by Mike Spence – Los Angeles County

1-19-2010 8:58 am

The surprise decision by Assemblyman Adams not to seek re-election to the 59th Assembly District has set off a scramble for the sprawling Los Angeles and San Bernardino County seat.

The 59th District contains all or parts of the Eastern Los Angeles County communities of. Los Angeles County communities of Claremont, La Verne, Glendora, San Dimas, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Bradbury, Arcadia and La Crescenta then suddenly goes north through the Angeles Forest and East into San Bernardino to take in the San Bernardino County communities of Apple Valley, Hesperia, Lake Arrowhead, Crestline, San Bernardino, Highland and Mentone. It is a district that makes the case for redistricting reform.

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Posted by Administrator at 29 January 2010

Former San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office Intergovernmental Affairs Officer Rex Gutierrez appeared in court today for a preliminary hearing on charges of embezzlement and grand theft relating to time card fraud. His case was bound over for trial starting in about 60 days.

Among the witnesses was San Bernardino County Human Resources Director Andrew Lamberto, who testified that Gutierrez’s work hours were determined by his immediate supervisor, former Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman.   Aleman has already plead guilty to four felonies in connection with the scandal, including presenting a false claim, in exchange for his testimony against the remaining defendants.

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Published: Jan. 28, 2010
Updated: Jan. 29, 2010 9:47 a.m.

By RONALD CAMPBELL
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Chriss Street’s personal fortune and political career are on the line in a civil trial next week.

The Orange County treasurer-tax collector is fighting allegations that he looted a bankrupt trucking company while serving as its trustee. His replacement as trustee, Los Angeles money manager Dan Harrow, has sued him for $7 million.

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‘Underemployment’ near or above 20 pct in 9 states as part-timers, discouraged workers grow

By Christopher S. Rugaber,
AP Economics Writer,

On Friday January 29, 2010, 5:57 pm EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union Wednesday that “one in 10 Americans still cannot find work.” But in nine states the figure is much worse — closer to one in five, according to Labor Department data released Friday.

The figures are a stark illustration of how tough it is to find a full-time job, even as the economy has grown for two straight quarters. The official unemployment rate of 10 percent doesn’t include people who are working part-time but would prefer full-time work, or the unemployed who have given up looking for work.

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The law firm of Curiale Hirschfeld Kraemer tracked information suggesting that district attorney Mike Ramos had sexual relations with at least four employees who currently or formerly worked in his office, according to information gathered for a report tendered by that law firm on January 12 and released by the county January 27.

The report itself together with information cross-referenced by the Sentinel and augmented by the law firm’s investigative work product that included interviews with district attorney’s employees which were not included in the report either confirmed or otherwise indicated that Ramos’ liaisons with women linked to him in previous public reports could in some fashion be substantiated.

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A group of 12 Grand Terrace residents has filed with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office a complaint alleging that city councilwoman Bea Cortes engaged in multiple flagrant violations of Government Code Section 1090, the state of California’s conflict of interest law.

The complaint, which was provided to the public integrity unit formed by district attorney Mike Ramos in 2003 to deal with violations of the public trust perpetrated by elected and appointed city and government officials, contains allegations that Cortes voted repeatedly over the last four years to approve city payments to her employer, Terra Loma Real Estate and compounded the matter by attempting to hide the matter from public scrutiny by failing to report her relationship with Terra Loma on the economic interest disclosure documents she is required to file as a public official.

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06:37 AM PST on Friday, January 29, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Fewer Californians think the nation is on the right track compared to three months ago, with only a small percentage of voters happy with the direction of the state, according to a new Field Poll.

Today’s survey shows that 41 percent of voters think the country is on the right track, down from 48 percent in October. Forty-nine percent of voters think the country is on the wrong track, up from 41 percent.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/28/2010 05:10:06 PM PST

FONTANA – Mayor Mark Nuaimi delivered a state-of-the-city address Thursday before more than 100 officials, politicos and public employees gathered at the Jesse Turner Community Center in Fontana Park.

“Locally, at the state level, federally, globally, 2009 was an unprecedented opportunity for pain for a lot of people in and around our community,” Nuaimi said.

The mayor’s words followed a video featuring City Council members highlighting the community’s progress during the last decade in what was a concentrated effort by officials to blunt bad economic news with past achievements.

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Stacia Glenn and Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writers
Posted: 01/28/2010 07:18:35 PM PST

Law enforcement officials throughout the region and across the state are bracing for a possible spike in crime as thousands of state and county prisoners are returned to the streets under a new law aimed at cutting government expenses.

More than 130 non-violent San Bernardino County jail inmates have been turned loose early since Monday and more than 1,000 others could soon join them on the outside.

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January 28, 2010 5:44 PM
FROM STAFF REPORTS

WASHINGTON, D.C. • In response to the President’s State of the Union address, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon cited three Republican alternatives on key Obama administration priorities.

“Republicans continue to stand ready to work with the President to address the nation’s most pressing issues such as the economy, job creation, small business investment, federal spending, energy, and national security,” McKeon said in a news release.

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Staff and Wire Reports
Created: 01/28/2010 04:27:31 PM PST

Backers of a California initiative to legalize marijuana said they would submit far more signatures Thursday than needed to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

Volunteers intended to submit about 700,000 signatures collected across all 58 California counties, campaign spokesman Dan Newman said. The initiative needs about 434,000 signatures from registered voters to make the ballot.

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DEMS PITCH ‘REVENUE NEUTRAL’ PLAN, BUT CRITICS SEE AN END RUN

By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Friday, Jan. 29, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

Tempers are short, coffers low and a partisan skirmish Thursday on the Assembly floor made the target clear: Take money from some to help others while avoiding the dreaded two-thirds vote requirement.

Assembly Democrats decided to find money to cut textbook costs for college students by closing a corporate tax loophole on multinational corporations.

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PENSIONS

The California State Teachers’ Retirement System says that as of June 30, 2009, it could meet only an estimated 77% of its future pension obligations — far less than the 100% recommended by actuaries

By Marc Lifsher

January 29, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento – Another pension alarm bell is ringing in Sacramento, this time at the teachers retirement system, where the nation’s second-largest public pension fund is reporting a $43-billion shortfall.

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Economy grows for 2nd straight quarter at better-than-expected 5.7 pct rate, best since 2003

By Christopher S. Rugaber,
AP Economics Writer
On Friday January 29, 2010, 9:54 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy grew faster than expected at the end of last year, though the engine of that growth — companies replenishing stockpiles — is likely to weaken as consumers keep a lid on spending.

The 5.7 percent annual growth rate in the fourth quarter was the fastest pace since 2003. The Commerce Department report Friday is the strongest evidence to date that the worst recession since the 1930s ended last year, though an academic panel that dates recessions has yet to declare an end to it.

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By Ed Mendel

A decade ago, when the stock market was booming, the funding levels of CalPERS and CalSTRS were both over 100 percent, a projection that assets would be more than enough to meet pension costs in the decades ahead.

Now the funding levels of the nation’s two largest public pension funds have dropped below what some regard as the acceptable minimum, 80 percent, and for different reasons are not likely to bounce back anytime soon.

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Capitol Alert

The latest on California politics and government

January 28, 2010

Jerry Brown promised to “mix it up” this morning on his weekly call into San Francisco radio station KGO. And mix it up he did. Listen here.

The attorney general and undeclared Democratic gubernatorial candidate was asked about San Francisco Mayor and former gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom’s recent remark that Brown didn’t appear to have “fire in his belly” for the race.

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