Monday, October 31, 2011 – 05:15 p.m.
InlandPolitics.com would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween night.
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Filed under: Administration of the Blog
Archive for October, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011 – 03:30 p.m.
As predicted the U.S. Department of Justice has a task force examining the financial situation of Victorville, California.
Money & Company
Tracking the market and economic trends that shape your finances.
October 31, 2011 | 8:16 am
The Wall Street firm run by former Goldman Sachs Chairman and New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine filed for bankruptcy Monday morning, making it the first big American casualty of the European debt crisis.
Yucaipa Valley Water District Board of Directors members Ian Cuthbertson, Bruce Granlund, Jay Bogh, Lonni Granlund and Henry Wochholz
Monday, October 31, 2011 – 10:45 a.m.
Just as the San Bernardino County Employees Retirement Association (SBCERA) ends two no-bid sweetheart contracts with two politically-connected consultants, two more no-bid contracts involving the same consultants emerge.
Filed under: Business, Cities, County of San Bernardino, In the News, Local Government, Politics, San Bernardino, Upland, Yucaipa
Jim Penman (Kurt Miller/the press-enterprise)
BY BRIAN ROKOS
STAFF WRITER
brokos@pe.com
Published: 28 October 2011 04:02 PM
San Bernardino Public Works Director Nadeem Majaj said he’s afraid City Attorney Jim Penman will send armed investigators after him because Penman threatened to raid Majaj’s home and car after Majaj refused to turn over a police report.
Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: 30 October 2011 08:05 PM
The California Supreme Court felt otherwise, but part of the unsuccessful court challenge to the Citizens Redistricting Commission’s state Senate plan centered on complaints about what the maps do in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
Comments Off on The PE: POLITICS: Re-maps, Bono Mack and taxes
Thomas
Thomas returns to water board
Filippi questions ethics of ex-councilman from Upland
Sandra Emerson, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 10/30/2011 09:45:44 PM PDT
UPLAND – A former councilman’s appointment to a water agency board was narrowly approved last week by the City Council.
Public unions targeted
Proposal would end collective bargaining
Will Bigham, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 10/30/2011 10:22:53 PM PDT
Petitions are being circulated for a ballot measure designed to end collective bargaining for California’s public- employee unions.
Created: 10/30/2011 07:01:21 PM PDT
California’s largest teachers union seems to be having reservations about a proposed “millionaire’s tax,” even as labor groups hash out strategies for next year’s elections.
Filed under: Budget, Economy, Education, Finance, In the News, Pensions, Politics, State of California, Unions
Adelanto hires lawyers to recoup $48M in bond losses
October 30, 2011 3:00 PM
Natasha Lindstrom, Staff Writer
ADELANTO • The City Council has hired a team of lawyers in an attempt to recoup $48 million in bond losses its public utilities authority suffered after the bond insurer’s rating plummeted a few years ago.
Comments Off on VVDailyPress: Adelanto hires lawyers to recoup $48M in bond losses
By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 – 6:28 am
For California’s high-speed rail project, it’s been an inauspicious autumn.
Disparaged for its lack of public outreach, the California High-Speed Rail Authority hired a new deputy director for communications and public policy, Lance Simmens, who introduced himself to Kings County residents – and YouTube viewers everywhere – by falling asleep at a public meeting.
Comments Off on SacBee: California high-speed rail will try to turn corner with new business plan
By Diana Lambert
dlambert@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1B
Last Modified: Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 – 6:53 am
School officials are on the edge of their seats.
In six weeks, they should know if they have to cut buses, shorten the school year, ask teachers to take furlough days, raid their reserves or cut programs.
Comments Off on SacBee: School districts wait to see if state revenue shortfalls trigger more cuts
Gov. Jerry Brown announces his public employee pension reform In October. His proposed overhaul of public pensions is a major step toward political reality. (Max Whittaker, Getty Images / October 30, 2011)
By George Skelton Capitol Journal
October 31, 2011, 2:42 a.m.
From Sacramento– Gov. Jerry Brown would be the first to admit that rolling out a 12-point pension reform plan is the easy part.
