Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
By Matt Weiser
mweiser@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Nov. 29, 2013 – 1:20 pm
Despite a hint of rain and snow in the forecast next week, the Sacramento region and California as a whole can expect a third dry winter ahead.
By Juliet Eilperin and Amy Goldstein
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Administration officials are preparing to announce Sunday that they have met their Saturday deadline for improving HealthCare.gov, according to government officials, in part by expanding the site’s capacity so that it can handle 50,000 users at once. But they have yet to meet all their internal goals for repairing the federal health-care site, and it will not become clear how many consumers it can accommodate until more people try to use it.
By Roberta Rampton
Washington – Fri Nov 29, 2013 5:08pm EST
(Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s popularity has taken a beating over the botched October 1 launch of Obamacare, but in a television interview set to air on Friday, Obama said he believes Americans eventually will appreciate his signature healthcare reform.
November 27, 2013; 05:05 PM
The fund fueling the bulk of Riverside County’s public services expects to take in more than $1.8 million a year by charging its landfill system rent under an arrangement unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 11/28/13, 3:48 PM PST |
SAN BERNARDINO >> Calendars fill up fast this time of year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and before you know it a February runoff election.
Thursday, November 28, 2013 – 10:00 a.m.
InlandPolitics.com would like to wish everyone a pleasant and peaceful holiday.
November 27, 2013
Riverside County needs tighter controls on the amount of leave employees can accrue before they leave, county supervisors said following news of a payout exceeding $900,000 to the former hospital CEO.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The PE Political Empire Blog, click here.
November 27, 2013; 04:43 PM
Veteran Inland Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, will have more influence over federal spending, energy policy and environmental regulation as head of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
November 27, 2013; 12:55 PM
Moreno Valley Councilman Yxstian Gutierrez won an extension to respond to a residents’ request to sue to remove him from public office.
To read story by Suzanne Hurt in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
November 27, 2013
Only 329 votes stood between Assembly Republicans and an upset special election victory last week in the San Fernando Valley’s 45th Assembly District.
In September, a longtime Republican-newly-registered-independent finished just 400 votes behind the Democrat in the Inland Empire’s 52nd Assembly District.
Benefits
By John Tozzi November 27, 2013
The piece of healthcare.gov meant for small businesses won’t work for an additional year, the White House admitted today. The administration is sending small businesses to insurance agents and brokers for the next year to buy health insurance.
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON Wed Nov 27, 2013 4:22pm EST
(Reuters) – The Obama administration says it is on target to make its problematic health insurance website work smoothly for the “vast majority” of users by this weekend, but some Americans who want coverage by January 1 may not be able to get it – even if they successfully navigate the portal and sign up for a plan.
By Juliet Eilperin and Amy Goldstein
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Days before the Obama administration’s self-imposed Nov. 30 deadline for fixing HealthCare.gov, its technology team is scrambling to build a new part of the Web site as a workaround that would enable more people to buy health insurance without relying directly on the site.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 – 11:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 – 11:50 a.m.
It looks like Happy Holidays for two firms, courtesy of the Yucaipa Valley Water District (YVWD).
Happy to the tune of $750,000.
By Sandra Emerson, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 11/27/13, 12:51 AM PST |
UPLAND >> The City Council is moving forward with an agreement to merge staff at the Upland and Montclair fire departments and expand the service boundary between the cities.
By Wes Woods, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 11/26/13, 6:43 PM PST |
CLAREMONT >> Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Hesperia, spoke before a crowd of about 90 receptive people at the Mountain View Republican Club seeking to separate himself from policies of the current governor Jerry Brown.
Judge appointed to direct mediation efforts
November 26, 2013 5:10 PM
Shea Johnson, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • City officials accused of defrauding investors in a 2008 municipal bond offering were recently given an extension to file their answers to the complaint.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013 – 9:45 pm
Last Modified: Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013 – 12:55 am
Judge Michael Kenny didn’t completely derail California’s bullet train this week.
