2/1/2017 San Bernardino County supervisors select interim CEO http://www.sbsun.com/governmentandpolitics/20170131/sanbernardinocountysupervisorsselectinterimceo&template=printart 1/2 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com ) San Bernardino County supervisors select interim CEO By From staff reports Tuesday, January 31, 2017 SAN BERNARDINO >> The county Board of Supervisors appointed Dena Smith, the county’s current chief operating officer, to serve as the interim chief executive officer following Greg Devereaux’s retirement at the end of June. The decision was announced Tuesday after the board met in closed session to select an interim chief executive and determine that a nationwide recruitment will be conducted for a new CEO, according to a county news release. Smith’s appointment is effective April 1, the county said. She will be the first AfricanAmerican and only the second woman to serve the county as its chief executive or chief administrator on an interim or permanent basis. “The board has the utmost confidence in Dena’s ability to carry out board policy and lead the county organization as we conduct our due diligence to ensure we make the best choice for our next CEO,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Robert Lovingood in the news release. “The board has directed county Human Resources to hire a recruitment firm and open the recruitment to internal and external candidates.” Devereaux, who has served as CEO for seven years, will continue to serve the county in an advisory role per the terms of his 10year contract. On Jan. 19, Devereaux announced his decision to retire as CEO and step into the role of adviser. Smith has worked for the county since 1999, serving first as chief learning officer and then as clerk of the board and director of Land Use Services, according to the news release. She was promoted to deputy executive officer in 2011 and to chief operating officer last year. Smith, as COO, is principal assistant to the CEO for operational and administrative issues. She assists in the implementation of policies and directives from the Board of Supervisors and oversees the Government Relations, Legislative Affairs, Public Information and Special Projects Units of the County Administrative Office. “The faith placed in me by the Board of Supervisors is truly humbling, and the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of someone as effective and as successful as Greg Devereaux is an honor,” Smith said in the release. “It will be a pleasure to serve this board, and to work with and lead the talented, hardworking people that make our county a great organization.” Devereaux, 65, has been the county’s top unelected official since February 2010. He previously served as city manager for Ontario and Fontana. Devereaux earns a yearly salary of $318,909, county spokesman David Wert said.
Transcript
2/1/2017 San Bernardino County supervisors select interim CEO
San Bernardino County supervisors select interim CEO
By From staff reports
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
SAN BERNARDINO >> The county Board of Supervisors appointedDena Smith, the county’s current chief operating officer, to serve asthe interim chief executive officer following Greg Devereaux’sretirement at the end of June.
The decision was announced Tuesday after the board met in closedsession to select an interim chief executive and determine that anationwide recruitment will be conducted for a new CEO, accordingto a county news release.
Smith’s appointment is effective April 1, the county said. She will bethe first AfricanAmerican and only the second woman to serve thecounty as its chief executive or chief administrator on an interim orpermanent basis.
“The board has the utmost confidence in Dena’s ability to carry outboard policy and lead the county organization as we conduct our due
diligence to ensure we make the best choice for our next CEO,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman RobertLovingood in the news release. “The board has directed county Human Resources to hire a recruitment firm andopen the recruitment to internal and external candidates.”
Devereaux, who has served as CEO for seven years, will continue to serve the county in an advisory role per theterms of his 10year contract. On Jan. 19, Devereaux announced his decision to retire as CEO and step into therole of adviser.
Smith has worked for the county since 1999, serving first as chief learning officer and then as clerk of the boardand director of Land Use Services, according to the news release. She was promoted to deputy executive officerin 2011 and to chief operating officer last year.
Smith, as COO, is principal assistant to the CEO for operational and administrative issues. She assists in theimplementation of policies and directives from the Board of Supervisors and oversees the GovernmentRelations, Legislative Affairs, Public Information and Special Projects Units of the County AdministrativeOffice.
“The faith placed in me by the Board of Supervisors is truly humbling, and the opportunity to follow in thefootsteps of someone as effective and as successful as Greg Devereaux is an honor,” Smith said in the release.“It will be a pleasure to serve this board, and to work with and lead the talented, hardworking people that makeour county a great organization.”
Devereaux, 65, has been the county’s top unelected official since February 2010. He previously served as citymanager for Ontario and Fontana. Devereaux earns a yearly salary of $318,909, county spokesman David Wertsaid.
Devereaux had previously said that after retirement he would advise the Board of Supervisors for about threeyears to complete the 10year contract that called for him to be paid $91,000 for consulting work.
“Moments of Silence,” tribute concert presented for families, survivors of Dec. 2 attack
By Michel Nolan, The Sun
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
“Moments of Silence” will resonate through the University of Redlands’ Memorial Chapel on Saturday eveningwhen the San Bernardino County Music Educators Association AllCounty High School Honor Band performs aconcert dedicated to the victims and families of those lost or injured in the Dec. 2, 2015, terror attack at theInland Regional Center.
The 7 p.m. performance marks the world premiere of “Moments of Silence — an Elegy for Wind Ensemble,”which is “very slow and deep, a powerful work,” in the words of Eddie Smith, University of Redlands directorof bands, who will conduct the Honor Band in the program.
The Honor Band is composed of 88 students representing district public schools throughout San BernardinoCounty.
“Hopefully, not only is this piece something for the victims and families, but for the young musicians who willbe a part of this, contributing to the whole community. ‘Moments of Silence’ appeals to and from the heart andsoul,” Smith said.
The new music was commissioned by San Bernardino County Music Programs, a consortium of directors fromarea high school and middle school band programs.
The consortium is made up of high school directors who donated money to make this special project happen,added Smith, who has a Ph.D. in music education and is an assistant dean and music professor at U of R.
“Most are from high schools in the county and most have students in the band,” Smith noted.
Andrew Boss, who composed “Moments of Silence” and is expected to attend the concert, said the performanceis dedicated to the 14 victims of the shootings and their families, as well as the 22 individuals who were injuredin the attack. Boss lives in Austin, Texas, and is finishing his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition at theUniversity of Texas.
The consortium is composed of the following members:
Alta Loma High School, Brian McNair; Ayala High School, Mark Stone; Beattie Middle School, Curtiss Allen;Cajon High School, Nathan Phung; Citrus Valley High School, Austin Meiners; Cope Middle School, SusieChaplo, Eddie and Elizabeth Smith; Kaiser High School, Anthony Allmond; Los Osos High School, SamuelAndress; Redlands East Valley High School, Brian Hollett; Redlands High School, James Benanti; RiversidePoly High School, Oscar Mooring; Robert Presler and Family; San Gorgonio High School, Cameron Nabhan;San Bernardino County Music Educators Association, Jennifer Belsey, president; Upland High School, ErnestMiranda; University of Redlands School of Music; Vista Murrieta High School, Brent Levine; Mesa ViewMiddle School, Paul Kane; and Yucaipa High School, Robert Presler.
