Tuesday, November 30, 2010 – 10:00 a.m.
San Bernardino County executives have come down hard on one of their own employees who also operates a local political blog.
A blog popular with readers, but not county leaders.
24 Comments
Archive for November, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010 – 11:00 p.m.
Last Updated: November 30, 2010 – 06:45 a.m.
Well…well….well…….
San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos caught again by state regulators.
Ramos
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/29/2010 07:14:56 PM PST
San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos and his campaign committee treasurer have each agreed to pay a $2,500 fine for failing to report expenditures on campaign finance forms last year.
Under a stipulated agreement with the state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), Ramos and Marvin Reiter will pay the administrative penalties imposed by the commission.
10:00 PM PST on Monday, November 29, 2010
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
Fresh off his defeat at the hands of incumbent Rep. Mary Bono Mack, Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet has filed papers signaling a potential 2012 rematch in the 45th Congressional District.
Pougnet, a Democrat, filed his “statement of candidacy” papers with the Federal Election Commission on Nov. 8, just six days after Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, won her eighth term by a 51-to-42 percent margin.
10:00 PM PST on Monday, November 29, 2010
By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
Special Section: Inland Wildfires
Severing ties with Cal Fire and creating an independent Riverside County fire department would increase costs by $46.6 million a year, a new report concludes.
In addition, setting up a stand-alone agency would require the county to replace three state-owned fire stations at a one-time cost of $11.9 million, the analysis found.
Rep. Jerry Lewis
By PE Politics
on November 29, 2010 5:46 PM
During a telephone town hall meeting Monday night with a national Tea Party organization, Inland Rep. Jerry Lewis vowed to be a fiscal hawk if tapped to serve as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in the next Congress.
“We are sick and tired of the federal government spending our money and, one way or another, we have to get off that track and get back on the right track,” Lewis, R-Redlands, told listeners and participants of the call organized by the Tea Party Patriots.
10:00 PM PST on Monday, November 29, 2010
By DAVID DANELSKI
The Press-Enterprise
A solar project approved last month on public land east of Barstow faces permitting delays because labor groups said the California Energy Commission failed to provide key environmental findings after making the decision.
The commission’s Oct. 28 vote to approve the 4,604-acre Calico Solar project remains intact. However, commission chairwoman Karen Douglas has since ordered that the decision not be effective until Wednesday, giving the agency time to resolve issues raised by the California Unions for Reliable Energy.
10:10 PM PST on Monday, November 29, 2010
By JOHN F. HILL
The Press-Enterprise
A medical marijuana collective engaged in a legal battle against Wildomar re-opened its storefront location Monday in defiance of a citywide ban on dispensaries.
The move by the Wildomar Patients Compassionate Group comes a week after the collective filed a legal petition seeking to block the city from enforcing its ban.
Holcomb was city’s longest-serving leader
James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/29/2010 09:22:12 PM PST
William Robert Holcomb, who helmed San Bernardino’s city government through parts of three decades and remains the city’s longest-serving mayor, died of heart failure Monday at the VA medical center in Loma Linda. He was 88.
Holcomb, a San Bernardino native descended from a city pioneer and a former mayor, served as mayor of San Bernardino from 1971 until 1985 and again from 1989 until 1993. In those 20 years, he established himself as an aggressive city booster and oversaw several major developments and milestones.
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/29/2010 06:29:35 PM PST
Former San Bernardino County Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin, charged with multiple felonies in connection with two county corruption scandals, has filed for bankruptcy.
Filed under: County of San Bernardino, Courts, In the News, Jim Erwin, Legal, Politics, U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Obama unveils two-year plan to halt raises and rein in deficit
Staff and Wire Reports
Created: 11/29/2010 09:27:27 PM PST
President Barack Obama has announced a two-year pay freeze for federal employees on Monday, saying the step is necessary to help bring the federal deficit under control.
The wage freeze, which applies to all civilian federal employees but excludes military personnel, would save $5 billion over two years and $28 billion over the next five years, the White House said.
James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 11/29/2010 03:43:57 PM PST
The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters has finished county ballots from the Nov. 2 election and on Monday certified the election results.
Those results will go to the Board of Supervisors next week for final approval.
Comments 24
November 29, 2010 10:11 AM
KAREN JONAS, Staff Writer
HINKLEY • The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board will be deciding soon if an expansion to the treatment of the chromium 6 water plume in Hinkley will be put into place, but residents probably won’t see the results in their lifetimes.
