Paul Biane

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/24/2010 09:55:39 PM PDT

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Paul Biane plucked a cabernet grape from a vine at his family’s winery and pinched the grape between his fingers to expose a green seed inside.

When the seeds are brown in color and the sugar content high, the grapes are ready to harvest, he explained.

The winery’s blended table wine hasn’t been produced commercially for some time, but the 46-year-old San Bernardino County supervisor talks of expanding operations and selling the wine again after he’s done with politics.

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Flag up over new caucus

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/24/2010 09:55:26 PM PDT

Members of San Bernardino County tea party groups don’t want to be ignored by lawmakers, but group leaders say they’re suspicious of an attempt by some members of Congress to take up the tea party flag.

Some tea party leaders say the newly formed congressional Tea Party Caucus could give lawmakers a chance to claim they’re part of the tea party movement without holding to the movement’s ideals.

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Brinker

Tobin Brinker
Posted: 07/24/2010 07:18:12 PM PDT

We have all seen tightrope walkers high above the crowd on a narrow rope balancing precariously as winds buffet them. It makes for riveting entertainment, as the viewer waits to see if the tightrope walker makes it successfully across or if he falls.

San Bernardino’s elected officials are attempting to walk a budget tightrope. We are buffeted on all sides by individuals with ideological biases. Some say “NO TAXES” and others say “NO CUTS.” Citizens groups and employee unions are lobbying the elected officials and mobilizing with letters to the editor.

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Schools pact set

Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
Created: 07/24/2010 07:08:33 AM PDT

CLAREMONT – The Claremont Unified School District and the Claremont Faculty Association on Friday reached a contract agreement, according to an union official.

The three-year agreement, which is retroactive to the 2009-10 school year, includes an $800,000 contribution that district officials said they needed from the union.

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Brown

By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 1:19 am

In summer 1978, 2,000 state workers rallied for a pay raise at the Capitol, shouting “Down with Brown” and hurling boos and catcalls as then-Gov. Jerry Brown addressed them from the stage.

Three months later, East Bay labor leaders refused to let Brown speak at their Labor Day picnic, and California’s largest state employees group publicly opposed his re-election bid. The executive secretary of the state AFL-CIO accused Brown of “leading a lynch mob against government workers.”

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Published: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 1:19 am

With unemployment skyrocketing and the country recovering slowly from a painful recession, job creation is the catch phrase of the 2010 election. Every candidate, it seems, has a program to put people back to work.

California’s gubernatorial candidates, Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown, each have plans they say will help create jobs. Here’s a look at what each proposes to do. Most proposals would require approval by the Legislature.

– Dan Smith, Bee Capitol Bureau Chief

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By Dan Morain, Senior editor
dmorain@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1E
Last Modified: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 10:31 am

The ghost of one California chief justice is about to reappear this campaign season as a new chief justice heads to certain confirmation.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger nominated Tani Cantil-Sakauye as chief justice, a step that places the appointment power of governors before voters.

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Under scrutiny, the public pension fund has hired a firm to examine its payments.

By Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times

July 24, 2010 | 9:56 p.m.

Reporting from Sacramento —

California taxpayers are on the hook when the state’s giant public pension system — lately plagued by corruption scandals and huge losses — makes a bad investment. Yet they are permitted to see little of what goes into its investment decisions.

Officials at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System have shrouded many of their multimillion-dollar transactions in secrecy, refusing to release analyses of potential investments, meeting materials and correspondence relating to venture capital, real estate and other private equity holdings.

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Sheriff Rod Hoops

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 1, 2010

By PAUL LAROCCO
The Press-Enterprise

San Bernardino County Sheriff Rod Hoops has raised more and outspent his election opponents by a margin of more than 12 to 1, according to campaign finance reports released last week.

Hoops, appointed sheriff in 2009 and seeking his first elected term, received $129,667 in contributions from mid-March through late May, giving him more than $140,000 for the year. He has spent $196,090 since January.

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District Attorney Rod Pacheco

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 1, 2010

By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise

District Attorney Rod Pacheco raised $47,000 in campaign donations in eight weeks, compared with $129,000 raised in the same period by challenger Paul Zellerbach, according to campaign contribution and expenditure forms.

But Pacheco, a three-term assemblyman who ran unopposed in 2006 for his first term as district attorney, started the March 18-May 22 reporting period with $452,000, considerably more than Zellerbach’s $19,180.

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Meg Whitman

By PE Politics
on June 1, 2010 11:22 AM

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman met with more than three dozen voters over breakfast at a Riverside restaurant this morning.

With the June 8 election a week away, Whitman campaigned at Crest Cafe on Canyon Crest Drive before heading to Orange County.

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Absentees are key

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 06/01/2010 09:59:32 PM PDT

Election day is six days away, but candidates in local races are hoping they’ve received thousands of votes already.

With absentee voting gaining in popularity, candidates are focusing more and more on reaching out to voters who will cast their ballots before Tuesday.

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Growth brings in donors

Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/01/2010 09:59:31 PM PDT

The mayoral campaigns in some of the Inland Empire’s fastest growing cities rake in more than $100,000 each in political contributions.

The last mayoral race in Montclair, a city with little room to grow, brought in $13,000 in contributions.

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Morrell criticizes GOP hopefuls for 63rd Assembly
Chantal M. Lovell, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/01/2010 09:26:44 PM PDT

REDLANDS – Republican candidates for the 63rd Assembly District seat want to set the record straight following a mailer they say distorts the truth.

A campaign advertisement paid for by Mike Morrell for State Assembly 2010 hit mailboxes last week and accuses fellow Republican candidates Pat Gilbreath, Don Kurth and Acquanetta Warren of taking a less than conservative stance on illegal immigration, taxes and government spending.

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Rep. Gary Miller

Congressman calls allegations political attacks
Staff Reports
Created: 06/01/2010 09:37:07 PM PDT

Rep. Gary Miller on Tuesday responded to accusations that he is misrepresenting his military service, calling them nothing more than political attacks.

Harper’s magazine published an article on its website earlier in the day questioning whether Miller, R-Brea, was honest about his time in the U.S. Army.

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Board OKs boycott

Troy Anderson and Connie Llanos, Staff Writers
Created: 06/01/2010 10:04:13 PM PDT

Two Los Angeles governing boards Tuesday joined a list of cities, counties and community groups that have slammed Arizona’s tough new immigration law.

In a split vote along party lines, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to suspend all travel to Arizona for county business unless the travel is considered imperative; ban county investments in Arizona securities; and review all contracts with Arizona-based companies and report on how those contracts can be terminated.

