Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/03/2010 07:42:05 PM PDT

The chief of staff for San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane said in a letter Monday that he has been the victim of repeated harassment and retaliation for cooperating with prosecutors in an ongoing corruption probe.

In the letter addressed to his boss, Brown outs himself as a witness in the criminal investigation of the county’s $102 million legal settlement with Rancho Cucamonga-based developer Colonies Partners LP in November 2006. State and local prosecutors allege the settlement was tainted by conspiracy, bribery and extortion.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Mike Cruz
Created: 05/03/2010 12:44:01 PM PDT

Former county Supervisor and Assessor Bill Postmus and co-defendant Gregory Eyler appeared briefly in Superior Court this morning on charges related to an investigation of malfeasance in the Assessor’s Office.

Eyler’s lawyer, Stanley Hodge, was unable to appear for the hearing in San Bernardino Superior Court. The lawyers and Judge Michael Dest agreed to return to court June 21 to determine if all parties are ready for a preliminary hearing on June 23.

Read the rest of this entry »

The State of California Fair Political Practices Commission is schedule to approve the levy of a $6,000 fine against a member of the San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees at its next scheduled meeting on May 13, 2010.

In 2008, candidate John Futch and his campaign Treasurer Fermin Ramirez failed to timely file two pre-election campaign statements in accordance with State law.

Read the rest of this entry »

www.iepolitics.com

Written by Administrator
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:54 pm

So now San Bernardino County Second District Chief of Staff Matt Brown has outed himself as a witness for the prosecution in connection with the current Colonies scandal.   Surprise . . . surprise . . . surprise.

We could have told you that!  Well, actually we already did tell you so . . . a very long time ago.

Read the rest of this entry »

www.iepolitics.com

Written by Administrator
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:37 pm

Last week’s turning over of discovery by San Bernardino County lead prosecutor Louis Cope to the defense counsel of former Assessor Bill Postmus and former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin has proven to be interesting, just as expected.

First and foremost, it is difficult to call the discovery “evidence,” unless one wants to term it “evidence of no wrongdoing.”

Read the rest of this entry »

11:14 PM PDT on Monday, May 3, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County’s annual pension costs are expected to jump $20 million by 2012, putting a further strain on a budget that over the next two years is expected to contain significant cuts.

A new report headed before the Board of Supervisors today found that the county’s pension plan has deteriorated due to recent investment losses.

Read the rest of this entry »

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/03/2010 08:14:05 PM PDT

Fontana wants to build a new freeway interchange. Pomona wants more downtown parking. Redlands wants to attract more businesses.

All of those plans, and plans in hundreds of California cities, hinge in some part on the ruling expected to be handed down today by a Sacramento judge. The ruling will determine wether local redevelopment agencies must pay hundreds of millions to the state to help balance California’s budget.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:14 PM PDT on Monday, May 3, 2010

By JULISSA McKINNON
The Press-Enterprise

PDF: Read a letter from suspended Menifee finance

The Menifee City Council is set to discuss replacing City Attorney Betsy Martyn with an interim lawyer behind closed doors tonight. Martyn did not return phone messages seeking comment Monday.

The discussion was placed on the agenda by Mayor Wallace Edgerton. He said people should not assume what will happen or that the discussion is related the city’s recent audit of expenditures. When asked why the session was being held, the mayor said the council was going to review the city attorney’s contact.

Read the rest of this entry »

Legislators were hoping revenue would continue to exceed projections, forestalling deeper cuts and further tax hikes. But April’s total was 30% below what was expected, leaving them with few options.

By Shane Goldmacher, Los Angeles Times

May 4, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento
State tax collections plummeted unexpectedly in April, wiping out months of steady gains that legislators hoped would ease their budget troubles and restore California’s economy faster than experts predicted.

Such hope is now fading fast.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Ed Mendel

State and local government workers earn less than comparable workers in the private sector, a new study by two economics professors finds, even when pension and other benefits are included.

The study commissioned by two public employee-connected research groups contradicts comparisons in the “popular press” that show government work pays more than the private sector.

Read the rest of this entry »