Did anyone hear the John and Ken show a couple of weeks ago where KOST was cross-promoted during the J&K show. John had a hissy fit so he for the rest of the hour they would play nothing but Christmas music. They ended it by playing “Feliz Navidad” for their Spanish-speaking listeners. Funny stuff.
You know, I don’t think I have ever disliked a county supervisor as much as I dislike Janice Rutherford (yes, that includes Brad). Her pious, self-righteous, condescending attitude towards everyone during board meeting is disgusting. When is she going to be criminally charged just like Supervisor Derry? We hear that she is quickly becoming part of the Lewis/Ramos/Hansberger crowd, which likely explains the lack of criminal charges against her. And the Thug Squad wonders why I have zero respect for them.
Any takers?
And you get criminally charged and lose your job. But you don’t follow-up on a case where the perp has been identified as a Mexican Mafia hit man, and the perp comes back two weeks later and murders someone, and nothing happens to you. Here is the case. Here is one of Daily Press stories.
Jorge Adrian Gonzalez was caught on video tape in an armed robbery early last year. He was ID’d before detectives arrived. It was determined he was a hit man for the Mexican Mafia. It was also determined he returned to the Los Angeles area.
In addition to the “confidential” memo I received the other day, I also received a memo written by the sender addressing some additional issues. I have read it several times and I do not see anything unusual in the spelling, syntax, style, or font that would give away the writer. I have decided to publish it: Document 100
On a 3-2 vote, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted to impose salary and benefit reductions on the members of the Specialized Peace Officers Unit represented by SEBA. Supervisors Brad Mitzelfelt and Neil Derry voted against the measure.
At issue is an evergreen clause that allows for the current contract to continue for one year until a successor contract is negotiated. As usual, the BOS believes it is above the law and does not have to honor its contractual obligations. Now, we shall see if SEBA has backbone enough to fight for its members. Certainly, it could seek judicial relief. The question is, will they fight for their employees or back down like we have seem so often in recent years.
Ok, so it’s not THAT “Joy to the World.” We will get to that one before December 25. But did you really think I could skip a group called “Three Dog Night”?
Mindy Weatherspoon
San Bernardino County Employees for Change
Well back to my cowboy music with the original recording written by the Singing Cowboy himself:
I received an envelope today containing a letter to me and a copy of a memo from the Upland City Attorney to the Upland City Council regarding former city manager Robb Quincey. It details the concerns the attorney had at that time regarding a deal Quincey made to promote a police sergeant and about whether or not the city should cooperate with the FBI in the matter. The memo is marked “confidential” and “attorney-client privilege.”
Obviously, someone violated the “confidential” and “attorney-client privilege” part of it. Here are my questions:
A little Springsteen:
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors this week failed to collect the required four votes to ratify county chief executive officer Greg Devereaux’s recommended mid-year budget adjustments.
Under the county charter, four votes are required to make routine after-the-fact changes to the yearly budget passed to cover the governmental fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30.
Currently, supervisor Neil Derry must abstain from any votes impacting the expenditure of federal funds because he was charged with violating campaign contribution reporting regulations in April. Derry has not yet been given by the federal government clearance to cast such votes, despite a plea arrangement arrived at in August that saw him plead guilty to a single misdemeanor campaign reporting violation and the dismissal of two more serious felony counts. The county’s budget contains some revenue that originates with the federal government. Federal funds cannot legally be disbursed by an elected official accused or convicted of a felony.
To read the rest of the story, click here.
A couple of new stories on Bill’s blog: Joe
Always bringing you the finest in Christmas music:
The three styles of music I remember my mom having in her record collection were classical piano, especially Chopin; gospel quartet, the Blackwood Brothers come to mind; and Negro Spirituals, Marian Anderson was among the collection. The video for today reflects the last category.
Today Greg Eyler accepted a plea deal in the Assessor’s Office corruption scandal. “Greg Eyler” is one of the names I am forbidden by the county from mentioning on the blog. The stories I wrote from 2006-2008 about what was going on in the Assessor’s Office comprised a majority of what I was suspended for for 16 days in 2008. Even though the stories were written on my own blog, using my own computer, and on my own time, the county said I did not have the right to write about what was going on at the Assessor’s Office. To quote Dean Arabatzis, I was “creating a hostile work environment for county administrators.”
Several years ago I wrote an article for the blog regarding how Raccoon Dogs are killed. At that time it was about fur trimming on jackets from Macy’s if I remember correctly. The images I found at the following site are some I will never forget. If you have the stomach for it, here is the link: Raccoon Dogs You need to read the captions to get the full impact of what you are seeing.
