Only government could do this: original cost $88 Million, current cost (no one really knows) estimated at $152 Million, still not fully open but 15 months late. While this video was done around labor day and these “barriers” are allegedly cleared up now… these were up for a while. Who is supervising this at the City of Corona? Cheap plywood and a collapsed cyclone fence as a safety barrier? The drop is about 35 feet…

The McKinley Street Grade Separation Project as it is known by its’ proper name, had it’s genesis before the current city manager, but the cost overruns and the mismanagement squarely sit at the feet of Jacob Ellis and frankly City Treasurer / Financial Guru Chad Willardson. I can’t find any articles where either of them are calling for any audits or oversight of why the project was delayed and/or why the cost was burgeoning.

I can find all kinds of stories about safety issues. Issues the project has caused with law enforcement and fire safety response times. Business owners who did not get bought out with pennies-on-the-dollar eminent domain have been bankrupted by the long delays of the project.

While paywalled – the Riverside P-E had an article back in Feb 2025 detailing the plight of several businessowners in the path who were running out of time and money. The point being, the cutoff and diversion had basically killed traffic into their storefronts. And then there is this:

Imagine taking out a big fat loan to buy a Popeye’s franchise at a busy at-grade intersection. You build a building and a year later, the City your business is in begins tearing out said intersection with little or no warning and your foot traffic goes down 75%. While I understand the need for the project for sure, the issue is where was the offer to this guy to buy him out of his loan? Several other businesses in the area were bought out, the photo of this business was taken atop the new grade (which is still not fully open) not more than 100 ft away. Don’t forget that traffic was basically blocked off to the remaining businesses (you can see the remnant of the shopping center in the background) for over 3.5 years as well due to the delays, etc. with only one detoured way in.

Who is held responsible for this?

IN 2021, Jacob Ellis hired Justin Tucker to a position as a deputy assistant city manager (something just under the assistant city manager). This raised eyebrows as Tucker had no prior government experience but as people tried to find some sort of connection between the two, all people could really point to was the common church. My research is unclear as to how Tucker was found by Ellis and the ruling junta of Corona. Tucker is still listed as a Professor at Call State Fullerton. Tucker is listed as an advisor to some college in Utah called Utah Valley University (which is where Charlie Kirk was assassinated) as well.

I do know that he does polling, some of which I have seen lampooned on city activist pages on social media. I also have been told that if you don’t refer to him as “doctor” he won’t like you very much, which is also typical of university professors. In order to address him properly, we will refer to him as the Assistant Dr. of Destruction. I still don’t see any experience running a government and it shows in Corona.

Along with the actual Doctor of Destruction, the Financial Guru of Destruction, the Assistant Dr. of Destruction has amassed quite a record of “Success” in Corona, CA… some of which we have detailed. More will be coming soon as Right on Daily tells the story of a once idyllic suburb of LA.