Politics, Government and Business in Southern California's Inland Empire
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/25/2013 05:50:35 PM PST
GRAND TERRACE – A mid-year budget review to be studied today Tuesday shows an expected deficit of more than $337,000 by the time the fiscal year ends in June, which has led officials to consider declaring a fiscal emergency and asking voters to approve a new tax.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012 – 10:30 a.m.
It’s not often when you can witness a justice system being abused.
Abused in plain sight for that matter!
But, in San Bernardino County, a place that operates more like a banana republic than a state subdivision, it’s routine.
BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com
Published: 21 July 2012 05:05 PM
It’s an obvious question after San Bernardino sought bankruptcy — is my city next?
The early answer, at least in the Inland area, is probably not. While three California cities plan to file for bankruptcy and more could follow, local officials say their finances aren’t at the breaking point.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 – 11:30 p.m.
Could more Inland cities be on the road to municipal bankruptcy?
The answer is yes.
BY DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
STAFF WRITER
dsantschi@pe.com
Published: 26 February 2012 06:59 PM
Grand Terrace could cut back two law enforcement positions without increasing the risk of crime, a San Bernardino County sheriff’s lieutenant says.
BY DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
STAFF WRITER
dsantschi@pe.com
Published: 20 February 2012 09:15 PM
Disincorporating Grand Terrace would not wipe away the cash-strapped city’s bills.
City Manager Betsy M. Adams warned City Council members at a workshop session recently that the agency that oversees boundary changes in San Bernardino County would require Grand Terrace voters to approve a tax measure to pay any outstanding city debts before agreeing to disincorporate the town.
Jim Steinberg, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/26/2011 07:47:46 PM PDT
RIALTO – One well serving residents more than a decade ago might have delivered concentrations of perchlorate high enough to affect the development of fetuses, infants and children, state officials say.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/13/2011 10:01:02 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – After nearly five months of closed-door negotiations, the city agreed Tuesday night to pay almost $2.3 million owed to the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District.
Derry
Friday, September 2, 2011 – 09:20 a.m.
San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry today announced that his campaign has received the endorsement of four respected local elected officials.
10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 10, 2011
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
Staff Writer dsantchi@pe.com
The Grand Terrace City Council is making it official and will pay the state in order to restart the city’s redevelopment agency.
Citing family needs, she takes Upland job
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/03/2011 04:25:17 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – Brenda Mesa is resigning as city clerk, saying she took a part-time position with the city of Upland so she can work closer to home.
City will appeal payment to state
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/27/2011 03:30:39 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – Calling the Redevelopment Agency a vital revenue source, City Council members have agreed to pay the state more than $2.8 million in what they consider “extortion payments” to keep access to the agency and also hired a consultant to appeal the payment amount.
10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, July 20, 2011
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise
Grand Terrace may have to surrender $2.8 million to the state of California this year and more than $670,000 a year in the future to keep the city’s redevelopment agency alive.
10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, July 20, 2011
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise
The Grand Terrace City Council is looking to lift restrictions on the posting of campaign signs.
Sunday, July 17, 2011 – 11:30 a.m.
A scathing report the San Bernardino County Grand Jury dropped the San Bernardino International Airport Authority (SBIAA) back on June 28 will most likely have an unintended consequence.
Changes could help campaigns
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/13/2011 08:18:09 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – In what some are framing as a battle between freedom of speech and freedom of vision, the City Council will decide whether to remove restrictions on the posting of political signs that court rulings indicate could run afoul of the First Amendment.
2011-12 spending plan includes $533,692 in cuts
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/29/2011 08:58:05 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – It’s not the budget city officials hoped for, but it’s the one they expected and one they can live with.
