Tag Archives: gary ovitt

iePolitics: Supervisors Interfered With Employment Attempts

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Editor’s Note:  This post was sent to iePolitics.  I found it very interesting because I, too, have been a victim of Brad Mitzelfelt trying to convince prospective employers not to hire me.  As a matter of fact, two different people, both of whom Brad thought I was working for, were approached by Brad and/or Megan Mitzelfelt in an attempt to have me fired.  Yes, that is right.  Megan also tried to use her influence as the PIO at County Fire to have me fired from a job I did not even have.  What she doesn’t seem to understand is just how many people at County Fire/Special Districts hate her and the way she throws her weight around as Brad’s wife to try to get special privileges.  So this stuff always gets back to me.  Hey Megan, 420 time?

Credible information has come to light that implicates certain members of the Board of Supervisors and their attempts to interfere with former CAO Mark Uffer’s employment attempts.  It seems that firing him wasn’t enough for the supervisors that were involved; they wanted to make sure he was not employable as well.  Cooperating with the authorities aside, it seems that they really wanted to damage him.  The supervisors fired him for no cause instead of allowing him to resign then disparage him subsequently in public forums.

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iePolitics: “An empty vessel” – WOW!

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I wonder if Supervisor Gary Ovitt even noticed or comprehended what was said about him in the Grand Jury proceedings.  “Empty vessel” is a rather accurate description of two of our five county supervisors.  Ovitt should be embarrassed by what was said about him, but I doubt he is cognizant enough to feel that shame.

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iePolitics: Supervisor Gary Ovitt . . . in his own words

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“The charges announced today against Bill Postmus and Greg Eyler are an undeserved embarrassment to the county….the county looks forward to seeing justice prevail.” – July 24, 2009, the day the two were arrested.

“Mark Kirk is a person of great intelligence and integrity…I know Mark to be a consumate professional, loving father and family man, and all around good person of high morals and character.” – May 9, 2011, the day of Kirk’s arrest and indictment.

iePolitics: Blood Stains On Their Hands–Originally posted January 19, 2010

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That’s the night that they hung an innocent man
Don’t trust your soul with no back woods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the town’s got blood stains on his hands

 

Not long after Thanksgiving I was at a friend’s house and we were discussing my situation at the time.  This friend is a very strong Christian and he and his wife have helped me in many ways with their only request being that I not identify them.  We were talking about the fact that most of those who have helped me out were non-Christians and how the so-called “Christians” had really let me down.  The conversation naturally gravitated to Jim Erwin and Mark Kirk, two of my most high-profile friends.  I commented about how Jim, someone who I don’t believe has ever had a personal relationship with Christ, has been a Godsend to me and helped me over and over when I’ve needed it most.  Mark, who I know to be a strong Christian, has let me down every time, never keeping his word to me.

Last Friday when I heard the news of the findings in the Hostile Work Environment investigation against District Attorney Mike Ramos, my heart sank.  I immediately called Cheryl Ristow and the pain in her voice was heartbreaking.  I could relate because, I too, had been let down by our leaders who have in their power the ability to do the right thing with integrity and instead choose to make decisions in their own best interests and not care about how many others they hurt.  We are all nothing but collateral damage to them, unimportant and unworthy of their concern or help. Continue reading →

iePolitics: The Devereaux connection, Part 2

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I am going to make a prediction, and that is, minimally CAO Greg Devereaux will be led out of the County Government Center in handcuffs before this is all over.  No, I don’t expect it any time soon, so sorry if I got some of your hopes up.  I suspect it will not be by the District Attorney, but rather by the FBI.

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iePolitics: Subpoenas and Johnson letters

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Both the Sun and Press Enterprise are running stories tonight to tell you what we already did.  Four supervisors are being subpoenaed—Brad Mitzelfelt, Neil Derry, Gary Ovitt, and Josie Gonzales—to testify before a special grand jury convened since former Assessor Bill Postmus signed a plea deal to cooperate in the ongoing corruption investigations.

