It seems Grand Terrace City Councilwoman Bertha Bea Cortes had a change of heart thanks to her new attorney Frank Tetley. Cortes withdrew her request for a restraining order against a constituent she confronted in a local restaurant. Tetley was overheard telling her that “any publicity is good publicity” and “it’s not a good idea to piss on a skunk.” Take that however you want.
Adam Aleman was arrested on June 30, 2008. Adam Aleman pleaded nolo contendere on June 30, 2009. And on June 30, 2010, Adam Aleman is deemed a liar by a vast majority of the jurors who heard his testimony.
What does this mean for our favorite yellow singing Canary in terms of the sentence he will be given? Continue reading
The jury reached an impasse on all three counts: 5-7, 4-8, 3-9.
But what I’m getting third hand via text is that the jury deadlocked on all three counts and the judge has sent them back to try harder.
I have been the recipient of a few pep talks regarding taking out SBPEA. It is time we do it. Although much can be posted to the blog, it is not always the most expedient way to get information out. I am going to start using three other methods: Twitter, Facebook, and texting.
You can find us on Twitter at iepoliticscom. You can find me on Facebook. If you had been a “friend,” you may not be now. I deleted my old account and started over. Continue reading
Media has been notified to be in court at 1:30 today in the trial of Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman and former Assessor’s Office employee Rex Gutierrez. Unconfirmed reports indicate the jury has reached an impasse on at least one count.
I’ve been told some employees will be at SBPEA at 12:05 to let Bob know what they think and boycott the hotdogs. Let me know if anything materializes.
Enough employees came forward after I pouted that I have sent off inquiries to three attorneys regarding filing suit against SBPEA and possibly the county. We have had employees come forward and offer to sign affidavits regarding Bob’s claims that the county forced him to vote the contract as a group and not by bargaining unit. This is a very important point as it shows collusion by the county. We need employees who heard him say that come to come forward. Continue reading
This post started out as what was going to be a phone call to George, but as the last two days progressed, we decided we needed to ask the boss. So we’ll see if Supervisor Derry is willing to respond.
First off, I will provide a little background to readers as best as I can remember it. One of Supervisor Derry’s campaign promises was to create an Ethics Commission if elected. He has been met with a certain amount of opposition and financial restraints. I know the Fourth District does not want to see an Ethics Commission created and the $500,000 price tag seems steep during the current budget mess. Continue reading
I was only allowed in the courtroom for a few hours in the Rex Gutierrez case but it was long enough to notice the stark difference in the courtroom personalities of Deputy District Attorney John Goritz and defense attorney Jim Reiss. Here are a few things I noticed:
Another interesting aspect of today’s deliberations in the Rex Gutierrez trial was the request for testimony read-back by the jury.
The jury requested the court reporter read-back testimony of the defendant.
The testimony in question is related to Gutierrez’s explanation regarding documents he submitted.
Very interesting…….
***This post was updated and revised late Tuesday night after the receipt of clarification on the jury’s inquiry. A completely different line of inquiry occurred than that originally published***
The jury deliberating the fate of Rancho Cucamonga city councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez ended its first full day of deliberations with no verdict and a couple questions for the court and attorneys.
I’m paraphrasing of course, but the jury presented the question as to how the “Good-Faith” defense could be viewed as a mitigating factor for the defendant related to the charges related to time card fraud / grand theft. Continue reading
I spoke with Kay Moore, the defendant in Grand Terrace City Councilwoman Bea Cortes’ restraining order, tonight. Things are not right!
First, Mrs. Moore did appear at the first hearing and the judge granted the order anyway. Cortes claimed she was afraid of Moore because Moore is so “large.” Moore is 65 years old, 5’7″ and weighs 155 pounds. The judge could see that for himself.
Second, the judge told Cortes that he would not order Moore to stay away from city hall, etc., yet you can see for yourselves that that is the order that was issued. Continue reading
Here is an email I received:
Jason Desjardins made a public comment at the most recent regular agenda of the SB City Council, June 21, 2010, in that he declared that his motor vehicle (Van) was broken into at the Cardenas Super Market at 40th and Sierra Way and his personal property was stolen. Jason went on to say at the meeting that the thieves should contact him directly and return his property, no questions asked. What I heard a day or so later, from an impeccable source, was what was stolen was a handgun loaded with “hollow-point” bullets. Apparently there is a police report to support this. Given the recent tragedy with a 6 year old boy being shot-down, we now have a councilman carrying around a loaded pistol with illegal bullets. Now Jason’s handgun, loaded with “cop-killer” bullets, is on the streets of San Bernardino and who knows where else. Not good any way you look at it. Continue reading
Here is the order: Councilperson Cortes v. Moore Note: There are two separate files when you open the document. The first is the application and the second is the order.
