What Would Pomona Be Without Cronyism? A Better City, Probably

Ah, the cost of political integrity in Pomona. Just $400, give or take a technicality. In the grand bazaar of campaign finance violations, it was reported that our very own City Council woman, Elizabeth Ontiveros Cole has been fined yet again by the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC). And let’s be honest, if campaign violations were a sport, Pomona officials would be perennial champions, because they usually go unchecked and are not held accountable, unless, of course, it’s by La Nueva Voz, the small, biased paper that proudly calls itself “Pomona’s Only Local Newspaper,” yet refuses to play fair.

For those keeping score at home, which we know rarely happens in Pomona, Cole’s latest fine landed her on an exclusive “short list” of Los Angeles County public officials with FPPC violations. That’s right, out of the entire county, she managed to make the cut. An achievement worthy of a plaque or at least a participation trophy.

But let's get into the allegations. The FPPC dinged Councilwoman Cole for failing to disclose campaign contributions in a timely manner. Basically, she took money but forgot to tell the public about it until after it mattered. But don’t worry, it was all just a tiny misunderstanding. You know, the kind that regularly happens when people in power are caught being less than forthcoming.

Even better, there was an investigation into whether she accepted money from a business with a financial interest in something she voted on. What the rest of us would call a “conflict of interest” and what elected officials and their gatekeepers in Pomona just call Tuesday. But in a shocking turn of events, the FPPC concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue further action. It’s the political equivalent of saying, “We know you did something sketch, but we can’t quite prove it, so… carry on.”

Now, in a city with a rich history of the usual “coincidental” decision making that just happens to favor well connected donors, Cole is in good company. Cronyism in Pomona is less of a scandal and more of a municipal tradition. Without it, what would we have left? Honest governance? Public accountability? A city council that works for its residents instead of its benefactor? How boring. 

But let’s entertain a radical idea for a moment, and yes it’s understood, many Pomonans don’t like anything radical, although their Jesus was a radical. Anyway, what would Pomona be without cronyism? Well, for starters, public projects might actually serve the public instead of well connected developers, even the local ones that make attempts at pushing statutes through committees and commissions. The city’s budget might prioritize the needs of residents instead of padding the pockets of those with the right political connections. Imagine a Pomona where small businesses get the same opportunities as the ones owned by campaign donors and beyond. Where votes on city contracts and zoning laws aren’t quietly influenced by backdoor deals.

A Pomona without cronyism might have a city council that actually debates policies based on what’s best for the community, rather than what’s best for their next campaign fundraiser. Maybe residents would feel like they had a real say in local government, instead of watching from mid court as the usual political regulars cut deals behind closed doors. Maybe, just maybe, people would trust their local government.

But let’s be fair, why should Cole be singled out when she’s simply playing the game the way it’s always been played? If anything, Pomona should start awarding trophies for this stuff. “Most Creative Use of Loopholes,” “Best Performance in a Conflict of Interest Investigation,” or my personal favorite, “Excellence in Pretending Not to Know.”

Of course, if we did decide to flip the script, let’s try a revolutionary concept. How about we stop electing people who treat campaign finance laws like optional side quests? What if, and hear me out, we demanded transparency from the officials who claim to serve us? I know, I know, it’s a radical idea. But hey, if Cole can make the FPPC’s “short list,” maybe Pomona voters can make a “short list” of politicians who actually deserve their support.

Crazy thought, right?

Lastly, while La Nueva Voz has gone to impressive lengths to detail every check, contributor, and technical filing misstep tied to Ontiveros-Cole, it’s worth asking: where is this energy when others in City Hall face questions of accountability? Selective scrutiny isn’t journalism, it’s just an obvious attempt to play watchdog while wagging the tail for their favorites. 

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Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer, but mostly a photographer. Don’t ever ask him to take photos of weddings or quinceaneras, because he will charge you a ton of money.

Red, White, and True: Kendrick Lamar’s Powerful Statement on Black Identity in America

A beautiful day on Americas’s favorite holiday “the Super Bowl”. But for us, it was a day filled with art, (of course), a lovely brunch, and dinner bringing together the best of food culture and “America’s celebration”.

Starting with an inspiring visit to the Hammer museum, immersing ourselves in the creativity of Alice Coltrane before indulging in a feast of flavors. Then a visit to Bar Ama after to set the tone. Starting with apps then a rich and savory mushroom birria as the main course. To close the day on a sweet note, we enjoyed a decadent pistachio cheesecake, perfectly paired with a glass of wine and a classic martini because the perfect ending are great drinks.

When the evening unfolded we caught a glimpse into Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance, which was masterful in symbolism, a blend of hip hop excellence with social commentary. The cast of all Black dancers adorned and draped in red white and blue hoodies representing the American flag highlighted themes of ownership, and cultural reclamation. This symbolic performance suggested that Black Americans are an integral part of the nation’s fabric despite historical and continuous struggles we face, while Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam critiqued patriotism. Performing on top of a Buick Grand National, hence GNX the name of his newest album.

Lamar's performance was a celebration to emphasize themes of strength, resilience, resistance, and Black identity, it was a reference to our resilience and cultural history.

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Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer, but mostly a photographer. Don’t ever ask him to take photos of weddings or quinceaneras, because he will charge you a ton of money.

Victory Gardens: Where Did They Go? Has Patriotism Traded Roots for Asphalt and Symbols?

Illustration by Julian Lucas ©2024

In the 1940s, American patriotism got their hands dirty. During World War II, “Victory Gardens” sprouted in backyards, empty lots, schoolyards, and public spaces. Although originally called war gardens during World War I beginning in 1917. At their peak, nearly 20 million gardens produced an estimated 40% of the fresh vegetables consumed in the United States. The phrase "victory garden" was first used by the head of the National War Garden Commission, Charles Lathrop Pack during the end of World War I. The word was so popular that it was used again during World War II, when victory gardeners returned to duty. It was more optimistic than "war garden. "These gardens were a response to wartime rationing and strained supply chains, but the gardens were also a powerful symbol of solidarity and resilience. Families, schools, and entire neighborhoods participated, showing that patriotism was a communal effort rooted in a palpable action. 

Victory Gardens were a source of food, but more over they were a cultural movement. Public campaigns encouraged Americans to see gardening as a civic duty, with posters urging citizens to Dig for Victory. Magazines published gardening tips, and communities came together to share seeds and tools. These efforts embodied elements of socialism prioritizing the collective good over individual profit. This means, the Silent Generation, parents of the Baby Boomers, was focused on mutual aid and ensuring that everyone had access to the resources and knowledge they needed to contribute. This sense of shared purpose was a stark contrast to the hyper individualism that dominates present American culture.

WWII Victory Garden Campaign 1942

A Resident of Southwest Washington, DC and her Victory Garden.” Note the service flag in her window. Two stars means two family members serving in the war. Photo by Joseph A. Horne, Office of War Information, June 1943.

Furthermore, the Black community also participated by growing food in their backyards as they were accustomed to gardening. Their resilience persevered during during the time of Victory Gardens because Jim Crow Laws, segregation, and lynching’s were still common. Segregation made it more difficult for Blacks because of the limited access to high quality seeds.

Additionally, Japanese Americans were also encouraged to grow gardens on camp property during the war, despite being forced to relocate to internment camps because of discrimination as well.

In the modern day, collaborative attitudes have diminished. Instead of repurposing public and private land for food production, modern America has embraced privatization and industrialization, additionally consumerism and performative patriotism. Big trucks with American flags as large as king-size bed sheets flapping in the wind, along with social media posts proclaiming allegiance to the nation. The symbols of patriotism are everywhere, flags hanging from houses or planted in green suburban lawns, campaign signs with slogans draped over freeways, and president-branded t-shirts and caps becoming a fashionable trend. However, the substance, acts of service, community building, and self reliance, is increasingly absent. Meanwhile, growing your own food, once seen as a patriotic duty and some has also associated to poverty as it was a necessity for people who couldn’t afford to purchase food from the grocery stores on a regular basis, more so in rural areas. Today, the concepts of growing your own food and farm-to-table dining are often viewed by some as leftist, socialist, or liberal niche interests and are not always taken seriously. However, those who truly understand the value of these practices, particularly people from densely populated and diverse cities, view them as a more health conscious and environmentally responsible alternative to industrialized food, which is commonly served at chain restaurants. Many local restaurants have embraced the farm to table concept. At such places, the commitment to sourcing fresh, local ingredients is evident from the moment you sit down, with servers often highlighting that their food comes directly from local farms.

"Sow the Seeds of Victory!" poster by James Montgomery Flagg, c. 1917. Library of Congress.

The rise of neoliberal policies, championed by politicians on both sides of the aisle, has prioritized privatization over public welfare. Food production has been monopolized by massive corporations focused on profits. Urban food deserts have been flooded with unhealthy processed options, while fresh, affordable produce remains scarce. Land once accessible for community or agricultural use has been parceled out for private development, turning potential gardens into parking lots, strip malls, and luxury housing, all done in the name of the almighty dollar.

Public spaces like parks and sidewalks, which were integral to the Victory Garden movement, are now largely overlooked as resources for combating food insecurity. During World War II, parks and other communal spaces were repurposed for food production, serving as hubs for community gardening. Today, these same spaces are either privatized, with the use of a BID (Business Improvement District) heavily policed by the BID with the use of private security, or restricted in ways that make them inaccessible for urban agriculture. For example, beautification ordinances or privatization deals often prioritize aesthetics and corporate interests over utility and community needs. Sidewalks, which could host planter boxes or small-scale gardens in dense urban areas, are treated as commercial spaces or are heavily regulated to limit community use.

'Dig for Victory' campaign was set up during WWII by the British Ministry of Agriculture. Published 1939

The Victory Garden movement wasn’t just about food, it was about empowerment and resilience. It showed that, in times of crisis, communities could take action to address their own needs. It provided a sense of control and pride at a time when global events felt overwhelming. Imagine how this ethos could transform neighborhoods in food deserts today, where access to healthy food is limited by systemic neglect and corporate-driven policies.

In neighborhoods like Pomona and Claremont, and other surrounding cities vacant lots and neglected public spaces could be transformed into thriving urban farms, although it is understandable the empty lots are privately owned. Instead of being seen as an eyesore or impractical, these spaces could become the heart of a modern “Victory Garden” movement, one that combats food deserts, fosters community, and challenges the dominance of profit-driven food systems.Additionally, Victory Gardens can go as far as to broaden its reach by collaborating with restaurants, bringing the farm to table culinary experience to life. This would mean instead of your salad coming from bagged treated lettuce, it would come directly down the street from the Victory Garden. 

Published 1917 Courtesy of Library of Congress

If patriotism is about having pride and loving your country, it must also mean caring for all its people, not just protecting corporate profits or only a certain group of people. A modern “patriotic gardening” movement could reclaim urban spaces, empowering all disinvested communities throughout America to combat food insecurity. By reinvesting in public spaces and rejecting neoliberal policies that prioritize profit over people, we could bring the spirit of Victory Gardens back to life.

Real patriotism isn’t performative. It’s all about action, getting your hands dirty to build something sustainable. Today, planting a garden could be one of the most radical acts of modern patriotism, opposing privatization and empowering communities. The seeds of a more equitable America are waiting to be sown, it’s time we planted them.

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Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer, but mostly a photographer. Don’t ever ask him to take photos of weddings or quinceaneras, because he will charge you a ton of money.

Rest in Power: Former President Jimmy Carter on Israel/Palestine

President Carter was a supporter of Israel - and Palestine. In March 1977, at the beginning of his presidency, he announced, “The first prerequisite of a lasting peace is the recognition of Israel by her neighbors, Israel’s right to exist, Israel’s right to exist permanently.” 

Carter never wavered from that position, despite condemnations hurled at him by Israelis and Israel’s
American boosters for the rest of his life because Carter also supported Palestinian rights.

Later, in his book published in 2006, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid, the former President advocated for the Palestinians:

“Peace will come to Israel and the Middle East only when the Israeli government is willing to comply with international law…It will be a tragedy – for the Israelis, the Palestinians, and the world—if peace is rejected and a system of oppression, apartheid, and sustained violence is permitted to prevail.”

And he told journalist Amy Goodman in 2007:

“And the word “apartheid” is exactly accurate. Within Palestinian territory, they are absolutely and totally separated, much worse than they were in South Africa, by the way. And the other thing is, the other definition of “apartheid” is, one side dominates the other. And the Israelis completely dominate the life of the Palestinian people.”

RIP, President Jimmy Carter. We are grateful for your service.

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Pamela Casey Nagler, Pomona-born, is an independent scholar, currently conducting research on California’s indigenous people, focusing on the Spanish, Russian, Mexican and US invasions between 1769 and the 1860s. The point of studying this history is to tell us how we got here from there. 

Turning Back the Pages: 15 (or so) Takeaways from Jimmy Carter's 1976 Playboy Interview

Playboy Magazine, founded by Hugh Hefner on April 9, 1926, became an iconic publication celebrated not only for glamor nude photography, but also for its exceptional journalism. On March 18, 2020, just days after the world shut down due to the pandemic, CEO Ben Kohn announced that the Spring issue would be the last to be printed, marking the publication’s transition to an online-only format.

Hugh Hefner, a Chicago-born publisher and editor, created more than just a magazine he built one of the most recognizable global platforms of its kind, offering content that appealed to diverse audiences. Hefner once explained his view of obscenity as “racism, war, and bigotry,” rejecting the notion that sex was taboo. He famously stated, “What a cold world this would be if we weren’t sexual beings. That’s the heart of who we are.”

Hefner was also a passionate supporter of civil rights, though that deserves a deeper exploration in another article.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter made an unexpected and bold move during his presidential campaign, by giving an interview to Playboy magazine. It was a surprising choice, given the magazine’s provocative reputation, but Carter wasn’t one to shy away from connecting with people, even through unconventional means. At a time when trust in government was at an all-time low, Carter saw this as an opportunity to speak directly to Americans about who he was, his values, struggles, and hopes for the country.

