Big Bear Lake, CA – Today, Chief Executive Officer Greg Devereaux updated the Board of Supervisors regarding Supervisor Neil Derry’s proposal to ease the stringent county parking codes for mountain area businesses.

The county currently employs a universal, “one-size fits all” parking standard for all businesses mandating a certain number of parking stalls based on a variety of criteria. These criteria include features such as square footage and type of business, among others.

“The current requirements are too onerous for mountain businesses where space is limited and it is negatively impacting the local economy,” Supervisor Derry said. “Residents and patrons do not want a concrete jungle in their beautiful forest and want access to a variety of businesses and service providers for their unique lifestyle.”

One proposed change would reduce the 10 parking space minimum requirement for restaurant uses to a four space minimum.

The parking study must go before the county planning commission for review before it can be brought back to the board. It is anticipated that the board will receive the proposal in the Spring of 2012.

Mountain Driving;

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Supervisor Derry criticizes brazen theft of funds from local taxpayers and county government!

Big Bear Lake, CA – In what amounts to outright thievery by Governor Jerry Brown and the State of California, the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection overrode its previous decision and voted to nearly double the charge levied on structures from $90 to $150 and more importantly, vastly expanded the definition of what structures are now subject to this tax.

The board voted to tax San Bernardino County fire stations, government buildings, hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities. There are approximately 10 fire stations that have been identified as being subject to this tax. Additionally, the tax is per habitable structure and would subject owners of multi-unit residential and commercial property to additional tax liabilities.

When the Board of Forestry significantly limited the size and scope of the tax in August, Governor Brown subsequently appointed four handpicked members to guarantee support for his illegal tax.

“How do you levy a fire tax on a county fire station,” questioned Supervisor Neil Derry. “The arrogance of Sacramento is sickening and frankly, it is time for county governments to seriously reconsider their role as tax collection and servicing agents for a state that is schlepping its responsibilities onto us while at the same time robbing us blind.”

According to the Regional Council of Rural Counties, CAL FIRE estimates the fire fees will now generate $80 million in revenue with $50 million going to backfill the agency’s budget leaving the remainder for fire prevention efforts.

The original tax was supposed to go entirely towards fire prevention and generate $50 million in the first year. Now the tax is slated to drum up $80 million with the bulk of the money going to keep the CAL FIRE budget whole and leaving fire prevention as an afterthought.

“As I said all along, this illegal tax is a ruse to fill state coffers and will not provide any additional benefits to taxpayers,” Derry said. “Pick whatever euphemism for liars and thieves you want; it fits the actions of this administration to a tee.”

The silver lining in this dark cloud of state malfeasance is that local governments can now sue the state directly instead of waiting for individual taxpayers and watchdog groups to file suit.

State hostility towards local governments and the subsequent burdens and responsibilities left at their doorstep are becoming too great to ignore. In recent weeks, the state voted to give illegal aliens financial aid while decreasing available spots and raising tuition for Californians and passed a law forbidding counties from fingerprinting welfare applicants to prevent fraud. This comes after the state took action to release criminals from prison early and transfer thousands of inmates into local custody.

“There comes a time when a long train of abuses and usurpations must be addressed,” Derry said. “At some point the state must be held accountable for its oppressive actions and repeated failures.”

Press Release From the Office of
Supervisor Neil Derry

World famous cycling event
places international spotlight
on outdoor enthusiast mecca

SAN BERNARDINO, CA – The American equivalent of the Tour de France cycling road race will return to Big Bear in 2012 after garnering rave reviews by organizers of the Amgen Tour of California following the 2010 visit, which drew thousands of spectators to our region along with millions of watchers worldwide.

The race is conducted over eight stages with Big Bear hosting the finish of the sixth stage on Friday, May 18. The “Big Bear Climb” will begin in Palmdale and travel through a rigorous mountain ascent that decimated the 2010 field due to its incredible difficulty.

