I keep getting updates on the budget situation in San Bernardino County and it’s not pretty.

It seems basic management principles were thrown out the door the past several years in exchange for the “appearance” of looking good.

From what sources in the Government Center are saying to me, problems are continuing to be uncovered almost daily. Mainly on the side of liabilities being hidden and thus not accounted for. It’s as if a little kid was covering there eyes and say “maybe it’ll just go away” or an Administrator saying “Who cares? By the time they find out I’ll be outta here”.

Apparently the name “Governmental Accounting Standards Board” or “GASB” never crossed anyone’s mind.

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10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, April 17, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

San Bernardino County has yet to hold any public discussion over its budget for the next fiscal year but officials are warning about possible layoffs as they deal with a $90 million shortfall.

County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux has been meeting with department heads to review how cuts as large as 20 percent could affect their ability to operate. Negotiations have also been going on with the unions representing most county employees over their willingness to forego contracted salary increases.

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Party’s share of the vote declines
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/17/2010 07:11:21 AM PDT

As San Bernardino County becomes increasingly Latino, the political fortunes of the Republican Party have dimmed.

While the percentage of immigrants in the county has more than doubled over the past three decades, the share of the Republican vote in presidential elections has continued to drop, according to a new study.

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By Ed Mendel

Retirees in CalPERS and CalSTRS will get a 2 percent increase in their monthly checks this year, even though a rare drop in the cost of living means that Social Security recipients get no increase.

So, they are at it again, those public pensions under fire for being unaffordably generous, a threat to state and local government budgets, and a potentially crushing burden for future taxpayers?

Not exactly.

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Carla Marinucci and Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Political Writers

Sunday, April 18, 2010

(04-18) 04:00 PDT Los Angeles – –

Casting the 2010 elections as a battle of wills between Wall Street corporations and Main Street families, California Democratic leaders – including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Barbara Boxer and gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown – urged party activists Saturday to counter conservative Tea Party passion with ideas, advocacy and action on crucial issues like health care reform.

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Los Angeles — Dem guv candidate Jerry Brown lobbed a grenade into the guv’s race at from the party convention here, proposing a rare, cross-party three-way debate with his major Republican opponents, billionaire eBay CEO Meg Whitman and demi-billionaire Steve Poizner.

Now wouldn’t that be exciting and provocative and informative for the populace? Jerry thinks so. So does Poizner. Meg? Uh…no.

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Brown

The candidate for governor issues the challenge at the California Democratic convention as the party looks to counter the national GOP tide.
Jerry Brown

By Michael Rothfeld and Seema Mehta

April 18, 2010

Taking the offensive for the first time in his campaign for governor, Jerry Brown tried to counter Republican momentum by issuing a challenge from the state Democratic convention podium Saturday for his GOP opponents to debate him before the primary election in June.

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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE QUARTERLY

Vacancies are increasing and rents are falling. The trend is tough for landlords but great for tenants who are looking for new space or negotiating to renew their existing leases.

By Roger Vincent

April 18, 2010

Southern California’s long-suffering office market continued to weaken in the first quarter as demand slid and rents fell, a pattern expected to carry on through the months ahead.

The trend is dreary for landlords, who have seen their incomes fall for more than a year, but a boost for office renters who are looking for new space or negotiating to renew their existing leases as they expire.

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By Lisa M. Krieger

lkrieger@mercurynews.com
Posted: 04/18/2010 12:00:00 AM PDT
Updated: 04/18/2010 07:44:16 AM PDT

Fifty years ago this month, California promised a low-cost, high-quality university education for every qualified high school graduate in the state. But that promise — inflated by growing populations and academic aspirations — expanded beyond the state’s willingness to pay for it.

What went wrong? How did the university system that was long the envy of the world suddenly become the focus of angry street protests, overcrowded classrooms, soaring tuition and a monumental debate over whether the state can ever make good again on its groundbreaking mission?

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