Monday, May 26, 2014 – 10:10 a.m.
Remembering the men and women who died while serving in the country’s armed forces.
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Filed under: Administration of the Blog, In Memorium
Cassie MacDuff, Staff Columnist
Published: May 24, 2015 - Updated: 8:29 p.m.
The statistics rattled off by San Bernardino’s bankruptcy experts last week were startling:
San Bernardino is the poorest large city in California, and the second poorest in the nation, after Detroit.
To read entire column, click here.
Republican Paul Chabot has self-published an ebook, “Against All Odds,” about his failed bid for the 31st Congressional District seat against Democrat Pete Aguilar. (Staff file photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher)
By Beau Yarbrough, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 05/24/15 - 7:35 PM PDT |
Although voters decided against having Paul Chabot represent them in Congress last November, they can choose to have him on their Kindle, if they so choose.
Filed under: Campaigns, Elections, In the News, Politics, Republicans, U.S. House of Representatives
The PennySaver, an advertising newsletter, was delivered in the mail throughout Southern California. Employees were told Friday that the publication is ceasing operations after 50 years.
By Stuart Pfeifer
May 24, 2015
The PennySaver, an advertising newsletter that was a fixture in Southern California mailboxes for decades, is going out of business.
Filed under: Business, In the News
By Matt Pearce and Molly Hennessy-Fiske
May 24, 2015
Look east, California.
Five years of extreme drought have come to a dramatic end in Texas and Oklahoma as a month of heavy rains has replenished reservoirs, dampened parched soil across both states and unleashed floodwaters on vulnerable residents.
By Soumya Karlamangla
May 24, 2015
Since California’s health insurance program for the poor was expanded under the Affordable Care Act last year, enrollment has exploded, with more than 3.5 million people signing up for the first time. Almost 1 in 3 Californians — a total of 12.2 million people — now receive coverage through Medi-Cal.
Sunday, May 24, 2015 - 06:00 p.m.
Hats off to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The newspaper has essentially taken on the job of exposing the “corruption” in the settlement surrounding the closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant, and how state officials compromised themselves in their cozy relationships with executives from Southern California Edison, a subsidiary of Edison International. (NYSE: EIX).
Sunday, May 24, 2015 - 05:30 p.m.
The Pew Research Center has issued a not-so-pleasant report on the state of print media in the country.
Filed under: Business, Daily Bulletin, Finance, In the News, Investments, Los Angeles News Group, Media, The Sun
Sunday, May 24, 2015 - 01:30 a.m.
The San Bernardino County Sentinel Newspaper, a publication that’s been an irritant to many Inland Empire local governments and politicos, has been granted legal adjudication.
Filed under: Business, Inland Empire, Local Government, Media, Politics, San Bernardino County Sentinel
Sunday, May 24, 2015 - 01:00 p.m.
California water agencies are at it big time
Using the drought as a driving force. Water suppliers are hammering away at rate increases in every shape or form possible.
Reporters in 2010 were given a rare tour of the San Onofre nuclear plant in 2010, in anticipation of the installation of replacement steam generators. The flawed generators precipitated closure of the plant amid a radiation leak in 2012. — John Gastaldo
Warsaw was not the only undisclosed gathering while nuclear plant shutdown pact took shape
By Morgan Lee
May 23, 2015 - 03:48 p.m.
The public was none the wiser.
All the key parties in the room for the only public hearing on the $4.7 billion settlement agreement for shutdown costs at the failed San Onofre nuclear plant knew that the pact had its origins at a secret meeting in Poland.
By Dan Walters
[email protected]
May 23, 2015
- Sales tax used to be state’s top revenue source
- Income taxes now dominate revenue flow
- Should sales taxes be extended to services?
During the first year of Jerry Brown’s first governorship, 40 years ago, the state collected $9 billion in general fund revenues and the sales tax was the biggest source at $3.7 billion.
IE Business Daily
May 23, 2015
In 1987 Orion Pictures released a futuristic science fiction film called “Robocop” about a dirt poor city, Detroit, that had contracted public safety services to a large, privately owned corporation.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 05/22/15, 11:02 AM PDT |
An Assembly bill that would allow Ontario to issue bonds to finance the acquisition of L.A./Ontario International Airport from Los Angeles was approved by the state Assembly on Friday.