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iePolitics: Upland rumor

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We have now heard from multiply sources connected to law enforcement that the FBI investigation in Upland is far from over.  We have heard the current target is Supervisor Gary Ovitt.  Although JP’s daughter works for Ovitt and Ovitt has a close relationship with that city, we can’t find out what Ovitt could have done that would interest the FBI. Can anyone confirm this or shed some light on it for us?

iePolitics: Time for BOS to call for Hoops’ resignation

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The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors appointed Rod Hoops to the position of Sheriff despite our warnings and the warnings of others that he had many skeletons in his closet.  And now that a very large skeleton is becoming public despite all of their attempts to keep it hidden, it is time for the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to reverse its action and remove Hoops if he does not resign on his own.

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PE: Changes on Pension Panel

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Editor’s Note:  We wonder if Rutherford will show any  more integrity with the retirement board than she has with her ethics group.

10:00 PM PST on Friday, February 25, 2011
Cassie MacDuff

A new appointment to the San Bernardino County retirement board signals the county is serious about curbing pension costs.

The fund faces a $115 million deficit over the next five years due to investment losses and increasing payouts to retirees.

Several long-serving board members have been replaced in the past year as county leaders sought a philosophical shift. Now, more new blood is coming.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will receive the resignation of Supervisor Gary Ovitt from the retirement board and consider appointing Supervisor Janice Rutherford.

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iePolitics: Perhaps we were right but are now wrong

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Back when former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer appointed Dena Smith as Planning Director, we were quite critical.  And we got slapped around quite a bit for taking a whack at one of the county’s sacred cows.

Yesterday we didn’t take a whack at the new planning director, only at the fact that she comes from Chino Hills, which suggests more Devereaux/Ovitt shenanighans.

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iePolitics: Attention Medical Cannabis Proponents

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I need to talk to you guys regarding the expected San Bernardino County Planning Commission’s ban on dispensaries in the county and how it relates to marijuana use by members of the Board of Supervisors, their staffs, and their family members.  Please contact me at iepolitics2010@gmail.com.  Please spread the word asap.

iePolitics: LaJolla Institute

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Traci and Patricia visited the address listed on the contracts approved in 2009 and again on August 24, 2010. Here are those contracts: 09-860[1] and here is the last tax return: 2009taxreturn.

The county did two no-bid contracts with this “non profit” totalling $240,000 in less than two years. The non-profit just happens to be run by campaign donors and a close personal friend of Gary Ovitt, Mark Kirk and Greg Devereaux.   But all of it is above board, right?

iePolitics: The LaJolla Institute, etc.

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This is the email I sent to all of the members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and Greg Devereaux on January 14, 2010. Needless to say, not one of them responded. I didn’t expect any of them to do so.

I have several questions regarding your unanimous approval of a non-competitive consulting contract with La Jolla Institute in the amount of $150,000 on September 15, 2009 and an additional $90,000 on August 24, 2010.

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iePolitics: Civil suit depo list

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iePolitics just received the list for the first round of county officials to be depo’d in the Postmus civil case.  The list is being sent to County Counsel this week.

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iePolitics: Is Dennis Hansberger back in the game?

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Numerous sources are telling iePolitics that Dennis Hansberger is bored and wants his old job back.   Former BOS Chairman Ovitt appointed Hansberger to a board without consulting first with Supervisor Derry.

Hansberger is working with Supervisor Josie Gonzales to deliver payback to Supervisors Neil Derry and Brad Mitzelfelt.   The chatter is that both Supervisor Gary Ovitt and Supervisor Janice Rutherford have aligned themselves with Josie against Derry and Mitzelfelt.

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iePolitics: How many of you remember voting to give the BOS a $50,000-a-year raise?

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The year was 2006.  If you voted in 2006, you probably voted to do just that.

A county charter is similar to a state constitution or the Constitution of the United States.    It can only be changed by a vote of the residents of that county.

San Bernardino is one of only 14 counties in California which is governed by a County Charter.  San Bernardino County Board of Supervisor salary is part of the County Charter.

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iePolitics: BOS wimps out again

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It’s been over a year since we first started writing about the abuses at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC), San Bernardino County’s only county-run hospital.  And it’s been over six months since doctors appeared at the Board of Supervisors meeting to express their own concerns.  During this same period of time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided ARMC and took boxes of records.

And how has our Board of Supervisors responded?  Do I have to ask?  We all know the answer.

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iePolitics: BOS hiding from the public?

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My sources tell me that no other district other than the Fourth District thought this was a great idea.  How long will it be before the all members of the  BOS learn they work for US!!! and their job is not to avoid us?  I predict they will figure that out on February 8, 2012.