Comments Off on LATimes: Brown has two reasons to push pension reform
Filed under: Budget, Economy, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Pension Funds, Pensions, Politics, State of California, Unions
Monday, October 31, 2011
Let’s stipulate that public employee pension costs are not the fundamental cause of California’s financial problems. We can even accept the argument from the union-backed Californians for Retirement Security that “the average public pension in California is $26,000-a-year,” that “three-quarters of CalPERS retirees collect $36,000 or less” and that “public pensions equal just 3% percent of California’s budget.”
Comments Off on Calbuzz: Why labor is nuts to fight Brown on pensions
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
That ancient philosophical – or would it be biological? – question has a political counterpart in California, to wit:
Comments Off on SacBee: Dan Walters: California Legislature drops ball on marijuana
Filed under: Democrats, Healthcare, In the News, Law Enforcement, Legal, Politics, Republicans, State Assembly, State of California, State Senate
Herman Cain speaks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition presidential candidate forum, in Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 22.
By JONATHAN MARTIN & MAGGIE HABERMAN & ANNA PALMER & KENNETH P. VOGEL | 10/31/11 8:38 AM EDT
During Herman Cain’s tenure as the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, at least two female employees complained to colleagues and senior association officials about inappropriate behavior by Cain, ultimately leaving their jobs at the trade group, multiple sources confirm to POLITICO.
Comments Off on Politico: Exclusive: 2 women accused Herman Cain of inappropriate behavior
Sunday, October 30, 2011 – 12:01 p.m.
Did Stater Bros. Markets land a sweetheart deal at San Bernardino International Airport?
BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
gang@pe.com
Published: 29 October 2011 05:12 PM
Riverside County has a new interim top executive, but the budget news remains the same: The county still faces an $80 million gap for next fiscal year.
In his first budget report to supervisors as interim county executive officer, Larry Parrish said he wished he could offer better news.
Comments Off on The PE: RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Budget news remains grim
Filed under: Board of Supervisors - Riverside County, Budget, County of Riverside, Economy, Finance, In the News
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 29 October 2011 04:19 PM
Riverside’s Ward 7 councilman and his runoff opponent have about a week and a half left to get their messages out to voters.
Groups in Fontana, Redlands and Riverside consider forming larger “Occupy Inland Empire”
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 10/28/2011 11:46:43 PM PDT
Occupy Wall Street-inspired groups that have been meeting for the past several weeks to protest economic inequity in Fontana, Redlands and Riverside are considering meeting as a larger, single “Occupy Inland Empire” group, participants said.
Such a consolidated effort would help generate greater awareness for the cause, group members said.
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/26/2011 01:23:03 PM PDT
San Bernardino County voters will see fewer polling places on Election Day.
County election officials are consolidating the number of precincts because of low turnout at some locations.
Comments Off on The Sun: Polling places decrease for 2011 election
By Monica Rodriguez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 10/29/2011 09:48:25 PM PDT
POMONA – The city isn’t through the first half of the fiscal year, but the staff has begun preparing City Council members for possible cuts in their 2012-2013 budget.
Attorney general nixes option to keep hospital open
October 29, 2011 9:15 PM
Don Holland, Editor
VICTORVILLE • The state Attorney General’s office is seeking to block a stop-gap financing plan for beleaguered Victor Valley Community Hospital — a move hospital officials say puts 500 local jobs on the line and more than one-third of hospital beds on the brink of closure.
Comments Off on VVDailyPress: State seeks to block VVCH rescue plan
Filed under: Business, Cities, Courts, Healthcare, In the News, Kamala Harris, State of California, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Victorville
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Matt Cate, secretary of the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, may have the toughest job in state government. His mandate: overseeing a massive downsizing of the $10 billion agency by shifting some prison and parole tasks to counties.
Comments Off on SacBee: California corrections secretary seeks to ‘smooth the bumps’ of realignment
Filed under: Budget, Counties, Economy, Finance, In the News, Law Enforcement, Local Government, State of California
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Columnist
Saturday, October 29, 2011
He was Oakland’s mayor for eight years and has lived there for more than a decade, but Gov. Jerry Brown has had nothing to say about the Occupy Oakland protests that have been roiling the city and attracting international attention.
