Politics, Government and Business in Southern California's Inland Empire
Friday, May 24, 2013 – 06:00 a.m.
Here’s some news moving across the transom Friday morning.
IRS manager placed on leave
Lois Lerner, the manager at the center of a massive scandal at the Internal Revenue Service, was placed on paid leave Thursday afternoon. The move comes after Lerner invoked her fifth amendment right against self-incrimination before a congressional oversight committee earlier this week.
Posted on | May 22, 2013
Mayor Tom Owings, following a rambunctious study session on Tuesday, May 21, confirmed that he received a target letter in the federal grand jury probe of corruption in the Moreno Valley.
To read story by Debra Gruszecki in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Posted on | May 16, 2013
To understand Tuesday night’s production of the Mighty MoVal Council Players, watch this brief snippet in “Godfather II” in which Michael Corleone kisses his turncoat brother, Fredo, full on the mouth.
To read column by Dan Bernstein in The Press Enterprise, click here.
May 15, 2013; 07:53 PM
As a political corruption probe hangs over Moreno Valley and a day after its city manager quit, Michelle Dawson began moving quickly as the city’s new chief executive.
One of her first points of business Wednesday, May 15, was tapping city official Tom DeSantis as her top assistant.
To read story by Debra Gruszecki in The Press Enterprise, click here.
May 14, 2013; 08:51 PM
Moreno Valley City Manager Henry Garcia resigned Tuesday night, May 14, at a City Council meeting at which emotions ran high over a corruption probe, grandstanding by elected officials, and the recent filing of three claims by laid-off officials alleging political interference over code enforcement action taken against a councilman.
To read story by Debra Gruszecki in The Press Enterprise, click here.
May 10, 2013; 03:58 PM
As investigators sift through seized documents and witness statements in a political corruption probe of Moreno Valley, the plot has thickened.
City Manager Henry Garcia’s job is on the line.
To read story by Debra Gruszecki and David Danelski in The Press Enterprise, click here.
May 06, 2013; 06:38 PM
Moreno Valley Mayor Tom Owings put out a statement late Monday asserting he had reason to believe a grand jury will begin to collect testimony Wednesday, May 8, as part of a wide-ranging investigation into corruption by federal enforcement agencies.
To read story by Debra Gruszecki in The Press Enterprise, click here.
May 01, 2013; 06:20 PM
The scene that played out in Moreno Valley this week was a familiar one in the Inland area: FBI agents and other law enforcement officials raiding homes and offices as part of a public corruption investigation.
To read story by Imran Ghori in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Lori Fowler, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 02/08/2013 04:08:00 PM PST
A Riverside jury convicted a Moreno Valley school board member of 23 felonies charges including pimping and pandering and filing false insurance claims.
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.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012 – 12:30 P.M.
It was only a matter of time.
Too many pie in the sky rosy prognostications that many local governments blind relied upon.
Now Redlands-based economist John Husing has finally taken it on the chin for over estimating the economic impact of a Moreno Valley industrial development.
BY DAVID DANELSKI AND KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
STAFF WRITERS
ddanelski@pe.com | kpierceall@pe.com
Published: 16 June 2012 04:55 PM
Moreno Valley city officials say the economic promise of 41.6 million square feet of warehouses envisioned for the east side of the city includes paychecks for “tens of thousands” of workers.
The enticing projection, trumpeted amid some of the highest unemployment rates in the nation — 13.7 percent in Moreno Valley and 11.7 in the Inland region — grew out of an analysis by Inland economist John Husing. He calculated that the proposed World Logistics Center would put one person to work for every 2,000 square feet of warehouse space, creating about 20,000 “direct jobs.”
BY KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
STAFF WRITER
kpierceall@pe.com
Published: 30 December 2011 07:21 PM
Leaders with three Inland groups overhauling former military bases say legislation that would dissolve the state’s redevelopment agencies doesn’t apply to them.
The legislation was upheld by the state’s Supreme Court on Thursday.
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/14/2011 04:40:19 PM PST
Regional mail processing centers in the cities of Industry and Redlands remain on the chopping block, despite the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service’s decision to delay closing any of its facilities until mid-May.
Each site has 750 employees, postal officials said.
BY LAURIE LUCAS
STAFF WRITER
llucas@pe.com
Published: 27 November 2011 06:28 PM
Aaron Sandusky is bloodied but unbowed.
For several years he owned G3 Holistics Inc., a not-for-profit company that ran three Inland medical marijuana dispensaries.
Earlier this month, federal agents raided facilities in Colton, Upland and Moreno Valley, which are now bare and shuttered, and cleaned out his 40,000-square-pot growing warehouse in Ontario.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Created: 11/01/2011 07:36:14 PM PDT
Federal agents on Tuesday raided an Upland location and five others associated with Aaron Sandusky, whom they believe are illegally selling marijuana to the general public.
BY LAURIE LUCAS
STAFF WRITER
llucas@pe.com
Published: 31 October 2011 10:31 AM
Henry Garcia, the city manager of Moreno Valley, has fired two department heads.
08:59 PM PDT on Friday, July 29, 2011
By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
The Press-Enterprise
The commander of March Air Reserve Base between Riverside and Moreno Valley was clear: The Air Force doesn’t mind sharing its runway with general aviation flights.