Here is the memo:  memo4thand5thfloorsecurityprotocols _2_

iePolitics: Depositions start to fly in the civil corruption cases

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Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give is the truth?

Some defendants in the civil corruption cases have started receiving depo notices.  Bill Postmus, Jim Erwin, Greg Eyler, Rex Gutierrez, and Adam Aleman are all named in the lawsuit.

In response, the defense is sending similar notices to specific members of the Board of Supervisors, their current/former chiefs of staff and other current and past staffers who  are familiar with time card fraud and campaign work on county time.   Let the fireworks begin as the county’s hypocrisy is made public for all to see, that is if those depo’d tell the truth.  We shall see.

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iePolitics: Gonzales is only a pawn in the anti-ethics campaign

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Mark Kirk

This week’s public battle between Supervisors Neil Derry and Josie Gonzales has a lot of people rolling their eyes.   Many don’t realize that even if Gonzales is indicted, she will remain chairman of the board as the County Charter has no provision to remove her.  We have to admit all of this is pretty funny.  But the  humor in the public tit for tat belies the serious consequences the behind-the-scenes conflict could have for county residents.

Although Gonzales is the cover girl for the current round of fighting, she is merely a puppet for two very devious puppeteers attempting to maintain a stronghold on the Fifth Floor in an effort to hide and cover up.  Derry’s “sunshine” would expose their evil, and often times, illegal deeds.

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iePolitics: How we really feel

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Supervisor Janice Rutherford

I have to say we have very mixed feelings about what happened at the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors today.  On one hand, Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt needed a wake up call.  But I seriously doubt he got the message.  He is too far removed from his constituents and from this valley to know what is going on or why there is so much animosity towards him.  In the end, however, he does not deserve to be chairman.

As far as Supervisor Josie Gonzales goes, I honestly don’t care.  She is useless and will simply be a tool of Devereaux and Ovitt.  Gary would not have controlled Brad but Greg would have, so no harm, no foul here.

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Supervisor Janice Rutherford: Supervisor Rutherford Statement on Selection of Chairwoman Gonzales

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SAN BERNARDINO – Second District Supervisor Janice Rutherford issued the following statement on Tuesday regarding the selection of Fifth District Supervisor Josie Gonzales to serve as Chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors.

“My decision to support Chairwoman Gonzales is based on a 40-year Board policy and best practice that provides for an orderly and equitable rotation of the chairmanship. The policy clearly states that each member should be given the opportunity to serve as the chairperson unless they do not desire to assume that responsibility, and Chairwoman Gonzales has assured me she is ready, willing, and able to fill this leadership role.

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iePolitics: D-Day is upon us

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Well it could be Brad, or Josie, or Gary, or Neil.  How is that for a prognostication?

Seriously, all four of them are rumored to be taking the top spot tomorrow.  Josie has promised to be a capital B if she doesn’t get it.  Neil has his own plans.  And Brad and Gary are so out of touch with everyone and everything they probably won’t know if they are elected chairman or not.  Perhaps we should just give it to the new kid on the block and make it easier on everyone.

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iePolitics: Will our BOS follow Brown’s lead?

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Governor Jerry Brown

Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, is returning $7 million to the state’s treasury and cutting his office budget by 25 percent.  According to an article in the January 8, 2011, edition of the San Francisco Chronicle:

As expected, Brown axed the secretary of education position, an advisory office under the governor that was worth $1.9 million annually. Brown also returned the lion’s share of transition funds allocated to him, spending just $120,000 of the $770,000 available.

He also cut $4.5 million from the governor’s office’s $18 million annual budget, in part by eliminating the office of the first lady. Brown’s wife, Anne Gust Brown, has already taken an unpaid position as special counsel to the governor.

“California is facing a huge deficit and it is necessary to find savings throughout all of government,” Brown said in a written statement. “We all have to make cuts and I’m starting with my own office.”

In order to cut one-quarter from his office’s budget, Brown eliminated the position of cabinet secretary and all deputy cabinet secretaries. He cut press and communications staff; closed field offices in San Diego, Riverside and Fresno; and cut the governor’s Washington, D.C., office staff. Additionally, as Brown announced in December, he eliminated the office of Laura Chick, the special inspector general appointed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to audit federal stimulus spending in California. That position was temporary and set to expire midyear.

