Candidate Jason Anderson, for San Bernardino County District Attorney, celebrates an early lead, as election results started coming in Tuesday, with friends and family at his home in Upland, CA., Tuesday, June 5, 2018. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, The Sun/SCNG)
By Joe Nelson | jnelson@scng.com | San Bernardino Sun
Published: June 6, 2018 at 7:08 pm | Updated: June 7, 2018 at 12:11 am
After 16 years, San Bernardino County has a new District Attorney – former prosecutor-turned criminal defense attorney Jason Anderson, whose narrow victory over incumbent Mike Ramos in Tuesday’s primary means he will assume office in January.
Ramos conceded to Anderson Wednesday in a statement issued by his campaign manager, David Ellis.
“While the outcome is disappointing and certainly not what I intended, I recognize that the Office of the District Attorney is much larger than any individual. Join me in congratulating Jason Anderson who will take office in January 2019,” Ramos said in his statement. “Please offer your support as he takes on the important task of ensuring that justice is carried out and that the rights of victims are upheld.”
San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos, who has served as D.A. since 2002, was defeated in Tuesday’s primary by criminal defense attorney and former county prosecutor Jason Anderson. Anderson will assume office in January 2019.
Ramos did not return calls seeking further comment.
Anderson said in a telephone interview Wednesday he had already contacted the state bar to inform them he was elected District Attorney. And while he will not be assuming his elected office for another seven months, the transition from criminal defense attorney to top prosecutor is unique.
“My adversaries just became my new future colleagues,” Anderson said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
“It’s a little unprecedented in terms of this transition and this dynamic.”
Since 2014, Anderson has run his own private practice in Rancho Cucamonga, next to West Valley Superior Court. Prior to that, he was a county prosecutor in the crimes against children unit, where he tried about 100 cases over 17 years. He is also a law professor at the University of La Verne College of Law, was an Ontario planning commissioner from 2000 to 2004, and served on the Ontario City Council from 2004 to 2008.
He said one of his first orders of business as District Attorney will be sitting down and meeting with all five county supervisors and county CEO Gary McBride. He also plans to form a community commission, composed of community leaders from each of the five supervisorial districts, that will meet quarterly. Anderson says he plans to provide information on cases his office has filed, or is prosecuting, and get feedback on how office resources could be better allocated.
Anderson said that as District Attorney he still plans to maintain a caseload in the pretrial stages to keep abreast of the cases that pour into the office and provide input on how they can be managed to improve efficiencies. He also plans to ensure that high-profile cases are scrutinized so that the facts support conviction.
“I’m going to be very involved in the deliberative process when there are big cases,” Anderson said. “I think I am going to bring a very valuable determination on those cases to determine if there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Ramos’ defeat followed a series of failed high-profile corruption cases. The biggest was the Colonies case, in which wealthy Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum and three former top county officials stood accused of conspiring to fix a $102 million settlement in 2006 between the county and Burum’s Rancho Cucamonga investor group, Colonies Partners LP. The settlement ended nearly five years of heated legal battle over flood control improvements at Colonies Partners’ 434-acre residential and commercial development in Upland, adjacent the 210 Freeway.
Prosecutors alleged bribery drove the settlement, but Burum and his three co-defendants – former county Supervisor Paul Biane, former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin, and Mark Kirk, former chief of staff for former county Supervisor Gary Ovitt — maintained their innocence from the start and insisted that the prosecution was politically motivated.
All four defendants were vindicated last August when, after a marathon 8-month trial, Burum, Biane and Kirk were acquitted. Erwin, who had a separate jury, had all charges dismissed a month later after his jury announced it was hopelessly deadlocked. Prosecutors announced they did not want to retry Erwin due to “unresolvable witness problems.”
The former defendants are now suing Ramos, as well as other prosecutors and county officials, in federal court, alleging malicious prosecution and other civil rights violations.
“This is a great day for the people of San Bernardino County, who had grown weary of District Attorney Ramos’ record of failure and bad, politically-motived decisions,” Burum said in a statement Wednesday. He and his friend, Rancho Cucamonga developer Jim Previti, were among Anderson’s biggest financial supporters.
“I am proud of my support for Mr. Anderson for the betterment of our county, and clearly I wasn’t alone,” Burum said in his statement. “Voters have overwhelmingly agreed with Mr. Anderson’s vision for moving the District Attorney’s Office forward in fulfilling its mission to serve justice and protect the public.”
Burum’s attorney, Stephen G. Larson, also issued a statement, saying, “Jason Anderson is held in very high regard by the San Bernardino County legal community, and I am confident that his tenure as District Attorney will be marked by an abiding commitment to justice and fairness, coupled with a strong emphasis on integrity and accountability to all the people of our county.”
To read expanded article, click here.
This is sooooooo great. Now perhaps that the handcuffs will be off the Grand Jury, they can do their jobs!
Narrow victory? LOL!
Anderson won by 9,567 votes.
Pretty good for a defense attorney who NO BODY knew according to some.
Let’s hope Mr. Anderson hits the ground running and it becomes obvious to all that are watching.
NEXT stop US Federal Court for Mike Ramos.
