Category Archives: Greg Devereaux

iePolitics: Ten months of obstruction

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Today’s departure of San Bernardino County Public Defender Doreen Boxer ends ten months of obstruction and interference by County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.  Devereaux was made very aware of the issues with both County Counsel Ruth Stringer and Boxer just after he was hired.  Both individuals were at-will employees who could have easily been terminated for their malfeasance in office.  Both received Devereaux’s protection despite BOS disapproval.

The recent power grab by Devereaux is expected to make it even more difficult for the Board of Supervisors to eliminate department heads who violate county policy and/or state law, harm constituents, or underperform.  Supervisors will have to have a super majority in order to deal with such situations and that is not likely.

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iePolitics: Boxer finally exiting

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The rumors started last night and are rampant today.  It appears the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has finally had their wishes carried out by County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.  Public Defender Doreen Boxer appears to be enjoying her last few days of employment with San Bernardino County.

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iePolitics: Resign or starve!

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A couple of stories appeared over at www.inlandpolitics.com regarding the county refusing to settle my worker’s compensation claim if I have the blog and/or refuse to resign.  Some new help has stepped forward, so I expect the taxpayers will be saddled with paying yet another contract with a law firm to fight what we will be doing.  I’m in it for the long haul, so whatever.

In the process I have had to dig out correspondence between me and a former attorney.  Until I read it, I forgot just how insistent the county was that I resign despite that I have never been disciplined in any way for work performance, only for having a blog that has been done on my own time and for union activity that took place mostly on my own time.  (I was a rep so I was allowed some county time to attend to union business.)

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iePolitics: More on ARMC

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Reading the spin from county personnel on the issues at San Bernardino County-run Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) has been interesting.  Or perhaps disgusting is a better word.

Some of you may remember the Fair Political Practices Commission complaint I filed back in March against Mark Uffer and Supervisors Paul Biane and Josie Gonzales.  I received notice from the FPPC that there was no violation despite the fact that all three of them along with countless others had been given free medical care at ARMC and did not report this gift of public funds on their FPPC Form 700s.

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iePolitics: My personal experience with free medical care at ARMC

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I won’t bore everyone with the details that led up to it, but the bottom line is that in 2008 the county of San Bernardino cut off my medical insurance illegally.  I had used Kaiser for close to three decades and suddenly had nothing despite a number of physical issues as well as the fact that I was dealing with major depression from a workplace injury.

The bottom line is that I had no way to get any of my medication including anti-depressants.  The end result was my first suicide attempt.

I was supposed to be returning to work but was pretty distraught and very depressed.  At that time I was still friends with Mark Kirk, who was Supervisor Ovitt’s chief of staff.  Kirk went to bat for me with then County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer and asked him that the county reinstate my medical insurance so that I could get my medication.  Uffer instead insisted that I go to the Emergency Room at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC).

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iePolitics: The Brown pile

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Perhaps this should be called “All in the Family – Part Three,” but as more and more comes out about Matt and Jessica Brown and Jessica’s mother Sandy Harmsen, somehow this title seemed more appropriate.  Matt, of course, is the former chief of staff for Second District Supervisor Paul Biane.  Jessica is an analyst in the County Administrative Office.   Harmsen is the director of the Workforce Development Department.

Sandy’s brother-in-laws, Adam, also works for the county as a social worker.  I’m not sure if any other family members are in county employ or not.

Recent weeks have seen all three of the family members in the spotlight.  First up was Sandy Harmsen, who as director of a department that is responsible fori spending large sums of federal stimulus money, was discovered to be falsifying records once again.  That is only a small part of what she is doing, but so far County Administrative Officer, Greg Devereaux, who Harmsen answers to, is covering for her.

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InlandPolitics: S.B. County officials, past and present, run for cover

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www.inlandpolitics.com

Saturday, November 6, 2010 – 12:20 p.m.

Last Updated: November 6, 2010 – 05:30 p.m.

Now the lid has finally blown on the scandal at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC).

What a surprise to us all.

Well, not really.

Saturday mornings local news articles related to federal agents raiding the facility and seizing records were horrendous to say the least.

All of those denials. Or should I say lies.

The most outrageous is courtesy of former ARMC administrator and fired county administrative officer Mark H. Uffer, who through his attorney Sanford Kassel, denies any knowledge of free health care for county elected and appointed officials.

Kassel says Uffer was shocked to hear about the goings on at ARMC.

