Mark Kirk
So how does one afford a 2.5k square foot home, land in Arizona for a future home, a plane and hangar spot, two Cadillacs, cleaning lady, multiple overseas vacations, time share for multiple weeks per year, and his wife just quite work to raise their baby all on a $130,000 a year county salary?
Robert Kirk
The reign of the Kirk family has come to an end. Kirkville is no more.
One of the more controversial families in Hesperia, the Kirk’s have attempted to dominate Hesperia and County of San Bernardino politics with little success. Today, the last of the Kirks, patriarch Robert, vacated his position on the Hesperia School Board, leaving as his legacy possibly millions of dollars in pending lawsuits.
Mark Kirk, son of Robert and Vicki, first came on the scene as an aid to George and Sharon Runner. He then became the chief of staff for Fourth District Supervisor Gary Ovitt, where he is better known as John Doe No. 4 as an unnamed co-conspirator in the $102 million Colonies scandal.
It seems County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux isn’t satisfied with all the new power he has been granted. He continues to build on his power base as evidenced by his interference in selection of the Chairman to the Board of Supervisors.
Devereaux’s loyalty to Chairman Gary Ovitt stems from the years he served as city manager of Ontario when Ovitt was mayor. It has been obvious from the beginning as Ovitt, and his then-chief of staff, Mark Kirk, orchestrated both former-County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer’s termination and Devereaux’s hiring. The process took well over a year and the entire Fifth Floor knew that no one but Devereaux was being considered for the job.
Editor’s Note: For a blog that “no one reads,” stories that are printed on it sure do have the tendency to create havoc. We knew there would be several additional names to this list, but then presents drop from the sky. And those presents were read by the defense.
iePolitics has obtained a partial list of witnesses expected to be called as a part of the upcoming corruption trial in People v. Postmus, et al. Attorneys for the defendants have given the judge an expected length of seven to eight weeks for the trial. Here are the names we have been given so far:
Audrey Amelia Kirk
We understand Audrey Amelia was born early this morning. Both daddy and grandpa are pilots so we are guessing that is how she got her middle name. Congratulations to the Kirk and Brown families.
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).
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.
Andrew’s got some ‘splaining to do. Transcripts clearly showing San Bernardino County’s Director of Human Resources Andrew Lambert purposely mangled the truth while testifying at the Gutierrez trial two weeks ago have been turned over to the Board of Supervisors and County Administrative Office. In the meantime, iePolitics has received a considerable number of hits this morning from the FBI on the posts regarding Lamberto’s perjury.
Lamberto’s testimony could not only send an innocent man to prison, but may very well impact numerous others working for the Board of Supervisors and County Administrative Office. Mark Kirk in particular has been targeted by District Attorney investigators, and based on information from a confidential informant, we believe they have stepped up their investigation in the past week. We have been told he is one of the individuals whose payroll records have been subjected to a search warrant/subpoena.
Adam Aleman
Are you listening US Attorney? San Bernardino County is in crisis. It is a crisis that mocks our justice system; one that distorts the truth; and one where integrity is a forgotten. Bringing about justice is no longer the highest priority of our county prosecutors; winning at any and all cost is their goal—a goal that has little to do integrity, truth or . . . justice.
There are many lesser-known stories of justice gone awry in our county. Ours starts with a little-known manager at the local Outback Steakhouse who went on to make headlines. His name is familiar to all of us. It is Adam Aleman.
Aleman caught the attention of then-Supervisor Bill Postmus many years ago. He eventually left Outback Steakhouse to become a member of Postmus’ Board of Supervisors staff.
Today is the big day for the Mark Uffer/Mark Kirk showdown of sorts. Uffer has made numerous accusations against the former chief of staff to Chairman Gary Ovitt. And now using some twisted mindset Uffer wants the one he accused to validate his claims that he was fired for being a whistleblower.
Kirk is scheduled for deposition today. Uffer’s attorney has suggested the depositions will be videotaped and released to the media. Can you say intimidation? It seems that Uffer found the perfect attorney to match his own personality.
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!
Sunday, August 29, 2010 – 2:40 pm
It’s finally crunch time in the multi-year corruption probe launched by San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos.
And one has to wonder what Ramos told Attorney General Jerry Brown in regards to his evidence?
There’s a bigger question starting to be asked by some close to the investigation.
Was Brown lied to?
