Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

I chose Chino for the business because I've lived in and out of the area for like the past six years. And I recently purchased my home over here. My kids go to school over here. We were in West Covina for many years and I feel like it was time to just root my entire life over here, my business. And I just love how it feels like such a small town and really tight knit community. Since moving here, I feel the community has been so welcoming, even for being a new business, a new vibe and kind of style out here. I think everyone's so curious and even if we're maybe not hitting the exact demographic or maybe someone who's much older comes in, they're so excited to refer their younger nieces, their granddaughters. Everyone's just super excited to have us here and wants to see us thrive. And you could just feel it in the energy and the foot traffic and people just coming out. What sets us apart, I think, is our overall environment, atmosphere, kind of aesthetic, having a new spin out here in the Inland Empire. But I think also coming in and getting a great customer service, really welcoming feeling is something you kind of don't get all the time. But I feel like our staff makes everyone feel super welcomed and really engaged. So everyone leaves here having just like a great overall experience and enjoys the atmosphere. Since moving here, a lot of people have kind of came in multiple times who maybe live down the street or just a few miles away. So I've definitely seen an influx of people coming out regularly and stopping by even when it's like within the same week. The advice I give to other entrepreneurs is just to go for it and do what feels right for you and your business, despite maybe not feeling like it's the most perfect decision or just being unsure. The best you can do is just try and you'll never know if you succeed if you don't go for it. So just hit the ground running and keep going.

because we're brewing up business. Chino is absolutely a phenomenal place to be. Multi-generational city. We've been here over a hundred years and very business friendly. You're gonna love Chino. As far as businesses are concerned, I personally want to see something for everyone. I want our kids to be able to stay in town, have entertainment places to go. I also want all kinds of entertainment for every age group. We need to stay here, we work here, we live here, and we play here. So I'm looking for businesses that are going to fill any void that we have.

So welcome to the Business Roundtable. This is the Broker's Edition.

I was first elected in 1984. Chino used to be very, very heavily agricultural, and over time we have evolved into something for everyone when it comes to housing stock, which is wonderful, and also businesses. We're growing by leaps and bounds. Very, very proud of our community. Multi-generational, so we have grandparents, parents, kids. So Chino's a wonderful place to be, and I'm very, very proud to represent it.

Community support since we opened was pretty good, you know, very incredibly supportive. What I understand from the city part, the mayor and all the people around the city was very helpful since we started operation of construction and then, you know, fully operational opening in December 2023. Our business sets apart, I would say, being a Marriott hotel, we more focus on service as well as local community, what we support and more hospitality, I would say. So it's not only just a basic room and, you know, guests can come and sleep, but we focus as a whole hospitality, more warmth and welcoming. That's what our goal normally we follow. Business grown every year pretty much. I would say since opening December 6th, 2023, right? Now we are at about one and a half year plus, but every year we see significant growth. This year is much more, I would say 10 to 20% more than what we were in the first year. and surrounding area what we see a lot of opportunity still considering our location and one of the biggest location i would say about the baps seminar temple that helps a lot a lot of weddings and a lot of Events happening there, guests do come and stay here. Besides that, we do get a lot of teams. That gives us a good growth opportunity and we are still seeing a lot of opportunity around the businesses in the area, which we are trying to explore too.

Well, interestingly, I opened up the very first LA Fitness that was the very first ground-up they'd ever built here in Chino in December of 96'. and I just had become a new yoga teacher and decided I wanted to open up my own studio and Fit Body was nice enough to let me sublease space from them and it grew from there. About 11 years ago we opened up the space you see here behind me and this weekend we celebrate our 14th year anniversary and this just has become my home community. Most of our advertising is simply word of mouth. And so the fact that people continue to tell their friends to come here is something that we're eternally grateful for beyond words. Not only do we have yoga, but we have heated kettlebell classes where people do barefoot kettlebell to good music in hour-long heated room. And we have ice bath classes in the backyard where people come together and get into the ice. We have sauna and lockers and showers. But I think really what sets us apart more than anything is this vein of mindfulness that we try to thread throughout our offering. You know, to go from a small boot camp spot, subleasing behind Sprouts to this large 4,000 square foot space with lockers and showers and two big yoga rooms is beyond our original vision and literally a dream come true. We're just super grateful that the community continues to show up for us. As long as they do, we're so excited about continuing to show up for them. Continue to persevere. Grit, work ethic is something that goes a long way when you own your own business. We're just super grateful to be here. So I would say more than anything, just the sense of humility that the challenges have brought created this grit and gratitude for what it is we do.

Chino has both modern side and countryside charm. My husband, he likes the countryside. I like the modern side. He loved eating here. He'll even bring his clients here. And when it was up for sale, he took the opportunity and we bought it. And we're very happy because we get to eat food here more often for free and I don't have to cook as much. First, I really need to thank Larry and Shelly. They're the one who started the Avocado House and they're the one who made this a Chino favorite. When we took over, we kept the same recipes. We just upgraded ingredients, which oil to the avocado oil and added new menu items. The support from community is awesome. Police officers, city staff, residents from Chino and all around cities, they come and support us. So we're very grateful.

What sets your business apart?

