San Gabriel Valley

Authorities identified the rider thrown from his motorcycle and fatally hit by a truck on the northbound 605 Freeway in Industry as a Chino Hills resident.

Suchet Lim, 26, died at the scene of Wednesday’s crash on the northbound 605 Freeway, south of the 60 Freeway, according to Lt. Dave Smith of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner – Coroner. He said the autopsy is pending.

The truck driver, a 48-year-old Santa Ana man, wasn’t injured.

The fatal crash was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 3:21 p.m.

A Yamaha was traveling about 65 mph on the No. 4 lane when it allegedly went into “a high speed wobble” for an unknown reason, according to CHP Officer Jeremy Tolen in a statement. He said the rider was thrown off the motorcycle which ended up on its side.

Tolen said the motorcyclist was struck by the rear wheels of a truck in the next lane.

The crash is under investigation.

Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Officer Brian Adams or the on-duty sergeant at the CHP Santa Fe Springs Office at 562-868-0503.

A crash involving a jackknifed tractor-trailer shut down lanes on the 60 and 605 freeways Tuesday afternoon near Avocado Heights, leaving traffic snarled for the evening commute.

Caltrans officials on Twitter said lanes aren’t expected to reopen until about 7 p.m.

The crash was reported at 2 p.m. on the southbound 605 connector road to the westbound 60 freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol incident log.

SB 605 connector to WB 60 Fwy: #1 lane still closed. Also WB 60 #4 lane closed there. Tow is on scene. Trailer is damaged so another trailer will take the spilled load of sheet metal. Opening approx. 7pm pic.twitter.com/5avnWd0ut2

— Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) March 13, 2018

The big rig was on its side and scrap metal was in traffic lanes, according to reports made to the CHP.

A SigAlert was issued just after 2:40 p.m. for the No. 1 lane of the southbound 605 transition to the westbound 60 freeway, and for the No. 4 lane at the westbound 60 and the 605.

 

The coroner’s office on Monday released the name of the Pomona man killed during a weekend crash on the eastbound 60 Freeway that left six others injured including three children.

Coroner’s spokesman Ed Winter said 29-year-old Abraham Franco died at the scene at 3:23 a.m.

California Highway Patrol Sgt. Robert Ruiz said a 1-year-old, a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old injured in the collision are believed to be Franco’s children. He said their mother was also injured, but he didn’t know if she was Franco’s girlfriend or wife.

The 1-year-old girl remains in critical condition at Children’s Hospital of Orange County on Monday, according to Ruiz. He didn’t know if the others who were injured were still at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.

The fatal crash occurred on the eastbound 60 freeway, west of Diamond Bar Boulevard in Diamond Bar shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday. There were two separate crashes.

A car hit a 2001 Chevrolet Impala that became disabled on the carpool lane. The Impala’s driver, Melissa Murga, 30, of Pomona took off her seatbelt and took her 1-year-old daughter from the car seat.

Sgt. Ruiz said the Impala’s front passenger, Franco, also unbelted himself and was in the process of calling 911.

They were trying to get out of the Impala when it was rear-ended by a Chevrolet Silverado. The Impala overturned. Ruiz said Murga, the 1-year-old and Franco were ejected from the Impala.

Murga and the toddler suffered major injuries while two other children riding in the Impala suffered minor injuries. The Silverado’s driver, John Swick, 32, of Hesperia, ended up with minor injuries while his passenger, Ashley Stevens, 31, of Hesperia, sustained major injuries.

Nearly a year after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of methamphetamine, Mike Spence was confirmed this week as the new mayor of West Covina.

He didn’t exactly sail into the new role. The City Council on Tuesday considered skipping him, but the motion to change the succession order failed when it didn’t reach the needed four votes. Spence abstained from the vote. Outgoing Mayor Corey Warshaw voted no on the motion.

“This is a ceremonial and a symbolic position,” Warshaw said, adding that he saw no reason to bypass Spence in the rotation. “The people of West Coivna elected all five of us. If they want some kind of change, they can make that change.”

Spence, who served as mayor pro tem  — a position that steps in when the mayor is not available — this past year, was convicted of a misdemeanor DUI in connection following a solo car crash that landed him in the hospital with serious injuries in June 2016.

Toxicology reports revealed Spence had methamphetamine in his system when he crashed his rental car into a utility pole in Covina, according to authorities. He was sentenced to three years probation last December.

Since the incident, Spence, who was elected in 2013, has spoken publicly about his struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.  Last year, when some council members and residents spoke against his confirmation as mayor pro tem, he gave an emotional speech, saying he has not let his problems with addiction affect his work for the city.

He also served as chief of staff for San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman until he was fired a year ago.

On Tuesday, Spence talked briefly about going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and encouraged others to not let public shaming “discourage you from getting help.”

Councilman James Toma, who made the motion to skip Spence in the mayoral rotation, said his issue with Spence becoming mayor was one of principles and values.

“Do we value the rule of law? If a police officer had done some of the conduct that was at issue here and was being promoted to captain, what would somebody think of that,” Toma said, adding that being mayor is a privilege — not a right.

