Sunday, March 31, 2013 – 11:30 a.m.
InlandPolitics.com would like to wish everyone a happy and enjoyful Easter Sunday.
3 Comments
Filed under: Administration of the Blog
Archive for March, 2013
March 29, 2013; 05:01 PM
Former President George W. Bush will be the keynote speaker at a regional conference scheduled for this summer at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Comments Off on The PE: RIVERSIDE COUNTY: George W. Bush to speak at Morongo
Daniel Borenstein
By Daniel Borenstein, staff columnist
Posted: 03/29/2013 04:00:00 PM PDT
Updated: 03/30/2013 03:56:56 PM PDT
That was then, this is now.
When Gov. Jerry Brown signed pension legislation last year, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System applauded the “comprehensive set of reforms.” Its board president, Rob Feckner, said they marked “a more secure era for public pensions.”
Comments Off on CCCTimes: Daniel Borenstein: CalPERS actuary warns of pension fund shortfalls, says more money is needed
Filed under: Budget, CalPERS, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Pension Funds, Pensions, State of California
By Alex Lazar – 03/30/13 02:45 PM ET
There is new momentum to revamp Washington’s Groundhog Day-like budget process.
The Senate’s recent vote to embrace a biennial budget, coupled with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) endorsement, has significantly boosted the chances it could pass in this Congress.
Comments Off on The Hill: Momentum growing to revamp Washington’s ‘broken’ budget process
Filed under: Budget, Democrats, Finance, In the News, Politics, Republicans, U.S. Government, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate
Airport Manager Scott Gibbs walks toward a window overlooking the tarmac of the San Bernardino International Airport. (Gabriel Luis Acosta/Staff Photographer)
No tenant: Commercial carriers have yet to sign on to former military base
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/29/2013 06:48:36 PM PDT
Photo Gallery: SBIA
SAN BERNARDINO — Nearly two decades after Norton Air Force Base closed, the airport that replaced it has no passenger carrier.
March 29, 2013; 05:59 PM
When San Bernardino airport officials first began working with Scot Spencer in 2005, they said they did so with their eyes open.
To read story by Imran Ghori in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Comments Off on The PE: SAN BERNARDINO: Spencer won over officials with connections
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/29/2013 10:01:07 AM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO – Former San Bernardino International Airport developer Scot Spencer pleaded not guilty Friday to criminal conspiracy and other charges during his arraignment via closed-circuit television in San Bernardino Superior Court.
Comments Off on The Sun: San Bernardino Airport corruption defendant enters not-guilty plea
Lori Fowler and Sandra Emerson, Staff Writers
Posted: 03/29/2013 05:10:03 PM PDT
Updated: 03/30/2013 12:56:37 AM PDT
A group of Inland Valley doctors who say they have not been able to fully treat their patients have filed a lawsuit against Chino Valley Medical Center and its director James M. Lally.
By Kevin Smith, Staff Writer
twitter.com/sgvnbiz
Posted: 03/29/2013 06:54:01 PM PDT
Updated: 03/29/2013 07:00:23 PM PDT
California’s unemployment rate fell last month to its lowest level since December 2008 and 41,200 jobs were added, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: State unemployment rate hits lowest level since December 2008, 41,200 jobs added
By Michael Doyle
mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com
Published: Friday, Mar. 29, 2013 – 1:12 pm
WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON – Top congressional Republicans are preparing new roadblocks for an ambitious California high-speed rail project that’s received both praise and caution flags from a long-awaited federal audit.
Comments Off on SacBee: Calif. high-speed rail report fuels critics and supporters
By Billy House
Updated: March 28, 2013 | 7:51 p.m.
March 28, 2013 | 7:30 p.m.
A strategy by House Republican leaders to bottle up revenue bills until a comprehensive overhaul of the tax code is finished is being sold to GOP lawmakers as a tactical way to hobble Senate Democrats.