The concert is the first of three musical performances organized between the San Bernardino CountySuperintendent of Schools, Student Events and the County Music Educators Association for the 201617
academic year. The other two performances will be held Feb. 11 for the High Desert Honor Band at Oak HillsHigh School in Hesperia and March 4 for the countywide Honor Orchestra at the University of Redlands.
Family members of the victims and those interested in attending the performance should reserve seating bycontacting Dr. Carl Schafer at [email protected].
Schafer, who is retired after a 60year career teaching music, still teaches at Cal State Fullerton and Mt. SanAntonio College, and serves as a consultant in support of the county music program.
The event is a collaborative effort between the County Music Educators and the San Bernardino CountySuperintendent of Schools’ Student Activities.
For more information concerning the band and orchestra performances, contact the County Schools’ StudentEvents office via email at [email protected].
Campaign volunteer testifies at Colonies trial about her name being forged
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
SAN BERNARDINO >> A former campaign volunteer testifiedTuesday in the Colonies corruption trial that her name was forged on adocument listing her as an officer for a political action committeeprosecutors allege was established to accept a $100,000 bribe from aRancho Cucamonga developer.
Alliance for Ethical Government, a PAC established by Colonies’defendant Mark Kirk, former chief of staff for erstwhile county Supervisor Gary Ovitt, was established in May2007. It listed as one of its officers Lorene Stennett, an 89yearold Apple Valley resident who worked on formercounty Supervisor Bill Postmus’ campaign in 2000 and Kirk’s campaign for Hesperia City Council.
Stennett said she was unaware she was listed as an officer of the PAC until she was called before the grand juryin April 2011, when she was shown the PAC’s bylaws and her name listed among several others listed as officersof the PAC.
But Stennet said the signature next to her name was not hers.
“All I know is my name was forged on some documents,” Stennet said Tuesday.
She also told prosecutor Melissa Mandel she was unaware the PAC even existed, and that her only recollectionof any PAC was when Anthony Riley, a former field representative for Ovitt, mentioned something to her aboutwanting to start one.
“I said we should get together some time and discuss it,” said Stennett.
When she learned during the 2011 grand jury proceedings that her name was signed on the PAC’s documentsand that it wasn’t hers, Stennett said she contacted Riley via email to ask about it.
“I asked him if he could please tell me who forged my name on that document, and he never responded,”Stennett said.
Prosecutors allege Kirk’s was one of five PACs that Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum, anotherdefendant in the Colonies case, funneled a total of $400,000 in alleged bribes disguised as political contributionsfrom Burum’s investor group, Colonies Partners LP.
Nearly all the PACs were created after the Board of Supervisors approved a $102 million settlement withColonies Partners in November 2006, which ended a nearly 5year legal battle over flood control improvementsat Colonies’ 434acre residential and commercial development in Upland, Colonies at San Antonio and ColoniesCrossroads, respectively.
Also charged in the case are former county Supervisor Paul Biane and former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin,who also previously served as president of the Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association, or SEBA, the laborunion representing sheriff’s deputies.
The four defendants, all of who deny any wrongdoing, stand accused of conspiring to fix the settlement inColonies’ favor in exchange for bribes.
When Mandel asked Stennett if she was upset learning the signature on the PAC document was not hers,Stennett replied, “Wouldn’t you be?”
“I worked for all these guys. It was all volunteer work. I never got a penny. I’m 89 years old, and look whatthey’ve done to me,” Stennett said. “They ought to be ashamed of themselves.”
Kirk’s attorney, Peter Scalisi, questioned Stennett and challenged her memory about her work and activitiesassociated with Kirk’s campaign.
When Stennett said she could not remember whether she worked on Kirk’s campaign or not, Scalisi presented acampaign mailer with a photo that included Stennett.
Mandel asked Stennett if she recalled giving Kirk permission to use her photo on his campaign mailer.
“No, but I must have,” Stennett said.
Riley’s mother, Kathleen Rough, was listed on the PAC’s bylaws as its chair, but Rough testified Tuesday shewas unaware of that, or the PAC in general, until the District Attorney’s Office informed her.
She did say she was in regular contact with her son about the PAC and authorized him to sign her name ondocuments if she was not available.
Presented with a list of questions by Mandel, Rough said she could not recall ever signing her name on thePAC’s bylaws, although when shown the document, she said the signature was hers. But she said her signatureon a document authorizing Kirk to take a $10,000 payment from the PAC as a consultant fee was not hers, butappeared to be her son’s.
Rough also said she did not know who the PAC treasurer, Betty Presley, was, and that she never attended anymeetings with the PAC’s other listed officers.
Testimony resumes Wednesday before Judge Michael A. Smith.
TuesdayPosted Jan 31, 2017 at 11:20 AMUpdated Jan 31, 2017 at 2:38 PM
By Peter Day Staff Writer
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LUCERNE VALLEY - For several years Brian and Sue Hammer have beenbuilding their dream home in a remote, spread out neighborhood of LucerneValley.
Along their journey, the Hammers have joined others in standing up againstlarge-scale renewable energy projects that could adversely affect the peace,serenity and stunning scenery of the High Desert neighborhood. But now, afterthey recently discovered that developers of the 483-acre Ord Mountain SolarProject are seeking approval, the couple is more concerned than ever.
"Once again we find ourselves under siege from industrial scale solar," BrianHammer said during the recent Lucerne Valley Johnson Valley MunicipalAdvisory Council meeting attended by Third District Supervisor James Ramos."There's a project that is trying to get a conditional use permit to build a facilityof 483 acres that surrounds us on three sides."
The application for the Ord Mountain Solar LLC project as been accepted by thecounty "as complete" and is currently under review. The project is located east ofState Route 247, along Desert Lane, west of Meridian Road. If approved, it willbe located on 483 acres and is expected to generate 60 megawatts.
Ord Mountain Solar project looms as residentsworry about property values
According to Hammer, the project - which he says will be located 50 feet fromhis living room - will ruin his and other neighbors' property values.
Lucerne Valley resident Bill Lembright, a regular attendee of MAC and LucerneValley Economic Development Association meetings, agrees with Hammer'sconcerns.
"It's right next to a bunch of houses," Lembright said. "It's a desertneighborhood."
Moreover, Lembright added, such projects are examples of rich investors takingaway the property values of normal residents and poor people.
"Theft is theft," Lembright said.
With a "handful" of other renewable energy projects in the wings, Lembrightalso urged Ramos to consider the "Tamarisk Flats" alternative location proposal.Lucerne Valley Economic Development Association president Chuck Bell andformer MAC chairman Richard Selby proposed the county put industrial scaleprojects in a off-the-beaten path, homely part of Lucerne Valley loosely called"Tamarisk Flats." The community leaders also envision a community solar fieldproject going in there, which would serve Lucerne Valley homes.