By Matea Gold and Tom Hamburger
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
The Obama administration moved Tuesday to limit the expansive role that nonprofit groups play in politics, proposing a regulation that would rein in certain tax-exempt organizations that have been able to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in recent elections without revealing their donors.
November 25, 2013; 06:32 PM
The former CEO of Riverside County’s hospital, which was losing $1 million a week during the final months of his tenure, will receive a payment of more than $900,000 and a public pension as he walks out the door, county officials announced Monday, Nov. 25.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Melissa Pinion-Whitt, The Sun
Posted: 11/26/13, 9:00 AM PST | Updated: 15 secs ago
A Northern California activist group dedicated to curbing prison spending has graded San Bernardino County with a “double fail” for its plans to expand three jail facilities, according to a report released Tuesday.
By Sandra Emerson, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 11/25/13, 6:12 PM PST |
UPLAND>> A developer has been given the go-ahead to start construction on the Magnolia Heights Community at the corner of Colonies Parkways and Campus Avenue in the Colonies at San Antonio in northeast Upland.
Nov 25, 2013 – 7:13 PM EST
By JULIET WILLIAMS
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A judge on Monday tore up California’s funding plans for what would be the nation’s first bullet train, issuing separate orders that could force the state to spend months or years redrawing its plans for the $68 billion rail line and could choke off some of its funding.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013 – 8:29 am
The implementation of the federal health care program popularly known as Obamacare will obviously affect the lives and finances of tens of millions of Americans.
By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013 – 7:34 am
SAN FRANCISCO — Beset by criticism of the federal health care overhaul and with his public approval rating at an all-time low, President Barack Obama arrived in California on Monday seeking to shift attention to immigration and the economy, issues around which he has traditionally managed to rally fellow Democrats.
By KYLE CHENEY and PAIGE WINFIELD CUNNINGHAM
11/25/13 6:59 PM EST Updated: 11/26/13 11:32 AM EST
Insurance companies are ready to unleash an expensive PR blitz to get 7 million new customers once HealthCare.gov is fixed.
But don’t expect them to sell “Obamacare.”
November 24, 2013
A Democrat in San Bernardino County’s highly competitive 31st Congressional District is asking the state party to look into what she describes as an unfair process by which local Democratic clubs endorse candidates.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
November 25, 2013
Bonnie Garcia is trying to make southwest Riverside County an active battleground in the race for the 28th Senate District seat.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 11/24/13, 5:39 PM PST |
SAN BERNARDINO >> If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again — but try something different the fourth time.
That’s how Councilman Fred Shorett approached his attempts to find out how much money could be saved by contracting out for fire protection services, failing to get approval from the necessary four members of the City Council at three consecutive meetings and then modifying the request in a way that passed unanimously.
By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 11/24/13, 8:49 PM PST |
Rep. Gary Miller, R-Rancho Cucamonga, has introduced a bill that would enable economically challenged areas in the Inland Empire to qualify for “empowerment zones,” similar to the state’s enterprise zones, which are being phased out by the end of the year.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Nov. 25, 2013 – 12:00 am
Let’s start with the basics about California’s highway network, which a few decades ago was considered to be among the world’s best.
By Ed Mendel
Mondaya, November 25, 2013
A federal judge last week set a hearing on approval of Stockton’s plan to exit bankruptcy for next March 5. But the hearing could turn into a multi-day trial if the city can’t cut a deal with the last holdout creditor, two Franklin bond funds.
Health Care
Obamacare’s problems are creating two tiers of insurance exchanges, a scenario no one ever wanted to see.
By Dustin Volz
November 24, 2013
Red-State America’s abdication on Obamacare sparked fears of a nation divided, one in which some citizens enjoyed shiny new insurance exchanges while their brethren languished in failed or failing systems.
Boehner and his wife currently pay a monthly premium of $433 for family coverage. | AP Photo
By JONATHAN ALLEN | 11/24/13 5:44 PM EST
House Speaker John Boehner’s health insurance premiums will nearly double — and his deductibles will almost triple — as a result of the Affordable Care Act, according to figures provided by his office at POLITICO’s request.
