PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State

July 28, 2010 | 9:00 pm

With the campaigns in full swing over what are supposed to be lazy summer months, a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California finds the races for governor and U.S. Senate are both up for grabs.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown is leading his Republican opponent Meg Whitman, 37% to 34%. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer is ahead of Republican Carly Fiorina, 39% to 34%.

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PoliticsBlog

Posted By: Carla Marinucci | July 28 2010 at 02:18 PM

California Working Families for Jerry Brown, the independent expenditure group working to help the Democratic State Attorney General’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign, just got a powerhouse ally — the 325,000-member California Teachers Association.

CTA President David Sanchez, in announcing the move, called Brown “the education candidate for governor.”

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Yes, Attorney General Jerry Brown repeatedly claims he’s all over the City of Bell salary scandal.

Brown’s office has subpoenaed thousands of city records. He’s giving city officials twenty-four hours to turn them over.

Otherwise one can infer search warrants will be the order of the day.

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Steve Cooley

Investigators are looking into allegations of voter fraud and conflicts of interest, as well as the $100,000 salaries paid to four council members. The D.A. says several elections are targeted.

By Richard Winton, Jeff Gottlieb and Andrew Blankstein, Los Angeles Times

July 28, 2010

Los Angeles County prosecutors have launched a wide-ranging investigation into allegations of voter fraud and conflicts of interest involving municipal business in Bell, Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said Tuesday.

In an interview with The Times, Cooley described an investigation considerably larger in scope than previously acknowledged by prosecutors, saying that it was “multifaceted, rapidly expanding and full-fledged.” Investigators have been gathering evidence since March, he said.

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Posted on 26 July 2010
By Robert Cruickshank

As progressive activists across America organize to fight the looming “cat food commission” proposals to destroy the futures of working Americans by slashing Social Security benefits and raise the retirement age, Jerry Brown is now proposing to do the same here in California – in this case with cuts to public employee pensions:

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By Jim Boren on July 27, 2010 2:16 PM

Remember right after the June primary when Democrat Jerry Brown said he’d debate Republican Meg Whitman any time, any place? Whitman has agreed to a Fresno debate on Oct. 2 at Fresno State. But Brown’s gubernatorial campaign today would only say the debate is under consideration.

The Fresno debate will be sponsored by The Bee, Univision, the Fresno-Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the city of Fresno and Fresno State. (Full disclosure: I have attended many of the planning sessions for the debate as a representative of The Bee). This is the same group that sponsored the July 1 town hall in Fresno with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
July 27, 2010

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has agreed to participate in a September debate co-sponsored by The Sacramento Bee.

Other sponsors of the event, to be held September 28 on the UC Davis campus, are KCRA, Capitol Public Radio and the University of California, Davis.

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Michael J. Mishak Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

July 27, 2010 | 1:08 p.m.

In politics, it’s all about the spin.

Take, for instance, a news release issued Tuesday by the Meg Whitman campaign that proclaims, “Meg Whitman Challenges Jerry Brown to Three Fall Debates.” It was an interesting take given that Brown, the Democratic attorney general, issued the debate challenge to Whitman and her GOP primary rival, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, at the state Democratic convention in April. Brown kept up the pressure after the primary, challenging Whitman to a series of 10 debates. In June, she accepted an invitation to an October debate, as did Brown, who then asked to speed up the schedule.

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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown is apparently becoming a little sensitive to criticisms he is using his official capacity of Attorney General as a campaign platform.

In a Los Angeles Times story yesterday, Brown defended his investigation into pay practices in the City of Bell, deflecting allegations by the Meg Whitman campaign, that his actions were a campaign stunt.

Maybe someone should ask Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley. The man with the tire tracks across his back.

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Attorney General Edmund “Jerry” Brown

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State

July 26, 2010 | 4:45 pm

Ten television trucks and a crowd of reporters showed up for a news conference Monday where California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown announced that he had issued subpoenas for records as part of his investigation into “excessive” salaries in Bell, but the Democratic gubernatorial nominee insisted he was just doing his day job.

Last week The Times examined Brown’s dual roles as candidate and attorney general — prompting the campaign of his opponent, Meg Whitman, to request public records detailing Brown’s official travel and the personnel records of his communications staff.

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Unions are giving the candidate plenty of financial support, even though he has made no commitment to their causes.

By Michael J. Mishak, Los Angeles Times

July 27, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento —

The television ads seize on the millions of dollars organized labor is spending to help elect Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown, warning that if he’s victorious, he would be “their governor.”

Labor leaders watching the spots, which are funded by billionaire GOP nominee Meg Whitman, should be so lucky.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State

July 26, 2010 | 4:37 pm

Reviving an old attack in his continuing effort to get Republican rival Meg Whitman to release her tax returns, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown accused her Monday of failing to pay unemployment taxes for household staff when she lived in Massachusetts in the 1990s.

The same charge was leveled by the California Democratic Party in March, using the same piece of evidence: a 1999 judgment filed against Whitman in Boston Municipal Court for $1,648.58.

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Brown

Today, Attorney General, oops! I mean democratic candidate for Governor Edmund “Jerry” Brown was campaigning on the Bell pension fiasco vis press conference.

Yes indeed. Another “high-profile” issue has handed Brown a platform to campaign from for “free”.

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July 26, 2010

By Clint Reilly
Special to Calbuzz

Today Calbuzz presents an assessment of the campaign for governor by political strategist, businessman and columnist Clint Reilly. Reilly, whose advice Brown recently sought, has a unique perspective, having run the 1994 gubernatorial bid of the Democratic candidate’s sister, Kathleen, against Pete Wilson, who enjoyed a substantial fundraising advantage.

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Brown

By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 1:19 am

In summer 1978, 2,000 state workers rallied for a pay raise at the Capitol, shouting “Down with Brown” and hurling boos and catcalls as then-Gov. Jerry Brown addressed them from the stage.

Three months later, East Bay labor leaders refused to let Brown speak at their Labor Day picnic, and California’s largest state employees group publicly opposed his re-election bid. The executive secretary of the state AFL-CIO accused Brown of “leading a lynch mob against government workers.”

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Published: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 1:19 am

With unemployment skyrocketing and the country recovering slowly from a painful recession, job creation is the catch phrase of the 2010 election. Every candidate, it seems, has a program to put people back to work.

California’s gubernatorial candidates, Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown, each have plans they say will help create jobs. Here’s a look at what each proposes to do. Most proposals would require approval by the Legislature.

– Dan Smith, Bee Capitol Bureau Chief

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By Dan Morain, Senior editor
dmorain@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1E
Last Modified: Sunday, Jul. 25, 2010 – 10:31 am

The ghost of one California chief justice is about to reappear this campaign season as a new chief justice heads to certain confirmation.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger nominated Tani Cantil-Sakauye as chief justice, a step that places the appointment power of governors before voters.