Lembright and others are frustrated that the county hasn't yet agreed to establishrenewable energy zoning that spells out exactly where such projects can beplaced.
"We're really hoping the county will hurry up with the process of coming upwith the standards for siting of renewable energy projects and protect ourhomes. Make it so zoning can't allow it (projects) next to a bunch of homes."
Following the Jan. 19 MAC meeting, Ramos met with Brian Hammer to discussHammer's concerns and the county's position on the matter.
2/1/2017 San Bernardino’s hardearned exit from bankruptcy
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)
San Bernardino’s hardearned exit from bankruptcy
By The Editorial Board, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
The city of San Bernardino’s over fouryearlong bankruptcy isnearing its end. On Friday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Juryagreed to issue a written confirmation order formally paving the wayto the city’s exit from bankruptcy.
“The last words I will say is congratulations to the city,” Jury said incourt. “I look forward to the order and I look forward to the cityhaving a prosperous future.”
City officials expect the city’s plan to take effect in March or April.It’s a momentous occasion for San Bernardino, which has experienced
significant tumult over the past several years. Being free from the confines and stigma of bankruptcy is sure toprovide a boost to economic development efforts.
It is difficult to overstate the magnitude and breadth of the city’s problems at the time of its August 2012 filingfor bankruptcy protections.
A lagging economy, inadequate financial planning, rapidly growing pension obligations and a fundamentalbreakdown of the integrity of city government contributed to a dire situation, forcing San Bernardino to becomeone of the largest municipalities in history to file for bankruptcy.
Some of these issues have since been ameliorated.
City residents approved a new city charter in November, which is expected to clear some of the manyredundancies in how city government is organized.
The city has also contracted out a significant portion of city operations to the private sector, which should yieldlongterm savings on retirement costs.
Though difficult, the city also took the step of closing its longheld fire department in favor of receiving servicesthrough the county, alleviating the city from responsibility over one of its largest budget items.
More controversially, however, has been the city’s decision not to impair its obligations to the California PublicEmployees’ Retirement System. The state pension giant had intimated the prospect of costly legal action againstthe city were it to pursue cuts to pensions.
The city has also approved a bankruptcy exit plan that will shortchange many victims of excessive police uses offorce owed money under settlements.
Alas, it must be hoped that city officials in San Bernardino and abroad have learned a few things from what hasbeen a difficult, contentious process.
And may the city of San Bernardino find itself in a better place moving forward.
TuesdayPosted Jan 31, 2017 at 6:14 PMUpdated Jan 31, 2017 at 6:14 PM
By Matthew Cabe Staff Writer
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APPLE VALLEY - Town Engineer Brad Miller recently delivered a presentationto the Town Council wherein he offered a sobering fact: streets here aredeteriorating at a faster rate than the town's efforts to repair them.
Miller underscored that fact by comparing a needed $9 million budget for"normal, conventional maintenance strategies" to his department's actual budgetof approximately $2 million per year.
The $9 million figure is the suggestion of the town's Pavement ManagementSystem, a collection of software programs that aid in pavement-managementdecisions by modeling future deterioration and recommending repairs,according to Miller.
The PMS, which is required in order for the town to be eligible for Measure Ifunding, prioritizes the maintenance of roads still in good condition because"failed" roads eat up a large portion of the engineering department's alreadyinsufficient budget.
According to Miller, a given road loses 40 percent of its quality during the first75 percent of its life.
Road woes: Apple Valley streets deterioratingfaster than they can be repaired
"It's during that 75 percent," he said, "that we'd like to do some life-extendingstrategies to it ... (because) it becomes more and more expensive the longer youwait."
Currently, a majority of the town's 432 miles of paved roads are in great or goodcondition, according to Miller. Just 64 miles - roughly 15 percent - of pavedroads within the town's limits are in bad or failed condition, but that numberjumps to 25 percent when those in poor condition are factored in.
"If we looked at all the recommended strategies," Miller said, "it would requireabout $49.1 million to treat all of the roads in our network."
Another prioritization that hinders repairs to the already neglected 108 miles ofpoor and failed roads in Apple Valley relates to how often roads are used bymotorists.
"Our (PMS) software also takes into consideration traffic counts in an effort totry and balance cost benefit to the recommendations out of the software," Millersaid. "It gives a higher priority to roads that benefit more people, more users."
But the software's tendency to place residential roads at a lower priority mightconcern residents like Manuel Canales, who spoke at the Nov. 15 Councilmeeting about road conditions near his home on Munsee Road.
In Canales' view, the north-south roads of Malahat, Tao, Nosoni and Wintun -all connectors to the more widely used Siskiyou and Corwin roads, as well asHighway 18 - are in need of repairs.
Of those four, Canales placed emphasis on Tao Road, which he said is quicklybecoming part of a popular alternative route to Apple Valley Road due tofrequent congestion on Highway 18.
"You'll find the edges of (Tao) Road surface breaking off in many, many places,and the blacktop is being piled up along the sides of the road," Canales told theCouncil. "When we have a rain, and it doesn't take much of a rain for all thatdebris and erosion coming from the upper part of Tao - and also the other(roads) - to come down and erode the sides of the road."
2/1/2017 Road woes: Apple Valley streets deteriorating faster than they can be repaired
Canales built his home on Munsee 22 years ago, and he said the deterioration ofthe four roads in question has long been a concern, but the biases againstresidential roads inherent in the PMS could mean continued neglect.
Exacerbating the situation, Miller said funding for residential-road repair andmaintenance is lacking compared to what's available for more widely used roadsand high-profile transportation projects like the recently completed Yucca LomaBridge.
Of the key transportation-funding sources, federal and state monies rarelybenefit residential roads, which leaves about $2 million in local Measure I funds,as well as gas tax revenues and support from the Local Transportation Fund,according to Miller.
Yet each of those sources gets stretched thin before money is focused on repairsto roads like Tao.
Half of the $2 million in Measure I funding is spent on slurry seal and thin-liftoverlays, Miller said, while the other half is used for local-match shares to obtainlarger pots of money.
"There's always a local-match share," Miller said. "For federal and state funds, it'susually about a 12-percent share. With Major Local Highway funds, it's about a50-50 share."
The town's Public Works Department uses a majority of gas-tax revenues forregular maintenance like street sweeping, and LTF funds are generally relegatedto bus-turnout projects and mobility issues, according to Miller.
"So we can do these grand projects and we have grant-fund opportunities," hesaid, "but when it comes down to our local roads, we're pretty much on our ownas far as funding. There are no grants or opportunities out there."
