, idealists "have a vulnerable point. If they can be shown that their position in opposition to an industry or its products causes harm to others and cannot be ethically justified,they are forced to change their position...Thus,while a realist must be negotiated with,a idealist must be educated. Generally this education process requires great sensitivity and understanding on the part of the educator." Opportunists and realists, says Duchin, are easier to manipulate. Opportunists engage in activism seeking"visibility,power, followers, and perhaps, even employment...The key to dealing with [them] is to provide them with at least the perception of a partial victory." And realists are able to "live with trade-offs; willing to work within the system;not interested in radical change;pragmatic. [They] should always receive the highest priority in any strategy dealing with a public policy issue...If your industry can successfully bring about these relationships,the credibility of the radicals will be lost and opportunists can be counted on to share in the final policy solution." BILL LOCKYER State of California Attorney General DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PUBLIC IN QUIItY UNIT P. BOX 944255 SACRAMENTO,CA 94244-2550 (916)322-3360 TOLL FREE (800)952-5225 TDY (916)324-5564 or (800)952-5548 August 26, 1999 Shirley J. Goodwin Private Investigator Dicks R Us Private Investigations 3715 Camellia Drive San Bernardino, CA 92404 Dear Ms. Goodwin: Your package submitted to the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Riverside Regional Office, has been forwarded to the Attorney General's headquarters office in Sacramento. The Attorney General appreciates the effort you have put forth in providing said documents to this office and has requested that the Public Inquiry Unit respond to your request. Your correspondence on behalf of Mrs. Vivian C. Wells, the surviving spouse of Mr. Paul Wells, the deceased, requests a reevaluation of its contents because you believe that Mr. Wells died under suspicious circumstances. From the information contained in your package, this matter was properly reported to the San Bernardino Police Department. The information in your documentation indicates that the investigators involved in the case did a complete investigation and found insufficient information to conduct a criminal investigation. The information further indicates that the San Bernardino County District Attorney made an independent review of the investigation conducted by the San Bernardino Police Deparnnert and concluded that no further action was warranted. Enforcement of state law is the primary duty of local law enforcement agencies. Local police authorities are designated the responsibility for investigating violations of law within their jurisdiction. California law gives discretionary authority to a locally elected prosecutor in filing criminal actions. The decision whether or not to file calls for consideration of the prospects of obtaining a conviction against a particular defendant. In making that decision the district attorney must evaluate the likelihood that a jury, after weighing all of the conflicting evidence, would find the defendant guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt." Shirley J. Goodwin August 26, 1999 Page 2 We understand it is not uncommon for members of the public to differ with the district attorney on the question of whether the filing of criminal charges is warranted. However, that decision rests with the locally elected official responsible for such a decision, the district attorney. The fact that an incident has created strong feelings within the community does not mandate basis for intervention by the Attorney General, especially since the district attorney is the official elected by the people of the county to make prosecutorial decisions including those which may be controversial or unpopular. We regret that we could not be of further assistance to you, but hope that the information we have provided clarifies our restrictions in regard to your request. Sincerely, Public In nit Attorney Gene as Office