While touring at Kelley Space in San Bernardino, Sean Flynn candidate for the 31st Congressional District looks at the machines cylinder used in pulley systems that helps electricians perform their job more safely. Flynn toured 31st district businesses to learn more about their companies and what they need from government. Sean Flynn is on the left and in the front right is Mike Gallo Presdient of Kelly Space.
“The same issues came up repeatedly: overregulation, high healthcare costs, tax reform, high workers compensation rates, and burdensome, confusing labor laws that add cost and hurt worker productivity,” said Flynn.
Rancho Cucamonga, CALIF.- Economist, jobs expert, academic, and congressional candidate Sean Flynn had a busy week meeting with local small business owners during National Small Business Weekto learn about the needs of businesses in the area and how our government can serve them better.
“California does not have a business-friendly environment, which is why it is so important for me to hear from small business owners who are working hard to run successful companies in San Bernardino County. We are going to work together to find solutions to the problems that confront them daily,” said Flynn, candidate for the 31st Congressional District.
Small businesses make up a large part of the economy. According to the Small Business Association (SBA) more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and these businesses create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.
“I recently met with San Bernardino County small business owners. We talked about their concerns about our current business environment, and the major issues that are impacting them,” said Flynn. “The same issues came up repeatedly: high healthcare costs, overregulation, tax reform, high workers compensation rates, and burdensome, confusing labor laws that add cost and hurt productivity.”
Business leaders joining the discussion included: Denny Shorett owner of Crown Connect, a 40 year old printing company in San Bernardino, Fontana’s California Recyclersowner Cristina Valle-Parke, California Financial Plannersowner Rich Crean from San Bernardino, and Account Executive M’liss Silva with City News Group, which has six publications in the Inland Empire.
Sean Flynn candidate for the 31st Congressional District Cristina Valle-Parke, owner of California Recyclers in Fontana. Flynn toured 31st district businesses to learn more about their companies and what they need from government.
Flynn also sponsored a free jobs workshop in Rancho Cucamonga. The workshop helped local high school and college students create job winning resumes, fill out job applications that will make them stand out from their competitors, and practice successful interview skills.
The jobs workshop was lead by Karina Anderson from Employment Means Success, a local nonprofit dedicated to finding qualified people jobs. Flynn is a co-founder of the non-profit and is vice president of the board of directors.
In addition to these events, Flynn visited local businesses. He toured California Recyclersin Fontana, Valley Resource Center’s San Bernardino County branch in Fontana, Flamingo Palms Cuban Cafeserving Caribbean Cuisine in Rancho Cucamonga, Angel Jewelersin Rancho Cucamonga, and local chopped salad franchise Chop Stop, owned by Kelley Choi in Rancho Cucamonga.
The tours continued with Flynn touring Kelly Spaceand Technology with President Mike Gallo, and Technical Employment Trainingin San Bernardino, which provides manufacturing trades education and hands-on machinist skills training to prepare students for National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) credentials.
At each stop, Flynn got to sit down and talk with the owners about the issues they face while doing business in San Bernardino County.
“This is just part of my meetings with local business owners. It was exciting to celebrate Small Business Week, and I will continue to stay connected with business owners small, medium and large. I celebrate the successes of local businesses and support them daily,” said Flynn.
Sean Flynn is running for the 31st Congressional District representing all or portions of Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, San Bernardino, Highland, Redlands, Loma Linda, Grand Terrace, Colton, and Rialto.
Flynn gained national attention as the best-selling author of Economics for Dummies. He is also coauthor of the world’s best-selling college textbook, Economics: Principles, Problems, and Policies. An avid martial arts enthusiast, Flynn is also a former U.S. National Aikido Forms Champion and has coached five of his students to U.S. National Aikido titles.
The primary election is on Tuesday, June 5, with the top two vote recipients advancing to the General Election on Tuesday, November 6.
Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson, said. “When I took office, my goals were to stabilize our financial future, improve the economic and business development in Rialto, create greater job opportunities, hire the local workforce and make Rialto a safe place to live, work and play.”
(Rialto, Calif.) Newly retired, Deborah Robertson drove around Rialto and quickly decided what she would do with all that “free time.” She put all her efforts in running for mayor.