Anyway, this time the cruelty is back in the news and it has to do with Uggs knockoffs. This story is much more sanitized and does not come close to describing the cruelty. Change.org has a petition if you are interested: Petition
By JENNIFER DENEVAN, Needles Desert Star
Monday, November 28, 2011 2:38 PM PST
NEEDLES – A little more than a year after joining the local hospital Mark Uffer, chief executive officer for Colorado River Medical Center, will be stepping back into a consultant type role. Uffer said that will likely happen after the hospital board meeting scheduled for Dec. 1. He recommended the board approve having Dr. Frank Comunale step in as the interim CEO.
Comunale was introduced at the Nov. 3 meeting to develop a collaboration with San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Behavioral Health and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. He was also contracted to seek grants for rural health services and provide a level of physician oversight at the hospital.
Uffer said he notified hospital board president Jeff Williams and board member Terri Anderson Nov. 7. He then notified hospital employees the week of Nov. 14 of his plans. While his contract allowed either him or the board to give a 24-hour notice of termination of employment, he said he’s given the board about a month’s notice.
This can all be taken with a grain of salt even though my sources are all close to one or more of the players. I have come to the conclusion that Congressman Lewis is going to let rumors fly for as long as he can get away with it, but here goes:
CALIFORNIA RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
California Rule of Professional Conduct 5-200, Trial Conduct, states in pertinent part that: in presenting a matter to a court, a member:
- Shall employ . . . such means only as are consistent with truth;
- Shall not seek to mislead the judge or jury by an artifice or false statement of fact or law;
- Shall not intentionally misquote authority to a court;
- Shall not knowingly cite invalid authority.
I was leaving my house earlier today, and as I was locking up my gate, the truck and trailer belonging to the two gangbanger types that cut the lock off my fence and tried to clean me out drove by the house. The truck and trailer are very distinctive so I recognize them each time I see them. One of these days I will be in the right spot at the right time with camera in hand to snap a photo and post it to the blog.
Posted: December 08, 2011
10:00 pm Eastern
© 2011
A family of four – Rick Reese, his wife Terri, and their two sons, Ryin, 24, and Remington, 19 – was arrested in Las Cruces, N.M., on August 30, 2011. They have been held in four separate county and federal detention facilities without bond ever since.
Their alleged crime is that, over the course of several months, they sold between 15 and 30 guns to people they “knew, or should have known” were gun traffickers for Mexican drug gangs.
Shortly after they were arrested in Las Cruces, dozens of police vehicles, including four armored personnel carriers and two helicopters, full of armed officers and agents from an alphabet soup of state and local law enforcement agencies, swarmed over the Reese’s home and businesses. The entire firearm and ammunition inventory was taken from Rick Reese’s store, as well as his entire personal collection of firearms and all cash and valuables from his home safe. Even the 30 to 40 empty gun safes that were on display at the store were seized.
U.S. Attorney Ken Gonzales indicated that he is going to seek asset forfeiture of the Reese’s home and 25-acre property (including the shooting range on the property that he leased to various law enforcement agencies), all of the cash and valuables seized, their vehicles and a monetary judgment of at least $36,000 of whatever assets might be left.
In a prepared statement to the press, U.S. Attorney Gonzales stated, “This case serves to put firearms dealers on notice that they will be held accountable for any failure to comply with federal firearms laws.”
Read more: Feds go overboard to punish gun family http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=374881#ixzz1g4hrlGdf
Of course, if I can listen to any music I want to, my choice will be Western (not country). Here is one of my favorite Cowboy singers.
One of my all-time favorite groups. I have probably enjoyed them live in concert at least 100 times.
This is one of those acts I have always wanted to see in concert but never seem to make it.
Federal prosecutors have horned in on an unprecedented number of high profile political corruption cases that would otherwise be handled by the district attorney’s office in San Bernardino County. In some matters, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has wrested from district attorney Mike Ramos prosecutorial authority or has opened with the FBI parallel investigations into issues Ramos or the San Bernardino County Grand Jury have delved into without reaching a successful conclusion. In at least three matters, federal prosecutors and investigators have taken on probes or investigations of elected officials or political donors with whom Ramos was politically aligned.
In total, five matters in which current or former elected officials are alleged or suspected to have engaged in bribery or some other form of wrongdoing are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney or being reviewed for their prosecutorial potential by the FBI.
Since I haven’t been writing much, I thought I would respond to his/her comment as a post since I know others are thinking the same thing. So here goes.
