Ramos

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 – 09:30 a.m.

It sure looks as if San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Tribal Member and San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors candidate James Ramos’ campaign is pulling out all the stops in the final days running up to the June 5 primary.

Ramos is seeking to unseat Supervisor Neil Derry in the three-way contest.

Defense Department employee Jim Bagley is the third candidate.

Polls, in both Derry and Ramos camps, indicate Ramos may be in for some level of embarrassment in two weeks.

What level remains to be seen.

But weak support for Ramos in the low thirty-percent area won’t cut it in any way.

One thing is for sure. Ramos will be the first candidate, since bill former Assessor Bill Postmus, to spend upwards of $1 million in a primary contest, place second, and possibly face a runoff at best.

Postmus was successful in his bid.

But Ramos has many demographic factors working against him.

The largest of which is partisan party registration.

Ramos has been frantically trying to appeal to republican voters to throw Derry out.

A move that’s not working.

First. Republican registration dwarfs democrat by large 13% in the Third District.

Second. Ramos’ preferential tax treatment, because of his soverign tribal status, pisses people off.

Third. Ramos has no clue as to what a county supervisor does.

The latest sign of desperation in Ramos land?

Ramos had a information tent at Cal State – San Bernardino on Tuesday.

Not that there are really any votes to garner at the college campus. But I guess it makes for a good waste of time.

The message from the likely-paid Ramos representatives?

Neil Derry is a convicted felon!

Yep! That was the big message being conveyed to class go-er’s.

Desperate times do require desperate measures.

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/22/2012 04:00:23 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – High unemployment and a staggering number of people underwater on their mortgages continues to vex San Bernardino County, with no relief expected until late 2015, according to a budget report approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

The county added 15,600 jobs in the first three months of 2012, but its unemployment rate, as of March, was still hovering at 12.7 percent, higher than the national unemployment rate of 8.4 percent and California’s unemployment rate of 11.5 percent.

Roughly 264,122 of the 488,422 single family homes in the county have been underwater on their mortgages – in which owners owe more than the home is worth – at some point in the last four years.

Of the underwater homes, 63.7 percent of the homeowners had received notices of default. As a result, a housing recovery is not likely until late 2015, according to the budget report.

“It is clearly my opinion and the opinion of the Board of Supervisors that our economy is still struggling,” said Greg Devereaux, the county’s chief executive officer.

He said the local economy will not rebound until developers start building homes again and more businesses set up shop.

But before that can happen, the county must first get its arms around the foreclosure problem and the high number of people underwater on their mortgages.

“Hence the desire for the board to form a JPA (joint powers authority) with some of our cities and explore what’s out there,” said Devereaux.

The county is pushing to form a JPA that would create a program to assist these troubled homeowners. The cities of Fontana and Ontario have agreed to join the county in the plan.

Hesperia Mayor Russell Blewett has also expressed a strong interest in the program, but his city has yet to embrace the proposal.

County spokesman David Wert said a number of private companies and/or organizations are developing or have developed programs targeting underwater homeowners. The federal Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) is another option, he said.

Despite the projected delay in the recovery of the housing market, it’s not all bad news. The median home price in the county has leveled out at $150,000, and for March that median price was 9.5 percent above the April 2009 low, an affordable price for 77 percent of local families.

David Mlynarski, chief financial officer for the Inland Empire Economic Recovery Corp., a public-private partnership that purchases foreclosed homes, refurbishes them and sells them to first-time homebuyers, said the county must become more business friendly if it wants to attract business to the region and spur job growth.

“We are at the bottom of the list when it comes to being business-friendly and job-friendly,” Mlynarski said.

To read entire story, click here.

Neil Derry

Point of View

Supervisor Neil Derry
Posted: 05/22/2012 02:44:33 PM PDT

The people of San Bernardino County are tired of being unemployed or underemployed. They are tired of feeling like they just can’t get ahead. And they are tired of feeling like nothing is ever going to change.

There is a limit to what a county government can do to improve an economy that is subject to state, national and global pressures. But that doesn’t absolve us from working hard to make a positive impact in areas where we can make a difference.

The seeds of economic recovery and sustained vibrancy begin to sprout when communities evaluate their strengths and weakness, assess the landscape for opportunities, and leverage available assets and resources to maximize growth and create jobs.

Understanding who we are as a community is essential to developing a strategy to achieve economic renewal. Communities that competently take inventory of these factors possess the confidence and patience to chart the long-term course to achieve these objectives.

The county of San Bernardino is preparing to embark upon this journey.

Our economic development agency recently entered into a collaborative partnership with Loma Linda University that we believe will mark the beginning of a multi-decade development of a biotech and life science industry complex. Loma Linda University owns many patents and innovations as a result of its vaunted research programs and decades of innovative practices and applications. To date, the value of these incredibly marketable assets has not been fully extracted.

Through our ability to apply for special tax credits from the federal government under the New Market Tax Credit fund, we believe we can entice firms to relocate or establish themselves here and facilitate the introduction of these intellectual assets owned by the university to the marketplace. These tax credits are designed to promote investment in low-income communities by permitting individual and corporate investors to receive the tax credit spread out over seven years in exchange for making equity investments through a community development entity controlled by the county. Areas surrounding LLU qualify under this program. Investors receive a 39 percent credit against the original investment amount. Obviously, this is an enticing carrot given to investors that engage in a very high-risk investment with a long-term horizon.

To read entire story, click here.

BY MICHELLE L. KLAMPE
STAFF WRITER
mklampe@pe.com

Published: 21 May 2012 10:14 PM

A record number of California schools, including 31 in the Inland Empire, may not be able to pay their bills in the next couple of years, the California Department of Education announced Monday, May 20.

Nearly 20 percent of California school districts and other local education agencies such as county education offices are in financial jeopardy, according to a list compiled by state officials using financial reports from March. The list includes 18 of 23 school districts in Riverside County and 13 of 33 school districts in San Bernardino County.

