Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: June 29, 2016 – Updated: 6:41 p.m.
With expenses outpacing income, departments starved for money and savings dipping to uncomfortable levels, Riverside County officials want to put county government on a strict diet.
Jeff McDonald
June 29, 2016
Major reforms may be coming to the California Public Utilities Commission, but the agency still has plenty of room for improvement, auditors said Wednesday.
Melody Petersen
June 29, 2016
The U.S. Department of Education has agreed to forgive $171 million of debt owed by former students of the bankrupt for-profit school Corinthian Colleges Inc., most of them in California.
Natalie Kitroeff
June 29, 2016
Los Angeles has hemorrhaged manufacturing jobs since 2007, casting a pall over the state’s economic recovery, according to a forecast released Tuesday by Chapman University.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.
So much for that piece of crap ABC News/Washington Post Poll released on Sunday morning.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016 – 10:30 a.m.
The Highland, California City Council has either lost its mind or is waiting for a big political payday.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016 – 09:15 a.m.
Long-time political pundit, Pulitzer Prize winning author and conservative stalwart George Will has left the Republican Party.
It was the buzz on all the political shows over the weekend.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
June 28, 2016 – 5:59 PM
Lawyers love to sprinkle their discourse with Latin phrases, thereby giving them a veneer of erudition.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016 – 09:00 a.m.
San Bernardino County is set to approve a $203 million payment to its pension fund on Tuesday.
Surprisingly it’s an amount that’s lower than last year.
By Josh Gerstein
Published: 06/27/16 – 10:33 AM EDT
Updated: 06/27/16 – 02:37 PM EDT
To read opinion, click the following link: U.S. v McDonnell
A unanimous Supreme Court has overturned the corruption convictions of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, ruling that federal prosecutors relied on a “boundless” definition of the kinds of acts that could lead politicians to face criminal charges.
Joel Rubin
June 27, 2016
For years, allegations of inmate beatings by sheriff’s deputies in Los Angeles County jails swirled. When they did, one name surfaced over and over: Paul Tanaka.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
June 27, 2016 – 3:29 PM
It’s showdown time for two fiercely competitive measures that would give the public more time to see legislative bills before they are passed.
Capitol Alert
By Jeremy B. White
jwhite@sacbee.com
June 27, 2016 – 11:19 AM
A deal between Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers announced Monday will bring major changes to the oft-criticized California Public Utilities Commission, including removing the regulator’s enforcement authority over ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft.
By Alexander Bolton
06/28/16 – 06:11 AM EDT
A nine-hundred point drop in the stock market and signs of more economic turbulence to come is a troubling sign for Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee effectively running for President Obama’s third term.
Monday, June 28, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.
The back and forth between part presumptive nominee’s Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is interesting these days.
By Liset Márquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 06/25/16 – 3:07 PM PDT |
UPLAND >> When the City Council gets its first glimpse of the proposed $46.1 million budget Monday night, it will include some maneuvers that indicate the city continues to live in very lean times.
By Rene Ray De La Cruz, Staff Writer
Posted Jun. 26, 2016 at 10:09 AM
HESPERIA — The City Council recently approved its “balanced budget” as it moves into the beginning of its fiscal year on Friday.
By Sandra Emerson, Redlands Daily Facts
Posted: 06/25/16 – 5:14 PM PDT |
HIGHLAND >> The City Council meets Thursday to start its review of the proposed Harmony master-planned community.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 06/24/16 – 8:31 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> Changes to the city’s 137-year-old Fire Department are underway, a week before the county takes over.
By Jonathan Lansner and Marilyn Kalfus, Staff Writers
Posted: 06/25/16 – 6:44 PM PDT |
Dave Miller leaves work in his gold GMC Sierra in midafternoon, loaded up with Arizona iced tea and sesame seeds. He tunes the radio to 95.5 FM KLOS, classic rock.
By Rachel Uranga, rachel.uranga@langnews.com, @racheluranga on Twitter
Posted: 06/24/16 – 7:31 PM PDT |
Britain’s exit from the European Union shocked markets, reshuffled alliances and created a new political reality that experts say will be felt in Southern California.
Saturday, June 25, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.
San Bernardino County First District Supervisor Robert Lovingood can’t catch a break these days.
By Beau Yarbrough, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 06/24/16 – 11:03 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> A close race for second place in California’s 8th Congressional District just got a little less close.
Abby Sewell
June 24, 2016
The latest round of vote-counting released by the Los Angeles County registrar shows an outsider candidate maintaining his lead over a state senator in a close contest for a runoff spot in the race to replace retiring county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.
