THE WEEK

Republican candidates show up on the NASCAR tracks in hopes of winning over voters in an area that shifted from reliably right to more moderate, but is now rife with frustration over Obama.

By Cathleen Decker

February 20, 2010 | 8:57 p.m.

There are two inviolate rules for politicians: Never wear silly hats. And never campaign at sporting events. People have gone there, after all, to escape reality, and candidates are often depressing reminders of what they wanted to leave behind.

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Aleman

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/20/2010 02:44:02 PM PST

It’s been more than a year since Adam Aleman has been able to truly relax.

“I always instinctively peek around the corner to see who’s there,” Aleman said Friday. “I’m always aware of my surroundings.”

Since June 2008, the 27-year-old former assistant assessor for San Bernardino County has been up to his neck in criminal charges after allegedly lying to a Grand Jury, falsifying records and destroying a government laptop.

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11:43 PM PST on Saturday, February 20, 2010

By DAVID DANELSKI
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday again will consider a plan to build 11,150 homes in a scenic valley between Perris and San Jacinto, creating a new community of some 30,000 people on what is now mostly farmland.

The supervisors held a public hearing in December but postponed a decision on the proposed Villages of Lakeview. They asked staff to answer questions about a buffer zone between the homes and the neighboring San Jacinto Wildlife Area, where hunting is allowed, and to gather information about the county’s existing stock of homes and approved developments.

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11:48 PM PST on Saturday, February 20, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

A public-private partnership designed to ease the Inland region’s foreclosure crisis has just sold its second house and is rehabbing seven more, the group’s executive director said.

But as the Inland Empire Economic Recovery Corporation moves toward its goal of renovating and selling 100 houses this year, challenges remain.

The nonprofit public-benefit corporation must find two new board members; it could lose Riverside County as a partner this week, and it must deal with any potential fallout from an ongoing corruption investigation that has put its chairman and two of the businessmen that lobbied for its creation under scrutiny.

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By Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Created: 02/20/2010 08:28:45 PM PST

FONTANA – Two officials aiming for higher office and one deciding against seeking re-election could spell the end of a City Council that has branded itself “Team Fontana” for its unity on the dais as much as its accomplishments in the city.

In addition to Councilwoman Acquanetta Warren’s run for the 63rd Assembly District seat, Councilwoman Janice Rutherford is exploring a bid for Supervisor Paul Biane’s 2nd District seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

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Job cuts in district

Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
Created: 02/20/2010 09:07:46 PM PST

CLAREMONT – The school district is expected to send out at least 30 preliminary layoff notices, a district official said.

They would be distributed equally to all instructional areas and would be mailed March 15, said Devon Freitas, assistant superintendent of human resources for the Claremont Unified School District.

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By Kevin Yamamura
kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

In the midst of an economic free fall one year ago, state lawmakers scrambled to pass a $40 billion deficit solution in an emergency session.

Democratic leaders locked down the Capitol for days at a time. A handful of Republicans believed the situation was so desperate that they voted for tax hikes.

The pace is markedly slower this time.

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Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Not only did popular Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein announce that she will not challenge Brown for the party’s nomination, but three independent campaigns – largely backed by organized labor – promised to collectively spend $40 million against Brown’s deep-pocketed Republican opponents.

The first target: Meg Whitman, the billionaire former eBay CEO.

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Meg Whitman

Debra J. Saunders

Sunday, February 21, 2010

This month, former Gov. Pete Wilson sent out a letter calling on good Republicans to “unite” behind former eBay CEO Meg Whitman’s bid for governor. A largely Democratic effort had been formed to raise $40 million to defeat the billionaire candidate, which Wilson argued forced Team Whitman to launch its general election campaign early.

It was an arrogant move – calling the GOP primary before a single voter has cast a ballot in the June 8 election. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is still in the race. No wonder Poizner recently told me, “She wants to be ordained.”

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