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SBGrapevine: BOS Attempts to Circumvent Will of the People

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Greg Devereaux

www.sbgrapevine.com

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is set on Tuesday for the first reading of an ordinance to make a de facto amendment to the Charter of the County of San Bernardino.  The Charter of the County of San Bernardino is the county equivalent of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of California, both of which were adopted through a vote of the people.  As such, the law is very specific as to how it can be changed.

The truth of the matter is that according to Constitution of California any change to any county charter must be approved by the vote of the electorate.  It CANNOT be made by ordinance as is being attempted by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

The Constitution of California, Article 11, Local Government, Sec. 3, states:

(a) For its own government, a county or city may adopt a charter by majority vote of its electors voting on the question. The charter is effective when filed with the Secretary of State. A charter may be amended, revised, or repealed in the same manner. A charter, amendment, revision, or repeal thereof shall be published in the official state statutes. County charters adopted pursuant to this section shall supersede any existing charter and all laws inconsistent therewith. The provisions of a charter are the law of the State and have the force and effect of legislative enactments.

We understand that the Board of Supervisors is enacting an ordinance, not enacting a change to the charter, but the effect is the same.   They are changing a key element of the Charter of the County of San Bernardino. And they simply do not have authority to do so.

What the Board of Supervisors is proposing on Tuesday, REQUIRES a vote of the people.  They choose, instead, to violate our right to vote on this change and ramrod its proposal through, hoping it flies under the radar of an uninterested electorate.

The Charter of the County of San Bernardino is very specific, and was enacted with that specificity in mind, as to the powers of the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.  From what we have been told, San Bernardino County is the only one of the state’s 58 counties to specify that the Chairman of the Board is the County’s Executive.   It states in pertinent part [emphasis added]:

Duties of the Chairman of the Board

SECTION 5. The Chairman of the Board of Supervisors shall be the general executive agent of the Board. It shall be his duty, subject to regulation and control by the Board, to exercise general supervision over the official conduct of all County officers and officers of all districts and other subdivisions of the County charged with the assessment, collection, safekeeping, management, or disbursement of public revenue; also over all County institutions, buildings and property. He shall report to the Board from time to time with such recommendations as he shall deem proper. He shall devote his entire time during usual office hours to the duties of his office. He shall keep an office in the room or rooms where the Board usually meets, and shall be in attendance at such office during usual office hours, except when elsewhere engaged in the performance of his official duties.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is proposing to instead to transfer those powers over to the County Administrative Officer by ordinance rather than charter amendment as required by the Constitution of California.

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iePolitics: Where are the arrest warrants for Jeff Burum, Mark Kirk, Gary Ovitt?

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I want to see some action.  The District Attorney’s Office claims they prosecute criminals based on evidence, not on politics.  It is time they prove it.

Yesterday former Assessor’s Office employee Rex Gutierrez was convicted of conspiring with former Assessor Bill Postmus and West End developer Jeff Burum.  It is time now to prosecute both Postmus and Burum for the same crime.  Neither have been charged.  What is the District Attorney waiting for?

Also yesterday, Gutierrez was convicted of time card fraud.  Numerous Exempt employees are as guilty or more guilty than Gutierrez.  It is time we clean up the Fifth Floor.

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iePolitics: Let them burn! – Part Two

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I received the following from ARMC yesterday:

This morning at ARMC a small fire broke out at 0555 hours in stairwell 7. The cause was a faulty light fixture. Colton FD responded and we security block off and evacuated the area. Hospital administrator Debra Pease showed up and didn’t know what to do and ordered us security NOT to evacuate or block anything off. She stated that any employee can walk into the fire situation if they want. Knowing she is a moron we disregarded her orders and continued to do our job. Also as a side note also she has ordered security to announce room numbers over our in house PA system when we announce medical emergencies such as Code Blue. This to us is a HIPPA violation and should not be announced. With your pull around the county can you help security out and stop this woman from destroying ARMC Security.

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InlandPolitics: S.B. County budget woes deepen

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www.inlandpolitics.com

Tuesday, October 26, 1010 – 05:16 a.m.

Just as previously forecast, dark clouds are closing in on San Bernardino County’s budget.

InlandPolitics.com has learned San Bernardino County’s current fiscal year budget deficit may have actually grown from the previously projected $90 million-plus figure to somewhere in the area of $130-$160 million.

