Politics, Government and Business in Southern California's Inland Empire
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.
Saturday, March 23, 2013 – 09:00 a.m.
A little more than two-years ago it was then-Superior Court Judge Paul Zellerbach who ousted Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco in a very public and heated battle.
Now it’s Zellerbach’s star that may be falling.
March 21, 2013; 08:06 PM
Michael A. Hestrin, a prosecutor in the Riverside County district attorney’s office who has handled many of its high-profile death-penalty cases, announced Thursday, March 21, that he will run for district attorney next year.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press Enterprise, click here.
BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com
Published: 28 July 2012 06:04 PM
Raises for top-level prosecutors and senior sheriff’s department staff are needed so managers don’t earn less than the people they supervise, according to Sheriff Stan Sniff and District Attorney Paul Zellerbach.
They’re backing proposals before the county Board of Supervisors to raise non-union managers’ pay so there’s a wider salary gap between them and their subordinates. The board will consider the raises at their Tuesday, July 31, meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. in the board chambers at the County Administrative Center, 4080 Lemon St. in Riverside.
BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com
Published: 04 June 2012 07:16 PM
Riverside County’s sheriff and one of the county’s largest unions have joined other critics — including most county supervisors — in attacking a plan to raise elected leaders’ pay amid ongoing layoffs.
BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com
Published: 29 March 2012 07:18 PM
Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff asked county supervisors Thursday for more money in next fiscal year’s budget so he can hire deputies to patrol unincorporated areas, where he said crime is rising.
The ratio of deputies assigned to areas outside of cities has dropped from 1.2 deputies per 1,000 residents in 2009 and 2010 to 0.90 per 1,000 today.
BY RICHARD K. De ATLEY
rdeatley@pe.com
Published: 03 November 2011 12:12 PM
A state judicial watchdog agency has publicly admonished Riverside Count District Attorney Paul Zellerbach for actions he took as a judge involving the district attorney’s office, then run by Rod Pacheco, the man Zellerbach would defeat in an election.
The state Commission on Judicial Performance’s admonishment Thursday was prompted by complaints filed by Pacheco’s office before he left.
10:56 PM PDT on Monday, August 15, 2011
By DUANE W. GANG
Staff Writer dgang@pe.com
Riverside County’s Probation Department will hire 100 new staff — including 73 sworn officers — to handle more than 1,600 low-risk offenders headed into local supervision this year.
Paul Zellerbach
10:00 PM PDT on Monday, July 4, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Six months after he took over the job almost no one expected him to get, Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach is running an office with fewer people, less money and greater challenges than he could have guessed.
Zellerbach
11:43 PM PDT on Thursday, April 14, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
The Sacramento tax stalemate and Gov. Jerry Brown’s unfunded plan to put thousands of state prisoners back in county jails are front-burner issues faced by local law enforcement, Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach said Thursday.
10:33 PM PDT on Tuesday, March 29, 2011
By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside Board of Supervisors meet about county budgets
Published: 3/29/2011 07:18 PM
Riverside County’s four public-safety departments painted a bleak picture Tuesday of their finances, saying they face significant budget shortfalls for next fiscal year.
Pacheco and Zellerbach
10:16 PM PST on Tuesday, March 1, 2011
By RICHARD K. De ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Former Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco knew his office faced a multi-million-dollar shortfall, misled county supervisors about it, and increased costs by $4.9 million with unchecked spending, his successor said Tuesday.
Now Paul Zellerbach said he is looking at a $5.9 million shortfall that he hopes to reduce a bit more before going to supervisors to ask for reserve money to fill in the gap.
10:18 PM PST on Tuesday, February 15, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY and DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
Larry Minor, whose San Jacinto-based Agri-Empire Corp. is one of the nation’s largest potato growers, was indicted Tuesday on charges he made $66,400 in laundered campaign contributions through family members, friends and business associates.
Three of the 14 charges — conspiracy, perjury and filing a false document — are felonies. The rest are misdemeanors.
Zellerbach
09:42 PM PST on Tuesday, February 1, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enteprise
Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach has started his review of the pending death penalty cases he inherited from predecessor Rod Pacheco, and he already has removed at least one from the list of about 40.
10:36 PM PST on Sunday, January 30, 2011
By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside County’s top executive is calling for a hiring freeze and possible patrol cutbacks to help the Sheriff’s Department overcome a $13.5 million budget shortfall.
A report before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday outlines the financial picture for the department and all of county government halfway through the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
10:00 PM PST on Friday, January 21, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Defense attorneys in the San Jacinto corruption case withdrew a motion to remove the Riverside County district attorney’s office from the matter, saying they will trust new head prosecutor Paul Zellerbach’s word that he will review the case fairly.
11:14 PM PST on Sunday, January 16, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Vern Horst, who served as chief investigator for the Riverside County district attorney’s office under Rod Pacheco, has resigned from the post.
Horst was among a handful of Pacheco-appointed executives eligible to remain for 90 days after new District Attorney Paul Zellerbach took office on Jan. 3.
Zellerbach
06:27 AM PST on Friday, January 14, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
The theme of the evening was “Access to Justice,” but for young attorneys gathered in the Riverside County district attorney’s office, it was more than the speeches by Public Defender Gary Windom and new District Attorney Paul Zellerbach.
On the 10th floor of the district attorney’s office on Orange Street, some watched the sunset from an outdoor balcony, ate catered burritos, and chatted — deputy public defenders and a handful of prosecutors, the former almost in disbelief.
10:54 PM PST on Thursday, January 6, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
District Attorney Paul Zellerbach has sent dismissal notices to 10 employees since taking office on Monday, including several workers in the executive division created by Rod Pacheco.