Comments Off on NationalJournal: The House GOP’s Strategy to Starve the Senate
Filed under: Budget, Democrats, Finance, In the News, Politics, Republicans, U.S. Government, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate
Friday, March 29, 2013 – 08:30 a.m.
Both defendants in the new San Bernardino International Airport (SBIA) fraud case, filed by the San Bernardino County District Attorney on Monday, arrived in Southern California yesterday.
Comments Off on InlandPolitics: SBIA: One defendant posts bail, arraignment today for other
By Joe Nelson
joe.nelson@ inlandnewspapers.com @SBCountyNow on Twitter
Posted: 03/28/2013 07:35:19 PM PDT
San Bernardino International Airport officials say they will seek to recover more than $1 million they paid to former airport developer Scot Spencer to settle a legal dispute over a lease agreement prosecutors now say was a sham.
March 28, 2013 8:42 PM
Jim E. Winburn, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • High Desert government representatives have asked the Federal Aviation Administration to find the money needed to keep the Southern California Logistics Airport control tower open.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
March 28, 2013
Were California’s state government a business, it would be a candidate for insolvency with a negative net worth of $127.2 billion, according to an annual financial report issued by State Auditor Elaine Howle and the Bureau of State Audits.
Comments Off on SacBee: State auditor: California’s net worth at negative $127.2 billion
March 28th, 2013, 3:15 pm ·
Posted by BRIAN JOSEPH
Another day, another critical report about transparency in the Golden State.
Earlier this month, we told you about two new reports that blasted state government for failing to make its budget and legislative data easy to use. This week, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund released an even more critical report on the availability of spending data in California.
Comments Off on OCRegister: California government ‘failing’ on transparency
The lender has accounted for 30% of complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with two-thirds of them involving modifications.
By E. Scott Reckard, Los Angeles Times
March 28, 2013, 7:38 p.m.
Bank of America Corp., which handles customer service on about 15% of U.S. home loans, has accounted for 30% of the mortgage complaints logged by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to a new database made public by the federal watchdog.
Comments Off on LATimes: Bank of America tops list of mortgage complaints by borrowers
Ramos
Thursday, March 28, 2013 – 10:30 a.m.
I was stunned to read an online opinion editorial by County Supervisor James Ramos on Wednesday.
Filed under: Board of Supervisors - San Bernardino County, Business, County of San Bernardino, Economy, Finance, Indian Tribal Governments, Inland Valley Development Agency, James Ramos, Legal, Local Government, Real Estate, Redevelopment, San Bernardino International Airport Authority, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
Thursday, March 28, 2013 – 09:30 a.m.
Here’s some news flowing across the transom Thursday morning.
Barstow Court to remain open
The state has coughed-up funds to temporarily keep one courtroom open at the Barstow Court facility through early summer.
Filed under: Board of Supervisors - San Bernardino County, Budget, Business, Campaigns, County of San Bernardino, Courts, Democrats, Economy, Finance, James Ramos, Janice Rutherford, Legal, Politics, Republicans, State Assembly, State of California, State Superior Court, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Government, U.S. Senate
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 – 04:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 – 10:15 p.m.
The California Supreme Court rendered a ruling Wednesday afternoon that will impact the highly-publicized Colonies criminal case.
By Joe Nelson
joe.nelson@ inlandnewspapers.com @SBCountyNow on Twitter
Posted: 03/27/2013 08:11:53 PM PDT
Related story: Report details Scot Spencer’s actions at San Bernardino airport
San Bernardino International Airport officials on Wednesday said they will seek to recover more than $1 million they paid to former airport developer Scot Spencer to settle a legal dispute over a lease agreement prosecutors now say was a sham.
Comments Off on The Sun: San Bernardino airport officials say Scot Spencer’s attorney vetted jet lease agreement
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/27/2013 01:46:27 PM PDT
Former San Bernardino International Airport developer Scot Spencer has waived extradition, and should return to San Bernardino this week for arraignment, prosecutor Robert Brown said.