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Bell officials step down
July 23, 2010 3:16 PM
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

BELL (AP) • The city manager, assistant city manager and police chief of this small, poverty-plagued suburb of Los Angeles stepped down following a public outcry over their salaries, which total more than $1.6 million a year.

Robert Rizzo, who served as Hesperia’s city manager from 1988 to 1992, was the highest paid Bell employee at $787,637 a year — nearly twice the pay of President Barack Obama. Census figures for 2008 showed about 17 percent of the city’s less than 40,000 residents live in poverty.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/23/2010 05:57:50 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDIN0 – In a motion seeking dismissal of state charges of extortion and bribery against former San Bernardino County assistant assessor Jim Erwin, Erwin’s attorney claims state and county prosecutors have failed to clearly state the charges, thereby thwarting Erwin’s ability to properly defend himself.

Criminal defense attorney Rajan R. Maline on Friday filed the motion in San Bernardino Superior Court, in which he also alleges that the three-year statute of limitations has expired for the offenses in which both Erwin and former county Assessor Bill Postmus stand accused.

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Brown

By Jon Ortiz and David Siders
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Jul. 24, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown, long a supporter of public employee retirement rights, is staking out territory in what is traditionally Republican ground: government pension reform.

On his campaign website and in recent comments to the media, California’s attorney general and former governor has advocated rolling back state retirement benefits. Many of his points mirror changes pushed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and tentatively accepted by some unions, but don’t cut into pensions as deeply as policies proposed by Brown’s Republican opponent, Meg Whitman.

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The Democrat would adopt some Schwarzenegger ideas, such as asking current employees to contribute more to their plans and raising the retirement age for new hires.

By Michael J. Mishak, Los Angeles Times

July 23, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento —

Unveiling one of his few major policy proposals Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown called for public-pension reform, embracing some of Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ideas for curbing the soaring cost of the state worker retirement system.

If elected, Brown said, he would ask current employees to contribute more to their pension plans and would raise the retirement age for new hires. The measures are core components of tentative deals Schwarzenegger has negotiated with half a dozen state workers’ unions.

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Ken McLaughlin

kmclaughlin@mercurynews.com
Posted: 07/22/2010 06:29:29 PM PDT
Updated: 07/22/2010 10:45:38 PM PDT

GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman came to Garlic City on Thursday to step up her attacks on opponent Jerry Brown, portraying him as a supporter of “Sacramento’s war on jobs.”

Speaking to campaign supporters and workers at Gilroy’s Christopher Ranch, the former eBay CEO pointed to the newly released second edition of “Meg the Magazine” — a glossy, 36-page publication that outlines her proposals for creating 2 million jobs in California by 2015.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State

July 22, 2010 | 4:54 pm

There’s no evidence that Jerry Brown has done anything wrong as he’s attempted to balance his official duties as California’s attorney general with his gubernatorial bid, but that hasn’t kept his Republican opponent Meg Whitman from trying to stir controversy on the topic.

After an L.A. Times story this week about Brown’s dual roles, Whitman’s campaign said it had sent an open records request to the Department of Justice to determine if Brown is “using any taxpayer-paid staff or services to advance his gubernatorial campaign.”

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California Watch
A Project of the Center for Investigative Reporting
Money and Politics

California WatchBlog

July 23, 2010 | Timothy Sandoval

Gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman have both repudiated partisan politics and attacks made against their campaigns.

But despite their concern about partisan attacks, Politics Verbatim has documented hundreds of attacks the two candidates have made since the beginning of the campaign.

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Brown

Thursday, July 22, 2010 – 08:38 pm

Listeners to the KFI AM-640 John and Ken show were treated to a surprise unannounced five minute call-in from California Attorney General Jerry Brown this evening.

Brown wanted to talk about his new investigation into the City of Bell salary scandal. However, John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou wanted to talk about illegal immigration.

Prior to Brown’s call-in John and Ken had adopted Calbuzz’s nickname for Brown, a.k.a “Krusty”.

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Published: July 22, 2010
Updated: 4:42 p.m.

By MARTIN WISCKOL
COLUMNIST
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

But Whitman, the billionaire former eBay CEO, spent a record-shattering $91 million on her primary campaign and didn’t miss a beat in shifting her attention to Brown. Brown, meanwhile, had a relatively modest $21 million in the bank as of the May filings – so it’s little surprise he’s holding back for later.

California has a boatload of failed self-funding millionaire candidates, including Al Checchi (spent $40 million of his own dough, lost 1998 Democratic primary for governor), Steve Westly ($40 million, lost 2006 Democratic primary for governor), and Michael Huffington ($28 million, lost 1994 general election for U.S. Senate).

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
July 22, 2010

Update: This post was updated at 2:15 p.m. with a response from the Brown campaign.

GOP gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman has a new television commercial blasting Democratic rival Jerry Brown.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday, July 22, 2010 – 11:27 am

It’s time for republican Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman to clearly articulate her positions on each element of the illegal immigration issue.

Her post-primary campaign strategy has created some bumps in the road with some of the republican base. A potential problem if it continues.

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Posted By: Drew Joseph | July 21 2010 at 03:07 PM

Don’t be surprised if Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown might just want to tout that draft report — currently being circulated by the campaign of Republican Meg Whitman — that names him the “worst” AG in the country. That’s because it comes from a Washington-based conservative organization that critics say have fought regulations on just about everything from drug safety to auto emissions.

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Brown

It files a public records request with attorney general’s office seeking documents

By Steven Harmon
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 07/20/2010 04:04:27 PM PDT
Updated: 07/20/2010 07:12:30 PM PDT

SACRAMENTO — Meg Whitman’s campaign, suspicious that Jerry Brown is using his office as attorney general for campaign purposes, filed a Public Records Act request seeking documentation that they hope would prove it.

The request, filed late Monday with the attorney general’s office by Mark Bogetich, a Whitman campaign consultant, seeks what could amount to thousands of pages of employment information on communications staffers dating back to the 2005-06 fiscal year, before Brown was elected as attorney general.

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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

In the summer silly season of California’s 1990 campaign for governor, a strategist for Dianne Feinstein used to say that running against Pete Wilson was like “getting up every morning and having somebody throw marbles in front of you” all day.

The description perfectly expressed the challenge of facing the aggressive, always-on-offense style of Republican Wilson’s camp, which worked assiduously to keep Democrat Difi constantly off balance before defeating her in November.

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Brown

By Michael J. Mishak Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

July 19, 2010 | 6:26 p.m.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman’s campaign filed a public records request Monday with the California Department of Justice, seeking detailed information on how her Democratic rival, state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, is using his office’s resources while campaigning for governor.

The request, filed by GOP consultant Mark Bogetich, asks for personnel records related to the attorney general’s communications operation, including names, salaries, job descriptions and office locations. It also includes requests for his budget and an accounting of expenditures, including expenses related to travel and state-owned vehicles.

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Brown

His high-profile actions as the state’s top prosecutor have helped keep his campaign in the spotlight. But wooing the media while minding state ethics laws is a tough balancing act.

