Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to k MET fourteen ninety am ABC News Radio
in the Southern California Business Report with Evett Walker, a
show dedicated to highlighting successful Southern California businesses and the
people behind them.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome and thank you for joining Southern California Business Report
on ABC News and Talks k ET fourteen ninety AM,
ninety eight point one FM and km ET TV. I'm
Vet Walker live blasting our signal from the center of
Southern California, serving a population of over twenty five million.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Get us crystal clear and on.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Demand by downloading the free live streaming app on Google
Play and the Apple lapp store. As always, a tremendous
shout out to the team mitche, Bill and Sean. I
love you guys, and to our special advisory committee that
can be found at www dot scbr talk dot com
forward Slash Advisory Committee. Click on the link and learn
(00:59):
about the incredible leaders doing the work. Of course, I
am sitting amongst two amazing leaders today. As always, I
am absolutely thrilled to introduce Miss Aquanetta Warren, who is
a pioneering four term mayor of Fontana, first elected in
twenty ten as the city's first woman and first African
(01:19):
American mayor. She has become one of the nation's most
influential municipal leaders, driving Fontana's transformation into a vibrant hub
of innovation and equity. A respected public figure with national recognition,
Mayor Warren gained widespread attention on CBS's under Cover Boss,
showcasing the city's hard working public servants. Her powerful advocacy
(01:43):
makes her a sought after speaker and trusted collaborator at
the highest levels of government. Of course, some of Mayor
Warren's current leadership roles include Chairwoman's Leadership Alliance for the
US Council of Mayors, Founder of Aki's Lists, which we're
going to learn a lot more about, Chair of Southern
(02:04):
California Water and Coalition, Chair of the Youth Involvement Task
Force and US Conference of Mayors, Chairwoman of the Workforce,
Career and Technical Education task Force, Vice Chair Youth Issues Committee,
Member of California State Treasurer Fiona Ma's ad hoc Committee
on Housing and Economic Development Board, member of San Bordino
(02:26):
County Transportation Authority Regional Council, member.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Of Southern California Association of.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Governments, member of SKAG Emerging Technologies Commission and former member
of inter Governmental Policy Advisory Committee. Wow, we have a
lot to dig into and mister Philip Burn is the
Deputy City Manager of Fontana, California, where he leaves the
Development Services organizations encompassing planning, building, safety, public works and
(02:56):
engineering and housing and holding with Services. Since joining the
city in twenty twenty one, he has leveraged his extensive
experience in Southern California's real estate development and home building sectors.
As a former president of the San Bernanzino Chapter of
the Building Industry Association, room championed home ownership and advocated
for streamlined process for builders and developers.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
In his current role, he remains.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
A dedicated advocate for sustainable development, emphasizing the transformative impact
of economic growth on the community's well being. Okay, I'm
so excited because it's been almost a year to the
date that we met here at Stage red in downtown Fontana,
and here we are again. So let's start off, Mayor Warren,
(03:43):
because one of your favorite slogans, and something that's become
synonymous with Fontana is that your.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Open for business, right, open for business.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
So in recent years, Fontana has made significant efforts to
attract new business. What targeted strategies have been most effective
in this endeavor, Just.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Telling the Fontanna story, showing just how great the population
that lives here, works here, and plays here, how we're
all trying to strive to thrive.
Speaker 5 (04:15):
And that thing was.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
So important when I first became mayor, because all I
heard from our development community and business community is when
they came into city Hall, what was happening. And as
you talk to our great staff members, the intent has
always been to put forth the best look.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
So everybody put their heads together and said, how does
that look? We say we're open for business.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
How do we make that a challenge for all everyone
to buy? And as you can see behind us is working.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
It is working.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
And every time I'm following a mayor Fontana and the
City of Fontana, there's always a new update, something exciting
is happening.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
So I feel like I'm trying to keep up with
fun Ta Tana.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Which takes me.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
To a recent event.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Phil would you like to tell us about what Travis
Barker was.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Doing here recently?
Speaker 6 (05:11):
It's Fontana's about the spectacle, but also about sustaining the
kind of the messaging of the rebranding of the city.
I jokingly say, this isn't your grandmother's Fontana, and we're
proud of that, making making.
Speaker 7 (05:22):
Lots of strats going forward.
Speaker 6 (05:23):
But most recently, we honored one of Fontana's great full
high graduates, Travis Parker, our own Fontana's own Travis Parker,
with hunting for Travis Barker Day. He is big into
health and fitness and running, so we made Fontana Day's Rue,
which is the annual half marathon at the city hosts,
(05:45):
into Travis.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
Barker Day, and then he gave him the key to
the city waiting around.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
Everybody doesn't have this.
Speaker 6 (05:53):
And we're going to name a future street in the
in the city after him. And he was so gracious
and so humbled by the honor of the marriag did
such a great job. Him and his family were here
for the for the morning and just wonderful. They were
so appreciative of being recognized. Travis is really a great guy,
and he is he hasn't been engaged with Fontana much
(06:15):
to date, but he is very excited about all the
things we're doing, and he's very very excited about doing
some more things with the city's he's very uh. He
credits the Fontana High drum Line for helping direct him and.
Speaker 7 (06:29):
He played with.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
It.
Speaker 7 (06:32):
Was such a great guy.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
So not everybody's privileged enough to know who Travis Barker is.
I of course, because that's the music I grew.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Up to in high school. But tell us who is
Treus Parker?
Speaker 6 (06:43):
So so Travis Barker is probably most famous for being
the drummer Blanklinity two, which is the most famous. He's
probably the most prolific drummer in the world too. He is,
in fact, he was just this weekend there there was
a big Ozzy Osbourne's last sorry I I don't know
this broadcast as his last concert was there and Travis
Barker and the drummer from the Red Hot Chili Peppers
(07:06):
and one other drummer did kind of a drum off
and during the show, which was really great.
Speaker 7 (07:11):
Travis is just he's a music producer. He's bigger. That
has Barker wellness.
Speaker 6 (07:16):
He's bigger and bigger to health and fitness, and the
most famous for being just I did.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
The five K and I was just a static coming
in forty five minutes under my regular record.
Speaker 5 (07:26):
Every year I consider my so longest stand.
Speaker 6 (07:29):
It took four minutes, so that she'd be very proud
of that. Travis inspired her to run this time. Run
Travis Run, Run.
Speaker 5 (07:37):
Travis Run.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
So I got to run more than I got to walk,
and I was so happy as a result of that.
But we met him up at where they started the marathon,
which is way up in loud Creek, and he ran
down that hill and task mastered. Everybody running with me,
but the crowd coming down here.
Speaker 5 (07:54):
At CNN run people waiting it was great.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yes, there was a lot of coverage and everyone was
really excited. But of course you need infrastructure to be
able to host marathons.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
And things of that nature.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
So, building on the fact that Fontana has been so
wonderful at sharing the message and only's sharing the message,
but providing the atmosphere and the platform for businesses to
thrive because you are open for business, talk about how
infrastructure improvements have supported these business attraction efforts, particularly in
(08:29):
areas like transportation and access.
Speaker 6 (08:32):
Well, probably Sierra Avenue is the biggest one. Seeing the
vision of what Fontana is becoming, the city commissioned a
widening of Sierra Avenue several years ago and we completed it.
It took a minute, but we completed it earlier this year.
It Yeah, that was a bit of a mess. Infrastructure
projects often are messy, and they're often they take more
(08:54):
time than you'd expect them to and there's always some
unknowns that happened throughout process. But as we're talking about
a little bit earlier, the goal is five years from
how you kind of forget all the nonsense and you
just look at what you have. I think most recent
evidence of the building on the infrastructure was the wiping
of zero, which dabled the Fontana Day's run to happen
without any complications, especially when you have someone with Travis
(09:16):
Parker's notoriety running along it. We had people lined up
along the streets and to be able to do that
safely was only because the effort we've put into and
the Council's directors to put into to the infrastructure. But
much more than that, businesses want to know when they
come to town they invest all their money to open
(09:36):
their own business and open, whether it's housing or whether
it's a new business, that the city is going to
be there with the proper support. Infrastructure is probably the
under unsung hero of how business development and business attraction works.
But this council has been very adamant of that pound
of money on the streets.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Just looking at the history of Funten, I always tell
people mind them. We have four new interchanges here, unheard
of in a twenty year process of going back and
forth with federal state measure. Ye, all of those funds
came together and did this because we are the transportation
hub of the United States.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
We're three and a.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Half miles from the largest cargo airport, Ontario Airport.
Speaker 5 (10:19):
We're always talking about that.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
That's how we were able to qualify for that assistance.
So those interchanges were put in so that we did
not alienate sites of our community. You know, we have
the north, we have the core or the middle, and
then we have the south. People were going through long
lines trying to get across, especially when school was out.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
We don't have that. We have those interchanges.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
They're brand new and they work, they flow so and
then not to mention, this town was built on steel
and people didn't have the sewer lines. Now we have
sewer lines everywhere. I mean, when you talk about developmental projects,
housing is done, we make sure we condition those developers
to put in the latest infrastructure so that we can
(11:06):
sustain the growth that has succurred.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
You've got all this empty land. What did you think
was gonna happen?
Speaker 4 (11:12):
People are gonna come and buy it, and now they're
actually developing.
Speaker 6 (11:15):
Although the state's population has been receiving the past couple
of years, Fontana is still growing at a pretty high clique.
So I think that most people don't understand the years
of conversations and chasing funds.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
You know, plan Nobody ever knew how important that.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Was until lately they see this was planned thirty and
twenty five years ago.
Speaker 6 (11:36):
There's nothing sexy about the planning process. But once it's
done and you've got the trees and the landscaping and
all the.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
Time, it all comes together. And that's what's happening in
a very big area that you're going.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
To be talking absolutely.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
And so when we talk about how important this infrastructure
is to support business and attracting business and residents and
community members, one of the emerging challenges is ensuring that
small business is thrive. You mentioned that we are in California.
It's it's a tough market in California. Now, let's just
say it's not business. Really what Fontella is, Yes, the
(12:08):
lann Empire, the Inland Empire is, we're an economic engine.
Speaker 5 (12:12):
We understand why it's important not the run business out
of Caldy. But we see some change.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
It looks like they're trying to get the movie industry
back up in here after they ran them off.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
But that's the way it goes.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
You don't know what you lost until you miss it.
And so the effort is there and we applaud that.
But in the meantime, we have focused on making sure
everything we plan brings that business because you.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Need those jobs absolutely, and you know you mentioned it
doesn't happen overnight. This is twenty thirty years of planning
in the making. And now Fontana, the Inland Empire, as
you mentioned, is an economic driver in California, perhaps the
entire nation. If you're comparing apples to apples across the border.
