Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
Sunday, January 25, 2015 – 10:30 a.m.
Ontario took a hit in its lawsuit to wrestle away control of Ontario International Airport last week.
Michael Hiltzik
January 24, 2015
If you’re wondering why issues favored by a majority of Americans such as raising the minimum wage, gun control and net neutrality get scarcely any attention in the halls of Congress, the Citizens United case is the reason.
Thursday, January 22, 2015 – 01:00 p.m.
The long-running fraud case involving the now-defunct California Charter Academy has been continued once again.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 01/22/15, 8:09 AM PST | Updated: 19 secs ago
RIVERSIDE >> A Superior Court judge has issued a tentative decision in favor of Los Angeles on two key aspects of lawsuit for control of L.A./Ontario International Airport.
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.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015 – 09:00 a.m.
A security breach at one of the San Bernardino County courthouses has now subjected lawyers to extra scrutiny.
Published: Jan. 19, 2015 – Updated: 9:50 p.m.
Los Angeles attorneys want a judge to take a second look at her order for them to hand Ontario 399 documents in that city’s lawsuit to regain control of Ontario International Airport.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Dan Weikel
January 18, 2015
In the battle for LA/Ontario airport, the city of L.A. may have overstated its worth, according to a new audit
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 01/16/15, 11:19 AM PST | Updated: 50 secs ago
RIVERSIDE >> Superior Court Judge Gloria Trask on Friday ordered Los Angeles to produce 399 documents for Ontario by noon Tuesday as part of an ongoing lawsuit over control of L.A./Ontario International Airport.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 01/15/15, 4:04 PM PST | Updated: 11 hrs ago
RIVERSIDE >> Los Angeles officials underestimated the effectiveness of Ontarios lobbying efforts in 2011, and were in disarray by the former mayor’s inability to decide whether to sell L.A./Ontario International Airport, documents released on Thursday revealed.
Published: Jan. 14, 2015 – Updated: 4:49 p.m.
Moreno Valley has agreed to pay $200,000 to settle a lawsuit by a deputy city attorney who alleged he lost his job for prosecuting code-enforcement violations by a former councilman.
To read story by Imran Ghori in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
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.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 01/10/15, 1:52 PM PST | Updated: 37 secs ago
Maybe it was a bad idea from the very beginning.
Fifty years ago, the thought of Los Angeles taking over a small airport in the Inland Empire seemed like a huge win for Ontario. A no-brainer.
By Greg Cappis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 01/09/15, 10:20 PM PST
SAN BERNARDINO >> In a new courthouse that is part of an underfunded county court system, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors met with the Inland Empire caucus of the state Legislature on Friday afternoon to discuss issues facing the region.
By Veronica Rocha
January 9, 2015
A former Rialto school accountant accused of embezzling $1.8 million in lunch money and stuffing the cash into her bra was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison.
Thursday, January 8, 2015 – 01:45 p.m.
Former Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach has pleaded “No Contest” to a single count of Vandalism (Tampering with Campaign Signs), a misdemeanor.
Thursday, January 8, 2015 – 01:30 p.m.
The fraud case against the former Project Manager at San Bernardino International Airport has been continued once again.
Friday, January 2, 2015 – 12:00 p.m.
Another criminal case, brought in an attempt to shield an agency from civil liability, this time San Bernardino County, blew up in Superior Court late Wednesday afternoon.
By Tim Reid
Monday, Dec 29, 2014 – 8:38pm EST
(Reuters) – A group of judges is suing California’s public pension system Calpers and the state of California over claims their pension contributions have been almost doubled unlawfully.
By Doug Saunders, The Sun
Posted: 12/24/14, 4:49 PM PST |
VICTORVILLE >> An Adelanto middle-school teacher no longer faces child pornography charges, but he pleaded no contest to charges of having adult pornographic images on a school-owned computer.
Ben van der Meer
Staff Writer- Sacramento Business Journal
Dec 22, 2014, 4:00pm PST
Updated: Dec 22, 2014, 4:38pm PST
Businessman and lobbyist Darius Anderson has filed a complaint against two of the owners of the Sacramento Kings, alleging he was deceived and left out of the ownership when the team traded hands in spring 2013.
