(San Bernardino) – Last week the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to impose more than 14 percent in cuts on members of the Specialized Peace Officers Unit of the San Bernardino County Safety Employees Benefit Association (SEBA), the union representing sworn peace officers.  Supervisors Neil Derry and Brad Mitzelfelt voted against the measure.  Today, 73.5 percent of the unit’s membership voted to accept the arbitrator’s award they had previously rejected, thus avoiding the deep cuts.

“We’re proud of the Specialized Peace Officers for choosing the terms of their employment rather than settling for an imposed solution,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Josie Gonzales. “These public safety professionals have joined a growing number of county employee groups who have recognized the current economic realities and agreed to terms that will help avoid layoffs and allow the county to continue to provide an acceptable level of service.”  Supervisor Gonzales is one of the three county supervisors who voted in favor of imposing the cuts and who is under federal scrutiny in two FBI raids.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

If true, what does this say about Greg Devereaux and the BOS in relationship to them imposing a contract on rank-and-file specialized peace officers?  We hear the CAO/BOS intends to do the very same thing to Safety next year.  Would I be the only one appalled by such an action, if this is accurate?

Anyway, today part of Janice’s so-called ethics proposal is apparently going to be to change the County Charter to update the relationship between the CEO and BOS.  In other words, Janice, just like the rest of the BOS, the CEO, and County Counsel, all know that Devereaux’s contract is illegal as is the ordinance they passed last year.  They want to clean up their act, not by making things right, but rather by covering their tracks and hiding their illegal actions.

BTW, for those who have asked, here is Devereaux’s contract, which is already posted elsewhere on the blog and has been for a long time, Stevie:  Devereaux contract 1-12-10 Now compare it to what is allowed in the County Charter and County Code.  But I digress.

This is just another example of Miss High and Mighty taking care of those who cover for her.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, has changed in San Bernardino County.  It also makes ya miss Paul Biane.  At least his worst offense at board meetings was not wearing a tie.

]]> http://iepolitics.net/2011/12/13/iepolitics-pandering-janice/feed/ 5 http://iepolitics.net/2011/11/21/iepolitics-trying-to-decipher-the-new-800-mhz-proposal/ http://iepolitics.net/2011/11/21/iepolitics-trying-to-decipher-the-new-800-mhz-proposal/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:47:35 +0000 Administrator http://iepolitics.com/?p=11139 Continue reading →]]> As we have mentioned here before, there seems to be a lot of dissention on the Fifth Floor, particularly between Supervisors Derry and Mitzelfelt versus the other three.  Part of that dissention seems to stem from the fact the CEO Greg Devereaux controls the votes of Supervisors Rutherford, Ovitt and Gonzales and attempts to push through whatever he can.  One such issue is the proposal to upgrade the county’s 800 MHz system.

My sources tell me there appears to be something underlying Devereaux’s interest in the project.  I am told there are better systems out there yet this one is being jammed down everyone’s throats and the Three Stooges are happy to do whatever Devereaux says to do.  I am also told that the Sheriff’s Department, which should be the department behind it, isn’t necessarily as keen on it as it should be under the circumstances.

Doing CPRA requests is a waste of my time because they refuse to fulfill them.  Can anyone give me the scoop as to who wants this system so badly?  We know somehow, somewhere it will likely lead to someone close to the Fifth Floor getting a cushy contract.  The question is who.  And are there really better systems out there?

I noted one interesting point.  Josh Candaleria gave the invocation.  Josh is a former employee of Gary Ovitt and now works for Greg Devereaux.  What was interesting is that Ovitt introduced him as someone who goes to his church.  Doesn’t that make Ovitt, Enriquez, Cadaleria, PonTell, and Devereaux, or so we have been told, all members of the same church.  Now my question is this:  Is this the same church Enriquez was pastoring and somehow related to the Ontario YMCA?  How much discretionary funding did the YMCA get from Ovitt?  Now maybe this is all inaccurate, but that is not what we hear.

Here are a few of the figures we got from a CPRA request:

FY 2005‐06:
1. Ontario Montclair YMCA – Capital Improvement Project (General Fund) ‐ $237,500

FY 2006‐07:
1. Ontario Montclair YMCA – Priority Policy Needs (i.e. Board Discretionary Funds) ‐
$3,000

FY 2007‐08:
1. Ontario Montclair YMCA – 4th District Operating Budget (General Fund) ‐ $490.13
2. Ontario Montclair YMCA – Board Elective Funds (i.e. Board Discretionary Funds) ‐
$120,000

FY 2008‐09:
1. Ontario Montclair YMCA ‐ Priority Policy Needs (Board Discretionary Funds) ‐ $25,000
2. Ontario Montclair YMCA – Public Health Department (??) ‐ $300

FY 2009‐10
1. Ontario Montclair YMCA ‐ Priority Policy Needs (Board Discretionary Funds) ‐ $25,000

Total Ontario Montclair YMCA = $411,290.13

Hmm . . . from Supervisor Ovitt’s website:

He currently serves as Pastor for Community Christian Fellowship, an Evangelical Christian Church in Ontario. Larry has served as the Pastor for over 17 years.

Through February, 2010, Larry served as the Executive Director of the Ontario/Montclair YMCA.

This correspondence shall serve as the County’s written request to commence negotiations and the following shall constitute the County’s written proposals:

1. Benefit Plan: Eliminate Benefit Plan contributions and replace with Medical Premium Subsidy. Clarify/amend language to conform to County policy, practice, plan documents and/or applicable law and regulations as appropriate.

2. Other benefit provisions such as Dependant Care Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Account, Life Insurance, Merit Advancements, Reemployment, Retirement Medical Trust, etc:  Clarify/amend language to conform to County policy, practice, plan documents and/or applicable law and regulations as appropriate.

3. County Management Rights: Incorporate language clarifying County management rights, including assignment of County vehicles.

4. Full Understanding, Modification and Waiver: Amend language to be consistent with County practice and/or clean up language as necessary.

5. Leave Provisions: Clean up language as appropriate, to include Amendment #1.

6. Overtime: Eliminate compensatory time banks. Clean up language as necessary.

7. Retirement System Contributions: Eliminate County pick-up of employee contributions for existing employees and new hires; establish a new/reduced pension formula for new hires.

8. Salary Administration: Establish step advancements at 2.5% for new and existing employees.

9. Salary Adjustments: Reduce salaries by 7%.

10. Seniority Watch Preference and Rotation: Eliminate article. Propose new article for Deputy’s with 20 years of uninterrupted service as a Safety employee to be given preference for days off and shift schedules.

11. Wage Differentials: Clarify language in regards to payment of differentials during periods of leave and non-work time. Establish fixed dollar amounts.

12. Deputy I/Il Classification: Change Deputy Sheriff Classifications to Deputy I for all Deputies assigned to Detentions and Corrections Bureau and Court Services and Deputy II for Deputies assigned outside of Detentions and Corrections and Court Services, e.g., Patrol.  Adjust pay scale, decreasing pay for Deputy I classification to provide for a 10% salary spread as appropriate. “X” step existing employees who currently earn more than the new top step for Deputy I classification.

13. Other non-economic articles: Update and clarify language as appropriate. For example, incorporate language for 9/80 and 12/80 schedules.

Here is the link to the actual letter:  County Proposal  It is my understanding that since SEBA negotiated away the Evergreen Clause, Devereaux has said he intends to impose his wishes on the cops if they don’t agree to concessions on their own.  Of course, he cannot impose anything without BOS approval.  It is also my understanding that both Supervisors Derry and Mitzelfelt have said they will not vote to impose.  However, I believe it only takes three votes and Supervisors Rutherford, Ovitt and Gonzales will do whatever Devereaux tells them to do.

