I was asked today to post the website for Pat Meagher, an opponent of Congressman Jerry Lewis. It will remain in the blogroll through November 2.
I also received an email from Pamela Zander. She is running as a write-in candidate. She did not provide a website.
A new addition to our Pages Section has been added. Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman Rex Gutierrez has started publishing The Vineyard Press once again. It will be listed in the Pages bar each month.
I receive requests almost daily from readers wanting recommendations for attorneys. Tonight I added a few more to the list in the sidebar. If you have received excellent results and customer service from an attorney, send up his/her information and we will add them to the list.
What would you say if you elected someone to office to vote on projects, laws, etc., on your behalf and then after they voted on said items, you found out they had no clue what they voted on? That is exactly what is happening on the Fifth Floor with our Board of Supervisors.
The most recent debacle with Dr. Gnanadev’s conflict of interest statement is only one of many examples where the members of our Board of Supervisors casts votes and have absolutely no clue on what or why they are voting. How would you feel if it was your project, your street, your home, your life they were affecting?
And it is going to get worse. It is going to get much worse.
Back in early June, iePolitics was tipped off that Dr. Dev Gnanadev, medical director for Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC), had real property in San Bernardino County and the beach area that he was not reporting on his FPPC Form 700. We were also advised that he employed his wife in his medical billing business and required some of the doctors that contract with ARMC to use his medical billing service. His wife’s income was also not reported on his FPPC Form 700.
We obtained copies of his last four 700s and determined there were discrepancies. We also had the Assessor’s Office check his name for real property and found several possible properties he did not claim in this county. Because the information he put on his Form 700 was done very sloppily, it was hard to tell exactly how much he under-reported but it was clear he had not reported everything he was required to report.
Chino Hills City Council Candidate Roman Nava
September 29, 2010! ! ! ! ! ! ! (909) 287-4150
CHINO HILLS – Chino Hills City Council Candidate Roman Nava is pleased to announce that Mike Villines, candidate for California Insurance Commissioner will be headlining an event for him in Chino Hills on October 7, 2010.
“I am truly honored to have a long-time friend, the Honorable Mike Villines, come out to Chino Hills to support my candidacy for Chino Hills City Council,” says Nava.
63rd Assembly Candidate Mike Morrell
Mike Morrell is endorsed by Congressman Tom McClintock, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, National Tax Limitation Committee, and the California Small Business Association. Click here to see a full list of endorsements.
We’re walking precincts every Saturday until the election! We walk from 9:30am to about 1pm and will provide lunch for all of our volunteers.
Congressman Joe Baca
Friend,
Lack of access to nutritious foods like fresh fruits and vegetables has become a significant public health issue in the United States. Unfortunately, an estimated 23.5 million Americans live in food deserts – communities where there is limited or no access to foods necessary to maintain a healthy diet.
The proliferation of food deserts has played a significant role in the growth of childhood obesity rates, which have more than tripled in the past 30 years. With obesity related health care now costing our nation over $147 billion annually, the growth in childhood obesity has an extremely detrimental impact on America’s future economic outlook.
Jury selection was completed yesterday. The final makeup of the jury includes four Hispanics and two African-Americans. Eight of the jurors are women. Occupations include teachers, nurses and truck drivers.
This jury has significantly more and better educated jurors than the last one and that can be important. On the last jury, the educated jurors were the holdouts. They could understand that the district attorney did not prove his case and that the “conspiracy theory” is absurd.
Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack
Washington, D.C. – In keeping with her commitment to make the government more transparent in its actions and accountable to the people, Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack introduced H. Res. 1675 on Wednesday, September 29. Bono Mack’s legislation would amend the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives to require live internet broadcasts of all markups of bills and resolutions in committees and subcommittees and provide for the texts of these measures to be made accessible in a timely manner on the official, public websites.
Third District County Supervisor Neil Derry
Supervisor Derry optimistic that his groundbreaking legislation will be fully adopted in October
SAN BERNARDINO, CA – The Sunshine Ordinance authored by Supervisor Neil Derry passed a crucial test today when the Board of Supervisors unanimously supported the measure in its first reading.
The groundbreaking legislation that will bring unprecedented transparency to county government must still be approved during the second reading at the Oct. 5 meeting before it can be fully implemented.
First District County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2010
For information, contact
David Zook (909) 387-4830
Supervisors Vote to Require More-Open County Government
SAN BERNARDINO – The Board of Supervisors today gave initial approval to a Sunshine Ordinance that would make it easier for the public to obtain county documents and help restore public confidence in county government.
“This ordinance embodies what I have called for since becoming a supervisor – maximum disclosure with minimum delay,” said First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt. “We should always be looking for better ways to help the people access their government. Third District Supervisor Neil Derry deserves thanks for bringing this item forward and for all of his hard work toward making it a reality.”