That reality requires out-of-box thinking, Miller said, and he offered severalsolutions, including the use of a repair method called chip sealing, which isn't asinexpensive as slurry seal, but is far cheaper than both complete reconstructionand overlay options.
2/1/2017 Road woes: Apple Valley streets deteriorating faster than they can be repaired
Miller described chip seal as an "ideal pavement treatment for our High Desertenvironment," and he compared it to the desert mix application that has beenused in the past.
"Chip seals aren't popular because you have loose material after it's paved thatcollects in curbs and gutters," Miller said of the option's disadvantages. "Itdoesn't look like a finished product sometimes ... (but) these are minor problemsin light of the advantages the chip seal."
At approximately 37 cents per square foot, the most obvious advantage of chipseal repairs is cost savings, but Miller added that it's also the "most life extendingof the options."
And as for a funding plan going forward, Miller would like to see every pavedroad on a seven-year cycle with "some form of pavement strategy."
"We would recommend that we strive to get at least $2 million a year (for thatstrategy)," he said, "and then another $1 million (in additional funding) ifpossible to do occasional overlays ... We're essentially losing ground right now ifwe don't step up the game a little bit."
Matthew Cabe can be reached at or at 760-951-6254. Follow him on Twitter .
Peak flu season on its way InlandBy MICHAEL J. WILLIAMS20170131 16:02:54
At least one child has died in each of the two Inland counties this fluseason, but health officials said influenzarelated activity appears to beabout normal to date.
Still, officials note that the flu season has yet to hit its high point.
“Last year, it looks like the peak was late February,” said NursePractitioner Susan Strong of San Bernardino County’s public healthdepartment. “This year it looks like it will peak in late February or earlyMarch.”
In Riverside County, about 9 percent of hospital emergency room visits inmidJanuary were attributed to people exhibiting flulike symptoms,according to a weekly influenza surveillance update.
“Compared to historical data looking back several years, we’re withinnormal limits for this time of year,” said Disease Control Chief BarbaraCole at Riverside County’s public health department.
Strong said hospitals in that area were receiving a little more than 6percent of their visits from those with flulike symptoms.
Both officials emphasized the percentages do not reflect whether those cases were later diagnosed as flu.
Earlier this month, both Riverside and San Bernardino counties experienced their first flurelated deaths. Bothof the victims were children.
Statewide, the California Department of Public Health announced that overall influenza activity remainedwidespread. Several counties in northern and central California, including Monterey and Napa counties, werehard hit by the flu. Yet, the number of influenzalike incidents remains low in the state, according to the federalCenters for Disease Control’s website.
Strong said San Bernardino County is “not getting overwhelmed” with flu cases at this point. Cole added thatRiverside County officials “will be monitoring to see if there is an increase in cases.”
The flu is caused by influenza viruses and easily spreads. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny orstuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. The elderly, pregnant women, infants and peoplewith other health conditions are most at risk of severe flu and should contact their medical provider at the firstsign of symptoms, health officials say.
The fact that the flu season is building means people still have an opportunity to get vaccinated, officials said.The vaccine is working for the most part compared to last year, when many individuals reported getting the fludespite getting their shots.
“It does appear that there is a better match with the vaccine to the viruses that are circulating this year thanthere was last year,” Cole said.
TuesdayPosted Jan 31, 2017 at 5:29 PMUpdated Jan 31, 2017 at 5:29 PM
By Rene Ray De La Cruz Staff Writer
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APPLE VALLEY - Many are mourning the passing of community leader andformer Daily Press employee Eugene W. Gregory, a High Desert resident of overfour decades.
Gregory, who was the advertising director for the Daily Press and manager ofthe Victorville Chamber of Commerce, will be remembered Wednesday duringa service at Jess Ranch Community Church in Apple Valley.
A native of St. Louis and local community leader who served on variouscommittees, Gregory, 89, passed away peacefully on Jan. 19, according to hisfamily. He is survived by his wife of 34 years Kay Marie Gregory, seven childrenand their spouses.
"I knew Gene for over 30 years, working alongside him on numerouscommittees including High Desert Opportunity," said Susan Drake, a formerDaily Press employee who works for the County of San Bernardino. "He was atireless volunteer with a deep love of the High Desert."
Community leader and former Daily Pressadvertising director mourned
Drake said Gregory, who lived in Apple Valley and worked for the Daily Press inthe '70s and '80s, could be counted on without fail to show up and help whenneeded, adding, "a smile never left his face and he always had a joke or wise crackto share."
Janet Baldwin, a 37-year veteran of the Daily Press, said she worked withGregory for a couple of years when she was "a green 19-year-old" and fresh outof high school.
"He was a very pleasant and thorough man who everybody liked," Baldwin said."His future wife, son and daughter in-law all worked here at the Daily Press atone time."
Joseph W. Brady said Gregory was the "epitome of commitment" when it cameto serving on the Rotary Club and other service organizations.
"I first met Gene in 1987 during my first trip to the High Desert," said Brady,president of The Bradco Companies. "Gene was full of optimism and the glasswas always half-full with him. The High Desert has lost another great leader."
Services for Gregory will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Jess RanchCommunity Church, 11537 Apple Valley Road in Apple Valley. In lieu offlowers, please make donations to Rotary Foundation, 14280 Collections CenterDrive, Chicago, IL 60693.
Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227, RDeLa or on Twitter .
TuesdayPosted Jan 31, 2017 at 2:46 PMUpdated Jan 31, 2017 at 5:24 PM
By Rene Ray De La Cruz Staff Writer
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HESPERIA - A multimillion dollar commercial property, located on a busy HighDesert intersection, was recently sold.
Faris Lee Investments, a retail advisory and investment sales firm, announcedTuesday the completed sale of a single-tenant, triple-net leased propertyoccupied by U.S. Bank in Hesperia.
Located on the corner of Main Street and Topaz Avenue, the retail property hasa price tag $3.28 million. Nicholas Coo, senior managing director, and JosephChichester, director with Faris Lee Investments, represented the seller, LosAngeles-based Hesperia-Main Street LLC.
The private investor buyer from Los Angeles was in a 1031 exchange, a swap ofone business or investment asset for another, with either no tax or limited taxdue at the time of the exchange.
The property sold at a cap rate of 4.8 percent and $911 per square foot, thelowest cap rate and highest price per square foot ever for a bank-occupied,single-tenant property within the High Desert region, Faris Lee reported.
Multimillion dollar commercial property inHesperia sold
Built in 2007 and situated on 0.69 acres, the property is located at The Shops atTopaz shopping center, anchored by a 99 Cents Only store and several smallbusinesses.
"When initially analyzing the property for the seller we recognized arbitragevalue in breaking up the property, which is comprised of three separate parcels,"said Coo, in a Faris Lee report.