First, food. It's homemade food made with love, like grandma would. And that was Shelly's motto, and we really like it, and we're keeping it, too. And second is the high-quality ingredient, especially the avocado oil. It costs us $3,000 more per month to use avocado oil instead of canola oil. But we made the decision to do it because we care for the health of our customers, our employees who eat our food every day, and for our family. If you want cozy countryside warm feeling, you could eat inside the restaurant. And if you want like a more modern feel, you can eat at a veranda and the backyard, which is everyone's favorite. It's like having a picnic. You can relax and enjoy, you know, nice Southern California weather. We're very grateful as we continue to grow. So we plan to increase ours, and we're going to open for dinner. So people can now enjoy Avocado House all day long. We started a coffee shop called Rabbit and Bean in La Habra, and it's really doing well. So we want to open a second coffee shop here so customers enjoy specialty coffee and matcha. We're very excited. First, don't focus on money, profit, but just focus on giving joy and happiness to your customers and employees. Always serve high quality food that you would serve your own family. People will notice and they'll come back. And also take good care of your employees because they'll take good care of your customers.

So my dad came like 45 years ago in the city of Chino. He thought the city of Chino was a good opportunity to open a new business, and he was right. First of all, I want to thank the community of the city of Chino because all these years they support us and they love us and I want to say a big thank you to them. Quality, the good quality for the products, the good customer service and I think they love what we're doing for that. So we opened the first location four years ago and now we moved like two years ago over here with a bigger, nicer location and we drive through. Because it was the first project for us, it was a little bit hard at the beginning, thank God we made it. With the help of the city of Chino, the help of the people of Chino, we are here now to serve them.

Thank you.

We knew Chino was in demand for more restaurants, but we also knew that the location that we were gonna be going into, that there was a lot of growth, and there was gonna be a lot that was gonna come in. But we also knew it was gonna take time to get there.

Thank you.

Good evening and welcome to the July 21st council meeting. We have a special presentation this morning, or this morning, oh my gosh, here I go. I'd like to invite Chino Police Department Explorers, led by Explorer Jonathan Torres, who's going to lead us in the pledge. So if you'd please stand. Thank you.

Good evening, everyone. Please place your hand above your heart, please. Your right hand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Jonathan. Let's give him a hand. Okay, it's my honor this evening to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of one of Chino's most cherished spaces, our Chino Community Garden. Over the past decade, this space has grown into a place of connection, learning, and shared harvests. It's my pleasure this evening to honor the people and the plants that have made it all possible. I'd like to call up Rachel Phelps from Community Services, Parks and Recreation. She's our coordinator. Brittany Sarkal, our supervisor of Community Services, Parks and Recreation. And our Parks and Recreation specialist, Caitlin Chavez. And also, Sochi Huerta, Betty Cielo, and Nathan Frank. Franco, would you all please come up? It's Nathaniel, not Nathan. And we have a certificate of congratulations and recognition. The city council wishes you a happy anniversary as you commemorate ten years of dedication to the health and wellness of the Chino community.

Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, members of the council. I also want to invite up, we have a couple gardeners here, so if I can invite them up. We have our master gardener, Esther Martinez, and then one of our plot owners, Ozzy Gomez. And the reason I wanted to call them up is because without people like them, the programming at the Chino Community Garden wouldn't be possible. We have our master gardeners of the San Bernardino County, the heart and soul of our garden, our gardeners, our partners like the Chino Branch Library and Green Chino. who make all of our programming at the gardening possible. And then we also want to give a special shout out to Scout 202, or Troop 202, and Nate Franco, because they did a service project at our garden, and they repainted our shed, restained our benches, and it looks amazing. So thank you guys for choosing the garden to do your service project.

Hi, my name is Nate, and like Rachel said, I had my Eagle project for the Chino Community Garden. First of all, I cannot express how thankful I am to everyone that supported me throughout this journey. First of all, I'd like to thank the Chino Garden staff. Thank you guys so much for everything. I truly could have not gotten it done without you. Secondly, I'd like to thank my troop for all the hard work they've put in. with me and during during the Eagle project finally I also want to thank my parents my mom's over there she actually works for the city of Chino gonna embarrass her a bit but I just want to thank them so much for keeping me going pushing me through all like any hardships I had and I'm just eternally grateful thank you guys

Okay, now time for a photo. Kind of have to squash in. Yeah, tall guys in the back. Thank you. Thank you all again. Okay, next we have a retirement recognition. It's my honor this evening to recognize our Development Services Director, Warren Morleon. Oh my goodness sakes. For 17 years of dedicated service to our community and you can tell he's just nuts. We're going to miss him. Warren first joined the city of Chino in 2004 after starting his career in the city of Rancho Cucamonga. He left the city for five years, but like so many of our city staff, he couldn't stay away from Chino for too long and returned in 2016. Over the course of his career in Chino, he has held multiple positions before assuming the role of Development Services Director in 2023. Warren's commitment to Chino is reflected in every corner of this community. He helped navigate the city through the housing element and general plan update, and he guided our city's growth and development, especially in the preserve as Chino became one of the fastest growing communities in the country. A former Marine, No, what's that? Yeah, the hoorah. Warren is known as a workhorse, often arriving early to get a jump start on the day. He's a team player, often bringing in his staff for discussions and giving them credit whenever possible. Chino's become his second home, and that shows in the quality of work he's brought to this city every single day of his tenure. Warren, I want to thank you so much for making such an incredible impact on our city. We are really going to miss your work ethic and your humor. You would not believe this humor. And we wish you nothing but the best in your retirement. I have a city tile for you. The coveted city tile. And it reads, the Chino City Council, on behalf of the citizens of Chino, wish to express our appreciation for your 17 years of dedicated service to the city of Chino and its residents. I, in particular, am going to really miss this man. He has put up with so much nonsense from me. Questions and looking into things and all kinds of stuff, huh?

