Paying for pensions

Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/09/2010 08:51:12 PM PST

RIALTO – The city will spend between $60,000 and $70,000 to find out if residents want to reinstate a property tax to pay for enhanced public employee pensions.

The council in a 4-0 vote on Tuesday night approved a resolution calling for an advisory measure to be added to the statewide June 8 primary election, to gauge public interest in a proposed tax of roughly 15 cents per $100 of assessed valuation on properties in order to pay into the Public Employee Retirement System.

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11:08 PM PST on Tuesday, March 9, 2010

By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise

GRAND TERRACE – City Councilman Jim Miller abruptly announced his resignation Tuesday night, admitting at a Grand Terrace council meeting that he should not have voted to approve payments of city funds to his wife’s newspaper.

Miller, 61, said at the meeting that his resignation will be effective today and promised that his wife, Margie, who owns the weekly newspaper Grand Terrace City News, will return to the city about $18,000 that she was paid for running legal advertisements for the city from Oct. 26, 2006, to Aug. 12, 2008.

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James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/09/2010 06:31:39 PM PST

A day after seven San Bernardino schools were named as being among the worst in the state, parents and schools officials defended the campuses against withering criticism from critics who say the district needs a shakeup.

Six elementary schools and Pacific High School were named Monday as being among the 188 worst schools in California, based on student achievement. County school board member Gil Navarro said the San Bernardino City Unified School District has for too long settled for incremental improvement.

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10:14 PM PST on Monday, March 8, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane is proposing that the county suspend its lawsuit against three agencies to recover damages over a $102 million lawsuit settlement — the same settlement that has lead to two bribery and extortion arrests

Biane said the Board of Supervisors will consider the proposal to halt the lawsuit for now in closed session at its March 23 meeting.

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10:00 PM PST on Monday, March 8, 2010

By JANET ZIMMERMAN
The Press-Enterprise

Open-space preservationists are staging celebrations in Oak Glen and Yucca Valley this week to mark assurances by the city of Los Angeles that it is withdrawing its application to construct electrical transmission lines across desert and scenic hilltops.

The Wildlands Conservancy, based in the San Bernardino County community of Oak Glen, is holding a 10 a.m. event Wednesday — complete with an apple pie giveaway. At noon, a similar party is planned at the community center in Yucca Valley, said Dana Rochat, the conservancy’s projects coordinator.

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Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 03/07/2010 06:02:26 AM PST

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – So much of November’s City Council race rests on what happens this summer.

By then, results of the Republican primaries for the 63rd Assembly District will be in, which will indicate whether Mayor Don Kurth has a chance to replace termed-out Assemblyman Bill Emmerson, R-Rancho Cucamonga, and leave the City Council.

By summer, the outcome of Councilman Rex Gutierrez’s criminal case might be clearer, which will indicate whether his political career will continue.

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March 07, 2010 12:00 PM
Brooke Edwards

APPLE VALLEY • For the second year in a row, the town will keep a balanced budget by dipping slightly into its reserves and using that safety net to heavily subsidize its Park and Recreation Department and Apple Valley Golf Course.

Cash reserves in the general fund will be down 30 percent by June from where they were two years ago, according to a mid-year budget report prepared for Tuesday’s workshop, dropping from $15.4 million to a projected $10.8 million.

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BY BROOKE EDWARDS
STAFF WRITER

VICTORVILLE • Though the two incumbents are off to a slow start, City Council challenging candidate Angela Valles has already raised nearly $16,000 to make a run in the Nov. 2 election.

Neither incumbent Councilwoman JoAnn Almond or Councilman Terry Caldwell raised a penny for their campaigns in 2009, according to finance forms filed with the city, and they didn’t spend much either.

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McEachron

McEachron still brings in the most donations
BY BROOKE EDWARDS
STAFF WRITER

VICTORVILLE • Though he’s not up for re-election again until 2012, Councilman Ryan McEachron easily raised and spent the most money in 2009 of any sitting or challenging Victorville candidate.

McEachron brought in more than $40,000 last year. Most of those funds went to repay more than $50,000 in loans he’d taken from his own ISU-ARMAC Insurance Agency to fund his successful campaign efforts in 2008.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/05/2010 11:39:26 AM PST

RIALTO – Some of the city’s General Unit employees believe they were pressured by their representatives into giving up concessions last year to fix a $4.8 million budget shortfall.

In a letter of petition that prompted an emergency meeting Monday with Bob Blough, the general manager of the San Bernardino Public Employees Association, about 60 members outlined alleged failures on the part of union representative Bonnie Clarke and demanded new leadership.

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Councilwoman still plans to run for reelection
March 05, 2010 – 3:30 PM
Brooke Edwards

VICTORVILLE • Councilwoman JoAnn Almond returned to City Hall on Thursday after missing a month of meetings, having narrowly avoided a life-threatening heart attack.

“My doctor told me, ‘JoAnn, you cannot believe how close you were,’” the fourth-term councilwoman said, relieved to be feeling almost normal again after weeks at home.

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By Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/04/2010 06:56:55 PM PST

COLTON – In another move aimed at finding permanent spending cuts, the City Council this week approved an audit that will examine savings that could come from dissolving the city Police Department and contracting with an outside agency for police services.

A $99,790 contract has been awarded to San Francisco-based auditor Harvey M. Rose Associates, LLC to find ways to cut police costs.

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Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 03/04/2010 08:48:00 PM PST

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Smoking and waiting in lines do not mix, according to the City Council, which gave initial approval on Wednesday to an ordinance that prohibits tobacco use in transit stops and outdoor service lines.

The ordinance, expected to go into effect mid-April, will prohibit smoking within 20 feet of bus stops, train stations and lines for services such as ATMs and theaters.

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10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, March 3, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Riverside County district attorney investigators showed up last week at the Northern California offices of a prominent Republican consulting firm and a bookkeeping business linked to a defendant in the campaign-finance prosecution of several Inland political and civic leaders.

Gilliard Blanning and Associates of Rocklin and the KAL Group of Willows have advised dozens of candidates and campaign groups in the Inland area and around the state over the years.

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City may recover a few million for $25 million in power plant equipment.

March 01, 2010 5:05 PM
Brooke Edwards

VICTORVILLE • The city is still struggling to sell off $25 million worth of equipment purchased for its failed energy ventures, with hopes to replenish the dwindling general fund that has subsidized the projects for years.

However, though many of the massive tanks and generators bought over the last six years or so were never even used, estimates from one broker show the city will likely only recover a few million dollars of its investment on the open market.

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10:31 PM PST on Sunday, February 28, 2010

By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise

Grand Terrace will have to cinch its belt tight for the next four months to make up a $423,240 budget gap this year and then brace for an $800,000 shortage in the fiscal year that begins July1.

City Manager Betsy Adams told the Grand Terrace City Council this week that new construction has ground to a halt, sales tax revenue has plunged and earnings on the city’s investments have dropped more than expected. All of this, she said, is the result of a slumping economy in a community of 12,500 people.