Capitol Alert
The go-to source for news on California policy and politics
May 22, 2015
By Jim Miller
[email protected]
Local governments, businesses, unions and other special interests reported spending more than $48.5 million on direct state lobbying expenses from January through March, according to first-quarter reports filed earlier this month.
U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton claps along with the audience as she arrives at a campaign event in Mason City, Iowa, United States, May 18, 2015. (REUTERS/Jim Young)
Post Politics
By Robert Costa
May 22, 2015 at 4:50 PM
EXETER, N.H. — Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday sought to distance herself somewhat from both her husband, a previous president, and Barack Obama, the current White House occupant who defeated her in 2008.
Union tosses cash at lobbying despite retirement shortfalls
By Jeffrey Scott Shapiro
The Washington Times
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
The Teamsters have begun informing retirees and current workers that their pension benefits may soon be cut, the final ironic twist to a lobbying campaign that saw the union spend its own members’ dollars to win the right to shrink their retirement pay.
Friday, May 22, 2015 - 03:30 p.m.
Tonight on the show, Ed Hoffman, president of Wholesale Capital Corporation, is in the bunker! He and Lou talk about the history of Memorial Day and the proper flag etiquette for the day.
Published: May 22, 2015 - 9:27 a.m.
Riverside County’s newest supervisor needs a new planning commissioner.
Citing “the readily apparent incompatibility” with Supervisor Chuck Washington, John Petty resigned from the Planning Commission this week, effective immediately.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
Investigators are looking into whether former PUC President Michael Peevey made deals with PG&E illegally. (Photo: Jeff Chiu / Associated Press 2014)
By Jaxon Van Derbeken
May 21, 2015
Updated: May 21, 2015 - 8:11pm
Investigators are looking into whether former PUC President Michael Peevey made deals with PG&E illegally.
By Maura Dolan and Lee Romney
May 21, 2015
Weighing in on a troubled system, California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has called for an emergency rule to prevent courts from requiring drivers to pay traffic tickets before they can go to court to contest them.
Political news, analysis, commentary and more about California and beyond
By Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine
Friday, May 22, 2015
Bottom line on the new Merv and Mark Poll: Kamala Harris looks strong, but far from inevitable, in the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barbara Boxer.
Filed under: Campaigns, Democrats, Elections, In the News, Kamala Harris, Politics, Polls, State of California, U.S. Senate
Karl Rove and other leading Republican strategists started American Crossroads, the “super PAC” that has been among the single most powerful forces in national politics. But its pre-eminence is being tested. (Credit Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)
By Eric Lichtblau and Maggie Haberman
May 21, 2015
WASHINGTON — For three election cycles, American Crossroads, the brainchild of Karl Rove and other leading Republican strategists, has been among the most powerful forces in national politics, a shadow party that has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising, data and opposition research to help elect candidates.
Thursday, May 21, 2015 - 04:30 p.m.
Tonight on the show, Lou is joined by Ryan Hagen of the San Bernardino Sun to talk specifics about fire outsourcing. What does the city hope to accomplish and what outcome can be expected from the organization they choose?
Filed under: Cities, Finance, In the News, Local Government, Media, Politics, San Bernardino, The Lou Desmond & Company Show
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 05/20/15 - 7:53 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> The city might become the first in the state to rely on a for-profit firm for firefighting and emergency medical services, but to do so it will have to overcome opposition that’s already mounting up and down the state.
By Sandra Emerson, Redlands Daily Facts
Posted: 05/20/15, 6:47 PM PDT |
REDLANDS>> The City Council on Tuesday approved new contracts for the city manager and city attorney, which include salary increases and a change in their retirement contributions.