Twelve districts — none in the Inland Empire — have indicated they cannot meet their financial obligations this fiscal year or next, a budget status known as negative certification. Another 176 districts indicated they may not be able to pay their bills this year or in 2012-13 or 2013-14, a qualified certification.

Districts with a qualified budget could become insolvent within two years unless they make additional cuts or bring in more revenue. Districts with a negative budget cannot pay their bills this year or in 2012-13. Under both conditions, districts face increased supervision and sometimes intervention from the county office of education to ensure they don’t become insolvent.

The number of agencies on the financial edge has increased by 61 since the list was last released in February and up 45 over the previous year’s list, state officials said. In 2006-07, just 24 school districts had a negative or qualified certification, and none were in the Inland region.

“Having 13 is crazy,” said Dan Evans, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County office of education. “That is a stunning number that should give everybody pause to say, ‘What’s going on here?’”

State and local education officials said the dramatic increase is a by-product of the prolonged state budget crisis and the unknowns surrounding tax measures being proposed to help fund schools. Paul Jessup, deputy superintendent of the Riverside County office of education, said moving school districts back onto solid financial footing will be difficult as long as the state’s financial woes continue.

“We’re in desperate need of an honest state spending plan,” he said. “We keep on getting budgets built on hope. Hope is not a plan.”

Districts have been required since the 1990s to file two financial reports, known as interim reports, one each by Dec. 15 and March 15. Districts review their fiscal health for the current year and two subsequent years. The reports look at cash flow, reserves, deficit spending, enrollment and attendance, status of labor agreements and more.

The county office of education reviews the reports and submits them to the state Department of Education. When districts have qualified or negative certification, they face additional oversight from the county office, which can step in to veto decisions on spending. In the worst case scenarios, a school district that has run out of money can seek an emergency loan from the state Department of Education.

To read entire story, click here.

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/21/2012 07:12:18 PM PDT

There’s no shortage of choices for San Bernardino County voters this election season when it comes to the First District supervisor’s race.

Seven candidates are vying for the seat vacated by Brad Mitzelfelt, who is making a bid for Congress after only one term in public office.

The First District is the largest of the county’s five supervisorial districts, spanning the bulk of the high Desert, from Trona to Needles, and the town of Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Up next for the candidates is the June 5 primary.

A number of factors are at play that make this county supervisor race unique, said Doug Johnson, a fellow at the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont Mckenna College.

“First, there’s no incumbent, and second, there’s a lot of good candidates who have a shot at winning this, and none of them emerges as dominant in any way,” Johnson said. “It will all come down to who can get their supporters out on election day.”

Candidates include the Hesperia Mayor Russell Blewett, sheriff’s lieutenant and Apply Valley Councilman Rick Roelle, San Bernardino County Fire Capt. Bret L. Henry, Adelanto school board trustee Jermaine Wright, businessman Robert A. Lovingood, businessman Michael Orme and retired sheriff’s detective Bob Smith.

They all promise to fight hard to bring to the High Desert more jobs, more government transparency and more sheriff’s deputies to thwart crime and gang activity that has proliferated in recent years.

Incumbent Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, now vying for the new 8th Congressional District seat, said he hopes that whomever is elected to succeed him understands the magnitude of the job and will provide good leadership and think long-term.

“And certainly I hope they will continue with some of the policies and projects I have started,” Mitzelfelt said. “Whomever my successor is, they will receive all the information they need . . . .”

A high unemployment rate, much of it attributed to the soured economy, and low education retainment levels are among the biggest problems Mitzelfelt’s successor will have to grapple with.

To read entire story, click here.

Published: 21 May 2012 08:42 PM

For the first time in more than a decade, High Desert voters will choose from a field of candidates without an incumbent in the 1st District San Bernardino County supervisor race.

Seven candidates are vying to replace Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, who is running for the 8th Congressional District seat, in the June 5 election.

Unless one of the candidates wins more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will go to a runoff election in November.

The vast district covers more than 17,000 square miles and includes the cities of Victorville, Apple Valley and Hesperia and stretches to the Nevada and Arizona borders.

Though Mitzelfelt is not making an endorsement in the race, he has ties to some of the candidates. Bob Smith, a retired county sheriff’s detective, has worked as a community liaison for Mitzelfelt. Michael Orme, a political and business consultant, is his former deputy chief of staff. Hesperia Mayor Russ Blewett served as Mitzelfelt’s appointee to the county Planning Commission.

The other candidates are Apple Valley Councilman Rick Roelle, Adelanto school board trustee Jermaine Wright, businessman Robert Lovingood and Bret Henry, a county fire captain and president of the union representing county firefighters.

The candidates have emphasized similar themes in their campaigns — jobs, repairing the county’s battered image and support for public safety. They have sought to distinguish themselves through their backgrounds.

Orme and Smith have touted their experience working in county government, while Roelle and Blewett cite their background in city government.

“I don’t think you need somebody who’s going to be learning on the job,” Smith said. “I think you need somebody who has shown the background and gets the job done.”

Campaign issues

The county corruption scandal that led to the arrest of several former county officials, including former 1st District Supervisor Bill Postmus, topped the list of concerns for candidates.

“I was tired of the corruption,” Wright said. “I was tired of my community being undervalued and people’s voices not being heard.”

Henry, Smith and Roelle, a sheriff’s lieutenant, have pointed to their backgrounds in public safety or the military as a sign that that they will bring integrity to the office.

All seven candidates say they want to see greater transparency in county government. All of the candidates except for Orme said they support a proposal to enact campaign contribution limits that the Board of Supervisors is considering.

Orme said he believes contribution limits don’t work and only increase third party expenditures.

When it comes to reducing unemployment in the district, several candidates emphasized the need for a more business-friendly environment. Wright, Smith and Lovingood said they’d like to see fewer fees and less regulation.

To read entire story, click here.

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 20 May 2012 07:52 PM

You know that old political joke, “Vote early, vote often”?