San Diego lawmaker also ordered to complete alcohol education program
By Chris Nichols
Dec. 18, 2014 – Updated2:44 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — Sen. Ben Hueso was sentenced Thursday to three years probation and ordered to complete an alcohol education program stemming from his August arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol near the Capitol.
Wednesday, December 17, 2104 – 10:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 – 01:30 p.m.
Another prosecution gone wrong. Another person’s life and reputation damaged.
It’s an increasingly common event in San Bernardino County.
Published: Dec. 16, 2014 – Updated: 5:55 p.m.
Los Angeles was ordered Tuesday to produce documents sought by Ontario in its lawsuit to regain control of Ontario International Airport, which Los Angeles has operated for decades.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Matt Hamilton
December 16, 2014
Amy Bramlett, 46, was arrested in September and charged with having unlawful sexual contact with a 16- and 17-year-old–-the latter a former student of hers at Indian Springs High School in San Bernardino.
By Beau Yarbrough, The Sun
Posted: 12/15/14, 10:24 AM PST | Updated: 10 hrs ago
SAN BERNARDINO >> Citing an “insufficiency of evidence,” the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office Monday dropped the charges of having sex with students against San Bernardino City Unified teacher Amy Bramlett.
Published: Dec. 14, 2014 Updated: Dec. 15, 2014 8:15 a.m.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will meet in January with Ontario officials over stalled talks on the return of Ontario International Airport to the Inland city.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
Published: Dec. 12, 2014 12:47 p.m.
A lawyer for San Bernardino County has been appointed to a judgeship by Gov. Jerry Brown.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
SHEA JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER
Posted Dec. 12, 2014 @ 8:37 pm
Updated Dec 12, 2014 at 8:41 PM
The San Bernardino County court system currently maintains 86 judges, but the county’s caseloads justify it having 143, according to the 2014 Judicial Workload Assessment presented this week in San Francisco to the state Judicial Council.
Monday, December 8, 2014 – 11:00 a.m.
A San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge has refused to block a planned strike by county-employed nurses set for Tuesday and Wednesday.
By Soumya Karlamangla
December 5, 2014
It took state investigators more than five years to build a criminal case against Richard Alarcon.
By Patrick McGreevy
December 5, 2014
A Superior Court judge on Friday ruled that the state’s ethics agency could subpoena financial records as part of an investigation into possible political money laundering involving 11 supporters of newly elected state Sen. Janet Nguyen (R-Garden Grove).
O.C. Sheriff Sandra Hutchens
BY TONY SAAVEDRA / STAFF WRITER
Published: Dec. 5, 2014 Updated: 8:44 p.m.
Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens this week joined the county’s top prosecutor in defending the use of jailhouse informants placed in cells wired to capture recorded confessions.
By Jim Steinberg, The Sun
Posted: 12/04/14, 5:28 PM PST | Updated: 28 secs ago
San Bernardino County officials are seeking to block a planned strike by its 1,100 member nurses union, saying a two-day event next week “could cost taxpayers millions of dollars” if the county is forced to hire temporary nurses.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 12/01/14, 11:33 AM PST | Updated: 15 secs ago
ONTARIO >> Negotiations over the control of LA/Ontario International Airport have collapsed, according to Alan Wapner.
By Dan Weikel
December 1, 2014
Most airports in the area are growing again, but figures released Monday underscore just how much Los Angeles International Airport dominates the market and continues to frustrate the goals of a lawsuit settlement to spread airline traffic across the region.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 11/27/14, 11:13 AM PST |
The former general manager of the San Bernardino County Public Employees Association, responding to a lawsuit filed against him by the union, denies allegations he misappropriated or embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Published: Nov. 19, 2014 Updated: 4:58 p.m.
The validity of decades-old agreements that gave ownership and control of Ontario International Airport to Los Angeles now await a judge’s decision after the window closed Wednesday on additional arguments.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
Sunday, November 16, 2014 – 03:30 p.m.
Two criminal cases with a genesis from use-of-force shootings in the city of Upland have raised a serious ethical question.
