Friday, October 30, 2009

The California Fair Political Practices Commission has opened an investigation into San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos relating to his failure to properly report income provided to his wife, the Sentinel has learned.

The matter under investigation, according to sources who were instrumental in bringing the relevant information to the attention of the Sacramento-based political watchdog, pertains to $10,000 provided to Gretchen Ramos from the Friends of Mike Ramos campaign committee last year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Point of View

Supervisor Neil Derry
Posted: 10/29/2009 05:56:52 PM PDT

On Oct. 25, we recognized the sixth anniversary of the Old Fire that ripped through the city of San Bernardino destroying more than 400 homes in a single day, forever changing the landscape of the Del Rosa neighborhood that I represented as the 4th Ward City Council member.

Our neighborhoods in the foothills have always been areas most threatened by natural disaster. One need only be reminded of the Panorama Fire 20 years prior and Little Mountain that burns annually to see this truth, not to mention the flooding that always seems to follow.

Read the rest of this entry »

San Bernardino councilwoman alleges bribery attempt
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/29/2009 06:22:12 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – City Councilwoman Esther Estrada publicly accused the developers of a senior housing complex with offering her and three other council members “whatever you want” in exchange for votes.

“We were offered a bribe,” Estrada said at the close of a candidate forum this week before Home of Neighborly Service.

Jasmine Borrego, president of Telacu Residential Management, which is developing the housing project, said there are no facts to support allegations of bribery.

“This is a project that no one can say is a bad one,” Borrego said.

Read the rest of this entry »

October surprise? Leaked memo adds controversy to San Bernardino mayoral race
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/29/2009 07:56:12 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – A memo written by the police chief to the city manager reports City Attorney James F. Penman lied about a document at the center of a City Hall theft investigation and the city’s latest political blow-up.

Penman replied that the chief’s message is the place to find falsehood. He said the new memo is an 11th hour campaign trick orchestrated by Mayor Pat Morris.

“It reads like a campaign flyer. The timing is obviously intended to coincide with the fact that the election is less than a week away,” Penman said.

Read the rest of this entry »

AN ACCIDENTAL DISCLOSURE
Document was found on file-sharing network

By Ellen Nakashima and Paul Kane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 30, 2009

House ethics investigators have been scrutinizing the activities of more than 30 lawmakers and several aides in inquiries about issues including defense lobbying and corporate influence peddling, according to a confidential House ethics committee report prepared in July.

The report appears to have been inadvertently placed on a publicly accessible computer network, and it was provided to The Washington Post by a source not connected to the congressional investigations. The committee said Thursday night that the document was released by a low-level staffer.

The ethics committee is one of the most secretive panels in Congress, and its members and staff members sign oaths not to disclose any activities related to its past or present investigations. Watchdog groups have accused the committee of not actively pursuing inquiries; the newly disclosed document indicates the panel is conducting far more investigations than it had revealed.

Read the rest of this entry »

A complaint has been file with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) against San Benardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos for failing to properly disclose funds paid to his wife.

The complaint alleges that Ramos failed to report income received by his wife Gretchen. Official campaign disclosure statements on file with the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters in 2008 indicate Ramos paid his wife $10,000.00 for “Campaign Services” from his campaign committee.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jack Chang
jchang@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

While Democrats have more than seven months left to choose their candidate for governor, one of the party’s key constituencies has already made its preference clear, at least in the all-important money race.

Unions all across the state and country have poured more than a million dollars into Attorney General Jerry Brown’s campaign coffers – even though he has yet to officially announce his candidacy.

Read the rest of this entry »

Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Created: 10/28/2009 03:40:03 PM PDT

RIALTO – Officials here hope an injection of taxpayer dollars can help prevent the city’s biggest redevelopment bet from going bust.

The City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency, has approved a $10.9 million interim agreement with developers while they renegotiate the price of land critical to Renaissance Rialto, a proposed mixed-use project along the 210 Freeway.

It’s a move that could eliminate funding for new projects in the foreseeable future, said Robb Steel, economic development director for the city.

“We’re buying a little bit of breathing room,” Steel said. “It’s not a situation we want to be in, obviously.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: 10/28/2009 08:30:54 PM PDT

In these days of billion-dollar bailouts and stimulus bills, we’re often reminded that federal deficit spending has added up to a national debt of more than $11.5 trillion – or $11,500,000,000,000.

But a truer picture of the government’s finances reveals a total liability and unfunded obligation of $56.4 trillion – or $56,400,000,000,000. That’s our country’s future obligation for Medicare and Social Security benefits and other commitments that, at this rate, we can’t afford to keep.

Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/28/2009 03:55:12 PM PDT

The county, at the request of Supervisor Neil Derry, will conduct a survey of other counties to see how they handle accrual of vacation time for their employees.

Derry, who is pushing for caps on vacation accrual time for high-level county employees, made the request to County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

Read the rest of this entry »

Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/28/2009 06:55:13 PM PDT

COLTON – Unions representing city employees are expected to deliver their decisions today on a voluntary 15 percent salary cut that the city’s administration has requested from every employee.

An across-the-board pay cut is one strategy that’s needed to close a projected $5 million revenue shortfall that’s expected June 30, the close of the 2009-10 fiscal, officials say.

Tom Ramsey, Colton’s general unit representative for the San Bernardino Public Employees Association, describes the reaction from members as “total dismay to the point of futility.”

“They’re not just public employees, they’re flesh and blood people,” Ramsey said. “These folks have to provide for their families, their kids.”

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 – 12:00 am | Page 8B

CalPERS is reviewing its relationship with Apollo Management, a big private-equity firm that hired controversial placement agent Alfred Villalobos to obtain investment business from the pension fund.

CalPERS spokeswoman Pat Macht said the review began in May and isn’t tied to a separate review, begun two weeks ago, of Villalobos’ activities. Rather, the review is focusing on Apollo fund performances and other issues, she said. The Apollo investments had been doing poorly as of last spring but have rallied lately, according to CalPERS data.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Torey Van Oot
tvanoot@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 – 12:00 am | Page 4A

The state’s political watchdog agency Wednesday rejected a request that it investigate the actions of two female lobbyists who allegedly engaged in affairs with ex-Assemblyman Mike Duvall.

Duvall, a married Republican, resigned last month after a tape surfaced of him boasting about sexual trysts with two women, both reportedly lobbyists.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bill Postmus
October 7, 2009

There have been so many questions of late as to the appropriateness of the Colonies decision that the County of San Bernardino settled out of court in 2006.

I have been reluctant to address or re-state the facts of the case over the past several months as I have focused on other matters.

But, with so much misinformation being disseminated in the press and with all the rumor-mongering, I cannot remain silent any longer.

It is time to set the record straight.

Read the rest of this entry »