Together With
The Learning Experience Chino
Hello Chino Valley,
The cold front is finally here. I repeat. The cold front is finally here!
It has been so nice enjoying the fall air. I hope you all are doing all the fun family fall activities already, like going to a pumpkin patch, decorating your porch, or going apple picking.
me “apple picking” at the grocery store
Tonight is also the awaited Chino Chew Dinner Club night. If you missed this one, do join us for Friendsgiving in November! 🍷 We’ll be hitting up restaurants in Rancho Cucamonga. Wearing plaid is encouraged 😉 You can sign up here: thechinochew.dnnr.io
Let’s get into it.
Here are some things that happened around us, in 60 seconds or less:
Business & Development
🔋 Chino Councilman Curtis Burton changed his vote to approve the 400-megawatt Dirac battery storage project, despite maintaining his opposition to the facility. Read here.
☕ Tierra Mia Coffee has opened a new location in San Bernardino, bringing its Latin-inspired coffee drinks and pastries to the area. Read more.
🖥️ Perris has banned new data centers, becoming the first city in western Riverside County to do so. Read more.
🛣️ A $25 million grant is helping move the 71 Freeway widening project through Pomona closer to completion. Read more.
Community
🚛 California AG Rob Bonta flagged Chino over alleged noncompliance with truck route rules meant to protect residential areas, schools, and hospitals. Read here.
🗳️ Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco returned 650,000 seized election ballots on Sept. 30 following a California Supreme Court order. Read here.
🚔 Chino Hills deputies arrested a 24-year-old man on Oct. 8 following a reported stabbing at the Missions at Chino Hills apartment complex. Read here.
🍔 Chino Police dispersed a crowd of teens outside the In-N-Out on Grand and Pipeline avenues following the Sept. 25 Battle of the Bone football game. Read here.
🎨 OTown Mural Fest is bringing public art and creative energy to Ontario's Arts District, highlighting local artists and the community. Read more.
Bulletin
💼 OPARC is hosting job fairs on Oct. 15 & 22, from 9–11 AM and 3–5 PM, at 9029 Vernon Ave., Montclair. On-the-spot interviews for positions paying $21.50–$27.03/hr. Bring your resume!
know before you vote
🗳 Two Tax Measures on the Ballot November 3 — and how it impacts the two cities
Chino: Measure F, Business Tax Reform
Measure F would replace Chino’s 1987-era business license tax with one based on gross receipts. Businesses earning under $75K a year would pay a flat $25, larger businesses would pay $0.60–$1.50 per $1,000, and the city expects about $4.8 million a year for general services.
It’s framed as a “fairness fix”: Chino’s top 100 businesses bring in about 65% of gross receipts but pay only about 12% of license revenue. No formal argument against it was filed, though some residents have warned that higher costs could discourage larger businesses from expanding in Chino.
Quick Notes
Case for:
Shifts the burden: Chino’s top 100 businesses bring in about 65% of gross receipts but pay only about 12% of license revenue
About 56% of Chino businesses would pay just $25
Chino’s business tax revenue is currently among the lowest in the region
Case against:
Higher costs for larger businesses could discourage expansion or new businesses moving in
Also a general tax, so the money isn’t locked to specific uses
Chino Hills: Measure J, 1-Cent Sales Tax
Measure J would add one cent per dollar to sales tax in Chino Hills, raising about $11.5 million a year for general city services until voters repeal it. The City Council, which voted 5–0 to put it on the ballot, says rising sheriff costs and new wildfire-zone requirements make relying on reserves unsustainable, and notes that about 60% of the tax would be paid by out-of-towners shopping at places like Costco and The Shops. Critics, led by resident Doug McCormick, say it’s a permanent tax increase for a city with healthy reserves, and they’ve objected that the city’s public presentations didn’t take open questions.
Quick Notes
Case for:
Costs are climbing: the Sheriff’s contract, plus new CalFire maps that put most of the city in high-risk fire zones (about $1.5M a year in extra weed abatement and tree trimming)
The city gets only 4¢ of every property-tax dollar
Covering operating costs out of reserves isn’t sustainable
Around 60% of sales tax is paid by non-residents (think Costco, The Shops)
Case against:
It’s a tax increase, and it never expires on its own
Years of tight budgeting left the city with healthy reserves
Critics objected that the city’s recent Measure J presentation didn’t take open questions from the audience
