HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix G Paleontological Resources AssessmentPALEONTOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT FOR
THE CHASE ROAD PROJECT
CITY OF FONTANA,
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
APNs 0228-151-17, -18, and -19
Prepared for:
EPD Solutions
2355 Main Street, Suite 100
Irvine, California 92614
Submitted to:
City of Fontana
Community Development Department
8353 Sierra Avenue
Fontana, California 92335
Prepared by:
Todd A. Wirths, M.S., P.G., Senior Paleontologist,
California Professional Geologist No. 7588
BFSA Environmental Services,
a Perennial Company
14010 Poway Road, Suite A
Poway, California 92064
November 18, 2022
Paleontological Assessment for the Chase Road Project
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paleontological Database Information
Author: Todd A. Wirths, M.S., Senior Paleontologist, California
Professional Geologist No. 7588
Consulting Firm: BFSA Environmental Services, a Perennial Company
14010 Poway Road, Suite A
Poway, California 92064
(858) 679-8218
Report Date: November 18, 2022
Report Title: Paleontological Assessment for the Chase Road Project, City of
Fontana, San Bernardino County, California
Prepared for: EPD Solutions
2355 Main Street, Suite 100
Irvine, California 92614
Submitted to: City of Fontana
Community Development Department
8353 Sierra Avenue
Fontana, California 92335
Prepared by: BFSA Environmental Services, a Perennial Company
14010 Poway Road, Suite A
Poway, California 92064
USGS Quadrangle: USGS Devore, California (7.5-minute) Quadrangle, Section 36,
Township 1 North, Range 6 West
Assessor’s Parcel Numbers: 0228-151-17, -18, and -19
Study Area: 6.84 acres (gross)
Key Words: Paleontological assessment; Holocene alluvial fan deposits; low
sensitivity; monitoring not recommended; City of Fontana.
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Table of Contents
Section Page
I. INTRODUCTION AND LOCATION ...................................................................... 1
II. REGULATORY SETTING ...................................................................................... 1
State of California .................................................................................................... 4
City of Fontana ......................................................................................................... 4
III. GEOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 5
IV. PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ..................................................................... 5
Definition ................................................................................................................... 5
Fossil Locality Search ............................................................................................... 7
V. PALEONTOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY ................................................................... 7
Overview .................................................................................................................... 7
Professional Standards ............................................................................................. 7
City Assessment of Paleontological Sensitivity ........................................................ 8
VI. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................... 8
Suggested PRIMP ..................................................................................................... 8
VII. CERTIFICATION ................................................................................................... 11
VIII. REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 11
Appendices
Appendix A – Qualifications of Key Personnel
List of Figures
Figure Page
Figure 1 General Location Map ................................................................................ 2
Figure 2 Project Location Map .................................................................................. 3
Figure 3 Geologic Map .............................................................................................. 6
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I. INTRODUCTION AND LOCATION
A paleontological resource assessment has been completed for the Chase Road Project,
located northwest of the western terminus of Chase Road in the city of Fontana, San Bernardino
County, California (Figures 1 and 2). The project consists of three parcels (Assessor’s Parcel
Numbers [APNs] 0228-151-17, -18, and -19) that total 6.84 (gross) acres. On the U.S. Geological
Survey 7.5-minute, 1:24,000-scale Devore, California topographic quadrangle map, the project is
situated in Section 36, Township 1 North, Range 6 West, of the San Bernardino Baseline and
Meridian. The project parcels are being considered for development with a residential subdivision.
Currently, the project parcels are vacant and graded flat.
As the lead agency, the City of Fontana has required the preparation of a paleontological
assessment to evaluate the project’s potential to yield paleontological resources. The
paleontological assessment of the project included a review of paleontological literature and fossil
locality records for a previous project in the area; a review of the underlying geology; and
recommendations to mitigate impacts to potential paleontological resources.
II. REGULATORY SETTING
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which is patterned after the National
Environmental Policy Act, is the overriding environmental regulation that sets the requirement for
protecting California’s paleontological resources. CEQA mandates that governing permitting
agencies (lead agencies) set their own guidelines for the protection of nonrenewable
paleontological resources under their jurisdiction.
State of California
Under “Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act,” as
amended in December 2018 (California Code of Regulations [CCR] Title 14, Division 6, Chapter
3, Sections 15000 et seq.), procedures define the types of activities, persons, and public agencies
required to comply with CEQA. Section 15063 of the CCR provides a process by which a lead
agency may review a project’s potential impact to the environment, whether the impacts are
significant, and provide recommendations, if necessary.
