Friday, July 23, 2010 – 03:47 pm
Updated: Saturday, July 24, 2010 – 09:25 am
Sources tell InlandPolitics that San Bernardino County has taken attorney-client privilege to a new level.
In San Bernardino County only, the amount of taxpayer money spent on outside counsel is privileged.
That’s right! Crack legal scholar and county counsel Ruth Stringer has formulated a new legal premise in her denial of releasing how much money the county has paid the law firm of Irell and Manella to litigate its lawsuit against former Assessor Bill Postmus and five others.
Stringer has now taken the position, that should a dollar amount-only be released publicly, it can tip the defendants as to the county’s legal strategy in the civil case.
Can you say hilarious?
I had to pick myself up off the floor after hearing this one. My side actually hurt from laughing so hard.
The bottom line here. County supervisors employed Irell and Manella to help them oust Assessor Bill Postmus. They did.
However, the county was convinced to pursue legal action against several individuals because it would look good. Now it doesn’t look so good. Now it looks like money down the drain.
Obviously a money-maker for the law firm. It worked to the tune of about $1 million in fees to taxpayers.
Now the county wants to hide the fact they are wildly spending money they will never recover. Ever!
Stringer also says the defendants have been aggressively defending the county lawsuit. Thus the high legal fees to the county. Wrong!
Defendants have only filed routine challenges to the lawsuit, and nothing more. Not one deposition has been taken by anyone.
With crack legal advice like Stringer’s, who needs an enemy.
The county is allegedly enacting a sunshine ordinance, meant to ensure transparency in open government.
With this kind of blatant defiance, any ordinance enacted will be a sham.
Updated 07/24/2010 – 09:25 am
It appears county supervisors believe they are stuck.
Sources are telling InlandPolitics.com that county supervisors are boxed in and feel they must pour more taxpayer money down the drain or look like they are weak fighting corruption. Regardless of the millions in total that will be spent.
The boards hands were apparently tied, when during his reelection campaign, District Attorney Mike Ramos issued a so-called “white paper” on proposed reforms to county government.
Reforms he himself could never follow.
Sources say one key reform listed in this mundane document, meant as a campaign stunt, was brought about by complaints from Stringer.
Apparently, Stringer complained to the District Attorney that county supervisors were going to move to settle or drop the Assessor office litigation and she didn’t agree. This complaining caused Ramos to take the position in his “white paper” that once county supervisors initiated any legal action they should have no authority to intervene or act against attorney advice or recommendation.
What a concept. Attorneys with a blank checkbook and no one to say stop.
In the legal world the term used to describe this situation is “heaven”.
Aren’t county supervisors elected by the people to make just such decisions?
Ramos has the county supervisors afraid to touch Stringer. Otherwise she would have been gone long ago.
If the BOS really want Sunshine they are going to have to fire Ruth, and Mikey knows it. Same story with a second grand jury, neither the DA’s office nor the presiding judge see any need for a second grand jury, because they both know it would be a conflict-of-interest for any GJ that they oversee to investigate the boss.
There is no leadership in this county. Hasn’t been for some time now.