Comments Off on The Sun: Former San Bernardino Airport developer Scot Spencer waives extradition
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/27/2013 01:06:14 PM PDT
San Bernardino is suing the state to prevent the Department of Finance from carrying through with a threat to withhold more than $15 million in taxes to make up for low- and moderate-income housing funds the city allegedly owes.
Michel Nolan, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/27/2013 11:24:53 AM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO — Continuing the domino effect of the city’s insolvency, the California Welcome Center Inland Empire and San Bernardino Convention & Visitors Bureau are closing their doors, citing lack of funds.
Comments Off on The Sun: Welcome Center for San Bernardino visitors closing
Brulte
Andrew Edwards
Posted: 03/27/2013 09:41:45 PM PDT
Updated: 03/27/2013 09:42:14 PM PDT
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – The California Republican Party’s new chairman, former Inland Valley legislator Jim Brulte, restated his call for the state’s Republicans to leave their comfort zones and reach out to voters in communities that tend to vote Democratic.
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: California GOP chair Jim Brulte speaks in Rancho Cucamonga
By Matt Clark
March 27, 2013 – 06:01 p.m.
Here’s a list of the top 10 highest-paid county executives.
Comments Off on UTSanDiego: 12 top-paid county bosses in California
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
March 27, 2013
At least two groups of lawmakers are spending their spring recess from the Capitol on overseas trips underwritten by outside groups.
Comments Off on SacBee: CA lawmakers spending spring break in Poland, Taiwan
Filed under: Democrats, In the News, Politics, Republicans, Robert Huff, State Assembly, State of California, State Senate
By Chad Terhune
March 27, 2013, 10:23 a.m.
Kaiser Permanente was the only HMO to earn a top four-star rating for providing recommended care on California’s annual report card, while Cigna and UnitedHealthcare led the way with three-star ratings among PPO plans.
Comments Off on LATimes: California issues annual ratings for health plans, physician groups
By a Times Staff Writer
March 27, 2013, 7:31 p.m.
Riverside’s mayor on Wednesday defended the city’s decision to pull back a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner.
Comments Off on LATimes: Dorner: Riverside defends rescinding $100,000 reward
Posted by Scott Clement
March 27, 2013 at 4:27 pm
A growing number of Americans are not just dissatisfied, but angry at Washington after repeated standoffs over taxes and the deficit have pockmarked the start of President Obama’s second term.
“I’m mad as hell….”
Comments Off on WashPost: Nearly one in three Americans ‘angry’ at Washington, poll finds
Filed under: CBS, Democrats, In the News, Media, Politics, Polls, Republicans, U.S. Government, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 – 10:00 a.m.
It’s unbelievable!
Mayor Patrick Morris, the mayor of bankrupt San Bernardino, is still telling newspapers that San Bernardino International Airport (SBIA) will get a scheduled passenger airline.
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/26/2013 12:44:55 PM PDT
Bios: Scot Spencer | Felice Luciano
Photo Gallery: D.A. files charges against Scot Spencer
View: Scot Spencer investigative report | Criminal complaint | Statement from 5th District Supervisor Josie Gonzales | 2010-11 Grand Jury report
Timeline: SBIA and Scot Spencer
Related stories: Grand Jury questions management practices at SBIA | Former SBIA developer Scot Spencer charged with $1.75 million fraud
San Bernardino International Airport officials’ willingness to trust Scot Spencer – now charged with five felonies and the owner of a criminal record when he began his relationship with SBIA – with developing a passenger terminal and other key facilities may have come from a lack of others’ interest in taking on a project that may have had a slim chance of success in the first place.
Comments Off on The Sun: Scot Spencer was one of few choices for SBIA terminal project
Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday, March 26, committed to a plan to add more deputies over the next five years to boost patrols in unincorporated areas.
March 26, 2013; 10:23 PM
Riverside County supervisors Tuesday, March 26, committed to hiring more deputies over the next five years to enhance law enforcement in unincorporated areas, saying they wanted to reaffirm their dedication to public safety.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Comments Off on The PE: RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Supervisors commit to hiring more deputies
March 26, 2013; 06:02 PM
SACRAMENTO – Inland lawmakers and local officials have taken a new tack to try to restore lost revenue for four Riverside County cities disproportionately hurt by a state budget shift two years ago.