A couple of things are noteworthy. First, the order is for 100 yards and includes city hall, city functions, etc. The defendant is a resident of Grand Terrace and this order basically denies her right to participate in city government or even pay her trash bill in person. If this order is made permanent, she would not be allowed to attend a 4th of July event if the city is sponsoring one, or a Christmas pageant, or a parade.
If you read the application, Cortes actually wanted the defendant restrained from using foul language or discussing politics. Continue reading
When I first heard of the restraining order City of Grand Terrace Councilwoman Bea Cortes obtained against a citizen in her city, I didn’t pay too much attention to it. Yesterday, I had the chance to view the actual document. I hope to post the document and supporting declaration before the end of the day, so all the “experts” here on the blog can read it and give their opinion, but I have never seen such a restrictive restraining order ever. And it was Bea Cortes who started the altercation. Continue reading
The administration of justice is the firmest pillar of government.
~George Washington~
I intended for the final installment in this series to profile the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. But how many times can I write about the incestuous relationships between District Attorney Mike Ramos, Conflict Panel attorneys, Public Defender Doreen Boxer and judges—relationships that often should be prohibited by conflict laws if not their own sense of integrity and morality? Unfortunately, as we know “integrity and morality” are not important qualities to many of these individuals.
Today I was listening to closing arguments in the Rex Gutierrez case and it hit me as to why I feel so strongly about these corruption cases. I decided to change my focus for this last article from the Sheriff’s Department to the pursuit of justice by the unjust.
Defense counsel are paid to do one thing and one thing only and that is to mitigate the circumstances in which criminal defendants finds themselves. In a perfect world, the accused would admit guilt if they are in fact guilty and take their punishment like a man. But then again, in a perfect world, actually crime would not exist and there would be no need for a justice system. Continue reading
I received an email this morning from a reporter from the Credit Union Times wanting to talk to me regarding the article I wrote on Arrowhead Credit Union. She later emailed a link to an article she wrote after she started to dig into what Marie Alonzo, et al., receive in benefits as volunteers. Here in an excerpt from her article:
Year 2008 tax docs also reveal the then-$1 billion credit union spent $77,000 on political campaigns, more than $1.5 million on travel expenses, and nearly $2.9 million on compensation for nine directors and 12 officers and key employees. Compensation included travel expenses for companions, as well as dues and initiation fees for health and social clubs.
To read the rest of her article, click here.
Our favorite yellow singing Canary, Confidential Informant No. 1, “persona au gratin” Adam Aleman is feeling more like a cocky Banty Rooster today with such text messages as, “Goritz knows what he’s doing. Reiss failed to address the counts.” He went on to say that this “trial will make it very clear what your next move should be.” Continue reading
At least there is no Powerpoint presentation this time. After a dramatic closing argument by defense counsel Jim Reiss, we are being treatment to the third regurgitation of the People’s case by Deputy District Attorney John Goritz. These poor jurors look so bored. Continue reading
Not long ago I wrote a piece regarding the Safety Employees Benefit Association (SEBA) where I stated:
If this question was being posed by SBPEA members I would not waste the keystrokes because there is not even one pair of testicles among the 17,000 members.
I had hoped that the most recent stunt Bob Blough and Scott Ryan pulled to harm the members of the San Bernardino Public Employees Association would be enough to light a fire under some of you. I should have known better. Continue reading
Now that the dust has settled over the hoop-la with the San Bernardino County union concession votes, we can see what is slated to occur at tomorrow’s special Board of Supervisors meeting, where the 2010-11 budget is scheduled to be approved.
The pain to be felt by sworn sheriff and district attorney employees who rejected proposed contract concessions? The deletion of vacant budgeted positions and a reduction in overtime.
That’s it.
I’m sure the San Bernardino Public Employees Association and San Bernardino Public Attorneys Association have that warm and fuzzy feeling right about now.