Yeah, Riverside City Councilman Mike Gardner’s heard it. And he’s been hearing it more lately, after his first mailer in his mayoral campaign assured people their vote counts … on June 4. (The election is June 5.)

“That’s a typo,” was the age-old explanation Gardner gave when reached Wednesday. “I signed off on (the mailer) and didn’t see it.”

He’s been kidded by a few people, he said, but hey, these things happen — there’s even another minor typo/grammatical error in the mailer.

And actually, as Gardner pointed out, it is possible to vote early — and many people are. In Riverside, 48,308 voters have been issued mail ballots for this election, according to assistant county registrar Rebecca Spencer — that’s 40 percent of the 118,473 registered voters. (As of May 16, the registrar has received 315 ballots back.)

Early voting also will be offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 1-3 at the Galleria at Tyler in Riverside. Gardner said he’ll send out at least one more mailer before the election. Which is June 5, by the way.

BALLOT STATEMENTS CHANGED

Some San Bernardino County candidates have had their ballot statements toned down in order to comply with state election law.

County Registrar of Voters Michael Scarpello said his office has been strict about enforcing a provision of the law that does not allow candidates to make disparaging comments about other candidates in their ballot statements. Under election law, ballot statements are supposed to include only information about a candidate’s own background and qualifications, he said.

Fourteen candidates, including those running for three congressional seats, three Assembly seats and the 1st District supervisorial race, had parts of their statements edited to remove such references.

All of the candidates were informed of the changes before the voter guides were sent out earlier this month. They were not allowed to make any changes themselves.

“None of the candidates were happy about it, but every candidate understood our position and appreciated the consistency of our position,” Scarpello said.

To read entire column, click here.

Sunday, May 20, 2012 – 03:30 p.m.

An interesting turn of events is unfolding in the taxpayer lawsuit filed by Upland lawyer Corey Briggs on behalf of two groups known as The Inland Oversight Committee and Citizens for Responsible Equitable Government.

The purpose of the lawsuit is to force the San Bernardino County Flood Control District to recover $102 million it paid Colonies Partners L.P. to settle litigation surrounding a land use dispute over a flood control basin located in Upland.

In a new twist, Briggs may have picked up a new ally in his quest to force the recovery of the funds.

That new friend being the Board of Supervisors.

Online court records reveal that on May 16 the County Counsel’s office has filed a request for stay of all proceedings in the case.

The move comes one day after Colonies Partners L.P. filed a second demurrer to have the case thrown out of court.

A previous demurrer, filed by Colonies, forced Briggs to amend his complaint in an attempt to salvage the suit in its entirety.

A ruling on the stay request and second demurrer is currently set for June 11.

Supervisor Neil Derry left. San Manuel Tribal Member James Ramos right.

Election 2012

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/19/2012 06:01:36 PM PDT

Things don’t appear to be slowing down one bit in the contentious race for San Bernardino County’s 3rd District supervisorial seat in the June 5 primary election.

Outspoken incumbent Neil Derry has sharply criticized one of his two opponents, former San Manuel tribal Chairman James Ramos, saying Ramos doesn’t have the political background to serve a constituency of roughly 407,000 people.

Jim Bagley, a former Twentynine Palms councilman and three-time mayor, is the third candidate in the primary race.

The geographically diverse district includes parts of the San Bernardino Valley, the San Bernardino Mountains and the High Desert. Redistricting based on new Census figures has expanded the district to include the Morongo Basin and the cities of Twentynine Palms and Barstow.

Derry doesn’t believe Ramos, whom he calls a “liberal Democrat,” is a good fit in a district with a heavy conservative base.

“If you don’t have the right message and the right background, it doesn’t matter how much you spend. I fit the district well. Mr. Ramos does not,” Derry said. “Ramos has no municipal government experience.

“His only experience is being chairman of the San Manual Band of Mission Indians and serving on the (San Bernardino Community College District) board, and that’s it. He has no land use experience.”

Ramos’ camp has criticized Derry, saying Derry has not led by example and arguing he campaigned for supervisor in 2008 on a platform of government transparency and ethics, but was charged by the state Attorney General’s Office last year with three felonies for allegedly laundering a $5,000 campaign contribution from a Highland developer.

Derry pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor for failing to report the contribution and prosecutors dropped the felonies, allowing Derry to retain his seat on the Board of Supervisors.

Derry denies doing anything wrong, and said he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor to put the matter behind him so he could get back to serving the citizens he represents.

Ramos announced his candidacy for supervisor the day after prosecutors announced that Derry had been charged.

“I believe if the voters want to stop the corruption in San Bernardino County, they’re going to have to start choosing people who are basically ethical in their very nature, and that is James Ramos,” said Betsy Starbuck, Ramos’ campaign manager and the county’s former assistant auditor-controller-recorder.

Mudslinging aside, Ramos’ wealth from income generated by San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino has allowed him to spend generously on his campaign, which makes the 3rd District supervisorial race unique.

To read entire story, click here.

Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Created: 05/18/2012 10:23:47 AM PDT

A reported drop in the Inland Empire’s unemployment rate to 11.7 percent would seem to signal an improving job market, but a closer look at the numbers shows the jobless rate dropped not because of a surge in hiring, but because the region’s work force shrunk.

San Bernardino and Riverside counties somehow lost some 24,000 people from their combined work force from March to April, according to government numbers released Friday.

That oddity – a 1.3 percent decline in the estimated size of the Inland Empire’s labor force – made it possible for the region’s unemployment rate to fall a full percentage point even though nonfarm employment decreased.

But whether the sudden drop in the reported labor force is a result of a statistical glitch or a mass exodus of discouraged workers from the Inland Empire’s labor force is unknown.

“I don’t think you can find anyone who realizes what’s going on,” said University of Redlands economist Johannes Moenius.

Los Angeles County numbers showed a pattern similar to the Inland Empire’s.