So, if a Democrat can do it, how about our four Republican members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors?  Do you all really need deputy chiefs of staff, district directors, or media relations staff?  Do you really need more than one field office?    We think not.

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iePolitics: It’s time to get serious about the new chairman

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Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt

We have had some fun opining over whether the next chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors will be Neil Derry, Brad Mitzelfelt, or Josie Gonzales.  The decision will be made Tuesday and it is time to get serious.  Whoever is elected will direct county policy for the next two years.  And that is a very big job as we have seen with all the new policies put into effect these past two years.

Chairmans make some very rough decisions.  Think about it.  Chairman Gary Ovitt had to address the elevator schedule for rides to the Fifth Floor so that Fifth Floor execs wouldn’t be inconvenienced by the little people . . . we mean non-exempt employees . . . trying to get from one floor to another to get work done.  And then there are those pesky constituents who might show up on the Fifth Floor expecting to speak with their elected representative.  I know from experience lower echelon employees are forbidden from gracing those hallowed halls even with an invitation so there must be policy on how to keep them out.

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 InlandPolitics: ‘New direction’ or ‘business as usual’ for Rutherford?

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Rutherford

www.inlandpolitics.com

Thursday, January 6, 2011 – 10:00 a.m.
Last Updated: January 6, 2011 – 08:25 p.m.

It’s Crunch time!

Just five more days and we’ll all know the answer to the big question.

Will newly-elected County Supervisor Janice Rutherford keep her campaign pledge of ethics and reform, or will it be ‘go along, get along” business as usual?

A practice, which has plagued San Bernardino County for years.

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iePolitics: WWIII on the Fifth Floor

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It seems our five little minds up on the fifth floor cannot agree on which one of them should be leader.  Maybe they should ask their mommies who to vote for.

We are being told to expect either a 3-2 vote in favor of Brad Mitzelfelt as chairman or a 4-1 vote in favor of Josie Gonzales.  Either way it may be a spectacle.

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iePolitics: It’s not about being brown, it’s about being yellow

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First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt

Two years ago iePolitics strongly supported Supervisor Josie Gonzales being elected as vice chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.  At the time, newly elected Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt was attempting to bypass tradition and take his turn out of line for the vice chairman position.  We pointed out how it would look if the four white guys did that to the only minority and the only woman on the board.

Now two years later—after two years of the most weak-kneed, yellow-bellied, leadership in decades—we no longer care about what is politically correct.  The citizens of San Bernardino County just want real leadership whether it is white, brown, green or purple.

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iePolitics: So why don’t we have a new District Attorney?

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Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach was sworn in today, replacing the only district attorney in the state of California who could rival San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos in terms of political persecutions.  As a matter of fact, former-Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco seemed to have totally lost it in the final days of his term.  His behavior could only be called bizarre.

We are not ready to say Ramos is equally bizarre.  But he is still a predator, a predator who could be retired as of today had promises been kept.

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SBSun: SB County: The year in review

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Editor:  I don’t even know where to begin on this one. Ovitt pays Burt Southard, who is already getting a county retirement, $55,000 a year to write this crap.

Supervisors Chairman Gary C. Ovitt
Posted: 12/29/2010 05:46:30 PM PST

The County of San Bernardino is an amazingly diverse public service organization that touches and enriches many lives. We provide prenatal care, pediatric care, and preschool services through Head Start. Grade school and high school students study at our libraries and learn at our museum. We intervene when children are abused, and when they are teenagers we help them find summer jobs.

You can get married at the Recorder’s Office, and we can help you buy your first home.

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iePolitics: Let them eat cake – Part Two

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Larry Enriquez

Despite attempts by the County Administrative Office to lead us astray, we have confirmed that a fireplace has in fact been installed in the Fifth Floor office of Larry Enriquez, chief of staff to Supervisor Gary Ovitt.  We have submitted a California Public Records Act request to determine how much was paid to Facilities Management to install this fireplace and whether or not a fireplace positioned on an interior wall meets code enforcement standards.  We will let you know when and if we get a direct answer rather than an another attempt at cover up.