Coo said the the U.S. Bank sale finishes an assignment which began three yearsago in advising the seller to maximize the development's exit value, adding, "Joe(Chichester) and I recognized the strength in credit and bank use category,which allowed us to accentuate pricing."
Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227, RDeLa or on Twitter .
TuesdayPosted Jan 31, 2017 at 7:31 PMUpdated at 8:17 AM
The Indivisible groups, which have spawned nationwidein the wake of Trump's victory, have undertaken the TeaParty's hyper-local activism strategy as a guide to beatingback Trump's agenda.
By Shea Johnson Staff Writer
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APPLE VALLEY - In an active push-back against President Donald Trump'sagenda, so-called "Indivisible" groups showed up in numbers to Rep. Paul Cook'sdistrict office Tuesday, demanding the Congressman turn an about-face onTrump's controversial immigration and refugee executive order.
The Indivisible groups, which have spawned nationwide in the wake of Trump'svictory, have undertaken the Tea Party's hyper-local activism strategy as a guideto beating back Trump's agenda. Five such chapters were represented Tuesday,and included the Victor Valley, and spanned from Morongo Basin to Barstow.
Their surprise appearance at Town Hall came a day after Cook, R-Apple Valley,issued a statement generally supportive of Trump's order to shut off the Syrianrefugee program indefinitely and halt the U.S. refugee program and all entriesfrom seven Muslim-majority nations for 90 days.
Activists to Cook: Reverse support on Trump'sexecutive order
Cook, however, also urged Trump "to take another look at the implementationof this temporary ban to ensure that individuals who have already been vettedand have valid green cards or visas are protected."
For the 60 or so individuals who protested the immigration ban here, a fewholding signs, the response was too weak. "It doesn't go far enough," said RickHamburg, an organizer with the Indivisible group from Morongo Basin.
"We applaud you for asking President Trump to look closer at the implicationsof this order for people that have already been vetted and have green cards andVisas," said Sina Bastami, a co-coordinator with the San Bernardino Mountainsgroup, who read from a letter signed by all attendees.
"However, we're shocked and outraged by your support for this dangerous andun-American executive order as a whole," he added, "and we demand that youchange your position and state publicly, clearly and unambiguously you opposethis executive order by the end of the week."
If not, Indivisible members would continue to be heard at the district office, saidThomas Corrigan, a co-coordinator of the Mountains group.
Matt Knox, Cook's district director, listened to concerns for roughly an houroutside City Hall, where the groups had gathered after first seeking a meetingwith a senior staff member inside the facility.
"We're still trying to find clarification from the administration about what all thedifferent aspects of the executive order entail," said Knox, who added he wouldrelay concerns to Cook.
Knox also insisted Cook was working urgently to get clarification and suggestedthat the Congressman "would be open" to any clarifying legislation, althoughIndivisible members sought Cook's vow he would actively work against theorder.
Knox said the district's office had received regular phone calls from constituentsconcerned by the ban.
According to Indivisible organizers, the group is not an arm of the DemocraticParty, but instead a non-partisan collection of members who oppose Trump.
2/1/2017 Activists to Cook: Reverse support on Trump's executive order
Cynthia Collins, who said she has voted as both a Republican and Democrat,derided Trump's executive order for its "lack of planning" and the perceived"conflict of interest" in excluding countries in which he does business.
"It's the irrational way that he's reacting to this stuff," she said.
"It's ignorant, it's not necessary," said Abdul Aleem, a member of the HighDesert Islamic Society.
Glen Thompson, vice president of the Mountain Bears Democratic Club, read aletter to Knox from a widow in the San Bernardino terrorist attack who opposedthe ban.
A smaller group was present here three weeks ago, and members said Tuesdaythey'll continue to seek dialogue with Cook and his staff.
- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Shea Johnson can be reached at 760-955-5368 or. Follow him on Twitter at
Travel ban wouldn't have stopped Dec. 2 attack, survivorssayBy SUZANNE HURT20170131 18:30:43
The Trump administration’s 90day ban on travelers from seven primarilyMuslim countries wouldn’t have prevented the terrorist attack in SanBernardino – or the other most deadly attacks on U.S. soil, peopleimpacted by the Dec. 2 shooting say.
A survivor of the 2015 attack at the Inland Regional Center said Tuesday,Jan. 31, it was a mistake more federal agencies weren’t consulted beforeimmigrants and travelers from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen andSomalia were temporarily blocked from entering the United States.
Yet Hal Houser also thinks there should be extra vetting and a permanentban on radicalized Muslims who believe anyone of a different faith needsto die.
RELATED: Hundreds of UC Riverside students protest Trump'simmigration actions
“People who have declared war on America. I can’t sum that up except tosay ‘radical Islam,’” said Houser, who was among 71 people who cameunder fire from a San Bernardino County coworker and his wife at a Dec.2 county training session/Christmas party.
Syed Rizwan Farook, who attacked his coworkers, was a Muslim born and raised in the United States, saidRialto resident Ryan Reyes.
“He was already here. He didn’t come from someplace else,” said Reyes, whose boyfriend Daniel Kaufmanwas among 14 killed Dec. 2.
Tashfeen Malik, Farook’s wife, grew up in Pakistan and married Farook in Saudi Arabia – yet neither country isincluded in the ban, said Salihin Kondoker, husband of survivor Anies Kondoker. The couple went to Farook’smosque but didn’t know him.
The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the Boston bombing and the Orlando nightclub shooting were carried out by peoplewithout ties to any of the countries on the banned list, added Salihin Kondoker.
As an “average citizen,” Kondoker said he doesn't have the security intelligence President Donald Trump had inordering the ban.
Houser, a lead environmental health specialist for the county on the day of the attack, said the U.S. StateDepartment should have helped vet Trump’s policy before it was announced Friday, Jan. 27.
“I keep hearing about all these agencies that should have been involved and weren’t consulted. That was a bigmistake,” Houser said.
Yet Houser said he doesn’t believe Trump wants to ban all Muslims, despite what Trump said on the campaigntrail – the president wants to ban the four or five percent who think all “nonbelievers” should die.
Houser supports extra screening for people from Muslimheld countries to determine each person’s true identityand possible terrorist ties before they can enter the U.S.
“If the IRA was trying to come here and bomb America, I’d want them screened, too,” he said, referring to theIrish Republican Army.
Reyes has been outspoken in saying not all Muslims should be blamed for the Dec. 2 attack.
He reacted angrily after White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer referenced the San Bernardino attack todefend the Trump administration suspending travel from seven Muslimmajority countries.
“I think it is an absolute disgrace that they used what happened here in San Bernardino as a way to further theirpersonal agenda and personal hate,” Reyes said. “I find it disgraceful that (Trump is) doing it because of (his)agenda. Don’t hide behind someone else’s tragedy.”