That is the rumor. To be more exact, the rumor is that Mark Kirk will be arrested for time card fraud before the Rex Gutierrez case gets underway in a few weeks. We are also hearing Paul Biane’s arrest is imminent.
These rumors can almost always be traced back to our favorite yellow singing Canary, Confidential Informant No. 1, Mr. Max Factor himself, Adam Aleman. It seems that every time Mikey has to face bad news he deflects with disinformation through Adam.
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.
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?
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.
I guess I had what some might call an epiphany this week. Many of our readers would say it is about time.
You see, for the first time since the corruption scandal started, I genuinely want to see Mark Kirk, Gary Ovitt, Greg Devereaux, and others led away in handcuffs, booked and serve some jail time. Do I believe it will happen? No, I don’t. I still feel the Colonies Settlement is clean.
Everything else in the Fourth District office, however, is not so clean. But the problem is that neither Mikey and Moonbeam or the FBI will look at the real dirt. Mikey and Moonbeam are too busy accepting campaign donations from SEBA and SBPEA. The FBI isn’t interested in the kind of real corruption that goes on in this county.
In this instance, it is simply not the sort of thing the FBI will get involved with. I’m not suggesting there will not be arrests made, just not arrests of the county’s most corrupt individuals, except possibly Mikey.
I have to admit I cringed when I saw the story on Joe Tuner. I think very highly of Joe. He’s been accused over the years of some things that haven’t necessarily been accurate, but accurate or not, he has tried very hard to clean up his reputation. And he has done a good job. Mostly, it is gonna just take time.
I think the story tonight illustrates perfectly one of the points in Jason Whited’s piece last week. Because of technology, especially the Internet, past mistakes are not nearly as easily forgotten. Mistakes in the last five years and on into eternity could come back to haunt us for a lifetime.
We hear that staff members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors are being cut. But unlike with general county employees whose positions are being cut, these folks are being found special positions with an emphasis on not losing pay. Rumor has it that Matt Brown is being sent to the Auditor/Controller’s office, which means he would be working for another elected official and be untouchable by Supervisor Biane once Biane finds out the extent to which Matt narc’d or attempted to narc him off. We hear Mark Kirk is going to the County Administrative Office and John Richardson to County Counsel. Josie did what Josie is so good at doing. She simply fired someone on her staff. Neil offered a transfer to one of his staff members but she left the county instead. We will see if these rumors pan out or not. We know the rumors about the Third and Fifth Districts have already come true. Continue reading
I like “I told you so’s” even to my friends. Former San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus got an “I told you so” from me yesterday.
Up until yesterday, Superior Court Judge Micheal Dest seemed to be doing the “right thing” during the hearings for the corruption defendants, at least in comparison to Judge Duke Rouse, who has been doing anything but the “right thing.” But I spent two years working for the little man and tried to tell Bill and Jim that Dest would do what is best for Dest politically. Continue reading
Our county’s resident lying snitch is at it again. Yes that’s right. Pinocchio aka Confidential Informant No. 1 aka the yellow singing Canary, aka Adam Aleman is bragging once again about the testimony he gave to the San Bernardino County Grand Jury this past Monday and Tuesday. Now, he has already pissed the Grand Jury off once by altering evidence he sent to them. That brought about just a few felonies. Now, he seems to have forgotten he is not supposed to be telling us all what was said during the hearing. But, this is the brash young Mr. Aleman and he can’t help himself. Continue reading
I really need to stop reading former San Bernardino County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer’s Claim Against the County. Every time I do, I find something new. Like tonight I came across the email from Postmus to Biane calling Biane a POS. That was too funny.
Something else was pointed out to me today that got me reading the thing again. That was some more of the questions Mark Uffer suggested the Grand Jury ask Mark Kirk. Continue reading
Rather than trying to answer some of the concerns expressed in the comment section in the “The 59th Assembly Race—Which One Do I Believe?” post, I thought I would make it easy on myself and answer here. First and foremost, I want to stress that I was not accusing Ken Hunter or his campaign manager, John Wurm, of being unethical. I was suggesting that, as the old saying goes, when you lay down with dogs, you get fleas. Continue reading
Has anyone read pages 129-137 of the Mark Uffer Claim Against the County? They can be found here: Uffer-Document
Pages 129-137 consist of the questions Mark Uffer proposed the Grand Jury ask others, including Supervisor Paul Biane and Chief of Staff Mark Kirk. Those questions are quite revealing. The question is, “Are they legitimate?” Continue reading
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
Since you won’t open my emails and text messages . . .