By Mark Gutglueck
Posted on November 15, 2014
(November 10) — The once grandly touted Police Officer Standards and Training Cheating Scandal Prosecution, which entailed criminal charges against seven current and former Sheriff’s Department employees alleged to have defrauded taxpayers by falsifying training and pay records, was quietly closed out on Halloween when the figure at the center of the case, retired sheriff’s captain Hobart Gray, pleaded no-contest to a single count of “aiding in a misdemeanor.”
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 11/14/14, 1:28 PM PST | Updated: 54 secs ago
Admitting fault, attorneys for Ontario contended Friday that the Ontario airport never was sold to Los Angeles because the procedures followed by the local electors were flawed.
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
11/13/2014 12:54 PM
Former Democratic state Sen. Joe Dunn is suing his former employer, the State Bar of California, alleging that the bar’s board wrongfully fired him as executive director after he reported illegal activities and ethical breaches by high-ranking officials in the quasi-governmental agency.
Thursday, November 13, 2014 – 09:30 a.m.
A case arising from a 117-count indictment filed in 2007 is now rolling into 2015.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 11/12/14, 7:59 PM PST | Updated: 38 secs ago
RIVERSIDE >> Ontario and Los Angeles are expected to make their cases Friday as to whether the sale of what is now L.A./Ontario International Airport should have been outright sold to Los Angeles nearly 30 years ago or should have gone to the public for a vote.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 11/10/14, 1:49 PM PST | Updated: 1 min ago
RIVERSIDE >> Former San Bernardino Councilman Robert Jenkins pleaded guilty Monday to all 30 counts against him as part of a deal that will result in a sentence of 180 days.
By Veronica Rocha
November 11, 2014
Melissa Reynolds, a cheerleader from Murrieta Valley High School, may not be able to rally crowds of students again, her attorney said.
Sunday, November 2, 2014 – 04:00 p.m.
Remember the March 2011 press conference, by the San Bernardino County District Attorney, over the indictment of seven current and former Sheriff’s Department employees, who were alleged to have defrauded taxpayers by falsifying training and pay records?
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 10/31/14, 10:40 AM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago
RIVERSIDE >> Los Angeles has the deed for L.A./Ontario International Airport, but now the question is whether the city’s 1985 acquisition followed proper public procedure.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
10/30/2014 7:53 PM
ONTARIO – Ontario International Airport opened two large, modernistic terminals in the late 1990s to improve service in California’s fast-growing “Inland Empire” of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, replacing shabby facilities that would have embarrassed a Third World country.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 10/18/14, 9:02 PM PDT | Updated: 25 secs ago
RIVERSIDE >> Ontario has raised new allegations that purport to show a Los Angeles agency abandoned efforts to market L.A./Ontario International Airport in favor of multi-billion dollar projects at Los Angeles International Airport.
The allegations are raised in a court document filed by Ontario on Friday afternoon in Riverside Superior Court.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 10/17/14, 5:08 PM PDT | Updated: 48 secs ago
San Bernardino County’s largest labor union filed a lawsuit Friday in San Bernardino Superior Court against its former general manager, alleging he embezzled or misappropriated more than $700,000 before he was fired in 2013.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 10/18/14, 12:02 AM PDT |
RIVERSIDE >> Michael Huerta, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, said he cannot intervene in the L.A./Ontario International Airport dispute, but would like to see both sides come to a quick resolution.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 10/17/14, 4:43 PM PDT | Updated: 41 secs ago
RIVERSIDE >> Ontario filed a motion Friday afternoon asking that a Riverside Superior Court judge deny Los Angeles’ request to dismiss a portion of the lawsuit involving LA/Ontario International Airport based on claims the statute of limitations has passed.
By Shan Li
October 14, 2014
The Los Angeles Times filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Orange County Register, accusing the embattled newspaper of breach of contract and failure to pay more than $2 million in delivery fees.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 10/11/14, 9:21 PM PDT | Updated: 46 secs ago
ONTARIO >> A billboard marketing blitz will take off on Monday promoting flights out of LA/Ontario International Airport.
Saturday, October 11, 2014 – 10:15 a.m.
Former Upland City Manager Robb Quincey has been sentenced as a result of his guilty plea to a single count of felony conflict of interest last month.
