Tag Archives: sandy harmsen

iePolitics: Reining in Sandy Harmsen

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Supervisor Josie Gonzales and Sandy Harmsen

 

First off, what’s up with that hair?   Linda Haugen should not be a role model in the hair department.

But I shall retract my claws for a moment to express my delight with Senator Mark DeSaulnier who has introduced SB 776, a bill to force out-of-control Workforce Investment Boards such as our to actually use some of the millions of dollars they receive for training for . . . guess what?  Training!  Wow, what a concept.

Now some would question my concerns about federal monies being used to create fake jobs, go to golf tournaments, or for afternoons at the movies for employees to wind down.  Call me weird, but I actually believe that training money should be used for . . . not to be redundant . . . but training.  Yes, I know I’m a stick in the mud.

Seriously folks, for you that do not work for the county, I doubt you have any concept whatsoever just how fraudulent the Workforce Development Department has become under Sandy Harmsen.  Sandy, and fellow cougar, Linda Haugen are masters of falsified records for the purpose of obtaining federal funds.  I doubt either would know how to prepare a truthful document if their lives depended on it.

I called Senator DeSaulnier’s office tonight to let him know there is at least one person out there who supports his bill.  Anyone who is familiar with the fraud in this department, which I’m betting is get worse by the moment under CAO Greg Devereaux should do the same.

By the way, here is a link to the article where Sandy is crying the blues:  WIB

iePolitics: The Brown pile

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Perhaps this should be called “All in the Family – Part Three,” but as more and more comes out about Matt and Jessica Brown and Jessica’s mother Sandy Harmsen, somehow this title seemed more appropriate.  Matt, of course, is the former chief of staff for Second District Supervisor Paul Biane.  Jessica is an analyst in the County Administrative Office.   Harmsen is the director of the Workforce Development Department.

Sandy’s brother-in-laws, Adam, also works for the county as a social worker.  I’m not sure if any other family members are in county employ or not.

Recent weeks have seen all three of the family members in the spotlight.  First up was Sandy Harmsen, who as director of a department that is responsible fori spending large sums of federal stimulus money, was discovered to be falsifying records once again.  That is only a small part of what she is doing, but so far County Administrative Officer, Greg Devereaux, who Harmsen answers to, is covering for her.

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InlandPolitics Commentary: Will Walker payoff Brown political debt?

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Larry Walker

www.inlandpolitics.com

Sunday, October 24, 2010 – 01:00 p.m.

What a tangled web.

Last week we published a story here at InlandPolitics.com on San Bernardino County Auditor-Controller-Recorder-Tax Collector Larry Walker’s hiring and subsequent promotion of Matt Brown to be his second-in-command.

A position for which Brown possesses no apparent qualification to hold.

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Senor Blogger: WDD – The sickness for which there seems to be no cure

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It’s always amazing to me how the powers that be, that is the upper management in an organization will do its best to cover up the misdeeds of its employees in order for the department to escape recognition as incompetent or even corrupt.
Most times covering up ones misdeeds takes so much more energy than simply dealing with the issue, and coming clean to those whom you are attempting to deceive, in this case the public.
One fine example of incompetence and moral corruption is the County’s very own Workforce Development Department.

Senor Blogger: WDD: the County’s Ongoing Disease Part Two

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Editor’s Note:  After publication of the last article on WDD, this was sent to me from an extremely reputable soucre who is very, very close to the situation. It seems WDD administration, and possibly the CAO, is more interested in labeling the messenger as “that crazy women” than in investigating to find out the accusations are true.  Here is what was submitted to iePolitics verbatim.
In our last story we highlighted some obvious misdeeds which somehow seem to go unpunished, mind you I didn’t say unnoticed.  Some obvious misdeeds in the department of Workforce Development have been filed as far away as possible to cover up the fact that the department is in total disarray. The dysfunction that abounds may be more attributed to upper management surrounding themselves with family and friends, all employed on the taxpayer dime.
No longer do you have to be competent to qualify for a position in county government because nepotism has become the standard policy for hiring. As thousands of people throughout our County are unemployed, one should ask oneself who do I know, and point me to a cushy government job!

iePolitics: Employees run amuck at Workforce Development

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Well we see that nothing has changed under County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux or his new Economic Development Agency chief.  We have written extensively over the years about the problems with lax accounting and falsified statistics with job developers and job placement specialists.

Not long ago the positions were all reclassified, with some employees being given large raises.  That has done little to promote productivity or integrity.  Very high-placed sources tell us that, if anything, things have gotten worse.

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iePolitics: The Dowling Firing

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The termination of Mark Dowling did not come as much of a surprise.  Probably the biggest surprise will be those department heads who are able to BS County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux into NOT firing them.  We don’t have many who are non-Uffer appointees.  And with a few exceptions, Uffer appointees were hired for something other than their ability to manage a department.

Last November iePolitics reported on what appeared to be a major screwup by Mark Dowling and his staff in a meeting where Google was considering a large campus in the Victor Valley that would have brought hundreds of jobs to the area.  We were accused of making the story up, having inaccurate sources, etc.  We, of course, knew the story was true.  Now everyone knows that all was not well in the Economic Development Agency. Continue reading →

iePolitics: Devereaux showing who’s boss or exhibiting strong leadership capabilities?

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“Cautiously optimistic” and “nervous” are two of the phrases I have heard repeatedly about San Bernardino County’s new head honcho, County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux.  Even before assuming office, Devereaux has ended a decades-long policy of 9-80s for county management, a move that makes line staff very nervous as many depend on “flex time” to survive in these hard economic times.  But it is also a sign that Devereaux is not going to be afraid to lead.

After six years of despot leadership by former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer and his band of thugs, it is easy to understand why line staff are wary of our new leader.  I’ve been asked my opinion repeatedly by everyone from the lowest level employee to managers to newspaper reporters.  Here is my standard response:

Seeing Devereaux’s close, personal relationship with the Fourth District makes me nervous on a personal level, especially when considering what the Fourth District recently did to me.  That being said, I have two friends who are long-term city of Ontario employees who have nothing but respect for Devereaux.  They are rank-and-file and are allowed to work 9-80s.  Ontario employees, most of whom are represented by San Bernardino County Public Employees Association, have the best contracts of any governmental agency in San Bernardino County.

From what I hear from those that know Devereaux, he is tough but also fair.  I also hear he will not take the crap from county managers that Uffer not only tolerated, but encouraged.   He will not play the games Uffer played and will not tolerate bad managers.  Unlike Uffer, he is consistently described as a ‘professional.’ Continue reading →