For those who are interested, here is the Matt Brown settlement agreement: MattBrown1
Former Chief of Staff to Second District Supervisor Paul Biane filed a hostile work environment claim against the county some months ago. Why?
Emasculated. Impotent. Ineffectual. Powerless. Debilitated. Cowardly. Weak.
Anyone of these adjectives is an appropriate descriptor of the current five members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors individually and as a not-so-well functioning governing board. Never was it so obvious as it was on Tuesday.
More than a year and a half ago many astute observers began to realize the Board of Supervisors had a problem. Several high-ranking staffers, including County Counsel Ruth Stringer, had become disloyal. In reality, the situation worsened to far beyond disloyal.
Monday, September 27, 2010 – 9:20 p.m.
Last Updated: September 28, 2010 – 1:20 p.m.
On Monday night Yucaipa city government was at its best.
The matter involving a controversial Spanish-language radio tower took on an increasingly ugly tone, with allegations and daggers being hurled by various interests, including Mayor Dick Riddell.
The players present. Redlands Attorney John Mirau, representatives from Riverside-based O’Reilly Public Relations, Chas Kelly, a field representative for county supervisor Neil Derry, plus a handful of sign carriers of Anglo-descent.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 – 11:00 a.m.
Last Updated: September 28, 2010 – 12:50 p.m.
Today, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors received a message from their chief legal counsel.
The finger.
The jury pool is down to 30 people. They will select 12 jurors and 4 alternates tomorrow. Most people in the pool are white and are mixed equally between male and female. More thanhalf of the pool that is left are public employees/teachers.
Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.
I came across the above quote on a friend’s Facebook page a few moments ago. If ever there is a sentence that sums up the relationship aspect of depression, that is it. I know I’ve destroyed more relationships than I can count for that exact reason.
You know the other person isn’t going to live up to expectations; you know you’re the one that is going to be hurt; you know you’re setting yourself up for failure; and you can’t stop yourself. Head and shoulders above everything else that is depression, this is the most frustrating aspect. And I think it is the part that most leads to suicide.
“The Minority Maker,” as the Wall Street Journal dubbed him in a 2006 story, has been a controversial figure in San Bernardino County since his election to the House of Representatives in 1978. From the affair with his secretary whom he eventually married after divorcing his wife to an ongoing federal probe, this moderate politician in conservative clothing has done more to run up the national debt than his Democratic counterparts in the adjoining district, George Brown and Joe Baca, combined.
Currently hailing from the Republican old money city of Redlands, Congressman Jerry Lewis has pulled the wool over many an eye with his “conservative” mantra but his voting record on fiscal matters has exposed his true agenda. As a member and former chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, Lewis has become known as Capitol Hill’s King of Payoffs.
I was very disheartened to learn from www.inlandpolitics.com that the Ramos Manifesto had been taken off of the District Attorney’s website. The Unibomber-like diatribe, along with other actions, was proof positive that Ramos did not attend an accredited law school, flunked out of Legal Research 101 and Constitutional Law 101, and does most of what he does because he is either 1) feeling horny or 2) feeling vindictive.
Sunday, September 26, 2010 – 6:00 p.m.
Will San Bernardino County’s lead attorney retire as scheduled?
Sources say County Counsel Ruth Stringer, who is expected to announce her retirement this week, is actively trying to delay her forced departure.
However, the question inquiring minds want to know is who is Stringer trying to stay around and screw over?
Stringer, one of the culprits responsible for feeding the investigation into San Bernardino County government and her bosses the Board of Supervisors, is said to be lobbying a certain county supervisor to allow her to hang around and cost county taxpayers more money from her incompetent decision-making.
Sunday, September 26, 2010 – 4:00 p.m.
Monday evenings meeting of the Yucaipa City Council should be interesting.
Mayor Dick Riddell, who dispatched a letter to county officials lodging the city’s objection to a conditional use permit application by Lazar Broadcasting for a 46-foot broadcast tower on Lazar-owned property, has the racially-divisive matter coming before the city council to ask for their concurrence.
Sources say Riddell, who has been an ardent foe to Lazar, is aggressively opposing the tower, doesn’t want a Spanish-language broadcaster in the community.
At the last council meeting, Riddell was caught misleading his peers, when he said their were thousands of letter in opposition to the tower that actually didn’t exist. Riddell’s miscue came after he admitted to directing the city manager to forward a letter of opposition to the tower to county planning staff without council approval.
“I am always troubled when the publicity regarding a case exceeds the evidence,” Levenson said. “It creates these incredibly high expectations, and it’s very damaging to the defendants, and we don’t even know if the evidence will support the charges.”
Laurie LevensonFormer Federal Prosecutor and Professor of LawLoyola Law School(Excerpt from article printed in The Sun on 08/26/2010)
Sunday, September 26, 2010 – 3:00 p.m.