If anyone has any updated information on negotiations, we would appreciate it if you would share it with us.

Supervisor Neil Derry

(SAN BERNARDINO) While delivering an address to the Fontana Rotary Club on Monday, county of San Bernardino County Executive Officer Greg Devereaux took shots at two of the five members of the county’s board of supervisors over the budget process. According to a report published today in the Press Enterprise, Devereaux praised Chairwoman Josie Gonzales and Supervisors Janice Rutherford and Gary Ovitt. He omitted Supervisors Neil Derry and Brad Mitzelfelt.

The budget was approved on a 3-1 vote. Supervisor Mitzelfelt voted against the budget in part because it made significant cuts to public safety. Supervisor Derry refrained from voting due to legal issues at the time.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

As a child growing up with a mother who prescribed to old-fashioned thoughts about medical care, I was always told never to allow doctors to operate on cancer because exposing cancer cells to air would cause them to grow exponentially.  Of course, today we know how to use surgery to cure an otherwise fatal tumor.

Several years ago all of Southern California watched the crisis at the Los Angeles County-run King-Drew Medical Center.  If history can predict the future, we have a similar, fatal cancer growing at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) that needs to be excised fully and quickly.

The residents of San Bernardino County are being led to believe that the current investigations and accusations at San Bernardino County’s only county-run hospital are routine and relatively minor.  We keep hearing that they are part of the “learning process.”  ARMC has been in business for over 10 years and San Bernardino county has operated a hospital for decades before that.  If the county hasn’t learned how to run a hospital by now, I’m not sure it ever will.

ARMC Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Petre, and ARMC Medical Director, Dr. Dev GnanaDev, have been downplaying the recent state and federal investigations into medical care at the facility.  They attempt to describe them as routine.  These investigations are anything but routine.

When a hospital reaches a point where it is about to lose its Medicare and Medicaid (Medi-Cal) funding, it is serious.  It is so serious that such an event would likely cause the hospital to shut its doors.  And such a condition does not happen overnight.  By the time the Feds make this threat, they have found substantial and repeated violations that the hospital has not corrected after at least two previous warnings.  We are now at a critical stage and it requires critical measures.

It is time for Dr. Dev GnanaDev to be removed from ARMC.  He should not only be removed as the Medical Director, but his contract with the hospital should be canceled in total.  Too many stories of retaliation and heavy-handed tactics are surfacing, suggesting a man out of control.  Combined with some of the horrendous stories of patient abuse, our Board of Supervisors and County Administrative Officer owe it to the residents of San Bernardino County to take fiscally and morally sound action and replace GnanaDev when his contract expires on June 30, 2010.  Anything short of this action is dereliction of duty.

Insiders say that three other individuals need to also be replaced forthwith if there is any hope of ARMC surviving and regaining its stature in the community as a first-class trauma center.  They are:  Patrick Petre, Maureen Malone, and Frank Arambula.  All three of these individuals are accused of a systematic scheme of retaliation against any employee who speaks out about the wrongdoing at ARMC.

I can speak from personal experience as an employee of ARMC for a year.  I thought I was doing the right thing by telling former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer of the concerns employees brought to me regarding patient abuse, sexual harassment by managers, and multi-million-dollar billing issues.  At his request, I spoke with Petre and had other employees do the same.  The only result was for those employees to be disciplined or threatened with discipline, some for the first time in their entire careers, and for Uffer to remove me from a job he promised I could keep until I retired—for no disciplinary reason whatsoever other than I operate a blog that they were afraid I would use to expose what was going on at the facility.

I witnessed and experienced retaliation first-hand, at the hand of the powers that be at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.  If those powers that be were truly concerned about the hospital and the patients it serves, they would remove the cancer rather than killing the messengers.  Instead the cancer has metastasized into the most critical areas of administration.  All four individuals must be removed if ARMC is to survive.

Linda Haugan

I shall not go into details of the circumstances but today I had a situation that needed Board of Supervisors’ intervention.  County Executive Officer Greg Devereaux was asked by a board office to look into the situation.

Now, I have heard a variety of things about employees who choose to cross Devereaux.  I have certainly been led to believe that lying to the man would not be a good idea.

And there was a time when an employee, any employee, but especially a director or an AAO, lied to a board member or to the CEO, it would result in an instant boot out the door.

Today, exactly that happened.  Devereaux’s response to the BOS was read to me and I was pretty shocked to hear the lies, lies that could easily be proven to be lies.  And by 5 p.m., the lies were proven to be lies.  I don’t believe it was Devereaux lying as he does not have the expertise in the area to write the email in question.  It was done by a department head or AAO who knows that with Devereaux coming from a city where such services are not provided, he would not know the difference between the truth and a lie.  And I’m sure the department head or AAO knows I’m so hated on the fifth floor that Devereaux would not question a negative answer.

Do we expect to see a director or AAO fired tomorrow?  Of course not.  And this is a perfect example of why what is about to happen will be happening.  There is no reason to pay members of the board of supervisors $300,000 a year to kiss babies and shake hands.  We actually expect work out of them.  But they refuse to do what is right so it is time to replace them.

One other thing came to mind today as well.  I live in the First District.  I should be able to call my supervisor, i.e., Brad Mitzelfelt, and ask for help when county department heads are purposely screwing up.  But I can’t.  Our board of supervisors believe they are above answering to the people.  And the people are about to speak about how they feel about that.

I will say that Devereaux’s inquiry caused line staff to do their jobs today and for that I am grateful.  Certainly more than I would have ever gotten out of Brad.

Russ Blewett

I mentioned last week that I had a chance to have lunch with Hesperia Mayor pro tem Russ Blewett this past Friday.  I will be writing an Examiner article regarding the interview.  But there are those things, along with my personal impression, that really don’t belong in that article but are of interest to iePolitics readers.  So here is a mini-article.

Russ is extremely supportive of two people I don’t have much use for:  Greg Devereaux and Brad Mitzelfelt.  That, of course, made the conversation with Russ all the more interesting, and I really mean that.

Russ really defends many of Devereaux’s actions, to which I say, “I will believe it when I see it.”  But it was also clear that Russ will stand up to Devereaux in no uncertain terms unlike the five supervisors we have now that are afraid of him.

He also defends Brad but admits that Brad needs a better staff.  He mentioned something that I had heard months ago and that is there have been a number of suggestions that Brad make Russ his chief of staff.  I could not second that motion enough although we all know Brad doesn’t have balls enough to do it.

I have never felt that Mitzelfelt is on the take like some of the other supervisors.  I actually believe that Brad wants to do a good job, and in some cases, really has.  But he does not have a single staff member with both the back bone and the brains to get things done.

Seriously though, I have suggested before that Russ would make an excellent First District supervisor.  I had only spoken to him once before Friday but remember him as someone with a backbone and a half.  He would make an awesome supervisor and I hope he considers it in the future.  The First District deserves to have true leadership once again and he is not afraid to say what he thinks and stand by what he says with action.

One of the other items he mentioned to me that really piqued my interest was that of moving the drag strip at the Fontana raceway.  If you watch the BOS meetings you know there are some homeowners that attend regularly to complain about how the drag strip was moved so closely to their homes without proper reviews.  I can’t remember their names right now, but the one couple I have met several times and seem like really nice people

Some may not know this but Russ was on the Planning Commission when that was approved.  He told me he spoke to Paul Biane about the impropriety of doing what the county did.  Paul’s response was, to put it gently, that he didn’t give a crap about the residents.  Russ told him it would eventually cost the taxpayers a lot of money in legal fees because the residents were right.  Paul did not care and allowed staff to break the law to make sure the drag strip was moved.

