Tag Archives: Greg Devereaux

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: 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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Editorial: BOS Should Postpone CAO/CEO Board Item to Allow Imput from Rutherford

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Supervisor-elect Janice Rutherford

www.grapevine.com

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is playing fast and loose with the rules once again.  And this time around it seems they may very well be in such a hurry so to prevent newcomer Supervisor-elect Janice Rutherford, who ran on a platform of ethics reform, from providing her input into a law that will affect her ability to serve her constituents  for her entire term of office and keeping her promises to voters.

Four out of the five current supervisors supported Rutherford’s opponent and now they are pushing through a new county ordinance to transfer authority from the Board of Supervisors to their hand-selected County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.  Devereaux appears to have little concern for ethics reform as evidenced by his handling of the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center scandal, which was highlighted this past week with his misstatements to the press and his covering for supervisors who are accused of wrongdoing.  Inside sources say that those supervisors were targeted in the search warrants and criminal charges against them are possible.

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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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iePolitics: So the BOS thinks Uffer will be the scapegoat?

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Well, not hardly.  This Board of Supervisors has known what has been going on at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) for years.  Several of them have been happy to accept the free medical care for their themselves, family, and friends.  And they have stayed quite tight lipped about it too.

But that is hardly all that has been going on out at ARMC and they have known about it for a very long time too.  I know because I personally told them via email and blog entry.  And a long list of ARMC staff has come forward as well.

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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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iePolitics: Shame on the BOS but especially Supervisor Derry

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This week we expect to see San Bernardino County Human Resources director Andrew Lamberto recalled to the stand in the trial of Rex Gutierrez.  After Lamberto’s testimony two weeks ago where he clearly perjured himself on the stand, several of us worked behind the scenes to bring his most recent crime out in the public.

After his perjured testimony at the beginning of this year, I sent the following email to the BOS.  It should be noted that email sent to the addresses I used goes directly to their personal Blackberries/iPhones.

Subject: So when is everyone going to receive equal treatment?

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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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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: 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: Employees run amuck at Workforce Development

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Well we see that nothing has changed under County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux or his new Economic Development Agency chief.  We have written extensively over the years about the problems with lax accounting and falsified statistics with job developers and job placement specialists.

Not long ago the positions were all reclassified, with some employees being given large raises.  That has done little to promote productivity or integrity.  Very high-placed sources tell us that, if anything, things have gotten worse.

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iePolitics: Did Matt Brown receive a bribe today to keep quiet before the election?

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I know that I am not the only one that thinks the county of San Bernardino sunk to a new low today.  The decision to pay off former Second District Chief of Staff Matt Brown is a slap in the face to all county employees who must face a real hostile work environment each and every day because they do not have the money for an attorney and the county refuses to conduct a legitimate investigation.  County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux and our Board of Supervisors should be ashamed of themselves.

Of course, this payoff begs the question of Why?  Well, the answer is easy. A mistake by the District Attorney’s office has alerted corruption defendants to the fact that Brown was involved in attempting to get his boss, Second District Supervisor Paul Biane, on tape in an undercover operation.  It would be highly detrimental to Supervisor Paul Biane’s re-election chances to have his former Chief of Staff tell what he knows before November 2.

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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: 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: 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: 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: “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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Supervisor Neil Derry: Supervisor Derry Calls for Banning of all Rave Parties at County Owned Facilities

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Urges state legislature to ban dangerous events at state owned venues

SAN BERNARDINO, CA – At the behest of San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry, County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux has issued a directive that would prohibit all county owned facilities from hosting rave parties.

“Parents have a reasonable expectation to believe that their children will be safe while attending events held at county owned venues,” Supervisor Derry said.  “And it has become crystal clear that there is a reasonable expectation that our youth are at significant risk for exposure to drugs and sexual assault at these events.”

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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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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: 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: 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: ARMC Billing–Taxpayer and Patient Nightmare

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For anyone who has utilized the services of San Bernardino County’s hospital and is not an Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) VIP, it comes as no surprise that ARMC’s billing system is a mess.  Those who handle the billing are spread throughout the medical center and no one talks to one another.  As a matter of fact, turf wars exist that sometimes result in billing being months, and yes, even years behind.  It is yet one more area of ARMC that its medical director, Dr. Dev Gnanadev, has micromanaged into disarray.