What a difference six months can make.
After nearly a year and a half of making claims of political retaliation. The facts seem to be coming home to roost.
The defendants in the alleged conspiracy case involving the $102 million dollar settlement between the County of San Bernardino and Colonies Partners have now received substantial evidence in the case, including the grand jury testimony of current and former county supervisors, former county administrative officer Mark Uffer and his moral compass, various county staffers, and other witnesses.
Well if things go as planned, come Tuesday the county should be burdened with one less incompetent department head. We will have to wait and see if the Board of Supervisors has the backbone to go through with it. If they do, that only leaves maybe another 10 or 15 to go. We wouldn’t want to rush them.
Today’s article by Joe Nelson of the Sun is almost amusing to those of us who have been close to San Bernardino County’s “biggest corruption scandal in the county’s history.” Joe has finally figured out what we have been telling him for a year or so now. Yes, D-Day is nearing and it ain’t gonna be pretty.
The local media has not missed a beat in the years-long corruption scandal. There has been nary a day without a headline or two referencing some aspect of the ongoing investigation, arrests, and prosecution.
But the reporting has been a bit skewed. Well, actually, some reporters have seemed incapable of critical thinking or even basic investigative reporting. Almost all have taken a “if Mike Ramos said it, it must be true” approach to these stories.
Visit his website at: www.holmanforhesperia.com or his Facebook page at Holman for Hesperia.
As noted in the comment in the post below, one of Vogler’s latest targets, David Holman, has in fact filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission. Campaign signs are required to have a disclosure statement on them. Vogler’s Political Action Committee (PAC), the Hesperia Free Press, which paid for the signs, was not identified on the signs. For that matter, there was no identification whatsoever as to what PAC was behind paying for and placing the signs.
It’s the weekend and there isn’t a lot to write about so I might as well break out a YouTube video or two. First up is our very own Supervisor Neil Derry. I found the video with the fewest hits. Didn’t want it to feel left out.
For those of you running for Apple Valley Town Council, here is the FCC rule:
Section 73.1941 [47 CFR §73.1941] Equal Opportunities.
(a) General requirements. Except as other-wise indicated in §73.1944, no station licensee is required to permit the use of its facilities by any legally qualified candidate for public office, but if any licensee shall permit any such candidate to use its facilities, it shall afford equal opportunities to all other candidates for that office to use such facilities. Such licensee shall have no power of censorship over the material broadcast by any such candidate.
Barb currently broadcasts for five hours a week from KCAA. Each of you have the right to do the same. You can call (909) 885-8497 to request that you be given the same opportunity.
She also broadcasts for two hours a week from HDTV35. They can be contacted at (760) 693-1285. And she has a one-hour show each week on KTIE. They can be reached at (909) 885-6555.
Remember, these stations MUST give you equal air time free of charge just like they are giving her.
President Barack Obama today [Thursday] told the United Nations General Assembly that America’s financial crisis was the reason their economies were suffering and promised to not rest until people around the globe prosper.
“Two years ago this month, a financial crisis on Wall Street devastated American families on Main Street. The global economy suffered an enormous blow during the financial crisis, crippling markets and deferring the dreams of millions on every continent.”
The Press-Enterprise
San Bernardino County cannot repair its corruption-tainted government by re-electing people linked to scandal. The county government needs a change in political habits and attitudes. And voters can make progress toward that goal by electing Janice Rutherford as 2nd District supervisor on Nov. 2.
Two-term incumbent Paul Biane barely edged out Rutherford in the June primary, winning 34 percent of the vote to Rutherford’s nearly 32 percent. But voters have only two choices in the runoff, instead of the six candidates in the primary. Rutherford offers a clear improvement on the status quo, and that should be the decisive factor for district residents.
iePolitics suggests that you vote for the following:
Al Vogler's Sign
Once the story ran in the Hesperia Star, Al had a change of heart and added the following:
Al's Correction
Guess he got nervous. Wonder if anyone is filing an FPPC complaint and whether or not they will fine him. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving person.
If the three of you want to email me at sharon@iepolitics.com with your websites, I will add them to the blogroll. Wish I lived in Hesperia so I could vote for you.
We all know what Barb says about most of you on her radio show. Now that she is running for town council, I believe each of you have the right to an equal amount of time on KCAA. We would love to see each of you with your own show. Why don’t you contact KCAA and demand equal time? Just a thought.
I believe the same is true with her television show. What a boost that would to your campaigns to have your own show every week until the election.
The latest edition of The Sentinel has been posted. Mark, I’d really like to do a story about your adjudication battle, etc., but you gotta call me!
San Bernardino County Director of Information Services Steve Hall has moved up his retirement date to year’s end. Hall was a confidant and associate of former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer.