One of the most talked about moments from the interview was Carter’s admission of having “lust in his heart.” It was a raw and deeply personal statement, rooted in his Christian faith, where he confessed that, like everyone else, he wasn’t perfect. He struggled with temptations, just as we all do. By sharing this, Carter wasn’t just baring his soul he was reaching out to voters in a deeply human way, showing that even a man running for president had flaws and wrestled with moral challenges.

Carter also wanted to make one thing clear, his faith shaped his values, but it wouldn’t dictate how he governed. He strongly believed in the separation of church and state. To him, America was a place for everyone, no matter what they believed. His faith gave him the foundation to serve others, but he wasn’t about to impose those beliefs on anyone else. It was a balancing act, but one he thought was essential for fairness and unity.

At the center of Carter’s campaign was a promise of honesty and transparency. He had seen how scandals like Watergate and the Vietnam War had shattered the public’s trust in government. Carter wanted to change by turning the page on that chapter of American politics. He spoke openly about his frustration with the lies and secrecy that had become so common, and he promised to lead with integrity. For Carter, leadership wasn’t about power it was about trust and service. Wished more presidents were like this, including state and city politicians.

Though many people would think the goal of a president is to be a fixer of politics, however, Carter’s vision wasn’t just about fixing Washington, it was about people. He cared deeply about human rights, both in other parts of the world and at home. On the global stage, he promised to stand up for freedom and justice. At home, he was committed to civil rights, a passion that came from growing up in the segregated South. Carter had witnessed racism up close and knew it wasn’t just a Southern problem it was a moral failing that the entire nation needed to address.

Furthermore, humility was another cornerstone of Carter’s beliefs. He didn’t see leadership as a stage for self-promotion but as a duty to serve others. He talked about the dangers of pride in politics, warning that arrogance and self righteousness could lead to destructive choices. Instead, he championed humility and forgiveness, believing that progress came from understanding, not division.

Being raised in rural Georgia, was a big part in shaping who he was. He often credited his early years with teaching him the values of hard work, honesty, and empathy. Those lessons stayed with him, guiding his vision for America, a country where people worked together, treated each other with kindness, and overcame challenges as one.

Additionally, Carter wasn’t afraid to push back against the superficiality of politics. Carter believed voters deserved sincerity, not empty promises or the usual cony political commentary. He wanted people to see him as he was flawed, honest, and genuinely trying to do the right thing.

Even his decision to give the Playboy interview reflected his approach. Carter knew the magazine had a controversial reputation, but he also recognized its broad reach. He didn’t shy away from the opportunity to engage with people where they were, even if it meant raising a few eyebrows. To him, it was worth it if it allowed him to connect authentically with a wider audience.

Ultimately, Carter’s Playboy interview was more than just a campaign moment, it was a reflection of who he was as a human. It showed his willingness to be vulnerable, his commitment to integrity, and his belief in leading with humility. At its core, it captured the tension between a nation that publicly clings to puritanical values but often struggles with contradictions behind closed doors, which is more prevalent in the political landscape today. Carter wasn’t afraid to confront those complexities, offering a vision of leadership that was as real and human as he was.

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Julian Lucas, is a darkroom photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer, but mostly a photographer. Don’t ever ask him to take photos of weddings or quinceaneras, because he will charge you a ton of money.

Claremont: Your Theater is Circling the Drain – Rediscover the Magic Before It’s Gone

Run Lola Run
Laemmle Claremont 5
Photography Julian Lucas ©2024

Claremont, California, has long prided itself on being a hub of intellectual vibrancy. Surrounded by a cluster of colleges with a three billion dollar endowment, and a rich history of creativity. Claremont used to be an artistic exploration that thrived. The emphasis here is on "used to be." These days, it feels like everything dope (cool) has been plundered. Those who were lucky enough to experience Claremont’s once bustling art scene probably yearn for the good ol' days when it was more avant-garde and less chain consumerism focused entities. Ironically, Claremont is often called the "City of Trees and PhDs." You’d think a city that bills itself this way would have at least one bookstore, right? But Claremont did have bookstores! In fact, it used to have several. Like anything else good, those have whistled away with the wind.

But this article isn’t really about bookstores, although I have to say, Mirrored Society Bookstore was something else. It was a fine art bookstore that specialized in limited edition photobooks, and let's just say it was probably the most artistically innovative, avant-garde, and dare I say controversial bookstore in all of suburbia. I mean, where else could you walk in and buy a signed book by Nobuyoshi Araki, imported straight from Japan, or pick up a title like Street Walker by Scot Sothern. Yeah, that last one definitely earned us many side eyes and warnings from the suburban crowd. But hey, we were pushing the envelope right off the table and into uncharted territory. Although we thought we'd be embraced given Claremont’s cultural history, we weren't. It was quite the opposite.

Today, Claremont has transformed, and in the process, it has lost its creatives. What was once a thriving hub for artistic expression has begun to change in ways that risk stifling that very spirit. The arrival of more corporate chains and the growing trend toward mainstream establishments are slowly reshaping Claremont’s unique cultural landscape. The 1990s era of the dimly lit coffee shops has vanished and for those who remember, the bohemian, feminist, and "hippie art” paintings of trees or abstract self nudes adorning the off white walls, mismatched chairs surrounding coffee stained tables, and teas from around the world lining the entire counter. Additionally, these spaces were home to uncensored conversations about anything and everything, free from someone becoming triggered, offended, or distractedly reaching for their phone to scroll due to a dwindling attention span.

Now coffee shops have the aesthetics of a dentist office with lifeless blank white walls. iPads are used for cash registers, matching furniture, youngsters trying to live a hippie life, however are more sensitive to conversations, everyone gets triggered, and now more than ever humans have lost conversation to scrolling or constantly checking their phones.

But let's get into it. Now is a crucial time for the community to recognize what it stands to lose especially when it comes to independence.

Laemmle Theatre, a haven known for its independent, international, and art house cinema serves as a sharp reminder that Claremont’s film scene is at a crossroads. Laemmle is more than just a movie theater; it's a cultural hub, offering an array of films, but it's time for Laemmle to start pushing the boundaries a bit and offer more films that represent the LGBTQ+ community and more indie and foreign films. How about showcasing films shot on 35mm? Why not take it back to the old school with screenings of films like Y Tu Mamá También? It might piss a few people off, but who cares, it would undoubtedly attract and broaden the range of audiences who can love and appreciate those kinds of films. And yes we understand old films can be streamed. But you can also pop popcorn at home. That has never stopped anyone from buying theater pop corn.

Anyway, Claremont continues to face a void that needs to be filled. Maybe more screenings of independent films out here in the 909? Make those cool actors drive 30 miles east to do talks out this way, because doesn’t suburbia matter? 

The shift towards conformity has threatened and has drowned the free-spirited essence that has defined the city’s charm. The soul of Claremont has slowly been redefined by chain driven consumerism, and the cultural vibrancy that once drew artists, thinkers, and nonconformists to the area is in danger of becoming a mere shadow of its former self.

This cultural shift highlights the significance of the arts, including galleries, museums, indie films, and the cultivation of an environment where alternative voices can thrive. This is not just about cinema; it's about preserving Claremont’s identity as a place where creativity is celebrated, controversy is embraced, and nonconformity isn’t just tolerated, but actively encouraged. In a world where mainstream entertainment often leans toward homogenized, feel-good content, Claremont’s film scene needs to be a place that challenges its audience, that sparks discussion, and yes—sometimes creates controversy.

The recent events of Laemmle Theatre announcing its closure and most recently being added to an auction which failed, doesn’t have to signal the end of independent films in Claremont. Rather, it should be a catalyst for reinvention. However, with reinvention comes creativity, yes money as well, it's understandable. 

But the question remains, is there still a driving culture of creativity within a city that prides itself as “the city of trees and PhDs? Is there enough interest that would spark more interest for indie films to thrive? 

What about such initiatives as a film festival? It would not only fill the cultural void but also attract diverse audiences from around the world to celebrate creativity, and put Claremont on the map as a hub for independent and artistic cinema. With its intellectual resources and diverse population, Claremont is uniquely positioned to host a festival that celebrates films which push boundaries, provoke thought, and explore new ways of storytelling. By focusing on the kind of films that are often sidelined by major studios, Claremont could carve out a niche for itself as a cultural hotspot for filmmakers and film lovers alike.Claremont is a college town, how about partnering with the colleges, maybe Pitzer College? This is a potential rallying point for Claremont’s creative community, providing a platform for local filmmakers and drawing audiences who crave more than just commercial blockbusters.

But to make this a reality, the community must step up. It’s not enough to hope for change from the top down; residents, students, and local leaders need to show active support for indie cinema by attending screenings, encouraging local theaters to take risks, and advocating for more diverse programming. Claremont must recognize that this city isn’t just a place where people go to eat burgers, drink beer and ladies go to get their hair done, it’s a space where art should challenge, inspire, and at times, provoke.

Moreover, Claremont must remember that part of what makes it special is its willingness to embrace controversy and nonconformity. It’s time for Claremont to make a stand. The city should become a place where unconventional stories can be told and where the celebration of art doesn't have to come with a safe, mass-market appeal. We need more films that question the status quo, more films that engage with pressing social issues, and more films that stir the pot.

In short, Claremont’s film scene needs to evolve to match the intellectual and fill the void of the artistic energy in the city. By embracing indie films, hosting a film festival, and supporting unconventional storytelling, Claremont can assert itself as a city that values culture over convenience and creativity over conformity. It’s time to push back against the growing tide of uniformity and reclaim Claremont's place as a haven for free thinkers, artists, and filmmakers.

Claremont can’t stand to lose Laemmle Theatre. This is an opportunity, It’s a call to take action, a chance for the Claremonters to step up and ensure that the city remains a place where independent cinema can thrive. But to do so, residents and leaders must recognize what they stand to lose, and take deliberate steps to ensure that Claremont continues to be a space where controversy is welcomed, and creativity is celebrated. If the city wants to preserve its unique identity, it must embrace the films that reflect the diverse, intellectual, and nonconformist spirit that made Claremont great in the first place.

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Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer, but mostly a photographer. Don’t ever ask him to take photos of weddings or quinceaneras, because he will charge you a ton of money.

Do we feel safer every year the police budget increases?

Photography ©Julian Lucas

Updated 12/06/2024 5:52pm PT

More than half of the City of Pomona’s budget goes toward funding the Police. This is historically true, and it is still true today. It is an emphasis that we need to continually scrutinize - even with the recent passage of Measure Y that reallocates 10% of the City’s General Funds to child and youth services by the years 2030-2031. 

Pomona’s police budget has increased about $20 million since 2020, and currently $80 million is allocated for Police. This was enabled, in part, with the voters’ approval of the 0.75% sales tax in 2018, and again in spring of 2024, that has resulted in an influx of about 16.8 million more dollars per year to the City’s General Fund.

It is a sobering fact that at the same time as the police budget has increased, the City’s homicide rate has basically remained the same. Since 2016, the City has averaged about 17 homicides a year. Which means that preventing violent crime remains a constant and ongoing concern, raising all sorts of basic questions:

Is the amount of funding devoted to policing translating into safer streets and effective crime reduction, or is this funding failing to address the root causes of violence?

Will allocating a slightly bigger slice of the City’s overall budget to youth programs, with the passage of Measure Y, help us secure safer streets and see a reduction of crime?

Now that our governing bodies, the City Council and Commissioners, are charged with allocating more funds toward child and youth services, are the individuals that make up the governing body, including Pomona’s Mayor, capable of being creative enough to manage a large city like Pomona?

Many members of the City Council and various commissions actively campaigned against Measure Y. Among them was the Pomona Police Officers Association, which contributed nearly $25,000 to the "No on Measure Y" campaign opposing the Pomona Kids First Initiative. Despite their efforts, the measure passed with a 62.5% majority. Their slogan? “The Wrong Way to Help Pomona’s Children.”

This raises an important question: given their level of opposition to Pomona’s Kids First Initiative, are they capable of making the new funding formulas work?

The City’s traditional disproportionate focus on police, while homicide rates remained roughly the same, means that there continues to be room for reflection and re-evaluation. It is with great hope that by enhancing support for community-driven initiatives and preventative strategies, Pomona can build a more holistic approach to public safety. It is also with great hope that focusing funding for youth will not only address the immediate needs of our young population, but also address long-term reductions in crime.

THE NUMBER OF HOMICIDES SINCE 2016:

2016: 13 Homicides
2017: 17 Homicides
2018: 17 Homicides
2019: 12 Homicides
2020: 13 Homicides
2021: 21 Homicides
2022: 19 Homicides
2023 :  (Pending) Discrepancy

In 2023, there was a body found  “in front of a house on Towne Ave, titled, ‘Suspicious Death’ (Reference# P000288-091324).This unfortunate incident, which took place July 1, 2023 at 5:45 am has not been included in The Pomonan Homicide Report count. When the Pomonan submitted a public records request on this incident, the city’s response was vague and only stated information of what officers observed upon their response. The request did not state if this incident was deemed a homicide.

After submitting a public records request for the total number of homicides in 2023, the city reported a figure of 14. However, our independent review and cross-referencing of the data revealed the actual total to be 16. Notably, the city's report included one incident classified as manslaughter, which does not meet the criteria for homicide.

This raises important questions about whether all homicides are being accurately reported in the city’s crime data. Are all homicides being included in the official reports, or are some intentionally left out and swept under the asbestos, making it appear that the homicide rate is decreasing when it may not be?

Do we feel safer every year the police budget increases? 

Life in Pomona 20 Something Years ago: In Pictures

Published 2/21/2024 | 9:04am PST

Twenty-something years ago, Pomonans embraced the underground and packed art exhibitions. Families and artists found affordable rent, sort of. Families and artists were able to pay affordable rent, kind of. Of course, those were different times, but not in a way that made them unrecognizable.

