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.
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.
“Cautiously optimistic” and “nervous” are two of the phrases I have heard repeatedly about San Bernardino County’s new head honcho, County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux. Even before assuming office, Devereaux has ended a decades-long policy of 9-80s for county management, a move that makes line staff very nervous as many depend on “flex time” to survive in these hard economic times. But it is also a sign that Devereaux is not going to be afraid to lead.
After six years of despot leadership by former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer and his band of thugs, it is easy to understand why line staff are wary of our new leader. I’ve been asked my opinion repeatedly by everyone from the lowest level employee to managers to newspaper reporters. Here is my standard response:
Seeing Devereaux’s close, personal relationship with the Fourth District makes me nervous on a personal level, especially when considering what the Fourth District recently did to me. That being said, I have two friends who are long-term city of Ontario employees who have nothing but respect for Devereaux. They are rank-and-file and are allowed to work 9-80s. Ontario employees, most of whom are represented by San Bernardino County Public Employees Association, have the best contracts of any governmental agency in San Bernardino County.
From what I hear from those that know Devereaux, he is tough but also fair. I also hear he will not take the crap from county managers that Uffer not only tolerated, but encouraged. He will not play the games Uffer played and will not tolerate bad managers. Unlike Uffer, he is consistently described as a ‘professional.’ Continue reading
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