This one!

El Pollo Loco, Holt Ave, Ontario, California.

Picture taken from the east near sunset.

Now to order - whoops, I already got our dinner. They're quick.

@karenswim is missing California right now...

Well, at least they didn't say that it was in Canada

There's a work related conference coming up in May, and one of my co-workers mailed me some information about it that he received from another party. Since the conference is in Ontario, I'm naturally interested in it.

Here's the information that he had on the location of the conference:

Ontario Doubletree
222 N. Vineland Ave.
Ontario, CA 91764

I was the one who had to tell him, "By the way, the hotel is not on Vineland Avenue, it's on Vineyard."

We all then went through a period of self-doubt, and had to confirm things on Hilton's website:

Doubletree Hotel Ontario Airport
222 North Vineyard Ave, Ontario, California, United States 91764-4431
Tel: 1-909-937-0900 Fax: 1-909-937-1999

Although I haven't visited the hotel in years, it's one of my first impressions of southern California. Back in November 1983 it was the Red Lion, and when I came to the Inland Empire for a job interview, the company put me up there. It made a good impression, but not as good as the impression that I got when the company owner interviewed me from his office in Rancho Cucamonga.

His office with a north-facing window.

On a clear, non-smoggy day. (Kaiser had already closed by this time.)

If you're not familiar with the area, there is a series of mountains just north of Rancho Cucamonga which, when you can see them, are absolutely beautiful. My church also has north-facing windows, so I get to enjoy the view weekly.

But I haven't ever stayed in the Red Lion/Doubletree again. My loss.

Electronic Waste and Tire Collection Event on Saturday

I tried to moblog a newspaper article about this, but was unsuccessful. Here's the announcement from the city itself:

The City is sponsoring a FREE collection event on Saturday, April 26th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The event will be held at the City of Ontario Public Works Agency located at 1425 South Bon View Avenue. Residents can drop off electronic waste as well as used tires from residential passenger vehicles. The event is FREE to Ontario residents; however, businesses are not eligible. Proof of residency is required.

See the announcement for additional details.

RoHS, RoHS, RoHS your boat

Actually not RoHS since it's Ontario CA, which is not in Europe no matter how you slice it.

But Saturday is the day for Ontario California residents to dispose of old electronics (and tires).

http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_9025421

What's in a two letter abbreviation (CA)?

I just ran across this tweet from Jim Weirich:

reading the tracking info from UPS and suddenly realized that there is a big difference between "Ontario, CA" and "Ontario, CA, US"

A Google search of the words "ontario ca" yields a hodgepodge of results:



As you can see, Google shows a link to the Google Map for Ontario, Canada; the official website for the city of Ontario, California; a Wikipedia entry for Ontario, California; and the home page for the Government of Ontario, Canada.

The confusion is the result of two competing standards: the official state abbreviations as maintained by the US Postal Service (in which "CA" stands for California), and the list of top-level domains as maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (in which "CA" stands for Canada). And, of course, there's the underlying fact that the California city was named after the home of the Chaffey brothers who founded the place. (Not sure where they got the "Mildura" name from when they went to Australia, but did you know that there is a Chaffey Secondary College down under?)

But despite this confusion, Canada and California have learned to work together. The Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership does a lot of things that I'm sure are strategic and innovative.

Just don't refer to the organization as CACA. That's a Japanese seminar devoted to the categorical aspects of constructive algorithmics. It ended up changing its name to TOPS (The Tokyo Programming Seminar).

Permit me

Ontario's "Tent City" has been revamped for safety and other reasons, and there are new procedures:

Ontario's improved Homeless Services Area will start admitting permit-holding homeless people Tuesday, said Brent Schultz, the city's housing manager, at a meeting of service providers at the Ontario Convention Center....

The first order of business for volunteers who plan to continue feeding, counseling or otherwise helping those at Tent City is getting "provider permits."

Schultz said those who can show affiliation with a legal organization (such as a nonprofit), who have insurance, and county approvals for things such as kitchen inspections would qualify for permits.

"Anyone within the Homeless Services Area will need a permit to be there," he said. "This is to respect privacy, limit illegal dumping and reduce crime and keep people from coming in to prey upon the homeless."

And perhaps permits sound like Hitler tactics, but one could argue that if a restaurant needs a permit to provide food outside of Tent City, then permits should be required inside of Tent City.

Unfortunately, I don't care for Counting Crows

Mrs. Jones was not spotted at the Starbucks at San Antonio and Holt.

McDonalds - Starbucks Round Four

Now if this is the only blog you read, you may be wondering about rounds one, two, and three. Well, those rounds appeared in my general interest blog, mrontemp.

Round one, entitled You think Feldman-Israel is a bad war? Wait until McDonalds-Starbucks gets into battle mode!, ventured the opinion that Starbucks would do better by differentiating itself from McDonalds, rather than trying to grab the McDonalds crowd.