It's very exciting what's happening here. And that's why it's
(12:54):
exciting to learn about the programs that the city of
Fontana offers small businesses to help them succeed in the city.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
What do some of these programs look like.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
We're doing a loan program right now up to fifty
thousand for small businesses, and we're working with Impact, which
is Hoping Kennedy and she is more renowned in terms
of helping businesses get on their feet and thriving. The
other part we're doing is we try our best to
work closely with the Chamber Fontana Chamber of Commerce and.
Speaker 5 (13:23):
They give us input.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
But the logistics and the manufacturing industry in this community
has just taken off. They're making everything. It's not just
logistics warehouses. With the forklifts, we're talking major technical and
we just landed CM Motors, all electric diesel.
Speaker 6 (13:43):
Trucks, electric heavy trucks converting from diesel diesel converting.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Don't let me get that right, converting.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
But just watching the assembly line they've put together to
put those trucks together, it's almost like playing with legos.
Everything comes in pre made and then they put on
the line. Everybody puts their part in there.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
It's just amazing.
Speaker 6 (14:03):
ZEM Trucks, who's hoping to open their facility this summer
is a leg of Zo Motors, which is one of
the biggest manufacturers of heavy trucks in the world, and
they opened their American distribution center here in.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Fontana to start right here.
Speaker 6 (14:19):
Yea. So it's they do about forty five thousand vehicles
a year international.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
So we're really excited brand new jobs. We want to
make sure that our students are ready for that, and
that's the other thing, getting laborpool with right We're working
with the school district. We have the Mayor's Education Coalition.
We're serviced by five school districts, so we have to
service all those students. We're exposing them to options. We
want everybody to go to college, but we don't want
people left behind. They decide not to, so they have
(14:44):
to have a career and they have to know how
to open up their own business.
Speaker 5 (14:48):
We got a big business.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
Summit coming up in August at the Jesse Journis and
you can see on our website. We want people to
come out and let us help you start your business
or enhance the existing that's exciting.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
I love that the city is so coordinated and focused
to support local businesses on every level, including cultivating that
next generation of workforce development. What areas of workforce development
do you see being a priority for the City of
Fontana surrounding communities.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
You know, I tell you, FINTOWNA has a big footprint
on health services. We've got guys, We've got San Antono Hospital,
we have clinics, we have clinics everywhere.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Who's going to service those people that come to those clinics.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
And the other part of that is when we talk
about people taking responsibility for their own health.
Speaker 5 (15:35):
That is major for the city.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
Healthy Fontanna is a marketing umbrella for all of our
community services. We make sure that our kids are happy.
We have fifty parts or more. Everybody tells me to
stop counting because I always get it wrong, but.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
I do know.
Speaker 7 (15:50):
We have fifty parks.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Fifty two see there, and those parks were put in place.
I remember having an Olympic discussion with the ex mayor
market Lamy. If we can keep kids off the street
and keep them active, it keeps them out of trouble
and it keeps them growing. And that's what we wanted
to have in our community. And now we're the epic
(16:12):
center for leagues from all over the region. On a
Saturday and a Sunday, we're probably got an extra twenty
to forty.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
Thousand people in Fontwa just for games. It's amazing.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
So those fifty two parks are filled with.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Every dames and parents and kids, just family reunions.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
Sometimes I don't even cook on the weekend, I just
crash everybody's.
Speaker 6 (16:34):
Part between the various ball fields, and we have more baseball, softball, soccer,
football fields than any city in southern California. Maybe not
city of La but certainly with our population at two
twenty of their's at six million. It's the investment that
the council has made and not only constructing the parks
(16:54):
but also maintaining them at the highest level. So they
caught the travel teams Lavet Fontana, so you get Arsenal
and all those other groups that want to come here because.
Speaker 7 (17:02):
We have the facilities that can accommodate in them.
Speaker 6 (17:05):
So in supporting business, it's also supporting the lifestyle of
the residents of Fontana's just as important.
Speaker 4 (17:11):
And you know, people want to eat when they come,
they want to stay at a hotel.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
We're planning all of those.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
We've got about at least three land right now, but
we just got three more built.
Speaker 6 (17:21):
There's there's three under construction and there are four more
in the planning stages. And previously Fontana had one open hotel.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
Can you believe that. I mean a matter of four years. Right.
People see the visions, they want to be part of it.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Right.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Well, when you have that many people coming in to
have their sports, of course they're going to need accommodations.
Of course they're going to be meeting launch and you.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Know what I'm thinking, twenty eight is coming. They're not
going to all stay in Los Angeles. They don't want
to come to Fontana.
Speaker 6 (17:51):
Because they'll be seen who wants to stay? Oh sorry,
I take that back there.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Well, so you know, one of the things that I
love about our region is the work life balance.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Just how well planned the communities are. Right.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
We have residential, we have commercial, we have transportation, and
everything is so nicely spread out. We don't feel like
everything is on top.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
Of each other.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
That hurts us sometimes as people go, oh, you don't
have this store of that store, that story.
Speaker 5 (18:20):
Yes we do, but they're not all in one spot.
They're not a mall.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
But we've got a target in the north, a target
in the south. We've got all these restaurant type fast
food places.
Speaker 5 (18:32):
You don't have this, Yes.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
We do this in the south. We don't have Yes,
you do this in the north. It's not in one spot.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
You just have to know how to get there, and
all you need is a map of Fontana or take
me or worn with you and she'll show you the way. Yeah,
I'll show you absolutely. So you mentioned health as a
very important aspect of this. Talk about one of your
first efforts with the Healthy Fontana and the number of
steps that you've been able to accumulate today.
Speaker 5 (18:59):
You know I got I tell you the project was me.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
You know I challenged the previous mayor because he was
talking about how I like to cook and eat and
it's no secret you could not leave my house without
a full plate.
Speaker 5 (19:09):
Okay, I just love entertaining.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
But recent years, the last four years, I've had some
not super serious help challenges, but enough to make.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
A person go. You know, you can't be here forever.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
And do you want to put all the burden on
your family or do you want to have.
Speaker 5 (19:25):
A better quality of life? So I buckled down with my.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
Doctor and said, this is not what I want to be.
I don't want to be having a surgery every year.
And I had two surgeries in one year, and I
got scared. I had my hip replace and because of
the challenges I had created for myself.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
It created more problems, and then my foot had to
be totally the bone was constructive.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
And not feeling good and not seeing myself able to
play with my grandkids, it really troubled me. So I
buckled down and I got rid of sugar in my life.
I think sugar contributed to a lot of the so
I was ablemetically. And then I had to leave the
for servis loone and I got on the I just
left the middle of the grocery store where everything's already
(20:09):
created for you, and went on the outside and then
only left me with protein and fruits and vegetables, and
I had to leave the bread and some other little things.
And I used to love to bake. Well I do bake,
but I don't bake gates as much.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
So in doing that, I found out we live in
such a great community. I had been walking, but not
really walking.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
Now I walk, and I enjoy walking with my friends
and family, and we walk everywhere around town and it's
fun and so I'm very happy to now.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
So I'm down seventy one pounds.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
It looks so healthy and say happy and vibrant every
time I see.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
It, and I feel so much better. I had my
family over this last weekend and my kids got tired
of keeping up with me, and I felt good that.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
So it works.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
But we started Healthy Fintown because we wanted our children
have better outcomes. We were dealing with obesity at a
level that was just unbelievable.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
It was heartbreaking to go to a school seeing.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
A line out the nurse's office, asking what's going on there,
and they're waiting for insulin.
Speaker 5 (21:19):
So we've really.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Been working on that and I'm happy to report that
it has gone down in our children.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
And the adults.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
You know, I remember with Josie Gonzales, she was she's
our supervisor.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
Now she's the assessor.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Josie and I did the Latino African American thing. You
got the lard, I got the oil. Let's cut it out.
And I've learned how to do things better. I make
my collar greens with smoke turkey now and I love
my beans, and she has taught me.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
She loves using grape seed oil and all of that.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
So we get together and our food is healthy and
everybody can enjoy it. But the biggest thing that I found,
the more you change your habits, the more you embrace others.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
And I'm working with large.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Group of people in the city that asked me what
I did. And I've even gone to their home and
shown them their pantry and the refrigerator.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
So, guys, you got to give it up.
Speaker 6 (22:14):
And I think the Fontane Walks program, which you started
a decade ago, it really.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Works for me.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
We get out there and have a ball. We even
danced them. It's just fun.
Speaker 6 (22:24):
But there's a great group of regulars. And I think
it was a few years ago we loved our ten
million step. Yeah, I don't know what it is today.
Speaker 5 (22:30):
I think it's seventy billion step.
Speaker 7 (22:32):
Yeah, it's a billion steps, billion.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
Steps, seven million steps, and I'm up to seventeen thousand
a day depending on my activity.
Speaker 5 (22:40):
So I'm just saying it can be done.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Seventeen thousand steps to day, all right, everybody, that's our challenge,
all right. So with that said, we are coming up
on a break. We will hear some more. Youvet walk
with ABCNWS in Talk Southern California Business Report Here with
Fontana's Mayor Opanetta Warren and deputy sitting manager Philip Burwn,
who are architects of uniting bold leadership with strategic foresight.
(23:03):
Together they transform challenges into opportunities, champion inclusivity and innovation
and enhance quality of live, fostering economic growth and inspiring
a resilient future for all residents.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
When a return, thank you. Welcome back everyone.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Evett Walker with ABC News and Talks Southern California Business Report.
Here with Fontana's Mayor Aquanetta Warren and w city Manager
Philip Burham, who are architects of progress, uniting bold leadership
with strategic foresight.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Together they transform.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Challenges into opportunities, champion inclusivity and innovation and enhance quality
of life, fostering economic growth and inspiring a resilient future
for all residents. Thank you both for making the time
to be here with me today. It's so Prior to
the break, we were talking about the importance of health
and some of the health programs that Fontana has implemented,
(24:18):
and one of those one was walk with Fontana.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
That mayor was talking with us, because.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Every time I see me and Warren, I ask her,
where do you get this energy?
Speaker 3 (24:29):
You're everywhere? She is literally everywhere all the time, engaged.
She is the mother of Fontana.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
The way I see it, she really is and with
Philip burrowmatter side, you know, they are an amazing tag
team of innovation and energy and vision. That's really what
this all boils down to. So with that said, we
talked about the importance of health and how that contributes
to your ability to engage and move forward.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
It's a subject that people well don't mind talking about.