I would do it all over again.

Oh, so sweet. Such a good guy. We have been so blessed with your service here. Now, I'd like to call up, we have fire board members Tom Howey and Carvey Luth, and we also have fire chief Dave Williams for a presentation.

Wow, this is bigger than I thought.

All right, Warren, let me just read this proclamation here from the fire district. Throughout your distinguished career as director of development services, you have demonstrated exceptional leadership, professionalism, and commitment to thoughtful planning, responsible growth, and the continued advancement of the community you serve. Your dedication to public service and collaborative efforts have helped shape the City of Chino and create a lasting, positive impact for its residents. Congratulations on your retirement and best wishes for continued happiness, health, and success in this exciting new chapter of life. You know, I got to know Warren initially when I was on the Planning Commission. I spent some time on the Planning Commission many, many years ago. Warren was involved there and what Typically what I find with all of our staff is Warren exemplifies. He cared deeply about, he's not only capable, but he cared deeply about doing the right thing for the community. And I think we all benefited from this. Warren, thank you. Congratulations.

Well, Warren, it's been a long time. I remember when you were here when you started and came back, and he's done a phenomenal job for the city, let me tell you. But he and I both played in the Chino Corporate Challenge together on the golf team, and I thought, you know, he's a great golfer. We were going to win first place or whatever. What happened? Well, we did our best. We did good. We did good. But congratulations. You know, you're still too young to retire, I think, but... You feel old? Okay, yeah. Yeah, you will. Anyway, congratulations. You've been a great employee, and good luck in your retirement.

Thanks.

You know, quick story. My name is very difficult to pronounce for a lot of people. And for years, I mispronounced Warren. He's so kind. He never said anything. I would call him Morleone. I'd try everything possible. And then I finally got it was Morillion. Took me a long time. Anyway, he's a great guy and we're really going to miss him. His sense of humor, his dedication, his kindness, he's so kind. Even when we have projects coming up and we have people are protesting or just angry. I mean, right now we're faced with some pretty horrible things because of the state that we're having to build in our community. Warren. Now it's Warren. Oh, my Lord. But Warren is so good with dealing with people. He never loses his patience, and he's just so kind about everything, explains stuff. He's just been a great, great employee, and we're really going to miss you.

Your turn. Well, thank you, Mayor. I didn't have a speech or didn't plan one, but I do want to point out the guys back there on the right. They're wearing my sweater, so they went and grabbed my sweaters out of my office, and they're wearing them. I need some more light later on. All I want to say is thank you to Linda for giving me the opportunity. It's amazing. Got a great crew. Staff out there. are also amazing. I learned to not only like them, but love them. Not only my staff, but everybody. EMT is awesome. I met the new lady. She is going to be awesome, Swati. I didn't know she was a PhD, so I feel like she's going to be way smarter than me. I want to thank the council for all the trust you've given us and I know we went a long way and I appreciate you guys because having you guys from behind with the trust makes a difference and we don't feel like we're climbing a hill that's too steep, so I appreciate that. Fred, thank you for supporting me in my role and that's it. As you can tell, this doesn't make me comfortable because I don't like celebrating me. Oh, sorry Chief. Sorry, I didn't see you. He gave me that look. He gave me that look. But I don't like celebrating me. I like celebrating others. I just want to say I love Chino. It's my second home. And thank everybody for everything. It's been an amazing journey.

Let's get a picture with them. And then I want to bring his staff up and get a picture, too.

Okay, now staff, come up.

Warren's staff.

You want us to step out?

Yeah. Him with his staff.

This is why I'm fashionable.

And all the sweaters. I know. Okay. they raided his closet even ben even public works

It's hard when you lose good people.

Next is the Mayor's Home Beautification Award. It's my pleasure to give the Mayor's Home Beautification Award for July to Mary Jane and Benjamin Sotelo of Vincente Street. Would you please come up and join me? We have a beautiful certificate honoring the beautification of your home. We have a picture. And you can see the home on the TV. We have two pin sets for you, one for each of you. We have two lapel pins. See, it just keeps coming. And then we have the coveted yard sign. See, now this is to encourage all of your neighbors to go into competition now.

There's one on Joaquin. I'm going to let her know.

Would you like to say a few words?

Well, you know, it took us a long time to get this done because when we moved here in 19... 97 our house was the ugliest house on the block so It I'm glad we got it done, but I'll have be honest. This was my husband's idea I did not want to do this because all I wanted was green grass and and because of saving on the bill is what um correct correct and so i did tell him i do not want one cactus not one cactus whatsoever but uh we got a lot of flowers and plants and bushes that would attract hummingbirds and bees and butterflies and that is what we have today and i'm a happy camper and so and we still have a little patch of grass and so i'm glad we did it So this award, my husband does. I'll go and help. I'll go and help. But this was my husband's idea. So this is his award, actually. So I did tell him he should thank me for it.

I just want to say thank you to everybody. It came as a complete surprise. We had no idea that this was coming. And my sons, they were also very happy, very proud, and say congratulations. So thank you again. Thank you to the city for this. It's amazing. Thank you.

Yeah, thank you so much.

Well, you've contributed to your whole neighborhood.

Yeah. So this is nice. We've gotten a lot of compliments. We're going to get a picture.