July 18, 2010|By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from San Diego — Standing before a bank of television cameras, photographers and reporters, Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown announced last week that he was filing a lawsuit against the nation’s two largest mortgage lenders and the federal agency that oversees them.

The elected leaders who flanked Brown, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, lavished him with praise for the move, meant to allow lending to homeowners for a clean-energy program that could create tens of thousands of jobs in the state.

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By Manuel Roig-Franzia
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 19, 2010

SACRAMENTO — Hate to break this to you: Time’s whizzing by. You’re getting older.

Need proof? Brace yourself.

Jerry Brown is 72 years old.

Yes, that Jerry Brown. The endless-summer wonder boy who dated Linda Ronstadt many moons over blue bayous ago. The bliss-following political son who was sooo California cool — back when California really was the empire of the laid-back, and fiscally solvent at that.

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Brown

At the Pasadena Senior Center, the Democratic candidate’s age fazes no one. His lack of a coherent plan is a problem, though.

July 18, 2010|Steve Lopez

The last time I walked into the Pasadena Senior Center, a few years ago, I felt people eyeballing me as if I might have stumbled into the wrong building. When I returned Friday morning, they asked what class I was looking for.

Have I aged that quickly? If so, it means I may not have much time left to run for governor.

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Brown

By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jul. 18, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

The question keeps coming up for Jerry Brown: Can he compete with a self-funded billionaire and, if so, when will he start?

“Can you beat Meg Whitman if she’s going to outspend you 10-to-1, have staffs 10 times as big as you?” Chris Matthews asked the Democratic gubernatorial nominee recently on MSNBC’s “Hardball.”

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Friday, July 16, 2010 – 12:30 pm

I won’t waste much energy on this, since the far right-wing of the California Republican Party can’t seem to stop shooting themselves in the head.

True to form, Mike Spence and the California Republican Assembly (CRA) started shooting off their mouths in a story published in today’s San Francisco Chronicle.

The message. Were not happy with Meg Whitman.

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Meg Whitman

10:24 PM PDT on Thursday, July 15, 2010

By TIFFANY RAY
The Press-Enterprise

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman said she has a plan to create two million new private-sector jobs in California by 2015.

Speaking in Ontario on Thursday to employees at Mag Instrument Inc., the maker of the Maglite flashlight, Whitman said her three priorities as governor would be creating jobs, reducing government spending and turning around California’s public schools.

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By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jul. 16, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Friday, Jul. 16, 2010 – 6:53 am

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is backing away from a key immigration proposal she advanced in this spring’s competitive GOP primary after farmers and other business interests expressed displeasure with her idea.

As she campaigned this spring, Whitman said she would send state and local officials into California businesses to look for illegal immigrants – her own version of federal immigration workplace inspections.

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California Watch
A Project of the Center for Investigative Reporting
Money and Politics

California WatchBlog

July 16, 2010 | Chase Davis

Meg Whitman has out-raised Jerry Brown four to one in large contributions during the month-plus since the June 8 primary, further adding to her already massive cash advantage heading into election season, state campaign records show.

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Joe Garofoli,Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writers
San Francisco Chronicle
Friday, July 16, 2010

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, who recently campaigned with GOP former Gov. Pete Wilson as being “tough as nails” on illegal immigration, could alienate her crucial conservative base, some party members say, by declaring she’s in lockstep on the issue with her rival: former Gov. Jerry Brown.

In an opinion piece published this week in a Spanish-language publication in Southern California, Whitman wrote that there is “very little” that she disagrees with Brown on concerning the hot-button issue of illegal immigration.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
July 15, 2010

In the closest forum to a debate so far, Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman appeared on Larry Kudlow’s show on the cable business news channel CNBC this afternoon, but not at the same time.

Under quick-fire questioning from Kudlow, the two candidates talked about how they plan to create jobs and also fired rhetorical darts at each other.

Read the rest of this entry »

Meg Whitman speaks to Mag Instrument employees at the Maglite plant in Ontario. (Adam Lau, Associated Press / July 15, 2010)

.

By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times

July 16, 2010

The issue of employment dominated the race for governor Thursday as Meg Whitman slashed rival Jerry Brown for failing to offer a plan to create jobs while she unveiled a glossy, 34-page booklet on the subject that she plans to mail to voters across California.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Editor’s Note: Favorable/Unfavorable – Whitman 49%/44%, Brown 47%/48%

Election 2010: California Governor

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown remain virtually tied in the race for governor of California.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state finds Whitman edging ahead of Brown for the first time with 47% of the vote. The Democrat picks up 46% support. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, while three percent (3%) are not sure.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jerry Brown
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

WSJ Blogs
Capital Journal
Columns and Observations from the Capital

By Peter Brown

Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, is a former White House correspondent with two decades of experience covering Washington government and politics. Click here for Mr. Brown’s full bio.

If, as the conventional wisdom holds, that this is the year in which being a career politician is a problem for candidates, then one might think Jerry Brown’s effort to reclaim the California governor’s mansion would be toast.

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Voters perceive dismal voting records and advancing age as negatives.
By George Skelton Capitol Journal
July 15, 2010

From Sacramento

Cut to the core of the contest for California governor and you’ll find that each candidate has one very vulnerable weak spot.

For Democrat Jerry Brown, it’s his old age.

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Meg Whitman

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
July 14, 2010

After saying all spring that she opposed amnesty for illegal immigrants, Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman tried to neutralize the immigration issue in the general election by arguing in an op-ed published Wednesday that she and Democratic rival Jerry Brown have virtually the same positions on the issue.

The two candidates, however, disagree on a key component of the immigration debate: Brown supports offering permanent residency and citizenship to illegal immigrants while Whitman proposes only a guest worker program without a path to citizenship.

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Brown

***Editor’s Note: Once again democratic Gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown, who is falling in the polls against rival republican Meg Whitman, has once again filed a lawsuit and sought to garner publicity. This time federally-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the whipping posts for Brown. The following afternoon story in the Sacramento Bee is the latest episode.

The big question is who will be charged or sued next?

________________________________________________________________________________

Brown sues federal housing giants over home energy improvement program

By Rick Daysog
rdaysog@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Jul. 14, 2010 – 2:11 pm
Last Modified: Wednesday, Jul. 14, 2010 – 3:29 pm

California Attorney Jerry Brown today sued federal mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for blocking green home improvement financing programs that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and would create thousands of clean-tech jobs.

In a filing in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Brown said the federal agencies have ignored California law and wrongly characterized the programs in shutting them down.

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Brown

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
July 14, 2010 | 11:30 am

Jerry Brown may not be up with any paid TV commercials, but he’s been active on the free talk circuit, making his case for California governor with local and national stations alike.

On Wednesday he was in San Diego on the local Fox affiliate’s morning program talking about the gubernatorial campaign, the man he hopes to succeed and the woman standing between him and his old Capitol office, Republican nominee Meg Whitman.

