Homeowners Want to Jilt Pomona, Join Chino Hills

Forty-one homeowners living in the southeast part of the city hope the City Council will decide by the end of the month on a proposal to separate the neighborhood from Pomona and let it become part of the San Bernardino County community of Chino Hills.

Sandwiched between the Pomona Freeway and the Corona Expressway just above the San Bernardino County line, the homeowners are in an awkward situation. They are within Pomona city limits, but the houses--which run along Scenic Ridge Drive and Rock Crest Lane east of the Corona Expressway--are geographically part of Chino Hills.

Residents send their children to schools in the Chino Hills School District, receive mail through post offices in Chino Hills and use San Bernardino County roads and emergency services.

Bryant Favors Move

“Our address is in Chino Hills. If someone uses the Pomona address, it takes weeks to get to us,” said Frank Mackey, president of the Rolling Ridge Homeowners Assn., which organized three years ago to address problems the 41 homeowners faced. Shortly after its formation, the group voted unanimously to recommend the move, and wrote letters to county supervisors and Pomona officials asking for their support.

The boundary change must be approved by both counties and the City Council. Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum, whose district includes Pomona, is in favor of the move, and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has already adopted a resolution of intent accepting the 41 homes into its jurisdiction.

The issue is expected to come before the City Council this month. Councilman C. L. (Clay) Bryant, who is favor of the move, said Wednesday that he plans to put the matter on the Aug. 21 council agenda.

“I’m very much in sympathy with those people,” Bryant said. “They really do belong to the Chino community there. This is America, and they deserve better.”

Other council members, however, had mixed reactions to the possible loss of that part of the city because it would mean a loss in property- and utility-tax revenue.

“There has to be some demonstrated benefit to the city,” Councilman Mark A. T. Nymeyer said. “Those are fairly significant homes. I don’t see how they can objectively request this without any remuneration.”

Mayor Donna Smith said she understood the concerns of the homeowners but would try to negotiate with San Bernardino County to share property-tax revenue for a period after the move takes effect. But even if such an agreement could not be worked out, she would most likely support it anyway, Smith said.

Unusual Request

Requests to separate from one city and become part of another county are unusual, according to Michi Takahashi, executive assistant for the Los Angeles County Local Agency Formation Commission, which processes applications for boundary changes. The Pomona group’s application is the only one of its kind the commission has received in the last two years, Takahashi said.

Mackey said his reasons for wanting to become part of Chino Hills are more than just a desire for convenience.

“We want to have a future say in those hills because they’re developing very quickly,” he said. “It’s one of the fastest growing areas in Southern California. The natural boundary line is the Pomona Freeway, because they can’t build any more homes north of us. If we have traffic problems, we want to have a say.”