By Jim Steinberg, The Sun
and Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 05/19/15, 2:17 PM PDT |
BEAUMONT >> State Controller Betty T. Yee on Tuesday announced her office was launching an investigation into the financial practices and reporting of this city of 42,000 to resolve “significant differences” between the city’s financial reporting and its audited statements.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved The Crossings at Redlands, a 340-unit gated apartment complex in an unincorporated area of Redlands. It will feature a sidewalk coffee shop/cafe, produce market and state-of-the-art fitness center. It is a companion project to the neighboring Circa 2020 apartment complex now under construction. (Courtesy artist rendering)
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 05/20/15 - 6:45 PM PDT |
REDLANDS >> In the same vein as Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga and other mixed-use developments across Southern California, a 340-unit gated apartment complex, with a retail component, has been approved for development in an unincorporated area of this city.
Riverside, San Bernardino county homes sales were up 8 percent last month, the third best April since 2006, according to CoreLogic DataQuick
Published: May 19, 2015
Updated: May 20, 2015 - 11:27 a.m.
Home sales in Inland Southern California continued to flex some muscle in April, restoring optimism in a marketplace that got off to a sluggish start for 2015.
It was the third best April for the Inland region since the housing bust, with 6,109 Riverside and San Bernardino new and existing home and condo sales closing escrow, according to CoreLogic DataQuick’s latest report.
To read story by Debra Gruszecki in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 06:00 p.m.
Tonight on the show, Lou is joined by Adrian Moore from the Reason Foundation. They talk about the $50 MILLION discrepancy in the city’s financial paperwork. How does a city recover from something like that?
…..$5,000,000…..
By Ryan Hagen, San Bernardino Sun
Posted: 05/19/15 - 7:17 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> The county Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to pay a consultant group up to $5 million over four years to help with development of a “complete county” plan that goes beyond a general plan — in fact, they say, it goes further than any city or county ever has.
Former state Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, speaks at a news conference at the Capitol on June 10, 2013. | Manny Crisostomo The Sacramento Bee file
Capitol Alert
May 19, 2015
By Alexei Koseff
[email protected]
Former state Sen. Ron Calderon’s corruption trial has been postponed for a third time. It is now scheduled to begin on March 1, 2016, a delay of nearly seven months.
Filed under: Courts, Democrats, In the News, Legal, Politics, State of California, State Senate, U.S. District Court
New revenue estimate shows likely fault line over spending in budget battle between governor and lawmakers
By Chris Megerian
May 19, 2015
The battle lines in the annual tug-of-war over the state budget became clear on Monday evening, when legislative analysts said there would be $1.1 billion more revenue available for discretionary spending than Gov. Jerry Brown has estimated.
Filed under: Budget, Democrats, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Politics, State Assembly, State Senate, Taxation
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Jeb Bush. (Left: European Pressphoto Agency; Right: AP)
By Dan Balz, Chief correspondent
May 19, 2015 at 12:42 PM
Despite the blur of activity by innumerable candidates, the 2016 presidential campaign so far is a mostly shapeless enterprise, save for one dominant factor: the prominence of money in the narrative. More than anything, money has been the defining characteristic of the race, highlighted by the political and private activities of the brand names of Clinton and Bush.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - 05:00 p.m.
Tonight on the show, Lou is joined by Ryan Hagen, who covers the city of San Bernardino for the San Bernardino Sun. Ryan and Lou talk about last night’s city council meeting in San Bernardino, where the Council voted 6-1 to approve the city’s bankruptcy plan.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 05/18/15 - 06:04 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> The second phase of a civil trial involving a San Bernardino man marked for death by two San Manuel tribal members and who has already been awarded $4.5 million began Monday in San Bernardino Superior Court.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
POSTED: 05/18/15 - 8:55 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> A full-court press by the city’s administrators, consultants and allies from the community convinced six of the seven council members Monday that it was vital to pass the Plan of Adjustment, pushing the city into the next stage of its nearly three-year bankruptcy.
Filed under: Budget, CalPERS, Cities, Courts, Finance, In the News, Legal, Local Government, San Bernardino, State of California, U.S. Bankruptcy Court
U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez greets paradegoers during a Veterans Day celebration in Fullerton in 2008. Some say Sanchez’s lack of restraint could work to her advantage. (File: Michael Goulding / Staff Photographer)
By Martin Wisckol / Staff Writer
May 18, 2015
Updated: May 19, 2015 - 12:12 a.m.
Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s colorful, freewheeling persona shows no signs of being watered down for her U.S. Senate race, as she demonstrated at last weekend’s state Democratic convention in Anaheim.