Sorry………
San Bernardino County is set to adopt its 2010-11 budget next year and the revenue assumption appears to be significantly better than originally thought.
Currently the county projects combined annual operating deficits totaling $222.1 million dollars through the 2014-15 fiscal years. A bright estimate considering current conditions.
Maybe iPad sales at the Apple Store at Victoria Gardens is going to bail the county out.
FROM: Kim Zagaris
State Fire and Rescue Chief
DATE: June 25, 2010
SUBJECT: Appointment of New Cal EMA Deputy Fire Chief of Operations
I am happy to announce the appointment of Chief Pat Dennen as the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) Deputy Fire Chief of Operations.
Chief Dennen will lead day to day training and response activities for Cal EMA Fire and Rescue, he will also coordinate the California fire and rescue services response to all-risk incidents involving emergency structure fires, high-rise fires, wildland fires, major traffic accidents, multi-casualty incidents, hazardous material, train wrecks, swift water rescue, floods, earthquakes, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Cal EMA Fire and Rescue is responsible for management of the day to day operations of the State’s Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System which has at its disposal a fleet of 129 Cal EMA engines, 12 Cal EMA water tenders, 13 Cal EMA swiftwater units, 6 Cal EMA communication/ support units and more than 1,000 local government fire engines that can be deployed statewide during major fire sieges and disasters. Continue reading
The happy news for me today was the seizure of Arrowhead Credit Unit (ACU). Probably about five years ago, for the first and only time in my life, I was told by one of their call center representatives that if I used any more foul language, she would hang up on me. It had to do with a $5,000 cash deposit I had made days earlier in the Victorville branch. Little did I know they had placed a 10-business-day hold on the money, so I had written checks, lots of checks. I did not discover the hold until the checks started to bounce. When I called to find out what had happened I was told that since I normally did not keep that much money in my account, they placed a hold on it. The little twit then proceeded to tell me I shouldn’t be writing checks if the money has not been posted and started to explain to me how to balance a checkbook. I promised her then, they would pay for this. Continue reading
David Lewis, Executive Vice President of the Lewis Group of Companies, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot on Thursday. A suicide note was left. Lewis, 36, leaves behind his wife and son.
The reasons for taking his own life have not been made public by the family. However, Lewis was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance last week when he was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol on Interstate 15. He was booked into West Valley Detention Center and bailed out that evening.
The National Credit Union Administration seized Arrowhead Credit Union today and all I can say is it could not have happened to a more deserving financial institution. Now, if while they are at it the FBI investigates their Board of Directors, we will know things are finally being made right in this world.
Some of you know that I was Marie Alonzo’s secretary when she was the director of Facilities Management. We never did do much Facilities Management business, but we did lots of Sinfonia Mexicana, County Women’s Network, Hispanic Employees Alliance, and Arrowhead Credit Union business. People often wondered how Marie kept her job as director of Facilities Management when the department was so poorly run. It nothing to do with keeping buildings clean and in good repair and pretty flowers planted around the County Government Center. It had to do with the fact that she was chairman of the Board of Directors of the San Bernardino County Central Credit Union, now called Arrowhead Credit Union (ACU). Continue reading
I’m just getting to my email of the past few days and came across one that says a lot of what I’ve been thinking about for the past few days. I don’t believe there is anything in the body of the email that would give away the sender, so I am going to share it in its entirety. Here it is:
Hi Sharon. I’ve thought long and hard about this, and now that I’ve got my thoughts together, I’m going to write you a detailed message. I hope you’ll have the time to read it. There are several issues that need to be investigated regarding SBPEA in respect to newer employees. Although I’m sure you’re aware of them, I just want to refresh your memory and perhaps these can be added to the formal complaint.
Closing arguments began this afternoon in the case involving Rancho Cucamonga city councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez.
Gutierrez is now charged with only three felonies related to his employment under former Assessor Bill Postmus, after Superior Court Judge Duke D. Rouse acquitted him of Embezzlement by a Public Officer, count number three of the complaint. The Embezzlement charge dismissal is a blow to the prosecution. The embezzlement charge is what is referred to as a “general intent” crime with a lower threshold to prove guilt. Continue reading
I thought I would pull this comment out from another story to be sure everyone saw it. This, folks, is what Bob Blough did to you:
An interesting note. While having lunch at a local establishment in Hesperia; three deputies were eating lunch in uniform. They were laughing how they will not be giving up any pay raises and the Sheriff will not lay off anyone. But…”the regular slags” in the county will lose pay and now be laid off. They all got a good laugh at our expense. How nice.