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Jerry Brown

By MAGGIE HABERMAN | 7/14/10 4:46 AM EDT

POLITICO 44

Democrats are fearful that various labor-backed, independent-expenditure efforts in the California governor’s race are needlessly divided, risking Democrats’ chances with their scattershot messages.

It’s no small matter in a race where the independent expenditures were touted as critical to Democratic nominee Jerry Brown’s campaign, a stopgap for the infrastructure and funding that are sorely lacking from the former two-term governor’s frugal, bare-bones campaign. But as former eBay CEO Meg Whitman free-spends her way toward the $150 million mark in a race that’s currently neck and neck, there is little margin for error against her spending juggernaut.

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James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/13/2010 04:59:09 PM PDT

“No a la Proposici n 187 y no a la ley de Arizona.”

Translation: “No on Proposition 187 and no on the Arizona law.”

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PoliticsBlog

Posted By: Joe Garofoli | July 12 2010 at 05:25 PM

A quick round-up of the day in the Guv campaign….

Republican guv candidate Meg Whitman dropped a new 30-second TV ad Monday to run statewide It’s another negative piece on Democratic rival Jerry Brown that doesn’t raise any new material. Just repeats pounding on his support from unions, or, as Meg puts it the “special interests.”

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Meg Whitman

Jul 12, 2010 7:44 pm US/Pacific

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―

Download Complete CBS 5 Poll Results Data (.pdf)

If the election for governor of California were held today, Republican Meg Whitman would edge out Democrat Jerry Brown 46% to 39%, according to a new CBS 5 KPIX-TV poll of likely voters released Monday.

Brown, currently California’s Attorney General, leads by a not surprising 2-1 margin in the Bay Area, but trails in the rest of the state, according to the poll data.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
July 12, 2010

Republican Meg Whitman’s camp is continuing its attacks against the labor groups backing Democrat Jerry Brown, launching a new television spot hitting Brown’s union supporters.

The 30-second ad, titled “Their Governor,” targets labor group-backed independent expenditure committees that have been funding ads attacking Whitman.

Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
July 12, 2010

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, whose heated courtship of Latino voters already included ads on Spanish-language TV and radio and on billboards and bus stops, today started placing banner ads on Spanish-language websites, the campaign said.

No surprise, the ads highlight Whitman’s opposition to Arizona’s anti-immigration law and to Proposition 187, the 1994 ballot initiative to limit state services to illegal immigrants.

Read the rest of this entry »

Brown

Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday, July 13, 2010

For decades, capital punishment was a driving force in California politics, swaying elections for governor and the U.S. Senate and reshaping the state Supreme Court.

While executions in California have been on hold for more than four years, tied up in court challenges to lethal injection procedures that the state is now redrafting, November’s elections may determine whether the death penalty still carries political weight.

Read the rest of this entry »

July 12, 2010

Posted: July 12th, 2010 09:57 PM ET

(CNN) – California’s gubernatorial race, already fueled by a fierce debate over immigration reform and a mounting fiscal crisis in the state, reached another level Monday as the candidates sparred over money.

Attorney General Jerry Brown, the Democrat hoping to take the seat being vacated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, called his Republican opponent’s latest ad, taking on his record on taxes, “completely false.”

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Meg Whitman

Prop Zero

Monday, July 12, 2010
BY Larry Gerston Ph.D. // 2 hours ago

Meg, Money and Technology

Much has been made about the $91 million Meg Whitman has spent on her gubernatorial campaign. As expected, the largest portion of the money has gone to those slick, expensive television campaign ads. They have served her well, first in introducing her to Californians, and second in terms of branding her candidacy.

But beyond the use of her funds for commercials, Whitman has treated her campaign like an investment. To that end, she has purchased the latest technological tools available to assist her campaign effort–purchases that may prove invaluable by November 2nd.

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07:09 PM PDT on Sunday, July 11, 2010

By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau

As they contemplate candidates for governor and the U.S. Senate, California voters want leaders with plenty of legislative background. No, make that someone with years of experience in the business world.

Actually, they want both, according to a poll made public today.

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Published: Monday, Jul. 12, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

The air wars continue. California Working Families 2010, a labor-funded group backing Democrat Jerry Brown’s gubernatorial bid, has launched an ad defending him against attacks from Republican rival Meg Whitman.

The 30-second spot, titled “Misleading,” takes aim at Whitman’s ad slamming Brown’s political career as a “legacy of failure.”

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Sunday, July 11, 2010 – 10:30 am

A little less than two weeks ago California Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown was poking at Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman over the millions she had spent to date, and the fact he still had a 5 point lead in a recent poll.

Remember the invite Meg to tea comment?

Then came last Wednesday. The widely respected Field Poll had Whitman and Brown in a statistical tie. Brown stopped laughing.

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www.iepolitics.com

Written by Administrator
July 10th, 2010 at 11:06 pm

It doesn’t seem to matter if we are discussing Jeff Burum, the Lewis Family, or any other of a number of successful, wealthy businessmen in our community, they are all “corrupt.” I don’t mean that they are really, truly corrupt, but they are “corrupt” in the minds of the less successful. The common thought seems to be that if one has money, then one has no integrity. Our community doesn’t allow for making an “honest” hundred million or so. Hard work, sacrifice, intellect, college education, and just plain good old-fashioned luck can all be damned. If one is successful, then one must be a crook.

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Moonbeam and Robin

Batman: “Haven’t you noticed how we always escape the vicious ensnarements of our enemies?”
Robin: “Yeah, because we’re smarter than they are!”
Batman: “I like to think it’s because our hearts are pure.”

Riddle me this readers: What were they thinking?

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By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jul. 11, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman’s scant voting record is viewed poorly by more than half of likely voters, but many aren’t thrilled with Democratic rival Jerry Brown’s age, either.

In a wide-ranging measure of the candidate characteristics that matter most to voters, a report released today by the nonpartisan Field Poll depicts an electorate that favors both political and business experience as well as progressive or moderate views.

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JULY 8, 2010

By WAYNE LUSVARDI

Will a set of Green Power plants in northern California planned in the 1970s under former California Gov. Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown’s administration and shut down in 1990 because they were running in the red come back to haunt third-time gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown and California’s Green Power law up for review by the voters in November?

Three events surrounding the Bottle Rock and South Geysers Geothermal Power Plants in northern California might call into question the third candidacy of Jerry Brown for governor and the sustainability of AB32 – the Global Warming Solutions Act – on the November ballot for possible rollback by the voters as Prop 23.

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Point of View

Richard Grenell
Created: 07/08/2010 07:52:54 PM PDT

In the aftermath of the announcement that District Attorney Mike Ramos’ team failed miserably to prove that Rex Gutierrez participated in a conspiracy or lied on his time card, there was one little-noticed comment that stood out.

Assistant District Attorney Jim Hackleman, Mike Ramos’ appointed hatchet man, accidentally confirmed a suspicion many San Bernardino County residents had suspected for many months. Hackleman was asked by the media if the DA’s Office would seek a re-trial of their failed and costly conspiracy case and his comments were very telling. Hackleman proved just who was driving this wild political investigation when he said, “We’re going to sit down with our partners in the Attorney General’s office and will thoroughly review and refine our case with them.”