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iePolitics: Twelve days down, 898 to go

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While some of the John Does are glad Rex Gutierrez took his punishment without narc’ing them off and other corruption defendants believe he “deserved” it, we here at iePolitics refuse to forget him the way his former associates have.  Rex is currently incarcerated at West Valley Detention Center awaiting for room at state prison.

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iePolitics: Jeff Burum and Brad Mitzelfelt; Gary Ovitt

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Got a tip this morning regarding a community center (?) that was built here in the high desert, funded by the county for a large sum of taxpayers money, because Jeff sat on the board of directors and Brad couldn’t say no as Brad is afraid of Jeff.  Can anyone give me additional information?

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iePolitics: BOS Salaries

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Bill Tuck Jr. asked for the salaries for the Second District.  Here are  the salary and benefit packages for all of the board staff.  This list does not include John Richardson, Mary O’Toole, Mark Kirk, Bob Page, and the other analyst whose name I forget from the Fourth District whose positions were transferred to the County Administrative Office budget.   That equals at least another million dollars.

For those who would like to download the spreadsheets from the county, here there are:  2010-11 Board Staff (all)

First District:

Chief of Staff – $242.403; District Director – $145,082; Executive Secretary – $102,078; Executive Secretary III – $52,003; Field Rep – $127,524; Field Rep – $141,564; Field Rep – $139,143; Special Assistant – $166,978 (Employee Reimbursed by Joint Powers Authority – $110,206); Special Projects Coordinator – $43,070; Community Service Liaison – $3,472; Community Service Liaison – $5667; Community Service Liaison – $5532; Community Service Liaison – $5667; Community Service Liaison – $5667

Second District:

Chief of Staff – $187,883; Deputy Chief of Staff – $184,166; Executive Secretary – $91,089; Field Representative – $144,409; Field Representative – $128,965; Field Representative – $128,965 Special Projects Coordinator – $56,026 (Contract terminates June 30, 2011); Special Projects Coordinator – $15,394 (Contract terminates June 30, 2011)

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iePolitics: From the pulpit to the fifth floor

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Larry Enriquez

We were recently told that no one would believe that San Bernardino County Chairman of the Board Gary Ovitt is corrupt.  We would disagree.

Once Ovitt’s first chief of staff, Mark Kirk, was transferred to the County Administrative Office after being named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Colonies scandal, Ovitt named his best friend and pastor, Larry Enriquez, as his new chief of staff.

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iePolitics: Looks like the John Does could be in lots of trouble

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I heard last week that the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office was claiming that the investigation into the Colonies Partners and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors could go on for another two years and that more arrests are expected.  My first response was that the statute of limitations has expired and didn’t think much more of it.

Today I had lunch with a top-notch criminal defense attorney who is well known to this blog.  I got a lesson in statute of limitations.

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iePolitics: While Gutierrez serves time in prison, Kirk enjoys the good life even after committing the same “crimes”

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Mark Kirk

We have learned recently of all of Mark Kirk’s riches.  Two Cadallacs, a plane, a large home, land, European vacations, cleaning lady, timeshare and a stay-at-home wife.  Certainly he lives the “good life” on a Chief of Staff salary. So how does he afford it?

Well for one, he does political consulting . . . political consulting on county time.  Emails have surfaced clearly showing that Kirk has run campaigns while he was supposed to be working for Chairman of the Board Gary Ovitt.

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iePolitics: While most suffer, Mark Kirk enjoys the good life

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Mark Kirk

So how does one afford a 2.5k square foot home, land in Arizona for a future home, a plane and hangar spot, two Cadillacs, cleaning lady, multiple overseas vacations, time share for multiple weeks per year, and his wife just quite work to raise their baby all on a $130,000 a year county salary?

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iePolitics: Another response, another answer

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First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt

This appeared in response to my response:

I think that while Biane was on the board, he, Ovitt, and Gonzalez were the innefectual majority tied to the scum bags, like Doreen Boxer and Ruth Stringer. Brad probably knew better but had to go along to get along because he and Derry couldnt do anything by themselves. Now that Rutherford is here Brad has the cover he needs to be the supervisor he wants to be, an effective and honest supervisor? Would you agree with that?

Do I agree with this?  There is no short answer.

First of all, there is mounting evidence that a Brad-Neil-Janice alliance may not be in the works after all but rather Neil may be left out on his own.  We will know for sure in a few weeks.

