Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
Electoral Mapmaking
Oct 03, 2016 | By Jeffrey H. Anderson
One of the most pervasive myths in American politics is that a “Big Blue Wall” will protect Democratic presidential nominees, perhaps even those who lose the popular vote. In truth, this electoral Blue Wall is more like a collection of disconnected forts—some imposing, some not—and the loss of any one of them would likely doom the Democratic nominee.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 09/23/16 – 10:40 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> At least two sets of debates are planned at City Hall, after the City Council overruled City Manager Mark Scott’s decision not to allow any debates.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 09/23/16 – 4:08 PM PDT |
The attorney for McStay family murder suspect Charles “Chase” Merritt told a San Bernardino Superior Court judge Friday he cannot begin trial until he finishes defending another client in a public corruption case, scheduled to begin Oct. 17 and last seven months.
Capitol Alert
By Taryn Luna
tluna@sacbee.com
September 23, 2016 – 2:37 PM
The state’s political ethics commission is launching an investigation into the California Democratic Party after an advocacy group alleged the party acted as a middleman to funnel donations from oil and energy companies to Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2014 re-election campaign.
Jeff McDonald
September 22, 2016
State utility regulators, already under criminal investigation for their ties to monopolies they oversee, should ban gifts and travel from energy companies and trade groups to avoid the appearance of improper relationships, a state audit released Thursday said.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 22, 2016 – 7:00 PM
There are few things more fundamentally important to life in contemporary California than transportation and housing, and both are in crisis.
Thursday, September 22, 2016 – 08:45 a.m.
Yes. It was bound to happen.
Los Angeles-Based KNBC-TV has picked up coverage of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department ticket quota whistle-blower lawsuit.
By Darcy Costello and Alison Noon, The Associated Press
Posted: 09/20/16 – 8:17 PM PDT |
SACRAMENTO >> In addition to their six-figure salaries and benefits, California’s 120 lawmakers are compensated for their cost of living and meals when they leave home and travel to Sacramento to write and pass bills.
Paresh Dave
September 21, 2016
The California Supreme Court agreed to review Yelp’s objection to a decision ordering it to strip the Internet of comments posted about a San Francisco law firm.
Capitol Alert
By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
September 21, 2016 – 10:31 AM
With more than 600 bills to sign or veto before a Sept. 30 deadline, Gov. Jerry Brown has yet to weigh in on significant public safety legislation, including bills affecting prostitution, rape and the ability of felons to vote.
Here are five bills worth watching:
By: Ramona Schindelheim
Posted: Sep 09 2015 – 09:16PM PDT
Updated: Sep 09 2015 – 10:43PM PDT
(SAN BERNARDINO, CA) – A family of five young siblings is suing the San Bernardino County Department of Children and Family Services and a foster care agency contracted by the CFS, alleging the two youngest members of the family were sexually abused in a foster care home in Victorville over three years.
By Brian Rokos, The Press-Enterprise
Posted: 09/20/16 – 6:55 PM PDT |
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is not commenting on a photo shown in court as part of an ongoing civil trial that a plaintiff says shows a deputy dressed in a Grinch costume intentionally and illegally driving a patrol car through a stoplight in Victorville to prompt a red-light camera to snap a souvenir picture.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 20, 2016 – 4:41 PM
We Californians cough up about $250 billion in state and local taxes each year, one of the nation’s highest tax burdens at 12-plus percent of our personal incomes.
Read the rest of this entry »
John Myers
Sept. 20, 2016 – 2:47 p.m.
The retiring forecaster for California’s largest public employee pension fund offered some final advice on Tuesday: State and local governments should be required to pay more into the system as soon as next year.
By Beatriz Valenzuela, San Bernardino Sun
Posted: 09/19/16 – 6:35 PM PDT | U
SAN BERNARDINO >> A San Bernardino County sheriff’s lieutenant testified during a civil whistleblower-retaliation trial Monday he tried to quash a “petty citations war” between two High Desert sheriff’s stations.