And for everyone, just remember my bloggers and I can be anywhere!
Can you guess where this is?
WiFi is a wonderful thing. Actually, this is a very short drive from my house. It was nice to get out of my very hot house and into a cooler climate. Naomi liked it too!
Naomi
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 – 09:18 P.M.
Based on information contained in a story published in Thursday’s Los Angeles Times, InlandPolitics.com has verified by cross-referencing database lists from the California Department of Social Services and the California Gambling Control Commission that some local indian casinos allow welfare recipients to withdraw cash with state issued debit cards.
Casinos operated by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in Highland, Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Cabazon, Pala Band of Mission Indians in Pala, and the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians in Temecula, offer automated teller machines (ATM) that accept debit cards issued by the state’s welfare system. Continue reading
We have another possible attorney interested in our case. My holdup right now is I need that screenprint of the SBPEA website in digital form. I have someone who can get it to me tonight, but I need it now.
Also, there seems to be a lot of interest in ending Modified Agency Shop. If the interest continues, I will work on getting the petitions together for signature gathering. Ending Modified Agency Shop would allow all employees to drop out of SBPEA. Continue reading
Defense attorney for accused Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman Rex Gutierrez Jim Reiss motioned today that Superior Court Judge Duke Rouse dismiss Count Three, Embezzlement by a Public Officer. After about thirty minutes of oral argument and review of applicable case law, Judge Rouse acquitted Gutierrez on this count. Continue reading
A view of Hinkley, California from Highway 58
I spent a better part of two days this past week exploring Hinkley, California, trying to get a feel for the community and those who live there. It seems to be an area without definition and little has been written about it, which left me with a lot to learn.
What brought me to Hinkley was research on Nursery Products LLC, a company specializing in organic fertilizer, which is created by combining biosolids and green waste. The company has been going through the permitting process for several years so that it can open a facility in the middle of uninhabited desert 8 miles west of Hinkley. See map: Continue reading
These donations did you a lot of good, didn’t they:
| DATE | PAYEE | CONTEST | POSITION | PAYMENT TYPE | AMOUNT |
| 02/10/2010 | GARY OVITT FOR SUPERVISOR 2010 COMMITTEE | COUNTY SUPERVISOR 4 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $50,000.00 |
| 01/13/2010 | ALBERTO TORRICO FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL | ATTORNEY GENERAL | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $12,900.00 |
| 04/01/2010 | COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT MIKE RAMOS | DISTRICT ATTORNEY | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $10,000.00 |
| 05/17/2010 | ACQUANETTA WARREN FOR ASSEMBLY 2010 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 63 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $7,800.00 |
| 02/23/2010 | UNITED PUBLIC EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $5,750.00 | |
| 04/19/2010 | COMMITTEE TO ELECT ROD HOOPS SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SHERIFF-CORONER | SHERIFF-CORONER | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $5,000.00 |
| 05/05/2010 | COMMITTEE TO ELECT JAMES HOSKING SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE 2010 | SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $5,000.00 |
| 05/05/2010 | COMMITTEE TO ELECT VIC STULL SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE 2010 | SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $5,000.00 |
| 04/30/2009 | COMMITTEE TO ELECT GARY OVITT SUPERVISOR | COUNTY SUPERVISOR 4 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $5,000.00 |
| 04/30/2009 | PAUL BIANE FOR SUPERVISOR | COUNTY SUPERVISOR 2 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $5,000.00 |
| 01/11/2010 | COMMITTEE TO ELECT GARY THOMAS COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT 2010 | OTHER | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $5,000.00 |
| 11/01/2009 | FRIENDS OF DON NEELY FOR RE-ELECT | OTHER | SUPPORT | NON-MONETARY | $4,290.60 |
| 10/21/2009 | POMONA POLICE OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $4,000.00 | |
| 10/27/2009 | COMMITTEE TO ELECT ROD HOOPS SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SHERIFF-CORONER | SHERIFF-CORONER | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $4,000.00 |
| 04/01/2010 | FRIENDS OF WILMER AMINA CARTER | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 62 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,900.00 |