But, for argument’s sake, let’s say Brad is going to do the right thing.  I have said it before.  I do not believe Brad is inherently corrupt like Josie and Gary.  Brad has done a very good job for the First District in terms of getting us our fair share of resources and representation.

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iePolitics: All signs point to Mitzelfelt

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First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt

San Bernardino County First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt appears to have positioned himself as the swing vote in the upcoming election for chairman of the board.  This is an especially enviable position to be in when one wants the position for himself.

Fifth District Supervisor Josie Gonzales has expressed her intention of seeking the position with Supervisor Gary Ovitt’s support, and we here at iePolitics sometimes feel like the Board of Supervisors and county management really deserve to have her as Chairman of the Board.  But the citizens of San Bernardino County do not.

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iePolitics: CAO interfering in BOS politics

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It seems County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux isn’t satisfied with all the new power he has been granted.  He continues to build on his power base as evidenced by his interference in selection of the Chairman to the Board of Supervisors.

Devereaux’s loyalty to Chairman Gary Ovitt stems from the years he served as city manager of Ontario when Ovitt was mayor.  It has been obvious from the beginning as Ovitt, and his then-chief of staff, Mark Kirk, orchestrated both former-County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer’s termination and Devereaux’s hiring.  The process took well over a year and the entire Fifth Floor knew that no one but Devereaux was being considered for the job.

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iePolitics: The next BOS chairman

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We are hearing rumors that Chairman Gary Ovitt is endorsing Vice Chairman Josie Gonzales to be the next chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.  And we think we have a worthless Board of Supervisors now, what would it be like with that dunce heading it up?  Well, it would give Devereaux even more power so you wanna bet who is behind Gary’s endorsement?

Besides all the reasons given over at www.inlandpolitics.com, it is very possible she could be indicted with the federal grand jury convenes next month.  Actually, if what we have been told by doctors is accurate, it is VERY likely both Supervisor Gonzales and by then former-Supervisor Paul Biane will be facing criminal indictments along with Mark Uffer, Jessica Brown and others.

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iePolitics: Exclusive: The Eyler/Postmus witness list – Updated

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Editor’s Note:  For a blog that “no one reads,” stories that are printed on it sure do have the tendency to create havoc.  We knew there would be several additional names to this list, but then presents drop from the sky.  And those presents were read by the defense.


iePolitics has obtained a partial list of witnesses expected to be called as a part of the upcoming corruption trial in People v. Postmus, et al.  Attorneys for the defendants have given the judge an expected length of seven to eight weeks for the trial.  Here are the names we have been given so far:

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iePolitics: Battle for the chairmanship

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This is one of those rare moments iePolitics is about to admit it made a mistake.  About two years ago we argued vehemently on Supervisor Josie Gonzales’ behalf as it was her turn to become vice chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

At that time, First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt was attempting to get the votes to beat her out.  It all hinged on the Fourth District.  Then-chief of staff, Mark Kirk, and I had several conversations about the subject and he could clearly see the pros and cons of both Mitzelfelt and Gonzales.  In the end, Supervisor Gary Ovitt did the “right” thing and voted for Josie.

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Editorial: BOS Should Postpone CAO/CEO Board Item to Allow Imput from Rutherford

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Supervisor-elect Janice Rutherford

www.grapevine.com

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is playing fast and loose with the rules once again.  And this time around it seems they may very well be in such a hurry so to prevent newcomer Supervisor-elect Janice Rutherford, who ran on a platform of ethics reform, from providing her input into a law that will affect her ability to serve her constituents  for her entire term of office and keeping her promises to voters.

Four out of the five current supervisors supported Rutherford’s opponent and now they are pushing through a new county ordinance to transfer authority from the Board of Supervisors to their hand-selected County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.  Devereaux appears to have little concern for ethics reform as evidenced by his handling of the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center scandal, which was highlighted this past week with his misstatements to the press and his covering for supervisors who are accused of wrongdoing.  Inside sources say that those supervisors were targeted in the search warrants and criminal charges against them are possible.

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iePolitics: Time for a part-time BOS

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The article below details yet another example of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors giving the middle finger to the voters of this county.  Not only did they award an illegal contract to the County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux, they are now transferring power they do not have the power to transfer to him.  To hell with the voters.

