Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
Ed Mendel
August 22, 2016
The one thing some pension reformers say is needed to cut the cost of unaffordable public pensions: give current workers a less costly retirement benefit for work done in the future, while protecting pension amounts already earned.
By Alma Fausto / Staff Writer
Updated Aug. 6, 2016 8:25 a.m.
The 4th District Court of Appeal rejected a request Friday by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for a rehearing on a ruling that was mainly in the office’s favor.
Posted by Katy Grimes
June 01, 2016 – 06:43 am
A legal tale of drama rivaling the magnitude of the infamous 2006 Duke Lacrosse rape case, has been dragging on in California courts for more than seven years. But the case could now be tossed out, on charges that prosecutors with the State Attorney General’s office destroyed the evidence they had been withholding from an indicting Grand Jury.
By Tony Saavedra / Staff Writer
June 1, 2016 – Updated 10:10 p.m.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris is talking a lot these days in her bid to become a U.S. senator, but one subject she’s not mentioning is her complex role in Orange County’s highest-profile criminal case – the penalty phase in the trial of confessed mass murderer Scott Dekraai.
By Jim Steinberg, The Sun
Posted: 05/10/16 – 6:53 PM PDT |
Cadiz Inc. won a decisive courtroom victory Tuesday for its plans to transfer ancient groundwater in a remote part of San Bernardino County’s Mojave Desert to parts of Orange County and other locations.
Howard Blume , Joy Resmovits and Sonali Kohli
APril 14, 2016
In a major victory for unions, a California appeals court on Thursday reversed a lower court ruling that had thrown out tenure and other job protections for the state’s public school teachers.
David Garrick
By David Garrick | March 23, 2016 – 8:35 p.m.
San Diego — In a decision that could have a sweeping impact across California, a new state appeals court ruling may ease approval of local tax increases if they are placed on the ballot by citizen’s initiative instead of by a government agency.
March 19, 2016
The Colonies Corruption Case, which has been dragging along now for over six years, may finally be coming to an inglorious end.
By Liset Márquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 03/19/16 – 4:36 PM PDT |
RIVERSIDE >> In an unprecedented move, an appellate court has found Upland residents deserve the chance to overturn the city’s ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in a special election.
Thursday, March 17, 2016 – 08:00 a.m.
There’s new coverage of developments in a high-profile, long-running San Bernardino County court case.
To read the article by Joe Nelson in The Sun, click the following link: Appellate court opens door again to San Bernardino County corruption case
Paige St. John
March 11, 2016
A study of more than 600 overturned felony convictions in California calculates the cost of those botched cases to taxpayers at more than $220 million over two decades.
Capitol Alert
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
March 9, 2016 – 10:44 AM
Appellate Justice J. Anthony Kline, one of Gov. Jerry Brown’s oldest friends, has quietly stepped away from handling a case involving Brown’s communications with the Public Utilities Commission.
Joy Resmovits and Howard Blume
February 24, 2016
One of the highest-stakes battles in education is about to resume Thursday in a Los Angeles courtroom as teacher unions and their allies try to win back job protections that were tossed out in a landmark 2014 ruling.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
February 23, 2016 – 4:07 PM
A legal flap over Gov. Jerry Brown’s communications with the Public Utilities Commission is escalating – and now involves one of Brown’s oldest friends.
By Tracy Seipel
tseipel@mercurynews.com
Posted: 01/21/2016 – 12:01:48 PM PST
Updated: 01/21/2016 – 07:01:54 PM PST
California’s four largest health plans may be on the hook for $10 billion in state back taxes — and at least $1 billion every year going forward — if a closely watched legal case does not break their way.