Capitol Alert
The go-to source for news on California policy and politics
By Jeremy B. White
jwhite@sacbee.com
September 19, 2016 3:37 PM
If you’re planning on casting an informed vote in November, you’ve got some homework to do.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 19, 2016 – 3:21 PM
Nearly four decades after its passage, California’s Proposition 13 is still a contentious political landmark.
James F. Peltz
September 19, 2016
When the Senate Banking Committee grills Wells Fargo & Co.’s chairman Tuesday about the banking giant’s sales scandal, look for the word “clawback” to come up more than once.
Monday, September 19, 2016 – 08:30 a.m.
Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump has taken his widest lead yet in the Los Angeles Times/USC Dornsife Daily Tracking Poll of a pool of approximately 3,000 likely voters nationwide.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 09/18/16 – 1:11 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> City Manager Mark Scott informed the City Council Friday that he would not allow any of the usual election forums or local election broadcasts unless a majority of the council members voted to reverse his decision.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 18, 2016 – 4:00 PM
The last night of the Legislature’s biennial session on Aug. 31 was, as usual, a hectic free-for-all.
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Sept. 15, 2016 – 9:41 a.m.
Riverside County Supervisor Chuck Washington is getting a boost from his colleagues and a public safety union in his bid for a full four-year term on the Board of Supervisors.
By Willie Brown
September 17, 2016
Updated: September 17, 2016 – 11:00pm
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is gaining in the polls as the first presidential debate nears.
Saturday, September 17, 2016 – 11:00 a.m.
A new article published Saturday in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin is a clear-cut example of just much San Bernardino County officials believe they dance to the beat of their own drum.
By Kristina Hernandez, Redlands Daily Facts
Posted: 09/16/16 – 7:34 PM PDT |
HIGHLAND >> Three public interest groups on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the city of Highland over its approval of the controversial Harmony housing project.
By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press
Sep. 16, 2016 – 6:43 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California Gov. Jerry Brown has put promised small dinners with political donors on hold until he finishes signing bills for the year, an aide said Friday, amid criticism of what some called paid access during a crucial decision-making time for the governor.
Natalie Kitroeff
September 16, 2016
California employers quieted any lingering doubts about the state’s economy in August, as an uptick in hiring helped absorb hordes of new job-seekers.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 09/15/16 – 11:22 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> The proposed new city charter was cast as the way to end decades of destructive political infighting or a surrendering of self-government Thursday in a debate between the campaigns for and against changing the city’s governing document.
Thursday, September 15, 2016 – 09:00 a.m.
A new just-released survey by the Gallup polling organization provides information most of us already knew.
Most of the public doesn’t trust the media.
By Brian Rokos, The Press-Enterprise
Posted: 09/14/16 – 10:15 PM PDT |
A San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy testified Wednesday that he was removed from a prestigious motorcycle traffic-enforcement assignment after he criticized what he characterized as a supervisor’s illegal traffic-ticket quota and continued to cite Victorville elected officials, city officials and off-duty deputies over that same supervisor’s objections.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 13, 2016 – 4:00 PM
Gov. Jerry Brown and state legislators have been crowing about what they did for California’s poorest residents the last few years.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016 – 09:00 a.m.
The long-awaited trial involving a traffic ticket quota system employed by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is now underway.
By Richard De Atley
Posted: 09/12/16 – 4:35 PM PDT |
ONTARIO >> Fitch Ratings said Monday it has revised its outlook for Ontario International Airport bonds from negative to stable, based on better passenger traffic and a healthy financial profile for the Inland facility.
The A-letter grade remained unchanged from the previous report.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 12, 2016 – 9:54 PM
Political and legal wrangling over the fate of the State Bar took another turn Monday.
Jim Puzzanghera
September 12, 2016
The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing next week on the aggressive sales tactics by Wells Fargo & Co. employees that led to a $185-million settlement package with federal and state regulators.