Since the Board of Supervisors do not want the power vested in them by the Charter of San Bernardino County, it is time for them to be made a part-time body and for their pay to reflect that status. If this ordinance is passed, they will serve no useful purpose to the taxpayers of this county.

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SBGrapevine: BOS Attempts to Circumvent Will of the People

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Greg Devereaux

www.sbgrapevine.com

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is set on Tuesday for the first reading of an ordinance to make a de facto amendment to the Charter of the County of San Bernardino.  The Charter of the County of San Bernardino is the county equivalent of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of California, both of which were adopted through a vote of the people.  As such, the law is very specific as to how it can be changed.

The truth of the matter is that according to Constitution of California any change to any county charter must be approved by the vote of the electorate.  It CANNOT be made by ordinance as is being attempted by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

The Constitution of California, Article 11, Local Government, Sec. 3, states:

(a) For its own government, a county or city may adopt a charter by majority vote of its electors voting on the question. The charter is effective when filed with the Secretary of State. A charter may be amended, revised, or repealed in the same manner. A charter, amendment, revision, or repeal thereof shall be published in the official state statutes. County charters adopted pursuant to this section shall supersede any existing charter and all laws inconsistent therewith. The provisions of a charter are the law of the State and have the force and effect of legislative enactments.

We understand that the Board of Supervisors is enacting an ordinance, not enacting a change to the charter, but the effect is the same.   They are changing a key element of the Charter of the County of San Bernardino. And they simply do not have authority to do so.

What the Board of Supervisors is proposing on Tuesday, REQUIRES a vote of the people.  They choose, instead, to violate our right to vote on this change and ramrod its proposal through, hoping it flies under the radar of an uninterested electorate.

The Charter of the County of San Bernardino is very specific, and was enacted with that specificity in mind, as to the powers of the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.  From what we have been told, San Bernardino County is the only one of the state’s 58 counties to specify that the Chairman of the Board is the County’s Executive.   It states in pertinent part [emphasis added]:

Duties of the Chairman of the Board

SECTION 5. The Chairman of the Board of Supervisors shall be the general executive agent of the Board. It shall be his duty, subject to regulation and control by the Board, to exercise general supervision over the official conduct of all County officers and officers of all districts and other subdivisions of the County charged with the assessment, collection, safekeeping, management, or disbursement of public revenue; also over all County institutions, buildings and property. He shall report to the Board from time to time with such recommendations as he shall deem proper. He shall devote his entire time during usual office hours to the duties of his office. He shall keep an office in the room or rooms where the Board usually meets, and shall be in attendance at such office during usual office hours, except when elsewhere engaged in the performance of his official duties.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is proposing to instead to transfer those powers over to the County Administrative Officer by ordinance rather than charter amendment as required by the Constitution of California.

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iePolitics: Where are the arrest warrants for Jeff Burum, Mark Kirk, Gary Ovitt?

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I want to see some action.  The District Attorney’s Office claims they prosecute criminals based on evidence, not on politics.  It is time they prove it.

Yesterday former Assessor’s Office employee Rex Gutierrez was convicted of conspiring with former Assessor Bill Postmus and West End developer Jeff Burum.  It is time now to prosecute both Postmus and Burum for the same crime.  Neither have been charged.  What is the District Attorney waiting for?

Also yesterday, Gutierrez was convicted of time card fraud.  Numerous Exempt employees are as guilty or more guilty than Gutierrez.  It is time we clean up the Fifth Floor.

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SBGrapevine: Editorial: Time for the Board of Supervisors to Initiate an Investigation of Supervisor Biane

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Supervisor Paul Biane

www.sbgrapevine.com

As details of San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane’s run-in with the law while attending a football game in Indiana come to light, it is becoming apparent a cover-up took place.   For five long years Biane hid his dirty little secret from his colleagues and his constituents.  With the four remaining supervisors each affirming their dedication to transparency, initiating an investigation into Biane’s misdeeds  is the right thing to do.

Two years ago county supervisors expressed outrage when then-Assessor Bill Postmus was accused of substance abuse and violation of county policies.  We now learn that one of those very same supervisors has his own issues with substance abuse and violation of county policies.  Unlike Postmus, Supervisor Biane has already been found guilty of the crime and has offered no proof he has complied with county policy in reporting his arrest and subsequent conviction.

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