In the state’s most populous county, the unemployment rate fell from 11.8 percent to 11.6 percent in April.

Los Angeles County numbers also show, however, that the area lost 7,100 nonfarm jobs and the labor force declined by 16,000 people.

For the state as a whole, California’s official unemployment rate ticked down to 10.9percent in April. California had an 11percent unemployment rate in March.

California’s nonfarm employment, however, declined by 4,200 jobs and the state’s labor force was reduced by 4,900 jobs. April was the first time in nine months the state lost nonfarm jobs.

Looking at employment trends instead of the March-to-April shifts in job numbers, current employment levels are above 2011 levels, although job growth has slowed in the spring.

“April was not encouraging, but we remain certainly optimistic,” said Jordan Levine of the Los Angeles-based Beacon Economics.

Beacon analysts have tended to be bullish in recent months, saying long-term trends favor growth and predicting the U.S. economy can withstand any fallout if the feared collapse of the Greek economy happens.

California’s overall nonfarm employment level in April was 1.2percent greater than it was one year prior.

To read entire story, click here.

Outgoing Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) left. Former San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos right.

Friday, May 18, 2012 – 10:00 a.m.

The sauce pan is simmering in the race for San Bernardino County Third District Supervisor.

The three-way race consisting of Supervisor Neil Derry, Former Twenty-Nine Palms City Councilman Jim Bagley and Former San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos is heating up heading into the home stretch to the June 5th primary.

If no candidate receives fifty percent, the top two contenders will face a November runoff.

Four years ago Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands), District Attorney Michael Ramos and then-Sheriff Gary Penrod all recorded radio spots and automated dialer messages supporting Supervisor Dennis Hansberger, a republican.

The result? Hansberger lost to Derry, who is also a republican.

Lewis was reportedly bitter over his friend Hansberger’s loss and has been privately disparaging Derry, non-stop, since his election to the board.

Well it looks as if Third District voters are being treated to more of the same.

However this time the support is being bestowed upon Ramos, a lifelong democrat.

Automated dialer calls with a message from, the republican-in-name-only, Lewis have started peppering republican voters.

Somehow someone, likely Lewis, must feel he has sway with voters.

An arrogant assumption to make.

But it appears republicans are growing irritated as they learn Lewis is backing a democrat.

As many voters can recall. This is the same Jerry Lewis who;

• Spent his entire campaign war chest defending himself from an FBI probe into earmarks and influence peddling.
• Couldn’t regain the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee after republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010.
• Led the charge in accelerating the growth in U.S. debt, by way of out of control spending under his previous appropriations chairmanship.
• Is retiring because of uncertainty surrounding his reelection potential.

And now Lewis is trying to shove a democrat down the throats of republicans.

The House leadership must be glad to see this guy leave.

But you never know. Lewis may be looking for a job at the casino.

Another bottle of scotch sounds more appropriate right about now.

San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt

Supervisor: Attracting out-of-state business vital to the county’s growth
May 17, 2012 9:37 AM
RENE DE LA CRUZ, Special to the Daily Press

While it was billed as a State of County presentation, San Bernardino County 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt said his address Wednesday should have been titled “county of the state” because of Sacramento’s insistence on passing its responsibilities down to the county level.

“We’ve now been put in the prison business,” Mitzelfelt said during the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce luncheon. “We have someone in county jail serving an eightyear sentence right now. A country jail is not built to hold people for eight years. I guess the Legislature didn’t get the memo.”

Unless there is a change of course in the state’s prison realignment plan that releases low-level offenders to county facilities or parole, an additional 17,000 stateheld felons will be released to county control over the next three years, Mitzelfelt said.

“That is not a pretty picture, and that is an understatement,” said Mitzelfelt, who is working on county programs to help with the crisis. “We’re already full, and under court order not to get any more full.”

The county will receive $27 million from the state for costs associated with the implementation of the realignment plan through June 30, according to a country report, but Mitzelfelt said the county has asked for constitutional guarantees on those funds.

“The governor has added that to his tax increase initiative, so its fate is now tied to the tax measure,” Mitzelfelt said.

Community leader Bob Tinsley asked if the county could copy Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s tent city concept, to save money and add additional space for the incarcerated.

“We would if we could, but the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sets the standards for county jails,” Mitzelfelt said. “We tried to do tents with our juvenile population, but the state required wood frames in the tents, air conditioning and heating.”

The elimination of the state’s redevelopment program, which helped finance infrastructure to attract out-of-state business, was another stake in the heart to municipalities across the county.

“Partnerships and cooperation are critical in this post-redevelopment time,” Mitzelfelt said. “We have to find another path toward something other than redevelopment. We can’t accept it when the state comes and takes our dollars, we have to fight.”

In an effort to fight housing sprawl and change growth to “smart growth,” Senate Bill 375 was passed in 2008, with one of its goals to do away with single-family, detached, large lot residential construction.

“The state views Apple Valley as sprawl. I view it as elbow-room,” Mitzelfelt said. “The state planners are telling the board of directors at the Southern California Association of Governments that we have enough detached housing.”

The bill, which targets greenhouse gas emission reduction tied to land use, requires regional planning agencies to create strategies to meet those reduction requirements.

To read entire story, click here.

Michael Scarpello

Michael Scarpello
Posted: 05/16/2012 02:48:21 PM PDT

An effort to address the significant problem of provisional balloting resulted in the unintended consequence of many voters receiving their mail ballots several days before receiving their sample ballots.

Although very few voters cast their mail ballots before seeing the sample ballot, I understand why some candidates who placed candidate statements in the sample ballot are unhappy. I apologize for that, and I will correct this situation in time for the November election. However, please rest assured that this situation has not in any way compromised the election. All laws have been followed to the letter as the deadline to mail sample ballots is 10 days prior to the election, and these documents will have been delivered well before that time.

Any mail voter who has not yet received their sample ballot but wishes to consult it before voting the ballot can go to our website at www.sbcountyelections.com to view their sample ballot. Or, they can simply wait for their sample ballot to arrive in the mail.

