ICSO presence requested at Niland chamber meeting

NILAND — The Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors elected new officers during a contentious meeting on Wednesday.

Imperial County Sheriff’s Office logs note a request for a civil standby at 6:12 p.m. during the meeting. The entry said the caller reported “issues with current board members” and that a large group of people was gathering the Niland Chamber of Commerce building.

“There was somebody who was being disruptive yesterday before the (board of directors) meeting even began,” said Brittany Saiza, the chamber’s new president.

The Sheriff’s deputies were called to respond to a situation that a chamber member felt was threatening, she added.

Saiza expressed her dissatisfaction with the prior board and said there were too many arguments to accomplish anything.

“The board itself would just host a monthly meeting, pay bills to just exist and would not do anything for the community,” she said.

Ideas brought forth by chamber members to be more proactive in the community led to disagreements within the board, she added.

She said that as the board’s new president she is looking forward to some changes and having a chamber that works for the community.

The chamber’s three buildings will be used to benefit the community and have a children’s program by this summer, she said.

“We want there to be more events,” Saiza said. “We want the community to know the chamber is there.” The chamber is hosting a Memorial Day celebration May 28 with food, music, beer and a kid’s carnival scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.