You know, the United States has become very divisive.
Speaker 5 (25:04):
But I've got hope for that.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
I think that divisiveness is what's going to get us
out of this and create the hope that we all need,
because we're going to get tired of arguing with each
other and say, look, how can I be?
Speaker 5 (25:14):
How can we work together? And that's what I try
to do.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
You know, I grew up in South Central and then
when I was married, I lived in Company and.
Speaker 5 (25:22):
The way people reviewed or saw.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
The areas I grew up in, and it really hurt
me because I grew up in a neighborhood with so
many different nationalities. You know.
Speaker 5 (25:33):
We had Germans, we had Poleax.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
We had Latinos, African Americans, we had everybody. So I
got to learn how to love everyone. And then I
was in the bussing program. I was one of the
first African Americans bus to integrate believe or not and
let unify school district. Got to go down to San Pedro,
and boy, they make a mistake with me because there
I was down there at the dock with all those
military bases from people from all over the world, and
(25:57):
I was looking at children that I even know what
they are, were like, what is that?
Speaker 5 (26:01):
Wow? Where is he from? It was a lot.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Going on, But I wanted Fontana to have this aura,
and you can't get that just hanging out at home.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
You got to go out. So when I became mayor, I.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Pledged to make Fontana a national level city, which means
people look to us for guidance. And that's why I
get so involved because just recently I was featured in
the New York Times with sixteen other mayors throughout the
United States.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
Okay, sixteen mayors throughout the United States.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
What's the chances of them selecting me represent Fontana in
that group? And the only other California where was two
other California mayors and that was the mayor of President
and the mayor of San Diego, and there was Mayor Warren.
But that's what we try to do. But none of
that can happen without the great council.
Speaker 5 (26:55):
We have a super.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
Team when it comes to our council. We call ourselves
Teamed Bandana. We hang together and we have been able
to show everybody's talent and as a result of that,
it allows me to be participating in all these events and.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
Our staff second to none, so I do not have
to be sitting at the him all day worrying about stuff.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
Everybody's doing that's right, including Shilburn, who are doing this
thing telling you.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
But Phil tell us what it's like to have Team Fontana,
to be backing up Team Fontana in an environment where typically,
you know, city councils can become dysfunctional or divided or
have challenges. What difference does it make to have a
city council that is on the same page, that shares
a vision and combined purpose.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
So what difference does it make?
Speaker 6 (27:48):
I don't think I've seen a lot of cities that
break my heart that it seems like the personalities overwhelmed
the vision. I think one of the things that Fontana
is blessed with is there are five distinctly different characters
on that council, all different personalities, all different. They all
have different ones and needs, but the vision for the
city has been uniformed for decades now.
Speaker 7 (28:11):
There have been different council members come and go.
Speaker 6 (28:13):
But the pro business economic growth part of it has
been pretty consistent, and I think that the city has
started to reap the benefits of that now. The foundation
was built when Mark Milami was mayor and there was
on the council. That's when kind of the brick started
being laid, and I think that there's been a really
consistent vision from the council to support economic growth. I
(28:37):
think our team is putting together a video series on
what what does open for Business mean and why is
that important? And it talks about all the things we
couldn't have the parks that we have. The council did
an authorization of two years ago tire twenty new police officers,
so they want to keep their growth happens when you
keep everybody safe. I added six more positions this year
(28:59):
so we can keep up with the growth in Fontana.
Last year was in a study and I don't remember which
group was is the seventeenth safest city in the state
of California.
Speaker 7 (29:09):
I think, okay, seventeenth.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
That doesn't sound that big of a deal and tell
you recognize that there are over five hundred cities in
the state, and we were the second safest large city
in the entire state. Large city is a population ever
two hundred thousand. Only Irvine was safer than Fontana in
the entire state. So our police are who are well loved,
(29:32):
well respected, and they do such a great job. Have
really helped with the council and what the council wanted
to deliver. Over the last twenty years, the makeup of
Fontana has changed. Is this not something where you say
I live in Fontana maybe like you did in the eighties,
I live in Fontana. So the unified council is crucial.
(29:53):
If I'm being honest, I've never thought I'd be in
public service. I don't think I would be if it
wasn't for this council and the vision that they kind
of laid out for what they wanted to do. So
they're very very good at creating the vision and they're
also very good at letting staff, which we have a
great city manager in Mount Valentine and the rest of
his department heads really are great implementers, and the council
(30:14):
gives the flexibility and the sticktuitiveness to go because a
lot of controversies. There's a lot of controversial decisions, especially
in a pro business community, but if you just look
at the results of all those policy decisions, you can't
argue with them. So when they when they set out
a mandate, like when we are approached to homelessness, the
approached to parks and healthy services. So that's not always
(30:38):
on Everybody's not what everybody wants at the moment, but
you can't look back over time and say it was
a bad decision because it's working for them.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
We made homelessness Sopririty in our city is the number
one discuss issue at identity and even in surveys people
what's the number one thing? But you know, for me
and the council, that meant people were more excerned about
publicity because homelessness spills over into public safety big time.
So what we've tried to do is work with all
of our agency partners, federal, state, local, county, churches that you.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
Know, I mean water life people. Oh you're doing everything
water Life.
Speaker 4 (31:16):
Water of Life single Handling commits three to six million
dollars a year their funding towards this issue social services
helping families, and that relationship has created other opportunities for
other agencies.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
So and then look at the people that have left here.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
We have Mark Dwaymie, he's now a facilitator at Water
of Life City Link doing that, doing an incredible job,
working closely with our staff on homelessness. And then you
have Janice rutthervirt she was a supervisor, jose Gonzalees now
the assessor's still working with Josie.
Speaker 5 (31:51):
And look at our supervisor, Jesse Armadarenes.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
We've been able to grow people out of the council
chambers into other positions that we can work close with.
And then we've got two great congressional leaders. We've got
Mormitories and b Agular. They come regularly to our events.
They see what we're doing. They're assisting us at the
federal level. They're writing letters, they're calling me up, hey,
get over here, this is anue you better get involved.
(32:16):
All those things come together, but being a member of
the United States compul Mayors gives me full latitude to
really understand how this works because all of the business community,
all of the agencies come to that group, and it
gives me an opportunity to showcase just how great Fontana
is and people want a piece of it. Be in
the chair of the Southern California Water Coalition, it's major.
(32:40):
We don't have our own water company. People think we
own Fontana Water, but we do not. They are a
vendor that services our community. We have Cuckamonga water district,
we have West Valley, we have Fontana Water, Marigo, there's
you know those water agency services. So I get to
chair the SOU the company and water collision mets in
(33:01):
there in Metropolitan Water, all the different water agencies, and
it gives the opportunity for us to look for resources
for our town. It's a major difference. And then what
I really have enjoyed is working closely with the various
how do you say this to the people that.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
Make it happen?
Speaker 4 (33:22):
The agencies like the Transportation Commission SKAG. SKAG is the
Southern California Economic group that actually helps us plan how
our cities in our region are going to.
Speaker 5 (33:35):
Be able to work and their cities from all over
Southern California.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
Just having that opportunity network and listen to what they're doing.
I get a lot of ideas of how we can
handle lines, and.
Speaker 6 (33:47):
I think that what people might miss is the snowball
effect of notoriety. So I think one of the blessings
we have with the mayor that's willing to do what
she does is that the national spotlight that she's putting
on Fontana, people now want to be.
Speaker 7 (34:01):
A part of it.
Speaker 6 (34:02):
Congressman Mentorias and Congressman Aguilar, they watch what we're doing.
They see the success, so they want to be a
part of that success, so they'll advocate for us in Fontana.
And our mayor is a nonpartisan mayor. I mean, if
she talks about being represented this New York Times article,
that's nice, but she represented all the mayors in the country.
When President Biden signed his infrastructure build a White House lawnch.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
She was there to speak in behalf of all. He
told me, he says, you're my hipartisan Acronetta. You are
going to speak for everybody. I said, excuse me. He said, yeah,
the governor's and the mayorage.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
You're there repped today. I went, wow, that was major.
Speaker 6 (34:36):
And now with that work in that kind of notoriety,
we're working with the current White House administration, and if
we're being honest, California is a much more liberal state
that has more democratic politicians having a connection to get
to the White House as an advantage for Fontana that
we can bridge that gap that work together.
Speaker 7 (34:56):
So the mayor in that.
Speaker 6 (34:57):
Ridiculously long bio that you read, it's not about a resume,
it's activity, and she really gets us out there that
that episode of Undercover Boss elevated the city to her level.
Speaker 7 (35:09):
And they're still airing that.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Yeah, people, I'm still getting emails from all over the world.
It was over in Austria and England and Scotland and
back in the Chicago area, hurting people in Chicago.
Speaker 5 (35:20):
It's airing all the time.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
They said it's one of their number one episodes for
families because we talked about how much we can get
done and we just love each other.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
I love that. That's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
So that episode showed me if I didn't already know
just how great our residence are and our staff is
second and ever a year, because they can absolutely So
that's right, you know, in our state of the city.
Speaker 5 (35:47):
I said, they're not.
Speaker 7 (35:48):
Like us, so different.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
That's different, cut from a different cloth, but a very
successful one. And it's a testament to everything that we
see today in the transformation that has occurred, despite the
fact that you mentioned Phil that some of these projects
take multiple years.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
Right, you forget about the groundwork and the planning and.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
All that, but when you see it complete, it's like wow,
you get to really enjoy it, and all that back
end work and planning and waiting and then where she's going,
it all pays off.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
Right.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
So with that said, how do you see the leveraging
opportunities with Mayor Warren's access to the White House and
being a part of these groups that are on a
national scale.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
You know, I feel like when we went recently on
our lobbying trip to DC, we got an opportunity to
be at the White House and meet with the White House.
Speaker 5 (36:40):
Representatives for cities and counties. And I walked in the
door and said, look, we just need help, and we're
here to help. We want to work with you. We
want to get resources for not only our community but
our region.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
And that's why we've been successful with our homeless planning
because we have included all.
Speaker 5 (36:57):
And that's what we pitched.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
And we have been in a position lately that I
think we're going to be able to get some things
done and that's the major for.
Speaker 7 (37:07):
Me, some big things.