Filed under: Campaigns, Democrats, Elections, In the News, Politics, State of California, U.S. Senate
By David G. Savage
May 18, 2015
Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy dealt a speedy setback Monday to conservative advocacy groups that had sought to shield the names of their major donors in California.
Filed under: Campaigns, Courts, Elections, In the News, Kamala Harris, Legal, Politics, Republicans, State of California, U.S. Supreme Court
Monday, May 18, 2015 - 04:30 p.m.
Tonight on the show, Lou is joined by Estimable Economist Jay Prag to get his take on San Bernardino’s exit plan. What affect will their actions have on future investments in the troubled city?
Monday, May 18, 2015 - 09:00 a.m.
With selection of a new jury complete. The long-awaited trial to see how much more money, if any, Plaintiff Leonard Epps will get from San Manuel Tribal Members, and siblings, Erik Barajas and Stacy Nunez-Barajas, will resume Monday morning.
Toll lane critics fear that the residents who live off Interstate 10 can’t afford to drive on them.
Published: May 15, 2015
Updated: May 17, 2015 - 11:26 p.m.
Want a faster commute? You may get one if you’re willing to spend a little more money.
San Bernardino County is moving ahead with plans for toll lanes, much like those already under construction on Riverside County’s portion of the 91 Freeway in Corona.
To read story by Stephen Wall in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
Republicans plan to use drought to hit Democrats in 2016 elections
Capitol Alert
May 17, 2015
By David Siders and Christopher Cadelgo
[email protected]
Gov. Jerry Brown, cheering the Democratic Party for successes in California in recent years – including increasing spending on education and health care – turned briefly to the “bad news” at a party gathering over the weekend.
Filed under: Campaigns, Democrats, In the News, Politics, Republicans, State of California, Water Resources
California Governor Jerry Brown is in favor of ending temporary taxes under voter-approved Proposition 30.
By Jessica Calefati
[email protected]
Posted: 05/18/2015 - 05:50:33 AM PDT
SACRAMENTO — When Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled his revised state budget late last week, the news that California is swimming in black ink rightfully stole the show.
ABC’s anchor much closer to Hillary’s foundation than he told his viewers.
Peter Schweizer
May 18, 2015 - 10:36 a.m. EDT
Fact-driven, fair, aggressive journalism animates American politics. As an investigative journalist, I am accustomed to asking tough questions. When I publish, I expect tough questions in turn,
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
POSTED: 05/16/15 - 8:35 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> The deep cuts and extensive restructuring proposed in the city’s bankruptcy exit plan got a unanimous thumbs-up from its strategic planning core team on Saturday, as the City Council prepares to vote on the plan Monday.
Filed under: Budget, Cities, Courts, Finance, In the News, Local Government, San Bernardino, U.S. Bankruptcy Court
By Philip Rucker and Jenna Johnson
May 16, 2015 at 7:00 PM
DES MOINES — To take back the White House after eight years in the political wilderness, Republicans think they must soften their image and expand their appeal in particular to women and Latino voters. As Jeb Bush, a leading presidential contender, puts it, “We’re going to win if we show our hearts.”
But the GOP’s strategic imperative is running headlong into its structural reality.
By Michael Finnegan and Peter Jamison
May 16, 2015
The contours of California’s U.S. Senate race sharpened Saturday, with Kamala Harris trying to keep stride as the leading contender while upstart Loretta Sanchez sought to knock her off balance.
Dan Walters
May 16, 2015
[email protected]
Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised 2015-16 budget sharply increases spending on California’s 6-plus million elementary and high school students.
Democrat Xavier Becerra, a congressman from Los Angeles, speaking with reporters Friday evening at the California Democratic Party convention in Orange County. | Christopher Cadelago [email protected]
Capitol Alert
May 15, 2015
By Christopher Cadelago
[email protected]
Veteran congressman questions where she stands
“What would she do? What are her values on these issues?”
Anaheim — Rep. Xavier Becerra, mulling a run for the U.S. Senate, urged the media to more aggressively question Attorney General Kamala Harris, the Democratic frontrunner in the race.