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Rex Gutierrez

08:44 AM PDT on Thursday, July 8, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

Former San Bernardino County assessor’s official Rex Gutierrez will be retried starting Aug. 30 on corruption charges.

Superior Court Judge Duke Rouse scheduled the new trial at a brief hearing Wednesday. A pre-trial conference will be held Aug 6.

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Jerry Brown

***EDITOR’S NOTE: From the looks of things here it would appear Brown invented DNA testing technology.***

Posted By: Carla Marinucci | July 08 2010 at 02:23 PM

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown got a nice poltiical two-fer Thursday — a chance to remind Califonria voters of his credentials as the state’s top cop while law enforcement celebrated the arrest of a man described as the notorious “Grim Sleeper” serial killer, who has eluded them for decades.

State Attorney General Brown was on hand today, standing next to Republican Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley to talk up the technology advances in DNA analysis which he’s supported — and which ended in the arrest of Lonnie David Franklin, 57, by Los Angeles Police Wednesday on 10 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State

July 8, 2010 | 10:12 am

In the wake of a new Field Poll that shows Meg Whitman running strong among California’s Latino voters, Democrat Jerry Brown will hold a press conference with Latino leaders in Los Angeles on Thursday and begin countering Whitman’s Spanish-language offensive.

The Field Poll showed Brown’s lead among California Latino voters was just 11 points, with 50% of those surveyed saying they supported Brown and 39% expressing support for Whitman. Speaking on KGO radio Thursday morning in San Francisco, Brown said he was gathering with Latino leaders in Los Angeles Thursday to try to shore up a voting bloc that has been reliably Democratic in recent elections.

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Gutierrez

A new trial date has been set for Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez.

During a status conference yesterday, Superior Court Judge Duke Rouse set a pre-trial hearing for August 6th and a new jury trial for August 30th.

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New America Media, News Report
Aaron Glantz, Posted: Jul 07, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Danilo Pajarito has voted for Democrats all his life. The 70-year-old retired Hollywood set designer helped elect Jerry Brown governor back in 1974 and voted for him again when Brown ran for re-election in 1978. And when Brown ran successfully for Attorney General in 2006, Pajarito voted for him again.

But now he’s tired of Jerry Brown, he said. For the first time in his life, he says, he plans to vote for the Republican nominee for Governor, former eBay head Meg Whitman.

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By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Jul. 7, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Wednesday, Jul. 7, 2010 – 6:35 am

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman’s recent ads attacking Jerry Brown appear to have resonated with likely voters, as the Democratic nominee’s popularity is sliding, according to a new Field Poll.

The poll shows Brown leading Whitman 44 percent to 43 percent, a statistically insignificant difference.

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I would have missed this gem over the weekend, but a photo in a Sounthern California newspaper was the tip off.

This past weekend San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos rotated into the Presidency of the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA).

Yes, now the CDAA is stuck with this man as their leader.

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Tuesday, July 6, 2010 – 09:30 pm

Wait just a minute!

One thing is for certain. The David Lewis calamity has disappeared way too conveniently.

Questions need to be asked. Official questions. The kind of questions asked by the U.S. Department of Justice. They are already here, and if they aren’t already engaged on this, they should be. It’s clear no agency in this county can be trusted.

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Brown

By Michael Gardner, U-T SACRAMENTO BUREAU

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 10:24 p.m.

SACRAMENTO — Republican Meg Whitman’s continued advertising campaign appears to have taken a toll on Democratic rival Jerry Brown in the race to become California’s next governor.

A new Field Poll shows a dramatic shift among likely voters who now express growing doubts over Brown, the state’s attorney general and former two-term governor.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Wednesday, Jul. 7, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

California is obviously a troubled state, with a moribund economy, sky-high unemployment, a chronically unbalanced state budget, a failing public education system, a congested and crumbling transportation infrastructure, and a looming water crisis.

Ideally, therefore, this column would explore how the two major candidates for governor, Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman, would resolve these and other pressing issues – or, perhaps, whether they are even resolvable.

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Joe Garofoli
Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Among the many nuggets in Wednesday’s just-emancipated Field Poll on the CA guv race is this one: In California households where a union member lives, Jerry Brown leads Meg Whitman by 47 percent to 41 percent.

OK, so a lead’s a lead — and Jerry’s got waaaaay bigger problems in this poll, as our story notes. But when you think about all the union-backed independent expenditures that have been pounding Meg-a-millions — not the least of which is the California Nurses Association — you’d think that would be more of a yawning gap, no?

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Ramos

While Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman and former San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office Inter-Governmental Affairs Officer Rex Gutierrez was allegedly doing city work on county time and county work on city time, what was our favorite San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos doing?

Well he had his own version of “inter-governmental affairs” on his mind. Yep, that’s right. He was busy with affairs for sure. You know the kind-fornication, copulation, making whoopee-not with the wife he tells these women he is divorcing, but with his subordinates.

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Some strategists fear the Democratic gubernatorial nominee and his meager staff are relying too much on decades-old name recognition and waiting too long to go on the offensive against Meg Whitman.

By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times

July 5, 2010

Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman barely paused to take a breath after her landslide primary victory, saturating the airwaves with ads, raising money across the state, trying to woo traditionally Democratic voters and using her massive campaign machine to drive the conversation in her race against rival Jerry Brown.

Brown, meanwhile, is off the air, has yet to reach out to key voter blocs in any strategic way and has gotten more attention for gaffes than for policy proposals.

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Gutierrez

Jurors’ remarks provide encouragement
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/03/2010 09:50:18 PM PDT

Prosecutors say they are not deterred by their failure to convict Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez and are convinced they’ll do better the second time around.

Assistant District Attorney Jim Hackleman said prosecutors had a chance to talk to jurors following the mistrial that was declared Wednesday in the two-week trial of Gutierrez, 50, who is charged with two felony counts of grand theft and one felony count of filing a false claim.

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Meg Whitman

By Jack Chang
jchang@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jul. 4, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

The California Nurses Association has taken on powerful people before, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators from both major parties, and has scored resounding wins.

In each showdown, the 86,000-person union made full use of its key advantage – the appeal of its members’ professions – while pressing hard for policies that benefited nurses.

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Ramos

Sources inside the San Bernardino County’s District Attorney and County Administrative Offices are quietly confirming the cost of DA Mike Ramos’ alleged corruption investigations involving multiple individuals has exceeded $5 million.

A huge taxpayer price tag for Ramos’ reelection showcase and political vendetta.

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www.iepolitics.com

Written by Administrator
July 1st, 2010 at 4:56 pm

As I read various blog comments and accounts of Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman and former San Bernardino County Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez’ corruption trial and non-verdict, I realize the magnitude of what happened Wednesday is lost on most. Let me explain.