Speaker 6 (37:09):
I think what especially federal and state who are kind
of generally disconnected from the local populations, If they can
see success, they want to build on the success. So
I think Fontana having the credibility of a decade or
more of putting making good use of some of these
funding opportunities. Certainly the last five years, Yes, that we've
been kind of on fire with getting a lot of
(37:31):
attention to the city. Is we it's sometimes it's funding,
sometimes it's just support for an initiative. But because we
get things going forward again, it just snowballs and the
bigger and better things. And I think that during this
administration and Fontana is very supportive. Like some of the
(37:52):
business community, I think when I was in the private sector,
which i where I spent most of my life professional life,
I think the one thing that I loved, especially when
I was a part of a small boutique home building firm,
is we could react quickly. You make a decision, you
go out and do it. I was also part of
the biggest home builder in the country for a while,
and even as big of an infrastructure as they could
(38:13):
move quickly.
Speaker 7 (38:14):
A city is not designed.
Speaker 6 (38:16):
Bureaucracies are literally not They're designed to be transparent, not efficient.
So it's been a kind of a struggle because candidly,
if the mayor gives you a directive, the council gets
you a directive.
Speaker 7 (38:28):
You need to get it done.
Speaker 6 (38:30):
But as we talked about, it's sometimes the planning process,
the not sexy part of it is to get to
the point that everything takes longer than you expect and
costs more than you should and then it should in
public service. But we're getting it done, and I think
that a lot of our state and federal representatives acknowledge
that the things that we're doing on homelessness are just
getting started.
Speaker 7 (38:50):
But we're set to go.
Speaker 6 (38:53):
The thing I've love about Fontanna's plan that the council
and the mayor came up with is that it's entrepreneurial
and it's it's it's adaptable. So the goal is clear,
which is to resolve homelessness in Fontana. The methodology we're
getting ready to go to council. The mayor has the
Mayor's Council and homelessness an advisory can make.
Speaker 4 (39:14):
People from all over the city can't coming together to
advice how we should do.
Speaker 5 (39:18):
These things that have been in this space probably are
than we have. So they bring.
Speaker 6 (39:22):
Credibility to the team and some that were involved at
all just to have a different perspective on things. But
the intention is, and they're working on the update now,
is our plan will be literally updated every year based
on our experience from the prior year. So that group
is working on the recommendation for an update that we'll
bring to council in October. But I think that that's
the only reason I mentioned that is that's what our
(39:43):
council is like. They don't say just because it hasn't
been done, you can't do it. Like this is what
I want to get done, Well, that's never been done
figured out and then they give us the latitude to
figure it out.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
And you know, the other part is the compassion it
does in work if you just plan things around what
you want. One of the things I pride myself is
talking to people at the store and talking to people
on the street. And you know, it's not unusual. I'll
see some on the bus stop, I pull over and
walk with you. Got a minute. I'm the mayor.
Speaker 5 (40:15):
I want to ask you what you think about this.
People look at me and they go, are you kidding me?
Speaker 3 (40:20):
No, I'm not.
Speaker 4 (40:21):
And next thing I know, I'm giving them a ride
where they were going because I want to finish.
Speaker 5 (40:24):
Here in that conversation. But with homelessness, we have to
have that compassion and understand it.
Speaker 4 (40:30):
A lot of the people we've been helping, they have
fallen off the wagon while we're helping them. But it
doesn't close the door for them. We just bring them
back when they're ready, you know. And that's the thing
working with all these agencies, with the state, the county,
the federal level.
Speaker 5 (40:46):
It can't be our way. We have to listen to
them too.
Speaker 4 (40:50):
But what helps is if they contact us when they're
doing these bills and ask us what we think and
how will that impact us. You don't have to take
off work for it, but at least ask us so.
And oftentimes those that do that for us, we end
up working together on it and saying, Okay, this makes
it better for everybody. And Fontana doesn't try to do it all.
(41:13):
We bring our partners with us.
Speaker 5 (41:15):
We bring other cities. You know.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
I talked to all the mayors in the regions that
come along. We had a hood here a year and
a half ago and all of us came together just
to tell how what we needed and we're doing that again.
Speaker 5 (41:28):
But we've got to have.
Speaker 4 (41:30):
That communication at all levels to make things better far
a great.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Well that is just very well said, right, and taking
everybody's viewpoints and perspectives into account obviously is going to
create a more sustainable project program and effort.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
And also having that buy and just makes things.
Speaker 5 (41:51):
So much smoother, right.
Speaker 4 (41:52):
And it's a challenge teaching everyone how public agencies work.
And good examples are meetings. People come to our meetings
and we have public comment. What they don't realize is
because it's not a genderalized and we're all there, we
can't necessarily comment on everything. Sometimes things are in a
gray area and I can say, city manager, can you
explain that? But during those council comments is when we
(42:16):
can have that opportunity to better explain. And it's like
city one oh one, how to get things done. But
we're listening, we're hearing, and after those meetings and a
lot of instances, we'll meet with people and sit down
and they go, I didn't realize that.
Speaker 5 (42:31):
You know, we want.
Speaker 4 (42:32):
People to involved, We want people to come to our
meetings because we want to make sure we're getting input
from everyone. But we do say you do not have
to wait for me. Some people think that's terrible to
say that, but it's not. You can email us.
Speaker 7 (42:47):
You know we're on social media.
Speaker 4 (42:51):
Did I get beat up about You mean we're only
having our hair at Costco?
Speaker 5 (42:56):
No, you can see me at Starbucks.
Speaker 4 (42:57):
You can see me all over people grab me a
jerkey is everywhere.
Speaker 6 (43:02):
One of the things that I think most because people
don't understand how government needs to function, is what I
think with the Mayor's describing is all those public comments
which by law can't be acted on in that hearing,
but they lead to conversations and it might deal later.
So often, but it's also government, so it isn't resolved tomorrow,
(43:22):
but it might lead to a conversation that puts a
plan in action. We had people commenting about healthy options
and a farmer's market conversation at a public hearing three
years ago. Well, we worked on it for about three
or four months, found a vendor that could operate it,
and then five six months later we're doing two farmers
market in town.
Speaker 7 (43:40):
So it's a random public comment where you you make it,
you don't feel.
Speaker 6 (43:44):
Gratified instantly, You're like, they didn't even listen to me.
No where are the city's listening to councils listening, and
so is the city manager. So make those comments, but
also don't just wait for council meetings.
Speaker 7 (43:55):
Send in downtown is because of it.
Speaker 5 (44:00):
That's right now.
Speaker 4 (44:01):
People were, Oh, I couldn't go anywhere when ain't gonna
fix downtown.
Speaker 5 (44:04):
Well guess what, we're fixing it.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
Now.
Speaker 5 (44:06):
Everybody's like, what does that mean? What is that going
to look like? Well, wait till you see it. It's
going to be amazing.
Speaker 4 (44:12):
But part of the challenge that I see for elected
officials is how you create strength in your community with
not just you. And that's why I came up with
Hokey's lists and they named themselves that's my nickname Akis.
Speaker 5 (44:28):
And these are a group of women that have come together.
Speaker 4 (44:30):
Some of them have been elected, appointed to different things,
but they're gathering up empowerment where we're training each other
of how to be active in our community.
Speaker 5 (44:40):
You know.
Speaker 4 (44:41):
One of the things that share the Women's Mayors Alliance
with the UNISS comes to mayors. There's a growing trend
of violence against women mayors why is it that you're
just really attacking women? And so those are the kinds
of issues that when you really look at things, you
begin to come up with solutions. We're not going whereas women,
We're going to be here, just like the guys. Deal
(45:03):
with it, you know, exactly. And public shaming of women.
One of the things that I noticed this weekend I
had discussion with a group of women and I won't
say the group, was that they didn't tell me it's
okay to share the game to me, and they said
they're public shaming you here because you lost a lot
of I said, all right, I did, but this is
a health issue for me. But it doesn't matter. This
(45:24):
is my choice, just like it's your choice. You can't
listen to the haters. You have to embrace them and
pray for them and move on.
Speaker 3 (45:34):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (45:34):
Get it done, Just get it done.
Speaker 5 (45:38):
So with that.
Speaker 2 (45:40):
Said, I want to thank you both so much for
your time, for your vision, for your stamina, for your
good health to keep things moving forward.
Speaker 4 (45:52):
So can I just say this, certainly, government can work,
we just have to work with It works here, it works,
it work. I've seen it you guys, I tell you
growing up, I used to play school and then as
I got older, we would play you know, mayor and
President of the United States in our backyard and my
(46:12):
sisters and my brother because our parents put us in
front of the news all the time. But government can work,
but it won't work without the We need your input,
we need your support, and we need to stop putting
labels on each other and.
Speaker 5 (46:28):
Just work together. We can't get anywhere.
Speaker 4 (46:30):
I tell you all the time when you're a republicised no,
I shouldn't.
Speaker 5 (46:35):
I'm not in Congress, I'm not at the state level.
Speaker 4 (46:37):
I'm here in Fontana, and we are multi Everybody is everywhere,
so we got to work with everyone.
Speaker 5 (46:44):
That's just the way.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
That's just the way it is. And that's why I
keep saying, mayor of a warrant for president. Well, imagine
the things you could do for Fontana's president.
Speaker 5 (46:58):
Well imagine the things we're doing now.
Speaker 4 (47:00):
We didn't get to really talk about downtown, but I
think the next show we need to take you downtown.
We're gonna take here's the first step. Look, yes, family place,
look at there stage rid. You have no idea what
we have planned for this great city. It's going to be.
Speaker 7 (47:16):
But We're happy to share it. When you have questions,
you got it.
Speaker 3 (47:19):
Yes, and you heard them. Put it on the record.
Go to the city council meetings, have your voice heard.
Put it on the record.
Speaker 2 (47:24):
You may not see anything happen today, tomorrow, the next
month or two, but something will happen.
Speaker 5 (47:30):
And don't wait two weeks con talk.
Speaker 2 (47:34):
All right, So for everybody listening, don't forget to find
us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Check us out
on SCBR talk dot com, and don't forget to check
out my conversation with Chief Darren Goodman, who emerged as
a beacon of hope in June of twenty twenty two
in a city long defined by its challenges. Bringing twenty
(47:54):
seven years of multifaceted law enforcement experience to the helm
of Sam Bernardino. With a transformative vision rooted in community
engagement and data driven strategies, he reinvigorates public safety and
innovative ways. Next week we will have Leanne Logan, who
serves as the vice president and Chief Nursing Officer at
(48:15):
San Antonio Regional Hospital. Boasting over twenty five years of
healthcare experience, she holds a master's in nursing Administration and
a bachelor's in nursing, both from the University of Phoenix.
Renowned for her leadership in nursing administration, Leanne enhances patient
and employee experiences with acute care settings. You do not
want to miss it. We will see you all next week.