Gas prices are displayed at a Chevron station in Brentwood. The recent surge in regional fuel prices has left local drivers paying more on average than motorists elsewhere in the U.S. (Jerome Adamstein / Los Angeles Times)
By Andrew Khouri and Samantha Masunaga
May 15, 2015
On Friday, the average for a gallon of regular in the Los Angeles area was higher than $4 for the first time since July, according to daily fuel price reports by AAA and GasBuddy.com. The recent surge in regional fuel prices has left local drivers paying more on average than motorists anywhere else in the U.S.
Friday, May 15, 2015 - 03:30 p.m.
Tonight on the show, Ed Hoffman joins Lou to talk about national headlines. But first, they start in San Bernardino, where the city’s plan to exit bankruptcy was released yesterday. In it, the city says it’s planning to pay its creditors 1% of what they are owed.
Filed under: Budget, Cities, Finance, Legal, Local Government, Media, Politics, San Bernardino, The Lou Desmond & Company Show
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 05/14/15, 4:49 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> The proposed bankruptcy exit plan released to the public for the first time Thursday would pay 1 percent of the $50 million owed to pension obligation bondholders, slash retirees’ healthcare coverage, and contract out for services, including fire and waste disposal, among other changes.
Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar lost millions in state vehicle license fees four years ago.
Published: May 14, 2015 - Updated: 10:21 p.m.
Four cities in Riverside County still coping with a 4-year-old revenue hit could get relief in the revised state budget offered by Gov. Jerry Brownon Thursday, May 14.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
Filed under: Budget, Cities, Eastvale, Finance, In the News, Jerry Brown, Jurupa Valley, Local Government, Menifee, State of California, Wildomar
By Bay Area News Group
Posted: 05/14/15 - 9:26 PM PDT |
Digital First Media, the company that operates the Los Angeles News Group and its digital and newspaper properties, has decided not to seek a sale of the entire company, saying it “is not in the best interest of shareholders at this time.’’
By Larry Gordon, Teresa Watanabe and Carla Rivera
May 14, 2015
The big winners in Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to sharply increase education funding are California undergraduates at UC, who will have their tuition frozen for two more years, and the millions of elementary, secondary and community college students who are likely to see more teachers and counselors hired on their campuses.
By Dan Walters
[email protected]
May 14, 2015
The state’s revenue system is, as we should all know by now, increasingly dependent on taxes from a relative handful of high-income Californians.
Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, hugs her half-brother, Stephen Sanchez, after announcing she will run for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer’s seat. She was surrounded by family and supporters at the Santa Ana train station on Thursday. | Christopher Cadelago The Sacramento Bee
By Christopher Cadelago
[email protected]
May 14, 2015
Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a Democrat from Orange County, rocked the political world nearly two decades ago when she narrowly ousted a sharp-tongued Republican congressman and then defended the seat in a rematch.
Acting U.S. Atty. Stephanie Yonekura speaks at a news conference Thursday on the indictment of former Los Angeles County Undersheriff Paul Tanaka. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
By Cindy Chang, Joel Rubin and Richard Winton
May 14, 2015
What began more than four years ago as a federal investigation into brutality and corruption by deputies in L.A. County jails reached the highest echelons of the Sheriff’s Department on Thursday, with two top officials indicted on charges of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to thwart the FBI.
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Men’s Central Jail facility in Los Angeles is shown. The FBI enlisted Anthony Brown, an inmate in the Men’s Central Jail, to collect information on allegedly abusive and corrupt deputies. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)
By Shelby Grad
May 14, 2015
The widening scandal at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has at its center a top-secret operation that federal prosecutors said amounted to an outrageous case of obstruction of justice.
Sheriff Lee Baca speaks to the editorial board of the Los Angeles News Group Wednesday, March 20, 2013 in West Covina. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz)
By Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 05/14/15, 8:46 PM PDT |
When Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca stepped down more than a year ago, his role and possible indictment in the ongoing federal investigation at the county jails was still in question.
By Joseph Serna
May 14, 2015
Like most judges, Kern County Superior Court Judge John Fielder did not necessarily carve out a reputation of being warm and cuddly on the bench.