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iePolitics: BOS: Bloodstains on Your Hands

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That’s the night the lights went out in Georgia
That’s the night that they hung an innocent man
Don’t trust your soul to no back woods Southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the towns got bloodstains on his hand

Last night I printed the email I sent to the Board of Supervisors regarding the fact that San Bernardino County Human Resources Director Andrew Lamberto had perjured himself on the witness stand in the Rex Gutierrez preliminary hearing where he insisted that Exempt (Salaried) employees must work 80 hours a pay period.  He did so again at the first trial and even more forcefully and blatantly at the current trial.  We will be providing those transcripts as soon as they are made available to us.

The Board of Supervisors was made aware of Lamberto’s testimony at the time of the preliminary hearing because it contradicted what he had told them.  Because of Rex Gutierrez’ arrest, inquiries had been made regarding Exempt employee work requirements.  According to the County of San Bernardino Exempt Compensation Plan, employees classified as “exempt” have to work the number of hours necessary to carry out their duties.

When this language originally came into being, it had to do with the fact that Exempt employees often worked more hours than regular employees, thus the higher compensation package.  However, over the years, it has become more common for Exempt employees to work fewer hours, depending on where they work.  This language is also meant to take into account the fact that certain positions require a lot of after-hours and weekend meetings and events as well as the ability to work from home.

As we said, Rex’s arrest sent Exempt employees scrambling because, if he could be arrested for time card fraud for not working a traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule or a full 40 hours a week, so could they.  An inquiry was made to Lamberto by the Third Supervisorial District.  Here is the exchange:

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SBGrapevine: Editorial: Now is the time for the US Department of Justice to step in – Part Two

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www.sbgrapevine.com

Are you listening US Attorney?  San Bernardino County is in crisis.  The principles our nation were founded on are being undermined by the very person sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States—the person charged with enforcing the Constitution and all state and local laws at the county level.

When one reads the California District Attorneys Association Code of Ethics reprinted in Part One of this series, it is easy to see its President and our county’s District Attorney, Mike Ramos, has broken every concept put forth in that document.  He flagrantly violates those ethical standards while claiming to be in the pursuit of “justice.”

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iePolitics: Where are the absentee ballots? (or It’s time for Kari Verjil to go)

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This county has been plagued with the worst registrar of voters in the state for years now.  Mark Uffer is no longer around to protect her.  When is this County Administrative Officer going to have backbone enough to can her?

As someone said to me yesterday, how much you want to bet that we will not get the results of the Governor’s race timely because San Bernardino County screwed things up again?

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iePolitics: Cost benefit analysis – not!

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We know we don’t have many qualified analysts in county government.  Nothing could be more obvious with two facts that came out this week.

We discovered that the investigation of the century has so far cost the District Attorney’s Office over $4 million.  No, it costs taxpayers over $4 million.  Does anyone realize how much fraud Bill Postmus has been accused of that they are trying to collect on?

I don’t have the exact amount but it is between $1100 and $1200.  Even if convicted, does anyone think he is going to do jail time for that?  Do all of you really believe this matter is worth over $4 million?

What’s funny is that the only possible conviction outside of Adam they could get in these cases is Greg Eyler AND that is only if he somehow chickens out and takes a plea deal.  But don’t count on it.

One of his charges MUST be dropped altogether for reasons I will not explain.  And the other charge MUST be reduced to a misdemeanor.  On the latter, the law is totally on his side so he would be a fool to take a plea just to get on with life a little sooner.  As long as he can hang on, his cases will go away.

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iePolitics: Curiouser and Curiouser – Part One

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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.

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Senor Blogger: WDD – The sickness for which there seems to be no cure

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It’s always amazing to me how the powers that be, that is the upper management in an organization will do its best to cover up the misdeeds of its employees in order for the department to escape recognition as incompetent or even corrupt.
Most times covering up ones misdeeds takes so much more energy than simply dealing with the issue, and coming clean to those whom you are attempting to deceive, in this case the public.
One fine example of incompetence and moral corruption is the County’s very own Workforce Development Department.

iePolitics: I thought I would take a moment to explain

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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.

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iePolitics: Board of Supervisors shirking responsibility

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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.

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iePolitics: Another fraud perpetrated by Chairman Gary Ovitt, County Counsel and Andrew Lamberto

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I don’t think there are too many people who did not question the way in which former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer was fired and current County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux was hired.  Although long-time readers of iePolitics expected both events as we broke the Devereaux story months before Uffer was fired, non-readers were caught off guard.