In CEQA’s Environmental Checklist Form, one of the questions to answer is, “Would the
project directly or indirectly destroy a unique paleontological resource or site or unique geologic
feature?” (Appendix G, Section VII, Part f). This is to ensure compliance with California Public
Resources Code Section 5097.5, the law that protects nonrenewable resources, including fossils,
which is paraphrased below:
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a) A person shall not knowingly and willfully excavate upon, or remove, destroy,
injure or deface any historic or prehistoric ruins, burial grounds, archaeological
or vertebrate paleontological site, including fossilized footprints, inscriptions
made by human agency, rock art, or any other archaeological, paleontological
or historical feature, situated on public lands, except with the express
permission of the public agency having jurisdiction over such lands.
b) As used in this section, “public lands” means lands owned by, or under the
jurisdiction of, the state, or any city, county, district, authority, or public
corporation, or any agency thereof.
c) A violation of this section is a misdemeanor.
City of Fontana
In the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) of the City of Fontana General Plan
Update 2015–2035, two paleontological resource mitigation measures are specified, MM-CUL-4
and MM-CUL-5. MM-CUL-4 must be implemented before construction starts, while MM-CUL-
5 must be implemented before, during, and after construction (City of Fontana 2018a). The
measures are as follows:
MM-CUL-4 A qualified paleontologist shall conduct a pre-construction field
survey of any project site within the Specific Plan Update area that is underlain by
older alluvium. The paleontologist shall submit a report of findings that provide
specific recommendations regarding further mitigation measures (i.e.,
paleontological monitoring) that may be appropriate.
MM-CUL-5 Should mitigation monitoring of paleontological resources be
recommended for a specific project within the project site, the program shall
include, but not be limited to, the following measures:
• Assign a paleontological monitor, trained and equipped to allow the rapid
removal of fossils with minimal construction delay, to the site full-time
during the interval of earth-disturbing activities.
• Should fossils be found within an area being cleared or graded, earth-
disturbing activities shall be diverted elsewhere until the monitor has
completed salvage. If construction personnel make the discovery, the
grading contractor shall immediately divert construction and notify the
monitor of the find.
• All recovered fossils shall be prepared, identified, and curated for
documentation in the summary report and transferred to an appropriate
depository (i.e., San Bernardino County Museum).
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A summary report shall be submitted to City of Fontana. Collected specimens shall
be transferred with [a] copy of [the] report to [the] San Bernardino County Museum
(City of Fontana 2018a).
III. GEOLOGY
The project is located within the broad Lytle Creek alluvial fan that emanates from the San
Gabriel Mountains approximately four miles to the northeast. The deposits are a result of the uplift
and erosional dissection of the eastern San Gabriel Mountains. The main source of these sediments
is from the Lytle Creek drainage, near where the northwest-southeast-trending San Andreas fault
zone cuts across and separates the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges (Morton and
Miller 2006). Geomorphically, the project is relatively flat lying, with a gentle slope to the
southwest (see Figures 2 and 3). The project is underlain by late Holocene-aged (approximately
within the last few thousand years) young alluvial-fan deposits (yellow areas with red dots labeled
“Qyf5”), mostly composed of sand (Figure 3, after Morton and Miller 2006).
IV. PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES
Definition
Paleontological resources are the remains of prehistoric life that have been preserved in
geologic strata. These remains are called fossils and include bones, shells, teeth, and plant remains
(including their impressions, casts, and molds) in the sedimentary matrix, as well as trace fossils
such as footprints and burrows. Fossils are considered older than 5,000 years of age (Society of
Vertebrate Paleontology 2010) but may include younger remains (subfossils) when viewed in the
context of local extinction of the organism or habitat, for example. Fossils are considered a
nonrenewable resource under state, county, and local guidelines (Section II of this report).
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Fossil Locality Search
A paleontological records search was performed for the project, based on record searches
for prior projects by Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., and locality files of the Division of
Geological Sciences at the San Bernardino County Museum (SBCM) in Redlands and the
Vertebrate Paleontology Section of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in Los
Angeles (LACM). The closest-known fossil localities are located approximately five to six miles
south of the project within Fontana, and include extinct species of Pleistocene mastodon, bison,
and camel at depths as shallow as five feet below the surface (SBCM localities [locs.] 5.1.14 to
5.1.21). Another fossil locality several miles southwest of the current project included mammoth
remains at a depth of about 20 feet below the surface, in Ontario (SBCM loc. 5.1.8). The nearest-
known fossil locality held by the LACM (LACM loc. 7811) is located in Eastvale, Riverside
County, consisting of the fossil remains of a Pleistocene whipsnake.
V. PALEONTOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY
Overview
The degree of paleontological sensitivity of any particular area is based on a number of
factors, including the documented presence of fossiliferous resources on a site or in nearby areas,
the presence of documented fossils within a particular geologic formation or lithostratigraphic unit,
and whether or not the original depositional environment of the sediments is one that might have
been conducive to the accumulation of organic remains that might have become fossilized over
time. Holocene alluvium is generally considered to be geologically too young to contain
significant nonrenewable paleontological resources (i.e., fossils) and is thus typically assigned a
low paleontological sensitivity. Pleistocene (over 11,700 years old) alluvial and alluvial fan
deposits in the Inland Empire, however, often yield important terrestrial vertebrate fossils, such as
extinct mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths, extinct species of horse, bison, camel, saber-
toothed cats, and others (Jefferson 1991). These Pleistocene sediments are thus accorded a High
paleontological resource sensitivity.
Professional Standards
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology has drafted guidelines that include four categories
of paleontological sensitivity for geologic units (formations) that might be impacted by a proposed
project, as listed below:
• High Potential: Rock units from which vertebrate or significant invertebrate, plant, or
trace fossils have been recovered.
• Undetermined Potential: Rock units for which little information is available concerning
their paleontological content, geologic age, and depositional environment, and that further
study is needed to determine the potential of the rock unit.
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• Low Potential: Rock units that are poorly represented by fossil specimens in institutional
collections or based on a general scientific consensus that only preserve fossils in rare
circumstances.
• No Potential: Rock units that have no potential to contain significant paleontological
resources, such as high-grade metamorphic rocks and plutonic igneous rocks.
Using these criteria, based on the project’s distance from significant fossil localities yielded
by older, Pleistocene-aged alluvial deposits, the Holocene deposits at the project can be considered
to have a low potential to yield significant paleontological resources.
City Assessment of Paleontological Sensitivity
Section 5.4.1.5 of the City of Fontana’s draft EIR for the general plan (City of Fontana
2018b) describes the paleontological sensitivity of the strata underlying the city. Based on
Pleistocene vertebrate fossils recovered from the city’s southwestern area (SBCM locs. 5.1.11,
5.1.14 5.1.17, and 5.1.19 to 5.1.21), subsurface “older fan” Pleistocene deposits are considered by
the City to have a high potential for yielding fossils. The overlying “younger fan” deposits at the
surface are considered by the City as having no potential to yield significant paleontological
resources. This geologic scenario includes the project, and therefore the paleontological context.
VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The existence of Holocene alluvial fan deposits at the project, and the lack of known fossil
specimens or fossil localities from within a several-mile radius encompassing the subject property
support the recommendation that paleontological monitoring need not be required during earth
disturbance activities at the Chase Road Project. However, if fossils of any sort are discovered
during grading and earthmoving activities, a paleontologist must be retained to develop a
Paleontological Resources Impact Mitigation Program (PRIMP) consistent with the provisions of
CEQA, those of the City of Fontana (2018a, 2018b), and those of the guidelines of the SVP (2010).
Implementation of the PRIMP would mitigate any adverse impacts (loss or destruction) to potential
nonrenewable paleontological resources, if present, to a level below significant.
Suggested PRIMP
If fossils are inadvertently discovered, suggested guidelines for a PRIMP are outlined
below. The following suggested PRIMP guidelines, when implemented, would reduce potential
impacts to paleontological resources to a level below significant. Paleontological monitoring may
be reduced on the observations and recommendations of the professional-level project
paleontologist:
1. If paleontological resources are discovered during earth disturbance activities, the
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discovery shall be cordoned off with a 100-foot radius buffer so as to protect the
discovery from further potential damage, and a county-qualified paleontologist shall be
consulted to assess the discovery.
If the discovery is determined to be significant by the paleontologist, a PRIMP shall be
implemented, which will include notification of appropriate personnel involved and monitoring of
earth disturbance activities:
1. Monitoring of mass grading and excavation activities in areas identified as likely to
contain paleontological resources shall be performed by a qualified paleontologist or
paleontological monitor. Monitoring will be conducted at the discretion of the qualified
paleontologist in areas of grading or excavation in undisturbed sedimentary deposits.
2. Paleontological monitors will be equipped to salvage fossils as they are unearthed to
avoid construction delays. The monitor must be empowered to temporarily halt or
divert equipment to allow removal of abundant or large specimens in a timely manner.