Oh, okay. Okay. No, you have to turn the picture around.

Yeah. Here, I'll hold the picture. There you go. There we go. One, two, and three.

Thank you very much. Thank you again. Congratulations to you. Thank you. Thank you.

Prior to the council meeting, we did have a closed session. I'd like to ask our attorney to report out any action that was taken.

Thank you, Mayor, members of the council, and all those present. As announced, the council met in closed session and held a discussion on two items out of the four that are listed on the agenda under the closed session portion of the agenda. Beginning with item one, conference with legal counsel, one item of anticipated litigation under the heading significant exposure to litigation. The city council received a briefing on that matter and no further reportable action was taken. Item number two, conference with real property negotiator concerning the property at 5349 East Phillips Boulevard. with the negotiating party being Christopher Thie. Under negotiation, our price in terms of potential acquisition, City Council received an update, provided direction, and no further reportable action was taken. And as previously announced, before recessing into closed session, items number three and four were pulled off the agenda and not discussed in closed session. That concludes the report, Mayor. Thank you.

Thank you very much. City Manager Wright, do we have any agenda additions or changes? No changes, Mayor. Okay. Within our packet under information is the external agency report for July 21st. I encourage you all to access that online. It has some very interesting information. Next, under public announcements. First, I invite our citizens to participate in National Night Out on Tuesday, August 4th from 5 to 8 PM. National Night Out is a nationwide event that brings neighbors and public safety personnel together to strengthen relationships. and build safer communities. Chino police officers and Chino Valley Fire District firefighters will visit registered neighborhood gatherings throughout the city, spending time with residents, answering questions, and handing out some goodies. My fellow council members and I will be joining the festivities and visiting several neighborhoods throughout the evening. For additional information, please call 334-3217. Next, to allow the City Council to participate in National Night Out, the meeting scheduled for Tuesday, August 4th has been canceled. The City Council will also remain dark for its second meeting in August, which is scheduled for August 18th. Our next regular council meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 1st. Now in memory of John Anderson, finally, we would like to adjourn tonight's meeting in memory of John L Anderson, a long time regional leader and scouting advocate whose service left a lasting legacy in Chino and throughout the Inland Empire. John was born in Chino on December 26, 1934, the son of former Chino Mayor Carl Anderson. He was born into a farming family, which gave him an incredible work ethic that lasted throughout his life. In fact, he spent most of his life as a farmer raising potatoes, sweet corn, cabbage, cauliflower, and yams. It was his life's work until 2000. John served on the Inland Empire Utilities Agency Board of Directors, formerly known as Chino Basin Municipal Water District, from 1979 to 2011. During his 32 years of service, he helped guide the agency through a period of significant growth and progress in water recycling, groundwater replenishment, renewable energy, infrastructure, and regional collaboration. John also served as the founding chairman of the Inland Empire Regional Composting Authority, helping establish a partnership that advanced the beneficial use of biosolids and ultimately led to the development of the nation's largest indoor composting facility. Beyond farming, public service John also had a passion for scouting and troop 201 where he was an active member for 81 years John became an Eagle Scout in 1952 served on the staff in served on staff for the 1953 National Jamboree, and served as scoutmaster and treasurer throughout his whole life. He was honored by this very council for his service to scouting in 2024, and the scout house on 11th and B now bears his name, a testament to the legacy of a man who embodied the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. His leadership and commitment to public service and scouting helped create a strong foundation that continues to benefit Chino and communities throughout the region today. John is survived by his wife Phyllis, his three children, and his eight grandchildren. On behalf of the city council and the entire city of Chino, we wish to extend our deepest condolences to the Anderson family, his friends, and former colleagues. So tonight's meeting will be adjourned in his memory. Okay, next is public communication. This is the time and the place for general public to address the council about items that do not appear elsewhere on the agenda. Due to council policy and Brown Act requirements, action cannot be taken on any issues that are not on the agenda. But we're happy to hear your concerns. Our first written request to speak is Pastor George Sasso from Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. Now, George is going to lead us in invocation, and I invite all of those who wish to join us to please stand.

Let's bow our heads. Lord, we ask tonight that your peace that passes all understanding will come upon this place, Lord, that literally everyone here that serves in this city would feel your arms of love wrapped around them, Lord, you would help and guide them in every decision they make, that it would be decisions for the city that move us forward in every aspect, Lord. So we ask that you would continue the work that you've done here, and Lord, that your umbrella of protection will be upon this city forever. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you, George. Thank you, George.

Next written request to speak is Maureen Mo Mendoza. And Maureen, I'm going to call on you again when we get to consent calendar.