I had a sleepless night Saturday. After going through Mark Uffer’s 160 pages of baloney, there were some things I couldn’t get off my mind.
The “questions” that Uffer suggested for the Grand Jury about the blog explained a few things. I’m not clear if they actually asked you or anyone else those questions. Those are pretty bizarre questions to ask in a criminal investigation. Continue reading
To download a PDF version of former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer’s highly entertaining claim, click here: Uffer Claim
Well it seems my favorite chief of staff, Mark Kirk, likes to bend, or in this case break, even more rules. As well all know, smoking is not prohibited within 20 feet of a county building.
Although the Fifth Floor of the County Government Center is one of the few buildings with a nice balcony complete with furniture and plants, it is NOT 20 feet from the building so therefore smoking is banned. However, that apparently only counts if you are a regular county employees. The law does not apply to the Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.
It seems that on nice days, Kirk like to use the balcony as his outside office where he can take his laptop and light up a cigar. It must be nice.
Robert, before you critizise me, Mark has had 1.5 months to respond to this issue and never has. So, I can assume he does not care or it is true. Take your choice. Here is an email I received:
The post up tonight regarding the SD reminds me that I am hearing a story repeated over and over again regarding your friend Mark Kirk. The story goes that 3 different times someone from FAC mgmt has been called out to the High dessert while on call, in county car to retrieve the keys that Mr. Kirk locked in his car while at his girlfriend’s house. The story goes that the 1st time the employee documented the incident as he is required to do on any such call thinking nothing about it. Problem is the next morning same employee was verbally reprimanded for documenting it since it was an incident regarding a BOS member chief of staff. The employee argued but was of course shot down. The next 2 calls were not documented. Don’t know if it is true or not but the source has no reason to lie and has no idea that I know you. Just thought you would like to know that this story is out there since you have gone to bat for this guy and his integrity over and over again.
True, only to find out that the Mark I thought I knew is not the real Mark.
You force me to communicate with you publicly. I know you feel all of us, not just me, but every one of us who was a victim of Mark Uffer and Andrew Lamberto, deserve what we have received for standing up for ourselves against dishonest, vindictive administrators. All any of us want out of those who have the power to make things right is for you to take corrective action and do just that, make things right.
But you are so worried about getting Gary Ovitt re-elected that you have shirked your responsibility to employees and constituents alike. The very people that voted Gary into office are rebelling. Voters everywhere are sick and tired of incumbents who only care about themselves with little concern for their constituents. Gary may very well be a man of integrity but he has let the voters of this county down. Continue reading
These days when my political-type friends and I are talking on the phone, the subject of phone taps always comes up. When I’m talking with Bill or Jim, for example, I assume the district attorney’s office has their phones tapped and can hear everything I say. So, since there is always a supply of 7-in-1 and Bordetella in my refrigerator, I always remind Bill that if he’s at my house he can find the clean syringes there. And when talking with Jim, I make it a point of giving him the account number Adam passed along to me for that off-shore account with the $1.02 million in it from Colonies settlement. The three of us are getting our passports ready for the big day. Continue reading
In an extraordinarily surprising move, it appears that the four remaining members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors were not affected by the emotional, pious pleadings of Josie “I wish I had a brain” Gonzales and rejected her ideas about investigating and suing themselves. They claim it is “Premature.”
Hmm . . . they didn’t think that a year ago when they sued those involved in the corruption scandal before there was one ounce of proof of wrongdoing. Here we are a year later and there is still no proof—not a single conviction. So what’s the difference? Continue reading
This last week’s developments involving the filing of charges against two former county officials, the naming of five “un-named” co-conspirators, and the reputation destruction of others referred to in a complaint and accompanying arrest affidavit has commenced a chain of events that will reverberate in San Bernardino County for years.
The charges and accusations come with less than one week before the filing period for the June primary election officially opens. District Attorney Mike Ramos is seeking re-election and California Attorney General Jerry Brown is running for Governor.
After the conclusion of a live press conference District Attorney Mike Ramos made it clear to reporters they could deduce who the “un-charged” or “un-named” parties were by carefully reading the criminal complaint. Figuring out the names wasn’t the least bit difficult. Ramos’ venom was evident. He spoke of personal attacks on himself and his family and concerns over his budget being cut.