Democrats in Congress worry that Obamacare’s rollout has left them vulnerable in 2014.
By JONATHAN ALLEN | 11/25/13 4:56 AM EST Updated: 11/25/13 6:52 AM EST
Some Capitol Hill Democrats are preparing to launch broadsides against President Barack Obama if the Affordable Care Act website isn’t fixed by the end of the month.
Sunday, November 24, 2013 – 10:00 a.m.
The drama surrounding the, now-closed, Upland-based law firm of Lackie, Dammeier, McGill and Ethir doesn’t seem to be abating in any way.
November 22, 2013
Mike Burns, senior vice president of sales at the Orange County Register, has been named publisher of The Press-Enterprise, Freedom Communications owner Aaron Kushner announced.
To read story by Debra Gruszecki in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
November 23, 2013 7:41 PM
Rene Ray De La Cruz, Staff Writer
APPLE VALLEY • The race for Assemblyman Tim Donnelly’s seat just got a bit more crowded, as a third Apple Valley resident has thrown his hat into the ring.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013 – 12:00 am
When Jerry Brown departed from his first governorship in 1983, he left behind what later became known as a “structural deficit” in the state budget.
Nov 22, 2013, 12:34pm PST
Kathy Robertson
Senior Staff Writer- Sacramento Business Journal
Older California consumers ages 55 to 64 comprise the largest group of individuals who signed up for insurance coverage in the new state health benefit exchange during October.
Saturday, November 23, 2013 – 10:30 a.m.
The deal for Freedom Communications to purchase The Press-Enterprise newspaper, from A.H. Belo, finally closed this week, following a short delay.
November 22, 2013; 05:44 PM
A new mood has taken hold at San Bernardino City Hall since the recent city elections changed the face of the City Council and bumped longtime City Attorney James Penman from office on a recall vote, says a four-year council veteran.
To read story by Mark Muckenfuss, Cassie MacDuff, and Imran Ghori in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
November 22, 2013
The wheels of justice turn slowly. That’s clear from public corruption cases that have ensnared officials in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
To read column by Cassie MacDuff in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
Posted: 11/22/13, 12:13 PM PST |
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – San Bernardino County Second District Supervisor Janice Rutherford will address the Inland Valley Business Alliance’s Ultimate Business Connection Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., at Antonino’s Restaurant & Lounge, 7945 Vineyard Ave., Rancho Cucamonga.
Melody Gutierrez
Published Friday, November 22, 2013
Sacramento — The state’s political watchdog agency ramped up its enforcement efforts this year, issuing a record $1 million fine while filing 250 cases against lobbyists, lawmakers and the politically inclined. Behind the scenes, the Fair Political Practices Commission has been waging another fight – to force those they fine to pay up.
By Matea Gold
Saturday, November 23, 2013
His popularity is at an all-time low. His signature legislative achievement is on the rocks. Now President Obama will spend the next several days performing one of his least favorite tasks: asking people for money.
Friday, November 22, 2013 – 09: 30 a.m.
The 50th anniversary of the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, is being remembered by all Amercian’s on Friday.
Friday, November 22, 2013 – 09:15 a.m.
The case against Former Upland City Manager Robb Quincey is snailing its way through the courts.
November 22, 2013
A corrections counselor from Rancho Cucamonga is the latest candidate in the 40th Assembly District.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
November 21, 2013
The field for the 42nd Assembly District just got a little less crowded.
Chris Mann announced Thursday, Nov. 21 he was dropping out of the race for the district, which covers Hemet, San Jacinto, the Pass, Yucaipa and much of the Coachella Valley and Yucca Valley. The 42nd’s term-limited incumbent, Republican Brian Nestande of Palm Desert, is running for Congress against Democrat Raul Ruiz.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
November 21, 2013
The sale of The Press-Enterprise to the company that owns the Orange County Register, a deal that appeared to have bogged down as recently as a few days ago, has been completed, representatives of both sides said.