I think that it what struck me most about Russ.  He doesn’t care what people think.  He is going to do and say what he feels is the right thing to do.  Is it any wonder that Mark Kirk and Gary Ovitt engineered a move so that Russ could not be chairman of the Planning Commission?  Now, instead, the Planning Commission chairman is Nan Rider, someone with no planning experience except planning Assemblyman Emmerson’s campaigns and calendar, but who can be controlled by Ovitt.  Amazing.

As much as I disagree with Russ on certain issues, I really wish he would reconsider a run for county supervisor, or at least, I wish Brad would have the good sense to replace one of his staff members with him.  It would be nice to see something get done on the Fifth Floor.  It would nice to have a First District supervisor we could respect.

]]> http://iepolitics.net/2011/07/11/iepolitics-an-interview-with-mayor-pro-tem-russ-blewett/feed/ 12 http://iepolitics.net/2011/06/15/iepolitics-attn-seba-and-devore-shelter-rescuers/ http://iepolitics.net/2011/06/15/iepolitics-attn-seba-and-devore-shelter-rescuers/#comments Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:36:58 +0000 Administrator http://iepolitics.com/?p=9505 Continue reading →]]>

I keep hearing about all the threats from County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux to impose whatever he damn well pleases if everyone doesn’t go along with HIS game plan.   You need to remember that Devereaux does not have the final say.  It must be approved by the Board of Supervisors.

Remember the phrase “Count to three.”  That phrase becomes especially important next year because three supervisors are up for re-election.   This is not the time to piss off firefighters, cops, or animal rights groups, all three of which can have tremendous political clout if they so choose, as has been proven in the past.

It is my belief that two of the three supervisors up for election will NOT vote to impose.  One supervisor will do whatever Devereaux tells her to do just like she does at the Devore Shelter and every other aspect of county governance.

If all of you were smart, you would a) Make sure Supervisors Mitzelfelt and Derry know exactly how you feel; and b) Work hard at finding a replacement for Josie.  With redistricting, there are a LOT of options available in terms of candidates who may very well have a brain of their own.

I have no idea if the current contract proposal is in the best interests of cops or not.  I do know the cops should not be running away like a bunch of girlie men because Greggie has threatened them.  Stop looking at the propaganda.  Think about how much money you guys have in your PAC and how many other politicians you have put into office.  It’s time you took smart action and not scared reaction.  Greggie is only one person, and he doesn’t even get to vote.  Seriously?  You are all afraid of this little Napoleon?

Mark is good friends with both Jeff Burum and Greg Devereaux.  Jeff Burum and Greg Devereaux.  Greg Devereaux is very close with John Doe No. 2, the so-far unindicted co-conspirator and partner of Jeff Burum, Dan Richards.

It’s not likely Kirk could cut a deal without burning Burum.  That could put Devereaux in a very sticky position.  And don’t forget it was Devereaux who was on that private jet with Biane and Richards.  It’s entirely possible that Kirk knows enough to take out Devereaux also, something that could make Ramos happy during this budget crisis.  As much of an ass as Devereaux is, how could he possibly cut Ramos’ budget with the possibility of criminal charges hanging over his head.

Every source I have tells me the word on the street is that Devereaux is being investigated.  The question is whether or not it is a real investigation or one to handcuff Devereaux a bit, figuratively speaking in this case.

I fail to understand how any member of the board of supervisors thinks he or she is going a good job by delagating their authority and failing to take action.  No matter how many illegal ordinances they pass, it does not relieve them of their duty to uphold the charter of this county.  The buck stops with them as hard as they try to deny it, and as they will soon find out, voters see their unwillingness to accept responsibility and make hard decisions for what it is.  They should expect the gravy train to come to a crashing halt very soon.  I wonder if Greg Devereaux will back them up or put the final knives in their backs as he seeks to seize all the power.

However, what Kirk has in his favor is that he brokered the termination of Mark Uffer with the intent of replacing him with long-time close friend Greg Devereaux.  Looks like it is Devereux’s turn to return the favor and keep Kirk on board.

Employees are perplexed as to why the CAO decided to include every conceivable story about the charges against Derry at the top of the newsclippings on the County’s Intranet site today.  It seems the overkill was even noticed by low-level employees in non-elite departments.

As we have suggested here before, Devereaux is a snake, always waiting for his prey.  We suspect Derry will feel the effects of the venom soon.

An ECD Specialist I was informed today she is being laid off.  Director, Kathy Thomas informed the employee that another employee with RDA (possibly with less seniority) would be assuming their job duties.  Also, an OA II was given walking papers for the same termination date.

RDA needs to be investigated immediately for unfair labor practices!  They just hired two new employees; also, two employees retired recently (Jan Dustin & Marielena Shorett) and are coming back on contract!  Can we say, ‘double-dipping?’  This is an outrage!

Devereaux is ‘empire building’ with all of his favorite cronies from the City of Ontario, such as Mary Jane Olhasso and Kathy Thomas, just to name a few.

Housing Development employees expect more lay offs to come.

If you read about government pensions in the news, $230 a month seems like a very little sacrifice.  That would be true if you are a prison guard, a sheriff’s lieutenant, or a former county supervisor.  But here in San Bernardino County, for many average employees, the $230 cut will bring their monthly retirement check to under $1000 a month, hardly the gross amounts we hear about in the news.

I have said many times before on this blog that “Karma is a bitch” or have quoted “Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord.”  The retirees say they are going to vote out current board of supervisors members to get their vengeance.  They may not have to wait until next year for some satisfaction.

There was one person mentioned in today’s articles that may very well get his before the end of the month, and that is Mark Kirk, former chief of staff to Supervisor Gary Ovitt.  Rumor is that it is highly likely he will be indicted by the end of the month.

Or will he (get his, that is)?  Rumor is also that he has cut a deal with CAO Greg Devereaux, who owes Kirk and Ovitt for his county job, that Kirk will be placed on Administrative Leave with full pay if indicted.  That is Administrative Leave at something nearing $250,000 a year.  In other words, Kirk could make in salary and benefits close to  $20,000 per month for sitting at home on his ass for the next two years while the case works its way through the criminal justice system.  It has been said that he has been bragging about this deal.

So, to someone like Kirk, $230 a month really is inconsequential.  He has no idea what it is like to have to make a decision between food and medication, not be able to go to the doctor or dentist, or give up his housekeeper, gardener or private plane.

If you retirees did not know this, Kirk is who Devereaux assigned to make what happened yesterday happen.  He is very good at being a hatchet man.   And he may very well be paid for his talent at your expense.

I say this based on the chatter that is intensifying by the moment.  They may not get him for what he has already done in San Bernardino County, but we are hearing some serious stories about Ontario and even connections with Upland.

I don’t believe the District Attorney will get Gary Ovitt either, but I think there is also a very good possibility before this is all over, the FBI will.  People are coming out of the woodwork with stories of corruption that Ovitt allowed to occur right under his nose, often times involving his personal staff.  I don’t think Ramos has the cojones to charge and arrest him, but I really do see a set of matching stainless steel bracelets in his future.

We are hearing that Governor Brown has a job waiting for Ramos up north.  The story came from good sources but I still find it hard to believe.  However, we’ve been told that is one reason why he is in such a hurry to get these cases going.  A Ovitt and/or Devereaux arrest would only slow things up.  Besides, I don’t really believe he is interested in either of them.  But the word is a lot of documentation is being turned over to the FBI on Ovitt and Devereaux.  As always, we shall see.