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Leach

09:51 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 1, 2010

By PAUL LaROCCO and ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise

The two Riverside police officers immediately realized the traffic stop they had just made would be a “political nightmare.”

Their chief, Russ Leach, was behind the wheel of a car worn down to its rims, driving without its lights just before 3 a.m. Smelling strongly of alcohol, Leach greeted them by holding his badge straight out the window.

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10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 1, 2010

San Bernardino County’s investment pool has received top ratings from a national credit agency, the auditor/controller/treasurer-tax collector’s office announced Tuesday.

Fitch Ratings gave the $4 billion pool AAA and V1 ratings, the top credit rating. Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, the two other top national credit agencies, have provided similar ratings to the county.

–Imran Ghori

ighori@PE.com

By PE Politics
on June 1, 2010 2:41 PM

A group backing the Senate candidacy of Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone has produced an ad featuring a leading supporter of Arizona’s new law targeting illegal immigrants.

A related group has produced an ad going after Stone’s main rival for the Republican nomination in the 36th Senate District, Assemblyman Joel Anderson, R-Alpine.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE News
on June 1, 2010 12:26 PM

Backers of a move to recall four San Jacinto City Council members indicted in a political corruption probe filed petitions — with more than 4,000 signatures each — with the city this morning.

San Jacinto City Clerk Rick Miller will count the signatures before forwarding the petitions to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters Office, where signatures will be checked against voter rolls for verification.

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Tom Campbell

The former congressman will rely on Internet appeals and phone calls as his chief rival, Carly Fiorina, shoots ahead in what once was a close contest to replace Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.

By Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times

June 2, 2010

Capitulating to his dwindling campaign treasury, Republican Senate candidate Tom Campbell pulled his television advertising Tuesday and in the closing days of the primary race will rely on Internet appeals and telephone calls to make his case to GOP voters.

The move creates an enormous hurdle for the former congressman at a time when his chief rival, Carly Fiorina, has loaned several million dollars to her campaign and, on the strength of a generous round of TV ads, has shot ahead in what was once a close contest to replace Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.

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Jerry Brown

By STU WOO And JOHN R. EMSHWILLER
Bloomberg News

Democrat Jerry Brown, pictured Tuesday, has raised less cash than Republicans but also has spent less so far.

California’s presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, Jerry Brown, badly trails the leading Republican candidates on the fund-raising front. Oddly enough, though, he appears well-situated for the general election.

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Meg Whitman                 Carly Fiorina

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Wednesday, Jun. 2, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

The 1992 election became known as the “year of the woman” after female candidates won many California political offices, including both U.S. Senate seats.

It was, however, almost entirely a Democratic Party phenomenon as Republicans continued to field arrays of male candidates.

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Schnur

By Torey Van Oot
tvanoot@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Jun. 2, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed Dan Schnur as chairman of the Fair Political Practices Commission, California’s political watchdog agency.

Schnur, the director of University of Southern California’s Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, is a veteran Republican strategist who served as communications director for former Gov. Pete Wilson and for Sen. John McCain’s 2000 presidential bid.

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High Desert developer John “Dino” DeFazio, charged with two counts of alleged perjury related to testimony he gave before the San Bernardino County Grand Jury last year, appeared before Judge Michael Dest in San Bernardino County Superior Court this morning.

The case was continued and a July court date was set.

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www.iepolitics.com

Written by Administrator
May 24th, 2010 at 9:02 am

“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both. — Eleanor Roosevelt”

So far in this series we have discussed the District Attorney’s office and the Conflict Panel. There are three other components to justice, or the lack thereof, in San Bernardino County: the Public Defender, the Sheriff’s Department, and the Superior Court bench. Today, we will discuss the office of the Public Defender.

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San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos is once again under investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) See letter:

www.iepolitics.com

Written by Administrator
May 24th, 2010 at 5:27 am

As a child growing up with a mother who prescribed to old-fashioned thoughts about medical care, I was always told never to allow doctors to operate on cancer because exposing cancer cells to air would cause them to grow exponentially.  Of course, today we know how to use surgery to cure an otherwise fatal tumor.

Several years ago all of Southern California watched the crisis at the Los Angeles County-run King-Drew Medical Center.  If history can predict the future, we have a similar, fatal cancer growing at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) that needs to be excised fully and quickly.

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Supervisor Jeff Stone

10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone says he doesn’t like independent expenditure committees, but he might be getting their help whether he likes it or not.

At a forum last week for candidates for the 36th state Senate District seat, Stone said he would propose legislation to curb spending by the “IE’s” — the unions, business groups, tribes and other special interests that can dump unlimited amounts of money into a race as long as there is no coordination with candidates.

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11:58 PM PDT on Sunday, May 23, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

Two candidates with a long background in San Bernardino County government are vying to run the assessor’s office while veteran Auditor/Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector Larry Walker faces a challenge from a newcomer in the June 8 election.

Both countywide offices are relatively low-profile.

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11:46 PM PDT on Sunday, May 23, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Senate Democrats’ quest to increase their ranks in the state Capitol stops short of the Riverside County line.

The campaign for the June 8 special election in Riverside County’s 37th Senate District is a shadow of the knock-down Republican fight that marked last month’s special primary election.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/23/2010 09:44:34 PM PDT

To reduce commutes, supervisors to vote Tuesday on closed-circuit public video

By Joe Nelson

Staff Writer

San Bernardino County is considering a pilot program in which the public can avoid long hauls to San Bernardino by addressing the Board of Supervisors via closed-circuit video.

The Board of Supervisors will vote on the item at Tuesday’s meeting.

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Brown

By Capitol Weekly Staff | 05/23/10 12:00 AM PST

Jerry Brown received $2.25 million in campaign cash from the state Democratic Party’s central committee, his gubernatorial campaign reported this weekend.

The donation by far is the largest single contribution given to Brown, a Democrat and former chairman of the state party. Brown, the state attorney general and former governor, faces no serious opposition in the June 8 Democratic primary.

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By Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times

May 24, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento —

Two days after he was finally sworn in as California’s lieutenant governor after a grueling partisan battle, Republican Abel Maldonado appeared on national TV with political comedian Stephen Colbert to discuss his signature issue, a primary election designed to reduce the influence of party hardliners in the Legislature.

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By Ed Mendel

If CalPERS can wait until next year to raise rates for more than 1,500 local government agencies, why impose a $600 million rate hike on the deficit-ridden state this year?

A number of questions may be asked after the CalPERS board, at the request of state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, voted last week to delay a decision on the state rate hike until next month.

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** This story is being brought forward at the request of a reader. The point being District Attorney Mike Ramos appears to be focused so much on eliminating his political enemies, than seeing justice done on true crimes against the community and its residents.