ARMC has traditionally served the indigent and low-income members of our county. As such, many receive Medi-Cal, SSI and other government entitlement programs.  Such programs are strict about billing, but if done correctly and timely, result in millions of dollars being returned to San Bernardino County.  “Correctly” and “timely” are the key words here.   Continue reading →

iePolitics: To Add to Jim’s Comments

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I feel sometimes like we are beating a dead horse.  Unfortunately, that dead horse keeps coming back to life and rearing its ugly head.  There are several San Bernardino County department heads that have to go.  The county simply cannot afford to keep them on in these economic times.  Federal court and federal juries do not care how broke San Bernardino County may be when it awards judgments.  And Mr. Devereaux, you have some complete idiots (note HROs:  be sure to print this out to add it to “the list”) running the show who are going to ultimately cost taxpayers dearly.

At the top of the list is County Counsel Ruth Stringer.  How much longer are you going to tolerate her half-ass legal advice?  When you take an attitude of “we have 138 attorneys, so bring it on,” as did our former County Administrative Officer and our current County Counsel has, you’re assuming you can outlast us all.  Not all of us go away easily or cheaply. Continue reading →

iePolitics: The Blog is Wrong Again, Part Two

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I’m reprinting the following story from yesterday’s Lake Arrowhead Mountain News for several reasons.  First, our favorite spin master denied our previous reports that the budget deficit is higher than $90 million.  We have been hearing rumors that San Bernardino County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux has been saying being the scenes that our information is correct, but the county is denying the same to newspaper reporters and the public.  Now, we have some proof, although he is not admitting just how bad it really is.

Second, someone pointed this article out to me for a completely different reason.  If you read the article, it says that the county wants employees to postpone their raises INDEFINITELY.   That is not what the union is telling us.

Third, Supervisor Derry’s explanation of the capping of leave isn’t exactly correct.  Neil, call Jim and have him explain it to you!!!  But my point is not to embarrass Neil but rather to point out something I have learned over the past couple of years and that is board members and their staffs don’t have a clue how things work.  Dean “ah” Arabatzis and Andrew “sc” Lamberto tell them what they think they need to hear, thus controlling their actions.  Seriously, the Administrative Office likes to keep the board members in the dark and the board members half the time don’t even know the real effects of what they are voting on.

From the Lake Arrowhead Mountain News:

County Budget Picture Worsens

By Glenn Barr

With a $90 million budget deficit and likely layoffs looming for next fiscal year, San Bernardino County’s financial picture has worsened in the past few days with the discovery of millions of dollars in unfunded liabilities.

County officials have yet to determine how much money could be owed to employees who have accumulated leave time for which they must eventually be paid, said Chief Administrative Officer Gregory Devereaux, who said he intends to try to figure it out after the new fiscal year begins on July 1.

The problem stems from the fact, he told The Mountain News on Tuesday, that the county has historically never capped the amount of leave time that can be accrued by so-called “exempt” employees, whose jobs are not covered by civil service protection. Continue reading →

iePolitics: Rumor Control

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Or really lack of rumor control.  As the true budget situation comes to light, rumors of doom and gloom abound.  And who says they are just rumors?

The most recent have to do with Flexible Benefit Dollars, Medical Premium Subsidy, Flex Time, and Retirement.  Most can be found addressed somewhere here on the blog.

Our new County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux has his fans and his enemies.  When it comes to these issues it seems everyone is expecting him to be a Mark Uffer clone with threats and dirty deals.  I can honestly say I don’t have a good feel for what he will do.  I have asked around and here is what I’ve been told by those who are making educated guesses.  So don’t take any of this to the bank. Continue reading →

InlandPolitics: S.B County managers unknowingly subjected to job interviews

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Things are definitely looking up on the San Bernardino County government front.

New County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux is rapidly getting a clear picture of county finances and routing out discrepancies. Something everyone is glad to see happen.

Another positive sign coming out of the Government Center is Devereaux apparently scheduled and held meetings with various county administrators, department heads, and managers. Continue reading →

iePolitics: We told you so!!!