The District Attorney pulled out all stops to keep this case from going to trial any sooner than necessary due to his re-election campaign and fear certain information might come out during the trial. Gutierrez refused to waive time further. The District Attorney used every procedural delay available and the trial did not commence until the last possible moment. The District Attorney was hoping a smoking gun would materialize but it never did. The District Attorney’s hand was forced.

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10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, July 1, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

San Bernardino County prosecutors didn’t have any second thoughts about retrying a corruption case that ended in a mistrial, a district attorney’s official said Thursday.

Prosecutors made the announcement only minutes after Superior Court Judge Duke Rouse declared a mistrial in the criminal case against Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez. The state attorney general’s office, co-prosecuting the case, joined a statement supporting the decision.

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Ken McLaughlin

kmclaughlin@mercurynews.com
Posted: 07/01/2010 09:38:28 PM PDT
Updated: 07/01/2010 09:38:29 PM PDT

The telephone rings and Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for governor, is greeting you by your first name. You flip on the TV, and there she is again on a new kind of interactive ad that lets you order a free Meg 2010 bumper sticker with the push of a few buttons on your remote control.

Surf on over to Whitman’s flashy website and, with the click of your mouse, voilà, it’s “Meg 2010: Una Nueva California” — the whole site is translated into Spanish. Click again and it’s in Chinese.

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Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Friday, July 2, 2010

Attorney General Jerry Brown is being criticized by his GOP rival Meg Whitman’s campaign staff over the sexually harassing behavior of a former aide.

(07-01) 18:41 PDT OAKLAND — With supporters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown attacking Republican Meg Whitman for a 2007 shoving incident at eBay, the state attorney general is also facing heat for his own past workplace issues.

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Rex Gutierrez

Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 07/01/2010 04:37:59 PM PDT

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Feeling optimistic and vindicated, Councilman Rex Gutierrez on Thursday announced he will seek re-election to the City Council in November.

A San Bernardino Superior Court jury on Wednesday failed to reach a verdict on Gutierrez’s criminal trial, leading Judge Duke Rouse to declare a mistrial. The outcome spelled relief for the embattled councilman, who was confident enough to announce his wish to remain on the City Council.

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District Attorney Mike Ramos / Attorney General Jerry Brown

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Thursday, July 1, 2010 – 10:00 a.m.

Once thing is for certain.

San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos drawing Attorney General Jerry Brown into his crusade against his political enemies was a smart move.

Even though Defendant Jim Erwin pushed him into it.

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Gutierrez

10:21 PM PDT on Wednesday, June 30, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the criminal corruption case against Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez after a jury deadlocked on a verdict.

In a brief comment as he left the courtroom, Deputy District Attorney John Goritz said the office plans to retry Gutierrez.

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June 30, 2010 5:49 PM

SAN BERNARDINO • Judge Duke D. Rouse declared a mistrial Wednesday in the corruption case of Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez, who’s accused of defrauding taxpayers while working in the San Bernardino County Assessor’s office under Bill Postmus.

Prosecutors argued Gutierrez, 50, worked on Rancho Cucamonga matters on county time and filed false time cards during his 22 months as intergovernmental relations officer in the Assessor’s office. He faced two felony counts of grand theft of more than $400 and one felony count of filing a false claim.

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Brown

By Dan Smith
smith@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Jun. 30, 2010 – 5:09 pm

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown said Wednesday that he would “go to the people step by step” to solve California’s chronic budget woes, and ultimately put the proposed solutions on the ballot for them to decide.

In an interview on CNBC, the attorney general and former governor said the Legislature is not up to the task.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 30, 2010

An independent expenditure committee backed by SEIU and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is running a second radio ad supporting Democrat Jerry Brown’s gubernatorial bid.

The 60-second spot, launched by the “Working Californians” committee, seeks to present Brown’s political career, attacked as a record failure by rival Meg Whitman’s campaign, as one of frugality, job creation and commitment to cracking down on fraud.

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Aleman

Breaking news here. The jury in the Rex Gutierrez trial didn’t believe key prosecution witness Adam Aleman.

Wow, no kidding.

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Gutierrez

Joe Nelson and Mike Cruz, Staff Writers
Posted: 06/30/2010 04:06:38 PM PDT

A mistrial has been declared in the trial of Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez.

The 11-woman, one-man jury voted 7-5 and 8-4 in favor of convictions on Gutierrez’s two felony charges of grand theft and 9-3 in favor of conviction on one felony count of filing a false claim.

Jurors began deliberations on Monday.

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The jury in the trial of Rancho Cucamonga city councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez announced it was at an impasse Wednesday afternoon.

Superior Court Judge Duke D. Rouse declared a mistrial and sent the jury home after being informed a unanimous verdict could not be reached.

The jury, consisting of 11 women and 1 man, could not reach a verdict on any of the felony charges, consisting of two counts of grand theft and one count of filing a false claim.

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The jury in the Rex Gutierrez case will commence their third day of deliberations at 9:30 a.m.

Expect a verdict if there is going to be one. After today the probability of a mistrial increases.

Stay tuned.

Brown

By BROOKE DONALD (AP) – 10 hours ago

MONTEREY, Calif. — Jerry Brown defended his ownership of a $1.8 million, five-story home with sweeping views of San Francisco Bay, saying Tuesday it does not undermine his gubernatorial campaign’s message of frugality.

Instead, he says the house is consistent with his philosophy.

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By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Jun. 30, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman acknowledged Tuesday that much of the deficit left behind when Jerry Brown vacated the Governor’s Office was due to Proposition 13, but she said his reaction to the tax-limiting voter initiative should have been to cut spending.

Whitman’s latest television ad blasts Brown for the deficit that faced lawmakers and new Gov. George Deukmejian when Brown left office in 1983.

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Another interesting aspect of today’s deliberations in the Rex Gutierrez trial was the request for testimony read-back by the jury.

The jury requested the court reporter read-back testimony of the defendant.

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***This post was updated and revised late Tuesday night after the receipt of clarification on the jury’s inquiry. A completely different line of inquiry occurred than that originally published***

The jury deliberating the fate of Rancho Cucamonga city councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez ended its first full day of deliberations with no verdict and a couple questions for the court and attorneys.

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Meg Whitman

By JULIET WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, June 29, 2010

(06-29) 16:13 PDT Roseville, Calif. (AP) –

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman said Tuesday lawmakers shouldn’t leave Sacramento and return to their districts for a break in the midst of a $19 billion budget crisis.

Her criticism came just two days before the start of a new fiscal year, with most of the 120 legislators expected to head home for the holiday weekend.

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Meg Whitman

By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jun. 29, 2010 – 12:37 pm
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jun. 29, 2010 – 2:18 pm

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman told a small crowd at a motorcycle dealership in Roseville this morning that her opponent, Democratic nominee Jerry Brown, is a failed politician and that she is the candidate who could create jobs and make government more efficient and accommodating of business.

“I know how to balance a budget,” the former eBay CEO said. “I know how to create jobs.”

