Category Archives: San Bernardino

iePolitics: It seems the Dems are not too happy with Reps buying “Dem” slate mailers

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This just goes to show you that the only place political mail belongs is at the bottom of the bird cage:

Dear Democrats,

I have been notified by several Democrats that a mailer and a robo-call have gone out to the homes of Democratic voters in the City of San Bernardino claiming endorsement by the Democratic party of individuals who are not endorsed and not even Democrats. As you know our By-laws allow us to only endorse registered Democrats. When candidates choose to “Steal” (I don’t know how else to describe something that is taken without permission) it devalues our endorsement unless we challenge this behavior.

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iePolitics: Jimenez announced San Bernardino City Clerk Candidacy

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San Bernardino – July 19, 2011

At noon today, at the front steps of San Bernardino City Hall, Esther Jimenez announced her candidacy for City Clerk.  An audience made up of family, friends, community leader, business owners, and colleagues gathered to show their support and to help kick off the campaign.
First Ward Councilmember Virginia Marquez, who has endorsed Ms. Jimenez, spoke and  acknowledged that they grew up together, attended school with Jimenez’ siblings and live in the same neighborhood.
Shortly after the announcement, Ms. Jimenez and her treasurer Lynell Burns met with City Clerk Rachel Clark to officially take out nomination papers.

iePolitics: McKenna to run for SB city attorney

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Former San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors member and former Public Defender will formally announce on Wednesday his candidacy for City Attorney for the city of San Bernardino.  Now this should make for an interesting race!  I don’t know what Pat Morris’ relationship with McKenna is, but I suspect it is a lot better than with Jim Penman.  It certainly can’t be worse.

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iePolitics: Another email

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I’m not sure if this person wants to remain anonymous or not.  Again, I am just going to reprint the email and let all of you comment.  Here it is:

1. No flights, no planes, and at a $200M price-tag, what is wrong with this picture.

Where are the FBI? Where is the US Justice Department? How can the crooks in San Bernardino justify spending $200Million, $100M from local cities and $100M from all the other tax-payers in the US on an airport that has no planes and no cargo operations? Even if they finish spending all the money their goal is to attract an airline that doesn’t carry cargo and doesn’t serve food to passengers…such an airline does not exist.

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Examiner.com: Will San Bernardino ever get its act together fiscally or politically?

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Editor’s Note:  I’m sure Mayor Pat isn’t going to be all that happy with me for this article but Mayor, you should answer your email!!!  The city council wouldn’t talk to me either, so you get my perception of the city.

I don’t get down to the big city much any more, once a month if I’m lucky (or unlucky), so changes are more noticeable to me than when I worked down there every day.  I had to be in several parts of San Bernardino yesterday, including the County Government Center, and the whole city is turning into a dump.  Although the inside of CGC is as nice as ever, the grounds are a disaster.  What the heck has happened with Facilities Management?  Even during bad budgetary times, they at least used to keep the downtown grounds clean.  I guess it is indicative of all of San Bernardino.  What a mess!

Anyway, as always, I really appreciate all of you clicking on the link below so I get paid.

As one of the oldest communities in the state of California, the city of San Bernardino has a rich and colorful history.  The city serves as the county seat for the largest county in the lower 48 states.  It is the gateway to two of Southern California’s premier mountain resorts, Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake, as well as the high desert region leading to Las Vegas and the Colorado River.

With three major interstates intersecting the city, I-10, I-15, and I-215, it is in a prime location to lure visitors from Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties heading for Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Phoenix and parts beyond to contribute to the local economy through its shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, and gas stations.   Even in recessionary times, the city should be in respectable economic shape, but it is not.

The city of San Bernardino has suffered from a municipal government at war with itself for decades.  Its officials have stymied growth and development.  Much of its 81 square miles consists of graffiti-covered blight, with gangs and crime controlling the lifestyles of its residents.  In some areas, such as Mt. Vernon, prostitutes and drugs dealers operate in the open while many residents are afraid to be out after dark.  Even its famous California Theatre is a magnate for panhandlers and the homeless.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: San Bernardino

iePolitics: City of San Bernardino approves increase in sewer rates while spending money on boondoggle

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As expected, the San Bernardino City Council, in a 4-3 vote, approved increases in sewer rates for both 2011 and 2012.  The rate increases are necessary due to mismanagement by the city’s water department.

As reported here weeks ago, the city of San Bernardino entered into a long-term agreement for disposal of their biosolids at up to three times the going rate.  The agreement will cost city residents tens of millions of dollars over the life of the contract.

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iePolitics: Proposed rate increases for city of San Bernardino

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Yesterday we discussed this increase as it likely relates to the contract the city of San Bernardino entered into with EnerTech to dispose of biosolids from their wastewater treatment plant.  The city (water district which is part of the city)  is paying up to three times more than they would pay without the contract.  Well here is the actual proposed rate increases: Continue reading →

iePolitics: Water rates to rise as city wastes money on failed “green” technology

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A water rate increase is in the works for residents of the city of San Bernardino.  So what else is new?  What makes this more alarming than most rate increases is that that very same City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department has been wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars on “green” technology that has failed miserably.

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iePolitics: While we are laying off fire fighters and cops

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The sludge-to-energy boondoggle is getting all the more interesting as I interview those directly involved in the technology.  I had planned to post a second Examiner article today but I am waiting on some California Public Record Act requests to verify certain information.

This is truly a scandal where we have to think kickbacks are involved.  As I read the contracts EnerTech convinced these entities to sign, we have to wonder if all municipal attorneys are as incompetent as San Bernardino County Counsel.