Although the event is presented by AEG, each stage is hosted and organized by local committees. This year the race will be hosted once again by the Big Bear Chamber of Commerce and its Events Resource Office who will be assisted by a financial partnership with Supervisor Neil Derry.

“The Chamber did a phenomenal job last time and I know that they will make this event even better in 2012,” said Supervisor Derry, who has agreed to contribute $25,000 towards the event. “This event produces millions of dollars in economic benefits to the region when you quantify exposure Big Bear gets to millions of people around the world and take into account the year round boost in tourism from this audience.”

In 2010, the race drew approximately 12,000 spectators to Big Bear and was broadcast on a national television network and across the world depicting the lush green forest and deep blue lake.

With Stage 6 finishing in Big Bear on a Friday, the Chamber of Commerce is working with the Big Bear Lake Resort Association to aggressively market overnight packages to keep out-of-town visitors on the mountain through the weekend.

“The overhead visuals depicted the majestic beauty of the region in a way that words simply cannot,” Derry stated. “This is our chance to introduce Big Bear to millions of people and continue our work to brand the region as an outdoor enthusiast and tourist mecca.”

Those seeking additional information about the tour should visit www.BigBear.com or www.AmgenTourofCalifornia.com.

“With the help and support of County Supervisor Neil Derry, the City, County, Resort Association and Big Bear Chamber of Commerce were able to bring the tour to our mountain community,” said Mayor Bill Jahn “and because of this collaborative partnership, we have seen many more cyclists on our local roads taking advantage of training at high-altitude. Big Bear is poised to be the next big mecca for highaltitude, high-adrenaline outdoor sports!”

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif./ November 3, 2011– Today AEG, the official race presenter of the Amgen Tour of California, announced its 13 Host Cities for the 2012 Amgen Tour of California professional road cycling race. The seventh annual event will cover more than 750 miles in eight days from May 13-20, 2012. Big Bear Lake has been selected as the race’s Stage 6 Finish on Friday, May 18. The City of Palmdale will serve as the Host City and start location for Stage 6, which ultimately finishes with a demanding climb to Big Bear.

“While the detailed route of the race, including for Stage 6 from Palmdale to Big Bear, is not yet final, we can say that it will be one of our most challenging courses to date,” said AEG Sports Executive Director Kristin Bachochin.

This is the second time in three years Big Bear Lake has been selected as a Host City, which reaffirms the mountain resort as a world-class road cycling destination. Officials of Big Bear Lake are excited with the opportunity to present Big Bear’s mountainous terrain and natural assets to recreational outdoor enthusiasts throughout the world. The visibility includes 27 hours of total race coverage on VERSUS, broadcast exposure in 216 countries and territories worldwide. Last year there were 1.1 million visitors to the official tour website, more than 30,000 social media fans and more than 340,000 visitors to the online tour tracker.

Big Bear Lake

“Big Bear is honored to serve as a finish city for the 2012 Amgen Tour of California,” said City of Big Bear Lake Mayor Bill Jahn. “In 2010, we served as the first-ever mountaintop finish for the race, and it definitely put Big Bear on the international map for road cycling.”

The Amgen Tour of California is considered cycling’s most important and successful stage race in the United States. It is the largest annual spectator sporting event in California and largest cycling event in North America with more than 2 million spectators. The prestigious road cycling race features elite professional teams and athletes from around the world. Listed on the international professional cycling calendar (2. HC ranking), the Amgen Tour of California awards important, world-ranking points to the top finishers.

Next year will mark the seventh straight year Amgen Tour of California has brought the drama and excitement of professional cycling to California. The 2012 Amgen Tour of California will travel along a more than 750-mile course in eight days. The 13 host cities for the eight stages include: Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Livermore, Sonora (new city for 2012), Clovis, Bakersfield, Palmdale, Big Bear Lake, Ontario (new city for 2012) and Mount Baldy and Los Angeles.

For more information about the 2012 Amgen Tour of California, please visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com. For more information pertaining to the Stage 6 finish, also known as “The Big Bear Climb” visit www.bigbear.com.