Soumya Karlamangla and David Zahniser
January 20, 2016
A panel of justices Wednesday threw out the perjury and voter fraud convictions of former L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife, ruling that the trial judge had issued improper jury instructions.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 12/23/15 – 1:00 PM PST |
Gov. Jerry Brown announced Wednesday the appointment of San Bernardino County Presiding Judge Marsha G. Slough to the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Riverside. She will be the first openly gay justice in the history of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, if confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
November 26, 2015
There’s nothing more fundamental to a well-functioning society than an efficient, fair court system to resolve civil disputes and criminal cases.
Saturday, November 7, 2015 – 09:30 a.m.
Here’s the latest local newspaper coverage of a high-profile San Bernardino County court case of public concern.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015 – 02:00 p.m.
There’s been more local news coverage of a high-profile San Bernardino County court case.
Thursday, October 15, 2015 – 09:00 a.m.
The following are links to local newspaper coverage of a Wednesday appeals court ruling involving a high-profile San Bernardino County legal case:
Saturday, October 10, 2015 – 11:30 a.m.
The lawyer for two members of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has appealed a $6.5 million jury award to the target of a murder-for-hire plot.
AP California News
By SUDHIN THANAWALA
Associated Press
Sep 8, 2015 – 9:09 PM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Criminal defendants’ right to information that will aid in their defense does not extend before trial to social networking posts that are protected under federal law, a California appeals court ruled Tuesday.
By Jim Steinberg, The Sun
Posted: 09/02/15 2:46 PM PDT |
Eleven local governmental bodies, trade groups, labor groups and others have filed amici “friend of the court” support for the Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project in a remote Mojave Desert section of San Bernardino County.
Thursday, August 20, 2015 – 08:00 a.m.
The Daily Press has started coverage of a high-profile San Bernardino County legal issue of public interest.
To read the article by Shea Johnson in The Daily Press, click here.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015 – 07:15 a.m.
The new legal story impacting San Bernardino County government is published in the Wednesday edition of The Sun newspaper.
To read the article by Joe Nelson in The Sun click here.
Tuesday, August 5, 2015 – 08:00 a.m.
There’s an update legal story of public interest in the Wednesday edition of The Sun.
Here’s the link.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 08/03/15 – 8:52 PM PDT |
A San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy potentially facing criminal charges in the videotaped beating of an Apple Valley man in April is at the center of another criminal case in Victorville in which the deputy’s use of force in other incidents is also in question.
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By Dan Walters
dalters@sacbee.com
July 27, 2015
The Sacramento region’s state appeals court declared three decades ago that when a corporation hires lobbyists to pass a bill, it loses its claim of privacy in a libel action.
AP California News
By Brian Melley
Associated Press
July 9, 2015 – 6:15 PM EDT
To read opinion, click the following link: G048375
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California appeals court overturned a jury verdict because of egregious misconduct by a state Department of Transportation lawyer who portrayed an injured motorcyclist minister as a low-life Nazi biker.
Politics Blog
By Bob Egelko
June 23, 2015 – 4:39 PM
Like his last state Supreme Court appointee, one of Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest appellate court nominees is a young Obama administration lawyer with no judicial experience. The current pick, Lamar Baker, is stirring up a certain amount of controversy.
By Meghann M. Cuniff / Staff Writer
June 17, 2015
Updated: June 18, 2015 – 6:13 p.m.
Related stories:
San Juan Capistrano has set aside $4.1 million to refund residents and businesses who paid for water under steep tiers recently deemed illegal by an appellate court panel.
By Meghann N. Cuniff / Staff Writer
June 11, 2015 – Updated 10:22 p.m.
Tiered pricing might not be dead as a tool to encourage water conservation.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 05/06/15 – 5:51 PM PDT |
Ontario basically sold its airport to Los Angeles 48 years ago, and there was no turning back, L.A.’s lawyers argued in court documents filed Wednesday.
Published: May 5, 2015 Updated: – 4:41 p.m.