Welcome to k MET fourteen ninety am ABC News Radio
in the Southern California Business Report with Evett Walker, a
show dedicated to highlighting successful Southern California businesses and the
people behind them.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome and thank you for joining Southern California Business Report
on ABC News and Talks k ET fourteen ninety AM,
ninety eight point one FM and km ET TV. I'm
Vet Walker live blasting our signal from the center of
Southern California, serving a population of over twenty five million.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Get us crystal clear and on.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Demand by downloading the free live streaming app on Google
Play and the Apple lapp store. As always, a tremendous
shout out to the team mitche, Bill and Sean. I
love you guys, and to our special advisory committee that
can be found at www dot scbr talk dot com
forward Slash Advisory Committee. Click on the link and learn
(00:59):
about the incredible leaders doing the work. Of course, I
am sitting amongst two amazing leaders today. As always, I
am absolutely thrilled to introduce Miss Aquanetta Warren, who is
a pioneering four term mayor of Fontana, first elected in
twenty ten as the city's first woman and first African
(01:19):
American mayor. She has become one of the nation's most
influential municipal leaders, driving Fontana's transformation into a vibrant hub
of innovation and equity. A respected public figure with national recognition,
Mayor Warren gained widespread attention on CBS's under Cover Boss,
showcasing the city's hard working public servants. Her powerful advocacy
(01:43):
makes her a sought after speaker and trusted collaborator at
the highest levels of government. Of course, some of Mayor
Warren's current leadership roles include Chairwoman's Leadership Alliance for the
US Council of Mayors, Founder of Aki's Lists, which we're
going to learn a lot more about, Chair of Southern
(02:04):
California Water and Coalition, Chair of the Youth Involvement Task
Force and US Conference of Mayors, Chairwoman of the Workforce,
Career and Technical Education task Force, Vice Chair Youth Issues Committee,
Member of California State Treasurer Fiona Ma's ad hoc Committee
on Housing and Economic Development Board, member of San Bordino
(02:26):
County Transportation Authority Regional Council, member.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Of Southern California Association of.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Governments, member of SKAG Emerging Technologies Commission and former member
of inter Governmental Policy Advisory Committee. Wow, we have a
lot to dig into and mister Philip Burn is the
Deputy City Manager of Fontana, California, where he leaves the
Development Services organizations encompassing planning, building, safety, public works and
(02:56):
engineering and housing and holding with Services. Since joining the
city in twenty twenty one, he has leveraged his extensive
experience in Southern California's real estate development and home building sectors.
As a former president of the San Bernanzino Chapter of
the Building Industry Association, room championed home ownership and advocated
for streamlined process for builders and developers.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
In his current role, he remains.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
A dedicated advocate for sustainable development, emphasizing the transformative impact
of economic growth on the community's well being. Okay, I'm
so excited because it's been almost a year to the
date that we met here at Stage red in downtown Fontana,
and here we are again. So let's start off, Mayor Warren,
(03:43):
because one of your favorite slogans, and something that's become
synonymous with Fontana is that your.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Open for business, right, open for business.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
So in recent years, Fontana has made significant efforts to
attract new business. What targeted strategies have been most effective
in this endeavor, Just.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Telling the Fontanna story, showing just how great the population
that lives here, works here, and plays here, how we're
all trying to strive to thrive.
Speaker 5 (04:15):
And that thing was.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
So important when I first became mayor, because all I
heard from our development community and business community is when
they came into city Hall, what was happening. And as
you talk to our great staff members, the intent has
always been to put forth the best look.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
So everybody put their heads together and said, how does
that look? We say we're open for business.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
How do we make that a challenge for all everyone
to buy? And as you can see behind us is working.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
It is working.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
And every time I'm following a mayor Fontana and the
City of Fontana, there's always a new update, something exciting
is happening.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
So I feel like I'm trying to keep up with
fun Ta Tana.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Which takes me.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
To a recent event.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Phil would you like to tell us about what Travis
Barker was.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Doing here recently?
Speaker 6 (05:11):
It's Fontana's about the spectacle, but also about sustaining the
kind of the messaging of the rebranding of the city.
I jokingly say, this isn't your grandmother's Fontana, and we're
proud of that, making making.
Speaker 7 (05:22):
Lots of strats going forward.
Speaker 6 (05:23):
But most recently, we honored one of Fontana's great full
high graduates, Travis Parker, our own Fontana's own Travis Parker,
with hunting for Travis Barker Day. He is big into
health and fitness and running, so we made Fontana Day's Rue,
which is the annual half marathon at the city hosts,
(05:45):
into Travis.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
Barker Day, and then he gave him the key to
the city waiting around.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
Everybody doesn't have this.
Speaker 6 (05:53):
And we're going to name a future street in the
in the city after him. And he was so gracious
and so humbled by the honor of the marriag did
such a great job. Him and his family were here
for the for the morning and just wonderful. They were
so appreciative of being recognized. Travis is really a great guy,
and he is he hasn't been engaged with Fontana much
(06:15):
to date, but he is very excited about all the
things we're doing, and he's very very excited about doing
some more things with the city's he's very uh. He
credits the Fontana High drum Line for helping direct him and.
Speaker 7 (06:29):
He played with.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
It.
Speaker 7 (06:32):
Was such a great guy.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
So not everybody's privileged enough to know who Travis Barker is.
I of course, because that's the music I grew.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Up to in high school. But tell us who is
Treus Parker?
Speaker 6 (06:43):
So so Travis Barker is probably most famous for being
the drummer Blanklinity two, which is the most famous. He's
probably the most prolific drummer in the world too. He is,
in fact, he was just this weekend there there was
a big Ozzy Osbourne's last sorry I I don't know
this broadcast as his last concert was there and Travis
Barker and the drummer from the Red Hot Chili Peppers
(07:06):
and one other drummer did kind of a drum off
and during the show, which was really great.
Speaker 7 (07:11):
Travis is just he's a music producer. He's bigger. That
has Barker wellness.
Speaker 6 (07:16):
He's bigger and bigger to health and fitness, and the
most famous for being just I did.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
The five K and I was just a static coming
in forty five minutes under my regular record.
Speaker 5 (07:26):
Every year I consider my so longest stand.
Speaker 6 (07:29):
It took four minutes, so that she'd be very proud
of that. Travis inspired her to run this time. Run
Travis Run, Run.
Speaker 5 (07:37):
Travis Run.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
So I got to run more than I got to walk,
and I was so happy as a result of that.
But we met him up at where they started the marathon,
which is way up in loud Creek, and he ran
down that hill and task mastered. Everybody running with me,
but the crowd coming down here.
Speaker 5 (07:54):
At CNN run people waiting it was great.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yes, there was a lot of coverage and everyone was
really excited. But of course you need infrastructure to be
able to host marathons.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
And things of that nature.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
So, building on the fact that Fontana has been so
wonderful at sharing the message and only's sharing the message,
but providing the atmosphere and the platform for businesses to
thrive because you are open for business, talk about how
infrastructure improvements have supported these business attraction efforts, particularly in
(08:29):
areas like transportation and access.
Speaker 6 (08:32):
Well, probably Sierra Avenue is the biggest one. Seeing the
vision of what Fontana is becoming, the city commissioned a
widening of Sierra Avenue several years ago and we completed it.
It took a minute, but we completed it earlier this year.
It Yeah, that was a bit of a mess. Infrastructure
projects often are messy, and they're often they take more
(08:54):
time than you'd expect them to and there's always some
unknowns that happened throughout process. But as we're talking about
a little bit earlier, the goal is five years from
how you kind of forget all the nonsense and you
just look at what you have. I think most recent
evidence of the building on the infrastructure was the wiping
of zero, which dabled the Fontana Day's run to happen
without any complications, especially when you have someone with Travis
(09:16):
Parker's notoriety running along it. We had people lined up
along the streets and to be able to do that
safely was only because the effort we've put into and
the Council's directors to put into to the infrastructure. But
much more than that, businesses want to know when they
come to town they invest all their money to open
(09:36):
their own business and open, whether it's housing or whether
it's a new business, that the city is going to
be there with the proper support. Infrastructure is probably the
under unsung hero of how business development and business attraction works.
But this council has been very adamant of that pound
of money on the streets.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Just looking at the history of Funten, I always tell
people mind them. We have four new interchanges here, unheard
of in a twenty year process of going back and
forth with federal state measure. Ye, all of those funds
came together and did this because we are the transportation
hub of the United States.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
We're three and a.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Half miles from the largest cargo airport, Ontario Airport.
Speaker 5 (10:19):
We're always talking about that.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
That's how we were able to qualify for that assistance.
So those interchanges were put in so that we did
not alienate sites of our community. You know, we have
the north, we have the core or the middle, and
then we have the south. People were going through long
lines trying to get across, especially when school was out.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
We don't have that. We have those interchanges.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
They're brand new and they work, they flow so and
then not to mention, this town was built on steel
and people didn't have the sewer lines. Now we have
sewer lines everywhere. I mean, when you talk about developmental projects,
housing is done, we make sure we condition those developers
to put in the latest infrastructure so that we can
(11:06):
sustain the growth that has succurred.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
You've got all this empty land. What did you think
was gonna happen?
Speaker 4 (11:12):
People are gonna come and buy it, and now they're
actually developing.
Speaker 6 (11:15):
Although the state's population has been receiving the past couple
of years, Fontana is still growing at a pretty high clique.
So I think that most people don't understand the years
of conversations and chasing funds.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
You know, plan Nobody ever knew how important that.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Was until lately they see this was planned thirty and
twenty five years ago.
Speaker 6 (11:36):
There's nothing sexy about the planning process. But once it's
done and you've got the trees and the landscaping and
all the.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
Time, it all comes together. And that's what's happening in
a very big area that you're going.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
To be talking absolutely.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
And so when we talk about how important this infrastructure
is to support business and attracting business and residents and
community members, one of the emerging challenges is ensuring that
small business is thrive. You mentioned that we are in California.
It's it's a tough market in California. Now, let's just
say it's not business. Really what Fontella is, Yes, the
(12:08):
lann Empire, the Inland Empire is, we're an economic engine.
Speaker 5 (12:12):
We understand why it's important not the run business out
of Caldy. But we see some change.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
It looks like they're trying to get the movie industry
back up in here after they ran them off.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
But that's the way it goes.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
You don't know what you lost until you miss it.
And so the effort is there and we applaud that.
But in the meantime, we have focused on making sure
everything we plan brings that business because you.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Need those jobs absolutely, and you know you mentioned it
doesn't happen overnight. This is twenty thirty years of planning
in the making. And now Fontana, the Inland Empire, as
you mentioned, is an economic driver in California, perhaps the
entire nation. If you're comparing apples to apples across the border.