Devereaux was picked out to succeed Uffer over a year before Uffer’s termination.  Mark and I had that conversation more than once.  I believe there may even be an email from me in his claim against the county hinting at that.

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Senor Blogger: WDD: the County’s Ongoing Disease Part Two

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Editor’s Note:  After publication of the last article on WDD, this was sent to me from an extremely reputable soucre who is very, very close to the situation. It seems WDD administration, and possibly the CAO, is more interested in labeling the messenger as “that crazy women” than in investigating to find out the accusations are true.  Here is what was submitted to iePolitics verbatim.
In our last story we highlighted some obvious misdeeds which somehow seem to go unpunished, mind you I didn’t say unnoticed.  Some obvious misdeeds in the department of Workforce Development have been filed as far away as possible to cover up the fact that the department is in total disarray. The dysfunction that abounds may be more attributed to upper management surrounding themselves with family and friends, all employed on the taxpayer dime.
No longer do you have to be competent to qualify for a position in county government because nepotism has become the standard policy for hiring. As thousands of people throughout our County are unemployed, one should ask oneself who do I know, and point me to a cushy government job!

iePolitics: A comment about Supervisor Derry

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The comment below was written on the blog today.  I decided to address the comment as a separate entry.

I am sure that you are funnelling these issues to Supv Derry since he has frequented this blog in the past. However, the way you have treated him during these past few months is not condusive to him wanting to return. I would be surprised if he bothers to take the time.

As to the specifics of this issue, why do you believe Supv. Derry is the responsible party when the BOS has placed that duty squarely on the CAO? It would seem prudent to direct these departmental issues to the CAO, and if one or more Supv. still follows this blog and is interested in the case, then they or the new unit in the CAO’s office can follow-up.


Let me respond.  I do not expect Neil to return to the blog ever nor do I care.  As far as I am concerned, Neil has become one of the problems, just like the other four; not the solution.  However, I know anything addressed to anyone on the Fifth Floor will be read by staff up there, so I will continue to address him this way.  He doesn’t respond to emails so there is no point in trying that means.

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iePolitics: More about stupid TAD supervisors

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Linda Haugan

We received confirmation from a fifth TAD office today that the original email that was sent out banning fans and radios stated that it was because they had exceeded their electricity allotment.  There was nothing about fire hazards or electrical strips.  Supervisors have been told that fans and radios will be allowed but not to spread the word.  So, let your employees get sick from the heat and smell and don’t say anything unless they beg.

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iePolitics: So Supervisor Derry, you’re a chicken – I thought you were a Marine!

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You chickened out huh?  You know what I mean!  That’s okay.  Public airing of county issues is probably best anyway.

So, you did not provide me with an answer regarding the four bargaining units in SEBA. Of course, we all know the answer already.  And that answer shows my original premise was correct.  The county did in fact tell the unions how the vote would be conducted and what the outcome would be.   This wasn’t simply Bob Blough mouthing off, but an agreement between the county and the unions.

You can’t blame that on the unions.  Greg Devereaux and the Board of Supervisors are clearly at fault here.  You have an obligation when you know that the unions are not conducting elections lawfully to step in.  I’ve told you that; Jim has told you that. But because you liked the outcome and you know a legal election would not have the same outcome, you chose to look the other way.   And that makes you as crooked as the rest.

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iePolitics: The Ristow Lawsuit

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I wasn’t going to blog about this because there really is no point right now in arguing the merits of the case.  Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time know where I stand on the issue.  No one is going to believe the outcome I predicted months ago until depositions start being taken and evidence that hasn’t been made available yet becomes public.  Some of you are on Cheryl’s side and some of you are on Mike’s side and I’m not going to change anyone’s opinion.

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iePolitics: Supervisor Derry: Clarification and more examples

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Supervisor Derry, since you have so graciously given up some of your Saturday night and Sunday morning to argue with me on the blog, I am going to give up my morning’s Frontierville play to try to explain to you the points I am trying to make.  As upset as I am about this, you are still iePolitics’ favorite supervisor. :)

As an elected official, elected to any office in California whatsoever, you have an obligation to uphold the Constitution of the State of California and the Constitution of the United States.  Hopefully, we both agree on that.

As an elected official, especially as a member of the governing body of the county of San Bernardino, we the public expect you to initiate an investigation when you have reason to suspect or personally witness unethical or illegal behavior by any person or entity under the purview of your jurisdiction.  That investigation may be as simple as referring the matter to Human Resources or as serious as referring it to the Grand Jury.  No one expects you to call in the Calvary for every act or suspected/alleged of malfeasance, but you are expected to at very least have someone in authority look at the situation to determine if there is any justification for further action.