Comments Off on SFChronicle: Gov. Jerry Brown occupied with his pension plan
Filed under: Budget, Economy, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Pension Funds, Pensions, Politics, State of California
By JUDY LIN
Associated Press
Published: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 – 8:39 am
Last Modified: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 – 5:45 pm
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — San Francisco’s public pension system took a beating during the recession, which has left it carrying a hefty unfunded liability for its 26,000 current and 28,000 retired employees. The city’s pension obligation is growing by $100 million a year, leaving less funding for police and fire protection, park maintenance and health services for the needy.
Comments Off on SacBee: Calif. cities take pension reform to the ballot
Filed under: Budget, CalPERS, Cities, Counties, Economy, Finance, In the News, Local Government, Pension Funds, Pensions, State of California
Confidential Sheriff’s Department memos focused on force at Men’s Central Jail, an aging downtown Los Angeles facility that Sheriff Lee Baca has said should be torn down and replaced. (Damian Dovarganes, Associated Press / September 28, 2011)
By Jack Leonard and Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times
October 29, 2011, 9:25 p.m.
Nearly two years before Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca acknowledged that jailer brutality was a problem, his command staff raised alarms about excessive force used on inmates in the nation’s largest jail system, according to confidential memos reviewed by The Times.
By EILEEN AJ CONNELLY
AP Personal Finance Writer
Published: Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 – 3:39 pm
Last Modified: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 – 5:41 pm
NEW YORK — Chase and Wells Fargo are joining the list of banks that won’t be charging customers to use their debit cards, as the backlash over Bank of America’s planned $5 monthly fee continues.
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Bowen
BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com
Published: 28 October 2011 09:27 AM
During a Riverside event marking 100 years of women’s suffrage in California, Secretary of State Debra Bowen said Friday that government becomes more open when there are more women holding elected office.
Sandra Emerson, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 10/28/2011 05:13:30 PM PDT
CLAREMONT – The issue facing redevelopment agencies across the state may boil down to one question – where should property taxes be allocated?
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: Panel discusses redevelopment future
Filed under: Budget, Cities, Counties, Courts, Economy, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Legal, Local Government, Redevelopment, State of California, State Supreme Court
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
What about CalSTRS?
Despite two years of lobbying from the teachers’ retirement fund, a plan to shore up CalSTRS’ finances was missing from Gov. Jerry Brown’s pension reform proposal this week.
Comments Off on SacBee: Brown’s pension plan leaves out CalSTRS
Filed under: Budget, Economy, Education, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Pension Funds, Pensions, State of California
Mac Taylor
BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com
Published: 27 October 2011 08:20 PM
California’s nonpartisan legislative analyst praised Gov. Jerry Brown’s pension plan Thursday and said it deserves consideration by the Legislature.
Comments Off on The PE: INLAND: LAO calls pension plan excellent start
Ryan Hagen, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Posted: 10/27/2011 03:16:03 PM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO – After accepting a top administrative post with the school district, Diego Ochoa has changed his mind.
Ochoa was hired Oct. 18 to fill a newly created position of administrative director curriculum/instruction and accountability and research (secondary education).
Comments Off on The Sun: Hired Oct. 18, administrator decides not to take San Bernardino school district job
Will Bigham, Staff Writer
Created: 10/27/2011 03:54:21 PM PDT
Advocates of public employee pension reform are currently collecting petition signatures for three ballot initiatives that would significantly overhaul public pensions.
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Coulter
Wendy Leung, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 10/27/2011 09:46:26 PM PDT
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Political pundit and provocateur Ann Coulter dropped by the Barnes and Noble bookstore Thursday night to meet fans, sign her newest book and share some political insight about the Republican presidential primary.
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: Coulter greets fans at Rancho Cucamonga bookstore
Sandra Emerson, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 10/27/2011 11:26:41 AM PDT
UPLAND — An item regarding the process by which the council refers items to it’s advisory committee may not have been on Monday’s agenda, but is far from being resolved.