Filed under: County of San Bernardino, Environment, Hinkley, In the News, State of California, Towns
by Andy Greenberg
Monday, November 29, 2010Forbes
First WikiLeaks spilled the guts of government. Next up: The private sector, starting with one major American bank.
In an exclusive interview earlier this month, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told Forbes that his whistleblower site will release tens of thousands of documents from a major U.S. financial firm in early 2011. Assange wouldn’t say exactly what date, what bank, or what documents, but he compared the coming release to the emails that emerged in the Enron trial, a comprehensive look at a corporation’s bad behavior.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 – 12:06 am
Arnold Schwarzenegger dished out make-believe mayhem during his action movie hero days, but he must be a closet masochist.
Why else would he say, as he often does, that he’d love to remain governor of California? He’s already one of the most unpopular governors in state history, and he’s leaving behind an economy that’s erased more than a million jobs and a state budget deficit that’s worse than the one he inherited seven years ago.
The seven companies failed to properly pay medical claims submitted by thousands of doctors and hospitals over the last three years, state insurance regulators say.
Cindy Ehnes, director of the California Department of Managed Health Care, announces the health plan fines at a news conference in Burbank. She said the state’s hospitals and doctors “must be paid fairly and on time.” (Brian van der Brug, Los Angeles Times / November 29, 2010)
By Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times
November 30, 2010
California’s seven largest health plans were fined nearly $5 million in total Monday for failing to properly pay medical claims submitted by thousands of doctors and hospitals over the last three years.
Julian Assange ignored an 11th-hour plea from the State Department to withhold publication. | AP Photo Close
By GLENN THRUSH & GORDON LUBOLD & LAURA ROZEN | 11/28/10 2:15 PM EST
WikiLeaks has dropped its bombshell cache of U.S. diplomatic cables, ripping the cloak off scores of secret deals and duds, including clandestine North Korean support for Iran and the Bush administration’s failed attempt to remove nuclear material from Pakistan.
The release — more than a quarter-million back-channel cables that include brutally candid assessments of world leaders and previously undisclosed details of nuclear and antiterrorism activity — represents the most embarrassing and potentially damaging disclosure of American diplomatic material in decades.
10:00 PM PST on Sunday, November 28, 2010
By JAN SEARS
The Press-Enterprise
Redlands City Council members no longer will be offered life insurance and some medical benefits when elected, but it will take four years to completely eliminate the benefits package.
The council voted 4-1 earlier this month to eliminate the benefits, with Councilman Pete Aguilar voting against the proposal.
Brown
10:42 PM PST on Sunday, November 28, 2010
By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau
SACRAMENTO – Former Riverside County parks chief Pete Dangermond remembers his first interview to become state parks director for then-Gov. Jerry Brown.
It began in the morning. Dangermond didn’t leave the Capitol until close to midnight.
Public employees’ salaries
Numbers on state website go unaudited
Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/28/2010 07:01:19 AM PST
No good deed goes unpunished.
When state Controller John Chiang in October unveiled a website listing salary, pension benefits and other compensation for more than 594,000 city and county employees throughout the state, his main objective was to “help taxpayers scrutinize local government compensation and force public officials to account for how they spend public resources.”
Michael
Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 11/28/2010 09:42:20 PM PST
After six years as a Rancho Cucamonga councilman, Dennis Michael will be sworn in as the city’s new mayor. At the ceremony on Wednesday, Councilwoman Diane Williams and former mayor Bill Alexander will also be sworn in to the council. The first item of business will be to decide how to fill the council vacancy left by Michael. Find out what the council decides in the Daily Bulletin later this week.
10:00 PM PST on Sunday, November 28, 2010
By BRIAN ROKOS
The Press-Enterprise
PDF: Corona staff report and proposed policy on board appointments
Candidates for appointment to Corona city boards and commissions who have a felony conviction would be prohibited from serving, and sitting members convicted of a felony would have to immediately resign, according to a policy the City Council will consider Wednesday.
Novey
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Nov. 29, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Monday, Nov. 29, 2010 – 6:23 am
Don Novey placed a multimillion-dollar bet on Meg Whitman to become California’s next governor and lost. Problem was, he played the game with other people’s money. A lot of it.
Now one of the state employee unions that the labor legend advised to oppose Gov.-elect Jerry Brown must negotiate a new contract with the incoming administration.
November 29, 2010
Just six weeks before Jerry Brown rolls out the long-awaited opening of “Krusty: The Sequel,” the most fundamental problem the new governor faces is neither the $25 billion state deficit nor the utter dysfunction of the Capitol: it’s California’s dual personality disorder.