It's very exciting what's happening here. And that's why it's
(12:54):
exciting to learn about the programs that the city of
Fontana offers small businesses to help them succeed in the city.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
What do some of these programs look like.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
We're doing a loan program right now up to fifty
thousand for small businesses, and we're working with Impact, which
is Hoping Kennedy and she is more renowned in terms
of helping businesses get on their feet and thriving. The
other part we're doing is we try our best to
work closely with the Chamber Fontana Chamber of Commerce and.
Speaker 5 (13:23):
They give us input.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
But the logistics and the manufacturing industry in this community
has just taken off. They're making everything. It's not just
logistics warehouses. With the forklifts, we're talking major technical and
we just landed CM Motors, all electric diesel.
Speaker 6 (13:43):
Trucks, electric heavy trucks converting from diesel diesel converting.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Don't let me get that right, converting.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
But just watching the assembly line they've put together to
put those trucks together, it's almost like playing with legos.
Everything comes in pre made and then they put on
the line. Everybody puts their part in there.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
It's just amazing.
Speaker 6 (14:03):
ZEM Trucks, who's hoping to open their facility this summer
is a leg of Zo Motors, which is one of
the biggest manufacturers of heavy trucks in the world, and
they opened their American distribution center here in.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Fontana to start right here.
Speaker 6 (14:19):
Yea. So it's they do about forty five thousand vehicles
a year international.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
So we're really excited brand new jobs. We want to
make sure that our students are ready for that, and
that's the other thing, getting laborpool with right We're working
with the school district. We have the Mayor's Education Coalition.
We're serviced by five school districts, so we have to
service all those students. We're exposing them to options. We
want everybody to go to college, but we don't want
people left behind. They decide not to, so they have
(14:44):
to have a career and they have to know how
to open up their own business.
Speaker 5 (14:48):
We got a big business.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
Summit coming up in August at the Jesse Journis and
you can see on our website. We want people to
come out and let us help you start your business
or enhance the existing that's exciting.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
I love that the city is so coordinated and focused
to support local businesses on every level, including cultivating that
next generation of workforce development. What areas of workforce development
do you see being a priority for the City of
Fontana surrounding communities.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
You know, I tell you, FINTOWNA has a big footprint
on health services. We've got guys, We've got San Antono Hospital,
we have clinics, we have clinics everywhere.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Who's going to service those people that come to those clinics.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
And the other part of that is when we talk
about people taking responsibility for their own health.
Speaker 5 (15:35):
That is major for the city.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
Healthy Fontanna is a marketing umbrella for all of our
community services. We make sure that our kids are happy.
We have fifty parts or more. Everybody tells me to
stop counting because I always get it wrong, but.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
I do know.
Speaker 7 (15:50):
We have fifty parks.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Fifty two see there, and those parks were put in place.
I remember having an Olympic discussion with the ex mayor
market Lamy. If we can keep kids off the street
and keep them active, it keeps them out of trouble
and it keeps them growing. And that's what we wanted
to have in our community. And now we're the epic
(16:12):
center for leagues from all over the region. On a
Saturday and a Sunday, we're probably got an extra twenty
to forty.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
Thousand people in Fontwa just for games. It's amazing.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
So those fifty two parks are filled with.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Every dames and parents and kids, just family reunions.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
Sometimes I don't even cook on the weekend, I just
crash everybody's.
Speaker 6 (16:34):
Part between the various ball fields, and we have more baseball, softball, soccer,
football fields than any city in southern California. Maybe not
city of La but certainly with our population at two
twenty of their's at six million. It's the investment that
the council has made and not only constructing the parks
(16:54):
but also maintaining them at the highest level. So they
caught the travel teams Lavet Fontana, so you get Arsenal
and all those other groups that want to come here because.
Speaker 7 (17:02):
We have the facilities that can accommodate in them.
Speaker 6 (17:05):
So in supporting business, it's also supporting the lifestyle of
the residents of Fontana's just as important.
Speaker 4 (17:11):
And you know, people want to eat when they come,
they want to stay at a hotel.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
We're planning all of those.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
We've got about at least three land right now, but
we just got three more built.
Speaker 6 (17:21):
There's there's three under construction and there are four more
in the planning stages. And previously Fontana had one open hotel.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
Can you believe that. I mean a matter of four years. Right.
People see the visions, they want to be part of it.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Right.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Well, when you have that many people coming in to
have their sports, of course they're going to need accommodations.
Of course they're going to be meeting launch and you.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Know what I'm thinking, twenty eight is coming. They're not
going to all stay in Los Angeles. They don't want
to come to Fontana.
Speaker 6 (17:51):
Because they'll be seen who wants to stay? Oh sorry,
I take that back there.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Well, so you know, one of the things that I
love about our region is the work life balance.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Just how well planned the communities are. Right.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
We have residential, we have commercial, we have transportation, and
everything is so nicely spread out. We don't feel like
everything is on top.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
Of each other.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
That hurts us sometimes as people go, oh, you don't
have this store of that store, that story.
Speaker 5 (18:20):
Yes we do, but they're not all in one spot.
They're not a mall.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
But we've got a target in the north, a target
in the south. We've got all these restaurant type fast
food places.
Speaker 5 (18:32):
You don't have this, Yes.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
We do this in the south. We don't have Yes,
you do this in the north. It's not in one spot.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
You just have to know how to get there, and
all you need is a map of Fontana or take
me or worn with you and she'll show you the way. Yeah,
I'll show you absolutely. So you mentioned health as a
very important aspect of this. Talk about one of your
first efforts with the Healthy Fontana and the number of
steps that you've been able to accumulate today.
Speaker 5 (18:59):
You know I got I tell you the project was me.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
You know I challenged the previous mayor because he was
talking about how I like to cook and eat and
it's no secret you could not leave my house without
a full plate.
Speaker 5 (19:09):
Okay, I just love entertaining.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
But recent years, the last four years, I've had some
not super serious help challenges, but enough to make.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
A person go. You know, you can't be here forever.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
And do you want to put all the burden on
your family or do you want to have.
Speaker 5 (19:25):
A better quality of life? So I buckled down with my.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
Doctor and said, this is not what I want to be.
I don't want to be having a surgery every year.
And I had two surgeries in one year, and I
got scared. I had my hip replace and because of
the challenges I had created for myself.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
It created more problems, and then my foot had to
be totally the bone was constructive.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
And not feeling good and not seeing myself able to
play with my grandkids, it really troubled me. So I
buckled down and I got rid of sugar in my life.
I think sugar contributed to a lot of the so
I was ablemetically. And then I had to leave the
for servis loone and I got on the I just
left the middle of the grocery store where everything's already
(20:09):
created for you, and went on the outside and then
only left me with protein and fruits and vegetables, and
I had to leave the bread and some other little things.
And I used to love to bake. Well I do bake,
but I don't bake gates as much.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
So in doing that, I found out we live in
such a great community. I had been walking, but not
really walking.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
Now I walk, and I enjoy walking with my friends
and family, and we walk everywhere around town and it's
fun and so I'm very happy to now.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
So I'm down seventy one pounds.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
It looks so healthy and say happy and vibrant every
time I see.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
It, and I feel so much better. I had my
family over this last weekend and my kids got tired
of keeping up with me, and I felt good that.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
So it works.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
But we started Healthy Fintown because we wanted our children
have better outcomes. We were dealing with obesity at a
level that was just unbelievable.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
It was heartbreaking to go to a school seeing.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
A line out the nurse's office, asking what's going on there,
and they're waiting for insulin.
Speaker 5 (21:19):
So we've really.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Been working on that and I'm happy to report that
it has gone down in our children.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
And the adults.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
You know, I remember with Josie Gonzales, she was she's
our supervisor.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
Now she's the assessor.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Josie and I did the Latino African American thing. You
got the lard, I got the oil. Let's cut it out.
And I've learned how to do things better. I make
my collar greens with smoke turkey now and I love
my beans, and she has taught me.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
She loves using grape seed oil and all of that.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
So we get together and our food is healthy and
everybody can enjoy it. But the biggest thing that I found,
the more you change your habits, the more you embrace others.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
And I'm working with large.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Group of people in the city that asked me what
I did. And I've even gone to their home and
shown them their pantry and the refrigerator.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
So, guys, you got to give it up.
Speaker 6 (22:14):
And I think the Fontane Walks program, which you started
a decade ago, it really.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Works for me.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
We get out there and have a ball. We even
danced them. It's just fun.
Speaker 6 (22:24):
But there's a great group of regulars. And I think
it was a few years ago we loved our ten
million step. Yeah, I don't know what it is today.
Speaker 5 (22:30):
I think it's seventy billion step.
Speaker 7 (22:32):
Yeah, it's a billion steps, billion.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
Steps, seven million steps, and I'm up to seventeen thousand
a day depending on my activity.
Speaker 5 (22:40):
So I'm just saying it can be done.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Seventeen thousand steps to day, all right, everybody, that's our challenge,
all right. So with that said, we are coming up
on a break. We will hear some more. Youvet walk
with ABCNWS in Talk Southern California Business Report Here with
Fontana's Mayor Opanetta Warren and deputy sitting manager Philip Burwn,
who are architects of uniting bold leadership with strategic foresight.
(23:03):
Together they transform challenges into opportunities, champion inclusivity and innovation
and enhance quality of live, fostering economic growth and inspiring
a resilient future for all residents.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
When a return, thank you. Welcome back everyone.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Evett Walker with ABC News and Talks Southern California Business Report.
Here with Fontana's Mayor Aquanetta Warren and w city Manager
Philip Burham, who are architects of progress, uniting bold leadership
with strategic foresight.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Together they transform.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Challenges into opportunities, champion inclusivity and innovation and enhance quality
of life, fostering economic growth and inspiring a resilient future
for all residents. Thank you both for making the time
to be here with me today. It's so Prior to
the break, we were talking about the importance of health
and some of the health programs that Fontana has implemented,
(24:18):
and one of those one was walk with Fontana.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
That mayor was talking with us, because.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Every time I see me and Warren, I ask her,
where do you get this energy?
Speaker 3 (24:29):
You're everywhere? She is literally everywhere all the time, engaged.
She is the mother of Fontana.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
The way I see it, she really is and with
Philip burrowmatter side, you know, they are an amazing tag
team of innovation and energy and vision. That's really what
this all boils down to. So with that said, we
talked about the importance of health and how that contributes
to your ability to engage and move forward.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
It's a subject that people well don't mind talking about.