My goal was to provide sample ballots as close to Election Day as possible to reduce the number misplaced by voters in the days leading up to the election. When voters misplace their sample ballots, they often end up not knowing where to vote. When voters show up at the wrong polling place, they must use a provisional ballot.

Provisional balloting is a significant problem in San Bernardino County.

To read entire column, click here.

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 05/16/2012 06:35:01 PM PDT

San Bernardino County voters need to know where their designated polling locations are come primary election time on June 5 and also be aware their ballots will look a little different, county Registrar Michael Scarpello said Wednesday.

A state law approved in June 2010, the Top Two Open Primary Act, requires that all candidates for a voter-nominated office be listed on the same ballot.

Voter-nominated offices are state legislative offices, U.S. congressional offices, and state constitutional offices.

Essentially, it means that all candidates running for office, regardless of their party preference, will appear on a single combined ballot and voters can vote for any candidate they want.

It changes the way elections are conducted for all state offices and the offices of U.S. senator, U.S. representative, the state Senate and Assembly.

“Everybody votes for everybody,” Scarpello said Wednesday.

County supervisorial district boundary changes necessitated by 2010 Census figures has also forced precinct lines to change.

With those changes sometimes comes a change in polling location, so Scarpello is encouraging voters to check their sample ballots or the county Elections Office website, www.sbcountyelections.com, to see where their polling site is.

“It’s really key that people go to their assigned polling place. This is critical,” Scarpello said, adding that the county has seen a 10 percent reduction in its polling locations since 2008, from 413 in 2008 to 375 in 2012.

That’s due mainly to the county’s high number of provisional voters, which in 2008 comprised nearly a third of the county’s 600,000 registered voters at roughly 150,000, Scarpello said.

To read entire story, click here.

Head of ICR Staffing loans his campaign committee $150,000
May 16, 2012 9:09 AM
Beau Yarbrough, Staff Writer

So far, the best financial friend for the campaigns of San Bernardino County 1st District supervisor candidates have been the candidates themselves.

The largest single campaign contribution for four of the seven candidates have been loans from the candidates themselves to their own campaign committees. It’s likely a reflection of lean financial times for political contributions: Only one of the seven men seeking to replace Brad Mitzelfelt as the 1st District’s representative on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors — businessman Robert Lovingood — has a campaign fund in the six figures.

Far and away, the biggest pile of campaign cash belongs to Lovingood. The president of ICR Staffing loaned the Lovingood for Board of Supervisors 2012 committee $150,000, bringing his campaign to a total of $150,099 as of March 26. Lovingood had yet to spend any of those funds by the end of the filing period.

In distant second place is firefighter union president Bret Henry. The Committee to Elect Bret Henry for Supervisor 2012 had $31,000 in its war chest as of March 21, with $30,000 of it coming from the San Bernardino County Professional Firefighters organization. During the same period, Henry’s campaign spent $36,200, including $10,250 to campaign consulting firm Steve Presson & Associates of Gold River

In the first three months of 2012, Hesperia Mayor Russ Blewett raised $17,450 for his campaign commit- tee, Russ Blewett for Supervisor 2012. His largest donations included $5,000 checks from Desert Valley Medical Group and dentist Ronald Cunning of Montclair and $2,500 donations from Lewis Investment Group of Upland and Robertson’s Ready Mix Concrete of Riverside. He spent a little more than half of his funds during that period, spending $9,670 by March 17, almost all of it ($7,712) on administrative fees paid to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters.

As of March 26, Bob Smith, a community liaison for Mitzelfelt, had raised $14,300 for his Bob Smith for Supervisor 2012 campaign committee. However, like several of his competitors, he’s his own best contributor, having loaned his campaign $13,700 of his own money. So far, he’s spent $12,037 of that, including $3,500 to campaign consultants Tab Communications of Fair Oaks.

Apple Valley town councilman Rick Roelle had $14,058 in the Committee to Elect Rick Roelle 1st District Supervisor 2012 war chest, including $12,058 through a loan from himself. As of March 22, he’d spent $11,661 of it, including $7,727 to the registrar of voters and $3,370 for signage.

The Michael Orme for Supervisor 2012 committee had raised $8,300, with $6,700 of that coming from a single political action committee: Children for a Safer Community. Orme, a field representative for Congressman Buck McKeon, spent $9,464 as of March 28.

As of April 6, Adelanto school board member Jermaine Wright had neither collected nor spent any campaign funds.

State law requires any candidate who has raised or spent more than $1,000 to file California Form 460, the Recipient Committee Campaign Statement. The most recent set of forms filed by candidates cover the period between Jan. 1 and March 17 of this year and had to be filed by March 22. The next set of forms, covering March 18 through May 19, must be turned into the registrar of voters by May 24 in advance of the June 5 primary

Beau Yarbrough may be reached at (760) 956-7108 or at beau@HesperiaStar.com. Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Hesperia.Star.

Get complete stories every day with the “exactly as printed” Daily Press E-edition, only $5 per month! Click here to try it free for 7 days. To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call (760) 241-7755, 1-800-553-2006 or click here.

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Some demand refunds for $11K paid for candidate statements
May 15, 2012 9:10 AM
Natasha Lindstrom, Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO • Candidates in the June 5 election are irate that vote-by-mail ballots arrived at the doors of High Desert residents before the guides that include candidate statements — the carefully crafted remarks that cost candidates nearly $11,000 to file.

San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Michael Scarpello said by phone Monday the delay seems to stem from a delivery problem at the post office. He hadn’t heard complaints about the voter’s guides not arriving outside of the High Desert.

“We’re investigating, but at this point I don’t see any large-scale issues,” said Scarpello, confident that all voters should receive the guides within the next few days. “We’re just working with the post office to find out what the issue is.”