Budget efforts hit with uncertainty
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/22/2011 06:34:25 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – After its second budget-specific meeting in as many weeks, the City Council still isn’t sure what cuts it will have to make to pass a balanced budget at its meeting Tuesday evening.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/25/2011 05:08:06 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – A presentation on how to rebuild the city’s budget to escape what a consultant called serious financial trouble was delayed about 10 minutes Tuesday evening – when the lights went out at City Hall.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/25/2011 05:49:56 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – The City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency board, has authorized up to $29 million in bonds, which officials hope to use on infrastructure to lift the city’s stagnant tax base.
Water bill error cited in new debt
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/23/2011 05:02:54 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – County auditors report that the city owes more than $2 million to the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, worsening an already precarious budget and possibly imperiling efforts to sell bonds for city projects.
By Ryan Hagen Staff Writer
Posted: 04/28/2011 06:44:24 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – City Attorney John Harper, who has provided legal advice for the city since it incorporated and served as city attorney since 1988, resigned Thursday.
10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, April 28, 2011
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise
The Grand Terrace City Council will consider lifting restrictions on the posting of campaign signs.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/26/2011 03:54:51 PM PST
GRAND TERRACE – As cities statewide argue that eliminating redevelopment agencies would jeopardize vital infrastructure and job creation, officials here worry it could claim another victim: the city itself.
Grand Terrace might have to disincorporate within a year if it loses its Redevelopment Agency, fears Mayor Walt Stanckiewitz.
By Ryan Hagen Staff Writer
Posted: 02/25/2011 03:48:03 PM PST
GRAND TERRACE – A month-long review of more than a decade of decisions has chipped more than $1million off what was once a $4.6million debt.
The city owes the money to its Redevelopment Agency, a city-controlled body that former City Manager Tom Schwab often borrowed from to balance the city’s general fund, officials said.
10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, February 23, 2011
By JAN SEARS
The Press-Enterprise
Redevelopment money intended for a five-year economic development agreement between Grand Terrace and Stater Bros. was safeguarded by the City Council on Tuesday.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/12/2011 08:20:16 PM PST
GRAND TERRACE – Gene Hays, an immigration attorney with no government experience, will be sworn in today as the fifth member of the City Council.
The council members voted 3-1 on Tuesday to select Hays after interviewing 13 applicants.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/10/2011 05:16:35 PM PST
GRAND TERRACE – A fifth member could join the City Council this evening, preventing what many say would otherwise be a 2-2 deadlock for the next two years.
But first, current members will interview the 14 applicants for the position and agree on a future colleague.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/22/2010 08:13:31 PM PST
GRAND TERRACE – After lengthy debate, the City Council has voted to accept applications for an open seat on the council.
The 3-1 decision, with Councilwoman Lee Ann Garcia dissenting, came following extended discussions at a special meeting Tuesday and the previous week, when the City Council delayed the decision to avoid an apparent 2-2 stalemate over whether to hold a special election or appoint someone.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/19/2010 06:08:19 PM PST
GRAND TERRACE – The City Council will decide whether to elect or appoint the fifth member of the body at a special meeting starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The council was scheduled to decide how to fill the seat, which opened up when Walt Stanckiewitz became mayor, at its regular meeting Dec. 14.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/13/2010 04:22:33 PM PST
GRAND TERRACE – Big tasks are in store for the newly elected City Council, but one of the first decisions will shape the others.
The council is scheduled to decide tonight what the future holds for the seat vacated by Councilman Walt Stanckiewitz when he becomes mayor today.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/10/2010 08:53:31 PM PST
Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series on Grand Terrace’s new City Council members.
GRAND TERRACE – About a year ago, Bernardo Sandoval thought a man was getting a raw deal, so he started attending City Council meetings to see if he could do something about it.
That man – then-Councilman Jim Miller, who had voted with the rest of the council to approve routine payments for city advertisements in his wife’s weekly newspaper – would later resign and plead guilty to a misdemeanor conflict-of-interest charge.
Cortes
Wednesday, November 3, 2010 – 11:20 a.m.
Grand Terrace residents ejected a polarizing figure from their city council Tuesday night.
Council member Bertha ‘Bea’ Cortes only pulled just under 18% of the vote in a field of four.
She came in last place.
