Election Day is Next Tuesday … Do You Know Where Your Ballot Is?
Election Day is next week, and the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters wants to make sure you know you have until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8 to cast your ballot. That means you have until then to visit a polling place, use a mail ballot drop box or mail your ballot (postmarked by 8 p.m.).
The Registrar of Voters (ROV) will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. along with polling places throughout the County.
To find your assigned polling place, please refer to your Voter Information Guide. You can also use My Elections Gateway or the Polling Place Look-up tool on the Registrar of Voters’ website at www.SBCountyElections.com. Or call (800) 881-VOTE or (909) 387-8300.
Lost your ballot or your dog ate your ballot? Don’t worry, you can request a replacement ballot at the Registrar of Voters, an Early Vote site or a polling place using a Replacement Mail Ballot Application (applications also available at polling places).
ROV hosts local media to demonstrate election integrity
Journalists from our local newspaper and television stations were given a behind-the-scenes tour of operations at the Registrar of Voters to show the security and steps behind the election process.
Interim Assistant Registrar of Voters Stephenie Shea gave tours to journalists from the Southern California News Group (publisher of The Sun and Press Enterprise among others), the Black Voice News, KABC7 News and CBS news Los Angeles.
“This election, voters want to better understand the journey of their ballot and the inner workings of the election process,” said Shea, “so it was important for us to open the doors to ROV to show journalists the specifics of the ballot validation and counting process.”
Laker Superstar James Worthy Has a Message for County Residents
See a special video message from the seven-time NBA all-star at Registrar of Voters
Sheriff’s Grand Terrace Station awarded $41,180.00 grant to increase safety on roads
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department will increase patrols throughout the community and provide other traffic safety programs to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on roads.
“This grant funding allows us to support our ongoing traffic safety efforts in the community,” Deputy Dustin Whitson said. “Our intent is to stop the most unlawful and dangerous behaviors that put people at risk and create an environment where everyone feels safe traveling. Lowering injuries and fatalities across our county is our goal.”
The grant will provide additional programs and resources, including:
DUI patrols focused on stopping suspected impaired drivers. • High-visibility distracted driving enforcement operations targeting drivers in violation of California’s hands-free cell phone law. • Enforcement operations focused on the most dangerous driver behaviors that put the safety of people biking or walking at risk. • Enforcement operations focused on top violations that cause crashes: speeding, failure to yield, stop sign and/or red-light running, and improper turning or lane changes. • Community presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding, bicycle and pedestrian safety. • Collaborative enforcement efforts with neighboring agencies. • Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).
The grant program will run through September 2023.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
San Bernardino County Fire dedicates a new fire engine in Joshua Tree
In celebration of the new replacement fire engine in Joshua Tree, San Bernardino County Fire welcomed members of the community to Fire Station 36 to participate in the customary tradition of transferring water from “old to new.” Children from the community participated in a “Bucket Brigade.” In the fire service, the act of transferring water represents life, as well as always being ready to protect. The kids passed eight buckets of water from the old Medic Engine 36 to its replacement engine. Each bucket represented the eight years of service the previous engine was used in the community. Once the water was transferred from the old fire engine, the new engine’s sirens sounded.
The ceremony also included the housing ritual, which dates to the 1800s when horses were used to pull fire pumpers. Horses were not able to back a fire pumper into the fire station. The pumpers had to be pushed in backwards by people. To pay homage to the history of the fire service, community members assisted with pushing the engine backwards into the station. The ceremony concluded by placing the new Medic Engine 36 into service.
“I would like the thank San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawe Rowe for her work in helping secure a community development block grant to fund this amazing new fire engine in the community of Joshua Tree,” said Fire Chief Dan Munsey. “This state-of-the-art engine will give our firefighters essential tools to protect the residents and visitors of the community and their property for years to come.”
The new fire engine will allow the district to provide more efficient service with advanced firefighting technology that will benefit the residents and visitors of Joshua Tree, the Morongo Basin as well as the 19,273 square mile fire district. Protecting life and property is paramount for the fire department and having the right tools and equipment allows your firefighters to meet that goal.
Halloween Compliance Operation focuses on protecting our children
San Bernardino County Probation Officers conducted home visits on Halloween to ensure that probationers who are registered sex offenders did not participate in any activities that would entice children to come to their residence. This year’s operation focused on those offenders who prey on children. The operation was conducted on Monday, Oct. 31, throughout San Bernardino County to confirm that each probationer’s home was dark, they did not have Halloween decorations on display, and they did not pass out treats while children were out trick-or-treating. In addition, their residences and electronic devices were searched for possible violations. Officers contacted 88 probationers during the operation. Most probationers were found to be complying, but four people were arrested for probation violations, including one wearing face paint who planned to visit children at a local hospital.
“Public safety is always our primary role in supervising offenders,” Chief Probation Officer Tracy Reece said. “This year, we shifted our focus on Halloween to those offenders who target children, emphasizing our mission of protecting the community.” A San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney and officers from the Redlands and Rialto Police Departments also participated in the eight-hour operation.