Kondoker said he and others of “all colors and faiths” aren’t confident law enforcement investigators know forcertain that the Dec. 2 attack was “politically” or religiously motivated.
“I think there’s a lot of unanswered questions here,” he said.
Yet Houser said Farook “should definitely be called a terrorist” because he planned to attack Riverside CityCollege and the nearby 91 freeway three to four years before the San Bernardino mass shooting.
Reyes said moves such as the ban only fuel the hatred in groups that reach out to radicalize people who feeldisenfranchised.
“This is a global problem, the only way we’re going to solve it is by unity,” he said. “This doesn’t create unity.(Trump is) not preventing anything, he’s just making this problem worse.”
Karen Fagan, an Upland resident who is the exwife of Dec. 2 victim Harry “Hal” Bowman, noted that Trump’sorder also affects people here legally with green cards.
“Our country does need to think carefully about immigration and travel by individuals who might cause harm toour citizens,” Fagan said in an email. “However, the current executive order is not the way. Not only did it notundergo the proper and responsible review by the relevant government agencies, it clearly violates Americanlaw.”
– Staff writers Craig Shultz and Jennifer Iyer contributed to this report.
San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan speaks with the media regarding the shooting that left 14 dead at the Inland Regional Center on December2, 2015 in San Bernardino, California. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
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A lot changed in San Bernardino on December 2, 2015.
Fourteen people died and dozens of others were injured when a married couple, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik opened fire during a party at the InlandRegional Center.
In the days that followed, we learned that Farook was a U.S. citizen. His wife was a native Pakistani living in Saudi Arabia. She'd obtained residency here aftermarrying Farook.
Six days after the attack, thencandidate Donald Trump called for a total ban on all Muslims entering the country.
That would become a major talking point in the discourse that would follow.
Although it falls short of a total ban, President Trump wasted no time signing an executive order barring travelers from seven Muslimmajority countries for 90days.
Will this help prevent attacks like the one in San Bernardino? Police Chief Jarrod Burguan isn't sure. But he says the speed at which Trump acted put him on hisheels:
"I think it's fair to say that it surprised me a little bit at how quickly he did," Burguan says. "One would normally think that there would be a lot more debate about amove like that."
Burguan says he is in favor of a "strong" immigration policy, and believes a good vetting process could increase the safety of the country. He stopped short of sayingwhether he supported the ban.
The Chief noted the order does nothing to prevent homegrown terror and selfradicalized attackers. And he said the temporary travel ban would have likely donelittle to prevent the San Bernardino attackers from entering the country.
"The female suspect in our case had immigrated [to] the United States a year before with an immigration visa to essentially marry her fiance, who was the malesuspect in this case," Burguan said. "He was a U.S. citizen. She was of Pakistani origin, and as people have asked me about this particular ban, of course, Pakistan isnot on the list of these countries. So it doesn't have a direct impact."
Nor does Burguan think the executive order will reduce the risk for those living in San Bernardino.
"I don't think this particular immigration ban from certain countries does anything specifically to make San Bernardino safer," Burguan said.
Click on the blue bar above to listen to the full conversation with San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan.
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More from this episode Take Two for January 31, 2017
California senatiors say no to Sessions, San Bernardino police chief speaks out on travel ban, how South LA is making its own rules
As Trump makes executive orders, where are California's Dems?San Bernardino police chief: Travel ban doesn't make city saferInside the inner workings of the South LA communityTrump's travel ban halts visas for Iraqis who helped US militaryTuesday Reviewsday: new music from Manu Chao, Jesse and Joy, Buscabulla and a lot more
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Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)
Inland economists warn of vulnerabilities under Trump administration
By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
The Inland Empire economy could be vulnerable in the coming yearsgiven the economic and trade policy directions signaled by the Trumpadministration, according to economist John Husing.
In his economic report released this week, Husing does see positivesigns, especially President Donald Trump’s interest in reinvigoratingthe U.S. manufacturing industry and his desire to invest heavily ininfrastructure improvements.
But his report also warns of potential vulnerabilities, calling outTrump’s national policies to reduce imports either through tariffs or
eliminating the ability of retailers and producers to deduct the cost of their imports when determining theirprofits.
“Clearly what’s going to take place in trade will definitely hurt us because we rely on imports, and imports are atarget for both Trump and the Republican Congress, and that will have a negative impact on the region,” Husingsaid in a phone interview.
The Inland Empire not only consumes exports; many of its workers ship them out to other consumers from largeonline fulfillment centers for such companies as Amazon, WalMart and QVC.
Jay Prag, professor of economics and finance at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont GraduateUniversity, echoed Husing’s concerns.
“The tariffs or related Trump policies on imports could seriously impact the amount of goods brought in fromoverseas,” Prag said in a phone interview. “We grew because of those (logistics) jobs. We could shrink if importsare being taxed.”
Among Trump’s more troubling moves, economists say, are:
• Withdrawing the United States from the TransPacific Partnership trade agreement
• Laying groundwork to repeal Obamacare
• Signaling his intention to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement
• A call for a 20 percent tariff on Mexican imports to help pay for the proposed border wall
• The temporary travel ban against residents of seven Middle Eastern countries into the United States.
In a report from the Los Angelesbased economic research firm Beacon Economics, analysts said prospects forcontinuing harmonious relations with California’s principal trading partners were dealt further setbacks by the
appointment of Peter Navarro to head a new National Trade Council and by the nomination of Robert Lighthizeras U.S. trade representative.
“Both have exhibited a peculiar animus toward China, and neither is likely to restrain President … DonaldTrump from pursuing aggressive measures aimed at slashing U.S. merchandise trade deficits with China andMexico,” according to the Beacon report written before the inauguration.
Beacon’s experts also said they believe the incoming administration’s focus on the trade deficit with China ismisconstrued and overwrought.
“A large portion of what is reported as a deficit with China is really an artifact of economic accounting practicesthat ignore the foreign content in many goods the U.S. imports from China,” the Beacon report stated. “Apartfrom depriving American consumers of a vast array of goods essential to our lifestyles, slamming the door onChinese imports would increase our trade imbalances with other nations.”
Outside of trade, another vulnerability could lie with the uncertainty over how the region’s health sector gainscould fare with the possible repeal of Obamacare, Husing said.
The Inland Empire health care sector, thanks to Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, added27,300 new jobs during the 20112016 economic turnaround and expansion period, according to Husing. It wasa gain of 26.1 percent and accounted for 11.6 percent of all new jobs.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration policy reduced the number of uninsured from 712,217 in 2013 to 365,374in 2015, Husing said in the report.
“Health care has been a big benefit for our region and it would hurt if they don’t handle the Affordable CareAct,” he said by phone.