11:01 PM PDT on Monday, October 25, 2010
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise
The city’s handling of recent scandals, luring business and developing programs for young people are among the top issues in the race for mayor of Grand Terrace on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Four candidates are seeking the seat being vacated by Mayor Maryetta Ferre, who did not seek re-election. They are Councilman Walt Stanckiewitz, Planning Commission Chairman Doug Wilson, Chamber of Commerce President Sally McGuire and real estate associate Denise “De De” DeCenty-Steinberg.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/24/2010 03:09:50 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – Sally McGuire and Darcy McNaboe did not break conflict-of-interest laws by serving with the Chamber of Commerce while running for city office, the state Fair Political Practices Commission has determined.
Sylvia Robles, who is running against McNaboe for a City Council seat, alleged in part that by appearing in the chamber newsletter, they violated a section of the Political Reform Act that generally forbids taxpayer-funded mass mailings from referencing officials affiliated with the publication.
G.T. hopefuls hold event to denounce ‘racial divisiveness’
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/24/2010 05:52:13 AM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – Hot dogs – without sauerkraut – were the main course at an event prompted by fliers that the hosts said were racist for pointing out mayoral candidate Walt Stanckiewitz was born in Germany. The event, held Friday at Stanckiewitz’s La Pasta Italia restaurant, was billed as a way to denounce “racial divisiveness.”
Candidate Wilson decides to cancel scheduled event
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/17/2010 08:18:04 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – In a campaign season that has seen accusations of illegal behavior and contradictory views of what’s best for the city, there will be one time City Hall is free of arguments between mayoral candidates: Oct. 25, when Doug Wilson booked it for a debate.
Wilson, one of four candidates for mayor, said the usual candidates forum hosted by the Chamber of Commerce would be too limiting, especially since the person he sees as his main opponent – Councilman Walt Stanckiewitz – will not attend the forum.
Cortes
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/11/2010 03:57:23 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – Bea Cortes’ campaign consultant is considering legal action against the citizen who anonymously posted signs accusing Cortes of stifling free speech.
“We have nothing against free speech, but we will challenge putting out anonymous fliers that include false information,” said Chris Jones, who works on Cortes’ campaign for City Council and with other local candidates.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/08/2010 05:13:23 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – The mayoral race has been split by a simple litmus test: pro- or anti-Tom Schwab?
The question gets at the heart of the more complex debate about the role of the redevelopment agency, which consists of the mayor and members of the City Council.
Cortes
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/06/2010 04:35:58 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – City councilwoman Bea Cortes committed no crime when she voted to pay more than $2,800 in public funds to a real estate company where she had a real estate license, the district attorney’s office has announced.
Twelve Grand Terrace citizens requested the investigation in January, alleging a conflict of interest during votes from 2006 to 2009.
Nelson
10:58 PM PDT on Monday, October 4, 2010
By JEFF HORSEMAN
The Press-Enterprise
Just five city managers in California — and only one in the Inland area — earned more than Temecula City Manager Shawn Nelson in 2009, according to a survey.
Nelson, 51, earned $336,288 last year, an amount that includes his base salary, deferred compensation and other payouts, according to the survey released last month by the League of California Cities, an advocacy group for cities and towns. Nelson’s base pay is $291,571 a year, according to Temecula.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/15/2010 06:05:47 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – The City Council voted unanimously to release the results of its closed session meeting about years of unpaid taxes by city employees, concluding that requiring them to refile taxes for the last three years would satisfy its legal obligation.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/05/2010 09:58:13 PM PDT
Grand Terrace officials say confidentiality agreements still prevent them from discussing possible repercussions of the recent discovery that elected officials have never paid taxes on their stipends, and it is unclear when those agreements will end.
The Internal Revenue Service defines elected officials as employees of the city they serve, required to withhold part of their income. Members of the City Council and Planning Commission have not done so since Grand Terrace was incorporated in 1978.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/04/2010 10:32:36 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – Experience and transparency are emerging as major themes of the elections in Grand Terrace.