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: Upland council puts committee referral process decision on hold
Gov. Jerry Brown unveils his 12-point proposal to overhaul the state retirement system. (Max Whittaker / Getty Images / October 27, 2011)
By Anthony York and Michael J. Mishak, Los Angeles Times
October 28, 2011
Reporting from Sacramento — Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a sweeping overhaul of California pensions that would require public employees to pay more for their retirement and cut benefits for those hired in the future, setting the stage for a fierce battle with fellow Democrats and some of his main political supporters: unions representing government workers.
Comments Off on LATimes: Gov. Jerry Brown risks backlash on pension plan
Filed under: Budget, CalPERS, Democrats, Economy, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Pension Funds, Pensions, Politics, State of California, Unions
Questions and answers about Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed changes to the state’s retirement system
By Anthony York, Los Angeles Times
October 28, 2011
What is Gov. Jerry Brown proposing?
Among other revisions, Brown wants to:
Filed under: Budget, Economy, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Pensions, Politics, State of California, Unions
Dan Walters
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
A few years ago, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s chief actuary gave what he assumed was a private briefing and described the huge system’s liabilities as “unsustainable.”
Comments Off on SacBee: Dan Walters: Is Jerry Brown’s pension plan real or a ploy?
Filed under: Budget, CalPERS, Economy, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Pension Funds, Pensions, State of California, Unions
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
October 27, 2011
A Republican-backed coalition that failed to persuade the California Supreme Court to kill the state’s newly drawn Senate maps is now asking the federal government to reject the lines as a dilution of Latino voting power.
Comments Off on SacBee: GOP fights Senate maps on a new front — federal government
Filed under: Campaigns, Courts, Elections, In the News, Legal, Politics, Republicans, State of California, U.S. District Court
Occidental Petroleum’s earnings rose 50% and its revenue was up 26%, Exxon Mobil saw increases of 41% in profit and 32% in revenue, and Royal Dutch Shell says its earnings doubled and revenue rose 36%.
By Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times
October 28, 2011
With energy prices high, most oil companies are once again seeing profits rise like an old-style gusher.
Occidental Petroleum Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell on Thursday reported healthy gains in earnings and revenue despite production problems in Libya and other oil-rich areas.
California plans to reduce payments to many Medi-Cal providers by 10%. The federal government’s approval of the budget-cutting measure raises concerns from doctors and others.
By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times
October 28, 2011
The Obama administration will allow California to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from Medi-Cal, a move doctors and experts say will make it harder for the poor to get medical treatment.
By John Hoeffel Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 27, 2011, 2:52 p.m.
A medical marijuana advocacy group has sued the U.S. attorney general and the top federal prosecutor in Northern California, asking a federal court to halt recent raids and threats of prosecution that have significantly stepped up the Obama administration’s assault on the state’s 15-year-old program.
Comments Off on LATimes: Medical marijuana advocates sue prosecutors over crackdown
Miller
Former Colton Police Chief Bob Miller has been hired as a law enforcement and public integrity specialist for the Riverside-based law firm Best Best & Krieger.
DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
STAFF WRITER
dsantschi@pe.com
Published: 26 October 2011 10:46 AM
Retired Colton police chief Bob Miller has been hired as a law enforcement and public integrity specialist for the Riverside-based law firm Best Best & Krieger.
Administrator’s Note: This is the same law firm that represents the San Bernardino International Airport Authority, Inland Valley Development Agency and the City of San Bernardino Economic Development Agency.
No reason has been given for quitting, but it comes just as the city resumes a search for a new law firm
BY JOHN F. HILL
STAFF WRITER
johnhill@pe.com
Published: 26 October 2011 04:11 PM
Menifee’s city attorney is stepping down, about two weeks after the city restarted a search for a new law firm.
Karen Feld and her law firm, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, will end their contract with the city Nov. 1.
Comments Off on The PE: MENIFEE: City attorney resigns
Spencer
BY KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
STAFF WRITER
kpierceall@pe.com
Published: 26 October 2011 07:00 PM
San Bernardino County tax collectors have seized $31,618 from the developer of San Bernardino International Airport and his related businesses, a fraction of the $544,876 he owes in property taxes, according to the county agency.