As much as politicians, government geeks and bureaucrats — not to mention “the media” – get blamed, deservedly, for the mess the state is in, there stands a mountain of evidence showing that the polarized partisan gridlock in Sacramento perfectly reflects the sentiments of the electorate.
Filed under: Budget, Democrats, Economy, Elections, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Politics, Republicans, State of California
By Ed Mendel
SAN FRANCISCO — UC Regents may vote on a costly retirement reform plan next month that officials say will not only lower benefits, but could squeeze faculty recruitment, research and medical centers for two or more decades.
An institution known for its prized collection of intellects did something two decades ago that in hindsight now seems unwise. It stopped making employer-employee contributions to the pension system, getting by on strong investment earnings.
Sunday, October 28, 2010 – 06:10 a.m.
A new chief executive officer doesn’t seem to have been the potion for San Bernardino County government.
The county, an institution that for decades has thrived on pettiness and in-fighting seems to be chugging along, not missing a beat.
Gary Ovitt
11:39 PM PST on Saturday, November 27, 2010
By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise
San Bernardino County supervisors could be adding the motto “In God We Trust” to their board chambers.
Board Chairman Gary Ovitt said he will introduce a proposal at the Dec. 7 meeting to add the benediction to the wall behind the dais where supervisors sit.
11:45 PM PST on Saturday, November 27, 2010
By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
Cash-strapped Riverside County is considering a plan to sell or lease two of its landfills in an effort to generate as much as $100 million in new revenue.
“We have to look at everything,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Marion Ashley said. “We have to figure out how to maximize our revenues.”
11:42 PM PST on Saturday, November 27, 2010
By BRIAN ROKOS
The Press-Enterprise
Applications will be available Monday for anyone interested in being appointed to the Norco City Council vacancy created by the death of Malcolm Miller.
The council voted 4-0 Wednesday to fill the vacancy through an appointment instead of a special election. The term will expire November 2011.
Party’s voter advantage fails to show in county
James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 11/27/2010 07:12:09 AM PST
Look at the number of registered voters in San Bernardino County, and you’ll see several thousand more Democrats than Republicans.
But look at the results from this month’s election, and the numbers show something different.
Lame-duck Congress may take up legislation
Monica Rodriguez, Staff Writer
Created: 11/27/2010 07:08:04 AM PST
The final days of the current congressional session may provide an opportunity to pass legislation giving a path to U.S. citizenship to some young people who are in the country illegally.
Supporters of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act, along with its opponents, say the proposal could be introduced shortly and come up for a vote.
Filed under: Democrats, Immigration, In the News, Politics, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate
November 27, 2010 12:00 PM
Brooke Edwards
Adelapple Victeria? Hespelanto Appleville? Or perhaps just Victor Valley?
“If there ever was a time to have serious discussions about consolidating, with all the municipalities struggling as they are — and despite how monumental a task it would be — the time is now,” argued Mike Stevens, a 35-year Victor Valley resident and community activist.
Filed under: Adelanto, Apple Valley, Budget, Cities, Economy, Finance, Hesperia, In the News, Politics, Towns, Victorville
San Diego delegation has spent about $188,000 over 15 months
By Michael Gardner
Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 8:20 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — Lawmakers from San Diego County spent $188,000 flying on more than 520 round-trips in the 15 months ending in September, but most details of the travel are secret.
The Legislature has declined to release the majority of the data on the grounds that it might compromise security to divulge travel routines between Sacramento and San Diego.
By Howard Mintz
hmintz@mercurynews.com
Posted: 11/28/2010 12:01:00 AM PST
Updated: 11/28/2010 03:48:38 AM PST
For decades, California’s Legislature, governors and a parade of experts in managing state prisons have been unable to fix the state’s overgrown, bloated prison system. Now the U.S. Supreme Court must decide whether three federal judges have the power to do the fixing for them.
Saturday, November 27, 2010 – 08:45 a.m.
Looks like those bank recapitalization deals from last year may be about to burn investors again.
After the carnage of the 2008 financial debacle decimated U.S. Bank capital ratios, along came a flurry of secondary stock offerings in 2009.
Offerings made attractive after the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve moved to help inflate bank share prices through cheap zero interest loans.
Saturday, November 27, 2010 – 07:35 a.m.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has issued a warning letter to Hesperia politico Al Vogler.