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Wesley G. Hughes, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/27/2010 08:25:27 PM PST

Victorville moved forward Friday in what is expected to be the first of many steps toward healing its economy.

The first foreign investor is willing to put up $550,000 toward a $25 million wastewater treatment plant and site preparation for a $120 million bottling plant to the city.

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10:00 PM PST on Saturday, February 27, 2010

By JULISSA McKINNON
The Press-Enterprise

After knocking on doors for five months, John Smelser collected his 5,500th signature supporting term limits for Menifee council members Friday afternoon.

He stopped mid-driveway, checked off the address on his clipboard and modestly pumped his fist before walking to the next house.

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Maywood, which is spearheading the effort with Bell, has requested federal funds for a three-month feasibility study.

By Ruben Vives

February 28, 2010

Citing a decline in revenues and an increase in the cost of law enforcement, several small cities in southeast Los Angeles County are considering a novel approach to policing their communities.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/26/2010 09:27:49 PM PST

COLTON – A utility users tax that generates about $5 million annually is set to expire June 30, 2011.

And when the 2004-approved tax goes away, so will the money. Fearing layoffs or service cuts from the loss of a huge income source, some officials have expressed interest in placing a proposal to extend the tax on the Nov. 2 ballot.

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Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/26/2010 07:03:49 PM PST

SAN BERNARDINO – A woman who believes government officials denied her the right to vote on whether her neighborhood should be merged into the city has filed a lawsuit in a new attempt to block the annexation.

Susan Hulse, who attempted to convince officials to undo the annexations, filed the lawsuit in San Bernardino Superior Court on Thursday. The lawsuit names the city of San Bernardino and the San Bernardino Local Agency Formation Commission as defendants.

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Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/26/2010 06:29:20 PM PST

SAN BERNARDINO – A motion filed by Rancho Cucamonga councilman Rex Gutierrez to dismiss his criminal charges was denied Friday morning by a Superior Court judge, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Judge Douglas Gericke denied the Penal Code section 995 motion during a scheduled appearance for Gutierrez in San Bernardino Superior Court. The charges stem from an investigation into alleged misconduct in the county Assessor’s Office, where Gutierrez formerly worked as intergovernmental relations officer.

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This morning a Superior Court Judge denied a procedural motion to dismiss all four felony counts against Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman Rex Gutierrez.

The charges stem from Gutierrez’s employment with the San Bernardino County Assessor’s office in 2007-08.

The commencement date of the estimated ten day trial is set for April 12, 2010

11:36 PM PST on Tuesday, February 23, 2010

By GENE GHIOTTO
The Press-Enterprise

An effort to remove Lake Elsinore Councilman Thomas Buckley from office failed Tuesday night.

With all precincts counted, just over 56 percent of the city’s voters rejected a recall effort.

“It’s a victory for the city,” Buckley said in a phone interview. “I understand my imperfection. But the people of the city understand this was about more than me. This was about being able to keep going forward and not giving into intimidation and lies.”

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Stacia Glenn, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/22/2010 06:15:59 PM PST

BARSTOW – Barstow Mayor Joseph Dennis Gomez Jr. was charged with sexual battery on Monday, two months after a police officer’s wife reported that he assaulted her during a holiday party.

San Bernardino County sheriff’s investigators have been looking into the Dec. 18 incident, which allegedly took place in an unincorporated area of the desert city.

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10:00 PM PST on Monday, February 22, 2010

By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise

The Grand Terrace City Council tonight will begin grappling with a budget crisis that could drain the city’s treasury for years to come.

In the short term, council members must trim $423,000 from the city’s general fund budget for the 4½ months remaining in the current fiscal year.

Then, they must find a way to pay back $2.6 million funneled since 1990 from the city redevelopment agency to balance the general fund that pays for day-to-day expenses.

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Former candidate jailed after domestic violence call
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/22/2010 05:33:37 PM PST

SAN BERNARDINO – Attorney and former political candidate Tim Prince was arrested Monday on suspicion of domestic violence and threats.

Prince was arrested shortly before 9 a.m. after police responded to “a call from a female victim alleging domestic violence at her house,” police Lt. Dan Keil said.

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Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/22/2010 04:18:57 PM PST

GRAND TERRACE – The nation’s economy may be starting to rebound, but the city’s budget woes are not over.

The City Council will hold a 4 p.m. workshop today to talk about how to close a $423,000 mid-year budget shortfall in the General Fund.

Spending and revenue projections have changed since the start of the 2009-2010 budget year in July.

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10:18 PM PST on Monday, February 22, 2010

By GENE GHIOTTO
The Press-Enterprise

Voters go to the polls today in Lake Elsinore to decide whether to recall or retain Councilman Thomas Buckley.

The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voters will be asked whether they want to recall Buckley or keep him in office. Voters also will be asked who they want to replace Buckley with if he is recalled.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/21/2010 04:58:26 PM PST

RIALTO – The top manager believes the city could face a financial crisis in three years unless employee bargaining groups agree to sweeping concessions.

“It is a 36-month window,” City Administrator Henry Garcia said. “I don’t anticipate new revenue to occur of a significant nature.”

Garcia said the city’s General Fund budget is at $53 million with roughly $31 million in economic reserves.

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Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 02/21/2010 06:02:00 AM PST

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Mayor Don Kurth, the newest member of the City Council, has been busy welcoming the newest member of his family.

Nearly two years into a sometimes emotional adoption process, Kurth and his wife, Dee Matreyek, have succeeded in bringing home a baby girl.

“I think it’s fair to say we’re both having the time of our lives,” Kurth said.

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Choice by 20-year veteran could shake up LL council
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/21/2010 06:02:37 AM PST

LOMA LINDA – City voters head to the polls June 8, but it’s unclear if a longtime councilman will seek another term.

Floyd Petersen, who has served on the council for 20 years, won’t say whether he will run for another four-year term.

“I haven’t pulled papers yet,” Petersen said. “That’s the only comment I would make now.”

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By Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Created: 02/20/2010 08:28:45 PM PST

FONTANA – Two officials aiming for higher office and one deciding against seeking re-election could spell the end of a City Council that has branded itself “Team Fontana” for its unity on the dais as much as its accomplishments in the city.

In addition to Councilwoman Acquanetta Warren’s run for the 63rd Assembly District seat, Councilwoman Janice Rutherford is exploring a bid for Supervisor Paul Biane’s 2nd District seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

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Job cuts in district

Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
Created: 02/20/2010 09:07:46 PM PST

CLAREMONT – The school district is expected to send out at least 30 preliminary layoff notices, a district official said.

They would be distributed equally to all instructional areas and would be mailed March 15, said Devon Freitas, assistant superintendent of human resources for the Claremont Unified School District.

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10:00 PM PST on Friday, February 19, 2010

Cassie MacDuff

Which hurts more, ripping a Band-Aid off with one quick yank or peeling it off bit by bit?

Riverside officials obviously prefer peeling.

Because that’s the way they’re revealing the facts surrounding the Feb. 8 crash of Police Chief Russ Leach: piecemeal.