Two candidates interview for post
Josh Dulaney,Staff Writer
Posted: 10/26/2011 09:57:38 PM PDT
Members of the San Bernardino International Airport Authority Board spent nearly two hours Wednesday in a closed-session meeting, where they interviewed two candidates for the interim executive director post.
Comments Off on The Sun: SBIAA board talks to possible interims
Filed under: Cities, County of San Bernardino, In the News, Local Government, Redevelopment, San Bernardino, Transportation
Montes
Jim Steinberg, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/26/2011 06:40:35 PM PDT
RIALTO – For five years, Rialto Unified school board member Edgar Montes has had twin boys improperly enrolled in Fontana Unified School District.
Wes Woods II, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 10/26/2011 11:26:25 AM PDT
CLAREMONT – Police officers union members will immediately begin paying a 6 percent contribution to the California Public Employees Retirement System, joining other city unions.
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: Claremont council votes to have police officers increase contribution to their retirement
Filed under: Budget, Cities, Claremont, Economy, Finance, In the News, Law Enforcement, Pensions, Unions
PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
October 26, 2011 | 7:12 pm
Gov. Jerry Brown will unveil a 12-point plan to overhaul the state public retirement system Thursday, proposing a payout for new state workers that combines elements of traditional guaranteed government pensions with a 401(k)-style savings plan, according to people who were briefed on his plan.
Filed under: Budget, Economy, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Pensions, Politics, State of California, Unions
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
October 26, 2011
A $1 million contribution from the owner of Mercury General Insurance Corp. to the California Republican Party this month has helped the GOP push a referendum challenge to the state’s newly drawn Senate districts.
Comments Off on SacBee: Senate map fight boosted by $1 million donation to state GOP
Filed under: Campaigns, Elections, In the News, Politics, Republicans, State of California, State Senate
By Maura Dolan and Anthony York, Los Angeles Times
October 27, 2011
Reporting from San Francisco and Sacramento — The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to intervene in new voting districts drawn by a citizens commission, deciding unanimously to reject two challenges to the boundaries.
Comments Off on LATimes: California high court rejects challenges to redistricting
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 – 06:00 a.m.
Boy, you really gotta hand it to those Redlands Unified School District trustees.
Earlier this year the group voted to quit funding secondary school bus service due to a financial shortfall.
A move most school districts resisted.
Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (R-Palm Springs)
BY BEN GOAD AND JIM MILLER
STAFF WRITERS
bgoad@pe.com; jmiller@pe.com
Published: 25 October 2011 09:42 PM
Washington — The U.S. economy is losing billions of dollars annually to unregulated underground and offshore poker websites that can prey on compulsive and underage gamblers with impunity, proponents of legalized Internet gaming argued Tuesday before a House panel.
Comments Off on The PE: CONGRESS: Bono Mack’s panel grapples with online gambling
Filed under: Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Business, Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, In the News, Indian Tribal Governments, Legal, Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, U.S. Government, U.S. House of Representatives
Riverside County supervisors introduced an ordinance Tuesday to regulate outdoor light pollution and trespassing. A public hearing is set for Nov. 15. Members of the Riverside Astronomical Society are seen here last year in Beaumont.
BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com
Published: 25 October 2011 09:23 PM
Tired of the bright light from your neighbor’s house keeping you up at night?
Riverside County supervisors are trying to help. The board took the first steps Tuesday toward adopting new rules regulating light “trespass” and pollution.
BY KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
STAFF WRITER
kpierceall@pe.com
Published: 25 October 2011 03:54 PM
Traffic at Ontario International Airport dropped 5.15 percent in September compared to a year ago, according to statistics from Los Angeles World Airports. The airport had a total of 360,307 passengers use the airport last month.
Comments Off on The PE: AIRPORT: Ontario traffic dropped 5%, LAX up 6%
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/25/2011 06:32:57 PM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO – After spending all day Tuesday interviewing the top four candidates for superintendent, the school board rejected all four.
Comments Off on The Sun: San Bernardino school board turns down all superintendent candidates
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/25/2011 01:57:04 PM PDT
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has filed an appeal with the state’s Water Resources Control Board to stop an order that it provide permanent replacement water to Hinkley residents affected by a toxic groundwater plume.