You know, the United States has become very divisive.
Speaker 5 (25:04):
But I've got hope for that.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
I think that divisiveness is what's going to get us
out of this and create the hope that we all need,
because we're going to get tired of arguing with each
other and say, look, how can I be?
Speaker 5 (25:14):
How can we work together? And that's what I try
to do.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
You know, I grew up in South Central and then
when I was married, I lived in Company and.
Speaker 5 (25:22):
The way people reviewed or saw.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
The areas I grew up in, and it really hurt
me because I grew up in a neighborhood with so
many different nationalities. You know.
Speaker 5 (25:33):
We had Germans, we had Poleax.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
We had Latinos, African Americans, we had everybody. So I
got to learn how to love everyone. And then I
was in the bussing program. I was one of the
first African Americans bus to integrate believe or not and
let unify school district. Got to go down to San Pedro,
and boy, they make a mistake with me because there
I was down there at the dock with all those
military bases from people from all over the world, and
(25:57):
I was looking at children that I even know what
they are, were like, what is that?
Speaker 5 (26:01):
Wow? Where is he from? It was a lot.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Going on, But I wanted Fontana to have this aura,
and you can't get that just hanging out at home.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
You got to go out. So when I became mayor, I.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Pledged to make Fontana a national level city, which means
people look to us for guidance. And that's why I
get so involved because just recently I was featured in
the New York Times with sixteen other mayors throughout the
United States.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
Okay, sixteen mayors throughout the United States.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
What's the chances of them selecting me represent Fontana in
that group? And the only other California where was two
other California mayors and that was the mayor of President
and the mayor of San Diego, and there was Mayor Warren.
But that's what we try to do. But none of
that can happen without the great council.
Speaker 5 (26:55):
We have a super.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
Team when it comes to our council. We call ourselves
Teamed Bandana. We hang together and we have been able
to show everybody's talent and as a result of that,
it allows me to be participating in all these events and.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
Our staff second to none, so I do not have
to be sitting at the him all day worrying about stuff.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
Everybody's doing that's right, including Shilburn, who are doing this
thing telling you.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
But Phil tell us what it's like to have Team Fontana,
to be backing up Team Fontana in an environment where typically,
you know, city councils can become dysfunctional or divided or
have challenges. What difference does it make to have a
city council that is on the same page, that shares
a vision and combined purpose.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
So what difference does it make?
Speaker 6 (27:48):
I don't think I've seen a lot of cities that
break my heart that it seems like the personalities overwhelmed
the vision. I think one of the things that Fontana
is blessed with is there are five distinctly different characters
on that council, all different personalities, all different. They all
have different ones and needs, but the vision for the
city has been uniformed for decades now.
Speaker 7 (28:11):
There have been different council members come and go.
Speaker 6 (28:13):
But the pro business economic growth part of it has
been pretty consistent, and I think that the city has
started to reap the benefits of that now. The foundation
was built when Mark Milami was mayor and there was
on the council. That's when kind of the brick started
being laid, and I think that there's been a really
consistent vision from the council to support economic growth. I
(28:37):
think our team is putting together a video series on
what what does open for Business mean and why is
that important? And it talks about all the things we
couldn't have the parks that we have. The council did
an authorization of two years ago tire twenty new police officers,
so they want to keep their growth happens when you
keep everybody safe. I added six more positions this year
(28:59):
so we can keep up with the growth in Fontana.
Last year was in a study and I don't remember which
group was is the seventeenth safest city in the state
of California.
Speaker 7 (29:09):
I think, okay, seventeenth.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
That doesn't sound that big of a deal and tell
you recognize that there are over five hundred cities in
the state, and we were the second safest large city
in the entire state. Large city is a population ever
two hundred thousand. Only Irvine was safer than Fontana in
the entire state. So our police are who are well loved,
(29:32):
well respected, and they do such a great job. Have
really helped with the council and what the council wanted
to deliver. Over the last twenty years, the makeup of
Fontana has changed. Is this not something where you say
I live in Fontana maybe like you did in the eighties,
I live in Fontana. So the unified council is crucial.
(29:53):
If I'm being honest, I've never thought I'd be in
public service. I don't think I would be if it
wasn't for this council and the vision that they kind
of laid out for what they wanted to do. So
they're very very good at creating the vision and they're
also very good at letting staff, which we have a
great city manager in Mount Valentine and the rest of
his department heads really are great implementers, and the council
(30:14):
gives the flexibility and the sticktuitiveness to go because a
lot of controversies. There's a lot of controversial decisions, especially
in a pro business community, but if you just look
at the results of all those policy decisions, you can't
argue with them. So when they when they set out
a mandate, like when we are approached to homelessness, the
approached to parks and healthy services. So that's not always
(30:38):
on Everybody's not what everybody wants at the moment, but
you can't look back over time and say it was
a bad decision because it's working for them.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
We made homelessness Sopririty in our city is the number
one discuss issue at identity and even in surveys people
what's the number one thing? But you know, for me
and the council, that meant people were more excerned about
publicity because homelessness spills over into public safety big time.
So what we've tried to do is work with all
of our agency partners, federal, state, local, county, churches that you.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
Know, I mean water life people. Oh you're doing everything
water Life.
Speaker 4 (31:16):
Water of Life single Handling commits three to six million
dollars a year their funding towards this issue social services
helping families, and that relationship has created other opportunities for
other agencies.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
So and then look at the people that have left here.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
We have Mark Dwaymie, he's now a facilitator at Water
of Life City Link doing that, doing an incredible job,
working closely with our staff on homelessness. And then you
have Janice rutthervirt she was a supervisor, jose Gonzalees now
the assessor's still working with Josie.
Speaker 5 (31:51):
And look at our supervisor, Jesse Armadarenes.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
We've been able to grow people out of the council
chambers into other positions that we can work close with.
And then we've got two great congressional leaders. We've got
Mormitories and b Agular. They come regularly to our events.
They see what we're doing. They're assisting us at the
federal level. They're writing letters, they're calling me up, hey,
get over here, this is anue you better get involved.
(32:16):
All those things come together, but being a member of
the United States compul Mayors gives me full latitude to
really understand how this works because all of the business community,
all of the agencies come to that group, and it
gives me an opportunity to showcase just how great Fontana
is and people want a piece of it. Be in
the chair of the Southern California Water Coalition, it's major.
(32:40):
We don't have our own water company. People think we
own Fontana Water, but we do not. They are a
vendor that services our community. We have Cuckamonga water district,
we have West Valley, we have Fontana Water, Marigo, there's
you know those water agency services. So I get to
chair the SOU the company and water collision mets in
(33:01):
there in Metropolitan Water, all the different water agencies, and
it gives the opportunity for us to look for resources
for our town. It's a major difference. And then what
I really have enjoyed is working closely with the various
how do you say this to the people that.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
Make it happen?
Speaker 4 (33:22):
The agencies like the Transportation Commission SKAG. SKAG is the
Southern California Economic group that actually helps us plan how
our cities in our region are going to.
Speaker 5 (33:35):
Be able to work and their cities from all over
Southern California.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
Just having that opportunity network and listen to what they're doing.
I get a lot of ideas of how we can
handle lines, and.
Speaker 6 (33:47):
I think that what people might miss is the snowball
effect of notoriety. So I think one of the blessings
we have with the mayor that's willing to do what
she does is that the national spotlight that she's putting
on Fontana, people now want to be.
Speaker 7 (34:01):
A part of it.
Speaker 6 (34:02):
Congressman Mentorias and Congressman Aguilar, they watch what we're doing.
They see the success, so they want to be a
part of that success, so they'll advocate for us in Fontana.
And our mayor is a nonpartisan mayor. I mean, if
she talks about being represented this New York Times article,
that's nice, but she represented all the mayors in the country.
When President Biden signed his infrastructure build a White House lawnch.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
She was there to speak in behalf of all. He
told me, he says, you're my hipartisan Acronetta. You are
going to speak for everybody. I said, excuse me. He said, yeah,
the governor's and the mayorage.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
You're there repped today. I went, wow, that was major.
Speaker 6 (34:36):
And now with that work in that kind of notoriety,
we're working with the current White House administration, and if
we're being honest, California is a much more liberal state
that has more democratic politicians having a connection to get
to the White House as an advantage for Fontana that
we can bridge that gap that work together.
Speaker 7 (34:56):
So the mayor in that.
Speaker 6 (34:57):
Ridiculously long bio that you read, it's not about a resume,
it's activity, and she really gets us out there that
that episode of Undercover Boss elevated the city to her level.
Speaker 7 (35:09):
And they're still airing that.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Yeah, people, I'm still getting emails from all over the world.
It was over in Austria and England and Scotland and
back in the Chicago area, hurting people in Chicago.
Speaker 5 (35:20):
It's airing all the time.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
They said it's one of their number one episodes for
families because we talked about how much we can get
done and we just love each other.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
I love that. That's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
So that episode showed me if I didn't already know
just how great our residence are and our staff is
second and ever a year, because they can absolutely So
that's right, you know, in our state of the city.
Speaker 5 (35:47):
I said, they're not.
Speaker 7 (35:48):
Like us, so different.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
That's different, cut from a different cloth, but a very
successful one. And it's a testament to everything that we
see today in the transformation that has occurred, despite the
fact that you mentioned Phil that some of these projects
take multiple years.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
Right, you forget about the groundwork and the planning and.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
All that, but when you see it complete, it's like wow,
you get to really enjoy it, and all that back
end work and planning and waiting and then where she's going,
it all pays off.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
Right.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
So with that said, how do you see the leveraging
opportunities with Mayor Warren's access to the White House and
being a part of these groups that are on a
national scale.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
You know, I feel like when we went recently on
our lobbying trip to DC, we got an opportunity to
be at the White House and meet with the White House.
Speaker 5 (36:40):
Representatives for cities and counties. And I walked in the
door and said, look, we just need help, and we're
here to help. We want to work with you. We
want to get resources for not only our community but
our region.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
And that's why we've been successful with our homeless planning
because we have included all.
Speaker 5 (36:57):
And that's what we pitched.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
And we have been in a position lately that I
think we're going to be able to get some things
done and that's the major for.
Speaker 7 (37:07):
Me, some big things.
