About Mentone, California – By and For Mentonites
Revelation of Peace online live streaming with Jeffrey Harper on Friday, April 10, 2020 at 7:00pm. Online Live-stream link, Pre-Registration, + More, Visit:
RevelationofPeace.live
Yucaipa Regional Park, off Oak Glen Road
Start at Sunnyside Drive north of Oak Glen Road, Finish at Oak Glen Village
[fb_plugin page href=”https://www.facebook.com/mentonemoose.lodge.7″ tabs=”events”]
At the MACA meeting on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, the CHP officer stated that “it’s that time of year again,” meaning that proms are coming up and the CHP’s program to warn students about drinking and driving will be held on April 3-5, 2020 at Redlands East Valley High School in Mentone. The program takes 20 students, who act the part of having been drinking and involved in an accident, complete with helicopter taking the “injured” to the hospital, he added.
Other news he provided was that during January there were seven collisions in Mentone, at least one alcohol-related, and one was a hit-and-run. Also, on December 29, an officer was sitting on the Boulevard with his radar gun when someone sped downhill (Ed.’s note: “surprise!”) and the officer activated his lights and siren, preparing to make a U-turn to pursue the speeder. At that same time, said the office, someone decided to pass the Patrol car, crashing into it.
The CHP officer also provided the non-emergency number for the CHP: 909-428-5400, for non-life-threatening events. Officers will come right away. Of course, if you see a reckless driver, please use 911.
He also reported about a wrong-way driver on the 210 the night before: a woman who apparently was under the influence made a u-turn in the median somewhere about Cherry in Fontana and officers pursued her to Greenspot, where they utilized a pit maneuver and finally took her into custody.
The radar trailer audience members had been asking for has been available occasionally to catch speeders, he added. Only three vehicles can tow it from the headquarters in Muscoy and they can’t leave it out all day. It is used primarily for commuter traffic on the Boulevard.
An audience member reported that he sees many cars coming down the Boulevard early in the morning – 5-7 a.m., talking on their phones. The officer replied that it takes community pressure – in other words – more than one resident – to get action.
Another audience member asked about paper license plates; the officer said they can be run as to whether they belong to that vehicle or not and if they see an older vehicle with paper plates they may stop it for information as to whether it belongs to that vehicle or not.
Other MACA news:
Leonette DiMuro reported that a Mentone Incorporation Committee has been set up to study both the feasibility of a Community Services District, in which Mentone would stay incorporated but be more of an entity than it is now. DiMuro is the chair of the committee, which will also study how to incorporate when Mentone is removed from Redlands’ “Sphere of Influence.” She solicited “bullet points” of reasons why Mentonites like to live here. Readers may submit theirs to michael_dimuro@juno.com.
Angie DeLaRosa stated that the Assembly is soliciting nominations for “Distinguished Woman” of the community. She has the forms at Noteworthy Realty, 191 1 Mentone Boulevard. And, she added, Adopt-A-Highway is scheduled four times a year, the next three in April, July and October.
The western movie to be filmed in Mentone was mentioned again; interested persons – from actors to behind-the-scenes work, in short, anybody and everybody – can apply at Mentonefilmfestival.org, under “Contact us.”
The Chili Cookoff will be moved from August to the 133rd anniversary of Mentone’s first development map being filed on June 13, to celebrate the anniversary as well as tasting everyone’s chili. The chilis are submitted in crockpots and, as usual, there will be prizes awarded. Sandals Church, 1325 Amethyst, will host the event, with sufficient parking and inside restrooms. More information will be available in future months.
MACA – Mentone Area Community Association – meets the second Tuesday of every month except December at 6:30 p.m. in the Mill Creek Cattle Company, in Diamond Jim’s Saloon. Parking is available behind the Saloon if the front parking lot is full. All residents are welcome to attend and learn what’s going on in their community and ask questions. MM
Adopt a Highway: February 1 (this Saturday): meet at 7:30 at the Chamber of Commerce office/Noteworthy Realty, 1911 Mentone Boulevard. Everyone is welcome to clean up the Boulevard for a couple of hours. If you haven’t volunteered to do so before, CalTrans requires you to watch a short video, then head out to clean up.
On February 6 at the Redlands Senior Center, 111 W. Lugonia at 9 a.m., the County Aging and Adult Services will hold their once-every-four-years event for years 2020-2024. Everyone is invited to attend and give input as to ideas of what Aging and Adult Services can do for seniors in Mentone. The County department will implement new programs or modify existing programs based on community input.
The Senior Center at the Library will hold its Valentine’s Day pizza party on February 12 from 12-2.
The Chili Cookoff will be on June 13 this year, Mentone’s 123rd anniversary. Volunteers are invited to submit chili crockpots, as well as to coordinate the cookers, the parking or the vendors. To volunteer, call the Chamber office at 909-362-7860.
More on the successful First Annual Film Festival: 60-70 people attended most of the day at the Mill Creek Cattle Company, in the Diamond Jim’s Saloon. Mill Creek provided a popcorn machine, there were 20 entries and a red carpet with the Mill Creek insignia were features. One feature was a short film on the Zanja, which is accessible on Gazebo Gazette’s Facebook page. Awards were trophies and pictures. The 2020 Second Annual Film Festival will be around November 6 for three days, starting with Thursday’s “Meet and Greet,” Friday night and all day Saturday, in a tent on the vacant land next to Hovey Tile (by the Chamber of Commerce sign). Mill Creek Cattle Company will host the Saturday Night red carpet event. More details will come later.