Four years later and one term as mayor, Mayor Robertson is still working to keep Rialto moving in the right direction. During her first term, which began in 2012, economic opportunities went up while crime went down. Her collaboration with neighboring cities along the Interstate 10 corridor will result in better traffic flow, even as more industrial jobs take root in the area.
“I feel the role of mayor is a calling, not just a title,” said Mayor Robertson, who was a three-term city councilwoman before her first term as mayor. “When I took office, my goals were to stabilize our financial future, improve the economic and business development in Rialto, create greater job opportunities, hire the local workforce and make Rialto a safe place to live, work and play.”
“Today, our businesses are on the rise, a greater number of residents are part of the local workforce, crime statistics are down and we as a community have made a tremendous commitment to improving our streets and roads.”
In working on the needs of the city, Mayor Robertson leaned on her vast experience. A native Californian, Mayor Robertson holds an undergraduate degree in Urban Planning and a master’s degree in Public Administration. Before retiring, she was the Deputy District Director of External Affairs for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
Partnering with the cities of Fontana, Colton and San Bernardino, the focus has been on economic development and the creation of jobs in the fields of technology, transportation along with commercial endeavors.
“A major accomplishment has been attracting businesses to this city and the surrounding communities,” Mayor Robertson said. “We focus on where we are (geographically). The footprint has been cast. Anything that goes from the ports to the rest of the United States – 90 percent of it has to pass through the Inland Empire. We need to see the technology of moving goods and make sure the skill sets for these jobs are transferred into our community so our people are competitive.”
The biggest project for the city is the Renaissance at the north end of Rialto, formerly Rialto Airport. Through legislation, the city was able to redirect aviation activity to San Bernardino International Airport (Formerly Norton Air Force Base). More than 1,500 acres are being redeveloped into housing, commercial, industrial and entertainment areas, also bringing tax revenue and jobs.
“Rialto is the jewel of the Inland Empire,” Mayor Robertson said. “I have a plan and I want to continue to execute the plan to move Rialto forward.”
For more information about Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson go to: http://www.DeborahRobertson.org.
About Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson
Deborah Robertson was elected Mayor of Rialto in November 2012 – the latest achievement in a distinguished public service career that has included 12 years on the Rialto City Council, leadership positions at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG), and more than 20 years with the California Department of Transportation.
Under Mayor Robertson’s leadership, Rialto has gained regional and national recognition for innovation in the areas of public-private partnerships, business development and job creation. The City’s refinancing and restructuring of its water and wastewater operations has become a model for other communities in California, pumping millions of dollars into the local economy.
Mayor Robertson retired from Caltrans in 2011, as Deputy District Director of External Affairs. A native Californian, she holds an undergraduate degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, San Diego, a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the City University of New York Bernard Baruch College and is a National Urban Fellows recipient. She is also a scholarship recipient and past participant of the Southern California Leadership Network.
Mayor Robertson has two children and six grandchildren, that are the joy of her life.
Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson told the students to challenge anyone with a negative image of their city. In turn, the teens put out the hashtag #RialtoPride and it immediately began trending among local students. The conversations started to center around why they love Rialto and a movement was begun.
(Rialto, Calif.) She is not from the generation that made Twitter-speak common, but Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson certainly knows her way around a hashtag.
High schoolers and young voters have taken Mayor Robertson’s re-election slogan of #RialtoPride and soon it morphed it into a new nickname for the incumbent mayor — #MayorGetItDoneRobertson.
Mayor Robertson is running for her second term as mayor, and fifth term in Rialto city government. Election Day is November 8. She is also Rialto’s first Black Mayor.
Mayor Robertson chuckled about the name given to her originally by some Rialto High School students after spending the day with her during a mock city council. It shows that beyond economic development and crime statistics, Mayor Robertson – a nearly 30-year resident – has a deep-rooted pride in her city.
“I feel the negative images of cities are often portrayed in TV shows such as ‘Cops,’ “Mayor Robertson said. “Often you see a negative image, yet crime continues to decrease in Rialto. But negatives get the program ratings.”