Speaker 6 (37:09):
I think what especially federal and state who are kind
of generally disconnected from the local populations, If they can
see success, they want to build on the success. So
I think Fontana having the credibility of a decade or
more of putting making good use of some of these
funding opportunities. Certainly the last five years, Yes, that we've
been kind of on fire with getting a lot of
(37:31):
attention to the city. Is we it's sometimes it's funding,
sometimes it's just support for an initiative. But because we
get things going forward again, it just snowballs and the
bigger and better things. And I think that during this
administration and Fontana is very supportive. Like some of the
(37:52):
business community, I think when I was in the private sector,
which i where I spent most of my life professional life,
I think the one thing that I loved, especially when
I was a part of a small boutique home building firm,
is we could react quickly. You make a decision, you
go out and do it. I was also part of
the biggest home builder in the country for a while,
and even as big of an infrastructure as they could
(38:13):
move quickly.
Speaker 7 (38:14):
A city is not designed.
Speaker 6 (38:16):
Bureaucracies are literally not They're designed to be transparent, not efficient.
So it's been a kind of a struggle because candidly,
if the mayor gives you a directive, the council gets
you a directive.
Speaker 7 (38:28):
You need to get it done.
Speaker 6 (38:30):
But as we talked about, it's sometimes the planning process,
the not sexy part of it is to get to
the point that everything takes longer than you expect and
costs more than you should and then it should in
public service. But we're getting it done, and I think
that a lot of our state and federal representatives acknowledge
that the things that we're doing on homelessness are just
getting started.
Speaker 7 (38:50):
But we're set to go.
Speaker 6 (38:53):
The thing I've love about Fontanna's plan that the council
and the mayor came up with is that it's entrepreneurial
and it's it's it's adaptable. So the goal is clear,
which is to resolve homelessness in Fontana. The methodology we're
getting ready to go to council. The mayor has the
Mayor's Council and homelessness an advisory can make.
Speaker 4 (39:14):
People from all over the city can't coming together to
advice how we should do.
Speaker 5 (39:18):
These things that have been in this space probably are
than we have. So they bring.
Speaker 6 (39:22):
Credibility to the team and some that were involved at
all just to have a different perspective on things. But
the intention is, and they're working on the update now,
is our plan will be literally updated every year based
on our experience from the prior year. So that group
is working on the recommendation for an update that we'll
bring to council in October. But I think that that's
the only reason I mentioned that is that's what our
(39:43):
council is like. They don't say just because it hasn't
been done, you can't do it. Like this is what
I want to get done, Well, that's never been done
figured out and then they give us the latitude to
figure it out.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
And you know, the other part is the compassion it
does in work if you just plan things around what
you want. One of the things I pride myself is
talking to people at the store and talking to people
on the street. And you know, it's not unusual. I'll
see some on the bus stop, I pull over and
walk with you. Got a minute. I'm the mayor.
Speaker 5 (40:15):
I want to ask you what you think about this.
People look at me and they go, are you kidding me?
Speaker 3 (40:20):
No, I'm not.
Speaker 4 (40:21):
And next thing I know, I'm giving them a ride
where they were going because I want to finish.
Speaker 5 (40:24):
Here in that conversation. But with homelessness, we have to
have that compassion and understand it.
Speaker 4 (40:30):
A lot of the people we've been helping, they have
fallen off the wagon while we're helping them. But it
doesn't close the door for them. We just bring them
back when they're ready, you know. And that's the thing
working with all these agencies, with the state, the county,
the federal level.
Speaker 5 (40:46):
It can't be our way. We have to listen to
them too.
Speaker 4 (40:50):
But what helps is if they contact us when they're
doing these bills and ask us what we think and
how will that impact us. You don't have to take
off work for it, but at least ask us so.
And oftentimes those that do that for us, we end
up working together on it and saying, Okay, this makes
it better for everybody. And Fontana doesn't try to do it all.
(41:13):
We bring our partners with us.
Speaker 5 (41:15):
We bring other cities. You know.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
I talked to all the mayors in the regions that
come along. We had a hood here a year and
a half ago and all of us came together just
to tell how what we needed and we're doing that again.
Speaker 5 (41:28):
But we've got to have.
Speaker 4 (41:30):
That communication at all levels to make things better far
a great.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Well that is just very well said, right, and taking
everybody's viewpoints and perspectives into account obviously is going to
create a more sustainable project program and effort.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
And also having that buy and just makes things.
Speaker 5 (41:51):
So much smoother, right.
Speaker 4 (41:52):
And it's a challenge teaching everyone how public agencies work.
And good examples are meetings. People come to our meetings
and we have public comment. What they don't realize is
because it's not a genderalized and we're all there, we
can't necessarily comment on everything. Sometimes things are in a
gray area and I can say, city manager, can you
explain that? But during those council comments is when we
(42:16):
can have that opportunity to better explain. And it's like
city one oh one, how to get things done. But
we're listening, we're hearing, and after those meetings and a
lot of instances, we'll meet with people and sit down
and they go, I didn't realize that.
Speaker 5 (42:31):
You know, we want.
Speaker 4 (42:32):
People to involved, We want people to come to our
meetings because we want to make sure we're getting input
from everyone. But we do say you do not have
to wait for me. Some people think that's terrible to
say that, but it's not. You can email us.
Speaker 7 (42:47):
You know we're on social media.
Speaker 4 (42:51):
Did I get beat up about You mean we're only
having our hair at Costco?
Speaker 5 (42:56):
No, you can see me at Starbucks.
Speaker 4 (42:57):
You can see me all over people grab me a
jerkey is everywhere.
Speaker 6 (43:02):
One of the things that I think most because people
don't understand how government needs to function, is what I
think with the Mayor's describing is all those public comments
which by law can't be acted on in that hearing,
but they lead to conversations and it might deal later.
So often, but it's also government, so it isn't resolved tomorrow,
(43:22):
but it might lead to a conversation that puts a
plan in action. We had people commenting about healthy options
and a farmer's market conversation at a public hearing three
years ago. Well, we worked on it for about three
or four months, found a vendor that could operate it,
and then five six months later we're doing two farmers
market in town.
Speaker 7 (43:40):
So it's a random public comment where you you make it,
you don't feel.
Speaker 6 (43:44):
Gratified instantly, You're like, they didn't even listen to me.
No where are the city's listening to councils listening, and
so is the city manager. So make those comments, but
also don't just wait for council meetings.
Speaker 7 (43:55):
Send in downtown is because of it.
Speaker 5 (44:00):
That's right now.
Speaker 4 (44:01):
People were, Oh, I couldn't go anywhere when ain't gonna
fix downtown.
Speaker 5 (44:04):
Well guess what, we're fixing it.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
Now.
Speaker 5 (44:06):
Everybody's like, what does that mean? What is that going
to look like? Well, wait till you see it. It's
going to be amazing.
Speaker 4 (44:12):
But part of the challenge that I see for elected
officials is how you create strength in your community with
not just you. And that's why I came up with
Hokey's lists and they named themselves that's my nickname Akis.
Speaker 5 (44:28):
And these are a group of women that have come together.
Speaker 4 (44:30):
Some of them have been elected, appointed to different things,
but they're gathering up empowerment where we're training each other
of how to be active in our community.
Speaker 5 (44:40):
You know.
Speaker 4 (44:41):
One of the things that share the Women's Mayors Alliance
with the UNISS comes to mayors. There's a growing trend
of violence against women mayors why is it that you're
just really attacking women? And so those are the kinds
of issues that when you really look at things, you
begin to come up with solutions. We're not going whereas women,
We're going to be here, just like the guys. Deal
(45:03):
with it, you know, exactly. And public shaming of women.
One of the things that I noticed this weekend I
had discussion with a group of women and I won't
say the group, was that they didn't tell me it's
okay to share the game to me, and they said
they're public shaming you here because you lost a lot
of I said, all right, I did, but this is
a health issue for me. But it doesn't matter. This
(45:24):
is my choice, just like it's your choice. You can't
listen to the haters. You have to embrace them and
pray for them and move on.
Speaker 3 (45:34):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (45:34):
Get it done, Just get it done.
Speaker 5 (45:38):
So with that.
Speaker 2 (45:40):
Said, I want to thank you both so much for
your time, for your vision, for your stamina, for your
good health to keep things moving forward.
Speaker 4 (45:52):
So can I just say this, certainly, government can work,
we just have to work with It works here, it works,
it work. I've seen it you guys, I tell you
growing up, I used to play school and then as
I got older, we would play you know, mayor and
President of the United States in our backyard and my
(46:12):
sisters and my brother because our parents put us in
front of the news all the time. But government can work,
but it won't work without the We need your input,
we need your support, and we need to stop putting
labels on each other and.
Speaker 5 (46:28):
Just work together. We can't get anywhere.
Speaker 4 (46:30):
I tell you all the time when you're a republicised no,
I shouldn't.
Speaker 5 (46:35):
I'm not in Congress, I'm not at the state level.
Speaker 4 (46:37):
I'm here in Fontana, and we are multi Everybody is everywhere,
so we got to work with everyone.
Speaker 5 (46:44):
That's just the way.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
That's just the way it is. And that's why I
keep saying, mayor of a warrant for president. Well, imagine
the things you could do for Fontana's president.
Speaker 5 (46:58):
Well imagine the things we're doing now.
Speaker 4 (47:00):
We didn't get to really talk about downtown, but I
think the next show we need to take you downtown.
We're gonna take here's the first step. Look, yes, family place,
look at there stage rid. You have no idea what
we have planned for this great city. It's going to be.
Speaker 7 (47:16):
But We're happy to share it. When you have questions,
you got it.
Speaker 3 (47:19):
Yes, and you heard them. Put it on the record.
Go to the city council meetings, have your voice heard.
Put it on the record.
Speaker 2 (47:24):
You may not see anything happen today, tomorrow, the next
month or two, but something will happen.
Speaker 5 (47:30):
And don't wait two weeks con talk.
Speaker 2 (47:34):
All right, So for everybody listening, don't forget to find
us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Check us out
on SCBR talk dot com, and don't forget to check
out my conversation with Chief Darren Goodman, who emerged as
a beacon of hope in June of twenty twenty two
in a city long defined by its challenges. Bringing twenty
(47:54):
seven years of multifaceted law enforcement experience to the helm
of Sam Bernardino. With a transformative vision rooted in community
engagement and data driven strategies, he reinvigorates public safety and
innovative ways. Next week we will have Leanne Logan, who
serves as the vice president and Chief Nursing Officer at
(48:15):
San Antonio Regional Hospital. Boasting over twenty five years of
healthcare experience, she holds a master's in nursing Administration and
a bachelor's in nursing, both from the University of Phoenix.
Renowned for her leadership in nursing administration, Leanne enhances patient
and employee experiences with acute care settings. You do not
want to miss it. We will see you all next week.
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