The trouble is, the more information dribbles out about this shameful episode, the worse it looks for everyone involved.

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10:51 PM PST on Friday, February 19, 2010

By GENE GHIOTTO
The Press-Enterprise

A judge Friday ordered that five search warrants related to Tuesday’s Lake Elsinore recall election investigation be made public.

The ruling came despite statements from prosecutors that the release could hinder the probe into allegations of wrongdoing in the bid to unseat Councilman Thomas Buckley.

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10:52 PM PST on Friday, February 19, 2010

By GENE GHIOTTO
The Press-Enterprise

The accusations have divided the city.

Recall backers accused a Lake Elsinore councilman of taking campaign contributions from a developer about the time he was to vote on the developer’s project and of using campaign funds to rent a car for his personal use.

The councilman, Thomas Buckley, denies any wrongdoing.

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11:31 PM PST on Thursday, February 18, 2010

By ALICIA ROBINSON and PAUL LAROCCO
The Press-Enterprise

Contrary to policy, top Riverside city officials said Thursday that no one from the police department notified them of the chief’s Feb. 8 car crash, though officers already had taken him home without a field sobriety test.

Word that Russ Leach crashed his car and was stopped by police at 3 a.m. came in an anonymous phone call to City Hall six hours later, Mayor Ron Loveridge said in an interview.

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Mayor Don Kurth

Former California State Republican Party Chairman and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich has endorsed Don Kurth.

Kurth, who is currently Mayor of Rancho Cucamonga is one of a wide-field of republican candidates running for the nomination to represent the 63rd Assembly District.

Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/18/2010 05:56:48 PM PST

COLTON – More than 3,500 jobs could be headed to the Inland Empire after an infusion of federal stimulus dollars that will help pay for a critical railroad project here.

But precisely when construction will begin remains in the air.

Local transportation officials say $34 million in American Recovery Act money announced this week should cover the final funding gap for the $198 million railroad grade separation.

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To help address the city’s budget crisis — and after the threat of a credit downgrade — the council tells agencies to act by July 1. The move is on top of 1,000 cuts already in the works.

By Phil Willon and Maeve Reston

February 19, 2010

Under the threat of a credit rating downgrade, the Los Angeles City Council on Thursday instructed agency heads to eliminate 3,000 additional city jobs before July 1 “by any means necessary, including layoffs.”

The reduction — aimed in part at wresting further concessions from the city’s labor unions — would be on top of 1,000 job cuts already in the works.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Friday, Feb. 19, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

California’s city governments, especially those that overspent windfall revenues during the housing boom, are in trouble as the state’s recession grinds on.

Vallejo already has filed for bankruptcy protection. Dozens of other cities face severe budget deficits that, unless closed, could lead to the same sorry place. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa even suggested it as a possibility while calling for spending cuts. The B-word has also been kicked around in San Diego, which has an immense unfunded retirement obligation.

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Posted by Administrator at 18 February 2010

The most recent arrests of former San Bernardino County Assessor William “Bill” Postmus and former Chief of Staff to Supervisor Neil Derry, James Erwin, highlights yet again the disparity in treatment by San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos when compared with other jurisdictions. Ramos clearly is attempting to “punish” those who are political adversaries upfront as he knows the cases against them are weak and convictions are unlikely.

Take a look at the difference between the Postmus/Erwin case and the case of the four San Jacinto City Councilmen who were recently indicted in Riverside County.  The disparity is glaring.

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Allegations of improper contributions tied to votes in the case filed by San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos and Attorney General Edmund “Jerry” Brown will likely take many twists and turns during the evidentiary, discovery and trial phases.

One defense aspect undoubtedly will be to bring in other examples of local legislative votes and the timing of campaign contributions by the related benefactors of those votes.

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February 17, 2010 4:14 PM
Brooke Edwards

VICTORVILLE • Staff has looked into the implications of filing bankruptcy and is not recommending it as an option to keep the struggling city solvent, according to City Manager Jim Cox.

“The staff feels that is the worst possible thing that could possibly happen,” Cox said during Tuesday’s council meeting, in response to a resident asking whether bankruptcy is on the horizon.

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February 17, 2010 5:23 PM
Brooke Edwards

VICTORVILLE • One council member is defending Victorville’s relationship with Inland Energy while another is calling for the city to cut all ties with the Orange County firm.

“I would request that all services being provided by Inland Energy be terminated immediately and that there would be no further involvement in city projects by Inland Energy,” Councilwoman JoAnn Almond said in a statement, read by the City Clerk in her absence from Tuesday’s meeting.

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Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/17/2010 08:56:21 PM PST

SAN BERNARDINO – The government panel empowered to decide when cities can annex new land voted Wednesday to uphold last year’s decision to incorporate six areas into this city.

The Local Agency Formation Commission for San Bernardino County, also known as Lafco, made the decisions. The panel acted in the face of opposition from frustrated residents who do not want to join San Bernardino.

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Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/17/2010 08:56:22 PM PST

COLTON – Riverside’s former police chief appeared to be sober when he left Club 215 after drinking four Scotch whiskys on the night of the car crash that ended his law-enforcement career, an attorney for the topless bar said Wednesday.

Attorney Roger Jon Diamond called a news conference Wednesday to discuss Club 215 management’s decision to release video footage to the California Highway Patrol, which is investigating a crash involving former Riverside police chief Russ Leach.

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\Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 02/16/2010 05:49:30 PM PST

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – The City Council is expected today to approve the release of confidential documents to the District Attorney’s Office for its ongoing investigation of corruption in San Bernardino County.

The documents are notes from closed session meetings in 2007 concerning an affordable housing agreement between the city and National Community Renaissance, a corporation focused on affordable housing. In August 2007, the city approved a $42.5 million contract with the corporation to ensure that more than 500 existing rental units will retain their affordable rate for at least 99 years.

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February 16, 2010 5:15 PM
Beau Yarbrough

Hesperia isn’t laying any employees off at the moment, but the city is tightening its belt with almost $1 million in mid-year cuts.

“Revenue is down even more significantly than we’d anticipated this year,” Assistant City Manager Brian Johnson said during a budget workshop Tuesday afternoon at Hesperia City Hall. Declining property values don’t help the situation, since property taxes are one of the city’s main sources of revenue, especially for fire department funding.

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Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/15/2010 05:24:45 PM PST

SAN BERNARDINO – The long wait between the 2009 elections and the swearing-in of new city officials is almost over.

Tonight’s City Council meeting will mark the end of terms belonging to council members Esther Estrada and Dennis Baxter.

Estrada – who for the next couple weeks is still the council’s longest-serving member – and Baxter respectively lost their seats to challengers Virginia Marquez and Jason Desjardins as a result of the Nov. 3 election.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

California, with its complex mélange of cultural, demographic and economic forces, may be, some observers contend, just a concentrated microcosm of the United States, telling the rest of the nation what it can expect as the 21st century unwinds.

If that’s true, Los Angeles is a microcosm of California. That makes the city’s budget crisis not only a reflection of the state’s own chronic fiscal woes, but also a case study of the countervailing political forces.