Mayor Robertson pointed out that in the past five years, violent crime in Rialto has steadily declined and according to city-data.com, Rialto fell below the national average in 2014 and crime continues to drop. Rialto now ranks among the top half in safest communities in San Bernardino County, city-data.com also shows. The unemployment rate in Rialto has steadily dropped since 2013, according to homefact.com and the rate is now at seven percent.
Raised in a military community in San Diego, Mayor Robertson said she learned civic pride at an early age. When new kids came to her elementary school and turned their nose up, she quickly set them straight.
“I grew up in a military town and trying to assimilate into an existing group is stressful,” Mayor Robertson said. “Kids would come in and put us down. Most kids would just listen and feel bad. My friend and I were equalizers. We told them if they didn’t like it, go back to where they came from.”
It was at this mock city council day a year ago that the idea of promoting “Rialto Pride” was initiated. Mayor Robertson said students were starting to ask questions, including why some people weren’t more positive about Rialto.
“I told them, ‘If you don’t stand up for Rialto, who is going to stand up for Rialto?’ “Mayor Robertson said. “You can lead or you can be led. That’s your choice.”
She told the students to challenge anyone with a negative image of their city. In turn, the teens put out the hashtag #RialtoPride and it immediately began trending among local students. The conversations started to center around why they love Rialto and a movement was begun.
For more information about Mayor Deborah Robertson go to: http://www.DeborahRobertson.org. About Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson
Under Mayor Robertson’s leadership, Rialto has gained regional and national recognition for innovation in the areas of public-private partnerships, business development and job creation. The City’s refinancing and restructuring of its water and wastewater operations has become a model for other communities in California, pumping millions of dollars into the local economy.
Mayor Robertson’s reason for wanting a second term is simple. “I’m not done.”
In her first term, Mayor Deborah Robertson accomplished much of what she wanted. Her focus was on keeping Rialto financially sound, moving forward on commercial and business development, generating jobs in Rialto and enhancing open space for healthy recreational usage.
(Rialto, Calif.) As Deborah Robertson moves from table to table greeting folks at Mary Stewart’s Southern Soul Food, the Mayor of Rialto looks as comfortable as if she was in her own kitchen.
In a way, she is. Mayor Robertson has called Rialto home for nearly 30 years and has served in its local government for 16 years, including three terms as a councilwoman and one as Mayor.
As she campaigns for re-election – Election Day is Nov. 8 – Mayor Robertson’s reason for wanting a second term is simple. “I’m not done.”
“I feel the role of the Mayor is a calling, not just a title,” said Mayor Robertson, who is running against current councilmember Ed Palmer. “We keep it real in Rialto. Our foundation is in a common belief of community. We’re middle class, salt of the earth people.”
In her first term, Mayor Robertson accomplished much of what she wanted. Her focus was on keeping Rialto financially sound, moving forward on commercial and business development, generating jobs in Rialto and enhancing open space for healthy recreational usage.
“The community as a whole is concerned about safety and lowering crime in the city,” said Mayor Robertson. Cutting down on crime was also a major focus in her first term as Mayor.
“I am very proud of the part the city’s police force played in response to the terrorist attack nine months ago in San Bernardino,” said Mayor Robertson. Rialto’s SWAT Team was one of the first responders in support of San Bernardino’s units.
During her time as Mayor, Rialto was also one of the first cities to have its police force wear body cameras. “As the result of a research project, the Rialto police agreed to wear the cameras for one year,” said Mayor Robertson. The results were positive and Rialto decided to keep the cameras. Robertson said it gave citizens a new perspective into law enforcement.
“It gave us empirical data, not just anecdotal,” Mayor Robertson said. “The number of complaints from citizens went down drastically. It brought about a different level of respect for the police.”
Statistically, both violent crime and property crime have gone down in each year of Robertson’s first term as Mayor.
In 2014, Rialto dropped below the national average in violent crime rate for the first time in 12 years, according to City-Data.com. Mayor Robertson is also one of four Mayors in San Bernardino County that have been very vocal about the illegal gun problem.
Under Mayor Robertson’s leadership, Rialto has gained regional and national recognition for innovation in the areas of public-private partnerships, business development and job creation. The City’s refinancing and restructuring of its water and wastewater operations has become a model for other communities in California, pumping millions of dollars into the local economy.