The county voter information guides, which include the sample ballots and candidate statements, should have gone out to voters Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to arrive by Saturday. Those guides are separate from the presidential primary guides that went out several weeks ago. Vote-by-mail ballots went out Friday and Saturday, according to Scarpello.

But as of Monday, residents from Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville reportedly had received only the vote -by-mail ballots. There was a printing error that postponed the delivery of some guides until Monday, Scarpello said, but that only accounted for about 1,000 out of 800,000 guides countywide.

“In talking with several of the other candidates that are in the race, both at the congressional level and the Board of Supervisors level, it is my belief that the registrar of voters just completely messed up,” Ryan McEachron, Victorville mayor and 8th Congressional District candidate, said. “No one seems to know what’s going on down there, not even the registrar of voters himself.”

The big fear among candidates is that absentee voters will cast and return their ballots without ever seeing the candidate statements. For many, those statements were a crucial part of campaign strategy.

“My biggest concern is equality for the candidates because this could obviously favor somebody with deep pockets,” said Rita Vogler, a former Hesperia councilwoman who’s not running in the election but has been helping run two anti-candidate campaigns. “This can be very, very damaging to the ones that have the least amount of resources.”

To read entire story, click here.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 – 04:50 p.m.

Here is some news reverberating across the transom this week.

Brown wants portion of Harris foreclosure settlement

You gotta love it.

California Governor Jerry Brown, in an effort to cobble together more money to blow, wants to steal hundreds of millions of dollars meant to help distressed homeowners. The dough, a part of a national foreclosure settlement obtained by Attorney General Kamala Harris, is meant for distressed homeowners.

Harris has objected to Brown’s position.

And Brown appears as if he could care less.

One can only image what Harris is saying behind closed doors.

Issa endorses Cook

Stop the presses!

Congressman Darrel Issa (R-Vista) has endorsed Assemblyman Paul Cook in his quest to represent the 8th Congressional District.

Now this nod is definitely a scale tipper.

Laugh out loud.

CD 8 -  The Marine factor?

The battle of the Marines.

Yes, in the full out war in the 8th Congressional District, Assemblyman Paul Cook, a retired Marine colonel, and San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, a former Marine Non-Commissioned Officer, are pressing those credentials hard.

The latest mailers has Cook displaying his medals, while Mitzelfelt is in full dress uniform.

It was Cook’s ballot title of Retired Marine Colonel that swept him into the 65th Assembly District six years ago.

A title now unavailable to him this go around.

U.S. Postal Service slow with campaign mail deluge

The U.S. Postal Service is struggling to deliver campaign mail this go around.

The combination of heavily contested races along with San Bernardino County’s new rocket scientist registrar of voters has buried mail carriers.

Registrar Michael Scarpello decided to hold off on the early mailing of sample ballots this year.

Scarpello decided voters were irresponsible in keeping the pamphlet available.

This year the sample ballots were mailed at virtually the same time as actual absentee ballots.

The only addressee’s receiving political mail in a timely manner?

Voters using P.O. Boxes!

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/14/2012 07:54:53 PM PDT

A new way of distributing ballots to San Bernardino County’s registered voters has some candidates for office concerned about the delays.

With only 22 days to go before the June 5 primary, some voters still have not received their sample ballots and voter guides, but some have received their absentee ballots, officials said.

“I can never remember a time, even voting by mail, where I did not get my sample ballot at least a week or two before getting the actual ballot,” Victorville Mayor Ryan McEachron, who is vying for the 8th Congressional District seat, said Monday. “This is the first time this has ever happened.”

He said candidates pay $12,000 to have their ballot statements published in the voter guides. Voters may never even see those statements if they receive their actual ballots first, fill them out and mail them off, said McEachron.

“It’s unfortunate because it’s going to create all kinds of questions as to the validity of this election, and not just the Congressional race but the Board of Supervisors race as well,” McEachron said.

San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Michael Scarpello said that under law, sample ballots can be sent out as early as 40 days prior to an election or as late as 10 days prior to an election.

He said this year’s delay is due to a new approach his office is taking to assure that the county’s high number of provisional voters hold onto their sample ballots as the election draws near and know where their nearest polling locations are. To do that, sample and absentee ballots are being mailed out around the same time.

“In order to address that problem, we’ve decided this year to hold the sample ballots closer to the election so that people aren’t as likely to lose them,” Scarpello said. “It’s important that people look at their sample ballots and find out where their polling place is.”

More than 50,000 provisional voters in San Bernardino County voted in the 2008 presidential election.

To read entire story, click here.

Posted: 05/14/2012 06:14:43 PM PDT

SBD Airport Services’ attempt to convince a federal judge to restore the company’s access to San Bernardinno International Airport’s fueling facilities has been postponed to June 18.

The company was previously scheduled to make its argumen tbefore Judge Deborah J. Saltzman on Monday at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Riverside. The fuel issue is part of the company’s ongoing bankruptcy case.

SBD Airport Services declared bankruptcy in March, about one month after interim SBIA chief A.J. Wilson terminated the company’s fuel contract. Wilson moved against the company after the firm did not have enough fuel on hand to propvide the full amount of fuel requested by a 727 pilot.

To read entire story, click here.

Staff report
Posted: 05/12/2012 03:07:54 PM PDT

Attorneys for the bankrupt SBD Airport Services will go before a federal judge Monday to contend that interim San Bernardino International Airport chief A.J. Wilson acted improperly when he cut off the company’s access to jet fuel.

The hearing is scheduled to take place Monday afternoon at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Riverside.

SBD Airport Services filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March. The bankruptcy filing came one month after Wilson asserted the company violated its fuel contract and blocked the firm’s access to the airport’s fuel supplies and trucks.

Monday’s hearing is related to the bankruptcy hearings, as SBD Airport Services attorneys have argued the company needs access to the airport’s “fuel farm” in order to conduct business.

In a court filing, Wilson and the airport reply that SBIA officials had a right to terminate the airport’s fuel services agreement with SBD Airport Services because the company did not have the minimum amount of fuel in its tanks to live up to its side of the deal.