Rockers hanging out at Thomas Square
Julian Lucas ©2000

Published 02/20/204 12:00 am | PST

Did you know that the attack on the Twin Towers occurred 23 years ago, in 2001? That same year introduced us to some of our favorite independent films, such as Amélie, Requiem for a Dream, and Y Tu Mamá También.

Y Tu Mamá También taught us that both self-pleasure and sex with others are acceptable, while also exploring themes of self-discovery and loss. Requiem for a Dream taught us about mental illness wasn’t talked about, including drug addiction as a disease. It also taught us about belonging, wealth, family and the past. And we learned to enjoy life’s simple pleasures in Amelie.

LIFE IN POMONA
Pomona has never fully transformed from its gritty, 1980s South Central ambience into the haven many hoped it would become—and still hope it will one day. Although if we go back to the earlier years it was once a booming city. The city of 155k people even received some publicity being named in multiple films, including films such as the 1967 “Look Whose Coming to Dinner, staring Sidney Portier.

However, the early 2000s were also a boom period—not so much in films, but in hip hop songs that glamorized pimping, "the hoe stroll," and the selling of sex, as popularized by artists like Sugafree.

New York-style lofts in downtown Pomona served as backdrops for porn movies, while strip clubs and “massage parlors”—which were really fronts for rub-and-tug services—occupied storefronts along the corridors.

Although police brutality existed, there weren’t any activists staging rallies or protests on city council nights. The only activism was activism through art. 

Pomona PD frisking an unhoused individual at Veterans Park.
©2001 Julian Lucas

Pomona PD Patrols Second Street on Bike
Julian Lucas ©2001

Backpack Hip Hop heads hit Pomona like a domino affect in the early 2000s, but people still wanted to dance, although there weren’t any dance clubs in Pomona, you could still crash someones quinceañera or wedding reception. 

Urban Ecclectic
Julian Lucas ©2002

Globe Clothing Store (in store)
Julian Lucas ©2001

Globe Clothing Store (in store)
Julian Lucas ©2001

Globe Clothing Store (in store)
Julian Lucas ©2001

People Dancing at a Quinceañera
Julian Lucas ©2001

People Dancing at Quinceañera
Julian Lucas ©2001

Quinceañera
Julian Lucas ©2001

Young lady at her quinceañera
Julian Lucas ©2001

Accompanying underground Hip Hop was Rock en Espanol. Tower Records was a haven for CDs and magazines from all over the world and unfortunately closed in 2006. But we could also purchase our music and our studded belts, buttons of our favorite punk band, and band shirts from the Rio Rancho swap meet attached to Cardenas. Tijuana No! and Mana were of my favorites.

Raquel (Rachel) Rio Rancho Mall
Julian Lucas ©2002

El Taco Nazo, El Merendero, and Juan Pollo were the only restaurants in the downtown area. Taco Nazo was special. It was the hangout during the day and at night the restaurant featured poetry night on Thursdays, called A Mic and Dim Lights, hosted by educator Cory ‘Besskep’ Coffer, who is the original poet who brought poetry to Pomona.

Reyna in the kitchen of Taco Nazo 2001

Kayla Owner of Funky Thangz sitting at Taco Nazo 2002

Mike and girlfriend owner of Futures Collide 2001

Rockers hanging out at Thomas Square during Glass House Concert
Julan Lucas ©2001

Rockers hanging out at Thomas Square during a Glass House Concert
Julan Lucas ©2001

Rockers hanging out at Thomas Square during a Glass House Concert
Julan Lucas ©2001

Rockers hanging out at the Glass House
Julan Lucas ©2001

OG Homies
Julian Lucas ©2001

Homies in front of the Armory Building
Julian Lucas ©2001

Today there are rules and rules for artists, there is privatization of public streets and sidewalks, there is conformity, and there is censorship, Pomona’s politicians use art walk nights as their platform, and thats unfortunate. 

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Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer, but mostly a photographer. Don’t ever ask him to take photos of events. Julian is also the owner and founder of Mirrored Society Book Shop, publisher of The Pomonan, founder of Book-Store, and founder of PPABF.

Zionist Logic by Malcolm X

By Malcom X
Published October 23, 2023 | 7:09 Am PST
This article was originally produced by Egyptian Gazette, September, 1964.

After visiting Jerusalem in 1959, Malcolm X visited Gaza, Palestine, in September 1964. While there, he met with government representatives, went to Palestinian refugee camps, prayed at a masjid, and addressed a press conference in the Parliament Building. His visit there and the people he met served as the basis for an article he wrote for the Egyptian Gazette the same month.

The Zionist armies that now occupy Palestine claim their ancient Jewish prophets predicted that in the "last days of this world" their own God would raise them up a "messiah" who would lead them to their promised land, and they would set up their own "divine" government in this newly-gained land, this "divine" government would enable them to "rule all other nations with a rod of iron."

If the Israeli Zionists believe their present occupation of Arab Palestine is the fulfillment of predictions made by their Jewish prophets, then they also religiously believe that Israel must fulfill its "divine" mission to rule all other nations with a rod of irons, which only means a different form of iron-like rule, more firmly entrenched even, than that of the former European Colonial Powers.

These Israeli Zionists religiously believe their Jewish God has chosen them to replace the outdated European colonialism with a new form of colonialism, so well disguised that it will enable them to deceive the African masses into submitting willingly to their "divine" authority and guidance, without the African masses being aware that they are still colonized.

Camouflage

The Israeli Zionists are convinced they have successfully camouflaged their new kind of colonialism. Their colonialism appears to be more "benevolent," more "philanthropic," a system with which they rule simply by getting their potential victims to accept their friendly offers of economic "aid," and other tempting gifts, that they dangle in front of the newly-independent African nations, whose economies are experiencing great difficulties. During the 19th century, when the masses here in Africa were largely illiterate it was easy for European imperialists to rule them with "force and fear," but in this present era of enlightenment the African masses are awakening, and it is impossible to hold them in check now with the antiquated methods of the 19th century.

The imperialists, therefore, have been compelled to devise new methods. Since they can no longer force or frighten the masses into submission, they must devise modern methods that will enable them to maneuver the African masses into willing submission.

The modern 20th century weapon of neo-imperialism is "dollarism." The Zionists have mastered the science of dollarism: the ability to come posing as a friend and benefactor, bearing gifts and all other forms of economic aid and offers of technical assistance. Thus, the power and influence of Zionist Israel in many of the newly "independent" African nations has fast-become even more unshakeable than that of the 18th century European colonialists...and this new kind of Zionist colonialism differs only in form and method, but never in motive or objective.

At the close of the 19th century when European imperialists wisely foresaw that the awakening masses of Africa would not submit to their old method of ruling through force and fears, these ever-scheming imperialists had to create a "new weapon," and to find a "new base" for that weapon.

Dollarism

The number one weapon of 20th century imperialism is Zionist dollarism, and one of the main bases for this weapon is Zionist Israel. The ever-scheming European imperialists wisely placed Israel where she could geographically divide the Arab world, infiltrate and sow the seed of dissension among African leaders and also divide the Africans against the Asians.

Zionist Israel's occupation of Arab Palestine has forced the Arab world to waste billions of precious dollars on armaments, making it impossible for these newly independent Arab nations to concentrate on strengthening the economies of their countries and elevate the living standard of their people.

And the continued low standard of living in the Arab world has been skillfully used by the Zionist propagandists to make it appear to the Africans that the Arab leaders are not intellectually or technically qualified to lift the living standard of their people...thus, indirectly inducing Africans to turn away from the Arabs and towards the Israelis for teachers and technical assistance.

"They cripple the bird's wing, and then condemn it for not flying as fast as they."

The imperialists always make themselves look good, but it is only because they are competing against economically crippled newly independent countries whose economies are actually crippled by the Zionist-capitalist conspiracy. They can't stand against fair competition, thus they dread Gamal Abdul Nasser's call for African-Arab Unity under Socialism.

Messiah?

If the "religious" claim of the Zionists is true that they were to be led to the promised land by their messiah, and Israel's present occupation of Arab Palestine is the fulfillment of that prophesy: where is their messiah whom their prophets said would get the credit for leading them there? It was [United Nations mediator] Ralph Bunche who "negotiated" the Zionists into possession of Occupied Palestine! Is Ralph Bunche the messiah of Zionism? If Ralph Bunche is not their messiah, and their messiah has not yet come, then what are they doing in Palestine ahead of their messiah?

Did the Zionists have the legal or moral right to invade Arab Palestine, uproot its Arab citizens from their homes and seize all Arab property for themselves just based on the "religious" claim that their forefathers lived there thousands of years ago? Only a thousand years ago the Moors lived in Spain. Would this give the Moors of today the legal and moral right to invade the Iberian Peninsula, drive out its Spanish citizens, and then set up a new Moroccan nation...where Spain used to be, as the European Zionists have done to our Arab brothers and sisters in Palestine?

In short the Zionist argument to justify Israel's present occupation of Arab Palestine has no intelligent or legal basis in history...not even in their own religion.

Where is their Messiah?

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Civil rights activist Malcolm X was a prominent leader in the Nation of Islam. Until his 1965 assassination, he vigorously supported Black nationalism.

“Always Keep Your Back to the Wall” Part Two

Part II

Nell Soto Part II  The 1960s: Politics, the Fair Housing Act & Other Progressive Legislation - the Real Estate Industry, ‘Hit’ Pieces, ‘Limousine Liberals,’ Headstart and Parks.

By Julian Lucas
Edited by Pamela Casey Nagler

Denver Post / Getty Images

Published August 15, 2023 9:41 Am PST

Excerpts from Nell Soto’s 1988 interview conducted by Carlos Vasquez with the UCLA Oral History Program, California State Archives, State Government Oral History Program.


Nell Soto on Fair Housing

The Rumford Fair Housing Act (AB 1240) passed in California on September 20, 1963. Its goal was to end unfair discrimination against people of color who were seeking housing, a common occurrence at the time. All too often, white landlords and property owners would not rent apartments or sell houses to ”colored people'' or “brown people.” 

The Rumford Act stated that ”the practice of discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, or ancestry in housing accommodations is declared to be against public policy.

Nell Soto reveals in her interview that it was the Real Estate lobby that provided powerful opposition to the Fair Housing Act. They circulated racist flyers to spread fear among voters.


NELL SOTO: [My husband, Phil Soto] got elected [to the assembly] in 1962. He was a party man. In 1964, he almost lost because of the famous Rumford [Fair Housing] Act.  (33)

CARLOS VASQUEZ:  Did the Rumford Act [or Fair Housing Act of 1963] hurt Democrats that badly?

NELL SOTO: Oh, yeah. Yeah. There was a big campaign in the San Gabriel Valley against it, against him because of that.

Carlos Vasquez:  Who headed that campaign?

Nell Soto:  Campbell’s people [her husband’s opponents’ people].

Carlos Vasquez:  Was he tied into real estate?

Nell Soto:  Sure. Herbert Hawkins [Realty]. A lot of the big realtors were against it and debated him on the logic of why he was supporting it. San Gabriel Valley is very conservative. Even though they vote for Hispanics, they expect you to be as conservative as they are.  (37-8)

Carlos Vasquez: What kind of campaign was it at the local level that William Campbell was able to mount? What kind of issues did he raise?

Nell Soto: The issue was fair housing. That's what the issue was.

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Restrictive Housing Covenant 1954
Pomona, CA (Ganesha Hills)

Page One

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Restrictive Housing Covenant 1954
Pomona, CA (Ganesha Hills)

Page Two

Carlos Vasquez:  In 1968, four years later?

Nell Soto:  Yes. He was still doing the same thing . . . (39-40)

Carlos Vasquez: How much did the reaction to the Rumford Fair Housing Act as expressed in the Proposition 14 campaign have to do with Mr. Soto's loss in 1968?

Nell Soto:  I think it had a lot to do with it. In 1964, he barely squeaked through. He only won by about 1,600 votes . . . Again, that area, the West Covina area. . . . There was a very strong campaign waged against him in 1964.

Carlos Vasquez:  By?

Nell Soto:  By the same guy who beat him. Bill Campbell.

Carlos Vasquez:  Did the real estate lobby play much of a role?

Nell Soto: Absolutely . . .

Carlos Vasquez: Doing what?

Nell Soto: Well, editorials, ads. I don't know who paid for the "hit piece" that went out. There was one very bad one. At that time, they weren't known as hit pieces . . . I just picked up that term from other politicians. A hit piece is something put in the mail that says something bad about the office holder or candidate . . . It was in reference to the Rumford Act. [It said] “If you don't sell to a black, you're going to wind up behind bars."

It had a picture of a white couple behind bars with a black couple outside of the jail laughing at them. That was circulated in the district.

All of that had an Impact, like the editorials against the Fair Housing Act calling it the "Rumford-Soto Act." Although all the Democrats had co-authored it, they acted as if he was the only one . . . Incidentally, Rumford also lost, as did most of the people who signed that bill. 

Carlos Vasquez:  What do you think it was about the Rumford Act that made people react, or that others were able to exploit in order to make people react? What was the argument that made people go the direction that they did?

Nell Soto:  It was called the Fair Housing Act. It made it illegal to discriminate against anybody because of race, color, or creed, in selling or renting them a house. That's all it did. But it was distorted to the point where it caused a lot of paranoia with people who owned houses they wanted to sell. People would say, "I don't want to sell my house to a black, and nobody's going to make me do it." 

The average, redneck WASP who all these years had felt very, very secure and complacent in their own little bailiwick, their all-white neighborhoods, now, all of a sudden, here was a law that was going to require them to sell to or rent to people of color, be they brown, or black, or yellow, or whatever. That was not something they appreciated or were looking forward to. To this day, I think that there's more of those people than we like to think there are.