But then I remembered how businesses work. Round two concentrated on the needs of stakeholders other than the customer - namely, the investors. Investors, whether public company shareholders or private company investors or venture capitalists, wants businesses to grow and expand and continue to show growth, and growth, and growth. A Starbucks that maintains the same level of revenues and profits is a failure for those folks.

I just wrote round three, which concentrated on cost optimization, or whatever euphemism you want to use for cost cutting - another thing that the investors want to see, since lower costs result in higher profits, don't they?

Well, I saved round four for this blog, because it's taking place right in Ontario. Continuing on the cost-cutting theme, but adding a new twist.

From the Daily Bulletin:

Mervyns distribution warehouse in Ontario is laying off 200 employees and will outsource to a manager of third-party logistics vendors called Kalserve....

Mervyns expects to save $4million. It will keep about 30 employees in Ontario to oversee its third-party vendors.

More here. While Matthew Wrye took the local point of view, the Sacramento Business Journal noted that layoffs took place in northern California also. (By the way, I didn't realize that Mervyns was no longer part of Target. But hey, it's only been independent for four years now.)

As for Kalserve...well, I can't find out anything about any logistics company called Kalserve, or for that matter any company called Kalserve, other than an unidentified company in Dublin, Ireland.

But Mervyns would probably like it better that way.

At least it drove the meth labs out of the news

Someday, the Inland Empire is going to take off and become a true urban megacenter of business and residential opportunity.

Until then, we're going to be laughed at as hicks with meth labs, road races, and a prison down the street.

Stories like this aren't going to help our image:

Prosecutors filed dogfighting charges Tuesday against nine men accused of participating in or watching a battle between pit bulls in Ontario last month.

There is one good point in all of this, however; perhaps it will be easier to lure an NFL team to the area now.

But an NFL team may shy away after hearing the bad explanations for the dogfight:

[A] witness called police just after midnight on March 5 and reported a dog fight near Walnut Street and Cucamonga Avenue in Ontario.


View Larger Map

The witness said men were standing in the street in a circle surrounding the dogs. The witness said that when the dogs tried to flee the fight, the men grabbed them and tossed them back inside the circle....

When police came, the men claimed they were simply trying to breed the dogs in the middle of the street when they began fighting on their own....

Bad activity on Walnut Avenue. We have to put a stop to this.

Breaking the law, breaking the law

The Daily Bulletin broke the news about a series of three signs.

The first sign, on Interstate 10 Eastbound at the Euclid overpass, read:

Katie

The next sign, on a subsequent overpass, read:

Will You

And perhaps you can guess the third:

Marry Me?

The Daily Bulletin noted that the signs were removed a short time later, but I bet that they weren't removed by Katie, or by Katie's lover. Presumably Cal Trans stepped in, since the signs probably presented a hazard. Previous attempts to use freeway overpasses for messaging have failed:

Nathan Benjamin, a Bay Area attorney, filed a lawsuit [in 2002] against the state Department of Transportation for taking down an anti-war highway sign. Benjamin says he sees nothing in state law banning people from doing this.

In that court case, however, an appeals court ruled that overpasses are not a "public forum." Subsequently a judge ruled that Caltrans could take down signs if the agency felt they might cause a safety hazard, but Caltrans must then take down all signs, or none. It can't pick and choose based on political messages.

Caltrans' stance, reiterated last week, is that signs on overpasses and freeway soundwalls are potential safety hazards.

"We don't allow anything up there," spokesman David Anderson said.

Don't know whether Katie ever saw the marriage proposal. If you know more about this, please contact mark.petix@dailybulletin.com (who is presumably the Daily Bulletin's advisor for freeway-loving lovers).

Another uncooperative case

I love these half stories.

According to the Daily Bulletin, a man was at the corner of D and Sultana on Monday at 11:09 pm when he was approached by two other men. The three men got into an argument, and the first man was shot in the left bicep.

A friend took the victim, whose wounds were not serious, to San Antonio Community Hospital in Upland.

So will the two men be tracked down? Not likely.

The victim, who was not cooperative with police, gave few details about his attackers.

Tent City evictee

Previously I've talked about the challenges that the city of Ontario faces when trying to provide for homeless people in Tent City. Presently, we are also providing for homeless people in other cities. But no more.

The Daily Bulletin ran a story that featured Cathy Miller, a former Rancho Cucamonga resident whose family faced medical, job, and financial problems which caused them to lose their home and their SUV.

It's uncertain what programs other cities have for the homeless, but if Rancho Cucamonga has one, Cathy Miller isn't aware of it. She plans to return to Rancho Cucamonga - possibly to an underpass.

There's a national debate regarding whose fault all of this is, but even Miller notes that people who lost their homes may have themselves to blame for their situation.