To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.
This artist rendering shows Attorney Theodore Olsen, right, representing the same-sex couples, addresses the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, as the court heard arguments on California’s ban on same-sex marriage. Justices, from left are, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan. ((AP Photo/Dana Verkouteren))
Landmark case will determine whether gays can marry in California, possibly nationwide
By Howard Mintz, San Jose Mercury News
Posted: 03/26/2013 04:51:33 PM PDT
Updated: 03/26/2013 04:56:33 PM PDT
WASHINGTON — Struggling with the gay marriage issue for the first time in history, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday resembled the kid at the end of the highest diving board at the pool for the first time – inclined to turn around and try another day rather than take a bold jump into an uncertain future.
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: U.S. Supreme Court split over gay marriage case, California’s Prop. 8
Cook
March 26, 2013 9:30 PM
Jim E. Winburn, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • Rep. Paul Cook spoke to local leaders Tuesday about the impact of federal budget cuts to High Desert communities and the prospects of living with the Affordable Care Act.
Comments Off on VVdailyPress: Congressman Cook discusses budget cuts, healthcare
Filed under: Budget, Finance, Healthcare, In the News, Paul Cook, Polls, Republicans, State of California, U.S. Government, U.S. House of Representatives
By William Cutting
Tuesday, March 26, 2013 – 11:45 p.m.
When you have grown up and spent your entire life in the Inland Empire you sometimes forget how big it is. It doesn’t help that we lack our own media market and we constantly live in the shadow of moronic Los Angeles newscasters. Every now and then I come across a story and figure it is happening in some place hundreds and thousands of miles away.
Comments Off on InlandPolitics: Blind Husky and Seeing Eye Dog Companion Rescued
Filed under: Fontana, Miscellaneous
Tuesday, March 26, 2013 – 10:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 – 09:15 a.m.
Is San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos finally behind the eight ball?
Could a chain of events finally be in-play that has many local politicos, movers and shakers, and campaign contributors cringing?
Tuesday, March 26, 2013 – 09:30 a.m.
Did Press Enterprise Columnist Cassie MacDuff get her chain jerked by newspapers editors over her initial column on the arrest of San Bernardino International Airport Developer Scot Spencer?
Andrew Edwards, Ryan Hagen and Joe Nelson, Staff Witers
Posted: 03/25/2013 08:59:57 AM PDT
Bios: Scot Spencer | Felice Luciano
Photo Gallery: D.A. files charges against Scot Spencer
View: Criminal complaint | Statement from 5th District Supervisor Josie Gonzales | 2010-11 Grand Jury report
Timeline: SBIA and Scot Spencer
Related stories: Grand Jury questions management practices at SBIA
Scot Spencer, the former airline executive and convicted felon who was nonetheless entrusted with leading the development of San Bernardino International Airport, faces five years in prison after being charged with an alleged associate with conspiring to steal more than $1 million in public funds.
Filed under: Board of Supervisors - San Bernardino County, Business, County of San Bernardino, Courts, In the News, Inland Valley Development Agency, Josie Gonzales, Law Enforcement, Legal, Local Government, Mike Ramos, Redevelopment, San Bernardino International Airport Authority, State Superior Court
March 25, 2013; 09:25 AM
A long-running investigation into business dealings at the San Bernardino International Airport Authority resulted in criminal charges and the arrest of former airport developer Scot Spencer, District Attorney Michael Ramos announced Monday, March 25.
To read story by Iman Ghori in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Comments Off on The PE: SAN BERNARDINO: Airport developer Scot Spencer arrested
Filed under: Board of Supervisors - San Bernardino County, Business, County of San Bernardino, Courts, In the News, Inland Valley Development Agency, Josie Gonzales, Law Enforcement, Legal, Local Government, Mike Ramos, Redevelopment, San Bernardino International Airport Authority, State Superior Court, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Government
Riverside County officials want to ramp up efforts to recoup the expense of keeping convicted criminals jailed at facilities like the Robert Presley Detention Center.