Carlos Vasquez:  People in the Brown administration that I and others have interviewed were profoundly surprised by the reaction to the Rumford Housing Act. Were you surprised?

Nell Soto:  No. What I'm telling you is that the limousine liberals who live in Beverly Hills and send their kids to parochial or private schools author or help to author liberal legislation, yet they wouldn't live next door to a black if they got paid to or under any circumstances. They espouse liberal legislation because they think that's the right thing to do, even though if push came to shove they wouldn't like it for their own neighborhood.

Carlos Vasquez:  Could you give me an example of such a “limousine liberal”?

Nell Soto:  No, I wouldn't care to do that.

Carlos Vasquez:  How about another issue where "limousine liberals" may have carried the day and yet not had to pay the piper?

Nell Soto:  Well, I think it's everywhere.

Carlos Vasquez:  Do you think affirmative action is an example?

Nell Soto: Affirmative action, absolutely. Just think of any type of legislation where they've had to literally legislate morality. They say, "Well, you can't legislate morality." I say, "The hell you can't." If it wasn't for legislation, we would not have civil rights, we would not have fair housing. There are so many things we would not have if it had not been for legislation . . .

On education . . . I don't think we've done enough, not even for the Anglo kids, let alone for minorities. In the Brown administration, you had a lot of people who were philosophically liberal but who had never been down to or lived in the ghetto, never been poor, never known what it was like to have to go to bed hungry. I appreciate the fact that they're at least attempting to provide through legislation the means to help the people who are in those circumstances . . . [but] there are very few people in government who have been through the agony of poverty. It's because people in poverty don't have the opportunity for an education, to go through the different steps to become a bureaucrat and be able to make some of these decisions.

So for the most part . . . I'm not saying 100 percent, but I would say 99 percent of the people who are making these decisions have never been poor. They've never known what it's like to go hungry. They've never lived in a ghetto or a barrio, even though they try to legislate to help these people. It's appreciated, and if it wasn't for them we probably wouldn't be this far in legislating, if you will, morality.

I really do wish that they would come out and live here. Try it. Then they could really write some good legislation, because then they would really know what it's all about. Maybe some of the legislators, themselves, know, because they come from a different point of reference than the people in government making decisions who are not legislators. I think the advisers that the elected people hire are the ones who should really know what it's like.

Especially in the old days, nobody came from a barrio. They mostly came from agricultural areas or were attorneys or businessmen who got elected. And while they might have been poor growing up or might have been poor farmers, it was a long time before anybody was elected with a really liberal philosophy to help generate some of the liberal legislation that we've had in the last twenty or thirty years . . . 

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Structural Racism Redlining Map

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Structural Racism and Land Use Redlining Map
Pomona, CA

[Just think], the Rumford Act was voted down. People voted against it! Fair housing! The state supreme court said it's unconstitutional to vote down a fair housing situation, so the fair housing law stood. 85-94

Nell Soto on Other Progressive Legislation - The Compensatory Education Bill (Headstart) of 1865 & the Quimby Act of 1965 (Requiring Developers to Set Aside Land for Park and Recreational Use)

CARLOS VASQUEZ:  During the time he [Nell Soto’s husband] was in the Assembly, what issues particularly got you involved in politics as a wife of an assemblyman, do you remember?

NELL SOTO: Oh, I was interested in everything he was doing. Some of the things I brought up to him, he would take them in. We drew up—he didn't get the credit for it--the 1965 Compensatory Education Bill of 1965, Headstart (AB. 1331). a lot of those things for disadvantaged children, Phil and I thought of. He would take them up with him, they would get put into the hopper, and it would come out as some kind of a bill sponsored by somebody else . . . 

Another thing that was my idea, that he [Phil] did and took back, came out as the Quimby Act of 1965 (AB 1150).  I think it's very important that every developer putting in a new subdivision now has to dedicate a little bit of land commensurate with the amount of children that are projected to be in the tract [for parks or other recreational purposes.] That idea was conceived in my home . . .

I said, "You know what you ought to do? You ought to make it a law that every developer that puts in houses should leave some land for kids to play in.”

And they did.” 42-5

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LINKS
UCLA Archive

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Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books and writer in training, but mostly a photographer. Julian is the founder of Mirrored Society Books. Julian was once called a “bitter artist” on the Nextdoor app. Julian embraces name calling, because he believes when people express themselves uncensored, they are their most creative self. Unless of course it’s by someone who holds a leadership position.

Pamela Casey Nagler, Pomona-born, is an independent scholar, currently conducting research on California’s indigenous people, focusing on the Spanish, Russian, Mexican and US invasions between 1769 and the 1860s. The point of studying this history is to tell us how we got here from there. 

Always Keep Your Back to the Wall: A 1988 Interview Conducted in Two Parts with Former Pomona City Council Member, State Assembly Member and State Senator Nell Soto

Part I:

The Early Years: Growing Up With Segregation in Pomona in the 1920s, 30s & 40s - Neighborhoods, Swimming Pools, Movie Theaters, Public Schools & Jobs.

By Julian Lucas
Edited by Pamela Casey Nagler

Published 8:30 Am PST

Nell Soto

In this interview, conducted by Carlos Vasquez of the UCLA and State Government Oral History Program, Former Pomona City Council Member Nell Soto (1926-2009) talks about  her early days growing up as a Spanish/Mexican girl and young adult,  and, later, describes her days helping her politician husband, Assemblyman Phil Soto in the 1960s. 

Soto was proud that her husband broke race barriers in California politics:

“I think the most significant thing to me was that Phil [Soto’s husband] was one of the first Hispanic legislators. To me, that was very significant. Although he never ran on that banner, as the standard-bearer of anything, it was very coolly and calmly accepted. But we knew that we had broken a barrier— the two of us knew it— that had been there for years;- - I mean, in the whole century of this State, a state that had been founded by and been [part of] Mexico, they had never had a Mexican in the legislature. I think that is still significant, and I would hope that somebody would put that in the history. To me, it’s really very important that people know that.”  (pages 55-6)

She also acknowledged that she would have liked to have run for office herself in the 60s, 70s, 80s, but the time was not right for a woman: “My mother used to say, ‘Why don't you run? Why don't you? That poor guy [Soto’s husband]! You're just making him run! You're always campaigning. Why don't you run it? You're the one that should run.’ I'd say, ‘Ma, people are never going to elect me. This is not the time for women. Women are not going to be elected.’ I would have loved to have run then. I would still love it, to be an assemblyperson, but I'm too old now. That'll never happen.” (47)

However, history proved Soto wrong on this one. She served as an Assembly member between 1998 and 2000, and again in 2006 and 2008. In the interim, she served as a member of the California State Senate. In 2006, she authored legislation that included expansion of the Nell Soto Teacher Involvement program, improving foster care licensing, and improving welfare to work programs.

During Soto’s life, she attended many colleges and loved to study, but poverty, jobs, marriage, babies and politics interfered. She took many business courses because that was expected, but she loved history and English - and loved to write. She talks about attending Mt. Sac in Pomona in the early days:

“A lot of the G.I.'s who came back from the war just went back and enrolled at Mount San Antonio [College]. A lot of us had never gone on to higher education, so we went to school there. That was quite an experience because Mount San Antonio, if you see it now, is a beautiful college campus. In those days it was in army barracks on dirt hills. We had to climb through mud and rain to get to the barracks to our classes, but it was fun.” (3)

Throughout the interview, Soto’s vibrant personality and optimism shines through. Even though she grew up in poverty with the attendant problems of segregation and discrimination, she says,  “It was a fun life because we used to laugh at everything. No matter what happened, we would make fun of things that happened to us. Being so poor, it didn't really matter.” (15-6)

At the end of the interview, she sums up her life in politics when the interviewer asks her, “Of all the lessons that you learned in your political experiences to date, which stands out most in your mind?” She answers, “About politics, either as a woman, as a wife of a politician, or as a principal player?  Always keep your back to the wall.” (107)

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Nell Soto Part I: The Early Years: Growing Up in Segregated Pomona in the 20s, 30s & 40s - Neighborhoods, Swimming Pools, Movie Theaters, Public Schools & Jobs

NELL SOTO:  I’m a sixth or seventh-generation Pomonan. I don't know which, but my dad always said we were seventh generation. I've gone back and counted, but he must have known . . . My grandfather [Antonio Marta Garcia] was from the Palomares and Yorba and Veja people who got the land grants here in Pomona. My great-great-great-grandmother [Nelli Garcia] was a Garcia who married into the Palomareses and Vejars. Some of them are buried here in the historical cemetery [Palomares Cemetery]. My great-grandfather [Forestino Garcia] was born here, and so on, all the way back . . . 

The poor people lived on the south side of the tracks . . . The haves lived on the northside of Holt[Avenue] and the have-nots lived on the south side of Holt. Holt is one of the main streets and runs east and west. What always stands out in my mind is that my dad, being a descendant of one of the founding families, should have been treated with a little more dignity. But there was so much prejudice that if you had brown skin or a Spanish surname, there was a lot of prejudice. At the time it wasn't noticed that there was prejudice. It was just understood that the [Mexican] people here became sort of like the servants, the peons. They picked the oranges and the lemons. The "settlers," as they called them, were the Anglos who bought the land, cultivated it, planted oranges, and became very successful citrus growers. The people who lived in Pomona who were Hispanic and had come here in the late 1700s and early 1800s became the labor force. They're the ones who harvested the oranges and lemons. On the outskirts of Pomona and in Chino there was a great agricultural industry. A lot of people from Pomona worked in the fields in Chino . . .” (4-6)

CARLOS VASQUEZ:  When you say discrimination wasn't noticed, by whom was it not noticed? 

Soto: The Anglos.
Vasquez: Did you notice it?

Soto: Oh, yes. (6-7)

Soto: Some people don't like to admit to this—that is, people who are old-timers in Pomona--but Mexicans were not allowed to live on the north side of town.

Vasquez: There were restrictive covenants in the selling of homes?

Soto: There wasn't any [legal] segregation, it was sort of de facto segregation. It wasn't anything that was written. It was just understood that you lived in a certain part of town if you were Mexican. They didn't recognize that you were Spanish, like my dad was. His great-grandmother was from Spain. They didn't recognize it. They didn't really care, and I don't think the dignity that was owed him was given. But he didn't seem to mind. He just went on his way and didn't need them for anything. He just didn't get in their way. My mother never allowed us to be humiliated in that manner. She would say, "No, you don't go there, because you're not wanted. You're not going to go there.”

Vasquez:  Why were you not wanted at the swimming pool? 

Soto:  Because we were "Mexicans" even though we were considered Spanish by my parents. They had only one day in which Mexicans could swim.

Vasquez:  What day was that?

Soto: I don't remember if it was Monday or Friday, but on that day the pool would be cleaned out at night. Then the Anglo kids would swim. If there was a Mexican child who didn't know the rules and went there, they would just chase him away, ‘No, Mexicans aren't allowed in here.’ The same way in the theaters. There were a lot of places where they wouldn't allow Mexicans. They didn't hire any Hispanics on Second Street until the end of the war.

Vasquez:  What is Second Street?

Soto: Second Street was where the main shopping [district] used to be. I was one of the first  Hispanlcs to go to work on Second Street. I worked as a salesgirl [at the] National Dollar Store. I'll never forget it, because the man had the courage to give me a job. It must have been 1943 or '44, towards the end of the war. There were only maybe two of us Mexican/ Hispanic girls working on Second Street- At the time my mother used to tell us, “Don't let anybody tell you that you're not as good as anybody else. You go out there and you look for a job. You make them see that you're smart and you can do the job.”  She never really let us believe that we were less than anybody else because we were Hispanic/Mexicans And she used to say, “You're not Mexicans. You just have to remember that. You're not Mexicans as in 'came from Mexico.' You're Spaniards like your father is. You have to remember that.”  My dad was very proud of the fact that he was a Spaniard, a pioneer-native rather than a Mexican. Because he was a Spaniard. But my mother came from Tecate, Baja California. She was very proud of the fact. I could never see myself saying, "I'm Spanish." I always said, "I'm a Mexican."

I didn't see the difference.

Vasquez:  Now, when the war came along and you went to work in the defense industries, was the composition there pretty reflective of the society? That is to say, was there discrimination there too?

Soto: In the factory that I worked in in Pomona, there were a lot of Mexican girls from school who went to work there. And there were some Anglos.

Vasquez:  Was there any pay differential?

Soto:  No. Not that I knew of. Even my mother worked there, because they needed it. One thing happened which I think is very significant. It's not written in history books, but I think it should be. We moved to the outskirts of Pomona one day, because in those old days, when you were poor, you just kept moving. You moved around a lot.

Vasquez:  Why was that?

Soto: Because you just sometimes couldn't afford to pay the rent. You would go two or three months without paying your rent and get evicted-. You’d go find another house for rent. You didn't need a first or last month's rent. You would just need a few dollars and you could move in. We moved to the outskirts of Pomona towards Chino. The Chino school was closer than the Pomona school, so my mother took my little brother and sister there. I didn't want to go there because I was already in high school and wanted to go to Pomona. My mother took the kids to Chino. The schools were segregated. There wasn't any covenant, as you call it, or de facto [segregation]. It was blatant. She took them to the Anglo school [Chino High School]. The principal told my mother that her children couldn't go there because they were Mexicans. 

She asked, “Why? My children are Americans.”

He said, "No. No, they're Mexicans and they can't go here."

She said, ‘Okay, will a bullet go around my son should he go into the service? Since he's a Mexican, is the bullet going to go around him? . . . I want you to answer that. He's an American. He's going to be fighting for his country. Is a bullet going to go around him? Or is it going to stop with him just like it does with the other kids?’

Vasquez:  What answer did she get?

Soto: Nothing. He let the kids in . . .