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10:00 PM PST on Monday, February 15, 2010

By DAYNA STRAEHLEY
The Press-Enterprise

The Riverside school board could vote today to lay off 72 teachers and 48 administrators, and cut management pay.

The 72 instructors would be in addition to 160 teachers from elementary schools the board voted Feb. 1 to lay off.

The district now faces a budget shortfall of $47 million to $49 million for 2010-11 as state funding drops.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/14/2010 06:21:00 PM PST

RIALTO – Morale among police officers is suffering and Councilman Ed Scott has mentioned the possibility of layoffs and bankruptcy as stalled talks between the city and the police union could delay a solution to the General Fund deficit.

“We are at a standstill but that standstill is based (on the fact that) we’re waiting for them to provide the answers to our financial situation,” said police Sgt. Richard Royce, head of Rialto Police Benefit Association.

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Greg Devereaux

Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Created: 02/13/2010 06:08:19 AM PST

ONTARIO – In 12 years as Ontario’s city manager, Greg Devereaux has helped bolster the city’s economy, build its cash reserves and launched several successful redevelopment projects, including the construction of Citizens Business Bank Arena.

On Tuesday he will begin his new post as San Bernardino County chief administrative officer.

Devereaux didn’t start on the best of terms with Ontario’s city staff.

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11:33 PM PST on Saturday, February 13, 2010

By PAUL LAROCCO and ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise

Nearly 10 years ago, Russ Leach took over an agency still reeling from a shooting that brought widespread calls for reform.

Despite lingering mistrust of Riverside police, community leaders found the new chief personable. Officers found him galvanizing.

“I came in when this department had a horrible reputation,” Leach said. “I’d like to think we improved that over several years, and I left it a better place.”

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12:09 AM PST on Sunday, February 14, 2010

By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise

Frank West, a former Moreno Valley councilman, feels as if the “black cloud” that has shadowed him for more than a year has disappeared.

After a 15-month investigation, a state regulatory agency exonerated West from accusations that he misused campaign funds, a claim that West has denied.

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Liset Márquez, Staff Writer
Created: 02/12/2010 10:24:37 PM PST

ONTARIO – Councilman Alan Wapner said he is stunned that there’s not more concern among area officials about the local airport’s viability.

It has been a turbulent year for L.A./Ontario International Airport. Passenger and air cargo has dropped and airport managers have had to make cuts to make up for a $7million revenue shortfall.

Figures released last month showed that the 2009 passenger total, 4.8million, was a 20-year low.

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SCLA, city utility deficit hits $130 million; Water district funds nearly depleted
February 12, 2010 5:08 PM
Brooke Edwards

VICTORVILLE • For the second time in a matter of days, officials have expressed doubt about the city’s ability to stay solvent in the coming year.

City Manager Jim Cox told the council Tuesday that Victorville won’t survive the 2010-11 fiscal year unless it trims millions from its budget, with impending layoffs and cuts to services for residents.

Now a new independent audit report warns that massive deficits and recurring losses in the city’s general, airport and utility funds “should raise substantial doubt about the city’s ability to continue as a going concern.”

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Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
Created: 02/12/2010 06:29:01 PM PST

CLAREMONT – A budget workshop this week tried to inform residents and officials about the city’s finances – but a big question was left unanswered.

“No one knows if we’re going to have cuts or not,” City Manager Jeff Parker said.

City department heads are assembling their budgets and are anticipating a deficit.

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10:51 PM PST on Friday, February 12, 2010

By ALICIA ROBINSON and PAUL LAROCCO
The Press-Enterprise

City officials say they expect the search for a new Riverside police chief to include candidates inside and out of the department, and one hoped the hunt would commence within a month.

Chief Russ Leach, 61, announced Thursday that he was immediately stepping down to take a medical retirement.

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Council gives staff little direction on how to stay afloat
February 11, 2010 4:59 PM
Brooke Edwards

VICTORVILLE • Reducing the number of sheriff’s deputies and firefighters on city streets may be necessary to close Victorville’s $4.36 million deficit, according to City Manager Jim Cox.

“No one wants to suggest that, no one wants to telegraph that, no one wants to go there,” Cox told the council this week. “I think the reality is you may have to look at public safety.”

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10:47 PM PST on Thursday, February 11, 2010

By PAUL LAROCCO and ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside Police Chief Russ Leach took a medical retirement Thursday, three days after he crashed his city-issued car in what he called a “disoriented state” caused by prescription drugs.

The end of his nearly 10-year tenure comes as a report of his 3 a.m. collision became public and the city announced a “sweeping” internal affairs investigation into the department’s response.

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Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/10/2010 05:33:52 PM PST

UPLAND – Some Upland City Council members view the charges filed against two former county officials to be a sad day for the county’s citizens, while calling for a fresh start for county government.

Former San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus and Jim Erwin, former assistant assessor of operations, were arrested Wednesday by sheriff’s deputies as part of an ongoing investigation into public corruption.

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Russ Leach

10:35 PM PST on Tuesday, February 9, 2010

By PAUL LAROCCO and ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside’s police chief is being investigated after a single-vehicle hit-and-run crash in his city-issued car about 3 a.m. Monday, officials said.

The city placed Russ Leach on medical leave Tuesday. Leach, hired in 2000, did not respond to requests for comment.

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Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Created: 02/08/2010 11:35:52 AM PST

ONTARIO – Ontario City Councilman Alan Wapner has expressed alarm over the possibility of a private operator running LA/Ontario International Airport.

The Los Angeles City Council recently issued a letter giving its city staff the option of bringing in a private operator to manage LA/ONT.

The letter was given to the Los Angeles city administrative officer to be used as a guide to help reduce the city’s budget deficit.

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L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in

February 8, 2010 | 8:08 pm

Representatives from two credit rating agencies expressed concern Monday about Los Angeles’ precarious financial position and the City Council’s indecision on budget cuts last week.

In a memo to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council members, City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said Fitch Ratings told one of his aides they were monitoring a number of factors that could lead them to downgrade the city’s credit rating. They included the erosion of the city’s reserves, the city’s structural deficit and the failure of city officials to reduce the size of the city’s workforce.

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Local civil suit against Pattison dropped
February 08, 2010 4:39 PM
Brooke Edwards

APPLE VALLEY • Town Finance Director William Pattison has resigned amid domestic violence charges, officials said.

Pattison, 45, was arrested at a home in Las Vegas on Dec. 26, with officials from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reporting he allegedly kicked his girlfriend in the back.

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10:00 PM PST on Monday, February 8, 2010

By GAIL WESSON
The Press-Enterprise

Children may have to live farther from school to qualify for bus transportation if San Jacinto Unified School District trustees agree to a cost-saving recommendation at tonight’s board meeting.

Currently bus service is available to kindergarten through fifth-grade students living more than one mile from their elementary school and more than three miles away for students in grades 6-12 attending middle or high school.