March 25, 2013; 01:48 PM
Riverside County’s probation department wants to collect room and board from those convicted of misdemeanors, even though officials so far have collected less than 1 percent of what felony convicts owe for the cost of their jail stays.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Comments Off on The PE: RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Will prisoners pay room and board?
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
March 25, 2013
The proportion of Californians eschewing party politics continued to gradually increase over the past two years, with nearly 21 percent of the electorate now registered to vote with no party preference, according to a report today by the California secretary of state.
Comments Off on SacBee: Percentage of independent California voters inches upward
Dan Walters
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2013 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2013 – 6:10 am
Ostensibly, the trial that opened Monday in a federal courtroom was about whether Stockton is eligible to file for bankruptcy.
But the real issue – what one attorney called “the 800-pound gorilla in the room” – is whether public employees’ pensions, long thought to be legally untouchable, could be reduced via bankruptcy.
Comments Off on SacBee: Dan Walters: Stockton bankruptcy trial has big stakes
Filed under: Budget, CalPERS, Cities, Courts, Finance, In the News, Legal, Local Government, Pension Funds, Pensions, State of California, U.S. Bankruptcy Court
By Dan Weikel
March 25, 2013, 2:47 p.m.
California Treasurer Bill Lockyer on Monday expanded his request for a legal opinion to determine if some local education officials and the financial underwriters they hire are violating state law by campaigning for school bond measures.
Comments Off on LATimes: Lockyer widens request for legal opinion on school bond campaigns
Filed under: Campaigns, Education, Elections, Finance, In the News, Investments, Legal, State of California
By Ari Bloomekatz
March 25, 2013, 9:41 p.m.
As the manhunt for fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner heated up last month, several municipalities and organizations offered large cash rewards for information leading to his capture. Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa even announced a $1-million reward.
But now that Dorner is dead, at least one city says its offer is off the table.
Comments Off on LATimes: Riverside says its Dorner reward is off the table
California drivers are spending $13.9 billion in repairs from diving on the state’s bad roads.
By Ronald D. White
March 25, 2013, 9:26 a.m.
The woeful condition of California’s road surfaces is costing drivers $13.9 billion a year in repairs and operating costs, according to a new report by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Comments Off on LATimes: Bad roads cost California drivers $13.9 billion annually, report says
By Robert Barnes
Published: March 25 | Updated: Tuesday, March 26, 7:07 AM
A four-year legal battle to extend the right of marriage to same-sex couples no matter where they live gets its moment before the Supreme Court on Tuesday in historic oral arguments difficult to imagine even a decade ago.
Comments Off on WashPost: A historic moment as same-sex marriage arrives before Supreme Court
Monday, March 25, 2013 – 11:00 a.m.
Former San Bernardino International Airport Developer Scot Spencer, 48, was arrested in Boca Raton, Florida on Sunday.
San Bernardino District Attorney Mike Ramos is set to hold another press conference. This time to announce “an” arrest, related to the San Bernardino International Airport Authority, at 11:00 a.m. Monday.
Monday, March 25, 2013 – 09:30 a.m.
Last Modified; Monday March 25, 2013 – 10:45 a.m.
Well, here comes another sure-to-be-touted press conference from San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos.
Monday, March 25, 2013 – 09:00 a.m.
Bankrupt San Bernardino, California is in need of a serious makeover.
Poor demographics, a high crime rate, financial mismanagement, greed, combined with a dysfunctional city government has crushed the city of more than 200,000-plus residents.
Comments Off on InlandPolitics: General law structure better choice for San Bernardino
By Torey Van Oot
tvanoot@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Mar. 25, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Monday, Mar. 25, 2013 – 6:59 am
The concept of banning California lawmakers from fundraising while they’re at work has a new cheerleader: a former head of the state’s political watchdog agency.