| 04/30/2009 | FRIENDS OF BILL EMMERSON FOR SENATE 2012 | STATE SENATOR 31 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,900.00 |
| 09/22/2009 | FRIENDS OF BILL EMMERSON FOR SENATE 2012 | STATE SENATOR 31 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,900.00 |
| 01/13/2010 | TORRES FOR ASSEMBLY 2010 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 61 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,900.00 |
| 02/26/2009 | MIKE FEUER FOR ASSEMBLY 2010 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,600.00 |
| 08/11/2009 | FRIENDS OF JIM PENMAN | CITY ATTORNEY | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,000.00 |
| 02/26/2009 | COMMITTEE TO ELECT GARY OVITT SUPERVISOR | COUNTY SUPERVISOR 4 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,500.00 |
| 02/27/2009 | JOSIE GONZALES FOR SUPERVISOR | COUNTY SUPERVISOR 5 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,500.00 |
| 03/02/2009 | CITIZENS & FRIENDS OF ACQUANETTA WARREN | CITY COUNCIL MEMBER | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,500.00 |
| 10/07/2009 | JASON G. DESJARDINS FOR 2ND WARD 2009 | CITY COUNCIL MEMBER 2nd | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,500.00 |
| 11/03/2009 | RE-ELECT ESTHER ESTRADA TO THE CITY COUNCIL 2009 | CITY COUNCIL MEMBER 1st | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,500.00 |
| 02/02/2010 | GARY OVITT FOR SUPERVISOR 2010 COMMITTEE | COUNTY SUPERVISOR 4 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,500.00 |
| 02/02/2010 | JOSIE GONZALES FOR SUPERVISOR 2012 | COUNTY SUPERVISOR 5 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,500.00 |
| 04/30/2009 | FRIENDS OF MIKE RAMOS | DISTRICT ATTORNEY | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,700.00 |
| 10/20/2009 | SENATOR BOB DUTTON FOR ASSEMBLY 2012 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 63 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,600.00 |
| 11/12/2009 | COMMITTEE TO ELECT GARY THOMAS COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT 2010 | OTHER | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,500.00 |
| 02/26/2009 | FRIENDS OF JAMES RAMOS | COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 11/16/2009 | ALBERTO TORRICO FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL | ATTORNEY GENERAL | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 02/25/2010 | FRIENDS OF JOE BACA JR. | CITY COUNCIL MEMBER | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 03/16/2010 | COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT JAMES RAMOS SB COMMUNITY COLLEGE DIST. | COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 03/16/2010 | FRIENDS OF BILL EMMERSON FOR SENATE 2010 | STATE SENATOR 37 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 03/29/2010 | UNITED PUBLIC EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (UPE-PAC) | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $845.90 | |
| 09/22/2009 | ACQUANETTA WARREN FOR ASSEMBLY 2010 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 63 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $500.00 |
| 11/01/2009 | FRIENDS OF DON NEELY FOR RE-ELECT | OTHER | SUPPORT | NON-MONETARY | $313.60 |
| 11/18/2009 | ADAMS FOR ASSEMBLY 2010 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 59 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $300.00 |
| 04/30/2009 | GARAMENDI FOR GOVERNOR 2010 | GOVERNOR | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $280.00 |
| 08/20/2009 | COMMITTEE TO ELECT GARY THOMAS COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT 2010 | OTHER | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $198.00 |
From an email:
What a coincidence, even our SBPEA President (Scott Ryan) was recently promoted to Superintendent of the Flood Control District, yes, the same flood control district where the 102 million dollar law suit originate from? Also, it just happens that Scott Ryan is the chairman of the political pac committee that gave BOS Ovitt 50 thousand dollars. Bob Blough wasted – 200 thousand dollars of association money and then took 200 thousand dollars from the political pac committee to pay the association bills. Bob Blough refuses to show members his SBPEA credit card charges.
I contacted my attorney today for a recommendation for an attorney to handle a suit against SBPEA. He made an inquiry on the CELA Listserve and so far two attorneys have responded with interest, one from Hermosa Beach and one from Beverly Hills. Continue reading
InlandPolitics.com is still piecing together information still being received related to the contract vote by the San Bernardino Public Employees Association (SBPEA).
It’s seems to be boiling down to the money. The unions money!
The potential long-term loss to SBPEA of at least ten percent of it’s county employee membership would cost the union about a quarter million dollars in dues revenue annually.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Rancho Cucamonga city councilman Rex Gutierrez testified today in his own defense.