As Devereaux continues to expand he power base, thanks to a poorly thought out and illegal ordinance, it will interesting to see who really has control on the Fifth Floor, the CAO or the BOS.  I suspect the BOS doesn’t want to tangle with  SEBA.  That would be a real battle of cops and robbers.

One such “hidden” item was the transfer of human resources and previously vehicle services functions from County Fire and Special Districts to the county.  This has been in the works for about 18 months and was first attempted as Mark Uffer and Ruth Stringer were attempting to give their partner in crime, Andrew Lamberto, an excuse for an Assistant Administrative Officer position.  Lamberto hid the original proposal in a closed session personnel board item totally unrelated to the move.

For decades County Counsel advised the county to keep the County Fire and Special Districts budgets completely separate from the county budget, thus the way those items are acted upon in Board of Supervisors sessions.  However, Lamberto needed additional responsibilities to justify his elevation in recessionary times.

Fortunately, a number of other things got in the way the first time around, particularly the firing of Mark Uffer.  However, Lamberto has been working on his plan with County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux for close to a year now.  It is unlikely the BOS has any clue as to the significance and possible legal problems they have brought upon themselves with their action this past Tuesday.

Tuesday’s budget debacle is another perfect example of why we do not need a full-time board of supervisors.  They simple do not care what they vote on.  We should not be paying them $150,000 a year plus a lucrative benefit plan to not even know what they are doing or what legal jeopardy they are placing the county in.

A charter amendment can be passed by the voters in February of next year to reduce the BOS to part time and reduce their salaries accordingly.  Unlike Riverside, which is not a charter county, San Bernardino County residents have much more say in determining how they are governed.  I think we all realize we don’t need our board of supervisors any more than is required by the California Constitution.  Getting rid of a full-time board of supervisors and their staff will save tens of millions of dollars each year.

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.

This morning we were told by one of those rich and powerful types that never reads iePolitics that Dena Smith was the worse director in the history of the Planning Department.  However, they went on to say that the new planning director is “awesome” and that San Bernardino County finally did something right.

Well, we were right on Dena Smith and knew we were at the time.  Smith’s appointment is typical of the county mentality that anyone with a management degree can manage anything.  We saw similar failures with Jim Lindley, Steve Hall, Kari Verjil, Linda Haugen, and others who were/are totally out of their league.

But even we admitted that Devereaux/Ovitt have finally hired someone with education (even in the area in which she will be working).  That is a novel idea in San Bernardino County so let’s hope she really is awesome.

Chino Hills planning chief now heads County Land Use

Experienced planning and development manager Christine Kelly is the County of San Bernardino’s new Land Use Services Director.  Ms. Kelly most recently served as the Community Development Director for the City of Chino Hills and held similar positions in Pomona, Brea and Cypress during the past 18 years.

She also worked for a consulting firm that provides planning and economic development guidance and assistance to cities.  In Chino Hills, Ms. Kelly played a key role in the creation of the Shoppes Lifestyle Center, the Commons Power Center, the Heritage Professional Center, and the Golden Triangle office, hotel and retail development.

Ms. Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, a Certificate in Urban Studies, and a Masters in Public Administration, all from California State University, Long Beach. She also taught economic development at her alma mater as an Adjunct Professor in the Masters in Public Administration Program for three years.

Ms. Kelly succeeds Dena Smith, who now serves as a Deputy Executive Officer for the County overseeing board projects in the County Administrative Office.  The County of San Bernardino Land Use Services Department includes the divisions of Current Planning, Advanced Planning, Building and Safety, Code Enforcement, and Environmental Health Services.

First of all, I have been told that my blog is unprofessional and that you all prefer the consistency of  PC Blog.   That is the blog that is read by the “rich and powerful.”  It is read by the “important” people and the “people who count.”  Mine is read by low-level county employees and no one of importance.  I only get comments because of the low-level cops that read it.  Just ask its administrator.  That is what he told me.

I’ve been told that none of you really read iePolitics.  Devereaux denies reading it.  Dan Richards denies reading it.  Jeff Burum only notices if he gets something about himself in a Google Alert.  Mark Davidson gave up not long ago.  Mark Kirk gave up reading it over a year ago.  All the defense attorneys in the corruption cases deny reading it.  The entire Fifth Floor, with the exception of the Third District, denies reading it.  Sheriff Hoops tells me he doesn’t read it.  David Wert has told me he doesn’t care what it says.  Dean Arabatzis has told me he doesn’t read it.  I could go on and on.  NO ONE of importance reads iePolitics.

Second, you all say I’m “crazy,” so once again, why do you care what I write?  If it is written by a “crazy” woman, then obviously it has no more significance to any of you than if the stories appeared in the National Enquirer.   No one believes what is written in the National Enquirer so why should they believe what is written on iePolitics?  We have never broken a story, have never exposed corruption, have never gotten under anyone’s skin.

Third, you have told me that the blog is insignificant.  Ditto above.  So again I ask, why do you care what I write?

All of you have the exceptionally well-written PC Blog at your fingertips to tell you exactly what you want to hear.  Why not forget about iePolitics altogether and just read that blog?

Let me and our band of crazies do what we do and enjoy ourselves.  Obviously, a bunch of crazy people can’t possibly impact all the rich and powerful important people in San Bernardino County.  Go back to your wine and caviar at Red Hill Country Club and forget about us.  It will help you sleep better at night.  And we will continue having fun doing what we do impacting none of you but giving us a warm feeling nonetheless.

]]> http://iepolitics.net/2011/02/06/iepolitics-one-last-question-for-sally-jeff-and-the-fifth-floor/feed/ 4 http://iepolitics.net/2011/02/06/iepolitics-san-bernardino-county-needs-to-be-next/ http://iepolitics.net/2011/02/06/iepolitics-san-bernardino-county-needs-to-be-next/#comments Mon, 07 Feb 2011 01:59:35 +0000 Administrator http://iepolitics.com/?p=7611 Continue reading →]]>

It is time for San Bernardino County to do what is being done in Riverside County.  One difference is that we are a charter county, which means our measure would change the county charter and cannot be changed by the Board of Supervisors.  Here are a few of the possibilities.  Let me know which ones you like or provide some other ideas.

1. Repeal Measure P so that BOS salaries return to approximately $100,000 a year.
2. Reduce the BOS to part-time status and adjust their salaries accordingly, probably around $45,000 a year.  This could also be used to justify eliminating all BOS staff except a secretary to serve all five.
3. Reduce BOS benefits to those of general employees.
4. Eliminate BOS benefits.

Any other ideas?  The part-time suggestion seems to be the most justified since the BOS has given their authority to Devereaux and now only meets half time.  The salary and benefit savings alone is over $6 million a year.

And, I suspect we could do something in terms of eliminating discretionary spending to all their favorite charities such as the Boys and Girls Club of Adelanto and the Ontario/Montclair YMCA.  Maybe someone knows how much they are given each year to do all that stuff.  I know the total would represent millions more in savings.

BOS members say they want a strong, centralized government.  They have taken a number of actions to prove it.  I think the voters should make it legal by enacting a charter amendment to do just that.

This is a real, albeit very informal and unscientific survey.  We would  really like to know what you think.

A charter amendment can be placed on the ballot in less than a year and would take effect with the June primary.

A new report on the San Bernardino County employees’ retirement fund is prompting calls for pension reforms to avoid future cuts to county services.

The report from County Executive Officer Greg Devereaux’s office shows a growing hole — called an “unfunded liability” — of about $1.1 billion in the pension fund. The liability is the difference between the $7.4 billion the fund is obligated to pay employees and pensioners and the $6.3 billion it has in various investments.