By Martin Wisckol / Staff Columnist
June 23, 2016
A list of 20 or so ballot measures can turn into a mind-numbing journey to obscure corners of government financing and bureaucracy.
Not this time.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
June 23, 2016 – 4:24 PM
California’s highways are in bad shape and getting worse every day, with a backlog of deferred maintenance totaling tens of billions of dollars.
Thursday, June 23, 2016 – 11:30 p.m.
Great Britain citizens have voted to leave the European Union.
By Mark Sherman
Associated Press
Jun 23, 2016 – 10:50 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — A tie vote by the Supreme Court is blocking President Barack Obama’s immigration plan that sought to shield millions living in the U.S. illegally from deportation.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 06/22/16 – 12:05 PM PDT |
California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced Wednesday her office is investigating allegations of systemic failures in San Bernardino County’s Department of Children and Family Services, prompted by horrific tales of children repeatedly being placed into abusive homes where they died or were severely abused.
By Roxana Kopetman / Staff Writer
June 22, 2016 – Updated 10:38 p.m.
IRVINE – The College Republicans at UCI was banned from meeting on much of the campus – hours after university administrators learned that the Republican youth plan to bring back a controversial speaker to campus before the November election.
Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago
ccadelago@sacbee.com
June 22, 2016 – 2:20 PM
Democrat Loretta Sanchez’s gambit to attract dissident Republicans to her U.S. Senate campaign received a shot of encouragement Wednesday with the endorsement of former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris, in a Wednesday morning presser, announced that a “probe” is underway into negligence allegations against San Bernardino County Children and Family Services (CFS).
Joe Nelson, The Sun
Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Stephen Wall, The Press-Enterprise
Posted: 06/21/16 – 10:09 PM PDT |
Inland public employees aren’t just earning a paycheck, but collecting hefty compensation packages that often dwarf their base salaries, an open-records advocacy group announced Tuesday.
By Liset Márquez, liset.marquez@langnews.com, @JournaLiset on Twitter
Posted: 06/21/16 – 12:22 PM PDT | Updated: 8 hrs ago
Following years of lobbying, Congress has taken a key step in putting L.A./Ontario International Airport into local hands.
Capitol Alert
By Taryn Luna
tluna@sacbee.com
June 21, 2016 – 4:05 PM
California’s political watchdog is considering a regulatory change to draw “shadow lobbyists,” consultants paid to influence legislation, into the public eye.
By Stephen Wall, The Press-Enterprise
Posted: 06/21/16 – 8:21 AM PDT |
Inland public employees aren’t just earning a paycheck, but collecting hefty compensation packages that often dwarf their base salaries, an open-records advocacy group announced Tuesday, June 21.
Tuesday, June 21, 2106 – 10:30 a.m.
A long-running and costly legal battle between San Bernardino County, it’s Office of the Public Defender, and the San Bernardino County Public Attorney’s Association just ended with the county getting slammed by a state agency.
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: June 20, 2016
Updated: June 21, 2016 – 6:59 a.m.
In recent years, Riverside County supervisors have given the sheriff’s and district attorney’s offices extra money on top of the millions they get to protect the public, even as other departments went without new county funding.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 06/20/16 – 10:14 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> The City Council on Monday saw a budget for the 12 months that begin July 1 that anticipates aggressively filling some of the 130 vacancies in the city while maintaining a small surplus.
Joel Rubin
June 20, 2016
Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, but he nonetheless should serve time in prison for lying to federal investigators during a probe into jail abuses by sheriff’s deputies, the U.S. attorney’s office has concluded.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
June 20, 2016 – 4:12 PM
When California’s “cap-and-trade” auction of carbon emission allowances imploded a month ago, it clobbered ambitious plans by Capitol politicians to spend many billions of dollars.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 06/19/16 – 10:25 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> The bankrupt city spent less money and brought in more than it had expected in the fiscal year that ends June 30, according to budget documents the City Council will review Monday.
Phil Willon
June 19, 2016 – 2:05 P.M.
The California Democratic Party on Sunday stayed true to its left-leaning political ideals, voting to support ballot initiatives to legalize pot and repeal the death penalty.
Sunday, June 19, 2016 – 10:30 a.m.
InlandPolitics would like to wish all Dad’s a Happy and Safe Father’s day.
Sunday, June 19, 2016 – 12:00 a.m.
The economy is supposed to be doing just fine. Property taxes have all but fully recovered along with real estate prices.