Kenneth Good

By Charles Roberts, Editor
Highland Community News
Published: Thursday, May 13, 2010 4:38 PM CDT

Rico Von Heninburg has had 71 court dates so far, and neighbors say that’s enough.

Kenneth Good, 87, was awakened in the predawn hours of Aug. 29, 2008, by a man beating him with a barbell. He was knocked unconscious, and called 911 when he awoke at 5:15 a.m.

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www.iepolitics.com

Written by Administrator
May 3rd, 2010 at 6:34 am

Good lawyers know the law; great lawyers know the judge.  — Author Unknown

Justice is defined as “the upholding of what is just, especially fair treatment and due reward in accordance with honor, standards or law.”   In other words, in a county run by scoundrels, justice is hard to find.

In part one of this series we are going to examine the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, District Attorney Michael Ramos, and the relationships the office and its elected leader enjoys with the county’s criminal justice system.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:13 PM PDT on Sunday, May 2, 2010

By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise

At least five principals will be replaced and six schools will be converted to charter status in the wake of a state report ranking 11 San Bernardino schools among the state’s lowest-performing 5 percent.

Two of the principals — Karen Craig of Arroyo Valley High School and Sandy Robbins of San Gorgonio High — already planned to retire, San Bernardino City Unified School District Superintendent Arturo Delgado said by phone.

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Cook says legislation would fight corruption
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/02/2010 09:32:02 PM PDT

Assemblyman Paul Cook ramped up efforts Friday to inform the public, and clear up any misconceptions, about his bill that would allow San Bernardino County to impanel an additional grand jury to investigate local government.

In addition to allowing an additional grand jury, Cook’s AB 1906 would also allow the presiding judge to extend the term of the grand jury longer than a year, if necessary, to complete an investigation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Stacia Glenn, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/02/2010 05:05:37 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – A new website rolled out today by the San Bernardino Police Officers Association is meant to showcase the union’s community involvement and historical roots.

The site – www.thesbpoa.org – offers profiles on the department’s original nine officers and background on how the POA formed in 1953 but will soon feature a newsletter with safety bulletins and notices about community events.

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Plan would rein in ‘mega-retail’ in Redlands
Jesse B. Gill, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/02/2010 02:55:49 PM PDT

REDLANDS – Measure O proponents say it could help protect Redlands’ small businesses. But opponents say the businesses have nothing to fear from a Wal-Mart expansion.

Measure O will appear on the June 8 ballot. If passed, the legislation would derail plans to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter in north Redlands. It would also limit how “mega-retail” stores could build in the city.

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Medical marijuana backers claim officials are stalling
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/02/2010 07:02:40 AM PDT

Medical marijuana advocates say they are frustrated with what they see as San Bernardino County’s refusal to pass a law defining how cannabis providers should operate.

“They’re making up their own rules as they go,” said Abel Chapa, a self-described volunteer for San Bernardino Patients Association, a Chino-area collective that sheriff’s deputies raided in late March.

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The GOP rivals trade attacks over Arizona’s new law, as well as each other’s business dealings and consistency on policy issues.
Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner

By Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times

May 2, 2010 | 10:38 p.m.

Reporting from San Jose

Debating for the final time before next month’s primary election, GOP gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner on Sunday engaged in a lively and personal joust, attacking each other’s business dealings, political affiliations and consistency on policy issues.

Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Garofoli,Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writers

Monday, May 3, 2010

(05-02) 21:18 PDT San Jose — After weeks of being attacked for her extensive links to Goldman Sachs, billionaire GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman insisted Sunday she “did not do anything wrong” as eBay CEO when she was involved in “spinning” stocks offered to her by the investment firm.

“I did not actually see a conflict of interest here,” Whitman said during her hour-long televised debate with state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose.

Read the rest of this entry »

May 2, 2010

Five minutes into the GOP governor’s debate, Steve Poizner ripped into Meg Whitman on her ties to Goldman Sachs – charging that “a lot of people got damaged by Goldman Sachs and Meg Whitman’s right in the middle of it.”

“Meg Whitman has massive investments in Goldman Sachs, made huge amounts of money from the collapse of the housing market, and then, when it was time for Goldman Sachs to get bailed out by taxpayers, Meg Whitman actively campaigned for a taxpayer funded (bailout). The question is, did she let people know?”

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Rep. Mary Bono Mack

Erica Felci • The Desert Sun • May 3, 2010

Goldman Sachs’ executives faced tough questions on Capitol Hill last week, and it didn’t take long for the Democrats to bring the issue home.

The campaign for Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet, the lone Democrat challenging Rep. Mary Bono Mack in this year’s election, called on the Republican incumbent to return a $2,000 donation she got from the Wall Street firm’s managing director last October.

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After receiving a few feedback comments I decided to write a follow-up piece to my first story on this topic in a effort to make my point clearer.

The op-ed written by Frank Pine, Editor of the San Bernardino Sun / Inland Valley Daily Bulletin titled “Whose attorneys are they?” available here lists a myriad of block walls county supervisors “could have” employed to avoid waiving attorney-client privilege related to the Colonies Settlement matter. A waiver was requested by San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos and California Attorney General Edmund “Jerry” Brown in order for their prosecutors and investigators to access documents and lawyers who worked on the litigation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sun / Daily Bulletin newspaper Editor Frank Pine put in some extra effort over the past few weeks.

He even inked an op-ed column on the subject.

Pine and his newspapers spent their time hammering away at the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors over their slowness to waiver “Attorney-Client Privilege” protecting documents and lawyers involving the $102 million Colonies Settlement from being accessed by state and county investigators.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/21/2010 06:37:16 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – At least two supervisors say they’ll vote to give prosecutors details of the county’s $102 million settlement with Colonies Partners LP amid signs a resolution is near to a month-old request by investigators.

The settlement is at the center of a broad corruption investigation being conducted by state and local prosecutors.

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07:43 PM PDT on Wednesday, April 21, 2010

By IMRAN CHORI
The Press-Enterprise

State and local prosecutors are threatening to take San Bernardino County supervisors to court to compel them to release documents in the Colonies Partners legal settlement that is at the center of an extortion and bribery investigation.

The San Bernardino County district attorney and state attorney general’s offices are seeking access to legal documents and attorneys hired by the county as part of an investigation alleging that the $102 million settlement with Colonies Partners was part of an illegal conspiracy involving extortion and $400,000 in bribes.

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10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The City Council will meet tonight to hear options for closing a $24.4 million hole in its budget for the coming fiscal year.

Among the options it will look at is placing tax measures on the ballot, increasing fees, selling the city’s convention center to the Redevelopment Agency and partnering with other public and private agencies on such projects as a regional animal shelter.