Tic tic boom on all that too!
This article from The Sun points out that Jason Anderson secured a “narrow victory” over Mike Ramos. Jason Anderson received 52.98 % of the votes, and Mike Ramos received 47.02 %.
In the 2nd District Supervisor race, Janice Rutherford received 52.55 % of the votes, and Marc Steinorth received 47.45 %. That is a smaller margin of victory for Janice Rutherford, but in The Sun story about that race there is no mention that the victory was “narrow.”
And this story includes the same old biased recital of the allegations in The Colonies case, where the defendants “stood accused of conspiring to fix a $102 million settlement.” As those interested in the facts are aware, the conspiracy charges were dismissed by the court early in the proceedings.
And why does The Sun keep referring to that case as a “corruption” prosecution? Perhaps they should elaborate and point out that according to one of the jurors, it was District Attorney Mike Ramos who was “corrupt.”
Is The Sun EVER going to stop pandering to Mike Ramos? Based on this story, probably not.
James mills:
In an earlier comment, I stated that I would wait before pointing out that you were 100% wrong once again.
You were 100% wrong once again.
Hey OoF I forgot to tell you that several people asked me if I knew who you were. I said to one person I don’t know but I heard he was on Burum’s payroll. LOL.
MANY asked who James Mills was. They were told in GREAT detail who he really is and was. I won’t repeat their comments definitely rated R for language.
Let’s see how the Sun covers the upcoming Civil Trial where Mike Ramos will be the star witness.
Making sure Ramos’s deposition is made public should be a serious priority.
#5, Do you think the Sun and it’s family will be business?
I can’t make such predictions about deep rooted SWAMP gators.
In reality the Sun only rate among a few. Some still think reaching out to them is important, Only God knows why.
The Press Enterprise supported Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff in his race refusing to report major scandals.
It didn’t work a blog known as Right On Daily Blog run by a serious Politico opened shop and hammered Sheriff Sniff just like this blog did Ramos.
Lt. Chad Bianco is supported by FOUR Public Saftey Unions against Sniff, Speaks volumes .
Bianco is two points ahead of Sniff. There were four candidates who ran this race.
Now it’s just Bianco and Sniff come November.
The Press Enterprise will be cleaning up the horse shit left in the streets after the Bianco parade passes through.
My point the Sun doesn’t rate at this point.
To bad I didn’t see Nelson at Red Hill. Take my crayons to the 9th hole on the golf course could have made a beautiful picture for him.
Kenneth Holtz:
Did anyone suggest that I am Jeff Burum himself? I was accused of that a few years ago by someone on Sharon’s blog.
I too am looking forward to the civil cases. Hopefully the county will not settle them right before Mike Ramos deposition, as they did once before, and he can be questioned under oath. I foresee a lot of questions being responded to with “objection” or “I don’t recall.”
I agree that Anderson’s victory was not narrow. It wasn’t a blowout, but it was decisive and never in doubt. Anderson’s point percentage may have dropped several points from the first vote release, but his initial lead of around 10,000 votes basically stayed that way the entire night.
I liken Anderson’s victory to a football team winning by 2 touchdowns. It was not narrow or a blowout, just decisive.
Frank pine Sun editor has covered for Ramos dating back at least 10 years. He has spiked stories like the Lake Arrowhead elevator story at the County Conference. Many have suggested that Pine is obviously compromised. Now that we have heard he is connected thru the Sheriffs Rangers things become a little clearer. I wonder if Pines employer knows he is partnof the Sheriffs political organization?
LOL no they didn’t, but I remember that.
I must say I didn’t talk with anyone who I thought was a head medication.
Congratulations and good luck Mr. Anderson.
I hope you’ll as good as the county’s DA as you were as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney.
In comment #3, I responded to the above article by asking if The Sun “is EVER going to stop pandering to Mike Ramos.”
I believe that question has officially been answered: in the first paragraph of an article The Sun ran today, readers were informed that one of The Colonies defendants “escaped conviction.”
@14 OoF I just read that.
Captivating words “escaped conviction”.
Nelson forgot to mention Mike Ramos opened the door for Erwin. That’s not escape.
But then again maybe Frank Pine changed the wording before print.
The Sun and the Press – Enterprise are owned by the same company, Southern California News Group, a division of Digital First Media. Frank Pine is the Executive Editor of the group.
Pine covering for dirty cops.
Well folks it seems the AWESOME Sun Newspaper wants a $.99 cent subscription to read their articles and be able to comment and their articles.
Hurting for money Frank Pine???
Someone should notify the Southern Calif NewsGroup that their editor is a member of the Sheriffs political organization Sheriffs Rangers. Since when is a supposed journalist a member of a group he supposedly is reporting on? Can yo say conflict of interest? How about corruption?
I’m going to Vegas to do some gambling and place some bets. Should I take James Mills with me? Lol.
Just to clarify, I’m not Anonymous from previous postings, and post #20 was authored by me. I will go by Anonymous II.
@20 just stash some gas money in your sock so you can get home when you lose your butt at the tables.