“Do we feel that we are special or entitled to certain positions because of who we are?” he asked.

Also per the succession order, Councilman Lloyd Johnson, who was elected in 2015, was confirmed as mayor pro tem for the next year.

POMONA >> Foothill Bus rider Ron Miller was well aware of the huge gap in the schedule.

The bus he frequently rides, Line 292 from the Pomona Transit Center to Claremont, stops operating at 8:07 a.m. then picks up again later in the afternoon, leaving a midday gap. Also, there’s no night service.

“I would like to take it up to the Stater Bros. on Foothill and Towne,” said Miller, 53, a regular Foothill Transit bus rider and Pomona resident. “I like the changes they are proposing to the 292, to have an all-day route.”

That’s just one of the many schedule changes — some extensions, some cancellations — Foothill Transit wants to make by October that would affect its 14 million annual riders on 39 lines in the Pomona and San Gabriel valleys.

The effort is an attempt to stave off a drop in bus ridership resulting from a healthier economy, lower gas prices and customers switching to the popular L.A. Metro Pasadena-to-Azusa Gold Line train.

By scratching barely used routes and condensing others to serve fewer cities, the independent West Covina-based bus agency can save about $550,000, which can pay for increases in labor costs and route extensions.

On Tuesday, Miller was one of about a dozen people who filled a small conference room at the Pomona Library to learn about the substantial changes and the first fare hike from the bus agency in seven years.

Tuesday’s meeting was the fifth of seven public meetings hosted by Foothill Transit this month on proposed fare and schedule changes. The agency will hold its next meeting 1 p.m. Thursday at El Monte City Hall East, 11333 Valley Blvd. with the final meeting scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, at Foothill Transit’s offices, 100 S. Vincent Ave., West Covina.

Under the plan, the cost of a single bus ride would climb from $1.25 to $1.50 for cash users. Those using a preloaded TAP card would not experience a fare increase; fares on some commuter routes would rise only 5 cents for the first year of a two-year rate change.

Monthly passes for seniors and disabled riders would jump from $22 to $25 and from $33 to $40 for students. On the other hand, adult monthly passes would drop from $70 to $50.

For the first time, Foothill Transit would offer riders a day pass for $5, $2.50 for seniors and disabled.

Miller and friend Trevor Collins, 58, both said they didn’t mind the fare hike, although Miller is thinking of changing to a TAP card instead of paying cash, to avoid the increase.

Collins applauded a proposal to send Line 480 from Pomona directly to Mount San Antonio College in Walnut. He said it would be the first time he can ride from Pomona to Walnut directly, on one bus. “There is a demand for a bus to Mt. SAC,” he said.

Foothill Transit already has five bus lines feeding into Mt. SAC, which enrolls as many as 60,000 students a semester and where parking is in short supply.

Collins attends Devry Institute but is thinking about taking classes at the popular community college.

Foothill Transit has heard from the college administration and students about a need for more mass transit. “That will add more connections and feed into students with the Class Pass,” said Felicia Friesema, spokeswoman for Foothill Transit.

In Azusa, Foothill Transit wants to move its Line 690 from terminating at the Downtown Azusa Gold Line to the APU/Citrus College Gold Line station. “We’re trying to build in more access to Gold Line stations. Trying to give people more choices,” Friesema said.

Ruth Trigo, 63, of Pomona, objected to shortening Line 480. The proposal calls for stopping at Eastland Shopping Center in West Covina but not farther west. “I want it to continue to West Covina Parkway and California Avenue,” she said in Spanish, through an interpreter.

Michael Bourne of Glendora has been riding mass transit for 36 years. He didn’t have many objections to the schedule and fare changes but wanted Foothill to be more aware of operational issues, such as drivers routinely showing up 15 to 20 minutes late at stops on Line 187.

Foothill wants to split that line that runs from Montclair to Pasadena into two. Line 187 would run from Pasadena to Azusa. Line 188 would run from Azusa to Montclair, with an added stop at the Westfield Santa Anita mall.

Friesema said the agency is considering stops at the mall as well as Santa Anita Park and the 626 Night Market that takes place in the parking area in the summer.

The earliest the new routes and fares would take effect is October, pending approval of the governing board.

In an effort to bolster falling revenues as a result of declining ridership, Foothill Transit is proposing to raise the fares for adults, seniors, disabled and students by 25 cents a ride, according to a plan released Wednesday.

A single bus ride would jump from $1.25 to $1.50. Those using a pre-loaded TAP card either would not experience a fare increase, or see only a 5-cent increase for the first year.

Monthly passes for seniors and disabled riders would jump from $22 to $25. Monthly passes for students riders would increase from $33 to $40.

But adult monthly passes would go down from $70 to $50 under the proposed rate restructuring plan.

The transit agency cites “rapid rise in senior population” that has increased the number of discount customers, reducing revenue significantly.