Monday, September 12, 2016 – 08:30 a.m.
It was only matter of time before Democrat Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton had another heath issue.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 11, 2016 – 4:00 AM
The “unfunded liabilities” of state and local pension funds are California’s biggest unresolved political issue – at least in financial terms.
Sunday, September 11, 2016 – 09:00 a.m.
In honor of the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001.
By Jeff McDonald
Sept. 10, 2016 | Updated – 12:15 p.m.
When key bills aimed at reforming the California Public Utilities Commission died last month, much of the blame was placed publicly at the feet of a Republican floor leader — someone not typically seen as a make-or-break figure in a Democrat-dominated legislature.
By Jeff Horseman, The Press-Enterprise
Posted: 09/09/16 – 10:34 PM PDT |
Election Day is almost two months away, but there’s already a front-runner for the ugliest Inland political contest of 2016.
By Liset Márquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 09/09/16 – 12:36 PM PDT |
ONTARIO >> As the future CEO of L.A./Ontario International Airport, Kelly J. Fredericks doesn’t like the statistics he sees for passenger traffic.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 09/09/16 – 12:25 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> Prosecutors and defense attorneys in San Bernardino County’s biggest public corruption case announced Friday that after years of legal wrangling, they are ready to begin trial.
By Abby Phillip
September 9, 2016 at 10:38 PM
Hillary Clinton said Friday that “half” of Donald Trump’s supporters could be grouped in “the basket of deplorables” at a fundraising event in New York City.
By Jeff McDonald |
Sept. 8, 2016 – 5 p.m. |
Sept. 9, 2016 – Updated 7:37 a.m.
Congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez called Thursday for a federal takeover of the criminal investigation into the California Public Utilities Commission from her political rival, Attorney General Kamala Harris.
By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 09/08/16 – 8:09 PM PDT |
COLTON >> Former employees at the Ashley Furniture plant in Colton say they want justice and an apology over a recent mass layoff they see as a betrayal and retaliation for their failed attempt at unionization last year.
James Rufus Koren
September 8, 2016
Calling it “outrageous” and “a major breach of trust,” local and federal regulators hammered Wells Fargo & Co. for a pervasive culture of aggressive sales goals that pushed thousands of workers to open as many as 2 million accounts that bank customers never wanted.
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Sept. 7, 2016
Updated: Sept. 8, 2016 – 6:27 a.m.
Nathan Miller has a new job.
The Riverside County Community College District trustee, who sent two tweets featuring a noose-holding hangman and the words “I’m Ready for Hillary,” has agreed to become campaign manager for Riverside County supervisor candidate Shellie Milne, who confirmed his hiring Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 7.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016 – 08:30 a.m.
Make no mistake. First District San Bernardino County Supervisor Robert Lovingood will likely be shown the door in November.
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Sept. 6, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.
The candidates in the competitive race for California’s 40th Assembly District are using video to tout their strengths to voters ahead of the Nov. 8 election.
To read expanded article, click here.
By Jeff Collins, jcollins@scng.com
Posted: 09/06/16 – 7:40 PM PDT |
House prices continued rising in July, increasing from year-ago levels for a 51st straight month in Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire and the 50th straight month in Orange County, the CoreLogic Home Price Index showed Tuesday.
By Sarah D. Wire
September 5, 2016
With just over a month left before California starts sending out vote by mail ballots, congressional races are starting to heat up.
By Adam Nagourney
Sept 5, 2016
LOS ANGELES — Pity the California voter.
Seventeen voter initiatives are on the state ballot in November, a glut of citizen-lawmaking that could, among other things, end the death penalty, legalize recreational marijuana, impose a tax surcharge on the wealthy and place limits on prescription drug costs.