So I used to tell my mother afterwards, during the days of the civil rights movement and everything that was going on, I'd say, ‘Mom, you don't even realize that you were a pioneer in integration, because of what happened in Little Rock [Arkansas] and so forth.’ . . . I said, ‘You know, you were probably one of the first people that had the nerve to stand up to people who were segregating children.’ 

I wish that somebody would have been there to record that, because it was very significant around here. Nobody had the nerve to stand up to those people. And she did. She called him a dirty name.

She said [whispers], ‘You sonuvabitch, is a bullet going to go around my son?’ (7-11)

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LINKS

UCLA ARCHIVE

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Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books and writer in training, but mostly a photographer. Julian is the founder of Mirrored Society Books. Julian was once called a “bitter artist” on the Nextdoor app. Julian embraces name calling, because he believes when people express themselves uncensored, they are their most creative self.

Pamela Casey Nagler, Pomona-born, is an independent scholar, currently conducting research on California’s indigenous people, focusing on the Spanish, Russian, Mexican and US invasions between 1769 and the 1860s. The point of studying this history is to tell us how we got here from there. 

Fight For Your Right to Programming

Photography Courtesy Julian Lucas ©2013

By Anthony Solorzano
Photography Julian Lucas
Published August 1, 2023 12:15 Pm

This might be too much information for you to handle right from the start, but when you have to go, YOU HAVE TO GO. A few years ago, I found myself in a situation where my business couldn’t wait until I got home. An emergency pitstop at Ganesha Park in Pomona was imminent. 

After quickly parking, I dashed out the car and ran towards the restroom. On my way in, I exchanged head nods with a teenage boy loitering outside the restroom. Once inside the restroom, I encountered a conundrum: Is my emergency worthy of a public restroom with no stall, only half a wall covering the restroom and a few squares of toilet paper? 

As I contemplated my situation, the teenager approached me. He introduced himself by extending his hand for a handshake and called himself Henry. After acknowledging his presence, Henry asked if there was anything he could do for me in a very objectifying manner. His eyes swept me from head to toe as he licked his own lips.

It's an uncomfortable situation that reminds me of how much the city of Pomona has failed its youth.

During my teenage years, I had the opportunity to play soccer and be involved in activities that kept me from the streets and occupied. I played soccer until I started working at the age of 16. 

When playing in the Sunday leagues, the popularity of soccer in the city was evident in numerous public parks. Regardless of which park you found yourself at on a Sunday, you would come across teams of various age groups, ranging from 5 years old to 30-something year olds, celebrating a goal.

Throughout my adult years, and especially since the pandemic, I have noticed a significant decline in the number of Sunday soccer leagues in the city, along with other types of teen programming. Currently, the city offers soccer and basketball programming for kids between the age of 4 to 7-years-old. The only options for teenagers are limited to tennis and music classes available for individuals aged 8 through 17 years.

Meanwhile, four private baseball leagues also operate within parks in the city.

According to the Gente De Pomona Equity Report, from 2021 to 2023, the city experienced an increase of $20,412,383 in their general fund expenditures. The majority of this funding is allocated to the Pomona Police Department, which has seen $15 million dollars increase since 2021.

Instead of prioritizing investments in youth and creating programs specifically for teenagers, the city places a higher emphasis on policing. According to the same report by Gente de Pomona, during the period of January 2019 through December 2021, it was found that 44% of the individuals arrested for gang-related crimes were youth and transitional age youth.

“Money for parks and [recreation]. That has been an issue for a long time,” explains Garey High School student Isabella Luna Tovar. “More than half the money [the city gets], it's going to the police, because crime rates are so high and everything, and that's understandable. But, they are so high because kids have nothing to do.”

Isabella became aware of the lack of teen programming in the city when she started playing soccer. After her high school season ended, she embarked on a search for leagues within the city by seeking recommendations from friends. Unfortunately, instead of discovering a league operated by the city,  Isabella had to rely on unorganized private leagues where she often feels  deceived due to the lack of effective communication.

“It took me a while to pay, because it's a random person,” explains Isabella. “I paid 50 dollars a couple of weeks ago and I still haven't gotten a uniform.”

When the city does offer an opportunity for teenagers to participate in their desired sport, it often makes it challenging for them to access it without adult supervision. The city’s requirement to rent out a goal post at a park can be costly and necessitates the use of a credit card. In a community where most of the parents work overtime, having an adult to accompany them is not always feasible.

“The city attempts to counter our work, they are trying to give themselves credit for just ridiculous things,” states the co-founder of Gente Jesus Sanchez. “Under the scope of youth funding, you'll see Santa Cop. You’ll see a school resource officer. These are all our funds that go to our youth.” 

“It's misleading. They’re trying to claim something they’re not. There's no strategic plan to work with young people in this city that's effective. There's no [collaboration] that the city is behind that's leading us into the future and that's a problem.”

The citizens of Pomona are joining forces to take matters into their own hands by supporting an initiative called “ Pomona Kids First.” The initiative aims to allocate 10% of the city’s budget towards creating programming specifically for children throughout the city.

If the initiative is successfully passed, it will become the second largest department in the city of Pomona, trailing behind the Pomona Police department and Public Works. 

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Anthony Solorzano II was born and raised in Pomona, California. He writes about the Dodgers and the LA Galaxy to overcome the anxiety the teams cause him.

Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer in training, but mostly a photographer, but don’t ever ask him to take photos of events. Julian is also the owner and founder of Mirrored Society Book Shop.

Abuse of Power, Lies and Videotape

It is well past time to call out the Pomona City Council for their egregious behavior during a City Council meeting nearly four months ago on February, 6, 2023.

By Julian Lucas

Published 06/06/2023 9:11 Am PST

Updated 06/06/2023
Last original paragraph retracted.


Pomona’s Mayor Tim Sandoval lost control of his meeting, and failed to stop his fellow Council Member, Robert S. Torres, son of Congresswoman Norma Torres and current candidate for the California State Assembly, from berating a member of the public from the dais.

The incident occurred during the beginning of the meeting on the agenda item listed vaguely as “ MAYOR / COUNCIL MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS. Reports on conferences, seminars, and regional meetings attended by Mayor and City Council and announcements of upcoming events, and also items for future City Council consideration as requested by Mayor or Members of the City Council.” 

No one in the public could have known from reading the agenda that this was the time that the Council would address two recent events within the last couple of weeks that involved the murder of three teens in the area: 

1. On Saturday night, January 28th,  a 17-year-old Pomona boy and a man were killed in a shooting at a house party in Pomona. 

2. A few nights later, on Thursday, February 2nd, a 15-year-old boy was killed in a shooting at Montclair Plaza. A second shooting victim was wounded. At least four people have been arrested as suspects in connection with the incident at Montclair Plaza shootings. The Montclair Police Department said detectives served search warrants in Pomona and arrested three suspects: two 20-year-old men and a 16-year-old boy.
   

Understandably, emotions ran high discussing these youth deaths and arrests in the recent weeks. Mayor Sandoval issued a call for “all community members to come together to bring forth change,” and Council Member Nora Garcia applauded several organizations in Pomona who have directed their efforts to helping teens - Gente Organizada among them. Even Council Member Torres, in the first part of his speech, spoke in favor of the organizations in the City who worked with teens and spoke of the need for the City Council to “engage the community” to do more to solve its problems.

However, after Torres announced that he had been instrumental in working with the City to secure a 4 million dollar federal grant for La Casita Teen Center at Palomares Park, he launched into what can only be characterized as a personal verbal attack on Jesus Sanchez, founder and former Executive Director of Gente Organizada, who now serves as the organization’s Economic Justice Director. 

In the past, Sanchez has been an outspoken critic of public officials who have used violent incidents such as the aforementioned as an opportunity to expand police presence. He has maintained that it is the wrong approach to the problem - insisting that the best allocation of resources are those that address the root of the problem. In the past few years, Gente Organizada has published several reports that have pointed out the inequities of arrests and incarcerations in the city. 

Sanchez had not yet spoken in this meeting, but Torres took exception to the fact that Sanchez shook his head at some of his comments. 

Torres’ diatribe against Sanchez began by warning members of the public that “we have individuals here who I call divisive individuals, who represent themselves, and they don’t represent this community. And the bottom line is each one of the City Council members here have been elected to represent this community whether you like it or not, Sir.”  Here, Torres began addressing Gente Organizada’s Jesus Sanchez directly, continuing: “And the sad part about it is this - we need more police presence - whether you like it or not. We need to hire more police on the street.” 

Torres’ comment about expanding police presence elicited a quiet rumble of dissent from the audience. 

Mayor Sandoval attempted to interrupt Torres, saying “Ro-, Ro-, Ro-,” but Torres continued: “the fact that you have a few officers patrolling the streets at one time is flat-out dangerous. And if you talk to the residents of Pomona . . . they want more investment in public safety. And . . . If you knock on that door, Jesus, (Here, Torres addresses Sanchez directly, while knocking 4 times on the dais)  and you tell them to defund the police . . . they will throw you out.”

This is the part of the meeting when Sanchez, from the audience, directed an expletive at Torres. It is easy to pin culpability on the person who is yelling and swearing in the audience, but upon examination, Sanchez was provoked. It is not the job of public officials to incite the audience in the way that Torres did.

From that time on, it became a cacophony of voices. Other members of the audience and City staff members chimed in.  At various junctures, Mayor Sandoval tried to address both Torres and Sanchez, by repeatedly calling them out by their first names. Sandoval also called out several times to Police Chief Ellis. 

From the audience, Sanchez yelled that he was angry that Council Member Torres took the topic of the teen deaths only to turn it around and make it about him. Sanchez said, “that’s the message here tonight. All of you haven’t done shit. And the kids are fucking dying.” 

The Mayor’s response was: “I want him removed,” and called for the Police Chief to do so.

Both staff and the Mayor called for a break, but even after the Mayor stood to leave the dais in order to walk toward the audience, and even while he was walking behind Council Member Torres and some of the other Council Members, Torres continued to taunt Sanchez: “Dude [he said to Jesus Sanchez] . . . Don’t be flipping people off. Don’t represent yourself like that. And, if you are the type of person who likes to dish it out, try to be the type of person that can take it.” 

It’s been reported that after speaking with the Pomona Chief of Police Ellis, Jesus Sanchez removed himself from Council chambers. 

When Gente Organizada’s Jesus Sanchez was escorted out, Mayor Sandoval told the remaining members of the organization that they should ‘keep him in check since he represents all of you”. When they replied that Council Member Torres represents the entire Pomona City Council and the Mayor should ‘keep his own Council Members in check, the Mayor disagreed and said that Council Member Torres “represents himself.” The double standard was definitely in play that night at the Council meeting.

On the original videotape, Torres’ last comment to Sanchez is audible, but shortly after, the videotape is muted for the next 7 minutes or so. During this time, the Mayor is seen on screen, speaking to several individuals including staff and security officers, at least one member in the audience, along with several other Council Members.

However, the official ‘scrubbed’ version of the videotape, does not include Torres’ last comments to Jesus, nor does it show the muted film footage of all that ensued during the break. 

While there are no laws that require the City to show the full tape, it appears shady when the city’s original tape was specifically edited for public review. This raises the question of transparency. How can city council members including the mayor campaign and include transparency as a core value, but take time to edit something so minuscule as a city council meeting not being butterflies and unicorns as they often imply.

In addition, while it appears no laws were broken, a public meeting where the Mayor allows a member of the Council to single out, target and slander one member of the public reflects poorly on the entire City Council. It is the job of the Mayor to keep the individual members of the Council in check. At times during the meeting, the Mayor did try to interrupt Council Member Torres, but Torres disregarded him. This should be addressed. There is a risk here that this kind of action could become the norm, with any Council Member choosing to ignore the Chair. In this case chaos, rather than order, would rule. 

The Mayor needs to reaffirm his role to the Council as Chair, and the Council needs to reaffirm that they are a body dedicated to representing and making decisions on behalf of the public - rather than attacking them. 

The kind of behavior, exhibited on February 6th, could very well have had a chilling effect on public participation. No member of the public wants to feel like they could be potentially singled out and publicly ridiculed as a consequence for their attendance at a public meeting.

The appropriate remedy is for the Mayor to apologize to the public directly and schedule a meeting with the Council to discuss and adopt norms and protocols for public meetings. Currently, it does not appear that Pomona has anything on the books concerning such for its Council Members, other than referring to Robert’s Rules of Order. That said, there's an existing version of Robert's Rules  recommended by League of California Cities called Rosenberg's Rules of Order, which states that:

"The chair should always ensure that debate and discussion of an agenda item focuses on the item and the policy in question, not the  personalities of the members of the body. Debate on policy is healthy, debate on personalities is not. The chair has the right to cut off  discussion that is too personal, is too loud, or is too crude."

While this particular rule applies to the conduct between Council Members, it would seem like this rule would apply to the conduct between Council Members and the public as well.

No meeting should begin with elected officials taking jabs at people. It needs to be made very clear that Council Members should only speak directly to members of the public if they are seeking clarification on issues that the members of the public addressed in their comments during the time allotted for public participation. It is not the job of an elected official to berate, argue or debate the public from the dais. The job of an elected official to take on the role of active listener - it is not always easy, but officials were elected to respond to the public's concerns.

It is important that the Council determine clear requirements for agenda items that include more specificity - preventing abuse of the topic in the future. It’s very hard for the Mayor to call out ‘point of order’ when the topic has not been defined.

Ordinarily, cities and school districts begin meetings with recognition of typically positive things that are happening in the district. This sets a positive tone for the meeting. No one should be surprised about the topic. This means that the agenda should be specific enough so that members of the public can decide beforehand whether they want to speak on a topic.

Once the Council passes a set of protocols or norms, these should be posted so that the public can hold the Council accountable. The City of Pomona, though a fairly large City, lacks a newspaper that consistently reports on its Council meetings. In lieu of this kind of reporting, it is particularly necessary that the Council have systems in place to hold themselves accountable to the public who elected them in the first place.