After indicting yesterday that the trial of Rex Gutierrez may be postponed to the last day possible, Judge Duke Rouse did a turnaround in court today and set the start date for Monday, September 27, 2010. Jury selection is expected to start on Monday.
Well Mikey was finally official served with the Ristow lawsuit yesterday. No one can wait until he gets deposed. As we have stated before, Ristow’s attorney has in his possession six sworn statements from District Attorney employees who state they have had affairs with Ramos, and in some cases, were asked to lie about it by Ramos. I wonder if Ramos will ask the Board of Supervisors to provide funds for legal defense. Anything is possible with Mikey.
In another turn of events, Rex Gutierrez was in court yesterday. It seems the court isn’t quite ready to hear the case. The problem is Rex isn’t waiving any more time. So, either the case has to go to trial or the charges be dismissed.
For those who took the time to read the emails in the Hey Paul Biane post, here is some more information.
Last year I was invited by Supervisor Neil Derry to tour the Fifth Floor on a Friday. The reason for that was the many complaints that certain districts and offices were taking off every Friday but charging the county for time worked.
This was during a time when District Attorney Mike Ramos was making all the accusations about time card fraud at the Assessor’s Office. As we all know, the Assessor’s Office executive staff were hardly the only employees to abuse their exempt status. It has become commonplace to work far fewer than 40 hours but charge the county 40 hours worked.
Assemblyman Curt Hagman
Assemblyman Curt Hagman, a Republican representing the 60th Assembly District, was elected to his first term in 2008. The district covers a total of 13 cities within San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Orange counties.
As a freshman assemblyman, Hagman has enjoyed unusual success, which he credits to his communication skills and leadership abilities. The ability to get along with Republicans and Democrats alike has helped him gain respect as evidenced by his selection as Assistant Republican Leader and Republican Floor Leader so early on in his career. He also sits on ten committees, including the Rules Committee and Judiciary Committee, as well as serving as Vice-chair of the Public Safety Committee.
Don't vote for Paul Biane
Editor’s Note: This is the second installment of an email sent to a friend.
Earlier this week, Inland Empire Conservatives released a secret memo from Paul Biane’s campaign. It was both shocking and saddening to see Paul stray so far from the conservative roots he once supposedly believed in.
Today we learned a little more on how far self-described “moderate Republican” Paul Biane has strayed from his relationship with conservatives.
County of Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley
Today’s arrest of Robert Rizzo and seven others in the city of Bell scandal made for a happy day for all citizens who are frustrated and sickened by the corruption that permeates every level of government. The arrests also highlight what can be done when citizens join forces and let their voices be heard, combined with having elected an experienced prosecutor dedicated to the pursuit of justice.
The Bell scandal has more than one San Bernardino County connection. As has been well publicized, Rizzo is the former city manager of two San Bernardino County cities, Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga. But the significance runs much deeper.
The current five members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors have made an effort to shift responsibility for running the county from themselves to the County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux. This shift clearly violates the Charter of the County of San Bernardino.
Nothing personal guys. EVERYONE has been blocked. We are going to be switching our hosting account soon and you will all get sign-in privileges again.
Would you guys contact me at iepolitics@hushmail.com? Thanks.
I have received information that due to the recent POST scandal Deputies who attend classes at the Sheriff’s Academy can no long receive college credits towards their degrees. It seems that Valley College completed its investigation and took the privilege away from the academy staff for signing class roosters approving credits.
Assistant Sheriff Pratt’s wife was involved in a hit-and-run traffic collision on a freeway off ramp in Victorville approximately six weeks ago and because of her current medical condition it was kissed off. The funny part is that accidents that happen on the freeway and any part thereof should be investigated by the California Highway Patrol. This one was not. It was done by Victorville Sheriff’s Station.
Pure Peruvian Cocaine
For those who have been waiting for this series, I apologize I haven’t posted something sooner. The series has not been forgotten. But sometimes things get dropped in one’s lap and timing can be everything.
That is the case with this series. It’s gonna be bigger and better than expected. We just have to wait until some new information is verified. Politics is playing a part as well. Expect to see the series when we get closer to November 2.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?r=1&EAN=9781936296002&afsrc=1
Press Release – Part II – Exposing the Octopus, Circa Hollywood: Revelations of Former DOJ Prosecutors in 2009.
Journalist Danny Casolaro’s death was like a stone hurled into a pool of water. Ever expanding circles of shock-waves rippled from the epicenter in Washington D.C. to the furthest reaches of the nation’s consciousness. When the last circle wave crashed upon the West Coast, its psychological effects prompted California journalists to seek answers to what had been contained in Casolaro’s files, stolen on the eve of his death. The Last Circle book follows the trail of his investigation which he termed “The Octopus.”