To read story by Jack Katzanek in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 11/21/13, 6:07 PM PST |
RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> The League of California Cities Inland Empire Division awarded the 2013 James S. Thalman Memorial Public Service award to Rancho Cucamonga Mayor Dennis Michael at its recent annual banquet.
By Jim Steinberg, San Bernardino Sun
Posted: 11/21/13, 6:37 PM PST |
The Inland Empire took the biggest hit in personal per capita income growth during the recession among Southern California regions in a federal study released Thursday showing decreasing income growth levels nationwide.
November 20, 2013 7:17 PM
Staff Reports
Assemblyman Tim Donnelly received a perfect score on the annual Legislative Report Cards of two groups, who gauged the way the lawmaker voted on business- and taxpayer-related issues.
By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 – 10:16 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 – 10:36 pm
One day after the Legislature’s fiscal analyst projected years of multibillion-dollar budget surpluses, Gov. Jerry Brown urged caution Thursday, calling on the Legislature to bolster reserves.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Nov. 22, 2013 – 12:00 am
So perhaps Democrats aren’t quite as omnipotent in California politics as they – and almost everyone else – assumed.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
November 21, 2013
California’s health insurance exchange has declined a presidential invitation permitting insurers to grant extensions to more than 1 million customers with policies set to terminate at year’s end.
By ALEX ISENSTADT | 11/21/13 6:09 PM EST
Elections, as the saying goes, have consequences. And Thursday’s historic vote in the Senate to obliterate the filibuster for most presidential nominees makes Election 2014 that much more consequential.
By Rick Rojas
November 20, 2013, 4:20 p.m.
Officials in Desert Hot Springs have declared a fiscal emergency in an attempt to avert a second bankruptcy as the Palm Springs-area city approaches insolvency.
By Tracy Seipel and Jessica Calefati
Staff writers
Posted: 11/20/2013 08:12:48 PM PST
Updated: 11/21/2013 12:26:49 AM PST
SACRAMENTO — One million Californians whose medical insurance policies don’t comply with the new health care law will most likely not be allowed to keep them for another year, according to sources close to the state’s new insurance exchange.
November 20, 2013; 10:56 AM
A battle over ousting the City Council is coming down to the wire in Moreno Valley, where residents appalled by a federal political corruption investigation are pitted against targets of the probe and their allies.
To read story by Suzanne Hurt in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
November 20, 2013; 05:38 PM
The timing of state Sen. Bill Emmerson’s surprise announcement Nov. 8 that he will leave office before the end of his term in 2016 briefly raised suspicions in Sacramento.
To read column by Cassie MacDuff in The Press-Enmterprise, click here.
Melody Gutierrez
Updated 10:38 pm, Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Sacramento –For the first time in nearly a decade, California is collecting more revenue than it is spending and will finish the fiscal year with an extra $2.4 billion, according to a report released Wednesday by the Legislature’s nonpartisan budget analyst.
NJ Daily
Insurance cancellations and the employer mandate will both hit just before the 2014 midterms.
By Sam Baker
November 20, 2013
Some of Obamacare’s most damaging political narratives will be getting a fresh look right before next year’s midterms, thanks to delays in the law’s implementation.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013 – 09:30 a.m.
Surprisingly, the 2014 race for San Bernardino County District Attorney already has four candidates.
November 19, 2013; 09:25 PM
Two of Riverside’s three charter officers will get raises, the City Council decided Tuesday, Nov. 19, after acknowledging concerns about the message it might send during contract talks with employees.
To read story by Alicia Robinson in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press
Posted: 11/20/13, 7:26 AM PST |
WASHINGTON — Fewer Americans bought existing homes in October, as higher mortgage rates, the 16-day partial government shutdown and a limited supply of homes reduced sales.
November 19, 2013 11:03 AM
Shea Johnson, Staff Writer
Arguments made to dismiss SEC case in U.S. District Court
LOS ANGELES • The Securities and Exchange Commission’s case will move forward against Victorville city officials accused of defrauding investors in a 2008 municipal bond offering, although a judge said there isn’t any proof right now that they made improper money from it.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
November 19, 2013
California’s retirement funds for teachers and state employees will receive nearly $300 million from a sweeping settlement between the Justice Department and financial titan JPMorgan.