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iePolitics: Well Supervisor Derry, ignoring the elephant in the room makes you as dirty as the rest of them

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You know Neil, we try to defend you here at iePolitics most of the time.  But some things are beyond defensible.

For example, your comment that the POST scandal is a personnel matter.  It is NOT a personnel matter.  It is a FELONY matter that involved Sheriff Rod Hoops, former Sheriff Gary Penrod, and at least a couple dozen others ranging from clerical staff to deputy chiefs. It is misconduct of the worst kind by public officials and it is being swept under the rug with the tacit approval of the board of supervisors.

But it’s okay because you all endorse one another for election, donate to one another’s campaigns, and attend one another’s fundraisers.  We wouldn’t want justice to interfere with that, now would we?

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iePolitics: So Mikey, here is a real conspiracy and bribery case for you

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Mikey, please tell me why you only prosecute some and not others.  You add yet another ridiculous charge to Rex Gutierrez, yet you let the real bad guys go.

We have told you before, and we say it again, you need to go back to law school and study Conspiracy 101 and Bribery 101 again so you can understand the elements of the crime.  Then you need to look at the way in which Scott Ryan got his promotion.

Gary Ovitt was paid off to the tune of $50,000 by SBPEA.  Interview the members of the Board of Directors.  I know some of them will tell you the truth as to how that all went down.

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iePolitics: More information on FBI probe

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Additional information regarding the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) probe into the San Bernardino County corruption scandal has been trickling into iePolitics.  It appears there are two general areas the Bureau is concentrating on: all investigations conducted by District Attorney Mike Ramos’ Public Integrity Unit (PIU) and the Superior Court bench.

Based upon questions being asked by agents, this investigation is wide-ranging.  iePolitics has been told that questions are being asked regarding various real estate deals; destruction of records by former Third District Supervisor Dennis Hansberger; disparity in handling the various FPPC complaints by Ramos against Penrod, Erwin, Biane, Devereaux, and others; the difference in the way in which 1099 charges against Jim Miller and Bea Cortes were handled; the POST scandal; possibly several of the issues at ARMC (regarding Supervisors Biane and Gonzales); and much more.

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iePolitics: “Even ‘they’ can’t be that stupid”

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Every time we here at iePolitics have declared that San Bernardino County officials have reached the pinnacle of stupidity and arrogance, we are proven wrong.  Although the events of the past 24 hours are not surprising, they are appalling.

For weeks now there has been behind-the-scenes chatter about what exactly was going to be done to pull off the transfer of San Bernardino County Second District Chief of Staff Matt Brown to the Auditor-Controller/Recorder/Tax Collector office.  Many of us figured there would be wrangling to send Brown to the Assessor’s Office next year when the Recorder’s function is transferred to that department.  The question was how.

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iePolitics: Solid Waste Management

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Editor:  I received this letter with permission to post it.  Does this sound familiar to any other county employees?

May 5, 2010

Honorable San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
Gary Ovitt, Chairman – Fourth District
Josie Gonzales – Vice-Chair – Fifth District
Brad Mitzelfelt – First District
Paul Biane – Second District
Neil Derry – Third District
Greg Devereaux, County Administrative Officer
Gerry Newcombe, Deputy Administrative Officer
385 N. Arrowhead Avenue, 5th Floor
San Bernardino, CA  92415                                                          Via Hand Delivery

Dear Chairman Ovitt, Vice-Chair Gonzales, Supervisors Mitzelfelt, Biane, and Derry, Messrs. Devereaux and Newcombe:

I have given notice to leave my position with the County of San Bernardino effective June 4, 2010, after over 20 years of employment.  I feel it is import to share with you why an employee with that much time in the organization would choose to resign.

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InlandPolitics: S.B. County: Vehicle study reportedly identifies $2 million in savings

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  • Written by Administrator
  • Posted July 10, 2010 at 9:00 am

www.inlandpolitics.com

San Bernardino County may have identified a source for potentially significant savings.