Comments Off on The Sun: PG&E appeals water board order for Hinkley
Dan Walters
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
It’s an article of faith – indeed, blind faith – among those on California’s political left that the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 began the state’s downward spiral.
Brown
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
October 25, 2011
Gov. Jerry Brown will give lawmakers his plan for pension changes on Thursday, the governor said in a letter to legislators this afternoon, though it remains unclear what Brown will propose.
By Peter Hecht
phecht@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Medical marijuana advocates, decrying a federal government crackdown on dispensaries and a failure of state lawmakers to act, said Tuesday that they are drafting a 2012 ballot initiative to impose statewide oversight of California’s burgeoning medicinal cannabis trade.
Comments Off on SacBee: Medical marijuana advocates back 2012 California ballot measure to regulate industry
California’s public universities enacted the highest average tuition increase, 21%, of any state, the College Board finds. Steep state funding cuts to higher ed were significant factors in pushing up tuition and fees nationwide.
By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times
October 26, 2011
Steep funding cuts to higher education in California and elsewhere were significant factors in pushing average tuition and fees up 8.3% at four-year public colleges and universities nationwide this fall, according to a report by the nonprofit College Board.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris
Associated Press
October 21, 2011 – 08:55 a.m.
SAN FRANCISCO– Federal prosecutors should be careful not to overreach in their crackdown on California’s pot dispensaries, even though there are ambiguities in the state’s medical marijuana laws, the state attorney general said Thursday.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 – 10:00 a.m.
Goes to show that one can make a good joke over just about anything.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Published: Monday, 24 Oct 2011 | 2:50 PM ET
By: Reuters
The total of U.S. state debt, including pension liabilities, could surpass $4 trillion, with California owing the most and Vermont owing the least, a new analysis says.
Home Prices in U.S. Cities Fall More Than Forecast
By Shobhana Chandra – Oct 25, 2011 7:02 AM PT
Home prices in 20 U.S. cities dropped more than forecast in August, highlighting one of the obstacles facing the economic recovery in its third year.
Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/24/2011 06:24:03 PM PDT
Nearly a dozen search warrants and their affidavits served by investigators probing the Colonies Partners LP $102million settlement with San Bernardino County were ordered unsealed Monday for defense lawyers.
Comments Off on The Sun: Colonies warrants, affidavits unsealed for defense lawyers
Filed under: County of San Bernardino, Courts, In the News, Law Enforcement, Legal, State Superior Court
Mike Cruz and Joe Nelson, Staff Writers
Posted: 10/24/2011 02:55:29 PM PDT
A judge on Monday declined to bar more than 2,700 pages of Grand Jury transcripts in a criminal corruption probe from being used in a civil case involving San Bernardino County and three other public entities.
Comments Off on The Sun: Judge: Grand Jury transcripts not protected under court order
Filed under: Cities, County of San Bernardino, Courts, In the News, Legal, Local Government, State of California, State Superior Court, Upland
BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com
Published: 24 October 2011 12:23 PM
A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge ruled Monday that he will not prevent about 2,700 pages of grand jury testimony in a corruption case from being used in a related civil case.
BY BRIAN ROKOS
STAFF WRITER
brokos@pe.com
Published: 24 October 2011 10:44 PM
A forum for candidates for San Bernardino city attorney and city clerk will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Home of Neighborly Service, 839 N. Mt. Vernon Ave., San Bernardino.
Riverside County officials are concerned about where to house low-risk inmates who are sentenced to county jails, rather than state prison, under a plan that took effect Oct. 1. County jails, including the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, above, are already at capacity.
BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com
Published: 24 October 2011 08:12 PM
Jail space remains one of the most critical issues facing Riverside County as it begins supervising and housing low-level offenders, local officials said Monday.
Comments Off on The PE: RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Jail space major concern under realignment
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 10/24/2011 06:56:37 PM PDT
San Bernardino County ranks third in the nation in its gang population, according to the FBI.