Well Billy, I think my first response is that whether we are discussing Colonies, the BOS, Greg Devereaux, the DA/AG/FBI, or any other person/entity in a long list of county concerns, there is very little black and white. Since you used Jim as an example, I will too. Has Jim done some things wrong? It is my belief the answer is yes. Do I also believe he has been singled out and maliciously prosecuted? That answer is yes too. Almost $3 in bail is outrageous. The trumped-up charges are also outrageous. I will continue to say that probably forever. At the same time, I do believe he has committed criminal wrongdoing. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am not taking one side over the other; I simply believe in justice. Justice would have been served perhaps with a FPPC fine or, in the case of the extortion if that proves to be true, a felony or two with probation and maybe some jail time if warranted–just like someone who is not Ramos’ political enemy.
I have received several complaints that the blog has become slow to load. I removed the two new programs I added. Please let me know if this helps.
Elvis at his sexiest:
This isn’t a Christmas song. But as I was looking for a Christmas song, “Hallelujuh” was playing on the sound system at Starbucks. I absolutely love that version but don’t know who sings it. I got started listening to various versions and found this one by kd lang. She absolutely owns this song. It is an incredible performance. So, it is our song for today.
I am seriously struggling trying to come up with political stories. I know everyone wants the inside scoop on the Colonies situation but I’m in a situation where it is difficult to discuss it without betraying confidences. Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot going on. If anyone has any great ideas, please pass them along. Anonymous tips can still be sent to PO Box 2722, Apple Valley, CA 92307.
Editor’s Note: As always, we appreciate the clicks, likes, and comments. BTW, the puppy below is one I rescued from ET Snell. When he used to dis me at BOS meetings and talk about “Miss Puppy,” this is the Miss Puppy he was talking about. I named her Orpah (check it out in the Bible as I already had Naomi and Ruth.) Orpah now has a very happy life with a family up north.
(Palm Springs) – Those big brown eyes are staring at you through the glass window at the pet store in your favorite mall. How can you possibly resist taking home that cute little ball of fluff?
Resist you should. The pretty bow, the impeccable grooming, the high price tag belie the reality of where that pup had its start. It is a sad tale of neglect and irresponsible breeding all for the almighty dollar. The price tag of a pet store pup, usually thousands of dollars, does not include the over-the-top veterinarian bills associated with poorly bred animals due to disease and genetic defects.
More than likely, a pet store pup is the product of a puppy mill. Although puppy mills exist in every state, the mid-West is most known for these mills of horror, where dogs are forced to live in small wire cages with little freedom to move around and lying in their own feces. They are bred as often as nature allows with no rest between litters. Neither they nor their offspring are socialized as they have limited or no human contact. The puppies are then shipped either through internet sales directly to their new homes or to a pet store to be sold to uneducated buyers and their mothers are bred again or killed. The puppies are a heartache waiting to happen.
Tonight I was adding people to follow with Twitter. Sometimes I add animal welfare groups, sometimes friends, sometime environmental types. Tonight I was in a political kind of mood so I did a search of “California Assembly.” I was adding a few people. One of the names that popped up was Ron Nehring. When I tried to add, I received a message that he had blocked me.
There are a few entertainers and acts I regret not having been able to see live. The Three Tenor when they performed at Dodger Stadium is one of them. I cannot remember now what kept me from going. Here is their version of “White Christmas.” It is definitely not Bing Crosby.
Editor’s Note: Naomi and I appreciate the clicks, likes, subscriptions, and comments. Honest we do. 
(Apple Valley) – Many dogs love car rides almost as much as ear scratches and belly rubs. And why wouldn’t they? If your Fido or Princess is like my Naomi, he or she knows they just might get an ice cream cone on a hot summer day or a McDouble during a ride on a dark wintery night. What dog wouldn’t prefer to spend time with his pack of humans than be locked up in a crate or alone in the back yard?
Certain breeds, such as Boxers, are natural travelers. Once settled down, they will snore even a long road trip away. Others want to see all the sights along the way, hoping they might get an extra pat from an adoring stranger during a rest stop. Traveling with a dog can be a fun adventure for human and canine alike.
Not all humans, however, know the rules of the road when taking Fido along. There is nothing more unnerving for other drivers than to have to watch as a scared or inquisitive dog leans over the side of a moving truck, in some cases trying to find the courage to jump out onto the roadway.
Editor’s Note: As always, we appreciate the “likes,” clicks,” subscriptions, and comments. Naomi says “thank you” for the giant marrow bone.
(APPLE VALLEY, CA) – Angel’s Roadhouse once again hosted Americans for America, a faith-based offshoot of the Tea Party. Angel’s is a western-themed steakhouse complete with full bar and a dance floor. The Christian-based group meets in the dance floor area of the establishment, next to the bar where the restaurant’s non-Tea Party patrons get a dose of preaching, prayer, and patriotism whether they think they need it or not. Most seem to take it in stride and some even join in for the prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and singing of a patriotic anthem. Last night it was “God Bless America” that could be heard throughout the dancehall.