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Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/21/2010 05:18:48 PM PDT

Tension was high among employees of the San Bernardino City Unified School District on Wednesday, a day after trustees voted to overhaul 11 struggling schools and increase scrutiny of teachers.

By dramatically overhauling the schools in time for the coming school year, the San Bernardino City Unified School District becomes eligible for up to $22million in state money to improve the campuses.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/21/2010 09:56:48 PM PDT

COLTON – At a June meeting the City Council will consider approving an ordinance that will place an extension of the utility users tax on the November ballot.

On Tuesday evening, the council directed city staff to draft the ordinance and begin a public education effort to inform residents what services the tax will fund.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE News
on April 21, 2010 11:08 PM

Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth introduced legislation Wednesday to change the retirement system for state workers as a way to reduce pension costs.

His proposal, SB 919, would raise the retirement age for non-safety employees from 55 to 65. It would increase the retirement age for CHP officers, firefighters and other safety employees from 50 to 57. In addition, it would cut the number of employee classifications that qualify for more lucrative public safety retirement benefits.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, April 21, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – An Assembly committee gave quick approval Wednesday to the latest legislative attempt to free up $30 million in tribal casino revenue for Inland communities and other parts of the state.

But it’s unclear whether the proposal to restore what supporters call the “lost year” of casino-mitigation funding will find support where it’s needed most: the Schwarzenegger administration.

Read the rest of this entry »

Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Created: 04/21/2010 05:37:19 PM PDT

ONTARIO – As the Inland Empire emerges from the recession, economic development experts believe the region will eventually become the state’s leader in economic growth.

The Inland Empire’s workforce and development could be potential catalysts for its economic evolution, according to the panel of experts assembled Wednesday in Ontario at the monthly luncheon for the Inland Empire chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women.

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By John Howard and Anthony York | 04/22/10 12:00 AM PST

Former Rep. Tom Campbell has opened up a double-digit lead over his two rivals for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, while Meg Whitman maintains a wide margin over Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner in the GOP gubernatorial battle.

The results were part of a new Capitol Weekly/Probolsky Research poll conducted jointly by Republican pollster Adam Probolsky and Democratic pollster Ben Tulchin.

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By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Apr. 22, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

The commission that regulates California legislators’ salaries will consider a proposal Thursday that could slash lawmakers’ pay by at least a quarter in less than a year.

The Governor’s Office, which appoints the commissioners, is suggesting the panel won’t necessarily vote immediately.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, April 17, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

San Bernardino County has yet to hold any public discussion over its budget for the next fiscal year but officials are warning about possible layoffs as they deal with a $90 million shortfall.

County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux has been meeting with department heads to review how cuts as large as 20 percent could affect their ability to operate. Negotiations have also been going on with the unions representing most county employees over their willingness to forego contracted salary increases.

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Party’s share of the vote declines
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/17/2010 07:11:21 AM PDT

As San Bernardino County becomes increasingly Latino, the political fortunes of the Republican Party have dimmed.

While the percentage of immigrants in the county has more than doubled over the past three decades, the share of the Republican vote in presidential elections has continued to drop, according to a new study.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Ed Mendel

Retirees in CalPERS and CalSTRS will get a 2 percent increase in their monthly checks this year, even though a rare drop in the cost of living means that Social Security recipients get no increase.

So, they are at it again, those public pensions under fire for being unaffordably generous, a threat to state and local government budgets, and a potentially crushing burden for future taxpayers?

Not exactly.

Read the rest of this entry »

Carla Marinucci and Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Political Writers

Sunday, April 18, 2010

(04-18) 04:00 PDT Los Angeles – –

Casting the 2010 elections as a battle of wills between Wall Street corporations and Main Street families, California Democratic leaders – including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Barbara Boxer and gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown – urged party activists Saturday to counter conservative Tea Party passion with ideas, advocacy and action on crucial issues like health care reform.

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Los Angeles — Dem guv candidate Jerry Brown lobbed a grenade into the guv’s race at from the party convention here, proposing a rare, cross-party three-way debate with his major Republican opponents, billionaire eBay CEO Meg Whitman and demi-billionaire Steve Poizner.

Now wouldn’t that be exciting and provocative and informative for the populace? Jerry thinks so. So does Poizner. Meg? Uh…no.

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Brown

The candidate for governor issues the challenge at the California Democratic convention as the party looks to counter the national GOP tide.
Jerry Brown

By Michael Rothfeld and Seema Mehta

April 18, 2010

Taking the offensive for the first time in his campaign for governor, Jerry Brown tried to counter Republican momentum by issuing a challenge from the state Democratic convention podium Saturday for his GOP opponents to debate him before the primary election in June.

Read the rest of this entry »

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE QUARTERLY

Vacancies are increasing and rents are falling. The trend is tough for landlords but great for tenants who are looking for new space or negotiating to renew their existing leases.

By Roger Vincent

April 18, 2010

Southern California’s long-suffering office market continued to weaken in the first quarter as demand slid and rents fell, a pattern expected to carry on through the months ahead.

The trend is dreary for landlords, who have seen their incomes fall for more than a year, but a boost for office renters who are looking for new space or negotiating to renew their existing leases as they expire.

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By Lisa M. Krieger

lkrieger@mercurynews.com
Posted: 04/18/2010 12:00:00 AM PDT
Updated: 04/18/2010 07:44:16 AM PDT

Fifty years ago this month, California promised a low-cost, high-quality university education for every qualified high school graduate in the state. But that promise — inflated by growing populations and academic aspirations — expanded beyond the state’s willingness to pay for it.

What went wrong? How did the university system that was long the envy of the world suddenly become the focus of angry street protests, overcrowded classrooms, soaring tuition and a monumental debate over whether the state can ever make good again on its groundbreaking mission?

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Written by Administrator
April 15th, 2010 at 12:59 pm

Imagine being a seasoned, well-respected prosecutor of 30 years or more.  Now imagine sitting in the judge’s chambers discussing one of the most high-profile criminal cases in the past decade in your county.  And then imagine having to ask the judge to not be required to turn over all evidence to the defense.

Preposterous?  Anyone in the legal community would think so as they understand  the rules of evidence.  Surprise witnesses and damning evidence is only allowed on Perry Mason.  In the real world, by law, both sides have the right to all evidence in their favor or against them prior to the commencement of trial.

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We have five defendants, Jim Erwin, Bill Postmus, Rex Gutierrez, Greg Eyler, and Dino DiFazio.  So, we have five criminal defense attorneys; five criminal defense attorneys who have reviewed the discovery provided by the District Attorney’s Office; five criminal defense attorneys who have compared notes; five criminal defense attorneys who have come to realize that Confidential Informant No. 1, our favorite yellow singing Canary extraordinaire, “persona au gratin,” one half of the team known as “Hansel and Gretel,” none other than the young Mr. Adam Aleman has a problem with the truth.