George Stephanopoulos, right, interviewing former President Bill Clinton last year for ABC’s “Good Morning America.” (Credit Heidi Gutman/ABC)
Politics
By Jeremy W. Peters and John Koblin
May 14, 2015
WASHINGTON — Even after more than a decade as an analyst, anchor and public face for ABC News, George Stephanopoulos has never been able to shake the image that many Republicans have of him: Clinton hatchet man.
Thursday, May 14, 2015 - 04:30 p.m.
You gotta hand it to bankrupt San Bernardino, California. If there’s any local government that can screw anything up, it’s good ole San Berdoo!
Filed under: Budget, Cities, Courts, Finance, Legal, Local Government, San Bernardino, U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Thursday, May 14, 2015 - 04:00 p.m.
Tonight on the show, Ryan Hagen joins to program to discuss San Bernardino’s plan to exit bankruptcy. The only problem, they are releasing it at 5:00, then locking the doors to city hall until Monday morning. Also, Lou will cover the local headlines from the Inland Empire.
Former Upland City Manager Robb Quincey left, has petitioned to have his felony conviction reduced, dismissed and expunged, and probation terminated.
Thursday, May 14, 2015 - 09:45 a.m.
Former Upland City Manager Robb Quincey, who pleaded guilty to a felony conflict of interest charge last year, and sentenced just last October, has filed to have his conviction reduced to a misdemeanor, dismissed, expunged and probation terminated.
Filed under: Cities, County of San Bernardino, Courts, In the News, Legal, Local Government, State Superior Court, Upland
**Administrator’s Note: The post has been modified regarding information related to a Deputy Public Defender, who has disputed certain contents. We therefore remove certain content and make reference to publicly-available court records.**
Court of Appeal Opinion: Lawrence v. County of San Bernardino
Thursday, May 14, 2015 - 09:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, May 22, 2015 - 08:30 a.m.
Employee discontent over management practices has brought operations of the San Bernardino County Public Defender, once again, into the spotlight.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Riverside. Today, San Bernardino will reveal its bankruptcy exit plan. The city declared bankruptcy in July 2012. (John Valenzuela/ The Sun)
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 05/13/15, 8:27 PM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> City officials say they will release a sweeping bankruptcy exit plan Thursday afternoon and ask the City Council on Monday to commit to changes they say will significantly affect residents, employees and creditors for years to come.
Filed under: Budget, Cities, Courts, Finance, In the News, Legal, Local Government, San Bernardino, U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka.
By Jack Leonard and Richard Winton
May 13, 2015
Federal authorities are expected to announce indictments Thursday against former Los Angeles County Undersheriff Paul Tanaka and a retired sheriff’s captain in the ongoing investigation into excessive force and corruption in the county’s jails, according to sources familiar with the probe.
U.S. Senate candidate and state Attorney General Kamala Harris (Damian Dovarganes/AP)
News
May 13, 2015
Updated 7:30 p.m.
By Martin Wisckol, Staff Writer
On the eve of Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s expected announcement that she’ll run for U.S. Senate, current frontrunner Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out a list of eight Orange County elected officials who’ve endorsed her bid.
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Redlands
Published: May 12, 2015 - Updated: 4:09 p.m.
Rep. Pete Aguliar, D-Redlands, and his wife recently spent a week spending no more than $4.73 a day per person on food to call attention to hunger in the Inland Empire.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
A lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court accuses Wells Fargo of pressuring workers to open so many accounts and provide so many other services that the employees deceived and defrauded customers across the country.
By E. Scott Reckard
May 13, 2015
A former Wells Fargo & Co. customer accused the San Francisco banking firm in a lawsuit of fostering a high-pressure sales culture that ended up deceiving and defrauding him and customers nationwide.
Filed under: Banking, Business, Cities, Courts, Finance, In the News, Legal, Los Angeles, U.S. District Court
Orange County Superior Court Judge M. Marc Kelly. (Los Angeles Times)
By Emily Foxhall
May 13, 2015
An Orange County judge who is being threatened with recall for giving a child molester a lenient prison sentence contends he is a respected jurist who is the victim of a “misleading” campaign.