Significant as in $2 million per year, according to sources. A nice amount especially in light of budget constraints. Continue reading →

iePolitics: Corruption on the Fifth Floor and Elsewhere – Everyone Wants to Blame the Rich Guy

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It doesn’t seem to matter if we are discussing Jeff Burum, the Lewis Family, or any other of a number of successful, wealthy businessmen in our community, they are all “corrupt.”  I don’t mean that they are really, truly corrupt, but they are “corrupt” in the minds of the less successful.  The common thought seems to be that if one has money, then one has no integrity.  Our community doesn’t allow for making an “honest” hundred million or so.  Hard work, sacrifice, intellect, college education, and just plain good old-fashioned luck can all be damned.  If one is successful, then one must be a crook.

I’m sure there is a term for this mentality, and with our current corruption scandal, that mentality has become very frustrating.  Otherwise intelligent people seem to be more interested in finding blame than finding truth.  The fact that so many have bought into Batman and Robin’s conspiracy theory is proof that logic and critical thinking have given way to hysteria and enjoyment in the fact that someone with power may be taken out, not for wrongdoing, but because they have power and wealth.  I suppose the weak hope to bask in the demise of the powerful.

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iePolitics: ARMC: Thank You Supervisor Derry

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Back on June 21 I wrote this article about ARMC:  Why things will never change.  I’m happy to say that after over a year of telling high-level officials about what was going on there, the Third District stepped up to the plate, got County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux involved, and had one aspect of that situation investigated and resolved.

My understanding is that is they only found a little over $100,000 in billings that could not be collected, but part of that was due to the fact that I had destroyed millions of dollars worth of old billings that were never worked.   At least at the time I left, there had been another person up there assigned to dig out all the work that was being hidden rather than billed.  At the same time, just before I left ARMC I wandered up there to check on the state of affairs only to find that the filing system I had created so that billings would not fall through the cracks had been decimated and thrown by the wayside.  They had returned to  two-foot high piles of billings stashed in every hiding place imaginable.  But all that really matters is all that revenue can be collected and maybe save a job or two.

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iePolitics: Smoke and Mirrors on the Fifth Floor – Part 2

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Here is an email I received this morning:

Sharon:

Greg’s reorg is not about money. It’s a power shift. Think about the personnel the Supervisors are giving up.

1st: Devereaux is after O’Toole
2nd: Brown took himself out
4th: Ovitt gave up Kirk
5th: Devereaux is taking Page

Devereaux isn’t going after anyone in the 3rd, because Derry doesn’t have anyone who can help Derry match wits with Devereaux.

And the email is absolutely correct and one of the biggest points we plan to make with this series.   There is a shifting of  power taking place on the Fifth Floor.

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iePolitics: Smoke and Mirrors on the Fifth Floor – Part 1

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This is part one in a series of articles examining the spending habits of the Board of Supervisors.  We are being told that each of the five Board of Supervisor Districts has been asked to cut $500,000 from their budgets.  Sounds like they finally get it that we are in budget meltdown, right?  Wrong!

We are trying to get as accurate information as possible through California Public Records Act requests but we are being stonewalled by the County Administrative Office.

Let’s take this district by district.

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iePolitics: Two More Terminations Today

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Moises Cisneros, International Trade Manager, and Simone McFarland, Economic Development Manager were both terminated from the county today as expected.  McFarland was a part of the Google Fiasco last year where county staffers showed up late, having just left the golf course, and exhibited a cocky attitude in a meeting with Google, which was looking locate a campus in the Victor Valley.  The campus never materialized. Continue reading →

InlandPolitics Commentary: S.B. County budget assumptions using “rose-colored” glasses?

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  • Written by Administrator
  • Posted June 27, 2010 at 11:27 am

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San Bernardino County is set to adopt its 2010-11 budget next year and the revenue assumption appears to be significantly better than originally thought.

Currently the county projects combined annual operating deficits totaling $222.1 million dollars through the 2014-15 fiscal years. A bright estimate considering current conditions.

Maybe iPad sales at the Apple Store at Victoria Gardens is going to bail the county out.