This is hardly new news to readers of this blog.  But there is a new twist.

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New CAO said layoffs likely to help close $90 million budget gap

April 12, 2010 4:39 PM
Natasha Lindstrom

SAN BERNARDINO • Two months since taking San Bernardino County’s helm, County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux said he will push to reorganize the county’s structure, establish a county-wide vision for the future and seek extensive union concessions to minimize layoffs that loom ahead.

County officials have yet to publicly discuss any details of a budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1, though Devereaux said discussion on the budget should be agendized by early June.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Polls in the district are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

09:43 PM PDT on Monday, April 12, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

It’s Election Day if you live in the 37th state Senate district.

Residents in Banning, Beaumont, Corona, Hemet, Moreno Valley, Lake Elsinore, Norco, Perris, San Jacinto and the Coachella Valley can head to the polls from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/12/2010 06:41:46 PM PDT

Candidates for San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools are raising less money overall than candidates for county supervisor or district attorney, but both major candidates have received sizeable donations from those who have done or might want to do business with the county school system.

County Superintendent Gary Thomas, who was appointed to fill the remainder of the term of former superintendent Herbert Fischer, and San Bernardino City Unified School District Superintendent Arturo Delgado, have each received tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from construction companies, architectural firms and consultants that work with schools.

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Boxer

By PE Politics
on April 12, 2010 11:49 AM

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., raised $2.4 million for her re-election bid over the first three months on 2010, her campaign announced today.

Quarterly campaign finance reports aren’t due out until later this week, but the Boxer camp issued a statement in advance of the official filing to tout the three-term incumbents biggest quarter yet. She now has $8.7 million on hand as she awaits the outcome of the June Republican primary.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
April 12, 2010

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman’s campaign is sending out about half a million copies of her 48-page policy booklet to households across California, most of them Republican, said Whitman press secretary Sarah Pompei.

Whitman has made the policy booklet the recent focus of her campaign, featuring it in a TV ad and holding a campaign event today at a Tustin printing and direct mail firm that’s producing and mailing out the publication.

Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Guzman

San Bernardino County District Attorney candidate Frank Guzman has released his campaign website.

The hard-hitting website is not too flattering of incumbent District Attorney Michael Ramos and would appear to leave no stone unturned in revealing the many problems affecting the two-term incumbent.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bono-Mack

By PE Politics
on April 7, 2010 2:32 PM

Inland Rep. Mary Bono Mack and one of those trying to replace her, Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet, each picked up endorsements in recent days.

Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, got formal backing from the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative group that promotes fairness for gay and lesbian Americans. The group has consistently supported Bono Mack, calling her an ally for Riverside County’s gay population.

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Emmerson

By PE Politics
on April 7, 2010 1:16 PM

There’s a new entrant in the crush of independent spending in the race leading up to Tuesday’s election in the 37th Senate District.

The California Tribal Business Alliance reports spending $21,605 for a mailer supporting Assemblyman Bill Emmerson.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, April 7, 2010

By JAN SEARS
The Press-Enterprise

A survey of Redlands voters shows that about 60 percent would be willing to vote in favor of a half-cent sales tax surcharge, the City Council was told Tuesday.

The approval rating goes up slightly when those surveyed are told the city would spend the money on such services as street improvements, keeping public areas clean and fighting drug- and gang-related crime, a survey by True North Research Inc. showed.

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Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 04/07/2010 05:07:10 PM PDT

ONTARIO – The good news is, there’s no more bad news.

Moderate job growth – more than 10,000 new jobs, mostly in the blue collar sector – will arrive this year, leading a gradual recovery for the Inland Empire region, said economist John Husing at the Ontario Convention Center on Wednesday.

“It’s not wild job creation but positive boost we’ll be seeing in the economy,” Husing said.

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Schools worry about coming debts
Canan Tasci, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/07/2010 09:11:16 PM PDT

In the midst of California’s budget crisis, a number of Inland Valley school districts have hoisted red flags, expressing uncertainty about their financial futures to county and state education officials.

So far this school year, five Inland Valley school districts – Alta Loma, Central, Chino Valley Unified, Etiwanda and Pomona Unified – have submitted interim financial reports that included a “qualified” certification. The notation indicates that the district might not be able to balance its budgets in the current or next two fiscal years.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/07/2010 06:42:50 PM PDT

RIALTO – Labor negotiations between the firefighters union and the city have broken off amid efforts by officials to close a budget shortfall.

Nash Briones, president of Rialto Professional Firefighters Local 3688, said Wednesday the City Council has rejected $2 million in concessions offered by the union.

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Troy Anderson, Staff Writer
Created: 04/07/2010 08:11:02 PM PDT

The union representing Los Angeles County prosecutors has filed a class-action lawsuit against District Attorney Steve Cooley, alleging his office committed “what amounts to identity theft” by obtaining a list of 650 prosecutors who supported the union, officials said.

The lawsuit alleges Cooley’s office obtained a highly confidential list of the prosecutors who supported the Association of Deputy District Attorneys and subsequently used the list to intimidate and harass them, damaging prosecutors’ careers and prospects for advancement.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
Chamber of Commerce ad attacking Brown angers some board members
April 7, 2010 | 7:24 pm

Some members of the California Chamber of Commerce board are up in arms over the influential business group’s funding of a television commercial attacking Jerry Brown while calling it an “issues” ad on taxes and spending. The commercial briefly talks about the need to rein in spending and then goes on to blast Brown, the presumed Democratic nominee for governor, as being a big spender throughout his long political career.

In a letter Wednesday, four board members told chamber President and Chief Executive Allan Zaremberg that “to any reasonably minded person this is nothing more than a typical political attack ad. It undermines the chamber’s credibility to justify it as anything other than that.”

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The legislation, prompted by a spreading nationwide scandal over sometimes huge fees paid to ‘placement agents,’ barely overcomes opposition from lobbyists for Wall Street firms.

By Marc Lifsher

April 8, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento
A bill that would outlaw payments of sometimes huge commissions to the intermediaries that broker investments by California’s two big public pension funds was approved by a key Assembly committee without a vote to spare Wednesday.

The measure, sponsored by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the country’s largest government pension fund, barely overcame opposition from lobbyists for Wall Street investment firms, led by the powerful private equity firm Blackstone Group.