By Rosalind S. Helderman and Michelle Ye Hee Lee
September 5, 2016 at 6:51 PM
The guest list for a private State Department dinner on higher- education policy was taking shape when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered a suggestion.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 09/04/16 – 4:12 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> Labor Day begins the big campaigns for and against the ballot measure to replace the city’s charter — essentially a constitution that, if changed, could either finally free city officials to fix the city and increase voter participation or could throw away the city’s heritage and citizen protections, depending on who’s arguing.
But most people haven’t heard either argument.
By Rachel Uranga, LA Daily News
Posted: 09/04/16, 8:22 PM PDT |
Several Southern California members of Congress urged the U.S. secretary of commerce to intervene in the worldwide supply chain havoc caused by the collapse of South Korean Hanjin Shipping Co., which has left local workers’ jobs in limbo and threatens to spoil the holiday season for retailers.
By Gabriel Debenedetti
09/04/16 – 07:11 AM EDT
The final stretch of the longest presidential campaign in history opens this week. Think it’s been ugly? You’ve seen nothing yet.
Capitol Alert
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 2, 2016 – 10:49 AM
Wednesday night’s legislative stalemate on giving the State Bar permission to continue collecting dues from the state’s lawyers and, more controversially, overhauling its organization and operations, is already creating fallout.
Dan Weikel
September 2, 2016
As soon as November, Southern Californians may see jets and planes coming and going in parts of the sky where aircraft seldom flew, after the Federal Aviation Administration’s announcement Friday that it is ready to replace its aging air traffic control system in the region with new satellite-based procedures.
Liam Dillon
August 1, 2016
A major effort to overhaul the state’s energy regulator surprisingly collapsed after late legislative maneuverings led to the unraveling of the broad coalition that had pushed for changes at the scandal-ridden agency.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 1, 2016 – 5:16 PM
The biennial legislative session that ended very early Thursday morning amassed a very substantial record of action – some positive, some negative and much whose real effects won’t be known for years.
Capitol Alert
By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
September 1, 2016 – 12:33 PM
While Gov. Jerry Brown prepares to act on hundreds of bills sent to him by the Legislature in its end-of-session rush, the California Democratic Party has offered prospective donors to Brown’s political causes access to a series of small dinners with him.
By John Myers
August 31, 2016
California’s 120 legislators took the oath of office in December 2014 with pledges to tackle issues like the cost of a college education, the state’s minimum wage and beyond.
So how did they do?
By Louis Nelson
08/31/16 – 06:47 PM EDT
After weeks of slipping in the polls, Donald Trump is narrowing the advantage Hillary Clinton built in the wake of last month’s nominating conventions, a new Fox News poll of registered voters shows.
By Reid Wilson – 09/01/16 06:00 AM EDT
Pollsters are debating whether Donald Trump’s “silent majority” of voters exists, and are scrambling to make sure that their surveys reflect the opinions of voters who might not ordinarily be included in opinion polls.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016 – 09:00 a.m.
Players in the Democrat party, talking heads and the so-called GOP establishment (What remains of it!) are starting to up their chorus and pitch as Democrat Nominee Hillary Clinton’s lead rapidly evaporates.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 08/30/16 – 9:36 AM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> A committee opposed to the ballot measure that would change the city charter asked Monday that City Clerk Gigi Hanna recuse herself and her employees from any decisions related to that measure.
John Myers
Aug. 30, 2016 – 7:28 p.m.
Reporting from Sacramento–
Lawmakers on Tuesday narrowly rejected an effort to create new disclosure rules for California political mailers and money gathered from several donors into a single contribution.
John Myers
Aug. 30, 2016 – 7:39 p.m.
Reporting from Sacramento–
California election officials would have until 2019 to repair or replace the state’s antiquated campaign finance database under a bill sent to Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday.
By Shea Johnson, Staff Writer
Posted Aug. 29, 2016 at 5:56 PM
San Bernardino County 1st District Supervisor candidate Angela Valles’ lawsuit against a local wastewater agency promises to hang over head well past the November election, likely to stay active through the first half of her term should she defeat incumbent Robert Lovingood.