The bottom line is politicians should not be attempting to catapult their careers over the deaths of two Black kids.

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The Pomonan delayed writing about this incident out of respect for the families, friends and loved ones of the victims, and offers sincere condolences to all who have been adversely-affected by these deaths.

Download transcript of the Pomona City Council Member Robert Torres’ speech here

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Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer in training, but mostly a photographer, but don’t ever ask him to take photos of events. Julian is also the owner and founder of Mirrored Society Book Shop.

The Importance of Museums - What Pomona Can Do About It

Annual museum attendance in the US is around 850 million, and that number is steadily increasing.

By Julian Lucas

Published 4/27/2023 6:00 AM PST
Illustration Rebecca Ustrell

To many of us museums are impactful, to others not so much, but museums provide a look into the past, which assist people in understanding and appreciating various groups and cultures. They promote dialogue, curiosity, and self-reflection in order to improve our understanding of our shared history which propel us into the future.

Many people feel, especially city leaders, and local developers, that museums are not very profitable. However, the city of Riverside felt the opposite - they understood that museums are even more important today as they can be an economic and cultural driver to the region. 

The Cheech, the brainchild of entertainer, Cheech Marin, and the City of Riverside, has been a game changer for the Latinx community, the art community, the city of Riverside, the Southland - and really, the international art world.

In 2017, when the nearby Riverside Museum of Art exhibited Cheech’s collection, “Papel Chicano Dos: Works on Paper,” over 1400 people attended the opening - the most attended reception RAM had ever hosted, Riverside’s City Manager noted the popularity and set the project in motion, and in the summer of 2022, The Cheech made its grand opening in the repurposed mid-century building of the old Riverside Public Library - located right next to the Mission Inn and the new Riverside Public Library. 

The Cheech, managed by the Riverside Art Museum under a 25-year partnership agreement with the city, will provide around $1 million annually for operating expenses.  An additional  $9.7 million state grant along with private donations helped the Riverside Art Museum finance  the $13 million renovation of the library building. In the Cheech’s first ten years of operation, admissions are expected to bring in $3 million. But that’s not the extent of it. It makes Riverside more of a destination and people will dine, spend the night, visit the local library and pursue local businesses.

After a recent visit to the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, I absorbed so much information from what I saw. I learned that seeing something in person is entirely different than seeing it within a book or on a computer screen.

Museums encourage and promote conversation to help build bridges, inquiry, and self-reflection, and provide context to build common ground between disparate groups of people. They help future generations understand their history and value the accomplishments of those who came before them. They provide context.

The city of Lancaster, CA with 170,000 people launched the Lancaster Museum of Art and History (formerly known as the Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery or LMAG) in 1986 to provide residents with a venue for enjoying the works of artists living in the area. Along with contemporary art, the museum exhibits the history of the Antelope Valley through its permanent collection of historical artifacts and records.

Their acquisitions of art objects have centered on early California landscape painting and figurative painting along with objects of historical significance, including Native American artifacts, geological specimens and other artifacts related to the history of the Antelope Valley. The Museum's two locations reflected its twofold mission. During its first 24 years, the Museum's modest exhibition space for visual art was located on Sierra Highway not far from the new facility while a second location, the historically significant Western Hotel Museum, provided exhibition space for historical artifacts from the permanent collection.

In 2022,  the Los Angeles County Museum of Art LACMA made mention that  it is at the halfway point in constructing its new, Peter Zumthor-designed building, the David Geffen Galleries. The museum is said to be complete construction by late 2024. The museum also stated that a $700 million of $750 million fundraising target had been raised. The public-private partnership received $125 million in government support from Los Angeles County. 80% of the expenses will be covered by individual donations, the museum announced in a press release.

Meanwhile the Lucas Museum, a billion dollar project of the famed director George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson, has been challenged with delays due to the pandemic and is set to open in 2025, will be a nice, beautiful addition to south Los Angeles with its spaceship-like structure.

The Lucas was designed by prominent Chinese architect Ma Yansong. Mia Lehrer, a landscape architect, conceptualized the gardens and parks.The building's facade is made up of more than 1,500 uniquely curved fiberglass-reinforced polymer panels. 281 seismic base isolators support the building to prevent a catastrophic earthquake from destroying it and its priceless art collection. It also boasts three elevators that resemble starships, two 299-seat movie theaters, an elliptical oculus, a rooftop garden with old trees, and more.

Lastly, Pomona, the city of the forgotten. The city with architecture designed by Welton Becket. The city that never completed a museum during the construction of city hall, the library, and civic center in 1969. The city known as, having lots of potential, but can never seem to advance.

Potential property for adaptive reuse?

Potential property for adaptive reuse?

But, lets think of space in terms of Pomona. Space is the most valuable asset a city can have, well, space and money. Space to imagine, space to create something imaginable. Pomona has a surplus of space. So, what does it take? Many would say a vision, creativity, an imagination with others to jump on that bandwagon and agree. How about confidence and vision instead of meekness. How about audacity instead of trepidation?

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Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books and writer in training, but mostly a photographer. Julian is the founder of Mirrored Society Books. Julian was once called a “bitter artist” on the Nextdoor app. Julian embraces name calling, because he believes when people express themselves uncensored, they are their most creative self.

The Flawed Process

Who said what when.

A Timeline of Events - City of Pomona’s Call 4 Visual Art & the Advancement of Spectra Company’s Application to Install a Harriet Tubman Statue at Lincoln Park

By Julian Lucas
Published December 12, 2022 8:00 Am PST
Updated April 11, 2023 9:20 Am PST

Monday, December 12, 2022 the Cultural Arts Citizens Advisory Committee will meet at 4:30pm in Council Chambers to discuss agenda item, “Call 4 Visual Art Process Review Staff will facilitate a discussion at the Committee level on strategies to improve and update the Call for Visual Art process for the next round.” The public is invited to speak.

In anticipation of this discussion, The Pomonan is releasing a timeline of what happened with the application to install a Harriet Tubman statue in Lincoln Park in the last Call for Visual Art cycle, the involvement of public elected and appointed officials and the lack of opportunity for the public to engage. 

March 15, 2022

The City of Pomona launched a Call 4 Visual Art application process soliciting applications from visual artists and non-profit organizations for proposed ideas for public art citywide in previously- approved locations. "This call is for artists of all ages living anywhere and any non-profit organization located anywhere interested in public art in Pomona." The City stated that non-profit organizations may be required to supply additional information, such as a copy of Form 990 with an operating budget, and so forth. 

All applications were to be considered by the Cultural Arts Commission and its Citizens Advisory Committee. Applications were accepted between March 15 and 5PM, April 21, 2022. 

March 24, 2022

Perhaps this was the first announcement of an unveiling of the Harriet Tubman statue on July 4 at a Pomona public park. On March 24th an article appears in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin the city of Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval called Spectra Company’s founder and President Ray Adamyk’s efforts and the statue an opportunity for youth to learn about Tubman’s impact. 

“[Spectra Company’s CEO Ray]Adamyk also hopes to raise money for the church through Unity Day LA on July 4 . The 1.5-mile walk will start at Lincoln Park before ending at the Fairplex. A Tubman statue is expected to be unveiled at a city park to coincide with the event . . . 

Spectra Company is a for profit corporation, not a non-profit.

Sandoval said, “It's important to ‘have a statue of a person that represents what it was like to go through and endure slavery and not just endure but to fight back,’ Sandoval said by phone last week.” Daily Bulletin

April 21, 2022

Deadline for City of Pomona Visual Art Applications.

A few days prior to April 23, 2022 Mayor Tim Sandoval, Lincoln Park posted on the Nextdoor app with his personal, not official account:

“Please join me this Saturday, April 23, at 10 am at Lincoln Park to discuss the following items: city finances, Garey and Holt Avenue Rehabilitation projects, and a proposed statue at Lincoln Park. I will provide pastries and coffee. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me at 909 762 - 1982. Thanks!”

There were 61 responses on NextDoor to Sandoval’s personal post. This raises questions about using social media as a site to conduct private serial meetings beyond the purview of the public. It also raises questions about conducting private meetings to build consensus between more than three members of any governing body without public input.

Historic Preservation Commissioner Ann Tomkins, appointed by Mayor Sandoval responded on Sandoval’s Nextdoor post just after Sandoval’s Lincoln Park meet-and-greet:  “Most of the discussion was about a proposed Harriet Tubman statue for Lincoln Park . . . The city is in the process of reviewing applications for art projects in many of the city parks and this proposed statue may be part of that process.”

Mayor Tim Sandoval commented at the City Council meeting on Sept. 22, 2022, that several City Council Members, Commissioners, Committee members, etc. were present at his meet-and-greet at Lincoln Park.
If more than 4 members of any of the voting bodies - including the Historic Preservation Commission, Park & Recreation Commission, Cultural Arts Commission, Cultural Arts Commission Cultural Art Commission Citizen Advisory Committee or the City Council - attended the meeting OR read the comments posted on social media it could very possibly mean a Brown Act violation. And if not a clear Brown Act violation, this meeting, since it was not public, certainly violates the intents and purposes of the Brown Act, which is to allow public access to public decision-making at every level of the decision-making process.

The use of a public park for a private event raises another issue entirely. The Pomonan is unaware if city permits need to be issued for private citizens to host events in Pomona's public parks - like the Mayor's private meet-and-greet OR non-profit or private fundraising events like the Unity Walk, but a person would think so. Or is anyone allowed to stage an event at a public park?  It raises the question - who can stage and advertise events at Pomona's public parks and what is the process? 

Therefore, Mayor Sandoval's meet and greet raises four major issues: 

1. The use of a personal social media account to arrange what looked like a public-sanctioned meeting, but was actually a private meeting.
2. The use of social media to discuss a public issue before it was ever on a public agenda.
3. The use of a private meeting to discuss a public issue before it was ever on a public agenda.
4. The use of a public park for a private event. 

May 9, 2022

ABC7 News – Unity Day LA Producer and Spectra Company President & Founder Ray Adamyk on Harriet Tubman’s Last Stop on Underground Railroad, 328 views

Time stamp: 1:24 - Mayor Tim Sandoval speaks.

Unity Day LA is the name Producer and Spectra Company President & Founder Ray Adamyk assigned to his promotional event at Lincoln Park and the Pomona Fairgrounds on July 4th to raise money to restore Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The event involved speakers, a march, boxing and entertainers and the unveiling of the Harriet Tubman statue at a Pomona public park.

The article was reprinted in California News :

“This was just one opportunity to potentially bring to one of our parks, a representation of the Harriet Tubman statue,” said Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval. “To have a conversation not about our past but to start looking at our future.

May 26, 2022

Cision PR WEB and Benzinga Published Press Release

"The dedication of the Harriet Tubman statue at Lincoln Park is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on July 4, 2022, along with remarks from Adamyk, Dr. Alveda King, Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, President of the Pomona Valley NAACP Jeanette Ellis-Royston, and Elizabeth Zamora, CEO of Bright Prospects. The park is located at 400 Lincoln Blvd. in Pomona, and anyone who wishes to attend the unveiling and participate in the Unity Walk is welcome." Cision PR WEB / Benzinga

June 7, 2022

Unity Day LA: Press Release Publishes Press Release, “Inaugural Unity Walk Set for July 4 in Pomona, California”

“The dedication of the Harriet Tubman statue at Lincoln Park is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on July 4, 2022, along with remarks from Adamyk, Dr. Alveda King, Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval and Elizabeth Zamora, CEO of Bright Prospects. The park is located at 400 Lincoln Blvd. in Pomona, and anyone who wishes to attend the unveiling and participate in the Unity Walk is welcome.” Unity Day LA / Spectra Company

June 16, 2022

City of Pomona Agenda, Park and Recreation Commission:

1. Request from Applicant [Spectra Company] to Approve the Installation of Public Art at Lincoln Park. (See Staff Report)

This is the first time the Harriet Tubman Statue shows up on any City of Pomona agenda. Previous to this request, Lincoln Park was NOT on the list submitted as approved sites for public art, and none of the other 137 or so submissions were for Lincoln Park.

During this meeting, the City of Pomona’s Park and Recreation Commission voted to approve the Lincoln Park site for the Harriet Tubman sculpture. 

Based on this decision by the P & R Commission, on June 22, 2022, the Planning Division authorized a Minor Certificate of Appropriateness for the installation of public art in the form of an 80” bronze figurative statue to be located at the center of the existing rose garden at Lincoln Park. This letter was addressed and sent to Ean Frank, Project manager of Spectra Company.

The decision by the P & R Commission and the City’s Planning Division occurred prior to the City of Pomona Cultural Arts Commission (CAC)’s & Cultural Arts Citizen Advisory Committee (CACAC)’s consideration of the 137 or so Call 4 Visual Art applications, including Spectra Company’s application for this Harriet Tubman statue. 

This is an instance where one application gained Commission approval and momentum prior to actual official approval of funding. Other applicants did not have the opportunity to submit an application for this unapproved site of Lincoln Park.

Just a few days before the scheduled Unity Day event on July 4, 2022, GOOD DAY LA airs a segment interviewing Ray Adamyk, President, Spectra Corporation about his Unity Day.

“Unity Day LA came up a few months ago working with Mayor Tim Sandoval, he came up with the idea to
have this sculpture in the center of Lincoln Park.” 