I respectfully request that the city of Chino consider implementing a city-supported, low-cost bay and neutering program for the Chino residents. Many California cities have successfully partnered with local organizations to provide affordable bay and neuter services, helping reduce pet overpopulation, decreasing shelter intake, and improving animal welfare. I understand that the Paul Mission provides low-cost spay and neuter services and that ARC has a formal agreement with Paul Mission. I respectfully ask the City of Chino to explore whether that existing partnership can be utilized to provide affordable spay and neutering services to Chino residents. If that partnership is not available for this purpose, I respectfully request that the city work with Palm Mission or another qualified provider to establish a similar program. Expanding access to affordable spay and neuter services is proactive and compassionate investment. It can help reduce unwanted litters, decreasing the number of dogs and entering shelters lessen overcrowding and ultimately reduces the number of animals euthanized due to the lack of available homes or shelter resources. I respectfully request that this matter be placed on a future City Council agenda for discussion and consideration. Then also, I have a second request regarding the quarterly agenda item regarding Animal Resource Center of the Inland Empire. I am once again asking that the city of Chino to place a quarterly ARC update on future city council agendas. The public deserves complete and transparent reporting on Shelter's operation. And basically, you guys all have a copy of the letter. And basically, it's just like the last one. ARC is sending out these messages of saying how many animals that they're intaking, how many animals are going to rescues, fosters, how many are going back to their owners. But they're not telling the public of how many animals they are euthanizing. It's still out of hand. And I believe it needs to be transparent. It's not transparent. They're only giving you a small shot of what they're doing. They're not giving you the actual things, everything that they're doing. And they're euthanizing too much. And there's so much that could be done to not have that happen. But I'm, again, asking for... thought to be agendized and I don't understand why I never got a response back. That was January 20th of 2026 and I haven't heard anything. Thank you.

Linda, that partnership she talked about, do you have that information?

I am not aware.

Mo, would you provide the information to staff on that partnership, please? Okay, next written request to speak, Dexter Jones.

Hello, I'd like to first of all thank everybody involved in providing the great activities and the atmosphere that we have over at the Senior Center. I've lived in the city for over 30 years, and I finally retired and got a chance to enjoy a lot of the programs that you guys have here. In fact, I rarely have a reason to leave the city, so I don't. But one thing that did come to mind, one issue that we were having was with our computers over at the senior center. They've been down for an extended amount of time. I went by there today and lo and behold, we got brand new computers all set. So thank you for addressing that problem and getting it taken care of. Cuz as you may know that for some of us seniors that Those public computers are the only access that they'll have to use the internet to contact their loved ones, to look up information that they might need to deal with life's issues and just to even get out of the house. We have one senior over there who's 88 years old. I'll just call him Mike S. He's a Navy veteran. And that's the highlight of his day is just to go over there and look up old movies and movie sets and talk about them. And that's the highlight of his day. So I just want to thank you for addressing the problem. I was having to go over to Ontario. senior center to use their computers, but now I'm back home and everything is taken care of. So thanks for not forgetting about us and just remember that little things sometimes have big impacts. So thank you for what you do and thank you for having that fine staff that we have over at the senior center.

Well thank you for acknowledging it. Next we have Janice Parkerson.

Thank you, Mayor, council members, peeps, lots of peeps. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to address an issue that is very important to me, and I hope will be very important to you as well. I'm sure we all saw this edition of the Chino Champion. Fireworks explosion kills woman, injures four in Chino. Explosion compels council to revisit fireworks policy. A quote from Councilman Curtis Burton. I think we need to revisit our fireworks policy. This is long overdue. You think? On July 4th, 2026, three weeks ago, a young woman was killed. What more will it take to make you think? Schools argue that fireworks are a major fundraiser. Per the Champion article, Chino Little League faces the cost of $7,000 to replace the infield grass on Field 5 at Ayala Park. Grass? A young woman died. Also, per the Champion article, church youth rely on fireworks profits to support church programs. It's unfortunate that a few city folk get in trouble with illegal fireworks from time to time. What? A young woman died? How do Chino Hills, Ontario, Upland, and Rancho Cucamonga fund their little league and church programs without fireworks one of my book club members suggested they do bingo or how about a good old-fashioned bake sale use some imagination anything but fireworks legal or not ban all fireworks except for the professional shows and then the only fireworks you hear will be illegal I implore you, on behalf of all the pets, elderly and sick residents, and residents with PTSD, and on behalf of 23-year-old Leslie Bustos, please do the right thing and ban fireworks in Chino.

Thank you. Thank you, Leslie. I'm sorry, Janice. Next we have Donna . You told me how to say it right, Marchese. No, Marchese.

Marchese.

Marchese. That's right. Marchese like crazy.

Crazy Marchese. Everybody knows us. Especially the people shooting off the illegals in my neighborhood. I am not well beloved in my neighborhood. I didn't know Mo was going to talk about it, but this is why I'm here. Basically the same thing. Ontario has sponsored with PAW Mission and ARC to have two mobile spay and neuter events out at ARC. We haven't had any. So I gave your gal here a copy. You will have a copy of what this flyer says. So find out who in Ontario is setting this up and see if they'll work with you to tell you how to get it done for us. I've got six people on my board wanting help. I got one yesterday. I've got a city council member. I've got a referral from ARC to get animals fixed. Six people. That's a lot of people for an old broad to try to fix cats for. So what prompted Ontario and ARC to do this? Was the clinic suggested to Chino and Montclair? Did you guys get the same offer that Ontario got to do this?

I've never heard of them, Donna.

Yeah. It's on the internet. That's how the gals found it. Because I don't have time. Sorry. I don't have time to sit in the internet. I'm out catching stuff. So find out, when are these held? They've had two so far. Is it every so many months? Is it just hit or miss? What is it? But we need to do something in this town. So when can these be held? Where can they be held? This says it's being held at ARC. Can we get a spay and neuter van here to make it more convenient for people to come to Chino that have cats and whatever in Chino? And who's paying for these services? It's only $50 to get your animal spayed or neutered. So did Ontario pay the difference? Because I'm quite sure the van didn't just charge $50. Inland Valley charges us $80. Ontario's pays $150. So somebody must have paid the difference between the $50 and whatever the van charges. So did Ontario pay it? Did Ontario and ARC pay it? Or did ARC pay it? You guys need to look into some stuff. And why isn't Chino more proactive for the pets? I know we need to get this clinic here. I've talked to you maybe six months ago about donation bins. Did you ever put any donation bins? I suggested City Hall. I suggested the YMCA. I asked them today. And I suggested the fire departments. Get them spread around. Those people need supplies. We do.

