Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
No additional charges forthcoming
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 – 01:20 p.m.
Last Updated: March 8, 2011 – 09:30 p.m.
Here is the documents related to Tuesday mornings announcement of an indictment involving seven current and former employees of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Three other individuals are reported to be facing administrative discipline.
Posted: 03/08/2011 10:38:57 AM PST
SAN BERNARDIN0 – Seven San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department employees have been indicted in a scandal involving the falsification of documents that were submitted to the state Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training.
In eyes of some, better pensions and benefits make public servants into public enemies
Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
Tuesday March 8, 2011, 9:35 am EST
When Erin McFarlane looks at public workers, she sees lucrative pension benefits she doesn’t ever expect to get. And it makes her mad.
“I don’t think that a federal employee or government employee is worth any more than anybody else who does their job and does it well,” said the Slinger, Wis., woman. She’s been working a couple of bartending jobs since January, when she was laid off from her job at a Harley Davidson plant after almost a decade.
She’s not alone in seeing public servants as public enemies in some ways.
Pomierski
Pomierski reportedly vowed to swing votes
Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 03/07/2011 10:04:25 PM PST
UPLAND – The indictment of former Mayor John Pomierski has left the City Council members disappointed – and in a position to defend themselves.
The 11-count indictment returned last week by a federal grand jury says Pomierski on Jan. 28, 2010, told the owners of an unidentified Upland business that in order to expedite their permit approval, he would speak with council members when it came time for a vote.
Election 2011
Future of Jurupa Valley lies with voters
Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino, Staff Writer
Created: 03/07/2011 05:39:04 PM PST
Sheila Skinner calls Jurupa Valley her old stomping grounds – she still remembers walking to school down a desolate dirt road and playing baseball in the fields near her home.
Today, some 50 years later, the Riverside County community in which she grew up will attempt to incorporate as a city.
By PE News
on March 7, 2011 2:40 PM
City council elections in Riverside may now be competitive in three of the four wards on the June 7 ballot. Incumbents are seeking re-election in wards 1, 3, 5 and 7, and they could face challengers in all but Ward 5.
10:00 PM PST on Monday, March 7, 2011
By STEVEN BARRIE
The Press-Enterprise
Colton officials have given layoff notices to eight police officers as part of a continuing effort to eliminate a $5.5 million budget shortfall.
10:00 PM PST on Monday, March 7, 2011
By DAYNA STRAEHLEY
The Press-Enterprise
The state of California is using “Enron-style accounting” as it postpones monthly revenue payments to schools, Riverside Deputy Superintendent Mike Fine said at a Monday evening school board meeting.
State controller finds agencies unaccountable
Jim Steinberg, Wendy Leung and James Rufus Koren, Staff Writers
Posted: 03/07/2011 10:00:15 PM PST
The State Controller’s Office on Monday issued a scathing audit of redevelopment agencies, giving ammunition to Gov. Jerry Brown and others who want to see the agencies eliminated.
All politics is local
Tea party groups take on local issues
James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/07/2011 03:50:34 PM PST
Think of issues likely to draw protests from tea party groups, and you might think of the federal health-care law or the California air-pollution law known as A.B. 32.
But in some parts of San Bernardino County, tea party members are just as likely to get riled up about local issues as they are about so-called “Obamacare.”
Council OK’s plan to end contracts
Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/07/2011 08:01:37 PM PST
SAN BERNARDINO – Police Chief Keith Kilmer has outlined the City Council’s options for doing away with with red-light cameras. Kilmer submitted a report on the agenda for the council’s Monday night meeting that showed it would cost between $104,325 and $110,175 to conclude the program effective June 1 and pay any early termination fees.
Resolution OK’d backing Brown plan
Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/07/2011 06:02:13 PM PST
The San Bernardino County Board of Education passed a resolution Monday supporting Gov. Jerry Brown’s effort to place a tax extension measure on the June special election ballot.
Tracy Garcia, Staff Writer
Created: 03/07/2011 10:04:28 PM PST
In response to Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to shift certain state programs to local governments, Los Angeles County supervisors have voted to seek a state constitutional amendment to ensure a steady funding source for programs moved to local control.
Earlier this year, Brown proposed a series of “realignments” to cut costs, including making local governments responsible for state programs such as:
31 fewer courses offered this spring
March 07, 2011 4:33 PM
Natasha Lindstrom
VICTORVILLE • Grappling with unfunded growth and state budget cuts, Victor Valley College has canceled spring classes with fewer than 15 students and denied any requests to add course sections.
Former town leaders oppose specific plan for project
March 07, 2011 5:16 PM
Brooke Edwards
APPLE VALLEY • It looks as though Walmart will have the signatures it needs to put its planned Supercenter on an upcoming ballot, letting voters decide whether the project should move forward.
Prison guards, supervisors rack up millions of hours in paid time off
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle
Monday, March 7, 2011
(03-07) 04:00 PST Sacramento – —
California prison guards and their supervisors have racked up 33.2 million hours of vacation, sick and other paid time off – an astounding accumulation that amounts to nearly half a year per worker.
It also adds up to a $1 billion liability for taxpayers of the deficit-plagued state.
By Brad Branan
bbranan@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Mar. 7, 2011 – 4:03 pm
Last Modified: Monday, Mar. 7, 2011 – 4:45 pm
The California State Association of Counties released a letter this afternoon expressing support for Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to move state services to the counties, but cautioning that funding issues must be resolved.
By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times
March 8, 2011
Should library hours be cut? Could some academic programs be closed or merged? Will turning down air conditioners and fixing leaky sprinklers save much money?
UC Riverside administrators are mulling such questions as they face an expected reduction in the campus’ core budget next year of at least 8%, or $38 million, even as they cope with higher pension costs and energy bills. The decisions could affect the livelihoods of employees and quality of education for more than 20,000 students at the Inland Empire campus.