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Special meeting Tuesday to discuss more cuts, layoffs
February 06, 2010 3:20 PM
By brooke edwards

VICTORVILLE • Still reeling from massive cuts to close a $13 million deficit last summer, Victorville is facing a $4.36 million gap to stay afloat through June.

Now city staff is looking to the council for direction in closing that gap, with a special meeting called Tuesday night to discuss further cuts.

Roughly $1.36 million of the mid-year deficit comes from five departments spending beyond what was budgeted last summer, according to a staff report included in Tuesday’s agenda.

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THE WEEK

As campaign spots touch upon the bizarre, average people’s real concerns fade into the background.

By Cathleen Decker

February 7, 2010

Last week brought confirmation of a parallel universe. Or two.

In one, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced that to deal with this year’s $212-million deficit, he was ordering the elimination of 1,000 Los Angeles city jobs, although some workers may be shifted into vacancies not financed by the hemorrhaging general fund.

That universe of hurt was not the one inhabited by some of those seeking the state’s highest elected offices this year. Theirs appeared to be centered far, far away, where the hot topic of the week wasn’t jobs. It was sheep.

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Well just when you thought you had heard it all another unbelievable story emerges.

This time it’s from the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

Sources from within the district tell InlandPolitics that schools in the district have ran out of money for supplies for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Meaning teachers and principals cannot submit requisitions through June 30, 2010.

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10:00 PM PST on Friday, February 5, 2010

By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise

The wife and the sister of an indicted San Jacinto City Council member entered not-guilty pleas Friday to charges they funneled money into election coffers at the center of a lengthy Riverside County criminal grand jury indictment.

Marcia Lynn Mathews and an attorney for Shanda Lynn Mansperger, who had filed a waiver for her court appearance, entered the pleas before Superior Court Judge Harold F. Bradford.

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10:28 PM PST on Friday, February 5, 2010

By JEFF HORSEMAN
The Press-Enterprise

Lake Elsinore City Hall and a consultant involved in the campaign to recall a city councilman were among the six targets of search warrants obtained by district attorney’s investigators, court records show.

Warrants were obtained for City Hall, 130 S. Main St., as well as John Paul Burkett, of Wildomar, according to court records. Another warrant is for an undisclosed location.

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10:23 PM PST on Thursday, February 4, 2010

By JOHN F. HILL and GENE GHIOTTO
The Press-Enterprise

District attorney’s investigators and federal immigration agents Thursday conducted surprise early-morning raids at properties owned by two opponents of a Lake Elsinore councilman facing recall.

Officials were tight-lipped about the raids, but one woman targeted by the investigation said authorities told her they were looking into a possible felony related to the recall.

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Posted by La Cochita at 3 February 2010

Twelve citizens of the city of Grand Terrace have a filed a request with District Attorney Mike Ramos to investigate one of his many mistresses for Government Code section 1090 violations. Which mistress you may ask. Yes, I realize it is difficult to keep them all straight. This time around it is Bertha Bea Cortes, a councilwoman for Grand Terrace.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/03/2010 07:38:18 PM PST

RIALTO – An increase in the retirement benefits for police and firefighters that is set to begin next year will almost triple the city’s unfunded pension liability, according to a cost analysis by the California Public Employees Retirement System.

The “3 at 50″ plan which allows policemen and firefighters with 30 years of service to retire as early as age 50 and collect up to 90 percent of their highest annual salary will boost the unfunded liability from $9.7 million to $26.8 million when it goes into effect in 2011, according to CalPers.

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February 03, 2010 11:42 AM
Brooke Edwards

VICTORVILLE • The city is calling for employees willing to be voluntarily laid off, with another round of cuts expected soon.

“Due to a severe drop in revenues over the last two years, we are anticipating additional layoffs to occur within the next two months,” states a letter from City Manager Jim Cox, which was sent to city staff on Jan. 25.

It’ll be the second hit in a matter of months, with some 50 employees laid off last summer as the city struggled to close a $13 million deficit in its general fund.

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Greg Devereaux

Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/03/2010 05:10:02 PM PST

ONTARIO – Showing gratitude to a man who served as their city manager for more than 12 years, City Council members on Tuesday night presented Greg Devereaux with a key to the city.

Devereaux was appointed last month to serve as the San Bernardino County chief administrative officer.

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Bea Cortes

Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/02/2010 05:42:44 PM PST

GRAND TERRACE – A group of residents wants the District Attorney’s Office to investigate whether Councilwoman Bea Cortes violated state law by voting to spend more than $2,800 in public funds on a business with financial ties to her.

A complaint was filed last week and is under review, said Susan Mickey, spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office.

“We’re looking at it to determine whether it warrants opening an investigation,” Mickey said.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer

Posted: 02/02/2010 06:23:20 PM PST

COLTON – In the latest effort to find better – and cheaper – ways of operating, Colton officials are exploring the possibility of disbanding the city fire department and contracting with an outside agency.

The City Council unanimously approved contracts totaling $187,570 with San Francisco-based consulting firm Harvey M. Rose Associates, LLC to perform “operational performance audits” of the Fire Department and Colton Electric Utility.

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10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, February 2, 2010
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise

Two Loma Linda City Council members have opened a new front in the battle against red-light cameras.

After Redflex Traffic Systems refused early termination of its contract to operate the cameras, Councilmen Ovidiu Popescu and Rhodes “Dusty” Rigsby want to tell San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies not to write tickets to motorists caught on the cameras making illegal right-hand turns.

“I think there are some things we can do to mitigate what I think is an injury to our community,” Popescu told his fellow council members last week. “We do, as council members, have the authority to direct the Sheriff’s Department on how they should proceed with enforcement.”

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07:51 PM PST on Tuesday, February 2, 2010
By GAIL WESSON
The Press-Enterprise

Supporters of a recall of four San Jacinto City Council members should be out gathering signatures later this week, according to the recall campaign manager.

Darrell Connerton said he will meet with volunteers Thursday, once copies of the petitions are printed, a process that began Tuesday.

Interim City Clerk Rick Miller said he approved the petitions for circulation about 4:45 p.m. Monday. He has been consulting the Riverside County registrar of voters office to ensure the paperwork was in order.

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Bernard Parks has asked the city’s top budget analyst to outline a layoff plan that includes public safety agencies, which have been largely shielded from earlier budget cuts.

By Maeve Reston and Phil Willon

February 2, 2010

As the Los Angeles City Council weighed options to address a $208-million shortfall, Councilman Bernard C. Parks on Monday ordered the city’s top budget analyst to prepare a plan that could include layoffs of police officers and firefighters.

Last week, City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana outlined plans for the elimination of as many as 1,500 city positions, but none of those cuts were from the Police Department or the mayor’s and council members’ offices.

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Kelly Chastain

Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/31/2010 07:41:14 PM PST

COLTON – Aiming to continue work that started in her first term, Mayor Kelly Chastain has decided to run for re-election. She’s certain opponents will challenge her voting record, but is confident she’ll be re-elected.