Former Assessor and County Supervisor Bill Postmus, who already posted $110,000 bail was re-arrested and forced to post an additional $250,000. Former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin, who had already posted $220,000 bail was also re-arrested and required to post an additional $380,000.
Neither Postmus nor Erwin had ever been late to any court appearance.
The “un-named” individuals are Jeff Burum, co-managing partner, Colonies Partners, Dan Richards, co-managing partner, Colonies Partners, Patrick O’Reilly, CEO, O’Reilly Public Relations, Paul Biane, second district supervisor, and Mark Kirk, chief of staff to fourth district supervisor Gary Ovitt. Continue reading
Sources close to the investigation have revealed that San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos wanted to have arrest warrants issued for all five John Does at the same time that warrants were issued for former Assessor Bill Postmus and former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin. It was Attorney General Jerry Brown who crushed Ramos’ plan to arrest Colonies Partners Jeff Burum and Dan Richards, consultant Patrick O’Reilly, Fourth District Chief of Staff Mark Kirk and Second District Supervisor Paul Biane. It was also Brown who insisted that they not be personally named in the complaint.
This post could have just as easily been entitled, “I told you so again” but honestly I am very saddened by today’s news regarding John Does 1 through 5 as described in the Jim Erwin/Bill Postmus arrest affidavit. I was writing a message to Mark Kirk when I remembered a comment I made in my first “Blood Stains” post which read (emphasis added):
The elected leaders in this county have blood stains on their hands, not from touching the hand of the crucified Christ, but from playing with the Devil and destroying the innocent, the poor and the weak. They have not used their power and authority with wisdom, grace, or benevolence, but rather with selfishness, abusiveness, intolerance, indifference and mean-spiritedness.
Doing what is right can sometimes be painful, but will never be as painful as being brought to one’s knees by an angry God who gave in abundance only to see it unappreciated and abused. Everyone on the Fifth Floor has been given an abundance; some would say an overabundance. One day many of them may wake up to find it gone and their power gone too. Then it will be they who ask for grace and mercy. Maybe if they are lucky we will have replaced them with leaders with integrity who show them more grace and mercy than the current leadership has shown us. Continue reading
I’m sure that is what the reporter who called me a little while ago regarding Former Assessor Bill Postmus’ and Former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin’s early morning arrests was thinking. Well, yes, as a matter of fact I do believe this is just another attempt by a desperate district attorney to be re-elected and a governor-wannabe-again feeling the pressure from Meg Whitman.
Ramos will do anything to deflect from his own misdeeds. And time will prove these charges are as trumped up as the last ones.
One thing comes to mind here and that is something Postmus keeps telling me. He claims this whole corruption scandal is the result of Mike Ramos wanting to get at Jeff Burum. He thought Erwin would roll on Jeff the first time. If anything, their friendship seems stronger. I expect today’s event to strengthen it even more. Continue reading
Throughout the investigation into the sexual harassment complaint against San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos, iePolitics suggested that the final report against Ramos would be scathing. That was based on several factors. First, we had seen some of the evidence first hand—evidence that we mistakenly believed could not be covered up. Second, we had sources close to the investigation. Third, Ramos loves to drink and spill his guts. Even he confided to his drinking buddies that his days were numbered.
We expected the report to be out some time in November, but suddenly there was one delay after another. And, Ramos started flexing his muscles once again, sending his investigators out to harass members of the Board of Supervisors and their staffers with frivolous questioning and intimidation. Then we heard of the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) referrals just days before the report was to go before the Board of Supervisors and guessed a deal had been cut. It was upsetting, but not surprising, to see the final report. No one can objectively look at that final report and not come to the conclusion that something smells, stinks actually.
The report reeks so badly of deal-cutting between certain members of the Board of Supervisors and Ramos that formal calls have been made for federal investigators to intervene to determine if crimes have been committed. Several current and former Government Center employees have already interviewed with federal investigators regarding Ramos’ actions.
When one compares the aggravated circumstances of Second District Supervisor Paul Biane’s FPPC filings (or lack thereof) and newly-hired County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux’s “mistake” to the approach taken with Jim Erwin, it is obvious one or more persons have been given special treatment. The question is, “In exchange for what?” And that exchange, if proven, carries far harsher criminal penalties than an FPPC fine.