But Inland Empire governments are expressing caution when discussing their finances.
By Sandra Emerson, Redlands Daily Facts
Posted: 06/18/16 – 6:04 PM PDT |
It’s official. The cities of Highland and Yucaipa will hold district-based elections in November.
By Cassie MacDuff, The Press-Enterprise
and Cassie MacDuff, San Bernardino County Sun
Posted: 06/18/16 – 6:56 PM PDT |
Calimesa is just the latest city to hit the wall with Riverside County’s demands for more spending on public safety contracts.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
June 18, 2016 – 2:00 PM
California has had its brief moment of semi-relevance in this year’s wild and woolly presidential contest and Hillary Clinton can now safely count on its 55 electoral votes.
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: June 17, 2016 Updated: June 18, 2016 6:27 a.m.
Riverside County’s budget plan calls for using reserve funds to close a $60.9 million shortfall, but no layoffs or furloughs are planned, according to a report from the county executive office.
By Imran Ghori / Staff WRiter
Published: June 17, 2016
Updated: June 18, 2016 – 6:30 a.m.
A legal battle over the World Logistics Center will continue through at least the summer as opponents and Moreno Valley square off over whether the city violated state law in approving three developer-backed initiatives.
By Don Thompson, Associated Press
Jun. 18, 2016 – 12:24 AM ET
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters will be asked to do away with the nation’s largest death row after the secretary of state’s office said the repeal measure qualified for the November ballot on Friday.
Natalie Kitroeff
June 17, 2016
California’s job growth continued in May as employers added 15,200 people to their payrolls, according to a state data release.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 06/16/16 – 6:18 PM PDT |
RIVERSIDE >> San Bernardino is moving toward a confirmation hearing — the final stage in a bankruptcy that began in 2012 — in October after a somewhat bumpy hearing Thursday with the last creditor to object to the stage before that.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
June 16, 2016 – 3:51 PM
The state budget that’s sitting on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk – $122 billion in general fund spending – is almost exactly the dimensions of what he had proposed in January and revised slightly in May.
Thursday, June 16, 2016 – 12:00 p.m.
You know things are getting tough when a pension fund starts mentioning its 30-year average average return in its investment reports.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016 – 10:45 p.m.
InlandPolitics.com has confirmed the existence of an active investigation, being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), into multiple San Bernardino County governmental agencies.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 06/15/16, 5:56 PM PDT |
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approved a $5.4 billion proposed budget and more than $12 million will be allocated for security enhancements following the Dec. 2 terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center.
By Sandra Emerson, Redlands Daily Facts
Posted: 06/14/16, 11:40 PM PDT |
LOMA LINDA >> Three council members have begun new four-year terms, following the cancellation of the city’s June election because of a lack of opposition.
By Shea Johnson
Staff Writer
Posted: June 15, 2016 at 4:05 PM
Updated: June 15, 2016 at 5:49 PM
VICTORVILLE — The City Council adopted its fiscal year 2016-17 budget late Tuesday, predicting $183.7 million in city spending, including the general fund, with an additional $35 million in capital costs.
By Jim Steinberg, The Sun
Posted: 06/15/16 – 6:12 PM PDT |
RIALTO >> A majority of city council members said they want voters to decide on Nov. 8 who will replace former Rialto City Councilman Shawn O’Connell, who died from a medical issue June 5 in Loma Linda.
California
The Associated Press
June 15, 2016 6:44 PM
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
California lawmakers have approved a $122.5 billion budget that funds state government for 2016-17. The budget was negotiated by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, and the top two legislative leaders, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon of Paramount and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, of Los Angeles.
Here’s a look at what’s in it, and some things that are not.
By Jim Steinberg, San Bernardino Sun
Posted: 06/14/16 – 1:31 PM PDT |
RIALTO >> “Everybody makes a difference.”
That was the mantra Rialto City Councilman and former police sergeant Shawn O’Connell lived by, family and friends said Tuesday.
By Jonathan Cooper, Associated Press
Jun. 15, 2016 – 1:24 AM ET
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers are scheduled to vote on a state budget that boosts funding for safety net programs while socking away billions of dollars to prepare for a recession.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
June 14, 2016 – 3:52 PM
The timing could not have been more perfect.
As dozens of state budget “trailer bills” were being given their first public airing Monday, in another part of the Capitol legislators were mulling whether the public should be given more time to review legislation before it is passed.
By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 06/14/16 – 7:45 PM PDT |
A week after California’s primary election, the race for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s seat continued to be too close to call Tuesday, with more votes still to be counted.