Could have said there were donation bins.

Where? One right out of here. Okay. When I came last time, there were only three or four places. And they were very sparse. Because they need supplies over there. They need bedding. They need toys. They need food. They need stuff. And community events. We don't seem to have a lot of community events for ARC. Ontario seems to have more community events where they have an ARC booth. I think we've run across one. I'm not on social media, so I can't tell you all that stuff. And I'm with the gal with the fireworks. Because I drive around my neighborhood just to piss off my neighbors so they have to stop shooting them off. And I went down Monta Vista and there was a great big huge display, safe and sane. And just before I got it, there was a rocket. It could have hit my car if I'd have been a few minutes sooner. It needs to stop. And it's still going on. We're getting cannons in our area. So what can you do to help us with ARC and getting some help out here for spay and neuter? So that's it. And we do need a report. Why aren't we hearing where our tax dollars are going and what's going on? I worked Sunday seven hours. Air conditioning in the CAT section is not working well. Seven hours, and it was warm.

So I'll be back. Okay, thank you. Bye.

Remember, Mark Hazy.

Mark crazy. Oh my goodness sakes. Okay, next is Darlene Lopez. It's horrible when people can't pronounce your own name and then you screw up somebody else's name. Doggone it.

Hello, Mayor and council members. My name's Darlene. I've been a resident here for over 20 years. I'm concerned about the city's decision to spend 3.7 million on a police helicopter. Even though the city says the money comes from development fees and a county grant, it's still public funds that could have been used for other important needs. The helicopter was also costing us 640,000 every year to operate, plus another 108,000 a year to lease a hangar. I feel like that's a lot of money every year for one piece of equipment. As a resident, I also have concerns about how the helicopter is being used. It flies over our homes often, creating loud noise that disrupts our neighborhoods. When it circles overhead, I consider Chino to be very safe, but it makes me think that something dangerous is happening nearby. Instead of making me feel safer, it makes me feel anxious and afraid. I support public safety, but I also believe the city should be responsible with public funds and consider how this helicopter affects the people who live here. I hope the city will be more transparent about when it's used and whether the benefits truly outweigh the costs. Thank you for hearing me out on that.

Thank you, darling. You also wrote one for City Fireworks.

Yes. They said a lot of things that I agree with, but I don't want to take away from the charities and the churches and the schools from getting their funds that they need, but could we at least increase the... fine from $1,000 to $5,000, make it more expensive for them to pay something like that. That was my thought on that. And also, I'm very heartbroken over the girl that was killed. She was only 27 years old, and it wasn't far from where I lived. So that is a huge concern. The fire, the fireworks in my neighborhood are mostly illegal. And I know you guys got drones out there for us to help with the citations. I hope that's helping. Um, but it is a big concern because my pets are, you know, upset about it as well. And, um, I don't know that when it's going off from May through September, October, that those citations are still being given because it's a Dodger game. It's, you know, whoever's playing that night, they win fireworks going up in my neighborhood. So it's just really annoying and hoping that you guys can come to some kind of, you know, um, to fix it, to help things, you know, calm down in my neighborhood.

Thank you, darling.

Thank you.

Um, those are the only written requests I have to speak.

Um,

We have a tradition, and that is that I call on any students or, well, I will, I know. I call on students or Boy Scouts if they are here for any kind of class or anything. Is there anyone in the audience that's scouting or students? Okay, before I ask for general non-written comments, I'm gonna ask our chief to give us a quick update on fireworks, which he probably was gonna do at the end of the meeting, but I'm gonna ask him to do it ahead of time. Sorry, Kevin, spring that on you.

So just a recap, and I know Deputy Chief Morata talked about this last council meeting. So we had over 60 members of the department that worked specifically the holiday, the 4th of July, that started at 6 p.m. and went to, well, this one, because of the incident, went well over midnight, but was assigned to work the 4th of July deployment from 6 to midnight. Included patrol officers, dispatchers. We had four drone teams, our real-time crime center, and our helicopter was up. We handled during that time 463 calls for service, 278 of them were fireworks related calls, and we issued 112 fireworks citations, and 57 of them were from our drone teams. I KNOW IT WAS TALKED ABOUT LAST COUNCIL MEETING, A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF OUR RESOURCES ONCE THE INCIDENT HAPPENED OVER OFF OF D STREET WAS PULLED AWAY TO HANDLE THAT INCIDENT. AND SO ULTIMATELY WE'RE MEETING WITH THE COMMUNITY SERVICES. I THINK THE LAST MEETING IN AUGUST THAT THE COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMISSION MEETING, THEY'RE GOING TO DISCUSS, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY ON FIREWORKS, WHETHER BEFORE THEM OR AGAINST THEM AND ULTIMATELY WILL LEAD TO, I'M SURE, TO COUNCIL FOR A DECISION ON WHAT MODIFICATIONS TO MAKE. WE HAVE DISCUSSED INCREASING FINES. WE'VE DISCUSSED A LOT OF THINGS. THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE IS WHEN IT COMES TO FINES IS LAW. IS THE LAW MISDEMEANOR? YOU'RE CORRECTING ME FROM WRONG, FRED. THE $1,000 IS THE MAX THAT WE CAN CHARGE FOR A FINE FOR FIREWORKS. I KNOW SOME CITIES ARE CHARGING MORE, BUT PER THE LAW, YOU CAN ONLY CHARGE THE $1,000 FOR FIREWORKS. THAT'S CORRECT.

