July 22, 2010 5:38 PM
Natasha Lindstrom

SAN BERNARDINO • Two months after San Bernardino County placed him on paid leave amid harassment allegations, the 2nd District’s former top aide has taken a new county position as an assistant recorder.

Matt Brown, previously chief of staff to 2nd District Supervisor Paul Biane, was put on administrative leave in early May, days after Brown sent his boss a letter alleging he was being threatened and retaliated against for cooperating with a corruption investigation. The environment was so hostile, Brown wrote in the letter, that it led to him seeking medical help.

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10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, July 21, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

A former top aide to San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane who has been out on paid leave for two months is taking a new position as assistant recorder.

Larry Walker, the county’s auditor/controller/recorder/treasurer/tax collector, announced in a memo to his staff Tuesday that Matt Brown, until recently Biane’s long-time chief of staff, had joined his office.

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All appointed and elected San Bernardino County incumbents running for county-wide offices successfully secured election or reelection last night.

Results as of 3:53 A.M. on 06/09/2010.

Office                   Candidate          Pct %      Votes-

Sheriff-Coroner          Rod Hoops**        66.72 %    88,021
                         Paul Schrader      21.61 %    28,507
                         Mark Averbeck      11.67 %    15,394

District Attorney        Michael Ramos**    53.72 %    72,387
                         Bob Conaway        27.31 %    36,792
                         Frank Guzman       18.97 %    25,558

Assessor-Recorder        Dennis Draeger**   73.25 %    95,129
                         Alfred Palazzo     26.75 %    34,737

Auditor-Controller       Larry Walker**     70.97 %    94,242
                         Ensen Mason        29.03 %    38,542

Sup.of County Schools    Gary Thomas**      60.27 %    78,828
                         Arturo Delgado     22.32 %    29,192
                         Rita Ramirez-Dean  17.42 %    22,782

All appointed and elected San Bernardino County incumbents successfully secured election or reelection this evening.

The following absentee results have been posted.

Results as of 10:32 P.M. on 06/08/2010.

Sheriff                  Rod Hoops**        67.45 %    43,975   Votes
                         Paul Schrader      20.71 %    13,502   Votes
                         Mark Averbeck      11.84 %     7,720   Votes

District Attorney        Michael Ramos**    54.90 %    36,655   Votes
                         Bob Conaway        28.33 %    18,913   Votes
                         Frank Guzman       16.77 %    11,199   Votes

Assessor-Recorder        Dennis Draeger**   74.96 %    48,467   Votes
                         Alfred Palazzo     25.04 %    16,192   Votes

Auditor-Controller       Larry Walker**     72.42 %    47,844   Votes
                         Ensen Mason        27.58 %    18,225   Votes

Sup.of County Schools    Gary Thomas**      63.13 %    40,827   Votes
                         Arturo Delgado     19.55 %    12,642   Votes
                         Rita Ramirez-Dean  17.32 %    11,199   Votes

Expect all county-wide officials to be either elected or reelected on June 8th.

Most of San Bernardino County’s elected or appointed incumbents had to run at least a basic campaign this year. Something that is healthy.

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10:00 PM PDT on Monday, March 15, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG, IMRAN GHORI and JIM MILLER
The Press-Enterprise

Inland voters now know who their choices will be for the upcoming June 8 primary election after Friday’s filing deadline for candidates.

For Inland legislative seats, these candidates returned filing papers.

In the 62nd Assembly District incumbent Wilmer Amina Carter, of Rialto, will face Gil Navarro, of San Bernardino, in the Democratic primary. Republican Jean Ensley, of Rialto, also is in the race.

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The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors initiated the process to abolish the Office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator and merge its parts with other elected county officials at their scheduled meeting today.

Today’s initial action by county supervisors, which will be final on January 26, and take effect thirty days later, creates the following offices.

Sheriff-Coroner               to   Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator

Auditor-Controller-Recorder   to   Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector

Assessor                      to   Assessor-Recorder
.

*The Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector will also assume the duties of Director of Central Collections.

*The Assessor will also assume the duties of County Clerk and  have control over County Archives.

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A decent idea to save a significant amount of money has graced San Bernardino County.

The proposal by the San Bernardino County Administrative Office to consolidate the Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator into the Auditor-Controller-Recorder is a well thought out idea. The second part of the proposal to be taken up by county supervisors this Tuesday is the County Clerk, Recorder, and archive functions will be folded into the elected office of Assessor.

The proposed consolidations make sense and maintains those functions as elected offices.

The formation of the Office of the Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator is essentially the creation of what is commonly known as a Public Finance Officer in many jurisdictions.

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10:00 PM PST on Saturday, January 9, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

San Bernardino County supervisors will consider a proposal Tuesday to turn the duties of treasurer-tax collector over to the auditor-controller’s office.

Combining the two independently elected positions would save up to $1 million a year at a time when the county is anticipating a large budget shortfall due to declining sales and property taxes, according to a report from Assistant County Administrator Dean Arabatzis.

The proposal has been harshly criticized by former Treasurer-Tax Collector Dick Larsen, who resigned in July after 11 years in the position. He called it a back-room deal that officials are trying to sneak by before the June election.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/08/2010 10:36:48 PM PST

San Bernardino County’s elected treasurer/tax collector position would be eliminated and folded into the Auditor-Controller Recorder, Public Administrator and Assessor’s offices, under a plan being considered by the Board of Supervisors.

The move could save the county between $500,000 and $1million a year by eliminating about 10 positions through attrition and consolidations, county spokesman David Wert said.

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