Politics, Government and Business in Southern California's Inland Empire
InlandPolitics has received credible information related to financial and operational mismanagement of San Bernardino County owned and operated Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC).
The cost is reportedly in the millions of dollars to county taxpayers.
Among many issues quality of care seems to have significantly deteriorated in some departments.
Look for news later this evening. Members of the Board of Supervisors may wish to tune in and get up to speed.
Developing………
A claim filed by the former mistress of District Attorney Mike Ramos is once again on the closed session agenda of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors this morning.
Rumors have been circulating that an official request for the production of what is commonly referred to as “back-up material” or “work product” related to the investigation into Ramos’ relationship and treatment of District Attorney employee Cheryl Ristow has been rejected by the law firm hired to do the work.
It is our understanding case law holds that the material is public record.
Hansberger
One year later and no word has come out of the San Bernardino County District Attorney as to whether or not he will charge political ally and former Third District Supervisor Dennis Hansberger.
Hansberger’s successor, Supervisor Neil Derry lodged a complaint directly with Ramos on March 2, 2009 alleging Hansberger directed his staff to destroy all of the Districts correspondence and project files. A violation of county policy and a felony under California law.
Hansberger openly admitted to local newspapers that he directed the action occur.
Meg Whitman
James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/01/2010 06:05:15 PM PST
Meg Whitman, the former eBay executive who is hoping to be California’s next governor, campaigned in San Bernardino on Monday, touring a manufacturing plant and meeting local Republicans at a town hall meeting.
Whitman, who has said she wants to create 2 million private-sector jobs in California by 2015, visited the Kendall Drive manufacturing plant of Cannon Safe, Inc., where company president Aaron Baker said regulations and high taxes make it less profitable to do so.
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/01/2010 02:58:28 PM PST
District Attorney Michael A. Ramos called for tighter regulation of political action committees as a way to combat corruption, but some county supervisors questioned whether they have the authority.
Supervisor Neil Derry said local governments cannot impose tighter restrictions on state-regulated PACs. He said a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that found it unconstitutional to place limits on how much corporations and unions can directly give to city elections has prompted the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles to lift contribution limits in their cities.
City may recover a few million for $25 million in power plant equipment.
March 01, 2010 5:05 PM
Brooke Edwards
VICTORVILLE • The city is still struggling to sell off $25 million worth of equipment purchased for its failed energy ventures, with hopes to replenish the dwindling general fund that has subsidized the projects for years.
However, though many of the massive tanks and generators bought over the last six years or so were never even used, estimates from one broker show the city will likely only recover a few million dollars of its investment on the open market.
By Kevin Yamamura
kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Mar. 2, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 4A
Half of California voters believe the state should close its $19.9 billion deficit mostly or entirely through spending cuts rather than tax increases, according to a Field Poll released Tuesday.
That compares with 29 percent who said the state should use an equal mix of spending cuts and tax increases, or 13 percent who prefer balancing the budget solely or mostly with tax hikes.
Brown
California’s attorney general, who was twice elected governor in the 1970s, is expected to officially launch his candidacy online.
Jerry Brown
By Michael Rothfeld
March 2, 2010
Reporting from Sacramento – California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown is expected to formally announce Tuesday morning that he is running for governor, a job he last held nearly three decades ago.
By Joel Fox
Editor of Fox & Hounds and President of the Small Business Action Committee
Mon, March 1st, 2010
One of the more bizarre conspiracy theories I heard recently was that Attorney General Jerry Brown persuaded San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to drop out of the governor’s race by offering to support him later for the Lieutenant Governor’s office. In turn, Brown would declare he would serve only one-term paving the road for Newsom to move up.
March 2, 2020
By Ed Mendel
A new study says the economic downturn has prompted 17 states to make cost-cutting public pension reforms during the last two years — lower benefits for new hires, extended retirement ages and bigger payments from workers.
California is not among them.
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
(03-02) 04:00 PST Sacramento –
Reforming the state’s overburdened pension system is popular refrain in Sacramento, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to get done.
Case in point: Supporters of a ballot measure to slash retirement benefits for future state employees say the initiative has died, eight months before the election, from a lack of support.
By Connie Llanos Staff Writer
Posted: 03/01/2010 07:33:43 PM PST
Los Angeles Unified officials are expected to approve a mass mailing of nearly 4,700 layoff notices for teachers, administrators, counselors and nurses Tuesday as they work to close a crippling $640 million budget deficit.
Recommended by the district’s finance staff in a report to be reviewed today by the school board, the move would virtually eliminate school nurses and librarians, increase all class sizes – including a high of up to 44 students in middle school – and boost counselor loads to 1,000 students each.
Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/01/2010 06:29:28 PM PST
A lawyer for a San Manuel tribal member has filed a civil lawsuit in federal court against a former San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy who allegedly tried to extort him two years ago for cash and vehicles.
The lawsuit for Ray Carr Green III, which was filed Feb. 19 in U.S. District Court, in Riverside, alleges that former deputy John Thomas Laurent knew that the plaintiff received a substantial income from tribal casino operations in San Bernardino and had a history of drug use.
10:00 PM PST on Monday, March 1, 2010
By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
SAN BERNARDINO – California gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman said Monday that the state could achieve $15 billion in savings without eliminating a single program.
Whitman said the savings would come largely from streamlining government, shrinking the size of the state work force and reducing waste, fraud and abuse.
10:00 PM PST on Monday, March 1, 2010
By BRIAN ROKOS
The Press-Enterprise
Ten counselors and seven elementary school music teachers could be among the 135 certificated employees laid off in the Hemet Unified School District if the teachers union does not accept a pay cut.
The district, trying to eliminate $19.7 million in spending before the 2010-11 school year, has already cut about $11 million. It has proposed making up the gap with a 6.5 percent pay cut for non-management workers.
10:55 PM PST on Monday, March 1, 2010
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Barton C. Gaut, who served his entire legal career in Riverside, from a fresh-out-of-law school litigator in 1962 to an associate justice at the Fourth District Court of Appeal branch in Riverside, begins easing into retirement this week.
Travel with Merla, his wife of 54 years, to see grandchildren and taking a few cases by assignment at the appellate court are the immediate plans, said Gaut, 74.
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/01/2010 05:29:49 PM PST
SAN BERNARDINO – The Board of Supervisors is poised to increase funding to a law firm to represent the county in its civil case against former Assessor Bill Postmus.
The board today will consider lifting the spending cap for the county’s contract with attorney John C. Hueston’s firm, Irell & Manella, LLP.
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