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San Bernardino County
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FRIDAY | AUGUST 25, 2006
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Official arrested
Colton councilman faces two dozen felony counts
By Stephen Wall and Robert Rogers
Staff Writers
Make fixes,
apartment
owner told
By Megan Blaney
Colton Councilman Ramon Hernandez was
jailed early Thursday on 24 felony counts involving the improper use of a city-issued credit
card and cell phone.
A rumpled and apparently disoriented Hernandez squinted in the sunlight Thursday afternoon after his release on $25,000 bail from the
Central Detention Center in San Bernardino,
where he had been held for about nine hours.
No one met him but the press.
Hernandez professed his innocence and
vowed to remain on the City Council.
As he walked down Rialto Avenue from the
jail, Hernandez was asked if he had a message
for the people of Colton. He said, “I honestly
believe the truth will prevail.”
Concerning the charges against him, Hernandez said, “I have never used the card unauthorized, sir.”
Hernandez was arrested at 7:15 a.m. Thursday at his home in the 900 block of Rose Street
by district attorney’s investigators.
Charges could be filed against other city officials in connection with the scandal, authorities
said.
Hernandez is expected to be arraigned today
in San Bernardino Superior Court.
Hair tousled and wearing a white T-shirt, faded blue jeans and gray sneakers, Hernandez said
he felt somewhat relieved, adding, “The truth
will set people free.”
When he was asked what he was going to do,
Hernandez said, “I have no idea. I have never
done this before. I don’t know where people
go.”
He seemed to meander as he headed west on
Rialto Avenue while fielding questions. Asked
who posted his bond, he said, “I would imagine
my wife did.”
About that time, a woman darted out of Penny Bail Bonds across the street, calling to Hernandez that he could wait in their office and use
the phone.
Hernandez tagged after the woman and followed her through the door and out of the glare.
“This county has had its share of political
corruption,” District Attorney Michael A.
Ramos said in a statement. “The residents of
San Bernardino County need to know that we
will not tolerate public officials serving themselves while violating the public’s trust. No individual, no matter what his or her official position, is above the law. Those who engage in
criminal behavior will be held accountable.”
Hernandez is married with three children. A
woman who identified herself as his daughter
answered the phone at his home Thursday
morning. She said Hernandez was not there and
refused to answer questions.
The councilman has previously said that he
has been a youth minister in the Roman
Catholic Church for 26 years and he is a clerk at
a Stater Bros. market.
The 46-year-old was charged with 24 violations of California Penal Code Section 424 related to the misappropriation of public funds. A
conviction on each count carries a penalty of up
to four years in state prison.
See HERNANDEZ / Page A6
INSIDE | A4
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO — It
was a dissatisfied tenant’s dream
come true — a chance to unleash
a torrent of frustration onto a
property manager who had to sit
and listen as city officials listed
the problems at the complex.
“That was great just to see
him squirm in there,” said Amber Court tenant Denna Lopez.
An independent hearing officer fined the owner of the Amber Court apartment complexes
$4,562.61 and ordered him to fix
the hundreds of code and fire violations tallied during a major
enforcement sweep on Aug. 1.
Antonio Luna, owner of the
Amber Court apartments — two
buildings side-by-side on North
Sepulveda Avenue — was not
present at the hearing Thursday
at City Hall, but his property
agent, Mark Sanchez, and the
resident manager, Laura Cortez,
attended and defended the complexes.
“A lot of these issues have
been fixed,” Cortez said. “But
they don’t let us in to do the
jobs.”
Sanchez said he responded to
complaints as they were brought
to his attention but they were oftentimes “without substance”
and “a ploy not to pay the rent.”
He has said criminal problems
plague the complexes, which are
located in the middle of the target area for Operation Phoenix,
the city’s anti-crime initiative.
Sanchez stated he was not
See APARTMENT / Page A4
WARRANTS
SERVED
Search warrants
are served
in connection
with the Aug.
12 slaying of
16-year-old
Adrian
Valdovinos.
