For almost a year the question has been asked repeatedly, “Why would San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos take on the likes of Jim Erwin?” It’s especially puzzling for several reasons.
First, Mike is a poltroon. He utilizes his paltry supply of testosterone to satisfy his overactive libido. None is left to be a man in any other way. He is emasculated. He is not capable of going to battle because he believes in the righteousness of an issue. To suggest he is attempting to “clean up corruption” is ludicrous, especially coming from one of the most corrupt district attorneys in the entire country.
Second, Mike and Jim were at least casual friends at one point and certainly political allies. As president of the Safety Employees Benefit Association (SEBA), Jim helped Mike and his political friends in their campaigns for elected office. A SEBA endorsement is substantial in this county and to potentially alienate such a powerful force could be political suicide.
And, finally Jim is hardly associated with “cowardice.” Anyone who knows Jim knows he would fight back with everything in his arsenal and Mike has been providing his enemies with a substantial supply of heavy artillery for many years now. All who follow local politics could easily predict the fallout over such a prosecution.
So what has really occurred here?
As we examine the big picture in this situation, we discover there has also been substantial collateral damage. But is it really collateral damage? Perhaps, those damaged were the intended targets and Jim Erwin was simply used as a means to bring discredit to them.
Who benefits most from the collateral damage? Mike certainly doesn’t, at least not directly. He is hanging onto his position by a thread, and chances are, is no longer a viable candidate for the coveted congressional seat to be vacated by Congressman Jerry Lewis.
But there is one person who does benefit from the prosecution, not only by giving him an excuse to run again in 2012, but also giving him the satisfaction of destroying the reputations of those he feels did him wrong. Who would that be? The answer, of course, is Dennis Hansberger.
Hansberger was defeated by newcomer Neil Derry in 2008 after a nasty campaign, funded in part by SEBA. Erwin served as the brains and powerbroker behind the scenes, and became Derry’s chief of staff, deservedly so, once Derry trounced Hansberger.
Erwin’s arrest and prosecution killed many birds with a single proverbial stone. The arrest harmed Erwin, an obvious political foe for Hansberger, but also embarrassed Derry who ran on an ethics platform. More importantly, Ramos’ inclusion of unnecessary salacious details will forever link one of the county’s most powerful millionaires, Jeff Burum, with prostitution and bribery, both of which appear to be unfounded. Ramos couldn’t produce a single criminal charge against Burum and his partners so instead opted to harm him by destroying his reputation in the community and his businesses.
Anyone really believe that Hansberger isn’t enjoying every moment of this? But that is not all Ramos and Hansberger have been a part of.
Recent revelations show that another Hansberger/Ramos supporter has had his hand in attempting to create collateral damage. Any guesses? He is apparently quite proud of what he says he spent a year doing, bragging around town at every opportunity. Of course we all know. Mark Uffer now claims he was an informant for Ramos for a year before being booted from office. And there appears to be evidence to substantiate that claim. For one, sources say that Uffer aided in the surveillance of Neil Derry and his staff once Neil assumed office, using county staff to spy on Derry. We also know from Erwin’s police report, Uffer tried to dime Erwin out. Uffer has been quoted as saying he would use “subterfuge” to get Erwin, but at least Erwin got the last laugh on that one.
And there is at least one more member of this den of thieves and that is none other than our favorite County Counsel, Ruth Stringer, who when given confidential information by the Board of Supervisors couldn’t wait to stab her employers in the back in order to please Ramos and Hansberger. It was Stringer who took an honest effort by Chairman Gary Ovitt’s office to restore a little piece of integrity to San Bernardino County government and turn it into a scandal to discredit Jeff Burum, score points with Dennis Hansberger, and provide a means to threaten and embarrass board members for Mike Ramos.
Anyone who actually believes that Hansberger is out of the political picture in San Bernardino County is naive. He is alive and well and still pulling strings to help himself and destroy those he feels did him wrong. Just what we all want back in the Third District in 2012.