“I know I will be attacked for my stand on the need to raise utility and water rates, but I’m not ashamed and will stand by those votes as it was necessary to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of water and electricity to our residents,” she said.

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General plan outlines growth for city
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/31/2010 07:41:14 PM PST

ONTARIO – For the next 20 years, city officials, planners, developers and residents will rely on the Web-based Ontario Plan as their guiding document.

It is the first general plan in the state that will be completely Web-based, city Planning Director Jerry Blum said.

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Los Angeles owns Ontario facility and needs money, but would anyone pay the price?

10:11 PM PST on Saturday, January 30, 2010

By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
The Press-Enterprise

Faced with a $200 million shortfall in its current fiscal year, the city of Los Angeles has considered putting a price tag on Ontario International Airport which it’s owned since 1967.

But will anyone buy?

Aviation experts say no. City officials say they’re simply researching options available to them which include an FAA program started in 1996 allowing five public airports at a time to be leased to interested management firms.

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10:17 PM PST on Saturday, January 30, 2010

By LESLIE PARRILLA
The Press-Enterprise

Corona is picking up a conversation that started at least 18 years ago.

In 1992, then-City Council candidate Bob McMackin campaigned on the platform that being a charter city, versus a general law city, would allow more local control and keep the state from tapping into coffers.

But for reasons that included the city’s smaller size, the idea never gained a louder voice.

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City still scrambling to resolve $126 million dispute with GE
BY BROOKE EDWARDS
STAFF WRITER

VICTORVILLE • It’s been nearly four months since the city quietly selected a New Jersey company as the leading contender to buy development rights for the planned $1.2 billion Victorville 2 power plant.

The deal was meant to help stabilize the city’s precarious financial position, with a $126 million payment to General Electric for the power plant’s equipment roughly 15 months past due.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/30/2010 06:12:16 AM PST

HIGHLAND – The City Council has committed $11 million in Redevelopment Agency bond money to fund infrastructure improvements along Greenspot Road, between the 210 Freeway and Boulder Avenue.

The design for the improvements could be completed by April, said Public Works Director Ernie Wong. It’s likely that sometime after April the city will begin awarding bids for some projects, Wong said.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/30/2010 06:12:16 AM PST

FONTANA – Annexation has cooled in the last couple of years and it looks like it might be put on ice after the city squares off its corporate boundaries on the south side.

“I don’t think I see us going forward unless some state legislation made it really attractive to go forward and do some annexation,” Mayor Mark Nuaimi said Friday.

The city later this year hopes to initiate plans to annex 472 acres on the south side of the 10 Freeway between Mulberry and Almond avenues north of Jurupa Avenue.

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10:00 PM PST on Friday, January 29, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

A former San Bernardino County official must stand trial on corruption charges stemming from a probe at the assessor’s office, a superior court judge ruled Friday.

Judge Duke Rouse found that there was enough evidence to try Rex Gutierrez on charges of grand theft and misappropriation of public funds. The two felony counts carry a sentence of up to four years in prison.

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In an effort to close the city’s $208-million budget shortfall, the proposal would be in addition to 1,000 job cuts already threatened.
By David Zahniser and Maeve Reston

January 30, 2010

Faced with a shortfall now reaching $208 million, the top budget official at Los Angeles City Hall said Friday that he is preparing a list of 500 jobs to be cut from the payroll — on top of the 1,000 already threatened with elimination.

Those reductions, if approved by the City Council over the next several weeks, would bring city government personnel cuts to 3,900 this year. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the council have already agreed to let 2,400 employees retire with full benefits up to five years early.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/29/2010 08:56:21 PM PST

A Rancho Cucamonga city councilman and former county employee stole from taxpayers when he attended city events on county time, billing the city for mileage and collecting pay from the county, according to court testimony on Friday.

At the conclusion of Councilman Rex Gutierrez’s preliminary hearing in San Bernardino Superior Court, Judge Duke D. Rouse ordered Gutierrez, 50, to stand trial on charges of felony grand theft and misappropriation of public funds.

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A group of 12 Grand Terrace residents has filed with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office a complaint alleging that city councilwoman Bea Cortes engaged in multiple flagrant violations of Government Code Section 1090, the state of California’s conflict of interest law.

The complaint, which was provided to the public integrity unit formed by district attorney Mike Ramos in 2003 to deal with violations of the public trust perpetrated by elected and appointed city and government officials, contains allegations that Cortes voted repeatedly over the last four years to approve city payments to her employer, Terra Loma Real Estate and compounded the matter by attempting to hide the matter from public scrutiny by failing to report her relationship with Terra Loma on the economic interest disclosure documents she is required to file as a public official.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/28/2010 05:10:06 PM PST

FONTANA – Mayor Mark Nuaimi delivered a state-of-the-city address Thursday before more than 100 officials, politicos and public employees gathered at the Jesse Turner Community Center in Fontana Park.

“Locally, at the state level, federally, globally, 2009 was an unprecedented opportunity for pain for a lot of people in and around our community,” Nuaimi said.

The mayor’s words followed a video featuring City Council members highlighting the community’s progress during the last decade in what was a concentrated effort by officials to blunt bad economic news with past achievements.

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Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 01/27/2010 09:56:11 PM PST

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Grant money, capital projects and a new furniture store were some sources of optimism for Mayor Don Kurth, who gave his fourth State of the City speech at Etiwanda Gardens on Wednesday.

Despite a budget shortfall and a shrunken City Hall work force, Kurth remained sanguine, reminding a group of business and community leaders that Rancho Cucamonga is still a “golden city on the hill.”

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Bea Cortes

City of Grand Terrace council member Bertha Bea Cortes is the focus of a complaint submitted to the San Bernardino County District Attorney this week.

InlandPolitics.com received a copy of the complaint by email this morning.

The complaint signed by twelve citizen’s of the city alleges that Cortes committed multiple violations of the Political Reform Act. Specifically, that Cortes engaged in a conflict of interest in violation of section 1090 of the California Government Code, and committed perjury by filing false statements of economic interest, known as Form 700.

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January 26, 2010 11:29 AM
JESSICA CEJNAR Staff Writer

BARSTOW • Barstow Mayor Joe Gomez is being investigated by the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department, The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office confirmed.

D.A.’s spokesperson Susan Mickey said that the district attorney’s office is reviewing a case involving Gomez, but no decision about filing charges has been made yet. The district attorney’s office received the case from the sheriff’s department Monday, Mickey said. Mickey said she could not comment on what the allegations were.

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Move will save $750,000 in three years
January 25, 2010 5:34 PM
BROOKE EDWARDS Staff Writer

VICTORVILLE • The city is returning 43 vehicles it’s been leasing for employees, as another cost-saving measure to get through its current financial crisis.

The move will save $250,00 a year, city spokeswoman Yvonne Hester said, for a total savings of $750,000 over the next three years.

The vehicles were all leased from Sunland Ford Lincoln Mercury for five years starting April 1, 2008, in effort to replace aging, less fuel-efficient models with newer ones.