Despite inaccurate headlines by local newspapers, the already-completed report did NOT clear Ramos of lying to the public nor did it clear him of the allegations that he had a sexual relationship with one or more subordinate employees or of having a sexual relationship with Public Defender Doreen Boxer, which could be the most problematic of all of the allegations against Ramos. The report also did not clear his executive staff and some attorneys of sexual rendezvous with subordinates in the stairwells, misuse of county vehicles, time card fraud, political activity on county time, illegal wiretaps, and a host of other allegations that appear to have enough footing to warrant further investigation. Continue reading
Former San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office Intergovernmental Affairs Director Rex Gutierrez appeared in court today for preliminary hearing on charges of embezzlement and grand theft relating to time card fraud. His case was bound over for trial starting in about 60 days.
Among the witnesses was San Bernardino County Human Resources Director Andrew Lamberto, who testified that Gutierrez’s work hours were determined by his immediate supervisor, former Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman. Aleman has already plead guilty to four felonies in connection with the scandal, including presenting a false claim, in exchange for his testimony against the remaining defendants.
Lamberto’s assertion appears to be in direct conflict with state law, which does not restrict a salaried employee’s work schedule except for sick leave and vacation time. The county’s position has been that Exempt employees, such as Gutierrez, defendant Greg Eyler, and all the staff members for the Board of Supervisors (BOS), County Counsel, and the County Administrative Office are in fact salaried employees who are not required to work a set number of hours. This sudden switch in policy described at today’s hearing by Lamberto will likely result in not only a much more intensive grilling of Lamberto at trial, but also subpoenas being issued to the five Chiefs of Staff to the Board of Supervisors as well as those in the County Administrative Office and County Counsel to explain the disparate treatment of employees covered under the same Memorandum of Understanding and the same California Labor Codes. Continue reading
But this time there is precedent. In 1984 San Bernardino City Councilman Bob Hammock was elected to serve as Fifth District supervisor on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. He was re-elected in 1988. He wanted to run for a third term.
During this same period Assemblyman Jerry Eaves was making a name for himself as a part of the “Gang of Five” going up against Speaker Willie Brown. Jerry made clear his intentions to leave the state assembly and challenge Hammock. Continue reading
Sources tell iePolitics that today’s selection of Michael Cramer as the new Chairman of the San Bernardino County Planning Commission reeks once again of Supervisor Paul Biane nepotism. We are told Mr. Cramer is related to Supervisor Biane by marriage—uncle, father-in-law, or something along those lines. We have been unable to confirm that relationship.
Less than a year ago, another Biane relative, Michael Biane, was appointed to the Assessment Appeals Board. Michael is Supervisor Biane’s uncle by blood.
The story below from inlandpolitics.com is disturbing to say the least. The problem is that it may only be the tip of the iceberg in terms of backroom deals and cover-ups that have occurred as part of the investigation into San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos and his sexual exploits. We will probably know more next Tuesday after the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors meet in closed session.
On Decemer 18, 2009, Mark Kirk and I met to try to resolve differences. I asked him about the status of the Mike Ramos. Mark’s only response was “I have a plan.” Last Friday when I received the call about the memo where it appears the report was gutted and the investigation covered up, I kept asking, “Are you sure? Mark said he had a plan.” I sure as heck hope what we see now is not the “plan.”
I had a chance to meet with Cheryl Ristow, the claimant in the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s sex scandal, yesterday and she showed me her documentation. One of things the newspapers seem to have forgotten is that the report does not clear District Attorney Michael Ramos of lying to the public nor does it suggest that he DID NOT have an affair with Cheryl or any number of other subordinate employees. All it states is that the District Attorneys office did not create a hostile work environment for Cheryl.
Cheryl has the proof, which leads those of us close to the situation to believe that the more-serious hanky-panky is between San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gary Ovitt, along with his Chief of Staff, Mark Kirk, and the law firm investigating the accusations. Helping along with the deceit is likely Human Resources Director Andrew Lamberto and County Counsel Ruth Stringer. Continue reading
In what has been an ongoing discussion on this blog about the incompetence and unethical practices of San Bernardino County Human Resources Director Andrew Lamberto and County Counsel Ruth Stringer, we now find out just how unscrupulous both are. Added into the mix this time is the reported collusion with said scoundrels by Board of Supervisors Chairman Gary Ovitt and his Chief of Staff, Mark Kirk, Supervisor Paul Biane and others, and we can only conclude that the level of corruption in the upper echelons of county government has reached a new high.