Collectively, Trump’s moves seem isolationist, which has never worked in the past, said Paul Granillo, presidentand CEO of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership.
“Obviously, the United States is a country of immigrants,” Granillo said in a phone interview. “We need toprotect our borders, but we also need to maintain a piece of our nature as America that makes us strong, andthat’s the renewal we get from immigration. If you look at the tech sector and their pushback, a great part oftheir success has been the number of immigrants they have, some with advanced degrees, and they’ve been ableto be very much a part of the success story of Silicon Valley.”
In the report’s general overall summary of recent regional economic progress, Husing said the Inland Empire hastended to outperform California in good times, but lags during recessions.
From the downturn period of 2008 to 2010, the area lost 140,600 jobs, or a 10.8 percent decrease, while the statedeclined by 7.4 percent.
From 2011 to 2016, the Inland Empire grew by 20 percent with 235,400 jobs, while California grew by 15.2percent, the report states.
The Inland area’s strength, according to the report, has been in its bluecollar/technical sectors plus health care.The area’s weakness has been in the higherpaying, nonhealthrelated groups, according to the report.
THE CALIFORNIA REPORT https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/01/housing-crunch-exacts-a-heavy-price-on-californians/
Housing Crunch Exacts a Heavy Price on Californians
By Vanessa Rancano FEBRUARY 1, 2017
California is producing less than half the new homes it needs to meet demand in the Golden State. In its first comprehensive analysis since the year 2000, California’s Department of Housing and Community Development paints a bleak picture of the state’s housing landscape. While it points to some hopeful developments, the report suggests lawmakers will need to consider serious policy changes if California is going to build the projected 1.8 million new homes needed by 2025. The Statewide Housing Assessment Report is still in draft form, and its authors are gathering public input at workshops around the state. On Monday a small group of mostly local government representatives and advocates met in Fresno to hear the report’s findings. “About a third of all California renters today are paying more than 50 percent of their income in rent,” California Department of Housing and Community Development Director Ben Metcalf told the group. Those paying the largest share of their income for rent and transportation aren’t concentrated in expensive cities like San Francisco — they’re largely living in rural Northern California counties and in the Central Valley. “We’re seeing home ownership rates at the lowest level they’ve been since World War II,” Metcalf said. And, he added, while just 12 percent of Americans live in California, 22 percent of America’s homeless live here, more than in any other state. Among the challenges driving the lack of affordable housing is unstable funding, the report finds. Federal allocations for affordable housing declined in California from 2003 to 2015. There just aren’t enough affordable rentals, and even for those who get assistance, Section 8 vouchers can’t keep pace with soaring rents. When you factor housing in, California has the highest poverty rate in the country.
The authors also point to regulatory hurdles and land use policies that jack up developments costs and delay building. On the up side, the report finds some positive impact from state and local bonds for affordable housing and permanent housing for the homeless, along with revenue from the state’s cap-and-trade program. Still, the report suggests there are big consequences resulting from the failure to meet housing needs. When you factor housing in, California has the highest poverty rate in the country. Housing instability affects people’s health, and kids’ academic performance. And as people move further from jobs, long commutes increase pollution. Overall, the report concludes the lack of housing costs the California economy almost $240 billion a year. Once they’d heard the findings, the group in Fresno offered input. They discussed special barriers facing disabled communities and highlighted housing issues unique to vulnerable populations. Ashley Werner, an attorney with the Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability, a non-profit that helps low-income communities, raised concerns about undocumented immigrants. “I think there’s a lot of different policy solutions we can put in place to protect them, and protect our whole population,” Werner said. “I think that’s especially important right now.” Public comment continues in cities around the state until March 4. A final housing assessment is expected to be ready for policymakers to consider this summer.
The U.S. Cities Winning the Battle AgainstBrain DrainCollege-educated workers add considerably to local economies, but someplaces do much better at retaining them.
RICHARD FLORIDA | @Richard_Florida | Mar 15, 2016 | 23 Comments
f11photo / Shutterstock.com
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Over the past decade or so, cities and metros across the United States havegreatly increased their efforts to retain college graduates. And for good reason.College grads are a key driver of innovation and economic development, andare closely connected to the wealth and affluence of cities and metrosaccording to a large number of studies. But Americans are much more likely tomove in their mid-to-late twenties, so it’s the metros that hang on to more oftheir college grads that stand to gain a long-run advantage.
There has been no shortage of speculation about which metros lead and lag inretaining college grads. But new data and research provided to us by JonathanRothwell at the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program enables usto zoom in much more precisely on which metros are the winners and losers inretaining their college talent. (I recently wrote about Rothwell’s relatedresearch on the economic effects of college and universities.)
To get at this, Rothwell and his colleague Siddharth Kulkarni collected data onwhere college and university grads reside from LinkedIn’s alumni profiles,which list the most common urban locations of alumni. This data covers over1,700 of the largest U.S. colleges and universities (721 two-year institutions and984 four-year ones), which graduate approximately two-thirds of all students.With the help of my Martin Prosperity Institute (MPI) team, I then mapped thisdata by metro. Metros in purple have the most alumni still living in the area,while metros in light blue have the least.
The map above gets us started by showing the share of graduates from allcolleges and universities—both two- and four-year institutions—who remainin the metro where they went to school. Note the dark purple along the Boston-New York-Washington Corridor, in Northern and Southern California, in thePacific Northwest, and in parts of the South and Midwest.
The table below shows the ten best and worst large metros for retainingcollege grads from all two- and four-year colleges and universities inRothwell’s database.
Best and Worst Large U.S. Metros at Retaining College Grads(two- and four-year institutions)
Best Large Metros Retention Rate
DetroitWarrenLivonia, MI 77.7%
HoustonSugar LandBaytown, TX 75.9%
New YorkNorthern New JerseyLong Island, NYNJPA 74.2%
The retention rates range from more than three-quarters of grads to less thanforty percent. Perhaps surprisingly, the hard-hit Detroit metro area tops the listwith a 77.7 percent retention rate. This high retention level is likely due to thefact that the University of Michigan is located nearby, while smaller collegesand universities like Wayne State and the University of Detroit Mercy, as wellas community colleges, serve a more locally based group of students.
Houston is second with a 75.9 percent retention rate, New York is third with74.2 percent, and Seattle and Atlanta round out the top five. Dallas, Portland,Riverside, Chicago, and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul completethe top ten.
At the other end of the scale, the metro with the lowest retention rate isPhoenix with 36.3 percent, followed closely by Providence. Hartford is third,and Austin—a leading tech hub—is fourth. Rochester, Virginia Beach, Salt LakeCity, Buffalo, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh round out the ten metros with thelowest grad retention rates.