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Seems that the county can no longer afford subsidizing families while taking away health insurance from employees.  We hear that the county has proposed returning to flexible benefits dollars in lieu of the medical premium subsidy, which was Mark Uffer’s and Bob “Chicken Man” Blough’s brilliant plan to conquer and divide the membership so they would have more control.  Continue reading →

iePolitics: The Budget Mess

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Here we are in April and there still has been no budget workshop.  Has no one noticed that July 3 is not far off (or is the beginning of the new fiscal year June 26?)   Either way, umm . . . folks on the Fifth Floor, plans to overcome the horrific budget deficit need to be made kinda soon.  What are you waiting for?  Oh, you’re discovering new problems each and every day left behind by Mark Uffer and his band of magic makers?  Well, it’s time to come clean.

Continue reading →

iePolitics: So Devereaux and BOS Members . . .

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You say you want transparency and to clean up corruption in San Bernardino County.  So, when are you going to do something about one of your own—our very own Director of Human Resources, Andrew Lamberto?

Lamberto lied under oath at the Preliminary Hearing for Rex Gutierrez.  Unfortunately, at the time Rex’s attorney did not know about the memo that Lamberto authored regarding the issue of time card fraud and exempt employees.  But he know now!  And from what I’ve heard, he has subpoenaed it. Continue reading →

iePolitics: Is Greg Devereaux’s Impending Arrival Being Felt in TAD

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So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.

Peter Drucker

Interesting changes are being made in San Bernardino County’s Transitional Assistance Department’s (TAD) management structure.  Unless Assistant Administrative Officer Linda Haugen and TAD Director Nancy Swanson are even more stupid than we already know, they have to be very nervous about the new head honcho in town, County Administrative Officer (CAO) Greg Devereaux.  Linda Haugen was able to . . . um “charm” . . . her way out of trouble with former CAO Mark Uffer but those who have worked with Devereaux say he cannot be “persuaded” by the same means.  We know that neither Linda nor Nancy are capable of producing anything resembling a well-thought-out and intelligent work product, so they have a lot to worry about.

Before being devoured by TAD, the Jobs and Employment Services Department (JESD) was considered one of the best departments to work for in the county.  Employment Services Specialist positions were highly sought after.  The department was known for treating its employees and the public very well.  It had a positive work environment for employees and did an awesome job of helping the less fortunate in our community. Continue reading →

InlandPolitics Commentary: Biane wants everyone to drink his “Kool-Aid”

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  • Written by Administrator
  • Posted February 7, 2010 at 2:01 am

It seems San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane would like all of us to drink his flavor of “Kool-Aid”.

However, in Biane’s case it’s either a bottle of Kettle One vodka or a few bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Biane, who himself has apparently been a subject of focus by District Attorney Michael Ramos is attempting to woefully spin a ridiculous story that no one believes.

The District Attorney has made a referral to the California Fair Political Practices Commission related to a trip the two-term county supervisor and incoming county administrative officer Greg Devereaux took with two West Valley businessmen in September 2008.

While Devereaux appears to have made an honest attempt to comply with state law regarding such travel by public officials, Biane did the opposite. Continue reading →

iePolitics: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

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With the pending arrival of newly hired San Bernardino County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux, we are pondering some points:

  • Will Assistant County Administrative Officer Dean Arabatzis now be required to work 40 hours a week at the County Government Center?  Five days a week, every week?
  • Will the Fifth Floor continue to be a ghost town on both sides of the isle on Fridays?
  • Will CAO Devereaux also work five days a week?
  • Will County Counsel Ruth Stringer and her deputy county counsels be allowed to continue to accrue millions in leave balances?
  • What will replace our beloved “Service First”?
  • Will Chicken Man show up to board meetings in a chicken suit?
  • Will Board of Supervisors staff follow Devereaux’s lead and start working five days a week, 40 hours a week?
  • Will department heads caught lying and cheating have consequences similar to line staff?
  • Will David Wert be required to work 40 hours a week, five days a week, every week?
  • Will department heads who go on vacation be required to green-slip their time?
  • Will non-elected department heads be allowed to continue bonking their line staff?
  • Will anything be done about sexual harassment and racial discrimination in the work place?
  • Will anything of significance ever get accomplished by the Fifth Floor in a timely manner?

iePolitics: Devereaux showing who’s boss or exhibiting strong leadership capabilities?