A leading voice on regional and national infrastructure issues, Mayor Robertson chairs the Public Health Subcommittee for SCAG’s 2016 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, is a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Water Council and Metro Economies, and member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
She is a founding board member for the NFL/AFL Youth Life Skills Camp, has hosted the annual State of Women event in Rialto for the past seven years, and was recognized by Assembly Member Cheryl Brown as 47th District Woman of the Year.
Mayor Robertson was instrumental in developing Rialto’s Transportation Commission and coordinated a transportation summit for the region. Her wielding influence and determination have helped bring new businesses and housing to the City of Rialto.
With all that she has done Mayor Robertson still has the time for family, two children and six grandchildren, that are the joy of her life.
The Salvation Army Corps of San Bernardino recently welcomed new corps officers, Major Daniel and Captain Anya Henderson.
(San Bernardino, CA) The Salvation Army Corps of San Bernardino recently welcomed new corps officers, Major Daniel and Captain Anya Henderson. The couple previously served the Salvation Army in Estonia, a nation that once was part of the Soviet Union.
“We believe that the best days of the communities that we serve are just ahead of us, and that working together, we will usher in the bright future that we have longed to see! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to stand together for the good of our community. I will be looking forward to meeting you,” said Major Dan Henderson.
Anya was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. At that time, her city was known as Leningrad, and country was known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
In the early 1990s the Soviet Union dissolved. Leningrad, which had been named for the first Soviet leader, Vladimir Lenin, took its original name of St. Petersburg and most of the Soviet nation, the Russian Socialist Republic, reverted to its original name, Russia. There are also more than a dozen smaller nations that gained their freedom from what was the Soviet Union. The Hendersons have served with The Salvation Army in several of these former Soviet Republics.
The Soviet Union had banned most churches from the country, but the Russian government was more receptive. In 1992, it allowed the Salvation Army to return to the Russian Federation.
Anya Henderson was one of the first soldiers to serve in the new Russian Salvation Army. She served as a youth worker, administrative aid, corps program assistant and translator (Russian to English).
Anya graduated from the St. Petersburg University Herzen State College of Education with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education (English Language Emphasis) in 1999. By then she had met and become engaged to Daniel Henderson.
Daniel Henderson is a southern Californian. He graduated in 1989 from Madison High School in San Diego, as a National Merit Scholar, and earned Regent’s Scholarship to the University of California, San Diego. In 1993, Daniel graduated from the University with a bachelor’s of science in biochemistry and cell biology.
From 1993-1994, Daniel Henderson served in the former Soviet republic of Georgia as the Salvation Army’s humanitarian aid coordinator for Western Georgia. During that time, he oversaw the distribution of over 4,000 metric tons of USDA food aid to over 100,000 people, during the instability at the end of the Georgian civil war.
Daniel then returned to southern California, and in 1996 completed the two-year Salvation Army Officer’s Training at the College For Officers Training in Rancho Palos Verdes. Upon graduation and commissioning as an Officer, Daniel was appointed to lead the Petrodvorets Corps in the outskirts of St. Petersburg. He served in that Corps on missionary service for one year, then returned to the USA to take up appointment at the Cathedral City Corps. He then served for one year at the Santee Corps, before being moved to the College For Officer Training as a Training Officer.
In 2001 Anya completed the course of Salvation Army Officer’s Training at the College For Officers Training in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. While she completed her two-year training, she and Daniel were married in March of 2000.
The couple then served together in Cheyenne, Wyoming from 2001-2002 and Narva, Estonia from 2002-2009.
Captain Anya served as the Corps Officer of the Tallinn Kopli Corps from 2009 until coming to San Bernardino. During their time in Tallin, which is the capital of Estonia, Major Daniel served as the Regional Commander for all Salvation Army units in Estonia.
Anya is an accomplished writer and speaker in both Russian and English, and routinely translates speech and written material into both languages. Daniel has spoken and given lectures in Scotland, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Russia, and the United States.
The couple has six 6 children, ranging in age from 16 years to 16 months.
For more information on the Salvation Army or services they provide please call (909) 888-1336.
About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church, and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. The San Bernardino Corps of The Salvation Army serves Bloomington, Colton, Grand Terrace, Highland, Rialto, and San Bernardino. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY. Our local number is (909) 888-1336.