By Leslie Parrilla, San Bernardino Sun
Posted: 10/10/14, 10:10 PM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago
Colton’s former city manager who says he was fired while investigating suspected misconduct and misappropriation of public funds by city officials, has filed a civil lawsuit alleging the city violated his rights and state laws and should not be able to hire a new city manager until they correct the process.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 10/07/14, 3:12 PM PDT | Updated: 2 mins ago
RIVERSIDE >> After moving through a felony settlement conference and preliminary hearing, former San Bernardino City Councilman Robert Jenkins appeared in court Tuesday for an information arraignment that was continued until Oct. 27.
By Greg Cappis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 10/04/14, 5:44 PM PDT |
A judge has ordered the Redlands Unified School District to alter its public record policies, which, he ruled, violate the California Public Records Act.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
and Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 09/30/14, 5:12 PM PDT | Updated: 5 hrs ago
Inland Empire elected officials are expressing shock and disappointment over a comment made by a top executive at Los Angeles World Airports in which he referred to the Inland Empire as the “inbred Inland Empire.”
Published: Sept. 29, 2014 Updated: 11:05 p.m.
Inland Rep. Ken Calvert wants a Los Angeles airport executive fired for using the term “inbred Inland Empire” and calling improvements at Ontario International Airport “a storied tale of charity toward the Inland Empire.”
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
Published: Sept. 26, 2014 Updated: 11:08 p.m.
Ontario is asking a judge to unwind the city’s agreement with Los Angeles that gave L.A. control of Ontario International Airport, saying Ontario officials in 1967 and 1985 had no right to give up the airport forever and provide no way out of the contract.
To read story by Cassie MacDuff in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By TAMI ABDOLLAH and ELLIOT SPAGAT
The Associated Press
Published: Thursday, Sep. 18, 2014 – 10:44 pm
Last Modified: Saturday, Sep. 20, 2014 – 8:28 am
LOS ANGELES — A rapidly expanding digital network that uses cameras mounted to traffic signals and police cruisers captures the movements of millions of vehicles across the U.S., regardless of whether the drivers are being investigated by law enforcement.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 09/15/14, 11:37 AM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago
RIVERSIDE >> The 1967 agreement which gave control of then Ontario International Airport to Los Angeles will be subject to legal scrutiny next month.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 09/13/14, 11:19 PM PDT |
RIVERSIDE >> Attorneys for Ontario and Los Angeles will be back in court Monday morning for significant a motion involving the takeover of LA/Ontario International Airport.
Published: Sept. 12, 2014 Updated: 8:37 p.m.
A lawsuit filed by the head of Riverside County’s prosecutors’ union, claiming he was transferred to Indio because he supported challenger Michael Hestrin over incumbent District Attorney Paul Zellerbach in the June 3 election, may soon be resolved amicably.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Beau Yarbrough, The Sun
Posted: 09/12/14, 7:56 PM PDT |
Rancho Cucamonga >> On Sept. 4, 2007, the founder of the largest chain of charter schools in California, C. Steven Cox, and former Hesperia mayor Tad Honeycutt were indicted on 117 felony charges related to $5.5 million in taxpayer funds the pair allegedly mishandled.
By Laurel Rosenhall
lrosenhall@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Sep. 12, 2014 – 10:02 am
A state Senate roiling from turmoil this year was dealt another blow Friday when a Los Angeles judge sentenced Democratic Sen. Rod Wright to three months in jail for lying about where he lived when he ran for office in 2008.
BY SEAN EMERY and TONY SAAVEDRA / STAFF WRITERS
Published: Sept. 9, 2014 Updated: 10:05 p.m.
Prosecutors charged Orange County Assessor Webster J. Guillory on Tuesday with filing false nomination papers, alleging that during his re-election bid, he claimed to have personally collected signatures on petitions that were circulated by an associate.
By Soumya Karlamangla
September 9, 2014
Los Angeles County prosecutors have asked a judge to sentence former City Councilman Richard Alarcon to 180 days in County Jail and 1,000 hours of community service for his conviction on charges of perjury and voter fraud.
