The Rundown
0
Posted
August 6, 2009 in
News
TUESDAY, JULY 28
Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Otund) continues to hold on to land he bought improperly, leaving the Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District to begin eminent domain proceedings so it can be turned into a park. What an asshole.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29
Jeez.
THURSDAY, JULY 30
Today’s guest columnist in the Riverside The Press-Enterprise’s Momarama column is . . . former Major League baseball player Jack Perconte? Yes, and I’m surprised, too. Looking at his mug shot, who would ever think that little dweeb ever played in the Major Leagues? Actually, Perconte’s name does seem a little familiar from the days back in the 1980s when I was a big-league beat reporter—and an Internet search reveals the guy pieced together a seven-year career as a light-hitting second baseman for four teams, including a couple with the Dodgers. Nothing to write home about, as they say, but apparently enough to write to the Momarama column about. Naturally, Perconte’s mothering advice tries to wring some moral authority out of his quarter-century-ago baseball career. He writes about “The Importance of Fundamentals,” basically drawing another tired connection between baseball and life—which I guess Perconte best demonstrates by worming his way into an Inland Empire newspaper to promote his books and the youth baseball academy he runs in Illinois. Pathetic . . . and yet his photo alongside all the other moms does add an intriguing twist to my morning MILFing reverie.
THURSDAY, JULY 30
The more I think about it . . . Perconte . . . hmmm . . . I like the cut of his jib.
FRIDAY, JULY 31
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is thinking about extending the county’s current moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries for almost a year, giving planners time to put together zoning and licensing rules. The new moratorium would extend through June 19, 2010. The Inland Empire’s meth labs no doubt appreciate the protectionism.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1
Norco City Hall is officially dedicated as the Horsetown USA Hall of Fame, a natural expansion of the building’s previous use as a storage facility for horses’ asses. Not that the politicians seem to mind. They are among the approximately 150 people who squeezed into City Hall’s front office of Norco City Hall to catch a little reflected glory from the dedication ceremony. “This is all about the best of the best,” Mayor Kathy Azevedo—wearing cowboy boots—practically whinnies. “This is a small town . . . We don’t perform like a small town. We have trainers like Ray Ariss and Nicki McGinnis who are known all over the nation.” The first 14 members of the Hall of Fame were inducted last October, and the pretty plaques kind of make the photos of Norco’s past mayors look shabby—a fact that isn’t lost on former chief exec Harvey Sullivan. “I would love my picture to be moved,” says Sullivan, before catching himself and adding, “It’s not about the mayor and past councilmen. It’s about the citizens and what they’ve done.” Despite all the ribbon cutting, cake and blather, City Hall is only going to be a temporary home for the Hall of Fame. Organizers hope to create a separate Hall of Fame someday. Judging by the horse assery on display today, they’d better hurry. Says Norco City Councilman Frank Hall, “As you can see, we’re going to outgrow this space really fast.”
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2
The morning after, I can almost hear San Bernardino Sun reporter Stacia Glenn’s eyes roll as I read her account of the snafus that plagued Saturday night’s all-ages music festival—which organizers ultimately squeezed into the historic Fox Theatre in San Bernardino after Ontario city officials gave the event a last-minute boot from that city’s convention center. “Sure, there were minor issues like turning away about half the 3,000 ticketholders, forgetting to notify police about needing crowd control and being forced to cut the lineup in half,” Glenn writes. “But overall, officials say the third annual Infocus festival played out without a hitch.” That’s the kind of sass a story like this requires, and too bad she doesn’t take it further. Ontario officials totally screwed the Infocus organizers with a last-minute panic attack, apparently provoked by the recent controversy over rave parties in a neighboring city. “We don’t want what has plagued Pharaoh’s in Redlands,” says Jim Morris, an aide to Ontario Mayor Pat Morris, referring to the revocation of the conditional use permit for that defunct water park because of the raves it held. The difference is, of course, that Redlands lived up to its commitments while the permit was valid. Ontario, on the other hand, simply pulled the plug on 5,000 ticket holders at the last minute, leaving organizers in a mess. Were their concerns justified? Well, Harry Hwang—who refurbished the built-in-1929 Fox Theatre three years ago—doesn’t seem to have had any problems. Only water was served at Infocus. “They make a nice, good party,” Hwang says. “No problem.”
MONDAY, AUGUST 3
Wonder how much it costs to attend Jack Perconte’s baseball academy, anyway?
Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Otund) continues to hold on to land he bought improperly, leaving the Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District to begin eminent domain proceedings so it can be turned into a park. What an asshole.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29
Jeez.
THURSDAY, JULY 30
Today’s guest columnist in the Riverside The Press-Enterprise’s Momarama column is . . . former Major League baseball player Jack Perconte? Yes, and I’m surprised, too. Looking at his mug shot, who would ever think that little dweeb ever played in the Major Leagues? Actually, Perconte’s name does seem a little familiar from the days back in the 1980s when I was a big-league beat reporter—and an Internet search reveals the guy pieced together a seven-year career as a light-hitting second baseman for four teams, including a couple with the Dodgers. Nothing to write home about, as they say, but apparently enough to write to the Momarama column about. Naturally, Perconte’s mothering advice tries to wring some moral authority out of his quarter-century-ago baseball career. He writes about “The Importance of Fundamentals,” basically drawing another tired connection between baseball and life—which I guess Perconte best demonstrates by worming his way into an Inland Empire newspaper to promote his books and the youth baseball academy he runs in Illinois. Pathetic . . . and yet his photo alongside all the other moms does add an intriguing twist to my morning MILFing reverie.
THURSDAY, JULY 30
The more I think about it . . . Perconte . . . hmmm . . . I like the cut of his jib.
FRIDAY, JULY 31
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is thinking about extending the county’s current moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries for almost a year, giving planners time to put together zoning and licensing rules. The new moratorium would extend through June 19, 2010. The Inland Empire’s meth labs no doubt appreciate the protectionism.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1
Norco City Hall is officially dedicated as the Horsetown USA Hall of Fame, a natural expansion of the building’s previous use as a storage facility for horses’ asses. Not that the politicians seem to mind. They are among the approximately 150 people who squeezed into City Hall’s front office of Norco City Hall to catch a little reflected glory from the dedication ceremony. “This is all about the best of the best,” Mayor Kathy Azevedo—wearing cowboy boots—practically whinnies. “This is a small town . . . We don’t perform like a small town. We have trainers like Ray Ariss and Nicki McGinnis who are known all over the nation.” The first 14 members of the Hall of Fame were inducted last October, and the pretty plaques kind of make the photos of Norco’s past mayors look shabby—a fact that isn’t lost on former chief exec Harvey Sullivan. “I would love my picture to be moved,” says Sullivan, before catching himself and adding, “It’s not about the mayor and past councilmen. It’s about the citizens and what they’ve done.” Despite all the ribbon cutting, cake and blather, City Hall is only going to be a temporary home for the Hall of Fame. Organizers hope to create a separate Hall of Fame someday. Judging by the horse assery on display today, they’d better hurry. Says Norco City Councilman Frank Hall, “As you can see, we’re going to outgrow this space really fast.”
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2
The morning after, I can almost hear San Bernardino Sun reporter Stacia Glenn’s eyes roll as I read her account of the snafus that plagued Saturday night’s all-ages music festival—which organizers ultimately squeezed into the historic Fox Theatre in San Bernardino after Ontario city officials gave the event a last-minute boot from that city’s convention center. “Sure, there were minor issues like turning away about half the 3,000 ticketholders, forgetting to notify police about needing crowd control and being forced to cut the lineup in half,” Glenn writes. “But overall, officials say the third annual Infocus festival played out without a hitch.” That’s the kind of sass a story like this requires, and too bad she doesn’t take it further. Ontario officials totally screwed the Infocus organizers with a last-minute panic attack, apparently provoked by the recent controversy over rave parties in a neighboring city. “We don’t want what has plagued Pharaoh’s in Redlands,” says Jim Morris, an aide to Ontario Mayor Pat Morris, referring to the revocation of the conditional use permit for that defunct water park because of the raves it held. The difference is, of course, that Redlands lived up to its commitments while the permit was valid. Ontario, on the other hand, simply pulled the plug on 5,000 ticket holders at the last minute, leaving organizers in a mess. Were their concerns justified? Well, Harry Hwang—who refurbished the built-in-1929 Fox Theatre three years ago—doesn’t seem to have had any problems. Only water was served at Infocus. “They make a nice, good party,” Hwang says. “No problem.”
MONDAY, AUGUST 3
Wonder how much it costs to attend Jack Perconte’s baseball academy, anyway?