Joseph Brady, president of The Bradco Companies, a high desert commercial real estate group, and a member of the Victor Valley College Board of Trustees spoke first. He discussed the local housing market, economy, and employment.
One of my all-time favorite singers is Gary Morris. Here is a Christmas standard from a long time ago when his son Matt (yes that Matt Morris) joined him in a duet.
This propaganda piece is being promoted by moveon.org. However, when one takes the emotion and religion out of the issue, does sexual orientation of one’s parents really make a difference? Perhaps, it is whether parents are scum or great parents.
I decided to post a Christmas video each day until Christmas. There is only one Christmas song I really truly hate with a passion but I know a lot of people find it funny. I thought I would get it out of the way today and then have 24 days to post some of my favorites. In the process of looking for a video of that song, I came across an altered version of it that is pretty funny. Enjoy!
There have been concerns circulating on the various social media sites about the fact that the Devore Animal Shelter will not allow the animals to have bedding of any kind, even if donated. Several dogs had to be euthanized last winter due to frostbite.
Someone contacted Greg Beck, the shelter’s manager, and this is his response:
We are hearing from multiple sources that may be the case. We know for sure several people were called to testify before a federal grand jury. We know for sure one of them was Robert Kirk, Mark Kirk’s father. We have heard that some were called off. We are also hearing that the investigation is going nowhere.
We have been working on Bill’s blog for the past few days. There are several changes. The most fun of all is the addition of Prime Minister’s Questions. Check it out. Congress looks so boring in comparison. Prime Minister
Bob Smith was in charge of some aspect of the 800 MHz program several years ago. Here is a link to the article: 800 MHz. Smith is now one of the community liaisons for Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt. I suppose that is an award for a job well done. If anyone has additional information on what happened with that situation, we would greatly appreciate it.
Well ACU, you are No. 15,000. The current version of the blog is not quite two years old. There have been 2758 posts with a total of 15,000 comments. Since its inception we have posted more than 10,000 stories and received 35,000 comments.
Our goal has always been to average 4 comments per story and we have been exceeding that goal for some time. We are getting closer to 6 comments per story. We appreciate your continued support especially in light of the fact I have had so little ability to keep the blog updated for quite a while now. I’m trying to make things change.
Thank you once again.
Editor’s Note: As always, Naomi and I would really, really appreciate the clicks on the link below, comments if you dare, and “likes” if you have a Facebook account. Tweets are also appreciated.
We also appreciate you patience as I get over the cold from hell. All that is left is a mild lingering cough that only acts up once in a while. I’m gearing up to get regular articles out on both politics and animal welfare starting December 1. We shall see if anything gets in my way this time around. Also, please remember to look for us on Facebook and Twitter @iepoliticscom.
(La Quinta) – La Quinta Councilman Stan Sniff has died at the age of 85 due to an undisclosed illness. Sniff was a fixture on the city council continuously since 1986, making him the longest-serving council member in city history. He served as Mayor Pro Tem first in 1991 and five times subsequently, most recently in 2006. During his tenure Sniff did not miss a meeting until this past year when his health appeared to be declining. He was not able to attend a special tribute to his life’s work two weeks ago.
Sniff lived in the Coachella Valley since 1928. He was a date farmer in the valley and remained active with farming and land use issues throughout for more than 50 years. According to the biography on the city of La Quinta’s website, “Council Member Sniff has served as the Vice Chair of the La Quinta Redevelopment Agency. He serves on CVAG’s Energy & Environmental Resources Committee and the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. He has been active in local retail, tourist and farming industries for over fifty years.”
Can anyone shed some light:
Not to long ago I learned that Charles Munger gave a large amount of money to the Republican Party in San Bernardino County. My friends who attend the meetings told me it didn’t seem that big of a deal to their chairman. I’ve heard and read about some controversy with Munger and I was just curious if you’ve heard anything about Munger trying to pull strings in the local GOP?
Please excuse my spelling (or misspelling) on these names, but we are hearing that around March of next year Bill Abernaathy (not the SEBA guy, but the other one) will be retiring. McMahon (McMann or something) will become Undersheriff and Ronnie Cochran will become Assistant Sheriff. The idea is to put McMahon in place to become the next new Sheriff and Cochran Undersheriff. A 50+ year tradition will continue unless the voters get in the way.
Here ya go: Gingrich/Romney
See story at: Pakistan