SHEA JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER
Posted Sep. 3, 2014 @ 12:56 pm
Updated Sep 3, 2014 at 4:03 PM
SAN BERNARDINO — Former Barstow Mayor Joe Gomez pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor battery charge, ending four years of criminal proceedings drawn out by attorney changes and ongoing investigations.
Published: Sept. 1, 2014 Updated: 10:11 p.m.
Budgets for Inland superior courts increased from the previous fiscal year by about $6 million for each system, allowing for small improvements – but services and most courtrooms shuttered by recession-era budget cuts will remain closed.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Howard Blume
August 29, 2014
Gov. Jerry Brown filed an appeal Friday of a ruling that struck down traditional job protections for teachers.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 08/28/14, 1:20 PM PDT | Updated: 55 secs ago
SAN BERNARDINO >> A jury has found a former sheriff’s deputy guilty of two misdemeanor charges for repeatedly kicking a man in the chest and groin as he lay handcuffed on the ground two years ago.
By Mark Walker2:45 p.m.Aug. 28, 2014Updated4:39 p.m.
An attempt by several cities to overturn a state law that forces them to choose between paying generally higher or “prevailing” wages on most public works projects or lose state construction dollars has been turned aside in a tentative court ruling.
By MAGGIE SEVERNS | 8/28/14 9:34 PM EDT Updated: 8/29/14 9:15 AM EDT
A Los Angeles judge on Thursday affirmed a tentative June ruling that struck down five laws governing job protections for teachers in California.
CRIMINAL COURTS
After long delays, sexual battery case looms next week
SHEA JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER
Posted Aug. 25, 2014 @ 4:42 pm
Updated Aug 25, 2014 at 4:58 PM
Delayed for years by attorney changes, ongoing investigation and scheduling conflicts, the misdemeanor sexual battery trial for former Barstow Mayor Joe Gomez is expected to finally get underway next week, the case’s prosecutor said Monday.
CASE OVERLOAD
County ranked last in concluding felony cases within 12 months
SHEA JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER
Posted Aug. 12, 2014 @ 6:49 pm
Updated Aug 12, 2014 at 6:57 PM
Likely reinforcing the need for more support in local courts to deal with heavy caseloads, a state judiciary report on Tuesday said San Bernardino County kept more of its felony cases on the docket after 12 months than any other reporting county in California during fiscal year 2012-13.
By Ben Bolch, Nathan Fenno and Melissa Rohlin
August 12, 2014
The NBA announced that Steve Ballmer’s $2-billion purchase of the Clippers had closed on Tuesday, making the former Microsoft CEO the undisputed owner of the team.
By Sarah Favot, Pasadena Star-News
Posted: 08/08/14, 10:30 PM PDT |
LOS ANGELES>> The arraignment of three current and former Irwindale city officials accused of public corruption was postponed Friday at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Thursday, August 7, 2014 – 09:30 a.m.
In response to reader emails, here’s the original 29-count indictment in the Colonies Case, with redacted charges, which were dismissed, without leave to amend.
BY IMRAN GHORI / STAFF WRITER
Published: Aug. 6, 2014 Updated: 8:55 p.m.
A San Bernardino County judge delivered mixed rulings for prosecutors and defense attorneys in the Colonies corruption case Wednesday, with both sides notching victories.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 08/06/14, 11:36 AM PDT | Updated: 8 hrs ago
SAN BERNARDINO >> A Superior Court judge on Wednesday ruled that the defendants in San Bernardino County’s Colonies corruption case can stand trial for bribery but dismissed some charges alleging conflict of interest, failure to report income and perjury.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 08/03/14, 6:16 PM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago
After a nearly three-year investigation, a Grand Jury in May 2011 indicted Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum and three former county officials — former Supervisor Paul Biane, former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin, and Mark Kirk, former chief of staff for Supervisor Gary Ovitt — in connection with a controversial $102 million settlement between the county and Burum’s investor group, Colonies Partners LP.
By Mark Gutglueck (www.sbsentinel.com)
Posted on August 1, 2014
SAN BERNARDINO — After six days of hearings before Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith in which prosecutors and defense attorneys have alternatively sought to justify and destroy the public corruption case brought against three former county officials and one of San Bernardino County’s most powerful developers, the sustainability of the more than three-year-old case has yet to be resolved.