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Stacia Glenn, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/25/2010 05:35:27 PM PST

BARSTOW – The District Attorney’s Office is deciding whether to charge Mayor Joe Gomez with sexually battering a police officer’s wife after a Christmas party.

The victim, who has not been identified, reported the alleged assault Dec. 18 to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department because the crime took place in an unincorporated area of Barstow.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/24/2010 08:29:55 PM PST

COLTON – With four of the seven seats on the City Council up for grabs, the Nov. 2 election could change the face of city leadership.

Mayor Kelly Chastain and council members Richard DeLaRosa, Susan Oliva and David Toro are all up for re-election.

With the past 12 months being some of the most tumultuous in recent memory, some say challengers will have a good shot at defeating incumbents.

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10:00 PM PST on Sunday, January 24, 2010

By LESLIE PARRILLA
The Press-Enterprise

Norco city officials have gained momentum on two significant issues that have drawn strong words from residents.

The City Council voted last week to begin negotiating the purchase of 429 acres of property on Hillside Avenue, land that was contaminated by the former Wyle Laboratories.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/23/2010 07:05:05 PM PST

RIALTO – At a time when local governments are looking to cut spending every way they can, this city is preparing to spend up to $5 million a year on upgraded pension packages for police, firefighters and other employees.

Budget plans for the 2010-11 fiscal year will have to account for the new “3 at 50″ pension plan, which allows firefighters and police officers with 30 years of service to retire as early as age 50 and collect up to 90 percent of their highest annual salaries for the rest of their lives.

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11:17 PM PST on Saturday, January 23, 2010

By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise

While Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge accentuated the positive in his State of the City speech Thursday, some residents said Friday they see some negatives they want city officials to address.

In his speech, Loveridge acknowledged the recession’s toll on Riverside — namely high unemployment and a dwindling city budget — but he also pointed to recent projects such as the renovation of the Fox theater, and new initiatives like an economic plan to attract green jobs, boost the arts and improve neighborhoods.

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Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 01/23/2010 06:07:17 AM PST

UPLAND – The Upland Unified School District is now looking to cut $15 million over the next two years should Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s current budget proposal stick.

The figure is an increase of $2.6 million from last week when school officials estimated that the projected cuts would be about $12.4 million.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/22/2010 03:53:23 PM PST

COLTON – An audit the City Council approved in August 2007 for $65,000 has council members split on what benefit it provided the city.

The results of the audit have never officially been presented to the council or made public. Some council members say the money was wasted and produced nothing of value while others argue work that was completed did have worth.

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Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 01/22/2010 04:53:51 PM PST

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Issues concerning the budget, the upcoming elections and Councilman Rex Gutierrez were all on the table during an eight-hour meeting at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center on Thursday that was meant to build City Council consensus and set goals for 2010.

Nearly every discussion of city matters was tinted by the cloud of budget cuts.

The City Council directed Community Services Director Kevin McArdle to cut two popular events – the July 4 fireworks night at the Epicenter and the volunteer appreciation dinner.

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Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/21/2010 06:01:12 PM PST

SAN BERNARDINO – It may not be the most ringing of endorsements, but the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce is pretty much in favor with the prospect of a new downtown civic center.

The Chamber’s board voted Thursday to adopt a resolution supporting a new County Government Center in downtown San Bernardino. Some city and county officials – including San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris – want to build a new government complex on property currently used by Carousel Mall, but that idea has not gained universal support.

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10:00 PM PST on Thursday, January 21, 2010

By MICHELLE L. KLAMPE
The Press-Enterprise

To bridge a nearly $20 million budget shortfall, the Lake Elsinore Unified School District will need significant concessions from its unions or be forced to lay off hundreds of people and close several schools, the school board was told Thursday.

“In the 20 years I’ve been privileged to serve on this board, this is the most difficult budget year I have ever seen,” board member Jeanie Corral said.

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Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/20/2010 09:26:56 PM PST

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – The city is looking for ways to cut its budget deficit by a third as a response to sales-tax and other revenue shortfalls.

During a midyear budget review on Tuesday, the City Council directed City Manager Jack Lam to look for ways to trim the budget by about $1.2 million without affecting services.

City staff members are expected to present money-saving measures that are available in 30 days.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/20/2010 04:21:51 PM PST

COLTON – A “paper trail” that will serve as a reference for lobbyists who advocate for the city’s interests at the state and federal level has been approved by the City Council.

The Legislative Year 2010 Program states the city’s general position on legislation that affects the city or region as it works its way through Washington or Sacramento and also lists specific projects that are city goals.

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Supervisor Neil Derry

Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/20/2010 03:13:20 PM PST

SAN BERNARDINO – Third District Supervisor Neil Derry said Wednesday his office will pay the $6,600 cost of challenging a government panel’s power to merge six county islands into the city.

The basis of the challenge is whether the Local Agency Formation Commission for San Bernardino County, also known as Lafco, correctly followed state laws that allow cities to annex unincorporated territory without a popular vote.

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Jesse B. Gill, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/20/2010 08:07:52 PM PST

REDLANDS – The first steps in 18 years toward raising the rates for waste management services were taken Tuesday night by the City Council.

The council voted 4-1 to prepare and distribute notices to ratepayers and set a April 20 public hearing date.

“The (city) staff’s recommendation to proceed with a rate increase at this time is necessary in order to provide for the long-term health and viability of the solid waste fund,” said Gary Van Dorst, director of the city’s Quality of Life Department.

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10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, January 20, 2010

By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside officials are hammering out a deal to give a $20 million loan to a developer who plans a 125-room hotel near the reopened Fox theater.

The city sees the hotel as a key piece of downtown revitalization plans that include expanding the convention center. Officials say right now, the city is the only available creditor for the project and that they’ve included several safeguards to protect its investment.

The City Council is expected to vote on the deal in February. If it’s approved, the city would sell $20 million in tax-exempt bonds that are available under a federal stimulus bill and lend the money to developer Siavash Barmand’s MetroPacific Properties.

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Council gives contract extensions to police and fire, gets furloughs in return

JESSE B. GILL Staff Writer
Posted: 01/19/2010 08:35:54 PM PST

REDLANDS – After months of a grueling negotiating process, the City Council approved contract extensions with three holdout labor groups in exchange for furlough days.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend labor contracts for the Redlands Police Officers Association (RPOA), the Redlands Professional Firefighters Association (RPFA) and the Redlands Association of Fire Management Employees (RAFME) through 2012. Contracts for all three associations were due to expire in 2010.

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10:05 PM PST on Tuesday, January 19, 2010

By GAIL WESSON
The Press-Enterprise

San Jacinto Mayor Dale Stubblefield filed his answer with the city Tuesday to the recall petition against him, according to the city clerk’s office.

The recall campaign is further along against three other City Council members, and the clerk’s office said Tuesday a review of the petition seeking their removal is still in progress.

In his response Stubblefield wrote that he would continue to serve “in a professional and respectful manner.”

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10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, January 19, 2010

By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside city officials said Tuesday they don’t expect major job cuts in 2010, but minor layoffs are possible and officials will have to close a budget gap of up to $4 million.