Continue reading →

iePolitics: I Want To Share An Email With You

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I’m just getting to my email of the past few days and came across one that says a lot of what I’ve been thinking about for the past few days. I don’t believe there is anything in the body of the email that would give away the sender, so I am going to share it in its entirety. Here it is:

Hi Sharon.  I’ve thought long and hard about this, and now that I’ve got my thoughts together, I’m going to write you a detailed message.  I hope you’ll have the time to read it.  There are several issues that need to be investigated regarding SBPEA in respect to newer employees.  Although I’m sure you’re aware of them, I just want to refresh your memory and perhaps these can be added to the formal complaint.

iePolitics: Update on Duty for Fair Representaton (SBPEA)

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I have spoken with a couple of labor law attorneys today and this is what I learned.  Basically, the suggestion is to limit the claim to the San Bernardino Public Employees Association (SBPEA) only and not file against the county, which is fine as you are all going to have your chance to get even with the Board of Supervisors soon.  I’m hoping we will be able to announce that plan very soon.  For now we will concentrate our efforts on SBPEA and Bob Blough.  Here are some points:

  • By combining the vote, units were able to approve takeaways for other units, i.e., Clerical, etc., voted to amend the contract for Supervisors, etc., to alter their Administrative Leave.
  • There apparently were about 100 ballots thrown out by Bob that could have altered the outcome of the vote.
  • It is possible based on the slim margin that up to seven of the bargaining units may have rejected the contract changes.
  • SBPEA sent out false and inflammatory material during the vote to sway members.
  • SBPEA posted false information to its website to sway the vote.

Continue reading →

iePolitics: SBPEA General Manager Bob Blough Implicating SBCo. In A Conspiracy

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iePolitics has received several reports in the past hour from employees who indicate that San Bernardino Public Employees Association General Manager Bob Blough has publicly implicated the county of San Bernadino, and perhaps even County Administative Officer Greg Devereaux and Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Gary Ovitt in a conspiracy to defraud its members. Continue reading →

iePolitics: What Is Old Is New Again

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I took a peek at the new Organizational Chart that goes into effect on June 30, 2010 for the county of San Bernardino:  OrganizationalChart.  Several things stood out.

First, it looks like County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux undid all the completely stupid and self-serving changes former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer made last year.  No more empire building for Ufferites.

Second, unless I missed it, which is possible, this reorganization did not go before the Board of Supervisors for approval.  I know when I worked for the Deputy Administrator for EPWA, one of the last projects we worked on was a large-scale county reorganization that took Architecture and Engineering and another important division that I can’t remember now away from Marie Alonzo and made a number of other changes including eliminating our own jobs.  I know that had to go before the Board of Supervisors for approval as has other county reorganizations since so I wonder:  Is this Devereaux’s way of showing who is boss? Continue reading →

iePolitics: ARMC – Dev and Dev – It Only Gets Worse

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I have a prediction.  In my crystal ball I see the future, the near future.  And in that near future San Bernardino County Medical Director Dr. Dev GnanaDev and San Bernardino County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux will be the most loathed two men on the planet by members of the Board of Supervisors and their entire staffs.  You see, Dr. GnanaDev and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center director Patrick Petre convinced CAO Greg Devereaux to sell out the members of the Board of Supervisors.  Seem far fetched?  You ain’t seen nothing yet! Continue reading →

iePolitics: An Open Letter to Supervisor Neil Derry

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I’ve stayed away from the blog all day because I needed to take a few thousand deep breaths before I wrote this post.  Neil, of all of the supervisors you are the one that has had my and my readers’ most continuous support.  Sure, there have been a few bumps in the road along the way, but overall, you have not seen our venom like the other four supervisors and your predecessor have.  That is coming really close to changing.

For the record, I have spoken with George, who I consider to be a good friend, about all of this and mostly feel like I’ve been beating my head against the wall.  I know there are those who have spoken directly to you and are feeling a bit the same way.  What the heck has happened to you and Third District and all the promise you once showed?

Neil, I thought you were a Marine.  Geez, you have got to grow some balls.  This milk toast version is not very appealing.  We need some leadership not yet another castrated supervisor incapable of doing the right thing. Continue reading →

iePolitics: ARMC: Our BOS wants more stupid?

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So is our illustrious San Bernardino Board of Supervisors up to stupid again?  We hope not.  But we won’t know for sure until Tuesday’s meeting.  BOS agenda item No. 16 has left us scratching our heads.  This board item approves new,2-year contracts with all of the various medical providers for Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC), with the exception of the Anesthesia contract, which is extended six months.

ARMC has been under investigation almost continuously since the final quarter of 2009 for a variety of reasons including malpractice, patient abuse, billing issues, and violations of state regulations.  All three levels of government, federal, state and county, have been involved in these investigations and they have not been completed.  The situation at ARMC remains so dire that it could lose its Medi-Cal and Medicare funding which in turn could lead to the hospital being shut down.