HOW ARE THESE OTHER COMMUNITIES GETTING AWAY WITH CHARGING SO MUCH MORE?

THEY'RE JUST CHARGING IT.

AND IF THEY'RE CHALLENGED?

IF THEY'RE CHALLENGED, THEN THEY'LL HAVE TO REDUCE IT BACK DOWN TO THE $1,000. THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

MARK HAS A QUESTION. SO I KNOW THAT THE DEPARTMENT GAVE OUT ABOUT 57 DRONE CITATIONS, AND THE PEOPLE THAT GOT THE DRONE CITATIONS ARE NOT AWARE THAT THEY GOT THE TICKETS YET. Right.

The letters are going out. I don't know at what point I asked. We're actually getting a lot of information that I gave a due date to my team for middle of next week. I'm sorry, tomorrow to follow up on this as far as with the status of the letters going out, where they're at. The citation is a citation along with a letter that actually is from me that explains the violation.

So do we know when they're going to when they're going to be out? Because I know a lot of people. that were lighting illegal fireworks have not received their citation yet, and they will be receiving it soon. So I think some of the concern from the community is that it had no impact, but a lot of the people that, at least half of the people that received citations aren't even notified yet that they received the citation. So we haven't even gotten to that point where People are now aware that even though the police officers didn't come to their house, they were identified and now they're receiving citations for it.

Yeah, we'll have letters out this week. They'll be out by the end of this week at the latest if they're not already.

Okay, thank you.

That's a summary of what kind of an overview of our 4th of July deployment. Obviously based on I mean just the amount of resources that was pulled away from from the deployment to handle the critical incident was was significant and so but that's still I actually pulled, I don't have the stats in front of me, the percentage of increase of calls on the 4th of July, and we pulled Ontario, Montclair, Upland, Chino Hills, and we by far have the highest number of increase of calls for service on the 4th of July compared to any other, as far as any other day that we've for the past six months. So I think we're at, I think it was like 133% higher on the 4th of July than any other day.

So I'll give you some stats that came out from Pomona, which Pomona's had a legal fireworks ban for over 30 years. And they said that between 4 p.m. and 2 a.m. on the 4th of July, they handled 438 calls for service related to fireworks. Thirteen calls for service related to fireworks caused fires. Seventeen citations were issued from the assistance of their drone program. and they collected, I think they said, $2,000 worth of illegal fireworks. So they're similar to us, and yet they have a ban on fireworks, and it's still an issue with them. So I just want to make sure that the community is aware that even if we ban them, we're still going to have them.

Yeah. Thanks, Kevin. Yep. Okay, now are there any other speakers in the audience who would like to address the council on an item not on the agenda? Okay, stubby, the man in back of you. The man in back of you raised his hand first.

Good evening, Mayor, council members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Frank Lopez, a resident of Chino for over 20 years. graduated Don Lugo High School. I'm a civil engineer by trade, worked in private, then I moved into the public sector, so I've worked for several cities similar to the city that I reside in. And I wanted to speak on a couple things. One, my wife spoke earlier about the helicopter, so I concur with everything she says. I would like to see something that shows what the benefit cost ratio for our city is. I respect our law enforcement in our city. They're one of the best. I had a high school friend that was a captain on the force, and I follow them on Instagram, so I know they do an amazing job. What I believe is that for a city our size, a helicopter doesn't really make sense because a As they go up and they make their turn, it really is not that much space for them to do a full turn and the helicopter not be heard by just about everybody in the city. And so while I understand it would be used to make our city safer if we were already saying we were one of the safest cities, which I have heard and I believe we are, I don't see what the benefit for the cost is to have a helicopter that's gotta be manned by, I believe, at least two pilots. The annual salaries, annual maintenance. Helicopters aren't like vehicles where you get a loaner while the one is in service. I believe we had mutual aid agreements prior to that and we used the sheriff's helicopter or Ontario's. And that would only come out when it was needed. And so I just, again, want to reiterate that I think we need to look at that more carefully. I think our funds could be used for better. I think more officers, more drones, the drone program, because I believe there's a lot more than 200 or However many citations the chief mentioned, a lot more fireworks, illegal fireworks going off than that. And so a drone program, a larger program for that would be amazing. To move on, I don't believe we should make fireworks illegal in our town. I do believe that a lot of good comes from them. Maybe we can use some funds to create programs to just like SOMETIMES THE POLICE HAS PROGRAMS FOR BICYCLE USERS TO TEACH THEM SAFETY AND ALL THAT. MAYBE WE NEED TO TEACH PEOPLE ABOUT FIREWORKS SAFETY. AND MAYBE THERE ARE ALREADY PROGRAMS LIKE THAT. BUT ANYWAYS, I BELIEVE THAT THE FUNDS WOULD BE HARD TO REPLACE FOR, AGAIN, THE CHURCHES, THE SCHOOLS, AND ANYBODY WHO USES THEM TO FUNDRAISE. I KNOW THAT DON LUGO, AGAIN, ALUMNI, USES THEM. Their band uses them. So I don't think banning them is the solution. I would like to see the funds from the helicopter get moved into other areas like the drone program and other things like that. So I think that's pretty much what I want to speak on. I appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

Welcome. Chief, I'll ask that you have someone get in touch with Mr. Lopez and teach him about the helicopter program. And then also, Linda, if we could inform he and his wife of when the Community Services Commission is going to be discussing fireworks. Stubby. Stubby.