Last August, at the insistence of Third District Supervisor Neil Derry, Lamberto initiated an investigation into allegations of hostile work environment by District Attorney Michael Ramos aimed at investigative technician Cheryl Ristow. Ristow admitted a previous 17-month sexual affair with Ramos, who had told her during the affair how he had fallen in love with her and claimed he was divorcing his wife, Gretchen. However, once Ristow realized that Ramos was lying about his feelings for her and his status with his wife, Ristow ended the relationship.
Ramos continued to pursue Ristow, even to the point that when Ristow was facing possible breast cancer surgery, Ramos asked to have one more encounter with her before her breast might be damaged or removed during the surgery. Ramos continued to pursue Ristow as will be shown in an updated article tomorrow. Ristow has said from the beginning all she ever wanted out of this is for Ramos to admit the affair and apologize for lying to and about her. It seems Ramos cannot tell the truth. Despite that fact and although the investigators seem to have ignored the evidence, tomorrow we will provide evidence in Ramos’ own handwriting to show what he has done. Continue reading
As San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gary Ovitt’s first year of service as chairman comes to a close, it is a good time to examine what this Board has accomplished in the past year. By all accounts, we have a Board of Supervisors that is in constant turmoil, unable to complete only the most routine of tasks.
Year 2009 began with promise. Former Chairman Paul Biane completed his lackluster stint as Chairman with a corruption scandal hanging over his head that neutered him to the point of complete ineffectiveness. His successor, Gary Ovitt, was expected to bring a breath of fresh air. Although not known personally for strong leadership skills, Ovitt, unlike Biane, was known for high moral standards. Through his chief of staff, Mark Kirk, Ovitt was expected to accomplish much. Continue reading
iePolitics has learned that as a part of the ongoing corruption investigation additional, previously-unreported search warrants were issued at the homes of high-ranking county officials including that of at least one current chief of staff. When serving the search warrants, District Attorney investigators photographed the interior of the homes and those photos are now available to defendants as part of the discovery process.
As new information is obtained, it will be reported here.
I was chatting with a friend a few weeks ago and he was riled up over Mark Kirk. He commented that he wanted to make Kirk feel pain. He wasn’t talking about physical pain, but the emotional pain he was feeling and which he blames on Kirk. I had a very hard time understanding how one could hate that much. I even talked to Mark about it because I couldn’t fathom what Mark could have done to bring about that much animosity from another human.
Here we are just a few short weeks later and I feel the same way. I confessed to my therapist in my group today and I didn’t get taken 5150 so I know can now safely admit this here, but a week ago today I was so distaught at what Mark had done that for the first time since my problem with the suicidal thoughts started on October 8, 2008, I made the only totally serious attempt. I started with ten Trazadon, followed by five Tramadol fifteen minutes later and then rotated with five pills every fifteen minutes for several hours.
I was so sick of Mark discounting my feelings I just wanted to show him how much he hurt me, not that he would give a crap, but ones mind is not thinking coherently when this is going on. I remember with each group of five pills I was convinced they would be the ones that would finally knock me out. I kept wondering when I was going to die and was getting really mad that it didn’t happen. Continue reading
There is one especially nice thing about Jim and I having separate blogs and that is I can write about anything I want to write about without grief from Postmus, Stout, Erwin, Derry or Burum for writing about the “personal” stuff. This is one of those “personal” posts that makes those guys cringe but I don’t have to worry about it because they will never see it as they are busy with their own blog. I’ve been inundated with questions so I’m going to take a few minutes to explain all that has happened to bring about two separate blogs.
Back in October after I was laid off from work I had a bit of a meltdown. Under normal circumstances I would have taken the action with stride but 2009 was anything but a normal year for me. For the first time in a couple of decades, not having a county paycheck to rely upon was financially devastating for me. I have always had multiple sources of income including my businesses, savings earnings, rental income and second/third jobs. But 2009 was the year of financial hell and the layoff caught me off guard and unprepared. On top of that, not only did they lay me off, they also messed with my final paycheck, shorting me a lot of money. Thus the meltdown. Continue reading