How Public Works Infrastructure Projects Come to Life
The San Bernardino County Public Works Department is responsible for planning, designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining the county’s infrastructure. Infrastructure refers to county roads, special districts, solid waste systems, flood control, water conservation facilities, and more.
Public Works performs projects and scheduled maintenance, looking into the future to project needs based on growth, and partnering with other agencies for continued success.
Have you ever wondered how a public works project comes to life?
The Department of Public Works first chooses a project that meets the County’s identified needs. These needs include safety, maintenance, improvement of operations, and long-range planning. It’s crucial that every new project directly benefits our residents!
Next, a detailed study occurs, where environmental impacts are researched, and funding is secured. Public projects can be very expensive, and funding usually involves a combination of federal, state, and local funds.
With the scope of work understood, the project enters the preliminary engineering phase, where early plans are designed and prepared. Environmental Clearance also begins here, which assesses the impact of the planned project on the environment and people. This process can be lengthy, especially when complicated environmental mitigation is needed.
All throughout the project, extensive efforts are made to minimize any impact to adjacent properties, but right of way acquisition is sometimes unavoidable. Right of way refers to being granted authorization to use another’s property for a specific purpose, such as building a road across private property to connect two public roads. These impacts are unique to each project, so the amount of land that may be required varies, and the acquisition process can take months or years.
All the pieces are now in place for the project to move into the final design phase. Here, the final plans, specifications, estimates, and any additional, necessary permitting are completed and packaged for review by the Board of Supervisors.
After board approval, the project is clear to be advertised for bidding, and when it has been awarded to a contractor, construction is ready to commence! Construction timelines may be dependent on the project’s size, region, season, and funding deadlines, but the work never stops until the project is completed!
Justine Rodriguez, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s (ARMC) Director of Marketing and Public Relations.
Arrowhead Regional’s Justine Rodriguez appointed to Healthy Counties Advisory Board
Justine Rodriguez, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s (ARMC) Director of Marketing and Public Relations, has been appointed to the National Association of Counties (NACo) Healthy Counties Advisory Board. Rodriguez’s term will run through July 31, 2023.
Rodriguez will work with NACo President Denise Winfrey and the advisory board in support of NACo’s Healthy Counties Initiative. This initiative works to provide county leaders with resources to promote and enhance health policies and programs to meet the health needs of their residents and employees and empowers them to address a range of health issues.
Rodriguez is an experienced health care marketing professional who has brought over 20 years of marketing and public relations experience to ARMC’s executive team, where she oversees all brand marketing and executive communications, conceptualizes new hospital initiatives, oversees all aspects of external marketing and public relations, and directs crisis communications. She has brought her visionary style to ARMC where she successfully rebranded the hospital’s marketing deliverables, created the hospital’s first formal diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, and consistently delivers positive results and media exposure for ARMC. Rodriguez holds a Master of Humanities from the University of Dallas, as well as an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR).
Founded in 1935, the National Association of Counties (NACo) serves as the voice of America’s counties and works to strengthen those counties by serving nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees.
ARMC is a 456-bed teaching hospital operated by San Bernardino County. The hospital is located on a 70-acre campus in Colton.
Arrow Train line goes full steam ahead with deputies on-board
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies began their shift on board the brand-new Arrow passenger train between San Bernardino and Redlands. San Bernardino County deputies will provide temporary public safety services, while the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority and Metrolink finalize the details of their contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies will be assigned to the train 7-days a week. If you see them on board, say hi and as always if you see something, say something.
Cashmere (A768926) is an adventurous 3-year-old female, black and brown German shepherd waiting for her forever home. You can adopt Cashmere from the San Bernardino County Animal Shelter in Devore.
For more information about animals in need of loving homes in San Bernardino County’s Big Bear and Devore shelters, please visit San Bernardino County Animal Care to see photographs of the animals awaiting adoption or call (800) 472-5609. To donate to assist animals at the shelter, visit Animals aRe First Fund (ARFF).
Jobs of the Week and Other Hiring Events
San Bernardino County has jobs that will open on Saturday, Nov. 4.
We encourage you to apply and share these job openings with those who may be interested in them. Recruitments listed are subject to final department approval. Check Job Opportunities for the most up-to-date recruitments.
For all monkeypox-related information, including case statistics, FAQs, guidelines, and resources, visit the County’s monkeypox webpage at wp.sbcounty.gov/dph/monkeypox. Individuals who are interested in the vaccine may complete the Monkeypox Vaccine Interest Form.
For all COVID-19 related information, including case statistics, FAQs, guidelines, and resources, visit the County’s COVID-19 webpage. Residents of San Bernardino County may also call the COVID-19 helpline at (909) 387-3911 for general information and resources about the virus. The phone line is NOT for medical calls and is available Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you have questions about social services, please call 211.
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Animal Care, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, County Fire, Human Resources, Probation Department, Public Works, Registrar of Voters, Sheriff's Department