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By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Thursday, Apr. 8, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 8B
Last Modified: Thursday, Apr. 8, 2010 – 7:58 am

Nearly 70 percent of Californians are skeptical about prospects for economic recovery in the state, according to the latest quarterly survey by Citi, the financial services company.

The Citi California Pulse survey found that 69 percent of Californians currently see few signs of the economy improving statewide.

Read the rest of this entry »

Uffer

SB County

Posted: 04/06/2010 06:43:18 PM PDT

Boy, it sure is one big ol’ soap opera over on the Fifth Floor of the San Bernardino County Government Center.

Now Mark Uffer, the fired former county administrative officer, has filed a claim against the county and, individually, Supervisors Brad Mitzelfelt, Neil Derry and Gary Ovitt; former supervisor and former assessor Bill Postmus; Jim Erwin, Postmus’ former assistant assessor and Derry’s former chief of staff; and Mark Kirk, board Chairman Gary Ovitt’s chief of staff, airing more of the Fifth Floor’s dirty laundry.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, April 6, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Two years ago, then-Assemblyman John Benoit’s desert residency propelled him to a landslide in the last GOP primary election for Riverside County’s 37th state Senate District.

The Coachella Valley vote will be a major factor in next week’s district special election. But unlike in 2008, there’s no home-court advantage for any of the Republican candidates who have devoted the most time and money to the race.

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April 06, 2010 5:14 PM
JESSICA CEJNAR Staff Writer

BARSTOW • Officials with the local Republican caucus Monday night demanded that Barstow Mayor Joe Gomez resign his post, saying the mayor’s recent criminal charge has cast the city in a negative light.

Gomez thanked them for their comments, but refused to step down.

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Boxer

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/06/2010 05:51:08 PM PDT

Looking ahead to a November battle against one of two Republicans who oppose last year’s massive federal stimulus package, Sen. Barbara Boxer stopped in San Bernardino on Tuesday to tout the program and one of the projects it funded.

Boxer, a Democrat running for her fourth Senate term, visited a construction site along the 215 Freeway, which is being widened through central San Bernardino with the help of $128 million from the stimulus package.

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Prosecutors say they did not break the law even though there was no public vote on the use of millions in taxpayer dollars. A complaint was filed after The Times disclosed the expenditures.

By Garrett Therolf

April 7, 2010

Los Angeles County prosecutors said Tuesday that county supervisors did not break the law when they spent millions of taxpayer dollars on pet projects without a public vote or discussion.

The district attorney’s inquiry began in response to a complaint received last month after The Times detailed some of the $3.4 million per year that each of the five supervisors receives to spend at his or her discretion.

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Chastain

Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/06/2010 07:12:28 PM PDT

COLTON – Mayor Kelly Chastain failed to report rental payments she received for a Sperry Drive home in economic interest forms elected officials must file each year, according to complaints filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission and the county District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit.

Colton activist Ron Lawrence has submitted the complaints alleging Chastain didn’t report the payments as income when filing her Form 700 in 2008 and 2009, which requires elected and other public officials disclose the monetary value of gifts they’ve received, investments and other income.

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By Jack Chang
jchang@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Apr. 7, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Wednesday, Apr. 7, 2010 – 6:15 am

Meg Whitman had just finished delivering her campaign stump speech for an El Dorado Hills audience several months ago when she asked for questions from the crowd.

Two words, phrased as a statement, were the first to pop from the audience of about 30 people: “Illegal aliens.”

The Republican gubernatorial hopeful didn’t miss a beat, promising to get tough on employers of such immigrants and otherwise stop the influx.

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Meg Whitman

Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

(04-06) 20:23 PDT SAN FRANCISCO — Billionaire Republican Meg Whitman’s decision to toss another $20 million of her own money into her campaign to become California’s next governor has set off a tsunami of mud-slinging attack ads – and a pricey new chapter in a record-breaking race to the top.

Whitman’s announcement Tuesday that she has bulked up her gubernatorial campaign coffers – putting her total personal investment at $59 million – came as her Republican rival, state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, unveiled new radio ads.

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By Ed Mendel

Republican candidate for governor Meg Whitman has a proposal on her campaign website to cut state worker pension costs, but her Republican primary opponent, Steve Poizner, and Democrat Jerry Brown do not.

Whether public pensions will become a significant campaign issue is not clear. But on the campaign trail the candidates are getting questions about the pensions, which critics say are “unsustainable” and threaten funding for basic government programs.

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Villaraigosa, battling with the City Council over a growing fiscal crisis, seeks to slash city services starting Monday.

By Phil Willon, Maeve Reston and David Zahniser

April 7, 2010

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called for shutting down non-essential agencies two days a week Tuesday as he and City Council members remained locked in a standoff over the intertwined issues of electricity rates and the city’s worsening budget shortfall.

Villaraigosa’s action topped another day of threats and name-calling at City Hall.

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10:31 PM PDT on Monday, April 5, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

State and local prosecutors may be closer to reaching an agreement with San Bernardino County over the release of documents in the Colonies Partners legal settlement.

San Bernardino County Assistant District Attorney James Hackleman and state Senior Assistant Attorney General Gary Schons met with County Counsel Ruth Stringer for 2½ hours on Monday, continuing a discussion begun last week.

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Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Created: 04/05/2010 06:13:07 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – A criminal case against Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez inched ever closer to trial Monday.

Lawyers in the case against Gutierrez appeared briefly in San Bernardino Superior Court to confirm a trial readiness hearing on Friday before Judge Duke Rouse. The trial is scheduled to start Monday but could still face a last-minute delay.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/05/2010 06:06:00 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – Progress was made Monday in negotiations between state and local prosecutors and County Counsel Ruth Stringer regarding the potential release of confidential information from the county’s settlement with Rancho Cucmonga-based Colonies Partners LP in 2006, officials said.

Discussions lasted for more than 2 1/2 hours, and while all parties left the table without a final resolution, various options to finalize the matter were identified, said Susan Mickey, spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office.

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Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/05/2010 08:34:16 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – The City Council selected Third Ward Councilman Tobin Brinker as Mayor Pro Tem in a divided vote Monday after talks that included two other nominations and allegations of Brown Act violations.

The Mayor Pro Tem is responsible for chairing council meetings in the mayor’s absence and also gets to assign other council members to legislative, budget and other committees.

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Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/05/2010 05:44:28 PM PDT

Prosecutors have dismissed criminal charges against a 51-year-old medical marijuana patient, who lingered in county jail for months after being arrested for growing a dozen of the controversial plants.

Deputy District Attorney Rosa Clark announced the news Friday at an unscheduled hearing for Don Kevin Lawrence in San Bernardino Superior Court, the same day The Sun ran a story featuring Lawrence’s case.