They got easy loans and then went out and bought a Humvee. A lot of these young couples don't think. They're going to lose their homes. I think you're going to see a lot more homeless.

And it should be noted that Miller lost her SUV because of an unpaid ticket. However, she did not cause her husband's medical condition that caused him to lose his job.

It's a tough situation.

P.S. I think I finally figured out where all the Hitler tactics conversation came from. It turns out that the new Tent City will be fenced, and no one will be allowed in between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am. Whether one regards this as a "concentration camp" depends upon one's point of view about the situation.

Isn't it a little too early to declare success?

Louis Brewster wrote about the Citizens Business Bank Arena, which isn't scheduled to open in Ontario until October. But it's already a success, according to Mayor Paul Leon:

"This is money we've saved," Ontario Mayor Paul Leon said Monday at the unveiling of the Ontario Reign logo. "We are not spending taxpayers' money as it's being built."

The Ontario Reign is a minor league hockey team, and they issued their own press statement about the event:

ONTARIO TAKE COVER, THE REIGN IS COMING
Logo Unveiling Ceremony Conjures Up Excitement Over Impending Season
03/17/2008 2:54 PM

ONTARIO, Calif. – The Ontario Reign Professional Hockey Team of the ECHL and affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, formally unveiled their official logo today at a press conference at the Hilton Ontario Airport Hotel. The historical event marks the official debut of Ontario, California’s first-ever professional sports team.

Today’s ceremony served as an induction of the Reign into the history books of Ontario and included over one hundred and sixty representatives from local cities and organizations throughout the Inland Empire. Speakers included Reign president Barry Kemp and Executive Vice President of Business Development Justin Kemp, Los Angeles Kings President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille, Ontario Mayor Paul Leon and Senator Bob Dutton.

The ceremony unveiled the Reign’s first advertising campaign as well as the team’s primary and secondary logos which will be used for all future branding and marketing initiatives.

Designed by Keith Flynn of Flynnagain Productions out of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, the logo incorporates the Reign’s colors of navy, orange and silver into the design which will be used to brand the team’s image in the Inland Empire.

The logo depicts a sleek, but menacing dragon grasping a hockey stick, set atop an iron shield. The body of the image, the dragon, is colored navy with highlights of orange outlining the wings and head. ‘Ontario Reign’ sits across the middle of the logo in white lettering accented in silver and orange, while the shield in the background is colored silver and rimmed in navy.

The Reign believes that the logo will command a presence in the Inland Empire that promotes a sense of strength, honor and pride of being a part of an outstanding community and encourages an on and off-ice attitude of dedication, determination and action.

“This logo represents everything the Ontario Reign stands for”, said Justin Kemp, Executive Vice President of Business Development for the Ontario Reign. “The fierce image signifies strength, intimidation and power carrying on the Los Angeles Kings’ royal tradition.”

The name ‘Reign’ came from a team naming contest that was held from November through December, 2007 with over 600 entries submitted. The winning entry was submitted by Mike Brewster of Fontana, Calif.

The Reign will begin play of the 2008-2009 season in October at the state-of-the-art Citizens Business Bank Arena with the schedule to be released to the public in the near future.

Can’t wait to check out all the excitement of Ontario Reign Hockey? Season ticket deposits are now being taken for only $25 per seat! For more information contact the Ontario Reign office at (909) 941-PUCK (7825) or log on to www.ontarioreign.com.

The history books of Ontario? Promotion of on and off ice attitudes? I know that you have to talk your product up, but southern California is not really noted for its support of ice hockey. It may be a little premature to declare an Ontario Reign of ice hockey. (And anyway, I'm the emperor around here.)

And as for the Citizens Business Bank Arena, while it's wonderful that I haven't had to pay anything for it yet, we still have to see if people will come to the new arena.

Set for a Fall 2008 opening, Citizens Business Bank Arena will be a state-of-the-art facility that will play host basketball, ice hockey and a variety of other sporting competitions, concerts, family shows, special events, and community activities as well as private events. The venue will be the biggest and most modern arena within the Inland Empire.

Citizens Business Bank Arena will be the centerpiece of Piemonte at the Ontario Center, a massive mixed-use project, with large-scale office, retail, hotel, entertainment and urban living components. Built on a 37-acre footprint in the middle of the project between Haven Avenue and Milliken Avenue and Fourth Street and the I-10 Freeway...

Let me interject something here for those who aren't familiar with the area. Years ago, there was another wonderful sports facility at this same location; namely, the Ontario Motor Speedway. It's gone now. Continue:

...Citizens Business Bank Arena will include 9,500 fixed seats with additional "portable" seating risers to accommodate capacities of 11,089 for concerts, 9,736 for ice hockey and 10,832 for basketball. The 225,000 square foot venue will also feature 36 suites located on two levels and a continuous concourse hosting a variety of refreshment stands and merchandise kiosks, a VIP club and other fan amenities.