Supervisor Gary Ovitt, appointed to the San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association board of trustees in June, said other members painted a “rosy picture” of the fund. They focused on how well the pension fund weathered the financial crisis of 2008 but didn’t report the more recent imbalance.

“I want to be fed the facts,” Ovitt said Thursday. “We were being told something much different, and that makes it much more difficult for us to right the system.”

Marcia Fritz is president of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, a group that advocates pension reform. She reviewed the report at the request of The Press-Enterprise.

A red flag is how fast the fund’s unfunded liability is growing, Fritz said. In a year’s time, between June 30, 2009, and June 30, 2010, the difference between obligations and assets grew by more than $447 million.

“The trend is danger, danger, danger,” Fritz said. “In one year, it went from a healthy fund ratio to an unhealthy ratio.”

Supervisor Janice Rutherford described the trend as unsustainable and said she and other supervisors need to hold a pension reform workshop.

“We need to deal with reality no matter how scary it is,” said Rutherford.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

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?

Well, things regarding Steve PonTell are getting more interesting by the moment.  We got a copy of his non-profit tax returns and I should have some telling photos and other information soon.  I have submitted a California Public Records Act request for additional information.

My personal opinion at this point is that La Jolla Institute is simply a pass-thru fake non-profit used to funnel funds from government agencies to its president and possibly others.  It appears Supervisor Gary Ovitt is using his position to give his friend Steve PonTell lucrative no-bid contracts.  From what I know, Mark Kirk, and possibly other Fourth District staff are also involved in the scam.  Greg Devereaux is likely involved as well.

I have written many times that there are real conspiracies in this county that should be investigated by District Attorney Mike Ramos.  Anyone want to be they will never take a look.

Watch for more information over the weeks.

Brad Mitzelfelt

Last night was the first in a series of meetings around the county where our illustrious leaders tried to relate with the unwashed masses.  Nothing like someone making $9 bucks an hour at a part-time job listening to someone making $300,000 a year drone on about how much they have done to improve our lives.

First up was Steve PonTell, a consultant who conducted most of the meeting.  We shall have to find out if this is one of those “no bid” contracts that Chairman Gary Ovitt has awarded to PonTell.  We’re told they are neighbors or go to the same church or something like that.  All I know for sure is that the Fourth District likes to give PonTell contracts without going through the RFP process.

PonTell introduced First District Supervisor and SANBAG Chairman Brad Mitzelfelt.  We hear that Brad totally read his speech and flubbed it up over and over.  Some suggested he might have hit the bottle before he had to face his constituents.  We know he is scared of them.

Also in attendance was David Zook, who took to eavesdropping, Mary O’Toole, Greg Devereaux, David Wert, Jessie Flores.  There was also someone in a “snakeskin jacket.”  Why does that seem appropriate?  Maybe someone knows who that was.

The entire Hesperia City Council attended.  Councilman Rick Roelle attended from Apple Valley.  At his side was girlfriend and Mitzelfelt new fave Victorville Councilwoman Angela Valles.  We are not sure if anyone else attended from the city of Victorville.   Councilmembers Ginger Coleman and  Scott Nassif also attended from Apple Valley.  It was held in the city of Victorville’s council chambers.

Oh, and they had an undercover cop there in case they needed protection.  Someone hasn’t told them it is the citizens who need the protection from them and most of the brass who graced our hallowed desert belong in jail.

We understand lots of county vehicles were there, driven by those who should be receiving a county car allowance.  Pics and plates were taken and we will publish that information at a later date.

I’m told about thirty citizens attended this well-advertised function.  Everyone wants to drop what they are doing on three-days’ notice to see our government officials.  It ranks right up there with seeing Brangelina or Elvis.  Not a single member of the media attended which likely explains why there are no stories in the local papers.

After about a half hour, someone asked if perhaps, since it was an official government meeting, maybe the Pledge of Allegiance should be recited.  Brad was called back up to lead.  I guess he actually knows it as it got through it without it being written down for him.

Questions were taken from the audience.  However, each time county corruption came up, the subject was changed.  Guess it made them uncomfortable.

I’m told someone on the Hesperia City Council told Brad publicly that they were looking at possibly ending the contracts with county fire and the sheriff’s department, or at least cutting them significantly.  See Brad, you should read the blog so you are not caught off guard so easily.

Some citizens dared to sit next to Brad so he immediately got up and stood against the wall with his staff as bodyguards.

From what we gather, our county execs didn’t really like what the citizens had to say.  And I doubt any citizen left thinking they were going to get any better or more honest service than they already get.

So you missed the meeting?  Well there are a number of other opportunities to see the dog and pony show.  The next one will be held January 11, 2011, in Phelan at 6 p.m. at the Pinon Mesa Middle School.

Greg Devereaux

As we talk with citizens around the county, it seems multiple supervisorial districts are using the excuse “we can’t interfere in county policies” so that they do not have to help constituents with issues with various county departments.  It has become “pass the buck” who doesn’t care if citizens get served or not.

Along that line, we are trying to come up with a good name for a website to defeat Brad Mitzelfelt.  We are hoping to have our first meeting on Tuesday night.  If anyone has any great ideas, let me know.

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.

But promises were not kept.  And now we are likely to have Ramos as our District Attorney for four more years.  Of course, that will give him four more years to figure out how to send Jim Erwin, Jeff Burum, Dan Richards, Mark Kirk, and Patrick O’Reilly to prison for very long terms.  We only hope he adds Greg Devereaux, Andrew Lamberto, and Gary Ovitt to the list.  San Quentin would be a good place.

I’m told that County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux witnessed something this past week that caught even him off guard.  As we reported earlier, Public Defender employees were called into a 5 p.m. meeting on December 14 where Devereaux announced the termination of Public Defender Doreen Boxer and the demise of her lieutenants, Lauri Ferguson and Martin Dante.  He also announced the appointment of Phyllis Morris  as interim Public Defender.  Employees stood and jubilantly clapped and cheered at the news.

Obviously, Boxer, Ferguson and Dante, were despotic managers who ran amok.  To effect such emotion out of most of a department’s staff, however, takes more than bad managers.  In a system where there are checks and balances, four years of illegal personnel actions and a hostile work environment simply should have never happened.  But it did.

As despicable as Boxer, Ferguson and Dante are as human beings, the Public Defenders situation highlights the much greater problem that was created under former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer and allowed to continued without scrutiny by current County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.  In private enterprise it could be argued that a company has the right to determine what is best for its bottom line and adjust its policy accordingly, taking into account potential lawsuits and insurance claims.  But in the public sector, the costs of litigation, higher insurance premiums, excessive claims, turnover, and absenteeism affects every member of the community, state and country.

For decades now, many of San Bernardino County’s administrative officers and members of the Board of Supervisors have had little concern for the county’s bottom line.  If lawsuits must be paid, then it is a matter of finding funding sources through taxes, fees, insurances policies, and bonds.  What does it matter as it is not coming out of their pockets?

In the past five years, however, the problems in human resources have increased exponentially.  Human Resources was once charged with mitigating exposure to the county.  Now, instead, its goal is to use whatever means, legal or not, to harass, terrorize, and destroy the enemies of the county’s most powerful officials.

Human Resources, through its director Andrew Lamberto, had an obligation to stop Boxer; instead it facilitated her actions, costing the county untold millions of dollars, much of yet has likely not been realized as former employees file wrongful termination and hostile work environment suits.  Many current employees also have potential suits against the county if they choose to exercise that option.