Los Angeles has defended contracts that gave it ownership of Ontario International Airport, denying the city of Ontario’s claims those agreements are so flawed they should be voided, despite decades passing since they were signed.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Jim Steinberg, San Bernardino Sun
Posted: 05/01/15 – 7:03 PM PDT |
Three conservation groups have filed their opening briefs in an appeal to block Los Angeles-based Cadiz Inc. from pumping Mojave Desert water and shipping much of it out of San Bernardino County to meet the needs of South Orange County residents.
By Jim Steinberg, The Sun
Posted: 05/01/15 – 7:04 PM PDT |
Three conservation groups filed their opening briefs in an appeal to block Los Angeles-based Cadiz Inc. from pumping Mojave Desert water and shipping much of it out of San Bernardino County to meet the needs of South Orange County residents.
By Jessica Calefati
jcalefati@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 05/01/2015 – 01:23:42 PM PDT
Updated: 05/01/2015 – 03:05:46 PM PDT
SACRAMENTO — A groundbreaking tentative court ruling that orders the release of two disgraced state lawmakers’ appointment schedules has sparked “great consternation” at the Capitol, an attorney for the Legislature told a judge Friday.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 – 05:00 p.m.
The city of Ontario was dealt another setback in its lawsuit to regain control of LA/Ontario International Airport from the city of Los Angeles, on Wednesday.
By Matt Stevens
April 14, 2015
An appellate court ruling due by next week could put a glitch in plans to reach Gov. Jerry Brown’s goal of slashing urban water use by 25% statewide.
Published: April 10, 2015 – Updated: 11:32 p.m.
The lawsuit between the city of Ontario and Los Angeles over ownership of Ontario International Airport is months from its Aug. 17 trial date, but for the second time in this year, a piece of the case has gone to state appellate court.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 04/08/15, 8:56 PM PDT |
Attorneys for Ontario are petitioning the state 4th District Court of Appeal in Riverside to reverse a ruling upholding the decades-old agreement that gave Los Angeles control of L.A./Ontario International Airport.
Published: April 7, 2015 – Updated: 3:49 p.m.
The city of Ontario asked an appellate court on Tuesday to set aside and reverse a judge’s ruling that upheld decades-old agreements that gave Los Angeles control and ownership of Ontario International Airport.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Sandra Emerson, Redlands Daily Facts
Posted: 04/02/15 – 6:52 PM PDT |
REDLANDS >> Two civil cases filed against the city and Walmart related to a proposed store on the city’s North Side have come to an end.
By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 03/12/15, 8:12 PM PDT
RIVERSIDE >>A judge will have to reconsider her decision requiring Los Angeles to release 399 documents sought by Ontario in its suit to gain control of L.A./Ontario International Airport.
National Politics
PDF: People v. Velasco-Palacios
By Sidney Powell | 03/04/15 – 1:04pm
When will they ever learn? Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski declared months ago in a much-quoted opinion that there is “an epidemic of Brady violations abroad in the land.” And yet, prosecutors continue to deny there’s a problem. Indeed, the Department of Justice gets outright indignant at the suggestion, and so do many state court prosecutors. They bristle at the very mention of the possibility.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 01/20/15, 10:40 AM PST | Updated: 35 secs ago
RIVERSIDE >> Attorneys for Ontario will continue to press for the release of 399 documents that they say could determine the fate of the city’s legal battle for local control of LA/Ontario International Airport.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
01/12/2015 12:01 AM
The Alliance of California Judges, a feisty band of rebels in robes, has complained for five years that the state’s judicial bureaucracy had become bloated, overpaid, arrogantly dismissive and incompetent.
Published: Dec. 22, 2014 – Updated: 4:24 p.m.
Moreno Valley has agreed to pay about $128,000 in attorney fees in a settlement that will end a lawsuit over last year’s appointment of Councilman Yxstian Gutierrez.
To read story by Imran Ghori in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
SHEA JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER
Posted Dec. 18, 2014 @ 6:46 pm
Updated Dec 18, 2014 at 6:50 PM
An attorney who challenged the validity of Victorville’s red light camera system more than two years ago is seeking additional time to gather evidence about whether camera images are really automatic or human influenced — a non-trivial distinction, he said.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014 – 04:00 p.m.