July 8, 2022

City Pride Magazine publishes, “Harriet Tubman Statue Unveiled in Pomona on Unity Day”

“The African American Museum of Beginnings, the NAACP, Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, Unity Day organizer Ray Adamyk, and many others joined together for the unveiling of the Harriet Tubman statue on the grounds of Lincoln Park in Pomona Monday.” City Pride Magazine; July 8, 2022

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An unpublicized date after the July 4th event, 2022 
National Sculpture Society News, NY, NY publishes “Manuelita Brown’s Harriet Tubman Unveiled”

 “On 4th of July Manuelita Brown’s Harriet Tubman was unveiled to the public in Pomona, CA. The unveiling happened at the Unity Day L.A. celebration and Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval as well as representatives from The African American Museum of Beginning and the NAACP were present for the activities.  After the unveiling, there was a half-mile walk for racial unity and community reconciliation which included all ethnicities, police, and the community walking together under the theme “There is a time to protest – There is a time to Unite.” Brown is a member of National Sculpture Society’s Southern California Sculpture Community.” National Sculpture Society

July 28, 2022

On July 28, 2022 La Nueva Voz, (The New Voice), a Bilingual (English/Spanish) Publication: Pomona’s only Community Newspaper publishes article entitled, “Statue of American abolitionist Harriet Tubman unveiled in Pomona’s Lincoln Park as ‘Unity Day’ activities unfold”

‘This in my view is the true embodiment of community,’ said Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, referring to people of all ages and backgrounds. ‘This is what a city should be is people coming together to love, to maybe even debate and discuss, but that’s what a healthy democracy looks like.’ He added that the statue will remain for generations to come as people come to Pomona to see it and so I see this beautiful statue as an opportunity, one of many opportunities, for us to bring folks together, Sandoval said.

 ‘Art has a way of bringing people together,’ Sandoval said. ‘As you know we have real serious social and economic challenges in this country and there is no group that has been harder hit than Black Americans in this country. There is more work to be done not only here in Pomona but all over this country,’ he said.
‘We have to work together to come up with the solutions . . . and so I see this beautiful statue as an opportunity, one of many opportunities, for us to bring folks together,’ Sandoval said.” page 2. La Nueva Voice

(Unfortunately, we could not quote the Spanish portion of Sandoval’s statement, due to the article not containing the Spanish translation. In fact, La Nueva Voz has very limited or less than 5% of Spanish translations for most of its articles, as it claims to be a bilingual (English/Spanish) community newspaper in a city that is 75% Latinx including Spanish speaking families.)

August 8, 2022

The City of Pomona hold a joint meeting with the Cultural Arts Commission (CAC) & Cultural Arts Citizen Advisory Committee (CACAC), Joint Meeting. This is the first time that any of the City of Pomona’s Commissioners and Committee members had the opportunity to review the proposal for the Harriet Tubman statue along with some 136 other applications for the funding of public art across the city. Prior to the meeting on August 8th meeting, the City of Pomona’s Planning Department sent the Cultural Arts Commissioners & Cultural Arts Citizen Advisory Committee Members this Conflict of Interest Disclosure:
(See Staff Report, Page 10)

“For all individual Committee Members and Commissioners, please note:

In light of the high dollar amount before the Committee and Commissions, a friendly reminder to carefully review the full list of artists and organizations and to timely disclose to staff any financial affiliations or connections with any individuals or groups on the list, as this would constitute a direct conflict of interest.

Also, please consider any formal or informal interactions that you may have had with individuals or groups with art proposals being considered for funding and be sure you are able to make a fair and unbiased decision. 

Best practice dictates public disclosure of any interactions to avoid any appearance of bias. A conflict of interest arises when an individual’s personal interest or bias compromises his or her ability to act in accordance with professional or personal obligations. 

Please feel free to reach out to staff should you need any clarifications.” 

On August 8, 2022, no one on either the Committee or Commission recused themselves in spite of the fact that some Commissioners and Committee members attended the Harriet Tubman event in Lincoln Park on July 4th, some advertised the event on social media, some were featured in the advertisements of the event, and some spoke at the event. Unity Day LA

Both the Committee and Commission voted not to fund the Harriet Tubman statue for the $158,000 based on questions of: 

• Financial receivership: The application was originally submitted by Spectra Company, a private company, rather than a non-profit organization or individual artist. It was Ray Adamyk, President of Spectra Company who revealed during his public comments at this meeting that receivership should be changed to Village Pomona/PTowne, his non-profit. This non-profit lacked significant documentation of its non-profit status for the Commission and Committee to review at the time. It’s not clear whether or not the City of Pomona has received the appropriate documents from Village Pomona/PTowne to date. A google search for this non-profit has yielded little information. There is a PTowne website that advertises for tenants for the former YMCA building.

  According to the P Towne website, P Towne is a "PROJECT FINANCED BY NEW MARKETS TAX CREDITS THROUGH NEW MARKETS COMMUNITY CAPITAL, LLC. A TELACU COMPANY, SHELF-HELP FEDERAL CREDIT UNION (SIC), U.S. BANK, AND CEDAR RAPIDS BANK & TRUST."
  
  

•  The high cost of installation requested by Spectra Company a for profit company

• Aesthetic valuing/selection of appropriate site

•  Violations of City protocols - the advancement of one application over the 136 or so others submitted for Committee and Commission review.

The CACAC and the CAC voted not to fund Spectra Company. There are no minutes from that meeting.

September 19, 2022
City of Pomona City Council Meeting - Appeal Hearing

“7. Appeal of a Cultural Arts Commission Decision Denying the Award of Public Art Fund Dollars for Public Art (Sculpture) to be Installed at Lincoln Park 

It is recommended that the City Council adopt the following resolution: 

RESOLUTION NO. 2022-174 - A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA, UPHOLDING CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION TO DENY A PUBLIC ART FUND AWARD TO AN APPLICATION FOR PUBLIC ART FOR A PROPOSED PUBLIC ART PIECE (SCULPTURE) TO BE LOCATED AT LINCOLN PARK IN THE CITY OF POMONA” 

[time stamp, agenda item begins around 1:04:00

On Sept. 19th, Pomona’s City Council considered an appeal filed by appellant Ean Frank, Spectra Company’s Project manager for funding the Harriet Tubman statue. City Council overturned the CAC and CACAC’s decision not to fund, going against the staff recommendation by a vote of 5-2, amending the funding from the $118,000 requested to $42,250 for the maintenance and installation of the statue. The appeal doesn’t come from P-Towne Productions the alleged non-profit who resubmitted their application changing it from Spectra Company. The appeal comes from Spectra Company the private corporation.

Unfortunately, Spectra Company’s appeal formed much of the narrative of appeal. Since there were no minutes from the meeting of the Cultural Arts Commission and its Citizen Advisory Committee, the comments that carried over were mostly framed by the appellant, “Spectra Company”.

Petition submitted by Spectra Company

Mayor Sandoval and City Council Members Nolte, Preciado, Garcia,, Lustro, voted in favor. Vice Mayor Ontiveros-Cole and Council member Torres voted against. [time stamp, agenda item begins around 1:04:00]

Starting the discussion, Mayor Tim Sandoval revealed more about private meetings that took place prior to the CACAC and CAC meeting to approve or disapprove the funding for the project. Sandoval said the idea was born at a Christmas party that he attended hosted by Spectra Company in discussion with Spectra’s President & Founder Ray Adamyk.

Later, Sandoval said that he spoke with members of the AAAA (African American Advisory Alliance), a non-profit organization initiated by Sandoval as an outgrowth of conversations he began in June of 2020 with a few dozen Black advocates, educators, elders, faith-based leaders, and youth in the community. The ‘4As’ does not hold public meetings. Sandoval stated that he also met with members of the African American Museum of New Beginnings and with the Chair of the Cultural Arts Commission.

In addition, Sandoval stated that, prior to the funding & application review by the City’s Cultural Arts Commission and Cultural Arts Commission Citizen Advisory Committee - the Commission and Committee charged with that task of accepting the applications for public art and approving the funding - the application for the Harriet Tubman statue was reviewed by the Historic Preservation and the Park and Recreation Commissions as evidence that the statue had received a full Commission review process.

Sandoval’s statement was both false and misleading. After the application period for the City’s Call 4 Visual Arts applications, the City revealed that Spectra Company’s proposed site for the Harriet Tubman sculpture at Lincoln Park was NOT on the City’s approved site list generated on March 18, 2021. Therefore, the City got to work to approve Lincoln Park as a site for public art in anticipation of consideration of the Harriet Tubman statue. On May 4th, 2022 the Historic Preservation Commission determined that there was no need for a Certificate of Appropriateness to locate a sculpture at Lincoln Park, and on June 16th, the Parks & Recreation Commission also back-pedaled and approved Lincoln Park as a site for a statue. However, even though both Commissions approved the SITE for future public art, neither of the Commissions approved the Harriet Tubman sculpture to be placed there per se. That decision was beyond their jurisdiction.  That decision was reserved for the CAC and the CACCAC to vote on in a meeting scheduled for August.

Later in the meeting to consider Spectra Company’s appeal, Council Member Nolte cited Sandoval’s statement that two Commissions had voted approval of the Harriet Tubman statue as evidence of a comprehensive Commission review process, but Planning Department staff member Ata Khan corrected both Nolte and Sandoval, saying that the HPC and P & R C had never considered the Harriet Tubman statue in a public meeting. In spite of this correction, it did not change Council Member Nolte’s mind - he voted to approve of funding the Harriet Tubman statue.

This is problematic because none of the other applicants in the City's Call 4 Art knew that Lincoln Park could be considered as a site for public art until after the application deadline. The City of Pomona should not be in the business of limiting fair competition in its Call 4 Artists. An additional concern is that the City's application for public art called for the submission of conceptual proposals - indicating that the City wanted to work with applicants to develop artwork that was appropriate for the various already-approved sites. At the time of submission of the proposal for the Harriet Tubman statue, it was already complete and had already been bought and paid for by Spectra Company. 

Sandoval, in spite of his engagement with the media and his private meetings, including attending and speaking at the event itself prior to CAC and CACCAC review, declared that he did not “weigh in on'' the decision before any of the City Commissions or Committees. However, there is plenty of evidence otherwise.

During her comments, Vice Mayor Ontiveros-Cole revealed that prior to hearing the appeal, she had a private meeting with Ray Adamyk, President of Spectra’s Company to discuss the Harriet Tubman statue. 

This raises the question - how many private meetings were held prior to holding a public meeting? If 4 or more City Council members met privately, one on one, in a group, or serially to discuss this statue than they would be in violation of the Brown Act. The problem with serial meetings is compounded by the use of social media. Posting on social media can also be considered as part of a serial meeting.

Council Member Preciado, voicing his support for funding the Harriet Tubman sculpture and voicing his support for circumventing public process, stated, “Every time we hear about a fight for process . . . it always seems that process is used to obstruct things we want to get done.” Preciado was not specific as to who he considers “we” in his statement. (Time-stamp around 2:28:00)

Such a statement by Council member Preciado - along with other statements by the Mayor and Council Members - show an unhealthy disregard for the public, for public process and the public’s right to be involved in government decisions. It is important that government business be conducted in public, rather than as a series of secret, private meetings that the public has no access to. Elected officials are supposed to be responsive to the people of the community, rather than dictate what they think is ‘best.’

California’s Ralph M. Brown Act is one of California’s main laws written with the intention of regulating transparency and disclosure in government. Its intention is to provide public access to meetings of local government agencies. Codified as Government Code sections 54950-54963 in 1953, the Act reads in it preamble:

“The people of this State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.”

Conclusion
Prior to proper Committee and Commission review, City of Pomona elected and appointed officials granted particular attention to one of the 137 or so applications the City received in its Call 4 Visual Art applications.

Considering this one application, elected and appointed officials were involved in private meetings that may or may not have violated the Brown Act. They talked to and were quoted in the press and they posted on social media. Some participated in a much-advertised “unveiling” that the City permitted on public park land. These private meetings, media announcements and this well-advertised event on public land helped promote one application over the others, allowing the project to gain momentum long before the application was ever considered for public funding in a public meeting with public access. This heavy-handed and premature promotion of one application was unfair to the other 137 or so artist applications, but also to the public at large. Based on what transpired, it would not be unfair to say that public perception is now that public officials can use their status to fast-track projects they like.

In addition, though the Planning Department issued a Conflict of Interest Disclosure form prior to the meetings, some elected and appointed officials did not respond to the dictate to disclose “any formal or informal interactions that they may have had with individuals or groups with art proposals being considered for funding.”

The City of Pomona’s leaders, by failing to adhere to their own protocols to ensure accountability, accessibility and transparency, have eroded the public trust.

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Editors' Update and Note (2/21/2022)

The application for the Harriet Tubman statue was originally submitted from Spectra Company, a for-profit corporation, though this is non-compliant with the City's Call 4 Artist application process requiring applicants be either artists or non-profit organizations. The City allowed this corporate designation to stand through the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting on June 16, and the City staff's issuance of the Minor Certification of Appropriateness on June 22, 2022.

It was only at the August 12th joint meeting of the Cultural Arts Commission and the Cultural Arts Commission Citizen Advisory Committee that staff substituted the name, The Village Partners/PTowne, as the name of the applicant. Presumably, The Village Partners/PTowne is the name of Spectra Company's non-profit, though the Pomonan has been unable to locate this name as a registered non-profit. However, PTowne is registered as an LLC. It is unknown whether or not staff required, at that time, for The Village Partners/PTowne to submit a Form 990, operating budget and other materials as suggested in the application requirements. On September 19, for the City Council meeting, the appellant was Spectra Company's Project Manager Ean Frank, rather than a representative of Spectra's non-profit. For its appeal, Spectra Company reverted back to its corporate appellation.

This raises the question:

Who is the City of Pomona making the $42,250 check to? The Company? The Non-Profit? or the LLC?

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Commentary from an ex-Cultural Arts Citizens Advisory Committee Member

During the process of approving and funding the Harriet Tubman statue, much talk circulated about the desire to represent the Black perspective and educate the public - particularly children - about her legacy of abolition and the fight for racial justice.

The sculptor, Manuelita Brown, was quoted by ABC News: “Manuelita Brown [the artist] said she was inspired to sculpt Harriet Tubman knowing she was not only a soldier but also an abolitionist who fought for women's right to vote and for Black people's right to vote.”