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By PE Politics
April 5, 2010 5:27 PM

The campaign committee created to push a part-time Legislature — Citizens for California Reform — has been running TV ads leading up to next week’s special election in the 37th Senate District. Donations from the state optometrists association and the unions representing firefighters and correctional officers have paid for the ads.

One of the commercials calls Assemblyman Bill Emmerson “just another tax-and-spend politician.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2010

CONTACT: Jessica Austin
909-534-3840

Kurth Leads Fight Against Illegal Immigration; Published in Local Paper

Rancho Cucamonga Mayor Dr. Don Kurth and the leading candidate for the 63rd Assembly District calls for immediate action against illegal immigration and calls for more border security in response to Arizona rancher murdered by an illegal immigrant.

Here is today’s editorial from the Daily Bulletin: http://www.dailybulletin.com/editorial/ci_14820299

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
April 5, 2010 2:49 PM

The leading candidates in next week’s special election for Riverside County’s 37th Senate District promise that, if elected, they will make their calendars and schedules available to reporters.

Whether the state Senate will allow them to do so is another matter.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State

[Updated] April 5, 2010 | 8:39 pm

Republicans hoping to keep the governor’s seat in party hands can breathe a sigh of relief: Meg Whitman is not running out of money.

Whitman, the billionaire ex-chief of EBay, donated another $20 million to her campaign for governor late Monday afternoon, bringing to $59 million the total she has contributed from her own pocketbook as she seeks to secure the Republican nomination, according to her spokeswoman, Sarah Pompei.

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By Jim Wasserman
jwasserman@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Tuesday, Apr. 6, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 6B

Relief appears imminent for thousands of Sacramento homeowners hit with state tax bills for mortgage debts forgiven in 2009.

State lawmakers said Monday they plan to cancel the state tax obligations with a vote Thursday.

Shannon Murphy, spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker John Pérez, D-Los Angeles, said legislation will go before the Assembly Revenue and Tax Committee today and the Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, and will receive a full vote Thursday.

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City Controller Wendy Greuel declares an ‘urgent financial crisis’ and says the only way to continue paying bills in the short term is to begin draining the city’s already limited emergency reserve.

By Phil Willon and Maeve Reston

April 6, 2010

The city’s top financial official issued a grim assessment of the escalating budget crisis Monday, warning that Los Angeles could be unable to pay its bills in just over four weeks.

City Controller Wendy Greuel declared an “urgent financial crisis” and said the only way to continue paying bills in the short term was to begin to drain the city’s already limited emergency reserve.

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Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/05/2010 07:09:16 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – Few were surprised when Davidson Elementary School landed on a list of the state’s worst five percent of public campuses last month.

Since being named a California Distinguished School in the late 1990s, Davidson’s test scores have been among the poorest in the San Bernardino city school system, which had more failing schools than every district in the state except Los Angeles.

For more than a decade, district and schools officials have thrown every potential solution they could muster at Davidson, from extra teaching aides and individualized attention, to new technology and data-tracking methods.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/31/2010 06:09:14 PM PDT

San Bernardino County Public Health Department Director Jim Lindley, who in 2008 was appointed to head the department amid allegations he lacked the necessary qualifications, has been fired, officials said Wednesday.

The dismissal came amid news of the resignation of another county department head, solid waste division manager Peter Wulfman.

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James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/31/2010 04:50:17 PM PDT

VICTORVILLE – Days after anti-war activists attempted to arrest him in Beverly Hills, former presidential adviser Karl Rove found himself in much friendlier confines Wednesday at a High Desert event where nary a protester could be found.

Rove, who is making his way around California as he promotes his recently released memoir – “Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight” – spoke about the book and his time as an adviser to President George W. Bush.

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Emmerson

By PE Politics
on March 31, 2010 5:10 PM

Assemblyman Bill Emmerson has opened a legal defense fund.

Emmerson, along with six other people, is a candidate for Riverside County’s 37th Senate District in the April 13 special election.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
April 1, 2010 6:01 AM

Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley, Riverside City Councilman Rusty Bailey and Menifee City Councilman Scott Mann are backing U.S. Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina.

Fiorina’s campaign announced the endorsements. In a statement, Fiorina praised the three elected officials for their commitment to their communities.

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After complaint, Allan abandons club equity membership
March 31, 2010 4:13 PM
Natasha Lindstrom

APPLE VALLEY • A complaint has been filed with the state election watchdog alleging Mayor Peter Allan acted unethically by negotiating the town’s purchase of the Apple Valley Country Club while simultaneously serving on the club’s board of directors.

The complaint was filed Tuesday with the nonpartisan Fair Political Practices Commission, according to the filer, Daniel Seagondollar, an architect in Apple Valley and former candidate for the Town Council.

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CAPITOL JOURNAL

Despite some gaffes, the Republican gubernatorial candidate shows she’s learning the inner workings of the office, including the ability to pare pork from the $11.1-billion water bond proposal.

March 31, 2010|George Skelton, Capitol Journal

Give Meg Whitman some credit. She’s listening and reading up — trying to learn about being governor of California.

True, she occasionally shows her political naivete. A good example was when the former EBay chief last week suggested that as governor she’d organize the Legislature into “teams.” A “jobs team,” a “government efficiency team.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Meg Whitman

By Steven Harmon
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 03/29/2010 12:00:00 AM PDT
Updated: 03/29/2010 07:10:34 AM PDT

SACRAMENTO — Patience is a tough virtue to uphold for Democrats following the gubernatorial race, especially as Republican Meg Whitman’s unfettered run on radio and TV has catapulted her to the center of California’s political universe.

Whitman, the billionaire ex-CEO of eBay, has been on air continuously since last summer, parlaying $46 million into a lead in at least two statewide polls over Jerry Brown, the Democrats’ lone major candidate.

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Campbell

CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS

In his third try for the Senate, Tom Campbell, who holds a law degree from Harvard and a doctorate, may not have the fire that the party’s primary voters crave this year.

By Seema Mehta

March 29, 2010

Reporting from San Mateo, Calif. – In the days before the healthcare vote, Republicans passionately argued that the reform package was an affront to personal liberty and threatened the nation’s very future. One GOP leader angrily declared that it would lead to “Armageddon.”

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More is less for schools
Canan Tasci, Staff Writer
Created: 03/28/2010 07:39:20 PM PDT

After 14 years and more than $10 billion spent for smaller class sizes, many California classrooms in the fall will move in the opposite direction.

In just a few months, classrooms across the state will increase their student-to-teacher ratios in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms from 20 students to as many as 30, essentially reversing what was advocated more than a decade ago in better economic times.