Whitman spoke inside the dealership in front of 12 motorcycles on risers, flanked by Roseville Yamaha employees and two signs that said, “Jobs are on the way.”

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Jury deliberations to determine the fate of Rancho Cucamonga city councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez has reconvened.

Gutierrez faces three felony charges related to alleged time card fraud during his employment under former Assessor Bill Postmus.

Rex Gutierrez

10:27 PM PDT on Monday, June 28, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

The first case to go to trial in a corruption investigation against five San Bernardino County officials went to the jury Monday.

In his closing arguments before a packed courtroom, defense attorney James Reiss called his client Rex Gutierrez a pawn in prosecutors’ attempts to go after an influential developer.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/28/2010 08:25:01 PM PDT

Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez, while employed at the San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office, honestly documented his activities, deceived no one and became a political pawn in a corruption probe by state and local prosecutors, his attorney argued Monday.

During an emphatic closing argument in San Bernardino Superior Court, defense attorney James Reiss decried prosecutors’ allegations that Gutierrez conspired with Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum and former Assessor Bill Postmus in taking a job at the county office while performing work in his capacity as a councilman.

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PoliticsBlog

June 29, 2010

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown today announced that he had accepted 10 invitations for town hall meetings and debates with his opponent, Republican Meg Whitman.

The first event Brown said he would attend is on July 31 and is hosted by the Faith Forum, a Christian organization. Others, including a debate on Sept. 11 sponsored by The Chronicle, KTVU and KQED, are planned throughout September and October.

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It was the defense’s turn this morning in San Bernardino County Superior Court in the trial of Rancho Cucamonga city councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez.

Gutierrez is facing three felony counts related to alleged time card fraud while working for Assessor Bill Postmus.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/27/2010 09:52:30 PM PDT

After seven days of testimony, the trial of Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez approached its end Thursday with prosecutor John Goritz delivering his closing argument.

Defense attorney James Reiss delivers his closing argument today in San Bernardino Superior Court.

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By Jack Chang
jchang@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jun. 28, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

One gubernatorial campaign employs nearly 70 people and contracts with dozens of others as it spares no expense finding new ways to craft and broadcast its messages.

Another relies largely on the spontaneity of its candidate with minimal infrastructure and almost nothing in the way of marketing dazzle.

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Brown

Monday, June 28, 2010

Four months before the November election, the Jerry Brown-Meg Whitman race looks like a small band of desperadoes toting six shooters facing off against a fully staffed division equipped with tanks, stinger missiles and .50 caliber machine guns.

Even so, we have to wonder if Brown doesn’t seem ruinously hellbent on employing the not-so-vaunted Poizner Strategy: keep your powder dry while constantly whining about how nasty and profligate the other side is, then fire everything you’ve got all at once, in a short burst at the end of the campaign.

Worked like a charm for The Commish, eh?

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THE WEEK

Her effort to link Jerry Brown to the era is not exactly accurate — and not exactly surprising.

By Cathleen Decker, Los Angeles Times

June 27, 2010

Television screens in California last week were filled with pictures that looked like finds from a time capsule. A McGovern poster. Peace signs. Woodstock-esque views of young people having fun doing who knows what. A war helicopter, vaguely reminiscent of the Vietnam era, arcing sharply as if to avoid fire.

It was not an ad for a documentary on the 1960s or some PBS show on the Vietnam War. It was an ad for Meg Whitman’s campaign for governor.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gutierrez

10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, June 24, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez defrauded San Bernardino County taxpayers as part of a “culture of corruption” at the assessor’s office, a prosecutor charged Thursday in his closing argument.

Deputy District Attorney John Goritz told the jury there was overwhelming evidence of a conspiracy that allowed Gutierrez to get his position as intergovernmental relations officer at the assessor’s office through a political favor yet avoid any discipline for failing to do much work.

Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 06/24/2010 07:30:48 PM PDT

Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez knowingly falsified time records and was paid for hours not worked in the county Assessor’s Office, and should therefore be convicted of grand theft, a prosecutor said Thursday in San Bernardino Superior Court.

“The evidence shows, well beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant lied on his time cards and didn’t show up for work regularly,” prosecutor John Goritz said during his closing argument Thursday in Gutierrez’s trial. “You can decide this case based on that alone.”

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June 24, 2010 1:45 PM
Natasha Lindstrom

SAN BERNARDINO • As arguments wrap up in the first jury trial in a far-reaching county corruption probe, a judge on Thursday dropped one of four felony counts against an executive staff member of former San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus.

Defendant Rex Gutierrez, also a Rancho Cucamonga councilman, is accused of defrauding taxpayers by working on personal or Rancho Cucamonga matters on county time and falsifying time cards, during his service as intergovernmental relations officer under Postmus.

Read the rest of this entry »

Closing arguments began this afternoon in the case involving Rancho Cucamonga city councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez.

Gutierrez is now charged with only three felonies related to his employment under former Assessor Bill Postmus, after Superior Court Judge Duke D. Rouse acquitted him of Embezzlement by a Public Officer, count number three of the complaint. The Embezzlement charge dismissal is a blow to the prosecution. The embezzlement charge is what is referred to as a “general intent” crime with a lower threshold to prove guilt.

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This morning Superior Court Judge Duke D. Rouse dismissed one felony count against Rancho Cuamonga City Councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez,

During preparation of jury instructions defense attorney Jim Reiss made a motion to dismiss count three of the complaint for Embezzlement by a Public Officer (Penal Code Section 424). Reiss argued Gutierrez’s duties and responsibilities did not subject him to penalty under the law.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gutierrez

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/23/2010 06:42:31 PM PDT

Defense attorney James Reiss rested his case Wednesday in San Bernardino Superior court following testimony from four character witnesses in the trial of Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez.

Each of the character witnesses described the Gutierrez as an “honest man.”

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10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, June 23, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

A San Bernardino County prosecutor hammered at the credibility of Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez on Wednesday as the former county assessor’s official continued his second day on the witness stand.

The testimony came as the prosecution and defense called their last witnesses in the sixth day of the corruption trial. Closing arguments are scheduled for today.

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Jerry Brown / (Courtesy – Reuters)

California Dems worry that gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown isn’t ready for the campaign trail. Reuters

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By MAGGIE HABERMAN | 6/23/10 4:56 AM EDT

California Democrats are starting to worry that gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown — who hasn’t had a truly competitive election in three decades — isn’t ready for the 21st-century campaign trail.

Since the general election kicked off two weeks ago, Brown — the state attorney general and former governor with a well-known penchant for micromanaging all aspects of his campaigns — has made news for all the wrong reasons, while motoring along without any evidence that he is assembling a basic infrastructure for a statewide race.

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The Republican targets the attorney general’s lengthy government service. A coalition of unions backing Brown slashes at Whitman’s ties to Goldman Sachs.