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“Cautiously optimistic” and “nervous” are two of the phrases I have heard repeatedly about San Bernardino County’s new head honcho, County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.  Even before assuming office, Devereaux has ended a decades-long policy of 9-80s for county management, a move that makes line staff very nervous as many depend on “flex time” to survive in these hard economic times.  But it is also a sign that Devereaux is not going to be afraid to lead.

After six years of despot leadership by former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer and his band of thugs, it is easy to understand why line staff are wary of our new leader.  I’ve been asked my opinion repeatedly by everyone from the lowest level employee to managers to newspaper reporters.  Here is my standard response:

Seeing Devereaux’s close, personal relationship with the Fourth District makes me nervous on a personal level, especially when considering what the Fourth District recently did to me.  That being said, I have two friends who are long-term city of Ontario employees who have nothing but respect for Devereaux.  They are rank-and-file and are allowed to work 9-80s.  Ontario employees, most of whom are represented by San Bernardino County Public Employees Association, have the best contracts of any governmental agency in San Bernardino County.

From what I hear from those that know Devereaux, he is tough but also fair.  I also hear he will not take the crap from county managers that Uffer not only tolerated, but encouraged.   He will not play the games Uffer played and will not tolerate bad managers.  Unlike Uffer, he is consistently described as a ‘professional.’ Continue reading →

InlandPolitics: S.B. County: Devereaux reportedly seeking outside talent

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  • Written by Administrator
  • Posted February 1, 2010 at 7:00 am

InlandPolitics.com has learned that incoming San Bernardino County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux is looking at outside talent for key positions in his new administration.

Which positions are being looked at by Devereaux is not clear, but county supervisors appear to be allowing the incoming chief full authority to manage and get the house in order.

By all accounts Devereaux is doing just that.

Continue reading →

iePolitics: Deputy AG to Court: Erwin wants to be “special”

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At the last court appearance former Assistant Assessor and Chief of Staff Jim Erwin made in front of Judge Duke Rouse, arguments were heard to have an evidentiary hearing to recuse the District Attorney’s office from Erwin’s case.  During those arguments, the deputy Attorney General assisting in the prosecution suggested to Judge Rouse that Erwin wants to be given “special” treatment.  This particular statement highlights the ignorance of the Attorney General’s office in reference to the political corruption in San Bernardino County. Continue reading →

InlandPolitics: More questions arise related to DA referral on Biane failure to disclose

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As more statements from those involved appear in local newspapers, and other information is gathered related to the travel activity of County Supervisor Paul Biane and incoming County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux, it is becoming very apparent that both men are on opposite sides of the coin.

In 2008, both men accompanied local businessmen to West Viriginia for a football and golf outing.

However, their stories in local newspapers diverge from here out.

Devereaux appears to have made an honest mistake in his reimbursement for the travel.

Devereaux was apparently unaware that the rule for reimbursement of private charter travel had been changed some 45 days before the trip.

The old rule, commonly referred to as the “Southwest Airlines” rule mandated the reimbursement for any private charter travel must be done so at the lowest available common carrier flight to the same destination available to the public. Devereaux complied.

Continue reading →

InlandPolitics Commentary: S.B. County: Biane statements related to travel troubling

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County Supervisor Paul Biane has broken his silence. Now his statements bear some analysis.

A leisure trip to West Virginia that occurred in September 2008 was reimbursed out of Biane’s campaign funds. Did the reimbursement occur in September 2008 or when the amended disclosure form was filed in March 2009, just 8 days before the arrest of Jim Erwin, former Chief of Staff to Supervisor Neil Derry?

Erwin was charged with ten counts of perjury and filing false documents related to a trip and gift he received in January 2007.

Erwin resigned from his job and was made to post $220,000 bail.

The bet is on March 2009.

The costs were also under reimbursed.

Continue reading →

iePolitics: A Nice Comment

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I can write about this since it was mentioned to me both during group and outside of group.  One of the group members, who I had never met before last week and who is not a county employee, was out somewhere this past weekend.  He happened to eavesdrop on a group of people who were sitting nearby.  He heard them mention me by name and mention the blog.  I can’t remember what all he heard now, but he told me that I have a huge support group out there. Continue reading →