But the Public Defender’s office is hardly an anomaly.  What we have witnessed there has become the norm in San Bernardino County Government.  Human resource officers are now allowed to routinely lie and create false evidence, an offense that once would have ended their county careers.  In tandem with County Counsel, covering up the truth has become the name of the game in expectation that most employees are so intimidated they will either quit or accept the punishment without complaint.

Although I have been told that the Fifth Floor is now going after the next department head in line, I have little faith that anything more will be accomplished.  Deputy public defenders are not only attorneys, but also among the most highly paid of county staffers.  They were willing to take a chance.  The average office full of clerks both don’t know their rights nor do they have the economic security to stand up to the likes of Lamberto and his band of lying, theiving thugs.

I would really like to believe that Boxer is just the first in a long list of managers to be terminated.  In reality I know how hard of a battle it was to get rid of her because Devereaux and most of the Board of Supervisors prefer to have employees who live in fear.  Lamberto will never do the right thing and Devereaux is happy to have him as his hatchet man—hatchet man for the little people.

I would not expect more change.

Fortunately, Supervisor Neil Derry got wind of it.  We hear he took care of the issue.  We only hope so.  Time will tell.

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.

But more than that.  Kirk is known as being “lazy.”  He is said to have rarely worked an 8-hour day, instead arriving late and leaving early.  He would fly his plane to work when in Chino and alter his schedule to accommodate his flights.  Apparently, driving from Hesperia to the Apple Valley Airport and back is “work time.”  No time card fraud there.

Kirk is known as one of the biggest culprits of “time care fraud” on the Fifth Floor but has always received the protection of Ovitt, and now Devereaux.  It was Kirk who orchestrated Devereaux’s hiring and is now enjoying the benefits.

Yesterday’s sentencing of Rex Gutierrez to 32 months in prison was a warning shot.  Judge Rouse said it was a warning to public officials.  But really it was a warning to the Board of Supervisors and their staffs—not a warning from Rouse but rather a warning from their new power-hungry County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.

Devereaux has had the evidence for months that Human Resources Director Andrew Lamberto lied under oath in the three hearings involving Rex Gutierrez.  This is not only a crime, but a violation of county ethics.  But Lamberto is protected by Devereaux, and for good reason.

Exempt employees must work the number of hours necessary to get the job done.  There is no time clock to punch.  They are paid for 40 hours a week no matter how many or how few hours they actually work unless specified otherwise by contract.

However Devereaux is known as a power-hungry task master.  Devereaux convinced BOS members earlier this year to give up one or more of their employees and transfer them under his control.  Rumor has it that he is going to require each BOS district to give up two more positions in the new budget with the ultimate goal of each district having a supervisor and one employee.

With the “time card” ruling Devereaux has arsenal to hold over the BOS heads.  It would be easy to have any one or more of their subordinates prosecuted for time card fraud.  With three of them up for re-election, that could be a death blow to their hopes of serving another four years.

Devereaux has positioned himself so that he hold all the cards with a BOS that is subservient.  That was his modus operandi at the last two cities he worked.  No one thought he could pull it off with the county.  He has done so in less than a year.  And the BOS have happily gone along with it.  Wonder if Supervisors Mitzelfelt, Derry and Gonzales will regret their decisions on November 6, 2012.  I bet not one of them wins re-election and deservedly so.

First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt

Really?  It takes exactly ten minutes to place a phone call to Andrew Lamberto and tell him to have my benefits issued.  After all, he is the one who lied to Hartford Insurance and told them that the county offered me a job and I declined.  No such thing happened.

Last week, 81 days after Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt personally said he would look into my situation, I met with him face to face.  He actually had the nerve to ask me, “Why should I help you?”  Gee, maybe because I’m a constituent?  An employee?  Your department head lied under color of authority—something any other county employee would be fired for?  Because you made an oath to uphold the laws of the state of California which say that the county must provide disability insurance to its employees?

So yesterday when I get a text message stating he would look into my issue after the first of the year, he wonders why I went ballistic.

Something neither he or Supervisor Neil Derry understand in this situation is that I have a heck of a lot more experience working in these situations, more than both of them put together.  I know first-hand it only takes a phone call.  But both are terrified of Andrew Lamberto and Greg Devereaux.

Devereaux is a vindictive asshole who is trying to prevent either one of them from getting the chairman/vice chairman position.  Devereaux wants Josie Gonzales in that position because it gives him even more power.  And Derry and Mitzelfelt run away like the pantywaists they are afraid of the big, bad CAO.

I will never refer to him as the “CEO” as that was an illegal transfer of power that required the vote of the people.  But again, this BOS is too afraid of him to do anything but kowtow to his whims.

]]> http://iepolitics.net/2010/12/16/iepolitics-but-we-were-working-on-it/feed/ 3 http://iepolitics.net/2010/12/16/iepolitics-no-one-would-believe-gary-ovitt-is-corrupt/ http://iepolitics.net/2010/12/16/iepolitics-no-one-would-believe-gary-ovitt-is-corrupt/#comments Thu, 16 Dec 2010 22:20:31 +0000 Administrator http://iepolitics.com/?p=6759 Continue reading →]]> Well, yes they would.  Just ask anyone about the deal cut whereby Board of Supervisors Chairman Gary Ovitt received $50,000 from the San Bernardino Public Employees Association, the union representing general employees, and in turn SBPEA Board of Director’s president, Scott Ryan, received a promotion.  Guess who was a part of that?  None other than County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.

You see, Devereaux and Blough made sure an illegal vote took place and Ryan was happy to accommodate so that he would get his promotion.  Ovitt was paid off to go along.

Rumor has it that Ryan’s promotion was to manage the Colonies Flood Control project.  Imagine that!

Megan Blaney Mitzelfelt

Every since the revelation that former First District Supervisor Bill Postmus has a drug addiction issue the question has been raised about how his chief of staff and now First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt could not have known.  Of course, the answer is that he did know.  You can’t be around an addict that long and not know.  So why didn’t Mitzelfelt do something about it?

The answer to that is a two-parter.  First of all, he was scared.  As I have learned while dealing with him, Mitzelfelt has no backbone, partially because he has so many of his own skeletons, among them his own substance abuse issue and that of his wife’s, Megan.

Mitzelfelt is a very heavy drinker, so much so, that some of those very close to him are worried he cannot stop and could harm someone while drunk.  I can speak from personal experience with Brad that he is still in the denial stage and has no interest in help or in stopping.  Mitzelfelt is an introvert and alcohol gives him the ability to deal with his very public life.

Brad is also protective of Megan, who is described as a “very heavy” Marijuana user.  We can trace her usage back to her days as a Sun reporter, where Marijuana and swinging is said to involve a number of her former colleagues.

Before Postmus’ situation became public, Brad admitted his future wife’s issues to those around him.  Now that he is a supervisor and coming under scrutiny for his actions in the corruption scandal, he is running scared that both of their addictions will come out.  It has affected both his judgment and his ability to govern.

As I have said before, I do not believe Brad is corrupt in the sense we know.  He is, however, corrupt in his inability to uphold the law because of his fear of being caught.  Devereaux, and Uffer before him, had this information to hold over his head and control him.  Nothing has changed.

Jeff Burum

But we know the wealthy have no shame.  That’s how they get where they get.

Today’s sentencing of Rex Gutierrez is beyond shameful.  Jeff knows that Rex is not guilty of any conspiracy.  The only thing he may be guilty of is being a bad employee.

Burum has had the evidence for months to help Rex.  But he has been so busy trying to stay out of jail himself, that he is willing to sell out his “friend.”