A complaint had previously been filed against Vogler for the placement of a political billboard not containing a proper legal disclaimer identifying the source who funded the sign.
Saturday, November 27, 2010 – 07:00 a.m.
At this point, San Bernardino County’s trumpeted ‘Sunshine Ordinance’, would appear to be nothing of the sort and this time the public was played for a fool.
The measure as drafted, was to provide for great transparency in county government and easier access to records, really fell flat on its face last week.
The short-lived ordinance hadn’t even been in effect for thirty days.
09:56 PM PST on Friday, November 26, 2010
Ontario International Airport had 1.2 percent fewer passengers in October compared to a year ago. The impact of Aeromexico’s departure from the airport which offered Ontario’s sole international route to Mexico has been evident in each monthly report with the number of international passengers at the airport dropping 99 percent to a total of just 45 travelers.
Tavaglione
11:36 PM PST on Friday, November 26, 2010
By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
The next year will be busy for Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione.
Voters in June elected Tavaglione to his fifth term on the board, and his peers from across California last week selected him president of the California State Association of Counties.
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/26/2010 06:56:01 PM PST
SAN BERNARDINO – The question of how best to respond to foreclosures and blight has been at the center of city politics.
Since 2008, Mayor Pat Morris and San Bernardino Economic Development Agency leaders have followed an “Integrated Housing Strategy” to address not only foreclosures but also decaying apartments and a shortage of affordable senior housing.
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Created: 11/26/2010 03:14:55 PM PST
ONTARIO – Councilman Alan Wapner went to bed on Election Night knowing the tally from only 10percent of the votes cast for his office.
And to him, that wasn’t nearly good enough.
Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 11/26/2010 02:42:43 PM PST
UPLAND – The City Council on Monday will consider preventing another medical marijuana cooperative from opening within city limits.
The city denied a business license in June to Route 66 Nursery at 1743 W. Foothill Blvd. license.
The city’s zoning code prohibits cooperatives.
Kurth
Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 11/26/2010 04:45:55 PM PST
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Among those in the audience at Wednesday night’s swearing-in ceremony of the new City Council will be a blue-eyed toddler and a gregarious 2-year-old who’s an expert at disassembling anything that’s baby-proof.
Addie and her baby sister, Grace – new additions to Mayor Don Kurth’s family – will be there to see their father end a chapter of his political career. The one-term mayor did not seek re-election this year. On Wednesday, Councilman Dennis Michael will be sworn in to lead the City Council.
Its trouncing in the Nov. 2 election shows that the state’s voters aren’t interested in ‘tea party’ stances; Republicans should pursue a more centrist approach.
By Phil Trounstine and Jerry Roberts
November 26, 2010
In the wake of the disastrous showing by Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina and the rest of the California Republican Party ticket, the leaders of the Golden State GOP should recalibrate their politics and policies to become relevant once again.
November 26th, 2010, 11:54 am · posted by BRIAN JOSEPH, Sacramento Correspondent
Lawmakers and the governor enacted the current state budget on Oct. 8, exactly 100 days late (the latest state budget in recorded history). At the time, the budget was balanced, as required under law.
Thirty-three days later, on Nov. 10, the nonpartisan and well-respected Legislative Analyst’s Office announced that the current budget now has a deficit of $6.1 billion (which combined with next year’s projected deficit equals $25.4 billion over 18 months).
Filed under: Budget, Democrats, Economy, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Politics, Republicans, State Assembly, State of California, State Senate
Some would have to cut jobs or go out of business if a proposed moratorium on federal earmarks — money directed to specific projects — is approved.
By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times
November 26, 2010|7:34 p.m.
Hundreds of Southern California defense contractors may have to cut jobs or go out of business if Congress approves a moratorium on federal earmarks, industry executives warned.
20 tons of pot seized, eight arrested in San Diego and Tijuana.
By Richard Marosi, Los Angeles Times
November 27, 2010
Reporting from San Diego —
Federal authorities have unearthed another cross-border tunnel in a San Diego warehouse district, the second major tunnel discovery and multi-ton seizure of marijuana believed to be from Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel in a month.
10:00 PM PST on Thursday, November 25, 2010
By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau
SACRAMENTO – Heading into the holidays a decade ago, California politicians could look forward to a new year that included a legislative or congressional district crafted just for them or their party.
Out of roughly 780 contests since then, there have been only eight upsets of the partisan order established by politicians’ 2001 remap of district lines.
10:00 PM PST on Thursday, November 25, 2010
By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
A majority of Riverside County supervisors favor opening the recruitment for a new registrar of voters to applicants from outside the county with the hope of attracting an experienced candidate.