Paul Zellerbach
09:19 PM PST on Monday, January 3, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Paul Zellerbach was sworn in Monday as Riverside County district attorney, facing a $5 million deficit, layoffs, managers he didn’t choose but must work with for at least three months, and an office he wants to reorganize.
12:13 PM PST on Monday, January 3, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Paul Zellerbach was sworn in today as Riverside County District Attorney, taking the office from Rod Pacheco, whom he defeated in the June election after one term.
Zellerbach, 57, of Riverside was sworn in by 4th District Court of Appeal Associate Justice Tom Hollenhorst in the ceremonial Court Room 1 at the Historic Courthouse in downtown Riverside.
Zellerbach
10:49 PM PST on Saturday, January 1, 2011
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
On Monday, six tumultuous months after he was elected Riverside County’s top prosecutor, Paul Zellerbach will be sworn in, walk from the downtown Historic Courthouse to the nearby district attorney’s office, and go to work.
Zellerbach will become the first Riverside County district attorney in more than a century to take office by defeating an incumbent. He beat one-term DA Rod Pacheco in an upset win June 8.
10:27 PM PST on Tuesday, December 14, 2010
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
In a final-days legal fight between Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco and county executives over his office’s hiring practices, seven young attorneys are “being left out to dry,” their lawyer said.
A judge declined to rule Tuesday on Pacheco’s bid to force the county to open 12 jobs in his department that had been declared frozen because of tight budget restrictions. He set the next hearing for Dec. 30.
Pacheco
Cash-strapped county says DA leaving office deficit; he says there will be surplus
Kate McGinty • The Desert Sun • December 11, 2010
Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco filed a lawsuit against the county on Friday, demanding he be allowed to hire or promote employees to fill vacancies in his office.
Thursday, November 18, 2010 – 10:00 a.m.
Looks like Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco is still taking his loss to Superior Court Judge Paul Zellerbach pretty hard.
Pacheco is reportedly dragging anyone, who he believes had a hand in his electoral defeat, before a grand jury.
Benoit
10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, November 17, 2010
By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside County district attorney’s investigators have called Supervisor John Benoit to testify before a grand jury.
Benoit confirmed Tuesday that he received the subpoena last week and is scheduled to appear before the panel in Riverside on Friday morning.
Pacheco Zellerbach
By PE Politics
on October 28, 2010 11:11 AM
What became of that planned Tuesday meeting between Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco and district-attorney elect Paul Zellerbach, overseen by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors chairman Marion Ashley?
Didn’t happen.
10:33 PM PDT on Monday, October 25, 2010
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
The California Supreme Court on Monday turned down Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco’s bid to use specialized courts such as family law, juvenile, and probate to hear criminal cases at risk of being dismissed because of speedy trial guarantees.
The 7-0 decision was written by Chief Justice Ronald George. He said that while the disputed statute cited by the district attorney does give criminal cases precedence over civil matters, it is not absolute.
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, October 19, 2010
By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside County supervisors signed off on a new contract Tuesday with the union presenting prosecutors, despite concerns by some board members that they may have been taken advantage of during labor talks.
Approved on a 4-1 vote, the new agreement with the Deputy District Attorneys Association and its 241 members is retroactive to July 1 and runs through June 30, 2011. It does not increase county costs.
Pacheco Zellerbach
11:31 PM PDT on Tuesday, September 14, 2010
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
PDF: Pacheco’s letter to the Board of Supervisors refuting Zellerbach’s allegations
Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco blasted claims by Paul Zellerbach, the district attorney-elect, that he is spending his final months in office exercising unchecked hiring, promotions and spending.
Ashley
10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, September 12, 2010
The Press-Enterprise
It wouldn’t involve jetting off to Cairo or Belfast, but Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley is cool to the idea of playing peacemaker at the county district attorney’s office.
At a recent meeting, supervisors discussed concerns raised by District Attorney-elect Paul Zellerbach that incumbent DA Rod Pacheco was not cooperating with his transition. The two fought a bitter campaign and nothing has indicated they have spoken to each other since Zellerbach defeated Pacheco in the June 8 election.
11:20 PM PDT on Thursday, September 9, 2010
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
PDF: Read County Executive Officer Bill Luna’s report on DA-elect Paul Zellerbach’s allegations
Riverside County district attorney-elect Paul Zellerbach’s concerns about large numbers of new hires and promotions being made by outgoing District Attorney Rod Pacheco are unsupported, County Executive Officer Bill Luna reported.
10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Cassie MacDuff
Is Riverside County DA Rod Pacheco being coy again?
His elected successor, Paul Zellerbach, told the Board of Supervisors he hears Pacheco’s on a hiring spree — and promoting dozens of employees — despite a $9 million budget cut.
Pacheco Zellerbach
10:02 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 31, 2010
By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise
PDF: Read DA-elect Paul Zellerbach’s letter to supervisors
Riverside County supervisors ordered an investigation Tuesday into claims by district attorney-elect Paul Zellerbach that current District Attorney Rod Pacheco is hiring and promoting liberally during his last months in office, despite a $9 million budget reduction.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 – 1:45 pm
Sources say outgoing Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco is really taking things personal these days.
Yes, it does hurt to lose.
Zellerbach
10:00 PM PDT on Monday, August 9, 2010
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside County District Attorney-elect Paul Zellerbach ended his campaign more than $214,000 in debt, while incumbent Rod Pacheco finished owing more than $26,000, according to campaign financial reports.
Zellerbach said he will hold fundraisers to pay off the debts. His campaign finance report shows his ending cash balance as just over $1,100. Pacheco’s ending balance was placed at nearly $22,800.
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