UPDATE
Sgt. Michael
Desrochers’
attorney asks
court to reconsider temporary
restraining order.
MYNISHA’S CIRCLE
A spotlight
on potential
solutions to crime
in our community.
For more, visit
www.sbsun.com.
For an update
on the group’s
efforts, see
Page A4.
BELIEVE!
Individuals and
organizations
making a difference
every day.
More on A4
and sbsun.com
Colonies scoffs
at county offer
Firm doubts deal attainable
By Edward Barrera
Staff Writer
Photos by LaFonzo Rachal Carter/Staff photographer
Colton Councilman Ramon Hernandez reacts after being released from the Central
Detention Center in San Bernardino after bail was posted Thursday. Hernandez faces
24 felony counts involving the improper use of a city-issued credit card and cell phone.
Pluto downgraded
from planet status
universal definition of a planet since
well before the time of Copernicus,
who proved in the 16th century that
When Tiger Valenzuela went to the Earth revolves around the sun.
Just a week ago, the International
bed Wednesday night, all was right
with his universe. Nine planets re- Astronomical Union, meeting in
Prague, Czech Republic,
volved around the sun, fafloated the idea of reafSBSUN.COM
miliar friends in his solar
firming Pluto’s planetneighborhood.
■ VIDEO: Pluto’s fall
hood and adding three
from the planet ranks
But when the 19-yearcomes
just
days
after
the
new planets to Earth’s
old Fontana man awoke
astronomers neighborhood.
Thursday, there were only international
group considered adding
But Thursday, Pluto
eight.
to the list of planets.
was
unceremoniously
Pluto has been downsized, demoted to dwarf-planet status stripped of its status as a planet when
by scientists because the shape of its the union adopted historic new galacorbit around the sun isn’t up to snuff. tic guidelines.
Pluto, considered a planet since
“It’s confusing,” Valenzuela said.
1930, got the boot because it didn’t
“All of a sudden it disappears?”
Well, it wasn’t so sudden. Astronomers have labored without a See PLUTO / Page A8
By Mark Petix
Staff Writer
What did Pluto do
to deserve this?
Enough is enough.
We’ve had to give up so
much already. Red meat.
Suntans. Carry-on luggage.
Now we have to give up a
planet, too?
Members of the InternaJOHN WEEKS
tional Astronomical Union,
meeting in Prague, have voted to strip Pluto of its status
SBSUN.COM
as a planet.
■ PODCAST: Listen to
That’s just great.
Sun
columnist John Weeks
We’ve had to downsize
navigate the atmosphere
everything else. Our cars. Our
around the news that
meals. Our retirement goals.
Pluto is no longer
considered a planet.
Now we have to downsize
the whole solar system.
Eight planets instead of nine. Pluto is out.
We have our nerve.
We know very little about the people of Pluto, except that they resemble cartoon dogs, but it shouldn’t
See WEEKS / Page A8
The latest settlement negotiations aimed at ending
the four-year legal battle between the county and
Colonies Partners LP have gotten off to a rocky start.
A day after San Bernardino County relayed an offer to Colonies officials, the developers said it’s not
a serious proposal, expressing doubt that any settlement could be nailed down.
In a statement, the Colonies said the county’s offer was $77 million in cash, and that it would only
pay if the city of Upland and San Bernardino Associated Governments, or Sanbag, the county’s transportation authority, contributed a significant amount.
“This offer could hardly be considered a sign of
good faith,” said Jeff Burum, Colonies co-managing
partner. “It’s more consistent with the pattern of behavior (San Bernardino Superior Court Judge
See COLONIES / Page A4
Breaking news displaced Freedom Friday today.
The feature will return next week.
TODAY ON SBSUN.COM
10 A.M. ■ VIDEO: HOUSING PRICES
Sellers worry that housing bubble has burst.
2 P.M. ■ PODCAST: CAL LEAGUE REPORT
Sun sportswriter Pete Marshall brings you
this week’s report on the California League.
6 P.M. ■ PODCAST: TOMORROW’S HEADLINES TODAY
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