School board president joins Childs and Swanson
November 25, 2010 3:40 PM
Beau Yarbrough
On Election Night, it became clear that only one Hesperia Unified incumbent seeking reelection would make it back into office. When voters went to bed that night, it looked as though it would be Lee Rogers, who had just edged out board president Hardy Black. But in the morning, the situation had reversed, and in the weeks since, Black’s small lead has grown ever larger.
Kamala Harris
San Francisco Chronicle
Friday, November 26, 2010
From a political standpoint, Kamala Harris’ upset victory over Steve Cooley for state attorney general was remarkable. He was the district attorney from Los Angeles, which allowed him to start the campaign with a deeper support base and the opportunity to chide the San Francisco district attorney as a caricature of the leftist city she served.
Filed under: Democrats, Elections, In the News, Kamala Harris, Law Enforcement, Politics, State of California
By Steven Harmon
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 11/25/2010 09:30:54 PM PST
Updated: 11/25/2010 09:30:55 PM PST
SACRAMENTO — Republicans could be on the verge of sinking into political oblivion in California, especially if they continue to take hard-line positions on illegal immigration, experts say.
Elections across the state this month left Republicans shut out of all statewide offices. Republicans also failed to gain any new congressional seats and lost one in the Assembly.
By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Nov. 26, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
The bill has already been approved – and vetoed – four times.
But California’s Latino Legislative Caucus expects it to become law next year when Gov.-elect Jerry Brown takes office.
Emmerson
Published: Friday, Nov. 26, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
At least one lawmaker who attended Maui confab did it out of his own pocket – $4,000 worth
What’s it worth to fly to Maui to join legislative colleagues and Capitol interests in a weeklong conference mixing business with tropical pleasure?
Happy Thanksgiving from InlandPolitics.com
Filed under: Administration of the Blog
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/24/2010 06:33:51 PM PST
State and local officials on Wednesday lifted a drinking water ban in Barstow, but the county ratified an emergency proclamation and will continue monitoring the situation over the next 30 days while wells continue to be tested.
High levels of perchlorate, a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel, munitions and fireworks, were discovered Thursday after the Marine Corps Logistics Base near Barstow received results from tests taken from its water distribution system in August.
James Rufus Koren and Joe Nelson, Staff Writers
Posted: 11/24/2010 04:57:43 PM PST
Just last year, San Bernardino County leaders were seriously considering purchasing all or part of San Bernardino’s half-vacant Carousel Mall and using the land for a new county government center.
But that won’t be happening, at least not anytime soon. In April, county leaders told the mall’s main owners, Lynwood-based developer Placo San Bernardino LLC, that the county was no longer interested in the property, county spokesman David Wert said Tuesday.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010 – 11:00 a.m.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley has conceded to San Francisco County District Attorney Kamala Harris in the race for state attorney general.
Harris currently leads Cooley by more than 52,000 votes with about 150,000 ballots still to process.
No recount will be requested.
Filed under: Democrats, Elections, In the News, Law Enforcement, Legal, Politics, Republicans, State of California
Wednesday, November 24, 2010 – 09:00 a.m.
For outgoing county counsel Ruth Stringer, it’s a better Thanksgiving than most of us realized.
Back on November 15th, InlandPolitics.com published a story on Stringer’s pension benefits.
In particular, Stringer’s annual pension is estimated at $271,000.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010 – 08:20 a.m.
There is several reasons why a proposed new San Bernardino County government center to be located at the foundering Carousel Mall site was never really in the cards.
An idea hatched about four years ago. That’s right, four years!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 – 04:24 p.m.
One would think things would have changed since San Bernardino County chief executive officer Greg Devereaux arrived on scene last February.
Maybe not.
By PE News
on November 23, 2010 2:37 PM
A Riverside council subcommittee will meet at 10 a.m. Dec. 7 to hear an ethics complaint a neighborhood group filed against Councilman Steve Adams.
James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/23/2010 06:43:22 PM PST
Though leaders discussed it for more than a year, San Bernardino County will not purchase Carousel Mall and use the property for a new county government center.
County spokesman David Wert said the county notified the mall owner several months ago that the county was not interested in buying the property.
Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Created: 11/23/2010 02:56:00 PM PST
SAN BERNARDINO – Former Assessor’s Office executives Bill Postmus and Gregory Eyler denied the criminal charges against them Tuesday at an arraignment.