The State Worker
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
June 14, 2016 – 3:44 PM
Prepare for another round of infighting if you’re in SEIU Local 1000.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.
Things don’t look so hot for County Supervisor Robert Lovingood after updated election results were released Monday evening.
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: June 13, 2016
Updated: June 14, 2016 – 9:12 a.m.
The Inland region’s chronic shortage of judges is now caught in a political tug-of-war between a plan favored by Gov. Jerry Brown and another favored by Democratic lawmakers.
By Steve Scauzillo, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Posted: 06/13/16 – 7:03 PM PDT |
POMONA >> At a conference Monday aimed at boosting regional connectivity between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley, territorial and financial issues created a lack of agreement on the best way to move people and solve cross-county gridlock.
By Shea Johnson
Staff Writer
Posted: Jun. 13, 2016 at 5:39 PM
Updated: Jun 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Former Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly carved ever so slightly into Democrat Dr. Rita Ramirez’ second-place edge Monday in the 8th Congressional District race, but the window to catch up continued to tighten.
Capitol Alert
By Alexei Koseff
akoseff@sacbee.com
June 13, 2016 – 3:28 PM
With little debate, a bill to end California’s observance of daylight saving time cleared its first committee on Monday.
Monday, June 13, 2016 – 11:00 a.m.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is set to continue its policy of increasing the county budget cushion this year.
Monday, June 13, 2016 – 10:30 a.m.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is set to approve a 2016-17 fiscal year budget on Tuesday, with some important beneficiaries.
Sunday, June 12, 2016 – 11:00 a.m.
It didn’t take long for the chess match to start in the runoff election for San Bernardino County First District Supervisor.
Sunday, June 12, 2016 – 11:55 a.m.
An Islamic terrorist opened up with automatic weapon fire in an Orlando, Florida nightclub overnight killing at least 50 people.
Published: June 11, 2016
Updated: June 12, 2016 – 8:52 a.m.
They were grand plans.
Plans that, if you believed the cheerleaders, would have created a sparkling water-themed paradise in a dangerous city, transformed a recession-battered bedroom community into Branson West, brought world-class sporting events to relatively boring Riverside and revived the dying Salton Sea with salty ocean water piped in from 160 miles away.
By Liset Márquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 06/11/16 – 6:12 PM PDT |
ONTARIO >> Next month would have marked a major milestone in the process of turning over control of L.A./Ontario International Airport to a local authority.
But there’s one problem: Government doesn’t always work quickly.
Associated Press
Posted: 06/11/2016 – 11:47:28 PM PDT
Updated: 06/11/2016 – 11:48:01 PM PDT
SANTA ANA — Authorities in Orange County have acknowledged an extensive log detailing the handling of jailhouse informants was kept by sheriff’s deputies but never released despite court hearings last year over the use of snitches in the high-profile case of a mass killer.
By Alex Isenstadt
06/11/16 – 03:01 PM EDT
PARK CITY, Utah — Donald Trump is trying to win over a skeptical Republican donor class, but they’ve closed their wallets — and they’re angry.
Saturday, June 11, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.
The Ringling Brothers Circus, I mean presidential race, is in full swing before each major party’s nominating conventions even take place.
By David Allen, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 06/09/16 – 3:00 PM PDT |
After months of relative calm, an Ontario City Council meeting took a sharp turn this week when Councilman Paul Vincent Avila insulted Mayor Paul Leon’s intelligence, uttered a profanity and briefly blocked the mayor’s exit.
By Jim Steinberg, The Sun
Posted: 06/09/16 – 9:44 PM PDT |
RIALTO >> A memorial service will be held for Rialto Councilman Shawn O’Connell at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Sunrise Church, Rialto Police Chief Randy DeAnda said Thursday.
Capitol Alert
By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com
June 9, 2016 – 5:01 PM
Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature have reached agreement on a budget for the coming fiscal year that repeals a long-criticized rule limiting welfare payments for people who have more children, as well as making an optional $2 billion deposit into the state’s rainy-day reserve.
By Paul Elias
Associated Press
June 9, 2016
SAN FRANCISCO — Dealing a blow to gun supporters, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Americans do not have a constitutional right to carry concealed weapons in public.
Tony Saavedra / Staff Writer
June 9, 2016 – Updated 10:49 p.m.
Secret notes kept by Orange County sheriff’s deputies on jailhouse informants appear to contradict testimony given by deputies during legal hearings for confessed Seal Beach mass murderer Scott Dekraai, prosecutors said late Thursday.