A California appellate court has refused to intervene in a ongoing two-day strike by San Bernardino County Nurses.
By Maura Dolan
December 3, 2014
A state appeals court decided unanimously Wednesday that California’s practice of taking DNA from people arrested for felonies — though not necessarily convicted or even charged — violates the state constitution.
By Patrick McGreevy
Novembver 10, 2014
Attorneys for former state Sen. Roderick Wright said Monday they have filed a notice of appeal of Wright’s conviction on charges of perjury and voter fraud for lying about living in his district.
By Howard Blume
August 29, 2014
Gov. Jerry Brown filed an appeal Friday of a ruling that struck down traditional job protections for teachers.
Thursday, August 14, 2014 – 09:00 a.m.
For our readers who happen to be Clipper fans.
The California Second District Court of Appeal has put a fork in Donald Sterlings last minute attempt to reverse the sale of his former team.
By Nathan Fenno
August 8, 2014
An appeals court denied Donald Sterling’s petition late Friday to stay last month’s probate court ruling against him, the latest round of legal wrangling over the proposed $2-billion sale of the Clippers to Steve Ballmer.
By JULIET WILLIAMS, Associated Press
Published 3:05 pm, Friday, August 1, 2014
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A state appellate court ruling has given new momentum to Gov. Jerry Brown’s $68 billion high-speed rail project by providing the state with a substantial funding source and lifting one cloud over a plan that has been widely criticized for its cost, route, construction plans and environmental reviews.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jun. 30, 2014 – 12:00 am
When the Legislature and then-Gov. Pete Wilson agreed in 1997 that the state would assume the entire cost of financing California’s largest-in-the-nation court system, judges rejoiced.
Ralph Vartabedian
May 24, 2014
A state appellate court panel on Friday zeroed in on technical and procedural issues that could signal trouble for Central Valley groups fighting California’s proposed bullet train project.
By Howard Mintz hmintz@mercurynews.com
Posted: 05/13/2014 12:08:03 PM PDT# Comments
Updated: 05/13/2014 12:26:00 PM PDT
SACRAMENTO — After years of budget bloodletting, California’s courts received a $160 million bump in funding in Gov. Jerry Brown’s new budget plan — although with some strings attached and a stern warning that the state’s judicial leaders need to do more to tighten spending.
Apr 7, 2014, 6:58am PDT
Updated: Apr 7, 2014, 7:12am PDT
Staff Writer- Sacramento Business Journal
The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s latest business plan suggests the agency could run out of money next year unless it overcomes legal and legislative funding hurdles.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Apr. 6, 2014 – 12:00 am
The California High-Speed Rail Authority plans to begin construction this year on a bullet train system that is supposed to eventually stretch 500 miles from Sacramento to San Diego.
Monday, March 17, 2014 – 07:30 p.m.
The Colonies case is finally headed back to San Bernardino County Superior Court, following the issuance of a modified opinion by Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Two, in Riverside on Monday afternoon.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 03/03/14, 6:30 PM PST |
RIVERSIDE >> Prosecutors and defense attorneys are finally in agreement on one thing in San Bernardino County’s Colonies corruption case: that the case should be remanded to Superior Court from the 4th District Court of Appeal so it can proceed to trial.
By Ed Mendel
Monday, March 3, 2014
A federal appeals court last week gave Sonoma County retirees another chance to show that an implied contract gave them vested rights to retiree health care, preventing the benefit from being cut to $500 a month.
By Victoria Kim
February 27, 2014, 5:20 p.m.
Talk or text you may not, but it is legal for drivers to look at maps on their cellphones while on the road, a California appellate court ruled Thursday.