The cost of a monthly pass for adults, seniors and disabled riding the Silver Streak and Commuter Express lines will remain unchanged for the first year and rise by $5 and $10 respectively in the second year of the plan. The cost of student passes for the Silver Streak would go from $52 to $75.

Under the plan, Foothill will offer riders a day pass for the first time for $5 and $2.50 for seniors and disabled, said Felicia Friesema, a spokeswoman for the bus system.

This is the first time in seven years the agency has proposed a fare increase or fare restructuring, she said.

The proposed changes, including some bus routes that will be eliminated or merged, will save the West Covina-based agency about $580,000, which will be “immediately reinvested back into service,” according to a statement from the transit agency.

Foothill Transit serves more than 48,000 riders a week, or about 14 million a year in the Pomona and San Gabriel Valleys and in downtown Los Angeles. The independent transit agency runs 39 bus lines and operates 361 buses from Montclair to L.A.

While 75 percent of its budget comes from Propositions A and C approved by LA County voters, Foothill Transit still gets 25 percent from farebox revenues. And those have been dropping due to fewer riders over the past several years.

“For the last three years, Foothill Transit has experienced an increase in operating expenses and decrease in ridership. Ridership decline has impacted transit agencies across the nation,” read a statement released by the agency.

“Ridership decline translates to revenue reduction, which has ultimately affected our farebox recovery ratio,” the agency said.

As costs rise, “the gap between fare revenue and operating cost is widening,” according to the statement.

The proposal will go before the governing board on Friday. If the board votes in favor, the public will have 45 days to comment on the new fares and route changes. Public meetings will be held in April. The earliest the new fares would take effect is October.

CLAREMONT – Authorities on Monday released the name of the 17-year-old driver who was killed when a car fell about 50 feet down a mountain road last week.

Anthony Macias of Ontario died from multiple blunt force traumatic injuries, according to Ed Winter, assistant chief of operations and investigations for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner – Coroner. He said Macias was wearing a seat belt.

The fatal solo crash happened Thursday night crash on Mt. Baldy Road, north of Shinn Road. The area is located above Claremont.

California Highway Patrol Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said a 2004 Honda S2000 southbound on Mt. Baldy Road lost control and went over the edge. The car landed on its roof.

Macias died at the scene.

His passenger, 17-year-old Rene Chacon-Duenas of Montclair, suffered a broken wrist, a swollen face and shoulder pain.

GLENDORA – Authorities released the names of the driver and passenger who were killed after a three-vehicle crash on the westbound 210 Freeway near Glendora on Wednesday.

Lt. David Smith of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Jorge Abarca-Ramos of El Monte and Viridiana Salinas-Rivera, 24, of Pasadena were pronounced dead shortly after 10 a.m. He said the autopsies have not been scheduled.

Smith didn’t have an age for Abarca-Ramos but the California Highway Patrol had earlier identified him as a 41-year-old El Monte resident.

Salinas-Rivera was driving a Toyota pickup westbound on the 210 Freeway, east of Lone Hill Avenue, when a Ford F-350 rear-ended the Toyota. CHP Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said the impact sent the Toyota into the center divider. The Ford also rear-ended a Hyundai Sonata.

Salinas-Rivera and her passenger, Abarca-Ramos, were killed. Another man who was riding in the Toyota suffered major injuries, according to Jimenez.

The Sonata’s driver and passenger as well as the driver of the Ford truck were also injured.

GLENDORA – Two people died and four others were injured Wednesday in a collision involving three vehicles on the westbound 210 Freeway, east of Lone Hill Avenue.

The 9:39 a.m. crash shut down four westbound lanes for several hours.

Authorities haven’t released the names of the two people who were killed. But California Highway Patrol Officer Rodrigo Jimenez described them as a 24-year-old Pasadena woman and a 41-year-old El Monte man.

The crash took place in the No. 1 lane.

A 2015 Hyundai Sonata was slowing down in front of a 1995 Toyota pickup, which was either stopped or slowing down, Jimenez said. A Ford F-350 didn’t stop and rear-ended the Toyota.

Jimenez said the impact forced the Toyota to the left and into the center divider. He said the Toyota pickup struck the center divider twice.

The Ford then rear-ended the Sonata.

The Toyota’s driver and her front passenger suffered head injuries and died at the scene, he said. Jimenez said a second man who was also a passenger in the Toyota suffered major injuries and was flown by helicopter to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center. The man’s injuries included trauma to the head and body.

Jimenez said the Sonata’s driver, 41-year-old Janet Davis, suffered major injuries to the head and both arms. A helicopter also took her to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center. Davis’ passenger, 56-year-old Kimberly Coffee of Los Angeles, complained of pain.

William Katchmar, 48, of Yucaipa, who was behind the wheel of the Ford pickup truck, ended up with a laceration to the head. He and Coffee were transported to Foothill Presbyterian Hospital in Glendora, Jimenez said.

Katchmar was not arrested. The investigation is ongoing.

CHP Officer Monica Posada said a SigAlert was issued at 10:28 a.m. for the carpool lane as well as the No. 1, 2 and 3 westbound lanes.

All lanes re-opened at 1:42 p.m.