The fuel dispute stems from a February incident in which the pilot of a 727 jet was unable to purchase the full amount of requested fuel.

Wilson moved quickly to cancel SBD Airport Service’s fuel contract. Airport staffers have since handled fuel sales on their own.

To read entire story, click here.

Ryan Hagen, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Posted: 05/10/2012 11:09:14 AM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – The results of the election for city clerk will stand, a Superior Court judge ruled Thursday, rejecting a claim by 15 voters whose ballots weren’t counted because of signature mismatches.

The trial had the potential to change the outcome of the city clerk’s race, in which Georgeann “Gigi” Hanna – a former public relations official and journalist who took office March 5 – gathered six votes more than Amelia Sanchez-Lopez, who heads the county Alcohol and Drug Services Administration.

But Superior Court Judge Donna Gunnell Garza ruled that county Registrar of Voters Michael J. Scarpello acted properly when he discarded 64 ballots with signatures Scarpello and other elections officials decided didn’t match

“The parties were not denied the right to vote because the right to vote involves the right to be counted properly,” Garza said, noting that the Election Code says ballots with signatures that don’t match shall not be counted.

One vote, from a disabled man whose wife signed the ballot, should have been counted, Garza said, but that wouldn’t change the overall result.

Sandra Garcia, the lawyer representing the voters, argued Scarpello should have contacted them between the time he noticed the signature discrepancy and the Feb. 7 election date or between then and the Feb. 28 recount.

“The voters were denied – not once but twice – their opportunity to be heard,” Garcia said. “It’s not about the candidates. It’s not about the office. It’s about their fundamental right to vote.”

To read entire story, click here.

Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/09/2012 11:28:12 AM PDT

A trial will begin again Thursday that could change the outcome of the San Bernardino city clerk’s race by forcing the registrar of voters to count mail-in ballots that he initially discarded because he said signatures on them did not match those he had on file.

After a series of hearings determining that Registrar of Voters Michael J. Scarpello can be called to testify about why he made that decision but that other outside evidence would not be allowed, lawyers representing Scarpello, City Clerk Georgeann “Gigi” Hanna and 15 voters whose ballots won’t counted will begin arguments.

Hanna, a former journalist and public relations official, narrowly won the Feb. 7 run-off election against Amelia Sanchez-Lopez, who heads the county Alcohol and Drug Services Administration. Sanchez-Lopez called for a recount, which expanded Hanna’s lead to 6

To read entire story, click here.

Editor’s note: This is one in an occasional series on the candidates running for the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. The newly reconfigured 1st District includes the bulk of the Victor Valley, Fort Irwin and unincorporated areas surrounding Barstow. The election coincides with the presidential primary June 5.

The Daily Press asked the seven candidates vying for San Bernardino County 1st District Supervisor to weigh in on this question, in 50 words or less: What is the most pressing issue within the purview of the Board of Supervisors and what is your take on it?

“The ethics of the board, there needs to be term limits and campaign finance reform.” — Jermaine Wright, small business owner and Adelanto School District trustee, 36, of Adelanto

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“The most pressing issues involve shrinking the county deficit while maintaining the essential services to the taxpayers. This has to be accomplished without any additional taxes and by causing our County to be run like a business rather than a bureaucracy.” — Bob Smith, former community liaison for 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, 59, of Silver Lakes

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“The County Corruption and waste is first and foremost in people’s minds. I believe in the justice system and that those who have shaken the confidence of the county residents will pay for their crimes. I believe the people’s trust can be restored with sound decisions made in the best interest of the residents. I believe waste can be addressed by electing the right supervisor that has the ability and courage to address and streamline inefficiencies throughout the county. Ultimately this will bring integrity back to government, and trust back to the residents of San Bernardino County.” — Rick Roelle, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department lieutenant and Apple Valley councilman, 53, of Apple Valley

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“Transparency. In order for the Board of Supervisors to regain the trust of their constituents, they must become more transparent with their actions or decisions. I believe they can do this by better communicating with their constituents and informing them about what they are doing. Open, honest communication needs to flow in each direction amongst the constituents, communities and the Board of Supervisors. If the communication is not open, the Board of Supervisors cannot meet the needs of the constituents. Supervisors must be out in their districts, listening to constituents and communicating their actions so their constituents don’t feel like they are having issues hidden from them.” — Michael Orme, vice president/businessman, 37, of Oak Hills

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The most pressing issue is determining ways to increase jobs and expand existing businesses. As government leaders, the Board of Supervisors must strive to eliminate fees and taxes on our citizens and businesses. This is the only way we will improve tax revenue, which will allow us to expand public safety and infrastructure projects.” — Robert Lovingood, business owner, 54, of Apple Valley

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“Public Pensions: Our current public pension system is unsustainable and we are starting to see a reduction in public safety because an increasing amount of general fund dollars go toward pension costs. Without immediate action, the County’s responsibility of protecting the public health and safety of its residents is in jeopardy.” — Bret Henry, San Bernardino County firefighter captain, 49, of Hesperia

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“Pension reform, it will be done. Additionally the state budget crisis will be the most critical reason to have someone with my extensive experience challenging the state on every step they try to take towards tyranny.” — Russ Blewett, small businessman and Hesperia mayor, 67, of Hesperia

By PE Politics
May 8, 2012 11:52 AM

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has submitted to the California Secretary of State a list of delegates he hopes to be seated at this summer’s Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Inland Reps. Mary Bono Mack and Darrell Issa, both early Romney backers, are among the list of 172 potential delegates, as are former San Bernardino County Supervisor Clifford Young, Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren and a host of others. The list was posted today on FlashReport, a conservative politics blog.

The final list of delegates hinges on the outcome of next month’s primary. To have all of his delegates seated, Romney has to win the most votes in each of California’s 53 congressional districts.

Here are the names submitted for Inland Southern California’s seven new congressional districts (as drawn last summer by the state’s Citizens Redistricting Commission.)

