Alvarez guilty on all counts, loses seat on Water Board

Xavier Alvarez's days of embarrassing Three Valley Municipal Water District are officially over. About an hour ago, the elected official from Pomona was found guilty of 3 felony counts for misappropriation of public funds, insurance fraud and grand theft.

According to Deputy District Attorney Sandi Roth, a conviction of misappropriation of public funds means Alvarez can no longer be a public servant. His days as a Three Valleys Board member are over.

The news will certainly be welcome by his fellow board members, who have publicly and privately blasted him and his behavior.

The conviction came over 2 years after Alvarez signed up his ex-wife for health insurance benefits through Three Valleys, bilking thousands of dollars in tax payers money over the course of several months.

A dejected Alvarez was taken away in handcuffs after the reading of the guilty verdicts. He will remain behind bar until a sentencing hearing on October 1. Alvarez could be put away for up to 5 years in state prison, although the prosecutor said that stiff a sentence was unlikely.

"I think he should think about his misdeeds while he's sitting in jail," she said.

For a complete story, be sure to check out Wednesday's issue of the COURIER.

Xavier Alvarez trial resumes

Stay tuned for some upcoming news on Xavier Alvarez, Pomona's representative to the board of Three Valley Municipal Water District. Alvarez will be spending some more time in court this week.

Jury selection, opening statements and calling of witnesses should begin tomorrow in his trial. He has been charged with felony accounts of insurance fraud, misappropriation of public funds and grand theft.

The District Attorney has also filed a separate charge against him for perjury, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled this week. Prosecutors will try to prove that Alvarez intentionally falsified his W4 forms at Three Valley to claim that he was married. Alvarez has not been married since 2002.

Tri-City Board meeting today

Tri-City Mental Health Center will have a Governing Board meeting today.

Among the agenda items are a resolution determining salaries for staff members, a resolution to approve the 2009-10 budget and a hearing on the final list of delegates for Tri-City's upcoming Prevention and Early Intervention Planning Process.

Councilmember Larry Schroeder is Claremont's elected representative to Tr-City governing board and Chuck Leeb is the citizen representative for Claremont.

The meeting begins at 4:45 p.m. at Tr-City's main office building at 2008 N. Garey Ave. in Pomona.

School Board Candidates Forum

The lawn signs are beginning to pop up around town and that means another election is heating up in Claremont.

The race has begun for the CUSD Board of Education featuring 4 candidates running for 3 open seats. Candidates include incumbents Steven Llanusa and Mary Caenepeel and challengers Jeff Hammill and Jeff Stark.
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Tomorrow, you can get to know the candidates and the issues at the first candidate's forum hosted by Active Claremont.

The forum will take place Wednesday evening at the Claremont Library beginning at 7 p.m.

Free pass at the Fair

Get into the LA County Fair for free today, and the next 3 Fridays. If you bring 5 cans of Ralphs Private Label canned goods before 6 p.m., you'll get a free pass into the Fair. Not a bad deal!

For more info on what's going on at the Fair and promotions, visit lacountyfair.com.

Panel Discussion on Health Care System

A panel discussion on “Perspectives from Within the Health Care System” is being presented by the League of Women Voters of the Claremont Area tomorrow from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hughes Center, 1700 Danbury Rd.

Panelists from sectors involving hospitals, physicians, safety net providers, employer groups and the insurance industry will take part in the panel presentation. The League of Women Voters emphasizes that the event is NOT a debate.

Frederick Lynch, PhD and associate professor at Claremont McKenna College, is the moderator.

Panelists include:

Jaime Garcia, regional vice president of the Hospital Association of Southern California
Patrick Wade, MD,retired neurosurgeon, representing the California Medical Association and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons
Alicia Mardini, chief executive officer of East Valley Community Health Center
Barbara Decker, director of benefits, Southern California Center
Michael Lugo, vice president of The Rule Group
Leanne Gassaway, regional director for state affairs, America’s Health Insurance Plans.

RSVP options include voice mail at 909-624-9457, e-mail: league@claremontn.ca.lwvnet.org or by Fax at 909-624-9839.

Peter Yao to head the Independent Cities Association

I'm back from vacation and back to blogging.

Tonight, the Packing House will be packed with officials from across southern California, including mayors from Beverly Hills, Manhattan Beach and more. Organized by the Independent Cities Association, the event will see Claremont City Councilmember Peter Yao take over as President of the association for the next year.

The event will allow city leaders from the region, including those who've never been to Claremont, to visit our city and see what it has to offer.

The Independent Cities Association is for cities which have hired staff members to operate their own services, including policing, sanitation and engineering, rather than contracting them out to the county. There are currently 52 member cities.

Mr. Yao, Packing House Developer Jerry Tessier and Claremont Museum of Art Director Bill Moreno are schedule to speak at the event.