Filed under: Campaigns, Elections, In the News, Politics, State Assembly, State of California, State Senate
By Ed Mendel
Monday, March 25, 2013
The CalPERS board last week tentatively approved an employer rate hike of roughly 50 percent over the next half dozen years, replacing a policy that kept rates low during the recession with a plan to reach full funding in 30 years.
Comments Off on Calpensions: CalPERS rate hike: 50 percent over six years
Mary Bono Mack
March 23, 2013; 11:49 PM
Former congresswoman Mary Bono Mack has a new job.
As former Press-Enterprise D.C. bureau chief Ben Goad first reported last week, the longtime Inland politician has signed on as a senior vice president in the Washington office of FaegreBD Consulting, a lobbying firm.
To read entire column in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Comments Off on The PE: POLITICAL EMPIRE: Bono Mack joins DC lobby shop
One in four have left in the wake of city’s financial troubles
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/23/2013 06:48:17 PM PDT
Updated: 03/24/2013 12:54:01 AM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO – Sewer maintenance worker Stephen Johns’ coworkers and supervisor weren’t surprised when he told them he was interviewing for another job, or that management, morale and pay were all higher in a city that wasn’t struggling through a bankruptcy proceeding.
After all, they’ve seen 285 fellow employees – nearly one out of four – leave since July, when they say the City Council’s decision to file for bankruptcy protection turned a steady trickle away from an understaffed and unhappy workforce into a panicked flood.
It has requested a meeting with the NRC for a possible license amendment, which could speed up the process. Critics want full hearings before a restart.
By Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times
March 23, 2013, 10:00 p.m.
The operator of the troubled San Onofre nuclear plant might request a license amendment before restarting the plant through an expedited process that would not require public hearings before a restart.
Comments Off on LATimes: Edison may try to avoid public hearings before San Onofre restart
Dan Walters
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Mar. 24, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Sunday, Mar. 24, 2013 – 7:50 am
Coincidentally, three otherwise unrelated events last week framed California’s somewhat clouded economic situation.
One was a revelation that the state now is tied with Rhode Island for the nation’s highest unemployment rate, 9.8 percent.
Comments Off on SacBee: Dan Walters: California’s economic challenge in a nutshell
Saturday, March 23, 2013 – 09:00 a.m.
A little more than two-years ago it was then-Superior Court Judge Paul Zellerbach who ousted Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco in a very public and heated battle.
Now it’s Zellerbach’s star that may be falling.
Harmeet K. Dhillon is vice chairman of the California Republican Party. (Contributed Image)
March 22, 2013; 05:10 PM
The San Bernardino County Republican Party committee member who made anti-Muslim and anti-Sikh remarks will receive a letter of reprimand from the county GOP but will not be asked to step down from her post.
To read story by David Olson in The Press Enterprise, click here.
By Kevin Smith and Gregory J. Wilcox, Staff Writers
Posted: 03/22/2013 08:46:57 PM PDT
Updated: 03/22/2013 08:49:51 PM PDT
Unemployment rates rose in Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire in January and both regions posted significant job losses, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: Southern California regions see job losses, uptick in unemployment
NASCAR
Speedway: Nearby operations benefit from annual Auto Club 400 event
Fontana: Stop is a boon for the local service industry
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/22/2013 06:55:36 PM PDT
Updated: 03/22/2013 10:52:46 PM PDT
Rosa’s Italian Restaurant was quiet Friday afternoon, but assistant manager Melissa Herzog was sure business would pick up after dark.
Airport to look for alternative funding
March 22, 2013 1:09 PM
Jim E. Winburn, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • Southern California Logistics Airport was named as one of 149 air traffic control facilities nationwide targeted for closure by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday.
Comments Off on VVDailyPress: Federal funds cut for SCLA
PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
By Chris Megerian
March 22, 2013, 2:00 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — For most politicians, earning the support of one in three voters would be a red flag. But for the California Legislature, it’s a sign of improvement.