Congressional District # 8 (Yucaipa, High Desert, SB Mountains)
DELEGATES
 Richard Brimhall
 Todd Graham
 Chad Mayes

To read entire story, click here.

Recent signs suggest the Inland Empire’s office market may be returning to health, but the market may be at least three years from a full recovery.

That’s the word from Lee Spence, a principle at DAUM Commercial Services branch in Ontario, who based his prediction on his firm’s analysis of companies gradually moving in to the many vacant offices of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

An analyst for another brokerage said Spence’s timeline may be too optimistic, but while data available from multiple commercial brokerages differ on specifics, the numbers show some slight improvements for the Inland Empire’s ailing office markets.

Spence’s analysis rests on DAUM’s observation that office users signing new leases during the first three months of 2012 reduced the region’s office vacancy rate from 19.2 percent to 18.7 percent and absorbed some 210,000 square feet of office space.

If absorption continues at that pace, office vacancies could decline to something closer to 10 percent before the end of 2015, Spence said.

A 10 percent vacancy rate would allow landlords to deal with tenants on a more equal footing than they can today, he said. That would push office rents up and give owners more financial stability.

“That’s the kind of thing that stops that downward spiral. If we keep this pace up, we can be out of the woods in three and a half years,” Spence said.

Recent market conditions have not supported higher rates. Numbers from DAUM as well as Voit Real Estate Services and Colliers International show that although vacancy rates dropped during the first quarter, office rents also fell a bit.

DAUM’s numbers show Inland Empire office rates falling one cent to $1.68, quarter-to-quarter. Rates stood at $1.75 per square foot one year prior.

Spence’s prediction rests on the assumption that there will be no sudden improvements or shocks to the local economy nor any new office construction in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Inland Empire office construction has been at a near halt since the post-2007 downturn.

To read entire story, click here.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 – 08:00 a.m.

San Bernardino County, Calif. – San Bernardino County’s budget woes are likely to worsen in the coming fiscal year as employee pension fund returns fail to not only deliver relief, but instead bring more pain.

The San Bernardino County Employees Retirement Association (SBCERA) has, to date, only generated a 0.6% return for its 2011-2012 fiscal year.

The return is 7.15% below the actuarial-required annual assumption of 7.75%.

This means in order to break even the fund needs to earn 7.75% each and every year on average. And with only three months remianing in the current fiscal year it’s likely the fund will once again miss the mark.

The five-year average investment return is a meager 1.0%.

A return symptomatic of chaotic investment markets and a U.S. economy on life support.

The following return benchmarks were released on the pension funds website yesterday.

________________________________________________________________________

FY Performance

The following is the annualized returns for SBCERA for periods ending 3/31/12. The SBCERA Fiscal Year runs from July 1 through June 30.

________________________________________________________________________

Any shortfall in funding must be offset by increased pension contributions approved by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

The current situation is likely to further impact labor negotiations between the county and its employee unions.

Monday, May 7, 2012 – 10:20 a.m.

An interesting campaign depiction courtesy of the Internet.

I have to admit this is pretty good. I never thought of San Manuel County.

Former San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos

Monday, May 7, 2012 – 10:00 a.m.

Out of the three hotly-contested races in San Bernardino County, the contest for Third District supervisor appears to be full battle mode.

The sign crew for Former San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos’ campaign was clearly expressing their unhappyness and frustration over the weekend.

So much for Ramos’ take the high road campaign.

The graffiti and tearing down of signs of County Supervisor Neil Derry was on full display.

Sunday, May 6, 2012 – 10:30 a.m

Ramos struggles through final candidate forum.

Former San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman and San Bernardino County Board of Supe’s candidate James Ramos showed up for the final candidate forum held at Copper Mountain College on Friday night.

Nothing changed.

The conversation was basically between County Supervisor Neil Derry and Former TwentyNine Palms City Councilman and Defense Department employee Jim Bagley.

With all due respect, the can’t we all get along and come together answer to every question is getting old for Ramos.

A county supervisor can’t function by way of reading from a notepad.

To get a flavor for Ramos’ command of the issues, click this link and select county supervisor forum: http://www.channel6bigbear.com .

The link is to a candidate forum sponsored by the Big Bear Democratic Club.

Last week, Ramos ditched a, previously committed to, live on-the-air event on KBHR-FM 93.3.

The key words in the last sentence being on-the-air.

Derry and Bagley did show up.

House of cards about to fall for San Bernardino

The financial house of cards is about to fall for the city of San Bernardino.

That is, now that the piggy bank known as redevelopment money has been turned off.

For years, San Bernardino has been using its economic and redevelopment agencies to augment its general fund operations.

Now that the music has stopped, it’ll be interesting to see just how much the California Department of Finance forces the city to repay.

Expect the city to start leveraging it’s city-owned water department and discuss converting its refuse operation into a franchise.

Three tax measures likely headed to California ballot in November

It looks like three differing tax propositions will be headed to the November ballot in California.

With three measures to consider, voters will likely reject them all.

The measure backed by Governor Jerry Brown, at this point, is polling in the low 50% range.

National debt finally exceeds Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

The U.S. debt is now 101% of the country’s total annual output of goods and services.

As the number climbs the likelihood of a debt default increases.

Expect the percentage to accelerate as deficit spending continues unchecked.

Keep in mind this is the U.S. national debt and does not include state and municipal obligations.

Sunday, May 6, 2012 – 09:45 a.m.

Hats off to Asssemblyman Paul Cook (R-Ycca Valley) and Mayor Ryan McEachron (R-Victorville).

Both men have actually made it into voter mailboxes in the open 8th Congressional District.

The big question is where are the rest of the candidates, especially County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt (R-Wrightwood)?

Mitzelfelt, who raised a comparable amount of dough to Cook and McEachron, hasn’t been visible, at least in the southeastern part of the district.

Money, or lack thereof, is clearly impacting this heavily-congested race.