I believe the first evidence of perjury by Human Resources director Andrew Lamberto was found in March.  Devereaux, Burum’s friend, did nothing to Lamberto for lying on the witness stand, an offense that would get any other county employee fired and prosecuted.  Devereaux again stood idly by through two trials, appearing to encourage Lamberto’s lies.  After all, with Gutierrez safely in prison, there is one less person to testify against the misdeeds by Burum, Devereaux, and many others on the Fifth Floor.

Burum was even too spineless to to testify at Rex’s trial, where the conspiracy could have been disproved, and instead took the Fifth Amendment.  Burum has no shame.

Greg Devereaux

This is one of those posts where I made myself wait 24 hours to write.  Just  received an email that Mitzelfelt is going to deal with my situation after the first of the year.  As of today it is 87 days since he first agreed to “help.”  I will let him decide if he wants to share my response with all of you.

The bottom line is I’m tired of being threatened and blackmailed with my job and my livelihood by Devereaux, Mitzelfelt, Derry, Kirk and others.  I sick of being told that they will withhold the money they owe me until I shut down the blog, resign, and/or only write positive articles about them.  I am also tired of being threatened over some other issues in my life.

In recent days I was told that they will not give me the money they owe me because Derry doesn’t like the posts about Paul Cook.  I have also been told that Jeff Burum is not happy with some of my posts that involve him.

I have been lied to and strung along by these guys long enough.  So today I am declaring war as you will see in today’s posts and those from here on out.  I will no longer censor posts for ANYONE!

And, while I’m at it.  Bob Schrieber, you know how much I despise you and that has not changed.  But I’m sick of the blackmail in connection with the corruption scandal and everything I do on the blog.  I know there is no point in going to the Sheriff, as Devereaux will just threaten him.  I know that from experience.  So I’m happy to wait until Kamala Harris takes office, or I can talk to someone from your staff.  But there are three rules:  1.  I will NOT do an Adam Aleman.  I will only discuss those things that I can pass a polygraph on.  2.  I will not play if you play games.  I’m not Mark Kirk and I will not start crying when you guys play “good cop, bad cop,” so plan on dealing straightforward.  3.  I will not talk to you without an attorney present.  If interested, contact my attorney.  As I said, I’m more than willing to wait to next month and deal with the AG.

1. Current investigation of ARMC including cover up by Devereaux and Board of Supervisors, violation of patients’ rights, patient abuse, and billing issues, and federal grand jury probe.
2. Substance abuse by public officials including that in the First, Second and Third districts but need help documenting others outside of SBCo. government.
3. Stipends of BOS members for attending various meetings—this is a lengthy project I’ve been working on for some time.  Basically, the BOS members get in addition to their salary, a LOT of money in stipends for the various other boards they sit on.  Now that the BOS only meets twice a month, I want to look at how much they are receiving but also if they are missing BOS meetings in order to get paid to attend these other meetings.
4. The POST scandal.  Just received information that the Grand Jury is now going to be looking at it.
5. BOS salaries—examining how the Fourth and Fifth Districts are hiding staff with Devereaux.
6. County Land Use—How they are destroying growth in unincorporated areas.
7. County Fire losing city of Hesperia contract.
8. Potential opponents for Mitzelfelt, Derry, and Gonzales.
9. Illegal employment contract for Devereaux—on this one I need help determining legislative intent of the ordinance they are using to justify it.
10. CAO-CEO scam by BOS.
11. Looking for information of what Devereaux’s new unit, Page, Kirk, etc., is doing and what projects they are working on.

And if that isn’t enough, I’m always looking for tips for things that will be of interest to SBCo. corruption watchers.

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?

Well, if you are Mark Kirk, assistant to County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux, you take $100,000 of Colonies money on a $102 million settlement you encouraged your boss to settle, and then you pay yourself $20,000 for your own consulting services out of the very same PAC that received the $100,000.  Must be nice, huh?

Today Phyllis Morris was appointed by the Board of Supervisors as interim Public Defender.  iePolitics sources say she is highly respected in the department.

In reading all of the different articles and comments, here some of you get it and some of you don’t. Being very close to all of the players nothing is cut and dry. Greg D. is not the finally say in anything. A few members on the 5th floor run the show, but there is a process.

That process is never on the time frame that Sharon, Jim, ACU, or the regulars write about here. You guys do a great job spelling out what should happen. Well, it’s already happening well before you even start writing about it. You do a great job getting everyone on the sidelines ready for the kick. However, many of these issues need a little more time before you start second guessing what is being done. None of you speed things up and often slow the process down. I do not fault any of you for this, it’s just the truth.

Sharon’s followers have stepped up and made the difference and we take nothing away from you on that. It sounds like I praise the most of you and then take it away. I am not. I am just sharing with you about the process and how long these things take. Many of you should be proud of the end results and of your actions. The love hate relationship that most of you have with the 5th floor “offices” is questionable.

You give accolades in one article and then beat up Neil, Brad, Greg D., otheres on the very next blog. It’s like my mother telling me she loves what I did with cleaning her garage, and then smacks me in the back of the head for putting her dust pan in the wrong place. Please everyone, lets all get our meds leveled out and stick with one side or the other. I have! Wish I could tell you more. But for now, try having a love feast with some of the ones you have mentioned here. You have mentioned three or four departures that you are very happy with.(you left a few out) Give Greg, Brad, Neil, Janice and others some time and you will see many more positive changes sooner than later. Oh and “God Bless”, trust in that.

I thought it deserved a response that is not hidden under the article.

First, let’s address the “love hate relationship” with the Fifth Floor.  I guess that can best be summed up as saying we are not politicians.  In other words, we have zero interest in being politically correct, in brown nosing, or in doing what we do to make friends.  If, for example, Supervisor Neil Derry does good, we are going to praise him.  If he does something less than ethical, we are going to criticize him.

Now, that’s not to say that we don’t let some slide a little more than others, because we are human and we do appreciate a job well done.  Neil is one of those, although at times I’m sure he doesn’t believe it.  Brad is another and I know he doesn’t believe it.  If  Brad only knew some of the articles I have not printed in order to keep some semblance of a working relationship with the First District since I live there.  But he does not believe that.

On the other hand, three days after Greg became CAO my disability was cut off in the middle of an off-work order.  He gets absolutely no slack from us.  He wanted to be an asshole, he’s going to be treated like one.

In response to the whole concept that things take time, well all I can say is BULLSHIT!  I realize some of you think my only county experience is working for the Transitional Assistance Department.  In reality I have worked for the county since before some of you on the Fifth Floor were born and certainly since most of you were in grade school. I believe I have have worked for a total of 12 departments. I worked for the BOS when Mykels was chairman and Eaves was in the Fifth District.   I saw both in action and I know exactly what can be done.

But I don’t have to rely on my own experience working for the BOS and for a variety of high-level executives.  You may have forgotten my friendship with Bill Postmus, whom I talk with every day and meet with almost every day.

Say what you want about his last few years, you cannot begin to say Bill did not know how to get things done in county government.  He was a very effective supervisor until Meth took over his life, and even in a Meth-addicted state, accomplished more than most of the clowns that have held a Fifth Floor office in the past couple of decades.

If you haven’t met with Bill lately, I suggest you do and you will see just how much of his memory has returned.  If I have any doubts about process, Bill has been an excellent resource.  He has forgotten more than some of you have ever even known in the first place and still knows more about how to get things done than most on the Fifth Floor.

To even suggest that it takes ten months to fire an at-will employee is ludicrous.  Just ask Josie.  She does it on a regular basis for the hell of it.