Special Agents from the California Department of  Justice are currently investigating possible criminal misconduct at ARMC.  It is rumored that it has to do with, among other things, the medical care received by Supervisors Biane and Gonzales and former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer and his family and friends.  That makes sense because otherwise it would be the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office investigating.  However that agency has very close personal ties with all involved and that is why it appears the investigation has been turned over from the District Attorney to the Attorney General.

There has been a battle going on at ARMC for months now.  Those doctors who are tired of the mismanagement and despotic rule by ARMC Medical Director Dr. Dev GnanaDev have started speaking out.  And at least one has paid a price for doing so, that being the doctor in charge of Anesthesia, which is why his group’s contract is being extended rather than receiving a new 2-year contract like all others at the facility.  Dr. GnanaDev wants to replace him with one of his own but there is too much heat to do so right now.

The new series of contracts has one change and that is there is a separate contract for Dr. GnanaDev as medical director and one for Dr. GnanaDev for patient care.  However, the conflicts of interest still exist: Continue reading →

iePolitics: Can justice be found in San Bernardino County? – Part 3

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Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both. — Eleanor Roosevelt

So far in this series we have discussed the District Attorney’s office and the Conflict Panel.  There are three other components to justice, or the lack thereof, in San Bernardino County:  the Public Defender, the Sheriff’s Department, and the Superior Court bench.  Today, we will discuss the office of the Public Defender.

The Mission Statement on the wall of the Public Defender reads:

The Public Defender protects the constitutional rights of indigent defendants by providing skilled legal counsel and passionate advocacy at all critical phases of state level criminal and civil commitment litigation.

It is hard to believe that Public Defender Doreen Boxer would have the audacity to post such a blatant lie once one knows what really goes on at the Public Defender’s office.  iePolitics has been contacted by numerous Public Defender employees with stories of retaliation for helping clients and tales of conspiracy with the district attorney’s office to the detriment of justice.   And both actions seem to be allowed and rewarded.

But is it really that bad?  I mean, crooks going to jail, and deservedly so, is a good thing, right?.  The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

So, yes.  It really is that bad.  Anything that violates the Constitutional rights of any citizen of the United States is bad, very bad.  Perhaps today it is a serial murderer but tomorrow it could just as easily be you or I.  Once we lose our freedoms granted to us by the Constitution of the United States, America no longer exists.  And that why what is happening in San Bernardino County’s justice system is so troubling.  Literally, we are watching those who have committed no crime be prosecuted with malice.  And those who are trying to defend any who have been charged, punished for doing their jobs. Continue reading →

iePolitics: Where is the leadership in this county?

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I’m really trying to be patient.  Honestly I am.  I know former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer left behind a mess, proportions of which county brass is still trying to determine.

But . . . this county is in dire straits, ethically speaking that is.  I really want to believe what my friends who know current County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux say about him.  I really do.  I really, really do.  Because if it isn’t true, this county is going bankrupt. Continue reading →

iePolitics: Are Abernathie and Eagleson Lying?

Posted on by Administrator
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I have received a couple phone calls in the last couple days, asking several questions about SEBA station representatives and specifically William Abernathie and Mike Eagleson.

The first issue was a question about how one goes about recalling a station representative. I am told by a person in the know, you seek out those at your station who are not happy with what your station representative is doing. If you have a majority, put it on paper, approach SEBA and the Executive Board and present your case. I think you will need the names of those who wish their station rep to be replaced. Basically you need a vote of no confidence at the station level.

Since I am hearing more than a few complaining about transperancy, those who wish to recall their station reps might wish to approach ALL the reps at a monthly SEBA meeting. I think that might be the better approach at this time. LET everyone know what is happening versus just a couple. Continue reading →

iePolitics: SBPEA up to their old tricks again?

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I received an email this morning stating that a member of the Board of Directors of the San Bernardino Public Employees Association is claiming that there will be no voting on a change in contract.  Rather, whatever the survey results are is what will happen. Continue reading →

iePolitics: Dr. Gnanadev–Time To Resign Or Be Fired!–Revised

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Well another “I told you so” for iePolitics.com and inlandpolitics.com.  We’ve been called liars and such over accusations about patient care, billing, and malpractice at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC).  Now we learn that ARMC’s Medi-Cal and Medicare contracts are in jeopardy.

Both hospital director, Patrick Petre, and San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor, Josie Gonzales, attempt to downplay the significance of the actions taken by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; however, a loss of these contracts would be substantial.  The hospital is required to provide care whether it gets paid for the services it provides or not and that includes care to Medicare and Medicaid patients. Continue reading →