Monitoring may be reduced if the potentially fossiliferous units are not present in the
subsurface, or, if present, are determined on exposure and examination by qualified
paleontological personnel to have low potential to contain fossil resources. The
monitor shall notify the project paleontologist, who will then notify the concerned
parties of the discovery.
3. Paleontological salvage during trenching and boring activities is typically from the
generated spoils and does not delay the trenching or drilling activities. Fossils will be
collected and placed in cardboard flats or plastic buckets and identified by field
number, collector, and date collected. Notes will be taken on the map location and
stratigraphy of the site, which is photographed before it is vacated, and the fossils are
removed to a safe place. On mass grading projects, discovered fossil sites will be
protected by flagging to prevent them from being overrun by earthmovers (scrapers)
before salvage begins. Fossils will be collected in a similar manner, with notes and
photographs being taken before removing the fossils. Precise location of the site is
determined with the use of handheld GPS units. If the site involves remains from a
large terrestrial vertebrate, such as large bone(s) or a mammoth tusk, that is/are too
large to be easily removed by a single monitor, a fossil recovery crew shall excavate
around the find, encase the find within a plaster and burlap jacket, and remove it after
the plaster is set. For large fossils, use of the contractor’s construction equipment may
be solicited to help remove the jacket to a safe location.
4. Isolated fossils will be collected by hand, wrapped in paper, and placed in temporary
collecting flats or five-gallon buckets. Notes will be taken on the map location and
stratigraphy of the site, which is photographed before it is vacated, and the fossils are
removed to a safe place.
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5. Particularly small invertebrate fossils typically represent multiple specimens of a
limited number of organisms, and a scientifically suitable sample can be obtained from
one to several five-gallon buckets of fossiliferous sediment. If it is possible to dry
screen the sediment in the field, a concentrated sample may consist of one or two
buckets of material. For vertebrate fossils, the test is usually the observed presence of
small pieces of bones within the sediments. If present, multiple five-gallon buckets of
sediment can be collected and returned to a separate facility to wet-screen the sediment.
6. In accordance with the “Microfossil Salvage” section of the Society of Vertebrate
Paleontology guidelines (2010:7), bulk sampling and screening of fine-grained
sedimentary deposits (including carbonate-rich paleosols) must be performed if the
deposits are identified to possess indications of producing fossil “microvertebrates” to
test the feasibility of the deposit to yield fossil bones and teeth.
7. In the laboratory, individual fossils are cleaned of extraneous matrix, any breaks are
repaired, and the specimen, if needed, is stabilized by soaking in an archivally approved
acrylic hardener (e.g., a solution of acetone and Paraloid B-72).
8. Recovered specimens will be prepared to a point of identification and permanent
preservation (not display), including screen-washing sediments to recover small
invertebrates and vertebrates. Preparation of individual vertebrate fossils is often more
time-consuming than for accumulations of invertebrate fossils.
9. Identification and curation of specimens into a professional, accredited public museum
repository with a commitment to archival conservation and permanent retrievable
storage (e.g., the SBCM) shall be conducted. The paleontological program should
include a written repository agreement prior to the initiation of mitigation activities.
Prior to curation, the lead agency (e.g., the City of Fontana) will be consulted on the
repository/museum to receive the fossil material.
10. A final report of findings and significance will be prepared, including lists of all fossils
recovered and necessary maps and graphics to accurately record their original
location(s). The report, when submitted to, and accepted by, the appropriate lead
agency, will signify satisfactory completion of the project program to mitigate impacts
to any potential nonrenewable paleontological resources (i.e., fossils) that might have
been lost or otherwise adversely affected without such a program in place.
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VII. CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the statements furnished above and in the attached exhibits present the
data and information required for this paleontological report, and that the facts, statements, and
information presented are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief, and have been
compiled in accordance with CEQA criteria.
November 18, 2022
Todd A. Wirths Date
Senior Paleontologist
California Professional Geologist No. 7588
VIII. REFERENCES
City of Fontana. 2018a. Final Environmental Impact Report. Cultural Resources, Fontana
Forward General Plan Update 2015-2035. State Clearinghouse #2016021099.
https://www.fontana.org/DocumentCenter/View/29525/Final-Environmental-Impact-
Report-for-the-General-Plan-Update.
City of Fontana. 2018b. Draft Environmental Impact Report, Chapter 5.4. Cultural Resources,
Fontana Forward General Plan Update 2015-2035. https://www.fontana.org/Document
Center/View/26716/54-Cultural-Resources.
Jefferson, G.T. 1991. A catalogue of late Quaternary vertebrates from California: Part two,
mammals. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Technical Reports, no. 7: i-v
+ 1-129.
