Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Tuesday, 11 August 2009 22:07
administrator
I drove to Bakersfield for my nephew’s wedding reception the other day. I saw the old crowd from my high school years in Delano. We hugged a lot, reminisced a lot, and generally renewed old friendships. When I saw Bishop Ron Holgate, walk in with two beautiful little girls, I wondered who they were. He said, “Rex, I want you to meet Kevin’s granddaughters.”
Kevin had granddaughters? But he was my age! I guess he did marry earlier than I. Bishop Holgate’s only son Kevin was my friend, brother, roommate. And now he had two sweet little granddaughters. I smiled at his legacy.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 August 2009 22:12 )
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City’s Landscape Districts Running Out of Money
Tuesday, 11 August 2009 21:12
administrator
Every property owner in Rancho Cucamonga pays into one of the city’s 11 Landscape Maintenance Districts (LMD’s). The districts have been able to cover the cost of water, mowing, weeding, and trimming without a raise in rates since 1992. Well, all good things must come to an end. Many of the LMD’s are running out of money. The city has tried to stretch your dollars by reducing the level of service in the districts that are low on cash. In case you haven’t noticed, some parts of our city are looking a bit shabby when it comes to weeds and overgrown shrubs. Your editor has been dwarfed by weeds, as shown in the attached photo, taken on a median near Baseline and Rochester.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 August 2009 22:07 )
City News- By sector
Tuesday, 11 August 2009 21:10
administrator
City News- By sector
The following entries are updates on issues affecting each neighborhood in Rancho Cucamonga. Please contact
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if you have any comments on our sector format or if you would like to be a correspondent to the Vineyard Press covering your neighborhood.
Final Phase of Development Contemplated for Victoria Gardens
 Victoria Gardens is moving up. That is, the mall’s final major expansion will involve a proposed raising of elevations in and around Main Street, plus three more large structures to accommodate the development of mid-rise office, residential, and mixed-use buildings. The increased height at the mall will permit the development of recognizable and architectural landmark building masses visible primarily to motorists on the I-15 Freeway.
Cucamonga Peak Winds Down to Cucamonga Beach
 Designs have been unveiled showing a spectacular aquatic center at Rancho Cucamonga’s Central Park. Though the dire economic outlook precludes the completion of the multi-million dollar project in the foreseeable future, plans are still underway on design, processing, and pre-construction. When the economy recovers, city officials want to be in the position to act quickly. Ideally, the water park would be in operation within two or three years.
Maintaining Property Values
 In an environment of lower property values, it’s important to do what we can to keep our property values from falling further. Here’s a list of the neighborhood maintenance issues I get the most calls on. Take note of what the city actually requires.
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Drugs In Our High Schools?
 On Tuesday, October 28, the Chaffey High School District held a drug awareness seminar for students and their parents. It was held at district headquarters on Euclid Avenue in Ontario.
Almost all of the 300 people in attendance came from Ontario—representing Chaffey and Ontario High Schools. But by listening to the parents who stood up and raised concerns, you would have thought the meeting was held in Rancho Cucamonga. At least four parents railed against Los Osos High School—one claiming that the drug problem there was “prolific.” Another woman complained that she had to pull her son out of Los Osos because she couldn’t keep him away from negative peer influence and drugs. A father said he sold his Ontario homes and moved into a prestigious neighborhood in Alta Loma, only to be driven away by the effect of Los Osos’ drug culture on his children.
Restaurant Row Contracts With Wilting Economy
 First it was The Whole Enchilada. Macaroni Grill followed suit. Now, Las Campanas and Pei Wei have recently closed their doors.
The loss of Las Campanas particularly hurts, because it was a locally-owned business. Duane Roberts, owner of Riverside’s Mission Inn, opened Las Campanas at the corner of Milliken and Foothill. The restaurant was modeled after the original Las Campanas at the Mission Inn.
New Business Developments
 Stay tuned for the return of the Vineyard Press’ map of the Cucamonga Valley marked up to reflect the new restaurants and other businesses opening for your enjoyment and patronage. Here are a few samples of what’s going on in the economic sector.
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Donations Coming Soon. 
Rex Gutierrez is a twenty-year resident of Rancho Cucamonga. Rex has a wide background in government, public policy, and finance. Rex was elected to the Rancho Cucamonga City Council in 1992 and re-elected in 1996. He left the council in 1998 to operate the Grapevine Press, but was again elected to the City Council in November, 2002 and 2006.