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: SB County ranks third in nation in number of gang members
Valles
Victorville, Hesperia leaders make fourth, fifth to announce for new seat
October 24, 2011 2:46 PM
Beau Yarbrough
Staff Writer
Related stories:
A former mayor of Hesperia and a current member of the Victorville City Council are the fourth and fifth people to formally announce their candidacy for the newly created 8th District Congressional seat.
By Kevin Yamamura
kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 – 8:00 am
In any California budget fight, there are winners and losers.
And then there are lawyers.
Comments Off on SacBee: California’s budget battles are now playing out in court
Filed under: Budget, Courts, Economy, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Legal, State of California, State Superior Court
The state has borrowed $11 billion from the federal government in recent years to pay jobless benefits, requiring hundreds of millions of dollars in interest payments to service its debt.
By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times
October 25, 2011
Reporting from Sacramento— California has borrowed $11 billion from the federal government in recent years to prop up its insolvent unemployment insurance fund. The loans kept benefits flowing to millions of laid-off workers, but now the bill is coming due.
Comments Off on LATimes: California’s unemployment insurance fund debt grows
Dan Walters
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
California voters are certain – as certain as anything can be in the topsy-turvy world of politics – to pass judgment on a multibillion-dollar tax increase measure next year, but what kind of measure is very much up in the air.
Comments Off on SacBee: Dan Walters: Jerry Brown still hazy about upcoming tax initiative
By Erik Wasson – 10/24/11 09:05 PM ET
Wall Street is growing nervous about the congressional supercommittee amid warnings from major banks that failure to reach a deal could lead to another downgrade of U.S. debt.
Comments Off on The Hill: Fears of another US credit downgrade are growing on Wall Street
Filed under: Budget, Business, Economy, Finance, In the News, Investments, Politics, U.S. Government, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate
AA ?
Money & Company
Tracking the market and economic trends that shape your finances.
October 23, 2011 | 2:40 pm
America’s credit rating is likely to take another hit before the end of 2011, threatening renewed market turmoil, Bank of America Merrill Lynch economists warn.
The White House hopes by the end of the month to announce changes that will make it easier for more homeowners — perhaps millions more — to participate.
By Don Lee, Los Angeles Times
October 24, 2011, 12:54 a.m.
Reporting from Washington— The Obama administration, worried that the housing crisis is strangling the economic recovery, is stepping up efforts to aid the battered market as another wave of home foreclosures threatens to drive values down further and rattle consumer confidence again.
Sunday, October 23, 2011 – 02:15 p.m.
Hooray! We’re all saved.
The economy is recovering, unemployment is is improving and the Dow is going to hit 15,000 by Christmas.
What the hell.
From left to right, San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris and County Supervisor Josie Gonzales
Saturday, October 22, 2011 – 05:00 p.m.
Last modified: Saturday, October 22, 2011 – 10:40 p.m.
It’s too late!
The clock struck midnight at San Bernardino International Airport (SBIA) last month when federal agents walked through the doors with search warrants.
Now San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales, who is also vice-chair of the San Bernardino International Airport Authority, is trying her best to re-write history and un-ring the bell as to her role in the lackadaisical oversight that went on.
BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com
Published: 22 October 2011 05:59 PM
The presidential election is more than a year away, but candidates for the White House already are collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash from residents of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
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Loveridge
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 22 October 2011 04:36 PM
A proposal to rename Riverside City Hall for Mayor Ron Loveridge may be shelved, after community resistance took proponents by surprise.
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Josh Dulaney, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Posted: 10/23/2011 01:16:17 AM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO — One staggering number tells the economic story of nearly half the city’s residents: $523,942,368.
More than half a billion dollars — that’s the amount of welfare assistance that is now pumped into the city annually, according to a report prepared by the county’s Legislation and Research Unit, Human Services Group.
California Supreme Court urged to issue dismissal
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 10/22/2011 06:16:05 PM PDT
The California Supreme Court is reviewing a request to dismiss lawsuits challenging newly drawn political districts for Congress and the state Senate.
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Filed under: Campaigns, Courts, Democrats, Elections, In the News, Legal, Polls, Republicans, State of California, State Supreme Court, U.S. House of Representatives