This whole concept of giving a department head anything but “you’re fired” and an escort out the door is crazy and another example of the piss-poor advice coming from Human Resources and County Council.  You cut the  head off of the rattlesnake, bury it, and don’t look back.

We here at iePolitics are all for some of the changes being made.  But to suggest they must take months or years is simply naive and a perfect example of poor management.

You don’t let a cancer grow until it metathesizes, which is exactly what has been done in this county.  And now this county is on life support.  Four of the five supervisors and the CAO are to blame for that.  Unfortunately, the taxpayers are paying the tab for their ineffectual leadership and inability to make a decision.

And, by the way, I will agree that some of the change starts before we start writing about it, but more often than not, it is because we have been asked to hold off on writing about it.  But even more often than not, the five supervisors and CAO simply ignore the problems until many of us start making them a political hot potato.  Instead of being proactive, they are forced to be reactive.  And they end up looking like the bumbling fools they are.

I don’t think you have a clue who talks to me on the condition of anonymity.  I know there is at least one supervisor who wishes he could find out where the leak is.  He’d be pretty shocked if he knew who is narc’ing him off.

Finally, I thought no one reads this blog, certainly not anyone of importance.  So exactly how could we possibly slow down anything?  Our 50,000 hits a day are just peons who have no influence in county government.

]]> http://iepolitics.net/2010/12/11/iepolitics-a-response/feed/ 12 http://iepolitics.net/2010/12/10/iepolitics-ten-months-of-obstruction/ http://iepolitics.net/2010/12/10/iepolitics-ten-months-of-obstruction/#comments Sat, 11 Dec 2010 02:50:30 +0000 Administrator http://iepolitics.com/?p=6645 Continue reading →]]>

Today’s departure of San Bernardino County Public Defender Doreen Boxer ends ten months of obstruction and interference by County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.  Devereaux was made very aware of the issues with both County Counsel Ruth Stringer and Boxer just after he was hired.  Both individuals were at-will employees who could have easily been terminated for their malfeasance in office.  Both received Devereaux’s protection despite BOS disapproval.

The recent power grab by Devereaux is expected to make it even more difficult for the Board of Supervisors to eliminate department heads who violate county policy and/or state law, harm constituents, or underperform.  Supervisors will have to have a super majority in order to deal with such situations and that is not likely.

A good case in point is Andrew Lamberto, director of Human Resources.  Lamberto has lied three times under oath in criminal proceedings.  However, Lamberto continues to receive the protection of Devereaux because Lamberto is willing to break the law to accomplish Devereaux’s goals.

But Devereaux himself is a master of cover-up as we witnessed in his comments and those by his staff members in the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center FBI probe.   Fortunately, the FBI did not care what Devereaux hid from reporters and has continued to conduct its investigation despite Devereaux’s obvious lies to the media.  It is unclear if he also lied to federal authorities.  We can only hope he did.

There are numerous other mini-Devereaux’s that deserve the ax, but the new ordinance giving Devereaux all the power is about to take effect.  It is not likely with this board composition that we shall see many more departures.  Devereaux has clearly shown he protects corruption and this Board of Supervisors is happy to allow him to do so.

It is encouraging to see how many candidates are lining up to oppose the three supervisors up for election in less than 18 months.  It is quite conceivable that Supervisors Mitzelfelt, Derry and Gonzales could all be defeated in June 2012, although Gonzales is expected to be indicted before that time.

Also, due to the perjury committed by Lamberto, it is equally conceivable we could see criminal charges filed against employees in several supervisorial districts.  Time card fraud, based on the standards Lamberto espoused at the hearings, runs rampant on the Fifth Floor.  We can only hope we do in fact see additional Fifth Floor employees arrested.  Perhaps then we will see some justice in this county.

We can only hope . . ..

The rumors started last night and are rampant today.  It appears the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has finally had their wishes carried out by County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.  Public Defender Doreen Boxer appears to be enjoying her last few days of employment with San Bernardino County.

Boxer has been an embarrassment to San Bernardino County from the beginning when she got drunk enough to accompany District Attorney Mike Ramos to his room at a City/County Conference.  The two returned later disheveled and sweaty with Ramos’ belt outside some of the loops and Boxer’s hair mused.  The entire Board of Supervisors along with mayors and city council members from around the county witnessed their escapades.

Since then Boxer has driven her department into the ground, alienating many of its best attorneys, many of whom have resigned to get away from her despot leadership.  Employees tells iePolitics that Boxer has purposely worked to reduce the level of defense given to the county’s poorest residents.  Her sexual relationship with the District Attorney appears to have altered her attitude towards defending the indigent.

Sources say second in command, Lauri Ferguson, will NOT be put in charge but rather a subordinate will take the top spot as interim with the intent of also terminating Ferguson.

Check back for further details.

In the process I have had to dig out correspondence between me and a former attorney.  Until I read it, I forgot just how insistent the county was that I resign despite that I have never been disciplined in any way for work performance, only for having a blog that has been done on my own time and for union activity that took place mostly on my own time.  (I was a rep so I was allowed some county time to attend to union business.)

I may post the letter from my attorney discussing a settlement if I agree to resign.  I have to wait to find out if it will cause any harm to our newest actions.

It does amaze me how far county officials will go to fight me over this.  Human Resources director Andrew Lamberto has violated numerous state and federal laws, apparently with County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux’s approval.  Lots more on that as the newest action unfolds.  So much for ethics with our new CAO.

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.

Ovitt faces the end of his chairmanship in  January.  He has presided over one of the most ineffectual, dysfunctional, and corrupt Board of Supervisors in decades.  His chairmanship has been a disaster for this county.

Three of the remaining supervisors are vying for the top spot.  Supervisor Josie Gonzales would normally be the successor but everyone knows she is not capable of being chairman.  Between her lack of integrity and her tendency to sweep problems under the rug, she is the last person we need in a county going through serious ethical issues.  And she is expected to be the subject of a federal indictment sometime next year.

Both Neil Derry and Brad Mitzelfelt have expressed interest in the top spot as well.   Supervisor-elect Janice Rutherford is thought to support Derry.

Devereaux is said to be guiding Ovitt towards supporting Gonzales.  If she were elected as chairman, it would give Devereaux a lot more power as Gonzales is not capable of making decisions on her own and has always depended heavily on the County Administrative Officer.

This leave Supervisor Mitzelfelt as the deciding vote and he is Devereaux’s target.  We are hearing a lot of chatter about  Devereaux’s attempts to cause a rift between Derry and Mitzelfelt, both of whom have supported one another on important issues in the past.

It’s appearing that Mitzelfelt may have to settle for the vice chair position to either Gonzales or Derry.  However, we are also hearing rumors that Devereaux may be attempting to convince Gonzales to serve two more years as vice chair with Mitzelfelt getting the top spot by building a coalition of Ovitt, Mitzelfelt and Gonzales.  Such a coalition would be an effective means of stopping ethics reforms in the county proposed by both Derry and Rutherford.  These reforms will eventually strip Devereaux of some of his power base.

We here at iePolitics have definitely had our issues with Supervisor Mitzelfelt, but we have never felt that he is corrupt, especially not like Ovitt and Gonzales.  Gonzales has sided with corruption across the board from Dr. Dev GnanaDev at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to District Attorney Mike Ramos.  Ovitt has been caught up in the corruption scandal, with his former chief of staff being an unnamed co-conspirator.  There are numerous other issues involving Ovitt that the FBI may very well be investigating that could also point to Devereaux.

We hope that Mitzelfelt will do right by not only the voters of the First District, but of the county as a whole, and side with ethics and reform.  Anything short of that would lessen his chances of re-election in two years.