06:40 PM PDT on Wednesday, July 20, 2011
By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
The Press-Enterprise
Developer Don Ecker has rarely hidden his enthusiasm as he has reached benchmarks to build a medical campus on former March Air Force Base property, from the first agreement to first negotiations to the first building demolished.
Wednesday was no exception.
11:40 PM PDT on Sunday, May 29, 2011
By MARK MUCKENFUSS
The Press-Enterprise
The new commander of the 4th Air Force headquartered at March Air Reserve Base said he is not overly concerned about the impending changes that have rattled some of his colleagues.
SKIRMISH: They are in battles across the area, where many cities have banned their operation.
12:38 AM PST on Sunday, March 6, 2011
By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise
Jose Avalos, 25, plunked down $35 for 1/8-ounce of a type of marijuana called Purple Killer Kush to relieve his back pain.
The patient, who waited his turn inside Moreno Valley’s fledgling medical marijuana dispensary, said cannabis beats every drug he’s tried.
11:08 PM PST on Monday, February 14, 2011
By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise
The Moreno Valley City Council took action recently to oppose Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to phase out redevelopment throughout the state.
12:10 AM PST on Friday, January 21, 2011
By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
The Press-Enterprise
Two Inland groups overseeing the redevelopment of former Air Force bases took steps this week to prevent the state from siphoning away the agencies’ funds.
12:14 AM PST on Sunday, January 9, 2011
By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise
Taking the first steps to chip away at a budget shortfall, Moreno Valley officials have imposed a hiring freeze, cut the number of city-issued credit cards and merged two departments.
10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, January 4, 2011
By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise
The mayor of Moreno Valley said Tuesday the most critical matter for 2011 is hiring a new city manager. So after the city clerk swore in Richard Stewart as mayor and Jesse Molina as mayor pro tem Tuesday night, the council met behind closed doors to interview city manager candidates.
Council members William Batey and Robin Hastings did not attend the ceremony.
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.
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, September 7, 2010
By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise
A candidate for Moreno Valley City Council faces a court date about municipal code violations at a property he owns.
Marcelo Co, 61, is scheduled to appear at 8 a.m. Sept. 21 at Riverside Superior Court to settle a misdemeanor criminal complaint involving a house he owns at 12801 Perris Boulevard.
11:16 PM PDT on Saturday, September 4, 2010
By JACK KATZANEK
The Press-Enterprise
Bob Wolf, the developer who over the last four decades was responsible for a lot of the projects that turned Interstate 215 into a busy commercial corridor, recalls an anecdote about Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot.
Perot, who has initiated dozens of philanthropic ventures, once donated land for a medical center in Texas. People were thrilled about the opportunity to upgrade that area’s medical care.
07:37 AM PDT on Tuesday, August 31, 2010
By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise
Moreno Valley scrapped its six-month hunt for a city manager after Interim City Manager William Bopf announced that he wanted to be considered for the job and would work cheaper than most of the candidates he already had helped screen.
The Aug. 24 vote to terminate the search frustrated two councilmen and several members of the search committee who have questioned Bopf’s motives, timing and ethics.
10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Moreno Valley Mayor Bonnie Flickinger will reflect on the city’s accomplishments and expectations at the State of the City address Sept. 9.
The event will be at the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center, 14075 Frederick St. The mayor and City Council members will greet guests at 11:30 a.m., followed at noon by a luncheon and Flickinger’s address.
10:52 PM PDT on Sunday, August 15, 2010
By JOHN F. HILL and JEFF HORSEMAN
The Press-Enterprise
Council members in 17 “general law” cities in western Riverside and San Bernardino counties earn less than half the pay of their counterparts in charter cities, a review of public records has found.
City managers in these Inland cities also make less, though the gap is smaller.
10:49 PM PDT on Tuesday, July 27, 2010
By JACK KATZANEK
The Press-Enterprise
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the biggest boosters Tuesday when officials triggered the demolition of the first building to make way for the proposed $3.7 billion March LifeCare campus.
The project could ultimately bring as many as 7,200 permanent jobs to the former March Air Force Base, at a health-care complex that will be anchored by a medical center, the project developer said. The ambitious plans call for a wide range of other medical buildings on the grounds of the former base, including facilities for senior citizens and retirees for ambulatory care patients.
10:54 PM PDT on Thursday, July 22, 2010
By MARK MUCKENFUSS
The Press-Enterprise
Efforts are under way to station a contingent of active-duty Air Force troops at March Air Reserve Base.
Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., chief of the Air Force Reserve and the commander for the Air Force Reserve Command, was in Riverside on Thursday for the 12th annual Raincross Trophy Dinner. During a break in his schedule, the man whose domain includes the oversight of March Air Reserve Base spoke about a coming change in the way the base will operate.
10:00 PM PDT on Monday, April 19, 2010
By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise
The Moreno Valley City Council tonight will review the steps needed to put a measure on the November ballot that would let voters elect the mayor.
Under the current system, council members appoint the mayor from within their ranks. This term the mayor is Bonnie Flickinger.
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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