As to Frank Pine I’am betting money he has a get out of jail free badge, and since he’s loved by so many a Weapons Permit.
Most REAL crime fighters do. ASK Bob Dutton.
I won’t mention neither of them have arrested anyone or engaged in any running gun battles but that’s none of my business.
If you took Mills with you, you would be lucky to come back with the clothes you were wearing.
All joking aside, I will give Mills credit for coming on the blog and congratulating Anderson for his victory.
I agree with #24. Despite our joking, that was a classy move by Mills.
Maybe so, but mills debit/credit card is very low on funds. Classy once a year isn’t gonna get you much.
I have a source that claims Mills is not a retired Lieutenant from SBSD but a retired Captain. Trying to verify before I throw his name out there. Not sure where original info came from.
#27 that would make that guy a pussy beyond explanation. But mills never denied who he was accused of being.
Sheriff Rangers are made up of mostly turds. Some are ok. Most just want to play cop and have a badge and gun. Most could not hack the real job. Some have money. Most are broke ass drunks like the one who works on fire trucks in Apple Vallley and is married to a loud mouth Water Buffalo.
#28, Mills is vague. Get one of his peeps on anything and he dissapears. Then he shows up later and says you heard it here first. Then you use the opportunity to question him again and he ignores you. I don’t think he would deny being anyone because he doesn’t stand for anything really….
Mr. Anderson is a good man. There is absolutely nothing that indicates otherwise. On the same hand, Mr. Ramos did some great things for the county over the years. Listen, the Colonies debacle was clearly his demise. Although I would have sworn the colonies kids were guilty as OJ, I am willing to concede that maybe there is something more than was presented. Yes, you heard it here first.
Congratulations Mr. Anderson.
Mr. Mills –
Your previous posts were ridiculous. You attacked these Colonies guys as criminals and I believe you enjoyed it. You swore they they were guilty. Why? How ignorant are you? Why are u switching sides now?
Your BS “heard it hear first” is embarrassing for you and why are you willing now to say, in your words, “there was something more than presented “?
These aren’t colonies kids – they were men with families…children, wives
I was willing to give u a free pass on being stupid before, but not anymore
Shame on you! Can’t play both sides anymore.
Hope u sleep at night because a new is coming
If this is not the real James Mills – I apologize
Really- I didn’t enjoy anything. I attacked the colonies guys based on information that was readily available
I am not playing “both sides”. I am happy to see the new DA lead this county into the future. I am confident that Mr. Anderson will do what is right.
James mills:
Did the “information that was readily available” that you reviewed include Judge Warner’s 50 page Statement of Intended Decision?
Some people I know whose opinions were based on the one sided and biased articles in the local media had a different opinion after they read it.
If you haven’t read it, I recommend your doing so.
Who can forget James mills aka Joe Henry retired Lieutenant from the “good ol boys” regime ATTACKING people with or WITHOUT facts from the safety of his keyboard.
I’ll never forgot Joe’s FIRST appearance on the blogs. Attacking me for a justified Officer Involved Shooting ruled on by SBSD and the District Attorney’s Office 20 years before his appearance.
Going back through several old postings of a true scandalous nature where many HEARD IT HERE FIRST I see pretty much the same diatribe from Joe. Many you idiots and moron comments.
If old Joe is ever attacked I’am confident the attackers justification lays right here in hundreds of his comments. All he has to do is justify them. A task Joe never preformed in his career.
I’am confident members of the Jury would acquit the attacker.
Got to believe that with all those who asked who mills was at Tuesday’s campaign gathering.
Mike Ramos missed a opportunity to pump his witness intimidation narrative not protecting Joe Henry and his keyboard warrior status.
If that high profile witness Sharon Gilbert had been called to the stand maybe the mystery of intimidation could have been solved. She spent many hours whining about it.
What I did learn in talking to some at Tuesday’s gathering was the threats some on the Colonies team received mysteriously, and intimidation from DA investigators that was handed out.
I hope to see that come out in Federal Court.
Mr. Holtz, I have been following along here for years waiting for Karma. Ramos got his finally! Buzz AND Woody both gone! This has somewhat restored my faith in the system. Good luck with the rest of the bad apples! (Josie I hope your next). Keep up the good work!
@37 yep, Tuesday was the best Karma I’ve seen in a very long time up close and personal.
Nice thing is there is MUCH more to come with Ramos and his minion no longer able to hide in their office.
Up front in your face public scrutiny in court. From a old cops perspective it’s brutal
Thank you for the words.
Kenny- I did not attack you. Justified or not, my question was simple. A dude swings a bicycle at you and gets shot. Justified? Not like you are taking rounds and not only that incident but several others many are aware of that causes a question or two. Can you imagine if you dropped a suspect today for swinging a deadly bicycle your way? I can’t.
And now you condone attacks on people. That is surely telling of your character. God bless.
Joe outline the many others?
See that’s why you need to be a victim. It makes the truth come out.
It looks like Kenny has an issue or two behind him. I think we all know that. At least those that worked with him certainly did.
@41 nothing that isn’t already on this blog.
But if you have something of great importance that isn’t tainted with the Mike Ramos method of prosecution go for it.