Postmus, a former assessor, and Eyler, a former taxpayer advocate, entered not guilty pleas on all charges and denied all special allegations during the proceedings before Judge Michael A. Smith in San Bernardino Superior Court.
Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 11/23/2010 04:04:40 PM PST
UPLAND – The City Council on Monday approved $1.75 million in transfers and cuts to the city’s 2010-11 operating budget.
Council members approved recommendations from the finance committee to transfer funds from the Redevelopment Agency and gas tax fund as well as make $350,000 in cuts to the general fund.
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 11/23/2010 05:59:00 PM PST
While California home sales showed a statewide decline in October, from both the previous month and previous year, some cities in San Bernardino County showed a sharp increase in median home prices, according to data released Tuesday.
29% decline in I.E. for October
Wesley G. Hughes, Staff Writer
Created: 11/23/2010 05:53:56 PM PST
After four straight months of positive movement, building permits issued in October were down nearly 30 percent in the Inland Empire from the same month a year ago, according to a report out Tuesday.
In October, builders pulled 241 permits for new single-family homes in the I.E., a 28.9 percent drop from October 2009, according to the California Building Industry Association.
Republican Cooley would have to receive two-thirds of about 154,000 votes still uncounted to defeat the Democrat. But a GOP consultant notes that if a recount is sought, the formal result won’t be known for some time.
Republican
Steve Cooley had claimed victory on election night, only to discover the next morning that he was behind. The lead has gone back and forth since, but Harris has held an advantage for more than a week. (Anne Cusack, Los Angeles Times / October 13, 2010)
By Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times
November 24, 2010
With the stack of ballots left to count sharply diminished, San Francisco Dist. Atty. Kamala Harris continued to hold a steady lead Tuesday in the race for attorney general, making victory over Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley all but assured.
The utility delivered letters to about 100 homeowners on or near the boundary of a growing plume of water laced with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium.
An empty house sits in the path of the plume of chromium-tainted groundwater north of the PG&E plant in Hinkley, Calif. The company has offered to buy about 100 properties on or near the plume. (Wally Skalij, Los Angeles Times / November 24, 2010)
By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times
November 24, 2010
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has expressed interest in buying about 100 properties in the town of Hinkley, Calif., that are near a plume of groundwater tainted by cancer-causing hexavalent chromium.
Investigators are testing wells to determine how high levels of perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel, got into the region’s water supply. The crisis response has cost about $100,000 so far.
By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times
November 24, 2010
State water officials launched an investigation Tuesday into how a chemical used in rocket fuel and munitions found its way into Barstow’s residential water supply, as costs to address the crisis mounted.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
November 23, 2010
The California Secretary of State’s office today authorized a signature drive to place an Arizona-style immigration law before California voters.
Called the “Support Federal Immigration Law Act,” the proposal was submitted to state authorities in September by Michael Erickson, a Tea Party activist in in the Bay Area city of Belmont and former chair of the Sonoma County Republican Party.
06:53 AM PST on Tuesday, November 23, 2010
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Congress appears unlikely to act in time to prevent unemployment benefits from expiring next week for millions of jobless Americans, as lawmakers are sharply divided over whether a costly extension of the program is in the nation’s best interest.
Coming on the cusp of the holiday season, the current Nov. 30 expiration would hit particularly hard in Inland Southern California. At 14.2 percent, the Inland area’s jobless rate is far above the national average of 9.0 percent.
Filed under: Economy, Finance, In the News, Politics, U.S. Government, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate
10:00 PM PST on Monday, November 22, 2010
Cassie Macduff
Outrage over the Bell scandal has prompted cities and counties to trim some benefits officials have enjoyed for years.
Recently, the city of Redlands and San Bernardino County each took steps to rein in top officials’ perks.
06:49 AM PST on Tuesday, November 23, 2010
By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise
Two Rialto police officers have quit and four others have been disciplined following an internal investigation into allegations that officers had sex with strip club employees at a police union building.
Rialto Police Chief Mark Kling said he had been pursuing the termination of the two officers believed to have engaged in sex while on duty, but they ended up resigning.
10:00 PM PST on Monday, November 22, 2010
By DAVID DANELSKI and LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise
Barstow endured its fourth day of a water emergency Monday, but the city’s mayor said he expects all tap water to be safe to drink by Thanksgiving Day.
An advisory not to drink or cook with tap water — issued Friday after chemical contamination was found — remained in effect in the eastern part of the city, although restrictions had been lifted in areas to the west and north.