February 12, 2014; 09:53 PM
California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye urged Inland attorneys to lobby local legislators for funding to bring the area more judges, and pushed back on criticisms that the state court system is solely responsible for its financial straits.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press Enterprise, click here.
By Steve Scauzillo, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Posted: 02/01/14, 11:25 AM PST |
Two lower court rulings that have tied the proposed $68 billion high-speed rail train in red tape may snag other public works projects for roads and schools, according to the state Department of Finance.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
By Katie Lucia
Defendants charged in a wide-ranging public corruption scandal are trying to convince a judge to toss the case, alleging a litany of prosecutorial misconduct.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
January 24, 2014
State Controller John Chiang lacks the authority to determine whether a budget approved by the California Legislature is balanced, a court ruled, handing another legal victory to lawmakers whose pay he docked amid a standoff in 2011.
January 23, 2014; 03:58 PM
It’s a waiting game for Thomas Hollenhorst.
An associate justice for the 4th District Court of Appeal in Riverside, Hollenhorst works with deadlines. But now the 67-year-old jurist, a fixture in the Inland legal scene for more than 40 years, needs a kidney transplant — and there are no rules of court to set when he will hear about an available organ from one of the two medical centers where is on transplant lists.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Entrprise, click here.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
January 22, 2014
By Richard Chang
California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye today said Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget shortchanges the judicial branch.
By Beau Yarbrough, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 01/15/14, 8:14 PM PST |
Sacramento >> An attempt to pump more money into underfunded courthouses has died in committee.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 12/28/13, 5:30 PM PST |
Defense attorneys said Friday they will push to get San Bernardino County’s Colonies corruption case back to trial court so they can present additional evidence they say will help prove their clients’ innocence.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013 – 7:43 am
When California voters passed a multibillion-dollar sales and income tax increase last year, they raised hopes of countless interest groups.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
October 16, 2013
Several prominent lawyers and civic leaders have banded together to form a new group to advocate on behalf of California’s courts.
By Jean Merl
October 16, 2013, 3:51 p.m.
A divided California Court of Appeal has cleared the way for the city of Palmdale to hold its Nov. 5 City Council election, which a trial court had canceled late last month.
By Richard Winton
August 14, 2013, 4:06 p.m.
Four months after a state appellate panel voided grand jury indictments against Irwindale officials connected to the alleged misappropriation of nearly $200,000 on lavish trips to New York, Los Angeles County prosecutors on Wednesday refiled the charges.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 30, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jul. 30, 2013 – 6:50 am
One of San Diego Mayor Bob Filner’s first acts this year – before he became preoccupied with other affairs – was to end the use of cameras to catch motorists running red lights, labeling them “the San Diego version of a traffic trap.”
By Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times
April 25, 2013, 8:28 p.m.
Los Angeles County prosecutors failed to present grand jurors with evidence favorable to Irwindale officials before seeking an indictment in connection with lavish business trips that city officials took to New York, a panel of state appellate justices said Thursday.
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/09/2013 10:57:57 AM PDT
Bios: Scot Spencer | Felice Luciano
Photo Galleries: Scot Spencer | D.A. files charges against Scot Spencer
View: Criminal complaint | Grand Jury report
By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times
April 9, 2013, 6:44 p.m.
California courts, reeling from years of state budget cuts, are delaying hearings and trials, allowing records to sit unprocessed for months and slashing services at public windows, a judge’s committee has reported.
By Maura Dolan
April 5, 2013, 4:33 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO — A new California judicial ethics committee issued its first formal opinion Friday, deciding that judges may solicit attorneys to lobby for funding for the courts.
PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
By Chris Megerian
April 3, 2013, 6:42 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — An Assembly subcommittee voted Wednesday to restore $418 million to California’s judiciary, but not before one lawmaker shared some tough words for the state’s court system.
By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Mar. 21, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Thursday, Mar. 21, 2013 – 7:58 am
Californians have a legal right to view court files of criminal and civil cases, but here’s the catch: It soon may cost $10.