Attorney Jim Reiss questioned Gutierrez about his background, namely his work history. In addition to his background history Gutierrez went over the process by which the city of Rancho Cucamonga and National CORE partner up. Defense attorney Reiss questioned Gutierrez about his lengthy relationship with developer Jeff Burum, that began around 1992. Throughout this relationship Burum and himself would keep in contact on a consistent basis, Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez testified that he and Burum have communicated roughly every other day for years. Continue reading
That, and a whole lot more things were sent to me this afternoon via email. Okay, so what else is new? What was interesting about this particular email is it came from a member of the SBPEA Board of Directors who voted to have me kicked out of the union almost four years ago when I tried to tell the Board of Directors just that. Some people are slow! 
Continue reading
I’ve been dealing with David Wert on some California Public Records Act requests and he could not have been nicer to deal with. However, that cannot be said of the Board of Supervisors’ side of the house.
Yesterday, after an email exchange between David and me (or is it I), I decided to call him rather than try to type what I needed to ask from my Blackberry. However, I do not have his phone number programmed into my phone. So I called the only number I know off of the top of my head for Fifth Floor and asked to speak with him. Now, unless something has changed since I worked there, 387-4811 is the number for BOS reception. Considering the phone was answered “Board of Supervisors,” I assume that is still the case. Continue reading
I have spoken with a couple of labor law attorneys today and this is what I learned. Basically, the suggestion is to limit the claim to the San Bernardino Public Employees Association (SBPEA) only and not file against the county, which is fine as you are all going to have your chance to get even with the Board of Supervisors soon. I’m hoping we will be able to announce that plan very soon. For now we will concentrate our efforts on SBPEA and Bob Blough. Here are some points:
I thought I would point out the comments from Supervisor Derry as they were lost in all the SBPEA stuff tonight. We haven’t had a visit from him in quite some time and it’s only fair you know he responded to my comments a few days ago as that was a very popular piece. Here is the link: Supervisor Derry
The Department of Homeland Security has been enthralled with the blog for several days now. A few days ago, they hit the blog 52 times. Today, so far they have visited it 49 times.
Now, considering some of what we discuss, I could understand it. But what I don’t understand is that every single hit is for the exact same article. They never look at anything else. This is the article: Meltdown
What the heck is going on?
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
As everyone already knows the concessions were approved on a vote tonight of 2385 in favor of giving up the six percent raises and other items and 2323 in favor of leaving the contract as it is. There were several issues with the way the vote was conducted that should be grounds for an unfair labor practice (duty of fair representation) to be filed against SBPEA and possible an unfair labor practice to be filed against the county of San Bernardino.
Check back for further details. Continue reading
Four things belong to a judge: to hear courteously, to answer wisely, to consider soberly, and to decide impartially.
˜Socrates˜
In the first three parts we examined the District Attorney’s Office, the Conflict Panel, and the Public Defender’s Office. It is now time to turn our attention to the Superior Court bench.
San Bernardino County has 72 judges currently assigned to it. Almost every one of those judges who have been elected or appointed in the past eight years received the required blessing of the District Attorney’s office before being appointed or elected. Other than the governor of the state of California, no one elected official has more influence over who sits as a judge on the bench in San Bernardino County than District Attorney Mike Ramos. Some say that is how it should be—a good way to assure criminals are locked up for a long time. Continue reading
I have been receiving quite a few requests for log ins and passwords. I acknowledge the requests and then never hear a word back. If you want, please email me at sharon@iepolitics.com.
This mornings events at the trial of Rancho Cucamonga City councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez had the atmosphere of watching paint dry, until the lead District Attorney investigator on the case was questioned by defense attorney Jim Reiss.
Gutierrez is charged with four felonies related to alleged time card fraud and prosecution claims that his hiring by former Assessor Bill Postmus was a conspiracy orchestrated by Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum.
Some of the interesting highlights from this morning include;
Investigator and designated case officer Schyler Beaty testified that an examination of phone records found over 300 phone calls between Gutierrez and Burum during Gutierrez’s tenure at the Assessor’s office. A period of more than 18 months.
When Beaty was asked by Reiss if he had conducted an analysis of call activity between Gutierrez and Burum prior to Gutierrez’s employment at the Assessor’s office, Beaty said no. Continue reading