Capitol Alert
By Alexei Koseff
akoseff@sacbee.com
August 29, 2016 – 5:31 PM
California is on the verge of sweeping changes to its election system intended to boost plummeting voter turnout.
John Myers
Aug. 29, 2016 – 5:47 p.m.
State lawmakers rejected a plan on Monday to place limits on individual campaign donations for city and county offices, races where in some California communities there are no restrictions on the size of a legal donation.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
August 29, 2016 – 2:43 PM
A large coalition of “goo-goos” – Capitol jargon for reform groups such as Common Cause and the League of Women Voters – wants the Legislature to shine the light of disclosure on those who provide “dark money” for political campaigns.
Natalie Kitroeff
August 29, 2016
Southern California is losing another manufacturing stalwart.
By Melody Gutierrez
Published: August 28, 2016
Updated: August 28, 2016 – 8:37pm
SACRAMENTO — The fate of hundreds of bills will be decided by Wednesday, when state lawmakers wrap up their two-year session.
Liam Dillon
August 28, 2016
For years, state lawmakers have been trying to crack down on private meetings between utility companies and members of the California Public Utilities Commission after revelations that top officials and industry executives had frequent dinner dates, shared talking points and even sketched out details of the multibillion-dollar closure of a Southern California nuclear power plant during a secret rendezvous in a luxury hotel in Poland.
Adam Elmahrek
August 29, 2016
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey has accepted more than $10,000 worth of gifts over the last four years from criminal defense attorneys, police unions, business owners, prosecutors in her office and others who could have an interest in influencing her decisions as one of the most powerful law enforcement officials in the county, according to state records.
By Carolyn Y. Johnson
August 27, 2016 at 8:10 PM
Enrollment in the insurance exchanges for President Obama’s signature health-care law is at less than half the initial forecast, pushing several major insurance companies to stop offering health plans in certain markets because of significant financial losses.
Saturday, August 27, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.
A bill imposing criminal penalties on prosecutors who withhold or hide evidence in criminal cases cleared the California Senate this week and is already headed to Governor Jerry Brown for his consideration.
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Aug. 26, 2016 – Updated: 6:06 p.m.
Inland Rep. Pete Aguilar’s campaign took aim at his GOP opponent’s recordkeeping as the first-term Democratic incumbent went on the attack in the race for a San Bernardino County congressional seat.
By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 08/26/16 – 12:33 PM PDT |
COLTON >> About 840 employees at an Ashley Furniture HomeStore factory/warehouse in Colton were laid off Friday.
Shobhana Chandra
August 26, 2016 — 5:30 AM PDT
The U.S. economy grew less than previously reported last quarter on lower government outlays and a bigger depletion of inventories, capping a sluggish first-half performance propped up mainly by consumer spending.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 08/25/16 – 10:35 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> James Penman and Tim Prince don’t agree on much, but they agree that changing the city charter is a bad idea and they represent groups that both submitted ballot arguments against the charter change proposal.
By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com
August 25, 2016 – 7:07 PM
There’s nothing like a deadline to focus the mind.
That chestnut of time management holds particularly true for the California Legislature. In session for about eight months each year, the Legislature goes into overdrive in the days leading up to committee and floor deadlines.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
August 25, 2016 – 4:27 PM
As the Legislature begins the last few days of its biennial session, hundreds of measures are pending – not counting, of course, “mushroom bills” that will sprout in the dead of night and pass before anyone outside the Capitol can react.
By Brian Rokos / Staff Writer
Published: Aug. 24, 2016
Updated: Aug. 25, 2016 6:24 a.m.
A warrant was issued for the arrest of former Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach after he did not show up in court Tuesday, Aug. 23, to testify about the approval of a wiretap that prompted authorities to charge a man with possessing illegal drugs.