Four candidates are running for mayor, four for the City Council seat held by Bea Cortes, and two for the remaining two years of Jim Miller’s council term, which he resigned in March before pleading guilty to charges related to voting with a conflict of interest.
07:17 AM PDT on Friday, August 27, 2010
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise
Grand Terrace has not paid federal payroll taxes on City Council and planning commissioners’ monthly stipends since the city was incorporated 32 years ago.
The city’s failure to pay was disclosed this week when the council approved $14,000 in payments to the United States Treasury to cover three years of the unpaid payroll taxes in hopes the Internal Revenue Service will not demand more.
Candidate has concerns about planned market
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/25/2010 05:55:53 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – A City Council candidate is questioning the revenue projections of a proposed Stater Bros., arguing that the city will ultimately pay more in economic inducements to the supermarket chain than it will gain in tax revenue.
Jack Brown, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Stater Bros. Markets, said the city will generate nearly $800,000 annually in sales tax revenue.
Members offer to repay excess
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/25/2010 04:12:10 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – Pushing to distance themselves from recent scandals involving lavishly paid officials in other cities, members of the City Council recoiled when they discovered their stipends were higher than California law permits.
10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, August 12, 2010
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise
Voters in San Bernardino County will elect a county supervisor, three mayors and a host of city council and school board members Nov. 2.
The election filing period ended Friday for most races, and on Wednesday for those races in which one or more incumbents did not seek re-election.
11:11 AM PDT on Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Former Grand Terrace City Councilman Jim Miller pleaded guilty this morning to a misdemeanor charge stemming from payments he voted to approve to his wife’s weekly newspaper.
Miller pleaded guilty to having a financial interest by a state or local official in a government contract. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped a felony conflict of interest charge, which could have included prison time.
10:00 PM PDT on Monday, July 26, 2010
Cassie MacDuff
With the scandal over exorbitant pay for Bell officials, Inland residents may wonder if their city governments, too, have approved extravagant salaries unbeknownst to them.
A 2007 Press-Enterprise survey showed Inland city manager salaries doubled between 1996 and 2006. Some now top $200,000.
Cortes
Melissa Pinion-Whitt, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/30/2010 02:36:57 PM PDT
A Grand Terrace councilwoman who sought a permanent restraining order against a resident she claimed was harassing her withdrew the request Wednesday in San Bernardino Superior Court.
The request by Bea Cortes would have barred Kay Moore from all Grand Terrace council meetings, City Hall, city events and other locations if it had been granted. But Cortes said she decided against pursuing it, opting to steer clear of a restaurant Moore frequents.
Cortes
Written by Administrator
June 29th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Here is the order: Councilperson Cortes v. Moore Note: There are two separate files when you open the document. The first is the application and the second is the order.
A couple of things are noteworthy. First, the order is for 100 yards and includes city hall, city functions, etc. The defendant is a resident of Grand Terrace and this order basically denies her right to participate in city government or even pay her trash bill in person. If this order is made permanent, she would not be allowed to attend a 4th of July event if the city is sponsoring one, or a Christmas pageant, or a parade.
Written by Administrator
June 20th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
This past week San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney John Goritz and state of California Deputy Attorney General Melissa Mandel unveiled their “conspiracy theory” in the trial of former Assessor’s Office employee Rex Gutierrez. In addition to having worked for the county, Gutierrez also is an elected member of the city of Rancho Cucamonga City Council. Gutierrez is accused of conducting city of Rancho Cucamonga business on county time.
Cortes
Grand Terrace Councilwoman Bea Cortes, who has become a figure of some controversy in recent months, this week filed for and was granted a restraining order against one of her constituents. The incident that precipitated the filing grew out of an apparent misunderstanding on the councilwoman’s part or otherwise her belief that a citizen’s disapproval of the way in which she has conducted herself in office constituted a threat to her safety and well being.