Good evening, counselors. Two things. One, I want to point out, and thank you, Mark, for the Pomona input, but the Northwest County quadrant between us and Pomona, we get people that come in there from Pomona and people that come in there from Chino, and that is very sparsely enforced. So that also contributes to the problem, and eliminating the safe and sane isn't going to solve that either. But what I primarily want to say, and I want to thank the Chief and Chino PD, is they set up that incident command on the 4th. And... had total control of that area and they still managed. I was worried that this was going to affect our ability to respond to the calls. They still responded to, I believe it was, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was 460 something calls for service, despite the fact that they set up a full incident command. And I just think that that level of training which some that they inherited from a few council members here. It's just absolutely amazing, and we should be very thankful that we have a police department that can respond like that and still provide the regular patrol service, even though it wasn't regular on that night. So thank you, PD. Thank you, Chief, if I'm wrong on these numbers.

Well, thank you for recognizing them. Yeah, that incident was very, very tragic. But I do agree, even banning safe and sane is not going to get rid of the illegals. It was interesting in our neighborhood, it was pretty calm up until July 4th, which was unusual, because we usually get the crazy explosions in the county area before that. But it was pretty quiet until the actual 4th. And it was actually pretty quiet until about 9 o'clock, and then all hell broke loose. It was nuts. And these are not just the aerial stuff. I mean, it sounded like bombs. These people are crazy, and I don't know what they expect. Someone is going to get hurt. Someone's going to get killed.

Just I don't know.

Okay, is there anyone else in the audience that would like to address the council about any items not on the agenda? Natalie, do we have anybody online that wants to address a non-issue?

No, we do not.

Okay, then we will move on to the consent calendar. Before we take a motion or a second to approve, I have a couple of items that wish to be discussed. Mo, you asked about item number three. Would you like to come up and... That's the elected officials report regarding training, travel, and meetings.

The one that I'll be talking about is the ARC one, item two, Veterinarian Services. As you can see, Ontario has advertised twice on social media and so has ARC. You see the ARC symbol, you see the PAW mission, and you see Ontario. Item two that I'm talking about, I have a copy of it. It says that it's the copy of the Veterinarian Service Agreement with the PAW mission with AHRQ, okay?

Mo, excuse me, let me interrupt you. The item that you asked to speak about has nothing to do with that.

No, it does. It has to do with the minutes of the AHRQ that's attached. Oh, okay, all right. And as I was saying, they upped it to, they upped it 125,000, so now it's at $525,000. And then it says here, the increase in the yearly note to exceed amount from 125,000 to 200,000 reflects ARC's exploration of options to offer spay and neuter services to public for privately owned animals. So what a lot of us are assuming is Ontario City got to use that money to do a spay and neutering, reduced fee of $50. And then this agenda paid for it. And if that's the case, where is Chino? Where is Montclair? I always said we're outvoted by Ontario. Is that what happened? I don't know. But I'm concerned because I went to Ontario's website. I researched their agendas, Ontario City. They have no agenda authorizing any money to go to Paul Mission. The only thing that I can find is ARCS, which is on... Item three of the ARC's minutes. So I'm concerned. So is that, because I believe you can actually respond to this saying that it's a consent item, is that how this was paid for? And if so, when is Chino's turn?

Mo, I don't have any answers right now. No, but... I don't know. I don't know.

But does Burton... Curtis, do you know anything about that? I don't have any information on that.

Okay. And Natalie, I just messed up my screen. Thank you. Okay. Then Mr. Nick, you have a question about item number seven.

Yes. I was asking to be removed from the consent calendar and to be voted on separately.

Um, well, you want to voice your concerns?

Yeah. I, thank you, Mary. Uh, I understand. Chino, like any other city, has great difficulties in the unrealistic mandates being put on by the state. And I'm not here to defend the state. I'll be fighting with them also. But unfortunately, the city cannot blame the state for everything. And hopefully, if you read my previous objections and my most recent one I submitted last week with some graphs and information, you'll understand why I'm here again. The information being presented by the planning division and the city attorney are contradicted. based upon a realistic review of the law and the facts. The opinions of the city attorney that government code 65585 does not apply is contradicted by the city's own argument when the housing element was adopted in November 2024. It was argued then the city could not change the building height storage facility inclusions and density in the housing element without HCD approval. Now we'll say they don't need approval. Many of the proposed zoning code changes do directly relate to the affordable housing districts that are in our current housing element. Contrary to the opinion of the city attorney, I asserted HCD's policy that the comprehensive zoning update will have direct effects on the housing element and therefore are strictly bound by the reporting and public review requirements of government code 65585. I refer to pages one through three of my submission last week. I believe a careful review of these arguments should result in the council requiring further consideration of the requirements of the government code. And there's no reason to rush into the adoption of the zoning code tonight without making improvements that protect the welfare of the citizens of Chino. The state did not mandate that the city rezone almost 50% of our 47 mixed-use overways to be rezoned as regional and boulevard overways allowing building heights up to 65 feet and five stories tall. The state did not mandate the transferring of the four area ratio between all the way