Now I've been known to drink the Kool-Aid from time to time. I hope that my mayor and city manager aren't doing the same.

Tent City for One City

The latest on Ontario's Tent City.

Yesterday, Mayor Paul Leon said that people with ties to Ontario may stay in the tent city, but others must leave by Monday (although it appears that there will be a grace period). Wristbands will be distributed to distinguish those who are "known" to be from Ontario, those who claim to be from Ontario, and those who don't claim to be from Ontario.

While there are valid concerns about the strategy, at least one of the reactions was pretty bizarre. Monroe Emmanuel Lee III (a parolee) didn't care for the wristband idea.

That's Hitler tactics. I'm a citizen of the United States. You're not going to put a wristband on me and confine me to a concentration camp.

Um, Mr. Lee, I'm sure that the city of Ontario has no interest in confining you, and would be more than happy to have you leave the camp entirely.

Los Angeles Times Reports on Tent City

In a March 6, 2008 article, the Los Angeles Times states that the city of Ontario is now ticketing and towing away vehicles from Tent City.

Only problem is, people were living in them at the time.

Deputy City Manager Al Boling pointed out that Tent City was never meant to be permanent, and also points out that the city is being overwhelemed with people from other cities.

According to the article, "any camper or motor home that wasn't able to move, was missing major parts or had registration expired longer than six months would be towed in three days unless moved."

Presumably not the hot wings

I have not been to the Wingnuts in northwest Ontario, but now I have an excuse to go.

Wingnuts restaurant is holding a fundraiser for Drashawn Vernon, a Fontana resident who lost her home recently in an arson fire.

The all-day event will take place Friday at 1520 N. Mountain Ave., Ontario.

Wingnuts will contribute at least 20 percent of its above-average proceeds from the day to The Vernon Family Assistance Fund.

Contributions can be sent directly to the fund, c/o Ann Gonzales, P. O. Box 1134, Ontario, CA 91762.

More information: (818) 524-0708.

More information on Wingnuts can be found here.

Gold Line to ONT? Meeting tonight

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports that a meeting will be held tonight (Wednesday March 5) from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Allan G. Smith Educational Services Center, 211 West 5th St. The topic? The Gold Line.

Gold Line authorities will be on hand Wednesday and Thursday nights, in Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga, respectively, to show possible route maps of the line and where stations might be built. They're asking to hear what local residents have to say about the potential routes and stations.

But don't buy your tickets yet. Plans only call for an extension to Montclair by 2017, and this would take place some time after that, if it does.

It's fitting to learn about magnets in a magnet school

There have been some articles in the local papers recently about a new magnet school for science, technology, and mathemmatics. Here's what the Ontario Montclair School District says about the new school:

Vineyard Elementary School will become the new Pre-K through eighth grade OMSD Science /Technology/Math Magnet. Students enrolled in this magnet program will participate in an enriched and integrated math, science and technology curriculum. Students will complete scientific investigations and “hands-on” activities designed to promote a deep understanding and appreciation for mathematical and scientific exploration integrated throughout literature and social studies. With the addition of third grade and seventh grade students in September 2009 and kindergarten through second and eighth grade students in September 2010, the Science/Technology/Math Magnet will become a kindergarten through eighth grade campus within three years.

Sport Clips, Grove & Philadelphia

This was my first visit to a Sport Clips, and the first visit to any sport salon in several years (when I worked in Irvine, I went to Savile Barber).

They offer three levels of haircuts. As a first-time visitor, I got the $22 haircut for $17 - this includes haircut, shampoo, hot towel, and gadget shoulder massage.

The Sport Clip people thought through the design. For example, they have vacuum cleaners hidden in the lockers along the walls, so when they need to vacuum up hair, they just plug a hose inside the locker and vacuum away.

Other than the college basketball game being a blowout, a good experience. And Courtney cleaned me up.

Sport Clips
1150 E. Philadelphia Ave.
Ste. 109
Ontario, CA 91761
+1 909 947 8170
http://www.sportclips.com/

The Walnut & Walker stop sign is installed

The Daily Bulletin reports that the stop sign requested by the family of the late Paul Roberts has been installed at Walnut and Walker (after the City Council approved the action, despite staff statements that the traffic didn't justify a stop sign), and that people are honking their horns in gratitude.

Now I'm assuming that the Ontario City Council will be obligated to pass out earplugs to the nearby residents because of the noise from the car horns.

Seriously, with all respect to the Roberts family, I still haven't seen any evidence that this is the proper solution for this intersection. Just because it feels good doesn't mean that it's right. Any driver who would hit a skateboarder would probably run a stop sign.