Morton, D.M. and Miller, F.K. 2006. Geologic map of the San Bernardino and Santa Ana 30' x
60' quadrangles, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 06-1217, scale
1:100,000.
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. 2010. Standard procedures for the assessment and mitigation
of adverse impacts to paleontological resources; by the SVP Impact Mitigation Guidelines
Revision Committee. Electronic document, https://vertpaleo.org/wp-
content/uploads/2021/01/SVP_Impact_Mitigation_Guidelines-1.pdf.
Paleontological Assessment for the Chase Road Project
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APPENDIX A
Qualifications of Key Personnel
To dd A. W ir ths , MS, PG No. 7588
Senior Paleontologist
Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc.
14010 Poway Road Suite A
Phone: (858) 679-8218 Fax: (858) 679-9896 E-Mail: twirths@bfsa-ca.com
Education
Master of Science, Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, California 1995
Bachelor of Arts, Earth Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz 1992
Professional Certifications
California Professional Geologist #7588, 2003
Riverside County Approved Paleontologist
San Diego County Qualified Paleontologist
Orange County Certified Paleontologist
OSHA HAZWOPER 40-hour trained; current 8-hour annual refresher
Professional Memberships
Board member, San Diego Geological Society
San Diego Association of Geologists; past President (2012) and Vice President (2011)
South Coast Geological Society
Southern California Paleontological Society
Experience
Mr. Wirths has more than a dozen years of professional experience as a senior-level paleontologist
throughout southern California. He is also a certified California Professional Geologist. At BFSA, Mr.
Wirths conducts on-site paleontological monitoring, trains and supervises junior staff, and performs all
research and reporting duties for locations throughout Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside,
Orange, San Diego, and Imperial Counties. Mr. Wirths was formerly a senior project manager
conducting environmental investigations and remediation projects for petroleum hydrocarbon-
impacted sites across southern California.
Selected Recent Reports
2019 Paleontological Assessment for the 10575 Foothill Boulevard Project, City of Rancho Cucamonga,
San Bernardino County, California. Prepared for T&B Planning, Inc. Report on file at Brian F.
Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2019 Paleontological Assessment for the MorningStar Marguerite Project, Mission Viejo, Orange
County, California. Prepared for T&B Planning. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates,
Inc., Poway, California.
Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc. 2
2019 Paleontological Monitoring Report for the Nimitz Crossing Project, City of San Diego. Prepared
for Voltaire 24, LP. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2019 Paleontological Resource Impact Mitigation Program (PRIMP) for the Jack Rabbit Trail Logistics
Center Project, City of Beaumont, Riverside County, California. Prepared for JRT BP 1, LLC.
Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Monitoring Report for the Oceanside Beachfront Resort Project, Oceanside, San
California. Prepared for S.D. Malkin Properties. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates,
Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Resource Impact Mitigation Program for the Nakase Project, Lake Forest, Orange
County, San California. Prepared for Glenn Lukos Associates, Inc. Report on file at Brian F.
Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Resource Impact Mitigation Program for the Sunset Crossroads Project, Banning,
Riverside County. Prepared for NP Banning Industrial, LLC. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and
Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Assessment for the Ortega Plaza Project, Lake Elsinore, Riverside County.
Prepared for Empire Design Group. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc.,
Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Resource Record Search Update for the Green River Ranch III Project, Green River
Ranch Specific Plan SP00-001, City of Corona, California. Prepared for Western Realco. Report
on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Assessment for the Cypress/Slover Industrial Center Project, City of Fontana, San
Bernardino County, California. Prepared for T&B Planning, Inc. Report on file at Brian F. Smith
and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Monitoring Report for the Imperial Landfill Expansion Project (Phase VI,
Segment C-2), Imperial County, California. Prepared for Republic Services, Inc. Report on file at
Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2021 Paleontological Assessment for the Manitou Court Logistics Center Project, City of Jurupa Valley,
Riverside County, California. Prepared for Link Industrial. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and
Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2021 Paleontological Resource Impact Mitigation Program for the Del Oro (Tract 36852) Project,
Menifee, Riverside County. Prepared for D.R. Horton. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and
Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2021 Paleontological Assessment for the Alessandro Corporate Center Project (Planning Case PR-2020-
000519), City of Riverside, Riverside County, California. Prepared for OZI Alessandro, LLC.
Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2021 Paleontological Monitoring Report for the Boardwalk Project, La Jolla, City of San Diego.
Prepared for Project Management Advisors, Inc. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and
Associates, Inc., Poway, California.