And most of those dummies assume a jury is going to buy a pound of Ramos’s crap and convict those charged on a 12-0 vote. I don’t think so, not for a minute. NOT after all those other FPPC issues came out.
I think the general working class public is about sick of crooks whether it be in Washington DC or here.
EVERY major problem in this country right now is linked to one or more people with an agenda that is screwing the average person. The dummies forgot it is the average person sitting on the jury, not Dennis Hansbergers brother or best friend.
Now is not the time to be an elected official and being linked to corruption. I think most Americans have no time for most politicians, when they speak they are lying is what most people are thinking to themselves if not out loud.
ONE thing none of those clowns ever thought, that a blog like this one or inlandpolitics would ever be created to TELL everyone about their dirty little secrets.
If many within the walls were not talking, the blogs would not be here.
Ramos is keeping a dirty little secret about Hansberger and his April 2007 appointee to the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino. OK, so that’s not so hard to believe, those two have plenty of secrets I’m sure, but would you believe that The Chicken is another one of the bedfellows keeping a lid on this situation while the DA’s PIU figures out how to bury the situation in bs using selective prostitution. Q: What do you call a handful of bureaucrats that rely on the SBPEA Chicken to keep things on the down low? A: “Stacking the deck” for Super WalMart using a conflicted SBPEA/ HACSB Super Mario in Redlands. Wonder what else Hansberger hasn’t disclosed about his connection to a supercenter to Redlands? Maybe a little property interest or just some stock that he bought off of Mayor Gilbreath once the initiative process was evoked by a concerned public, tired of the big government/ big business “slow dance”? Hansberger is still the Lawrence Welk of the SBCo. local government corruption sideshow, bubbles and everything.
Don’t forget to include SEBA in keeping things on the down low.
Their lawyers keep the facts out of the records, BS the members with bogus legal information in order to keep Abernathie happy so the lawyers can keep their contract with SEBA.
Then the lawyers overbill the Legal Defense Fund making bank, a nice little scam.
Their legal strategy is “let’s be nice” and “hope for the best”. A real awesome approach to corruption. A real break through in litigation.
Politicians don’t contribute to other politicians unless there is a strong connnection between them. Team Ramos includes Lewis, Hansberger, Foster, Uffer , and Larsen. Lewis $5,000, Hansberger $10,000 and Larsen $5,000 helped buy the DA’s Office for Ramos. Now Ramos is paying back the debt. Sharon, you are absolutely right about where the stink is coming from. Hansberger wants his seat back and Ramos will do whatever is necessary to make sure that happens.
This is a peek inside the GOP machine that has been active for years,with hansberger father very involved….local long term political royalty…the kings of SBC politics….Lewis…(who should be in a jail cell next to duke cunningham…and rusty foggo )….is at the top of this wacked out group of political criminals…THE GOVERNMENT IS ORGANIZED CRIME…at least in our little group…Many of you out there know far more than me…concerning the ‘Red County Machine’….threads of connections between the players…please come in and add to the blog
How do you expect Neil and the County and everybody else to move on when you spread rumors like this? Hansberger is out of County politics and intends to stay that way. It is almost funny. What’s next, you hear of his filing his intention to run? He’s retired. move on.
So why did he file a 460 in December?
5th floor, we the public,,,do not want to ‘move on’…we want full light acountibility! the county is the people…not the power elite!
In order to keep Stringer’s illegal and immoral actions from the public, Hansberger destroyed my correspondences. Don’t worry, copies of these correspondences are in good hands.
Jim Erwin’s just as dirty as everyone else. He had an inappropriate relationship with the former head of HR while he was representing SEBA in negotiations.
Get off Erwin’s back.
Why would Ramos’ PIU allow the Assessor, Recorder, Tax-Collector, County Counsel, Hansberger and SBSC to destroy and/or conceal documents?