Read the rest of this entry »

California Watch
A Project of the Center for Investigative Reporting
Health and Welfare

March 29, 2010 | Christina Jewett

State budget cuts under consideration in Sacramento could lead to losses of well over 400,000 jobs, many held by workers most likely to spend their earnings in state, an analysis by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education.

The group’s report notes that if the governor and Legislature eliminate the In-Home Supportive Services program, more than 360,000 jobs would disappear. Those workers care for the disabled who need help with basic tasks. And they’re low-wage workers, the report says, meaning they’re likely to pour their incomes right back out into their local economies.

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Democrats Cheer Now, but Grim November May Lie Ahead
By JOHN HARWOOD

In politics, as in sports, the thrill of victory sometimes pales alongside the agony of defeat. In 2010, Democrats remain on track to experience both.

Achievement of their decades-long quest for comprehensive health care legislation left Congressional leaders and White House aides jubilant. It broke, at least temporarily, the psychology of failure that threatened President Obama’s administration as it had burdened President George W. Bush’s tenure.

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Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 03/28/2010 07:02:37 AM PDT

Some good news may arrive for a group of teachers at the Chino Valley Unified School District. The board is expected to approve a recommendation this week to rescind many of the 71 preliminary layoff notices sent to teachers earlier this month. The move is possible after 160 senior teachers agreed to early retirement.

Also in the Daily Bulletin this week, there will be updates concerning Pomona’s Lanterman Developmental Center.

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Meg Whitman

California Watch
A Project of the Center for Investigative Reporting
Money and Politics

March 24, 2010 | Lance Williams

Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman has built a 50-point lead over rival Steve Poizner in the Republican governor’s race and has edged past Democrat Jerry Brown as well, says a Public Policy Institute of California survey released Wednesday.

The survey of about 2,000 likely voters also shows that public disaffection with California’s political leadership has hit a new low.

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11:32 PM PDT on Wednesday, March 24, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

Two San Bernardino County supervisors who have been linked to a corruption investigation into the 2006 Colonies Partners settlement announced Wednesday that they would not take part in discussions of whether to share legal information with prosecutors.

Meanwhile, the state attorney general and San Bernardino County district attorney continued to pressure the county to waive its attorney-client privilege in the case, welcoming an offer from the county to meet to discuss the request.

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10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Cassie MacDuff

Stepping aside from discussions on whether to give prosecutors legal documents in the Colonies settlement was the right move for San Bernardino County supervisors Paul Biane and Gary Ovitt.

Both voted in favor of the controversial $102 million settlement in 2006; Biane and Ovitt’s chief of staff are unnamed co-conspirators in alleged criminal wrongdoing.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, March 24, 2010

San Bernardino County managers have agreed to give up salary increases as the county prepares to deal with a $90 million shortfall for the next fiscal year.

The Board of Supervisors approved the changes to non-union employees’ compensation Tuesday. County Administrative Officer Greg Devereaux said the action affects over 500 employees and saves the county about $5.4 million.

To read entire story, click here.

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/24/2010 07:24:26 PM PDT

State and local prosecutors on Wednesday asked to meet with the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Monday in an effort to convince the board to waive its attorney-client privilege and allow closer scrutiny of the talks leading to a $102 million settlement with developer Colonies Partners LP in 2006.

County officials have agreed to make the county’s top lawyer available for a meeting with prosecutors next week but it was not immediately clear Wednesday whether the board members themselves would take part.

Read the rest of this entry »

Statement from Jason Kinney on behalf of Jeff Burum

“With or without a waiver, the facts will establish that the settlement was overwhelmingly fair, saving the County at least $100,000,000 in damages and tens of millions in additional legal fees. Colonies has been and continues to be willing to discuss a waiver. But we would like some assurances that it will be in the interest of establishing the truth and objectively assessing the fairness of the process, not for scoring political points or making reckless accusations.”

Paul Biane

SAN BERNARDINO – San Bernardino County Second District Supervisor Paul Biane released the following statement on Tuesday regarding his decision to voluntarily recuse himself from participating in the Board’s vote on whether to waive attorney client privilege as requested by the Attorney General.

“I stand by my earlier statements that I did absolutely nothing wrong or unethical when I made the very difficult decision to settle the lawsuit following Judge Warner’s tentative ruling indicating the County would likely not prevail in court.

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Neil Derry

To read statement issued by Supervisor Neil Derry regarding Attorney General request for waiver of privilege, click here: Statement by Supervisor Neil Derry

To read statement issued by Board of Supervisors Chairman and Fourth District Supervisor Gary Ovitt regarding Attorney General request for waiver of privilege, click here: Statement by Supervisor Gary Ovitt

To read statement issued by Senior Assistant Attorney General Gary Schons regarding waiver of privilege, click here: Statement issued by California Attorney General

To read statement from Attorney George B. Speir on behalf of Colonies Partners regarding Attorney General request for waiver of privilege, click here: Statement by Colonies Partners

To read statement regarding the Attorney General request for waiver of privilege, click here: Statement by County of San Bernardino

11:27 PM PDT on Wednesday, March 24, 2010

By DAVID OLSON
The Press-Enterprise

For the third year in a row, Riverside County’s growth continued to outpace the state’s, while more people moved out of San Bernardino County than moved in, according to newly released 2009 census population estimates.

The data reveal that, despite a slightly higher unemployment rate than San Bernardino County and higher housing prices, Riverside County continues to attract more new residents than its neighbor.

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By Mike Cruz
Posted: 03/24/2010 06:02:07 PM PDT

Computer disk drives and documents were seized from the Temecula office of a civil attorney representing former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin as part of the District Attorney’s ongoing investigation into county corruption.

Deputy District Attorney Lewis Cope confirmed Wednesday that investigators collected the potential evidence while serving a search warrant Mar. 18 at the office of lawyer Alan Mohill, in the 43000 block of Blackdeer Loop. Cope would not quantify how much was seized.

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By PE Politics
March 24, 2010 1:52 PM

The money race is on between Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit and challenger Gary Jeandron.

The two are vying for the board’s 4th District seat, which was once held by the late Supervisor Roy Wilson. Benoit was appointed to the post late last year after Wilson resigned shortly before his death.

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L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in

March 24, 2010 | 5:22 pm

State election officials announced Wednesday that an initiative to legalize marijuana will be on the November ballot, triggering what will likely be an expensive, divisive and much-watched campaign to decide whether California will again lead the nation in softening drug laws.

Los Angeles County election officials Wednesday turned in their official estimate of the number of valid signatures, putting the statewide figure above the 433,971 needed for the measure to make the ballot. The county, where one-fifth of the signatures were collected, was the last to report its count, filing just before 5 p.m.

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