ATTENTION SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY RETIREES……LARRY WALKER is making a presentation tomorrow to the Board of Supervisors at 2pm….the topic is unknown and the presentation falls into what is called a “Retirement Board Workshop”….it will be at the Taj in the regular BOS chamber….press will be in attendance…..come and see what they’re up to now…
Perhaps someone can explain this comment that appeared on our About page to me. What’s up at ACR these days other than Matt and De Ana?
Please invistage. Larry Walkers connection to Certna. And also Patric Honey’s ties to Certna and how he is not a county employee but is still recieving benefits and also their ties to Jason Anderson the new DISM.
Rumor has it that De Ana Thompson didn’t take the promotion. Auditor-Controller-Recorder-Tax Collector Larry Walker didn’t even ask her before he issued the memo and then spoke to the newspaper. She is refusing to take it because she will then become “at will.” Another crazy thing is Assessor Dennis Draeger had no idea that Walker was promoting her. Walker never told him.
Fireworks could be found once again today at the San Bernardino County Courthouse where District Attorney investigator Bud Randle was forced to admit that the District Attorneys office used former Chief of Staff Matt Brown to illegally tape record Bill Postmus. Once Postmus obtained legal counsel such an act violates his Constitutional right against self-incrimination. This revelation as well as the one last Friday where they had to admit they used Adam Aleman in a similar manner has the potential to cause all charges to be dismissed.
Larry Walker
Sunday, October 24, 2010 – 01:00 p.m.
What a tangled web.
Last week we published a story here at InlandPolitics.com on San Bernardino County Auditor-Controller-Recorder-Tax Collector Larry Walker’s hiring and subsequent promotion of Matt Brown to be his second-in-command.
A position for which Brown possesses no apparent qualification to hold.
Brown
Thursday, October 21, 2010 – 09:45 a.m.
I never thought I would be saying Larry Walker and hard ball politics in the same sentence.
But it seems Walker has decided to play.
The long-anticipated move of Matt Brown, former chief of staff to second district supervisor Paul Biane, from the position of Assistant Recorder to Assistant Auditor-Controller, would appear to signal Walker is now started playing the political game.
Even though Walker denied it. The ouster of former Assistant Auditor-Controller Betsy Starbuck was indeed to make way for Brown.
Sorry folks about the headline only earlier but that is the best I can do from my Blackberry. I knew I would not have an internet connection for many hours and wanted to get the news out timely.
iepolitics has been told by a confidential informant relatively close to the source that a Board of Supervisors agenda item is being prepared to move Assistant Recorder Matt Brown into the position formerly held by Betsy Starbuck. Starbuck was Auditor-Controller Larry Walker’s decades-long chief of staff/assistant before he terminated her a couple months ago and hired Matt Brown.
As reported on www.inlandpolitcs.com, SBCERA Executive Director Timothy Barrett is resigning his post. He has accepted a position in New York with Eastman Kodak at a salary of $1.1 million a year. Who can blame him for leaving a sinking ship?
Things are not going well at SBCERA and county employees should be concerned. Two recent changes are aiding in bringing things to light. Both Larry Walker and Gary Ovitt now sit on the board.
Every time we here at iePolitics have declared that San Bernardino County officials have reached the pinnacle of stupidity and arrogance, we are proven wrong. Although the events of the past 24 hours are not surprising, they are appalling.
For weeks now there has been behind-the-scenes chatter about what exactly was going to be done to pull off the transfer of San Bernardino County Second District Chief of Staff Matt Brown to the Auditor-Controller/Recorder/Tax Collector office. Many of us figured there would be wrangling to send Brown to the Assessor’s Office next year when the Recorder’s function is transferred to that department. The question was how.
Here it is: Org Chart
From San Bernardino County Auditor-Controller/Recorder/Tax Collector Larry Walker: Matt Brown Appointment
Matt Brown previously worked as Second District Supervisor Paul Biane’s chief of staff but has been out on administrative leave for a couple of months while a hostile work environment investigation was conducted. Brown alleged he started being harassed once it was discovered he cooperated with the corruption investigation by San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos against Biane. Brown is said to have attempted to get Biane on tape through secret recordings. It is not known if those recordings produced evidence against Biane.
We are hearing that San Bernardino County Auditor-Controller/Recorder terminated his assistant Betsy Starbuck today. Betsy has been with Larry since at least 1991 when she served as Chief of Staff while he was Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. Rumors have been surfacing for months about discord between Walker and Starbuck over deputy recorder and mistress Deanna Thompson.
