Politics, Government and Business in Southern California's Inland Empire
Posted By: Joe Garofoli (Email, Twitter) | April 30 2010 at 11:01 AM
No surprise there. We talked about Poizner’s, ahem, evolution, from liberal Assembly candidate in 2004 to hardline conservative in 2010 earlier in a dead tree edition story.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
April 30, 2010
GOP guv-hopeful Steve Poizner launched a new TV spot today attacking rival Meg Whitman’s connections to Goldman Sachs.
Whitman’s ties to the investment firm, which colleague Jon Ortiz delves into here, have become an issue in the gubernatorial race as the firm comes under more heat for its role in the financial crisis, including a reported criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
April 30, 2010 | 12:18 pm
First there were the Nixon tapes. Now, thanks to Meg Whitman’s campaign, we have the Poizner tapes.
Or will have them, come Monday. In a breathless announcement this morning, Whitman, the ex-EBay chief running for the Republican nomination for governor, challenged Poizner to release debate clips from his failed 2004 Assembly run that show him taking moderate positions (or liberal – it’s a matter of perspective). If he doesn’t, her campaign says it will release the “tapes” here (note the countdown) Monday morning.
This morning a San Bernardino County Superior Court Pre-Trial conference in the case involving Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman Rex Gutierrez was continued until May 25th.
This mornings hearing was to cover the topic of witnesses to testify and the scope of that testimony.
The discussion, when it occurs is sure to prove interesting, especially the witness list for the defense.
The San Bernardino County Public Defender was replaced and outside counsel was appointed for former Assessor Bill Postmus this morning during a hearing in San Bernardino County Superior Court.
Judge Michael Dest barked at Postmus when Postmus attempted to inform the court he didn’t want to be represented by the conflict panel. Dest told Postmus something to the affect of if you don’t like it you can pay for your own attorney.
Written by Administrator
April 29th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
For anyone who has utilized the services of San Bernardino County’s hospital and is not an Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) VIP, it comes as no surprise that ARMC’s billing system is a mess.
Those who handle the billing are spread throughout the medical center and no one talks to one another. As a matter of fact, turf wars exist that sometimes result in billing being months, and yes, even years behind. It is yet one more area of ARMC that its medical director, Dr. Dev Gnanadev, has micromanaged into disarray.
10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, April 29, 2010
San Bernardino County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux announced several management changes Thursday, including the hiring of two administrators who worked under him in Ontario.
Mary Jane Olhasso was appointed Economic Development Agency administrator, a week after Mark Dowling, who had been in the position for two years, resigned suddenly. Olhasso held similar duties in Ontario, where Devereaux was the longtime city manager until he took the county job in February.
11:19 PM PDT on Thursday, April 29, 2010
By IMRAN GHORI and DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
Fontana city officials are accusing San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane of sending out a misleading campaign mailer that attacks Councilwoman Janice Rutherford, one of his opponents in the June 8 election.
The mailer criticizes Rutherford, saying she is a “big spender” who went on a “reckless shopping spree with your $$$!” It features Rutherford’s photo on a likeness of the Energizer Bunny but with “spending” written across the drum.
10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, April 29, 2010
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside County district attorney candidate Paul Zellerbach criticized incumbent Rod Pacheco’s management of his office’s budget and its criminal case filing policies, saying both are excessive and costly to taxpayers.
The accusations from Zellerbach came at a campaign forum that had invited both candidates. As with two previous forums offered by other groups, Pacheco did not reply to the invitation.
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/29/2010 07:23:29 PM PDT
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which requires the state reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, has San Bernardino County officials concerned about its impact on the region’s future economic growth.
Earlier this month, the Board of Supervisors, at the urging of Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, unanimously voted to support the California Jobs Initiative, which calls for the suspension of the law, also known as AB 32, until the state’s unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent for four consecutive quarters.
By PE Politics
on April 29, 2010 2:32 PM
The state Fair Political Practices Commission today has started posting statements of economic interest on the agency’s website.
The statements, known as Form 700s, detail sources of income, real estate, gifts and other income. All elected officials must file the public documents every year and are a tool for the public to gauge potential conflicts of interest, the FPPC said in a statement.
Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/29/2010 02:33:00 PM PDT
San Bernardino City Unified School District officials are considering laying off more than 400 classified employees and teachers by the end of the school year.
The employee cuts, along with reducing the school year by five days and eliminating student programs, have all been proposed by the district to eliminate a $30 million budget shortfall for the 2010-11 school year.
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/29/2010 05:49:57 PM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO – City policymakers may ask voters to consider several taxes this year as City Hall managers struggle to solve a $24 million deficit.
New or increased levies could include a tax on property sales, higher hotel taxes, new warehouse and quarry taxes and a parcel tax to finance library and parks programs.
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/29/2010 04:58:09 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – The city managed to close a $423,000 budget gap this year, but more challenges lie ahead next year.
Officials anticipate an $800,000 shortfall in the General Fund for the 2010-2011 budget year starting July 1.
Liset Márquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/29/2010 09:03:17 PM PDT
Mary Jane Olhasso is leaving her job as Ontario’s economic development director to assume control of the San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency.
While in Ontario, Olhasso worked with city leaders to generate 4,000 new jobs and close to $135million in employee wages, officials said.
Published April 29th, 2010
Jack Flanigan, a veteran GOP political strategist, is among the informal network of advisers Attorney General Jerry Brown consults in his race for governor.
Flanigan said he has no formal role in Brown’s campaign, just offers advice when Brown seeks it.
Published: Friday, Apr. 30, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
April income tax revenue unlikely to ease state budget predicament
California’s bad budget juju is beginning to emerge again for lawmakers looking for ways to close an $18.6 billion hole.
With two days left in April, California needed $3.4 billion in income tax revenue to meet Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s projection for the month. Probably not going to happen, given that the most the state has received on any given day this month is $777 million on April 16, according to state Controller John Chiang’s online revenue tracker. The state through Wednesday had collected $6.8 billion in April, while Schwarzenegger’s January budget projected California would receive $10.2 billion.
They’ve exhausted 99 weeks of unemployment checks. Thousands are banding together to lobby Congress for another extension.
By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times
April 30, 2010
Karl Schafer says he has tried for hundreds of jobs since he was laid off from a truck factory more than two years ago. Still waiting to get hired, the 52-year-old Ohio man has suffered the indignity of applying for food stamps and asking his elderly mother for help.
Weary of her own job search, former customer service representative Wagma Omar, 40, of Mission Viejo is thinking about applying for a dangerous civilian job in Afghanistan.
By Duke Helfand, Times Staff Writer
April 30, 2010
California health insurer Anthem Blue Cross canceled rate hikes of as much as 39% for thousands of California policyholders Thursday after state regulators said the plan was “seriously flawed.”
The move came after a consultant to state regulators found that Anthem overstated future medical costs used to justify increases averaging 25% for many of the company’s 800,000 customers with individual policies. Correcting the flaws could drop the rate hikes to an average of 15%, the outside analyst said in a report.
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