Devereaux
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 05/12/15, 6:53 PM PDT |
San Bernardino County will enter the next fiscal year on July 1 with $4.7 billion on hand for infrastructure projects and some services cut during the Great Recession, but the county has quite a ways to go before it can start loosening its fiscal belt.
Published: May 12, 2015 - Updated: 10:42 p.m.
Riverside County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to charge contract cities more for Sheriff’s Department services, despite pleas from several officials unsure of whether their cities can afford the price hikes.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
After year of mitigation talks, $145M expansion subject of lawsuit
By Shea Johnson
Staff Writer
Posted May. 12, 2015 at 2:09 PM
Updated May 12, 2015 at 3:39 PM
SAN BERNARDINO — Repeated faulty designs for smoke control systems were allegedly to blame for millions in cost overruns for the High Desert Detention Center expansion, according to a lawsuit filed May 1 by San Bernardino County seeking $13.6 million in damages from the project’s architectural and design firms.
Peevey, at right, said grants would be ‘satisfactory to our joint purposes’.
By Jeff McDonald
May 12, 2015
Former California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey filed a public notice disclosing an email he received from UCLA regarding grants for greenhouse gas research.
Hospitals and the oil industry topped payments for lobbying. Total reflects payments to in-house lobbyists and outside firms.
Capitol Alert
May 12, 2015
By Jim Miller
[email protected]
Local governments, businesses, unions and other special interests reported spending more than $48.5 million on direct state lobbying expenses from January through March, according to first-quarter reports filed earlier this month.
Filed under: In the News, Lobbyists, Local Government, Politics, State Assembly, State of California, State Senate, Unions
Judge allows city to make pension payments
By Dale Kasler
[email protected]
Government pensions in California have withstood another fierce challenge in bankruptcy court.
Lawmakers received an update Tuesday on the drought, which “is going to change California,” said the director of the Department of Water Resources. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
By Matt Stevens
May 12, 2015
With Californians increasing efforts to deal with the drought, lawmakers got an update Tuesday on exactly how bad things are and heard little to cheer them.
Catholic Archbishop of Washington Donald Wuerl joins other Christian leaders during an Easter prayer breakfast at the White House last month. Although such public expressions of religion remain a feature of American life, the nation’s Christian population has declined, a new study shows. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
By David Lauter and Hailey Branson-Potts
May 12, 2015
The U.S. has become significantly less Christian in recent years as the share of American adults who espouse no systematic religious belief increased sharply, a major new study found.
Filed under: In the News, Religion
Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - 04:00 p.m.
Tonight on the show, Mike Ramos, SB County DA, was fined for the third time for failing to properly report campaign expenditures. Perris Councilman who was caught with drugs and male prostitutes resigns, and Lou talks with a Perris resident about the feelings there.
Bob Stern, a campaign finance expert and the FPPC’s first general counsel, from 1975 to 1983, said he was flabbergasted that Ramos was twice fined for the same violation. “Of all the people who should be complying with the law, it should be the D.A.,” Stern said. “If I were a commissioner, I would go back and say double the fine,” (Staff file photo by Rick Sforza)
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 05/11/15 - 4:20 PM PDT |
For the third time in the last two election cycles, San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos has been fined by the state Fair Political Practices Commission for improper campaign reporting practices.
To then-Sheriff Leroy ‘Lee’ Baca, it was a sucker punch and a betrayal by the FBI, his longtime partner in catching crooks.
By Lisa Bartley
Friday, May 08, 2015 - 11:00PM
LOS ANGELES (KABC) —
To then-Sheriff Leroy “Lee” Baca, it was a sucker punch and a betrayal by the FBI, his longtime partner in catching crooks. Federal investigators deliberately kept Baca in the dark as they set up a sting on the sheriff’s turf — Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles.
Video from a KNBC-TV news helicopter appears shows San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies beating Francis Jared Pusok, who led them on a pursuit April 9 in the High Desert. )KNBC-TV Courtesy photo)
By Beatriz Valenzuela, San Bernardino Sun
and Grace Wong, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 05/11/15 - 8:26 AM PDT |
The names of San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies and command staff who were allegedly involved in the beating of Francis Pusok last month in the High Desert were made public Monday by sheriff’s officials.