Following the FBI raids on his office in July, San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman stepped back from his committee assignments, the Southern California News Group (SCNG) reported last week.

”While I do not believe I have done anything that warrants modifying my role as a public servant, I recognize that the ongoing attention surrounding me has the potential to distract from the important work of the county and the organizations I have been privileged to serve,” Hagman wrote in a letter released to the news group.

Ontario City Councilmember Alan Wapner, whose home was also searched, spoke at the Ontario city council meeting last week.

“I don’t believe I am the suspect, the subject, or target of any investigation,” Wapner said. At the same meeting, Ontario Mayor Paul Leon asked that Wapner be removed from his committee posts. The motion was delayed until the next council meeting on Aug. 18. Both Leon and Wapner are running for Ontario mayor. The SCNG has more: Alan Wapner, Ontario council member, doesn’t believe he’s ‘target’ of FBI probe.

In the most recent update, the SCNG reported that Frank Lizarraga, another subject of the raids, was given sweetened land deals from San Bernardino County even after falling behind in rent payments. Read it here: Frank Lizarraga was consistently late in paying county leases, but still got sweetheart deals (free link).

California cities are far below their planned targets for new housing, CalMatters’ Ben Christopher reports. In 2022, the state ordered every city and county to plan for 2.5 million new homes by 2030, and set internal goals for very low, low, moderate and high valued homes.

Only five jurisdictions are on track to meet the goals: the sparsely populated Plumas, Napa, Yolo, and Mono counties, and the town of Placerville, with a population of 11,000.

To be “on track,” a city or county needs to have issued housing permits at a rate that, if sustained, would allow it to hit its state targets by the end of its planning cycle. A value of 100% means it is exactly on track to hitting its target for housing of that affordability level.

According to CalMatters reporting, Riverside County has permitted 0% of very low-income homes needed to be on target. For moderate homes, the rate is 4%, for low-income homes 10%, and for above moderate homes, 63%. 

A slightly different story is playing out in San Bernardino County. The county has only permitted 1% of its very-low income homes to be on track, and 43% of its low income homes. The county is on track for moderate and above moderate valued homes.

CalMatters published the names of each town and county at the bottom of its article. Find the values for your city here: Almost nowhere in California is building enough, according to the state. Here’s why. 

Jackie, star of the 24/7 bald eagle webcast along with her mate Shadow, died in the morning of Aug. 9 after more than three weeks of medical treatment. She most recently experienced a large blood clot in her wing and kidney, but was first placed in treatment at the Ojai Raptor Center following an attack by another eagle. She hatched in 2012, the first documented bald eagle chick in the Big Bear Valley.

“Throughout Jackie’s time at Ojai Raptor Center, every decision was guided by the available medical evidence, her welfare, and our responsibility to do what was in her best interest,” said Chris Eksteen, Executive Director of the Center. 

Her fame had spread to the state’s highest executive.

“California mourns Jackie, the Big Bear bald eagle who reminded us of the beauty and wonder of California’s wildlife, and our shared responsibility to protect the habitats that sustain it," said Gov. Gavin Newsom.

It also spread to Ukraine, and the host of the Reading Rainbow, The Sun reported.

Her remains will be transferred to the National Eagle Repository, which stores and prepares eagle remains for distribution to federally recognized tribes. 

The Ojai Raptor Center plans to release a veterinary medical journal on her treatment, available at this link.

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