Mentone held its First Annual Film Festival in November 2019. The Second Annual Film Festival will take place later this year. Here are some of the attendees. Click on the link/logo below to see information from the 2019 Festival.
Our Third District County Supervisor Dawn Rowe [rhymes with “wow”] spoke at the Mentone Area Community Association’s regular meeting, May 14, 2019. She first told a little about herself: she was widowed when her husband was killed by an IED in Iraq on his second deployment and her children were less than school age; she raised her children alone and they are now in college. Her husband had been stationed in Twentynine Palms, where she still lives, and she had worked as a field representative for then-assemblyman Paul Cook. She was appointed by the other County Supervisors to fill James Ramos’ seat when he was elected to the State Assembly. She has the second-largest territory to cover [an irregular, somewhat pie-shaped area, the northernmost portion of which is at Barstow in the high desert south to Grand Terrace, and from San Bernardino east to the Arizona border. “It seems I’m always in my car, driving somewhere,” she stated. Before she was married she studied in Japan and obtained her bachelor’s degree in public relations and advertising; she earned a master’s degree in advertising as well. During a break in her political life while her children were teenagers “I stayed home with them because I thought they needed me but, at that age, they thought they didn’t,” she joked; during that time she obtained her teaching credential and taught school.
“I get what Mentone is going through,” Rowe stated, from her experience living next to unincorporated Joshua Tree; also, after her husband died, she decided to build a house on 10 acres, with some help from a professional. She had planned to subdivide to build three other homes but then had to deal with County and State regulations.
She said the County is interested in helping the Sheriff’s Department deal with community problems and also mentioned the “Inroads” program: $17M in funds to the County to interface with the homeless by placement, that is, the ones who are just down on their luck. As to those with drug and mental issues, that will be more difficult, she added. She also promised to get Mentone together with CalTrans for meetings regarding more “traffic calming,” to which one audience member shook her head, which she noticed [Ed., note: MM had previously reported that CalTrans said it would make the right- only arrow at Wabash and the Boulevard a straight-ahead arrow, as well, in order to alleviate the buildup of traffic going straight, leading to 15-20 vehicles at the red light at times but after more than a year, CalTrans still hasn’t done that].
Rowe stated she met with Redlands Councilwoman Toni Momberger and asked, “Why does Redlands want to annex us?” Ms. Momberger apparently indicated that they didn’t [Ed.’s note: MM has previously reported at least two occasions when the Redlands City Council stated its intention to do so]. She promised to try to bring Ms. Momberger to speak at a MACA meeting in the future.
She stated she is also a Commissioner on LAFCO and had some suggestions for Mentone: contact East Valley Water District about receiving its water service rather than from Redlands [see Op- Ed]. She also suggested that someone from Mentone contact LAFCO to do a “special study” about what could be done, that no one had requested such a study and that Mentone should; there would be some expense but she couldn’t state how much.
Finally, Rowe suggested that Mentonites lobby LAFCO commissioners: “it only takes three” out of five to accomplish something, she concluded. [MM is indebted to an interview with the San Bernardino Sun for some of the above facts.]
OTHER MACA SPEAKERS:
In the same May 14 meeting, Rachel Achilly, Sheriff’s Department spokesperson, stated that there were 18 arrests, four of them “good” felonies [Ed.’s note: meaning that they are not likely to get thrown out on a technicality] in the last month. Activity at a particular house on Jasper was investigated for a while, after which eight people were arrested and the house was red-tagged. The audience was advised that if they saw people there to notify the Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff’s Deputy Emon made an impassioned plea for Mentonites to vote for Senate Bill (SB) 230, in order to combat Assembly Bill (AB) 392, also pending; the issue is that someone reviewing officer-involved lethal force (i.e., causes death) after the fact decides whether the shooting was “necessary” rather the present language. Emon said that impacts everyone in law enforcement because they don’t know, in the split-second moment when they appear to be threatened with lethal force themselves, whether protecting themselves or others is “necessary” or a lesser standard. He also stated that SB 230 provides for better training for law enforcement so that they can make better determinations as to whether to use lethal force or other methods. Emon concluded by requesting that Mentonites contact their State legislators and ask them to vote for SB 230 (for more details see the flyer later in the paper).
MACA secretary Angie Grisafe DeLaRosa reported that the last Adopt a Highway Cleanup, held on April 27, brought out eight volunteers and coincided with CalTrans’ “Cleanup Month” so CalTrans picked up the 11 bags of trash collected between Wabash and Amethyst. She said the next one is this Saturday, from 7:15 a.m. to about 9; meeting at the Chamber Office, also A Noteworthy Realty on the Boulevard next to Arthur’s Restaurant. After Saturday the next one will be in July or August; Mentone is committed to doing this four times a year. Also, Tom Atchley will give a talk on the 200th anniversary of the Zanja at the August meeting, which may start a little early [Ed.’s note: last time Diamond Jim’s Saloon was almost full, so come early to get a good seat near the front]. Mentonites are invited to attend and learn more about our area’s history. Angie mentioned doing a video of Mentone’s history and asked if anyone knew of a student who could perform that task for us.
Finally, Warren Wendell said the Hangar 24’s Air show is on this Saturday and Sunday. The parking lot which Hangar 24 had thought they could not use – because of the Kangaroo Rat – will be open, after all. However, volunteers have cleaned up the lot at the corner of Wabash and San Bernardino Avenues for MACA to raise funds by providing extra parking for $5 per car and $10 per RV and will open on Saturday, anyway. Volunteers are needed to help direct traffic and show people how to get to the airport, where vendors will set up by 11:00 a.m. but the flying won’t begin until 3 p.m. The event goes to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. MM