By Joe Nelson Staff Writer
Posted: 09/02/2010 06:07:09 PM PDT

Eleven San Bernardino County employees and elected officials are scheduled to give depositions this month in relation to a lawsuit filed by former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer.

The scheduled depositions are subject to change. County spokesman David Wert is one of them. He said his scheduled deposition Sept. 28 falls on the day of a Board of Supervisors meeting, and he’ll have to reschedule.

The Board of Supervisors, on a 3-2 vote, fired Uffer, 57, from his position as the county’s top administrator in November, a position Uffer held for six years.

Uffer sued the county in May, alleging in a lawsuit that he was fired for cooperating with state and local prosecutors in a corruption probe regarding the county’s $102 million legal settlement with Rancho Cucamonga developer Colonies Partners LP in November 2006.
Scheduled depositions:

The following is the list of county employees or elected officials scheduled to give depositions in a lawsuit filed against the county by former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer:

* Sept. 9: Supervisor Neil Derry.

* Sept. 10: Mark Kirk, Supervisor Gary Ovitt’s former chief of staff.

* Sept. 20: Andrew Lamberto, human resources director.

* Sept. 22: Supervisor Gary Ovitt.

* Sept. 23: George Watson, Derry’s chief of staff.

* Sept. 27: Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt.

* Sept. 27: Matt Brown, assistant county recorder and former chief of staff to Supervisor Paul Biane.

* Sept. 28: David Wert, county spokesman (tentative).

* Sept. 28: Joseph Turner, Derry’s special projects coordinator.

* Sept. 30: Supervisor Josie Gonzales.

* Oct. 1: Ruth Stringer, county counsel.
The settlement ended nearly four years of heated litigation over who was responsible for the cost of a 49-acre flood control basin on the Colonies’ property, built to withstand two 100-year floods back to back.

“We’re sincerely hopeful that the board and they’re respective staff will not attempt to thwart our opportunity to complete these depositions as now scheduled,” said Uffer’s attorney, Sanford Kassel, on Thursday. “Our hope with completing these depos is that the public and the courts will become aware of the repeated violations of public policy under the very nose of taxpayers of this county.”

To read entire story, click here.