There is a new temporary blog up and running put together by those who work or have worked for San Bernardino County Auditor-Controller/Recorder Larry Walker. Here it is: Larry Walker Must Go
This morning I received information on some of my California Public Records Act requests so I can get back to my Legacy of Malfeasance series. I am first going to attempt to contact the Sheriff’s Executive staff for some clarification on a few things that some of you have tipped me off to. I don’t hold much hope for them talking to me, but I am going to try before we publish the rest of the series. Continue reading
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
So how many employees does Deanna Thompson get to torture before someone realizes she needs the axe? I believe the count is currently up to nine, some of which have already filed lawsuits against the county.
So how many lawsuits do county employees have to file before Andrew Lamberto also gets the axe? There is a long list of employees who are in the process of filing lawsuits against the county due to the ineptness of Lamberto and his HROs.
For those who are interested, here are San Bernardino County Auditor/Controller-Treasurer/Tax Collector Larry Walker’s Form 460s showing his campaign contributors and his expenditures.
Walker Larry (Auditor Controller-Recorder 2010)-460-July312008 The most interest thing on this one is that Larry spend almost a third of his cash on hand to “reimburse for Angel’s baseball.” What the heck does that mean? They are calling it “office expenses.” I know how it looks.
Walker Larry (Auditor Controller-Recorder 2010)-460-Feb182009
Well he filed this one late and blamed it on his treasurer. Seems like a lot of his contributions comes from unions and $3000 from Lewis Co. He also spends a lot of money of flowers. I wonder who got the flowers? Inquiring minds want to know. Continue reading
A trip to the Registrar of Voters office today was fruitful indeed. First, we find that the San Bernardino County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer has a hard time meeting accounting deadlines. His financial statements, which were due February 1, 2010, have yet to be filed with the Registrar’s office. They checked several “boxes” for me to be sure and there was nada.
Senator Gloria Negrete McCloud also has the same issue. Not sure if we can chalk it up to laziness, an oversight, or a flagrant lack of respect for the law.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos filed his financials timely. He shows an ending balance of cash on hand of $393,592.28. It’s his expenditures that are interesting. InlandPolitics will have additional information on some of those expenses that we will cross-post here. But there are others we want to share now. Continue reading
I am concerned about the recent “money saving” consolidation of our county’s elected positions. We were told that this move could save up to one million dollars a year. Did that take into account the $80,000 worth of raises that were given out as part of this consolidation? ($40,000 to Larry Walker, $30,000 to Dennis Draeger, $10,000 to Rod Hoops). The raises are unnecessary and unfair. The county has shed many other jobs, leaving those left behind to work harder and take on more responsibility. Did they get huge raises? Our county charter states “no increase shall exceed 4% of the annual salary of the elected official unless submitted to and approved by the voters of the county at a county-wide election.” Do these raises sound like more that 4% to you? Does it seem right that the Board of Supervisors can circumvent the spirit of our charter by playing a shell game with the duties?
Ensen Mason
Victorville
According to the California Board of Accountancy website, Larry Walker is not a CPA in the State of California. If somebody has other information, please post it. San Bernardino County spokesman David Wert has been incorrectly claiming that he is. The Recorder’s website says “He successfully completed the CPA exam.” What does that mean??? He failed it? He passed it, but failed the background check? I would really like to get to the bottom of this. If he’s going to control all of our money and be responsible for auditing himself, shouldn’t he be a CPA?
I received an email this morning from Ensen Mason, who will be challenging Larry Walker for the position of Auditor-Controller-Treasurer. Here is some information about him.
I’m concerned about the direction our County is taking and the priorities exhibited by some of our elected officials and it appears to be getting worse. I feel that we need a change. I am running for County Treasurer as well as promoting other challengers and doing whatever I can to level the playing field between incumbents and challengers.
About my qualifications – I’ve owned a small accounting firm for 22 years, licensed by the IRS as an Enrolled Agent for 18 years, I hold 4 securities licenses and an insurance license. In order to qualify for this position, I will be sitting for and need to pass the CPA exam next month. Continue reading
Here is the list for the current election cycle. Note the $1,000,000 contribution to their own PAC.
| DATE | PAYEE | CONTEST | POSITION | PAYMENT TYPE | AMOUNT |
| 02/19/2009 | ADAM FOR ASSEMBLY 2010 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 59 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,900.00 |
| 08/24/2009 | ADAM FOR ASSEMBLY 2010 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 59 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,500.00 |
| 09/24/2009 | AVILA FOR MAYOR | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $500.00 | |
| 02/19/2009 | CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $5,000.00 | |
| 02/13/2009 | CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY SPEAKERS CUP | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $60,000.00 | |
| 02/13/2009 | CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $10,000.00 | |
| 06/26/2009 | CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $25,000.00 | |
| 08/24/2009 | CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $50,000.00 | |
| 04/20/2009 | CALIFORNIANS FOR JOBS AND A STRONG ECONOMY | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $5,000.00 |
These require no editorial. I think they speak for themselves.