Faulconer on top, Alvarez edges out Fletcher to survive to second round
By Craig Gustafson
November 19, 2013
SAN DIEGO — Republican City Councilman Kevin Faulconer easily won a spot Tuesday in the runoff to be San Diego’s next mayor while Councilman David Alvarez appeared likely to join him as the Democratic challenger.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013 – 12:30 am
When Tani Cantil-Sakauye became California’s chief justice nearly three years ago, she inherited a nasty judicial squabble from her polarizing predecessor, Ron George.
By Dan Morain
dmorain@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013 – 12:00 am
The last time the FBI caught a Sacramento politician taking $3,000, California voters lashed out and imposed term limits.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
November 19, 2013
A former Caltrans director and a member of the state’s transportation panel have filed a proposed November 2014 ballot measure that would generate an estimated $3 billion a year for road improvements by more than doubling vehicle license fees.
Post Politics
By Juliet Eilperin
November 19 at 4:06 pm
White House press secretary Jay Carney said President Obama was told in April about a review of HealthCare.gov’s problems, but Carney declined to specify the details of the briefing.
The Caucus – The Politics and Government blog of The New York Times
November 19, 2013, 8:40 pm
By JEREMY W. PETERS
WASHINGTON — Americans for Prosperity, the political group backed by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, is targeting three of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats who are up for re-election next year. The group’s efforts are part of a new $3.5 million attack advertising campaign that hammers lawmakers for supporting President Obama’s health care law.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 – 09:30 a.m.
Will a shady San Bernardino County land deal affect the upcoming contest to replace State Senator Bill Emmerson?
November 18, 2013; 05:09 PM
The sale of The Press-Enterprise to the Orange County Register’s owner, which was expected to be completed Friday, has still not closed and the company that owns Inland Southern California’s largest newspaper announced it could be exploring other options.
To read story by Jack Katzanek in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
November 18, 2013
They say a new broom sweeps clean. But new San Bernardino City Attorney Gary Saenz swept more quickly and completely than most expected.
Saenz hadn’t been in office a full day when he fired all nine City Attorney investigators, as well as his predecessor’s executive assistant, on Thursday, Nov. 14.
To read column by Cassie MacDuff in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
November 18, 2013; 04:16 PM
Riverside’s city clerk and city attorney have not had merit raises since 2007, and the City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 19, will discuss whether now is the time to boost their pay.
To read story by Alicia Robinson in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 11/18/13, 11:04 PM PST |
SAN BERNARDINO >> Two new officials and dozens more residents than typically attend a City Council meeting packed the house Monday for the swearing-in of Gary Saenz as city attorney and Jim Mulvihill as councilman.
November 18, 2013 7:11 PM
Rene Ray De La Cruz, Staff Writer
APPLE VALLEY • After coming up short in his last political battle, one local resident is getting back into the ring as he fights for a state Assembly seat.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
November 18, 2013
Election officials in Riverside and San Bernardino counties estimated Monday that it will cost at least $1.1 million to hold a stand-alone special election next year to fill the vacancy created by the surprise resignation of state Sen. Bill Emmerson, R-Redlands.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013 – 12:00 am
Two sagas have dominated national politics this year – the federal government’s partial shutdown because of a partisan stalemate and the very rocky launch of the national health care program.
Posted: Monday, November 18, 2013 10:39 pm | Updated: 11:33 pm, Mon Nov 18, 2013.
By NICK GERDA
Following months of intense debates over how to best handle $5.7 billion in unfunded retirement obligations, leaders of Orange County’s local pension system have struck a deal to avoid a major surge in public agency payments that officials warned could bankrupt small cities.
By Dan Balz and Peyton M. Craighill
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
The flawed rollout of the Affordable Care Act has pushed President Obama to the lowest point of his presidency, with dwindling faith in his competence and in many of the personal attributes that have buoyed him in the past, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.