Later, during September 2022’s City Council Appeal Hearing, Mayor Tim Sandoval stated that the installation of the Harriet Tubman statue on Lincoln Park was borne out of a desire to address issues that flared up over the police murder of George Floyd as well as private contractor Ray Adamyk’s desire for racial reconciliation. He said that the selection of its location at Lincoln Park was to include more than just Lincoln’s perspective on emancipating the slaves. 

In spite of these intentions, the quote selected for the statue’s base does not fully address these political concerns or Tubman’s desire to free her people, but rather centers on her belief in God to free herself: “God’s time is always near. He set the North Star in the Heavens. He gave me the strength in my limbs. He meant I should be free.”

Neither the Cultural Arts Commission nor the Cultural Arts Commission Citizen Advisory Committee were consulted on the choice of quote. The Pomonan considers it an opportunity diluted to educate people about slavery, abolition and emancipation.

A Commissioner or Committee member's job is a complex one. It’s not just about aesthetic valuing and site approval. We have to also consider historical context as well. In the end, the member needs to consider the proposed statue’s value to the community - aesthetic, educational, etc.

When Mayor Sandoval states that the statue was born out of the George Floyd Uprising of 2020, it has to be put in the context of Pomona’s own policing politics. According to a report published by Gente Organizada, from 2016-2020 Pomona PD arrested 251 juveniles 11-17 years of age, 27% of those were Black youth, while the Black community only accounted for 6% of the population in the city of Pomona. These figures are precisely why it is so important that the selection of a figure as important as Harriet Tubman is presented as fully as possible. She was an abolitionist and that is the message that should be brought forward - not just that she was an abolitionist, but it is important to inform the public about all that being an abolitionist means.

The artist, Manuelita Brown mentions how Harriet Tubman’s life inspired her, highlighting that Harriet Tubman was not only a soldier and a liberator, but also an abolitionist. 

After going through a plethora of quotes about her experience and how she defines slavery, the quote chosen was a strange whitewash of these facts. It raises the question - How do we really learn about Harriet Tubman by a single quote stating, “God's time is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.”?

Furthermore, with all the hoopla of the unveiling on the 4th of July, the City of Pomona should have taken a page from the famous lecturer, abolitionist, and former slave - and the Mayor’s first consideration for a statue in Lincoln Park - Fredrick Douglass who delivered the speech, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? on the 5th of July 1852. His motivation to write such a speech was to address and respond to the hypocrisy of those who wanted to whitewash slavery.

Moreover, I find it interesting that the applicant Spectra Company’s founder Ray Adamyk while being interviewed by ABC news during the unveiling event stated “There is a time to protest, but there is a time to unite. United we stand divided we fall.'' (1:22) This was said in such a way to counter the ongoing protests that have been happening across the nation including those in front of Mayor Sandoval’s house in regards to police shootings of unarmed Black men. Furthermore, it is mind-boggling that Adamyk quoted from a statement made by founding father and slaver, John Dickinson, a federalist who opposed this country’s separation from Great Britain. Dickinson owned 37 slaves. Dickinson wrestled with his slave-ownership since he was a Quaker, and the Quakers in the Philadelphia area made it known that holding humans in captivity was unacceptable. It was strongly recommended that all Quakers set slaves free. It would appear that the Quakers’ protest’ worked. Dickinson, under pressure, freed his slave. So clearly, unity should not trump protest where protest is warranted.

I fear that the installation of the Harriet Tubman statue ends up being politics as usual. Political figures gain votes, a private businessman ameliorates his standing in the community, but the question remains, in the end, does the Harriet Tubman statue serve the educative value so many during the process suggested?

THERE REMAIN UNANSWERED QUESTIONS:

1. Who did the City of Pomona issue the check for the installation and maintenance of the Harriet Tubman statue for something like $42K? Did it go to the original applicant, Spectra Company, a private company as listed in the May - July City meetings and then listed again, in the City's appeal process in September? Or did it go to the non-profit, Village Partners, P-Towne which was changed for the combination CAC and CACCAC meeting in August?  Or did it go to a private individual, Spectra’s Company CEO Ray Adamyk? The Pomonan has been unable to locate Village Partners P-Towne as a non-profit operating out of Pomona.

2. What were the financial results of Ray Adamyk’s Unity Day LA's two fundraising events held at the City of Claremont’s Lincoln Park in July 2022 and March 2023, respectively? These events listed a church in Canada, the last stop on the Underground Railroad, as the recipient for the fund-raising effort. Has there been a report of how much money has been turned over to the church in Canada?

Julian Lucas
Ex-committee Member for Pomona Cultural Arts Citizens Advisory

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Julian Lucas is a photographer, a purveyor of books and writer in training, but mostly a photographer. Julian is a Committee member for Pomona Cultural Arts Citizens Advisory Committee, but his comments are strictly his own.

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Other Related Topics
How Best to Honor an Abolitionist? Honor Abolition
Harriet Was an Abolitionist in Case You Forgot
What to the Slave is Fourth of July

Harriet Tubman Was An Abolitionist In Case You Forgot

By Julian Lucas
Published 8/15/2022 6am PST
Updated 8/15/2022 6:30pm PST

“Defund the Police” might be a phrase that ‘pisses’ many of you off, but if Harriet Tubman were alive today she would be a police abolitionist. She would be a prison abolitionist. She wouldn’t call the police for help because she would understand their goal is to arrest and incarcerate. Being born into slavery, she understood what is was like being held in captivity. Furthermore, we should all know, or at least should understand, that our modern-day police originated from slave patrols.

Harriet Tubman would understand who is disproportionately arrested and incarcerated in the US.

If Harriet Tubman had been alive during the Great Migration, she would have been guiding 6 million Black people from the rural south to the urban north to escape Jim Crow laws and the formation and rise of the Klu Klux Klan. She would have helped guide my father’s family out of Greenville, Mississippi to the south side of Chicago.

If Harriet Tubman were alive during the Great Depression, she would have fought for including Black people in the New Deal because we all should realize, by now,  that Black people were left out. Harriet Tubman would have helped my grandmother Mattie, my aunt Sis, and my great-aunt Minnie obtain social security benefits, unemployment insurance, and federally-insured subsidized loans. Instead, those so-called ‘government handouts’ were often only issued to White Americans. 98% of the subsidized loans were issued to Whites so that they could move away from Black people to create the suburbs in places like Pomona and Covina, California or Park Forest, Illinois. 

If Harriet Tubman were alive right after WW2, she would have helped my father, Thomas Lucas known to his peers as Be-Bop among other aliases depending on the setting. Harriet would have also helped over one million other Black GIs, receive their benefits from the GI Bill - benefits that would have given them a ‘leg up’ on obtaining college degrees and housing. If the GI bill had been made available to the Blacks as promised, it would have helped them enter the American middle class. My father, a US veteran, wouldn’t have had to run underground gambling joints and work in bowling alleys fixing the bowling machines if he had the same opportunities extended to him as were extended to his white peers.

If Harriet Tubman would have been alive during the Civil Rights years, she would have supported Malcom X. She understood that while Martin wanted to integrate, Malcolm knew that the fundamental problem was that the Black communities lacked the resources of the white communities. 

Harriet Tubman understood all this because she had received only $200 for her three years of service in the Civil War, under Abraham Lincoln. Harriet was no fool and wasn’t going to settle for less. She spent the next three decades seeking the additional compensation she deserved. During the late 1890s, she submitted her affidavit to Congress explaining her request for payment of an additional $1800 as the proper compensation for her military service commensurate with what her white peers received. She understood there was a significant gap in pay between Whites and Blacks - a gap that exists today. 

Harriet carried a pistol and a sword during her missions to free slaves just as Malcolm felt it was necessary to guard himself and his family with a rifle. 

If Harriet Tubman had been alive, Malcolm and Martin wouldn’t have died violent deaths by gunshot but would have been laid to rest peacefully of natural causes. If Harriet Tubman were alive during the War on Drugs era, she would have saved my cousins, Alvin, Kenny, and Kylie, including the millions of Black lives that were lost to the system and to early graves. Harriet understood that both business and the government benefit from prison labor, and she would have also understood the school-to-prison pipeline and how it systemically targets Black and Brown youth. If Harriet Tubman were alive today, she would have done more than kneel in protest alongside Colin Kaepernick, or march in a Black Lives Matter Protest. She knew well the injustices - the killing of Blacks at the hands of the Police and the overrepresentation of Black people in the prisons. I know this because she said, “Every time I saw a white man I was afraid of being carried away.” Harriet’s statement reminds me of the time in my life when I was a Black youth growing up in a predominantly White city being constantly harassed by police.

So when people get upset over the phrase “Defund the Police!” - remember that Harriet Tubman would have been fighting the whole time to abolish the police and prisons because let’s not forget, Tubman was an abolitionist. 

According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, Whites make up 76% of the population, but only 69% of the arrests, while Blacks, who make up 14% of the population, constitute 27% of the arrests. Furthermore, Black U.S. residents (465 per 100,000 persons) were incarcerated at 3.5 times the rate of white US residents (133 per 100,000 persons) at midyear 2020.

LINKS
FBI Crime Report 2019
Jail Inmates 2020
How the GI Bill’s Promise Was Denied to A Million Black WII Veterans
For Black Artists, the Great Migration Is an Unfinished Journey

Julian Lucas, is a photographer, creative strategist, a purveyor of books and writer in training, but mostly a photographer. Julian also works as a housing specialist which, includes linking unhoused veterans to housing.

DRAG Loss

Image Courtesy of Amy Zapata

Short Story & Photography By Amy Zapata
San Bernardino, CA

In the four years, I have taken photos of the DTLA drag scene. An assorted collection of images and video footage of artists and places, an archive from places that are now closed, from performers that have moved or retired. Remembering nights at bars, watching Ursula Major perform as I staple dollar bills to her arm, watching the blood trickle down. I have seen burlesque dancers capture the attention of audiences. Witnessing short-lived nights and performers creating spaces for other artists, trying to house a place for their fellow Queer performers. Sissy Spastik, who no longer performs, added her Chicago flair to the DTLA scene. Sissy’s look and makeup still some of the best I have ever seen. Memories are created in those moments, when the moments end the photos are what is left.

A part of being an artist is showing up. Being a photographer is bearing witness, documenting what is there, what others are missing, what will never be again. Even in the still, change is the constant. Having spent most of my time this year at home, the times I have driven through Los Angeles, I start to see all the changes that I have missed. Like so many of us, drag performers have adapted. The movement towards digital video performances has given way to a different way to connect, to perform. My brother, the drag artist Jean Decay and other DTLA drag artists made the shift to digital drag nights, and instead of the still images, I once took it now helping film videos 6 ft apart. My participation is tied to the creation of the performances. Showing up means collaborating on ideas, pushing what can be achieved in this new landscape. When this is over, it will be a digital collection of works from that year when we all stopped.

Image Courtesy of Amy Zapata

Losing the ability to show up, we are perpetually missing out. There are moments happening, unable to be captured that will always be lost. There is something to be said about loss, it makes bearing witness that much more important.  

WHY DO WE CONTINUE TO DEMOLISH AND TRY TO BAND-AID OUR WAY OUT OF BLIGHT?

Illustration Rebecca Ustrell
Concept Julian Lucas

Photography Julian Lucas 2020

Text & Photography Julian Lucas
Published January 5, 2020 7:13am PST
Updated 01/20/2020
Updated 2/14/2023
Illustration Rebecca Ustrell

I regret to inform you, another cool-ass building with potential has been taken from us. The act of demolition resulted in yet another empty lot. I even left a couple of voicemails inquiring about the space and my call wasn’t returned. 1377 was actually demolished over the summer months. It sure did hurt my feelings, as I am a Mid-Century Modern aficionado.

Built in 1954 and zoned for office use the building was used as an orthodontist who we learned passed away. Naturally, 1377 became a place for squatters and people who had an addiction. Hmm, to think if only we had real affordable housing and if we really believed in HARM REDUCTION, then squatters wouldn’t squat and there would be a nice place for people to get high without trespassing on private property. But, since Pomona would never come to grips of having a safe injection site for people with an addiction, we will continue down the road of squatters and haters.  

Why do so many older buildings face demolition in Pomona while others are pardoned from the bulldozer? Who decides and why isn’t anyone stopping the creation of empty lots?

The Historical Society of Pomona Valley is a non-profit historical society, which is a museum based organization with no legal power. The HSVP has been successful at designating buildings as historical and has advocated for buildings as well however, the powers that would be would be the Historic Preservation Commission. The Pomona’s Historic Preservation Ordinance passed in the 1990s, which stated any application to demo buildings built before 1945 has to be presented before the commission. Currently there is an ad hoc committee that has been established to change the rule to 50 years so Mid Century buildings and other design types as they become older.

Until this rule is changed, buildings built during the 50’s or after can be torn down, at the land owner’s discretion. And if you think the city will help, good luck. Usually developers and city people don’t give a rat’s ass about what the community wants.

There are few safeguards for this kind of thing. Many city staff don’t live in the city so nothing is of value to them, and developers are just there to make a profit.

Photography Julian Lucas 2020

Anyway, the building could have been a dope ass coffee shop or a cool ass bakery. We need to be operating towards a vision of today, not 1989. We need sustainable businesses that everyone can enjoy. We need to make an effort to hold commissioners and city leaders accountable. We can’t continue to tear down and put a band-aid over blight.

Links
Safe Injection Sites
Harm Reduction

It is now February 2023, all of the debris from the demolition was cleared and hauled away creating yet another lifeless lot in the city of the Pomona. Maybe housing? Maybe another fast-food chain? Who knows, maybe we’ll wait another 3 years before theres life again.

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Julian Lucas, is fine art photographer and photojournalist. Julian loves to create images that evoke emotions. Julian has lived in Chicago, Inglewood, Portland, and the suburbs of Los Angeles County.