The Sentinel has learned that on June 1, Cortes was seated at the bar at JB’s Bar and Grill. That evening, seated across the bar was another Grand Terrace resident, Kay Moore, who resides with her husband, Steve, in the 23000 block of Westwood Avenue. Kay Moore, who was familiar with who Cortes was and her position with the city, remarked upon Cortes’ presence to another patron. Moore made further note of her disagreement with Cortes’ politics.
10:00 PM PDT on Friday, May 21, 2010
Cassie MacDuff
Former Grand Terrace Councilman Jim Miller took a calculated risk when he decided last week not to plead guilty to a misdemeanor conflict-of-interest charge and instead go to trial on a felony.
A jury could acquit him — or it could find him guilty. Juries are wild cards.
Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/18/2010 07:03:14 PM PDT
Former Grand Terrace City Councilman Jim Miller rejected a plea offer from prosecutors today and may be headed to trial on allegations that he voted to send thousands of city dollars worth of advertising to his wife’s newspaper.
“We had discussed an offer, and that was withdrawn (Tuesday),” said Deputy District Attorney John Goritz, who is prosecuting the case.
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Trial dates were set Tuesday for a former Grand Terrace city councilman charged in a felony conflict of interest case, following prosecutors’ withdrawal of a misdemeanor plea deal.
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/29/2010 04:58:09 PM PDT
GRAND TERRACE – The city managed to close a $423,000 budget gap this year, but more challenges lie ahead next year.
Officials anticipate an $800,000 shortfall in the General Fund for the 2010-2011 budget year starting July 1.
Created: 03/22/2010 05:33:19 PM PDT
When the economy began to decline in 2008, investments through the California Public Employees’ Retirement System took a hit.
As a result, cities in the Inland Empire have been juggling losses in revenue while making sure they meet employees’ retirement obligations.
This is the status of pension obligations of some Inland Empire cities:
COLTON
CONTRIBUTION: $5.75 million in 2008-09
PENSION OBLIGATION BOND: $31.14 million
EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION RATE: 19.498 percent fire, 20.052 percent police, 7.060 percent misc.
EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION RATE: 9 percent fire, 9 percent police – paid by city. 8 percent misc. – city pays 4 percent.
Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/19/2010 07:36:00 PM PDT
COLTON – Pricey pension packages, budget breakdowns and deep deficits have reduced or jeopardized the reserves some cities have amassed over recent years.
Both Colton and San Bernardino are struggling with dwindling incomes that have burned cash reserves to dangerously low levels.
Rialto is struggling with higher pension costs set to start July 1, which a top official has said will deplete a sizeable $31 million reserve within three years if employees don’t agree to concessions.
10:00 PM PDT on Friday, March 19, 2010
Cassie MacDuff The Press-Enterprise
Of all the people implicated in the recent public corruption scandals, the one who evokes the most sympathy is Jim Miller, the Grand Terrace councilman who stepped down 10 days ago.
Miller stands out because he took responsibility, from the moment he was approached by investigators, for what he did.
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/10/2010 06:37:39 PM PST
GRAND TERRACE – Councilman Jim Miller, who has been charged a single felony count for an alleged conflict-of-interest violation, has resigned.
Miller’s letter to City Hall stated his resignation became effective Wednesday.
“It has been my extreme pleasure serving the community that I love, and it is in that spirit, given the recent turmoil, that I step down from the council,” Miller wrote.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/10/2010 09:40:12 PM PST
GRAND TERRACE – With great fanfare, the city announced a program last year promising residents an average savings of 20 percent off the price of prescription drugs.
Officials promoted the free program on the city’s Web site and issued a news release about it.
The City Council gave its unanimous blessing in late April, and a city report said the cards would be made available to the public within 30 days.
Susan Vaccaro
November 22, 2009
The case filed by San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos against Grand Terrace City Councilman Jim Miller is already half-way down the proverbial drain.
After being paraded out in front of a District Attorney orchestrated media arrest on a single felony charge of conflict of interest, the prosecution is now desperate to salvage something from the case.
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