Joseph Turner

Thin Line Between Love and Hate

By Joseph Turner | 04/07/07

I apologize for not being able to get to this earlier today, but the Press-Enterprise had a great piece in Friday's paper about Redlands incoming city manager, N. Enrique Martinez. Reporter Naomi Kresge does a great job putting together the first really comprehensive summarization of Martinez' resume and I do not believe the information presented supports the statements that have been made with respect to Martinez being a turnaround... read more »

Cesar Chavez: The Original Minuteman

By Joseph Turner | 04/06/07

Every so often, one stumbles across unadulterated, stupefying idiocy.  Take a recent editorial about Cesar Chavez in the Redlands Daily Facts.  It is one thing to have an opinion.  It is quite another to peddle drivel and propaganda through the bastardization of truth and historical fact. The editorial states:It is a shame that almost 50 years after Chávez starting [sic] leading marches to carry his powerful message of... read more »

Mas Martinez...

By Joseph Turner | 04/05/07

The hiring of N. Enrique Martinez by the city of Redlands and subsequent media reports have really left me scratching my head. Both the San Bernardino Sun and the Riverside Press-Enterprise have suggested that Mr. Martinez is known for being a turnaround specialist with experience in righting wayward localities. Martinez has repeatedly portrayed himself as a savior of sorts and we have seen this perception echoed by various members of the... read more »

Is This Healthy?

By Joseph Turner | 04/05/07

Based on California Department of Education data, I present the five San Bernardino County school districts with the highest percentage of English learner students: District Enrollment English Learners % ONTARIO-MONTCLAIR ELEMENTARY  25,376 11,956 47.1 FONTANA UNIFIED  41,930 16,971 40.5 SAN BERNARDINO CITY UNIFIED  58,661 19,071 32.5 ADELANTO ELEMENTARY  7,782 2,236 28.7 RIALTO... read more »

Degenerates, Dirtbags, Dope fiends and Library Books

By Joseph Turner | 04/04/07

The results of a recently completed audit of the City of San Bernardino has been the talk of the town lately.  Interestingly enough, most of the ink surrounding the audit has been devoted to a discussion on a rather pedestrian subject, our libraries. Personally, I love libraries.  I have always considered them a sanctuary and an escape and spent many hours during my youth devouring books, magazines and periodicals at my local... read more »

Who Is N. Enrique Martinez?

By Joseph Turner | 04/04/07

The Redlands Daily Facts does a nice job shedding light on some of the controversies surrounding newly hired Redlands city manager N. Enrique Martinez.  The San Bernardino Sun chimes in with their editorial and pointedly question whether or not Martinez and his propensity to enlarge government is the right man for the job in a city that will potentially face a five million dollar deficit in 2009-10. According to reports, Martinez may be... read more »

SBCUSD: The Real Bottom Line?

By Joseph Turner | 04/03/07

Referenced below in the News Roundup is an article about the County Board of Education's approval of a new charter school, the math and science focused Norton Space and Aeronautics Academy.  We often hear studies and reports bemoaning the diminished focus on math and science education and are told of the potentially long-term disastrous impacts of neglecting to cultivate future workers with this knowledge.  Noted economist John... read more »

Exciting Endeavor

By Joseph Turner | 04/03/07

It is an honor and a privilege to be allowed to participate in this project.  This medium of communication will offer up a tremendous opportunity to counterbalance some of the more traditional media channels. In the coming months, Red County/San Bernardino will provide activists and newswatchers with timely, in-depth analysis, inside looks into the political machinations of the region and most importantly, commentary that is insightful,... read more »