Comments Off on LATimes: Lawmakers get higher marks, but support remains lax
Filed under: Democrats, In the News, Politics, Republicans, State Assembly, State of California, State Senate
By Lori Montgomery
Saturday, March 23, 2:28 AM
The Democrat-controlled Senate approved its first budget blueprint in four years early Saturday, a political milestone that capped months of GOP criticism and set the stage for direct negotiations with the Republican-controlled House.
Comments Off on WashPost: Senate passes first budget in four years
Senior Deputy District Attorney Michael Hestrin looks over the case file in April 2007 as Raymond Lee Oyler enters the courtroom during a post-preliminary arraignment at Riverside County Superior Court in Riverside. (Amanda Lucidon/Press Enterprise)
March 21, 2013; 08:06 PM
Michael A. Hestrin, a prosecutor in the Riverside County district attorney’s office who has handled many of its high-profile death-penalty cases, announced Thursday, March 21, that he will run for district attorney next year.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Comments Off on The PE: RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Prosecutor Hestrin will run for district attorney
By Josh Dulaney
josh.dulaney@inlandnewspapers.com @JoshDulaney on Twitter
Posted: 03/21/2013 03:44:14 PM PDT
COLTON – A new interim city manager is on the job in this working-class town of 53,000.
Comments Off on The Sun: Stephen P. Compton tapped as Colton interim city manager
Congressman Gary Miller (R-Rancho Cucamonga)
By Torey Van Oot
tvanoot@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Mar. 22, 2013 – 12:00 am
Freshman Rep. Ami Bera’s packed schedule Tuesday included hearings on Afghanistan and asteroids, floor votes and an evening meet-and-greet with a group of California business leaders.
Comments Off on SacBee: Competition means an early start for California House campaigns
Filed under: Campaigns, Democrats, Elections, In the News, Politics, Republicans, State of California, U.S. House of Representatives
Thursday, March 21, 2013
By Amita Sharma
A Santa Clara County judge has ordered officials in San Jose to make public their private emails and text messages about city business.
L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
March 21, 2013 | 3:01 pm
An executive with the company that manufactured faulty equipment that led to the shutdown of the San Onofre nuclear plant defended decisions made in the design of the replacement steam generators.
Comments Off on LATimes: San Onofre design choices led to nuclear plant shutdown
L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
March 21, 2013 | 7:15 pm
Jury deliberations in the Bell corruption scandal were “very, very tense,” according to a juror who described a day of rancor that the judge in the case said seemed to her like “all hell has broken loose.”
Comments Off on LATimes: Bell corruption trial ended with jury intimidation, attorneys say
Dan Walters
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Mar. 22, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
The conviction of five former officials of the small Southern California city of Bell on corruption charges this week is a victory for governmental integrity.
By Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times
March 22, 2013
Most days, about two dozen student pilots circle over downtown Riverside, taking cues on takeoffs, landings and the position of other planes from the air traffic controllers at the city airport.
Comments Off on LATimes: 14 Southern California air traffic control towers may close due to sequestration
Filed under: Budget, Cities, Federal Aviation Administration, Finance, In the News, Lancaster, Palmdale, Transportation, U.S. Government, Victorville
By Ed Mendel | 03/21/13 1:00 AM PST
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office yesterday recommended that the Legislature adopt a plan to fully fund CalSTRS in 30 years — an estimated cost of $4.5 billion a year, a hefty addition to current annual contributions totaling $5.7 billion.
Comments Off on CapitolWeekly: LAO: $4.5 billion rate hike for teachers’ pension fund
Filed under: Budget, Education, Finance, In the News, Pension Funds, Pensions, State Assembly, State of California, State Senate
U.S. NEWS
Updated March 22, 2013, 8:04 a.m. ET
By ANNA WILDE MATHEWS and LOUISE RADNOFSKY
Health insurers are privately warning brokers that premiums for many individuals and small businesses could increase sharply next year because of the health-care overhaul law, with the nation’s biggest firm projecting that rates could more than double for some consumers buying their own plans.