By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times

June 24, 2010

Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman and allies of Democratic rival Jerry Brown pummeled each other on the airwaves Wednesday, each releasing a new television ad that ratcheted up the campaign’s animosity.

A coalition of unions supporting Brown slashed at Whitman’s ties to controversial Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs. Whitman, meanwhile, tore through Brown’s four-decade-long resume.

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California Watch
A Project of the Center for Investigative Reporting
Money and Politics

California WatchBlog

June 24, 2010 | Chase Davis

Tales of Jerry Brown’s $1.8 million Oakland Hills house have caused quite a stir in the blogosphere during the last few days, but its market value these days is a drop in the bucket compared to what his old digs recently sold for.

About a year ago, a converted firehouse Brown lived in from 1989 to 1995 was on the market for $4.4 million, according to a real estate feature in the Wall Street Journal. The seller was John Traina, an art collector and ex-husband of romance novelist Danielle Steel.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 – 1:25 P.M.

This morning it was more of the same at the trial of Rancho Cucamonga city councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez. Things picked up right where they left off.

Gutierrez took the witness stand again and was subjected to further berating by Deputy District Attorney John Goritz. Goritz can’t help but raise his voice.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rex Gutierrez

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 22, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez denied allegations Tuesday that his former job at the San Bernardino County assessor’s office was a sham.

On the fifth day of testimony in his corruption trial, the defendant countered other witnesses who said he got the job as an intergovernmental relations officer as a favor through influential Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum, and that he did little actual work.

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Rex Gutierrez

Gutierrez rejects Burum link to job
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/22/2010 08:08:23 PM PDT

Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez took the witness stand Tuesday in his own defense, denying allegations that his nearly two-year employment in the San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office was political in nature and influenced by developer Jeff Burum.

Defense attorney James Reiss began presenting his case Tuesday in San Bernardino Superior Court in the trial of Gutierrez, 50, who is charged with felony grand theft, misappropriation of public funds and filing a false claim.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Anthony York | 06/23/10 12:00 AM PST

Meg Whitman will begin airing a new 60-second television ad Wednesday that takes aim squarely at Democratic nominee Jerry Brown. If the ad is any indication, it looks like Californians can brace themselves for a long season of campaign ads.

Through a stylized montage that moves through Brown’s four decades in California politics, Whitman makes reference to the death penalty and Bill Clinton to make the case against Brown. The ad uses a clip from a debate between Brown and Clinton when the two men ran against each other for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992. In the clip, Clinton says Brown “reinvents himself every year or two.”

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By Jack Chang
jchang@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Wednesday, Jun. 23, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 4A
Last Modified: Wednesday, Jun. 23, 2010 – 8:08 am

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman escalated her battle with the California Nurses Association on Tuesday by debuting a website criticizing the union and unveiling an internal poll that found Democrat Jerry Brown leading Whitman by only three percentage points among nurses statewide.

The website, titled “Truth for Nurses,” features articles and a video accusing the union of paying exorbitant salaries to its president and other executives and wasting members’ dues on political activity.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Rancho Cucamonga city councilman Rex Gutierrez testified today in his own defense.

Attorney Jim Reiss questioned Gutierrez about his background, namely his work history. In addition to his background history Gutierrez went over the process by which the city of Rancho Cucamonga and National CORE partner up. Defense attorney Reiss questioned Gutierrez about his lengthy relationship with developer Jeff Burum, that began around 1992. Throughout this relationship Burum and himself would keep in contact on a consistent basis, Gutierrez said.

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Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez has taken the stand in his own defense this morning.

Gutierrez faces four felony counts related to allegations of time card fraud and a conspiracy to give him employment.

Brown

By SAMANTHA YOUNG, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 12:32 a.m.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When he takes to the campaign trail, Jerry Brown is fond of reminding voters that he shunned the governor’s mansion in Sacramento in favor of a rented apartment during his first tour in the executive office and lived in a downtown loft in Oakland while he was mayor of the crime-ridden city.

The stories are part of a campaign narrative of frugality. The Democratic nominee wants voters to remember that when they consider whether to send him back to the governor’s office as California faces a $19 billion budget deficit, an unemployment rate above 12 percent and a continuing foreclosure crisis.

What California voters do not hear is Brown boasting about his latest home.

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Monday, June 21, 2010

This mornings events at the trial of Rancho Cucamonga City councilman and former Assessor employee Rex Gutierrez had the atmosphere of watching paint dry, until the lead District Attorney investigator on the case was questioned by defense attorney Jim Reiss.

Gutierrez is charged with four felonies related to alleged time card fraud and prosecution claims that his hiring by former Assessor Bill Postmus was a conspiracy orchestrated by Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum.

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Gutierrez

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, June 21, 2010

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez and developer Jeff Burum exchanged seven phone calls while the City Council was hearing pitches from rival developers hoping to build on a 1,200-acre parcel, a district attorney’s investigator testified Monday.

Schyler Beaty, a senior investigator, said telephone records show the calls took place March 2, 2009. They occurred between presentations from different companies presenting plans for the highly sought-after surplus San Bernardino County land located in Rancho Cucamonga.

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www.iepolitics.com

Written by Administrator
June 20th, 2010 at 4:26 pm

This past week San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney John Goritz and state of California Deputy Attorney General Melissa Mandel unveiled their “conspiracy theory” in the trial of former Assessor’s Office employee Rex Gutierrez. In addition to having worked for the county, Gutierrez also is an elected member of the city of Rancho Cucamonga City Council. Gutierrez is accused of conducting city of Rancho Cucamonga business on county time.

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Democratic candidate Jerry Brown gives his first post-primary news conference in Los Angeles. Republican candidate Meg Whitman works the phones to thank supporters of her campaign. (Mark Boster, Los Angeles Times; Lawrence K. Ho, Los Angeles Times)

By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times

June 21, 2010

The candidates fighting to become California’s next governor each faced stumbles in recent days, but the polar-opposite ways in which Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown dealt with the fallout say much about their personalities and the campaign machines they’ve built.

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Published: Monday, Jun. 21, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Monday, Jun. 21, 2010 – 12:11 am

While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators wrestle with the latest version of the state’s perpetual budget mess, the two people who aspire to succeed him seven months hence aren’t offering voters any direction on how they’d close the income-outgo deficit.

How Jerry Brown or Meg Whitman would resolve the state’s fiscal crisis is not merely an academic question. There’s about a 99.9 percent chance that when one of them receives the keys to the governor’s Capitol suite, the budget problem will be at least as big as it is now – and will probably be bigger.

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Prosecutors’ strategy may set stage for future trials
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 06/19/2010 06:14:18 PM PDT

The week-old trial of Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez marks the first jury test of the theory by prosecutors that developer Jeff Burum engaged in a broad conspiracy to influence San Bernardino County officials and enrich themselves at the expense of taxpayers.

Gutierrez, 50, is charged with felony grand theft, misappropriation of public funds and filing a false claim for allegedly performing political or city business while collecting a salary as an intergovernmental liaison in the county Assessor’s Office.

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