The city laid off about 23 workers in 2009. Officials reached an agreement in October with the Service Employees International Union that none of its members would lose their jobs until after Jan. 15.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/18/2010 07:18:42 PM PST

Established as a national holiday in 1983 and first formally observed in 1986, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one day where many government workers across the nation don’t need to work.

State offices close in honor of the civil-rights icon, and so do many county and city jurisdictions. But some local governments don’t close for the holiday.

Highland and Chino in San Bernardino County, along with Diamond Bar in Los Angeles County, are three cities that remain open the third Monday of January.

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January 18, 2010 10:48 AM
BROOKE EDWARDS Staff Writer

VICTORVILLE • The city hasn’t repaid an interfund loan it made to itself in 1999, according to its latest audit report — even though state law dictates that this particular loan must be paid back with interest within five years.

Still the audit of the city’s Redevelopment Agency, which is up for approval at Tuesday’s council meeting, shows an unqualified or “clean” opinion on the agency’s financial statements for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

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09:37 AM PST on Monday, January 18, 2010

By DUG BEGLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Special Section: San Jacinto Probe

San Jacinto officials — some now indicted in a sweeping corruption probe — approved permits for a developer also ensnared by the criminal charges, leading county transportation officials to spend thousands more to acquire land for a major regional route, court documents and officials confirmed.

Stephen Holgate, a local developer and one of 15 people indicted in a sweeping campaign corruption probe, was given permits in 2006 to develop property that city and transportation officials knew was part of the planned Mid-County Parkway.

The route one day will connect San Jacinto and Interstate 215 in Perris.

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Chantal M. Lovell, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/18/2010 09:12:16 AM PST

REDLANDS – The school year is about to get shorter for the students of Redlands Unified.

The district Board of Education unanimously approved a plan Tuesday that will reduce the 2010-2011 school year by three days. If further cuts must be made, students will have five fewer days in the classroom.

“We (approved) what I think is a travesty and truly the result of our legislature not being able to come up with real solutions to support the educational program,” said RUSD Superintendent Lori Rhodes. “It is to reduce the student school year by three days beginning in July 2010. Traditional schools would go from 180 student attendance days to 177 days. Year-round schools, which is only Bryn Mawr right now, would go from 175 days to 172 days.”

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Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/17/2010 06:02:35 AM PST

CHINO – State corrections officials are expected to release a master plan this spring for converting the Heman G. Stark youth prison into a major expansion of adult housing operations.

The transition of Stark into an adult facility is moving forward with the public environmental review process. A public meeting to introduce the plan is likely in the spring, said Bob Sleppy, deputy environmental services director for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/16/2010 05:43:23 PM PST

COLTON – A major overhaul of city operations won unanimous support Saturday when the City Council voted to approve a reorganization proposal presented to them Thursday night by new City Manager Rod Foster.

Under the plan, six employees -including three department heads – will be laid off, the city’s 11 departments will be consolidated into seven and several employee classifications will be added, eliminated, or revised.

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11:04 PM PST on Friday, January 15, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

A former top official with the San Bernardino County assessor’s office got his job through a major developer’s influence and used that connection to avoid work, investigators testified Friday.

The testimony was presented in a preliminary hearing for Rex Gutierrez, one of five former assessor’s officials arrested as part of a corruption investigation of the office under former Assessor Bill Postmus, who also is facing felony charges.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/15/2010 09:41:24 PM PST

SAN BERNARDINO – A former Assessor’s Office staffer who serves on the Rancho Cucamonga City Council stole from the public by engaging in personal business while on the county clock, investigators said Friday in San Bernardino Superior Court.

In a preliminary hearing for Councilman Rex Gutierrez, investigators testified that former Assessor Bill Postmus hired Gutierrez as a favor to a local developer and refused to take action when other employees complained about Gutierrez’s frequent absenteeism and poor job performance.

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10:00 PM PST on Friday, January 15, 2010

By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Hearings for 15 defendants in two San Jacinto corruption cases were continued on Friday. One of the accused, developer Stephen Holgate, will ask next month to have the case against him dismissed.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Michael Donner moved the trial readiness conference for nine indicted defendants, including Holgate, to Feb. 26.

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Grand Terrace City Councilman Jim Miller waived his right to a preliminary hearing in San Bernardino County Superior Court today.

The move sets the stage for an immediate jury trial on a single count of conflict of interest by a public officer, a felony.

The move follows a formal rejection of a plea offer of a single misdemeanor count that would require Miller to resign from office.

Miller was charged by District Attorney Michael Ramos for voting to approve what is referred to as a check disbursement register that is routinely placed on the Grand Terrace City Council consent calendar.

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10:00 PM PST on Thursday, January 14, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

Grand Terrace Councilman Jim Miller pleaded not guilty Thursday morning to a felony conflict-of-interest charge in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

His attorney, Richard M. Ewaniszyk, entered the plea on Miller’s behalf in the arraignment proceeding, which lasted only a few minutes. Miller will return to court on Feb. 1.

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Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/14/2010 09:16:10 PM PST

COLTON – A major reorganization proposal of City Hall could result in six employees — including three department heads and a mid-level manager — losing their jobs, City Manager Rod Foster said Thursday night.

Along with the layoffs, several departments would be consolidated and some employee classifications would be added, eliminated and revised in the sweeping round of organizational changes the City Council will consider at a special 9 a.m. Saturday meeting at City Hall.

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Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/14/2010 04:18:57 PM PST

GRAND TERRACE – The city’s prescription drug discount program has been revived, thanks to an unlikely benefactor.

Barney Karger, an 81-year-old resident who has been critical of city officials, made a generous donation this week allowing Grand Terrace to offer the program.

The program enables Grand Terrace residents to get an average savings of 20 percent off the price of prescription drugs at CVS Pharmacies and other drug stores.

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Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/13/2010 09:21:01 PM PST

SAN BERNARDINO – Councilman-elect Jason Desjardins has been charged with two misdemeanor theft counts for allegedly stealing campaign signs from his opponent and the mayor.

Desjardins, a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, declined to comment Wednesday except to say the charges are without merit.

“It’s politically motivated,” Desjardins said.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/13/2010 05:11:34 PM PST

FONTANA – Officials tasked with grim budget decisions said Wednesday the $8.2 million deficit the city faces for fiscal 2010-11 could lead to layoffs and undoubtedly will result in painful cuts to services and community programs.

“Obviously, every department is going to have to take cuts,” Councilwoman Janice Rutherford said.

Both a $3 million structural deficit and a roughly $2.6 million contractual employee cost adjustment is choking a budget already suffering from revenue shortfalls.

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Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/13/2010 09:21:00 PM PST

ONTARIO – Fire Chief Chris Hughes has been preparing for three years to be the next city manager.

On Tuesday night, his time came as the City Council unanimously agreed to have him replace outgoing manager Greg Devereaux.

Less than 24 hours after Hughes got the job, the Rancho Cucamonga resident talked about his tenure with Ontario and what the future might bring.

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