January 19th, 2010, 2:00 pm
Posted by Tony Saavedra, Register investigative reporter

In a rare public chest-thumping session, Orange County Employees’ Retirement System board members Tuesday morning said they would not back down in their efforts to keep secret the names of retirees collecting more than $100,000 a year.

“Preventing a hit on senior citizens is more important than getting a hit on a database,” boomed board member Richard A. White Jr., a sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

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Massachusetts – Republican Scott Brown defeats Democrat Martha Coakley to take senate seat previously held by the late Senator Ted Kennedy.

With 69% of precincts reporting Brown has a 53% to 46% lead.

Supervisor Paul Biane

Was there a deal cut to protect San Bernardino County’s beleaguered district attorney Mike Ramos?

Certainly looks like it.

Multiple sources confirm to InlandPolitics that the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors cut a deal, where Ramos’ investigation of alleged political malfeasance in county government would be punted off to be handled as an administrative matters by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) in Sacramento.

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By
PE News
on January 19, 2010 10:45 AM

The median home sales price declined in December in both Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and the pace of sales began to slow for the first time in more than a year, a real estate research form reported today.

MDA DataQuick reported that the median sales price of a home in Riverside County fell to $196,000 last month, down from $200,000 in November. In San Bernardino County, homes sold for a median price of $154,000 after having risen to $160,000 in November.

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New rules require appointments within 10 business days for general doctor visits, and other changes.
By Duke Helfand

January 19, 2010

Seeking to reduce the long waits many people endure to see a doctor, California regulators are implementing new rules that specify how quickly patients in health maintenance organizations must be seen.

The regulations by the California Department of Managed Health Care, in the works for much of the last decade, will require that patients be treated by HMO doctors within 10 business days of requesting an appointment, and by specialists within 15.

Patients seeking urgent care that does not require prior authorization must be seen within 48 hours.

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January 18th, 2010, 7:55 pm
Posted by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporter

In a dramatic, 30-minute speech this evening, O.C. GOP Chairman Scott Baugh sharply criticized the direction of the country and called for a political revolution – one that includes changing the way many Republicans do things.

“We face a badly damaged country run by political parties, unions and corporations that are stealing any hope of a bright future from our children,” Baugh said, painting a picture of decay and destruction.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

There are dozens of proposed measures for the 2010 elections, all of which purport to improve California’s economic, social or civic well-being. Some are fairly major structural changes – and chances are high that quite a few will actually make the ballot.

Whether voters would be receptive to calling a constitutional convention, radically altering state budget processes, allowing same-sex marriage, overhauling legislative and congressional redistricting, changing insurance practices or any of the other proposals depends largely on their mood. And a new statewide poll indicates that Californians are, to put it mildly, depressed.

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By Kevin Yamamura
kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

Brace yourself for another long year of budget talks.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a fiscal emergency and demanded swift action to eliminate nearly half of the state’s $19.9 billion deficit by March.

But the Legislature, divided as ever along partisan lines in an election year, doesn’t inspire much confidence that it will solve the budget anytime soon.

For starters, California should have enough cash to pay its bills until July. That means lawmakers and Schwarzenegger can negotiate all spring without the immediate specter of embarrassing IOUs.

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07:54 AM PST on Tuesday, January 19, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

In another sign of the state’s bleak economy, a majority of Californians for the third straight year say they are worse off financially than in the previous year, a new poll released today finds.

The Field Poll has asked voters about their financial position since 1961, and for the first time majorities of Californians have reported declining economic fortunes over a multiyear period, poll director Mark DiCamillo said.

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10:00 PM PST on Monday, January 18, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

Greg Devereaux takes over as San Bernardino County administrative officer on Feb. 15.

The Board of Supervisors, which signed him to a contract that totals 10 years last week, cited his success as Ontario’s city manager for almost 13 years.

Greg Devereaux, who will take the reins as San Bernardino County’s new county administrative officer on Feb. 15, says renewed economic growth will depend, in part, on providing an educated workforce and providing lifestyle choices for companies that have to attract workers.

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Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/18/2010 05:11:43 PM PST

San Bernardino County spent nearly $64 million in state and federal money last year to provide welfare benefits to the American-born children of illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigrants aren’t entitled to welfare. But their citizen children are.

Nationwide, one in three immigrant-headed households uses at least one major welfare program, compared with 19 percent of citizen households, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that advocates immigration reduction.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/18/2010 07:18:42 PM PST

Established as a national holiday in 1983 and first formally observed in 1986, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one day where many government workers across the nation don’t need to work.

State offices close in honor of the civil-rights icon, and so do many county and city jurisdictions. But some local governments don’t close for the holiday.

Highland and Chino in San Bernardino County, along with Diamond Bar in Los Angeles County, are three cities that remain open the third Monday of January.

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