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iePolitics: Environmental Criminals

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The story below represents the politically correct version.  I would really appreciate it if you would read it as that gets me paid.  However, iePolitics does not like being politically correct so you will be getting the not-so-politically correct version here.

When I was researching the proposed compost site in Hinkley, I came across this story but did not comprehend the magnitude of fraud involved.  I also did not realize that that fraud involved entities other than the city of San Bernardino.

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Examiner.com: Is another Wall Street company bleeding taxpayers for its own gains?

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This is the first in a series of articles detailing local governments’ failed and costly attempts to deal with one byproduct of wastewater treatment plants–biosolids.  SlurryCarb, the sludge-to-energy technology in question, has already cost taxpayers in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties hundreds of millions of dollars without creating a single BTU of usable energy.  But that has not stopped politicos from investing millions more in tax dollars into the failed process.  We will examine the politics behind this questionable environmental technology.

As contracts with EnerTech, the company behind the most recent attempt at implementing the technology, are being reviewed, government officials are considering throwing more taxpayer money at the project with no guarantee the technology will ever be developed.  In our cash-strapped state where municipalities are terminating employees and demanding union concessions, some are raising questions as to the impetus behind their thought process.

In 1989, the California State Legislature passed AB 939, which created the California Integrated Waste Management Board and set up waste diversion goals for all cities and counties in the state.  This bill mandated that local jurisdictions meet solid waste diversion goals of 25 percent by 1995 and 50 percent by 2000.   Now almost 21 years later some jurisdictions have yet to meet these goals and face possible sanction.

To read the rest of this story, click here.

iePolitics: The beginning of the end for SBPEA

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Employees from the city of San Bernardino voted yesterday to decertify the San Bernardino Public Employees Association.  However, we have been told that SBPEA General Manager Bob Blough intends to challenge the outcome because less than 60 percent of the employees cast ballots.

From what I have been told, the city’s labor relations resolution requires a 60-percent threshold, or at least that is what Blough is claiming.   The state mediator ignored that threshold and determined that the decertification was successful.

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Sam Berdoo: Senor Blogger Way Off Base With Sam Berdoo

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Let us be very clear.  Sam Berdoo attacked no one, is not angry, and holds no grudge.  All Sam did was post the articles and comments of other people.  This is a common practice on ie.politics and one I hope will continue.  No where can it be pointed out, that Sam Berdoo wrote any thing disparaging about Derry or the others.  All Sam has done is remind the populous about the relationships that exist within the all pervasive culture of corruption.

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Sam Berdoo: Meet Joe Turner, Derry’s Invaluable Political Writer

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Derry’s Controversy Continues – Turner


Joseph Turner mingles with a crowd of flag-waving skinheads at an anti-day laborer center rally that took place in Laguna Beach in July 2005. (photo courtesy of laindymedia.org)

S. E. Williams Staff Writer

“I consider accusations of bigotry and racism to be complimentary. And while I don’t thirst for confrontation, I dont [sic] fear it.” “Our enemies are bloodied and beaten. We cannot relent. Our boot is on their throat and we must have the willingness to crush their “throat” so that we can put our enemy down for good.” -Samples of previous postings by Joseph Turner from his Save Our State website.

Over the previous two weeks, The Alpenhorn News has reported in detail on Neil Derry’s questionable choices related to some individuals selected to fill key positions on his staff. The series began with an exclusive report on the criminal ebackground history of his Administrative Analyst Wanda Nowicki. Next, the paper examined the polarizing and controversial history of his ex Chief of Staff, Jim Erwin, that culminated with his 2009 arrest at Derry’s office on felony charges related to the $102 million Colonies Scandal.

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Sam Berdoo: Jason Desjardins and the Court of Public Opinion, Part II

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The following selected online public comments were recently made on several articles published in the local newspapers.

John Valdivia Wrote:

( fed up wrote:  This stinks! Low life scum bag ought to get the heck out of town. Piece of trash! You Jason D give this town a black eye, an ugly stain beyond Penman and Wendy. And Chaz Kelly, oh my, what a backstabbing, two faced little leprechaun. )

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Sam Berdoo: Jason Desjardins and the Court of Public Opinion, Part I

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Despite what to me defies common sense, and despite Jason’s own statements on the public record, he can not legally be prosecuted for any violation of the law that he may have committed in regards to the alleged theft of his illegally transported firearm.  Supposedly, that has a lot to do with “habeas corpus” and no proof that the gun existed. You will have to figure that out for yourself.   Let’s be correct, but not for Jason’s own behavior and his public proclamations, Desjardins would not be in this extremely embarrassing situation.

We need to ask ourselves, “In a time of rampant corruption in San Bernardino County, do we really need to have this kind of person in elected office”.  Elected Officials are subject to a higher standard of scrutiny than the general public. Like most politicians today, Jason is all for transparency, except when it pertains to him.  An Elected Official has a duty, responsibility, and an obligation to adequately explain and answer questions related to  the circumstances surrounding his personal conduct when such subjects are brought into the Court of Public Opinion.  The public has a right to know about the conduct, both  past and present, of their elected representatives.

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Sam Berdoo: Jason Desjardins’ Theft Trial Continued to Augst 5th

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It seems like Jason keeps kicking the can down the road with continuance after continuance.  I wonder how Desjardins, who is something of a “Houdini” by escaping from one mess to another, is going to some how escape from this one.  Jason is a cat with nine lives.  Here, as in the alleged LA County rape cases, Jason is blaming this on dirty politics by his former opponent and the Mayor.  According to public reports, Jason was seen by witnesses and recorded on video tape, stealing the political signs of Mayor Morris and his opponent in broad day light.

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iePolitics: Another City . . . Another City Councilperson

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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 →