| DATE | PAYEE | CONTEST | POSITION | PAYMENT TYPE | AMOUNT |
| 07/11/2007 | ABEL MALDONADO FOR SENATE | STATE SENATOR 15 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,500.00 |
| 05/10/2007 | ADAMS FOR ASSEMBLY 2008 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 59 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 06/22/2007 | ADAMS FOR ASSEMBLY 2008 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 59 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,600.00 |
| 08/01/2008 | AGHAZARIAN FOR SENATE | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,500.00 | |
| 10/17/2008 | AGHAZARIAN FOR SENATE | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,600.00 | |
| 03/21/2007 | ALBERTO TORRICO FOR ASSEMBLY 2008 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 20 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,500.00 |
| 10/30/2007 | ALBERTO TORRICO FOR ASSEMBLY 2008 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 20 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,600.00 |
| 08/01/2008 | ANNA CABALLERO FOR ASSEMBLY | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $2,000.00 | |
| 08/30/2007 | ANTHONY ADAMS FOR ASSEMBLY | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $4,500.00 |
| 10/16/2008 | ANTHONY ADAMS FOR ASSEMBLY | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $900.00 |
| 05/29/2008 | ARABO FOR ASSEMBLY | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 78 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 10/17/2008 | BILL BERRYHILL FOR ASSEMBLY | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,600.00 | |
| 07/30/2007 | BILL EMMERSON FOR ASSEMBLY 2008 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 63 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $7,200.00 |
| DATE | PAYEE | CONTEST | POSITION | PAYMENT TYPE | AMOUNT |
| 12/30/2005 | AGHAZARIAN 2006 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,200.00 |
| 09/28/2005 | ALBERTO TORRICO FOR ASSEMBLY | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 20 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 02/21/2005 | ALBERTO TORRICO FOR ASSEMBLY 2006 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 20 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 02/06/2006 | ALBERTO TORRICO FOR ASSEMBLY 2006 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 20 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 06/02/2006 | ALBERTO TORRICO FOR ASSEMBLY 2006 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 20 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $500.00 |
| 10/11/2006 | ALBERTO TORRICO FOR ASSEMBLY 2006 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 20 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,500.00 |
| 03/23/2006 | ALVAREZ FOR ASSEMBLY | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 69 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,200.00 |
| 06/02/2006 | ANTHONY ADAMS FOR ASSEMBLY | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 59 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,500.00 |
| 10/11/2006 | ANTHONY ADAMS FOR ASSEMBLY | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 59 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,300.00 |
| 12/30/2005 | ARAMBULA FOR ASSEMBLY 2006 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,200.00 |
| 12/30/2005 | BASS FOR ASSEMBLY 2006 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,200.00 | |
| 06/21/2005 | BILL EMMERSON FOR STATE ASSEMBLY 2006 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 63 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 08/15/2005 | BILL EMMERSON FOR STATE ASSEMBLY 2006 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 63 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $1,000.00 |
| 04/05/2006 | BILL EMMERSON FOR STATE ASSEMBLY 2006 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 63 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $155.00 |
| 10/11/2006 | BILL EMMERSON FOR STATE ASSEMBLY 2006 | STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 63 | SUPPORT | MONETARY | $3,300.00 |
It seems we are seeing more grass roots candidates this election cycle and the filing deadline is still weeks away. Political experts say these candidates don’t stand a chance. Without a bankroll they may not. But what is more important is that most of our current entrenched politicos are feeling just a bit of heat. And some of those war chests might have to be spent on campaigning rather than wining and dining their family and friends. That is a good thing.
Sheriff Rod Hoops now has two competitors: Rick Averbeck and Paul Schrader. District Attorney Mike Ramos is being challenged by at least one, Dennis Stout. John Pomierski and Dennis H. Labadie have both thrown their hats into the ring to replace Second District Supervisor Paul Biane. We haven’t heard if a candidate has announced his or her intent to run against Larry Walker, but there is talk that will happen.
County of San Bernardino Board of Supervisors Agenda Item No. 83 is causing some sleepless nights for a few high ranking county employees. At the top of the list likely is Deputy County Recorder/Larry Walker Mistress Deanna Thompson. Ms. Thompson has been untouchable despite the havoc she has caused in the lives of many of her subordinate staff. At least six of her highest ranking professional staff members have had to find other employment or file stress claims against the county due to Ms. Thompson creating a hostile work environment. Continue reading