ViewPoint

A few weeks ago, I posted my priorities as I began my campaign for a seat on the Barstow City Council.   These priorities include Quality of Life, Economic Security, Public Safety, and Economic Development .   In this essay, I will touch upon Quality of Life issues.   Quality of Life has to do with the livability and appearance of our community, how we feel about Barstow, and the amenities that make life enjoyable.   Safety also plays a role in Quality of Life issues, but I will address safety later.   Over the years, we have seen many of our community amenities close and sit idle, buildings and land became vacant.   Paint peeled, weeds grew, and our community spirit declined. Many will point to the good days.   The days when we had an indoor swim center, a golf course, a bowling alley, and a skating rink.   Some became too costly to maintain, others were privately owned and did not make a profit.   Regardless of the reason, with each lo...

This piece was published in the Desest Dispatch on June 12, 2012 and can be viewed at this link:  http://www.desertdispatch.com/opinion/marijuana-13097-use-laws.html There is a lot of emotion surrounding the issue of marijuana, but unfortunately too few facts.   Many people believe marijuana is legal in California.   Some believe marijuana is harmless or it is not as bad as some other substances.   Others believe marijuana is a gateway drug, leading many to lives of ruin, or it could be the savior of the California economy if we would just tax it. I voted against the Compassionate Use Act because I have not been convinced science supports the use of marijuana as medicine.   I understand some people claim it provides them relief, and I do not seek to argue or attack them.   I simple am not convinced.   Having said that, the voters approved the Compassionate Use Act and I respect the will of the voters. However, possession, use, cultivation a...

When I left my house on April 21, I was struck by the number of KONY 2012 signs I saw plastered all over the intersection at Muriel and Armory.  It seem there were about 30 of them.  They were taped to traffic lights, traffic control boxes and city owned fences in the public right of way.  As I continued to drive to through town I continued to see signs--on the I-15 bridge, along Barstow Road and at the intersection of Barstow Road and Main St.  Many of these signs had already been torn down and left on the sidewalk or simply fallen to the ground. I could have continued driving, like most of us do when we see trash on the side of the street, or I could have called the city and left a message for the street department to clean up the mess.  Instead, I chose to take a few minutes and clean the mess up myself.  How much better would our community look if everyone would take a few minutes to pick up a little trash in the public areas of our community, rather t...

As published in the Desert Dispatch , Letters to the Editor, February 23, 2012-- “The City Council voted Tuesday to approve designing Barstow’s first roundabout.” That is how an article in the Desert Dispatch on Jan. 20 began. My first thought, like many others in the community, was that it sounded like a goofy idea. However, as I took a closer look at the issue, I began to realize that this might just be an idea whose time had come. The roundabout replaces the traditional intersection of streets with a circle. No stoplights, no stop signs: instead a circle, where vehicles enter the traffic flow, drive counter-clockwise to a desired point and exit. No stopping and no waiting. Moreover, while continuing to drive with no waiting, drivers save fuel. Most will only drive through the roundabout a couple times a week so individually drivers will probably not see a noticeable savings. However, consider the reduction in fuel consumption as a community over time, and with that reduced fue...

Most of us are familiar with the second paragraph of the US Declaration of Independence:   We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed … [1] Among these [rights] are life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness--that to secure these rights… These words, penned by Thomas Jefferson two hundred and thirty-five years ago help to explain what we can and should expect of our government…our government all levels. Securing our rights--protecting but not controlling our lives, guaranteeing but not limiting our liberty, securing our right to pursue happiness but not defining what happiness should be.   This is the promise of good government as envisioned by our founding fathers. It is that...

I met Sam Pearson today, he is the Desert Dispatch's newest report. He is young, with a huge smile and an optimistic nature. He recently moved here from the Bay area and I hope everyone makes him feel welcome in Barstow. UPDATE:  I'm not sure what happened, but Sam has already left the Desert Dispatch.  I hope life treats him well.

I have strong views on a number of issues and topics, but everything comes back to one central theme--Barstow First!   Every action…every decision should be focused on putting Barstow first.   After a career in public safety, it should come as no surprise that the safety of our families and neighbors is high on my priority list.   As a council member, I will continue my efforts to reduce the influence of drugs and gangs in Barstow and seek opportunities to insure we reduce other crimes in our community. No task is more important for the City Council than working to improve our community and position us as a place of opportunity.   A place where business can grow and our residents can find meaningful jobs.   We need to insure that where ever possible, bureaucratic hurdles are reduced and red tape eliminated so businesses and residents alike can find it as easy as possible to work with City Hall.   The effort to better position Barstow includes imp...

Originally printed in the Spring 2004 Crossroads newsletter. Code Enforcement Lt. Richard Harpole Barstow Police Department H ave you ever heard the expression “you cannot not see the forest for the trees?” That saying has a lot of application here in Barstow. Most of us know Barstow is a great city, with many good people, a healthy environment, and a lot of promise. Unfortunately, at times, it is hard to see the goodness that is Barstow, because of many problems that are in the forefront, such as code enforcement violations. If you have ever moved into a new house or office, or remodeled, or bought new furniture, then you know firsthand how these new surroundings can pick up your spirits and give you a more pleasant outlook. The same thing happens in a community. If your neighbor paints his house, his efforts make your neighborhood look better. Soon you begin to think that you want to paint your house, or make some other upgrades to it, so that Mr. Jones’ house does not ...

Boys & Girls Club of Barstow: The Beginning -Rich Harpole   www.RichHarpole.net Sixteen years ago this month, the effort to open a Boys & Girls Club in Barstow began.  I was a Barstow Police corporal and had been working on drug and gang issues in Barstow for several years, and during an earlier contact with a group of young gang members one of them asked me, "Why isn't there anything for us to do in this town"?  That question stuck with me for several years. There always seemed to be something going on in Barstow-- youth football, baseball, soccer.  There were dance programs and several activities at Park and Rec, we had a bowling alley and a movie theater.  There were always things to do, what were these kids talking about-- nothing to do. Then one night, when I could not sleep, I was surfing the Internet and started looked for information about youth programs.  I came across a bulletin from the US Department of Justice, which ...

Did you see the City Council discussion on January 17 about a proposed rental property ordinance? A member or members of the Council asked staff to put together an ordinance to create an inspection and certification process for rental property, which staff did following Council direction. Then after the staff briefing the discussion fell into utter confusion.  I have some experience with code enforcement as well as search/seizure law. Unfortunately based on what we heard from the dais, it would seem the Council has no idea what is in our ordinances or the City's search/seizure power under the Fourth Amendment. Based on the Council discussion it would be easy to think the proposed ordinance would allow code enforcement to enter people's homes anytime they want. That is simply not true. The City Council does not have the power to grant search authority beyond the authority provided in the Fourth Amendment. Given the situations the council hopes to address with this ord...