Comments Off on WSJ: Health Insurers Warn on Premiums
Thursday, March 21, 2013 – 10:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, March 22, 2013 – 09:30 a.m.
The California Attorney General and San Bernardino County District Attorney has filed papers with the State Supreme Court opposing parts of the highly-publicized Colonies criminal case from moving forward.
The Sun: Judge dismisses former San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry’s misdemeanor conviction
By Joe Nelson
joe.nelson@ inlandnewspapers.com @SBCountyNow on Twitter
Posted: 03/20/2013 07:32:04 PM PDT
A San Bernardino Superior Court judge on Wednesday dismissed former San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry’s misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a $5,000 campaign contribution in 2007.
Warner Hodgdon, seen in this file photo surrounded by drawings and plans in his office, headed the San Bernardino Redevelopment Agency from 1967 to 1975. (Contributed Image)
March 20, 2013; 05:21 PM
The man whose vision reshaped downtown San Bernardino with a new mall and City Hall in the late 1960s and early ’70s has died.
Warner Hodgdon, who headed the city’s redevelopment agency from 1967 to 1975, died Wednesday, March 20, after several weeks of declining health, his family said. He was 80.
To read story by Cassie MacDuff in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Ryan Hagen
Posted: 03/20/2013 08:21:06 PM PDT
Warner Hodgdon, a descendent of San Bernardino Valley pioneers who was responsible for rebuilding much of the core of San Bernardino in the 1960s and ’70s and was heavily involved in development for decades after, died Wednesday. He was 80.
Comments Off on The Sun: Warner Hodgdon, designer of downtown San Bernardino, dies
March 20, 2013; 04:47 PM
Redlands employees staged a demonstration on Tuesday, March 19, over what they said is a 7 percent pay cut and 3 percent cut in benefits proposed by the city.
To read story by Erin Waldner in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Liset.Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/20/2013 10:30:20 PM PDT
Updated: 03/20/2013 10:56:13 PM PDT
ONTARIO – The city is focused – focused on creating jobs, improving public services and continuing its efforts to regain local control of L.A./Ontario International Airport, Mayor Paul Leon said during the State of the City address on Wednesday night.
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: Ontario State of the City: Job growth, improved public services, control of ONT
By Andrew Edwards
andrew.edwards@inlandnewspapers.com
Posted: 03/20/2013 06:26:44 PM PDT
Updated: 03/20/2013 07:39:17 PM PDT
The Board of Equalization announced Wednesday that officials will postpone collections of a controversial fee designed to pay for fire prevention work in areas where Cal Fire is responsible for protecting the state’s wildlands.
Comments Off on DailyBulletin: California Board of Equalization to postpone collection of controversial fire fee
Filed under: In the News, State of California
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
March 20, 2013
Californians remain sharply divided about California’s $68 billion high-speed rail project, even as officials prepare to start construction in the Central Valley this year, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll released tonight.
Comments Off on SacBee: PPIC poll shows division over high-speed rail, water bond
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Mar. 21, 2013 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Thursday, Mar. 21, 2013 – 7:48 am
Lawmakers began confronting a multibillion-dollar budget headache Wednesday that’s been looming for years: the funding gap at the state teachers’ pension fund.
Comments Off on SacBee: Legislators urged to deal now with $73 billion CalSTRS shortfall
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
March 20, 2013
browncarpet.jpgGov. Jerry Brown said this evening that the commission that sets pay packages for lawmakers and constitutional officers, including the governor, should not further reduce any officials’ pay.
Comments Off on SacBee: Jerry Brown says panel shouldn’t cut elected officials’ pay
By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Mar. 21, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Thursday, Mar. 21, 2013 – 7:58 am
Californians have a legal right to view court files of criminal and civil cases, but here’s the catch: It soon may cost $10.
Comments Off on SacBee: State budget proposal would charge ‘search fee’ for court documents