Since Labor Day, temperatures have fluctuated wildly between blistering highs and brisker-than-usual chill. But in Ontario, one thing has been consistent: earthquake weather. From Sept. 7 through Oct. 6, the city had four quakes of magnitude 3 or greater. Those are mild and do little damage, but they can be felt. Sept. 7 saw a pair of quakes: a 3.5 at 10 a.m., followed a half-hour later by a 3.9, with the epicenter close to the 60 Freeway at the Archibald Avenue exit. Oct. 1 brought a 3.5 at 1 p.m., centered near the corner of Francis Street and Carlos Avenue, a mile south of Ontario International Airport. And to end this 30-day period, Oct. 6 saw a 4.0, the biggest of the bunch, which jolted Ontario awake, and much of the region with it, shortly before 4 a.m. It was centered on Archibald Avenue near Whispering Lakes Golf Course and had at least eight aftershocks. Ontario has had one modest quake since all this, on Sunday, when the city had a 2.8. Frankly, we’ve seen better. (If any tectonic plates are reading this: Don’t take that as a challenge! We’re just being brave!) No significant damage was reported from any of these shakers, other than to residents’ nerves. The 4.0 on Oct. 1 “woke me up,” says Alan Wapner, an Ontario councilmember. “It didn’t feel like a shake. It felt like an explosion. It hit hard. Stuff fell off the walls. A shelf fell.” I’m one of those people who rarely feel earthquakes, but the 4.0 jolted me awake in Claremont, some eight miles from the epicenter. I felt the Oct. 1 quake too, which gently rocked my shelves of rock CDs as I worked a few feet away. Probably this run of seismic activity doesn’t mean anything, but it seemed worth pointing out here. Incidentally, some 20 years ago tourism officials were marketing Ontario as “The Center of It All.” We can revise that to “The Epicenter of It All.” I was researching the above dates, times and magnitude on my laptop at a Pomona coffeehouse late Tuesday afternoon. A comment from someone in Ontario for “color” seemed like a good idea. It occurred to me that the City Council would be meeting within a couple of hours and that such a quote could be garnered there. Also, what might the council be discussing? A check of the meeting agenda online showed that the council would, among other things, be executing 24 construction contracts for its planned minor league baseball stadium and parking structure amounting to, oh, $151 million, including contingencies. Well, that was noteworthy. And possibly ironic. Why? The stadium will rise in south Ontario, near the epicenter of all this quake activity. And the team Ontario is getting is, essentially, the Rancho Cucamonga team. Which is named the Quakes, and which used to play in a ballpark cheekily named The Epicenter, and which has mascots named Tremor and Aftershock. Needless to say, I dropped everything and headed for Ontario. (I’d planned on enjoying taco Tuesday in Pomona. Instead, yours truly had to skip dinner. But I got the above quote, plus the news below.) As already reported in this newspaper, Ontario in July approved plans for a regional sports complex, since named Ontario Sports Empire, with 190 acres of fields, courts, an aquatics center and more, including a 6,000-seat minor league baseball stadium. Wapner, a Dodger fan who in 2023 saw games in all 30 Major League ballparks in 30 days with wife Judi, tells me City Hall has signed a deal with the owners of the Quakes that “commits to bringing in the Dodger affiliate” and that the agreement has been approved by Major League Baseball. What that means for Rancho Cucamonga is unclear. It’s been reported elsewhere that the Angels’ affiliate may move to Rancho Cucamonga from San Bernardino and that San Bernardino might get the Seattle Mariners’ affiliate, which now plays in Modesto. But that’s a ways off. Rancho Cucamonga will have the Dodger-affiliated Quakes through 2025. As Wapner says of Ontario’s stadium: “We know it’s got to be open by April 1, 2026 for the season to start.” The site is now being graded, with construction to begin in the coming weeks after the council approved $151 million in contracts Tuesday — without comment as part of the consent calendar. We should have more clarity on all this soon. A ceremony to officially break ground, announce the team move and unveil the design is scheduled for 11 a.m. Oct. 28. Incidentally, the team name is still to be announced too. “It won’t be the Quakes,” Wapner says with a chuckle. “They’ll have a new name.” Just as well. If there’s one thing Ontario doesn’t need, it’s more quakes. More Ontario During the Ontario council meeting’s public comment period, a homeowner complained about “a prostitution ring” that appears to be operating out of a house across the street from him. He urged officials: “Nip this in the rear end before it gets out of control.” Mayor Paul Leon asked the deputy police chief, who was present, to speak to the man immediately. “Let’s nip it in the bud,” the mayor said gravely, echoing Barney Fife while wisely leaving rear ends out of the equation. Another speaker addressed the council without preamble: “Do you want to become a more confident speaker? Would you like to become a more effective leader?” Related Articles Local News | Columnist’s new book ‘Waving at Strangers’ greets readers Local News | Delving into ‘slow violence of the supply chain’ in Inland Empire Local News | TV crime drama has ‘High Potential’ for insulting Fontana Local News | Could Dodgers’ postseason secret weapon be this Cardinals fan? Local News | Kris Kristofferson had varied interests as Pomona College student too A polished speaker, she represented Toastmasters, the club that helps people with public speaking. Members get practice in giving timed speeches, she explained. She had just finished when the buzzer went off signaling that her time was up. “Now that’s a timed speech,” the mayor remarked. “She ended right on the zero.” A toast to her! brIEfly My talk Wednesday morning to Upland Foothill Kiwanis came after the usual service-club rituals. Before going around the room to collect cash from members along with personal updates, Jack Sherman said, with a glance toward me and a smile, “We’ll go quickly because we have a great speaker today.” Club president Ralph Cavallo deadpanned: “Dave, I thought you were our speaker.” Boom! David Allen writes Friday, Sunday and Wednesday, three jolts. Email [email protected], phone 909-483-9339, like davidallencolumnist on Facebook and follow @davidallen909 on X.