One might expect graduates from two-year colleges—mainly communitycolleges—to be more likely to remain in the metro where they went to school.The bigger question, then, is what happens to grads from four-year colleges
2/1/2017 Which U.S. Metros Are Best at Keeping Their College Grads? CityLab
and universities. The map below shows this pattern for metros across thenation.
Again note the dark purple across the Boston-New York-Washington Corridor,Northern and especially Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, SouthernFlorida, parts of Texas, as well as pieces of the South, Midwest, and RockyMountain West.
The table below shows the top and bottom ten large metros for retaining gradsfrom four-year colleges.
Best and Worst Large U.S. Metros at Retaining College Grads(four-year institutions)
Best Large Metros Retention Rate
New YorkNorthern New JerseyLong Island, NYNJPA 71.1%
RiversideSan BernardinoOntario, CA 70.6%
DetroitWarrenLivonia, MI 70.2%
HoustonSugar LandBaytown, TX 66.1%
San JoseSunnyvaleSanta Clara, CA 65.2%
SeattleTacomaBellevue, WA 64.6%
AtlantaSandy SpringsMarietta, GA 64.2%
DallasFort WorthArlington, TX 63.7%
2/1/2017 Which U.S. Metros Are Best at Keeping Their College Grads? CityLab
LouisvilleJefferson County, KYIN 63.0%Los AngelesLong BeachSanta Ana, CA 62.9%
Worst Large Metros Retention Rate
PhoenixMesaGlendale, AZ 18.0%
HartfordWest HartfordEast Hartford, CT 26.4%
Virginia BeachNorfolkNewport News, VANC 31.6%
ProvidenceFall RiverWarwick, RIMA 31.9%
New OrleansMetairieKenner, LA 33.3%
Rochester, NY 34.0%
BuffaloNiagara Falls, NY 35.8%
SacramentoArdenArcadeRoseville, CA 37.3%
AustinRound RockSan Marcos, TX 38.4%
Oklahoma City, OK 39.3%
The pattern is somewhat similar to the one before it. This time, New York topsthe list, followed by Riverside, Detroit, Houston, and San Jose, with Seattle,Atlanta, Dallas, Louisville, and L.A. rounding out the top ten. Large metros likethese benefit from an array of employment opportunities, as well as largeconcentrations of young grads and other amenities. Indeed, Rothwell finds amoderately high correlation of 0.48 between retention rates and the size of themetro, measured by working age population.
On the flip side, the bottom ten metros include Phoenix (with a paltry 18percent retention rate), Hartford, Virginia Beach, Providence, and New Orleans,with Rochester, Buffalo, Sacramento, Austin, and Oklahoma City completing thetop ten. Baltimore (44 percent), Washington, D.C. (44 percent), and Pittsburgh(43 percent) also have modest retention rates. My own research was spurred bythe outmigration of my former Carnegie Mellon students from Pittsburgh. ButD.C.’s relatively low retention rate is something of a surprise given theeconomic dynamism of the region. Perhaps it is due to the region’sspecialization in government-related work, which prompts graduates in otherfields to move to other areas of the country.
But what about the most prestigious universities and colleges like Harvard,MIT, Stanford, Yale, and Columbia? How many of their students remain in themetros where they attended college?
Some of the lowest retention rates are for prestigious universities in smallcollege towns. Just 7 percent of Cornell graduates stay in Ithaca. And just 16percent of Duke graduates remain in the Durham-Chapel Hill area compared to30 percent of all graduates from four-year institutions and 78 percent of two-year college graduates in the area.
2/1/2017 Which U.S. Metros Are Best at Keeping Their College Grads? CityLab
The Economic Impact ofCollege Graduates onLocal EconomiesA college education has itspersonal advantages, but it’scritical to thriving cities as well.
Graduates from prestigious schools in NewYork are much more likely to stay in theregion. More than half (53 percent) ofColumbia University grads remain in theNew York City metro. For NYU, the figure is62 percent. The percentage is also higherfor more locally oriented colleges anduniversities such as the Stevens Institute ofTechnology, which retains 64 percent of itsgrads, Manhattan College, which retains 71percent, and the CUNY schools, with anaverage retention rate of 77 percent.
Outside of New York, however, it is far lesslikely for students from prestigiousuniversities to stick around. Less than a
quarter of Harvard graduates and only 27 percent of MIT grads end up ingreater Boston, compared to roughly half of all graduates from four-yearBoston area colleges. Just 36 percent of grads from both GeorgetownUniversity and the University of Chicago stay in their respective metros. Andjust 43 percent of Stanford grads stay in the San Jose metro. Meanwhile,graduates of more locally oriented universities in these metros are much morelikely to stay in the region, including Lewis University in Chicago at 79 percent,and San Jose State at 72 percent. The reason is simple: Students at leadinguniversities hail from all over the nation and the world, and are far more willingand able to look for employment, further education, or even go home to theirfamilies in more far-flung locations when they graduate.
This data paints a more complicated pattern of college retention than we areused to. For one, it is not just knowledge hubs and superstar cities like NewYork and L.A. that retain lots of grads. Places like Detroit, Houston, Dallas, andAtlanta do, too. Moreover, it is not just older, more hard-hit Rustbelt metrosthat are losing their college grads. So are places like Austin, Providence, andfast-growing Phoenix.
Specifically, it is mostly small college towns with limited employment offeringsthat see the largest shares of their students move away. And of course, themost advantaged grads from the most prestigious universities have the highestrates of mobility. But perhaps the biggest takeaway is how many college gradsin places like Detroit stay close to home. For all the talk of how mobile theyoung and the educated seem to be, in quite a few metros the bulk of collegegrads tend to stay where they went to school. This is good news for theeconomic future of these places.
*UPDATE (3/18): In response to this post, Rothwell and I received a number ofgood suggestions about how to deepen and refine our analysis in the future.Several pointed out that Phoenix is home to the University of Phoenix, with itslarge online student body, many of whom don’t live in the Phoenix metro.When Rothwell redid the numbers taking this into account, Phoenix's retentionrates improved to 56 percent for two- and four-year institutions and 41 percentfor four-year institutions.
Others pointed out that Detroit’s retention rate benefits from two major stateuniversities—the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Michigan State inEast Lansing—which receive considerable attendance from the greater Detroitarea. When Rothwell combined these three metros, the retention ratesdropped to 57 percent for two- and four-year institutions and 41 percent forfour-year institutions.
This data can be sliced and diced for individual metros in many different ways.Still, the overall thrust of this post remains: lots of students stay in the metrowhere they go to college.
Top image: f11photo / Shutterstock.com
About the Author
Richard Florida is a co-founder and editor at large of CityLab and asenior editor at The Atlantic. He is the director of the MartinProsperity Institute at the University of Toronto and GlobalResearch Professor at New York University. MORE
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